Gatherings: Wood-Fired Pizza on a Mesa Front Porch

I have often thought that if you want to get to know someone better, have them cook you a meal. From the food they choose to how they set the table, you will get insight into who they are and where they come from. 

You may already know the Seigel-Boettners. Maybe your child was lucky enough to have Lynn as a teacher at Cold Spring or Vieja Valley, or John at Santa Barbara Middle School. Or perhaps you read about them here in the Independent. Lynn was a Local Hero in 2009 for her work on Food Not Lawns, and John was profiled two years ago for starting a local chapter of Cycling Without Age.

However, if you live on the Mesa, I bet you know their house. It is nearly impossible not to notice the purple, turquoise, and yellow home, accented with Dave Shelton’s whimsical ironwork, nestled in among fruit trees and herb gardens. And then, if you look a little closer, you will see the porch, where the brightly mosaicked pizza oven seems to sparkle and beckon even on a foggy day.