SLO LIFE Magazine FebMar 2018 by SLO LIFE Magazine

LIFE SLO magazine

LOCAL TASTE

CENTRA COAST REAL E

BEHIND THE

SCENES SEASONAL BREWING

BRIEFS

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MEET

RUSHDI CADER

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CONTENTS

Volume 9 Number 1 Feb/Mar 2018

34 RUSHDI CADER

Advocating for vulnerable people is how this “doc to cop” describes his life’s work.

12 14 16 18 8

Publisher’s Message Info On the Cover In Box

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

Briefs

Check out the latest news highlight reel.

Timeline

We take a look at local events from the past two months.

View

With a preference for film over digital, PERRY SCHUGART captures the magic of the moment.

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| CONTENTS

Q&A

With an established career in Morro Bay already under her belt, ANDREA LUEKER dove in head first with her job as Harbormaster at Port San Luis.

Look no further for insight into the local housing market as we share the year-to-date statistics of home sales for both the City and the County of San Luis Obispo.

Legacy

Real Estate Health

Long dismissed as nothing but a second place supplement, Vitamin K2 is making a name for itself in the health community, and we review a few of the reasons you might want to include more of it in your diet.

A steady hand and a focused vision have been the tell-tale signs marking the career of GIL STORK. Lucky for us, we had the chance to connect with him on the eve of his retirement from Cuesta College.

Now Hear This

The MOTHER CORN SHUCKERS embody the fun-filled, positive culture that defines the Central Coast music scene.

On the Rise

Known for launching the “I Have a Dream Wall” in downtown San Luis Obispo, a zest for life motivates Mission Prep senior LAUREN FROST as she readies for college.

Inspiration

After overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, STEPHANIE GREEN shares her passion for helping others through poetry.

Family

On the hunt for the perfect place to play, PADEN HUGHES spends an afternoon at the newest, and perhaps most fun, park in town.

Taste With a busy young family to feed, JAIME LEWIS takes a culinary tour of some of the Central Coast’s best, and in some cases, most nutritious, fast-casual restaurants.

K itchen

Now that chilly winter days are here, CHEF JESSIE RIVAS shares the secret for preparing a piping hot bowl of french onion soup, a perennial classic.

90 56

Dwelling

Looking for a fresh start and ready to rebuild, LYNNE CALLAHAN discovered a place to call home in the seaside community of Shell Beach. 10

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

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Brew

Move over West Coast India Pale Ale. There’s a new beer in town and BRANT MYERS has the low-down, and interesting background, on this New England-style draft.

Happenings Looking for something to do? We’ve got you covered. Check out the calendar to discover the best events around the Central Coast in February and March.

Where Old World Charm

Meets New World Style

Timeless Treasures Home Consignments

2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY The Timeless Treasures Team would like to Thank You SLO County for another great year! We appreciate all your business and for making us the largest on the Central Coast. Andrea, Phil, Linda, Nick, John, & Anne

(805) 202-4447 • 4554 Broad Street, SLO HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12-5pm

timelesstreasuresslo.com

We are located across from the SLO Airport. FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

IHOP The other day, my twelve-year-old son, Donovan, asked me, “Dad, what’s an exchange student?” My mind short-circuited momentarily as it scanned old memories. I grew up in a place during a time when the primary industry was cotton farming. My mother’s side of the family, the Pratts, had been in the business going on four generations by the time I made my entrance into the world. Times have changed, as they always do, but Visalia then had its own unique culture. Looking back on it now, the scrappy San Joaquin Valley town, a little more than two hours east of here, was something like its own republic within the state of California. And, it was against this backdrop of dusty old pick-ups driven by hard-working, fun-loving, salt-of-the-earth, dove hunting, early rising, country music listening good ol’ boys, that my parents turned our home into what I came to refer to as the “International House of Pancakes.” Mom is the unlikely farm girl who left the ranch. It was a trip to Turkey that blew her mind. And to this day, she recalls the animated street vendors cooking up exotically delicious concoctions with spices and flavors she had never experienced as she strolled around haggling for souvenirs. The Turkish nazar or “evil eye” is still among her favorite worldly possessions and can be found watching over the house to this day, discouraging any mischief-making spirits. That trip led to many others, and it also reset Mom’s internal wiring to reflexively seek out and love all things foreign, including my dad. Dad is Croatian—when I was a kid everyone called it Yugoslavia—and he followed Mom back to the endless sea of white cotton fields that blanketed the horizon in every direction. When he wasn’t lost in a Croatian novel or studying a Russian grammar textbook, he sometimes attempted to teach my sisters and me Serbo-Croatian. It didn’t last long, and aside from a half-dozen exceedingly colorful cuss words, the only thing I can remember is “ćuk,” which means “little owl.” If Visalia had an embassy, it was our house. The record player was constantly spinning Neda, Croatia’s version of Madonna, or some Bavarian folk music. As long as it was foreign—ABBA and Freddy Fender also qualified—it could be heard from sunup to sundown. My sisters and I, waking up on just about any given morning, stumbled bleary-eyed down the hallway wearing our nightgowns—oversized t-shirts that Dad brought home from a visit to “the old country.” Emblazoned loudly on the front was an emblem encapsulating the red and white checkerboard Croatian flag framed with the words, “Hajduk Split,” the country’s revered soccer team. If we were lucky, there would have been some leftover Nutella in the tiny little glass jar Mom bootlegged back from Germany. This was before you could buy a two-pack of plastic-shrouded two-pound tubs at Costco for $11.99. We were a working class family. Mom was a teacher; Dad was an auto mechanic. Money was always tight, but it never really felt that way. While my cosmopolitan parents, both of them day-dream believers, would fantasize about one day taking the whole family to Europe, we knew it wasn’t in the cards—teaching English as a Second Language and turning a wrench down at the Toyota dealership only paid so much. Mom and Dad, instead, conspired to bring the world to us. In addition to the people that showed up on our doorstep claiming to be relatives—I remain skeptical in more than one case—only to drain my dad’s reserve of Šljivovica (Croatian moonshine), we began welcoming kids from all over the globe. Also, Mom, who by now was teaching at the community college, would bring her “Student of the Week” over for ice cream. My sisters and I began to see the world through their stories, where they grew up in places like Laos, Pakistan, Ireland, Nigeria, Honduras, Iran, and Cambodia. It was around this same time that my mom, in order to supplement our income, as well as to service her wanderlust, each summer would escort a group of wide-eyed high school kids to Deutschland. In addition to replenishing our supply of Nutella, she would often return with some disoriented, culture-shocked German kid in tow, who would invariably marvel at what we thought were the most mundane, everyday things, like ice cube trays. This bringing-the-world-to-us routine went on for years, and it still does to this day. The most recent guest was from Morocco, I think. But, I did make an impassioned plea to my parents to cool it once I got my driver’s license, because rolling up to high school with a United Nations assortment of exchange students wearing some version of “I love Disneyland” t-shirts was taking a toll on my social standing. But, while I zigged, my sisters zagged. Both of them went on to become exchange students themselves, continuing to travel and study languages along the way. Like my mom, they both developed a love for all things foreign. One sister married an Italian, who is from South Africa. And the other married a Turk named Mehmet Ali, who we call Dali. Now, any time we all visit the old IHOP, I cannot resist teasing Mom with my outrageous conspiracy theory claiming that Dali is actually my long-lost brother, a love child from her days in Turkey. Mom always turns bright red with embarrassment as Dali, not missing a beat, wraps her in an exuberant bear hug, dramatically exclaiming, “Oh, Mother, why did you leave me?!” And, as for me? I married the girl next door. I would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone who has 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 12

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T I L E S H O W R O O M & N AT U R A L S T O N E S L A B YA R D C U S T O M C O U N T E R O P FA B R I C AT I O N & I N S TA L L AT I O N SHOWROOM HOURS MON-FRI 10-5, SAT 10-3 SLMARBLE.COM, 5452 ENDA RD

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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 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sheryl Disher CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paden Hughes Dawn Janke Jaime Lewis Brant Myers Jessie Rivas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Elizabeth Gohr Vanessa Plakias Trevor Povah Perry Schugart 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. 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.

Ben Lerner

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CIRCULATION, COVERAGE AND ADVERTISING RATES Complete details regarding circulation, coverage and advertising rates, space, sizes and similar information are available to prospective advertisers. Please call or email for a media kit. Closing date is 30 days before date of issue. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@slolifemagazine.com 4251 S. Higuera Street, Suite 800 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Letters chosen for publication may be edited for clarity and space limitations.

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| ON THE COVER

A S NE A K P E E K

BEHIND the scenes WITH RUSHDI CADER

BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

There was very little small talk with Rushdi. We ended up talking about the meaning of life. Really, we did. I could have stayed all day to continue the conversation.

He has three cats and a dog. His dog is named Talyâ, which means “lamb” in Aramaic. I said—oh gosh, I don’t want to admit this—“What is Aramaic?” And he said, “The language of Jesus.” We smiled.

He gave me a tour of his beautiful home and one of his cats came over to say hello. The first cat Zira— which got its name from the character in “Planet of the Apes”—brushed up against my boots. He picked her up, laughed, and said, “This is my Dr. Evil shot,” from the movie “Austin Powers.” SLO LIFE He was sort of joking around, explaining that he goes from “doc to cop” during the day. And, I said, “That’s interesting because I go from classroom to darkroom.” 16

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With over 75 years of collective Central Coast Real Estate experience - let The Avenue guide you home.

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Take us with you! Hey, SLO LIFE readers: Send us your photos the next time you’re relaxing in town or traveling far and away with your copy of the magazine. Email us at info@slolifemagazine.com NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND

HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM

ROSEMARY BAXTER

OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA JIM MCCONAGHY and MICHELLE GAUDETTE

THE TEJADA FAMILY enjoying the beach at Beaches Ocho Rios in Jamaica. 18

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Just wanted to let you know that your December/ January cover color was perfect considering I read it as I started chemo treatment the next day for breast cancer. — DEE LAWSON

EVEREST BASE CAMP

SUMAN, STACI, SABITHA, and MATT

STACI WASHMUTH and MATT CARVER with SUMAN, our guide, and his wife, SABITHA, who joined along as she had always heard about Suman’s adventures but had never been to base camp herself. After a month on the go between Nepal, Thailand, and Monterey, I have to say it’s good to be home!

HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS

Enjoying the SLO Life at the 95th annual HAWKINS FAMILY reunion. FEB/MAR 2018

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You showed us... UDAIPUR, INDIA

JOHN and FREDENE MAULHARDT with friend JIM NISBET, overlooking our Taj Lake Palace hotel on the Lake Pichola, the former summer palace of the Maharana of Udaipur.

SANDPOINT, IDAHO

Enjoying a New Year’s sleigh ride in Sandpoint, Idaho with the MEES, SPANNBAUER, and HENDERSON FAMILIES and friends at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch while enjoying SLO Life Magazine!

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

SETH and SOPHIE JOSE with their grandpa, TERRY HANSEN, at Brookfield Zoo. 20

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DAVID and DIANA WEHNER in front of the Bakong Temple.

Concrete, done be er

FEB/MAR 2018

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URIQUE, MEXICO

LOUVRE ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

MATT and KIM WORMLEY

CAROL and RICHARD MORTENSEN at the bottom of the Copper Canyon.

FREEPORT, BAHAMAS

DEAD SEA

ROBIN and SABRINA CINTRA bobbing in the Dead Sea trying to read SLO Life!

JIM and RHONDA SEYBERT

Please send your photos and comments to info@slolifemagazine.com Follow SLO LIFE on Facebook: Visit facebook.com/slolifemagazine Visit us online at slolifemagazine.com Letters may be edited for content and clarity. To be considered for publication your letter should include your name, city, state, phone number or email address (for authentication purposes). 22

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805.927.0374 | ecotoneslandscapes.com | LIC # 767033

DESIGN • BUILD • MAINTAIN

FEB/MAR 2018

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| BRIEFS

“Her name is Joan.” The Central Coast Aquarium announced that it had a new, temporary, eight-armed resident: Joan, a giant Pacific octopus with approximately 2,000 suction cups, which was accidentally caught by a fisherman and will be released back to the ocean after its rehabilitation.

100%

Hearst Castle announced that its Visitor Center was becoming completely sun-powered with the addition of a solar shade structure over its parking lot. With 1,812 solar units, their cost per kwh will drop from 15 to 20 cents to a flat 11 cents per kwh.

“…I believe that real journalists can make a difference.” Sandra Duerr, in her goodbye letter to readers, after serving as the San Luis Obispo Tribune’s editor for the past 19 years.

“There is so much bad blood—too much. Too much mistrust, and quite frankly, even raw hatred on this board.” Adam Hill expressed at a recent County Board of Supervisors meeting, where Hill, who represents District 3, was passed over once again for the chairmanship role. John Peschong, by a 3-2 vote, with Hill and Bruce Gibson opposed, was once again elected chairman. A week later, Peschong announced that the Board would be holding fewer public meetings by half, two per month instead of four. 24

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65,607 The number of applications Cal Poly received for attendance beginning next fall, setting a new record for the university.

“…there is no other applicable charge as manslaughter does not apply as it requires additional elements that there is not evidence to support.” Dan Dow, District Attorney of San Luis Obispo County, on his personal Facebook page commenting on the Grover Beach dog mauling case which resulted in the death of David Fear, who was protecting his neighbor, Betty Long. The defendant, who is the dog owner and a former Grover Beach police officer, is now arguing that the DA should be removed from the case based on his social media musings.

$8,000,000 The amount of revenue that San Luis Coastal Unified School District will lose annually when the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant closes in 2025.

#BISHOPMELON The intrepid bandit strikes again confounding city officials who discovered the watermelon slice-shaped rock, which had been stripped and cleaned previously by four park rangers, to be painted once again. Now considered Public Enemy #1 by the City of San Luis Obispo, hikers on the Bishop Peak Trail are urged to exhibit extreme caution in guarding against the clear and present possibility of whimsy and flights of fancy during their walks.

$1.4 million The amount of tax revenue that County Auditor-Controller Jim Erb expects to collect from cannabis sales during the first year of the program. He explained further that the size of the market was still unknown, but estimated that it had the potential to reach as much as $28 million annually.

“Deport Nazis, not Dreamers.” A sign spotted at the “Voices of Resistance Rally” organized by the Women’s March San Luis Obispo, where thousands of local protesters showed up at Mission Plaza to demonstrate their opposition to the Trump Administration.

4:23 a.m. The time that Liz Anderson was awakened one December morning at her Perfumo Creek Estates home in San Luis Obispo by two mountain lions “pouncing at the door with full force,” which her video surveillance camera caught on tape. SLO LIFE

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| TIMELINE

Around the County DECEMBER ’17 12/4 12/19

Flames engulfed Santa Paula and quickly moved toward Ventura en route to Carpenteria and Montecito. Unseasonably warm weather combined with Santa Ana winds to burn approximately 440 square miles in just eight days. The Thomas Fire, as it came to be known, the second largest wildfire in California history, was so voracious that at times it was growing by up to one acre per second. Coming in at a total cost of around $300 million, the inferno took 1,063 buildings and two lives. Extremely low humidity during the March-through-December timeframe was the driest on record, creating perfect conditions for the blaze.

A Paso Robles jury, following a month-long trial, found that a twolane section of Highway 1 south of Hearst Castle that allows drivers to pass other vehicles is dangerous and should be fixed to prevent future possible collisions. After hearing arguments in the personal injury lawsuit concerning a Pennsylvania man who was severely injured and his wife, who was killed, in a head-on collision along that stretch of road in 2011, all twelve jurors co-authored a letter to Caltrans imploring the agency, which was not found liable for the crash, to restripe the road, which is estimated to cost about $5,000.

12/13

The City of Morro Bay revealed that it had made an $800,000 accounting error in its most recent budget. The city’s new finance director, Jennifer Callaway, said, “As a council and as a community, you thought you had more money than you had, but you never had that money.” It was City Manager Scott Collins, who had been on the job for a little more than a month, who found that expenses related to the sewer fund were not included in the budget. The mix-up, attributed to human error during a period of transitioning leadership in the Finance Department and the City Manager’s Office, triggered a swift rebuke from residents. As a result, the new city administration pledged greater transparency and will begin posting monthly cash balances and expenditure reports for all city funds on its website.

12/18

The San Luis Obispo City Council elected to move forward with the formation of a local Community Choice Energy (CCE) program, which will allow residents to buy renewable energy individually. While PG&E will continue to provide the electricity through its power lines, as well as the billing and the customer service as it does now, the energy itself will be generated from renewable sources, such as wind, waves, and solar. Advocates point out that in addition to being more environmentally friendly as well as comparable in price to fossil fuels, rates experience less swings in price because the electricity comes from more stable and nearly infinite sources. In taking the first step in this direction, council members allocated $25,000 to fund an in-depth analysis. A month later, the County Board of Supervisors, by a 3-2 vote—John Peschong, Debbie Arnold, and Lynne Compton—opted for “no action” on exploring the idea of providing consumers more choice through a countywide CCE. 26

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12/31

For the first time in 30 years, the Trump Administration opens the possibility to offshore drilling in waters that include the Central Coast as it announced its new oil and gas leasing program. While the local coastline enjoys statutory protection under the California Clean Coast Act and San Luis Obispo County’s Measure A, which bans any onshore infrastructure to support offshore oil or gas development, opponents to the move fear what is known as “federal preemption,” where federal law supersedes state and county statutes. Congressman Salud Carbajal immediately condemned the decision and, after itemizing the known oil spills locally, including the massive toxic plume found in Avila Beach in 1989, stated, “The Central Coast knows too well the damage caused by oil spills.”

JANUARY ’18 1/9

At around 3:30am, approximately one-half inch of rain fell in Montecito over a five-minute period, causing mudflows reaching 15 feet deep moving up to 20 miles per hour. In some cases, whole neighborhoods were consumed by rock and mud, including a section of Highway 101, which was closed for nearly two weeks. Over 20,000 people lost power. Many of the survivors found refuge in homes and hotels around the Central Coast during the weeks following. In the aftermath, the Thomas Fire was found to have played a major role, as the ground vegetation consumed by the blaze would have normally stabilized the hillsides during a heavy downpour. In all, 21 lives were lost, while 163 people were hospitalized with various injuries, including four in critical condition, and two people remain missing.

1/11

Sending shockwaves through the community, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decided that PG&E can proceed with closing its Diablo Canyon Nuclear facility and will not be required to pay its previously agreed upon $85 million settlement to support its closure locally. With a unanimous vote, the CPUC declared that the utility company had presented a “reasonable pathway toward a more energy efficient future” and that the commission would follow the recommendation of administrative Judge Peter Allen, who in November ruled not to approve the settlement with the community, including local municipalities, and the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, which relies heavily on the power plant’s property taxes for its operations. In the wake of the decision, policymakers reeled at the setback and continued to struggle with what is expected to be a $1 billion annual hit to the local economy.

1/13

Scott Mann, a former San Luis Obispo planning commissioner, claimed he was forced out of his advisory role by council members Caryln Christianson and Dan Rivoire over his opposition to the 720-home development off of Buckley Road known as Avila Ranch. Mann, who cast the lone dissenting vote against the project, cited his concerns over the environmental and infrastructural impact of the massive development. As a 38-year-old project manager with a local architecture firm, Mann had been appointed by the city council in part to bring “a younger voice” to the commission. He insists that he “wasn’t being political,” and that he is neither pro-growth nor anti-growth, but that his years of training and study in the area of urban design, sustainability, and architecture led him to believe that Avila Ranch did not meet CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) guidelines. Christianson stated that it’s the commission’s role to “interpret city policy rather than decide it.”

1/21

In a split decision, the hotly contested “Night Hike” program was approved by the San Luis Obispo’s City Council. With Andy Pease and Carlyn Christianson voting against, the city will begin allowing nighttime access to Cerro San Luis, also known by locals as San Luis Mountain, starting next winter under a two-year pilot program during which time 4.9 miles of city trails will be open until 8:30 p.m. Many residents came out strongly and passionately opposed to the measure, citing disruption to the animals inhabiting the 118-acre natural reserve, which includes deer, skunks, mountain lions, and a number of bird species. Despite the testimony from residents, many of whom pointed to its incompatibility with the city’s General Plan, Heidi Harmon, Dan Rivoire, and Aaron Gomez pushed forward with the controversial program.

1/26

The debate over what to do about the air pollution caused by off-road vehicle recreation heated up at the Oceano Dunes as California State Parks prepared to unveil its five-year plan to bring relief to downwind communities on the Nipomo Mesa. While State Parks had been scheduled to provide their defense about whether the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is a public nuisance—a finding that could result in an abatement order to shut down hundreds of acres to riding— the hearing has been postponed until later this spring. After many years of unsuccessful efforts to reduce unhealthy airborne particulates, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District has increasingly enlisted the help of the California Air Resources Board, a sister agency to California State Parks, as well as the California Coastal Commission. As a scientifically proven result of the off-road activity on the Dunes, there are days throughout the year when the Nipomo Mesa registers the worst air quality throughout the entire nation. SLO LIFE FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

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| VIEW

GOOD OMEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY PERRY SCHUGART

The young couple—giddy with nerves and excitement—packed up the car outside of their California bungalow just blocks from the beach in Playa del Rey. With the wedding dress shrouded in its cover, draped over the heaping pile of luggage, there was just one thing missing: the camera. Perry Schugart hustled back in to grab his Pentax Super-A along with a few boxes of Fujichrome 50D negatives, just in case. The drive to the church wasn’t far. Photography for Schugart had always been a nagging itch, something he had to scratch constantly. The first time he saw his teacher demonstrate film development, he figured that he had discovered magic in that old darkroom back in Chicago. By the time his family moved out to California, he started to see the world, all of it, through his viewfinder. Everything a shot, everything a scene, everything a landscape. And, while the world around him began to change, Schugart dug in his heels. Digital cameras were nice, he agreed, and incredibly convenient, not to mention much cheaper to operate, but there was something about film. “I find film to be more creative, with better saturation. You get what you see,” is how he explains his preference. Following the ceremony, poetically held on Valentine’s Day, the bride and groom headed north for a honeymoon in Lake Tahoe. It was just the beginning, and they had no idea it would eventually lead them to living in places like Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, New York, and even Switzerland. For now, it was just Schugart, his wife, and the Pentax Super-A. Relaxed, recharged, and ready to take on the world Mr. and Mrs. Schugart found a comfortable cruising speed on Highway 101 South. With light fading and sun setting, the sky turned a crimson red. Reflexively veering off on no exit in particular, Schugart apologized to his new wife as he proclaimed, hypnotized by the surroundings, “I’ve got to stop.” Scurrying behind the still-running car to pop the trunk—there were only a few minutes of light remaining—he scrambled to assemble the tripod and load the film. Click. Click. Click. He tripped the shutter maybe a half-dozen times or so, until he was confident he captured it. Resuming the drive, the couple marveled at what they just witnessed, a gift from some other time and place, the perfect scene for the end of their honeymoon, and their new beginning together: a good omen. In the years since that fateful late-February evening nearly 30 years ago, the Schugarts have attempted to retrace their steps, recreate that fleeting scene. But, no matter how often they fumble their way aimlessly around the streets of San Luis Obispo, this particular vantage point was never found again. Even if it had, the photograph you see here, untouched by the digital age, is unlikely to be replicated anyway, as it was just one moment in time, a message, a sign for what was to come. SLO LIFE 30

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| Q&A

HARBORMASTER

After spending her entire career with the City of Morro Bay, starting first as a lifeguard and ending as its city manager, ANDREA LUEKER has been the chief executive at Port San Luis for the past two-and-a-half years. The 56-yearold Los Osos resident, an avid surfer and competitive triathlete, oversees a bustling fishing and tourism industry with many moving parts where no two days are quite the same. She stopped by our office recently for a wide-ranging conversation that spanned her favorite baseball team (Boston Red Sox) to what she was reading currently (The Four Agreements) to what has been going on at Port San Luis lately (a lot). Here is some of what she had to say… Alright, Andrea, tell us about yourself… Okay, so, I was born in Denver, Colorado. Grew up in Fort Collins. My dad was a microbiologist at Colorado State University. When I was eight years old, he did a summer program at San Diego State. The whole family went with him to La Jolla. This was back in 1970. I had never seen the ocean before. I remember when we got there; we stayed at the La Jolla Cove Apartments. I’ll never forget. We got there at night, and my mom and dad let us walk across the street to the ocean. Almost immediately when I saw it, I said to myself, “I’m going to live at the ocean.” Eight years old and you had it all figured out. A couple of months ago actually, my mom sent me a report that I wrote when I was in the fourth grade about how to surf—even though I lived in Colorado and really had no idea. When I graduated from Colorado State, I packed up my Volvo station wagon and headed to California. I found a place in San Luis Obispo for me and my dog, and I looked for work. I saw an ad for lifeguards in Morro Bay, so I applied. This was before cell phones, so I checked in with the health club where I had been working back in Colorado to ask if anyone in California had called. They said, “Oh, yeah, someone from Mulberry Bay called.” The interview was for the next day. I ended up working for the City of Morro Bay for the next 27 years. Tell us about Port San Luis. The Port San Luis Harbor District is made up of 77,000 registered voters, so it’s a huge district that spans, for the ease of discussion, from Los Osos Valley Road to the San Luis Obispo-Santa Barbara County line. I think that a lot of people do not realize they actually live in the district until they get their ballots, and at the bottom they are asked to vote for harbor commissioners. I work for that five-member elected board of commissioners. We have a staff of 26; just a super nice group of dedicated, hard-working people. The areas we actually patrol include the Harford Pier, Harford Landing, Harbor Terrace, Olde Port Beach, Fisherman’s Beach, Avila Beach is ours, Avila Pier is ours, but the Avila Promenade is the County’s, which makes it kind of interesting. We 32

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

also have Pirate’s Cove Beach, but the County has Cave Landing. What would you say is your biggest challenge? Infrastructure. Making sure the infrastructure is in good shape. You know, with the marine environment, it just makes it doubly hard. We have Harford Pier, which is our pier; it’s really a commercial pier. We’re responsible for maintaining that pier; our mooring group drives piles, an incredibly talented group of individuals. That’s a big job. The Avila Pier is a challenge. It’s been closed since June of ’15. Half of the pilings are in poor-to-terrible shape. It’s going to take about $10 million to rebuild it. So, we’ll be looking at grants; we’ll be looking at fundraising, but that’s a really big challenge. The other thing is that there is still an oil plume under that pier, which was leftover from the old Unocal spill. That’s another component that we’ll have to deal with, as well. It’s a huge project. Speaking of huge projects, can you give us a progress report for the campground on the hill? Yes, Harbor Terrace is definitely progressing; we’re completing the lease negotiations now, and if it all goes well, then we’re looking at opening next October. It will have RV pads, tent cabins—fancy tent cabins—plus car camping, and walk-in camping. That’s the big stuff, but the day-to-day management at the Port is always different, always unexpected. Like this morning, a woman called our office to report a dead seal on the beach and she said, “I’ll send you a picture of it.” And so, she sent this picture of a sea lion, not a seal, which is fine, some people don’t know the difference, but it’s sitting up, eyes wide open, and looking right into the camera, clearly very much alive. You think, “What?” Stuff like that happens all the time. Weird stuff. People just don’t know. We do a lot of education. Another great example; when was it—Monday or Friday? I can’t remember. There was a woman who climbed down a rope at Pirate’s Cove and couldn’t climb back up, so we took the boat and the rescue swimmers from Cal Fire who swam to the beach, picked her up and swam her back to the boat and we brought her back to port. It was just another day at the office. SLO LIFE

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FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR

WE NEED NOT WAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

There is a quote widely attributed to Mahatma Ghandi, which reads, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” According to historians—while those words fit neatly onto a bumper sticker—that is not what he actually said. Ghandi’s declaration is more nuanced, and also more urgent: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. We need not wait to see what others do.” It would be difficult to find someone who has attempted to embody these words with as much energy and dedication as RUSHDI CADER of San Luis Obispo, who, in a wide ranging conversation, describes his passion, his life’s work, and his fulfillment as “advocating for vulnerable people,” which he does locally as an emergency room physician, a reserve police officer, a devout Muslim, a SWAT team medic, a volunteer, and as the creator of a program designed to end radicalized Islam. Here is his story…

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

e like to start from the beginning, Rushdi. Where are you from? I was born in England and came to the United States when I was probably about nine years old, or so. My family is a very diverse family. My mother is a Sinhalese Buddhist from Sri Lanka; my father is a Moor, which is a minority population in Sri Lanka, and Muslim. My wife is half Hindu Indian and her mother has a Jewish and Catholic background. My first real memory of America, one of my earliest memories in New York, was being a flag bearer. It was very exciting for me, and it came during a very formative, young age. They chose me for it at school, and here was this new country that I had come to and I was welcomed, embraced. What was it like growing up there? Actually, my father, being from Sri Lanka, liked the warmer weather, so we moved to Southern California. I never encountered any racism in New York, but did when we moved to California. There were kids that would taunt me and call me [the n-word]. I didn’t even know what this term meant, but I was the darkest kid in the class and had a different, funny accent. I had a British accent when I was little, but it was beaten out of me at a young age. I think, my experience has always been, over the years, my parents have been big advocates for vulnerable people. Can you share an example? My father is an anesthesiologist, and I would, literally, I would come home from school and there would be all these random people in our living room. Who are these people? It turned out that they were people who didn’t have insurance, didn’t have access to health care. My father just took care of them. In his free time he would just take care of people. And my mother is probably the most unconditionally loving person that I’ve ever known. There are people that will ask me about my mom to this day because they met her once and she’s such an accepting, loving person that she made a lasting impression. I think that philosophy was kind of passed down into our family about how we interact with people, how we are with other people. Okay, let’s talk about your training as a doctor. When I got into medical school in 1992, the riots were going on in Los Angeles. L.A. was on fire, and there was a lot of intolerance. You had intolerance of one minority against another minority. For example, in South Central Los Angeles you had Korean businesses being burned down because they were different. You had African-Americans that were experiencing a lot of racism and a lot of frustration with what was happening in Los Angeles. And so our approach was, at that time, okay you know there are some people, when there is a fire they’ll throw fuel, there are some people who will throw water, and there are other people who will say, “Once this is burned down; what are we going to build from the ashes?” And in some ways that’s kind of what we did. We recognized that there was a need for healthcare in that area, so we went to the poorest and most needy part of South Central Los Angeles, and we decided we were going to start a free clinic. Wow, that’s a pretty massive undertaking. So, we started the first Muslim free clinic in the United States. Now when I say, “Muslim free clinic,” what I don’t mean is that this is a clinic for Muslims. This is a clinic that came out of the Muslim community’s desire to be participants in the community, to make things better. And, again, you know, I think what we hear of when we hear about Muslims, we hear about terrorism, we hear about fanaticism, we don’t hear the opus of what the community is about. And so, at that time, we put a lot of work into this. It was actually

while I was in medical school, I’d take my weekends off and go over there to work; we found a site that we renovated for six months with our own hands. I mean, we weren’t contractors but we were fixing walls, fixing the roof, tiling, and all kinds of stuff. Where was it exactly? In the heart of South Central L.A. It was in a pretty nasty neighborhood. The week before we opened, there was somebody murdered on our street. The day before we opened, the icecream man was held up at gunpoint in front of the clinic. So this is the type of place we’re talking about, you know, it’s a challenging community. There were people at that time, parents, who would set up beds for their children in bathtubs at night because they wanted to protect them from stray bullets coming through the walls from drive-by shootings. And so, with the free clinic, we brought a little slice of heaven to a place that was really a difficult, difficult place. What came next? So, I finished my medical training at UCLA and went into emergency medicine. I love emergency medicine; it’s just a phenomenal profession. It’s just the things you can do when you’re taking care of people during their greatest need. You’re able to display compassion at times when they’re suffering, relieve pain, and you’re able to make diagnoses; you’re able to save lives. I love emergency medicine; it’s a passion of mine. During my last year of training, there was a war going on overseas in Kosovo, the former Yugoslavia, and I was watching some of the stuff that was going on, and thinking, “God, this is terrible.” These are conflicts between people that shouldn’t be warring. They should be neighbors; they should be people taking care of each other, taking responsibility for each other. Please expand on that idea, if you would… In the Jewish tradition there is a concept called “mishpocheh.” Mishpocheh means family, but it’s also the people that are not just your immediate family, right, but the people just outside that. So, for example, my mishpocheh would include my neighbor who is a close friend of mine. You know, the people that are my closest friends, they are my mishpocheh. If something happens to them, or they need somebody to watch their dog, or their kid needs to be picked up from school, or whatever; you help each other. My philosophy has been that, as human beings, the world would be a much better place if we treated everybody as our mishpocheh; if we could just take a little more responsibility for those people around us. So, at that time, I saw an opportunity to help, so I joined the International Medical Corps, which is an organization that operates all around the world providing care to underserved populations. What was that like? Well, I experienced war medicine for the first time in Kosovo, and I did experience a little PTSD for a minute because of the traumatic stuff I saw there. Children with hands blown off, shrapnel to their faces, massive blast injury trauma; and without the proper equipment to treat these injuries, just whatever I could carry with me in my bag. This experience led to many others all over the world. Caring for refugees in war-torn Afghanistan following 9/11. We also taught 41 of their doctors emergency medicine. We gave them a six-week-long crash course, a mini residency. Then, in 2004, I got a call on Christmas and we were on a plane the next day to Sri Lanka after the tsunami where 80,000 people had just been killed. We had the only medical clinic there for a while because the tidal waves had destroyed the hospitals, decimated the island. I will never forget, I was travelling with my friend, Larry Stock, a Jewish E.R. doctor, a true mensch, and we were able to pack up just seven boxes of medical supplies. After we landed and were walking though the airport we were approached by a reporter from NPR who asked us, “Well, okay, you’re >> FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

going to a place where tens of thousands of people have been affected. What do you two guys with your seven boxes expect you’re going to do?” I was a little dumbfounded, and exhausted from the trip, and was thinking, how do you answer that question? I just didn’t really have a great answer to that, so I turned to Larry and he said something I will never forget: “Just because we don’t have the ability to do everything, doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to do something.” 38

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

It sounds like this could be your family motto… Yes, my wife, Nisha, she’s a doctor, she’s a pediatrician; but she’s not just a pediatrician, she specialized in child maltreatment. So she specializes in taking care of the kids that are abused, assaulted, and mistreated in our community; and, unfortunately, she’s busy. She and I met on the first day of medical school. We were put into the same dissection group together and the professor said to us that we would be spending literally every minute together and >>

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that by the time we were through, we’d either get married or we were going to hate each other. He actually came to our wedding years later. We honeymooned on the Central Coast and Nisha said, “Let’s move here.” It was a new place, a new life, something very different than what we were used to down in Los Angeles. But, the desire to take care of the vulnerable never left; it continued with us here. And, now you are also involved with law enforcement, right? Yes, I just fell into that hook, line, and sinker. Also because of my combat medicine, the war medicine experiences, I was well prepared. I fell into that world and I dropped all the way in. I actually went to police academy, became sworn. I’m the only reserve officer for SLOPD, the first one in 25 years in San Luis Obispo. I love it; the law enforcement world is like a family to me and my guys are like my family. This path, I think, also comes from a place in my tradition, which is if you see something wrong change it. Something that the Prophet Muhammad taught, actually this is a verse from the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book, [speaking in Arabic] what this translates to is, “Stand up for justice, even if it’s against yourselves, whether it be against your parents or your own kin.” Interesting… So, when 9/11 occurred and we had 3,000 of our countrymen murdered in the course of a few hours, and the 19 people that did this claimed that they were doing this in the name of their tradition, the entire Muslim world felt sickened by this. But, unfortunately, that’s not what most Americans perceived. They perceived that this is a new thing. We don’t know anything about these people; they assumed that the rest of us were in on this, right. However, it’s very important to note that the Qur’an also mentions [speaking in Arabic] this verse reads, “Do not be used as an advocate for those who betray their trust, for God does not love those given to criminality and duplicity.” It’s a very clear statement that says you don’t side with criminals; you don’t side with people who harm 40

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innocent people. The Prophet Muhammad said, “If you take the life of an innocent Christian or Jew, you will not even get the scent of heaven.” He also said, “He who harms an innocent Christian or Jew harms me.” But, what about jihad? We’re always hearing on the news about terrorists who are carrying out jihad. Doesn’t that come from the Qur’an? No, no—not at all. The concept of jihad, it’s a term within Islam that means struggle. The Prophet Muhammad said that the greatest struggle you face is the struggle with the nafs, the jihad al-nafs, which is the struggle with yourself. So, the nafs is that which we desire. And the taming of the nafs, or the taming of our desires, is one of the core principles of Islam. It’s, how do you prevent yourself from doing wrong? For example, the reason we fast during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset is to teach ourselves self-restraint. When you look at a terrorist, they’re anything but self-restrained; exactly opposite of the teachings. So, jihad is the concept of struggle, which may mean the struggle to provide for your family. If a woman dies in childbirth, that’s jihad. Let’s take an extreme example. Let’s talk about a police officer who dies in the line of duty protecting innocent lives. That would be considered jihad in the purist sense. But the problem is that the term jihad has been so bastardized. And there is no getting it back now because the extremists have taken the word and have run with it. In their minds, they use it to justify everything they do. And, you can twist up and justify just about anything. How so? There is a verse in the Qur’an [speaking in Arabic] that means, “Enjoy what is good, and stand against what is bad.” Okay, now do you agree with that phrase? Of course, who wouldn’t? Do you know who said that? Osama Bin Laden in a letter he wrote to the American people shortly after 9/11. So, the problem with radicalized Islam is not that there is a religion that teaches terrorism—there’s not—it’s the lens through which these people are looking at it. The same thing happens with the >>

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Bible and people on the fringe right of Christianity. Unfortunately, you can pull passages from the Bible, the Qur’an, or any religious text, take it out of context and use it to justify whatever you want. So, what does your own spiritual practice look like? I do my prayers every day, but I’m probably not as observant as some. I don’t attend the mosque very much; I’m not a big mosque attender, but I pray. My mosque is my home. I love the time I spend in prayer and reflection; it’s what roots me. It’s what drives everything else. And it’s what gives me direction in my life, gives me clarity. And, so I spend five times a day in prayer, sometimes I miss some here or there, but I always return to it. Typically, it lasts just a few minutes, which is really not that much considering all the time we spend with our phones and computers. I find that if you’re able to obtain those two or three minutes of stillness, right, what ends up happening is then the rest of your day has that much greater meaning. And, what about reading the Qur’an? No, I’m not a daily Qur’an reader, and, quite frankly, there are some verses in the Qur’an that speak to me and there are others that don’t; just like the Bible. And I read, actually not just from the Qur’an, I read from the Bible, and I read from other texts. You know, there are some people who will sit there all day and peer at the Qur’an, but then it never penetrates any further than their lips. And, so for me, what I find more important is to be able to, as the Prophet Muhammad once said, “Who are the learned? The learned are the ones 42

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that apply what they know.” So for me, religion is more of an active thing. Unless I put this all into practice, what’s the point? So, when I see something going wrong, people that are vulnerable and suffering, people who have fallen into a ditch and just can’t dig themselves out; they can’t get out of it, they need help. So I take that extra time to advocate and, again, I would say that comes from my tradition ultimately. Fascinating conversation, Rushdi. Let’s end by asking what you see for your future. So, there are people that when they plan out their lives, they say, “Okay, and then we’re going to retire, and then we’re going to move to Florida, and then we’ll do this or that.” For me, all my goals are transgenerational now. I no longer look at the end of my life as the end of what I’m about. I no longer look at the end of my life as the end of those things I wish to achieve. I have one daughter and two sons who are just wonderful human beings. They love people. They have a loving nature. They see a purpose in making this world better and reducing suffering and promoting good in the world. And, so my trans-generational goals include, for example, the end of radicalized Islam, which is why I started an advocacy group called ANTI-VIRUS, which stands for Anti-Violent Ideology Recruitment in the United States. It’s interesting that all the tools to succeed in doing this are actually found within the tradition itself. I don’t know that I’m going to succeed in that in my lifetime, but maybe it will happen within a hundred years, the resolution of conflicts. And so, the culmination in my lifetime, again, is not the culmination of what I intend to see. SLO LIFE

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| LEGACY

NORTH STAR This academic school year marks the end of an era at Cuesta College as GIL STORK, an institution within the institution, after 51 years, calls it a career.

BY TOM FRANCISKOVICH

hen Gil Stork woke up on the runway he rubbed his tongue across his teeth to discover some of them were broken. His first thought was, “My mom is going to kill me!” She had always warned him that he would get his teeth knocked out playing football. Turned out she was right, in a way. With his legs and back throbbing in pain, consciousness slowly returning, he could begin to see what appeared to be flames flickering through the dense fog. The next thing he remembers was someone running up, standing over him and shouting, “There’s another one over here!” Forever tied to San Luis Obispo’s most tragic event, the Cal Poly Football team airplane crash of October 29, 1960, it took Stork many years to reconcile the events of that night, just outside of Toledo, Ohio, which claimed the lives of 22 of the 48 aboard. Why did they over-pack the plane? Why did they attempt a takeoff in that soupy fog? What caused the left engine to fail? Why did I switch seats? Why did I survive? It should have been me. Guilt, confusion, and anger followed—years of processing. Constantly replaying the events of that night, bargaining in prayer with a higher power for a somehow different result. The question, “Why am I here, but he’s not?” played in an endless loop, over and over again in the mind of the young offensive lineman. Rising out of mourning is a gradual process, and sometimes it never happens. Once in a while a good day comes along, sometimes followed by another. When a string of them link up into a long chain, it can be said that someone has finally “turned the corner.” For Stork, the up and down struggle to return to normal took hold six years later when his first child was born. Going through that experience—“witnessing the miracle of life”—shifted his perspective in an instant and changed his thinking from questioning why the crash had happened to pondering the significance of it. As he settled in with his wife and their baby, a new question arose: >> 44

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

“Okay, what’s the purpose of my life now?”

support—62% of San Luis Obispo County voters said, “Yes.”

A sense of focus and clarity returned, along with an urgency for now, and an overwhelming conviction for the importance of what happens today—for there is no guarantee of a tomorrow. The coaching and teaching he was doing began to provide deeper meaning as he came to understand the impact he was making on the lives of his players and students. His own family became a wellspring of joy and normalcy and a continual reminder to seize the day and be right here, right now. He and his wife added two more little ones to the brood, plus adopted another two, bringing the total kid count to five. Before long, dance recitals followed tee-ball practice, which followed piano lessons. The sun came out again. Family life was busy, and happy times resumed.

With the bond passage, the accreditation turnaround, the new leadership team in place, and with Cuesta’s financial woes finally in the review mirror following the Great Recession, Stork set his sights on another priority: free tuition. Already having secured funding for one year with the Promise Scholarship—local students can now attend Cuesta College with their first year tuition-free— he established a capital fund raising campaign to make the second year free, as well. It will take $10 million to provide it in perpetuity, but the effort has traction and is expected to become a reality in the not too distant future.

The days became months, which became years. A new family rhythm matched the academic calendar at Cuesta College. Green and white was found everywhere in the Stork household, and the family oozed with Cougar Pride. The titles followed in rapid succession: assistant coach, head coach, instructor, dean, vice president, and president. For 51 years running, Stork has been the personification, the mortal embodiment of the bucolic hillside community college that locals know simply as Cuesta. Now, at the end of this school year, President Stork, who reflects, “I’m feeling really at peace,” will call it a career.

Certainly, it has not all been smooth sailing under Stork’s leadership, as one fundamentally unshakable problem persists: enrollment is down. At its high point, 2009, in the midst of a rip-roaring recession, the total student population stood at 13,217. By 2016, it dropped precipitously to 10,860 (there was, however, a slight rebound this academic year with approximately 12,000 enrolled in the fall semester, and around 11,000 this spring). Paradoxically, student populations at community colleges are inversely related to the health of the overall economy. When the economy heats up, community colleges cool down. Good economy equals bad enrollment. And, it makes sense from a practical standpoint because many community college students enroll precisely to improve their career prospects—out-of-work students sign up for classes to retool, to become more attractive to employers. And, when the unemployment rate drops and the going gets good again, students tend to trade in their backpacks for hard hats. This enrollment phenomenon is not unique to Cuesta College; it is plaguing community colleges statewide, and beyond, vexing everyone in the business.

Stork has been here before. In 2004 he retired as vice president, yet stayed on with the college in various roles, including part-time math instructor. But, in 2010 he was recruited again to lead the college following a tumultuous political period, which culminated in what Stork calls the “accreditation fiasco,” a low point in the institution’s history. The school, in essence, was placed on a type of probationary status with a “show cause” letter that mandated certain changes in order to regain its good standing and certification by the all-important Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. Failure to comply would have been catastrophic, as students would have been in jeopardy of losing course credits and financial aid. Widely recognized as the steady hand at the helm that was so desperately needed during this nervous time, Stork is universally credited with putting the systems in place to both right the ship and also prevent the “fiasco” from returning in the future. With the enthusiasm of a head football coach roaming the sidelines, he describes the arduous process of getting the right people playing the right positions in place. Then, he recites a long list of names, those he calls “the team,” that he insists did the heavy lifting. “My role,” he explains, “is developing relationships, sharing the vision, and being a cheerleader.” To be sure, Stork’s cheerleader skills were put to the test when he decided that in addition to being the school’s chief executive, he would also become a bond salesman as he crisscrossed the county to sell voters on the benefits of ponying up $275 million of their hard earned money to repair and upgrade the learning facilities on campus. Measure L was a big deal, a very big deal, in every sense of the term, and the college desperately needed the funds, but it required 55% of the voters to allow it to move forward. Stork was seen just about everywhere leading up to election day, as he talked to any assembled group that would listen—Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, business groups—he hammered home the same points over and over again: Cuesta’s facilities were broken. Cuesta was the future. Cuesta needs your help. As he and his staff gathered on the night of November 4th, 2014 to eat pizza and watch the returns, the group was overwhelmed by the 46

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| FEB/MAR 2018

As he looks forward now, Stork, rather than clutching whiteknuckled to the past and his half-century legacy, is convinced that things must continue to change. Words like “reinvent” and “reimagine” are peppered throughout his leadership transition planning conversations with the team. He points to the programs that are growing and expanding: the Emeritus College program, which includes enrichment courses for local seniors; prisoner education at the California Men’s Colony; and the local high school students who receive college course credits via the Dual Enrollment pathway. But, as the college continues to evolve with the times, to reinvent itself, and reimagine its role within the community, there is one constant that has remained the same: Gil Stork himself. To many, it’s a name that is synonymous with Cuesta College, the Cougar’s beating heart—the institution’s North Star. And, it is difficult to imagine that the charismatic and infectiously optimistic Stork will no longer be roaming the school’s hallways, lifting the spirits of everyone he encounters along the way with his unique brand of quick-witted selfdeprecating jostling and wry get-up-and-dust-yourself-off-andget-going mini pep talks, after, later this year, he steps off campus for the last time. SLO LIFE

1 8 1 TA N K FA R M R O A D . S U IT E 140 . SAN LUIS OBISPO . CA . 805-543- 7600 FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| NOW HEAR THIS

THE MOTHER CORNSHUCKERS By now, we all know that San Luis Obispo is one of the happiest places on earth, and according to CHE MILLER, lead vocalist for The Mother Corn Shuckers, that means it’s the perfect environment for musicians because we have the happiest music fans on earth, too: “Everyone is just having a good time, and it’s always so great to see.” BY DAWN JANKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH GOHR

Check out The Mother Cornshuckers at beergrass.com and watch them perform at Live Oak Music Festival June 15 - 17.

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

he Miller has taken the road less traveled—living for a time in a teepee in Oregon as a young child and hitchhiking to Guatemala with his parents at the age of six. In his early teens, he discovered heavy metal and started playing guitar. Then, at 16, his dad took him to his first concert: the Grateful Dead. “It changed my world,” he recalls. For much of his life, Miller surrounded himself with music and theatre, but he never really formed a band. After some years working in Hawaii and then some time in San Diego, Miller and his wife, local artist, Colleen Gnos, decided to relocate to Shell Beach to be near family. Gnos was out surfing when she met musician Jeff Pienack and suggested he connect with Miller since the two were both Dead fans. They struck up a friendship and began hosting a Wednesday night jam session around the backyard campfire. The jamming progressed to performing after monthly Surfrider Foundation meetings at the former SLO Down Pub in Arroyo Grande. Miller and Pienack, the harmonica player, guitarist, and backup vocalist for the band, built a following, added a few more band mates, and started performing at other venues along the Central Coast. The Mother Corn Shuckers had sprouted. Describing themselves as a “ragged band of ‘surf-a-billies’ and ‘shuck-adours,’” their music embodies a fun-loving sound they dub “beergrass.” Miller explains, “We’re not really bluegrass because bluegrass doesn’t have drums, but we have all the instruments of a bluegrass band. We just play a little harder, like a mix between the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead with a bunch of acoustic instruments.” Next year marks the ten-year anniversary for this nine-piece acoustic Americana band, and Miller couldn’t be more proud. “We’re all one big happy family,” he says. “We’re all unique musicians with different backgrounds, and I love the sound we make together.” Six of the nine band members have been around since the band’s inception in 2009: Miller and Pienack along with Mark Hughes on banjo and

backup vocals, Kurt Michels on drums and percussion, Lillian Dennis on fiddle, and Chris Dennis on slide guitar. For the band’s third album, “California Grown,” in 2015, they added Greg Steers on upright bass and backup vocals, Mark Travis on mandolin, and Curt Miller on drums and percussion. The majority of The Mother Corn Shuckers’ songs are original “roof-raisin,’ foot-stompin’” jams, and while the band’s first two albums featured Shawn Canon and Cody St. James, respectively, who wrote songs along with Miller, their most recent album features Miller as the sole songwriter. While Miller’s songwriting is influenced by “all the craziness going on in day-to-day life with a wife and kids,” he is also moved by Americana lore. “California Grown” was borne out of Miller’s drive on Highway 49 from the town of Oakhurst in the Fresno foothills to the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy. “My idea at first was an entire album about the gold rush, but two songs in particular came out of that trip: ‘Old Miner’ and ‘Mountain.’” All three of the band’s albums were produced by local musician Tyson Leonard, violinist and composer of the electronic group, Tropo. The band plans to head back to the studio this summer to record their fourth album, which will be released in 2019 in concert with the band’s anniversary—or, as Miller quips, “To commemorate ten years of shucking.” With three years of jamming and performing live together under their belt, there’s a recognizable cohesiveness to the nine-member band. “We’ve melded and can more easily anticipate what the others will do, which makes our improv better.” Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing something right because The Mother Corn Shuckers have a pretty big following in San Luis Obispo County. They appeal to a wide audience, and that’s how Miller and his band mates like it. “At our shows, we have the really young and the really old and everyone in between,” he says, “and I just love that people go out to see music—they respect it; they enjoy it; they take their kids to see it.” The Mother Corn Shuckers perform regularly at Sea Pines Golf Resort, host an annual Merri Shuckin’ Christmas party at the Merrimaker in Los Osos, and have played at the San Luis Obispo Concerts in the Plaza for the past three years. “It’s great—everyone comes out, a lot of families, and a lot of kids, and we just want our audience to dance and have fun.” The band also does private shows and is known as a wedding band. “I don’t know how we got hooked up in that way, but a website voted us best wedding band of the year, and then we got all these wedding gigs even though we don’t play any covers,” chuckles Miller. For Miller, the bottom line is this: “The Mother Corn Shuckers is a good time, and that’s the whole point—a good time.” Go check them out, and have fun shucking it up. SLO LIFE

FEB/MAR 2018

DAWN JANKE, Director, University Writing & Rhetoric Center Cal Poly, keeps her pulse on the Central Coast music scene.

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| ON THE RISE

S TU DENT SPOTLIG HT

Lauren Frost This Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School senior’s creativity and hard work are beginning to pay off as she prepares for college. What sort of extracurricular activities are you involved in? I especially enjoy the Boys & Girls Club Science Workshop that I started with a friend from school—we are currently expanding the workshop into a continuing outreach program. I am also engaged in an upcoming, fascinating research project at Cal Poly to study preconceptions elementary school children have towards math. In my free time, I enjoy roller blading, high altitude hiking, and ocean diving. What recognition have you received? I was selected to represent my school at Girls State and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference. I was awarded Best Student of the Year in Art and Physics by faculty. I’ve received the Highest Distinction Honor Roll every year for having a 4.0+ average G.P.A. What is your favorite memory? A couple of months ago, I unveiled an interactive art project in downtown SLO called the “I Have a Dream Wall,” which invites passersby to write their dreams in chalk. I envisioned a place where strangers could inspire one another by expressing written aspirations. I was really nervous as to how the project would be received by the community—would it be messy, would profanity be an issue, was anyone even interested? After a year of looking for a building owner who shared a similar vision, the “I Have A Dream Wall” was launched. The day of the unveiling, I passed around several dozen fliers to all my teachers and fellow students in hopes of getting a handful of people to make it to the event. I was stunned with delight to see thirty or forty people come out to watch the project launch. I’m so incredibly thankful to live in a town where an idea like this can thrive. What is going on with you now? I’m thrilled to say I finished with applying to colleges and with all this extra time on my hands, I joined a roller derby team. What career do you see yourself in someday? While I’m not exactly sure how things are going to play out for me, I know I want to be somewhere advancing new avenues of technology, especially on the exciting forefront of biochemistry with developments in artificial muscles and cardiac-muscle patches. What are you looking forward to most? I look forward to cheering wildly in the student section of a D-1 college football game. What schools are you considering for college? A wide variety from some coastal UC’s to historic, small liberal arts schools back east. Who knows which time zone I’ll be in next year. Anywhere that gets a few degrees colder in the winter time, a place where I can be my kooky self and feel right at home. SLO LIFE

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| INSPIRATION

LONG ODDS STEPHANIE GREEN knew something was not quite right. Even at just eleven years old, she could tell. Her short-term memory was shot. Although she was an honors student, her thinking was muddled, confounded, confused. The first surgery went exceptionally well, so there was no reason to doubt this one would be the same. But it wasn’t.

wo years earlier, the man in the white coat solemnly revealed that it was, as had been feared, a brain tumor. If things went well, although the odds were stacked against her, it was possible that she could resume her dream of one day traveling to Africa to serve impoverished children on the savannah.

As life turns out sometimes, things followed a different path, and after three brain surgeries, the precocious little girl from Arroyo Grande found herself enrolled in a special education program. It was the loss of her friends that hurt the most, even more than the painful post-op rehabilitations. Suddenly, she was different than everyone else. Very different. Nothing made sense anymore. Up was down, black was white. As she struggled to make sense of it all, the one constant, however, the only way she could begin to understand it, was to write poetry. The poems were simple, but not simplistic, and always with the unique perspective of someone who had been a part of the “in” crowd, the fast track, but was now very much on the outside looking in. Each entry to her journal, each poem helped her cope with her situation that much more, to heal, to reconcile, and to accept that, yes, she was not like the other kids. Nothing has come easily for Green. School, which was once a cakewalk, became an epic uphill struggle. But, she stuck with it, graduated and moved on to Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria where her passion for helping kids kept her going, and going, eventually leading to a degree in Early Childhood Development. Employment has always been a tricky proposition for Green, whom her mother, Susan, describes as “a very spunky girl, who loves people and has a lot of compassion because of all she’s been through.”

“In My Little Head” Roses are blue, violets are red That’s how it is in my little head Cherries are sour, lemons are sweet That’s how things are in my world that’s so neat Snails are fast, turtles speed by Look up in the air and watch the fish fly Everything’s different than the way things really are But that’s my imagination, it can go that far 52

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| FEB/MAR 2018

Aside from being in the near constant process of applying for jobs, including many to PathPoint in San Luis Obispo—a non-profit organization whose mission states that it is “…dedicated to helping people with disabilities or disadvantages to reach their fullest potential,” she also prays, a lot. As a dedicated member of Everyday Church in Arroyo Grande, Green attends as many of the services she can during the week. Through it all, she has never lost her spunk. Although it would be easy, and certainly understandable, to become bitter and resentful for the time lost, Green, now 31, has taken a different approach. A year-and-a-half ago she began compiling a collection of her favorite poems—22 in all—and set out to publish them in a children’s book. But, one significant challenge became immediately apparent: she needed illustrations. Without the funds to hire an artist and without the ability to do them herself, Green, as she always seems to do, found a workaround. The poetry, she reasoned, was all about selfexpression and the illustration would have to be that way, as well, except they would be from the minds and hearts of the readers. The left page of the book would contain the poem, and the right page would be left blank for the little reader to draw an interpretation for what it meant to him or her. The two of them would collaborate, work together, to create something beautiful. The first print run of her book, “Paint a Picture for Me,” consisted of 150 photo copies, which Green began selling at a craft fair down at the church parking lot. She manned her booth with gusto and the first edition began selling. Everyone who stopped by was treated to an inspiring story, and they learned of her commitment to use the profits from the sales to finance the construction of a tree house resort hotel where less fortunate kids can come and stay to get a much-needed reprieve from their own realities, a place for adventure and fun, a break. While there are still boxes of unsold inventory awaiting orders to come in from amazon.com, the budding author remains undaunted by the long odds—as always. SLO LIFE

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| FAMILY

BEST PARK IN TOWN BY PADEN HUGHES

t seems everyone remembers their favorite park from childhood. For me, growing up in Palo Alto, that park featured a really wide, long concrete hill, where cardboard sledding felt more like risky bobsledding. This was the place for kids ages six to twelve. We would line up for hours waiting for our chance at downhill glory on The Slide. We’d race each other, link-up each other, try to cut across traffic, and of course, slip past the overly concerned parents who struggled to let their kids figure it out alone. Long lines of anticipation, strategic cardboard selection, and the pursuit of the most epic downhill slide were the only things that mattered on park days. So when I heard about a new park in town featuring an upgraded turf version of The Slide, I had to go. After parking at 900 Southwood Drive in San Luis Obispo, we rounded the corner and felt like it was WOW week for families. Everyone was there. The new Sinsheimer Park is not your run-of-the-mill playground—it feels cutting edge in design and playful in a way that defies tradition. It’s as if Dr. Seuss met with local architects. It has a zip line, a sledding hillside, long three-story slides, climbing walls, winding stair steps, a balancing board to practice board sports, and more. Goodbye plain old swings and slides, a new style of playground is here. And for the under six-year-old set, the park also features a smaller toddlerfriendly section. My one-year-old daughter typically gets more out of eating the wood chips than playing on the park equipment, but not at Sinsheimer. Not only did it confirm her suspicions as an only child that there are lots of kids her size in this town, but she was able to stand by herself and engage with interactive kiosks. She adores animals and their sounds, so she loved that she could reach out to a touchpad next to an image of a local critter and hear the sound it makes; the squirrel chatter and the owl hoot were her favorites, by far. It’s great to see our tax dollars at work for us in ways that add so much joy to our lives. Using funds exclusively collected from the Measure G sales tax, this $1.1 million park was completed last November. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and meet up with some friends. So thank you to everyone involved who brought this park to life—your efforts are appreciated, especially by our youngest residents.SLO LIFE

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

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

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| DWELLING

HEALING After tragedy struck, LYNNE CALLAHAN rebuilt her life by rebuilding her Shell Beach home.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVOR POVAH

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

HOUSE

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

ront page news the morning of August 19, 2010, under an oversized headline, recounted a friendly softball game the night before at Santa Rosa Park. Manned by city employees, the second baseman was John Callahan, San Luis Obispo’s popular fire chief. As he ran the bases that night, going from first to second, Callahan suffered a major heart attack and died. Thousands of mourners showed up to his funeral, including people he touched during his 32 years with the Los Angeles Fire Department. The services followed a long and winding

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

procession led by SLOFD’s new ladder truck, an old horse-drawn fire wagon from LAFD, plus a gaggle of bagpipers. As the American flag, which had been draped over Callahan’s casket, was folded and handed to his widow, Lynne, whom he called “Lynnie,” the immeasurability of the loss was beginning to set in. So many plans were in place for John—who was 61 years old, and just two months shy of retirement— and Lynnie after a lifetime of service, he as a firefighter, she as a nurse, as well as raising their two boys, who now have families of their own. >>

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On what would have been John’s 69th birthday, Lynne opened up her Shell Beach home to talk about life, loss, and redemption. The big house in Arroyo Grande didn’t make sense anymore. With the boys grown up and with John no longer around to keep it shipshape, it just didn’t make sense. Plus there were too many memories, too much loss. It had been almost five years since John’s passing, and it was finally time. One day, for no reason at all, while driving back home Lynne exited at Shell Beach Road off of Highway 101. She passed the little seaside town thousands of times, but never thought to stop. This time something told her to pull over. Immediately she was taken with the 60

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little California bungalows that reminded her so much of where she grew up in Venice Beach. One thing led to another, which culminated with her selling the house in A.G. and renting an apartment in Shell Beach. In a way, it felt like starting over. But, it felt good, too, for the first time in a long time. Life began to take on a new rhythm, and early evening walks down the street to take in the sunset became the norm. The nightly congregation of musicians and locals that formed around “the bench” became Lynne’s community. Each day, life became a little brighter, a little lighter, a little better. She suspected that she was making her way back

home, back to normalcy. But, it was not until she walked through the doors of one particular little falling down seaside house with a “for sale” sign out front that she knew for sure. “It felt like I was being sucked into a vortex back to my childhood,” is how she remembers it, a scene straight out of her old Mar Vista neighborhood when she was a kid. She called her sister immediately afterward and told her how she could see in her mind’s eye the home they grew up in together as little girls. As much as it was loved, the reality was that an endless barrage of wet, salty, heavy marine air—seventy years of it—had taken its toll. Every proposal she brought to the City of >>

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Pismo Beach to shore up the old house was shot down for one reason or another. So, what started with the assumption of a remodel turned into a full-blown tear down and rebuild. And Lynne was ready for it; in fact, she felt that she was being called to do it. Rebuild. There was something about the idea of starting over, creating from the ground-up, that resonated with her. Not that she ever built a house before—the whole thing, she admits, felt daunting, overwhelming—but she knew that she would be equal to the task, and believed it was time. “It was a big step for me; a growth step,” is how she puts it. Before long, she settled on an architect, Clint Iwanicha of Morro Bay, soon thereafter she signed on with a builder, Mark Sullivan of Arroyo Grande, and designated herself the interior designer. With the trifecta in place, the project began to take on a palpable momentum, a life of its own. All along, Lynne was clear about the vision, steadfast: “I wanted my home to reflect my love of my family, my love of yoga, my love of cooking for people and welcoming >>

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

them into my home. I wanted it to be a symbol for me of rebuilding my life after John’s death.” The other non-negotiable was that it had to honor the community she had grown to love, Shell Beach, so no “big, huge gentrification” would be allowed; it had to fit the character of the seaside neighborhood, it had to feel like Mar Vista. What resulted, Lynne characterizes succinctly, is a “really sweet little Cape Cod with a beachy, open, light and bright, Balistyle interior.” Peaceful, cozy, warm, welcoming are all words that also come to mind in describing the little house by the sea. And, for Lynne, who included a meditation room in the plans, it’s the perfect place to host her two boys, their wives, and their five kids—her grandkids. After a walk down to watch the sun say “goodnight,” the radiant floor heating gently warms sandy, bare feet while the family settles in for a piping hot, home cooked meal. And, while thoughts of John are never far from any of the Callahans—Lynne keeps a mini shrine to her husband in the garage, complete with his old plaques, awards, and newspaper clippings—there is now the sense of a new beginning, a new start. And, as it turns out, the TREVOR POVAH is an Shell Beach home that architectural photographer Lynne brought to life, did here on the Central Coast. the same for her. SLO LIFE 64

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| FEB/MAR 2018

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

BY THE NUMBERS

REAL ESTATE

| SLO CITY

laguna lake

2016 Total Homes Sold 64 Average Asking Price $663,873 Average Selling Price $651,615 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 98.15% Average # of Days on the Market 44

2017 63 $721,043 $710,614 98.55% 31

+/-1.56% 8.61% 9.05% 0.40% -29.55%

tank farm

2016 38 Total Homes Sold $794,372 Average Asking Price $775,508 Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 97.63% 38 Average # of Days on the Market

2017 26 $794,180 $784,342 98.76% 26

+/-31.58% -0.02% 1.14% 1.13% -31.58%

cal poly area

2016 Total Homes Sold 29 Average Asking Price $754,921 Average Selling Price $744,667 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 98.64% Average # of Days on the Market 26

2017 30 $806,653 $798,300 98.96% 28

+/3.45% 6.85% 7.20% 0.32% 7.69%

country club

2016 Total Homes Sold 20 Average Asking Price $1,299,636 Average Selling Price $1,245,023 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 95.80% Average # of Days on the Market 68

2017 15 $1,236,520 $1,196,623 96.77% 54

+/-25.00% -4.86% -3.89% 0.97% -20.59%

down town

2016 Total Homes Sold 97 Average Asking Price $684,318 Average Selling Price $679,097 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 99.24% Average # of Days on the Market 36

2017 81 $761,576 $755,866 99.25% 48

+/-16.49% 11.29% 11.30% 0.01% 33.33%

foothill blvd

2016 Total Homes Sold 46 Average Asking Price $783,746 Average Selling Price $767,976 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 97.99% Average # of Days on the Market 38

2017 52 $774,486 $759,596 98.08% 33

+/13.04% -1.18% -1.09% 0.09% -13.16%

johnson ave

2016 Total Homes Sold 61 Average Asking Price $795,225 Average Selling Price $777,851 Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 97.82% Average # of Days on the Market 52

2017 52 $813,469 $804,663 98.92% 32

+/-14.75% 2.29% 3.45% 1.10% -38.46%

*Comparing 01/01/16 - 12/31/16 to 01/01/17 - 12/31/17

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS

SLO LIFE

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

10% Down 10% Down Payment Assistance 100% Yours Ask about our unique down payment assistance program that will match your 10% down payment for a total of 20% down, allowing you to qualify for more home and avoid costly monthly mortgage insurance.

Start a conversation with us today Donna Lewis

Kim Gabriele

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Senior Loan Advisor

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Lou Escoto Loan Advisor

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1065 Higuera Street, Suite 100, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 LendUS, LLC dba RPM Mortgage NMLS #1938 - Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the CA Residential Mortgage Lending Act. | 7813 | Equal Housing Opportunity FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| SLO COUNTY

REAL ESTATE BY THE NUMBERS

REGION

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

A VE R A GE DA Y S ON M A R K E T

MEDIAN SELLING PRICE

2016

2017

2016

2017

Arroyo Grande

344

335

$679,651 $767,314

Atascadero

374

406

$495,934 $543,469

Avila Beach

$1,067,505 $1,070,260

Cambria/San Simeon

166

160

$689,660 $710,930

Cayucos

117

$1,018,197 $1,054,171

Creston

130

$827,625 $799,000

Grover Beach

185

179

$487,709 $516,687

Los Osos

162

130

$575,088 $610,261

Morro Bay

160

144

$669,853 $698,432

Nipomo

262

256

$621,509 $636,516

Oceano

$435,945 $447,400

Pismo Beach

135

146

$961,056 $1,045,855

Paso (Inside City Limits)

496

454

$451,499 $486,885

Paso (North 46 - East 101)

$495,181 $487,640

Paso (North 46 - West 101)

103

$567,664 $556,116

Paso (South 46 - East 101)

$578,261

San Luis Obispo

443

349

$750,123 $797,410

Santa Margarita

$315,659 $415,753

Templeton

114

118

$699,912 $722,606

3,117

2,951

$602,308 $652,944

Countywide

NUM B E R OF H OM E S S OLD

*Comparing 01/01/16 - 12/31/16 to 01/01/17 - 12/31/17

2016

2017

$712,373

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS

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La Locanda Cooking up tradition As a boy growing up in the Italian Alps, no matter how tough the times, Luciano Bardinelli, always knew he could count on one thing for sure: his mother’s cooking. Mama Bardinelli was inventive. Her dishes were traditional, the flavors subtle, the near obsessive attention to every last little detail, second-to-none. The kitchen was the beating heart of the home where visitors were always welcomed with open arms—and little Luciano was paying attention. After the Bardinelli family matriarch passed away, Luciano found his way to America. His homegrown culinary skills led to a 50-year restaurant career, which saw him advancing through some of the most famed restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Seattle. But, it was while attending his daughter’s graduation at Cal Poly that he decided it was time to plant roots for good. First, he opened a restaurant in Pismo Beach, but later fell in love with the quaint, European village-style atmosphere he stumbled upon one day on Garden Street. “The absolute perfect place for an Italian bistro,” he said to himself in his native tongue. With a lifetime of knowledge and experience, Bardinelli opened La Locanda. None of the food could be considered “fancy” and you will certainly never hear the word “fusion.” Instead, it is a return to the basics: impeccably executed traditional Italian dishes. Diners rejoice at the ultimate comfort food such as lasagna and eggplant parmesan, and some regulars go so far as to equate it with a religious experience. And, without a doubt, there is a spirit to the little bistro, La Locanda. So much love is put into each dish as Bardinelli explains through a heavy northern Italian accent, “I do 90% of the cooking because I cannot find anyone else to do it right.”

Open for lunch and dinner every day except for Monday, the little bistro on Garden Street that makes its own pasta by hand in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo will transport visitors to another time and place. And, with one bite of the Veal Osso Buco spirits take flight. That critical ingredient missing in so many restaurants—love—is found in abundance at La Locanda. And, Luciano Bardinelli wants you to know that there is one thing that you will always be able count on for sure: his cooking.

The People of Garden Street KIM BOEGE

OWNER, SALON62 On my playlist: Jill Scott, Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean Spirit animal: an eagle Favorite movie quote: Kip, bring me my chapstick! Currently reading: The Golden Son I secretly want to: go to a yoga wellness camp If you could live in a fictional TV home: Will & Grace Most random, recurring thought: I’m hungry

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Natural rose cut diamonds offer a fresh contemporary look not found in any other gemstone. Perfect for an engagement ring or on any other finger you choose, each diamond exhibits colors, shapes, and interesting inclusions unique to that particular stone.

$3,000+ // San Luis Traditions // 748 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 541-8500 // sanluistraditions.com

Prices Vary // Baxter Moerman 1128 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 801-9117 // baxtermoerman.com

SAFE IS THE NEW STYLISH

Coming soon: Thousand Bike Helmets & Republic Bikes. At Hotel Serra we want you to enjoy SLO in style. There’s no better way to do that than on one of our Hotel Serra cruisers. These beautiful Republic bikes will be available for hotel guests and Thousand helmets will be available for use and purchase before you know it. Hotel Serra // 1125 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo // hotelserra.com

SIMPLY MAGICAL

Whimsical, elegant curls are the hallmark of Nancy Linkin’s handmade earrings, pendants, and bracelets. A sheet combining 18K yellow gold with sterling silver is stretched and formed using tiny hammers and stakes. Nancy is one of only a few with the skills to produce the magical works of art. $400 to $700 per pair // Marshalls Jewelers 751 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-3431 // marshalls1889.com

COZY CREWNECK STRONGER HAIR

It’s as easy as one, two, three! When you treat your thinning hair, you now have one less concern. With our new 3-Step Invati Advanced Solution for thinning hair, thicker, fuller hair is yours. Proven to reduce hair loss due to breakage by a whopping 53%. 3-Step Bundle $131 // Salon62 1112 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-2060 // salon62.com

An incredibly soft and relaxed unisex style, this tri-blend sweatshirt features a classic crew neck and long raglan sleeves. The Scout design is printed in soft black ink on the front. Warm and cozy and pairs beautifully with a freshly poured almond milk latte. It’s our favorite, and chances are very good it’ll become yours, too. $45 // Scout Coffee Co. 1130 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo 880 E. Foothill Boulevard, San Luis Obispo (805) 439-2253 // HoneyCoCoffee.com

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GREAT BOOTS TAKE YOU GREAT PLACES Elevate your spring look and walk on the wild side in stellar style wearing the Classic Newbury boots from rag & bone. There’s no denying the power of an ankle boot and these trendy-yetpractical shoes can take you from the office to cocktails with friends.

$276 // Finders Keepers 1124 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 545-9879 finderskeepersconsignment1.com

GRIOTTINES MORELLO CHERRIES

In 1955, Claude Peureux began harvesting Morello cherries exclusively for chocolate makers. On the heels of his success Peureux launched his world famous, Griottines, made of wild Morello cherries, which are pitted and soaked in Kirsch brandy. We love them in cocktails. Enjoy it with Champagne and Langres, a fabulous cow’s milk cheese from France that is washed with champagne… perfect for a romantic soirée! $40 per month // Fromagerie Sophie 1129 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 503-0805 // fromageriesophie.com

COFFEE… AND CAKE!

Did you know Linnaea’s Cafe bakes cakes for your special occasion? If you are vegan or gluten-free then look no further because Linnaea’s is the place to go. Email Marianne at linnaeascafeslo@gmail.com for information. Prices Vary // Linnaea’s Cafe // 1110 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 541-5888 // linnaeas.com

DID SOMEONE SAY LASAGNA?

Lasagna Bolognese: Handmade pasta, layered with rich bolognese meat sauce and a light and creamy béchamel sauce. A flavor combination not to be missed. $20 // La Locanda 1137 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 548-1750 // lalocandaslo.com

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Garden Street Goldsmiths’ custom Black Lotus necklace is accented with 18 karat yellow gold and diamond. The deep black and rich gold create a sophisticated and elegant look. Perfect for that “because it’s Friday” gift. $345 // Garden Street Goldsmiths 1114 & 1118 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-8186 // GardenStreetGoldsmiths.com

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SCOUT COFFEE Sara knew the instant we saw the “for lease” sign in the window at 1130 Garden Street that this was the place where we’d risk everything. Our ten-year dream of creating a community space, of building friendships from behind the counter, of turning out craft coffee and scratch baked goods, was just a few tough months away. When you start building a business, you can’t ever see the end, and I think this is something a lot of people forget. You have an idea of what you want it to become, but the people all along the way are actually what bring the life and soul to every new venture. When we opened our doors in January of 2014, it was totally surreal, because you all just came. And then you came back with your friends and family. Then you posted about it on Instagram, and you spread the word in such an organic way that never would’ve been possible for us to do on our own. Together, we all built this amazing little community on a street that all the bankers said was too slow, and it’s become more than we had even hoped it would. After four years, and now with over forty smiling baristas, bakers, and roasters, we’re more thankful than ever that you have made Scout Coffee your place. We wouldn’t be here without you, and having the opportunity to make your day is what makes ours. Jon & Sara, Scout Coffee, 2018

The D ogs of Ga rde n Street Peady // Terrier mix 2 years old Occupation: “Official Greeter” for Finders Keepers.

TRIVIA Back in the mission days, Garden Street was a footpath that went from the Mission down Garden Street which led to the Mission vineyards and gardens. The citizens began simply calling the path the garden path which progressed to becoming a frequented traveled street in downtown San Luis Obispo and over the years Garden Street became part of the city. Guy Crabb San Luis Obispo: 100 Years of Downtown Businesses

Favorite treats: Chicken strips and whip cream. Favorite activity: Playing fetch, all day, everyday!! Pop in and meet Peady... perhaps a quick game of fetch?

G A R D E N S T R E E T - T h e H e a r t o f D o w n t o w n SFEB/MAR a n L 2018 u i s | OSLO b iLIFE s pMAGAZINE o

| HEALTH

Activator X After nearly a century of mystery, something first identified as Activator X, and later lumped into a generic Vitamin K designation, is stepping out into the spotlight as one study after another confirms that we all have a lot to gain by consuming more Vitamin K2.

ong dismissed by researchers as not all that important, except in extreme cases of blood clot dysfunction, Vitamin K2 is getting a second look. For many years, it was believed that K2 could be synthesized by the body from Vitamin K1, but now that thinking has changed. And right now, K2 is rocketing to the top of the hottest must-have health trends. Odds are good that you will be hearing a lot more about this long-forgotten wonder vitamin soon. It was 11,000 men in Germany that put the medical community on notice that K2 was a force to be reckoned with. When the results of the massive European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study were released, researchers drilled down through the data coming from the Heidelberg cohort to find some astonishing results: by increasing their intake of Vitamin K2, they reduced their instance of prostate cancer by a whopping 35%. Vitamin K1, on the other hand, had no effect.

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

Another K2 study, this one in the Netherlands, found that the vitamin had a substantial impact on arterial calcification and that the subjects who received an increase in K2 were 41% less likely to develop heart disease. Again, K1 did not make a difference. Something was going on as researchers began to ask themselves, “How did we miss this?” In 1939, Weston Price, a dentist from Cleveland, Ohio wrote a book called “Nutritional and Physical Degeneration” where he compared the native populations he had studied during his travels to all corners of the world over the previous two decades. Price marveled as he found tribe after tribe with perfect teeth—and perfect health. He then compared his data to those of his patients back home. The findings were astonishing and led him to pioneer the now mostly accepted idea that good dental health was a sign of good overall health. Teeth could be considered a leading indicator, and there was something that native populations were consuming to enhance their pearly whites that Americans were not. Price identified it as “Activator X,” which, although he did not know it at the time, turned out to be, you guessed it, Vitamin K2. Scientists are now hot on the trail of K2, and they have identified two primary functions, in addition to its well-known role in blood clotting. First, it activates the protein osteocalcin, which carries calcium and minerals into the bones and teeth, preventing tooth decay and osteoporosis. And, second, it promotes the release of another protein called Matrix-GLA to maintain elasticity in tissues such as the skin, the cardiovascular system, and the brain. So, what does this all mean for you? >>

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

No. 1

No. 3

WRINKLES

EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

The two building blocks found in the skin, collagen and elastin, which are responsible for giving it its firmness and elasticity respond favorably to K2. It all boils down to K2’s ability to activate Matrix-GLA, which then does its part to return the skin’s natural suppleness. There was a study, in fact, that observed this phenomenon with subjects that had a disease known as pseudoxanthoma elasticum, which is a genetic disorder resulting in premature aging and wrinkling.

Always on the cutting edge of what’s new and now in health, elite athletes are increasingly smitten with K2 as they have found that it maximizes available energy during workouts. Through pathways that are not yet fully understood, skeletal muscle appears to respond favorably to the presence of K2 and can both go longer and stronger as a result.

No. 4 BLOOD GLUCOSE There is something about that K2-dependent protein, osteocalcin, that helps the body use insulin more efficiently. Particularly for Type 2 diabetics, osteocalin improves their insulin sensitivity, meaning they are more responsive to it, which plays a role in regulating unnaturally high levels of blood glucose.

No. 2

No. 5

VARICOSE VEINS

KIDNEY STONES

There’s just something about that K2/Matrix-GLA combo that does wonders for both health and beauty. With the effect it has on blood vessels, essentially reversing calcification, which is a major contributor to the formation of varicose veins, increasing K2 intake has been clinically observed to prevent the unsightly and uncomfortable phenomenon. Although not necessarily detrimental to our health, varicose veins can be an indicator for overall cardiovascular health.

As it turns out, a Vitamin K2 deficiency leads to kidney stones. And, because Vitamin D3 requires Vitamin K2 to synthesize into the body, an excess consumption of D3 increases the risk of kidney stone formation, which explains the forever perplexing question of why lifeguards, who are in the sun all day making Vitamin D3, have a higher incidence of kidney stones than the general population.

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| FEB/MAR 2018

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No. 6 SUPER BRAIN From what we know now about K2, particularly concerning its effects on blood vessels, it becomes obvious that it plays a key role in reducing and preventing strokes. But, promising new studies are also showing that it may be a significant part of the solution in dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, as it works to hold down oxidative stress, as well as inflammation of the brain.

No. 7 CANCER PREVENTION IN T R O S P EC I AL 2 WE EKS FO R $ 30

We already talked about prostate cancer, but K2 supplementation was also found to both reduce the occurrence and delay the progression of liver cancer, as well. Researchers appear to be puzzled as to why this is the case, but perhaps further studies will reveal the answers. But, why wait? A little more K2 in the diet couldn’t hurt.

Foods High in Vitamin K2 (in order of highest to lowest content)

Leafy greens—the darker the better, such as kale Natto—fermented soy, and a traditional Japanese breakfast Spring onions—or scallions, try adding them to your salads Cabbage—especially when it is fermented as sauerkraut Broccoli—the fresher the better, lightly steamed is best

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| FEB/MAR 2018

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| TASTE

One of the National Restaurant Association’s Top Ten predictions for 2018 includes the proliferation of fast-casual joints across the nation, but the concept definitely isn’t new. Places like Sqirl, Republique and Destroyer in Los Angeles, Sofra in Boston, El Rey in New York, and Barzotto in San Francisco have been dishing up luncheonette-style meals for several years now—and, of course, delicatessens and burger grills have been doing it for over a century. I believe Kreuzberg was the first local spot to behave like a proper chef-driven, upmarket fast-casual eatery, followed by SLO Provisions, both in San Luis Obispo. Much as they both deserve the coverage, I’ve already written about them in this column, and there are many more fast-casual restaurants that have since opened to follow in their footsteps. >>

FAST-CASUAL DINING Looking for the pleasure and thoughtfulness of fine dining without the wait or dress code? Get to know the so-called “fast-casual” concept that’s popping up in hip, locavore eateries across SLO County. BY JAIME LEWIS 80

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

JAIME LEWIS is a world traveler, and food writer, who lives in San Luis Obispo.

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SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

Kitchenette, Templeton This bright, contemporary spot in North County has the unusual potential to please those who love a good greasy spoon as well as those who favor farm-to-table eats. On a gray Saturday morning, the cafe is bustling with families, friends, and couples eating crème fraîche waffles, plates of chilaquiles, and corned beef hash against a resplendent backdrop of white subway tile. Manager Jenn Volpi shares that Kitchenette opened in 2015 under the direction of Chef Chris Kobayashi and his brother, Michael Kobayashi—also co-founders of high-end Artisan in Paso Robles. Chris has since moved on, but Michael still carries the torch to delicious effect, serving classic dishes with a big-city twist in a fastpaced environment. “We try our best to source locally,” says Volpi, “to hit the farmers’ market and our local farm stands.” She also says that, while Kitchenette is definitely not predicated on health food, most dishes on the menu can be adapted to alternative diets. Volpi’s recommendation for breakfast? Creamy steel-cut oatmeal with house-made date butter, seeds, and soft peaks of frothy milk. But, as it’s closer to lunchtime, I opt for a colorful, umami Bánh mì sandwich: French baguette slathered with sweet-spicy mayo, layered with turkey, pork, cucumbers, cilantro, lettuce, and a tangle of shredded carrots. >>

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

ENJOY THE VIEW

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SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

Nourish, San Luis Obispo Opened in late 2017, Nourish occupies the space next to Granada Hotel & Bistro (its sister business), but with its gleaming white subway tile (which appears to be requisite for the fast-casual genre), posh brass fixtures, and forest of houseplants, the décor inside reads more Manhattan than Morro Street. I meet Chef Roxanne Lapuyade at Nourish on a weekday around noon, and the place is already abuzz with downtown employees, government staffers, parents with small children, and ladies who lunch. The glassed-in counter holds thick sandwiches, Moroccan hard-boiled eggs, and wide bowls of grain salads. In contrast to the hedonistic delicacies on offer at Kitchenette, Nourish serves only good-for-you fare that leans gluten-, dairy-, and refined sugar-free. “Everyone has different diets,” says Lapuyade, a sort of culinary rockstar among the clean-eating set who most recently helmed Roxanne’s Cafe at Smiling Dog Yoga. “We tried to create a menu that’s got something for everyone here. There are a lot of reasons [Nourish] will be a healthy option, including loads of minerals and nutrients; I really like the concept of ‘food as medicine.’” She brings out a Nourish Bowl, composed of red lentils, quinoa, spinach, roasted yams, apple-ginger chutney, and a liberal sprinkling of multicolor seeds. The effect is one of big flavors and diverse textures, all dancing artfully, deliciously, and healthfully together. Though I’m certainly satisfied after consuming every last morsel, I pick up a tahini brownie to go. >>

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

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Mint + Craft, San Luis Obispo When business partners Robin Covey and Shanny Covey decided to add another business to their restaurant collection including Novo and Luna Red in San Luis Obispo and Robin’s in Cambria, nearly four decades as successful restaurateurs guided their decision. “These days, people definitely want more casual, snack-like food,” Robin says. “It’s just like magazines: you see fewer full articles and more photos with captions. People are eating that way more now, too.” The result is Mint + Craft, a fast-casual spot opened in early 2017 that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a selection of grab-andgo options. The common denominator between Robin and Shanny’s restaurants? Global flavors and a clear, longstanding commitment to local farms. “I don’t care if a berry is cheaper at Costco,” Robin tells me at a table on the Mint + Craft patio. “I’d rather pay more, enjoy it more, and support the farmer’s market.” As such, the restaurant group employs a full-time produce buyer and, at Mint + Craft, prepares dishes with 60 to 70 percent local produce. When lunch arrives for me and my kids, I bite into the lofty “Obispo Toastie,” loaded with thick-cut bacon, avocado, and a ruby wedge of Peacock Farms tomato on Back Porch Bakery sourdough. My son dives headfirst into a bowl of truffle macaroni and cheese, dusted with buttery breadcrumbs, while my daughter luxuriates in what has to be the best kids menu item on earth: a grilled cheese sandwich with melty Monterey Jack on Back Porch Bakery brioche. We all moan with delight and then grow quiet for a few minutes, indulging in this quick, delicious moment together before taking on deadlines, homework, errands, and the rest of what our busy day holds. SLO LIFE

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

Bridal Lounge

Enjoy a day of pampering with spa, hair, & makeup services in a private setting.

Heidi Harmon Mayor, San Luis Obispo

Stand with us and join the conversation.

STANDSTRONGNOW.ORG (805) 781-6400 24 hours FORMERLY WOMEN’S SHELTER PROGRAM OF SLO COUNTY

INTIMATE BRIDAL BOUTIQUE SPECIALIZING IN HAIR CUT, COLOR, AND STYLING, AIRBRUSH MAKEUP, LUXURY BEAUTY PRODUCTS, AS WELL AS BRIDAL ROBES AND ACCESSORIES TUESDAY - SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 774 MARSH STREET, SUITE 110, SAN LUIS OBISPO 805.459.8323 | tohaveandtoholdbridalsalon.com

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| KITCHEN

FRENCH ONION SOUP This version of the classic is gorgeously cheesy. In a turn away from tradition, rather than a splash of wine, it calls for a cup of Hefeweizen, which mingles deliciously with the caramelized onions and garlic. BY CHEF JESSIE RIVAS

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

JESSIE’S TIP: Most onion soup recipes call for a dry white wine, but beer gives it another layer of flavors. Try pairing it with an American brown ale for a hearty winter’s night dinner.

Local harvest

DELIVERy

FRENCH ONION SOUP 1 lb yellow onion, sliced 1 lb red onion, sliced 1 lb leeks, sliced, white parts only 6-8 garlic cloves, sliced thin 2 bay leaves 1 Tbs Canola oil ½ cube butter 1 tsp salt ½ tsp course black pepper 1 Tbs + 1 tsp all purpose flour 1 cup Hefeweizen ( Jessie recommends El Hefe from Central Coast Brewing) 6 cups (48 oz) beef stock ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 6 - ½ in thick crostini (oven toasted slices of French bread brushed with olive oil) 6 large slices of Gruyère (a nutty Swiss or white cheddar works well, too) 1 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated fine In an 8 qt. stockpot, add oil, butter, onions, leeks, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add salt, pepper, and flour. Mix until flour is well incorporated with the onions. Add Worcestershire sauce, stock, and bay leaves. Bring to a low simmer for about 15 minutes.

JESSIE RIVAS is the owner and chef of The Pairing Knife food truck which serves the Central Coast.

In six ovenproof wide mouth bowls fill with soup three quarters full. Lay crostini on top of each bowl and cover with the sliced Gruyère cheese and then the Parmesan cheese. Set oven to broil. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and starts to bubble. SLO LIFE

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(805) 709-2780 FEB/MAR 2018

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| BREW

experimenting, keeping their skills fresh, and creating a brew that would stand out amongst the crowd. Commonly called Juice or Haze, NEIPA’s pour a cloudy peach color and smell of citrus and tropical fruit. There are a few tweaks of the traditional IPA recipe that creates this. First, the hops, which have no actual taste but produce bitterness and aroma. They get added later in the brewing process and then another addition of whole-cone hops is added toward the end, a process known as dry hopping. Beer is mostly water, so what’s in that water really matters. Most breweries clean municipal water through reverse osmosis then add minerals back in to adjust the alkaline properties of the beer for both the chemistry of the brew and to alter mouthfeel. Speaking of mouthfeel, hazy beers utilize flaked wheat or oats to create a pillowy sensation as it passes your tongue. If you want to get really down and dirty, the polyphenols from the late addition of hops binds to the grain proteins and becomes suspended in the beer causing turbidity in your glass, making it hazy. Now that you know a little more about what makes this style unique, let’s stop talking and start drinking. Here’s a sampling of three breweries all within walking distance of one another in downtown SLO. I begin my walking beer tour at Central Coast Brewing where they are already nationally recognized as a hop powerhouse. Opting for Pulp Francis (the puns never get boring), I’m handed a flute of their take on a New England-style IPA. Pouring a hazy orange in color, the first whiff comes out with strong tangerine and papaya esters, very juicy, akin to opening a can of Kerns Nectar. The aroma holds through the entire glass as I drink it down, not being slowed by the hop bitterness of a typical IPA. Having gained popularity for their first two canned NEIPA’s, Juicebox Hero and Moonbuggy, it looks like this style is here to stay at CCB, so look out for their fresh offerings next time you stop by.

Crazy for the Hazy

BY BRANT MYERS

our India Pale Ale may be looking a bit different these days, and that’s exactly what people want. California has long been known for our namesake hoppy beer style—West Coast IPA. All that changed when a small brewery in Vermont called Alchemist started seeing lines of people waiting for their opportunity to buy a silver and black can of the only beer they make, Heady Topper. This beer has the aroma of the IPA’s we’ve grown to love, yet pours a translucent straw color with tropical fruit esters and low bitterness. This new beer type is called New England-style IPA, and it has taken the country by storm. IPA is still the biggest selling craft beer category, but with so many options on the shelf, it’s no wonder that breweries jumped at the idea of 90

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| FEB/MAR 2018

Rolling down the hill on Monterey Street I go directly down the stairs of the Barrelhouse Speakeasy and grab a pint of their Juicy. What luck getting that name before another brewery got to it. This brew has more of a mimosa feel to it. Light and airy, a bit more sparkling than Pulp Francis, it would make both a great breakfast while camping and a refreshing hydrator after a long day of hiking in the sun. Still the same softness while drinking, yet those bubbles like to play on your tongue and open up the orange and mango aromas of the hops. Simultaneously breathing and drinking is truly an art, but luckily I could sit in this cozy taproom for hours talking to their friendly pourers. Barrelhouse just switched from 22 ounce bombers to 6-packs of Juicy, so I highly recommend snagging a pack and sharing with your friends. A stone’s throw down San Luis Creek, I meander into the back door of SLO Brew and grab a seat at the bar for a pour of their take on the style, Coast-to-Coast. Served in a tulip glass, this one is more amber than orange and has a higher turbidity than the rest. Bold orange and grapefruit smells are getting trapped inside the lip of the tulip making for an olfactory experience as your nose dips into the glass for the first quaff. You’re immediately greeted by that fruit aroma up front then the beer goes down fast, almost like the suspended haze particles become ball bearings on your tongue. Maybe that’s just the three pints talking. Available year round, but in limited quantities, get your fix when you see it, or head out to their brewing facility, The Rock, and enjoy a sunny day in their newest location. So now that we know a little more about this new style, whether you call it a New England-style IPA, Haze, or Juice, know that its ability to play to at least three of our senses means that this fad is here to stay. As always, grab a pint, chat with some friends, and enjoy this springtime in a glass. SLO LIFE

BRANT MYERS is owner of Hop On Beer Tours, a concierge service for craft beer enthusiasts along the Central Coast.

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| HAPPENINGS

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STICK FIGURE The Fremont and California Roots Present Stick Figure at the historic Fremont Theater. Special guests will be Twiddle and Iya Terra. Enjoy an amazing night of music in downtown San Luis Obispo. February 8 // eventbrite.com

FEBRUARY BLENDFEST ON THE COAST BlendFest celebrates rule-breaking, unconventional wines throughout the weekend on the beautiful California Coast. The 4th Annual event will bring 30 renowned wineries from Paso Robles to the coast, each showcasing three distinct blends. This charitable event benefits those impacted by the Southern California wildfires. February 9 - 11 // pasowine.com

SALOON BY CIRQUE ÉLOIZE The Wild Wild West comes alive with Cirque Éloize’s newest contemporary circus arts creation, Saloon. Lasso up for some great family fun when you enter a mythical world where theatre and circus collide for 85 minutes of nonstop live folk and country music combined with strength, agility, heart-stopping acrobatics, and original choreography. February 15 // pacslo.org 92

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POETRY OUT LOUD Similar to a spelling bee, this national recitation contest begins in high school classrooms and school champions advance to countywide competitions. Winners from twelve high schools in San Luis Obispo County compete before a panel of judges for a scholarship and a spot in the statewide Poetry Out Loud Competition. February 9 // artsobispo.org THAT’S AMORE That’s Amore promises a truly elegant and romantic afternoon you and your loved ones will not forget. This year presents an internationally acclaimed quintet of opera stars: tenor Todd Wilander, mezzo-soprano Meagan Gillespie, soprano Julie Makerov, baritone Gabriel Manro, and pianist John Ballerino. Favorite opera hits will be elegantly accompanied by a caviar and sparkling wine bar, unique charcuterie platters, and amazing wines. February 11 // operaslo.org

THE PRODUCERS Max Bialystock, the onetime king of Broadway producers hungry to strike it rich, and Leo Bloom, an accountant with dreams of someday becoming a theatre producer, discover that they could get richer by producing a flop than a hit and start by finding the worst show, worst director, and worst actors. When their new production, Springtime for Hitler, turns out to be a smash success, the result is hilarious musical chaos. February 16 – March 11 // slorep.org

SHOOTER JENNINGS WITH JADE JACKSON Shooter Jennings plays live in downtown SLO at The Historic Fremont Theater with local performer Jade Jackson kicking off the evening of music. February 21 // eventbrite.com

2018 New Years Resolution: Spoil yourself, not your wine!

BLACK VIOLIN Black Violin is the blend of classical, hip hop, rock, R&B, and bluegrass music. In the last decade, Wil Baptiste and Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester have performed an average of 200 shows a year in 49 states and 36 countries. Individually and together, Black Violin has collaborated with the likes of P. Diddy, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin, and The Eagles. February 17 // pacslo.org

WINDOWS TO OTHER WORLDS Take in an exhibit that celebrates worldwide travel, heritage, and cultural experiences. Inspired by a recent trip to Rajasthan, Northern India, award-winning artist Flo Bartell and fellow artists, pay tribute to artwork, customs, and the people of various countries around the world. February 22 - April 2 // artcentermorrobay.org

SLO CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Celebrate the brewers of craft beer and raise a toast to their unique and wonderful creations. Enjoy special beer and food pairings as well as educational beer seminars. February 23 - 24 // slo-beer-fest.com

WINE CELLAR DESIGN & BUILD

$350 design discount with cellar specialist, Zara, through March 2018. WINTERMEZZO: CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES At Festival Mozaic’s WinterMezzo chamber music series, internationallyrenowned artists present educational events, culinary experiences, and intimate concerts in spectacular venues on the California Central Coast. This season, Music Director Scott Yoo presents two weekends of great works of chamber music and offers three sequential ways to connect to the music and the musicians: insight, encounter, and dinner. February 23 - 25 // festivalmozaic.com

805.543.9900 zara@slogreengoods.com www.slogreengoods.com

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

Dr. Arnie Horwitz

| HAPPENINGS

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Are you feeling overwhelmed and confused? I can help. Specializing in

- Relationship Conflicts - Parenting & Self-Esteem - Separation and Divorce - Personal Life Planning - Grief and Loss - Career Uncertainty Therapy/Counseling/Coaching Dr. Arnie Horwitz • 30 yrs. Experience

805-541-2752 www.doctorar nie.com

MARCH AN EVENING WITH GREG BROWN Greg Brown’s rich folk style moves his audiences with his warmth, humor, and musical vision. His songwriting has been covered by Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Joan Baez, and more. March 2 // eventbrite.com

DRAWING WORKSHOP Learn from scratch how to create realistic drawings from photos using the fun and easy grid method. Class will include helpful exercises and step-by-step instructions. Beginners welcome. March 9 - 11 // sloma.org

SLO SYMPHONY CLASSICS An evening to change the way you think about classical music with virtuoso violinist Lindsay Deutsch, who loves to mix pop, jazz, folk, and rock in the classical style. She will play Beatles Fantasy by young Canadian classical and prolific video game composer Maxime Goulet, Gershwin’s Strike Up the Band and blues-infused Fantasy on Porgy and Bess, and Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 2. It’s a salute and mix of American hymn, folk, and traditional patriotic music sure to inspire. March 10 // slosymphony.org 94

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SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Film, wine, fun—The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival will once again attract stars, great films, and film and wine enthusiasts to the Central Coast of California, when it celebrates its 24th annual festival. As a premier six-day annual event, the SLOIFF showcases contemporary and classic film screenings in a wide variety of venues, from the city’s classic art deco Fremont Theatre, to the popular independent Palm Theatre, with a variety of unexpected venues from the wine country of Paso Robles to the seaside towns of Avila Beach and Pismo Beach. March 13 - 18 // slofilmfest.org

Soaring Portraits unique genuine spirited

ReelEyes Photography 265 Prado Road #4, San Luis Obispo 459-7416

FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

| HAPPENINGS SOUND OF MUSIC The beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony, Grammy and Academy Awardwinning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” and “Edelweiss. ” March 13 // pacslo.org

MARCH

The Perfect Gift

Ethically-sourced, Hand-crafted Chocolates 1445 Monterey Street, SLO

805.782.9868

www.mama-ganache.com 96

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THE IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE It’s all in the title: improvised Shakespeare. Based on a random audience suggestion for a new play title, the Improvised Shakespeare Company will create a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before your very eyes. If you’re wondering where the play is going, so are they. A seasoned rotating cast has brushed up on their “thees” and “thous” to bring you an evening of off-the-cuff, totally made-up comedy using the language and themes of the Bard himself. Madcap, indeed. March 16 // pacslo.org THE OTHER PLACE Just as Juliana Smithton’s research leads to a potential breakthrough, her life takes a disorienting turn. During a lecture to colleagues at an exclusive beach resort, she glimpses an enigmatic young woman in a yellow bikini amidst the crowd of business suits. One step at a time, a mystery unravels as contradictory evidence, blurred truth and fragmented memories collide in a cottage on the windswept shores of Cape Cod. March 16 - 17 // slorep.org

AN EVENING WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT KELLY With awe-inspiring stories from space and personal reflections on leadership, teamwork, and testing limits, Scott Kelly inspires others to believe that they can reach any goal, no matter how ambitious or audacious. As he looks back on the expedition that shuttled him into history books, we will revel in the presence of a true American hero and gather unique takeaways on persistence, resilience, and self-determination that transform the way we view our own journey through life. March 20 // pacslo.org

Not only is Dr. Daniel’s office located conveniently close to San Luis Obispo High School, there’s no better place to get your perfect smile!

S p e c i a l i z i n g i n S m i l es

Dr. Daniel Orthodontics 1356 Marsh Street . San Luis Obispo (805) 543-3105 . drdanielortho.com FEB/MAR 2018

SLO LIFE MAGAZINE

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| HAPPENINGS

birthday congrats new baby

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SENSE & SENSIBILITY Jane Austen is one of the most popular and beloved authors of all time; she wrote about the lives of the English upper middle class with great insight and wit. Sense & Sensibility poignantly and cleverly illustrates these effects in a tale filled with seduction, courtship, love, heartbreak, and surprise. Count on Aquila’s stage production to be wonderfully innovative and true to Austen’s classic. March 23 // pacslo.org

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SPAGHETTI WESTERN Enjoy an evening of fun with great food and a family atmosphere. Bring the kids, grandkids, neighbors, and friends to support the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo. March 24 // slorotary.org

1351 Monterey Street . San Luis Obispo (805)783-2887 . clippersbarber.com

MARCH SPRING EQUINOX Gather as a community to Create the Kind of World We Want to see. Restore the earth through Regenerative Agriculture creating conscious ecosystems for food and health. Stop by the Calle Joaquin Agricultural Preserve known as City Farm SLO located between the Madonna shopping center and Los Osos Valley Road for live music, art, workshops, and healing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24 // centralcoastgrown.org

SLOLIFE SWINGING

FOR THE FENCES

ON THE

live the SLO LIFE!

RISE

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WORDS TO

LIVE BY

BEHIND THE

SCENES

magazine HEATING UP

SUMMER

OUTDOOR

LIVING

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NOW HEAR

THIS MEET BILL

JUN/JUL 2014

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THE 39 STEPS Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. Packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a cast of four), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance. March 30 – April 15 // slorep.org

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