Edible Explorer: 24 Hours in Ojai
Not long after asking how I was managing the freeways and the traffic, locals kept telling me “you have to go to Ojai.” As a new LA resident, plenty of other beautiful desert, mountain and beach locales beckoned. But six months in, I finally heeded the advice. Driving up mid-week in January, I had twenty four hours to explore the famously unassuming, artsy town. Top of my agenda: Checking out two standouts in Ojai’s dining scene, which has seen an influx of new eateries and fresh culinary talent in the last couple of years.
Not long after asking how I was managing the freeways and the traffic, locals kept telling me “you have to go to Ojai.” As a new LA resident, plenty of other beautiful desert, mountain and beach locales beckoned. But six months in, I finally listened. Driving up mid-week in January, I had twenty-four hours to explore this famously unassuming, artsy town.
Top of my agenda: Checking out two standouts in Ojai’s dining scene, which has seen an influx of new eateries and fresh culinary talent in the last couple of years.
About an hour into the 90-minute drive, I said goodbye to the Pacific and drove inland towards the Topatopa Mountains. I dropped my bags in my cozy, cabin-style room at Ojai Rancho Inn, which has kept many of its original retro touches from its days as a roadside motel. My shoulders relaxed upon entering Chief’s Peak, the hotel bar; it was just opening for the evening, but vinyl records were already spinning and a fire was going strong in the fireplace. After securing a mocktail – the Free Spirited, with pineapple, ginger and turmeric shrub, mint and lime – I sat by the outdoor fire pit and watched steam float off the pool.
I headed downtown, all of a two-minute drive (the inn has free bicycles for those who’d rather explore on two wheels), for an early dinner at Rory’s Place. Opened in February 2022, it’s run by sisters Rory and Meave McAuliffe. LA natives, both are restaurant industry veterans – among other gigs, Meave was head pastry chef at Gjelina. That focus on seasonal California fare and supporting local farmers and producers carries through to Rory’s, where seafood and dishes cooked in a wood-fired oven are at the heart of the menu. My starters: the broiled oysters with fermented chili butter and hearth flatbread, with a generous scoop of briny marinated feta. And the buttery local halibut with saffron and sunchokes I got as my main dish. I sat on the cozy patio, but next time would snag a seat under the neon ‘Oyster Bar’ sign on the wall for good people watching, glass of natural wine in hand.
By the next morning, ready for a hearty breakfast, I bee-lined for The Dutchess, which also opened in early 2022. The team behind this all day eatery also has deep LA roots: Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb of the Rustic Canyon Family and acclaimed pastry chef Kelsey Brito. Once I placed my order at the register, I wandered the many rooms of The Dutchess looking for a prime seat – from the outside, you can’t see the full depth of the building, originally built in 1927 as a bakery. Among the antique furniture and paintings, modern printed wallpaper and plants, diners worked on laptops, with topped-up coffee cups beside them, friends caught up over baked eggs and croissants, and tourists fueled up for a day of exploring. The menu is similarly varied – at night, The Dutchess intriguingly transitions to serving Burmese-inspired fare from chef Saw Naing.
These new restaurants join a community with a history of supporting local food producers. The area’s mild climate and fertile soil has long been good for farming using a variety of methods like organic, biodynamic, dry farm, no till, regenerative, holistic rotational grazing, silvopasture, and more. Locals and visitors have bought this produce, plus honey, baked goods and delicious artisanal creations at the Sunday farmers market for over three decades.
While my trip didn’t align with the farmers market, I did take a loaf of Dutchess sourdough to go. Popping into the shops along East Ojai Avenue, I picked up a bottle of Chenin Blanc from Lieu Dit Winery in Santa Barbara at wine shop Point de Chêne. While wrapping up my bottle, the staff suggested I drive out to Ojai Olive Oil for a tasting.
First, though, I had to make a caffeine stop at Beacon Coffee. Then, one more at the iconic Bart’s Books, which claims the title of the world’s largest outdoor bookstore. Tucked in on a residential street in Ojai, books have spilled out of what used to be the founder’s house since 1964. Though I could’ve spent hours perusing the outdoor courtyard with its overflowing bookshelves, there are also books inside. In the kitchen, cookbooks and books about food are stuffed into cabinets and onto the kitchen counters. While the road to Ojai Olive Oil was washed out (some resources to help victims of the disastrous flooding and mudslides here), the drive through lush citrus groves, framed by mountains and blue skies, was worth the short detour from downtown.
It was time to head back to the city. Taking the more rural state routes 150 and 126, I caught not only a wispy rainbow, but also Ojai’s famed ‘pink moment.’ Right before sunset, the sky takes on an unbelievable rosy glow, and under it, I had one last food experience. On the side of the road, I spotted a pickup truck stocked with local honey for sale. Though the passenger seat of my little Camry was already full of bread, wine, ceramics and tchotchkes, I had to pull over and grab a jar.
