Montecito’s Upper Village is about to welcome a new culinary gem: Little Mountain, a refined, ingredient-driven restaurant helmed by acclaimed Chef Diego Moya. Slated to open soon, the restaurant will showcase Moya’s signature wood-fired, seasonal cooking rooted in sustainability and global technique. His diverse culinary journey spans top kitchens from Lima to Paris to New […]
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The Madagascan Sunset Moth, Chrysiridia rhipheus, was initially described as a butterfly, due to its brilliant colors. However, it lacks the clubbed antennae characteristic of butterflies and therefore is indeed a moth! These moths, which are only found on the island of Madagascar, are toxic to predators when consumed, and advertise their toxicity with their […]
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When I was in high school, I was hijacked by Christ. It wasn’t bad. My girlfriend had asked if I wanted to go to a Young Life meeting with her. “Uh, what’s that?” “Just a bunch of singing and hanging out and doing skits and stuff.” My family had relocated to Phoenix from Boulder, Colorado, […]
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Last week Leonie H. Mattison EdD reached out to me regarding her personal experiences on immigration and the recent July 15 Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting regarding the same. Mattison is currently transitioning from her three-year contract with Pacifica Graduate Institute as its CEO. She explained that during this time of reflection for […]
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On Wednesday, July 30, the Santa Barbara Women’s Club (SBWC) held its 95th Annual La Merienda Fiesta celebration. Per tradition, it was held on SBWC’s storied property “Rockwood,” home of the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club ever since they purchased the property in 1927. I attended to honor their tradition and contributions to the town. Historically, […]
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Step into Groove Pilates, and the first thing you’ll notice isn’t the state-of-the-art reformers or the sleek tower units that look like steampunk yoga machines. It’s not even the bright natural light streaming, or the glimpses of the glistening Pacific and mountain scenes peeking through the second-story windows above Coast Village Road. It’s the energy. […]
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Our blue skies and summer sunshine have been mired by smoky, ashy conditions caused by the Gifford Fire burning in northeastern Santa Barbara County. While the fire is a considerable distance from Montecito, the smoky skies trigger visceral memories and even fear for many community members who have lived through wildfires here. We are in […]
Lea másThe end is here. Just three more days remain in the Music Academy of the West’s 2025 Summer Music Festival. But there are still nine events to choose from, including master classes in Bassoon, Violin, Trombone & Tuba, Lehrer Vocal Institute songbirds on Thursday, August 7, and Oboe and Solo Piano on Friday, August 8. Thursday […]
Lea másRalph Minc, longtime Santa Barbara local, passionate athlete, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2025, at the age of 79. Ralph was born in Tayport, Scotland, to Catherine Duncan Minc and Hendryk Minc, a Polish Jew who escaped the Nazis and eventually made his way to Scotland. In 1958, the […]
Lea másThere’s never been a better time to take up the practice of Dream Tending, both online and in person, locally and on retreat. The concept behind Dream Tending is that our dreams carry an inner knowing, an innate sensibility and an element of potency that affords each of us the capacity to explore the depths […]
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Westmont is finishing renovations at the Keith Center, 29 West Anapamu, which will eventually house several programs, including the expansion of Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing and other post-secondary allied health programs, as well as other post-secondary programs that meet the growing needs of the dynamic community. The Center for Applied Technology Lab (CATLab) will […]
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Looking back on my life, what do I regret? Quite honestly, I don’t even think in those terms. The Past is over, and there’s no point in having second thoughts about it. Did I make any wrong decisions? Should I be sorry for mistakes I’ve made, for people I’ve hurt, for exercising bad judgment (something […]
Lea másWhat do YOU find in local thrift stores? At Avenue Thrift, my favorite place in Ventura (which, incidentally, supports the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura), I found an ugly brutalist folk art-style wood carving – two feet tall and depicting a one-legged man seated with a cane. For years I have been searching […]
Lea másDonald Trump is everywhere in the news lately. He dominates the daily headlines. Thus the title to this article (yes, I stole it from the movie). He’s hard to avoid. The fact that Trump is in the news constantly is an important issue. He is the news. That is because of powers relinquished by Congress […]
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The Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center (MIDWRC) at Westmont College have chosen Tyler J. VanderWeele’s A Theology of Health: Wholeness and Human Flourishing (University of Notre Dame Press) for the 2025 Book Award. The MIDWRC Book Award program was created in 2015 to help place an enduring emphasis on the intellectual and […]
Lea másLongtime Montecito resident and four-time Emmy Award winner (Cheers) and Tony nominee (Sister Act the Musical) Cheri Steinkellner thought she had seen the last of Hello! My Baby, her original musical set in the apex of the Tin Pan Alley/Gangs of New York era. The song-filled musical is about “King of the Song-Pluggers” Mickey McKee […]
Lea másSanta Barbara-based MORE Theatre’s Moby Dick-inspired series continues with Ahab’s Tale, the latest original site-specific theater piece based on Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Written by Catt Filippov and directed by Ford Sachsenmaier, Ahab’s Tale stars Stanley Hoffman as the infamous character during his last days with his nemesis, the white whale. MORE creates original plays […]
Lea másSBIFF’s Cinema Society dips back into streaming sensations at the Riviera Theatre with a power-packed pair of evenings devoted to popular AppleTV+ series that have very different ways of showing how folks cope with the loss of a spouse. First up: Severance, the eerie, imaginative and provocative science fiction psychological thriller that has captivated audiences […]
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It was all too beastly for words when the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (SBWCN) hosted a sold-out Wild Night Out at the historic Lobero Theatre. The occasion was SBWCN’s world premiere presentation of Wild Rescue, a 41-minute film about the organization, which launched in 1988. The film is directed by Santa Ynez resident Ian […]
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A positive profusion of creative and colorful tony tête toppers packed the stands and cabanas at the crowded Santa Barbara Polo Club as it celebrated its 18th annual Ladies Day. As usual I had the onerous task of judging the mélange of magnificent millinery, including the largest and most creative, and the day couldn’t have […]
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