Tag archives: Montecito Club

Fried Greens & Pink Hearts
By Richard Mineards   |   March 3, 2026

Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub recently spent a delightful morning with Fannie Flagg, beloved Southern storyteller and author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, during an intimate Valentine’s-themed Lunch & Learn at the Santa Barbara Club. She shared personal stories of her childhood, her challenges with dyslexia, the inspiration behind each of […]

Celebrating 65 with A&L 
By Richard Mineards   |   July 1, 2025

The Montecito Club clubhouse was socially gridlocked when retiring Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta Billeci revealed UCSB Arts & Lectures’ forthcoming 65th season featuring more than 50 events, including seven evenings of newly commissioned works representing its contribution to the national celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Highlights include legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma performing three new […]

Sweet Sopranos & Notes of Support
By Richard Mineards   |   April 8, 2025

It was an evening of decidedly high note – not to mention a few in between – when Opera Santa Barbara hosted its annual La Dolce Vita gala for 155 guests dying to be in the right aria at the Montecito Club, raising around $150,000. The gala committee was co-chaired by Karen Knight and Carol […]

Go with Gundry’s Gut
By Richard Mineards   |   March 11, 2025

Local longevity specialist Dr. Steven Gundry was so oversubscribed at an MClub lunch at the historic Santa Barbara Club that he had to speak twice – with 80 guests at his first performance and 75 at his second an hour later. The cardiothoracic surgeon and four times New York Times bestselling author’s ninth tome The […]

One805 Granting Support 
By Richard Mineards   |   March 4, 2025

One805 hosted a grants reception at the Montecito Club handing out a record high of $1,003,000 in checks to First Responder agencies and the One805 Mental Wellness Fund. The chiefs of all First Responder Agencies in Santa Barbara County were present, including SBC Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, Montecito Fire Chief David Neels, and SBC Sheriff […]

St. Vincent’s 23rd Annual Golf Classic at the Montecito Club
By Joanne A Calitri   |   October 22, 2024

Monday, October 7, saw the 23rd Annual St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara Golf Classic at the Montecito Club. This charity tournament supports single mothers and their young children in the Family Strengthening Program.  Bill Cordero Sr. is one of its founders, and Event Chair for the past 12 years. His dedication to St. Vincent’s began with […]

Acolytes of St. Andrews visit Montecito Club and Pronounce it Magnificent
By Jeff Wing   |   August 27, 2024

The Montecito Club is unique – a sometimes-tiring adjective that doesn’t say a helluva lot. “How unique?” Thank you for asking. For starters, the MC’s Director of Agronomy is a guy named Tennessee McBroom, if you can imagine. McBroom is the soil and turf scientist whose Hulk-like green thumb has helped elevate the Montecito Club […]

The Fun of Faux 
By Richard Mineards   |   July 23, 2024

More than 130 MClub members and other guests converged on the historic Santa Barbara Club for an art exhibit presented by the Art Foundation of Santa Barbara. Speaker Jean Stern, former director of the Irvine Museum, presented an eye-opening and informative talk on famous art forgers in history. Trustee Keith Moore was honored for his […]

Soaring Speech at the MClub
By Richard Mineards   |   April 9, 2024

Santa Barbara resident and fellow MClub member Bobbie Kinnear gave a riveting talk at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum about her father, Col. Robert Ernest Evans, a highly decorated B-17 and B-29 pilot, who flew more than 50 combat missions over Europe and Japan in World War II. In 1943 he famously served as […]

Tea Time at the Club
By Richard Mineards   |   November 28, 2023

Members and special guests of Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub, on a cultural tour of Japan, were treated to a rare invitation to visit and partake in a tea ceremony with Kobori Sojitsu, the 13th Grand Master of the Enshu Sado School in Tokyo. The invitation, not normally available to the public, was made possible […]

A Sparkling Evening
By Richard Mineards   |   October 24, 2023

Carats were definitely on the menu when United Way of Santa Barbara County held a double celebration at the Montecito Club for 230 guests – the 100-year-old charity’s diamond anniversary and the 26th Red Feather Ball, which raised around $400,000 for the organization that serves more than 10,000 local children and their families annually. The […]

Birdies for Horsies
By Richard Mineards   |   August 29, 2023

Golf clubs replaced mallets when Santa Barbara Polo Club’s Polo Training Center hosted its 5th annual golf tournament at the Montecito Club with 18 teams raising a hefty $100,000 for the Carpinteria-based facility. Players went round the Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole course in foursomes during the Farmers & Merchants Bank-sponsored event, although a BMW donated by […]

Private Clubs Add to Santa Barbara’s Residential Appeal
By Gabe Saglie   |   July 18, 2023

The pandemic is now solidly in the rear-view mirror. But one of its unexpected silver linings – a surging allure to living along Santa Barbara’s South Coast – roars on. An enclave like Montecito is not all that far from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, but as so many new residents and visitors now […]

“Moon Riviera…”
By Richard Mineards   |   May 23, 2023

Riviera Ridge School celebrated its first off-campus gala in four years with an Under the Moroccan Moon bash at the Montecito Club. “We wanted to create a memorable and magical experience for our wonderful families, faculty and staff,” enthused Chris Broderick, head of school, as guests tucked into a three-course, Moroccan-inspired dinner. The fun fête […]

A Fairy Tale
By Lynda Millner   |   April 5, 2022

Fairy tales really can come true, at least according to Deborah Richards. She says, “Cinderella found her prince,” and we were invited to celebrate her marriage to John M. Hillis at the Montecito Club. Only princes and princesses needed to RSVP. We were to wear ball gowns and tiaras, princely attire for the guys, and […]

Celebrating Safety
By Lynda Millner   |   November 23, 2021

The Montecito Club was the venue for the 13th annual luncheon of Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS). The guests gathered around scattered tables and sofas on the lawn overlooking Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean. As we sat sipping mimosas, it was hard to imagine the other lives we were here to honor. Tucked in the […]

A Sense of Belonging: Private Clubs Add to Santa Barbara’s Residential Appeal
By Gabe Saglie   |   August 12, 2021

Among the unexpected silver linings of the pandemic? The fact that the appeal of living in Santa Barbara’s South Coast has surged, and surged in a big way. An enclave like Montecito is not all that far from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, where a pandemic-inspired exodus continues. But, as so many residents and […]

Montecito Club to Reopen Next Week
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 15, 2021

Ty Warner’s Montecito Club is set to reopen Tuesday, April 13, after being closed for more than a year during the COVID pandemic. The Club, which features a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and social club, has expanded its offerings to include new outdoor amenities, including tennis lessons and clinics for all ages, movies on […]

Weekend Cooking: Add Red Curry to Your Romance
By Claudia Schou   |   February 18, 2021

Making a commitment to someone you love is one thing. Committing your time and energy on a complex recipe is another. Keep your Valentine’s Day meals simple by focusing on using quality ingredients and placing flavor over ambition.   Silky and savory with warming spices, Asian curries are a welcome dish during the winter months. It […]

Biltmore Employees Protest
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 13, 2020

Last Thursday, August 6, over 250 employees from the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore took to the streets of Montecito to protest unanswered questions about their employment status at the resort, as the Biltmore, Coral Casino, and The Montecito Club have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve given nearly fifteen years […]