“When we first got here, one of our priorities was to honor and embrace the community,” says Rachel Ward, explaining the ethos that she and her husband, Tim Ward, employed while opening Old Town Coffee in the heart of Goleta. As I gaze up at the old Goleta lemon-crate artwork on the wall (a gift from an adoring customer), with the throng of students studying away at the bar with laptops plugged in and the relaxed clientele of all ages chatting away, it’s clear their “community as priority” idea remains squarely on the shelf since they opened last summer.
“Everything is local, except for the tea, which is from L.A., and that’s as close as you can get,” continued Rachel, who stocks their pantry with such homegrown favorites as Eat Good Stuff Every Day cookies, Buena Onda empanadas, and Hook & Press donuts. “We help each other’s business get bigger,” she explained with a smile.
Coffee connoisseurs can sip comfortably, knowing that their beans are prepared by the talented craftspeople at Rise Coffee Roasters. The company’s co-owner, Dennis Medina, formerly roasted for Handlebar Coffee in Santa Barbara and Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco. He ensures that all of Old Town Coffee’s baristas are properly trained with a fine eye for a proper pull, but that they can do so without the pretension. I was delighted by the cappuccino’s velvety texture and robust flavor, and I also enjoyed a perfect buzz provided by the hand-blended, organic matcha latte.