Chef Kali Kopley at Pico Los Alamos celebrates spring dishes with husband Will Henry’s perfectly balanced Lumen wine – in Edible Santa Barbara.
Want the Asparagus with Pea and Mint Ricotta recipe? Get it here.
Signs of spring show up early in Santa Barbara County with hillsides glowing green and more produce appearing at markets. At Pico Restaurant in Los Alamos, spring arrives loudly and joyfully with tender peas, fresh asparagus and a long list of names attached. Farmer names. Winemaker names. Friends.
Chef Kali Kopley & Husband Will Henry at the Helm
That’s how Kali Kopley likes it. Chef and co-owner of Pico with her husband, Will Henry, Kali is celebrating two milestones this year: ten years of Pico and another March honoring International Women’s Day, an apt pairing for a woman whose career has been defined by independence, community, and feeding people well. Before Los Alamos, Kali owned five restaurants in Tahoe. Before that, her very first business was a wine bar in Boston, complete with tapas. Food and hospitality have always been her language.
It’s a language she learned early. Kali’s grandfather was a Navy chef, happiest in the kitchen, while her Greek side of the family believed deeply that food was the center of everything. As the oldest of five siblings, Kali became the family cook by necessity. It’s a role she took seriously—and loved.
When Kali and Will decided to settle in Santa Barbara County, opening a restaurant was always part of the plan. In 2015, they opened in the Pico building with a vision of a local gathering place, and a chef to help make that happen (we covered this chef and his consommé in 2017). Over the years, they worked with various chefs, while always refining the spirit of Pico to keep improving. For the past year, Kali has taken on the Chef role herself. For Kali and Will, local sourcing is non-negotiable. “If we can’t source locally, it won’t work,” Kali says plainly.
Sourcing Locally is the Only Option
That ethos is literally built into the kitchen. Pico’s Farmer Hall of Fame wall features photos of smiling faces, muddy boots, animals, and fields, a visual reminder that the most important people in the restaurant don’t wear aprons. Farmers like Johanna Finley, Carla Malloy of Elder Flat, Britt Zotovich, and many more aren’t just suppliers; they’re friends Kali has known for nearly a decade. Farm folks are also featured in Pico’s Know Thy Farmer lunches, set in Pico’s garden. These multi-course, wine-paired meals highlight one of the farmers, seasonal cooking, and pairings with their own Lumen Wines.
Santa Barbara County makes this kind of cooking possible. “We have the ocean, the land, organic farmers, year-round,” Kali says. “It’s like the Mediterranean.” Pico’s goal this year is nothing short of 100% local sourcing—from beef raised at Kiani Preserve to spiny lobster pulled from local waters, grains from Kandarian, beans from Lompoc Bean Company, cheeses from Stepladder Creamery, and olive oil from nearby producers like Luretík and Fig Mountain. Local olive oil, she notes proudly, goes into every single dish.
At their home garden and vineyard, Kali and Will grow avocados, apples, citrus, herbs, mulberries, and edible flowers. Lumen Vineyards, their organically certified, regeneratively farmed project, mirrors Pico’s philosophy: care for the land, and the land feeds you back. Kali also makes Greek yogurt and feta with Marko of Motley Crew Farms.
Eating with Chef Kali
Kali invited me in for lunch, and it turned into one of those quietly perfect meals you wish you could linger over all afternoon. I started with the asparagus dish, bright, fresh, and beautifully balanced, with that creamy pea ricotta and just the right pop of lemon and mint. Alongside it came a classic Maine-style lobster roll, served chilled with a light touch of mayonnaise that let the sweetness of the lobster shine. And then, for a comforting contrast, a warm cassoulet: rich, slow-simmered, and deeply satisfying.
What tied it all together was the simplicity. Every dish felt thoughtful but unfussy, made with fresh ingredients and a clear sense of restraint. Nothing overworked, nothing overcomplicated—just honest, delicious food done exceptionally well. We paired all this with the Lumen Pinot Gris, Grenache, and Pinot Noir. Plus, a unique version of California champagne, ginger-infused Sparkling Wine.
A Sparkling Wine That Breaks All the Rules (In the Best Way)
If you’re exploring the world of California sparkling wine, there’s a bottle beyond the expected in Los Alamos that perfectly captures the creativity of the Central Coast: the ginger-infused pét-nat from Lumen Wines.
Pétillant Naturel, or Pét-Nat, is an even more ancient way to make sparkling wine than the widely-used méthode champenoise (also called méthode traditionelle) originated in Champagne, France. In the méthode ancestrale, the wine is bottled with a crown cap before it even finishes its first fermentation, so it develops carbon dioxide as it goes. It’s not disgorged, often unfiltered, and can be made from any grape variety.
Lumen is doing something entirely different—and incredibly compelling. Their “Hey Ginger” sparkling wine is a pétillant naturel (pét-nat), meaning it’s bottled mid-fermentation to naturally capture bubbles. The twist? Fresh ginger is added during fermentation, creating a sparkling wine that’s as vibrant as it is unexpected.
This isn’t just a gimmick. The wine is made with only three ingredients—Chardonnay grapes, ginger, and yeast—with no added sulfites, leaning fully into the natural wine movement that’s reshaping sparkling wine California right now.
What It Tastes Like
Think of it as Chablis meets a slice of fresh ginger.
The base wine—cool-climate Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County—is picked early for bright acidity and freshness. Then the ginger adds a subtle spice and lift, creating a layered, zippy profile that’s dry, mineral-driven, and incredibly food-friendly.
It’s the kind of bottle that wakes up your palate:
- Crisp citrus and green apple
- A hint of ginger spice on the finish
- Lively bubbles with a refreshing, low-alcohol feel
In other words, it’s not trying to mimic traditional Champagne—it’s carving out its own lane in the world of California sparkling wine.
More Central Coast Sparkling
The Central Coast has quietly become one of the most exciting regions for sparkling wineries, thanks to its cool ocean influence and innovative winemakers. Lumen embodies that spirit—small production, organically farmed fruit, and minimal-intervention techniques that let the vineyard (and in this case, a little ginger) shine.
Check out all the Sparkling Wines in Santa Maria Valley & Los Alamos.
For anyone building a list of sparkling wineries near me or planning a wine country weekend, this is exactly the kind of stop that makes the Central Coast feel special—unexpected, experimental, and deeply rooted in place.
Asparagus with Pea and Mint Ricotta Recipe
Want the full recipe? Get it and print it here.
Spring cooking at Pico is a celebration of it all, simple and seasonal. A perfect example is this Asparagus with Pea and Mint Ricotta dish that feels like the season on a plate.
To make it at home, blanch two cups of fresh local peas, just until bright green, then cool quickly. In a food processor, blend the peas with one cup of fresh ricotta, four tablespoons local olive oil, three tablespoons lemon juice, a handful of fresh mint, and salt and pepper to taste.
Blanch asparagus until just tender. Spoon the pea ricotta onto a platter, arrange the asparagus over the top, and finish with toasted local pine nuts, freshly grated Parmesan, Aleppo pepper flakes, and another generous drizzle of olive oil.
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