Oxnard grows a very large share of California’s strawberries — enough that the harvest anchors a long-running festival — and the surrounding Oxnard Plain is among the most productive farmland in the state.
The city has a substantial Oaxacan and Mixtec population, drawn by that agriculture, and its Oaxacan food is the reason to eat here: tlayudas, moles, memelas, and a Zapotec and Mixtec cooking tradition that is distinct from the Mexican food found elsewhere in California.
Channel Islands Harbour is a working fishing port, and the seafood — particularly the local uni and spiny lobster in season — comes off the boats. It is an unglamorous city with unusually specific food.