SLO Good Food

BY: ROMAN NORAVIAN Walking across the yakʔitʸutʸu quad at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31, it was hard to ignore the buzz of activity–and delicious smells–coming from the communal grills outside of the elewexe residence hall. People were here for Jesus Burgers, a group that cooks up and distributes free burgers to students every other Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., according to its Instagram . The group, which is run by current Cal Poly students and a few outside helpers, is not affiliated with the popular Jesus Burgers in Isla Vista. "The heart behind [Jesus Burgers] is to bring people together for some free food and then share the gospel with them," said Nicholas Mayton, a fifth-year construction management major at Cal Poly. According to Mayton, Jesus Burgers was started a year and a half ago. The funds for the burgers came from one of his friends, who got the money from offerings collected at a house church he used to run.  In addition to free food, Jesus Burgers provides students with a pla...

Wheels of cheddar cheese aging in the Cal Poly Creamery's freezer. All three of the creamery's cheddar cheeses need to age for a minimum of six months. (Photo/Roman Noravian) BY ROMAN NORAVIAN Although drive-thru’s were banned in San Luis Obispo in 1982, if one were to venture to the outskirts of Cal Poly’s campus, they would find a lone drive-thru that routinely draws long lines. This is the Cal Poly Creamery’s weekly drive-thru, which operates from noon to 4 p.m. most Fridays and is located at the Dairy Products Technology Center, 1 Grand Ave. During this time, students and residents can drive up and order from a diverse selection of cheeses and ice cream. On a sunny Friday afternoon, business at the creamery was steady. Customers, waiting in a line of cars, placed orders with workers at their windows. After a few minutes, workers would emerge from the creamery with trays laden with delectable dairy products. The roster of seven cheeses includes fromage blanc, smoked Gouda,...

BY: ROMAN NORAVIAN At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything special about SLO Ranch Farms and Marketplace, a mix-use retail space located in the San Luis Ranch community.  A plate of tacos from Luna Red in downtown San Luis Obispo. Luna Red is one of the multiple restaurants in SLO that source their ingredients from local vendors. (Photo/Roman Noravian) However, if one was to do a little digging (no pun intended), they’d find out that some of the ingredients used at restaurants occupying the space are grown in-house, according to an article from KSBY . Given San Luis Obispo’s vibrant dining scene–the city was named as one of the United States’ top foodie cities by Yelp in 2022 –it’s unsurprising that some of its restaurants have already adopted this growing industry trend, known as farm-to-table dining. The idea behind the practice of farm-to-table dining is that restaurants get their supplies from local farms or vendors, which is more sustainable than ordering from l...