Catering in Santa Barbara

"The application of flavors derived from different cooking fuels on different proteins, vegetables, starches and fruits was always fascinating. Growing up in Santa Barbara, if you BBQ then you better have a Santa Maria style grill and it had better be oak wood. But that wasn’t “BBQ” to Kansas City where kingsford charcoal is king, or Texas where its low and slow over hardwoods like mesquite and hickory. Wood fired cooking was a regional flavor that had so much more to offer. It tells a story of their heritage. Meals shared over an open fire and in some cases hundreds or thousands of years ago."
Chef Kyle Jones
Craft Wood Fired Catering

That’s the story it tells for Chef Kyle. Memories of his grandfather, a dairy farmer, hunter and fisherman whose family came here to Santa Barbara County in the early 1900’s and eventually opened the Durbiano Dairy Santa Barbara’s first dairy.

Memories of venison chops marinated in red wine with rosemary from the garden cooked over red oak from their family ranch. Served with radicchio salad and fresh avocado still resonate to this day. Breakfast was toast with fresh made apricot jam from the tree out back and eggs scrambled with summer zucchini and of course in an Italian household, parmesan on everything.

Kyle’s grandfather was an avid hunter, fisherman and farmer and shared those things he loved with his grandson. Kyle grew up hunting and fishing with his grandfather and if there was meat on the table, you could be sure something from the garden wasn’t far behind.



Food WAS a season – it was a time and place – memory frozen in time through flavors. Dishes Kyle still creates to this day based on memories of his grandmothers cooking and what his grandfather brought to the table.

Food was always for family and that’s how we feel with Craft Woodfired Catering. Every event should be handmade for your family and customized to your theme. The definition of the word Craft is “An activity involving skill in making things by hand.”

That’s exactly what we do for your menu, from our spice rubs and seasonings to our vinaigrettes, sauces and sides. Every aspect of your event can be handmade and customized to replicate regional flavors or a family favorite dish.

Whether it may be Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip over local oak, Balsamic chicken over mesquite and rosemary sprigs or southern style BBQ over fruitwood, we can bring the memories to the table both old and new.

This is the way we feed our family and we would be honored to be a part of your story as well.

The Santa Barbara area is known for its beautiful weather, great food, and laid back atmosphere. It’s no wonder why so many people choose to host events here. Whether you’re planning a wedding, corporate meeting, or any type of party, we’ve got you covered. We offer catering services for all types of events, large or small. Our chefs prepare everything by hand, using only the highest quality ingredients.