Hungry Art

It had to happen. Once the Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF) transformed Santa Barbara’s performance art scene with the acclaimed (and packed) 1st Thursday Forum Lounge events, it was inevitable that the energy and curiosity so in evidence on those Thursday nights would need to grow — and get something to eat. Of course the collective appetite of this world could only be satisfied by an equally progressive and even more underground operation. Cue Alvaro Castellanos Rojas and Weston Richards, the chefs responsible for Spare Parts Bistro, a weekly pop-up restaurant that has been putting small groups of hungry hipsters into a tasting trance for the last few months.

On Friday, October 5, Spare Parts and Pali Wines take over the CAF Satellite @ Hotel Indigo for the first installment of Crave, CAF’s new food-as-immersive-art-experience series. The Come to Your Senses Cocktail Party runs from just 5-7 p.m., which pretty much guarantees that this limited-attendance event will hit guests hard and fast — an eater’s equivalent to the rush of witnessing a stunning piece of performance art.

CAF director Miki Garcia sums up the collaboration this way: “For me, the Spare Parts dinners encourage the idea of communal dining while creating a space for a genuine appreciation of good food. This is so similar to what we do in the art world — inspiring dialogue and greater understanding for the world around us through art.”

Here’s a hint of what Spare Parts has planned for the Come to Your Senses menu:

Pâté with mustard and pickled market vegetables

Mini halibut tostada

Lamb meatballs, tomato sauce, tapenade

Mini frittata, fine herbs, salsa verde

Tomato sorbet, basil oil, buratta

House-made cracker jack

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The Crave Come to Your Senses Cocktail Party takes place Friday, October 5, 5-7 p.m., at the CAF Satellite & Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara, 121 State Street. Tickets are $55, and $45 for CAF members. Call 966-5373 for info, and visit cravesb.eventbrite.com for tickets.