Music professor Steve Hodson has retired after teaching at Westmont for nearly 30 years. He appreciates the variety of roles he has filled: directing choral activities, conducting the Westmont College Choir, founding and leading the ensemble New Sounds, teaching a music survey class as well as basic and advanced conducting, and directing piano studies. “I […]
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, […]
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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 […]
Tune in to the news and there’s plenty to be worried about. With the underpinnings of civil society crumbling, political and economic unrest, and climate change rocking the planet, of course we feel unsettled. It’s hard to feel at ease when the ground underfoot is unsteady – metaphorically and literally. It’s also hard to be […]
Recently I attended a party for a dear friend. It was a well-attended gathering and a wonderful chance to reconnect with old friends from my two decades in Montecito. However, I was gravely concerned at how many women were alarmingly thin. This wasn’t “Oh, I have started to do Pilates” thin. This was, “Is this […]
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 […]
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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 […]
As everyone knows, Cinco de Mayo commemorates 1862’s Battle of Puebla. That’s the one in which an underequipped, outnumbered, and profoundly annoyed collection of hastily summoned Mexican army regulars absolutely clobbered several thousand haughty French marines, who at the battle’s denouement could be seen actually fleeing down a hill with the Mexican army in hot […]
This Easter Sunday, San Ysidro Ranch bloomed into a springtime dream, an elegant, pastel-kissed celebration that perfectly captured the magic of the season. Tucked in the hills of Montecito, the iconic property played host to a joyful Garden Celebration, delighting guests of all ages with its signature charm, culinary excellence, and whimsical holiday touches. From […]
