The S.B. Questionnaire: Laurence Hauben

“Food is not just about how it tastes,” says Laurence Hauben, a chef and former columnist for this newspaper who now leads one-day culinary adventures called Market Forays. “It’s about our relationship to people and to nature.”

Part cooking class and part walking tour, Laurence’s forays are one of the most unique cultural experiences in Santa Barbara. The idea came very organically to the French-born entrepreneur, who was previously the head of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association.

“After I left that job, I reflected on what I enjoyed, and the most important thing for me was sharing food with people,” she explains. “Every Monday morning, the Montecito Union parents make healthy snacks for their kids, and events organizer Merryl Brown asked me to be a guest chef. Before I bought the ingredients, I invited her to go the harbor with me where I introduced her to the fisherman, then we went to the farmers market. She bragged to her friends about her experience and about how much I’d opened her eyes about food. There was so much interest that the idea for Market Forays was born. “