Lucky Penny, located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, features innovative artisanal pizzas from a wood-burning oven, with locally sourced garden fresh salads, sweet treats, beer, wine and the ever-popular Frosé. The exterior of our building is tiled with more than 150,000 real copper pennies that shimmer in the warm Central Coast sunshine. Join us on our picnic patio or take it away!
Executive Chef Jason Paluska oversees three dynamic kitchens that serve five distinctive and award-winning concepts within Acme Hospitality – The Lark, Lucky Penny, Helena Avenue Bakery, Pearl Social and Santa Barbara Collective. Originally from Tomball, Texas, Jason began his cooking career in 2006 under chefs Mitch and Steve Rosenthal of Town Hall, Salt House, and Anchor & Hope in San Francisco. Jason then worked as a sous chef under renowned chef Jason Berthold at Michael Mina’s RN74. In 2013, he was the opening executive chef of The Lark in Santa Barbara, where he and his team were honored with a Michelin Plate Award in 2019 among numerous other prestigious recognitions. Jason’s tenure with Acme Hospitality spans more than a decade, contributing to the company’s success and elevating the culinary experiences across its diverse portfolio. Jason’s journey in the hospitality industry showcases his unwavering passion, exceptional talent, and dedication to the culinary arts.
Catie hails from the Bay Area and began her career in hospitality as she entered college. Moving to Santa Barbara to continue college, Catie spent two years at Lucky Penny and then moved on to the original Tyger Tyger as opening Assistant Manager. During the Covid years, Catie ran a successful breakfast pop-up and also spent time in the hotel space until returning to Acme at Loquita as floor manager. Moving full circle, Catie is now back to Lucky Penny as its Manager and looks forward to continuing the successes of this Funk Zone original.
