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Cottage Health:
our region’s choice for advanced health care
Cottage HealtH provides residents of tHe California Central Coast witH exemplary HealtH Care, continuous enhancements in advanced medicine and a commitment to our communities. we take pride in helping our patients get back to living their lives in the places they love. our specialties include: • Cottage Children’s medical Center • level ii trauma Center • santa Barbara neuroscience institute • Heart & vascular Center • Center for orthopedics • Cottage rehabilitation Hospital our mission is to provide superior health care through a commitment to our communities and to our core values of excellence, integrity and compassion. every day we touch thousands of lives in many different ways, unwavering in our mission to put patients first.
VOLUNTEERING
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
Nearly 1000 volunteers throughout Cottage Health’s facilities give more than 100,000 hours each year serving patients and providing support in clinical and non-clinical areas.
With your help, Cottage Health will remain at the forefront of health care by providing essential, life-saving clinical services and technologies.
We are always looking for people to join the volunteer team at Cottage Health. For more information visit: cottagehealth.org/volunteer or call (805) 569-7357.
Learn more about how you can support one or more of our not-for-profit hospitals through a current gift or a legacy commitment by visiting: cottagehealth.org/donate or call (805) 879-8980.
Life. Where you love it.
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Helping you protect what matters most.
You’ve worked hard. You’ve accomplished a lot. Your family is what matters most. When you partner with us, a dedicated team of Wealth Management experts will structure an investment strategy and manage a plan to help preserve the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to attain.
montecito.com • (805) 564-0298 Solvang • Goleta • Santa Barbara • Montecito • Carpinteria • Ventura • Camarillo • Westlake Village AD_CarpMagazine_100615.indd 1
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“the perfect place to stay...”
Enjoy a wealth of activities … the “World’s Safest Beach” is right outside your door! Downtown is only a short, pleasant stroll. Oceanfront Two Bedroom Condos with Patio or Balcony • Elevator • BBQ Deck • Laundry • Free WiFi • Privacy • Views • Gated Secure Parking 4975 SANDYLAND ROAD • CARPINTERIA, CA 93013
Vacation Rentals 805-684-3570 800-964-8540 carpinteriashores.com info@carpinteriashores.com Weekly & Monthly Rentals WINTER2016 3
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Safety and Environmental Protection are always Venoco’s Top Priorities VENOCO, INC.
We are proud to be a part of the Carpinteria Community!
Oil companies have operated in the Carpinteria area for decades and have brought jobs, revenue and many other economic benefits to the community. Venoco was founded in Carpinteria more than 20 years ago and has owned and operated facilities in this community for over 17 years. Venoco is a conscientious environmental steward and has contributed greatly to the economic vitality of the City of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County and the State of California. Through the Venoco Community Partnership, hundreds of thousands of additional charitable dollars support local non-profits that serve to strengthen Carpinteria children and families. From 2010 to 2015, Venoco paid more than $16 million in property taxes to the County of Santa Barbara. During the same period, California received more than $108 million in royalties from Venoco operations alone. These royalties help pay for transportation, education and other state-supported local programs.
PHOTO: Michael Grant Edwards
The company has won numerous awards for safety excellence, superior maintenance practices and strict environmental protections. We value our strong reputation as a responsible operator and are proud to be a contributing member of the Carpinteria community.
6267 Carpinteria Avenue • Carpinteria, CA 93013 • (805) 745-2100 • www.venocoinc.com
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gary goldberg Realtor | Broker | Attorney
SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE SALES,
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND VACATION RENTALS
gary goldberg, Owner & Broker 1086 Coast Village Road Santa Barbara, California 93108
805.455.8910 | BRE #: 01172139 www.garygoldberg.net Email: gary@coastalrealty.com
Whether you’re buying, selling or vacationing in the Carpinteria or Santa Barbara area, Gary Goldberg will provide you with in-depth assistance for all your real estate needs. Locally owned and operated, Gary’s brokerage, Coastal Properties, has been assisting sellers, buyers and vacationers for 22 years. His team of experienced and knowledgeable agents specialize in all aspects of real estate, including residential, commercial, land development, property management, long and short term leasing, and vacation rentals. We invite you to stop in to our office and experience the friendly, professional and confidential service Coastal Properties provides.
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Fine Body Products, Candles, Robes, Loungewear, Jewelry and Purses Unique Gifts From Over Twenty Countries
910 A Linden Avenue Downtown Carpinteria
featuring: Kai, Crabtree & Evelyn, Votivo, Pre De Provence and much more
Mon - Sat 10-5 • Sun 12-4
805.684.6695
Best Western Plus Carpinteria Inn 6 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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Dreaming Up
the Ideal Retirement Is Your Job. Helping You Get There Is Ours. It’s simple, really. How well you retire depends on how well you plan today. Whether retirement is down the road or just around the corner, the more you work toward your goals now, the better prepared you can be. Preparing for retirement means taking a long-term perspective. We recommend buying quality investments and holding them because we believe that’s the soundest way we can help you work toward your goals. At Edward Jones, we spend time getting to know your retirement goals so we can help you reach them.
INVESTMENT & SERVICES
Samantha Anderson Gaea D Verneris Samantha Anderson Samantha F. Anderson Financial Advisor Financial Advisor 5320 Carpinteria Ave. Ste J Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-8470
3010 De La Vina Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805-563-9633
Annuities Business Retirement Plans *Edward Jones Advisory Solutions *Edward Jones Managed Account Program Equity and Fixed-income Investments Estate and Trust Services Individual Retirement Accounts Life Insurance • Long Term Care Insurance
*Edward Jones is a dually registered broker-dealer and investment advisor. Edward Jones Advisory Solutions and the Edward Jones Managed Account Program are Edward Jones investment advisory programs. California Insurance License OC24309
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A local Santa Barbara mortgage lender with over a decade in the industry, Austin's goal is to make your mortgage process as streamlined and smooth as possible.
FINDING THE RIGHT MORTGAGE
AUSTIN LAMPSON
WE MAKE IT EASY!
1332 Anacapa Street, Suite 110 Santa Barbara, California
DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED.
CONTACT ME TODAY FOR YOUR FREE MORTGAGE CHECKUP!
Senior Mortgage Consultant
austin.lampson@onqfinancial.com www.austinlampson.com P 805.335.8200 C 805.450.4548 NMLS # 517060, CA DBO #517060
On Q Financial, Inc. is an Equal Housing Lender. NMLS #5645. California RMLA #4131336 068i0000002N1cd
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w w w. S U S A N B U R N S . c o m
choose a team with t h e k n o w l e d g e t h at m at t e r s .
DA N A Z E R T U C H E 805.403.5520 CalBRE 01465425
SUSAN BURNS 805.565.8822 CalBRE 00878065
LO R I B OW L E S 805.452.3884 CalBRE 01961570
©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC.Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International® and the Coldwell Banker Previews International Logo, are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
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Hollandia_CarpMagazineAd_Sept_2015.indd 10 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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1
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If you think... Sexy
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we don’t have some of the tastiest lunch combos around...
d Go o ks n i r d
we couldn’t have some of the most imaginative cocktails in town...
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our patio isn’t one of the coolest places east of the Pacific to enjoy a glass of your favorite wine... pardon our bluntness but
put a cork in it
and come see for yourselves.
Corktree Cellars
Wine Bar & Bistro 910 Linden Avenue Carpinteria 805.684.1400
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CARP Winter2016
features
34 L IGHT, B RIGHT & AIRY
34
Thanks to an owner with the desire to create community coupled with his respect for the roots of Carpinteria’s midcentury design, a dilapidated and desperate 7th Street property is transformed into a downtown showpiece.
50 THE MOORE COL L ECT I O N
An Arbol Verde home is host to a museum worthy collection of Americana. The curators are partial to 1930 and 1940s era products, and they share their love with Carpinteria Magazine.
58 B UIL DING HISTORY
Long before there were bagels, upscale Mexican cuisine, and an endless selection of used books there was a boat dealer, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, banks, a residence and others at the Carpinteria and Maple avenues triangle of buildings.
60 ROMANCE W ITH A VI EW
Romance on the high seas. The Shoals Restaurant, with its coast-hugging restaurant and fabulous food, makes any day special.
70 Q & A: EMILY MIL ES
If you don’t know the name, you’ll recognize the scratches. Emily Miles had her way-more-than-15 minutes of national fame after surviving a ferocious bear attack. She always has been and will continue to be well known in Carpinteria.
78 KITC HENS ARE THE NEW STUDY HAL L
Who says Carpinteria lacks in nightlife? Guess they haven’t heard about the two cooking schools in town. Sharpen your knife and whet your appetite. Dessert gets you extra credit.
85 THE PL EASURES OF C I T R US FRUIT
Winter is the high season for citrus on the South Coast. Need some recipes for the cold weather bounty? You got ’em.
88 FIEL DING AN A+ AT CATE SC HOOL
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Check out the score on the mesa. Ben Soto has been earning high marks for coaching and mentoring Cate School athletics for over 20 years. Here’s his game plan.
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Farm to Table • Chef’s Seasonal Specials Sustainable Meats & Seafood Extensive Wine List
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MAG departments
70
16
FROM THE PUB L ISHE R
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CHATTERB OX
43
MADE IN CARPINTE R I A
57
ANTIQUES & C OL L E C T I BL ES
66
PHOTO ESSAY: A DAY IN THE LIFE
76
C ARPINTERIA KIOSK
93
REAL ESTATE REV IEW
98
WINTER READ: “POSEIDON’S EYES”
102
C ONTRIB UTORS
104
FINAL FRAME
ON T H E COVE R
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EBBS AND FLOWS Our man and the sea. Photographer Glenn Dubock casts his camera at the ocean and reels in the perfect shot of the winter sun waving good-bye. 14 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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G Yolanda Van Wingerden 805-570-4965 Yolanda@YolandaSB.com www.YolandaSB.com
BRE: 01908887
Love Whe re You Live !
All 100% non-smoking studio suites, 400 to 430 sq. ft. Free wireless hi-speed internet, fitness room and plenty of free parking Outdoor heated pool & whirlpool spa
Complimentary “Express Start” hot breakfast served daily Complete interior renovation completed April, 2014
5606 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 • www.carpinteriaexpress.com • RESERVATIONS 805-566-9499 WINTER2016 15
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IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU, CARPINTERIA Welcome to our 19 th edition of Carpinteria Magazine – an issue chock full of in-depth features and spectacular photography. It’s all about you, Carpinteria! Editor Amy Orozco and photographer Brian Hopkins take us on a tour of the 7 th Street Cottages, where an amazing transformation from dilapidated workforce housing to showpiece long-term and vacation rentals makes this downtown property a must-see. From guitars to furniture, travel trailers to organic sunscreen, writer Peter Dugré digs deep into home workshops and the town’s industrial parks to bring us more things VITE “Made in Carpinteria.” We’ve all seen the vintage gas pumps in front of the Arbol Verde home of Louise and Dave Moore. Writer Lea Boyd and photographer Brian Hopkins go inside to give us a sneak peek at a collection of Americana memorabilia that has been 45 years in the making. Remember when there was a boat shop and Schwinn bicycle dealership on Carpinteria Avenue? How about the Kentucky Fried Chicken across the street from it. Check out the evolving timeline of three downtown structures in our “Building History” feature on page 58. It’s been voted “Most Romantic Dining” and a Top 10 Best Seafood Restaurant in the western United States by Sunset Magazine. The Shoals Restaurant has been run by the Porter family for nearly three decades, Writer Emily Parker gives us a low-down on this getaway three miles south of town, just in time for the annual holiday festivities. Glenn Dubock’s photos have been featured in every issue of Carpinteria Magazine. His photo essay, “A Day in the Life,” captures everyday scenes around town that remind us of why we love our town. It’s his spectacular winter sunset photo that graces this issue’s cover. Emily Miles was thrust into the national spotlight after surviving a bear attack in a local avocado orchard, but we’ve always known her as a mover and shaker behind the scenes as a rancher and businesswoman, philanthropist, and volunteer. In our Q&A with Emily, we meet the cowgirl at heart, learn a little more about Carpinteria’s history, and get the scoop on that bear attack. School is in session. Cooking school, that is. Weeknight and weekend classes at two new commercial kitchens in town make for a great night out with fellow foodies. Cookbook author Pascale Beal adds some zest to this issue with three original recipes. Kim Drain introduces us to Ferrari-technician-turned-bikesmith Jim Hopperstad, and writer Alonzo Orozco and sports photographer Bill Swing team up to profile Cate School coach Ben Soto. This issue hits the streets as the holiday season gets into high gear. It’s a great time to shop locally and patronize the restaurants, shops, and services that fill the pages of Carpinteria Magazine. We couldn’t continue to produce this project without them. Watch for our next issue in May 2016.
Michael VanStry, Publisher RMG Ventures, LLC Michael VanStry, President Gary L. Dobbins, Vice President
CARPINTERIA MAGAZINE WINTER2016 EDITOR Amy Marie Orozco PRODUCTION & DESIGN Kristyn Whittenton WRITERS Pascale Beale Lea Boyd Fran Davis Kim Drain Glenn Dubock Peter Dugré Kary English Alonzo Orozco Amy Marie Orozco Emily Parker Megan Waldrep PHOTOGRAPHERS Joel Conroy Glenn Dubock Peter Dugré Chuck Graham Brian Hopkins Antony Marchiando Bill Swing Madeleine Vite CONTRIBUTORS Darrell Baasch Carpinteria Valley Museum of History PRODUCTION SUPPORT Darrell Baasch Rockwell Printing SALES Dan Terry dan@coastalview.com (805) 684-4428 ON THE WEB CarpinteriaMagazine.com Facebook All articles, photographs and artwork appearing in this publication are the copyrighted intellectual property of RMG Ventures, LLC. RMG Ventures, LLC aggressively protects its intellectual property rights. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. ©2016 RMG Ventures, LLC.
4856 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, California 93013 Tel: (805) 684-4428 Email: info@carpinteriamagazine.com
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Become a
volunteer. Members and volunteers enable the Arts Center to present exhibitions of today’s artists, design innovative art classes for people of all ages, and create cultural and educational programs that bring the community together to explore the arts. Volunteer opportunities include being a gallery docent, assisting with events, helping out with arts-related programs, fundraising, advertising, social media and more! The heartbeat of our organization is our volunteers. Connect with the community and be‌
surrounded by incredible art.
Go to our website, carpinteriaartscenter.org and click on the membership button to get started. Gallery Hours: Thursday - Monday, 10am - 4pm 855 Linden Avenue Downtown Carpinteria 805.684.7789
#carpinteriaarts
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DeborAh Murphy
Broker/Property Manager/Notary Sales • property Management • Vacation rentals
DRE #00580025
www.murphykingrealestate.com 805.689.9696 or 805.684.4101 • 5441 Carpinteria Ave. Carpinteria, CA 93013
IF YOU STAY... YOU WILL VISIT AGAIN & AGAIN!
We offer the finest weekly and monthly condominium rentals just steps away from the “world’s safest beach” in the charming seaside town of Carpinteria. Enjoy resort style living in a completely furnished two bedroom, one bedroom or a cozy studio space with year round heated pool, whirlpool spa, barbeque areas, Wi-Fi, laundry and gated parking. 4980 Sandyland Rd • Carpinteria, CA 93013 805.684.3682 • sunsetshorescarp.com WINTER2016 19
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Carpinteria comes alive on the First Friday of each month! Expect a delicious weekend of shopping, dining, art and entertainment.
January 1 & 2 February 5 March 4 April 1 May 6 June 3 July 1
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2016 Snow Much To Do Where the Heart Is Think Green Spring Fling Carpinteria in Bloom Sounds of Summer Surf ’s Up/ America the Beautiful
August 5 September 2 October 7, 8, 9 November 4 December 2
Art & Art-niture Chalk the Walk/ Celebrate Education California Avocado Festival Fall Harvest Light Up the Season
carpinteria.ca.us • carpinteriachamber.org
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“Experience the
Artful Life!”
quilting • Knitting needleworK • arts and gifts
A whimsical store with everything you’ll need for quilting, knitting, needlework, inspired gifts and more… Hours: M-s • 10 to 5 sun. • 11 to 4
919 Maple avenue • Carpinteria, Ca 93013 • 805.566.1250 • roxannequilts.CoM
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PLAYA
Beach Lodging ~ Relaxed Luxury
Carpinteria’s Newest
playalodging.com Reservations: 805.684-6555
Jewelry • Accessories • Apparel • Gifts
3823 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013
805.684.5800
hummingbirdcarpinteria.com
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( YOU CAN )
ACHIEVE
LAGUNA BLANCA SCHOOL ADMISSION OPEN HOUSES GRADES 5-12: JANUARY 9, SET PROGRAM 9:30AM-12:30PM GRADES EK-4: JANUARY 21, 9:30-11:00AM RSVP AT LAGUNABLANCA.ORG
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DROUGHT STILL ON Rain or Shine, Let’s Continue Conserving Together!
www.WaterWiseSB.org
Contact 684-2816 x116 • Rhonda@cvwd.net
Carpinteria Valley Water District • 1301 Santa Ynez Ave.
Customer service is not a department...
GRAPHIC DESIGN COLOR COPIES FLYERS MENUS POSTERS
LAMINATING UV COATING BINDERY SERVICES SPIRAL BINDING PERFECT BINDING
BANNERS & WIDE FORMAT LETTERPRESS PRINTING LABELS CATALOGS STATIONERY
POSTCARDS OFFSET PRINTING FILM POSITIVES/NEGATIVES DIRECT MAIL SERVICES ON TIME, AS PROMISED
...it’s what we do!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING...
“Just as advertised! Professional as well as courteous. Definitely will do business again when I am back in the area.” Dennis, Stockton, CA “Easy going, friendly and most of all, helpful. They will offer creative solutions to any printing issue. They seem to overestimate the time it takes to get the job done and I am always pleased to get the work back in a timely way. Prices are totally fair as well. I am grateful they are in Carp!” Sarah, Carpinteria, CA
Serving our community and beyond, for 29 years.
“Fantastic! helpful, knowledgeable, creative, and on time!” Chris, Santa Barbara, CA
4850A CARPINTERIA AVENUE, CARPINTERIA, CA 93013 | 805.684.0013 | ww.rockprint.com 24 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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The Palms Tradition since 1905
Hungry Locals & Travelers Enjoy Family-Style Good Times
“Famous Charbroil Grill” Original Salad Bar • Filet • 16 oz. T-Bone • Ribeye Steaks Teriyaki Chicken • Beef Kabobs • Norwegian Salmon Halibut • Alaskan King Crab • Rack of Lamb
Cocktails • Happy Hour • Live Bands • Dancing Linden Avenue at 7th St., Downtown Carpinteria • 805.684.3811
Old Fashioned Flavor for over 63 Years! Downtown 5205 Carpinteria Ave. 684–3602 Family Owned & Operated
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Chatter Box Mail Call & Community Hall
A flash of light sparks the room as a photocopier methodically churns out the beginnings of a new novel, a screeching sound echoes in the background as a single sheet of paper slowly squeezes through a fax machine, and a man in a cowboy hat barks out instructions to the store manager. This typifies some of the everyday activity at The UPS Store located at Casitas Plaza. “Most of our people are from down here [Carpinteria]; they’re regulars,” says Mo Asim who has been manager since 2006. “We get a lot of tourists in the summer, shipping things out.” Antique dealers from nearby Summerland and Santa Barbara are another demographic of customers who frequent the shop. Asim adds the store will dispatch any size and shape of package to just about any place in the world and boasts of a metal sign that recently went out through the store from one of the dealers who sold it for a hefty $13,000. Another group of regulars is what he refers to as SOHO (small office, home office) clients, those who run small home-based businesses. The store offers a variety of printing and copying services where customers can take advantage of specialty paper,
binding and laminating. “It [the store] is an asset to the community, it serves as an important niche, like a small town general store,” says Polly Holcombe, who lives in town and finds herself taking advantage of some of the many services. The community vibe isn’t isolated to the building at Casitas Plaza. “We have a notary (public) service that’s in the store, and a notary service that goes to hospitals and seniors,” explains Asim. Perhaps the most convenient service of all is one that happens to be tied with the U.S. Postal Service, where customers can check their P.O. boxes 24 hours a day. When the store closes in the early evening, a cage envelops the counter area and warehouse as a security measure allowing clients to enter through the front door with a special pass code. At one time a Mailboxes, Etc., the store was bought out by UPS and has continued to thrive at its current location for over 23 years providing customers with digital printing options, greeting cards, money orders and a place to bump into an old friend or make a new one. Asim has worked 24 years for Legacy Systems, the company that owns the Carpinteria store along with others in the area. There is no place he’d rather be. “I just love being around people and taking care of things,” says the long time manager. And for the local folk, it’s a place where the solutions are nearly endless. – Alonzo orozco
° ° °
Hope
Alonzo orozco
Carpinteria has more free mental health services available today than ever before, thanks to a group of dedicated residents. In February 2012, a Carpinteria man took his own life, leaving behind two small children. A group of his friends and acquaintances met to talk about what happened. “I didn’t understand at the time how desperate he was,” says Amrita Salm, president of HopeNet.
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After several months, the group formed HopeNet—a volunteer organization dedicated to helping Carpinteria residents know how to help family, friends, and neighbors recognize the signs of suicide. “I’ve had several friends take their own lives over the years, and it’s always devastating,” says Becki Norton,
Robin KaRlsson
vice president of HopeNet and a school psychologist. “From my training and experience, I truly believe that suicide can be prevented.” For HopeNet, prevention is about increasing education, reversing the stigma surrounding depression and suicide, and bringing county health services and other resources to Carpinteria. HopeNet developed and distributed wallet size suicide prevention cars in English and Spanish. And thanks to their advocacy, Santa Barbara County Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services now offers outreach services in Carpinteria twice a month. HopeNet has also held numerous forums and workshops on mental health issues, scheduled a Mental Wellness First Aid training, arranged for free community mental wellness screenings, organized a team for the Out of Darkness Community Walk, and started an annual candlelight vigil in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day. “We hope that by being proactive, we’ll encourage others to be proactive, as well,” Salm says. “Information and resources are keys to lowering suicide and reducing the stigma. Everyone goes through difficult times, and life’s not always smooth. You can’t guarantee you will stop a suicide, but you can know you did everything you could to help.” Suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and
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C hatter Box natural disasters combined. It cuts across all ages, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. “Even though we’re a beautiful little town, we are not immune,” Norton says. Indeed, as of press time, in Carpinteria, two deaths have been ruled suicide and two others are believed to be suicide from January to August this year, Salm says. When brains get stressed, they stop producing the neurotransmitters that make us feel good, Norton explains. “Depression is an illness, not a weakness. You’re in this big hole, and you can’t get out. You need someone to throw you a rope.” You don’t need to be a trained psychologist to “throw that rope.” Everyone can listen, take people seriously, call the mental health hotline on their behalf, or even drive them to appointments. Even one smile can be powerful enough to stop a suicide. “Carpinteria is known as a uniquely caring community, and HopeNet definitely plays a role in that,” Norton says. “I’m hopeful, not just for Carpinteria, but for the world, that we will stop being scared and start responding with compassion.” In an emergency, call 911. For less urgent help, call (888) 868-1649 for 24/7 local crisis assistance. For youth under 21 years old, call (888) 334-2777. For additional resources, visit www.hopenetofcarp.org – Emily ParkEr
° ° °
Carp Avenue High Note
“I’m a composer, so I write,” says Michael Tsang, owner of Rincon Music. “Do you want to hear one?” A heartfelt song pours from the guitar and him. The coming-ofage tune is inspired by his son, daughter, and his wife and muse, Lyn. As a singer, songwriter, and person, Tsang is thoughtful and inspired—the feeling you get when you enter the space. Rincon Music is a musical hub, filled with new and restored instruments, professional sound and recording gear, a bit of vinyl, and hi-fi accouterment among others. The most important asset is its owner, whose expertise ranges from recording, mixing, editing, mastering services, instrument set up, and repairs. Tsang keeps the Casitas Plaza shop old school, using a 1 /2 inch 8-Track reel-to-reel machine before transferring to create a professional sound. Through consulting work, he guides clients through various technological equipment
and systems, including Apple’s Logic Pro, in which he is certified. His main passion lies in instruments, especially the abused ones. Similar to finding a stray puppy, he takes them in and brings them back to life. Tsang pulls out a recently refurbished piece with pride and shows his work saying “Now, it’s saved and someone will be able to put it in their lap and bring music to their lives.”
dUgré
He also teaches guitar, using the same method he taught himself – to just have fun. He instructs students through feel, shape of the fingers, and how to hold the guitar rather than learning notes. “I play with the students and hacking through a song with them reminds me how hard it was to learn to play. Empathy comes out,” he notes. Tsang’s musical journey began in fifth grade with a clarinet rented by his mother. A passion for composing brought him to the guitar, and his interest in music grew into a job at a hi-fi electronics shop during his senior year of high school. At age 20, he made the pilgrimage from Philadelphia to California and never looked back. “It’s been a long road of trials and errors of trying to make it in the music business before realizing I’m good at being on ‘this side’ of the counter,” Tsang explains. He migrated to Santa Rosa, where he owned a music shop, Midi Music, for 13 years before returning to Carpinteria to open Rincon Music in June 2014. Tsang views his occupation as an addiction rather than a career. “The only thing more important is family,” he says. “I’m just happy playing music every day.” – mEgan WaldrEP
° ° °
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Getting ’em into gear
Bikesmiths owner, Jim Hopperstad, wasn’t exaggerating when he nicknamed his business The Biggest Little Bike Shop in the World. Watching Hopperstad roll out his inventory in the morning is like watching circus clowns tumble out of a teeny car—it’s hard to believe all those bikes fit into the small wedge of a store. In fact, Hopperstad initially passed on the opportunity to set up his shop at its current location at 5441 Carpinteria Ave., given its telephone booth dimensions. Over 13 years later, however, Hopperstad feels landing in this spot has been miraculous. “I have had the most wonderful experiences here,” he says. Inside, the workbench is piled high with tools and the walls lined with mementoes from a lifetime of career milestones. Crammed in the far reaches of the shop, beyond the bike parts and the jerseys, are photos and tributes to the people who were most influential in Hopperstad’s life. “I have always had an affinity for mechanical things,” Hopperstad recalls. “I’ve had the dumb luck to cross paths with several people who were willing to teach me
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DUGRé
the finer points of mechanical principles. And I was more than willing to absorb all the training I could.” He has a hard time throwing anything away that is reusable and would rather fix something than toss it out. Evidence is parked in the driveway: a vintage 1952 Cadillac, which he has owned for 43 years and fixed up to near showroom condition. Zigzagging the country in his early years, Hopperstad worked for some of the most well known names in the bicycle and auto industries, building upon his skills by “os-
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C hatter Box mosis and common sense.” Bikesmiths is the culmination of Hopperstad’s lifelong passion for things that go. Knowing exactly how to tweak a bike to get maximum results, bike restorations are no problem. He is a factory trained Ferrari technician and mechanic and has built three Ferrari P4s and four Ferrari Testa Rosa TR 59s from the ground up. Need a fine-tuning of your gears? He monitored the minute machinations of Titan II guided missiles for six years while in the Air Force. That Carpinteria has a master mechanic in its midst isn’t lost on the locals. Throughout the day, a steady stream of customers jostle for a spot inside the small workspace; some just stopping at the threshold to say hello. Friends and customers are fiercely loyal and happy to defer to his expertise, whether it is a new purchase or a restoration. Many an athlete has reached the winner ’s podium on the wheels of a Hopperstad-built machine. These days, however, Bikesmiths owner considers himself to be just a “slow recreational rider.” While Hopperstad has had great adventures all around the globe, he feels “blessed” to have ended up in Carpinteria. “I really like to help people,” he explains. “It’s really taking selfishness to the highest level; it makes me feel good to see people enjoy my work. The rest is just icing on the cake.”
ing a day in the sun, capture the feel of why visitors continue to be drawn to the World’s Safest Beach. (Santa may live in Oxnard now, but his status as a Carpinteria icon remains intact.) Many a resident has given a set of notecards or prints of a homegrown artist’s beachscapes as a gift. A child’s sand shovel and pail decorated pillowslips are slipped into luggage and a faux weather-beaten beach sign with directional arrow lays flat in a suitcase for the return trip to the daily grind.
DUGRé
– Kim DRain
° ° °
Giving the gift of Carpinteria
What do you get the tourist who has everything? If you’re a national chain drugstore, the answer could be a T-shirt, tote bag, or postcard. If looking for a more authentic shake of Carpinteria sea salt, look for the shop with the driftwood “open 10-ish to 5-ish” sign on the door. Tidepools, a shop close to the shore, sells to locals and visitors alike. Mounds and mounds of Nautilus, sand dollars, coral, and other gifts from oceans around the world anchor the family-run business. Campers, who discover the shop while migrating to Linden Avenue for a meal away from the campfire, have made the locally made sea glass jewelry, big starfish, and shell themed nightlights bestsellers, according to shop owner Jody Kester. Mementos of sleepy seaside Carp are sprinkled in businesses all around town. Celebrating the heyday of road trips and roadside vernacular architecture, retro-themed items, such as a 1940s Carpinteria travel poster celebrat-
The dictionary defines souvenir as a thing that is kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event. Though the beach is king, not all Carpinteria memories are made there. Recalling the tastes of Carpinteria may be the way to go for some people. Forget the saltwater taffy, chocolates are a favored specialty with two chocolate factories within the city’s limits. The three local breweries and a coffee roaster offer a toast to the town. The avocado is an obvious choice, but if the alligator pear isn’t in season, how about an exotic fruit, a Cherimoya perhaps, from the Farmers Market, which also offers orchids, gerberas, and other flowers and foliage from the area. For some, a souvenir is handpicked and created. Literally. A fallen sycamore tree leaf is pressed into a reminder of a dusty trail in a drought-ridden year. Seashells and driftwood are stitched into service as Christmas ornaments. A jar o’tar from Jellybowl brings back the sound of laughter and waves. For others, there’s the option of no souvenir at all. Or just the souvenir of memories and the open invitation to come back and make many more. ◆ – amy OROzcO
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A trip to Italy without the jet lag…
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Light, Bright &Airy
One of the 7th Street Cottages. The “new” housing is a combination of long term and vacation rentals. 34 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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S T ORY BY A M Y M AR IE O R O ZCO PH OT OS BY BRI AN HO PKINS With his nephew riding shotgun, Thom Vernon was on 7th Street bee-lining toward Linden, scheduled to turn right and proceed two blocks to complete the mission of burgers at The Spot when he was stopped in his tracks. “I slammed on my brakes when I saw the property for sale and said ‘I’ve got to do this,’” remembers Vernon. “This” referring to fixing up six sagging cottages on a single 7th Street lot between Holly and Elm avenues. With a vision of returning the former employee housing to its 1950s California cottage glory, he bought the real estate. And as these things frequently can turn out, four of the houses were about to fall over with dry rot and termites. Vernon, who is semi-retired from the apparel industry and neither an architect nor a developer by trade or education, remained undeterred and up for the challenge. Phase One of the 7th Street Cottages project began with demolishing the four houses while saving and updating
TOP, facing front doors and porches foster the community feel among neighbors. INSET, The Cottages in their previous incarnation as employee housing. LEFT, Thom Vernon, who spent 28 years in the apparel industry, bought and rehabbed the 7th Street Cottages into their present showcase state. WINTER2016 35
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Though new, the retro range fits in the overall design.
Stairs lead to a loft.
Color and vintage decor dress up the interiors.
The open floor plan gives a roomy feel to the 25 x 25 footprint.
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the two structures fronting 7th Street. Six new 1-bedroom, plus loft, 1-bath cottages were built. Though termites made repurposing any building materials an impossibility, some eco friendly choices included sustainable flooring and siding, on demand water heating, lighting that uses a fraction of what old bulbs use, and water savvy toilets and showerheads. The airy, open interiors belie the 25-foot by 25-foot footprint. Downstairs is the kitchen, bedroom, dining and living room. Figure in a pantry and room for a washer and dryer, and the use of space is more than impressive. Decorating choices remain true to the architecture. Making use of their flea market hobby, Vernon and his wife, Mary Ellen, use their vintage finds as form and function – artwork on the wall or a 1950s kitchen tool. Paint palettes evoke the sea and the pastels of lazy vacation days. When a 5th Street residence that butted against the Seventh Street Cottages became available, Vernon bought the property and began Phase 2 of The Cottages. Taking nine months and finishing in December 2014, Phase 2 consists of a duplex of 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom units, each with a one-car garage. Today, three of the 10 cottages are long-term rentals. The others give guests the feeling of living local. There are no traces of two different phases. It’s the lasso of landscaping and community-building features that unify the 5th to 7th Street parcel. Facing front doors and having to walk by neighbors along the sea glass embellished walkway from parking space to home enable face-to-face connection and the inevitable small conversation. While citrus and palm trees punctuate the property,
TOP, the “motel” sign was spotted in a neighbor’s yard and brought back to life. MIDDLE, loft sleeping at its finest. RIGHT, double sink bathroom. WINTER2016 37
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The 5th Street facing duplex has three bedrooms upstairs.
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an outdoor solar-powered shower and shared BBQ grills require connection with others. “I really enjoy creating community,” Vernon reports. “It is rewarding to see new friendships being made whether it is two vacationing families or long term tenants.” He also enjoys promoting the car-free Carpinteria experience. The Amtrak station is across the street from the 5th Street side duplex. Bicycles are available at The Cottages for trips to the grocery store, nearby restaurants, or a ride around town. Vernon’s next project is to repurpose, remodel, and retain the charm of the hodgepodge of buildings in the 500 block of Maple Avenue. Accommodating parking may be the biggest issue, but that won’t stop him from encouraging the walking and biking friendliness of the town. “I love it when visitors to The Cottages say ‘I never had to get in my car during my stay,’” he says. ◆
TOP LEFT, pristine and charming kitchen. The Seventh Street Cottages were part of Carpinteria Beautiful’s Home & Garden Tour in 2013. TOP RIGHT, Part of the open floor plan is designated for dining. MIDDLE, the bedding’s bold color and pattern juxtaposed against the sunny and white room. LEFT, a seating area is one of the features of outdoor living. WINTER2016 39
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Made in Carpinteria STORY BY PE T E R DUGRÉ • PH OT OS BY JOE L CON RO Y C A R P I N T ER I A MAGAZ I NE H AS MADE I T PAR T OF I TS MI S SI ON TO SE E K OUT P R O D UC T S M ADE LOCALLY BY LOCALS . TH ERE’ S QU I TE AN ASSOR T M E NT. FR O M S UN S C R E EN TO GU I TARS , CAMP ERS TO FU RNI TU RE, U SEFU L PR ODUCT S A N D T EC H N O L OGI ES ARE I N P RODU CTI ON I N KI TCH ENS, WAREH OUSE S, AND G A R A G ES A L L AROU ND U S .
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Wilcox Guitar
Chris Wilcox hopes to launch a revolution from his 5,000-square-foot Rose Lane facility. The target of his radical thinking is the electric guitar. Wilcox Guitars uses infrared light, a proprietary technology of Wilcox’s Ligthwave Systems, to amplify the sounds of the strings by reading their motion. Electric guitars have used essentially the same technology, magnetic pickups, since they were born in the 1930s. Wilcox thinks it’s time for an upgrade and wants to shake the stubbornness from the music industry. “When a technology has been around since 1935, nobody wakes up one morning and thinks, there’ll be something new there,” Wilcox says. He is a guitar maker and modifier by trade. In his Santa Barbara shop starting in the 1980s, he built custom instruments and did hot rodding for boutique clients. In all his tinkering and fine-tuning of guitars, it became clear that magnetic pickups were a limiting factor. “I was building a lot of custom guitars with standard stuff and construction techniques. I noticed that the pickups were leveling everything out,” he says. The main issue is that the magnetic field interferes and affects the strings, leading to impurities and embellishment of sound. Complete manufacturing of the guitars is done on Rose Lane in Carpinteria with some parts imported. Wilcox says the applications of using Lightwave Systems are broad. Guitars can be wired into synthesizers to create signature sounds typical of other models like the Fender. Guitars and bass guitars, including the latest HexFX models, sell all over the world. Wilcox, who says he has an eye on applying Lightwave Systems to violins and all other string instruments, is thinking big, as he did when broadening his horizons from guitar tinkerer to inventor. “I didn’t want a boutique or custom kind of thing. I thought it was worthy of a global technology.” willcoxguitars.com. 44 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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Dust & Grain
Material is everything. Most of the wood used to craft custom furnishing at Dust & Grain is reclaimed from barns and out buildings in northern Idaho and Montana. The wood offers both an unmatched rustic style and the eco upside of reusing materials. A couple of the more popular products fashioned by Dust & Grain are the custom baby gates and the fall décor reclaimed wooden pumpkins. The baby gates grew out of the same thing that inspired owner Cody Joens to apply his carpentry skills to handcrafted goods. He was facing fatherhood a few years ago after his first born, and the new chapter opening in his life had him harkening back to an old chapter learned by his jack-ofall-trades father. “When we found out a couple of years ago that our first little one was on her way into our lives something just kicked in for me. That took me right out to the garage. I dusted off the tools and went back to those roots that make me who I am today,” says Joens. The pumpkins are one of a kind, made from reclaimed 100-year tongue and groove wood with a rich patina sourced from old boxcars. All products are made to order, but stay tuned at dustandgrain.com. The company started as a moonlighting gig but has gained traction. Joens hopes that products will be available in stores in the near future. Currently, items like the company’s flagship concrete and wood stools, a concrete seat standing on three simple wooden legs, can be custom ordered. “We’ve sold so many of these and love the way that each comes out a little more unique than the one before it,” Joens says. www.Facebook.com/ dustandgrain. WINTER2016 45
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Hütte Hut
Designers Brian and Katrina Manzo at Sprouting Sprocket on Carpinteria Avenue have big design ambitions in the micro-niche glamping industry. Their Hütte Hut—part classic teardrop camper and all chic style and comfort—dazzled judges to earn top prize in the Outdoor category at the Dwell on Design tradeshow at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2014. An eye-catcher, the Hütte Hut also was featured on the cover of Sunset magazine. The couple graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and has since been in the business of merging “the best of computerized precision and artisanal craftsmanship.” Careful crafting is visible in every detail: double doors, large windows, bowed trusses, and a sun diffusing canopy blur borders between inside and out, yielding an open and expansive experience within a small footprint. Hütte means humble abode in French. The designers envision their concept as mobile space that can be used about anywhere. “Hütte Hut’s premium materials and craftsmanship create a paired down interior that is a reductive approach to luxury,” Katrina says. “Its design encourages engaging with the site, whether it be the campsite or your backyard. We wanted to create a space that was beautiful but drew your attention to your environment.” The made-to-order, custom-built caravans are now constructed in a Santa Barbara facility. “Being a niche design product, Hütte Hut was conceived to be made in very small quantities. We couldn’t have anticipated the breadth of resonance and exposure we’ve received both in the states and abroad,” says Katrina. This designer mobile hangout is meant to blend into natural scenes and provide comfort outside. “It’s a niche market, but we’re thrilled with the support and feedback that we’ve received so far,” Brian says. www.hüttehut.com.
COurTeSy PHOTOS
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Sea & Summit Sunscreen
Ryan Kell had a problem. His occupation as a Carpinteria City Beach lifeguard and his inclination toward outdoor pursuits necessitate lathering up in sunscreen, but he couldn’t find a product he felt comfortable smearing on his skin day after day. Most sunscreen is concocted with laboratory additives for consistency and preservation. Mass produced sunscreens block the sun’s harmful rays but also potentially cause harm. He found a solution in making his own sunscreen. “It’s made with six ingredients you can pronounce,” says Ryan Kell, creator of Sea & Summit Sunscreen. Those are: coconut oil, sesame oil, shea butter, jojoba esters, caprylyl glycol (from coconuts), and zinc oxide. Simple organic sunscreens exist but they cost nearly $30 per 2.5 ounce bottle. Kell says he would go through that in a week. The products can also be smelly or tacky on the skin. Kell started by mixing his product at home and giving it away to friends and coworkers. In order to create enough inventory to drive a successful business, he began to seek out manufacturers, but his product rocked mainstream manufactures’ boats. He got pushback until finding a company in Iowa that would help him. Sea & Summit face stick is now available at Pacific Health Foods and Seastrand on Linden Avenue. If sales take off, Kell will have funding to produce his original sunscreen recipe for larger-scale distribution. seaandsummitsunscreen.com. ◆ WINTER2016 47
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Dave and Louise Moore, pictured with pooch Beau, have spent 45 years collecting for their Arbol Verde home. Among their favorites are the two 1940s fuel pumps above. One came from the gas station where Rite Aid is now located on the corner of 8 th Street and Linden Avenue. The other was used as a pump on the Delwiche family ranch off Highway 150.
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The
Moore
Collection Story by L e a boyd
•
Ph ot oS by bri a n h o Pk i nS
Dave and Louise Moore held a big yard sale some years back. They painstakingly pared down and successfully parted with hundreds of items from the lovingly curated collections in their Arbol Verde home. They felt good; they felt uncluttered. Friends from out of town came to visit a few weeks later and said upon entering the house, “So, when’s the garage sale?” Thing is, when you take two people born with the collecting gene and a love for whimsical 1930s and 1940s era products, and you put them together in the same house for 45 years, that house is bound to become what the Moores’ has, part museum, part Wes Anderson set, part summer camp cabin and all infused with stories and meaning. It started with a barber ’s chair. The Moores, a couple raising kids on a young teacher ’s salary, had always furnished their homes with hand-me-downs from family members. Finally, in 1970, they’d saved enough to buy a new recliner. But the trip down south to Levitz proved hugely disappointing. “Anything we could afford was low quality,” Louise said. They found a junk store on the way home and stumbled across a barber chair. The look, feel and price were all right. And just like that, they were hooked on collecting. The Moores’ strain of collecting virus feeds on style not monetary value. The couple’s attraction to a piece derives purely from personal history and aesthetic taste. Artful arrangement of each item then makes the Moore house a sum far greater than its parts. toP riGht, to procure the helmet pictured here, dave swapped goods with a dealer at the Pasadena Swap Meet. Crate labels, of which the Moores have many, have served as strong currency for selling and trading with other antique fans. riGht, dave’s not a boxing fan, but he loved the oak hanger for this punching bag. Gloves complete the display. and like many nooks in the Moore house, family photographs have found their way of coexisting with the collections. WINTER2016 51
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RIGHT, a pair of World War II model airplanes zoom across the bedroom’s postered skyline. The framed poster at right is from Negro League baseball and includes an image of Goose Tatum, who played for both the Harlem Globetrotters and the Negro League. Dave stumbled across it at a baseball card show and traded “a bunch of” baseball memorabilia for it. The record is a 78 single of “Hound Dog” per formed by Big Mama Thornton. BELOW, TV lights, such as the panther, duck and antelope here, were commonplace in the 1950s, when the glare from regular lighting inter fered with the image onscreen. The Moores remember a time when everyone had a low lamp like these on top of their television sets.
Metal railroad figurines made by Barclay and Manoil became popular after tin soldiers kicked off the collecting bug in many a child. The characters were made in many varieties and could be picked up for a nickel at the dime store, Dave recalls.
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BELOW, Louise brings the wanderlust into the pair’s collecting aesthetic. She seeks out globes, maps, suitcases and other traveling accouterment.
LEFT, Dave taught at Ocean View Junior High School most of his career. He saved this pulldown map set from the dumpster. Now it’s a window blind in their bedroom.
LEFT, Dave’s sister-inlaw’s aunt worked in a Popsicle stick factory. In honor of her 50 th anniversary she received a lamp made out of Popsicle sticks. zThat lamp sparked an interest and led to more lamps.
ABOVE, Fisher Price pull toys from the 1940s or 1950s enchant the Moores. This duck’s beak opens and closes, and the bear plays the xylophone. RIGHT, Louise’s suitcase collection, decorated with labels from all over the world, doubles as storage. She saves quilts in the suitcases shown here. WINTER2016 53
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Open shelving between the dining room and kitchen allows for the display of antique toasters. On the far left is a model that takes toast from the side rather than the top. Another boasts a hot plate along with a toaster. Finding items that are “really neat,” as Dave likes to say, seems to fuel the Moores’ endless hunt.
Leave no sur face undecorated. The top of the Moore fridge has lightup ice cream cones made as promotional materials for SafeT-Cup, the cone company.
ABOVE, This fully functional phone in the Moores’ kitchen is an old pay phone from the 1950s. “The kids’ friends thought it was a scream,” Louise says. When grandkids arrived, they had no idea how to make it work. Phone calls that require inputting extensions or codes force Dave and Louise to run to another phone in the house with push buttons.
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Fishing boat motors captured the Moores’ attention years ago. “We went clear out to Michigan looking for boat motors,” Louise recalls. Dave bought this 1950s motor scuffed and beat up for $5 before painting it and applying the Elgin decal (Sears brand).
ABOVE, “We’d been looking for a moose for years and years,” Louise starts the story of the living room’s quietest tenant. They found a guy who was into taxidermy and said he would customize the mount for the space. At first, Louise said it felt like the moose was watching her, but “It grew on me.” Kids who come trick-or-treating at the Moores’ house can see the moose from the doorway. Several have asked if the rest of the moose is outside. BELOW, Metal soldiers in every imaginable pose, from parachuting to surrendering, occupy a small shelf in the bedroom. Dave remembers buying them for a nickel as a kid. Now they sell on eBay for $10 to $25. ◆
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Writing YOur WOrds With MY pen Writing YOur WOrds With MY pen
Amy Marie Orozco Amy Marie Orozco 805.284.2622 www.amymarieorozco.com 805.284.2622 www.amymarieorozco.com
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Or visit our store at 500 Maple Ave. #5 Carpinteria, CA 93013 (805) 695-0910 Tuesday - Friday 11 - 4
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History B y LEA BO y D
Friends oF the liBrary
Carpinteria history lives and breathes in the older generation. It’s inked onto yellowed pages of Carpinteria Herald archives and stacked in file cabinets in back rooms of the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History. And it’s written in the coats of paint, the ceiling beams and floorboards of buildings throughout town. Sure, the signs on the front change, and the merchandise or services evolve, but the bones of these structures sit and quietly watch as the present becomes the past. Carpinteria Avenue, called the Old Coast Highway before the freeway unfurled, is home to many buildings that have withstood several decades and witnessed tenants come and go. Taking a peek into the history of three such buildings, Carpinteria Magazine offers readers a taste of what once was and what now is.
1 9 4 4
Don Groves opened h i s gas st at ion, Groves Seasid e S ervic e, when C arpint eria Av enue do u bl ed as t he Coast Highway. Im med iat ely prior, t he Do n o v an family operat ed th ei r c afé, The I rish Hut, i n th e build ing for a brief peri o d. When The I rish Hut m o ved, in t he mid t o lat e 1940s, Grov es opened a Sch wi n n bike franc hise in t he bu i l ding. Lat er, in t he mi d-1950s, Grov es and business partner Bob Hofmann added boat s t o t heir bic ycl e sh o p.
JaCk’s Bistro
Building
1965 I n 1987, a f te r op e r a ti n g a s a M ob i l s ta ti on f or ma n y years, it was disc ove re d th a t th e u n d e r grou n d ta n k s a t th e s i te w e re l e a k i n g. Owner Ch a r l e s D a l P ozzo c l os e d th e s ta ti on in O c tob e r and b e ga n th e $200, 000 p roje c t to e xc a va te th e ta n k s a n d re move 45 s e mi tr u c k l oa d s of c on ta mi n a te d s oi l .
1987
Cielo
1945
Th o m as McL ean f o u gh t i n th e C i vi l War bef o re b e co m i n g a m i n i ster i n 1870. Wh en sen t to C arp i n te ri a to wo rk at th e B apti st C h u rch o n th e co r n in g of C arpi n teri a an d L i n den aven u es, Th o m as brou gh t al o n g h i s wi f e, El l en , an d th ei r f i ve ch i l dren. T h e f am i l y f i rst l i ved i n an o l d two -sto ry h o u s e on C arpi n teri a Aven u e n ear El m Aven u e. L ater, th e McL ean s pu rch ased f i ve acres an d bu i l t a h ou s e al o n g C arpi n teri a Aven u e (th en th e C o ast H i gh way) i n th e l o cati o n n o w o ccu pi ed by C i el o .
1 9 6 6
I n Ju l y of 1966, Ca r p i n te r i a Ci ty H a l l move d i n to th e M c Le a n h ou s e f or ju s t a y e a r, re l oc a ti n g to 6th S tre e t i n Ju l y of 1967.
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1 9 7 4
C as itas N a t ional S ec urit y B an k o p e n e d on Oc t . 20 , 1 9 6 6 af te r mont hs of c o n s tr u c tion.
In 1998, Jack’s B i s tro a n d F a mou s Ba ge l s m o ved i n to th e bu i l d i n g, a s w i tc h f rom b a n k to bagel -m aki n g th at i n c l u d e d re f u r b i s h i n g mu c h o f th e bu i l di n g’s i n te r i or a n d a d d i n g th e p op u l ar o u tsi de garden p a ti o. “ T h e d ou gh i s i n th e vau l t,” o wn er Do ra l e e Ja c ob s on l i k e s to s a y .
Aft er Casit a s Nati o n al , t he build in g ro tated t hrough a n u m ber o f banks, inc ludi n g C o u n ty, Barc lays and Wel l F ar go .
19 92
Ha vin g sto od va ca nt for so me tim e, the litt le bu ild ing be ca me an ar t ga lle ry in 19 92 . Ow ners Ba rb ar a an d Mi ch ae l Do ug he rty of fer ed ar ts an d cra fts by loc als , bo ok s, ar t su pp lie s as we ll as fra mi ng se rvi ce s.
In 2008, Th e C i ty o f C arpi n teri a pu rch ased th e co r n er pro perty an d m ade i m pro vem en ts to th e di l api dated bu i l di n g, wh i ch h ad been o ccu pi ed by C aval l i ’s C af é f o r th e l ast several years
2008 1994
In 1994, by T i n a F an u cch i an d Ji m Gah an o pen ed L o n e Pal m C af é, a sm o o th i e bar an d eatery.
F ri en ds o f th e L i brary si gn ed a l ease Apri l 2009 to ru n i ts f u n drai si n g U sed B o o ks Sto re o u t o f th e bu i l di n g to su ppo rt th e l i brary n ext do o r.
2009
2014
In 2014, th e c i ty c on st r u c te d S e a s i d e P a r k on th e c or n e r, re movi n g th e dr i ve w a y on to Ca r p i n te ri a Ave n u e , p u tti n g i n a n exte n s i ve p a ti o, l a n d sca p i n g a n d f ou n ta i n don a te d b y Ca r p i n te r i a B e a u ti f u l .
1987
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Kent uc ky Fried Chic ken opened S ept ember 12 , 19 74 .
C h u y’s Mesqu i te B ro i l er o pen ed i n 1987. Th e restau ran t was o wn ed by Mark Evan so n , wh o o pen ed th e f i rst C h u y’s i n C arpi n teri a an d created a ch ai n o f C h u y’s restau ran ts th at n u m bered 42 wh en h e m ade th e deci si o n to cl o se th e o ri gi n al i n 2001.
In 2001, Jo h n Estrada o pen ed C abo s B aja Gri l l an d C an ti n a.
2001
2015
Ci e l o a r r i ve d i n 2015 a f te r a re mod e l to th e re s ta u r a n t’ s i n te r i or a n d e xte r i or.
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Romance
with a View S T ORY BY E M I LY PA RK E R PH OT OS BY JOE L CON ROY
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Romance on the high seas. The Shoals Restaurant makes any occasion a special one. WINTER2016 61
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One nondescript night, Veda Porter had a dream that would change her family’s future. “My mother was a bit clairvoyant and claimed to read tea leaves,” says Sanford Porter, General Manager of the Shoals Restaurant at the Cliff House. “One night she dreamt about buying the Cliff House, and the next day, she dragged my dad down to check it out, and it was for sale.” You might say the rest is history. His parents bought the Cliff House Inn, and Sandy opened the Shoals Restaurant in 1987. At first, the restaurant operated as a weekend-only fine dining restaurant for dinner. “In those days, we had a completely new menu every night to emphasize creativity and freshness,” Sandy recalls. One night, a Santa Barbara radio DJ asked Sandy how it felt to “have the number one restaurant in the Santa Barbara area?” But it was never the Porters’ goal to “beat out” other restaurants for fine dining accolades. They just wanted to do their best for their customers. Located less than 10 minutes south of Carpinteria in Mussel Shoals at the Cliff House Inn (6602 Old Pacific FROM TOP, the seemingly unassuming building holds million dollar views and the popular Shoals Restaurant. The pool is for those who prefer not to get sand between their toes. Al fresco dining is pool side and beach side with a mountain backdrop.
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Every table is the best seat in the house.
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Coast Highway), the Shoals Restaurant still focuses on fine dining but is now open daily for lunch and dinner and for weekend brunch. The inn and restaurant boast more endorsements than that early one from the Santa Barbara DJ. The Los Angeles Times Travel Readers’ Poll named the Cliff House Inn one of the top three preferred hotels/inns to stay at in California, and the Shoals Restaurant was voted the most “Romantic Restaurant” in the area. With outdoor seating perched on the edge of the ocean offering prime views of the moonrise and ocean swells, it’s no wonder. “A lot of families comes to Carpinteria for the holidays,” Sandy says. “We like to give them the real California experience—on the ocean watching the waves and the surfers and the squadrons of pelicans flying along the coast.” With the sun setting at 5 p.m. and the larger swells rolling south from Alaska, winter brings an added coziness and romance to the Shoals, making the restaurant feel more like a home. The Porter family certainly cares for its patrons like family. Their approach to food has always been “homemade”—tending toward traditions of the season—rather than institutional food. The chefs create their menus using the freshest early winter produce, prime beef, lamb, and fresh seafood. October through December is swordfish and salmon season. The Shoals gets deliveries of fresh caught seafood almost daily for its specials. “I will never forget the year that the chef threw a fit and walked out on New Year ’s Eve leaving my sister, Michele, and I to create and execute a menu for a sold out dining room,” Sandy remembers. “We are both ‘foodies’ but not professional restaurant cooks. Much to our surprise, the night was a big hit, albeit we both had many burnt fingers.” That care and dedication is indicative of every day at the Shoals, especially during the holidays. For Thanksgiving, the chef serves a three-course afternoon to evening meal featuring a traditional gourmet turkey dinner, steak grilled to perfection, fresh seafood dish, and vegetarian option. On Christmas Eve, the chef prepares a special “Romantic Christmas Eve Supper,” and on New Year ’s Eve, the restaurant offers a four-course dinner (that won’t break the bank), live music, dancing, and party favors. For lovers wanting to extend their getaway, the Cliff House Inn has a December Madness Special and a Romance Package. “There’s a special feeling in the air in early winter in the Carpinteria area,” Sandy says. “We see a lot of families come year after year. There is a certain coziness of the Shoals that is a bit like home: good cooking, friendly staff, and an unpretentious atmosphere.” ◆ TOP, the large picture windows of the inside dining room offer spectacular ocean views. BOTTOM, ready to begin the feast is the Pan Seared Scallop Appetizer with lobster nage risotto. 64 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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Rainbow Bridge Ranch Palm Growers Carpinteria, California
Over 20 Varieties of Climatized Coastal Grown Palm Trees, Tropicals, Bananas, Plumerias & More at Wholesale Prices
WE DELIVER Open to Public by Appointment Bruce Montgomery at (805) 684-7976 WINTER2016 65
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A Day In The Life PHOTO ESSAY B Y GL E N N DUBOCK By many accounts, Carpinteria is an easy place to get to but a very hard place to leave. Many a casual visitor to this little gem by the sea has been self-converted to full-time resident status with only the persuasion of the salt air and a picturesque walk. So relaxing and inviting is this slice of heaven on Earth, that it is said that time spent here is not subtracted from one’s life. On the contrary, taking in all that the Carpinteria Valley has to offer can add life to your years! Photographer Glenn Dubock captures a snapshot of Carpinteria daily life. He used a Nikon D810 camera with a Nikon 28-30mm lens.
A marine layer invasion sets the tone for a winter day on Santa Claus Beach. 66 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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P H O T O E S S AY
A bit of Shuttle Diplomacy on display as the popular electric bus heads out for another load of happy passengers. WINTER2016 67
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A perfect balance of bicycle and beans.
Easy come, not easy to see you go.
Time and sawdust fly in the woodworkers shop.
The doors open at Robitaille’s and the sweet rush is on. 68 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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Sun is down, the hunger game begins.
Setting off for the surf.
Amid a field of greens, a sentinel of upward mobility rises to greet the mid-day sun. â—†
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Emily Miles in her Carpinteria home. 70 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com 70
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question & answer
Emily Miles IntervIew b y Pete r Dugre Por traI ts b y MaD e l e In e vI t e Emily Miles quips that before Carpinteria was planted in walnuts it was acorns used by the Chumash. She can. Her family was behind the first avocados planted in Carpinteria Valley in 1922. In between volunteering with Future Farmers of America (FFA), California Women in Agriculture and the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History, she also dedicates time to keep the California Avocado Festival growing and grooving. Recently Carpinteria Magazine corralled Miles during a moment when she wasn’t on horseback, hand-pollinating cherimoyas or clearing trails in the Sierras to learn her take on where Carpinteria has been and where it might be going. Who better is there to ask? She is the only known survivor of a bear attack in the valley.
You’ve been around the valley a long time. What was it like growing up here?
We did a lot of ranching. I grew up on Casitas Pass Road, and we had one family ranch called Halcyon. As kids we played there a lot, when my mom wanted us to come home, she had a Swiss cow horn that she would blow three times. And that was our signal to come home right away. It was a good half a mile. We would just go through other people’s property, through fields and ranch roads to get from one property to the next.
Were there other kids in the country? Did you have a crew of rancher children? What did you do?
I had four brothers, and we rode horses all the time. I used to ride my horse down to the beach. Down to the Rincon, and that was pretty treacherous, crossing the highway at the time. It was like dead man’s alley, crossing to get to the entrance of the Rincon there. But I did it. We built a lot of trails after school. My dad had a bunch of acreage above us, and he was developing the property. So we were just de-rocking roads and building trails. He loved trails.
Miles riding her horse, Luna, in the Golden Trout Wilderness. Her dog, Beau is beside her. WINTER2016 71
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Welcome to the Miles’ Carpinteria home.
Family photo at Cow Camp, circa 2009. From left are Bradley, Emily, Wesley, and Rebekah Miles.
Riding up at Hocket Peak above the Miles’ camp, Cow Camp, riding her horse Rio.
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How deep are your family’s roots in the valley?
My grandmother on my father ’s side was born in Carpinteria. They were the Fish family. My aunts and uncles owned the state park. My mother ’s father planted the first commercial avocado orchard in Carpinteria in 1922. Both sides of the family grew lemons.
What are your ranching responsibilities now?
Riding the mule Bella, Miles comes out of the Sierras near Jerky Trail Head. She is leading another mule, Chabela, with dogs Jack and Callie. We’re down to 6 acres of avocados. from the western side. Just the terrain getting there was We always want to keep a small amount. My brothers are so beautiful. all growers as well. We grow cherimoyas and passion fruit We have two different camps in the Sierras. One’s a and avocados; I have a lot of mini-crops on the property. family camp that has been in our family since 1946, right I harvest all kinds of things and I take a lot of them to the on Kern River, in the Golden Trout Wilderness of the Sefarm stand and a lot to my daughter, who is the produce quoia National Forest. The other camp is one that Bradley manager at the Isla Vista Co-Op. We have one part-time and I bought in 2002 and is just 14 miles from the old worker now, basically on weekends, so I do a lot of the camp. That’s where we go most of the time, several times watering, all of the pruning. And a lot of the fruit gatherin the summer. We go as often as we can. ing throughout the year. I don’t pick all the avocados, but We do a lot of trail work. At the beginning of the seaI do pick all the other fruits. son, we take FFA kids. We clear all the trees that come down on the trail. Sometimes they’re 3 or 4 feet in diamAnd. . . eter. It’s beautiful up there. We take our horses and mules I pollinate the cherimoyas. I have a pollinating gun. I and go on great rides and just find great peace being up gather pollen from the male stage of the flower and then there. you pollinate the female stage, you can use a paint brush or a pollinating gun, but in the female stage the flowers open slightly so bees can’t get in there to pollinate. The reason for hand pollinating is to guarantee a fruit and guarantee a nicely shaped fruit. A female flower is only open pretty much one evening and then the next morning. For 25 years my brothers and I had a packing house over on the main ranch and my job was running the packing operation. My job was handling the fruit when we got it in from the field cooler and then we’d get it packed. [From mid 1970s to 2004.]
Home is chaos. Living in Carpinteria, I find a little bit crazy now. It’s just grown so much, even though the population has been holding steady for so long. It’s such a busy town. There’s so much more so than when I was younger. The traffic. There are a million and one causes in this town, as I’m sure there are in so many towns, but it’s hard to say no to all the volunteer work that people want you to do.
You and your husband, Bradley, spend a lot of time in the Sierras. What draws you there?
You have your own mini Outward Bound trip for the FFA kids. Are there particular lessons you impart?
I’ve been going up there every year since I was 8 years old. When we were kids we went up to Mount Whitney,
Isn’t it peaceful out on Casitas Pass Road?
They’re learning first of all how to pack for a trip. Many kids have never gone on any kind of trip, let alone a WINTER2016 73
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Emily and Bradley Miles celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary in 2007 at their camp in the Golden Trout Wilderness, Sequoia National Forest.
camping trip. They’re learning to follow instructions, and believe me, that’s not easy for a lot of them. We’ve taken some excellent students up there. Hard workers. They learn so much up there. They love camping, and just being out in the wilderness is such a special experience for them. They get to work with the animals, the horses and mules. Learning how to pack a mule and saddle a horse and get to ride. They help to prepare the meals. They do dishes overlooking a gorgeous landscape. We do all of our cooking outside on a wood-burning stove. We have a solar system for lights and running water. A pump runs the water up to a 300-gallon tank, and pipelines run down into the camp. It works great for dishes for showers.
Speaking of volunteer requests, you recently took on the responsibility of becoming an Avofest board member. What does that entail?
Leo Forunato asked me to be on the board. He said, “It’s so easy. You hardly have to do anything.” And that’s not true. Since joining the board, I’ve found that it’s quite
time consuming especially as it gets closer to the festival, but really, throughout the year, you’re doing stuff. It’s not a big board, there’re only seven of us. So it’s an awful lot of work for all of us. I run the expo tent all weekend. I was assigned doggie daycare. And you have to do a certain amount of fundraising. You have to seek sponsorship from people. Every year we try to stretch that a little further. I’m the one they go to when we need avocados.
Your roots run deep in Carpinteria and your family has seen a lot of change over the years. What’s something you want to happen in the future?
I think it would be wonderful to have a nice new pier in Carpinteria. Why not? I don’t know if that’s possible, dealing with the Parks Service or the state. To me that would be ideal. It would be great for tourism, too. I hope the city maintains its growth rate; it’s a comfortable growth rate, not too big too fast. I’d hate to see this town change radically from what it is now, because it’s very special. ◆
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Attacked by a bear Last year, Emily Miles made national headlines after surviving a bear attack near her home. Here is her account of the harrowing incident. I was up the canyon on a morning hike, and it’s a hike that I would take nearly every day. I would always walk the dogs across a friend’s property and into Los Padres National Forest. Every day I’d see a lot of bear scat, and I knew there were bears in the area because they’d come down and eat the avocados. They love avocados. So they scavenge to get all the fruit that’s on the ground, and that’s fine, unless you have a run-in with one. My Queensland, Callie, actually flushed the bear out from under a tree, and the bear started chasing her, and Callie ran past me, and then the bear turned on me. She [the bear] was up on her hind legs, and she was batting at me. I was standing and fighting back, and after a few moments of that, I thought, “This is not going to work.” There was a little opening, and I just took off running towards the gate, and I ran about 50 yards, and turned and looked and saw her running after me. Then I felt her bite my thigh. I mean just sink her teeth in. At the same time, she kind of clawed me across the back – I think – either when she first attacked me or at that point when she bit me. She scratched me across the back, but when she bit me, she knocked me off balance. And I fell backward and I was on a downhill slope and it was real rocky too. I knew that I could feel that my back was injured, so I couldn’t get up, because I was on this downhill slope and she was standing over me. I was just doing this bicycle thing with my legs and yelling at the top of my lungs. I was just yelling at her and giving it my all to try to get her to get away from me, but she was angry. After a while I think she just got tired of hearing me yell. She went down on all fours and just started walking away and left me. Slowly, she didn’t go fast. I waited and I did not move for quite a while, because I thought, “Is she going to come back and finish me off.” I really thought that I was a goner. I saw my life flashing before me. I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not. Then finally she got far enough away that I got up. I could still see her, but she was leaving me.
The proof is in the claw marks. Emily Miles in the hospital after being attacked by a bear. I got to the gate. I didn’t know if I was going to get there. I felt like my back was broken. And my thigh was killing me. I didn’t even want to look at it. I just knew I had to get to that gate and get through it. Although it’s just a gate and there’s kind of a cliff on one side and no fencing, so it was kind of silly. I had to get through the gate. I knew my girlfriend was home because I’d seen her car when I went on the walk. So when I got through the gate I looked again and saw her car was still there, so I went down the driveway across the creek and up a hill to her house, which was a major feat for me in my condition, and I called to her. I said, “I’ve been attacked by a bear. I need you to take me to the hospital.” Because I’d taken her to the hospital on a few occasions so I felt like it was my turn. ◆
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KITCHENS
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NEW STUDY HALL S T ORY BY PE T E R DU GR É PH OT OS BY BRI A N H O PKINS & PE T E R DUGRÉ
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G ot a n a p p et i t e t o up y ou r cu li nary G ame? th at h un G er c a n be s ati sfi ed i n a s ud d en ly r o b us t fo o d i e s cene i n th e 9 3 0 1 3 . th e f o o d l i a i s o n a n d h eat c u li nary each a r e eq ui p p ed w i t h c o m m erci al ki tch ens th at h ave a l l t h e fi x i n G s to bri nG cookin G s k i l l s up a n o t c h . t h e new bu s i nes ses, wh i c h a l s o d o ub l e a s c aterers and p u rv e y o r s o f p r epa r ed fo od, offer class es f or t h e p ub l i c i n m y r i a d cooki nG s ty les a n d et h n i c c ui s i n es . th i nk Gri lli nG, s au cinG , a n d s ervi n G wo r l d ly fare. th e learnm i n Gl e- c o o k - a n d - eat p r oGrams p rov i de r ip e d at e n i G h t m at er i a l and op p or tu ni tie s fo r p er s o n a l en r i c h ment and i nsp i r at i o n t h at wi l l c a r ry ov er to th e h ome kit c h en .
The Food Liaison
Anything can be grilled, and food does more than tickle the taste buds. Those were two key takeaways imparted at the Mastering the Grill class at The Food Liaison last fall. Chef Nirasha Rodriguez, who co-owns the eatery with her husband, Jason, is easily worked into a celestial fervor when it comes to smelling and tasting food off the grill. Listen for the sizzle to know your grill is hot and searing those picture-perfect grill marks into thick juicy steaks or fat slices of watermelon. Don’t forget the fifth sense: touch. Rodriguez teaches her students the touch method for gauging the doneness of meats (thermometers are always the best bet). Her passionate message: food tells a story and makes memories through all five senses. In a Rodriguez cooking class, students can have faith that practice and self-motivation can make perfect. She self taught her way into the business starting from cooking for her dad when she was about 4 years old, barely tall enough to see over the stove. “I’d make a menu and give it to him when he came home from work,” she tells the class. “It was stuff like hot dogs back then.” Rodriguez’s diminutive stature and baby face invite students on that trip down memory lane. Since then, the maestra has been the personal chef for celebrities and high-profile clients. The Food Liaison is the primary caterer for Lynda.com. When Internet giant LinkedIn acquired Carpinteria-based Lynda.com, the company kept Rodriguez on and now she
OPPOSITE PAGE, Mediterranean feast. Students cook, eat, and drink their way through class at the Food Liaison, which was established in 2015. TOP, when in Rome, do as the Romans do and dine on octopus. BOTTOM, night school includes plenty of time for socializing. WINTER2016 79
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Rodriguez welcomes students to class. is creating a completely new lunch program designed for the LinkedIn employee culture. On weekend evenings at The Food Liaison in Shepard Place Shops, the atmosphere is homey. Students chop, mix and cook fine local ingredients to put together a gourmet meal created from Rodriguez’s creative culinary mind. Grill class included a grilled watermelon and fresh heirloom tomato salad—a quick grilling sweetens the sugars in the melon—grilled fingerling potato salad, goat-cheese stuffed and grilled radicchio, and perfectly checkered ribeye steaks. Those grill marks are half the battle. The teaching kitchen with its blazing gas grill top, steel hoods and countertops, could be the set of a Food Network chef battle; it challenges students to cook like top chefs. Shepherded by Rodriguez through the helpful hints and critical techniques to putting together each dish, the class is very much in it together. The reward is a gorgeously set table and clink of glasses for the climactic dinner to savor all the flavors rendered during the 2.5 hours in the kitchen. Bon appetit!
HEAT Culinary
Chef Nikki Dailey, owner of HEAT Culinary, mixes high-end culinary training with a high-energy personality. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, located in Hyde Park, Dailey will utter French phrases for some comic relief and friendly admonitions about not chopping off fingers when she detects improper technique on the
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cutting board. A natural as a teacher, she says, “I love you guys. I want to cook with you!” The cozy kitchen at Lavender Court serves as a launching pad for the multi-faceted food business. In addition to the culinary school, HEAT has a food truck and a full-service catering company. In Dailey’s class, she supplies spoons upon spoons to taste everything, from key lime pie before it’s rendered into custard to cornmeal dumplings at a Caribbean Isle cooking class last fall. “Taste it!” she says. “Now add salt and taste it again. See how that brings out the flavor?” Training the taste buds is as important as learning the ingredients and techniques. Students work in small teams and turn up the heat on stews and Jerk Chicken that fuse the flavors and influences of island cultures. Dailey has first hand experience. While at the Culinary Institute of America, she did an externship on the island of St. John. Anecdotes fly out of her about preparing giant cauldrons of rice and peas over open flames. “Cooking rice is cooking rice. We were just doing it for hundreds of people,” says the animated educator. She emphasizes building flavors and goes with her gut when creating recipes. “Recipes are a guideline and then you make it
Chef Nikki Dailey tends her herb garden.
Far Right, oregano and other greens are classroom supplies. Right, on the road with the HEAT food truck. WINTER2016 81
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how you want it,” she says. Of course, the roadmap to building flavor to perfection in a dish like Caribbean Pepperpot Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings is dipping the spoon and gauging what would meld the sweet and spice and savoriness. The dish incorporates beef, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, butternut squash, and coconut milk, among many other ingredients. Add some habanero to crank up the heat. Even though Dailey has done it all to refine her chef skills, when she teaches students how to separate a chicken thigh from drumstick by snapping the joint, there’s no barrier between the learned chef and a class of amateurs. “Now you can do this. Buy the whole chicken at the store, it’s cheaper,” she says. HEAT is all about hard work. Every day of the week is a grind for the small team. Between the food truck that offers chicken and waffles among other comfort foods, to regularly scheduled classes and catering events, there is never a dull moment. That high-energy of Dailey is the most important ingredient. Setting the table after the class on a fall day on Carpinteria Avenue, there’s no shortage of flavors. Papaya, bacon, and roasted peppers star in Callaloo, a traditional stew, and key lime pie for dessert washes down the garlic and habanero and ginger from Jerk Chicken and Pepperpot Stew. HEAT transported its students from a lazy Sunday on Carpinteria Avenue to a coconut specked Caribbean beach, all through the suggestive power of cuisine. ◆ TOP LEFT, practicing the basics in a French cooking class. TOP, cooking school classmates collaborating during the lesson. LEFT, soup d’jour. The day’s menu includes many courses. 82 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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The Farm aT recess
Some could say the farm-to-cafeteria movement was led by Carpinteria High School. For over 60 years, the farmland thrived, providing food for students, teachers, and people in neighboring communities. Lack of funds has slowed production, but in the spirit of generations of the student farmers before, the farm will survive. The first seeds were planted post-World War II at Carpinteria Middle School, the former site of the high school. When the high school relocated to its current location, so did the farm and the idea to expand along with it. The farm diversified to include an organic garden, greenhouse, and livestock – a collaboration between a hired farmer, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H Club, along with students and several teachers and teacher aides. Fresh greens, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs made way to the school’s salad bar and also provided ingredients for the kitchen to use in school meals. But according to Arna Crittenden, head of the Carpinteria High School kitchen, the consequence of monetary cuts several years ago meant the farmer, a teacher, and an aide had to be let go. Until the program gets back on its feet, the land is in the good hands of Jose Alcantar
Garcia of the local organic farm, Alcantar Organics. Garcia rotates crops allowing the soil to rest. Thanks to the FFA today, the livestock program and greenhouse are still alive. Farm animals are raised and sold at the Junior Livestock Auction at the Ventura County Fair, where the livestock is purchased by the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation (WCF) and processed for use. The meat is donated to the food banks while money collected from WCF covers costs to raise the animals and profits are used to acquire new livestock. Pigs, steers, and lambs were sold at the 2015 auction, but chickens and goats have also been sold at prior events. Principal’s Secretary Adelina Sanchez said last school year the greenhouse produced around 500 Poinsettias, six-inches in height, that were sold during the holidays to raise funds. With interest and motivation, the opportunity for success is great. Selling produce to local farmers markets, culinary schools, and other outlets could create a small business model for sustainable farming while providing first-hand experience – and continue a legacy planted so long ago. ◆ – Megan Waldrep
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Celebrated wok master Lee Tsai Wang brings forth the exotic flavors of Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine in his signature recipes. Innovative vegetarian specialties and favorite traditional dishes highlight fresh finds from the local Farmers’ and Fishermans’ Markets. No MSG.
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The Pleasures of Citrus Fruit By Pa s cale Beale
Pa s c a l e Bea l e
My English childhood I realize, was oddly enough, flavored with lemons. One of my earliest childhood memories is that of standing in a very small, quaint sweet shop where jewel-toned candies of every possible description and color filled glass apothecary jars lining the wooden shelves and ornate glass cases. My favorites were lemon bonbons. Covered in confectioners sugar, these pale golden orbs were deceptive. You’d pop one in your mouth and once past the sugar that powdered your lips, an intense lemon flavor would slowly dissolve in your mouth. Lips puckering, you’d squeeze your eyes shut and suck in the sides of your cheeks. It was intense and fantastic all at once. Lemons have been imprinted on my taste buds ever since. When I arrived in California I was stunned by the abundance of citrus trees. For someone who lived in a rain sodden climate for six months of the year this was akin to having permanent sunshine in your kitchen. I reveled in the pleasures and versatility of cooking with citrus fruit. It was here that I first tasted thin-skinned, sweet Meyer lemons and re-discovered blood oranges. These fruit have become an integral part of my cooking used in everything from winter citrus salads, tagines and baked local fish to lemon-lime tarts, curds, and marmalades. It always seemed odd to me that what are thought of as ubiquitous summer fruit are in fact in season during winter. Even now, 30 years on I delight in the fact that even on the coldest, wettest winter day you can have an invigorating dash of summer in the form of a Meyer lemon or a blood-orange. Both will brighten and enliven your food and bring a certain zest to the season. WINTER2016 85
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Pa sca le b e a le
Roasted Red Beet, Orange and Black olive Salad This salad is a little exotic in a juicy way. Oranges and beets are great partners. The natural sugars in each play off each other. The lemon zest and onion add a spicy acidic note, and the cilantro is fresh and invigorating. This is one of my favorites. Serves 8 people
4 tablespoons olive oil 4-6 red beets - peeled and cut into eighths 2 red onions - peeled and thinly sliced Fig balsamic vinegar Salt and black pepper 4 oranges - peeled and sectioned 1/2 cup black olives - pitted 1/2 bunch cilantro - leaves removed from stems Zest of 1 lemon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour a little olive oil into an ovenproof dish. Place the beets and onions into the dish. Pour 1 tablespoon of fig balsamic over them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then toss to coat all the ingredients well. Roast the beets and onions, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring the mixture once or twice. (You should be able to cut them in half easily, not too soft.) Let cool for 10 minutes. While the beets are roasting, prepare the remaining salad ingredients. Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a salad bowl. Whisk in one tablespoon of the fig balsamic, the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place salad utensils on top of the vinaigrette. Place the sectioned oranges, olives and cilantro on top of the serving utensils. When the beets-onion mixture has cooled, add it to the salad bowl. When you are ready to serve, toss all the ingredients together. “From Salade: Recipes from The Market Table” – re-printed with permission from M27 Editions
M i ke V e rb oi s – M 2 7 edi ti ons
Citrus Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Golden Raisins Serves 8 people
1 heaped teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon Ras al Hanout 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup orange juice 8 chicken legs - or a combination of legs and thighs Salt and black pepper Olive oil 2 large onions - peeled, halved and sliced 25-30 dried apricots 2 small preserved lemons - roughly chopped 4 oranges - peeled and sectioned 1 cup golden raisins In a large bowl, combine the curry powder, Ras al Hanout and olive oil to form a thick paste. Stir in the orange juice. The mixture should be quite thick. Add the chicken and coat all sides. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes. (This can be done up to 8 hours in advance.) Pour 1-2 tablespoons olive oil into the base of a tagine with a cast-iron bottom (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden, about 6-7 minutes. Add the marinated chicken legs and brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Pour enough water to come half way up the sides of the chicken. Cover with the tagine lid. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the apricots, golden raisins, lemons and oranges to the tagine and stir, turning the chicken legs once or twice. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender and meat is almost falling off the bone. Serve with plenty of the pan juices, the fruit and onions. I like to serve this dish with couscous. From Pascale’s new book “Les Fruits: Savory and Sweet Recipes From The Market Table” – Re-printed with permission from M27 Editions.
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lemon-lime tart with a Citrus Crust This is a mouth-puckering lemon-lime tart. It is chock full of tangy lemon-lime curd, yet just sweet enough. Serves 8-10 people
For the dough: 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup almond meal or almond flour Zest of 1 lemon Zest of 1 lime 10 tablespoons butter - cut into small pieces. 1 large egg Pinch of salt Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place all the ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Then use longer pulses just until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Place the unwrapped dough on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle, ¼-inch thick. Line the tart pan with the dough and trim any excess. Line the tart shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 20 minutes. The edges should be a pale golden color. Take the tart shell from the oven and remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
For the Filling: grated zest and juice of 3 lemons grated zest and juice of 2 limes 4 whole eggs 3 egg yolks 6 oz sugar 6 tablespoons butter - melted Put the citrus juices and zests in a large bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat the juice until warm to the touch. Whisk in the whole eggs and then the egg yolks. Reduce heat to low to prevent the eggs from curdling. Add the sugar and melted butter, stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take a little time; be patient. Pour the lemon-lime mixture into the partially baked tart shell and bake in a 400 degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Bake until the curd is barely set and jiggles very slightly. ◆ From Pascale’s new book “Les Fruits: Savory and Sweet Recipes From The Market Table” – Re-printed with permission from M27 Editions.
Mi k e V er bo i s – M27 e d i t i o n s
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Fielding an A+ at Cate School Story b y Alon z o o roz co • Ph ot oS by bi l l S w i n g 88 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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o
verlooking the Carpinteria Valley since 1910, Cate School has built a reputation for excellent academics. There is one individual on the mesa, though, who has dedicated his time helping students get in touch with their “play side” for nearly a quarter-century. Hired as a walk-on baseball coach by then Athletics Director Bill Robbins, Ben Soto has been teaching baseball and football to young Rams since 1992. Born in Santa Barbara, he moved to Carpinteria, entering St. Joseph’s School in the third grade, and in 1973 he graduated from Carpinteria High School, where he played varsity baseball for longtime coach Lou Panizzon and varsity football for Mike Warren. (Both coaches are part of the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame.) “You couldn’t ask for any better mentors to teach you about the athletics and the life part,” says Cate’s current varsity baseball and football coach. While working night crew at Vons for 31 years, Soto had afternoons to coach. Currently Assistant Director of Athletics for the Rams, he has worked with some well-known South Coast players and coaches who include: Michael Beamer, Ben Hallock, Jim Bashore, Van Latham, Henry Gonzales, and Eric Pintard, among others. Because of Cate’s high academic standards, the 20-plus-year coach has experienced some challenges in finding athletes to stay competitive. “It’s academics here first, and whatever they give us, we [the coaching staff] certainly do the best that we can,” says Soto. He has no complaints, though, since running the baseball program in 1992, the Rams have amassed close to 270 victories, a figure most likely conservative as one season turned up missing when rummaging through the school’s record books. The team has made it to the finals twice, 1993 and 2009, the only two times in Cate’s baseball history. “We’ve had some guys go on to play both baseball and football beyond high school,” adds Soto, pointing out the athleticism of some of the student athletes he’s had under his tutelage. Another significant challenge he faced ultimately turned out to be a choice between his grocery store and coaching careers. “Right after they had a strike at the store [Vons in 2004], they [Cate School] said we want you here full time to help teach all our kids athletics,” recalls Soto. “I said my prayers, not knowing it was going to work, and walk away from some place you’ve been for 31 years.” OPPOSITE PAGE, Ben Soto, first blue shirt from left, is head football and baseball coach at Cate School. TOP, Coach Soto follows the action on the field. RIGHT, teaching on the sidelines. WINTER2016 89
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TOP, sermon on the mound. Head baseball coach Soto talks to the team. ABOVE, Soto leads the football team from the locker room to the practice field. LEFT, Soto with his son, Dave Soto. The head coach describes coaching with his son as the “icing on the cake” of his career. 90 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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He calls it the “second best move” he’s made since marrying Juliez, his wife of over 30 years. Together they’ve raised two children, daughter, Andrea, and son, Dave, who has coached alongside his father for the past four years. In 2005, the elder Soto was given the task of coaching football at the school, a program that hadn’t fielded a team in decades. The Rams were competitive, finishing with a 3-3 record that first season and each year are in the discussion of teams favored to win the rugged 8 Man Football Condor League. Perhaps his biggest challenge, though, may have come in the form of a serious health issue, which occurred about two years ago. Returning home from watching a baseball game on the South Coast, he became violently ill. After spending a couple of days at Cottage Hospital, he was later ambulanced to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to be put in the hands of specialists. Bedridden for five days because of leaks in his spine, Soto was not receiving an adequate amount of fluid to reach the brain, seriously putting his life in jeopardy. “Although, I wish it on no one, I kind of wish it on everyone so we can sit back and appreciate everything we have,” explains Soto. ◆ Soto with game referees. Eight-man football rules vary slightly from the 11-man game. WINTER2016 91
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BeautiFul eco Friendly home…Complete with solar system to save thousands of dollars for years to come. Three bedrooms, two baths, located in a great neighborhood. Features include: New kitchen cabinets and counter tops, tile floors, dual paned windows. Living room opens to a lovely garden with barbecue, spa, and beautiful mountain views. oFFered at $819,000. please call terry Stain 805.705.1310 or Shirley Kimberlin 805.886.0228
nice, BriGht 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath condo... Across 101 from the bluffs & ocean. Largest model in Villa Del Mar, with washer/dryer hookups & appliances included. Nice touches include tilework on patio & drop-ceiling for storage in garage. oFFered at $559,000 please call terry Stain at 805.705.1310
BeautiFul Four Bedroom, Four Bath home with 3-car GaraGe…Built in 2011, this single level home features a huge master suite with jacuzzi tub and large walk-in closet. All stainless steel appliances are included. Conveniently located to schools, shopping, and easy access to 101 Freeway. oFFered at $1,198,000. please call diana porter at 805.637.9690
move-in ready...This 3 bedroom 2 bath mobile home in Carpinteria’s Vista De Santa Barbara park is 24x60, plus an enclosed sun room. It has built-in china cabinets, slate kitchen and bathroom floors. Included appliances: new stainless steel stove and oven, Maytag washer and dryer, Carrier AC, new heater and more. Exterior newly painted. Space rent $744. oFFered at $275,000. please call nancy Branigan, 805.987.9830.
SOLD! SpaciouS atrium model townhome…in beautiful Franciscan Village. Freshly painted and refurbished throughout. Recent upgrades include: New carpet & tile flooring, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, light fixtures, counter tops, sinks, and showers. Cozy fireplace, private patio and a two car attached garage. Association amenities include pool, spa, play area and barbecue. oFFered at $579,000 . please call Shirley Kimberlin at 805-886-0228
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Approximately 10 acres with sweeping views of Carpinteria valley, the ocean & Islands. Zoned AG-10 planted in Cherimoyas and Avocados. Offering a 3/3 home with a rustic guest home
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6816 Shepard Mesa $3,250,000
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“I highly recommend Yolanda for selling your property. This community is extremely fortunate to have a Realtor with her knowledge, passion, expertise and commitment to patiently work with clients. I am confident that Yolanda provided more to us through the sale of our property than anyone else could have ever done. THANK YOU YOLANDA!” ––Kristine Hipple Luba WINTER2016 95
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©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office is owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC.Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker Logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International® and the Coldwell Banker Previews International Logo, are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
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This 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, beach front cottage sits right on the sand in beautiful Carpinteria. This home is approximately 75 years old and has all the charm and character of a rustic, California beach house. This cozy cottage is a comfortable place for your vacation. You can sit on the front porch and enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of the ocean.
This fantastic 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo is roomy and has a private hot tub. Great for a large family and just a short two block walk to the beach.
This charming 2 bedroom, 1 1/4 bath vacation property is located one block back from Carpinteria’s Worlds Safest Beach. This craftsman style condo has hardwood floors, fireplace and vaulted ceilings.
The Beachcomber is located right across the street from Carpinteria Beach, where you can swim or just relax. At night you can enjoy the beautiful sunsets. The downstairs apartments with patios are available for weekly rentals.
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Sold 1125 Calle lagunitas $829,000 Original Model Of Carpinteria’s newest neighborhood, absolutely stunning!
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Ca r pin t Er i a Ma ga z i n E i s p l ea sed to p res ent an excerp t from s u mmerland re side nt K ary e n g l is h ’ s s h o r t s t o r y “ po s Ei don’ s Ey Es.” th e enti re p i ece ori gi nally ap p ear e d on may 4, 2015 in t h e a n t h o l o gy “ Wr i t ers of th e fu tu re, V olu me 3 1 ,” W h i ch i s aVai lable at a m azon a n d o t h er o n l i n e r et a i l er s .
Poseidon’s Eyes by Kary English
Sometimes you can get to know a whole town by understanding just one man. In the seaside village of Summerland, that man was Peyton Jain. Peyton was in his 60s, as best I could tell. His face was craggy and weathered, with a beard like sea foam on rocks and eyes of Poseidon’s blue. Some folks thought of Peyton as a nuisance to be reported or a vagrant to be run off, but I knew different because it was Peyton who put me right with Summerland’s spirits. The locals have joked about spirits as long as anyone can remember, but it took the murder of the Kelly children to remind us just how real–and how powerful–the spirits could be. Summerland sits like the Pythia over a cleft in the rock, soaking up the vapors of prophecy along with the California sunshine. Spiritualists started a commune here over a century ago. Egalitarians at heart, they outlawed money and divvied the land into tent-sized plots. Oil-oil money, really-edged the Spiritualists out. Derricks took over the beach, and the Spiritualists’ canvas utopia turned into a shantytown for oil workers. My house was made from two of those oil shanties sandwiched together. The shanties had been built before electricity, so
the wiring came up through holes in the floor, and the doorbell was an old ship’s bell, corroded green with salt and time. The house had no foundation, just posts and piers and seven jacks. When the floor sagged, Peyton crawled beneath to twist the jacks until everything was more or less level. That was a blessing to me because I couldn’t abide the narrow crawlspace with earth pressing in around me and voiceless whispers winding snakelike over my skin. The county said the whispers were nothing to worry about. Radon gas. Natural seepage. Buy a detector and install a fan. But radon doesn’t creep up through the floorboards in silver ribbons until it pools
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in the corners, like living smoke. Radon doesn’t whisper in the darkness like waves on sand. But spirits? That’s exactly what they do. ••• Peyton’s battered brown pickup rumbled up the hill while I was taking out the trash. A Sport King camper perched on the back, listing to one side like the shell of a hermit crab. The old truck clunked into park just outside my front gate, and Peyton leaned out the window. He looked bright-eyed and freshly showered, which should have meant he was doing well, but his passenger window had been busted out and covered with blue painter ’s tape and an old trash bag, and that meant trouble. “’Morning, Danaë,” he called. “Brought you something.” Peyton always called me by my right name-Danaë. Everyone else in town just called me Dani. He extended one hand through the open window, and his fingers uncurled like the fronds of an anemone. Nestled in his palm was a piece of green beach glass, the edges worn smooth by sand and waves. I accepted the offering and thanked him, turning the glass like a worry stone between my fingers. “Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought you had a spot away from the beach? That Harris kid giving you a hard time again?” Ike Harris, a teenager with a new Mustang, lived in the Mansions across town. Peyton gave a shrug that meant yes. “He comes down at night, partying with his friends.” Peyton nodded toward the shattered window. “Broke my window. Cops won’t do nuthin ‘cuz nobody saw it.” Dejection colored Peyton’s voice. That truck was all he had, and a new window was more than he could afford. “Want some coffee?” I offered. “Nah, I just had coffee.” “I’m about to make eggs. You hungry?” Sometimes Peyton needed money when he stopped by. I didn’t always have it, but I could manage an extra place at the table. Peyton brightened at the thought of breakfast, and for a moment his eyes matched the blue of the white-tipped sea. “I’ll take eggs. Café was packed when I was down there. No place to sit.” “More news crews?” Summerland hadn’t seen a murder in more than
fifty years, and the Kelly trial had turned our sleepy little town into the media’s favorite chew toy. Most of the oldtimers wouldn’t talk, but that didn’t stop reporters from badgering all and sundry with questions about vengeful spirits. “I picked up a job today,” said Peyton, following me into the kitchen. “Aames wants me to help Reesie move.” “Move? She finally leavin’?” Peyton nodded. “Divorce was final ‘bout four months back. Papers say he can have her evicted if she doesn’t leave on her own.” “What’s he doin’ with the house?” Aames was old Summerland, used to live near the post office, but Reesie had insisted on one of the new places in the fancy gated development near the top of the hill before she’d marry him. Said the gate would keep out the riff-raff, which I suppose meant shanty folk like us. “Dunno,” said Peyton. “Sell it, most likely.” I poured the eggs into the skillet. The new places were a bone of contention for us old Summerlanders. Before the Mansions went in, most of us walked or rode bicycles in the open air, and dogs slept in the middle of the street. After the Mansions, stockbrokers barreled through town in Range Rovers, and dogs were something glittering women carried in designer purses. “Built too tight, those new places,” said Peyton. “Stuff gets in, can’t get out again. That’s when the trouble starts.” Peyton fixed me with those blue eyes of his, and his voice was like crushed shells. “A house is like your heart, Danaë. Long as it’s open, nothing’ll get trapped inside to fester in the dark places.” I shivered cold at that, picturing the silver rivulets streaming up through my floorboards the week before, the same ones that had surrounded Percy’s crib when I’d brought him home from the hospital almost twenty years before. Peyton had come by to see the baby and found me in tears, trying to seal off Percy’s windows with plastic sheeting to keep the vapors out. That’s when he explained about Summerland’s spirits. He said they were harmless so long as my heart was in the right place, and I’d know because they’d be silver instead of black. But that didn’t mean I felt easy about them. Peyton’s gaze was relentless. “I know you’ve seen ‘em again, Danaë. I can see it in your eyes.” I changed the subject. “You worked on Kelly’s place, right?” “Needed the money. Kelly said I made the weep holes in the window frames too big, left gaps under the doors. Said he was afraid snakes would get in and kill him in his sleep. Told me to get off the property or he’d call the cops.” Peyton reached around me to pour a glass of milk. “Damn shame about those babies. His wife is up there now, hidin’ in the house to keep away from the cameras.” Pain pulled at Peyton’s face. He’d mourned the Kelly children as if they’d been his own. I cut the omelet in half and slid a portion onto each plate. “Working on the mural today?” he asked, pointing
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the tines of his fork at my faded t-shirt and paintsmeared jeans. My work clothes were a private joke between us. Even living in his truck, Peyton’s Levis were bluer than the night sky and his crisp Hawaiian shirt smelled of laundry starch. “Grand opening’s Monday,” I answered. “Has to be done and dry in forty-eight hours.” “You ready?” I shook my head and pushed the last bite of omelet around with my fork. “All except the eyes.” Eyes are hard to paint. They’re not like trees or faces in a crowd, where a suggestion is all you need. Eyes don’t come right until you can feel the soul coming to life under the brush, and to do that, you have to know what those eyes see. We finished our breakfast in silence. ••• The sea and sky were robin’s-egg blue on my walk to the Sea Center, with only a pale smudge of haze to mark where one stopped and the other began. I mixed the colors in my head, pulling out the contrast of pale, cool blues against the yellow-green of palms and agaves. News vans lined the main drag, and reporters trolled the locals for reactions to the Kelly trial. The Harris kid blew through a stop sign, narrowly missing Reesie Aames, who was talking to a news crew, scratching at her arm with one hand and gesturing east toward the Mansions with the other. Reesie had been beautiful once, with hair the color of sunlight and a figure Aphrodite would have envied, but drugs had stolen that away. Her hair now hung like frayed straw, and her dress sagged off her hips and shoulders as if it had been made for a different woman. I passed by, invisible in my shabby clothes. What the reporters wanted was a slack-jawed yokel who’d tell about the time the spirits threw dishes against the wall or made the chickens stop laying. Lacking that, they’d settle for someone like Reesie, blonde and well-dressed, who had plenty to say about her neighbor Herb Kelly, and none of it kind. If I was lucky, the trial would be over before they got desperate enough to notice a paint-smeared artist in worn sneakers and tatty blue jeans. The Sea Center sat on the far side of the freeway, across from some weathered picnic tables and a small playground. It was built of grey cinder blocks, with a low, peaked roof and clerestory windows that tilted open at the bottom, the kind of building you’d expect to find in a military depot or a forest service compound. What it lacked in glamour it made up for with a dogged sturdiness that reminded me of the town itself. Perched on bluffs overlooking the ocean, its chief drawback was that the builders had placed the windows too high for a view, a lack my mural was intended to remedy.
The smell of turpentine and linseed oil swirled around me when I unlocked the door. This close to the water, the paint took days to dry, so my morning routine included opening windows and switching on a space heater. A silver spirit floated in one corner, making a soft thrumming sound. I tried to ignore it, but in the back of my mind I wondered if spirits could purr. My mural covered all four walls of the Sea Center, reproducing the view of the coastline outside. In the center panel, Poseidon, god of the sea, strode forth from the waves with his trident at hand.I’d painted the scenery in layer upon layer of transparent glazes to capture the moody sea and changeable sky. But the sea god himself required something special. He surged forward out of the wall, sculpted from modeling paste and inlaid with bits of rock and shell from the beach below. His wife Amphitrite nestled at his side. Her eyes of green beach glass gazed with adoration, and her white, coral hair flowed into the foaming waves. Dolphins cavorted around the pair, leaping in playful arcs, while pelicans flew overhead. Nereids chased otters through kelp forests of deepest green, and shafts of golden sunlight pierced the depths below. But alas, Poseidon himself stood as blind as Tiresias, his eyes empty holes where I’d been unable to get the color right, no matter what I tried. ••• Two hours later, I scraped the paint away and slung my palette knife into the turp jar. The silver spirit had summoned friends, and they rose up around the edges of the mural, flitting from silver to black while they gibbered frustration and failure in my ears. They pooled in Poseidon’s empty eyes in twin voids of black despair. I stumbled back from my work and wiped my shaking hands on my jeans. Peyton’s long-ago warning rattled in my head like an old tin can. Black was bad. Black meant that the spirits had found something dark to latch on to-fear, anger, insecurity- something they’d use to destroy me if I let them. I raked my fingers through my hair, heedless of the paint that rubbed off on my forehead. If the mural wasn’t ready, if the Center ’s directors didn’t like it, I’d never work in this town again. Around here, feelings like that did more than stifle your creativity. Around here, feelings like that could kill. I took a deep breath, let it out, forced myself to walk slowly around the inside of the building, opening the remaining windows. Open house, open heart; that’s what Peyton always said. If nothing else, the fresh air would help the paint dry. The spirits followed me, twisting like cats around my ankles. If I gave in to fear and ran, they’d drag me down like angry Maenads. I counted each step until I made it to the door. When I stood outside in the fresh air and sunshine, my stomach rumbled. Time for a break and some lunch. ◆ WINTER2016 101
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YOUR HIGH SCHOOL MASCOT?
YOUR SPECIALTY DISH?
AREA YOU NEED COACHING?
GREEN OR BLACK THUMB?
Walking on beach at sunset
Turkey
UK school didn’t have one!
Caramelized onion tart
Patience!
Khaki
Pass
Tamales
Warrior
Toast
Removing my foot from my mouth
Thank goodness for local farmers
lea@ coastalview.com
The Bluffs
Tamales
Mustang
Route 66 Chili
In my coaching
Green Thumb
digitaldesignsb. com
The patio at Giannfranco’s is a sweet spot.
BBQ’d turkey
The Falcons
Mom’s Enchilada Recipe
I’d like to be able to service my own car.
Somewhere in between … olive?
kimba565@ hotmail.com
Combo them, call it Turmales.
Pasadena High Bulldogs
BBQ Chicken
Answering questions truthfully …
Black! I killed a fake silk plant!
Dubock.com
photographer
Back row of The Plaza Playhouse Theater
peter dugré
Carpinteria Salt Marsh
Tofurkey Tamales
Redskins
Eggplant Parm
Jump shot
Killed a cactus
peter@ treadcalifornia. com
kary english
Barefoot on the beach at sunset
Tamales. Definitely tamales!
Dow High Chargers
Chicken corn chowder
Driving a stick shift
One of each
karyenglish.com
chuck graham
Where I took Final Frame photo
Turkey
Cardinal
Organic oatmeal with organic soy milk, flaxseed oil, hemp protein, berries, walnuts, and honey.
Cooking
Green thumb
chuckgraham @aol.com
4th Beach
Turkey Tamales
Bear
Tortilla with peanut butter and honey
Quickbooks
Light grey
brianhopkins@ outlook.com
pascale beale lea boyd writer
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TAMALES OR TURKEY?
writer
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joel conroy
photographer
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kim drain writer
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glenn dubock
writer
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writer
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brian hopkins
photographer
CONTACT pb@ pascaleskitchen. com
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MOST ROMANTIC SPOT IN CARP?
TAMALES OR TURKEY?
YOUR HIGH SCHOOL MASCOT?
YOUR SPECIALTY DISH?
AREA YOU NEED COACHING?
GREEN OR BLACK THUMB?
CONTACT
Definitely the hotdog stand
Turkey
Native American Warrior
Tacos
Fashion. I have no idea what I’m doing
Black thumb 100%
Hello@Antony Marchiando.com
The end of Holly at sunset
Tamales
The Eagles
Enchiladas, passed on by Nana
Learning to speak up
Green for the most part
boscomen@ yahoo.com
Our couch
Tamales
Alemany Indians then, now Warriors
Chili Verde
Making good on my good intentions
Green
amymarie@ amymarie orozco.com
emily parker
I always love an evening stroll on the beach
Turkey
Tiger
Brussel Sprouts
Investing
Try as I may, my thumb remains black
emyloupark@ gmail.com
bill swing
Any beach at sunset
Turkey tamales
Bulldog, my adopted school is the Warriors
Chinese dishes
Patience
Before I turned forty, a green thumb…now a really black thumb
istartandstop@ cox.net
The floating docks in the ocean during summertime
Turkey tamales = best of both worlds
Go Wolfpack!
Gumbo. Secret family recipe from N’awlins, Sugah.
SURFING! (Anyone? Anyone?)
On the green side
megan@ santabarbara sentinel.com
Carpinteria Bluffs
Turkey
Miners
All salads
Courage to live my dreams even if I can’t see the path ahead
Green
photos@ madphoto.com
Anywhere my husband is
Turkey
Ventura High Cougars
Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Cooking
Plants black, kids green
kris@coastalview. com
antony marchiando alonzo orozco writer
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amy orozco
editor/writer
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writer
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photographer
megan 15 waldrep writer
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photographer
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madeleine vite photographer
kristyn whittenton 17 designer
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Final Frame
Som e t h i n g W e t th i S Way Com e S The Salt Marsh reflects the area’s low water levels and all eyes are on the skies as California heads into the sixth year of the worst drought in recorded history. The promises and predictions of an El Niño winter are a welcome relief after months and months of record busting heat. Batten down the hatches, Carpinteria. There’s going to be rain. Lots of it. ◆ Pho t o b y Ch u C k g rah am
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Cymbidium
Season A family owned nurser y in Carpinteria since 1978 Phalaenopsis Cymbidiums Tillandsias Succulents Foliage Plants Decorative moss Curly willow Arrangements Pots, Baskets, Tins
inspiration grown locally
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC M o n d a y- Fr i d a y 8 - 5 • S a t u r d a y 1 0 - 5 W i n t e r H o u r s : M o n d a y- Fr i d a y 8 - 4 : 3 0 • S a t u r d a y 1 0 - 3 3 5 0 4 V i a Re a l • C a r p i n t e r i a • C A 9 3 0 1 3 Fr o m t h e 1 0 1 Fr e e w a y N. o r S. - E x i t a t S a n t a C l a u s La n e
w e s t e r l a y o r c h i d s. c o m • 8 0 5 . 6 8 4 . 5 4 1 1
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