Shop Talk: All dressed up

12/23/05

By FRANK NELSON
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Like the dressings and sauces at Zal's Museum Cafe? Now you can buy three different kinds at local stores

Five days a week Zaliha Smith, who with husband Todd Leslie runs Zal's Museum Cafe at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, gets up around 5 a.m. and usually doesn't finish work until 12 hours later. That is, unless she's catering for a particular function, in which case her workday can stretch to 16 or 17 hours.

And such days are not uncommon. Ms. Smith, who's been running the cafe since 1999, does a lot of receptions for events or exhibitions at the museum, caters private dinner parties and has made more than her share of wedding cakes.

Despite having so much on her plate, the Singapore native is launching yet another business venture, Zal's Dressings & Sauces.

Ms. Smith, mother of two and grandmother of four, honed her cooking skills by working at Four Seasons hotels, including Santa Barbara's Biltmore.

She started as a sous chef and worked her way through all departments, spending the longest as a pastry chef.

Today she makes everything at the cafe except the breads. Working with one helper in a commercial kitchen in town, Ms. Smith turns out soups, salads, sandwiches, quiche and desserts, all made that day with fresh ingredients.

Along the way she's mixed her own dressings and sauces. "People keep asking to buy the dressings, especially people from out of town," she says. "They ask if they can take some with them."

Now they can. Ms. Smith has started with three brands -- a roasted red pepper and basil vinaigrette, a chili ginger dipping sauce and a balsamic vinaigrette -- that are on the shelves of some local shops with eye-catching labels designed by her husband.

The dressings and sauces, which cost about $4.50 per bottle, can be found at Tri-County Produce and Scolari's, Lassen's natural food stores in Goleta and Ventura, and Market Gourmet in Venice Beach.

In the future, Ms. Smith hopes to arrange some in-store tastings and increase the range of flavors.

RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHTOS
Zal Smith heard such positive feedback from customers at her cafe inside the Santa Barbara Museum of Art that she is producing a line of her special dressings and sauces.

BIZ BUZZ

* In a town becoming increasingly crowded with spas, Jacque Jackson, who recently opened Montecito Body Works at 1235 Coast Village Road, is claiming something a little bit different -- the area's first Lypossage. Ms. Jackson took a six-week course in Connecticut learning this specialized technique. "This is a very new, proven, all-natural body-contouring treatment that will help reshape the figure without invasive surgery," she says. "Figure imbalances like cellulite and bulges on the thighs or abdomen respond readily to Lypossage."

Ms. Jackson, whose new studio is inside Simpatico Pilates, also offers deep-tissue, Swedish, therapeutic, foot and hand, pregnancy and hot stone massages, myoskeletal alignment, aromatherapy, ear candling and body wraps.

* IdeaWork, based in Santa Barbara, has launched two new casino Web sites -- one for Hooters Hotel and Casino, due to open in Las Vegas in the spring, and one for Harrah's Casino's VooDoo Lounge in North Kansas City, Mo. The award-winning creative services agency and graphic design firm, headed by Jay Schwartz, is helping transform Hooters, the well-known restaurant chain, into an entertainment and hospitality giant with a full-fledged gambling resort. At the same time IdeaWork, which has a second office in Vegas, is aiming to cast a spell over the VooDoo Lounge, Harrah's new club and concert hall in Kansas City.

* W.R. Berkley Corp., an international insurance underwriter based in Greenwich, Conn., is branching out into aviation insurance and basing that operation in Santa Barbara. The company, which specializes in general, professional and product liability, commercial transportation, businesses and government entities, has formed Berkley Aviation, which will provide coverage throughout the aviation industry. Heading the new venture is Jason Niemala, a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, who is putting together a team of about 10 people and is searching for suitable offices.

* Connie Clancy, who has owned Lompoc Valley Florist for more than 20 years, has taken what she calls a "step of faith" and opened a second store in the former Valley Rexall premises at 1026 N. H St. Lompoc Valley Florist and Home Decor will offer flowers plus gift items and objects to brighten the home, including small furniture, lamps, clocks, glassware, silk flowers, artwork and candles. Besides taking on another 5,000 square feet of retail space, Ms. Clancy has hired five more staff members, bringing her total payroll to 20.

* For the past 12 years, Santa Barbara Auto Refinishing has been Lexus dealer-sponsored and trained in all phases of auto body, collision and refinishing repair. Now the business added another prestigious name in the world of auto engineering: BMW. Wally Danalevich, longtime owner and manager of the business at 402 N. Nopal St., says his team has just been approved for factory training and full technical support by BMW, specializing in auto body repair and including other mechanical and electrical repairs.

* Santa Maria Town Center has made room for international retailer Morning Glory, a designer and distributor of character-branded stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories. Owner Jasmine Park is doing business on the lower level, while nearby Wireless Trendz has also just opened. Yuval Haspel, who also owns carts in the mall selling wireless accessories and jewelry, will specialize in Verizon Wireless products and services, and Dish Network sales. Meanwhile, upstairs near Center Court, Hans Goodtime Gifts has opened, carrying clocks, artwork, and other gifts.