We visited our friend Judy Lundberg, President and CEO of Babe’ Farms, while we were in Carmel last month attending the Tomato Fest.

We first met Judy during a trade show at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu where we were doing side-by-side product demos in the Armstrong Produce booth. We were offering cocktail tomato samples and they were handing out baby lettuce salad with her special dressing. They had the most beautiful selection of specialty vegetables, such as multi-colored real baby carrots, radishes, multi-colored cauliflower and baby lettuces.

Judy, who is of Portuguese descent, was very interested in the history of the Portuguese in Hawai‘i, which she hadn’t known about. She and June, also Portuguese, were like long-lost sisters, and we’ve since kept in touch. (That’s Judy on the left and June on the right.)

So after the Tomato Fest last month, we drove south from Carmel along the coast highway. This is one of the most scenic drives you can imagine. It’s like the stretch of road on O‘ahu between Hanauma Bay and Makapu‘u beach—single lane in either direction and winding along the edge of sea cliffs.

In my rear view mirror I noticed a brand new Porsche 911 Cabriolet rapidly catching up to us. It reminded me of when I was a U.S. Army 2d lieutenant stationed at Fort Ord, a few miles south of Monterey. I loved to go through the gears driving that stretch of road in my 62 ‘Vette with the top off. I pulled over and waved the Porsche by so he didn’t have to slow down. It made me smile.

The road runs under tall pine trees and passes through small towns and then winds again along the sea coast. One can occasionally see islands of rock peaking through the fog pressing in from the ocean. On those rocks, one can imagine seals and sea lions stretched out among the colonies of sea gulls. Was that a pirate ship receding into the mist? Couldn’t really tell.

Coming around a downhill curve, there is a nice view of rugged coastline. Floating on top of the water’s slowly rising and falling surface are long ribbons of flat seaweed. The air smells like salt and seaweed. And the fog constantly presses toward the shore.

Babe’ Farms is one of the nation’s premier specialty produce farms. It’s located in Santa Maria, in the northern part of Santa Barbara County, which is a very special place.

Unlike at most places along the coast, the mountain range in Santa Maria runs east and west. This allows the fog to roll in and moderate that valley’s mini-climate, which allows Babe’ Farms to grow crops year-round.

We drove to the Babe’ Farms office where we chatted with Judy for a bit. Then her son Jeff, who is the farm’s vice president and operations manager, took us on a tour. Jeff told us they grow a wide variety of specialty crops and take great care to provide the freshest product possible. They take orders in the morning and by the afternoon the product is harvested, packed and shipped. It is truly a finely-tuned operation.

Compared to our farm, this is a large operation. And it’s a very well-run one. The supervisors are very professional, knowledgeable and obviously took great pride in their work. And they should be proud of the product they sell. They take great pains to ensure that their product is the freshest and safest it can possibly be. It was very impressive to see their operation.

The cleanliness and attention to food safety struck me everywhere we went. Their water comes from underground wells, and their packing operation is spotless. Everyone wears hair nets and gloves. It’s so clean inside the packing house it’s like a hospital operating room.

That evening we went to Judy’s home for an authentic Santa Maria-style cookout. We went out back and Jeff did the barbeque. They had specially-cut steaks that looked three inches thick. I had never seen steaks so thick. Judy bought linguica, Portuguese sausage, which impressed June and me.

Jeff grilled halved jalapeno peppers stuffed with blue cheese and black pepper, and some garlic bread. He said you have to be sure to scrape the seeds out before stuffing the Jalapenos, unless you prefer them hot. We relaxed and chatted on the patio while picking on the linguica and the stuffed jalapenos.

Even their grill was very impressive. It is made of heavy-duty steel and obviously made for serious grilling. It has a crank to raise and lower the grill, which stays right where you put it. It lets you either cook or keep the food warm as you chat and sip wine. Very nice.

We went inside for dinner and ate the thickest and best steaks I’ve ever eaten. June and I really enjoyed the visit and so appreciated the time that Judy and her staff spent with us. We’re farmers too, and know how hectic the farming business can be.

Our hotel, the Radisson, was near the Santa Maria airport and so near the runway we could look down on the planes taking off. The morning after the barbecue dinner we even saw the Goodyear blimp taking off.

Eleven people, each holding a rope, guided the blimp onto the runway. We thought a blimp takes off by going straight up like a hot air balloon. It doesn’t. It actually takes off heading down a runway with a lawn mower-sounding engine and a small propeller pushing it along. After a hundred feet or so, the nose starts to rise and it takes off—actually, it kind of floats off.

That morning we drove down to Santa Barbara. Jeff had told us that strawberry growers moving up from Los Angeles had cause farmland rents there to double. He also said that vineyards were coming in and replacing cattle land along the slopes. We saw lots and lots of new vineyards on the hillsides as we made our way south.

Mark Shishido, wine director for Alan Wong’s restaurant, had told me that the cooling fog creates a micro-climate that makes the Santa Maria region well known for its good wines. He also said that its high pH soils give the wines a sense of place.

From a farmer’s point of view, I know that the mild climate would also give consistency. I look forward to trying Santa Maria’s red wines. Due to the mild climate there, I feel that when I find one I like, it more than likely will be consistent from year to year.

Santa Barbara itself is like a resort town. We had to drive out on the famous pier and walk around. Driving back, we noticed two Hawaiian outrigger canoes pulled up on the sandy beach.

Then we walked around at the town’s outdoor shopping mall. It’s how Ala Moana shopping center would look if it was spread around Ala Moana Park so it was all outdoors. Very nice and relaxing. No wonder Frank Sinatra used to live there.

It was a very nice trip.