Paradise Cafe in Santa Barbara has new owner
Acme Hospitality is taking over operations at the Paradise Café in downtown Santa Barbara in January.
The restaurant group currently owns Helena Avenue Bakery, The Lark, Loquita, Lucky Penny, Monkeyshine, Tyger Tyger and Santa Barbara Wine Collective.
“As a longtime Santa Barbara resident and a frequent guest of the Paradise over the last 20 years, I am thrilled at the opportunity to steward this iconic restaurant into the future,” said Acme Hospitality owner Sherry Villanueva said in a news release. “Our plan is to keep as many of the popular elements as we can while breathing new life into the café.”
Santa Barbara City Councilman Randy Rowse had owned the Paradise Café for three decades.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Villanueva said Rowse will continue to be involved in the restaurant and the current staff will be asked to stay. Chef Weston Richards, previously from Les Marchands, will be leading the kitchen, according to the release.
During the transition, Paradise Café anticipates a brief closure from Jan. 1-5.
