It's Lit!

Hillside’s 6th Annual Shining Light on Abilities brings an all-inclusive holiday experience, page 39

A Choir of Cellos

Jennifer Kloetzel and the All-Star Cello Choir are set to play the final concert for the Music Academy’s Mariposa series, page 16

Levy’s Latkes

A conversation with world-renowned Jewish food writer Faye Levy, including a recipe for lentil latkes, page 38

Photography: Spenser Bruce

412 E. Haley St. #3, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.9555 | frontdesk@beckercon.com| www.beckerstudiosinc.com @beckerstudios

INSIDE THIS ISSUE P.5

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L-R : Sabrina and Debra

Debra Galin

Senior Vice President Wealth Advisor 805-564-7987 debra.a.galin@morganstanley.com Sabrina Kranz

Senior Portfolio Manager Vice President Financial Advisor 805-564-7985

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Local News – The Montecito Holiday Magic Parade rolls this Saturday – see the route, schedule, and who to thank for it Tide Guide P.12

Our Town – Photos and the winners from the 36th Annual Parade of Lights Boat Show P.14

Society Invites – The Clarence Mattei exhibit opens and a Christmas fête at Casa del Herrero P.16

On Entertainment – The All-Star Cello Choir, music at Trinity Episcopal Church, plus some holiday theater fun P.26

Ernie’s World – Van Gogh and local cookies along Ernie’s wild trip through Amsterdam

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Your Westmont – Alum Michael Peterson creates Bitcoin Beach and engineering students race their creations

Holiday Wrap Up – Some ideas for finishing décor touches, last minute gifts, and places to go before the year ends

Nosh Town – Recipes, tips, and thoughts from renowned cookbook author and authority on Jewish cuisine, Faye Levy

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In Passing – Remembering the life and influence of Margaret Ann Baker, educator, board member to many local organizations, and beloved by all

Reel Fun – A review of the moving Iranian film The Runner, set to come to the Riviera

The Optimist Daily – Some nonjudgmental resources for men seeking to learn about therapy

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Far Flung Travel – A late night island stroll leads to an encounter with a sleepy surprise

The Giving List – Hillside’s 6th Annual Shining Light on Abilities is a sight for all to enjoy P.40

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Robert’s Big Questions – Can we please use our turn signals? What are they even for?

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Calendar of Events – Folk art pops up at the Museum of Natural History, revelry in the Highlands, Folk Orchestra fun, and more

Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales

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Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

We can answer the question that kept you up last night.

We get it. Things are on your mind. Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors know how the markets work. With Morgan Stanley’s vast resources and smart guidance, like risk management in a fast moving, complex market, we can help you keep your portfolio on track. But it all starts with a conversation. Let’s start ours today.

Village Beat

Trimming Montecito’s Tree

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

Last week, the usual crew of Montecito locals gathered to decorate the giant pine tree near the Manning Park tennis courts. It’s a festive tradition that goes back many decades, and we retell it here each year to keep the memory alive.

As the story goes, in the early 1960s, then Montecito Fire Chief Don Hathaway and his wife, Helen, and children Dean and Ronda, would rise in the middle of the night each December to conduct a super-secret mission: to decorate the Monterey Pine tree at the corner of San Ysidro Road and Highway 101, which at the time was only about seven feet tall. Montecito residents would awake to find the tree decked out in garland and ornaments, wondering who among them had decorated it.

The tree grew and grew, and so did the group of “elves” who decorated it: friends and neighbors were let in on the secret and invited to join, and Helen would make gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate for everyone. Eventually the Montecito firefighters got involved, bringing ladders to help decorate the top of the tree. The story goes that each year, Helen would look in the newspaper in the days following the decoration mission, to see if there was anything written about it; she kept a scrapbook full of photos and article clippings over the years.

In the late 1970s, Doug Coale, owner of Mesa Tree, began bringing his cherry picker to hoist volunteers to place garland on the top half of the tree. In the ‘90s, Don enlisted Dana Newquist to carry on the tradition, and Dana, aka “the head elf,” would organize the tree-trimming event each year, eventually enlisting the help of the Montecito Association Beautification

Committee. Members of the community were also invited to take part, and a large collection of miscellaneous holiday decorations were used year after year.

It was in 2011 that the tree became distressed and had to be removed; Don Hathaway passed away that same year, in July. With the help of some generous donors, Newquist organized the purchase and installation of a new, 18-foot Blue Aptos Redwood tree, which was planted near the tennis courts at Manning Park on December 15, 2012. Beneath the tree is a plaque honoring the Hathaway Family.

Since the relocation of the tree, the decorating has taken place during the day, and many firefighters, the Montecito Association Beautification Committee, and school kids decorate the tree every year to mark the holiday season. There have been few exceptions, including in 2017, when the tree trimming, scheduled for mid-December, was canceled as the Thomas Fire raged in the Montecito foothills. Just days after a community-wide evacuation was lifted, a handful of dedicated elves turned out on Christmas Eve to trim the tree, without the usual help of Montecito firefighters. In 2020 the pandemic was cause for another quiet event; the tree was trimmed by a skeletal crew of elves.

Big thank you to Montecito firefighters and chief Kevin Taylor, Dana and Andrea Newquist , Mike Edwards , Cindy Feinberg, Sharon Byrne, and Mindy Denson, who turn out every single year with ornaments in hand to help continue this small town tradition.

Rori’s Celebrates 10 Years

Last week marked 10 years since Rori’s Artisanal Creamery opened their first scoop shop at the Montecito Country Mart.

Owner Rori Trovato has been creating

Last week marked another year of decorating the Hathaway Family Tree on San Ysidro Road

An undated photo of the “original” tree at the corner of Highway 101 and San Ysidro Road has been floating around social media for years (photo by Matt Mosby via Facebook)

her beloved ice cream from a commercial kitchen in Carpinteria since 2010; the shop at the Mart was the first retail shop followed by locations in Santa Barbara (at the Public Market), Camarillo, San Gabriel, Santa Monica, and Carpinteria. Trovato prides herself on offering the highest standard in ice cream, from the cream and milk used from local dairy producers to the local produce gleaned from Central Coast growers: each flavor of ice cream is meticulously developed to be of perfect quality. “Every ingredient in our ice cream is hand-selected, local when possible, and made with love,” Trovato says.

To celebrate marking 10 years, Trovato gave away free scoops of a limited-time flavor, Sour Cream Coffee Cake, through this past weekend. The flavor, which was chosen from submissions for a flavor contest that ran in November, is available for purchase through the end of the month. The flavor was dreamed up by contest winner Heather Andrew and inspired by Ina Garten’s classic recipe.

Find Rori’s ice cream at scoop shops, restaurants, and grocery stores from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. Visit www. rorisartisanalcreamery.com.

Caruso’s Earns Michelin Star

The signature restaurant at the Rosewood Miramar Beach, Caruso’s, has earned a Michelin Guide one-star and Michelin Green Star designation in California’s 2022 rankings. The distinguished honor places Caruso’s as a fine dining destination among Michelin’s esteemed list of 89 restaurants in California, all rated according to the guide’s rigorous standards, and one of only 11 restaurants in California to earn Green Star status for a demonstrated commitment to sustainability.

Caruso’s is inspired by the flavors of Southern Italy, featuring the highest-quality ingredients sourced from the region’s rich

agricultural landscape and local waters. The restaurant is led by Massimo Falsini, Executive Chef of Rosewood Miramar Beach, who says, “This recognition is the ultimate honor for any chef and would not be possible without the talented contributions and hard work of our team at Caruso’s along with our remarkable purveyors. I am beyond proud to be included among the state’s best restaurants and want to thank Michelin for continuing to promote California’s culinary excellence.”

Michelin recently included AMA Sushi, which debuted at Rosewood Miramar Beach in summer 2022, in their ‘new discoveries’ list.

Caruso’s is one of 18 new restaurants to join California’s Michelin Guide and one of only six restaurants on the Central Coast to feature a one-star rating. The restaurant joins the Michelin Green Star ranks of renowned culinary destinations including Chez Panisse, The French Laundry, Atelier Crenn, SingleThread, and Osteria Mozza, who all share a highly sustainable ethos working towards lower environmental impact.

Highlights of Caruso’s comprehensive program of green initiatives include partnerships with global seafood industry nonprofits Ocean Wise, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch program, and FishChoice to support ocean health and sustainability; a compost program to support neighboring farms’ soil regeneration; an upcycling practice to eliminate oil impact and faucet

water control in every outlet (the disposed grease gets picked up and reused for agricultural grease production); glass reduction efforts using stainless steel tanks to distribute oil in lieu of traditional vessels; Il Fustino (bottling in Santa Barbara) is the resort partner and California olive oil is used exclusively in all food & beverage outlets; a partnership with the California Wheat Commission to solely feature stategrown heritage grains at Caruso’s for flour in all recipes including bread and pasta; and hyperlocal, Central Coast sourcing supporting the region’s ranchers, farmers, and purveyors including famed diver Stephanie Mutz for sea urchin and spot prawns, Morro Bay Abalone, and Hope Ranch Mussels in Santa Barbara.

For more information: www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/ miramar-beach-montecito

Kelly Mahan Herrick, also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond.

Yaneli Gutierrez (scooper), Rori Trovato (founder), and Jacqueline Weiss (marketing manager) celebrating Rori’s 10 years in Montecito Country Mart

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Montecito Miscellany

A Golden Eagle Gala

Dacia Harwood, Lillie Hodges, Riley Harwood, Natalie and Brett Hodges, Brandon Mowry, Dan MacLeod, and Beth Gabler (photo by Priscilla)

railroads. The three-masted side-wheeled steamship used to ply its trade during the California Gold Rush, ferrying miners to San Francisco from the East Coast via the isthmus of Panama, a six-week voyage.

It was wrecked in fog off the Gaviota Coast in 1854, with a loss of nearly 40 lives and $155,000 worth of gold. The eagle was eventually recovered on Santa Rosa Island by a young boy and was sold supposedly for a bottle of whisky to Lobero, who hung it above his bar on State Street before moving it to his eponymous theater.

It eventually ended up hanging above the entrance to a local ranch, having been bought by the rancher for $5 and finally ending up at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum where Brett Hodges, a board member of both the theater and the museum, and his wife Natalie decided to restore it to its former glory for the 150th anniversary with funding from David and Sharon

by Richard Mineards

The eagle has landed!

After a major nine-month restoration that used 12 books of 22 karat gold leaf, equal to 312 individual sheets or 5.3 grams of gold, by local expert Chris Bailey, a most impressive golden eagle, which used to hang above the stage at the Lobero Theatre at the turn of the last century, will be back at the venerable locale as it celebrates its

150th anniversary.

The 109-guest Jingle & Mingle gala, described as an ovation celebration, filled the historic stage of the George Washington Smith-designed building, originally founded by José Lobero as an opera house in 1873.

It is the fourth oldest performing arts theater in the U.S.

The golden eagle originally adorned the SS Yankee Blade, owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the richest men in American history with his shipping and

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Bradford through the WWW Foundation. It will now sit in the lobby for the next year before returning to the museum for safe keeping.

Stuart and Elizabeth Hutchinson, Greg and Lorrie Forgatch, Sharon Bradford, and Jami Voulgaris (photo by Priscilla)

Nine-time Grammy-nominated American jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton (photo by Priscilla)

The Montecito Holiday Magic Parade Rolls Saturday!

by Sharon Byrne

We hope you’re thinking about where to find a hot chocolate, pick up some last-minute gifts, and the best spot on the route to watch the Second Annual Montecito Holiday Magic Parade! It’s this Saturday, December 17, and there’s a lovely confluence of things happening. From 3-5 pm, some of our Montecito Village and Coast Village merchants are putting out welcome

mats, and offering specials, hoping to entice you in for a visit. Call it a bit of a Shop-Local-Social, and a chance to visit some of your favorite Montecito haunts. Our merchants would love to see you!

As the sun starts descending, it’s time to bundle up, grab a hot bevy, and find your best spot on the parade route. We promise it’s going to be a really Big Show. There’s a magical 1937 Fire Engine, driven by benevolent Montecito Godfather Dana Newquist The sheriffs will be showing off their

capture of the Grinch in the lead car. Adam’s Angels is in the Magic Bus, and some hot rods will be showing you their stuff, courtesy of the Community Hot Rod Project and Montecito Customs. Our Montecito special districts will be turning out too, from Montecito Water, Montecito Sanitary, Cold Spring School Foundation, and the closer is a Montecito Fire Engine with flashing lights and possibly a siren to get you waving and cheering.

Best watching spots on the parade route: Coast Village medians and park -

ing areas, the Montecito Country Mart parking area next to Hot Springs, Villa Fontana, all of the restaurants, the Montecito Inn, and the Olive Mill corner. In the Montecito Village, the parade start is Tecolote / El Montecito / Montecito Community Hall, and the finish line is the corner of San Ysidro and East Valley roads. Anywhere along East Valley from Mt. Carmel to the gas station, the Old Firehouse, and Lucca should also be a great viewing spot, as are along Hot Springs below East Valley, and Olive Mill, particularly at

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

Day Low Hgt High Hgt Low Hgt High Hgt Low Hgt

Thurs, Dec 15

4:07 AM 3.8 9:01 AM 3.2 01:45 PM 3.7 09:08 PM 0.9

Fri, Dec 16 4:37 AM 4.2 10:33 AM 2.7 03:20 PM 3.4 09:53 PM 1.1

Sat, Dec 17

5:04 AM 4.6 11:35 AM 2.0 04:51 PM 3.3 10:36 PM 1.5

Sun, Dec 18 5:31 AM 5.0 12:22 PM 1.1 06:07 PM 3.3 11:18 PM 1.7

Mon, Dec 19 6:01 AM 5.5 01:04 PM 0.3 07:10 PM 3.4 11:59 PM 1.9

Tues, Dec 20 6:34 AM 6.0 01:46 PM -0.5 08:05 PM 3.6

Weds, Dec 21 12:41 AM 2.0 7:11 AM 6.5 02:29 PM -1.1 08:56 PM 3.7

Thurs, Dec 22 1:24 AM 2.1 7:52 AM 6.9 03:13 PM -1.6 09:46 PM 3.7

Fri, Dec 23 2:09 AM 2.2 8:35 AM 7.0 03:59 PM -1.8 010:36 PM 3.8

“I’ve found that no matter what life throws at me, music softens the blow.” — Bryce W. Anderson

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Office Manager | Jessikah Moran

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel, Bryce Eller

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye

Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie

Published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

This year’s Holiday Magic Parade Route

the Casa Dorinda Triangle, where the parade will cross twice.

Get your family and friends together, grab coffee or hot chocolate, and get ready to be entertained with some major Montecito Magical Holiday spirit! We roll at 5 pm. The timing is great, as the first Night of Hanukkah is the following day, Sunday, and we’re heading into Christmas week. Let’s be merry and enjoy a bright holiday together as a community!

After the parade passes, we encourage you to dine at one of our amazing Montecito restaurants. They’re all excellent! Make an afternoon or evening of it, and have a great time enjoying the holidays in Montecito.

We want to say a huge thank you to our incredibly generous sponsors, without whom none of this would be possible. It takes a Montecito Village to throw a great parade, and here are the Montecito Magic Elves that made this parade happen for 2022:

Robert Pavloff

Jonathan O’Toole and Hillcrest Security Montecito Journal

Nina Terzian

Megan Orloff, Montecito Association

President

Montecito Bank & Trust

Aviation Maintenance Support, Inc., courtesy of Kat Wetzel

Via Vai

The Montecito Village Grocery

John and Sue Burk

Susan Petrovich

Sandra and Sam Tyler

And a very kind, anonymous donor that just wanted to support the community.

Our 2022 Montecito Holiday Magic Parade Team

The working elves that make it happen, in alphabetical order:

Lt. Butch Arnoldi, Santa Barbara Sheriffs

Sharon Byrne

Jeffrey Clark

Mindy Denson

Mike Edwards

Christina Favuzzi, Montecito Fire

Captain Mike Logie, CHP

Andrea and Dana Newquist

Megan Orloff

Conner Rehage

Nina Terzian

The forecast is clear, but cold, so bundle up, be sure to load up on Montecito treats, and enjoy the Second Annual Montecito Holiday Magic Parade!

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

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Our Town

36th Annual Parade of Lights

A Calitri

On Sunday, December 11, the 36th Annual Parade of Lights Boat Show was held at Stearns Wharf and seen along the city beachfront from West to East beaches. The parade was founded by Captain Don Hedden, a former president of the Stearns Wharf Business Association, in 1985 and has since become a holiday favorite.

The theme for this year’s event was Deck the Hulls! There are 1st and 2nd place winners in each boat category, complete with gifts and cash prizes. Boat parade

participants enter for free under one of five categories: human-powered, power, sail, commercial fishing, or commercial other. The Human-Powered category competition was held during daylight at 3:30 pm (for the safety of the boaters.) At 5 pm, the formal events started with a tree lighting ceremony, and holiday tunes sung by the Dos Pueblos Jazz Choir on Stearns Wharf next to the Sea Center. Around 6 pm, approximately two dozen decorated and lighted boats with their cheery crews were led by the Coast Guard down East Beach to

photos and story by Joanne

1st Place Human Power: Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club

Society Invites SB Historical Society New Exhibition and Holiday Soirée

A Calitri

Apertinent historical and classical portrait exhibition is on view at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum titled, “Clarence Mattei (1883-1945), Portrait of a Community,” curated by the museum staff in conjunction with Santa Barbara historian Erin Graffy . Mattei’s portraits feature local to international luminaries, politicians, film stars, and the elite. His father Felix founded Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, and married Lucy Fisher. They had five sons: Frank, Fred, Clarence, Charles, and Albert. It is said that Clarence studied art in Paris and NYC and was working in NYC when his mother asked him to come to the Santa Barbara area as she was suffering mentally. Thus, he arrived here and flourished in his art as well.

On view are more than a hundred portraits from his early work (1898) through his latest (1944); mediums are oil on canvas, and pen, pencil, and charcoal on paper. His portraits include Carmen Dibblee Underhill, Charles Albert Storke, Peggy Stow, John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Oakleigh Thorne Jr. of

the Las Tejas estate Montecito, Mary Pickford, Katherine Holmes, Herbert Hoover, Henry Pritchett, and Hezekiah Griggs Chase.

While the majority of works on display belong to the museum, some are on loan from members of the artist’s lineage. One such work titled Charles Mattei, an oil on canvas portrait, is courtesy of Mattei’s great-grandson Kirk Tatnall and his wife, Rene. My on-the-spot interview with Kirk provided behind-the-scenes information about this portrait: “I acquired this work of art from my brother approximately 10 years ago, when he moved from NYC to Texas. It was installed in my house and my wife recently had it restored. Now, remarkably one can note the gypsy cap Charles is wearing. The story is that he and Clarence were inebriated and goofing around in the studio together and he threw the hat on to be silly. After the portrait was done, they burst out laughing… but again, this is an urban legend!”

In conjunction with the exhibit opening, the museum held its annual holiday soirée, hosted by Executive Director Dacia Harwood, who said,

photos and story by Joanne

Kirk Tatnall next to his art on loan for the Clarence Mattei exhibit at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum

Descendants of the Mattei family: Carolyn Tatnall Jopes with husband Doug Jopes

On Entertainment Academy All-Stars: A 32-string Choir

by Steven Libowitz

When Jennifer Kloetzel steps on stage at Lehmann Hall to perform as part of the Music Academy’s All-Star Cello Choir in the final concert of the new Mariposa series on December 17, it will be the first time the cellist has appeared on campus under the Academy’s aegis since she was a second-time summer student in 1988. That was actually her second time at the festival as Kloetzel first matriculated in 1984, which was back when Abravanel Hall was just a dozen years old. Its replacement, Hahn Hall, is already 14 – and the students, who were yet to be called fellows – were housed in a single apartment building in the pre-Cate School and later Westmont College days.

But Kloetzel still vividly remembers her summers in Montecito as a “very happy time when I just fell in love with this very magical place.” Practicing in the open-air near the fountain and the trees on the main house’s back patio helped her make it to the finals of the Concerto Competition as a 15-year-old, where she played Dvořák’s famed B minor opus, still a repertoire favorite.

Since graduating from Juilliard, Kloetzel has gone on to a lauded career as a soloist and chamber musician, the latter exemplified by her founding membership in the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet (1996-2016), after which she found her way back to Santa Barbara for a teaching position at UCSB. That’s where Kloetzel has helped to establish a strong chamber music program that includes the Cello Squad, an ensemble that features her cello students.

All of which makes her a smart choice

for helping to put together the program for the All-Star Cello Choir concert, whose members also include Katrina Agate – who was Kloetzel’s student her first year at UCSB – plus Chas Barnard, the youngest alum and a 2020 Keston MAX Winner who was part of the recent Academy residency with the London Symphony Orchestra, along with Shirley Kim , Noah Seng-Hui Koh, Marcie Kolacki, Maki Kubota, and Emma Lee

Many of the members have never met before, but Kloetzel said that’s not an issue.

“Cellists are great to be around in groups and we love to play together,” she said. “The cello ensemble repertoire is rich and varied, and all of us wanted to switch around between playing the melody or the bass lines – no divas in the bunch. So this is very exciting for us.”

The concert will open with the full ensemble performing three movements from Grieg’s “Suite in the Olden Style, Op. 40” before breaking into two quartets that will play, respectively, two pieces written for cello in Paul Wiancko’s 2017 When the Night, followed by two movements of Bach’s “Cello Suite No. 6 in D Major.” The groups recombine back into an octet to perform Wagner’s “Feierliches Stück” from Lohengrin and the “Winter” and “Summer” movements of Piazzolla’s tango-fied The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires

“It’s a great program with a broad scope

Jennifer Kloetzel has organized and helps lead the All-Star Cello Choir concert, the final show for the new Mariposa series

Katrina Agate and other master cellists join Kloetzel on the stage

“The celebration was an opportunity to thank the many members, contributors, and volunteers who make the Museum’s good work possible.” Noted guests were the new owner of Mattei’s Tavern Shamra Strange , and family members of the Mattei lineage including Runcie Tatnall, Kirk Tatnall, and Carolyn Tatnall Jopes with husband Doug Jopes Also noted were Barbara and Art Najera , Marilyn Chandler “Missy” DeYoung, Jacqueline Abbud, Luke Swetland with wife Stacey Byers, Lori and Thad MacMillan, Erin Graffy with husband Jim Garcia, and the SB Historical Museum Board of Trustees: Rhonda Henderson with husband Ben Feld, Sheila Snow with husband Kevin, Ken Mineau, and George Leis with wife Laurie.

411: www.sbhistorical.org

Christmas at the Casa

A wet and windy evening did not derail the annual Christmas at the Casa fundraising event at Casa del Herrero on December 10, as guests were chauffeured from the El Montecito Church parking lot to the event. There we were greeted with elegantly dressed staff who escorted us with umbrellas to the host

desk and cocktail area. The warmly lit and holiday decorated historic house was buzzing with lively conversation by guests in silk lurex dresses, furs, wool pant suits, comfy booties, and wellies.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg Photography

Santa Barbara Historical Museum Executive Director Dacia Harwood (left) with guests Luke Swetland and wife, Stacey Byers

Bill and Elizabeth Esrey with Steedman great-granddaughter Katherine Pharibe Wise

Casa del Herrero honoree Laura Bridley with Executive Director Vija Hodosy

170-year-old restored golden eagle from the shipwrecked Yankee Blade with Sharon Bradford, Brett Hodges, and Dacia Harwood (photo by Priscilla)

The gala also featured a short film by Montecito Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges and a performance by Grammy nominated singer Tierney Sutton accompanied by internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman with selections from the Great American Songbook and Yuletide staples.

Among the stage-struck crowd were author Fannie Flagg, Bob and Val Montgomery , Riley and Dacia Harwood, Mercedes Millington, Jamie and Marcia Constance, Anne Towbes, Adam and Penny Bianchi, and Charles and Barbara de L’Arbre.

A Champagne Tea

Lobero Theatre Associates, an auxiliary supporting the historic theater’s

foundation, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a champagne-soaked tea for 75 guests at the Santa Barbara Club, which raised $5,000 as Swedish pianist Fredrik Rosvall serenaded the cultured crowd

Brett Hodges, Jim Dougherty, Janet McCann, pianist Fredrik Rosvall, Mindy Denson, and Tim Casey (photo by Priscilla)

with traditional carols.

Among the supporters at the bash, co-chaired by Leslie Haight and Miscellany Page 244

Linda Seals, Brenda Blalock, Karen Byers, Barbara de L’Arbre, Joan Crossland, Regina Henderson, Lynn Behrens, Missy DeYoung, and Marianne Clark with Anne Towbes and surrounding David Asbell (photo by Priscilla)

Seated: Gretchen Wolfgram, Emily Johnson, and Leslie Haight; Standing: Jennifer Hilford, Loyd Hutchins, Kathleen Sawyer, and Dana Seltzer (photo by Priscilla)

New

Few events evoke as many emotional, nostalgic and visceral responses as New Year’s Eve with The Symphony. Fan favorite Bob Bernhardt returns to guest conduct a rousing program of glitz, glamour and symphonic joy. This program sells out quickly; reserve your seats early!

Mela Daily, Soprano

Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender

Buck Baillhart, Steven Soria, Jeff Harding, Terry Pillow, Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, Ron Margolis, and Rafael Adón (kneeling) (photo by Priscilla)

“It was a charming way to celebrate a big event,” said Mindy Denson, president for the past four years.

A Homer Run

Good things do indeed come in small packages as fashion entrepreneur Terry Pillow, 70, amply proved when he opened his 200-square-foot bijou boutique Homer Montecito on Coast Village Road, a tiara’s toss from Tre Lune, selling beautiful bridle leather bags ranging in price from $2,600 to keyrings for just $85.

Terry, who formerly worked for Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Coach, and Tommy Bahama, enlisted his 16-year-old son Sam as cashier for the hotly anticipated event, which was featured in an 11-page article in the latest MJ magazine by my colleague Les Firestein.

Two of the designers, Steven Soria and Rafael Cordova, both from our Eden by the Beach, helped the tony throng of customers, including local rocker

Kenny Loggins , fresh from hosting duty with fellow singer Brad Paisley at KEYT-TV’s 36th annual Unity Shoppe Marathon, “Unity in the Community,” which raised

Miscellany Page 464 Miscellany (Continued from 22)

firstrepublic.com/CD

insured up

Emily Johnson, were Anne Towbes, Brenda Blalock, Carol Wathen, Missy DeYoung, Paige Beard, Eileen Mielko, Barbara de L’Arbe, Sandy Stahl, and David Asbell, executive director.

$360,000.

Cameron Shufer, proprietor Terry Pillow, and Diane Hollman with a gift for Terry (photo by Priscilla)

Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey Nowak with the cast of performers (photo by Priscilla)

Van Gogh, Canals, and Cannabis, Oh My!

by Ernie Witham

Seems like there was always a guy in Dam Square in front of the Royal Palace with a microphone.

In our three days in Amsterdam, we had watched a group of protesters freely protesting their lack of protesting rights. A drunken magician, who spent more time cursing out the crowd than actually performing tricks. And now a young man with one of the loudest boom boxes ever was playing hip-hop while he made thumping sound effects and grunting noises into his mic at a decibel that was close to a jet engine testing lab.

It began to rain. His tip cup quickly filled up, covering his euro-and-a-half of earnings. Pat suggested we move on, but I wanted to see what happened when the splashing rain hit the electrical connection. I would have tipped well to see his hair catch on fire. But alas, the crowd dispersed, he gave one last thump, and quit.

We headed for outdoor seating under an awning with a heater on Damstraat and ordered a couple of beers.

In front of us, a steady “stream” of walkers and bicyclists drifted by. Two young ladies took the table next to us, shook the water out of their hair and immediately lit up a joint. “Can I get you anything?” a waitress asked.

“Double shot espresso,” said one of the young women. The other woman put the joint into the ashtray, exhaled, and said: “Pastries.”

“How many?”

“A lot.”

Pat and I found it interesting that you could walk around smoking pot or eating cannabis-laced gummy bears at all hours, but when we walked into a small grocery shop there was a sign on the beer section: “No alcohol sales between 4 pm Thursday and 3 am Friday.” There was no explanation for this. I also wondered if we waited it out and went back at 3 am, if there would be anyone there to sell us a bottle of merlot.

Another couple took the table to our right and immediately lit up a joint.

“We may be the only unstoned couple in Amsterdam,” Pat said.

I reached into my pocket, took out a little cookie, popped it into my mouth and said, “speak for yourself.”

“That’s a waffle cookie,” she said. “I saw you buy them at the Van Gogh Museum gift shop.”

I removed the stoner smile from my face. “They were my reward for spending three hours watching you study each and every painting like you were counting the brushstrokes.” Don’t tell Pat, but I enjoyed every minute at the Van Gogh Museum and I took a gazillion photos, figuring I could change V I N C E N T to E R N I E in Photoshop and impress some of my less cultural friends.

The rain was letting up, so we gave up our table to a couple who had been waiting patiently for something to open up.

“Hi,” I said.

“Not yet,” the guy said, taking a joint out of his shirt pocket and examining it to see if it would still light.

We took a right off Damstraat and found ourselves in the Red Light District. Only a few of the doorways were occupied. Must be the first shift, probably like the warm-up band at a rock concert. I thought about striking up a conversation, you know, like, “Where you from? What’s your sign? How’s tricks?” Pat thought this was not such a good idea, though she didn’t express it in quite those terms. Instead, we found a cafe right beside one of the canals and grabbed a seat.

Earlier we had taken a 75-minute boat ride from in front of Anne Frank’s house through several canals and all the way to the ocean and back. We found out that Amsterdam was spongy and impossible to build until the 12th century when fishermen built a dam on the river Amstel, creating a harbor. Today it

is known for its many bridges, quirky architecture, and tolerance of all things.

I raised my glass. “Proost,” I said, repeating something I heard from a nearby table.

Pat hesitated and figured I had just cursed her out in Dutch. Then she raised her glass and “proosted” me back.

I’m going to assume that was a good thing.

Ernie Witham has been writing humor for more than 25 years. He is the author of three humor books and is the humor workshop leader at the prestigious Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

Pat studies a painting at the Van Gogh Museum while I consume some local cookies

Le Bal Cristal

A glimmering night of unmatched elegance where the ordinal is escaped, and the extraordinary is embraced awaits at our New Year’s Eve Le Bal Crystal. Inspired by a glamourous French fête along the American Riviera, we invite you to celebrate with lively libations, spectacular performers, champagne toasts and so much more.

Joyce DiDonato, executive producer and mezzo-soprano Il Pomo d’Oro, early music ensemble Zefira Valova, conductor Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, stage director John Torres, lighting designer An Arts & Lectures Co-commission

Fusing music, movement and theatre, EDEN is a breathtaking, through-performed tour de force from the multi-award-winning Joyce DiDonato that’s been immediately celebrated as “iconic” and “ground-breaking.” Special appearance by Music Academy’s Sing! youth choir.

Your Westmont

Sustaining Missionaries while Running Bitcoin Beach

by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott

ince 60 Minutes featured alumnus Michael Peterson (’97) and his Bitcoin Beach last April, his life has changed a bit. “I’ve had meals with three different billionaires,” he says. “I don’t normally run in those circles.”

Michael and his wife, Brittney Cox Peterson (’97), co-founders of Missionsake, prefer meeting the spiritual, mental, physical, and relational needs of El Salvador’s missionary community.

A journey around the developing world his senior year with three friends from Europe Semester, led Michael to consider a career in missions. Seven years later, a surfing trip to El Salvador with another Westmont alumnus included a week serving with a medical mission’s team in Guatemala. “I fell in love with El Salvador – the surf, the warm water, and the people,” he says.

He and Brittney bought a home in El Zonte, a small coastal town, and visited every winter during the off-season of their food-service business. They attended the country’s lone English-speaking church in San Salvador and learned from missionaries about their challenges with children, marriage, and ministry. “We became close to a family who had experienced a lot of trauma,” Michael says. “The husband had been shot in the neck in El Salvador, losing his voice and suffering from PTSD. We felt called to pour into their lives – and God opened our eyes to the broader need of support for missionaries.”

Ten years ago, the Petersons decided to stay in El Salvador full-time, running Missionsake. The ministry provides business expertise, counseling and two guest homes. “Missionaries have no budget for time away,” Michael says. “They feel

guilty taking a vacation. Providing a place for them to stay helps them reconnect with family and be alone.”

Missionsake also hosts an annual conference, The Gathering, to help unify the missionary community. “We hope this time of fellowship will grow into deeper friendships and stronger connections,” he says.

Community Build, another Missionsake initiative, focuses on education and local development projects.

“The youth in El Salvador are vulnerable to being enticed into gangs,” he says.

“Many of them grow up without any parents because they’re in the U.S. working illegally or in jail.”

An economics and business major at Westmont, Michael became intrigued with Bitcoin and its potential as a monetary system when it launched in 2009.

“My interest was academic and theoretical,” he says.

But living in El Salvador, he encountered the challenges of getting money from the United States due to the disconnected state of financial systems.

“The system works well in the United States, but not in most of the world,” he says. “It’s expensive and difficult. People here spend so much time and money trying to receive remittances from family. I kept thinking Bitcoin could solve a lot of these issues.”

Then Michael met someone at The Gathering who had received a Bitcoin from a donor. He met with an advisor to the donor, who stipulated that the Bitcoin be used in transactional ways and not just cashed in for U.S. dollars, El Salvador’s official currency. Michael made what he considered a preposterous proposal to create a circular economy within El Zonte, dubbed Bitcoin Beach, to fund Missionsake’s Community Build initiative. “The advisor came back with follow-up questions and said, ‘OK, let’s do this.’”

Even with Bitcoin’s volatility, the cryptocurrency has transformed the image of El Salvador, formerly known for gangs and violence. The country has now attracted international businesses. “It’s increasing financial education,” Michael says. “People are saving for the first time. It’s connecting them with the world. These secondary impacts will continue to be positive for El Salvador regardless of

what the price of Bitcoin does.

“Not many people can say their college experience changed the trajectory of their life. I know so many Westmont students who’ve gone on to do amazing and unique things and made a big impact. Westmont shapes you into the person you’ll become. I have many lifelong Westmont friends I remain close to, including some on our board.”

Engineers Put Creations to the Test

Westmont’s junior engineering students were revved up for the annual remote control car competition on December 8 in front of Kerrwood Hall. The students spent the last 10 weeks working in teams to assemble hundreds of parts to create their race cars, which count for five percent of their overall grade in the Machine Design course.

In the end, the team of Tasha Loh, Becca Hudson, and driver Caleb Wilcox won the Championship Race, each receiving a trophy from President Gayle D. Beebe

Westmont’s engineering major is in its fourth year and gaining traction. About two dozen news students are majoring in

Michael Peterson of Bitcoin Beach fame was one of 85 alumni honored at Westmont’s 85th anniversary Gala on October 15

Westmont’s junior engineering students pose with director Dan Jensen (kneeling) and president Gayle D. Beebe

engineering and a new on-campus warehouse for large projects will be completed next semester.

“Building the RC car has allowed us to apply the knowledge that we’ve learned from class, get our hands dirty, and see some real engineering at work,” Hudson said.

“There’s a magical balance between theoretical calculations and experimental trials,” Loh said. “Sometimes you just have to try something out to see if it works. Each element we studied in class came to life in the RC car. We learned that some components were very hard to build, and when designing parts, we have to take human error with the product into consideration.”

“We learned how complicated it is to do analysis on real car components and how to use engineering practices to help with them,” Wilcox said. “It also provided us with comradery and an element of healthy element of competition.”

Gayle Beebe, Tasha Loh, Becca Hudson, Caleb Wilcox, and Dan Jensen

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

CLOTHING SHOES HANDBAGS

"High Fashions at

Holiday Wrap Up Wrapping Up the Home

by Zachary Rosen

With the holidays upon us, here are a few places for putting those finishing touches on the home, last-minute local gifts, or just spots to go get some fresh air and holiday cheer. During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to let things slip through the cracks and this week is usually filled with eleventh hour gift shopping and frantic final touches to the home before the in-laws arrive.

Summerland has become known as a hotbed of interior design and décor stores and is an ideal stopping point for any of these last-minute purchases. Home Crush, in addition to being a full-service design studio, has recently opened a newly renovated bungalow onsite that allows seasonal items to be stocked –including faux Christmas trees, ornaments, and other festive accessories – for any stocking stuffers or decorating needs. They also offer stylish infrared heaters and firepits to keep the exterior spaces toasty, plus tables, chairs, and more to add those final touches to the home before any holiday hosting duties. The items stocked at Home Crush are exclusive to the area, and often California, with items able to be purchased directly off the floor so one can take them home that day.

Another popular spot to shop in Summerland is The Well. With a range of antique and vintage items, upcycled objects, and other distinct pieces to put inside and out,

Home Crush just opened their bungalow for seasonal items

Happy holidays, from all of us.

San Ysidro Village

Jenni Kayne

San Ysidro

Pharmacy

Country House Antiques

New shipment! Swedish, French, English antiques & decorative accessories

Hogue & Co.

Come visit our shop, transformed into a festive holiday cottage, filled with trees covered in ornaments, beads & garlands. Custom flowers & plants for any occasion

House of Honey

A female collective of interior designers. We create spaces that celebrate life.

The holidays have arrived! From luxe takes on essential outerwear to the coziest knits, dressing for the weather has never looked better.

Jenni Kayne Home

Discover the makings of your dream space with essential décor and timeless furniture designed for your warmest welcome home, long beyond the holiday season.

Montecito Coffee Shop

For 30+ years, the best breakfast café in Montecito

Randy Solakian Estates Group

Coldwell Banker Realty

Private Estates Brokerage

PCAB accredited ∙ Compounding ∙

Luxury gifts ∙ Cosmetics ∙ Vitamins ∙ Brand-new shipments of beautiful holiday gifts & candles!

The UPS Store

Visit us for all your holiday packing and shipping. We are here to help!

William Laman

Furniture. Garden. Antiques. Hand-selected antiques & home furnishings. Great accessories for entertaining and gift giving, in a beautifully curated setting

American Riviera Bank Bank on better

one is bound to find a unique gift in this expansive space. The Well also routinely features pop-ups and displays from local craftspeople with jewelry, attire, and other accessories available onsite. Stop in for a unique antique or just to find a small, last-minute gift. And if you still need holiday cards, gift tags, and any other stationery odds and ends, then the nearby Farm to Paper is the place to go. Their range of boutique items, including new colorful and cozy Oaxacan slippers, can also make good stocking stuffers.

Some Local Flavor and Fun

Whether looking to season up some meat this season, or just in search of a local gift for a foodie, the spice blends from Mylestone Barbeque Co. are the way to go. Founded by Charles Myles, who was born and raised in the area but whose family hails from the South, he started grilling Santa Maria tri-tip and other goodies back in 2019. When the pandemic hit, he started packaging some of his signature seasonings as a means of support.

The spices come in three styles: Chicky Bang Bang for one’s poultry needs; One Fish Two Fish for any aquatic cooking endeavors; and the Signature Rub to deliver a more traditional BBQ flavor, with a few family secrets mixed in. The spices are blended, packed, and labeled with his own hands and if you’d like a preview of what they taste like, Charles and his grill can still be found at Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta on most Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm, or more likely, once they sell out.

While the spice blends will make a great gift, it is his Fermented Hot Sauce that is hard to get one’s hands on, with each batch selling out as quickly as he can make it. Incorporating Fresno and Habanero Chilies plus garlic, the sauce is fermented to develop a distinctive lactic tang that can’t be achieved from just vinegar. Visit www. mylestonebbq.com for more information.

Looking for a boardgame to play with the family this season but unwilling to go through the fights, therapy, and hours of not speaking to one another that a single round of Monopoly usually brings? The new board game, Moksha, offers a more peaceful solution. Developed and designed locally by James Kapicka, Moksha – meaning “liberation” in Buddhist philosophy – is a yoga-inspired board game. Kapicka pulled from his experience as a yoga instructor and bodyworker, to design a game that brings “laughter, discovery, and connection” with players navigating their way through the board and four categories – draw, act, share, think. The game also allows for various play modes including team, collaborative, individual, and even mini-games, as individuals or groups seek liberation. Ten percent of all profits go to The Prison Yoga Project. Visit www.yogaboardgame.com for more information or to purchase.

Love books and Montecito as much as we do? Lost Horizon Bookstore will be hosting a book signing of Montecito Style with Firooz Zahedi and Lorie Dewhirst Porter this Saturday, December 17, from 2-4 pm. Pick up an autographed copy for yourself or others and check out the current Riv magazine for the full story on Firooz.

Light Up the Night

Solvang feels a little bit like Christmas throughout the year, but this is really its time to shine. The month-long Julefest is still taking place and offers lights and other sights throughout the month. From the fashionable Danish designs featured in The Copenhagen House to the Old-World charm of Christmas ornaments, nutcrackers, and other holiday décor offered at Jule Hus, Solvang has a plethora of places to find a present. Of course, if you’re tired of the holidays, the Solvang Tree Burn on January 6 may be the cathartic conclusion you’re looking for.

If in Solvang, then it is just a quick trip to fill your night with some glowing good times. The Enchanted Garden Holiday Lights Festival will be held this Friday to

These seasonings from Mylestone Barbecue Co. come individually or as a gift pack

Moksha is a yoga-inspired board game

Season's Readings

Sunday (December 16-18) from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Located at the Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden in Buellton, this Sunday will feature live reindeer for an extra dash of holiday cheer. Visit EnchantedHolidayLights.com for tickets.

Of course, our own ZooLights at the Santa Barbara Zoo will continue to run through January 15. Visit the interactive installations that bring together 50,000 LED bulbs, larger-than-life-size animals, and thousands of handcrafted silk-covered lanterns. Peruse illuminated peacocks, fiery lions, and more in this way to see the zoo in a whole new light.

If you’re in need of something to drink during your festivities, then there’s a Miracle at the Funk Zone. Hosted at the Pearl Social, this pop-up Christmas bar is an over-thetop display of lights and libations with even a few themed bar items available for sale like a set of Naughty & Nice Santa shot glasses. The SanTaRex Mug is that perfect gift for someone who enjoys celebrating both the holidays and dinosaurs. Or just enjoy one of these mugs with a drink of Grandma Got Run Over by A T-Rex, a fruity blend that brings together citrus, spiced pomegranate, and the lush addition of gentian aperitif.

ZooLights at the Santa Barbara Zoo will be up until January 15

Julefest in Solvang runs throughout the rest of the month

The 20th Annual Chanukah Festival will be on Sunday, Dec. 25, at the Ventura Harbor Village

Naturally, the experience really revolves around the festive cocktails they’re serving up. Some are made to warm the palate, like a mulled wine or a chai spiked with spices, brandy, and rum. Others are their own animal, such as the Christmas Cricket that adds a dash of mole bitters to a tequila-themed version of the minty-chocolate cocktail. The uplifting Christmapolitan incorporates an absinthe mist and hint of rosemary on top of the classic flavor combo of cranberry and vodka.

Feel blue about all the green and red? Then head down to the 20th Annual Chanukah Festival on Sunday, December 25, from 2:30-4:30 pm at the Ventura Harbor Village. Held on the 8th day of Chanukah, which also happens to coincide with Christmas Day, the centerpiece of this celebration is a six-foot ice menorah that will be getting sculpted throughout the day and get lit at 4 pm in what is being described as the “coolest” lighting around. There will be musical entertainment if you feel like dropping the dreidel. Don’t have a dreidel? A Judaica boutique will be onsite for some gelt-free shopping. Snow fall and the sizzle of latkes will add to the festive affair.

In the mood for some more Jewish food? Read on in Nosh Town on the next page for some other ideas.

And if you need a little more help on what to look for this season, scan the QR code for more gift ideas!

Miracle at the Funk Zone is a pop-up Christmas Bar in Pearl Social

Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.

Nosh Town

Faye Levy on Jewish Cooking A Diaspora of Flavors

by Claudia Schou

On a recent afternoon I received a random phone call from a senior woman who lived in Hope Ranch. She introduced herself as Vibeke Einhorn She said she had a box of cookbooks, and that she was moving into an assisted care facility, and would I want them. Her kind, dignified voice and fondness for cooking made me feel as if I would be doing a good deed by helping her find a new home for her cookbooks. So I agreed, and later that day found myself driving over to Hope Ranch to meet her. As I walked toward her front door, movers shuffled past me with objects they were loading into a truck. Ms. Einhorn met me in the entryway and greeted me warmly in a soft, accented voice. “The books are over here,” she said, leading me to the dining room where a large, heavy-seeming cardboard box rested on a table. We spoke briefly but I could see that the moving crews needed her attention. So I thanked her and made my way back home where I slowly began to dissect the box’s contents. Inside were a whole slew of cookbooks in Danish, as were professional culinary selections on desserts and healthy, low-fat meal making. Then I recognized a title that I hadn’t read before: International Jewish Cookbook. I recognized the author’s name, Faye Levy. As I thumbed through the pages my curiosity took me on a culinary adventure.

Faye Levy is a groundbreaking Jewish cookbook author and journalist. The Jerusalem Post columnist – a position she has held since 1990 – is constantly exploring new ways of serving Jewish cuisine. Levy has written 23 cookbooks in English, French, and Hebrew. Her International Vegetable Cookbook (Warner Books, 1993) won a James Beard Award,

and she followed up with Feast from the Mideast (Harper Collins, 2003), Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home (Morrow, 2008), and Jewish Cooking for Dummies (Hungry Minds, 2001). Her International Jewish Cookbook (Time Warner Books, 1991) remains a staple for today’s cooks.

Faye started her culinary career in Israel as the assistant of celebrated cookbook author Ruth Sirkis. Next she enrolled in a six-week course at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. She lived in Paris for almost six years, where she enlisted in professional chef’s training and worked as La Varenne’s cookery editor.

She explains that there are two styles of Jewish cooking: Ashkenazic and Sephardic. Ashkenazic comes from Ashkenaz , a former Hebrew name for Germany and refers to the Jews from Eastern and Central Europe, and Sephardic comes from Sepharad, the Hebrew word for Spain, and stands for Jews from the Mediterranean area, Middle East, Western Asia, and North Africa. Within the two designations there are even more cooking styles and traditions.

Levy – whose food articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Chocolatier, Vegetarian Times, and other magazines and major newspapers – finds culinary inspiration in many places.

These days, she continues to expand and share her culinary and cultural knowledge at every opportunity, whether around town or across the globe. I recently caught up with her to discuss Jewish influence on international cuisine.

Q. You’ve written a book called Jewish Cooking for Dummies. I would imagine

Faye Levy is a groundbreaking Jewish cookbook author and journalist who enjoys global cuisine

The Giving List

Hillside’s 6th Annual Shining Light on Abilities

by Steven Libowitz

Just about everything Hillside does is for its residents, the 59 people who live at the facility that have developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, and epilepsy. That includes everything from the intensive medical support and empathetic caregiving to things like its annual Shining Light on Abilities event, a festive display of holiday decorations and brilliant lights at the nonprofit’s homestead at 1235 Veronica Springs Road.

Sure, the display is open to the public, even those beyond the residents’ family and friends, people with no connection to Hillside who merely wander onto the campus after gaping at the over-the-top Christmas decorations that adorn every one of the 16 houses on Veronica Place, the cul-de-sac right across the street.

“The reason we started Shining Light on Abilities was so that our residents felt that they were participating in the holidays like everybody else,” explained Hillside’s Director of Development, Michael Padden-Rubin. “Across the street, some of those houses are done up like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, just wow, while on our side of the street, our neighbor Assistance League and Hillside were both pretty much dark. The brainstorm was to bring some light over here. This is our residents’ home and people decorate their homes for the holidays. We wanted to have them be able to have that too.”

Bringing residents and visitors alike out

of the darkness and into the light has been a mission for Hillside over the years since its founding in the 1930s, when Hillside House was created as a model residential facility for children with cerebral palsy whose parents often hid them away in shame. As the world becomes more enlightened about equality and inclusiveness, Hillside has grown into a facility that provides state-of-the-art services to an adult population on its picturesque 24-acre setting in the Hidden Valley neighborhood – going beyond medical support and 24-hour nursing care to offer aquatic therapy, physical therapy, recreational therapy, sensory motor training, occupational therapy, and independent living skills.

The emphasis on person-centered care goes into program design, which is a joint venture between staff and residents so that each of the 59 individuals has the greatest opportunity to achieve their highest level of independence and accomplishment.

That’s why beyond the inflatable snowman, towering polar bear, illuminated wire animals, and brightly-lit palm trees –

all of which are partially set up by Troop 37 Scouts, who volunteered for the fifth year during their Thanksgiving break – is an integrally important part of Shining Light on Abilities: a slideshow produced by Elizabeth Arendt, Hillside’s office manager, that is unique to the organization. The slideshow – which plays continuously on a large-screen monitor in the picture window of the main Hillside building – features many of the residents who, while living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, shine a light on their abilities, as each slide contains text and photos of a resident who shares who they are and what they can do.

“With the display and the slideshow, Hillside is trying to show that residents want to have full, independent lives like everybody else,” Padden-Rubin said. “They want to participate, they want to celebrate and have a great holiday, and we want them to have all of that.”

That’s also why there are two different sleighs featured as part of the holiday display, he said. There’s the regular one with seats that used to carry Santa during the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization’s annual Holiday Parade that has since been shelved due to State Street’s pandemic pivot. And there’s also an adaptive sleigh sans the seats so that the residents can drive their wheelchairs in for an instant photo, although it’s also fine for visitors to pile in to get a picture with a larger group.

“It has really worked out well as an educational piece that’s also fun for everyone,” Padden-Rubin said. “If nobody’s around to answer questions, people should feel free to call me at the office during the day and I’m more than happy to explain everything.”

While both sleighs have been on display for all six seasons, the Shining Light on Abilities display has grown each year, with new critters and inflatables arriving, and new traditions being created. Opening night of the annual display offers a program created for the residents and their friends and families, and for the third year in a

row, with the Assistance League’s Carolers led by Ann Rudolph (yes, that really is her last name), accordionist Gail Campanella, and Santa Claus coming over from the nonprofit next door in a procession, playing and singing to greet the residents positioned in front of Hillside in what would normally be the parking spots.

“The residents got the full impact of something like a parade, with front row seats to see the lights go on,” PaddenRubin said of the December 3 event. “There was just so much excitement, especially when the snow started falling.”

The added attraction came courtesy of a snow machine provided by Jose Silver, Hillside’s director of facilities, with the whole presentation even having an effect on Boston-native Padden-Rubin in recalling holiday times back East. “People were singing, Santa’s walking around posing for pictures, then the lights went on and the snow started falling above the main peak of Hillside, and I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s like being back at Boston Common. It was just such a great feeling for the residents to have that full holiday experience.”

Shining Light on Abilities continues every night after sunset through Saturday, December 31, and while admission is free, donations to support the events and all of Hillside’s programs can be made online at hillsidesb.org/donate or on site either using Hillside’s QR code or via the donation lockbox at the main entrance. Sponsorships also remain available and interested parties can join Demboski & Chapman Financial and Insurance Solutions; Easy Lift Transportation; Jordano’s; Klein DeNatale Goldner Attorneys At Law; MarBorg Industries; John D. Rubin Enterprises; and Unity Shoppe in receiving recognition that includes a slide that will appear in rotation in the show and a banner that hangs on the wall facing the display.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Director of Development Michael Padden-Rubin at (805) 6870788 x115 or mpaddenrubin@hillsidesb.org or visit hillsidesb.org.

The 6th Shining Light on Abilities display will be up at Hillside House through the end of the month

The slideshow that plays on Hillside’s main building lets visitors get to know the residents

Far Flung Travel The Sleeping One

by Chuck Graham

Descending San Miguel Hill at a feverish pace, I’d just left a freshly soddened Green Mountain to the west in my rearview mirror. San Miguel Island always delivering a diverse mix of unpredictable weather patterns.

Green Mountain was cloaked in dewy fog and swept in 20 mph northwest winds. It felt like sideways rain as moisture pelted my left side, unexpectedly soaking me, but that’s what to expect from the most exposed isle in the Channel Islands National Park.

Shaking off beads of moisture, I quickly warmed up while ascending San Miguel Hill to the east. The soft sand at the apex of the hill forced me to work a little harder before passing the weather apparatus at its 831-foot summit. My stride quickened on the descent, but then I saw eyes reflecting

off my headlamp beaming down the narrow single track.

For all my nighttime strolls on the Channel Islands National Park, my initial reaction was that it was an island fox foraging under the stars. However, this felt different, and it was. Island foxes possess a curious head bob, and they blink at any light. When I saw this pair of eyes, I immediately noticed the eyes were set lower to the ground, and there was no movement at all.

When I sensed something different, I instantly slowed and sat down in the narrow trail. It took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing, but when I realized it was a nocturnal poorwill, I didn’t move for several minutes. With just the beam of my headlamp and the flash from my camera. I scooched on my rump into position, eliminating any potential impact tremor. I had to photograph it in manual mode and was able to get a couple of images of such an unusual bird on the most remote islet in the Northern Chain.

Sleepless Nights

It was a rare occasion. I was wide awake at 2 am, and I went for a very short trail run, maybe four miles. After leaving the campground in Scorpion Canyon on Santa Cruz Island, I quickly ascended toward Cavern Point where the air was warmer.

Suddenly, I was keeping pace with a busy, nocturnal island spotted skunk who did not want to give up the trail, so I stayed back just a little until the one-pound skunk veered off into a shallow gully that eventually fed to Scorpion Canyon.

As I loped along, my headlamp burning bright, more eyes reflected along the rolling marine terrace. I slowed to a halt and crawled on all fours to what was another poorwill. It was killing me, because I didn’t have my camera, but I was super stoked to see two of the most rarely seen creatures on the Northern Channel Islands.

I didn’t want to startle the poorwill. It was enjoying a warm spot along the trail while in between nabbing insects. I carefully navigated a path through the brush, keeping the poorwill in its comfy spot.

Not to be denied, I came prepared the following night with my camera and a light I use for kayaking and exploring dark, dank sea caves below those windswept marine terraces. It’s so difficult predicting what wildlife will do, but sometimes certain species are habitual, and I was banking on that. That poorwill was nearly resting in the exact same spot from the night before.

Once I saw its eyes, I shut everything down, and only used the lowest beam on my headlamp. I wanted it to remain comfortable as I inched closer. When I was within range of my 300mm lens, I moved my sea cave light toward the nocturnal bird and captured a couple of quality images of the poorwill.

Southerly Slopes

Scorpion Canyon was chilly, maybe 45 degrees on an early evening just after the annual time change. I bundled up for a walk, fully equipped with camera and lights. Literally 100 feet up the canyon and the temperature warmed 15 degrees.

Poorwills typically enjoy southerly slopes for roosting, warming up, dust baths, and even nesting. The road above the ranger housing was ideal for that. As I walked on the dusty track, another poorwill bedded down in the dirt, living up to its nocturnal behavior.

I lied down about 25 feet from it and inched forward. On elbows and toes, I got to within six feet, and then the poorwill demonstrated some more of its behavior. If they feel threatened, they’ll open their mouths and huff and puff. It sauntered forward, almost waddling in the dirt. It then settled again even closer than before.

But as fall melds into winter and the nights continue to cool, poorwills will demonstrate some physical characteristics that are mind boggling. Their cryptic feathers camouflage them within their arid, rocky habitats making them difficult to see. They also drift off, sleeping and lowering their body temperature to 41 degrees, and reducing their oxygen consumption more than 90 percent. Native Americans such as the Hopi named poorwills “the sleeping one.”

And as the night wore on, the lone poorwill went into a state of torpor. It closed its eyes and slept, but I also began to doze. It was time to get off the dirt and hike back to my tent.

•

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•

•

Great Kitchens Don’t Just Happen . . . They Happen by Design.

“Dude, turn off that light!”

“Now I’m up. What are you up to?”

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park

that there are many aspiring cooks out there who are as intrigued as I am by Jewish culinary traditions, and who want to learn more. One of the most important aspects I’ve learned thus far from your writings is that Jewish cooking is complex; it’s not a cookie cutter meal plan. From a cultural and culinary standpoint, it comprises diverse influences.

So, what was it like for you to discover and learn how to prepare Jewish specialties beyond matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, and blintzes?

A. It was fascinating. I was living in Israel and had never tasted YemeniteJewish, Moroccan-Jewish, and other specialties that were not Ashkenazic. My mother-in-law was from Yemen, and I learned how to prepare many delicious dishes from her, like her Shabbat bread that she baked all night, and her spicy beef soup. Other dishes that inspired me were spicy Moroccan fish for Shabbat (that a Moroccan neighbor made) and kubeh soup with okra or with beets, made by my sister-in-law, who is of IraqiIndian origin. Burekas – a favorite treat of mine from pastry shops in Israel – is something that I also learned to make at home. And of course, shakshuka, that I first learned to make from my motherin-law, who also taught me to make a delicious Yemenite flatbread called malawach, which is similar to paratha.

How has the diversity in Jewish cooking influenced your approach to meal making today?

Since Middle Eastern flavors are now popular in Jewish cooking, thanks to people using them in Israel, I enjoy using them in my recipes. In Eastern and Central Europe there weren’t a lot of fresh vegetables available, so Ashkenazi recipes don’t have as many vegetable dishes as Sephardi ones do. Since we have an abundance of

fresh produce in California, I enjoy using it in Jewish cooking to make dishes tastier, more beautiful, and more healthful.

How has Jewish cooking evolved over the past 50 years?

If you mean Jewish cooking in the U.S., I think that’s thanks to Jews coming to the U.S. from other countries, especially Israel but also Iran; American Jews, who are primarily Ashkenazic, learned about the flavors of these cuisines.

Seasonings can be used to make dishes more interesting. My mother, whose food was very Ashkenazi, adopted seasonings from my Yemenite mother-in-law and flavored her matzo ball soup with cumin, turmeric, and cilantro.

People who love to cook have also incorporated all sorts of flavors from other cuisines, such as Mexican, into American Jewish cooking. With the availability of a greater variety of produce items, Jewish menus are enriched by them. A Mexican acquaintance told me that his family in Mexico City served chili salsa with gefilte fish. Cilantro is a popular spice in Israel, especially in North African cuisines, but they don’t consider it Mexican; in fact, it originated in the Mediterranean area.

As for Asian ingredients, soy sauce has become a popular ingredient in Israel and is used on Friday night chicken. Ginger and cardamom are used by Yemenites as part of their coffee spice blend, but they don’t consider them “Asian.” Ginger is popular in Moroccan cooking in its dry form and has long been part of the cuisine.

What about kosher cooking?

It seems to me that Jewish food is influenced by the cuisines of whatever country Jews live in. If they adapt a dish, they make it kosher. For example, Alsatian choucroute is traditionally made

with a variety of pork products, but the traditional Alsatian Jewish choucroute has goose instead.

Jews in Morocco make couscous with similar spices to other Moroccans except that they don’t add butter to the couscous if they are serving it with meat, and if they use the spice blend called ras el hanout to flavor the meat, they make this blend without an ingredient called Spanish fly, which is not kosher.

How has the availability of new vegan foods helped in Kosher meal making?

Jews who keep kosher have a much wider variety of cheeses and deli meats than before. Thanks to the popularity of vegetarian and vegan food in the U.S., there are many vegan meats and dairy foods that can be used in Jewish menus, making possible much more varied menus than before. When I was growing up in a kosher home, having cheesecake after a meal that had chicken or meat as a main course was unthinkable, but now it’s possible.

For some reason sandwiches like the

Reuben sandwich are sold at Jewish delis but are not kosher. With vegan cheeses, such as Daiya, it’s easy to make kosher versions. Those who want to serve eggs and bacon at breakfast can easily do this with vegan products. And of course, there are cheeseburgers – the cheese can be vegan, or the burger, or both.

For some people it would be upsetting to add such items as faux shrimp or faux bacon because they are used to thinking of those foods as non-kosher.

With the holidays upon us, what are you planning for your Hanukkah table?

When I was growing up, my favorite Hanukkah meal was a latke party, and that’s what I still like. My mother made potato pancakes and served them the traditional way, with applesauce and sour cream. It wasn’t really a meal. I like to make several kinds of latkes, such as potato, corn, and zucchini, and to serve them with different toppings. My favorite toppings are yogurt with garlic and dill or other herbs, sautéed

Jewish foods are always evolving like these zucchini latkes with dill sauce

Montecito Reads Agents in the Gar-office

by MJ Staff

Take a sneak peek of Montecito by Michael Cox in this ongoing serialization of his yet-to-be-published book. This fictional story is inspired by “tales of true crime THAT HAPPENED HERE.” After an unexpected knock on the door, Hollis is faced with several FBI agents. Chapters 41 and 42 are available online at montecitojournal.net and the QR code below.

“Yes sir.”

Agent Andrews nodded. “Mr. Wimby is not in any sort of trouble. We are just doing some field work. Filling out the file on a foreign national that we don’t have that much information on.”

“Certainly,” I said, nodding nervously. I had no idea where to begin. Should I just vomit information at him? Drop to my knees and tell the entire pathetic story? Or wait to see what he was looking for? I wanted to tell him everything, but I decided to let Agent Andrews determine the pace. “How can I help?”

“Let’s start with the professional, shall we?” he said, flipping his five-byeight steno notebook to a page and pulling a pen from his coat jacket. “Mr. Wimby is an investor, is that correct?”

“Yes,” I said. “That is how he describes himself.”

Agent Smith cocked his head suspiciously; Agent Andrews stared at his notepad.

“Mr. Wimby is the majority shareholder of a company here in the U.S., is that correct? An …,” Agent Andrews said, flipping to a different page in his notebook, “ExOh Holdings?”

“That is correct,” I said.

“And you are the Chief Executive Officer of that company?”

“Yes sir.”

He flipped back a page in his steno pad. “And how long have you known Mr. Wimby?”

I let my eyes wander as I pretended to do the math. Agent Smith, still a few feet removed, watched me as my eyes danced. The way he stared made me feel like an intruder in my own gar-office. “Eight months,” I finally said.

Montecito

by Michael Cox Chapter 43

Moments prior to the arrival of Agent Daniel Andrews and colleagues, I felt in control of what, where, and how I would deliver my evidence against Cyrus Wimby. Now that the FBI stood on my doorstep, I was thrust into a nervous meltdown. Had I waited too long? Had Cyrus framed me? Was Agent Andrews going to waterboard me?

“Sure,” I said to Agent Andrews, glancing over my shoulder to Cricket in the living room. “I’m headed to the gar-office, dear,” I said, then quickly closed the door before she could question me.

“This way,” I said, leading the three agents from the front door to my gar-office. I pulled open the garage’s sectional door – extra dirty after four weeks of my absence – sending a plume of dust toward the well-dressed men.

“I just want to chat,” Agent Andrews said, waving a hand in front of his face. “I don’t want to buy your lawnmower.”

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just… well, this is my office.”

Agent Andrews took off his aviators and narrowed his eyes on the dingy recesses of my office, then he placed a hand to his earpiece and let his eyes fall to the gravel driveway. “Agent Green,” he said after a few seconds pause, “why don’t you head back to the car. Agent Smith, stay with me.”

As Agent Green headed down my driveway, I noticed, for the first time, the hulking matte black van across the street. It was a Mercedes Benz Sprinter, tricked out as if it were set to cameo in the twenty-eighth installment of the Mission Impossible movie series. Through the heavily tinted windows, I faintly perceived the outline of another man in the van’s front passenger seat, making for at least four FBI agents at Casa de Crawford.

Agents Andrews and Smith joined me in the cavern of my gar-office. I flipped on a few lights and reflexively booted my laptop, now back at home in its docking station. Then I pulled out and dusted off two folding chairs for my guests. Agent Smith moved his chair back a few feet as if he was only an observer. He sat, crossing his arms over rock hard pectorals.

Agent Andrews sat less confrontationally. His legs crossed at the knee; his hands folded in his lap. He did not smile at me, but he did not scowl either. These guys were from FBI agent central casting, right down to the closely cropped hair and expressionless, I’ve seen it all before faces.

“I must say, Mr. Crawford,” Agent Andrews said. “I’ve executed terrorists in rooms more cheerful than this.”

My eyes turned to saucers.

Agent Andrews again touched his earpiece, trying to nonchalantly bury it into his ear canal. “Relax, Mr. Crawford,” he eventually said. “I doubt anything like that will be necessary today.”

I tried to smile at what might have been a perverse olive branch, but Agent Andrews did not reciprocate.

“We’re here to ask you some questions about a business colleague of yours,” Agent Andrews said. “A Mr. Cyrus Wimby. You know Mr. Wimby?”

“Mr. Wimby is a wealthy man, is that correct?” Agent Andrews asked.

“It would certainly appear so,” I said, chuckling.

Neither agent returned my chuckle. Agent Andrews paused again. “As you may or may not know,” Agent Andrews finally continued, “Mr. Wimby is in the United States on a… a type of visa that… How shall I put this? That does not allow him to operate a U.S.-based business. Would you say that Mr. Wimby is in compliance with that restriction? That he is – as they say – a passive investor in ExOh Holdings?”

Suddenly, my frothy anxiety was replaced by a surge of endorphins. This was my opening; this was my moment. I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees. “That is not correct. He is the opposite of a passive investor.”

Agent Smith tightened the stranglehold on his own bulging pectorals; Agent Andrews scribbled. “I see,” he said. “So, you claim that Mr. Wimby is playing an active role in the management of ExOh Holdings?”

I twitched in my seat, simultaneously desperate to reveal everything and nervous to speak. What was I waiting on? Thirty minutes prior I was online, googling how to meet with the FBI. Now – miraculously – they were here, sitting uncomfortably in my gar-office. It was as if the Fates had decided to favor me, saving me the inconvenience of a four-hour, roundtrip drive. Let’s go. Spit it out, my internal drill sergeant hollered.

I took a deep breath and waited for Agent Andrews to look up from his notepad so that we were iris to iris. When he finally did, I opened the taps: “Cyrus Wimby couldn’t be more active if he had a motor up his ass.”

Agent Andrews pursed his lips. “That’s a new one.” A pregnant pause and a few more scribbles. “So, tell me about ExOh Holdings. What does the company do? What is Mr. Wimby’s exact role?”

Again, I chuckled nervously. What does the company do? Such an innocent, obvious question. I spent months trying to craft a thorough, witty answer to that question; one I understood and could peel back to reveal layers of deeper nuance. The Free Trade Zone license. Chinese import law. Amazon and Alibaba. It was a romantic tale of a budding global conquest, and it was all a lie.

“So,” I began, “in order to sell a product in China, a company needs to—”

“Let me save you some oxygen, Mr. Crawford,” Agent Andrews interrupted. “I have a Master’s in Economics from Cornell. I have been the head of the FBI’s Global Trade Surveillance unit for more than a decade. I am a guest lecturer at both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law on the topic of international cartels and money laundering. I am well aware of Chinese Free Trade Zone Licenses and their rarity. And I have reviewed a handful of PowerPoint presentations on ExOh Holdings all authored – I believe – by you.”

I nodded; my ribs vibrating with each rumble of my heart.

“I don’t need a refresher course on global trade,” Agent Andrews continued, “Nor do I need an explanation of ExOh Holdings’ purported business plan. I need to know what ExOh Holdings actually does. Can you help me with that?”

Again, I nodded, any remaining hesitation obliterated. “The company is a massive fraud,” I began. “It is a variety of the classic Ponzi scheme. As far as I can tell, ExOh Holdings has never generated a single dollar of revenues. Its financial filings are fraudulent, its investor presentations are fantasy, and every investment dollar Cyrus Wimby raised for the company has been siphoned off to a network of bank accounts around the globe. The money has been stolen.”

“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.” — Pablo Casals

Scan here for Chapters 41 & 42

Agent Andrews cut his wide eyes to Agent Smith then back to me. “Stolen, you say?”

“Gone,” I said, nodding. “Well, almost gone, I should say. I know where he hid it.”

Agent Andrews closed the cover on his steno pad, placed it in his lap and joined Agent Smith in hugging his chest. “Tell me,” he said. “How do you know all of this?”

I turned to my computer, pulled up my dissertation, and hit Control-P, sending it to the printer, then I turned back to Agent Andrews. “Because –while I may be a lousy Chief Executive Officer of ExOh Holdings – I am an excellent hacker. With a little inadvertent help from Cyrus, I infiltrated the bank accounts he was using to syphon off the money. He delivered ExOh shares to the investors, but he took the money for himself.”

“Accounts, you say?” Agent Andrews asked. “As in plural? As in more than one?”

“Yes,” I said. “Eight accounts in total.” I counted them out, tallying them on my fingers. “Hong Kong, Sydney, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Helsinki, Lichtenstein, Brussels, and Zurich.”

Agent Andrews sat still for several seconds looking like a DVD on pause. “That is certainly a lot of bank accounts,” he finally said. “I wonder how—”

Agent Smith’s grunt – the first sound he had made since his arrival –interrupted and silenced Agent Andrews.

“They’re all linked,” I continued. “Each account has a specific set of entities that it pays off, then the balance moves along to the next account and on down the line.”

Agent Andrews resumed scribbling in his notepad. “Well. That is quite a setup. And you are telling me that you – by yourself – broke into all these accounts? That you can prove what you’re saying?”

At that moment, my printer spit out the final sheet of the dossier. I gathered the double-sided pages and put a heavy-duty staple at a precise forty-five-degree angle in the upper left-hand corner. The fact that I owned a heavy-duty stapler and believed that there was a rhyme and reason to properly placed staples should come as no surprise at this point.

“This,” I said, handing the document to Agent Andrews, “explains everything. All the money laundering. All the fraud. All the victims. All the account information, codes, and diagrams. You name it; it is all in there.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

Agent Andrews handed the dossier back to Agent Smith and stroked his chin. “You said that you were able to track payments made from Mr. Wimby’s accounts to other entities. What have you been able to discover about those recipients?”

I sighed. I had spent days digging through the corporate registration databases in the Cayman Islands, Isle of Man, Monaco, and so on: the documents existed but they were meaningless. “Not that much, I’m afraid,” I said. “All of the recipients are limited liability corporations headquartered in notorious tax havens. I could usually track a few layers deep, but I never got to a person’s name. It usually ended up as a private company owned by a bunch of other private companies and the only person signing the forms was a lawyer. Pretty much a dead end.”

“Pretty much a dead end,” Agent Andrews repeated, looking at his partner more than me. “So, you were not able to identify the individual accomplices to Mr. Wimby’s fraud?”

“No,” I said.

Agent Smith looked up from my dossier and nodded at Agent Andrews. “That’s unfortunate.” Agent Andrews said, slapping his knee with his steno pad. “But it looks like you’ve got poor Mr. Wimby nailed to the cross.”

“I think so,” I said, flinching at the imagery.

Agent Andrews returned to stroking his chin. “Let’s go back to something you said earlier. You said you knew where Mr. Wimby had the money hidden, is that correct?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“So, where is it?” he asked. “Secret safe? Treasure map?” I smiled. “No. He has it all in the bank account in Zurich, Switzerland.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Can you show me?”

I turned back to my computer and logged into my CryptoWallet account. With a few keystrokes, I updated all eight of Cyrus’s secret accounts and consolidated the transaction history. “As you can see here,” I said, pointing to my screen, “seven of the bank accounts have zero balances, but this one,” I tapped the transactions coded for the Zurich account, “has fifty-seven-million dollars in it.”

Once again, Agent Andrews’s DVD hit pause as he stared expressionless. “That’s where he has it hidden,” I said, trying to break him from his trance.

Agent Andrews cleared his throat, “Indeed, he does. Indeed, he does.” He turned back to his partner and pointed at the dossier now rolled like a thick baton. “And you’re telling me that all of this information is in here?” “Yes.”

“The account numbers, the history, the log in information. All of it?”

“All of it. Well…,” I paused, wanting to be more precise, “I should say: all the information you would need to track the money and verify the balances. If you wanted to transact in those accounts, you’d need a little more information from Cyrus himself or a little assistance from the bank.”

It was Agent Andrews’s turn to sigh. “Well, I guess we’ll get a chance to find out how cooperative Mr. Wimby chooses to be then, won’t we?”

We sat in silence for a few minutes as the light outside the gar-office faded. “So, what happens now?” I said.

Agent Andrews again turned to his mute partner, receiving the slightest of affirmative head nods. “We’ll take care of the rest,” Agent Andrews said. “So, will you just go and arrest him?” I asked.

“It doesn’t work quite like that,” Agent Andrews said as Agent Smith stood to leave. “We will take your research back to headquarters and discuss the matter with the higher ups. It will take a few days to come up with an action plan for getting Mr. Wimby off the streets.”

“So, what should I do in the meantime?” I asked.

He wagged a finger at me. “Nothing out of the ordinary. You are to behave exactly as you’ve always behaved, Mr. Crawford. It is imperative that Cyrus Wimby has no idea that you have turned this information over to the FBI. Imperative. You perform your duties just as you always have; do absolutely nothing to raise his suspicions. Am I clear?”

I shook my head, struggling to imagine how I could go on working with Cyrus while Agent Andrews and the FBI’s higher ups chewed the fat. “Give me an idea,” I said. “Just a ballpark. Are we talking days? Are we talking weeks? Please don’t tell me we’re talking months?”

“Don’t worry,” Agent Andrews said as Agent Smith exited the gar-office without a goodbye. “I suspect we’ll have the situation under control in a week.”

Agent Andrews stood abruptly and followed his partner down the driveway. I stumbled behind them, contemplating how I could manage to avoid Cyrus for the next seven days.

“How will I know when you have taken action, Agent Andrews?” I asked as Agent Smith opened the Sprinter’s sliding back door and climbed inside. “Are you going to give me a head’s up?”

Agent Andrews put one foot high on the van’s floorboards and turned his head to me. For the first time that visit, he smiled. “Don’t you worry about that, Mr. Crawford. You won’t need a head’s up. You’ll know.”

Tune in next week for more Montecito

Michael Cox is a 2005 graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Wall Street refugee. Including Montecito, Michael has written three novels, each in various stages of the path to publication. He can be reached at mcox@alumni.gsb.stanford.edu.

1st Place

Commercial

circle back to the wharf’s east side for viewing by boat parade judges that were seated upstairs at Conway Winery Tasting Room patio. And of course there were photo-ops by your Our Town reporter Joanne A Calitri with Christopher Bell , City of SB Waterfront Department Administrative Analyst and Public Information Officer. The Master of Ceremonies was Captain David Bacon with his wife, Cathy , who announced each boat’s name and number over speakers, so all watching the show in the wharf could hear. Boats are judged on a scale of 1 to 5 for use of lights, interpretation of the parade theme, and overall impression. Scores are tabulated by Bell immediately after the parade so awards can be given at the after party by SB Sailing Center owner Skip Abed . This year, the after party was graciously hosted by Amy Rose , co-owner of the Anchor Rose restaurant, above the Maritime Museum. After the last boat went by, Bell gave the signal for the annual fireworks show to commence over Leadbetter Beach, a five-minute show that concluded the holiday event.

Sail Boat 1st Place: Patrick Mullen, Sirocco

Human

1st

Bell and Abed shared, “The Parade of Lights is one of those quintessential Santa Barbara events that brings the community together to celebrate the best aspects of the holiday season –friends, family, and fun! The Waterfront Department would like to acknowledge all the boaters who took time during the past few days of rain to get their boats ready for the parade, and to thank all the volunteers and businesses that donated their time and money to make this event really special. We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!”

This year’s event was sponsored by: the 2022 Parade of Lights Committee, the City of Santa Barbara Waterfront Department, Santa Barbara Harbor Merchants Association, Stearns Wharf Business Association, and the Santa Barbara Yacht Club.

411: santabarbaraca.gov/things-do/waterfront

Subtlety sweet flamenco guitar music by Chris Fossek was met with hors d’oeuvres by Duo Catering, and white roses in vases placed in every room. The entire house was open for viewing with docents standing by, and the outside patio areas were securely tented for mingling.

ditional holiday party. What is special, however, about this year is that after we’ve all been closed in the last few years, it is wonderful to have a full-fledged gathering as we have had in the past and are grateful for all the support.”

I mingled into the living room and met the lovely Steedman great-grandchild Katherine Pharibe Wise, who introduced me to grandchild and architect Albert P. Hinckley, Jr. Wise was wearing a beautifully embroidered and fringed Spanish shawl, which she said was handed down to her from her mother Katherine, who acquired it from her mother, estimating that the shawl is at least 100 years old. Hinckley and I talked about the intricate wood carving on the living room doors, to which he explained that when they were installed, they were painted black, and their value paled in comparison to the draperies that were installed by Steedman when the house was built. These majestic 18th-century Spanish doors have been restored to their original wood basestained deep brown, along with the black wrought iron door lock.

Guests at the event included Bill and Elizabeth Esrey, Peggy Finefrock, Kathryne Dahlman , Lachlan and Vickie Hough , Bobbie and John Kinnear, Rebecca Anderson, Joan Jackson, Lynn Kirst, Nancy Schlosser, and Michael MacElhenny

The Boat Parade of Lights Winners

are:

Grand Prize Best Overall: Spencer MacRae, Kelpie

Commercial Fishing Boat 1st Place: Bernard Friedman, Perseverance

Commercial Other 1st Place: Spencer MacRae, Kelpie

Power Boat 1st Place: William Hahn, That’s

Joanne A. Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

Executive Director Vija Hodosy , appointed March 2022, said at the event, “Casa del Herrero is a remarkable intersection of art, architecture, and Santa Barbara history. This year we honor Laura Bridley , a volunteer who embodies a philanthropic energy that we cherish and admire. We are thrilled to be a historic house museum that creates educational opportunities for our diverse community.” Montecito born Bridley has worked with the organization for 30 years. She drafted Casa del Herrero’s first Conditional Use Permit for visitors and served as its first executive director. Board President Karen Jones Clark , who is charged with the organization’s antiquities, added, “As the Casa is an entity steeped in tradition, we continue to have a tra -

Casa del Herrero thanks Benefactors: Karen and Stephen Clark , Marc Normand Gelinas , Michael MacElhenny, and David Wine ; Conservators: the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, Karen Roberts and Bradley Dyruff, Gary Bradhering and Sheraton Kalouria, Carol and Michael Linn, Janet McCann, and the Steedman Descendants.

411: www.casadelherrero.com

This annual event supports Casa del Herrero’s commitment to preserving George Steedman Bass’s 11-acre estate, designed by George Washington Smith, an example of Spanish colonial revival architecture in North America, listed on the National Register of Historical Places and landmarks.

“A song can infiltrate your heart and the heart may change your mind.” — Elvis Costello

Casa del Herrero 20-year docent Lynda Millner with Peggy Finefrock and Kathryne Dahlman

Board President Karen Jones Clark with Rebecca Anderson

Power

Place: Millie Brother and Cherie Mignone, Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club

1st place Power Boat: William Hahn

Fishing: Bernard Friedman

Robert’s Big Questions Brilliant Thoughts What Are Turn Signals For?

Courtesy

by Ashleigh Brilliant

“Sir, you are a liar, a thief, and a coward!”

“What! You called him ‘Sir’?” “Why not? Courtesy costs nothing.”

That old joke can probably be blamed for my first encounter with the concept of courtesy – a word which has many shades of meaning, involving politeness, respect, consideration, propriety, and making people feel relaxed and comfortable. At a more rudimentary level, it is simply a matter of demonstrating “good behavior” although that can connote just keeping out of trouble, as in prisoners getting “time off for good behavior.” On a broader scale, it enters into the whole art of “diplomacy.” An ambassador’s job is to maintain good relations, or at least a line of communication, with the host country. If war comes, diplomats can sometimes be placed in a precarious position. It seems ironic that the Japanese ambassador in Washington, D.C. was doing his job right up to December 7, 1941. Of course, the U.S. treated all such “detainees” decently. But that’s not always the case. Shakespeare’s Cleopatra abuses a messenger just because she doesn’t like his message.

Since Medieval times, there have been various authorities on good manners and etiquette. More recently, this seems to have become primarily a woman’s role, with Emily Post leading the widely syndicated pack, followed by Judith Martin (“Miss Manners”), and Amy Vanderbilt. But what complicates the whole situation is the fact that ideas on these concepts tend to vary, not only from time to time, but also from place to place and from culture to culture. There is no universal standard of propriety. Probably the closest we can come is with the so-called “Golden Rule,” which says that we should behave towards others in the same way we’d want them to behave towards us. This may work on a personal level – but, when it comes to large groups, or nations, the idea breaks down. After all, a rich country can’t do everything for a poor country that the poor country might like. That’s one reason we have borders – to keep out all the foreigners who would benefit from being freely admitted.

I myself grew up partly in England, where good table manners included holding your knife in your right hand, and the fork in your left. In America, I learned that you first cut up the food with both implements, then put the knife down, and eat with the fork.

But, when moralizing about “good manners,” most of us probably assume, that it’s not right to hurt or offend other people if you can avoid doing so. This

includes your personal appearance. The lyrics, by Johnny Burke, of a popular song of 1944 called “Swinging on a Star” teach this lesson in a way that children can understand. One stanza says:

“Or would you rather be a Pig? …

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face, His shoes are a terrible disgrace.

He’s got no manners when he eats his food, He’s fat and lazy and extremely rude –But if you don’t give a feather or a fig, You could grow up to be a Pig!”

But there are other forms of courtesy, which nobody is in too exalted a position to ignore. We’re accustomed to people in powerful positions being late, or keeping us waiting. That’s why punctuality has been called “the politeness of princes.”

Yet the very word “courtesy” is now often shamefully misused. I personally get very annoyed when I receive an unwanted telephone call, usually of a commercial nature, and the caller excuses himself by telling me that this is just a “courtesy call.” Only good manners prevent me from responding that nothing could be more discourteous than this kind of telephonic intrusion.

The ultimate in courtly behavior can probably be attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh, and the famous incident in which, when a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, he is said to have sacrificed his luxurious cloak at her feet, to save her from stepping in a mud puddle. Unfortunately, not only is the story probably not true (having been first recorded 80 years after it supposedly happened) but the heroic Raleigh, after having devoted most of his life to the distinguished service of his sovereigns, was in the end rewarded by being executed (on spurious charges) by Elizabeth’s successor James I.

Here’s how I tried to express my own feelings on this whole question:

“No law requires people to be polite and considerate –except the law of common decency.”

by Robert Bernstein

Is it really a “Big Question” to ask, “What are Turn Signals For?” Yes. This question offers a microcosm of communication and misunderstanding.

The California Vehicle Code Section 22107 says: “No person shall turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after the giving of an appropriate signal in the manner provided in this chapter in the event any other vehicle may be affected by the movement.”

Section 22108 says: “Any signal of intention to turn right or left shall be given continuously during the last 100 feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.”

Note two key phrases: “after the giving of an appropriate signal.” And “during the last 100 feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.”

In other words, you are supposed to signal well before actually turning or changing lanes. To me this seems obvious: It signals an intention of what is to come next. I learned this from my excellent driver ed teacher Wes Abrams at Kennedy High School in Maryland.

But that is not what I observe here. People don’t signal what they intend to do. Instead, they signal as they are doing the actual turn or lane change. I regularly see a person stopped at an intersection for no apparent reason. They are waiting for a break in traffic to make their left turn. When the break comes, they simultaneously start to turn and engage their left turn signal. What exactly is the point of this signaling?

Consider how it is for me riding a bicycle on a street with dedicated right turn lanes. I am in a bike lane approaching this dedicated right turn lane. Here is what I see most of the time: A motorist comes up on my left and cuts directly across my path toward the dedicated right turn lane on my right. Causing me to brake to avoid a collision.

on the semiotics of turn signals, but I found nothing.

Turn signals are meant as a form of communication from one person to another. But they serve another, less obvious purpose: They are a form of commitment for the motorist preparing to turn. A reminder that what you are about to do affects other people.

Should you in fact wait to be sure that some “other vehicle may be affected by the movement” as the law requires? Why bother? It is the pedestrian, bicyclist, motorist, or even horse rider who you don’t see who needs your signal more than anyone. When you are planning a lane change or turn, why not use your turn signal automatically without wasting mental effort to decide if it is “necessary”?

One key point I am trying to convey: Think about how your actions may affect others. Imagine you are rolling a two-ton boulder in someone’s path. Use some form of communication to signal your intention.

But there is a second point: The message you are receiving may not be the one that was sent. I am expecting to receive a signal indicating “I am planning to turn across your path soon.” But the sender was sending a completely different message: “I am already in the process of cutting across your path now.”

Imagine how often this occurs with all communication?

I will end with a third “Big Questions” point: “Theory of Mind.” Theory of Mind is the ability to put yourself in the position of another person. You have stopped in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. What is the other person supposed to make of this? How is the other person supposed to know that you are about to cut in front of them? What will the other person feel if you cut in front of them without giving a signal?

I will revisit Theory of Mind in a future article. For now, perhaps you can just follow the law and use your turn signal to communicate your future intent to turn or change lanes?

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

The motorist then continues in the right turn lane. Just before making the right turn, he or she flips on the right turn signal while starting the right turn. What was that even for? You just crossed one or more lanes, possibly endangering people, without giving any signal. Why signal after it no longer matters?

There is an entire field called “semiotics” devoted to the meaning of signs and signals. I hoped to find a research paper

Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook.com/ questionbig

In Passing

Margaret Ann Baker: December 7, 1947 – November 2, 2022

Margaret Ann Baker passed away peacefully on November 2, 2022, from complications associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She was born on December 7, 1947, in Long Beach, California, to parents Willis Daniel Baker and Mary (O’Rourke) Baker. Margaret graduated summa cum laude from Western High School Anaheim, California, in 1965 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California Western University in Point Loma in 1969, where she met her future husband, Bradford Baker.

Margaret and Brad moved to Carpinteria after college, when Brad began working for the business started by his father, Aluminum Filter Company (ALFCO). They lived near the factory on Cedar Lane until they built their dream house off Padaro Lane, where they could be next to the ocean, which was a central part of their lives.

Margaret obtained her teaching credentials and an MA in special education from UC Santa Barbara, as well as a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University in Santa Barbara. She was a certified mediator serving the Superior Court of Santa Barbara, California.

Margaret had an unbroken record of service in education. She began her career teaching elementary school for the Carpinteria Unified School District and later moved to curriculum and program development for grades K-9. She served on the Board of Trustees of Crane School and Laguna Blanca School. In addition, she served as a counselor for St. Vincent’s School and a therapist for both Cottage Care Center and Project Recovery, which are rehabilitation programs focused on treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse.

Margaret served on the Board of Directors for Cottage Health System, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the CarpinteriaSummerland Fire District, the Serena Cove Owner’s Association, the Padaro Lane Association, It’s for the Kids Foundation, the Dream Foundation, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Santa Barbara.

Margaret always gave top priority to her children, grandchildren, and her friends. She was known for being able to strike up a conversation with anyone about anything. Margaret was unwaveringly generous with her time and energy in support of causes that benefited the community and those who were in need or were underrepresented. She worked tirelessly to support the things that gave her fire in her life: Cottage Hospital, the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Laguna Blanca School, Crane School, and many others. Working to

Margaret always wanted to be challenged and she truly cared about making people’s lives better – or at least more fun

solve problems and make improvements in important systems gave her purpose and energy. She cared deeply about the community and everyone in it.

Margaret always said exactly what she thought – her lack of a filter made her many great friends and some enemies, which didn’t bother her at all. Most important, she treated everyone equally –your social status or title meant nothing to her. She was going to learn all about your life, your hobbies, and your interests, and she always genuinely cared.

She had a diverse group of friends because she always wanted to be challenged, learn people’s perspectives and backgrounds, and she truly cared about making people’s lives better – or at least more fun. Among her many loves were her dogs and cats, fast cars, the beach, baking pies, cooking, entertaining, traveling, eating at great restaurants, bringing people together, being generous, and sparking engaging conversations. When she wasn’t at a board meeting you could often find her walking with her dogs, friends, and family at the beach.

She is survived by her three children: Anne Marie Baker (Siegel) of Napa, married to Rudy Siegel; Brian Bradford Baker of Los Angeles, married to Greg Oehler; and Elizabeth Serena Baker of Ojai, married to Nathan Rellergert; and four grandchildren: Bradford Louis Siegel, Sydney Serena Siegel, Jameson Louis Rellergert, and Declan Theodore Rellergert. She has a brother, Willis (Bill) Daniel Baker, and sisters Barbara Joan Baker and Mary Ann Phillips (deceased). She was predeceased by her husband, Bradford Louis Baker, in 1990.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to foundations that meant so much to her: The ALS Association, the Cottage Health System, and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. A celebration of life will be held in the Spring of 2023.

Christmas at the Carriage

Even composer Tchaikovsky would have blushed when social gadabout Rick Oshay and Teresa Kuskey hosted their second annual Christmas bash at the Carriage and Western Art Museum for 150 guests with a decidedly risqué version of The Naughty Nutcracker, featuring the colorful and camp La Boheme dancers and ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri as the mysterious uncle Drosselmeyer.

The festive fête kicked off with a preshow with Dennis Berger and the Martinez Brothers Band, with singer Luca Ellis, and pole dancers Karen Lehman and Kelsey Bodine, before the four-act 32-cast reworked the creatively costumed ballet classic.

In the spirit of the season Rick handed out 15, $1,000 checks to a number of local charities, including United Way, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Santa Barbara Historical

Museum, Girls Inc., Adam’s Angels, the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, and the California Missions Foundation.

Among the Yuletide revelers dancing away to the throbbing music of DJ Gavin Roy were Donna Reeves, Bob and Mary Gates, Riley and Dacia Harwood, Gretchen Lieff, Monte and Maria Wilson, Maitland Ward, Richard and Amanda Payatt, David Bolton, Greg Gorga, Robert Adams, Warren Butler, and Ralph and Diana MacFarlane.

Mattei’s Exhibit

It was a double header at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum when the august institution hosted its annual holiday party for 275 guests, as well as opening its latest exhibition, “Clarence Mattei – A Portrait of Our Community.”

Mattei, whose parents owned the eponymous Mattei’s Tavern, was sponsored to

Adam McKaig, Rick Oshay, Teresa Kuskey Nowak, and Mary and Bob Gates (photo by Priscilla)

Denise Sanford, Sue Walseth, vocalist Luca Ellis, Penny Little, Julia Carr, and musicians Rene and Ruben Martinez (photo by Priscilla)

Dacia Harwood and Shamra Strange (photo by Priscilla)

1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, and larger ones take 3 minutes on the first side, and slightly less on the second side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Wipe the pan, if necessary, add additional oil, and repeat until all the latkes are fried.

Serve the latkes hot or warm, with chard garlic sauce and garnished, if desired, with pepper flakes.

Bulgur Meatballs (Sephardic) Yield: Serves 6 to 8

For the tomato pepper sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil

mushrooms and sautéed leeks. In Israel the Hanukkah favorite is sufganiyot – doughnuts without holes – and I love those too, and often Hanukkah parties have both potato latkes and sufganiyot. That doesn’t make a very balanced meal, so I add a tray of vegetables and fruits, or a salad.

I like noodle kugel the traditional way. I like matzo balls both traditional and non-traditional. For me it depends on the dish. Sometimes I add a few other ingredients to spice it up; for others I make it the old-fashioned way.

Lentil Latkes with Chard Yogurt Sauce Yield:

Serves 4 to 6

For the yogurt sauce:

1 large bunch chard, about 8 large leaves, stems removed

1 cup whole milk yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste Semi-hot pepper flakes such as Turkish Maras pepper or Aleppo pepper, optional, for garnish

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chard leaves and blanch just until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the leaves to an ice bath to chill, then drain and squeeze to remove excess water. Chop the leaves.

In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, and salt. Stir in the chard. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if desired. This makes one generous cup of sauce.

For the latkes:

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup fine bulgur (bulgur No. 1)

1 cup minced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup chopped parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon semi-hot pepper flakes such as Turkish pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, or a pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste, plus more for garnish

1 egg

1 teaspoon semi-hot red pepper flakes such as Turkish Maras pepper or Aleppo pepper, for finishing Italian parsley in small sprigs, for serving

Directions:

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the lentils and the water and bring to a boil, stirring a few times. Partially cover and cook over low heat until the lentils are soft, about 15 minutes, stirring only 2 to 3 times. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lentils to a large bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan. Measure cooking liquid – you will need 3/4 cup; add hot water if necessary. Add the bulgur to the liquid and mix well. Transfer the bulgur to the bowl of lentils and mix well. Set aside to cool until lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, paprika, and pepper flakes to the lentil mixture. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning, then add the egg and mix well.

To make small latkes, take 1 tablespoon-size spoonfuls and flatten them between your palms to make smooth patties about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches. To make larger latkes, use 2 tablespoons of mixture and flatten to 2-inch patties. Put the patties on a plate.

Heat a thin film of olive oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat until hot. The oil is hot enough if it sizzles when you touch it with the edge of a patty. Add enough patties to make one layer, allowing room to turn them over. Fry until browned on each side; small ones take

1 red bell pepper, diced 1 Anaheim chili, seeded and chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon semi-hot red pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a wide-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and chili and cook over medium-low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1/2 minute, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, and the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for salt, and season to taste with black and red pepper. This makes a generous pint of sauce. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

For the meatballs: Prepared Tomato Pepper Sauce 2 cups (11 ounces) fine bulgur wheat (bulgur No. 1)

1 cup finely chopped onion 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon semi-hot red pepper, such as Maras pepper or Aleppo pepper, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon allspice, or to taste

1/2 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef About 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water, divided About 3/4 cup olive oil, for sautéing

In a food processor, combine the bulgur, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and allspice and process briefly to blend. Add the ground meat in 4 portions and process briefly to mix. Add 2 cups of water in 4 additions, processing to blend after each addition. Scrape down mixture. Add 6 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons at a time, and process after each addition. The mixture should be sticky. Process the mixture until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and knead until it is very smooth, adding the last 3 tablespoons of water. Check that the mixture is evenly moistened. This makes about 1 quart mix.

Make a test meatball: Take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Fry the meatball in a small skillet heated with a thin layer of oil until the meatball is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired, then test again until the flavors are right.

Moisten your hands and roll the mixture into small meatballs, using a rounded teaspoon of mixture for each one. Set them on a plate.

Prepare a steamer and make sure the boiling water doesn’t touch the steamer top. Add 1/3 of the bulgur meatballs, or enough to make one layer, to the steamer top. (They expand a little while steaming.) Cover and steam over medium heat for 18 to 20 minutes or until they are cooked through. Refrigerate the rest of the mixture until all of the meatballs are steamed.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add about 1/4 of the bulgur meatballs and sauté until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side; shake the pan to turn the meatballs over, or use a slotted spoon. Just before removing them from the pan, add 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes and sauté for a few seconds. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Wipe the pan, if necessary, add more oil and repeat until all the meatballs are cooked.

Serve the meatballs on a platter garnished with parsley sprigs. Serve the sauce separately.

Loves Flannery O’Connor and Breakfast with The Beatles.

Formerly at California Apparel News, Orange County Register, and L.A. Times Community News.

Olive oil, for frying Prepared chard yogurt sauce

Levy in the kitchen with friends Zel Allen, Barbara Paul, Steven Lawenda, and Patty Algaze Lawenda

Levy is passionate about expanding her culinary and cultural knowledge, and incorporating those influences in her cuisine

Claudia Schou is a high-heel enthusiast, boot camp novice, and fancy recipe collector.

attend the prestigious Mark Hopkins Art Institute in San Francisco after millionaire philanthropists Herman and Ellen Duryea saw his work while staying at the hostelry – founded in 1886 as a hotel and watering hole for stagecoach travelers coming and going through San Marcos Pass.

Among the guests noshing on comestibles from The Catering Connection while dancing the night away to the Konrad Kono Trio were Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld, Rick Oshay, Brenda Blalock, Dacia Harwood, Michael and Hattie Beresford, Hilary Burkemper, Garrison and Kathleen Bielen, Missy DeYoung, Jim Garcia and Erin Graffy, Rhonda Henderson, and George and Laurie Leis

ADL Turns 21

It was a case of going from top to bottom at the Canary Hotel when the AntiDefamation League of Santa Barbara Tri-

Counties hosted its 21st anniversary celebration for 110 people raising $110,000.

The gala affair, co-chaired by Brook Ashley, Gayle Eidelson, Andee Gaines, and Sissy Taran, was originally scheduled to be on the hostelry’s rooftop, but rainy weather forecasts prompted a change in venue to the basement.

“We were very pleased with the generous support,” says Dan Meisel, regional director of the organization, which has a $700,000 annual budget.

Among the supporters were Mark Goldstein, Tom and Julianna Dain, Jeff and Nancy Kupperman, and Charles and Betsy Newman

Another Impressive Masterseries

French pianist Hélène Grimaud, who was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at just 13, was at the top of her game per-

forming in CAMA’s latest Masterseries concert at the Lobero.

Grimaud, who last performed in our Eden by the Beach in 2011, opened the show with a variety of keyboard works by Silvestrov, Debussy, Satie, and Chopin, before devoting the second half to Schumann’s eight-part work Kreisleriana An enchanting evening...

60 Years of Scholarships

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, hosted lunch at the Hilton for 250 guests to recognize donor and volunteers, after cancelling two previous lunch events in response to the pandemic.

Featured speakers included Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, an infectious disease phy-

Raygoza, an

academic, shared his experience overcoming poverty, addiction, and gang life to excel academically at Allan Hancock College.

“If you stop giving someone a second chance, they stop having one,” he said. “Because of your generous donations, I’ve been given a second chance!”

In May, the foundation awarded scholarships totaling $7.7 million to 2,146 students throughout Santa Barbara

“How is it that music can, without words, evoke our laughter, our fears, our highest aspirations?” — Jane Swan

sician and past foundation recipient, and Arturo “Cheech” Raygoza, a current recipient and student at UC Berkeley.

Board chair Matt Rowe also addressed the gathered throng, as did foundation president and CEO Barbara Robertson

aspiring

County.

Doug Jopes, Carolyn Tatnall Jopes, Runcie and Kirk Tatnall, and Shamra Strange (photo by Priscilla)

Josh Narva, Martha “Martita” Martinez-Bravo, Mark Goldstein, Beatrice Lutterbeck, and Julie Goldstein (photo by Priscilla)

Dan Meisel, Will and Deirdre Arntz, and Julianna and Tom Dain (photo by Priscilla)

Standing: Andee Gaines, Rev. Randall Day, Sarah Gluck Perez, and Dan Meisel; Seated: Ina and Aaron Ettenberg with Bobby Gaines (photo by Priscilla)

Garrison Bielen with Linda and Richard Ring; Seated: Carolyn and Bob Williams with Kathleen Bielen (photo by Priscilla)

Matt Rowe and Barbara Robertson (photo by Isaac Hernandez)

and lots of variety from different countries around the world,” Kloetzel said. “And all but one of the pieces are arrangements by cellists created for groups of cellists. So you’re going to feel the cello love all over the place.”

As will the musicians of the cello choir themselves when they come together and inspire each other with their unique approaches, she said.

“The chemistry could be enormous with the pairs or trios or quartets of these cellists,” she said. “It’s exciting to see.”

Dynamic Duo to Lead Music Academy Vocal Program

Sasha Cooke and John Churchwell have been appointed co-directors of the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy, completing the transition period of stewardship after legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne retired from two decades as Voice Program Director in 2017. It was Horne who hired Churchwell for the faculty back in 2004, two years after she also mentored mezzo-soprano Cooke in her single summer at Miraflores. Now the acclaimed collaborative pianist and two-time Grammy-winning vocalist –who was in residence on campus last summer – will lead the long-term planning for the vocal institute’s curriculum, performance, and teaching roster, employing their expertise as industry influencers to fashion trailblazing training for future fellows.

Churchwell and Cooke are adjudicating auditions taking place this month in New York and Houston to create the roster of 2023 Lehrer Vocal Institute fellows and studio artists who will be the first to take advantage of the new co-directors’ innovative additions. This includes an industry day with managers and casting agents; a new Studio Artist program to create a pipeline of rising talent; an all-Spanish language performance actively pursuing diverse voices with Opera News Award-Winner and Mosher Guest Artist soprano, Ana María Martínez , alongside chamber music and zarzuela specialist, pianist, and coach César Cañón; and a unique vocal performance with a guest stage director that will incorporate artists’ input in the creative process. Visit musicacademy.org for more.

Backstage Again…

Outdoor at Trinity

It wasn’t the COVID pandemic that caused Trinity Backstage Coffeehouse to come to a close after a Christmastime holiday show in 2019. The underground listening-room series that spent nearly 20 years bringing some of the finest, if often unheralded, acoustic singer-songwriters to Santa Barbara had already scaled back

from monthly shows to quarterly concerts for a few years before calling it quits before COVID would have canceled the concerts for another 18 months.

And that was already after co-founding couple Kate Wallace and Doug Clegg had spent more than two decades playing the folk and acoustic music touring circuit with some success but a whole lot less enthusiasm.

“I’m a veteran Nashville singer-songwriter who made records and played the big folk festivals and concerts, but I just didn’t care for the music business,” Wallace recalled recently, adding that when she and Clegg, a renowned fiddler and songwriter, moved to Santa Barbara for family, they were disappointed by the dearth of venues for devoted denizens of the coffeehouse circuit.

So they created one of their own at Trinity Episcopal Church. The series booked monthly concerts that veered from a few recognizable names such as John Stewart, Eric Taylor, Cliff Eberhardt , Emma’s Revolution, and Caroline Aiken to many more near-unknowns.

“We were primarily interested in people who we knew and loved from the scene,” Wallace said. “Maybe it was slightly selfish because we brought them to town so we could see them.”

It didn’t make much difference to Trinity Backstage fans as each show drew rapt audiences to the converted meeting room where the only sounds came from the stage. When monthly gigs became too tiresome to mount, Wallace and Clegg scaled back to quarterly, but even that effort eventually went by the wayside in favor of unamplified backyard practice sessions with a quartet of friends called the Harmony All Stars on a regular basis.

“We play because we love to, but it doesn’t have to be in public,” Wallace said.

But then Trinity came calling for the couple to put on a holiday show outdoors last December, and Wallace said they were happy to oblige since it was a daytime, easy-to-produce community gathering that also served as a fundraiser for the church’s charities.

Many fans flocked to the originally

one-time-only revival, so they’re back for the 2nd annual outdoor Trinity Backstage Holiday Show featuring Clegg, Wallace, Grey Brothers, and the Harmony All Stars as special guests out on the labyrinth in the State Street courtyard. There’ll be some individual songs, a lot of group ones, a few singalongs and lots of cheer. Suggested donations of $20 can be made at the door or online at www.trinitysb.org/ upcomingevents/outdoor-holiday-show.

“Good songs performed by good players for people gathered around a fire where you can eat some good cookies, drink delicious cider, tea, and hot cocoa and sing if you want to,” Wallace said. “What a great way to enjoy the beauty of being together.”

Also at Trinity: The Estimable Emmet Cahill

Emmet Cahill , the acclaimed Irish tenor who has been thrilling audiences across the country for many years with powerful renditions of majestic church hymns, Broadway hits, opera arias, and adored Irish classics, returns to the downtown Santa Barbara venue as part of his popular ‘Christmas in Ireland’ concert tour. The 12-year veteran of the sensational touring/recording singing group Celtic Thunder, whose shows employ dramatic set pieces, visual effects, and highly choreographed staging, will be offering a much more intimate evening featuring his solo renditions of “O Holy Night,” “Danny Boy,” “Joy To The World,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and many others during the 7:30 pm concert on Friday, December 16. Visit emmetcahill.com/ tour-1/santa-barbara.

Holiday Theater: ‘Miracle’ by the Sea

The Alcazar Ensemble presents its second annual production of an original adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street at the historic theater in downtown Carpinteria just blocks from the ocean. Alcazar’s Asa Olsson adapted the play based on the book-turned-movie featuring a holiday story meant to melt even the most cynical hearts. In the Christmas classic, an

old man who calls himself Kris Kringle fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, and proves such a hit that he is hired to appear regularly at the famed retailer’s main store in midtown Manhattan. But when the store Santa surprises customers and employees by claiming that he actually is Santa Claus, it leads to a court case to determine his mental health, with an eventual heartwarming ending.

Carpinteria stalwart Jim Sirianni returns to portray Kringle, along with fellow community favorites Faith Gray, Phil Moreno, Van Riker, Tom Mueller, and others making up the cast of 30 that spans ages 6-70 from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The Howard School children in kindergarten and first grade hand wrote and delivered letters to Santa for this year’s stage production, which performs five times from December 15-18. Tickets cost $15-$20. Info at (805) 684-6380 or www.thealcazar.org/calendar.

Family Day for ‘Carol’ at ETC

In what may be a minor miracle, at least for a few less fortunate folks in our community, Ensemble Theatre Company has added a special matinee performance of its holiday production of A Christmas Carol for this Saturday afternoon, December 17. Thanks to generous donations from Sara Miller McCune and the Léni Fund, ETC is making 150 seats available at no cost to families who work with the local nonprofits Transition House, The Police Activities League, Girls Inc., CALM, A-OK, Noah’s Anchorage YMCA Youth Shelter, and United Boys and Girls Club. The remaining tickets for the special performance will be available directly at deeply discounted prices of $40 for adults and $10 for children under 18. Also on tap for the added specially-adapted adventure of Dickens’ tale of Scrooge and the ghosts is a visit from Santa Claus and cookies and hot chocolate for all. ETC’s production is an all-new take on the holiday favorite adapted into an inventively comic holiday delight filled with humor and heart by Patrick Barlow (The 39 Steps) and directed by Jamie Torcellini. The show runs through December 18 at The New Vic downtown. Visit www.etcsb.org or call (805) 965-5400.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

The Harmony All Stars return for the Trinity Backstage Holiday performance

Battling Disease

Carpinteria actor Ashton Kutcher has spoken up about his battle with a rare autoimmune disease, talking about it for the first time.

Kutcher, 44, recounts how one day he was stricken with the disease which saw the star lose his vision and hearing, as well as his ability to walk.

The vasculitis, which fortunately cleared up two years ago, is an inflammation of blood vessels that can cause organ and tissue damage.

It is rare, with less than 200,000 U.S. cases a year, but can prove fatal.

“I woke up one day, was having vision issues and could hardly see,” he recollected on a Podcast with Dr. David Agus, a leading medical authority.

A Lifetime of Achievements

Montecito actor Jeff Bridges will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles next month.

It comes after the 73-year-old Oscar winner battled cancer.

Jeff is one of Hollywood’s most successful actors and a seven-time Academy Award nominee, as well as a singer and producer.

Dr. Mitchell Awarded

Dr. Katrina Mitchell is the recipient of the Lois Phillips Founder’s Award from the Association of Women in Communications – Santa Barbara Chapter – in recognition of her passionate and out-

“Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.” — Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

spoken advocacy for women’s health. Mitchell, a breast surgeon, lactation consultant, and perinatal mental health provider at Sansum Clinic and the RidleyTree Cancer Center, wrote and published The Physician Guide to Breastfeeding during the pandemic to address breastfeeding challenges and complications resulting from isolation, restricted contact with medical professionals, and incorrect advice from unreliable sources.

In the months since the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Mitchell has been a vocal advocate for women’s dignity, bodily autonomy, and access to health care as a fundamental human right.

Sightings

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis at the Ritz Carlton Bacara... Singer Pink checking out the Paseo Nuevo... Oprah’s beau Stedman Graham picking up his New York Times at Pierre Lafond.

Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask when necessary, and get vaccinated.

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade

Montecito

Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons (photo by Isaac Hernandez)

Arturo Raygoza (photo by Isaac Hernandez)

Reel Fun

‘The Runner’ (1984) Review

by Christopher Matteo Connor

Every once in a while, a movie will cross your path and just absolutely rock you. One that overwhelms with emotions and ideas. The Runner by Amir Naderi is one of those movies.

This powerful 1984 film – one of the first films post-Iranian Revolution to attract worldwide acclaim – follows Amiro, a young orphan with a face that makes you want to cry. He has just a few friends and a baby chick that keeps him company as he pores over his favorite magazines. He’s made his home in the captain’s quarters of a beached freighter, and his life consists of hustling: collecting glass bottles to turn in for cash, selling ice water, and shining shoes for foreigners. He stares out over coastal Iran and yells at passing ships to take him away, to rescue him from his life. He’s infatuated with airplanes. He chases after trains. He’s obsessed with all these things that signify an escape.

Amiro surrounds himself with foreign objects. Coke cans, Fanta bottles. He frequents the docks where foreigners sit under Marlboro branded umbrellas, people walk around wearing Lee and Wrangler shirts, and where you can hear Elton John crooning over the radio. He reads American aviator magazines and frequents a vendor that sells film periodicals. All things that signify another world.

And he’s always running. Running on the beach. Running after thieves that do him wrong. Running after his dreams. To survive, he must be a good runner.

Iran has a tradition in humanist filmmaking, spanning back to the late ‘60s with the eruption of the Iranian New Wave, which chose to take a neorealist, intellectual, philosophical, and artistic approach to cinema. In post-revolutionary Iran, films turned to using children to explore complex subjects and to critique government and culture. To avoid censors and new restrictions, children became symbols and metaphors.

The Runner runs with this. And while sticking to its neorealist roots, it’s alive with lyrical moments and it astounds with its stunning images and evocative cinematography.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ETS Translators, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Irene D. Rebollo Franco, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 9, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this

The beauty of cinema is you don’t need money to travel. You can go anywhere in the world, explore different cultures, and find commonality with people you may never meet in real life. You don’t need to be from Iran to relate to feeling lost, stuck, and alone. To wonder what lies ahead in your future. And with the future of Iran’s citizens in the forefront of the news these days, it’s important to remember that a government is not its people. There is beauty and love and life to be found everywhere.

I urge everyone to run and see the new 4K restoration of this at the Riviera Theatre, which screens it starting December 16.

Five Resources for Men Who Want to Learn About Therapy (Without Being Judged)

Despite evidence indicating that men face mental health issues at equal or higher rates than women, men are less likely to seek counseling. Nonetheless, men can learn more about therapy (without being judged) and get the help they need from many mental health resources. Read on for clinical psychologist Dr. Seth Gillihan’s top five mental health resources for men.

Online educational sites

Dr. Gillihan recommends online tools that educate men about mental health disorder. He suggests the National Institute of Mental Health, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. These online resources are rich in information about mental health concerns, warning signs, symptoms, and treatment options.

Referrals

Dr. Gillihan suggests seeking a referral from your primary care physician or a trusted friend. Your health insurance may also assist you in locating a therapist in your network.

When requesting referrals, specify what qualities you need in a therapist. To further narrow your search, ask for recommendations from therapists who have worked with men and understand the stigmas and problems they encounter regarding mental health.

Provider databases

Dr. Gillihan recommends searching for therapists in your area using a mental health search engine like Psychology Today, the Good Therapy database, or TherapyforBlackMen.org. You can also look for nearby psychiatrists, treatment facilities, and support groups.

The advantage of looking for a therapist online is that you can locate ones who offer teletherapy sessions as well, allowing you to cast a larger net and check for providers outside of your immediate area.

Local colleges and universities

“If you live near a college or university with a mental health professional training program, they might offer low-fee counseling with their trainees,” Dr. Gillihan explains. And, as a side note, Dr. Gillihan says that if money is a problem, some therapists offer lower fees for people with big financial needs.

Self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy

Christopher Matteo Connor is a writer and filmmak er. When he isn’t writing, watching movies, and work ing on projects, you can be sure he’s somewhere enjoying a big slice of vegan pizza.

is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0002961. Published December 14, 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: One Thread Collective, 6261 Marlborough Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. Jacqueline E. Gilbert, 6261 Marl -

borough Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 7, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002727. Published November 30, December 7, 14, 21, 2022

Dr. Gillihan says that a do-it-yourself approach can be helpful for men who aren’t ready to start therapy but want to try it out first. He suggests cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that you can do on your own for common mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

Once you find a therapist

Finding a therapist with whom you can connect is critical as you navigate the process of obtaining mental health care. Dr. Gillihan advocates for seeking a new therapist if, for whatever reason, the current one doesn’t feel like the appropriate fit.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Gilmour Land Surveying INC, 470 Linfield Place, Apt F, Goleta, CA 93117. Gilmour Land Surveying INC, 470 Linfield Place, Apt F, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 18, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify

that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002825. Published November 23, 30, December 7, 14, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Central Coast Plumbing & Mechanical, 100 Vega Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. Kristopher R Dills, 100 Vega

Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 16, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002800. Published November 23, 30, December 7, 14, 2022

The Runner comes to the Riviera Theatre starting on December 16

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15

Hometown Holiday Hoedown – Chris Shiflett ’s second (hopefully) annual pre-Christmas show once again brings the Santa Barbara-raised Foo Fighter back to the local club scene to curate an alt-countrified concert for friends old and new. While the 2021 event found Shiflett reconnecting with a series of old colleagues that traced his route from hometown hero to global star as a member of the just-Hall of Fame-inducted Foo Fighters, tonight takes a bit of a left turn by putting the opening act spotlight onto another group of locals who made good with the tongue-in-cheek party-punk rockers Nerf Herder, plus Mad Caddies singer-songwriter Logan Livermore , before Shiflett’s solo band takes the stage to deliver his Bakersfield-to-Nashville blend of outlaw country and honky-tonk rock pairing crunchy guitars with pedal steel’s twang.

WHEN: 8 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court

COST: call

INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

Folk & Tribal Arts Pop-up – The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s annual massive holiday marketplace has transitioned into three pop-up weekends, each focusing on different exotic wares and fares vendors in order to minimize the impact on the museum’s regular guests and exhibits. This final offering, which concludes as Chanukah begins and just a week before Christmas, features 2KG African Imports – specializing in upcycled telephone wire baskets and bowls plus other beautiful home décor in fair trade art from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Kenya. Thirty percent of sales go to support the museum’s education programs and exhibits.

WHEN: 10 am-5 pm

WHERE: 2559 Puesta Del Sol Rd. COST: free INFO: (805) 682-4711 or www.sbnature.org

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

Johnny on the Spot – Johnny Mathis, the Grammy Award winner and multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter who has been entertaining fans for more than six decades, returns to the Samala Showroom at the Chumash Casino Resort with his happy holiday show, “A Johnny Mathis Christmas.” With hits like “It’s Not for Me to Say,” and the romantic love song, “Chances Are,” Mathis still retains his appeal as one of the most successful crooners of our time, one who has placed 34 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the No. 1 debuting hit “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” plus released 18 gold albums, six of which reached platinum status. The singer’s retrospective album, Johnny’s Greatest Hits, also held the record for staying on the Billboard album chart more than any other in history (490 weeks) before Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon dethroned it in 1983, perhaps making Mathis fans a little “Misty,” although the singer was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 20 years later.

WHEN: 8 pm

WHERE: Chumash Casino Resort, 3400 East Highway 246, 1:Santa Ynez COST: $69-$109

INFO: (800) CHUMASH (248-6274) or www.chumashcasino.com

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

Highlands for the Holidays – Santa Barbara Revels’ 15th annual production serves up A Scottish Celebration of the Winter Solstice set in the Highlands of Scotland in the mid-1700s – during the time of the American TV drama Outlander – when the Scots resisted the influence and rule of England. Neighbors are gathering at the local laird’s great manor house to celebrate Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, and conflicts surface as the clans converge, then resolve into celebration when people begin singing, dancing together, raising a glass, and telling traditional stories, morphing into the sharing of good feelings and good times. The Christmas Revels changes setting and centuries each year and this year’s show is a sharply angled successor to 2021’s popular presentation of celebrating solstice Early California-style. But many of the community’s favorite Revels actors are back, including Bill Egan as the Laird, James McCarthy as the much-reviled Magistrate, and Meredith McMinn as the Storyteller, with Tyler X Koontz and Matthew Weitzel portraying rival clansmen. This year’s special guests include San Diego’s Beret Dernbach, who has won two Highland Dancing World Championships in Scotland and holds multiple titles from American competitions, plus members of the Santa Barbara Sheriff Pipe and Drum Corps. Long-time Reveler Matt Tavianini stage directs, with musical direction by Revels newcomer Susan Lansing-Weller. And Revels’ clever catch phrase still applies: “Join us and be joyous!”

WHEN: 2:30 & 7:30 pm tonight, 2:30 pm Sunday WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $16-$81 (group & family discounts available)

INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com / www.santabarbararevels.org

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

Berkowitz & Beethoven – Thirty-year UCSB piano music faculty member Paul Berkowitz, who studied with the great Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute, stages a free solo recital focusing on one of the great composers in history for the Santa Barbara Music Club this afternoon. Berkowitz, who BBC Magazine praised as having “a voice, a musicality, a bigness of pianism distinctively his own,” will interpret the final three works of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonata catalog – “E major, Op. 109” (1821); “A-flat major, Op. 110” (1822); and “C minor, Op. 111” (1823) – sonatas that even more convincingly demonstrated how much power and variety of expression could be drawn forth from the piano, with vast range and precision of stylistic mastery, emotional delineation, and compelling virtuosity. While Berkowitz has yet to tackle the entire Beethoven opuses, his recording of the complete Piano Sonatas of Schubert for Meridian Records received worldwide acclaim.

WHEN: 3 pm

WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 305 East Anapamu (at Garden) COST: free INFO: www.sbmusicclub.org

Folk Orchestra Gets Festive – The annual holiday shows of world music from the Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara offers just two chances to hear music of the season in unique arrangements. Founder Adam Phillips leads the 30-strong ensemble that features bagpipes, mandolins, acoustic guitars, Irish whistles, harp, and flute soloing, interwoven with a contingent of classical strings including violins, violas, cellos, and double bass. Once again, the adventurous Phillips has curated a concert that features songs from around the world drawn from Spanish, Yiddish, Scottish, Swedish, Russian, and German cultures along with our own American favorites. Among this year’s offerings: “Silent Night,” “Hanerot Halalu” and many more tunes from around the world. WHEN: 4 pm tonight & Sunday

WHERE: The Chapel at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, 123 E. Canon Perdido St. tonight, Marjorie Luke Theatre at Santa Barbara Junior High, 721 East Cota St. on Sunday COST: $58 tonight, $38 tomorrow INFO: (805) 260-3223 or folkorchestrasb.com

“I’ve always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think.” — Kenny Rogers

Sugar Plums on State Street – The area’s only homegrown ballet company that also tours regionally and beyond presents its annual beloved production of Tchaikovsky’s Christmas classic. State Street Ballet’s The Nutcracker comes home to Santa Barbara for three final shows (following a performance tour throughout the northwestern states) bringing the magical holiday classic back to the Granada Theatre. Students from State Street Ballet Academy perform alongside the company’s ensemble and trainees from the company’s Professional Track program, all dancing the choreography by Rodney Gustafson with additional choreography created over the years by Gary McKenzie, Marina Fliagina, Cecily MacDougall, Megan Philipp, and Chauncey Parsons. As always, the coveted role of Clara — the girl who dreams that her nutcracker comes to life — is cast from among Academy students for the matinees: this year’s honors go to Sophia Kanard and Olivia Pires, respectively, while Saturday evening’s performance features State Street Ballet professional dancer Emma Matthews as Clara, which she also performed on tour. Other principal casting includes Nerea Barrondo, Deise Mendonca, and Marika Kobayashi as the Sugar Plum Fairy, with Cavaliers Harold Mendez, Hernan Montenegro, and Kaito Yamamoto. Sergei Domrachev is featured as Herr Drosselmeyer, and Saori Yamashita and Elizaveta Domracheva as Snow Queen.

WHEN: 2 & 7:30 pm tonight, 2 pm Sunday

WHERE: 1214 State Street

COST: $26-$121

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20

Home on the Manger – Even if your religious beliefs don’t care about Christmas, the First United Methodist Church’s annual seasonal staging of a living nativity scene for three nights just before the holiday can be seen as a gift to the community. Under a redwood tree adjacent to the church, a grassy area is transformed into a humble wooden stable, where all the main characters are a fixture, including shepherds tending to their flocks – which in this case includes live camels, sheep, and donkeys that are a wonder to behold. The event has drawn multigenerational families for more than three decades to the spot outside the 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival-style church, with its sanctuary decorated in seasonal finery and docents available to answer questions about the building, including the historic stained-glass windows. Christmas music plays softly while guests can enjoy complimentary hot cider and cookies.

WHEN: 5:30-7:30 pm tonight through Thursday

WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 305 East Anapamu (at Garden) COST: free INFO: www.fumcsb.org or www.facebook.com/FirstUMCSantaBarbara

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

Mysteries of Christmas – Quire of Voyces’ annual holiday concert returns once again to the hallowed halls and unparalleled acoustics of St. Anthony’s Chapel at the Garden Street Academy when founder Nathan Kreitzer will lead an Advent Calendar of a cappella music. From the sacred cathedral sounds of motets by Thomas Tallis, to the sweet comfort of an old French carol, to a joyous hymn of nativity, to a pair of songs from company composer Stephen Dombek, each song opens a small door to the beauty, delight, and mysteries of the season before the conclusion of an arrangement of “Silent Night” by Sir Malcolm Sargent. Please note: Masks will be required inside the chapel.

WHEN: 3 pm tonight & Sunday

WHERE: St. Anthony’s Chapel at the Garden Street Academy, 2300 Garden Street

COST: $20 general, $15 students & seniors

INFO: 965-5935 or www.quireofvoyces.org

The Peaceful Sea Paintings

A. Sh

“There is magnetism in looking at glare and the effects of sunlight [on water]—something magical and calming that makes our troubles seem smaller and our thinking become clearer.”—Kevin A. Short

Call for a complimentary consultation. Elaine (805)708-6113

Christa (805)450-8382 Email: theclearinghouseSB@cox.net Website: www.theclearinghouseSB.com

MOVING MISS DAISY

Caregiving services: Amanda, A Certified nursing assistant , experienced for memory care in Santa Barbara, was an economist in China, provides friendly companionship and assistance with daily personal care activities and household duties. 5 days a week, email: janne1611@yahoo.com. phone: 626-320-2988

POSITION AVAILABLE

HELP required to assist executive. Handle business correspondence, Insurance claims, etc. Computers literacy and typing ability necessary. Charles – 805-698-6299

LIVE-IN PROPERTY CARETAKER

Longtime local resident with impeccable references seeks opportunity to provide gardening, handyman, security, and household services for individual, couple, or family. Can pay up to $2,000 for living quarters. Extremely discreet and professional. Please reply via email: freshstartbiz@gmail.com

PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY

Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara

In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+

Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance, Motivation, and Consistency

John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com

HEALING SERVICES

Live pain-free with time-tested techniques. Long-established Montecito healer with 40 years of experience. Complementary phone consultation w/ remote or in-person healing. Please call (805) 701-0363, More information available: drgloriakaye.com

WRITING SERVICES

THE MOST SPLENDID GIFT Honor your spouse or your parents with the ultimate expression of love and admiration. I will work with your special person to research, write and publish a stirring biography or autobiography. The published book will be professional, impressive, thorough and entertaining. Give this as a holiday present this year and we’ll have the book finished by next December. David Wilk (805) 455-5980. Great references. www.BiographyDavidWilk.com

AVAILABLE FOR RENT

Montecito, Santa Barbara, Ca Furnished home for rent $30,000.00 per mo. with a 5yr. lease, 4bd+4ba, nanny quarters, & guest hse + pool Bob 310-472-0870

RENTAL WANTED

LOOKING FOR A MIRACLE

Professional married couple who are getting ready to retire from 37 years in health services, are looking for a possible miracle. Would you or do you know anyone who would sell us a house considerably below market value? We just can’t afford market prices and our greatest wish is to stay in the community we love and have served instead of being forced to make the choice to leave the area. Please call Mark at 820 587 4314.

DANCE

Glenn Novack, Owner. 805-770-7715 info@movingmissdaisy.com MovingMissDaisy.com Consignments@MovingMissDaisy.hibid. com

TRESOR

We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation.

1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805 969-0888

POSITION WANTED

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Organize receipts for taxes, pay bills, write checks, reservations, scheduling. Confidential. Semi-retired professional. Excellent references.

Sandra (805) 636-3089

Trusted, Experienced Caregiver, CA State registered and background checked. Vaccinated. Loving and caring provides transportation, medications, etc.

Lina 650-281-6492

Trusted experienced live-in – caregiver Background checked, excellent references, vaccinated, UCLA Grad.

Cheri - 760-898-2732

GOT OSTEOPOROSIS?

WE CAN HELP

At OsteoStrong our proven non-drug protocol takes just ten minutes once a week to improve

Newly retired Registered Nurse seeking a one or two-bedroom cottage/mother-inLaw unit in Santa Barbara or Montecito for 2023. Text/Call 808-366-4389

I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage I need to relocate and am seeking a studio or 1BR apt., ADU, cottage, etc. in SB or Montecito (but open to Carpinteria to Goleta). Occupancy by January 1 preferred. I’m clean and responsible, non-smoker and no pets. Excellent references available. Let’s talk! Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com

“Music is the only language in which you cannot say a mean or sarcastic thing.” — John Erskine