Perched on coastal bluffs above the Pacific at the eastern edge of the Gaviota Coast, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara has long been one of the county’s most dramatic resort settings. Now, under Executive Chef Roberto Riveros Leyton, the resort is working to make its culinary program a destination in its own right.
Since arriving at Bacara late last year, Riveros Leyton has set an ambitious course for the resort’s dining program, drawing on more than two decades with the Ritz-Carlton brand and experience in Michelin-starred kitchens around the world. Central to that effort is elevating Bacara’s culinary identity while strengthening its role in Santa Barbara’s evolving dining landscape.
“We have the talent, the location and incredible ingredients here in Santa Barbara,” Riveros Leyton said. “The goal is to bring all of that together and create experiences people want to come back for.”
The first major expression of that vision debuted last weekend with the launch of the Bacara Signature Chef Series, a new program bringing internationally acclaimed chefs to Santa Barbara to collaborate with Bacara’s culinary team.
The opening weekend began with a welcome reception featuring wines from Sunstone Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley, attended by co-owners Teddy and Djamila Cabugos. The program continued with a collaborative tasting dinner at Lulio and concluded with a brunch overlooking the Pacific.
The concept reflects Riveros Leyton’s own international culinary background.
(Photo courtesy Welch Media Group)
Originally from Chile, Riveros Leyton has spent much of his career within the Ritz-Carlton culinary ranks, holding leadership roles across the company’s global portfolio. His path has taken him through kitchens in Hong Kong, Barcelona and Half Moon Bay, as well as culinary operations in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
It was during his years in Spain that Riveros Leyton first crossed paths with Chef Miguel Navarro, now executive chef of the Michelin-starred Es Fum restaurant at The St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort. The two chefs worked together at Lasarte in Barcelona, where the restaurant earned three Michelin stars during their tenure.
When Riveros Leyton began shaping Bacara’s new chef series, Navarro was a natural choice to inaugurate the program.
“We’ve known each other for many years,” Riveros Leyton said. “When you start something like this, you want to collaborate with chefs who share the same philosophy and the same standards.”
As the menus took shape, Riveros Leyton shared a list of local purveyors and seasonal ingredients with Navarro, encouraging him to build dishes around products sourced locally.
“We are in Santa Barbara,” Riveros Leyton said. “People should come here and experience what is happening in our community.”
The centerpiece of the weekend was the collaborative tasting dinner at Lulio, Bacara’s Mediterranean-inspired restaurant. Named for the Latin and Greek words for “July,” Lulio draws on Mediterranean flavors and Santa Barbara’s coastal setting.
The prix fixe menu unfolded as a dialogue between Navarro’s Michelin-starred Es Fum kitchen in Mallorca and Riveros Leyton’s team at Bacara, pairing Spanish technique with locally sourced ingredients.
Navarro’s influence appeared immediately in the amuse-bouche, a vibrant salmorejo with mussels and spicy apple. Kampachi with tomatillo, avocado and Marcona almond followed, paired with a 2024 Grüner Veltliner from Story of Soil’s Los Alamos Vineyard, whose crisp minerality echoed the clean flavors of the fish.
Flounder with fennel beurre blanc and capers was paired with a 2022 Chardonnay from Paradise Springs’ Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills.
The evening’s standout dish was Lulio’s American Wagyu striploin with spring root vegetables, truffle and tarragon, paired with “Teddy’s” Red Blend from Sunstone in the Sta. Ynez Valley.
Additional highlights from the Lulio kitchen included barbecue lamb ribs with Balkan spices, citrus labneh and tursu pickles, along with citrus beets with grilled gem lettuce, radish, sunflower-pistachio crisp and tahini yogurt.
The beverage program, overseen by Bacara Beverage Manager Phillip Kuhns, added another layer to the evening. Among the standouts was the Taverna Margarita, made with Ventura Spirits limoncello and finished with a smoked sea salt rim.
Sunday’s brunch offered a relaxed close to the weekend. Set against sweeping ocean views on Bacara’s terrace, the menu included a large-format paella prepared with Santa Barbara sea urchin.
For Navarro, the emphasis on product remains fundamental.
“Quality and good flavor are never negotiable,” Navarro said.
Navarro’s culinary journey began on the Canary Island of La Gomera, where he started working in his family’s restaurant as a teenager. He later trained in some of Europe’s most celebrated kitchens, including Martín Berasategui, Azurmendi and El Celler de Can Roca.
Despite that pedigree, Navarro said modern fine dining is increasingly defined by the totality of the experience.
“It is not only about food and wine,” Navarro said. “Guests today are looking for something more complete. They want an experience.”
At Bacara, that experience is shaped as much by the setting as the cuisine. Spread across coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific, the resort sits at the intersection of Santa Barbara’s farms, fisheries and wine country.
The Signature Chef Series is expected to continue with additional collaborations later this year, with plans to expand the program into a recurring event bringing chefs from around the world to cook alongside Bacara’s team.
If the opening weekend is any indication, Bacara’s new chef series could become a global stage where Santa Barbara’s ingredients meet the talents of chefs from around the world.
