Fall Squash Soup
March 24, 2022
Temecula: SoCal’s Secret Food and Wine Destination
April 5, 2022BY BRANDON HERNÁNDEZ AND MATT KETTMANN
Tips from Local Experts
Leah Di Bernardo, Owner, E.A.T. Marketplace
After a New York City career in film, Leah Di Bernardo wanted to open a Dean & DeLuca-type upscale deli in wine country. She launched E.A.T. Marketplace on Valentine’s Day 2011 with $5,000 and the help of the community. “It was like building a barn,” she says. “It’s been a total blood, sweat, tears effort.”
“I’m a big fan of Vindemia Winery. They’re into sustainability and they make really small-batch wines. One is called More Cowbell. It’s frickin’ delicious.”
In town, she opts for The Press Espresso. “They have an amazing atmosphere,” says Di Bernardo. “You feel like you’re in some funky area of San Francisco or Seattle.”
She tastes olive oil at Villa di Calabro (“they’re so friendly they don’t want you to leave”), enjoys fresh pasta at Trattoria Toscana (“Pietro [Cinus] makes it all from scratch”), and recently discovered Backyard Bottleshop & Taproom in Murrieta. “It’s one of the hippest places in town.”
