Ojai Monthly - September 2023

magical, nearly hidden downtown location. The front house is a 5br/3.5ba 3500sqft Mediterranean with balconies, high ceilings, large windows and a guest suite with kitchenette. In back is a 2,123sqft 1920s cottage in an oak grove that could be potentially three separate rentals or a large secondary home for offices, studios or guests.

300WSantaAnaStOjai.com

Offered at $4,200,000

Over 25 years of experience matching people and property in the Ojai Valley

READ, RETURN, REPEAT

"The more that you read, the more things you'll know. The more things you learn, the more places you'll go ."

— Theodore "Ted" Geisel

Do you remember the first book, the first actual grownup or at least young adult fiction or nonfiction you read? For me, on the recommendation of my father, as it was among the favorites of his own childhood in the 1920s, was "Freckles" by Gene Stratton Porter.

It was a typical young-adult book of that era, a Horatio Algeresque tale of a teenaged orphan boy with one hand who, through the characteristic pluck of that era, is given a job watching over the fabled forest and swamps of Indiana, the Limberlost region. Spoiler alert: The bad guys are foiled and Freckles earns the love of the beautiful girl he calls the "Swamp Angel." What I particularly found engaging were the vivid descriptions of the animals and plants of this wild country. As Freckles became something of an amateur biologist and botanist through the course of the book, you would learn alongside him about the migrations of butterflies, befriending songbirds, studying the mother fox as she tended her kits.

I think I was about 6 or 7 years old, as it coincided with my aunt Jenny coming out of retirement to teach second grade after Mrs. Woods left on maternity leave. Aunt Jenny fostered my love of reading with a set of books on the Arctic and Antarctic, regions which continue to fascinate me to this day. And also a book on magnets, which included a bag of iron filings and the constituents for a do-it-yourself compass. Between those and the bi-weekly visit from our county's Bookmobile, I was hooked.

I recently found a copy of "Freckles" in the Ojai Free Book Cart near my office, and it was a deep dive into the calming waters of nostalgia. The book cart behind the Arcade is the site of many serendipitous discoveries — Carl Sandburg's magisterial opus on Abraham Lincoln that I am reading at the moment. The cart has its own interesting backstory, Susan Evergreen Hericks and River Sauvageau were among the founding mothers, and whenever there's a new stack of books, it draws bibliophiles like rats to a cheeto.

The courtesy is that when you finish a book, you replace it back on the cart. Right now, in my office, I am counting 27 books that I have yet to return. My intentions are good, but the preponderance of evidence suggests I will never get through the stack; for every book I finish, there are two more new additions from the cart.

If you were to distill down the essence of Ojai into something that could be bottled and exported, it would have to include a healthy dose of the free book carts that stud our landscape like rhinestones on denim — a place where volunteers spread their love of books, our own Johnny Appleseeds of curiosity and knowledge. While I may have a two-and-half-foot tall stack of books to get through, if you get there quickly, "Freckles" might still be available.

Bret Bradigan

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS

events

SEPTEMBER 1-3

“Fantasticks”

Dates: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Times: 7:30 Friday and Sunday, 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee: Contact: OjaiTheater.org

Come see why this show holds the record for the longest-running musical in theater history.

SEPTEMBER 16

Mountain Film on Tour

Date: Saturday

Times: Gates open at 5 p.m.

Films start at 7: 15 p.m.

Location: Ojai Valley School’s Lower Campus sports field, 723 El Paseo Road

Contact: Adam@OVLC.org

The 9th annual Mountain Film brings together the best outdoor films to benefit the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. Advance tickets are $35, $25 for OVLC members.

SEPTEMBER 21-23

Ojai Peace Days

Dates: Thursday to Saturday

Locations: Thursday Ojai Farmers Market, 3 to 7 p.m., Friday peace meditations throughout the Ojai Valley, Saturday Peace Concert at Libbey Bowl, 5 to 8 p.m.

OCTOBER 7-9

Ojai Studio Artists Tour

Dates: Saturday

Times: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Locations: More than 70 artist studios in the Ojai Valley. The event is headquartered at the Ojai Valley Museum, 109 Blanche Street

Contact: OjaiStudioArtists.org

— DOWN THE ROAD —

SEPTEMBER 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

Historical Walking Tours of Ojai

Date: Every Saturday

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Location: canvas & paper gallery Museum, 130 West Ojai Avenue. Contact: 640-1390

SEPTEMBER 10

Coffee & Cars

Dates: Second Sundays of the month

Times: 8 to 10 a.m.

Location: Westridge Market parking lot

Come check out classic and luxury cars from the area’s proudest collectors. Have a chance to learn from the owners about the history and importance of some of the world’s most incredible automobiles.

OCTOBER 21

Ojai Day

Date: Saturday

podcast

“

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Libbey Park

Contact: OjaiDay.com

805-646-5581

The community comes together to celebrate each other. Activities include bounce houses, face painting, cultural activities, animal education, live music, car and trailer shows, food trucks and more.

OCTOBER 26-29

Ojai Storytellers Festival

Dates: Thursday to Sunday

Times: Multiple Events

Locations: Ojai Art Center

113 South Montgomery Street

Contact: OjaiStoryFest.org

This decades-old Ojai tradition begins with a Meet the Tellers reception

Thursday, 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Ojai Art Center, with with Noa Baum, Reverend Robert Jones Jr., Peter Cook, Vijai

Nathan, Niall de Burca, Carmen AgraDeedy and Tim Lowry.

THURSDAYS

Ojai: Talk of the Town” Podcast New episodes come out Thursday evenings through OjaiHub.com newsletter. Guests have included Malcolm McDowell on the 50th anniversary of “A Clockwork Orange,” and Sergio Aragonés on his 60 years as a cartoonist at Mad Magazine.

OJAI STORYTELLERS FESTIVAL | OCTOBER 26-29 | OjaiStoryFest.org

OJAI DAY | OCTOBER 21 | OjaiDay.com

OJAI PODCAST, ‘TALK OF THE TOWN | OjaiHub.com | OjaiStoryFest.org

KAREN EVENDEN

BY ILONA SAARI

karen evenden's shuffle: out of buffalo and into ojai

Karen Evenden, nee Kraengel, whose childhood ambition was to shuffle out of Buffalo, spent her life seizing the day by living one adventure after another from sea to shining seas.

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Karen navigated through that city’s snow drifts to attend Public School #53, then Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Thankfully, she didn’t have to walk 10 miles in frigid blizzards lugging her school books. Her dad, Paul Kraengel, was a firefighter, while mom, Elsie, stayed home to care for Karen and her brother, Paul II. When the snows melted, the family spent their vacations at their summer cottage aptly named “Faraswego” (far-as-wego), as her parents were not readers, rarely socialized or entertained, and were not into music or travel. Feeling constrained, college was Karen’s escape porthole, “the idea of the unknown was exciting,” she recalls. Her goal was “to get out of Buffalo and to create a life that would be my own, not limited to my family origin.” She enrolled in Cornell University in Ithaca, east of Buffalo in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

There, she went on a blind date with engineering student, Bill Evenden. “It was definitely not love at first sight!” remembers Karen. However, Bill persevered and, happily, her feelings changed. “I had not been allowed to date while living at home. Bill was the first and only man I ever dated,” she continues.

Bill had spent his early years in Cleveland, Ohio, but as his father’s career advanced, the family moved to Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit. Realizing that engineering wasn’t his calling, he changed course, enrolled in Business School at Wayne State University and ventured into an accounting career that morphed into the I.T. world where he became a computer consultant.

The gods and goddesses of love shined down on them when, in 1963, they tied the knot on a gorgeous, warm and sunny day. In Buffalo! In March! Beginning a new life voyage, Karen soon found herself in a radically different world surrounded by warm, turquoise water. “We spent just about every penny we had to fly to Nassau, Bahamas for our honeymoon ... I was totally smitten ... I wanted to travel and Bill

Karen Evenden can often be found in her Ojai kitchen

honored this desire by planning a foreign destination.”

They hopped the globe together from Detroit to New York City, Versailles, Kentucky to Sydney, Australia, then onto Seatle Washington, and spent years sailing the Mediterranean.

In Detroit, Karen was a social worker for abused children. And, among her many careers, Karen was on staff at a temporary employment agency, was Director of Community Services of Seattle Red Cross, and a business manager for an engineering start-up, all the while dedicating much of her time as a community volunteer.

A passionate cook, Karen owned a kitchen store and cooking school in Seattle which she later moved to Kirkland, Washington. Just before she signed a new three-year lease, a second Sur la Table store opened in Kirkland

which virtually ended Karen’s kitchen store dreams. She decided to have a Dutch-auction type sale (prices that are reduced on a publicized basis until sold) “followed by the best store-closing party imaginable.”

All remaining merchandise was donated to the Salvation Army.

During their years in Detroit, Karen and Bill had two children. Daughter Kristin lives with her husband in the Seatle area and works with victims of domestic violence. Son Doug is a commercial fisherman and lives with his wife in Alaska.

Now empty nesters, it was time for Karen and Bill to explore the world. Bill loved the water and had learned to sail as a teenager, crewing on large sailboats by the time he finished college. Karen did not love sailing … at all. “I have a genuine fear of the water and always worry about the potential life-threatening storms.” There were no pre-marital promises that she go sailing, yet she “seas-ed the day” and set sail with Bill in the Mediterranean, learning to sail “by doing — under his (Bill’s) patient tutelage.” They had no crew — just the two of them, and many friends along the way. What Karen did love was visiting the small European villages on the Mediterranean coastline and the many markets featuring seasonal/regional produce. “I loved communicating with the peasant women (I consider this to be a very respectable term for these hardworking women — stewards of their land) selling their crops.

“With hand signs, body language, smiles and sighs, and my few

Above: Karen and Bill Evenden on their Mediterranean sailing adventure.

Below: Karen in her lavender farm on New Oak Ranch in Ojai.

language-appropriate words for produce, I almost always felt that I learned something new — about local food and preparation techniques and I had made a friend — even if she was going to be a very temporary friend.”

She and Bill loved to entertain, so with her three-burner propane stove, a chest freezer/ refrigerator in her compact galley, along with her quality pots/pans, knives and gadgets, and a table service for eight, she began her innovative Mediterranean galley-made feasts, feeding numerous boat guests and cruising friends, as they sailed the Mediterranean coasts of France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Croatia.

In 2001, their sailing adventure ended. They returned to Seattle where they toyed with the idea of remodeling a houseboat, “when brainlightning struck!” They had reveled in the Mediterranean sunshine and Seattle was just not a sunny city. “People in Seattle don’t tan, they rust,” she says with a smile.

So, armed with a self-published paperback, “Where to retire in California,” they headed south and explored various California towns and cities, eventually taking a second look at Los Olivas and Ojai. They had never heard of Ojai, nor was it on their map, but it was in their little paperback. “Hands down we chose Ojai. We loved the green beauty of Ojai — not the ‘California gold’ of the Santa Ynez Valley. The oaks trees and citrus create a special environment.”

They started looking for a couple acres so Bill could fulfill his dream of having a horse or

two and within thirty-six hours they wrote an offer. Within a month they were the owners of twenty-four acres of an old, neglected walnut orchard and a 3/3 ranch house that needed a lot of TLC. A year later they looked out at their beautiful acreage, wondering what crop they would farm.

Inspired by their Mediterranean experience Karen asked Bill, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could look over a field of lavender?” (And, yes, Bill did get his horses — “in fact at one time he had three). They named their new home New Oak Ranch.

So, after many years learning about Mediterranean crops, “their growing environment and the farming practices of small, local farmers,” Karen seized the day and started a farming career growing lavender, pixie tangerines and olives for olive oil.

It was during this period she published her two cookbooks and taught cooking classes. Her Croatian cookbook brought an unexpected perk when she received an invitation for an all-expenses paid trip to Croatia to teach a Croatian cooking class at a major Croatian food and wine festival. On the plane to Dubrovnik, she suddenly thought: “OMG, I’m going to Croatia to teach Croatians how to cook! What was I thinking!”

Once firmly settled in Ojai, Karen, who had always dedicated time for volunteering, soon was helping out at Help of Ojai where she served on the Board, volunteered at the Ojai Museum and was a pink lady and

Guild member at Ojai Community Hospital. She became the Ojai representative for Area Agency on Aging and was a member of the Ojai Music Festival Women’s Committee.

Karen also served as a Board member for the Lavender Festival, volunteered at the Ojai Presbyterian Church, and was a co-founder the Ojai Women’s Fund (OWF) with Peggy Russell and Kyle Crowner, an organization that raises thousands of dollars for Ojai nonprofits.

“I am so happy that we discovered Ojai! We have never lived anywhere for as long as we have lived in Ojai. Thinking about it, it is THE place where I have fulfilled my dream of leaving Buffalo and creating a life that I can own.

“It is the place where I have funneled my personal and professional experiences and values into the creation of my proudest project — the Ojai Women’s Fund. It is the place where we have gathered our family for wonderful times together. It is the place of good times with special friends. It is our community!”

A Taste of Croatia – Karen’s first cookbook, inspired by her time living on their boat in Croatia.

Ojai’s Table - is Karen’s second cookbook “Both are out of print but available on Amazon for outrageous secondary market prices,” she warns.

Karen Evenden catering to 180 guests at New Oak Ranch.

Above: Karen's two cookbooks, inspired by her travels and home.

There's no place like home. Let me find yours.

COMPOUND $4,250,000 FOR SALE

Perfectly situated on just under four acres lies the historic and unique Casa de La Luna compound. Comprised of over 8,000 sq. ft, with 11 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, this magnificent estate is likely the best value estate compound available anywhere in California. The approximate 5,000 sq. ft. main house has 3 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms, with limestone and hand-scraped wood floors, magnificent wrought iron doors, huge new gourmet kitchen, and numerous other upgrades. Guests and visitors can stay in the 2-bedroom, 2-bath guest house or any of the four other residences making this property perfect for a large family or an individual with an entourage. Massive outdoor patios and cooking areas, two large fountains, indoor pool with gym and recreation center make this property feel like a mini Hearst Castle. Private and gated.

BEFORE THE FALL:

Five Tips for Outdoor Entertaining

By Aimee Jo Davis-Varela

Fall brings colder evenings and chilly mornings, so if you plan on continuing to enjoy your outdoor living areas once the days start getting shorter, you may need to make a few adjustments to keep you and your guests comfortable. Here are five tips to help you prepare for outdoor entertain-ing this fall:

1. Clear the Summer Clutter: Sure, folks lucky enough to live in SoCal can enjoy swimming pools and summer activities any month of the year. However, now that the kids are back in school, you probably won’t be hosting quite as many pool parties in your backyard. This means you can go ahead and put away the pool toys and other summer clutter to make way for grown-up gatherings.

2. Prepare for Inclement Weather: Fall festivities can quickly become much less festive if rain, wind or chilly weather forces you to take the party inside. It might be time to finally get that canopy you have been consider-ing or

invest in covering your patio, particularly since it sounds like we are in for some serious storms this year. If you do not yet have a fire feature, it is definitely time to consider installing a fire pit or patio fireplace, either of which can significantly increase your ability to enjoy your outdoor living areas. If you are not quite ready for a fire feature, you might want to at least look into in-expensive patio heaters to keep your guests warm. If you already have a heater, fireplace or fire pit, now is a good time to give it a good cleaning, check for safety concerns and stock up on fuel.

3. Check Your Landscape Lighting:

As the days grow shorter, gatherings are more likely to take place after the sun goes down. So it is definitely time to check your landscape lighting for bulbs that need replacing or fixtures that need repair. A little maintenance now will pay off later when you are not rushing around trying to fix your lighting before your next party. If your lighting is a bit lackluster, this is also a good time to finally

install those pathway lights or hang some festive string lights

4. Refresh Your Patio:

Make your outdoor living areas more inviting with new textiles to bring color, texture and warmth to the space. Cozy cushions and comfy throw blankets will make your patio a particularly welcoming spot for hanging out on chilly nights. Look for end-of-summer sales on deck boxes and outdoor cabinets to ensure you have a storage option to keep your cushions, pillows and blankets clean and dry when not in use.

5. Stock up on Seasonal Party Supplies:

Make party planning more convenient and less time con-suming by stocking up on the supplies you are sure to need throughout the season. Depending on the type of soiree you like to throw, this might include apple cider and cinnamon sticks, kids’ craft projects and natural charcoal, festive har-vest decor, or your favorite wine or beer.

FOUNDING FATHERS & MOTHERS

While Edward Drummond Libbey is rightfully regarded among Ojai’s chief benefactors — having been behind the building of such Ojai landmarks as the Ojai Valley Inn, St. Thomas Aquinas Church (now the Museum), Post Office Tower and the Arcade — others have been very influential in shaping Ojai’s identity. Here’s a few:

Annie Besant. Free-thinker, feminist and noted Theosophist. Though she only spent a few days in Ojai, she brought Krishnamurti to Ojai, and helped buy hundreds of acres of property in Ojai, (now the sites of Besant Hill School and, along with A.P. Warrington, the Krotona Center) which she called “the smiling vale.” She is considered one of the pioneers of introducing Eastern mystical thought to the West, and was an early advocate of India’s independence. and the labor movement.

Jiddhu Krishnamurti. The spiritual teacher and writer, came to Ojai in 1922, sponsored by the Theosophical Society, though he later broke with that group (“The Leaderless Path.”) He gave talks to many thousands of people each year, in the Star Camps in the oak groves west of Ojai (now the site of Oak Grove School. He once held the Guinness Book of World Records for having spoken to the greatest number of people.

Weather in Ojai

Beatrice Wood. The famed ceramicist’s (“The Mama of Dada”) greatest work of art may well have been her life. The irreverent, avant-garde Wood lived and worked in Ojai for decades until her death in 1998 at age 105. She inspired two classic movies, Francois Truffaut’s “Jules et Jim,” and James Cameron’s “Titanic.” She attributed her longevity to “chocolate and young men.” Her autobiography was appropriately titled, “I Shock Myself.” Many of her distinctive, whimsical, luminous luster-glazed pieces are on display at her former home, now the Beatrice Wood Center, in upper Ojai.

Sherman Day Thacher . After coming West to farm and care for an ailing brother, the Yale-educated Thacher realized that he was going to need another source of income. So he founded The Thacher School in 1887. Now one of the most prestigious preparatory academies in the country, its founding creed was “teach a boy to ride, shoot and tell the truth.” Also, in 1896, his brother William founded “The Ojai,” the country’s oldest amateur tennis tournament. Among Thacher’s more illustrious students were industrialist, aviator and film producer Howard Hughes and three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder, who wrote his first play while a Thacher student.

OJAI QUICK FACTS:

The name “Ojai” is believed to be derived from the Ventureño Chumash word ‘awhaý, meaning “moon.” In 1837, Fernando Tico received a land grant and established a cattle ranch. Thomas A. Scott, who had financial success with oil and railroads, bought the Ojai Valley in 1864 for oil exploration. By 1868, Scott, through his agent Thomas Bard, began selling properties to homesteaders. By 1874, R.G. Surdam plotted out the town he would call Nordhoff, renamed Ojai in 1917.

Ojai is about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 30 miles east of Santa Barbara. The valley is about 10 miles long by 3 miles wide, surrounded by hills and mountains; the rare east-west orientation with a slight southward tilt gives the valley an extraordinary sun exposure; Ojai’s citrus and avocado crops are highly prized. This orientation also gives rise to Ojai as a spiritual destination.

It was due to the resources and organizing energy of Ohio glass manufacturer Edward Drummond Libbey that Nordhoff was rebuilt and renamed Ojai, inspired by the City Beautiful Movement. By 1917, with the construction of the Arcade and Post Office Tower, the town took its present shape.

The city’s self-styled nickname is “Shangri-La,” based on the story that Ojai was the backdrop (later left on the editing room floor) from the 1937 movie as the mystical sanctuary of James Hilton’s novel “Lost Horizon.”

Ross Falvo Keller Williams Realty

“The Ojai Real Estate Guy” RossFalvo.com 805-207-5094

WHO’S WHO IN OJAI REAL ESTATE?

Dennis Guernsey LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

805-798-1998

Logan Hall Logan Hall Photography 805-798-0337 loganhallphotos. com

Clinton Haugan LIV | Sotheby’s International Realty 727 W. Ojai Ave. Ojai, CA 93023 C: (805) 760-2092 O: (805) 646-7288 chaugan@livsothebysrealtyca.com DRE# 02019604

Nora Davis LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

OjaiValleyEstates. com

805-207-6177

Therese A. Hartmann is a local loan consultant affiliated with C2 Financial Corporation, and is a Licensed Broker, California BRE #01048403. NMLS # 298291. Call Therese today at (805) 798-2158.

Vivienne Moody LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

805-798-1099 vmoody10@ sbcglobal.net OjaiLifestyle.net

Larry Wilde LIV Sotheby’s International Realty Wilde-Wilde. com 805-640-5734

Kristen Currier LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

805-798-3757 thehoffgroup. com

Donna Sallen Remax Gold Coast Realtors

Donna4Remax@aol.com DonnaSallen. com 805-798-0516

Amanda Stanworth LIV Sotheby’s International Realty Phone: 805-2188117 • E-mail: amandastanworth77@gmail. com

Web: Rooney-Stanworth.com

Erik Wilde LIV Sotheby’s International Realty Wilde-Wilde.com 805-830-3254

Patty Waltcher LIV Sotheby’s International Realty

Call me for your Real Estate needs. 805-340-3774

Team Deckert Keller Williams Realty

Ray Deckert, Broker Associate ContactUs@ TeamDeckert. com

805-272-5218

Dale Hanson Ojai Valley Real Estate 211 E. Matilija Street, Ste. J, 206 E. Ojai Ave. 805-646-7229 dale@ovhl.com

Kirk Ellison LIV Sotheby’s International Realty KirkEllison@ me.com 805-340-5905

Anne Williamson LIV Sotheby’s Anneshomesinojai.com 805-320-3314

Hildegard Tallent CalBRE# 02047013 Keller Williams Realty, 109 N. Blanche Street Tel: 805-7981872 email: hildegard.tallent@ kw.com

Kathy Hoff LIV Sotheby’s International Realty (805) 290-6907 thehoffgroup.com

Marsha Kaye Home Mortgage Consultant Phone: 805640-0654 Cell: 805-7469055 marsha.kaye@ homebridge. com

Rachelle Giuliani Realtor 805-746-5188 DRE:02047608 Keller Williams Realty Rachelle@peraltateam.com

AGAVE MARIA

Fresh, wholesome Mexican food & drink

106 South Montgomery Street (805) 646-6353 agavemarias.com

AJ’S EXPRESS CHINESE EXPRESS

Gourmet Chinese food to eat in or to go

11566 North Ventura Avenue (805) 646-1177 ajchinesecuisine.com

BOCCALI’S

Pizza & Pasta, from our farm to our tables 3277 Ojai-Santa Paula Road (805) 646-6116 boccalis.com

BONNIE LU’S COUNTRY CAFE

Traditional American breakfast & brunch

328 East Ojai Avenue (805) 646-0207

THE DEER LODGE

An Ojai legend since 1932

2261 Maricopa Highway (805) 646-4256 deerlodgeojai.com

FARMER & THE COOK

The best of organic Ojai

339 West El Roblar Drive (805) 640-9608 farmerandcook.com

YUME JAPANESE BURGER

254 East Ojai Avenue (Arcade) (805) 646-1700

JIM & ROB’S FRESH GRILL

Mexican-American & regional favorites

214 West Ojai Avenue #100 (805) 640-1301 jimandrobsojai.com

HIP VGN

Vegan sandwiches, salads & bowls

201 North Montgomery Street

hipvegancafe.com (805) 669-6363

HOME KITCHEN OF OJAI

Breakfast and lunch in a warm space

1103 Maricopa Highway (805) 646-5346

HomeKitchenofOjai.com

MANDALA

Pan-Asian Cuisine

11400 North Ventura Road (805) 613-3048

THE NEST

401 East Ojai Avenue (805) 798-9035 thenestojai.com

LO>E SOCIAL CAFE

205 North Signal Street (805) 646-1540 nosovita.com

OAK GRILL @ THE INN

Al fresco dining under vine-covered pergola 905 Country Club Road (805) 646-1111 ojairesort.com

OJAI COFFEE ROASTING COMPANY

Salads, sandwiches & superb service 337 East Ojai Avenue (805) 646-4478

OJAI PIZZA COMPANY 331 Ojai Avenue (Downtown Ojai) 545-7878

TheOnlyGoodPizza.com

OJAI PIZZA COMPANY (Oak View)

The go-to place for food & sports 820 North Ventura Avenue

OJAI ROTIE

Rotisserie, sourdough, winebox

469 East Ojai Avenue (805) 798-9227

ojairotie.com

OSTERIA MONTE GRAPPA

Rustic menu of Northern Italian fare & seafood dishes. 242 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023 (805) 640-6767

omgojai.com

PAPA LENNON’S

Family owned, original & traditional Italian cuisine

515 West El Roblar Drive (805) 640-7388 papalennons.com

RAINBOW BRIDGE

A community gathering place 211 East Matilija Street (805) 646-6623 rainbowbridgeojai.com

THE RANCH HOUSE

An Ojai culinary destination for more than 60 years 102 Besant Road (805) 646-2360 theranchhouse.com

SAKURA OJAI

A locals’ favorite for Japanese food 219 East Matilija Street (805) 646-8777

sakuraojai.wix.com

SEA FRESH

Serving Ojai for 30 years 533 East Ojai Avenue (805) 646-7747

seafreshseafood.com

ZAIDEE’S BAR & GRILL

Patio & indoor dining with Ojai’s most tranquil views 1033 East Ojai Avenue (805) 646-5685

soulepark.com

LIFE OF SPICE

Open-Face TOmaTO SandwicheS

Are you looking for something different to do with all of those tomatoes in your vegetable garden? Look no further. Here’s a fresh way to enjoy them. I love the combination of feta, tomatoes, and chives. If you can’t find or don’t like sunflower sprouts, substitute whatever type you like — or change the cheese. I like these equally well with sharp cheddar.

Randy Graham is a noted chef and writer and has been a lactoovo vegetarian for over 38 years. Chef Randy has written and published a series of seven cookbooks with original recipes developed over the period 1975 through 2020. He writes for the Ojai Quarterly, the Ojai Monthly, and the California 101 Travelers Guide. His vegetarian recipes are published in newspapers throughout Central California under the header, Chef Randy. He and his wife, Robin, live in Ojai, California, with their dog Cooper. Robin and Cooper are not vegetarians.

INGREDIENTS :

3 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)

1/2 cup Vegenaise or Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chives (minced)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 thick slices focaccia bread (toasted or grilled)

2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes (sliced)

Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

Sunflower sprouts (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix the feta with the Vegenaise and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread this mixture on the bread and top with the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a touch more salt and pepper. Garnish with sprouts and serve immediately.

1 SHELF ROAD 3.5mi

EASY | Elev. Gain: 200 ft | Overlooks downtown Ojai.

VENTURA RIVER

PRESERVE | 7mi

EASY TO MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 520 ft (Wills-Rice). Trailheads at end of Meyer Road, South Rice Road and Baldwin Road. Great for birding.

HORN CANYON 5.5mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 1,600 ft. Trailhead near Thacher School’s gymkhana field. Goes to shady stand of 80-foot tall pines.

ROSE VALLEY 1mi

EASY | Elev. Gain: 100 ft

Trailhead at Rose Valley Campground. Leads to a spectacular 300-foot, two-tiered fall.

PRATT TRAIL 8.8mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 3,300 ft | Trailhead off North Signal Street. Goes to Nordhoff Peak. Clear day? See forever.

GRIDLEY TRAIL 6-12mi

MODERATE | 3 mi to Gridley Springs (Elev. Gain: 1,200 ft) 6 mi to Nordhoff Peak. Trailhead at north end of Gridley Road.

COZY DELL 2.2mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 740 ft | Trailhead 8 miles north of Ojai on Maricopa Highway. Short, intense hike that also connects to trail network.

SISAR CANYON 22mi

STRENUOUS | Elev. Gain: 4,800 ft to Topa Topa Bluffs. Trailhead at end of Sisar Road. Only for experienced, fit hikers.

MATILIJA CANYON 12mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 1,200 ft | Middle Fork. Trailhead at end of Matilija Road. First 1.5 miles of trail well-maintained, the rest a scramble.

SULPHUR MTN. 22mi

MODERATE | Elev. Gain: 2,300 ft | Trailhead on eastern side of Sulphur Mountain Road. Views are unsurpassed.