Godmothers’ lineup of fascinating authors in conversation exceeds even what might have been expected before the September 2024 opening of the high-profile Montecito-adjacent bookstore. Recent guests have included Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle, Amanda Knox, and Maria Shriver, to name just a few. Those events almost invariably sell out well in advance. But Godmothers – in […]
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ (SYBCI) Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is now open to the public! Twenty years in the making, it is “A Legacy of Culture, Innovation, and Resilience.” I attended the official grand opening held on May 15, where I met with the SYBCI Museum Board Chairwoman and Tribal Member […]
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What single object personified KITSCH in a mid-century living room in the 1950s? Of course! Table lamps that made us roll our eyes – non-politically correct figural lamps that made us cringe. This article discusses those cringeworthy mid-century table lamps that skate on the edge of tastelessness out to the borderland of the unimaginable. Some […]
The Jerusalem artichoke – also known as the sunroot, sunchoke, wild sunflower, or earth apple – is the root of a wild sunflower native to central North America, and Mt. Olive Organic Farm has some for a short time. This knobby tuber looks vaguely like ginger root and is crisp and crunchy when eaten raw, […]
Two home renovations prepared Benjamin and Marlise Kast-Myers (’96) for the ambitious project of restoring the historic Betty Crocker Estate in Valley Center, California. Their mission: blessing people through their love for hospitality. The couple first transformed their home in Carlsbad. A full-time designer at an ad agency in Carlsbad Village, Benjamin scoured antique shops […]
What do you get when you mix 45 wineries, 20 food vendors, one charming historic plaza, and a whole lot of Santa Barbara sunshine? The wine and food event of the year. On Saturday, May 17, the iconic El Presidio de Santa Bárbara came alive with the sights, sounds, and scents of the 2025 Grand […]
DS has a set of Stanley Roberts International House of Design stainless flatware, accented with an insert of flat rosewood running down the handles. Very modern, and a hot item today, as American modern stainless and sterling flatware is sleek and simple – and desirable in the market. AND there’s plenty of 1950s and 1960s […]
Her Produce has my favorite tuber in-house, and that is the purple sweet potato –also known as the Okinawan or Stokes Purple. These potatoes originated in South America, but have made a home in Okinawa, Japan. The rich color of the purple sweet potato makes it rich in antioxidants; anthocyanins to be exact. Anthocyanins have […]
BL, a budding Gen Z art afficionado, asked if the fine art print market is a good investment. A great question, and the answer is “YES!” for some types of prints created in select eras in certain styles (for example Pop Art is strong today). Let’s look at the world of prints, often called “multiples,” […]
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Montecito just got a little more delicious. The latest gem to grace the neighborhood is Ospi – a California-Italian restaurant with a bold Brooklyn soul and an unmistakable Westside edge. It’s not just another opening, it’s an invitation to live la dolce vita, one forkful of rigatoni alla vodka at a time, which by the […]
DS sends me a 250-year-old English engraving titled The Sea fight off La Rochelle. The work is an image reproduced from Jean Froissart’s 14th century account of the Hundred Year’s War, Chronicles (1337-1410). The engraving itself is the portrayal of a naval battle from the Hundred Year’s War – 14th century sailors falling in droves into […]
Like your mom or grandmother says, early birds get the worms! It’s time to set up your reservations for flowers, restaurant, spa offerings, and more! Here’s our local delights for our Mother’s Day: San Ysidro Ranch The San Ysidro Ranch is serving a festive Mother’s Day brunch, Sunday, May 11, from 10 am to 2 […]
“How do you create a food and wine experience that actually means something?” It’s the question I was asked again and again when I spoke at FestForums earlier this year on the art of designing culinary festivals. It’s also the question I carried with me every day over the past year as I stepped behind […]
My daughter and I have an ongoing joke that isn’t a joke, that we are always nice to Siri or our Google clocks – just in case some form of Artificial Intelligence takes over the world, and they might favorably remember we were the ones who always said please and asked them how their day […]
