SLO LIFE Magazine Apr/May 2021

LIFE SLO magazine

REAL ESTATE

BY THE NUMB

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

TAKING IN THE VIEW TASTE PIZZA SEASONAL FAVORITES

HEALTH TRENDS APR/MAY 2021 SLOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM

SAN LUIS OBISPO HOT & HAPPENING

EXPLORING THE COAST

NEWS BRIEFS LOCAL EVENTS

NOW HEAR THIS

MID-CENTURY MODERN DATE NIGHT

MEET

JENNIFER PORCHER APR/MAY 2021

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MORE THAN JUST INK ON PAPER Design | Print | Mail | Appare| Web | Promo

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M O D E R N • C L A S S I C • J E W E L R Y

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THANK YOU. Thank you for wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distancing, washing hands thoroughly, staying home when feeling ill and using SLO Transit for essential travel only.

Thank you SLO for preserving the health and wellness of our community. We appreciate you.

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Emergency care is just a call away.

Tele-ER Visits with Local Doctors Our emergency services team sees more than 57,000 patients a year. That experience allows us to quickly evaluate patients and determine the best treatment options. We’re here 24 hours a day to answer your call.

1. Call 805-546-7990. Talk with a nurse or emergency team member about your health concern.

2. Book your Tele-ER appointment with a local ER doctor. It’s helpful if you have a thermometer nearby.

3. Get your smartphone, tablet or computer ready. That’s it! Don’t delay your care.

For a Tele-ER visit, just call 805-546-7990 For life-threatening emergencies, go to the nearest hospital or call 911.

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CONTENTS 22 Briefs 24 View 26 Q&A

30 MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR

12 PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

14 Info 16 Sneak Peek 18 Inbox 20 Timeline 8

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NOW HEAR THIS

Volume 12 Number 2 Apr/May 2021

38 Author

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| CONTENTS

56 Real Estate 60 Health

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74 WINE NOTES

TASTE

40 ARTIST

42 Explore 44 On the Rise

78 Brew

46 Dwelling

82 Happenings

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Make the New Normal Better.

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| PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

Infamy Early in the afternoon of December 7th, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was finishing up lunch on the second floor of the White House when the telephone rang. Immediately after hanging up, he began crafting a speech. And, as anyone in the business of writing knows, the real work is not in the drafting, but in the revising.

That speech, which FDR delivered to a joint session of Congress the next day, was only a few minutes long—about the length of this letter—but it was remembered for just one word.

Now considered by many the greatest revision of a first draft in American history, FDR crossed out “world history” and replaced it with “infamy.”

Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy . . .

Since then, there have not been many infamous days. Most days do not live beyond the twenty-four hours they existed in the first place. But I keep going back to one: March 13th, 2020.

I remember it because it was a Friday, and my son’s flag football team I was coaching at the time was gearing up for a big game that night. Then, my email inbox started overflowing. “The game’s canceled,” it said. Then, another. “School’s canceled,” it said.

Again, and again, the messages cascaded, toppling over one another, piling on frantically like a fumbled pigskin.

There were no dramatic photographs of bombed-out ships and mountain-sized flames burning in the South Pacific. It took a long while—a year, almost to the day—to finally step back onto that field again with the kids. And when we did, I was flattened by a wave of emotion as if a defensive end was crushing my blind side.

I stood back for a few minutes to take in the scene. That’s when I realized the feelings I was experiencing weren’t for me. They were for the kids. I was mourning for them and the time they lost. When we were last together, they were eleven years old. Now they’re twelve.

Someday they’ll add that word, “infamy.”

For now, all they can do is the one thing, the only thing any of us has ever been able to do: move forward.

These days, we no longer gather around radios hanging on every word uttered by presidents. Today, the dial moves in all directions—millions of channels. Billions of voices. Large and small. It’s the small ones I find most compelling. And hearing their laughter on the football field again is at last pushing infamy further away, into the rearview mirror.

Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in producing this issue of SLO LIFE Magazine and, most of all, to our advertisers and subscribers—we couldn’t do it without you.

Live the SLO Life!

Tom Franciskovich tom@slolifemagazine.com

p.s. If you’d like to read more visit me at tomfranciskovich.com 12

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LIFE SLO magazine

4251 S. HIGUERA STREET, SUITE 800, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA SLOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM info@slolifemagazine.com (805) 543-8600 • (805) 456-1677 fax PUBLISHER Tom Franciskovich

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CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sheryl Franciskovich CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charlotte Alexander Jeff Al-Mashat Brant Myers Lauren Harvey Paden Hughes Zara Khan Jaime Lewis Andria McGhee Joe Payne Brian Schwartz CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Arpad Czapp David Lalush Mark Nakamura Anh Nguyen Jennifer Olson Vanessa Plakias

CONTRIBUTIONS Have some comments or feedback about something you’ve read here?

Or, do you have something on your mind that you think everyone should know about? Submit your story ideas, events, recipes, and announcements by visiting us online at slolifemagazine.com and clicking “Share Your Story” or emailing us at info@slolifemagazine.com. Be sure to include your full name and city for verification purposes. Contributions chosen for publication may be edited for clarity and space limitations.

ADVERTISING If you would like to advertise, please contact Tom Franciskovich by phone at (805) 543-8600 or by email at tom@slolifemagazine.com or visit us online at slolifemagazine.com/advertise and we will send you a complete media kit along with testimonials from happy advertisers.

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SUBSCRIPTIONS Ready to live the SLO Life all year long? It’s quick and easy! Just log on to slolifemagazine.com/subscribe. It’s just $24.95 for the year. And don’t forget to set your friends and family up with a subscription, too. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

NOTE The opinions expressed within these pages do not necessarily reflect those of SLO LIFE Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the publisher.

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Letters chosen for publication may be edited for clarity and space limitations.

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| SNEAK PEEK

ON THE COVER

behind the scenes JENNIFER PORCHER

BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

I met Jennifer at her charming home near the Village in Arroyo Grande. Her son, Jack, was there and her granddaughter, Elaina, answered the door. What an adorable living doll. She’s only three, but was an outgoing, polite, and welcoming host. The light was so beautiful shining through the front view window, we decided to start the shoot there.

Plus, I love a good teal couch!

We talked about working out and gardening as a great reset during stressful times. We admired her agaves and fruit trees. Her lemons decided to grow ten times their size this year. She’s says all the neighbors stop and comment on them lately. I thought they were grapefruit!

As we walked through Jennifer’s home towards her backyard, I noticed a lot of heart art. I commented that one of my favorite heart pieces was one I bought twenty years ago through the Sundance Catalogue. It’s the seven points of love recipe. Jennifer also had a seven points of love work of art on her wall. Then she explained the seven points are all our heart chakras.

er’s ba ck ya rd. ns hin e en erg y in Jen nif Th ere wa s su ch go od su e sho t of On od. ile s a nd go od mo Ea sy to bri ng on the sm ad fro m the ir ha a re mi nd ed me of Jen nif er tu rni ng qu ick ly d to lau gh. rte sta th tei,” a nd we bo mo Ti es!

“Y id, sa e Sh 80 ’s.

SLO LIFE

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| INBOX

T A KE US W I T H Y O U! Send your photos and comments to info@slolifemagazine.com or visit us online at slolifemagazine.com VICHUQUEN LAKE, CHILE

PACHY, SOPHIA, SABRINA, and ROSS DOVER

CASTRO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

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HAILEY and LAURA HEIDEN 18

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| TIMELINE

LOCAL february 4

february 6

San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer Wade Horton issues a Proclamation of Local Emergency as a result of damages caused by late-January winter storms to public agencies, citizens, and businesses. The local proclamation follows a similar one Governor Gavin Newsom issued the prior week for SLO County, and together they streamline the approval process for funding through the California Disaster Assistance Act. The storms included damaging winds, substantial precipitation, flooding, and erosion resulting in damage to infrastructure and property within the County.

Anti-Semitic graffiti is discovered in front of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish-student-affiliated fraternity house at Cal Poly. It’s unclear who is responsible for the vandalism, including swastikas and other anti-Semitic images, but the incident was reported to San Luis Obispo Police and an investigation is underway. The offence occurred on the Shabbat, a day of religious observance in the Jewish community that takes place from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.

february 5

february 11

Cuesta College announces that its accreditation has been reaffirmed for the next seven years by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

A ten-person review team of faculty and administrators from peer colleges visited the community college virtually last fall to evaluate Cuesta’s effectiveness, quality of education, and continuous quality improvement. The college’s next comprehensive review will not occur until 2027.

Paul Flores, the only “person of interest” ever identified in the disappearance of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, is arrested by Los Angeles Police on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He posted bond and was released from custody the same day. The SLO County Sheriff ’s Office confirms that the arrest is the result of information obtained during search warrants executed in 2020 at the home of Flores, who now lives in San Pedro. He was the last person seen with Smart in 1996 as she returned to her Cal Poly dorm room after an off-campus party.

february 18 Representative Salud Carbajal reintroduces a bill in Congress to safeguard local public lands and wild rivers. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act proposes to ban oil development, logging, and other industrial activities in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument. The bill, originally co-authored by Representative Lois Capps as part of a larger package of conservation measures, did not pass the Senate last year. It would protect 250,000 acres of federal public land across Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties, and establish a 400-mile trail from Big Sur to the Los Angeles County Line.

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REVIEW march 11 Following a nationwide search, the City of San Luis Obispo announces the appointment of Rick Scott, “a law enforcement leader focused on community engagement, transparency, and trust,” to serve as the city’s next police chief. Scheduled to report to work on May 13, he currently serves as assistant police chief in North Richland Hills, Texas, a city of 70,000 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Scott succeeds Deanna Cantrell, who left last August to become police chief in the City of Fairfield. Captain Jeff Smith, who has served as interim police chief since then, has announced he will leave in April to become police chief for the City of Pismo Beach.

march 16 March 2 The SLO City Council approves a General Plan amendment to rezone a parcel of land to accommodate a neighborhood park, fulfilling a need for open space, playground equipment, and walking paths between Foothill Boulevard and Highway 101, according to the City’s Parks and Recreation master plan. Almost an acre in size, and currently home to a community garden, the parcel is located at 533 Broad Street. Funding for the park will come from developer fees, and the council will review final project plans before construction begins.

march 10 The San Luis Obispo Planning Commission hosts a discussion of the proposed Central Coast Layover Facility project to gather public input about its potential environmental impact on the eight-acre site located behind Miner’s Ace Hardware on Santa Barbara Street. SLO’s historic Railroad District could undergo a major infrastructure change, adding a new rail yard, storage, train tracks, buildings, and more. The project envisions a relocation of the existing layover facility adjacent to the SLO Train Station to an expanded space at the mostly vacant Union Pacific property at 1320 Roundhouse Street.

The SLO County Sheriff ’s Office wrap up a search of the Arroyo Grande home of Ruben Flores, father of Paul Flores, who, according to Sheriff ’s officials, remains the “prime suspect” in the disappearance of Kristin Smart from Cal Poly in 1996. Officers used cadaver dogs and ground penetrating radar during the two-day search, and hauled away a vehicle, but released no new information on whether any evidence was found in the “active and ongoing investigation.” Last month, Paul Flores was arrested in Los Angeles County on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

march 18 The California Coastal Commission votes unanimously to phase out off-highway vehicle (OHV ) use at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in three years, shortening a Commission staff recommendation that the transition take place over five years. The historic decision, the most sweeping change to the use of the Dunes in a century, reflects staff concerns that OHV use is unlawful in environmentally sensitive habitat areas under the California Coastal Act. California State Parks, which operates the Area, could phase out OHV use over three years, or prohibit it all at once. An outpouring of public comments came in prior to the decision and ranged from support for recreational opportunities to concerns about environmental justice from members of the public, government officials, tribal officials, and public agency leaders. SLO LIFE APR/MAY 2021

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| BRIEFS

$841,000 The amount of funding the City of San Luis Obispo and SLO Chamber of Commerce provided directly to 181 businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during a round of Small Business Relief Fund grantmaking this year. Most of the funds come from Local Revenue Measure G-20.

MRWG The Mesa Refinery Watch Group is a community-based group of volunteers who fought to stop Phillips 66 from bringing crude oil trains to a proposed rail terminal at its Nipomo Mesa refinery.

The group didn’t die with the failure of that project, however. It continues to monitor and report on the company’s announced closure of the plant in 2023 at mesarefinerywatch.com.

$18.25 million The amount of State funding the Bob Jones Trail is in line to receive that would complete a section of the popular pathway connecting Avila Beach to southern San Luis Obispo. If a California Transportation Commission staff recommendation is approved this spring, the money will connect the Ontario Road park’n’ride lot and the Octagon Barn trailhead.

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“Our thirty-five volunteers have a passion for business.”

San Luis Obispo SCORE Chapter chair Horace Morana responding to the news that the national SCORE office has honored the local chapter with its third annual Diamond Star level award for outstanding performance. The achievement recognizes the excellence of volunteers who provided free face-to-face mentoring and workshops last year for 2,015 aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout SLO County and the Santa Maria Valley.

52 feet The length of a new Cal Fire SLO trailer designed to support the kitchen unit where inmate firefighters cook meals. The “mobile kitchen support vehicle” replaces a smaller trailer that was built in 1964, and is one of eight delivered recently to crews in California just in time for fire season.

Vandenberg Space Force Base The new moniker for Vandenberg Air Force Base reflects its transition from air to space, and the change is coming soon. The base has served as part of the Air Force since the 1950s even though it has operated for years without any fixed wing or rotary aircraft assigned to it. “Air Force” base personnel also will transition eventually to “Space Force” personnel.

805-541-2544 The number to call for roundtrip, no-cost transportation offered by the Regional Transit Authority to and from the County’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics for elderly citizens who otherwise would have no way of getting to their appointments.

7,504 The number of meals the SLO Food Bank will be able to serve thanks to a group of six girls who raised more than $1,000 selling plants in pots that they collected from family members and neighbors. They grew succulents in the containers, selling them through Facebook in February, then donating the funds raised to the Food Bank.

“I’m really looking forward to the rest of the community being able to get vaccinated.”

SLO Fire Department paramedic and fire engineer Alec Flatos following his second COVID-19 shot. He was the first person in SLO County to receive the vaccine.

“Edgar” The newest staffer in the SLO District Attorney’s office is a highly-trained facility dog, a three-year-old lab/golden retriever mix donated in March by Canine Companions for Independence, who has one job, and one job only: to help witnesses, victims of crime, and those with special needs make it through difficult preparations for court, simply by being a good boy and letting himself get scratched behind the ears. SLO LIFE

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| VIEW

COASTAL MARVEL

BY MARK NAKAMURA

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O

ne of the most photographed bridges in the state is the iconic Bixby Bridge on the northern end of Big Sur on Highway 1.

The fog was just lifting, partially shrouding this engineering feat.

This project started in August 1931 and completed in November 1932 with a length of 714 feet, a height of 279 feet at a cost of $200,000. About 45,000 sacks of cement were used for the framework using a system of platforms and slings to transport the sacks.

If you’re interested in capturing this landscape, be sure to take advantage of, not only shooting on the ocean side of the highway looking south, but on the Old Coast Road on the east side of the highway looking toward the bridge and the ocean.

Five years before the highway linked Carmel and San Luis Obispo, this masterpiece was finished.

My camping friends and I traveled up Highway 1 from our campsite in Big Sur to see this bridge last year. Highway 1 was under construction so we were led across this bridge with a lead car. We turned off the caravan to the parking area on the north side of this span. Normally overcrowded with tourists taking selfies with the bridge and the Big Sur coastline in the background, on this day we had very little traffic and few tourists in the late fall.

As a side note, I recommend taking the Old Coast Road from Andrew Molera State Park to the south and ending at the Bixby Bridge. It takes you off the beaten path through the Redwood groves. On the way home, be sure to stop by the Shell Station (the only one in Big Sur), home of the Big Sur Bakery and treat yourself to a delicious pastry or meal. SLO LIFE

APR/MAY 2021

MARK NAKAMURA, pursues his passion in landscape photography as well as capturing the joys of weddings, families, events, and sports around the Central Coast. Find him on Instagram @nakamuraphoto

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| Q&A

Just the Numbers A couple of years ago, Cal Poly professor PRATISH PATEL drove out to Oceano for the first time. That’s when he asked the question: “How come this area’s not faring as well as the rest of the county?”

We had an opportunity to talk with him in depth about the eyeglazing subjects of research methodology and empirical evidence the other day. Here’s some of what he had to say…

So, Pratish, before we get started can you please tell us where you’re from? Really?

You want to know about that? Okay. I was born in a very small town in India, and we immigrated to the US in ‘96. We came here for a better life. So, the funny story there is, when I was born in ‘81 my parents applied for a visa, a green card. Our visa was approved in ‘95. It took fourteen years.

That was the waitlist. When we came here, we went to Georgia. It was my mom, my dad, and my sister, and me. I went to Georgia Tech where I got my chemical engineering degree. And then to Cal to get my PhD in finance. My first job was with the Real Estate program at Cal Poly.

Real estate, huh? That’s right. I’m very interested in urban economics, which looks into how cities form, and the economics of regulation and the dynamics between cities. I think that’s the coolest part of real estate. Most people, when they think of real estate, they think about housing and flipping houses or whatever. But I think that the guts of it is that a house resides within a city and, of course, different cities are different. Every city has its own character, and I love that. That’s why I love San Luis Obispo. I truly consider it my home. And I want to see it improve.

What would you do to solve the housing problem here? In San Luis Obispo, we have this idea that we want to only create single family homes, and I think that idea is probably not quite right for everyone.

I think we need to start thinking about building a bit taller, because if we do that, we can retain a lot of our open space. And it’s actually a more sustainable thing to do. I know people don’t like to hear that because it doesn’t go with the architectural vision here. But if there is the demand to grow, and if you really want to solve housing affordability issues, then we just need to go taller. So, to preserve the hiking 26

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trails and open space, you go up rather than out.

Let’s talk about your work in Oceano.

Okay, so a couple of years ago, one of my students who was participating in a lowincome housing project said, “Professor Patel, why don’t you come with us to Oceano? I just want you to see what is happening out there.” I went along and was surprised to learn that it was not faring as well as the rest of the county.

I wanted to find out why that was, so I started looking into the demographics and the history and the economy. It didn’t make sense to me that it was lagging so far behind its much wealthier neighbors. Then, I came across the study done by SMG that claimed that vehicular access [to the dunes] adds $240 million in economic impact annually. That’s when I said to myself, “These number just don’t add up.

Something’s wrong here.”

What was wrong? They made some Herculean assumptions, which were compounded by significant math mistakes. And, State Parks, which had commissioned the study, claimed to not have the raw data. That seemed funny to me. I mean, how could you pay someone to do a study and not have access to the data? It actually took the Sierra Club doing a bunch of Freedom of Information Act requests to finally obtain the data. After that, I wrote up a counterargument to the study before doing some research of my own, which concluded that there was very little, if any, economic impact coming from vehicular access. And to be frank with you, I was surprised by that finding, because I did expect to find some. But I didn’t find any. And that seemed to really upset a lot of people. I found that quite odd because it’s not my opinion.

It’s just the numbers. SLO LIFE

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| NOW HEAR THIS

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Flow

BY JOE PAYNE

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEVIN GRAYBILL

T

he tide goes in, the tide goes out; it’s the way of things. It’s a phenomenon that Kevin Graybill observes at home in Shell Beach, but he’s known it since childhood. “I moved to the Central Coast a few years ago. I moved down from Seattle, but I was born in San Diego,” Graybill explained. “Just culturally, familywise, we’re just beach people and sun people.”

The longtime self-taught guitarist and singer/songwriter lived in Seattle for years after college, he said, engaged in the “rat race” of “start-up culture.” All the while Graybill continued to cultivate his music, writing songs and developing a style steeped in the beach culture of his youth, while the cold and cloudy influence of the Pacific Northwest worked its way in, as well.

When Graybill moved to San Luis Obispo County, it was the right time both for him to leave Seattle and arrive on the Central Coast and fully dedicate himself to his art. “The music that I’ve been playing and writing for the most part, kind of had a beach/folk sound to it,” he said. “It was interesting that coming to SLO and putting myself out there with music, it kind of just worked. It was like I was supposed to land in SLO.” The SLO Coast audience, whether at wineries, bars, coffee shops, outdoor festivals, or right on the beach, embraced Graybill’s sound. His beachy vibe is immediately reminiscent of Jack Johnson and other vibed-out acoustic guitar playing, smooth voiced artists. But there’s another side to his sound as well, with shades of Nick Drake, inspired by his time up north.

This contrast is encapsulated in Graybill’s first studio project, two six-track EPs, titled “High Tide” and “Low Tide.” With a full embrace from the SLO music community he joined and the audience he’s built over the years, Graybill received crowdfunding support in January to finance the projects. The duel release comes out on April 16, but the first two singles from “High Tide” and “Low Tide” are out already, “It’s Been A Long Day” and “How Much I Need You,” respectively, on all streaming platforms and through his website, Graybillmusic.com.

The two EPs could be viewed as one album, Graybill explained, but he’s also attempting to embrace the way music is listened to these days, in playlists mostly. “High Tide” is the sunny and optimistic acoustic beach/folk sound complete with crisp drum kits, ripping guitar riffs, and Graybill’s familiar Martin acoustic guitar. “Low Tide,” however, is a more plaintive and introspective exploration bathed in moonlight, soft bass, and hand percussion, and a more ethereal fingerstyle picking from the songwriter.

“I was equally passionate about both those styles of playing, but it just never felt like they fit together, but they’re both part of me,” he explained. “There’s different parts of us dynamically as humans experiencing the human condition. There’s elation and happiness and joy and then there’s depression and we kind of have these rising tides in our life and our low tides so to speak.”

The duality in Graybill’s musical personality was made possible through a period of intense collaboration with a roster of SLO music scene all-stars. Damon Castillo produced and recorded both projects at his Laurel Lane Studios and Castillo can be heard taking guitar solos and playing several other instruments throughout. Drummer Paul Griffith, a session player transplant known in Nashville and New Orleans, is featured on “High Tide.” Beloved fixtures like Bob Liepman of Bob and Wendy and guitar master Dorian Michael make appearances, as well as Central Coast vocalists Jineanne Coderre and Katie Boeck. Dominic Castillo also plays Hammond B3 on a track.

The addition from SLO music royalty to Graybill’s vision provides a set of EP’s that sound both fresh yet familiar, like we’ve heard these songs on the scene for years. And with Graybill’s already dedicated audience on the Central Coast, we’re sure to hear these tunes for years to come. “This would never have happened if it weren’t for SLO County and the community that I found here,” he said. “It’s what the area wanted from me, because every time I put myself out there with music in SLO, I’d get the answer, ‘Yes.’” SLO LIFE APR/MAY 2021

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JOE PAYNE is a journalist, as well as a lifelong musician and music teacher, who writes about the arts on the Central Coast.

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| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR

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PRO FILE PHOTOGRAPHY BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

Maybe it’s her entrepreneurial instincts, or perhaps it’s just how she sees the world, but for JENNIFER PORCHER, life is an adventure. Always unfolding, always revealing— always teaching. Whether launching a business of her own or helping someone on the Central Coast with theirs, she has been known to innovate through the good times and the bad. Most recently, she launched a podcast, Aba & Lolli.

Here is her story…

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O

kay, Jennifer, let’s start from the beginning. Where are you from?

I’m from here, this area. I was born in Fresno, but we moved to Arroyo Grande when I was two-and-a-half, so this is my world. I went to elementary, junior high, and high school right here. I have two older sisters, and my parents, we’re all still in the area. My father was in the military, and my mother was a banker. She worked for Mid-State Bank for twenty-plus years. My father was very entrepreneurial. He had a little lawn maintenance side business, and he also had Johnny’s Little Tailor Shop.

So, he’d sew the military uniforms for all the guys. He was a perfectionist.

I remember him prepping all their uniforms with all the perfect pleats down the front of the legs. And he’d sew on all the different patches, you know, the emblem things they’d get. He taught me to sew. And when I became a mom, I would sew my children’s Halloween costumes. He always sewed my cheerleading costumes and my Halloween costumes. So, we’ve always had a little bond there from that entrepreneurial side.

So, what were you like as a kid? Gosh, these are big open-ended questions! [laughter] I don’t know. I guess would say that I was a pretty quiet kid, which is probably why I’m a little reluctant with my answers now. But I was social. I mean, I definitely had friends in all different kinds of crowds. I was active in the sense of dance and cheerleading, but, yeah, I was quiet. I didn’t really express myself, and I wouldn’t say I was the most confident kid. I had high expectations for my education. I definitely prioritized school. So, I don’t know. I wasn’t anything special. I didn’t stand out as anything amazing. Definitely the most impressionable time of my life was after I graduated. I lived a year in Venezuela. Got to travel South America. I’ve always been interested in travel and seeing how other people live. I think that, at a young age, I knew I wanted to speak different languages, and I wanted to see the world.

Why South America? I was enrolled at USF [University of San Francisco] and they had a study abroad program at a university in Venezuela, sort of like an exchange, through La Universidad del Simón Bolívar in Caracas. But it was a satellite campus in a tiny, very rural town.

It was in the jungle on the Orinoco River amongst the Warao Indians.

There was no running water, no electricity. This was a bit of an experiment, and the first time they had ever sent a foreign student to this far-off, remote location. There was a stretch of eight months without any contact with my family. I lived with an English professor and his family. It was interesting culturally because I woke up every day to go to school, but Venezuela was not as structured as it is in the US. So, I’d show up, but sometimes the teachers didn’t show up. So then, you just didn’t have school that day. It was just random. It was always mind-blowing to me. I mean, the same thing would happen at the bank. You’d go to the bank, and they’d just decide they didn’t want to be open one day. That’s just how it was.

Culture clash, huh? Yeah, just a totally different culture. But I got credits studying tourism and economics and, of course, language. In my mind, this is when my life started. Up until then, I feel like I was just an observer, pretty much all through my younger years. And then, when I got to go to Venezuela, it was like everything came into a perspective where I had independence. I had to make choices about what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to be. I’ve always been interested in food and you would literally go to markets to get whatever you were going to eat that day. You’d go every single morning. And so, when you think about living healthy and eating healthy, nothing was processed. It was fresh every day, and the

footprint was basically whatever families could grow to sell for their own income. That’s how people in the village lived. We would trade clothing with the Warao Indians, and they would spear us some piranha or baby alligators or tortoises. That’s pretty much what you ate.

Now, how long were you there? It was a year total, and I returned with a completely new perspective.

But a few months later, my life changed again after reconnecting with my high school boyfriend at my sister’s wedding. By that Christmas, I found out that I was pregnant . . . I can’t believe I’m talking about this . . . So, anyway, I was a baby, just twenty years old at the time with my first child. I have three now, they’re twenty-five, twenty-two, and thirteen. But, at that time, everything changed. I dropped out of school and moved back to AG. I never went back, which, to this day, has been my psychological Achilles’ heel. It’s probably one of the hardest things I have to overcome in my career. Not having a degree. It’s just a mental self-worth thing, I think, being really committed, driven, having high expectations of myself. I used to really beat myself up about it—but I don’t anymore.

What changed? Well, one of my daughters, who is the mother to my granddaughter, used to really struggle with anxiety and depression. We had to get her a lot of help for about a six to eight year span of her life. I’ll never forget something she said to me when she was in recovery—I think about it all the time—she said, “Mom, if you’re always questioning if you’re good enough, then how could I ever consider myself to be good enough?” Those words changed me forever. Immediately, I stopped being that do-it-all mother who was self-critical and wanting everything to be perfect and having these expectations of having to meet everybody else’s image of what they saw me to be. I totally changed after going through that with my daughter, to a point where I care so much more about what we do have now, than what we don’t have.

I celebrate holidays differently. I spend my weekends differently. I engage with my children differently. I believe that with all the pain we go through in life, if we are serious enough to really grow through it, it really can make us better.

Let’s go back to those early days when you returned to the Central Coast. Sure, so, I got a job at Café Andreini in Arroyo Grande, the Village. I did mostly managerial stuff and was involved in hiring and training new employees, which I found so interesting.

A couple of years later, I went on to work for Social Services in a program called CalWORK. At the time, anyone who was on cash aid, welfare, would have to prove that they were out looking for a job, that they were interviewing, and they were actively seeking work. My role was to help them in that process. I would do trainings to get them ready for an interview, and I’d work with them to get their >> APR/MAY 2021

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resumes perfected. I’d talk with them about how to call and speak with different companies and employers. I really enjoyed that, working with people to help them better themselves. So, by then, I had remarried, and I moved with my ex-husband up to the Bay Area, before he ended up getting transferred to Fresno. I’d say that my real career ambition and everything that led me to where I am today started then. I worked for a national staffing agency that staffed for high-level, C-level positions, so CEOs, CMOs, COOs, CFOs. How was that? It was amazing to see how companies operated from a leadership level, what the responsibilities and expectations and requirements were of all these higher-level positions. And so, when you’re interviewing your clients about who they’re looking for, you’re learning a lot about how companies operate and who they need to fill those roles.

It was awesome. I was in my twenties and I was just really interested in seeing how businesses operated, and I got that inside scoop. But the thing I realized pretty quickly was seeing companies that would hire for the same position again and again and not having it work out. I mean, the new recruit would be perfectly qualified and would have a great 34

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personality and attitude and an amazing track record, but it wouldn’t click.

We’d see clients coming back to us repeatedly and I’d start to wonder, “How come a CFO—or whatever the position happened to be—can’t stay on with the company?”

What was the issue? It was a leadership problem. That’s when I started to really tune into the intangibles: human behavior, culture, and, most importantly, relationships. I began to understand that those things, at the end of the day, are every bit as important as the more tangible things like a technical skillset and knowledge and experience. That insight was critical for me going forward and it shapes everything I have done since. So, after my divorce, we came back to Arroyo Grande and I started my own business. I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit, and I wanted to help, I wanted to make a difference. I started doing customer service trainings for local companies. I said, “Gosh, there are so many small businesses around here that could improve in this area.” But, I learned very quickly that the companies that already had great customer service were the only ones willing to invest in the training. The ones that didn’t, the ones that were struggling in that area, the ones I really wanted to help, just weren’t interested. >>

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What came next? Over the years, I’ve really evolved as a business consultant and have done a wide variety of work with local companies. I mean, it’s ranged from tech start-ups to medical marketing to software to jewelry manufacturing, you name it. But, I still had this vision in mind, something that I had always thought about, which is leadership training for women. I wanted to approach it from a happiness perspective and ask the question: “How do we get women to really connect with all the skills that are most needed in the workplace that no one trains on, like communication and the social intelligence stuff, self-awareness, and recognizing your impact on others from a social level and interpersonal level?”

Let’s talk about that. I was really connecting with a lot of amazing, strong women, and it made sense to do it in a group setting. I decided to take on a partner and together she and I started doing our women’s leadership program, Unlock Potential, which was just starting to take off when, well, the pandemic hit, and we’ve had to put a pause on it. But, still, I feel blessed for everything I’ve been able to do with it so far. Helping women locally with the interpersonal soft skills: leadership, self-awareness, finding your voice, getting clear on your values, and operating from a standpoint where you really understand your strengths and the strengths of people around you. I really do hope to restart it at some point, but I still do carry on with those principles in the work I do now—my business consulting— 36

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and I’m also doing some executive coaching. Unlock Potential has been amazing in the sense that we’ve brought women together that had a lot of similar ambitions that were just really wanting that community support and encouragement.

Have you found a common thread in all the work you’ve done?

Yes. I’d say that I’ve come to understand that we all have a story to tell. And if we can hear that story, those stories, we can learn how to appreciate people’s differences and we can value them for what’s different and what it is that they bring to the table. We can appreciate their differences, and those differences can totally change a relationship for the better. Being curious about how other people do things, and learning from them, rather than trying to do it all on your own, and having these unattainably high expectations, I think that’s a big part of it. I think that approach, that openness, can really create important opportunities in our relationships and in our businesses and in our families. If there’s something core to the work I do—a core principle—it is not about making people better in their business, it’s truly about helping to give them skills to make them better in their lives. And at the center of that, for me, is developing better relationships with their children or their spouse or the people that really matter to them in their lives. Because, ultimately, that’s what it’s all about. SLO LIFE

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| AUTHOR

LOCAL READ

Succulents Love the Central Coast

I

BY BRIAN SCHWARTZ

’ve often felt succulents are the ideal role models. Stress makes them more resilient, but too much water can kill them. These remarkable plants take just enough to thrive. I had a conversation with local author Gabriel Frank to learn more about how his new book came about and what he hopes readers will gain from it.

For those curious, once receiving the contract from Ten Speed Press, it took Frank three more years to finish “Striking Succulent Gardens,” a project he initially expected to complete in a year. A talent scout at Ten Speed Press sought out Frank because of his vast depth of knowledge on a topic they knew had a market. He was ready to quit halfway through but persisted by scheduling three hours twice a week to finish it.

Frank wanted to publish a book to address common misperceptions about succulents and give readers a reliable resource to turn to for answers. He shares that “succulents are an easy plant to work with, but largely misunderstood.”

One common misperception is that you can’t kill a succulent. But “people often kill succulents with kindness,” which Frank explained, translates to giving them too much water. Before you give them water, take a close look at their stems (leaves). They should be plump (since this is where they store most of their water).

A succulent is parched for water when it looks dehydrated … when you see crinkles and creases, it’s time to give ‘em a little love. The change in color you’ll sometimes see is a good thing as the stress they endure is, as Frank puts it, “a beautiful part of their life cycle.”

Succulents are the ideal species for climate change. Highly adaptable plants, learning to live on less water, and sustain more heat. Frank shares, “Having a succulent garden is like having your own on-site nursery.” At clubs like The Central Coast Cactus and Succulent Society, members bring succulent clippings to share with each other.

The Central Coast is home to an abundance of succulents at every turn, many of which are showcased in Frank’s book. You can also take a road trip to Lotusland in Montecito to see some amazing varieties of rare succulents you won’t find elsewhere.

So, if you want to write a book, block out time on your calendar to get it done. Expect it’ll take far longer than you think. If you want to bring more nature into your environment, the ease of succulents is hard to beat.

Because they require less water and can handle hotter temperatures, succulents are climate change friendly.

For those too busy to maintain a garden, succulents are mostly self-sufficient and extremely low maintenance.

In addition to being an author, Frank is also the owner of Gardens by Gabriel. He’s a spirited advocate for all things green and growing. When not landscaping for others, he can be found cultivating his own home demonstration garden. “Striking Succulent Gardens” can be found at local bookstores, as well as many nurseries and garden centers. SLO LIFE 38

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BRIAN SCHWARTZ is a publishing consultant and advocate for local authors.

He can be reached at brian@selfpublish.org.

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| ARTIST

PROFILE

Jason Towne

BY JEFF AL-MASHAT

N

ew York Times theater critic Brooks Atkinson, who is probably more well known today for the Manhattan theater that bears his name than for his writings, wrote, “Real art is illumination, it adds stature to life.”

There are many grand things that can be said about San Luis Obispo’s Jason Towne’s artwork, but associating it with a theatrical quote seems most appropriate. The work is visual, but it straddles both performance art and installation.

Towne makes drawings and paintings. Some are geometrical shapes; others are simple squares of florescent paint on florescent paper.

His magic is in his presentation, where he posts them together on walls in an almost 19th-century, salon-style arrangement. He then projects light, along with filters of additional shapes, on to them.

The result is a shimmering, immersive experience that fills the entire room. Simply having the light spill upon the viewers draws them into the story in the same way that one gets pulled into a play or concert, or even a great film. Towne layers different music into the experience to add another dimension.

“I am looking to create a glowing ambient journey,” says Towne.

“I want people to take away an uplifting feeling that stays with them.” The execution of his presentation is important, but illuminating the viewer’s mind is really what it is about for Towne.

“I want people to look to the future when we can gather again and experience things together.”

Simply visiting his webpage at artbyjasontowne.com will give you a taste of the excitement associated with his work. The still image on his homepage alone will light up a phone or computer screen, but it seems like it has the power to light up whatever space it is being viewed in.

He is a self-taught painter, but trained as a graphic designer, which Towne credits for his ability to know the mechanics of putting his grand presentations together. Figurative painter Francis Bacon is among his influences, but there are also nods to conceptual artists like Jenny Holzer’s thought-provoking projections on public spaces, as well as pioneering multi-media artist Nam June Paik’s massive video projects.

His post-pandemic plans are to take the experience to large spaces that will include multiple musicians and possibly opportunities for audience members to get involved and make their own drawings that become part of the exhibition. SLO LIFE 40

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JEFF AL-MASHAT is a writer and visual artist with an MFA in painting from Georgia State University. He lives in Grover Beach.

| APR/MAY 2021

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| EXPLORE

Techno Golf

BY PADEN HUGHES

A

challenge for the romantics: How many date night ideas can you come up with?

“Do you want to know what it is?” he asked.

technology first came on the scene as a way to track a golf ball on TV and is now used exclusively for NBC Sports’ PGA Tour telecasts. The program follows the flight of the golf balls with a camera-based system that displays the virtual simulation on a screen and also provides statistics allowing you to monitor every shot you hit. Michael explained it as “virtual golf meets glowing driving range— making you feel like you’re playing a video game—all while enjoying food and drinks.”

Nope. I love surprises.

It was awesome.

Even as a child, if someone told me they had a surprise and then shortly thereafter would ask, “Do you want to know what it is?” I’d say, “No thanks!

I want to be surprised.”

We had a private booth, a TV display of our video game, and it felt like we were both the entertainer and the entertained.

We selected the virtual gold course and style of game we wanted to play. After the set up, we aimed at the targets, which glow at night. Shot after shot, the technology tracked our drives and charted our progress.

I don’t know how your date nights go, but ours had started to feel a little routine. That all changed when my husband, Michael, surprised me with a fun, new adventure. I had no clue where we were going when he told me to wear something casual, warm, and something I could move in unrestricted.

I love the anticipation of it and guessing what it might be before I get there. But I couldn’t guess this one.

Evan after we turned into Dairy Creek Golf Course, I still didn’t know exactly what we were doing.

In a past life, pre-kids, I played a lot of golf. But it was a weeknight at 8 o’clock. What could possibly be going on out here at this hour?

We parked. Got out our clubs. And I still was confused, “Night golf ?”

With a wide-smile, Michael explained that Dairy Creek now offers an augmented reality golf experience in a designated area called Swing Time.

Their website describes it as “a mix of driving range, sports bar, bowling alley, and pinball machine all in one.”

The golf experience has been ramped up using Toptracer technology.

What’s called the gamification of the driving range experience, the 42

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We ordered food and played for over an hour—laughing every time my drive was too low for the software to chart it and I had to keep swinging.

TIP! Open from 10 am to 10 pm, you won’t want to risk trying to walk in, it’s booming in popularity and reservations are encouraged. SLO LIFE

PADEN HUGHES is co-owner of Gymnazo and enjoys exploring the Central Coast.

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| ON THE RISE

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Mulenga Malama This senior is wrapping up his four years at San Luis Obispo High School as a scholar athlete and academic honor roll recipient, a College Board National Scholar, and an All-League soccer player.

What extra-curricular activities are you involved in? I’m involved in track and field and the Associated Student Body at San Luis Obispo High School.

What do you like to do for fun? I enjoy the life that is being a track athlete. It ranges widely from stretching and mobility, to strength work and mental resilience/awareness giving me plenty of areas of myself to explore and spend time developing. Outside of track, I enjoy listening to podcasts about the mind, body, and lifestyle habits.

What is important to you outside of high school? Striving to organize myself on a day-today basis and develop a champion mindset through experimenting with habits and food to feel and be the best me.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I see myself as an accomplished athlete with multiple NCAA championship appearances and an Olympic trials on my resume. I’ll have my engineering degree and possibly be in graduate school working towards a position at a top university as professor or track coach.

What has influenced you the most? The motivational speeches of Les Brown, Eric Thomas, David Goggins, Inky Johnson, and Tony Robbins.

If you won $1 million, what would you do with it? I would initially give $250,000 to my family in Zambia as they could utilize it to help with transportation and it could provide more financial flexibility. Then I’d give some to my parents, brother, and sister. Finally, I would reinvest it in myself by spending a portion on a nutrition specialist and personal trainers in order to get the most out of my body while not damaging it for the long term.

Do you have a career path in mind? I’m looking to eventually become a college professor or track coach as each profession is in an environment that I enjoy and appreciate; which is a position to teach others and pass on the information in my head, from my experiences, and my acquired knowledge.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be? I would like to meet Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis as they are both people who I would really enjoy listening and learning from as they both demonstrated in their lives what focus, dedication, and striving for perfection can achieve.

What is something that not many people know about you? I believe that many of the thoughts and emotions we have are like balls of energy in our mind that can be harnessed by taking action with our bodies. The action can range from athletic endeavors to everyday tasks.

What are your plans for college? I’ll be attending Lehigh University where I’ve been admitted into their college of engineering and will be part of the track and field team. I’m looking forward to my freshman year track season in college as it is a new setting where I am starting fresh and have the opportunity to show who I am and what I can do. SLO LIFE

Know a student On the Rise?

Email us at info@slolifemagazine.com 44

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Sleep Under the Stars, Connect with Nature, Be Creative

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| DWELLING

T I ME LE S S 46

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D E SIGN

BY ZARA KHAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID LALUSH

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W

hat is “timeless design” and is it really even achievable? I have to admit, I always thought it was a compelling marketing phrase for the building industry, but I wasn’t completely sold on the idea. After all, it is just a matter of time until the construction period looks dated with the arrival of new techniques and the innovation of materials. Touring the home of the late Ken Schwartz changed my mind.

Schwartz was raised in South Central LA and was first exposed to architecture in high school where he had taken architectural drafting classes. He was eager to become an aeronautical engineer and while pursing that career, he took up a drafting job at Douglas Aircraft in El Segundo. Schwartz realized that aeronautical engineering wasn’t all that he thought it would be and decided to pivot and instead began studying architecture at >>

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In addition to being an interior designer, ZARA KHAN is also a shoe aficionado and horror movie enthusiast.

| APR/MAY 2021

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the University of Southern California in 1944. It wasn’t long after that he received his draft notice. However, Schwartz contracted bronchiectasis and was sent home on medical discharge. Upon his return home, he continued his education and in 1946 married his high school sweetheart, Martha. In 1952 he found his way to San Luis Obispo when he received a recommendation from the USC dean of Architecture to take a teaching position at the brand-new Department of Architectural Engineering at Cal Poly.

Schwartz was always into the big picture. He contemplated how a building should fit into the site, and also how it interacts with the neighborhood—taking all things into account. He didn’t always agree with how the city approached their planning and was told by SLO Mayor Waters: “If you don’t like things the way they are, you have to put up or shut up.” Their interaction spurred Schwartz’s service on the Planning Commission.

While Schwartz made several contributions to the layout of our city—likely enough to fill the pages of a novel—the one I am most thankful for is Mission Plaza. It was a two-decade-long proposal where he insisted that the city close Monterey Street between Broad Street and Chorro Street and create a plaza for the community to enjoy. A lot of his opposition came from merchants who didn’t want to lose the valuable space. Three Cal Poly Students decided to make Mission Plaza their senior project and received a partial grant that was contingent on including an option >> 50

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CUSTOM BLINDS, SHADES, SHUTTERS & DRAPERY

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where Monterey Street remained open. When they failed to present the option, it was demanded they return the grant money they received (luckily a local attorney, George Andre, decided to represent them pro bono). That’s when Schwartz decided maybe it was time to run for mayor if that is what it would take to see this project through—so he did. And he won.

Alongside his contributions to the city, Schwartz was inspiring students and building the foundation for the Architectural program at Cal Poly. He was instrumental in the evolution of implementing city planning and environmental design into the curriculum. In 1971, the School of Architecture became the School of Architecture and Environmental Design (SAED). When Schwartz retired from SAED in 1988, the program had grown from ninety-five students to 1,700, which was the largest in the US at the time. Schwartz valued travel and the inspiration that came with it and introduced an annual field trip to LA with his students. The field trip remain a favorite part of the curriculum for many students today.

Schwartz’s eye for color and design didn’t stop with architecture, he was an all-around artist. He would sketch portraits, work on ceramics, and even paint with watercolor.

His family enjoyed camping in their free time and wherever they went, Schwartz made it a point to pause and take in any new architecture in cities all along the way. He was always learning and finding inspiration. >>

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Custom lighting fixtures proudly made by hand right here on the Central Coast.

HANS DUUS BLACKSMITH INC

2976 INDUSTRIAL PARKWAY . SANTA MARIA . 805-570-0019 HANSDUUS@GMAIL.COM . HANSDUUSBLACKSMITH.COM

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Schwartz somehow still found time to build his own homes and express his take on design. I had the opportunity to speak with Ken and Martha’s daughter, Lorraine, and she shared that her father had a unique blend of vision and the drive to make the world better. Lorraine was in junior high when this home was being built and remembers helping with several aspects of the construction. From wiring the electrical and stapling insulation to painting and staining, all of the Schwartzes were involved.

As I looked through the home, I recognized elements of his design that are still incorporated in projects today. Large windows, stain-grade base boards, flat panel cabinet doors, paneled accent walls, integrated built-ins, and subway tile shower walls—at least one, if not all, of these design elements is on the wish list for modern-day homeowners.

The Schwartz home tour led me to a new theory: If you design with a style in mind, and stay true to that style, timeless design can be achieved. SLO LIFE 54

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DAVID LALUSH is an architectural photographer here in San Luis Obispo.

Audio/Video . Lighting . Shading . Automation . Surveillance 1320 Van Beurden Drive . Suite 102 . Los Osos (866) 633-7000 . www.coastalhomeworks.com

INC

STAL WORK CONSTRUCTION + DESIGN

WWW.STALWORK.COM

LIC 948012 | PO BOX 391 SAN LUIS OBISPO CA 93406 805.542.0033

COMMERCIAL | RESIDENTIAL | INTERIORS | ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN | LANDSCAPE APR/MAY 2021

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BY THE NUMBERS

REAL ESTATE

| SLO CITY

laguna lake

2020 Total Homes Sold 6 Average Asking Price $692,633 Average Selling Price $685,750 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 99.01% Average # of Days on the Market 44

2021 16 $739,834 $742,706 100.39% 24

+/166.67% 6.81% 8.31% 1.38% -45.45%

tank farm

2020 3 Total Homes Sold $770,717 Average Asking Price $780,238 Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 101.24% 36 Average # of Days on the Market

2021 17 $1,062,961 $1,044,449 98.26% 58

+/466.67% 37.92% 33.86% 99.10% 61.11%

cal poly area

2020 Total Homes Sold 4 Average Asking Price $1,199,250 Average Selling Price $1,199,500 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 100.02% Average # of Days on the Market 10

2021 9 $1,055,989 $1,043,994 98.86% 56

+/125.00% -11.95% -12.96% -1.16% 460.00%

country club

2020 Total Homes Sold 3 Average Asking Price $1,232,333 Average Selling Price $1,187,400 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 96.35% Average # of Days on the Market 67

2021 2 $1,367,000 $1,307,500 95.65% 26

+/-33.33% 10.93% 10.11% -0.70% -61.19%

down town

2020 Total Homes Sold 9 Average Asking Price $1,165,111 Average Selling Price $1,117,297 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 95.90% Average # of Days on the Market 23

2021 19 $1,026,942 $1,017,040 99.04% 41

+/111.11% -11.86% -8.97% 3.14% 78.26%

foothill blvd

2020 Total Homes Sold 8 Average Asking Price $749,500 Average Selling Price $768,813 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 102.58% Average # of Days on the Market 37

2021 7 $884,200 $874,857 98.94% 24

+/-12.50% 17.97% 13.79% -3.64% -35.14%

johnson ave

2020 Total Homes Sold 13 Average Asking Price $1,061,069 Average Selling Price $1,017,338 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 95.88% Average # of Days on the Market 36

2021 8 $1,017,338 $1,131,001 111.17% 67

+/-38.46% -4.12% 11.17% 15.29% 86.11%

*Comparing 01/01/20 - 03/17/20 to 01/01/21 - 03/17/21

®

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS

SLO LIFE

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Get growing on your home purchase

Let’s keep the conversation going. Contact us today.

Donna Lewis

Ken Neate

Maggie Koepsell

Branch Manager & VP of Mortgage Lending

VP of Mortgage Lending

VP of Mortgage Lending

O: (805) 335-8743 C: (805) 235-0463

O: (805) 706-8074 C: (925) 963-1015

O: (805) 335-8742 C: (805) 674-6653

donna.lewis@rate.com

ken.neate@rate.com

maggie.koepsell@rate.com

Ermina Karim

Dylan Morrow

Elieen Mackenzie

Licensed Sales Assistant

VP of Mortgage Lending

VP of Mortgage Lending

O: (805) 335-8738 C: (805) 550-9742

O: (805) 212-5204 C: (831) 566-9908

dylan.morrow@rate.com

eileen.mackenzie@rate.com

Zoe Thompson

Luana Geradis

Matthew Janetski

Licensed Sales Assistant

VP of Mortgage Lending

VP of Mortgage Lending

O: (805) 329-4087 C: (707) 227-9582

O: (805) 329-4092

O: (805) 329-4095 ermina.karim@rate.com

O: (805) 335-8737 zoe.thompson@rate.com

matt.janetski@rate.com

luana.gerardis@rate.com

Joe Hutson VP of Mortgage Lending

O: (831) 205-1582 C: (831) 212-4138

Rate.com/SanLuisObispo 1065 Higuera St., Suite 100, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

joe.hutson@rate.com Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. Receipt of application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply, contact Guaranteed Rate for current rates and for more information.

Donna Lewis NMLS #245945; CA - CA-DOC245945 | Dylan Morrow NMLS #1461481; CA - CA-DBO1461481 | Eileen Mackenzie NMLS #282909 | Joe Hutson NMLS #447536; CA - CADOC447536| Ken Neate NMLS ID #373607; CA - CA-DBO373607 | Luana Gerardis NMLS #1324563; CA - CA-DBO1324563 | Maggie Koepsell NMLS #704130; CA - CA-DBO704130 | Matthew Kanetski NMLS #1002317; CA - CA-DBO1002317 Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; NMLS #2611; For licensing information visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org. • CA: Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act

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Now

| SLO COUNTY

is a great time

to take advantage of low rates to refinance or purchase the home of your dreams.

Contact me today to learn more.

Ben Lerner

(805) 441-9486

**

Senior Loan Advisor NMLS 395723 ben.lerner@flagstar.com 1212 Marsh St., Suite 1 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

REAL ESTATE

BY THE NUMBERS

REGION

NUMBER OF HOMES SOLD

AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET

MEDIAN SELLING PRICE

2020

2021

2020

2021

2020

2021

Arroyo Grande

61

57

62

57

$802,429

$948,171

Atascadero

49

65

70

20

$608,598

$638,524

Avila Beach

3

5

29

63

$855,967 $2,047,600

Cambria/San Simeon

25

27

104

60

$853,920

Cayucos

22

13

199

52

$1,440,818 $1,269,692

Creston

1

0

52

0

$956,000

Grover Beach

17

28

52

18

$546,500 $658,496

Los Osos

24

25

39

24

$661,313

$762,158

Morro Bay

21

34

65

38

$655,301

$909,064

Nipomo

39

55

65

41

$681,595

$794,685

Oceano

14

10

91

52

$569,232

$628,667

Pismo Beach

20

26

76

60

$832,445 $1,175,435

Paso (Inside City Limits)

53

82

55

36

$522,265

$541,686

Paso (North 46 - East 101)

10

8

93

36

$876,800

$617,306

Paso (North 46 - West 101)

23

33

126

70

$644,889

$916,091

Paso (South 46 - East 101)

12

14

53

36

$567,500

$642,279

San Luis Obispo

65

86

52

37

$982,189 $1,009,449

Santa Margarita

3

7

196

69

$713,333

$941,286

25

27

95

67

$937,072

$736,935

458

585

70

41

$738,564

$841,754

$928,071

N/A

Equal Housing Lender | Member FDIC

Templeton ** Top 200 Mortgage Originator | Mortgage Executive Magazine

Not a commitment to lend. Programs available only to qualified borrowers. Subject to credit approval and underwriting terms and conditions. Programs subject 58 | without SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | APR/MAY 2021 to change notice.

Some restrictions may apply.

Countywide

*Comparing 01/01/20 - 3/17/20 to 01/01/21 - 03/17/21

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS

®

SLO LIFE

TIMELESS DESIGN FOR A CHANGING WORLD

PUGLISIDESIGN.COM | 805.595.1962

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| HEALTH

When a Migraine Attacks A complete look into the mechanics of migraine and holistic remedies.

BY LAUREN HARVEY

T 60

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he pain starts in the left temple. A dull, constant pressure soon morphs into a sharp dagger that spreads behind the left eye. Soon, sunlight is unbearable. The exhaust fumes of a passing car are toxic. And every small noise like a hammer, knocking the migraine deeper. Sounds unbearable, right?

For 12% of the American population, this scenario happens regularly. While there are manifold treatment options for a migraine, including preventative Botox treatments, there is no cure for a migraine. It’s accepted as an inevitable part of your life, if you’ve been diagnosed.

| APR/MAY 2021

Migraines are known as an “invisible illness” because there are no outward signs that someone may be experiencing one. Frequently, migraine sufferers are dismissed or invalidated because there are no outward physical signs of pain.

To be sure, migraines are very real. Here, we’ll explore what a migraine entails, who is most likely to suffer from them, and holistic remedies for treatment and prevention. >>

LAUREN HARVEY is a creative writer fueled by a love of cooking, adventure, and naps in the sun.

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you cough, move, or sneeze,” notes Medline Plus. Therefore, a dark quiet room is an ideal place to rest.

After enduring prodrome, aura, and the migraine attack, it’s easy to see why in the fourth phase, postdrome, migraine sufferers often feel drained, exhausted, and confused for up to a day.

From start to finish, the process of a migraine from prodrome to postdrome can last from three days up to a week.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES The most common migraine triggers, according to the American Migraine Foundation, include “. . . stress, changes in or an irregular sleep schedule, hormones, caffeine and alcohol, changes in the weather, diet, dehydration, light, smell and/or medication overuse.” Therefore, migraine triggers are a combination of elements within and out of our control.

Tracking migraine attacks and suspected triggers can help manage the onset of migraines. Investing in self-care activities aimed to reduce and manage stress can be useful. Adhering to a regular sleep schedule, monitoring caffeine and alcohol consumption and keeping a log of the foods you eat can also be beneficial in identifying migraine triggers.

WHAT IS A MIGRAINE? Migraines can affect anyone, but you are at greater risk “. . . if you are a woman, have a family history of migraines, or have other medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, sleep disorders, and epilepsy,” according to Medline Plus, a US National Library of Medicine publication. Becoming familiar with migraines and their symptoms may help differentiate between simple headaches and this painful “invisible illness.” A migraine entails four distinct phases, only one of which encompasses the actual migraine pain itself.

Even with rigorous prevention tactics, migraines are often unavoidable for most who are diagnosed. However, some prevention tactics have proved to significantly lower the severity and regularity of migraine attacks—and for sufferers, this small victory is a big win.

Teshamae Monteith, MD, FAHS, notes three potentially useful supplements in preventing migraines: vitamin B2; Coenzyme Q10; and magnesium. Two of these supplements in particular, vitamin B2 and magnesium, performed well in initial studies, providing an affordable, accessible prevention plan.

The first phase of a migraine, known as prodrome, happens one to two days before the migraine hits. “You might notice subtle changes that warn of an upcoming attack, including constipation, mood changes (from depression to euphoria), food cravings, neck stiffness, increased thirst and frequent yawning,” notes the Mayo Clinic. If you are attuned to your common prodrome symptoms, you may be able to effectively prevent the migraine before it happens.

Vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, assists in the metabolization of fats and proteins. Though unclear of exactly how vitamin B2 works neurologically in migraine relief, “It could be because some people who are deficient in it are more prone to migraine,” concludes Dr. Monteith. Certainly, the results of a study in the European Journal of Neurology, provides hopeful results for migraine sufferers. “Twenty-three people who took daily doses of 400 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2) for six months reported half the number of headaches per month—from four to two—and reduced their use of medicines from seven pills per month to four-and-a-half,” reports Dr. Monteith.

If the prodrome symptoms aren’t enough to signal an oncoming attack, take note of the second phase of a migraine, known as aura. “Each [aura] symptom usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes and lasts for 20-60 minutes,” the Mayo Clinic explains. “Examples of migraine aura include visual phenomena, vision loss, pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg, weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body, difficulty speaking, hearing noises or music, and uncontrollable jerking or other movements.” Some migraine sufferers experience flashing lights or zig-zag lines in the field of vision, which can be alarming if not associated as an aura symptom.

Magnesium is an essential mineral in the body, regulating nerve function, blood sugar levels, and the creation of protein. Similar to vitamin B2, “People with migraines may have lower levels of magnesium than those who don’t have migraines,” says Dr. Monteith, suspecting this may be why magnesium proves so effective in migraine prevention. A study published in Cephalalgia revealed migraine attacks reduced in frequency by 41.6% in participants. “Those taking magnesium had fewer migraine days and took fewer drugs to treat symptoms,” says Dr. Monteith.

The third phase of migraine is the most notorious—migraine attack. Migraine attacks can last anywhere from four to seventy-two hours, if left untreated. They are often debilitating, leaving the migraine sufferer incapable of performing day-to-day activities. In addition to the attack itself, “other symptoms include sensitivity to light, noise and odors, nausea, vomiting, and worsened pain when

Small changes in daily routine and diet may help to reduce the duration, frequency, and severity of migraine attacks. Primary care physicians may be able to recommend medical treatment that works preventatively for migraines. Consult your doctor before taking any new supplements. >>

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TEN OVER is on a mission to amplify local voices working to better our community.

To this end, we are donating the following ad space to local nonprofit organizations in need.

Together, we can leave the world better than we found it.

T E N O V E RS T UD IO. C O M

Jack’s Helping Hand has been providing financial assistance with transportation, food, lodging, equipment and medical bills for local children with cancer, disabilities and special needs for 15 years.

The current climate has had an impact on these families creating an additional burden to their challenge of having a medically fragile child.

“I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT JACK’S HELPING HAND.” Now is the perfect time to make a difference in a child’s life by reaching out through Jack’s Helping Hand.

jackshelpinghand.org || 805-547-1914 || 710 Fiero Lane #16 San Luis Obispo, CA APR/MAY 2021

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spin

LO S E W EIG HT . BU R N FAT G ET IN SHAP E BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

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HOLISTIC TREATMENT Though migraine treatments vary widely, one common thread seems to remain the same—the assertion that the best treatment for a migraine is prevention. In fact, once a migraine sets in, there is little one can do to stop it. Our best chance is to have an arsenal of symptomrelieving options at the ready. In the event of an attack, we can be prepared to fight back.

For holistic remedies, dark room rest, drinking water, and eating well work best. A cold compress, hot shower, and aromatherapy with peppermint oil may also help. If you can handle the heat, a spoonful of ginger may provide some relief.

According to a study published in Phytotherapy Research, “One hundred patients who had acute migraines were randomly assigned to be treated with either ginger powder or a prescription drug used to treat migraine. Two hours after taking either treatment, headache severity decreased significantly, but the side effects of ginger were less than those of the prescription drug.” Dr. Monteith recommends taking a quarter teaspoon of ginger powder mixed with water.

The American Migraine Foundation provides a multitude of free resources for navigating life with migraines. There’s even an app, called Migraine Buddy, which allows sufferers to easily track attacks in all phases, along with what helped to relieve symptoms.

A migraine effects everyone differently. If someone you care about suffers from migraines, sometimes what they need most is a dark room, quiet time, and your support. Because of its status as an “invisible illness” migraine sufferers are often invalidated in their pain. Standing by your loved one, and believing their pain can sometimes be the best thing to do.

FINAL WORD

755 Alphonso Street . SLO [off Broad Street]

8420 El Camino Real . Atascadero

805.439.1881

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Migraines affect 12% of Americans, and are often unavoidable. Holistic remedies provide prevention and treatment options. If someone you care for suffers from migraines, offer your support and a dark, quiet place to rest their aching head. SLO LIFE

"The best medical office I have ever walked into... everyone is so nice and caring!" - a patient

Kenneth P. Tway, MD, FACC

L. Christina Fundingsland, PA-C 1106 Pacific Street, SLO (805) 546-9500 www.kennethtwaymd.com

Keeping SLO Heart Healthy since 1987

YOGA & FITNESS CLASSES IN STUDIO, LIVESTREAM, OUTDOORS AND WELLNESS LIFESTYLE BOUTIQUE DOWNTOWN SLO, 672 HIGUERA ST WWW.SLOYOGACENTER.COM | (805) 598-7100

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TOP 5 BEHAVIORS

SPONSORED

Are you are living with a loved one who has a hearing problem?

Peter A. Lucier Hearing Instrument Specialist

Whose problem is the hearing loss? People with hearing loss sometimes forget that their issues affect everyone around them. In some cases, many tasks are taken on by the “significant others” who assume the role of translator when communicating with family members, healthcare providers, accountants, mechanics, and countless others.

1. Speaking Louder

As practitioners know, louder is not always clearer, nor does it always solve hearing challenges. The poor choice of not wearing hearing aids is one that affects family and friends and not just the hearing-impaired person.

2. Becoming the Messenger

Out of love, compassion, and instinct to help anyone in need, family members often repeat and interpret what their loved ones miss. In the early stages of hearing loss, this is common and helpful, but it can eventually become a daunting task and lead to co- dependence in family dynamics. This can in-turn lead to ill-gotten emotions, feelings, and actions by everyone including anger, anxiety, avoidance, defensiveness, or depression.

3. Preventing Isolation

Data show that the mere process of aging can often result in social isolation. Add hearing issues to the mix, and those with untreated loss pose higher risks for finding themselves in a dark corner. They may feel abandoned by the family, ignored by friends, and excluded from activities, all because they cannot hear well enough in these social situations.

4. Overcoming Resistance

There comes a time when untreated hearing loss usually reaches a tipping point. In a true codependent relationship where a husband refuses help and the wife enjoys being his “ears,” we know she is doing him a disservice. If her behavior persists, he will progressively lose his independence and grow to depend on her even more. Change happens when the wife finally asks: “Whose problem is this anyway?” She must become confident enough, and her husband must grow strong enough, to look each other in the eye and admit it is time for change.

5. Seeking Inspiration or Begging for Treatment We practitioners know that it often takes years of coaxing and nagging for one spouse to convince the other to get help. Once patients and significant other are in the office for an evaluation, the spouse may well become a positive force when they see the benefits of hearing aids, because in a relationship both people have a hearing problem.

Peter A. Lucier, has been a practicing Hearing Instrument Specialists for 22 years.

If you would like more information, please contact us today for an appointment.

HEARING AID SPECIALISTS OF THE CENTRAL COAST, INC. WWW.SLOCOUNTYHEARINGAIDS.COM 66

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Do you or a loved one have hearing aids that are not working to their full potential, or even worse, you have stopped using them altogether?

At Hearing Aid Specialists of The Central Coast, we have developed a solution that brings your old hearing aids back to life. The practice owner, Peter Lucier, has over 22 years of experience. He has repaired and restored just about every brand of hearing aid. Peter has an All Make Repair Lab at both offices in San Luis Obispo and Atascadero.

$49

CLEAN & RESTORE YOUR HEARING AID

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1 2 3 2 6 L o s O s o s Va l l e y R o a d . S a n L u i s O b i s p o . ( 8 0 5 ) 4 3 9 - 3 5 8 6 7070 Morro Road, Suite D . Atascadero . (805) 460-7385 APR/MAY 2021

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| TASTE

Rogue Pizza

BY JAIME LEWIS

I

invented this term to describe pizza made and shared via non-traditional channels. While everyone loves a good pizzeria, rogue pizza asks us to search in unconventional places to pick up our pies—backyards, bakeries, and commercial kitchens. Often, the people making them are accomplished chefs. But when COVID forced the shutdown and slowdown of business as usual, they had to get creative.

So why pizza? When I posed this question to the three pizzaioli I interviewed for this story, each answered with some version of the same thing: because pizza is sturdy, portable, delicious, and economical for both the cook and the customer.

Come along with me on a journey through SLO County’s secret pickup pizzaland, where the cheese is hot, the toppings are fresh, and you never ever have to wait in line. >>

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JAIME LEWIS writes about food, drink, and the good life from her home in San Luis Obispo. Find her on Instagram/Twitter @jaimeclewis.

DI Y Woodfire

Kean McCabe was working on the line at Ember in Arroyo Grande and at the Morro Bay Oyster Company right before COVID hit. When both businesses went into a holding pattern, he took the opportunity to launch Earth & Oven, his private pizza catering business in Los Osos.

McCabe and his father built his oven together based on Native American construction, with mud and hay, which cures rock-hard on the inside from the heat of wood burning.

Earth & Oven began as a pizza pickup cottage industry, but due to regulations, McCabe now bills himself as a caterer with a particular knack for woodfired pizza parties. Because I have the best job in the world, I get to nab one of McCabe’s pizzas he made for one of those parties: BBQ chicken with homemade hoisin BBQ sauce, red onion, cilantro aioli, and avocado—a daring selection of toppings. The crust is thin and a little crispy around the edge, but the center is soft and pliable, which McCabe calls “flatbread style.”

“The oven sets me apart,” he says. “Engineering a vessel that you can serve food from really connects you with your craft, with what you produce.” >> APR/MAY 2021

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The Pickup Powerhouse

“Making pizza is not new to me,” says Tim Veatch, the highenergy chef behind Wayward Baking Co., also in Los Osos.

“I’ve been working with pizza, woodfired or otherwise, for the duration of my career.”

Veatch’s career is storied, that’s for sure, with stints in fine dining in the Bay Area as well as executive chef gigs across SLO County. But even before COVID hit, Veatch left the line for baking bread and pastries. Eventually, he offered these to the public through pickup locations around the county and, later, from his own bakery storefront in Los Osos. The irony, of course, is that he never really opened the bakery to the public; it’s just a commercial kitchen and pickup spot.

And now, Veatch is coming around full circle to pizza again. I visit on his first pizza pickup night, and he’s already nearly sold out. My pie of choice is the asparagus and pistachio pizza, made with a mixture of high-gluten flour dough and garlicky white sauce—but the types of pies change every week. He calls his style “Neo-Neapolitan,” with a crust that’s soft in the middle but sturdier around the edges than a true Neapolitan pizza, in part due to the fact that he’s baking in a gas oven instead of a woodburning one. The crust has a pleasing chew, and the flavors of the cheese and toppings are subtle and refined. >>

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Selling Paso - by Miranda Battenburg

Selling Paso - by Miranda Battenburg Over 20 years local experience Miranda brings strong branding & marketing to your listing Berkshire Hathaway HomeSerivces knows great homes Full service local brokerage Complementary market analysis Represents buyers and sellers Quality properties

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If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard this offer. It is not my intention to solicit your listing.

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Professor of Pizza

Ben Arrona has never been to Detroit, but you’d never know that from eating the Detroit-style pizza he sells most Tuesdays from his commercial kitchen in SLO. With a two-inch crust that’s piled high with toppings, each Benny’s Kitchen pizza weighs nearly seven pounds. Just don’t expect anything exotic.

“I do red sauce and standard toppings,” he says. “No white sauce, no pesto, no artichoke hearts.” I ask him to make mine however he wants and he gives me the works: pepperoni, sausage, onion, olives, and a healthy dose of jalapenos. It is delicious.

But making pizzas is a detour for Arrona; while finishing his PhD in Global and Imperial History at Oxford University in England, COVID sent him back to SLO, his hometown.

“I started running Benny’s out of necessity after COVID hit,” he says, describing how he leased his kitchen last fall after making Detroit-style pizza for friends for years. All orders and communication happen via a private Facebook group (which just passed 4,000 members) wherein customers choose a pickup time.

On Tuesday evenings, the Benny’s Kitchen sees one hundred people come in for their pies. And on Thursdays, Arrona can be found selling his vacuum-sealed, par-baked pizzas at Liquid Gravity in Paso Robles.

In the meantime, he sublets the kitchen to local caterers. “I work two thirteen-hour days a week on pizza. Otherwise, I’m writing my dissertation and teaching and trying to live my life.” SLO LIFE

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| WINE NOTES

new to town

BY ANDRIA MCGHEE

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eaching out to others has become vital these days.

Since spring of last year, neighbors have been getting to know each other as our lives have shifted to being more at home. It’s a primal need to connect to other humans. It keeps us balanced. Even the introverts are screaming hellos across the road to one another.

When you’re new to a neighborhood during a pandemic, it’s hard to meet

people. These wineries are the hip new kids in town waiting to meet everyone. They’ve already spent years growing grapes and making wine and now they are ready to debut them. This was not the year they expected and they have found themselves hunkered down like the rest of the world with a bunch of wine in their lap. So read up on them, check out their website, and give them a call to set up a wine tasting. They can’t wait to meet you. >>

ANDRIA MCGHEE received her advanced degree in wines and spirits from WSET in London and enjoys travel, food, wine, and exercise as a means to enjoy those around her.

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Timshel Vineyards // Vinho Verde // $20

RagTag Winery // Pinot Noir // $56

Greg and Becca Thompson had always loved wine and learned more as they traveled. Two of their children studied viticulture and so they decided to combine their love of wine with their children’s talent and start a winery. Their son, Nate Thompson happily took the job as winemaker.

When you walk in the charming square in downtown Paso Robles you can try many of the local wines and grab a bite to eat without having to spend time driving around all day. Brother and sister team Jeff Huskey and Sarah Brewer want to bring the same feel to downtown San Luis Obispo, hopefully opening this spring.

The quality of the wine shows his attentiveness. Nate worked with many winemakers as well as growers. He has learned that a combined close eye on the grapes in the field, as well as a true winemaking approach in the cellar, works well. He uses organic farming practices that are shown to produce high quality wines. In the cellar of local favorite Filipponi Ranch he tries to intervene as little as possible using low sulfur and low pH for people sensitive to sulfites. With Taco Temple nearby, a little taco and wine tasting is an easy pairing.

Huskey has been working in wineries since he was a student at Cal Poly. His sister, Brewer, a business brain, thought he was talented and put the idea out there to start a winery together someday. Huskey wanted to be sure of his abilities before embarking on his own, so he spent time working with Patrick Muran at Niner Wine Estates and Chuck Mulligan at Harmony Cellars, before finally deciding to go for it in 2017.

Though I loved his Syrah and Rose, the Vinho Verde intrigued me. I enjoy trying different white wine varieties.

It’s noncommittal, you haven’t spent an arm and a leg on the bottle, and you’re left with bright, great flavors and fresh tastes. New flavors open up a world before your eyes.

My favorite are the flavors of green. This Portugese grape says green right in its name. It’s the freshest version of hiking in a forest, or maybe on the coast with a little unripe peach, and perhaps pineapple. Very well balanced. As all the wines are, it was a treat. Find their offerings at many restaurants and from their winery. Reach out for a taste. I think you’ll like your new neighbors.

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This is a rag tag bunch. They have collected a group of people with diverse talents, ideas, and backgrounds to make this winery. Their goal is to produce the best wine experience they can. It shows. If the same quality that goes into their website and wine goes into their tasting room downtown, it should be fantastic.

I gravitated toward the Pinot Noir because the grapes from Greengate vineyard they use consistently make great pinot noir. Rag Tag just hit it out of the park.

It may be a little steep in price but save your pennies, and you’ll be surprised with tastes of raspberry and cherry with a finish as long as the waves out in Pismo. Keep an eye out for the winery to open soon downtown across the street from The Creeky Tiki. Check their website, or give them a call.

Our local community has a great way of connecting with each other. Extend yourself to some new wineries and let’s bring these makers into our warm sunny embrace. You’ll be happy you did. SLO LIFE

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Sip & Mix

| BREW

BY BRANT MYERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER OLSON

I

recently had a virtual sit down with Abe Stevens, the founder, owner, chief mop operator, and more importantly, the distiller at the Humboldt Distillery in Fortuna. We chatted about the health of California’s waterways, the versatility of sugar cane, carrot juice bloody mary recipes, and why I like traditional rum and colas so much. Stevens’ team sent me four bottles of their flagship spirits, so I sat down with my flock of Glencairn glasses as we walked through the history of distilleries in America and how his philosophy has shaped his business model and is reflected in every bottle. Readers, please note that I will do most anything for free alcohol, including waking up at six in the morning to write an article after drinking straight hooch for nearly two hours the day before.

As you’ve likely gleaned, Humboldt Distillery is located in Humboldt County, a place notorious for one thing: Humboldt fog, an amazingly creamy blue cheese. But we’re not here to talk about cheese. Maybe go back a few pages and ask Jamie Lewis. Anyway, where were we?

Yes, Humboldt County where Stevens has a family history going back five generations. He left there for college in Chicago where he received degrees in chemistry and biochemistry before pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry. So, if there’s anyone well qualified to make a mean Painkiller it would be Stevens. He bounced around various professions and eventually landed back on the lost coast. Like most hobbyists in the alcohol game, he dreamed of doing it professionally and that’s how Humboldt Distillery was born.

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After chatting for some time, I was really impressed with Stevens’ philosophy on sustainability, especially when it comes to preserving fresh and salt water health. Being located between both, and utilizing their water from old growth redwood forest watersheds, the distillery is eco-conscious in their footprint while serving the community through the sourcing of local ingredients and setting aside proceeds from each bottle sold to the California Coastkeeper Alliance. I like that, it’s the same coastline we have here in SLO County. I also like their bottle art, a lot. At first glance, I assumed it was just a nod to their coastal location but the vibrant crab and pelican labels take on a new meaning when you attach it to their conservation efforts. They want to be clear, there is no crab in their vodka. I had a lobster saison once and suggested he add crab sometime. I think there was an issue with our phone connection, as it went silent for a bit afterwards.

I went through tasting two base spirits with a variant of each. The first was their flagship vodka made from organic certified sugar cane, this neutral spirit has taken home many medals including the Bartender Spirits Award Double Gold and Vodka of the Year. I’ve gone through a few vodka tastings in my career and this was about as clean and neutral as they come. A great compliment to any cocktail, or sipped casually while wearing a fur coat in an ice bar, it was smooth and didn’t have a lingering aftertaste I’m accustomed to, a character that Stevens notes comes from using sugar cane as opposed to >>

BRANT MYERS is a beer industry veteran and founder of SLO BIIIG, a hospitality consulting firm.

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Next up, we tackle the rums, with the Original being a small-batch 80 proof Gold Rum and the Spiced Rum being an adjunct-based variation of the Original.

Humboldt is known for growing lots of things and, unfortunately, sugar cane is not one, but they do source it domestically from farms and mills in Florida and the southern US. I was curious what form it arrives in and was informed they get it as raw evaporated cane juice, a product reminiscent of a popular brown sugar packet you might find in a coffee shop, and the black plasma that is pure molasses. Aged in American White Oak formerly one-use bourbon barrels from Kentucky, the char inside the barrel is what gives this rum its golden coloration.

I tried using the spiced rum in my afternoon rum and cola but didn’t like it one bit. Funny though, because sipping it neat I rather enjoyed the flavors. Finally able to ask a professional the reason for this, Stevens ably explained that the more common pirate-themed rums rely heavily on artificial sweeteners and the cost effective use of imitation vanilla. Well, thanks for ruining it for me, but I guess ignorance is bliss. Since then, I’ve been experimenting with the two rums into both traditional and more innovative cocktails. If you’re feeling thirsty, try my recipe for a Bee’s Knees: BEE’S KNEES 3 parts Original Gold Rum 1 part orange juice 1 part lime juice 1 jigger triple sec Shake and strain into a fancy glass

the common grains used in most vodkas. I next tasted Humboldt’s Finest, a hemp infused botanical spirit, that we most definitely can not legally call a gin as it relies less on juniper berries and more on the aromatic terpenes of hemp. Hey, a beer term!

Terpenes are volatile oils found naturally in many foods and plants. This particular one is myrcene, which is found in hops and is responsible for the peppery, spicy, balsam fragrance in beer. I’m picking up a distinct raw carrot aroma and Stevens confirms this then immediately tells me about making a carrot juice bloody mary. I’m intrigued. If you are too, try this: CARROT JUICE BLOODY MARY 2 ounces Humboldt’s Finest 4 ounces carrot juice 2 tsp horseradish 2 dashes hot sauce 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 1 pinch each celery salt and black pepper Squeeze of lemon 80

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I ended my conversation with Stevens asking about future plans for the distillery and what trends he sees in the future of distilled spirits. Humboldt Distillery is hoping to double production in 2021 with over twelve thousand cases projected. He will continue to protect the water, which is so vital to his operations through continued sourcing of local ingredients, adherence to his organic distilling process, and use of organic certified sugar cane and spices. He really threw me a curveball when I asked where spirits were headed and he waxed on about brandy, specifically apple brandy, making a resurgence like its 1821. He gets to experiment in his facility and some of these get to be enjoyed by locals, so maybe we’ll be seeing his apple brandy on shelves soon. But in the meantime, be on the lookout for bold woodcut designs of crabs and pelicans next time you’re in the liquor aisle. So, let’s raise a JENNIFER OLSON is a glass to the towering redwoods food, portrait, and lifestyle photographer based in San and toast to the health of our Luis Obispo County with her coastlines, and to ourselves. husband and two sons.

Cheers! SLO LIFE

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| HAPPENINGS

Culture & Events CaliforniaAesthetic3D

Brew at the Zoo

A celebration of the California spirit through sculpture, CA3D features work created with elements of wood, stone, metal, and glass— earthly materials that yield to an unearthly aesthetic captured through frozen emotion.

Curated by wood sculptor Ken Wilbanks and glass artist Stephanie Wilbanks, the exhibit features California sculptors Carl Berney, Peter Charles, Mecki Heussen, George Jercich, Ron Roundy, and Ken Wilbanks.

Through May 3 // studiosonthepark.org

This annual event has transformed into “Brew at the Zoo At-Home Fest.” Purchase tickets online and receive a fourteen-pack of craft beer from California and Oregon brewers delivered to your front door no later than two days before the event. Then you’ll receive a link so you can tunein to experience live behind-thescenes animal tours with experienced zookeepers, enjoy fun facts from your brewmasters, and listen to tunes from some of your favorite local bands.

April 24 // charlespaddockzoo.org

Mid-State Fair Market The Paso Robles Event Center is hosting a new monthly outdoor shopping experience. Located in the Oak Tree Lot on Riverside Avenue at the Event Center, each day represents an opportunity to find antiques, new and used treasures, and handmade crafts from local artisans. Find apparel, beauty products, and more for home, garden, or kitchen. Best of all, it’s free.

April 16 & May 14 // midstatefair.com

Design Village 2021

Broken Nature The Morro Bay Art Association hosts a mixed-media exhibit celebrating Earth Day April 22 and encouraging artistic expression in textile, encaustic, oil, watercolor, acrylic, photography, and other media. The free event asks “Can we mend the divides in our broken society or find strategies to unbreak the cycle to heal ourselves and the planet?” and seeks to illustrate living sustainably within the earth’s finite resources.

April 8 - May 24 // artcentermorrobay.org

Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design hosts its annual daylong competition encouraging students to “learn by doing.”This year titled “Perspective,” the virtual event is free for all to go online and enjoy digitally-designed structures created by students to be built in Poly Canyon. You can vote on the People’s Choice award, follow the judging, and at the end of the day watch the final awards ceremony.

April 17 // events.calpoly.edu

Wine 4 Paws For the thirteenth year in a row, more than fifty SLO County businesses will donate a percentage of their sales to Woods Humane Society the second weekend in April. Pick your option: ordering from home or venturing out safely with a reservation and mask in hand.

No tickets needed—just support one of the participating wineries or retailers, and you’ll be helping homeless pets, “One glass at a time.”

April 10-11 // woodshumanesociety.org 82

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The May Flower Initiative 2021 Downtown SLO presents the second round of its successful public art project, The May Flower Initiative, launched last year during the COVID shutdown. It’s back this year to brighten downtown San Luis Obispo with colorful floral designs painted on vacant storefront windows.

New for 2021: creative place-making and expanded décor.

April 29-May 31 // downtownSLO.com

Fiesta in a Bottle Modeling Central Coast Railroads Michael Burrell explores the hobby and craft of modeling Central Coast railroads using photos, video, and audio commentary in this hour-long virtual event sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum.

April 24 // slorrm.com

Kick off your summer in Avila Beach on Memorial Day weekend at the ninth annual Tequila Festival at Avila Beach Golf Resort. Featuring live music, tequila tastings, food for purchase, and free parking, a portion of ticket sales benefits The Rossi Foundation. Check out the optional VIP seminar hosted by Cantera Negra.

May 29 // eventbrite.com SLO LIFE

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