Central Coast Picks Up Three Michelin Stars

Santa Barbara County is finally home to its own Michelin star — two, in fact, as both Bell’s Restaurant in Los Alamos and Sushi | Bar in Montecito were given the coveted one-star rating by the Michelin Guide on Tuesday morning. They were part of 27 new stars given out to restaurants across California, including a one-star award for another Central Coast standout: Six Test Kitchen in Paso Robles. 

“As an international culinary destination and leader in the industry, California continues to impress Michelin Guide inspectors with a commitment to sustainable gastronomy and creative cuisine,” said the guides’ international director Gwendal Poullennec in a press release. “We are delighted to celebrate 19 promotions for restaurants that elevated their quality and consistency despite the challenges of the health crisis, and welcome eight new entries to our selection at the star level.”

All three Central Coast restaurants were elevated from “New Discovery” to one-star restaurants. “This has been a lifelong dream for us both and shared goal of ours since opening our first concept together in 2012,” stated Margarita Kallas-Lee, co-owner and pastry chef of Scratch Restaurants, which owns Sushi | Bar as well as Pasta | Bar in Los Angeles, another one-star awardee. Added her husband, Phillip Frankland Lee, who is Scratch’s co-owner and executive chef, “We’ve always set our intentions on this prestigious accomplishment and to have it become a reality feels surreal. We are honored to have a chance to share our unique dining experiences with the world.”