Tag archives: Summerland

Gerri French: Clinical Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Educator
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 7, 2020

Q. What special memories do you have of Summerland? My fondest memories of the Summerland community come from when I first became a mother. Summerland is a wonderful family town and Summerland Elementary was (and still is) a wonderful school. Families would get together at The Nugget and at the beach. Cafe Luna was a hub, but […]

Kara Richard: Summerland Salon & Spa
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 7, 2020

Q. With COVID-19 changing the way we interact as a community, how are you making it work through this difficult time and do you have any tips to share? A. Here at the Summerland Salon & Spa, we’ve worked together as a team to think of innovative ways to stay in touch with our clients. […]

Itching to Re-Open
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 30, 2020

“We’re itching to get open and…” said Kyle Irwin, “Welcome everybody back!” business partner Susie Bechtel chimed in, finishing her business partner’s sentence. The duo opened their highly anticipated Field + Fort design shop and café in Summerland just this past November to great acclaim – only to shutter the doors some four months later, […]

Laughter in the Time of Corona
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 16, 2020

We all need some comic relief in the time of corona, and there’s plenty of distractions around to tickle our funny bones. While watching CBS This Morning news last week, I caught a segment that featured a re-envisioned Fleetwood Mac cover which was originally created by Santa Barbara designer Larry Vigon. Someone had manipulated the […]

A Chat with Summerland Artist Richard Aber
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 16, 2020

Contemporary artist/sculptor and thinker Richard Aber and his wife, Carol, have lived on bucolic Greenwell Road in Summerland, where he has created art diligently in his home studio on their property, for the past 41 years. His contemplative pieces have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in several exhibitions in Italy, where the coronavirus has […]

What Goes with Chili? Beer!
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 2, 2020

Island Brewing Company recently introduced same-day beer delivery for Summerland (and Carp) residents. Orders placed before 2 pm are delivered the same day between 4-7 pm, orders placed after 2 pm come the next day. All beer must be dropped off with an individual who can display legal ID of being 21+ years old, no […]

Cooking Through Corona
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 2, 2020

The buildings have emptied at 101 Innovation Place – the QAD campus atop Ortega Hill – but the staff of five and volunteers at ShelterBox, the global non-profit whose U.S. staff normally does their good deeds from the building that once housed the original Josten’s college ring manufacturing facility, are spreading a little recipe love […]

Show a Little Local Love
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 2, 2020

Hey Summerland and beyond, time to show a little love to Summerland Beach Café. The café is open for take-out (8 am – 3 pm) and will deliver to Summerland! Their ever-popular Hamburger Tuesday is still on ($6.99/half price), so order burgers for the family, your neighbors, or someone who may be shut in alone. […]

Pet Fostering in a Pandemic
By Nick Schou   |   March 26, 2020

Summerland resident Lee Heller has lived in Santa Barbara County, including Montecito, for the past 23 years, and has been active in animal services for another few decades before that. She’s also a longtime volunteer with the cat-centric Animal Shelter Assistance Program, or ASAP, which is based in Goleta. According to Heller, animal shelters throughout […]

Through Rain, and Wind, and COVID-19
By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 19, 2020

Since Summerland does not have mail delivery to homes, the Summerland Post Office 93067 has been the unofficial heartbeat and spot to bump into your neighbors. Not much bumping allowed anymore, unless it’s your elbow. Here too, where everyone knows one another, neighbors are helping neighbors. Postal clerk Bert Vega knows everyone as well and […]

Adam’s Angels
By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 19, 2020

Adam McKaig, Realtor and Summerland/Toro Canyon resident, decided to ask friends and neighbors to join him in an effort to help out our neighbors. “Adam’s Angels” now consists of some 40 volunteer citizens who have signed up in the Summerland area and beyond to help deliver supplies to those who are housebound due to COVID-19 […]

A Final Note
By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 19, 2020

A sad goodbye to Layla Azar, who passed peaceful on February 9, and heartfelt condolences to her sweet husband of 37 years Jack Azar, Sr. and their three children Jack, Jr., George, and Danielle. Jack’s father owned the original grocery store in Summerland. After Layla came to this country from her native Lebanon and married […]

Heal the Ocean
By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 19, 2020

A note from longtime Summerlandian Hilary Hauser of Heal the Ocean informs that their offices in Santa Barbara are closed, but that the leaking Summerland oil wells are still being capped in June/July.  “The fishes of the sea don’t know what we humans are doing up here,” Hilary notes in her inimitable cheerful style in […]

Summerland Eats?
By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 19, 2020

Message Machines On… & One, Lone To-Go I called a few businesses in Summerland to speak with a human being but got a lot of recordings. Field + Fort has “temporarily closed until it’s safe for staff and community. We hope you all stay healthy,” notes their outgoing message. The brief message at the Nugget […]

Noël at the Nesbitts’
By Richard Mineards   |   January 2, 2020

Summerland was turned into a winter wonderland with real snow when polo playing hotel magnate Pat Nesbitt and his wife, Ursula, threw a spectacular holiday bash for 200 guests at Bella Vista, their sprawling polo ranch. The bustling beano, catered once again by the Biltmore, featured ballerinas from Los Angeles dancing to the Nutcracker, eight […]

Sweet Wheel Farm & Flowers
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   June 13, 2019

Leslie Person Ryan, the owner of Letter Perfect on Coast Village Road for 35 years, ventured into Summerland at the end of 2018, opening the Summerland Center for the Arts, a shop, gallery, and gathering space on Lillie Avenue. Last week she added a mobile produce shop to the Center, called Sweet Wheel Farm & […]

Bella Vista Bash
By Richard Mineards   |   January 10, 2019

Social gridlock reigned when tony twosome, Pat and Ursula Nesbitt, threw a heaving holiday bash at Bella Vista, their sprawling Summerland polo ranch. More than 150 guests were welcomed to the bustling beano, catered by the Biltmore, by ballerinas from the Luminario company in Los Angeles, while the Lois Mahalia Choir entertained with gospel and […]

The Sacred Space: A Little Piece of Heaven
By Jon Vreeland   |   May 10, 2018

“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.” – Alan Watts In 2005, the small town of Summerland welcomed The Sacred Space to what is now the heavily decorated corner of Lillie Avenue. But the wall of green foliage, the healing Buddhas, prosperity […]