This blog is for all those who have worked with or for me over the last forty years in Santa Barbara.
I have had the pleasure of living and working in Santa Barbara since July of 1981. During that time I have managed kitchens at the Olive Mill Bistro (1981-1994), my restaurant Michael’s Waterside (1984-1993), The Santa Barbara Polo Club (1992-1995), the Burnham Wood Golf Club (2001-2003) and Michael’s Catering (2003-2020).
I cannot begin to calculate how many people I have cooked for, most likely in the hundreds of thousands. From countless restaurant meals to cocktail receptions, gala dinners, private cooking classes, charitable donations, the numbers are immense.
One important, that is, very important part of my success I have enjoyed in Santa Barbara, is the thousands of servers, buses, cashiers, hostesses, dishwashers, cooks, and chefs who have worked beside me over these forty-some years. Besides the millions in payroll, there remains a legacy of people imbued with the vision of quality cuisine and service.
I want to extend my deepest thanks to those who have labored with me serving the citizens in Santa Barbara. I am retiring now and moving to Charleston, South Carolina. No doubt I will still be cooking, learning and enjoying a profession that has been very engaging for some fifty years.
A heartfelt thanks to all those who have been part of the journey.
Merci, Chef Michael Hutchings
