Bacara Breaks Into New Cuisines

To take a brief world tour of modern culinary hotspots, head to the far western edge of Goleta, drive past the Ferraris in the roundabout, relinquish your keys to the valet, and saunter into the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, where recent restaurant changes are now serving Japanese and Latin cuisine. And they didn’t forget the Italians, with expanding options at the popular Bistro; nor the French, whom you can toast while sipping on Veuve Clicquot at a pop-up champagne bar on the bluffs overlooking Haskell’s Beach.

Cultivating such diversity is a strategy for Chef Umit Kaygusuz, a 14-year Ritz-Carlton veteran (Dubai, Singapore, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey) from South Africa who’s managed the entire resort’s culinary offerings for about two and a half years. He’s trying to provide menus that appeal to both tourists and locals. 

“Having what is needed in town is something we consider, yet of course we consider having options within the resort to allow our guests to have different dining experiences every night,” said Kaygusuz. “Not only are these good additions to our resort, they are good additions to the local food scene too.”