Kudos to LA Weekly for being the latest high-profile media outlet to showcase our local barbecue style, and for turning Angelenos onto what sounds like a killer spot for enjoying Santa Maria-style trip-tip in the southland’s Simi Valley
Indeed, in this recent story, food writer Jim Thurman spotlights Green Acres Farm Market, which apparently cooks up a Santa Maria-style tri-tip to die for. According to Thurman, the Green Acres sandwich “will make you believe in ‘California BBQ’”
According to Thurman, the market dates back to the 1920s. In 1968, it was acquired by Dick Rhoads, who renamed it after the popular television show. The Roads family still owns and operates the market today, and son Randy Rhoads is the one responsible for sticking a Santa Maria grill out front and making a name for the market’s tri-tip sandwiches.
(Our only quibble with the story is the use of the term “California BBQ.” While Thurman gives plenty of nods to Santa Maria in his story, we are not going to greenlight a new phrase like that! There is no “California BBQ.” There is “Santa Maria Style Barbecue,” which is fast becoming known California’s signature style. For us, that’s a distinction worth guarding.)
Writes Thurman to conclude his fine story, “Should you still visit the Central Coast and enjoy Santa Maria barbecue tri-tip in its natural setting? Of course you should, and for far more reasons than just the tri-tip. But it’s nice to know that we have an option for a classic taste of the Central Coast much closer.”
And vice versa, we now know where to go next time we head south to Simi Valley!
