Our convivium welcomes members of all ages, genders, and walks of life. We like to learn, we like to play, we love to eat, we look forward to meeting you	We are a friendly, down-to-earth, yet cosmopolitan group whose activities range from unpretentious potlucks to exciting classes, farm visits, and the occasional not-to-be-missed grand dinner.	Together we made tomato sauce, jams, pickles, hoshi gaki, we cooked heritage turkeys. Who knows what will come next?

January 2007

Our Convivium was started in 1999 by Pamela Sheldon-Johns, food writer and cooking teacher,
who has since moved to Italy with her family, where she runs an agroturismo we hope to visit soon.
Before she left in 2001, Pamela passed the torch to me. Cooking teachers Janice Cook Knight and Kim Shiffer
were co-leaders until 2004. Janice has since started a second convivium, Buon Appetito SB,
and Kim is very busy with her catering company, Fresh Foods Catering.
Our current membership stands at around seventy, depending on who remembers to renew in time.
Members range from UCSB students to retirees, with many families, single people, professional chefs,
farmers, winemakers, and others who are passionate about the values embodied by Slow Food.
I have created this website to function as a Convivium and community resource.
We will soon add a blog, where current members will be able to share recipes, ideas, and projects.

Laurence Hauben,
Slow Food Santa Barbara Convivium leader

As for me I was born and raised in France, and I have been a member of the Santa Barbara community since 1983.
I am a food writer, cook, artist, businesswoman, and farmer's helper.
I wrote a weekly food column for the Santa Barbara Independent
from 1992 to 2002, I ran Santa Barbara's first organic beach grill, and I was executive director of the
Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association from 2003 to 2005.
I am currently food & wine editor for Food & Home magazine,
and a contributor to various publications including Saveur and Gastronomica.
I have just started a new project, called Saturday Forays, that introduces small groups
to Santa Barbara's best producers and food artisans through guided visits of the Fishermen's and Farmers' Market.
Feel free to contact me with questions, suggestions, and especially with offers to help.