Anne and Kirk

montecito JOURNAL ANNE AND KIRK

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wint er • 2017/ 18

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montecito JOURNAL Volume Ten Issue One fall | w i nter • 2017/18

Publisher Diana Starr Langley diana@montecitojournal.net COO & Founder Tim Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net Managing Editor Leanne R. Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net Art Director Trent Watanabe Copy Editor James Luksic Administration Christine Merrick Diane Davidson Account Managers Tanis Nelson: tanis@montecitojournal.net Susan Brooks: sue@montecitojournal.net Leanne R. Wood: leanne@montecitojournal.net DJ Wetmore: dJ@montecitojournal.net Contributors: James Buckley, Hattie Beresford, Catherine Remak, Kelly Mahan Herrick, Caroline Harrah, Leanne R. Wood, Eva Van Prooyen, Joanne Calitri, Jeff Wing

LEGACY 1137 Coast Village Road Montecito, CA 805.845.3300 14 |

Montecito Journal (glossy edition) is published by Montecito Journal, Inc. James Buckley, President Corporate Offices located at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite H Montecito, CA 93108 For distribution, advertising, or other inquiries: (805) 565-1860

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CO NTEN TS 28 CONVERSATIONS

He is Spartacus: centenarian Kirk Douglas (birthname Issur Danielovitch Demsky) – the Montecito-based actor who turns 101 in December – explores his iconic career as a performer, an author, as well as a husband for six decades to Anne. MJ founder James Buckley shares the engaging story.

46 MONTECITO

28 46

ASPEN

Leanne R. Wood looks into the striking similarities between Montecito and Aspen, Colorado. What are the reasons for the love affair that many Montecitans seem to have with Aspen? Is it more than the raw beauty, plethora of outdoor activities, or the small-village feel that both places share, that lures Montecitans to own second homes in Aspen?

54 THE WINEMAKERS

Eva Van Prooyen analyzes the fascinating course that Doug Margerum, long-time Santa Barbara restaurateur has followed, to become the successful owner and director of winemaking for Margerum Wine Company.

60 MUSICAL MATTERS

Catherine Remak talks with Montecito songwriter and music producer Jeff Barry, whose myriad of hit tunes got him inducted into the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame. Get up to date with the next chapter in Barry’s already interesting life.

70 THE WINEMAKERS

Like a fox: Eva Van Prooyen strolls through the vineyards with Blair Fox, owner and vintner of Blair Fox Cellars and Fox Wine Company.

74

REAL ESTATES

Kelly Mahan Herrick illuminates the assortment of palatial, multi-acre properties in the 93108 zip code. View spectacular homes in the “Golden Quadrangle”, a gated-community manor-house, panoramic view estates, a beachfront mansion, and a handful of noteworthy homes beyond Montecito.

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CO N TE NTS 102 MOGULS AND MANSIONS

Pure Bliss: longtime Journal contributor Hattie Beresford documents Casa Dorinda, the brainchild of Anna Dorinda and William Henry Bliss, from its 1916 genesis as a social-gathering venue that featured royalty and musicians to its modern-day evocation as a retirement community.

118 TRAILBLAZERS

Feel the appeal: Santa Barbara entrepreneur Jason Spievak, CCO at cutting-edge Apeel Sciences in Goleta, serves up significant food developments and life lessons to Caroline Hannah.

124 MONTECITO MILLENNIALS

Joanne Calitri gets to know young, innovative, and noteworthy individuals from Montecito who are making names for themselves: Emma Steinkellner, Ryan Emmons, Crosby Loggins, and J.J. Kandel.

132 JEWELS AND GEMS

Jeff Wing visits the Oliver and Espig Gallery of Fine Arts & Jewelry, a comparatively recent arriviste in the celebrated upper village with a long and colorful narrative arc — from Santa Barbara’s early 1970s Beach Art Show to the crystalline waters of Palawan in the West Philippine Sea. Glenn Espig and gallery manager Marcia Ribeiro explain sustainable luxury and the Golden South Seas Pearl.

142 MONTECITO UNIONS

The Rochestie brothers are marriage musketeers as they planned wedding ceremonies for the summer of 2017: Taylor with Agathe Seuru, Alex with Ashley Israel, and Shaw Leonard with Jessie Davidson. Plus, Michael Hammer weds Misty Millward; Kelley Starr Donahue and Jonathan Katz-Moses; Kevin Rodriguez and Jessie Bridges; Courtney Phillips and Samuel Spoehr. Kelly Mahan Herrick gets personal with the newlyweds.

(Cover photo credit: Arthur Zinn)

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It’s a long journey to become the one.

CONTRIBUTORS James Buckley – James Buckley, founder/publisher of Montecito

Leanne R Wood – Leanne R Wood is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and

Catherine Remak – With nearly three decades of experience in the

Kelly Mahan Herrick – Kelly Mahan Herrick is originally from Newbury Park,

Jeff Wing – Jeff Wing is a besotted typist who finds everyone and everything

Eva Van Prooyen – As a quick-witted freckle-faced teenager with a quirky

Journal (weekly), is an avid golfer who has allowed his love of the game to get in the way of his other avocation: writing and publishing a Thedim Fiste Mystery series, based upon the life, foibles, exploits, and discoveries of an editor of a weekly newspaper in a small upscale community on the California coast.

broadcast industry, Catherine Remak has one of the most recognizable voices in the community of Santa Barbara. Catherine co-hosts the long-running (25 years) Gary and Catherine in the Morning on KLITE 101.7 and co-hosts the podcaast and radio show CoWork Radio.

She owns CR Voice Productions and has lent her voice to thousands of television and radio commercials. Also known as a “champion for nonprofits,” Catherine is a frequent emcee of local events and also works as Corporate Development director for the Council for Alcoholism & Drug Abuse.

interesting and emotionally stirring, sometimes to his discredit. He writes the State Street Scribe column for the Santa Barbara Sentinel and has otherwise written for both the university and a jittery, self-congratulating tech startup, with stops along whatever bumpy continuum connects the two. He came to California as a singer in a band an eon ago, speaks halting Dutch (through delightful marriage), adores Mancini, Morricone, Andy Partridge, Marc Chagall, Thomas McGuane, the vaguely extraterrestrial T.C. Boyle, and the churlish, exalting Philip Larkin. All he wants to do is write.

Just about.

Caroline Harrah – Caroline Harrah is

a science and technology enthusiast and armchair entrepreneur who often daydreams about venturing out into her own startup business. For now, she enjoys meeting and writing about Santa Barbara’s local business, technology, and social innovators. Caroline has lived in San Francisco, New York, and throughout the southeastern U.S. but calls Montecito home.

22 |

trailblazer. Originally from New Zealand, she has lived in Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, England, Scotland, and Romania. For the past 18 years, Leanne and her family have resided in the USA. She fell in love with Santa Barbara when passing through for one night. Six weeks later, Leanne and her husband had sold their home and businesses on the East Coast and relocated to Santa Barbara. Leanne loves traveling and exploring different cultures, meeting people, hiking, anything to do with the beach, and most of all, her family.

California, moving to Santa Barbara 18 years ago to attend UCSB. She has written for Montecito Journal for nearly a decade, writing her weekly Village Beat column and covering a plethora of news items and real estate happenings. She is also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway and shares her love for Santa Barbara every step of the way. Kelly and her husband, Jason, live in Santa Barbara with their sweet dog, Pickles.

Hattie Beresford – Hattie Beresford is a native of the

Netherlands and received her Bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from University of California Santa Barbara. She taught English and American history for the Santa Barbara School District for many years and retired from teaching in 2004. When she is not immersed in some dusty tome, she can be found on the tennis courts, hiking trails, or out on a kayak marveling at the dolphins. She and her husband, former Dos Pueblos volleyball coach Mike Beresford, are avid campers and travelers.

sense of humor, Eva moved from Truckee to the Santa Barbara area in 1989. Since then, she has been writing for Montecito Journal (weekly), became co-founder and co-owner of the Santa Ynez Valley Journal, worked for and received her master of arts degree in clinical psychology and now runs a busy Montecito-based private practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist. She continues to write for various publications, enjoys a fast-paced game of tennis when not chained to her keyboard and has maintained her quick wit and quirky sense of humor.

Joanne A Calitri – Joanne Calitri is a news

correspondent and photographer for Montecito Journal. She has written the column Our Town since January 2002, covering the arts, music, and human-interest stories in Montecito, Los Angeles, and London.

She is the VFX creative director for a 5k-HD short film on books, winning international movie festival awards.

When she is not covering news, Joanne loves writing lyrics, composing songs on her guitar, and listening to jazz.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

S

ome people would call me “crazy” for buying a magazine and a newspaper at this stage of my life, but I just couldn’t help myself. The simple reason I jumped into this new venture headfirst: I love Montecito – even more so after living here 20 years.

Here’s what I love: the vibrant, generous, kind people who inhabit this village; their joie de vivre and the

way they embrace this exceptional community; their stories; the beauty that welcomes us every morning and surrounds us all day long. So, it didn’t matter that I had never owned a media business. Montecito Journal was calling out for me to be its next paladin, and I am doing just that. I thank the Buckleys for creating and nurturing both the weekly newspaper (founded by Jim 23+ years ago) and the magazine (founded by Tim 18 issues ago) for all this time. I am honored to be trusted with such a legacy.

I bring to my new venture a long entrepreneurial business background that began at the age of 8, when I sold asparagus on the side of the road in Ohio (no lemonade stand for me) and continued for a few decades, as I started and ran more than a dozen companies – largely in medical manufacturing. Along with buying the MJ came talented and enthusiastic writers and staff. There is so much to share about our Montecito, and we want the world to experience all of it.

In this, my inaugural issue, we delve into the lives of people and explore places that are dear to me. From legends such as Kirk Douglas and Jeff Barry, to fascinating local winemakers, captivating millennials, talented jewelers, and fearless trailblazers, marvelous stories unfold. Of course, Montecito would not be Montecito without its mansions, and we step inside a few to take a peek. What would a magazine be without travel? We had to take you to a place that charms like few others – Montecito’s unofficial sister city, Aspen. And we all love fairytale weddings (especially my daughter’s), as well as tales from times past that are full of intrigue.

We bring you all of this. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

With love, Diana Starr Langley Publisher

24 |

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r Zinn) y Arthu (photo b

CO

S N O I T A

S R E V N

K R I K D N A E N AN MES

BY JA

BUCK

LEY

“O

~ CONVERSATIONS

ne evening when we were sitting in front of the fire in the great room of our Montecito home, I asked my wife if I had ever sent her love letters. She smiled mysteriously at me. ‘Would

you like to see them?’ she asked. ‘I’ll be right back.’ She returned with a battered-looking manila file folder filled with flimsy air-mail envelopes, letters on pages from the yellow-lined legal pads we used at home, and dashed-off notes on odd slips of paper – some of them the kind of billets-doux that lovers write ‘just because.’”

The above is taken from Kirk and Anne; Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood, written by both Kirk and Anne Douglas.

The project was first contemplated in the modest ranch-style home the couple share in Montecito, not far from Pierre Lafond, the upper village, and Oprah Winfrey’s palatial spread.

The Douglases also have a home in Beverly Hills, but Montecito – at least for the dozen years before Kirk’s 100th birthday – was the

Kirk and Anne have been together for more than 63 years... and counting

couple’s hideaway.

Kirk played a well-sculpted Ulysses in 1954, a sinewy professional

A WHALE OF A TALE

whaler in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (in which he sings and dances and makes a hit of “Whale Of A Tale,” a song written,

I

n case you were born on another planet or after the year 2000,

coincidentally, by another longtime Montecito resident: Norman

here are a few things you should know about Kirk Douglas: his

Gimbel). In 1956, Douglas was Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life, and

movie career, for example, began in 1946 with The Strange Love of

received another Academy Award nomination (he was expected to win

Martha Ivers. The black-and-white film featured Barbara Stanwyck

but was overshadowed by Yul Brynner in The King And I). Kirk did

and Van Heflin, along with now-Dame Judith Anderson and later

win a Golden Globe for his role in Lust for Life.

Montecito resident Darryl Hickman. It also garnered an Academy

More memorable roles followed: Douglas was sickly outlaw/

Award nomination for “Best Writing, Original Story” for John Patrick.

gambler Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Colonel

Three short years later, Kirk himself was nominated “Best Actor in a

Dax in the all-time classic Stanley Kubrick-directed Paths of Glory

Leading Role” for his role as Midge in the film noir adaptation of Ring

(also ‘57), and a Roman slave who leads a revolt of slaves in the 1960

Lardner’s Champion. He doesn’t win, but his star is firmly fixed in the

epic, Spartacus, produced by his own Bryna Productions (his mother’s

Hollywood firmament.

name was Bryna), and featuring yet another Montecitan: the late

Kirk Douglas didn’t just hang out with Hollywood royalty, he was Hollywood Royalty.

John Ireland, along with a stellar cast headed up by Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, and Peter Ustinov. The film was

|

29

CONVERSATIONS

Kirk Douglas co-starred with Yul Brynner, who Kirk considered one of his best friends, in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)

also directed by Stanley Kubrick and the screenplay written by the until-then banished Dalton Trumbo of The Hollywood Ten. Trumbo

Kirk cherishes the “Oscar” made by friends to compensate for his having lost out to Yul Brynner during the 1957 Awards ceremony

was among those who, when asked about their communist past or connections, refused to answer questions from members of the U.S. House of Representatives Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Trumbo had been writing under a pseudonym; his Spartacus unveiling, thanks to the courage of Kirk Douglas, signaled the beginning of the end of what had come to be known as the Hollywood Blacklist.

Along with many honors and awards over the years, Kirk was presented with an Honorary Oscar in 1996 for his role “as a creative

Bob Hope (right) jokes with Kirk at an event

and moral force in the motion picture community.” His film career spanned over 50 years; his last film (at the age of 88), was Illusion, in

produced yet another tome: Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter,

2004, in which he played an ailing movie director.

and a Lifetime in Hollywood.

In addition to his acting accomplishments, Douglas has written or co-written 12 books, including My Stroke of Luck, published

••• Kirk, who will turn 101 on December 9 (2017), was born Issur

in 2002 after an almost terminal stroke had left him with the

Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam, New York. His father, Herschel,

inability to speak or walk. The story of his remarkable turnaround

was a “ragman,” a background duly noted in Douglas’s well-written

back to nearly fully functioning status at such an advanced age is

autobiography.

inspirational. His crisply written autobiography, The Ragman’s Son

I had the opportunity recently to visit with Mr. Douglas at

(1988) became a best seller and, so far, has gone through 17 editions.

his Beverly Hills home; the following is an edited transcript of our

At the age of 100, Kirk, along with Anne, his wife of 63 years, has

conversation:

30 |

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CONVERSATIONS

A RUMBLE IN THE SKY

“I

remember saying, ‘Ma, how was I born?’” Kirk begins as I join him in his living room. “I don’t remember how old I was,” he

says, “but my mother looked at me and she said, ‘I’ll never forget.

There was a rumble in the sky and I thought there would be rain. I looked up and what I saw was a gold box. I opened it and there you were, a crying baby.’

“I said, ‘But Ma, what happened to the gold box?’ And she said ‘I was so happy to have you that I never thought about the box. It disappeared and it was a sunny day.’

The young Kirk Douglas (né Issur Danielovitch) with his mother, Bryna, circa 1930

“I always remembered,” he concludes, “that my mother cared more about me than the gold box.”

Kirk says he “always wanted to be an actor,” but that he doesn’t

until the day she died.”

Ms. Bacall was not only a friend, but was also instrumental in

want to act anymore. At 101 years old, that does not come as a

convincing producer Hal Wallis to give Kirk a screen test; because of

surprise.

that, Wallis cast Douglas as the lead in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Kirk studied acting at the American Academy of Fine Arts (he’d won a scholarship), and when he graduated, Lauren (“Betty” at the time) Bacall, who was a classmate, “saw that I didn’t have an overcoat;

to kick off his career, just a year after his honorary discharge from the U.S. Navy, in which he served from 1941 to 1945.

Kirk says he “discovered” Montecito when his son Michael came

she got one from her uncle and gave it to me. I wore that for three

up to attend UCSB. Later, Michael bought a house here with his first

years,” Kirk says, smiling. “We became friends, and we were friends

wife, Diandra. “Then Anne and I bought a home here,” Kirk says, “and we go back and forth from Beverly Hills to Montecito, though I don’t travel much anymore.”

Douglas tires easily these days, so our conversation was necessarily brief: Q. You escaped a near-certain death because of your wife in 1958.

Could you tell us about that?

A. [Film Producer] Mike Todd had a house in Palm Springs (where we had a house too), and he was married to Elizabeth Taylor at the time. Mike and I were friends. One day, he asked me to go with him in his private plane to New York because his wife was sick with a cold and she couldn’t go. I told [Anne] that I was going to go to New

Kirk and longtime friend and former classmate Lauren (Betty) Bacall, with Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee at Kennedy Center in 1994

32 |

York with Mike Todd and she said, “I don’t want you to go.”

“Why?” I asked. We had a big argument. She insisted I shouldn’t

~ CONVERSATIONS

When you tell me what a wonderful guy I am, I want to make sure my wife hears this, because we have been married for about 63 years and she sometimes forgets what a wonderful guy I am.

You were a ladies’ man...

I liked women, yes.

It seems to me there are two ways to attract a woman: one either has an ethereal quality – a poet or a writer – or is very masculine. But you combine both qualities...

I’m glad you are here to interview me because you say such nice things (laughs).

But, they are all true. What was your secret?

I was just myself. Some women found me attractive, some didn’t.

I don’t have a deep voice and I’m not six feet tall [Kirk’s official height is 5’ 9”]. But my son, Michael does very well. He has a deep voice and he is six feet tall.

Both Elizabeth Taylor and Kirk Douglas were at one time scheduled to be on the plane that killed Ms. Taylor’s husband at the time, Mike Todd

You’ve been honored for your position in support of Israel over the years – most recently just a year ago, you were presented with an award from the World Jewish Congress for your strong support for Israel. You

go in a private plane. I told her I wanted to go. Finally, I said, “Okay, I

starred in the first Hollywood film shot in Israel: Juggler, in which you

won’t go.”

starred as a holocaust survivor. And later as U.S. Army colonel Mickey

The next day we were with friends driving back to Beverly Hills and I turned on the radio, and the first thing I heard was an announcement that Mike Todd has crashed on his way to New

Marcus who helped preserve the chances of Israel becoming a Jewish state in Cast A Giant Shadow.

In The Ragman’s Son, you write a lot about your Jewish heritage and

York. That surprised me. My wife saved my life. I looked at her and

relate the story of an affair you were having with your landlady, which

said, “You saved my life.” So, ever since, I’ve listened to her and did

ended abruptly. What happened?

whatever she said.

The landlady liked me and took care of me. [At some point] she said she hated Jews and wouldn’t let them stay at her place. She didn’t

It is difficult to be both an actor and a writer – one is extrovert, one is

know I was Jewish. When I was making love to her, in the middle of

introvert – but you do both beautifully. You have a real facility. Your poems

our lovemaking, I said to her very loudly, “You’re being [screwed] by

are excellent too. What’s your secret?

a Jew.”

|

33

CONVERSATIONS

Doubling up: Kirk with dueling marquees on the same street (1963)

Do you have a favorite letter from your new book, Kirk and Anne; Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood?

They’re all my favorite letters.

Who would you consider as having been among your best friends?

(After giving this much thought) Burt Lancaster, Jack Valenti, Tony Curtis: I was best man at his second wedding. And, of course,

When you were at the height of your movie career, you were as famous as anyone who had ever lived. In those days, were you hounded by paparazzi? Could you go somewhere and just be a regular person?

Tennis, anyone? Kirk and Tony

We had paparazzi. They were part of my life. Always. They had

Curtis were

to make a living (he shrugs). Now and then they’d camp out by my

two of the

house, but I didn’t mind that because I was a guy who was married.

Does that mean you were scandal-free?

Well, I was careful.

34 |

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CONVERSATIONS

Kirk joins Frank Sinatra (who reportedly was an excellent Italian cook) in the kitchen

The gang’s all here: (from left) Tony Martin, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Durante, and Tony Curtis

John Wayne and Kirk Douglas (seen on the set of In Harm’s Way, 1965) (from left) Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster, and Kirk Douglas

Lauren Bacall. John Wayne was a lovely man. I was on the other side

were fast friends, despite the differences in their political persuasions

Kirk and Anne Douglas, with assistance from Marcia Newberger,

of him, politically. He was a Republican. I was a Democrat. We always

co-wrote his latest book that includes a foreword by his son Michael

argued, but we were friends. There was a generous quality about John

Douglas. It is a revealing, intimate, and often poignant story of love,

Wayne; when he died, his family said to me, “Our father loved you.”

stress, separation, near-abandonment, and finally commitment. What

Yul Brynner was a close friend too.

follows has been gleaned from that book.

You don’t get to visit as often as you had in the past, but what is it about Montecito that draws you there?

I like Montecito because we like the house we live in. We like being outside, and we like the Montecito Journal. We also like our

“OUR” EX-WIFE

M

ICHAEL DOUGLAS (in the book’s foreword): “Not only did Anne treat my brother Joel and I as though we were

fiddler on the roof. I have a sculpture of a fiddler on the roof of my

always a family (Anne was Kirk’s second wife), she invariably

house in Montecito.

showed great love and respect to our mother. With Anne’s

36 |

~ CONVERSATIONS

characteristic dry wit, she referred to [Diana, Michael and Joel’s mother] as ‘our ex-wife.’

“In their third act, Kirk is still enthralled by Anne, as she is by him. My father recently told me, ‘Cole Porter loved Anne.’ Think of it: a young woman from France, newly arrived in Hollywood in the early ’50s and married to one of the world’s biggest movie stars, is invited to accompany her husband to a dinner party hosted by the legendary lyricist/composer. It is the star’s young wife, with her European style and effortless grace, who delights their host. She is invited back and told, ‘You may bring your husband too, if you must.’”

••• Kirk Douglas’s first marriage to Diana Dill lasted eight years and

The Douglas family (from left) Anne, Eric, Peter, Michael, Kirk, and Joel at home in 1963 (photo credit: Arthur Zinn)

produced two sons: Michael and Joel; the couple was divorced in 1951. Kirk married Anne Buydens in 1954 and recently celebrated

their 63rd wedding anniversary. They had two sons together: Peter (who lives in Montecito), and Eric (who passed away at the age of 46 in 2004).

••• ANNE: “I have very few mementos from my early life before Kirk. In the turbulent years before and during World War II, I moved from Hannover (Germany) to Brussels and then to Paris, taking only essentials each time. As a result, the letters and memorabilia of our life together were even more important to me.

“My main repository for the collection has been the climatecontrolled wine cellar of our Beverly Hills home, which I call the ‘dungeon.’ It is filled with boxes of letters and photographs from friends and fans, from Hollywood royalty, and political leaders all over the world. Most harken back to a kinder, gentler time, when writing notes in one’s own hand- writing was considered a mark of courtesy.

I admit the handwriting on some of them is hard to decipher, mine included.

“We both had forgotten how intensely we communicated after we fell in love in Paris in 1953, married in Las Vegas in 1954, and endured subsequent separations because of a thousand commitments.

Eric and Peter with their parents, accompanied by their maternal grandmother

In addition to the long newsy letters, there were cables, notes scribbled

|

37

CONVERSATIONS

PETER DOUGLAS

A

Kirk holds Anne and Kirk’s first son, Peter (circa 1956) in the yard of their Los Angeles-area home

in airplanes and between takes, and a few X-rated ramblings about how much we missed each other. It was like seeing them for the first time all these years later.”

KIRK: “At first, I was billed as Isadore Demsky. ‘That won’t do,’ said my new friends Karl and Mona Malden. ‘That’s not a proper name for an actor.’ Karl had started out as Mladen Sekulovich in the steel town of Gary, Indiana. One boozy night, Karl and Mona convened a group of us in their cabin to look for my new name. I emerged hours later, reborn as Kirk Douglas. It was 1939. A man named Adolph Hitler was sending German armies to conquer countries in Europe. I only wanted to conquer Broadway.”

ANNE: “Kirk and I could not have come from two more different worlds. He was a poor American boy from a tiny town in upstate New

38 |

nne and Kirk’s son, Peter Douglas, is an active and successful TV and film producer and has lived in Montecito for a little more than 20 years.

During a short telephone conversation, Peter recounts that the fiddler on the roof of his parents’ home “was actually a passion of my father’s, a vision that he had. He just thought his house really needed a fiddler on the roof. I think he thought it would bring a certain amount of good luck, so he found a local artist – Aris Demetrios, who lives in Montecito – and actually created the brass sculpture with him. They put it up about four years ago, and getting it onto the roof was quite a feat... I can only tell you that it took quite a bit of engineering to get it up there.”

After reading Kirk and Anne, Peter says he learned a lot about his mother’s early years and the details behind them. “I had no idea,” he says. “[My parents] didn’t talk about those things. I knew she was born in Germany, and that it was a very difficult time for my mother. She was a young girl in the middle of running from the Nazis and then having to rebuild her life. She came from a fairly wealthy family, and suddenly she was on her own having to fend for herself. A lot of the details of that I just didn’t know,” he says.

Anne and Kirk visited and then stayed with Peter and his wife, Lisa, and, “they came and looked around and actually fell in love with Montecito,” Peter says. “It’s a very special place for them. They come here to really relax and they have a completely different group of friends, and business is not part of it, as it is in Beverly Hills.”

When asked to describe Anne, Peter gives this assessment: “My mother is a lioness,” he says. “She protects her young and her old. She always has, even to this day. Given the fact that she is ninety-eight, that’s saying something.” As for both his parents, he marvels, “They’re still living life.”

And for his own life in Montecito, Peter states simply, “I love it.

The only drawback is that I have to go into Los Angeles on occasion for work. I just enjoy taking hikes and being with my friends.”

www.sullivangoss.com facebook.com/sullivan.goss

CONVERSATIONS

Just two young lovers, still infatuated with each other

The Douglas boys (from left) Eric, Michael, Kirk, Joel, and Peter

York, speaking only Yiddish until he entered school. In contrast, I was

the one in English, I relished the challenge of doing both. After all, an

born to Siegfried and Paula Michelle Marx in Hannover, Germany,

American G.I. would speak French with an accent and I had a good

one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country. We were rich and

ear for languages. At night, after my lessons, I did my ‘homework’ in

well traveled. By the time I was in boarding school in Switzerland, I

total immersion with various mademoiselles.

could speak German, French, and English.

“My parents named me Hannelore but called me Peter, because

“...After hearing Anne’s story, I understood her resistance to my advances. She was not interested in a frivolous affair. This self-possessed

they had wanted a boy. When I was three, my English governess –

beauty was very different from the women I had been involved with in

whom I hated – took me to the barber for a haircut. ‘Cut Peter’s hair,’

Hollywood since Diana left me. She wasn’t neurotic like Gene Tierney,

she said. He obliged, snipping away my bountiful blonde curls and

who always insisted I arrive for our nocturnal ‘dates’ by climbing the

leaving me with a boy’s cut, close to my scalp. Some traumas you never

tree outside her bedroom window. She wasn’t reckless like my much-

forget. This was my earliest. “

married oil heiress, Irene Wrightsman, whom I found in our bed with •••

Kirk met Anne in Paris in 1953. He was there to star in Act of Love

Sydney Chaplin when I came home early from the studio. Anne was a sophisticated woman, unlike my virginal Pier Angeli, who took her

and had hired her as his assistant because she could speak English and

mother on all our dates. I was fascinated by Anne and more than a

French.

little in love with her.”

•••

KIRK: “We spent a lot of time together. Anne was efficient and

ANNE [writing to Kirk from Cannes, France, where she

had a wicked sense of humor. Everyone liked her – much more than

served as head of protocol, in charge of scheduling galas for foreign

they liked me! We often spoke in French, which I was studying from

representatives and making sure they were peopled by press and

a method called Assimil with Madame LaFeuille two hours a day, six

celebrities]: “The Festival is a perfect madhouse... Robert Mitchum

days a week. Tola Litvak was shooting two versions of Act of Love, first

(drunk every night and causing a scene with a half-nude French starlet)

in English and then in French. Although I was only contracted for

and Lizabeth Scott (who loves Frenchmen) are replacing Kirk Douglas

40 |

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CONVERSATIONS

and Olivia de Havilland from last year. In French, we say “grandeur et décadence!” Arlene Dahl and Jack Palance are ignored by the public who don’t know them. Gina Lollobrigida has a fantastic success in a picture called Pane Amore e Fantasia with Vittorio De Sica.... “...Is there anything you can dream of that you want (aside from me)? Darling, how happy I am. I can’t wait anymore. I have no sex life since you left. I am verrrry hungry.”

••• Kirk and Anne; Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood was released officially May 2, 2017; it was published by Hachette Imprint Running Press in partnership with TCM (Turner Classic Movies), and went into a second printing within the first three weeks. Granddaughter Kelsey Douglas (Peter’s daughter, who was raised in Montecito) and Kirk’s grandson Cameron Douglas

Kirk dons his chapeau during 60th wedding anniversary party

(Michael’s eldest) recorded the audio book, which Hachette recently released unabridged in six CDs with a copy of the photo insert.

To read more about their 63 sometime turbulent years of life together, I urge you to get your own copy of Kirk and Anne and crawl up in front of a fire with your loved one.

Oh, and while you’re at it, pick up The Ragman’s Son (it’s out of print but available online). That too is a damned good read.

Their collaboration is actor/author Kirk’s 12th book and Anne’s 1st

Kirk and Anne with grandchildren Cameron and Kelsey

42 |

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46 |

A spen P H OTO S CO U R T E S Y O F A S P E N C H A M B E R

A DOUBLE DOSE OF LOVE

I

t is no surprise to find that Aspen, Colorado, is a special place for many Montecito residents. In fact, quite a few have second homes there. Perhaps one could even say there is a romance between the two towns. Is it more than simply good skiing, terrific restaurants, and world-class culture? After

all, surely those can be had at any number of great ski resorts around the country.

What is it about Aspen in particular that has lured Montecitans to go back time and time again?

Montecito and Aspen have many similarities. For starters, both locales share a small-town intimacy. And then there is the weather. Mother Nature appears to have put Aspen on the top of her list with more than 275 days of sunshine a year.

Ditto Montecito.

Pat Smith, a longtime Montecito resident who has a second home in Aspen, moved to Montecito because, he says, “It has a soul and one of the best climates.”

We sat overlooking Butterfly Beach, sipping our deliciously strong late-afternoon cocktails, gazing out at the sparkling azure Pacific ocean as Pat continues.

“The beauty of Montecito is that you can either kick it up a notch and be very exposed in terms of lifestyle, or you can be hidden in the hills and do everything anonymously. There are a lot of folks that live here who have come from New York, from Los Angeles, from all over the world, who call it their hideaway. It is the same in Aspen.”

|

47

M ontecito

A spen

Cristal Clarke, a real estate agent in Montecito, reiterated this idea when we chatted together. Like so many others, she went to college at UCSB and then never left. “I fell in love with Santa Barbara. I mean, who doesn’t?” she asks.

Her love affair with Aspen began even earlier, when she visited with her family as a child. Today she is building her second home there.

“To me, Aspen is Montecito in the mountains. It is only about ten city blocks full of shops and restaurants. It’s a fun, small environment to be in. Just like the lower village of Montecito.”

Both places fulfill the triumvirate of body, mind, and spirit, according to Pat and his fiancée, Jennifer Burrows. “The mind is challenged,” Pat says, “all the time at places like the Aspen Institute or The Brain Lab. Then the body is challenged physically. You have hiking, kayaking, river rafting, skiing, cycling, fishing, golfing, tennis, and paddle boarding. Spiritually, there’s something really interesting about getting way up into the top of the mountains in the backcountry; it’s so calming.

It touches deep within you. And I think,” he adds, “Santa Barbara, specifically Montecito, has the same thing. We can hike trails minutes from our doorstep, and then be out on our paddleboards on the ocean all in the same day. It’s all about the great outdoors in both places, just breathing the air, decompressing.”

Montecito and Aspen alike answer any hiker’s or biker’s aspirations with their vast systems of trails for all abilities. Aspen is a town that is serious about biking with its miles and miles of bike paths that meander along country roads, traverse mountains, and amble through scenic valleys. In winter, oodles of fresh dry powder, coupled with those bright-blue skies, make Aspen a snow-sports nirvana for skiers and snowboarders.

It is no surprise that one of Cristal’s favorite activities in this winter wonderland happens on Christmas Eve at a restaurant called the Pine Creek Cook House. “The food is sensational,” she says. “On Christmas Eve, we cross-country ski to the restaurant. After a delicious meal in a fabulous location, we ski home again with a miner’s light on our hats to show us the way.”

48 |

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Marjorie Layden, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and long-time Montecito resident explains why she has her second home in Aspen.

which is really good for us.”

I checked out the Winterfest Canine Fashion Show details and saw

“Number one is nature. It is just so achingly beautiful. And then Aspen

that the four category options available to erstwhile pet owners who, like

has a really soulful core, which is the Aspen Institute.”

me, worship their fur babies, include:

“The Aspen Institute is for the thinkers among us. It is a nonpartisan forum for values-based leadership and the exchange of ideas. It gathers diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders, creatives, scholars, and members of the public to address some of the world’s most complex problems with the goal of having an impact beyond the conference room. All year long, there is something for everyone,

whether it is Forums on the Future of Nuclear Energy, Poster Art Workshops, Seminars on Leadership and Character, A Roundtable on

1. Most Adorable – They don’t have to be the most glamorous, but they are so precious you can’t help but say “Awwww.”

2. Best Dog-Owner Look-Alike – Do you and your dog resemble each other? Show us your best matching outfits!

3. Most Local – How much can your pooch embody and portray the Aspen Lifestyle?

4. Best in Snow – This is the judges’ chance to choose their favorite and Aspen’s overall most fashionable pooch.

Artificial Intelligence, or a discussion with Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg about the late justice Antonin Scalia.”

Hailing from the United Kingdom, Sheila Herman is a colorful

Marjorie is torn trying to decide which of the festivals in Aspen

character who settled in Montecito 25 years ago. Over a piping-hot cup

is her favorite. Is it possibly the Music Festival in summer, or perhaps

of Earl Grey tea at the Coral Casino, she spoke about her love tryst with

Wintersköl, now in its 67th year? The fact that she can watch the

Aspen.

Wintersköl fireworks from the deck of her home makes it a strong fave.

“Aspen has got all the qualities of Montecito. It’s a small, nurturing,

Vying for first place, though, is the more fanciful Pet Parade. “We dress

sophisticated place,” she observes. “There is action and adventure,

up our pets and have a parade every year. Aspenites can be quite silly,

culture and arts,” she continues. “But there is privacy as well. I love that

50 |

about both of my homes. Aspen’s got amazing restaurants and stores.

The nightlife is terrific with fabulous clubs. In winter, you have all the snow sports. You’ve got skiing, snow-shoeing. You can even jump off mountains! There’s museums and art galleries. In summer, there’s whitewater rafting, incredible hiking, spectacular biking. As you can tell, I am totally in love with Aspen.”

Sheila takes a sip of tea and adds, “I love going to the Aspen Institute. I love the music tents. On a Sunday, we put a blanket on the lawn outside the tent. We bring a picnic and listen to incredible music.

With family and friends beside me, and a glass of wine in my hand, it’s

marvelous. And at the end, we don’t have to even worry about driving home because we’ve biked there.”

Few places on Earth are blessed with the remarkable combination of desirable weather, world-renowned natural beauty, arts, and culture.

Both Montecito and Aspen have all of these. Those fortunate enough to call both places home have surely had their souls imbued with a

m

double dose of love.

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THE WINEMAKERS DOUG MARGERUM

B Y E VA VA N P R O O Y E N

D

oug Margerum, owner and director of wine making for Margerum Wine Company, says his parents, Barbara and Don, moved to Montecito in 1977 and still live in the same house today. “I graduated

from UC Santa Barbara in 1981 with a degree in business economics.

In my senior year at UCSB, I lived on the corner of Jameson and Olive Mill. We’d go surfing at Hammonds and then eat breakfast at Geno’s,” says Doug, noting Geno’s became Tutti’s, which is currently The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Coast Village Road. “Geno’s served eggs and bacon, a greasy-spoon place, it was phenomenal.

We’d go down there after surfing.”

In an ongoing, many decades-long successful and influential charge through Santa Barbara County, establishing its food and wine industry and culture, Doug reports that he has now returned to reside in Montecito with his wife, Marni.

“We’re close to the San Ysidro trail, in an old hacienda tucked

burgeoning wine burst for Santa Barbara County. What began

up right on San Ysidro Creek,” says Doug. “We feel like we have a

as a retail wine store quickly expanded to include a simple bistro

pretty tight connection with Montecito. We love Montecito, we walk

adjacent to the shop. In 1994, the Wine Cask became one of 74

everywhere – up the trail with the dogs, to the [San Ysidro] Ranch to

restaurants in the world to earn the Wine Spectator Grand Award,

eat, through the Upper Village, throughout town, and we visit with

which honors restaurants with extraordinary wine programs.

our friends and restaurateurs,” many of whom serve Margerum wines by the bottle and by the glass.

“I began my wine and food exploration at a young age, tasting

The restaurant expanded again to the Gold Room in Santa Barbara’s legendary El Paseo building. They developed a catering company, and then the adjoining Intermezzo Café opened in

wine in France and eating in France and Italy with my parents at the

1996. The two restaurants and the wine store have become a Santa

age of 14,” says Doug, adding he worked in restaurants as a cook

Barbara destination of choice among local and international food

and server throughout his high school and college years.

and wine aficionados. Doug notes he briefly opened a branch of

Coinciding with his graduation from UCSB in 1981, Doug reports his family purchased Wine Cask right on the cusp of the

54 |

Wine Cask on Coast Village Road in the 1990s where Los Arroyos currently stands, and then sold it to an employee.

“From 1986 to 1998, I owned VITA NOVA winery with the first

bouchon), and a group of investors took over the restaurant. Today

two guys I met upon opening Wine Cask – Bob Lindquist (Qupé)

it is owned by Anda Ashkar, with Doug and Mitchell as its local

and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat). Jim bought me out in 1998,

operators.

allowing me to start Margerum Wine Company in 2001.”

Doug says, “What we’re the proudest of are all the talented

Doug explains Margerum Wine Company began in a tiny

food and wine people in town that launched out of Wine Cask and

240-sq-ft cold room behind Brander Vineyards. “I was there for five

the culture we created. There are a whole group of sommeliers out

years. Next, the very wonderful Firestone family let me use their

in New York and throughout the food and wine world that worked

space at Curtis Winery. I was there for another five years and then

here. It’s a neat legacy piece for us. Wine Cask was a real breeding

we moved to Buellton on Industrial Way, where we have everything

ground.”

in one place, including a tasting room, which is open from 11 am to

With Margerum Wine Company as his focus, Doug reports

5 pm on weekends.” Doug also has two tasting rooms downtown in

one of his new initiatives is the release of M5 White, a Rhône blend

El Paseo.

of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and Rolle

“My philosophy is to return wine-making to its previous form

(a.k.a. Vermentino). Eventually, Picpoul Blanc will be in the mix. “We

of production – handcrafted and personal,” says Doug. He sold the

also have a new estate vineyard as of two years ago, the old Honea

Wine Cask in 2007, after he decided to devote all of his energies

Vineyard. What seems to be successful in that corridor right on the

to making wine. In 2009, Wine Cask re-opened when Doug,

border of Ballard Canyon, are Rhône varietals,” says Doug.

Mitchell Sjerven (owner of Santa Barbara’s award-winning restaurant

Margerum Wine Company’s flagship wines include: M5 White,

|

55

THE WINEMAKERS

M5 Red (also a blend of five traditional grapes of the Rhône Valley in France), Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc, Riviera Rosé, and ÜBER Syrah (a co-fermentation of the top Santa Barbara County Syrah vineyards Margerum works with). In August of 2016, the 2014 Margerum Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc was served at the White House for a state dinner with the prime minister of Singapore.

Doug is also the winemaker for Happy Canyon Vineyards, La Encantada Vineyards, and Paradise Springs of Santa Barbara, as well as a partner and wine maker for Cent’anni.

Also rooting Doug in Montecito is his role on the board of the American Riviera Bank. He reports that in 2006 he helped raise the capital to start the bank: “We opened a beautiful little branch

Day. It’s looking pretty good. Some of the Syrahs I have tasted have been mind-blowingly incredible with low alcohol and lots of flavor.”

Doug has another wine label under the Margerum umbrella called

up behind the San Ysidro Pharmacy. It’s a true community bank, all

Barden. “All the Santa Rita Hills AVA wines have my middle name,”

‘normal Joes’, people who work, real personal banking.” There are

says Doug. “For my 40th birthday, I had a party. I had no middle name,

also branches in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Paso Robles.

so I put out invitations saying, ‘It’s My Party, You Can Name Me If You

Doug says that the 2017 vintage has been “very fast and furious.

We had about a week break when the cooler weather hit after Labor

56 |

Want To.’ Luckily my 89-year-old blind grandmother was there and she worked the room. Her name was Ruth Barden. She had my mother

PAIRING IN MONTECITO

A

s for where to get Doug’s wines and what to eat with it, he has some specific inspirations for Montecito food pairings and recommends the following: PANE E VINO: Vitello Tonnato, Sliced Roasted Veal with Tuna Sauce, Capers, and Lemon, 2015 Margerum Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc LUCKY’S: Lucky’s 8-ounce Special Blend Burger, 2015 Margerum M5

(who became a Margerum) and a son. Her only son passed away, so there were going to be no more Bardens. She pushed hard for her choice of Barden, and so my middle name became Barden.

A Barden was a person who lived by a boar’s den, and that is why we have a little boar on the label. San Ysidro Ranch sells those Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noirs. They have a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Pinot Noir vertical in their cellar. We sell most of that wine direct to consumer.” As a side note, Doug says, “Clendenen was pushing for Fir – Douglas Fir. Thank God my grandmother was there.”

Margerum Wine Company’s Flagship Tasting Room is located at 813 Anacapa Street (next to the Wine Cask). Margerum Reserve Tasting Room is located at 32 El Paseo in the Center Courtyard. For more information, visit www.margerumwines.com.

The Winery tasting room is open 11 am to 5 pm on weekends at 59 Industrial Way in Buellton.

m

HONOR BAR: Emerald Kale with Rotisserie Chicken Salad in Roasted Peanut Vinaigrette, 2015 Margerum Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc CAVA: Spicy Baby Back Ribs with Guava Chile Sauce, Chipotle Mashed Potatoes, and Cabbage Slaw, 2016 private label Carlitos’ Rosé – Cava’s custom blend made by Margerum Wine Company LOS ARROYOS: Maria’s Enchiladas – two Steak Enchiladas topped with Homemade Salsa Verde, Melted Cheese, Salsa Fresca served with Rice and Black Beans, 2015 Margerum Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc TRE LUNE: Ellen Salad with Fresh Tomatoes, Arugula, Grilled Shrimp, Scallops, Scottish Salmon, in a Mustard Vinaigrette, 2016 Margerum Riviera Rosé SAN YSIDRO RANCH: Smoke Muscovy Duck and Avocado Spring Roll with Fromage Blanc and Asian Coleslaw, served with any of his Barden Pinot Noir

|

57

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MUSICAL MATTERS

BY CATHERINE REMAK

WALKIN’ IN THE SUN WITH JEFF BARRY

“I

think it’s called ‘boring’,” says Jeff Barry, songwriter, record producer, and Montecito resident about retirement. “I can’t do it.” No one would say he hasn’t

earned it. At 79, he has a prolific career to look back on. He began in the ’60s with hits such as “Leader of the Pack”, “Tell Laura I Love Her,” “Chapel of Love,” “Be My Baby, Sugar Sugar,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “I Can Hear Music,” among many others.

In 2000, Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) named eight Barry tunes among the most performed of the century. Last year, Rolling Stone named its 100 greatest songwriters ever, and Barry was 19th on the list. An inductee into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Barry and his songs are forever woven into the fabric of 1960s pop music. His contributions as a music producer continued solidly over the following decades. He hasn’t stopped writing music, but what truly interests Barry now is the visual art of movies and television. “I’m more excited about tomorrow and today than the past.”

Barry’s energy is infectious, as he admits he’s finally being true to a hidden passion. “I’ve been shifting my focus to what has always been my secret love.” Barry still has a home in Montecito, but spends most of his time in Los Angeles these days, “Yeah, and the vibe down here, it’s young and it’s vibrant, and it just smells of potential and

Young Jeff Barry in a publicity shot from the 1960s

tomorrow. It just feels like any minute, something good’s going to happen.”

Barry had a similar feeling as a young songwriter, creating music

address in New York for music professionals, music written and produced there even carried the unique reputation of having “the

out of the iconic Brill Building in New York. The Brill Building was

Brill Building Sound.” Today, the building at 1619 Broadway is a

the center of 1960s pop music, primarily focused on a teen audience

historic landmark.

and the mecca for hit music. Regarded as the most prestigious

60 |

Barry refers to the craft of songwriting in a way I’ve never heard

MUSICAL MATTERS emotions. Even though we all have the same emotions, they’re fueled by our own lives. Usually I’m writing songs for and about girls, so I’m tapping into my feminine side.”

Barry’s ex-wife and main songwriting partner was Ellie Greenwich.

The duo was responsible for 17 singles that reached Billboard’s top 100. In 2004, Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest rock songs included six Barry-Greenwich compositions, more than by any other

Jeff Barry at Gold Star Studio in L.A., with legendary sound engineer Larry Levine

a musician speak before. In a way, he’s been thinking in film for most his songwriting career. “Oh, yeah, because even in my songwriting, it’s very visual. I always picture the singer in a scene. I like to be able to know who is singing to whom. Where are they singing it? Are they walking on the beach, talking on the phone, lying in bed? Where is it happening? Then I want to know the backstory; what led them up to singing the song. Then, in a way, the song starts to write itself.”

When asked if the characters in his songs are ever him, Barry chuckles, “You know, that may be the only original question I’ve ever been asked.” Then he explains, “I guess to some extent, it’s always me. I mean, I can’t be thinking or feeling with anyone else’s brain or

Nancy and Jeff Barry 1986

|

61

MUSICAL MATTERS non-performing songwriting team. The pair received induction into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. About their winning chemistry Barry says, “Whatever it was, it sure worked and it sure was fun!” When Greenwich passed away several years ago, somebody sent Barry an obituary referring to how she was remarkably adept at keying into the teenage girl’s psyche. Barry grins, because Greenwich’s focus was more melody. “I was actually writing the lyrics.” Wondering if Barry wrote his music for the girls or to get the girls? He managed to avoid that one, but apparently it was the second-best question he’d ever

father who was blind. Barry recounts, “My mom had her hands full,

been asked.

I had to be a ‘good boy.’ I also had to be clear and succinct in my

There was one song that did call directly on Barry’s personal

communication,” which he says helped him with his songwriting.

experience, “Walkin’ In The Sun”. Barry grew up under somewhat

His father was an insurance broker, who would travel at times from

unusual circumstances, with a developmentally disabled sister and a

Brooklyn to New York City. Barry would accompany his father when

Barry beside London’s Abbey Road studio in 2005. Barry was there with a group of Montecito pals for the historic reunion show of Cream.

62 |

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MUSICAL MATTERS he was able. On one such occasion, when Barry was about 13 years old, he recalls walking with his father under the shadow of high-rises.

“We were headed to the subway, and it must have been a bit chilly.

My dad asked if the sun was out on the other side of the street.”

Sure enough, it was. His father said, “Well then, let’s walk where it’s warm.” Arm in arm, the young Barry and his father crossed the street into the sunshine. Hardly his first song, Barry didn’t actually write “Walkin’ In The Sun” until he was 30 years old and signed as an artist to A&M Records. The company asked Barry to record some of his songs and he included the tune. “Walkin’ In The Sun” was later covered by Glen Campbell, Percy Sledge, BB King, and Chaka Khan, to name a few.

Barry with Oprah Winfrey at a Girls Inc. function in Montecito.

He wrote the national theme song for the organization.

Barry with longtime friend Carole King. The two have known each other since the 1960s.

64 |

MUSICAL MATTERS

Jeff Barry enjoys dinner with his older children, Lisa and Jon

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

T

he versatile Barry, who is also responsible for the television theme songs on One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Family

Ties, has a friend who is a filmmaker and director to thank for his newfound passion. “I’d known him for years, and he called and said, ‘Look. There’s a part natural to you. Would you do this?’ I did.” The film was called Dreamland, and Barry describes it as “a super-low budget film,” or what some would call a “credit card movie.” He continues, “I probably was on the screen for a total of two minutes.”

But that led to a second movie and a much larger part, and the opportunity to meet with a casting agent who spoke with Barry about projects he’d been dreaming of. He is currently working on a partnership with a large independent film company.

The shift into film and television production fits perfectly into the progression of Barry’s musical career. “Everybody says, ‘Oh, Jeff

At Alisal Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, Barry joins in an annual tradition with wife Nancy and twins Jessica and Clayton

|

65

MUSICAL MATTERS Barry ‘the songwriter,’ but I’ve had equal success as a record producer.”

He was paired with the likes of Connie Francis, The Archies, Neil Diamond, The Ronettes, and many other well-known acts. In 1966, Barry produced the Monkees’ hit “I’m A Believer”, which went gold within two days of its release and was the RIAA Record of the Year.

His “Sugar, Sugar” was named RIAA Record of the Year in 1967.

Both remain two of the best-selling singles of all time. Barry explains a record producer is very much the audio equivalent of a movie director.

“They really should call it record directing. I have a budget and I have time constraints. I have an audio engineer, which is like a cameraman.

I have a lead singer, who’s my lead actor, and I have my background singers and musicians, who are my extras. I have to keep them happy and give them breaks, and make sure they eat and don’t see me panic.

So, all that responsibility in working with a team is identical to what you do in the movies.”

Don’t get the idea that Barry’s new venture into film and television will solely be aimed at teenage girls. The girls he was writing for in the

Barry and his wife, Nancy, with their children Jessica and Clayton, and

’60s are all grown up, along with his own children. He’s a father of

their dogs Bimbi, Orly, and Chase, at their home in Montecito

four children, two boys and two girls. Barry’s older kids, Lisa and Jon, are now in their 40s. Lisa is married and living in L.A. The younger are 22 year old twins, Jessica, a psychology major at Pitzer College, and

them in and waking them up.”

Both boys, though decades apart, are following in their father’s

Clayton, a drama major. He met the twins’ mother, Nancy, at a coffee

entertainment footsteps. The eldest, Jon, also living in L.A. is a

shop in 1982. It may not have been a Monday, but it does sound as if

successful television and screenwriter. Clayton will be graduating in the

his “heart stood still.” “I thought she was just beautiful.” The smitten

spring from Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. Early acting

Barry walked up to her and introduced himself. The two have been

bug? “Oh, he’s had that since he was a little kid. He’s never had a plan

married for 34 years. Now that the twins are grown, Nancy, a former

B.” Barry says we “wouldn’t have encouraged him to pursue a creative

fashion designer, is working with the Theatre Arts Department at Santa

life if we didn’t think he could sustain himself acting. He’s really, really

Barbara City College.

good, and he’s really, really smart. Now that he’s educated his talent,

Wondering if Barry was a different father the second time around?

he’s going to be just fine.”

“Yes, the first time I was Jeff Barry, the second time I was Daddy.” The

So, it turns out the end is nowhere near the end for Jeff Barry.

first time around, he admits he was “literally in the studio all the time,

It’s simply a natural sequel in the life of a man who helped shape a

creating and doing what I was doing. I was not trying to not be there,

generation of teenage dreams and has kept us singing and dancing

but that was just the circumstance.” The second time around, he was

along for decades.

“the first person they saw in the morning and the last at night, tucking

66 |

Save my place in line for the first Jeff Barry movie!

m

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THE WINEMAKERS B L A I R F OX

B Y E VA VA N P R O O Y E N

T H E F OX W I N E CO M PA N Y

B

lair Fox, owner and winemaker of Blair Fox Cellars and Fox Wine Company, says he was born in Santa Barbara on the Riviera, and in 1976 when he was one and a half years old his parents moved the family to Montecito. “I lived on Hot

Springs Road my whole life,” says Blair adding he attended Montecito Union, Laguna Blanca, and Santa Barbara High School.

“It was an unbelievable place to grow up. We’d hike up to the top of Cold Spring, look out over across the ocean, and then down on the amazing homes – it was pretty ridiculous. I feel lucky to have been able to grow up there, for sure,” says Blair recalling how he and his friends “surfed Hammonds Point, ate at Giovanni’s, and Pane e Vino was a fancy family dinner outing for us.”

Blair reports he was busy in sports with swimming and baseball, and he and his friends spent their free time skateboarding, surfing,

transferred to UC Davis, graduating with a degree in viticulture and

hanging out at the beach, and hiking and mountain biking up Cold

enology, and it was at Davis that he says he discovered he had a

Spring and Hot Springs trails. “We spent a lot of time on those trails

passion for Syrah and other Rhône varietal wines.

and we spent a lot of time on Butterfly Beach. We claimed that

After college, Blair returned to Santa Barbara and

beach to be ours. As Montecito kids, it was our beach and hangout,”

found Santa Barbara County to be widely planted in Syrah,

says Blair with an insider’s caveat to clarify it was definitely not in

Viognier, and other Rhône varietals. “It was a natural fit,” he says,

conjunction with the Cito Rats or the RKL extreme sub-culture of

and he was immediately employed as head winemaker for the

Montecito teens in the 1970s. “We were too young to be a part of

small family-run Sunstone Vineyards & Winery in the Santa Ynez

that,” he says.

Valley. He was there for three years making award-winning wines,

“Wine-culture wise, my dad was always a huge wine fan, and we

and during this time he and his wife, Sarah (they were senior-year

did go to the Wine Cask on Coast Village Road one year and bought

high school sweethearts and married in 1999), envisioned and

him a magnum of Qupé Syrah for Christmas,” Blair recalls.

decided to create Blair’s “ultra-boutique eponymous” label, Blair

Blair went to UCSB for three years, playing water polo, then

70 |

Fox Cellars.

W O R L D T R AV E L E R S

T

Wine Competition, the largest wine competition in the world.

(Tchelistcheff is probably the most famous of the original California

hey left Santa Ynez and traveled to the Rhône region of France

winemakers; he joined Beaulieu Vineyards [BV] in 1938 and helped

for further investigation, where Blair found the regions of

launch the California wine industry into fame.)

Côte-Rôtie, L’Hermitage, and Condrieu to be of most interest. While

Sarah also grew up in Montecito; she went to Cold Spring

there, he says he “tasted some of the finest examples of Syrah and

School, and her parents still live here; she is the CFO for their

Viognier in the world.”

labels, running and managing the family tasting rooms. They have

Their next adventure was traveling to explore the Shiraz of Australia. “We traveled all throughout both coasts of the country,

two daughters, Rylee (13) and Haylee (10).

“We started Blair Fox Cellars in 2001 – that was our first vintage

and I became the Vintage Winemaker for Haselgrove Wines in

and we’ve been growing that brand ever since,” Blair recounts. “We

McLaren Vale, South Australia,” says Blair, adding this is where he

are still a very small boutique winery,” he stresses, “concentrating on

learned to believe in “terroir” and taste the earth in the wine.

quality with an emphasis on Syrah. We make about 1,000 cases a

After this international winemaking experience, Blair decided

year, and our primary source is fruit from an organic hand-farmed

it was time to come home, and upon their return he was hired by

vineyard in Los Olivos.” “My parents,” he continues, “moved to a 20-

Fess Parker Winery as the Rhone Varietal winemaker. In 2005, he

acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley in 2004, where I planted grapes

was promoted to head winemaker at both Fess Parker Winery and

in 2006 (a.k.a. Fox Family Vineyard). In 2010, we opened Blair Fox

Epiphany Cellars.

Cellars tasting room in Los Olivos, and in 2013 we opened Fox Wine

In 2008, Blair was awarded the André Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year Award at the San Francisco International

Co. in the Waterline industrial warehouse property of the funk zone in Santa Barbara.”

|

71

THE WINEMAKERS

Fox Wine Company also produces close to 1,000 cases a year

made these amazing sandwiches – meat, cheese, mustard, and mayo

and is a project created by Blair and Sarah, with a focus on Santa

– that’s it, on really light, special, fluffy sourdough bread. He would

Barbara County appellations sourcing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

slice all his own meat super-thin. It was so good. I started eating

from cool climate areas such as Santa Rita Hills and warmer climate

there 30 years ago when I was in my younger teens. John was a New

Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet from Happy Canyon.

Zealander, a Kiwi, and he loved the fact I became a winemaker. He

“We specialize in selling direct. The only wholesale is local, and the best way to get a hold of our wines is through our tasting rooms,” says Blair, adding you’ll find Blair Fox Cellars wines by the bottle in

was very interested in wine; we would talk about wine, and he carried my wine there.”

After harvest, Blair says you might find him at Los Arroyos or the

Montecito. It is currently on the wine lists at Stella Mare, Pane e Vino,

Honor Bar, both on Coast Village Road. “I’m typically not drinking

and sold retail at The Liquor & Wine Grotto.

wine, I’m drinking margaritas,” he jokes... seriously. As for the 2017

REMEMBERING JOHN BRAID

S

entimentally, Blair says John Braid, longtime proprietor of

vintage, Blair says, “The grapes are coming in at lower sugar levels this year, and with that will be lower results in alcohol, which is never a bad thing and will show the fruit really well. There is slightly higher pH with lower acidity, and I think we’ll get a soft, lush, round vintage.”

Village Cheese & Wine Store in Montecito’s upper village,

who passed away in January 2016, was a good friend and Blair grew

Blair Fox Cellars is located at 2902 San Marcos Avenue in

up with his children. “As kids, we would congregate at his wine

Los Olivos, and Fox Wine Company is in the Funk Zone of Santa

and cheese shop – we just called it John Braid’s, and we’d have a

Barbara at 120 Santa Barbara Street. For more information, visit www.

sandwich, and there’d be candy, and we’d talk about surfing. He

blairfoxcellars.com.

72 |

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REAL ESTATES

BY KELLY MAHAN HERRICK

(photos by Jim Bartsch)

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LIFE IN THE 93108

M

ontecito is home to some of the most beautifully crafted and designed mansions and estates on the California coast, if not the country. With roughly 30 such properties currently on the market, each at more than $10 million, homebuyers looking for a legacy have their pick of a plethora of

different amenities, locations, styles, and architectural pedigree.

Those lucky enough to call Montecito home are privileged to live among the historically rich

designs of such notable architects as Reginald Johnson, George Washington Smith (and his protégé Lutah Maria Riggs), Ambrose Cramer, John Elgin Woolf, Bertram Goodhue, Frank Lloyd Wright, Addison Mizner, and many more, along with those making names for themselves in this century: Don Nulty AIA, Inc., Giffin and Crane, The Warner Group, Sorrell Design, Marc Appleton, William Hefner, Harrison Design, and others. It’s the work of these individuals that have helped create the fabric of Montecito and laid the groundwork on which to build and maintain its semi-rural quality.

One thing that helps set Montecito apart from other upscale enclaves is the diversity of properties within its micro neighborhoods. Palatial, multi-acre estates with palm-lined driveways sidle up to relatively modest homes, ensuring that no single street is known for its over-the-top mansions.

This gives our area a sort of approachability that few other communities can claim and adds to the “village feel” that Montecito residents savor. This variance in size also extends to style: a lane of homes might range in style from beach cottage, to timeless Craftsman, to mid-century modern, to the hallmark white plaster walls of a George Washington Smith creation.

With roughly 4,000 homes and more than 9,500 residents, Montecito is a relatively small place.

Despite its smallish size, however, one can count at least a dozen neighborhoods, each with its own distinct charm and feel.

T

he “Golden Quadrangle” is the sunny area (above the fog line) that runs north above East Valley Road to East Mountain Drive, and between Hot Springs Road to the west and Park

Lane to the east. This is mostly where the big estates are, though Oprah’s place is just south and Ivan Reitman’s is farther west, so it’s not an exact science.

The area around the upper village of Montecito encompasses Birnam Wood, Valley Club, Knollwood, and more. It’s here that Montecito’s semirural atmosphere is heavily felt, with no sidewalks or streetlights, and much foliage and mature trees.

In the lower village, on the north side of the freeway, sits the Hedgerow (known for its namesake high-privacy hedges), Montecito Oaks, Coast Village, Pepper Hill, Ennisbrook, and Casa Dorinda, Montecito’s retirement community. On the south side of the freeway, you’ll find multiple beach neighborhoods, including Miramar Beach, Butterfly Beach, Bonnymede, Sea Meadows, and others; these beach communities tend to be a mix of modest beach homes, convenient condominiums, picturesque storybook cottages, and extravagant ocean-front properties.

Here’s a closer look at current offerings in Montecito, in various price points, as well as a few properties beyond the 93108.

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REAL ESTATES

E A S T M O U N TA I N D R I V E

O

ne of Montecito’s most notable landmarks is the San Ysidro Ranch, a romantic and luxury destination known for its sprawling

gardens, historic architecture, and understated elegance. Known also in part for being the honeymoon retreat of John and Jackie Kennedy, the ranch, which sits on 500 acres at the base of the Montecito foothills, is known as a discreet landing pad for discerning visitors.

A stone’s throw from the famed gardens of the San Ysidro Ranch and tucked behind one of the most handsome private gates in Montecito, the remarkable residence at 1590 East Mountain Drive presides over the hillside and looks to the sea. Built in 2006 through a collaboration between architect Don Nulty and interior designer Michael S. Smith, this 6-bedroom, approximately 13,000-sq-ft estate offers elegant formal spaces, extensive terraces, and romantic courtyards all with expansive ocean views, and a true sense of indoor/ outdoor living.

The residence features a gracious, ocean view main-floor master suite with dual baths and dressing rooms. Four additional bedroom suites, a paneled office, fitness center, media room, wine cellar, guest house, an ocean-view pool, and 2.4 acres of landscaped grounds round out the exquisite estate and offer a sophisticated backdrop for Montecito’s coveted lifestyle.

Whether as a main residence or as a vacation getaway, this property’s thoughtful design and beauty delight at every turn.

This estate is offered for $27,900,000 by Riskin Partners of Village Properties.

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(photos by Jim Bartsch)

REAL ESTATES

L I L AC D R I V E

N

ot far away, above Birnam Wood Country Club, sits a picturesque street called Lilac Drive. Currently offered for sale is a stately Cape Cod home available at 663 Lilac Drive. It will thrill garden aficionados with its well-maintained gardens filled with rare and exotic plants of various colors and

species, which bloom throughout the year on an intelligently designed 2.04 acres of private walking trails, reminiscent of Lotusland.

The 5,600+ sq-ft main house offers three bedrooms and seven bathrooms, ocean and island views, formal dining, two fireplaces, hand-crafted woodwork, red oak floors, a library off the large master suite, a professional sound system, and a pool with outdoor kitchen and several entertainment terraces. Additionally, there is a separate studio above the garage and a private one-bedroom guesthouse.

This estate is listed for $11,500,000 by Olesya Thyne of Goodwin & Thyne Properties.

(photos by Kristin Renee)

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REAL ESTATES

PA R K L A N E

T

he most iconic road in Montecito, Park Lane, is flanked on either side by large and imposing eucalyptus trees, a welcoming point of entry for residents and visitors. Home to some of the area’s most notable estates, including Alejandro Sosa’s Bolivian mansion from the movie Scarface, the

lane winds up Montecito’s foothills to offer ocean and island views. Below the foothills, a five-acre property with an historic George Washington Smith estate is on the market.

A true legacy property, the six-bedroom, ten-bath home has all the amenities: pool, tennis court, guest house, home theater, garden cottage, wine collector’s cellar and tasting room, hen house, and an office/guest suite atop a five-car garage. In case you ever need to leave, Montecito’s upper village, as well as the area’s elementary schools, Montecito Union, Laguna Blanca, Crane Country Day School, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Cold Spring School, are just a quick trip away. The Golden Quadrangle location is also close to popular hiking trails and golf courses.

This two-parcel property on Park Lane is offered for sale at $27,500,000 by Randy and Deanna Solakian of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.

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(interior photos by Jim Bartsch, exterior photo by Scott Gibson)

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REAL ESTATES

E A S T VA L L E Y R OA D

R

ight before heading down Toro Canyon, going east, there is a mix of manses and more modest homes, among which sits an 8.24-

acre property at 2955 East Valley Road. The third-highest priced listing currently in Montecito, the Balinese- and Asian-inspired home features floor-to-ceiling windows and south-facing nano doors, with 50-mile panoramic views of the coast line. The interior wall finish is a replication of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, achieved through a six-layer process of sand and plaster; the home is 8,240-sq-ft of luxurious living.

The property also has an infinity pool, cabana with exercise room, and a detached office. There is a guesthouse comprised of two bedrooms with en suites and a great room opening to a full kitchen and full bathroom.

Offered for $40,000,000 by Ivor Miskulin and Suzanne Perkins of Sotheby’s International Realty.

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(photos by Jim Bartsch)

REAL ESTATES

V I S TA O C E A N O L A N E

I

f you head toward the ocean, you’ll reach yet another section of ocean-view stately homes, many of which boast equestrian facilities.

The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (officially in Carpinteria) is just down the road. Across nearby Highway 101 and close to Padaro Lane, this area is a quick trip to the beach and not far from amenities in Montecito, Summerland, and Carpinteria.

With its backdrop of avocado orchards and rolling foothills, Tuscany Oaks Farm, located at 2709 Vista Oceano Lane, is an approximately 18.5-acre, ocean, coastline, island, and mountain-view property, currently available for $26,500,000. Through double gates, up a private drive flanked by stately trees and manicured grounds, a grand motor court sets the tone for the entrance galleria with its soaring arches. The Mediterranean-style estate was designed by Don Nulty, who constructed the home with hand-selected, custom-made, and personally-imported materials from France, Italy, and elsewhere

For the sophisticated buyer, the barn could potentially be converted

in Europe. The five-bedroom, eight-bath home shares the bluff-side

to an office space or private art or car collection museum. With its

property with a guesthouse, pool, cabana, and an 18-stall barn with

generous space and idyllic site, this property is extremely adaptable.

office, tack room, and manager’s apartment. There are fenced corrals

The estate is listed with Emily Kellenberger of Village Properties.

and acres of laser-leveled pasture for grazing or enjoying one of

Montecito’s favorite sports: polo.

(photos by Jim Bartsch)

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TIMELESS ARCHITECTURE

W

hile new buyers may love an older home, they often find the inside dark and restricting. They desire contemporary interiors that offer abundant light and high-tech conveniences. Fortunately, thoughtful, innovative architecture and interior design means buyers can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The owners of this Santa Barbara County Spanish Colonial Revival home – originally built in the 1940s with subsequent remodeling – turned to the local office of Harrison Design for an interior renovation and significant expansion. To maximize the property’s spectacular views, Harrison Design

Harrison Design’s additions and renovation blend seamlessly with the residence’s original structure (photo by Jim Bartsch)

The living room was expanded 50 percent and ceiling heights raised six feet (photo by Jim Bartsch)

principal architect Anthony Grumbine designed several additions that blend in seamlessly with the existing architecture.

“By listening carefully to the new owners, we were able to craft a plan to preserve the best of the original house’s character, while opening and brightening the spaces and making it a highly functional, modern home,” explained Grumbine. Every detail, from window mullions to wrought-iron balconies, was thoughtfully sketched and studied to create a harmonious work of architecture.

Barbara Lowenthal, interior design lead for Harrison Design on the West Coast, worked with the owners to select materials and finishes including darkstained, Heart-of-Pine floors, unifying the floors throughout the home. Traditional white stucco walls were hand-plastered to exhibit subtle mottling, raising the quality of the interior finish.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Harrison Design is a full-service architecture firm with seven locations in the U.S., as well as Shanghai. The Santa Barbara office was established in 2004 when architect Anthony Spann aligned his practice with Harrison Design. In 2007, Harrison Design opened a full-service architecture office in Los Angeles.

The firm offers a diverse breadth of architectural styles, from traditional to modern, along with complete interior design and landscape design studios.

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The result of combining two rooms, the dining room has generous light and views while remaining true to the Spanish style (photo by Jim Bartsch)

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REAL ESTATES

CHANNEL DRIVE

S

teps from the iconic Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore and the exclusive Coral Casino beach club, a rare home on 1104

Channel Drive is currently for sale for those seeking beachside living in one of Montecito’s most coveted neighborhoods.

The one-of-a-kind contemporary home was built in 2008, and captures the essence of Balinese charm with modern architecture, stunning Pacific Ocean, Channel Island, and Butterfly Beach views, extensive indoor-outdoor living areas, expansive rooms, and plantation-style ceilings. Fixtures and architectural materials were meticulously selected and imported from far-away countries including Indonesia and Egypt, giving the home an exotic feel.

Perched on approximately 1.13 acres, the property features an inverted floor plan, positioning the main living areas on the highest floor to maximize the long, unobstructed ocean, island and harbor views and ocean breezes from this elevated perspective, while creating dramatic vaulted living areas, including the grand living room, which opens to the dining area and gourmet kitchen with breakfast alcove. Massive floor-toceiling nano doors expand the living area, creating a seamless transition to a large wrap-around limestone entertainment deck with an outdoor kitchen and fire pit. The main home offers four luxurious bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bath. There is an attached guesthouse with full kitchen, living room with fireplace, and separate bedroom with full bath.

There’s also a pool cabana and a gym. The property is surrounded by a tall stucco wall with a gated pedestrian entrance and includes an accessible three-car garage.

Listed for $37,500,000 by Phyllis Noble of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.

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(photos by Jim Bartsch)

REAL ESTATES

L A S E N T R A DA S

T

he gated community of Ennisbrook was once home to polo fields. Today, it is a unique enclave of multi-acre exquisite homes

and sits in one of the most desirable locations in Montecito; most of the properties here have either ocean or mountain views, often both.

Homeowners in Ennisbrook enjoy a polo-themed, wood-paneled clubhouse with tennis courts, heated swimming pool, kitchen, library, reading room, and barbecue facilities. For the walker, jogger, or bicyclist, there is a trail that will lead from your home to Montecito’s upper village at the north end, and to the ocean going south.

A prime example of a quality Ennisbrook estate is the Tudor-style home located at 256 Las Entradas. Situated on a two-acre lot, the threestory home, features six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and an estimated 8,700+ sq ft. It underwent a custom remodel in 2008 and is listed for $5,495,000.

The spacious master bedroom, complete with fireplace and sitting area, opens to an outdoor terrace capturing sweeping ocean and island views. On the lower level is a home theater, game room, exercise studio, and sauna. Tropical terraced gardens, mature fruit trees, and privacy gates complete the picture.

This home is listed by Billy Mandarino of Village Properties.

(exterior photo by Eric Foote interior photos by David Palermo Photography)

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REAL ESTATES

S TO N E H O U S E L A N E

L

ocated on the eastern end of Montecito, 640 Stonehouse Lane hides behind privacy gates and mature oaks on a cul-de-sac lot

with substantial mountain views. With easy access off East Valley Road, the home is a stone’s throw to both Montecito’s upper village as well as the neighboring seaside town of Summerland, where you can find an array of antique shops, restaurants, and boutiques.

This French Country estate on one-and-a-half acres was built in 2002 by Montecito architect Jock Sewall. With four bedrooms and six bathrooms, this home features a large great room with French doors leading to a stone terrace and a grand outdoor fireplace. The property also has a pool and spa, and large pool house. The master suite is on the ground floor and has its own fireplace; upstairs are three more bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms.

The Doré & O’Neill Real Estate Team of Village Properties has listed this home for $5,995,000.

(photos by Joe Claus)

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REAL ESTATES

A S H L E Y R OA D

L

otusland, the remarkable gardens created by Madame Ganna Walska, is one of Montecito’s most prized attractions. Noted as one of the world’s 10 best gardens, the 37-acre property is a nonprofit botanic garden and home to several extraordinary plant collections. Just up the road from the

whimsical estate sits a gentle nearly two-acre parcel on Ashley Road, on which architect William Hefner has imagined a compound with a main residence, guest studio, pool, and cabana, all complimented by sophisticated landscaping. The modern farmhouse, imbued with a cool California style, is similar in design to Hefner’s recently completed Montecito home and will orientate around a central courtyard, capitalizing on the indoor/outdoor living concept.

The finished home will sit among massive sandstone boulders, heritage oaks, and views of Cold Spring Creek and the Santa Ynez Mountains.

The home is currently under construction, giving a buyer the opportunity to customize finishes and work with Hefner’s design team. This presents the rare occasion to customize a dream home without forging through the years of planning and permitting.

Offered for $11,900,000 by Maurie McGuire, Scott Westlotorn, and Chris Palme of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury.

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(renderings by Studio William Hefner)

BEYOND

BY KELLY MAHAN HERRICK

WE WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DIDN’T INCLUDE A FEW HOMES OUTSIDE MONTECITO, GIVEN ITS PROXIMITY TO SANTA BARBARA AND THE CENTRAL COAST OF CALIFORNIA, AS WELL AS ITS CLOSENESS TO THE EASILY NAVIGATED SANTA BARBARA AIRPORT AND LAX. (Photo courtesy of Aspen Chamber)

MONTECITO 94 |

B E YO N D M O N T E C I TO

SEE CANYON, AVILA BEACH

F

arther up the coast sits Avila Beach, a pleasant 90-minute drive north of Montecito, located in San Luis Obispo County. With a working commercial fishing pier and a

picturesque historic lighthouse, Avila is both a tourist destination and permanent home for a lucky few who either live by the beach or more inland, near the Avila Beach Golf Resort. A modern, minimalist, three-bedroom, four-bathroom home is currently on the market in Avila, at 2711 See Canyon Road. Perched on almost 24 acres of oak-studded property, the custom home showcases 25’ ceilings and walls of glass that open to an expansive canyonview deck. The chef’s kitchen is flanked by large windows, bringing the green of the canyon inside.

Steve Decker and Renier Dresser of NextHome Preferred Properties have listed this home for $3,490,000.

(photos by Jay Winter)

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B E YO N D M O N T E C I TO

ROBLE DRIVE

J

ust north of Montecito, in the heart of Santa Barbara, sits an enclave of about 700 homes, on a parcel of ocean-bluff property

known as Hope Ranch. La Cumbre Country Club is a central feature of this development, giving many homes both golf course and lake views, while other estates enjoy jaw-dropping views of the Pacific.

With its own private beach access, as well as private roads and bridle trails, Hope Ranch is a luxurious alternative to Montecito.

One of Hope Ranch’s most treasured one-of-a-kind estates is currently for sale at 1520 Roble Drive. A classic California Spanish Colonial designed by Reginald Johnson, the compound boasts the grandeur of a 1920s estate but has been recently, extensively remodeled and restyled for modern living with numerous high end luxury amenities.

The Monte Mar estate includes a main residence with five-bedroom suites, multiple verandas, and a sparkling pool. There is also a twobedroom guesthouse and an apartment for staff or guests. The estate is a car collector’s dream with parking for up to seven cars between the two separate garages. The nine-acre property is comprised of three parcels and enjoys sprawling lawns, mature oaks, and sculpted gardens. The estate may also be available without the three-acre parcel.

This home is listed by MK Properties of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, for $18,500,000.

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(photos by Jim Bartsch)

B E YO N D M O N T E C I TO

W I N T E R WAY, A S P E N

I

f Montecito’s mild climate of nearly perpetual sun and 75 degrees isn’t for you, one alternative is to enjoy a white winter in Montecito’s unofficial sister city: Aspen,

Colorado. Many Montecito residents home-hop between the two locales, taking in the best of both areas throughout the seasons. A serene property at 79 Winter Way is currently listed for $12,500,000 and is actually a great place to enjoy Aspen year-round. Sleek and contemporary, the home features gorgeous views of the Roaring Fork River as well as the mountains. Floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors open to a spacious deck with fire pit, suitable for cozily curling up on a cold evening.

The home has three bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two half bathrooms, has a chef’s kitchen, dining area, media room, and more. The property is within walking distance to downtown Aspen, in a new subdivision known as Riverbend.

Wendalin Whitman of Whitman Fine Properties has listed this Aspen home.

98 |

(photos by Michael Brands with Mountain Home Photo)

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99

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

BY HATTIE BERESFORD

ANNA DORINDA BLISS AND HER CASA

102 |

C

asa Dorinda, today a luxurious retirement community in Montecito, was once the premier social gathering place for elegant garden parties and cultural evenings that featured some of the

most renowned musicians in the world. Designed by Carleton Monroe Winslow in 1916 in a Spanish Revival style, the 80-room estate house surrounds a central patio and was filled with treasures of paintings and decorative arts from all parts of the globe.

The house and the grounds were the vision of Anna Dorinda Bliss, a most exceptional woman, who together with her husband, William Henry Bliss, rode the rails west in grand style to establish a second home in Santa Barbara in 1916. Anna was 65-years-old at the time and had lived a rich and interesting life before establishing her little pied-Ă terre in Montecito.

Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Aerial view of Casa Dorinda shows front entrance, servants’ wing, and vegetable and flower garden (Courtesy of Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection)

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

EARLY LIFE

A

nna Dorinda Blaksley was born in 1851 in Saint Louis, Missouri, where her father became a successful merchant

and real estate developer. She was educated at the best private schools in the region before being sent to Paris under the chaperonage of Emily Mason, the Civil War heroine of the battlefields who is considered to be the Florence Nightingale of the South.

At age 27, Anna married New York widower Demas Barnes, who had made a fortune in the patent medicine field. Demas had engaged in a variety of activities and adventures before marrying Anna. He opened his own drug company in New York; traveled West by wagon to study mineral resources, publishing a book about his experiences; and had served as Democratic congressman from Brooklyn. He later backed the new Centaur Demas Barnes, Anna Dorinda Blaksley’s first husband, was a multifaceted man who parlayed his adventures and investments into a sizable fortune (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Company’s famous Fletcher’s Castoria, established and edited the Brooklyn Argus, and became a banker.

Demas had a daughter from his first marriage, Cora, and Anna and Demas had one child, Mildred, who was born in 1879.

Nine years later, Demas was killed in a carriage accident, and Anna inherited the bulk of his estate. For the next 12 years, Anna took care of the family and its finances on her own.

She was a wealthy woman when she married William Henry Bliss in 1894. Himself a widower with two children, Bliss was a former U.S. district attorney in Saint Louis and served on the boards of several railroad companies. The new Bliss Family established a home in New York City on 65th Street, just off of Central Park, and were members of New York’s exclusive social register, “The 400.”

In 1908, Henry Bliss’s son, Robert Woods Bliss, married

Her stylish pot hat secured by a scarf, Anna Dorinda Bliss is helped from the plane by pilot Frank H. Burnside at Long Beach, New York, circa 1913 (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

104 |

Anna’s daughter, Mildred Barnes, with the blessing of both parents. Robert became a career diplomat, and the couple lived abroad for most of the year despite establishing an estate in

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

BUILDING CASA DORINDA

I

n 1916, no sooner had Anna and William Bliss purchased the Everdene estate of 16 acres on Hot Springs Road in Montecito,

than they were off for Los Angeles to consult with architect Carlton Monroe Winslow about designing a Spanish Revival home. Winslow, who had worked for Bertram Goodhue in New York City, came to California in 1911 to become architect-inresidence for the famous 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. Goodhue, who was lead architect, had determined

Mildred Barnes and Robert Woods Bliss share a moment on the

that the architectural theme of the exposition would be Spanish

veranda (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

Colonial Revival. The style was immediately successful with the millions of visitors to the exposition, and the demand for Spanish

Georgetown named Dumbarton Oaks in 1920.

influenced buildings and residences skyrocketed.

In New York, Anna became known for her many philanthropic endeavors. In 1913, she contributed funds for the purchase of an airplane for New York National Guard officers so they could create an aeronautical division at Long Island. For this generosity, she was taken aloft in a Thomas-Morse plane by pioneer aviator Frank H. Burnside at Long Beach, New York.

During WWI, she furnished a Red Cross ship with medical and surgical supplies and provided many Red Cross ambulances for service at the front.

She donated $600,000 to the suffragist League of Political Education to build Town Hall, which was completed in 1921. Its purpose was to provide a meeting place to educate people on the important issues of the day. In November of its opening year, Margaret Sanger was arrested on its stage for speaking about birth control. Town Hall also became a venue for cultural events.

During the 1920s, Ruth St. Denis, Paul Robeson, AndrĂŠs Segovia, Pablo Casals, and Richard Strauss took to its stage. Many of these artists came to Santa Barbara as well and performed at the local theaters and Casa Dorinda.

106 |

Carleton Monroe Winslow designed a cross-vaulted entry corridor for Casa Dorinda, seen here circa 1919, and Anna insisted on Arequipa tile flooring (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

MOGULS & MANSIONS

The entrance drive led to the churrigueresque façade of the house and its intersection with the servants’ quarters (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

Anna Dorinda Bliss was not unaffected by the popularity and appropriateness of this style for California and demanded a grand two-story edifice complete with tile roof, arched porticos,

the buildings at the exposition, the main entrance nevertheless employs churrigueresque embellishments.

Completed in 1918, the home featured a large library and

a soaring tower, inner courtyard, and ornate wrought-iron

an Oriental room with a ceiling from Peking. The dining room

work. Much more restrained in ornamentation than many of

had secret cupboards behind its wooden paneling, and the music room boasted a built-in pipe organ.

The servants’ wing was almost as large as the main house and obliquely attached to its northeast corner. The kitchen, pastry kitchen, and butler’s pantry lay in this wing, as well as living spaces for the butler, valet, and third man. There were also various bedrooms for other servants.

Letters between Anna and her West Coast attorney and agent, Spencer Thorpe, reveal the budgetary details and difficulties associated with the construction. By the time the work was completed, she had done battle with a host of subcontractors and vendors. Unhappy with the workmanship of the wrought-iron gates, she demanded that they be redone. The Otis Elevator

The main entrance shows the churrigueresque detailing typical of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

Company, too, was called back several times because the elevator was noisy, jerky, and slow. Correspondence over the elevator issue continued for nearly two years.

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

One of the worst problems concerned the roof. Writing to

which was still not finished. In a letter to Spencer Thorpe she

Thorpe in 1919, she says, “… the tiles on my roof are so badly laid

writes, “I will do nothing with my grounds or finish minor details

and some not attached that they blow off and break on the patio

so necessary for our comfort until I am in full possession. We are

or outside – a dreadful piece of work!”

still picnicking and living in an atmosphere of lime and stone dust,

Other concerns included a pipe organ that didn’t operate properly – Anna believed it was because the cycle of electricity was incorrect — and a septic tank that overflowed and had to be re-dug.

trying to throat and eyes.” In fact, William found it so noxious that he moved into a hotel until the house was truly complete.

In February, Anna Dorinda complained to Thorpe, “I am having a very serious time with my knee, and the Doctor is

Instead of marble tiles laid in the pattern Winslow

convinced that the inflammation is set up by going up and down

had designed, Anna chose to order tiles from the famous

the little steps in my wing. With a riser of 8 inches and a tread

Arequipa Tuberculosis Sanatorium for Working Women in

of 10, the raising of 150 pounds for 24 steps some 10 or 12 times

Marin County. Master potter Frederick Rhead, who was living

a day is more than I can stand.” Winslow was called back in to

in Santa Barbara by 1916, had developed a pottery business

figure out where to put the infamous elevator.

at the clinic in 1911 to help the patients defray the costs of

Anna hired Peter Reidel, the Dutch nurseryman and new

medical treatment and board. The first shipment was lost; the

owner of the Southern California Acclimatizing Association,

second shipment was damaged; the third shipment had the

as her landscape architect. Over time, a variety of gardens

incorrect design. Nevertheless, Anna Dorinda persevered, and

were designed and developed on the extensive property. She

Arequipa tiles were laid in the corridors and bedrooms of the

was very involved with their creation and consulted with the

main house.

renowned Eastern landscape architect, Beatrix Ferrand, who had

By January 1918, Anna and William had given up the lease on the house they were renting and moved into Casa Dorinda,

worked with Anna’s daughter Mildred to design the gardens for Dumbarton Oaks.

HOUSE GUESTS

T

he house was barely finished before the Blisses had their first eminent guests, King Albert and Queen Elisabeth

of Belgium, who, along with their son and a portion of their entourage, spent three days in Santa Barbara during their monthlong diplomatic visit to the United States in 1919. Although the Blisses were not in residence, the King and his retinue enjoyed a host of activities that included hiking, riding, flying with the A bedroom at Casa Dorinda (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.) 108 |

Loughead (Lockheed) brothers, and swimming at the Miramar.

Though they kept up an active pace during the day, the

What began as a dream home...

for Mrs. Anna Dorinda Bliss in 1918, lives on today as a first class LifeCare retirement community in the heart of Montecito. Today, Casa Dorinda combines the elegance of a grand estate, a warm social scene and unparalleled healthcare.

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

King Albert and Queen Elisabeth enjoyed the cloistered courtyard at Casa Dorinda in 1919 (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

The redwood tree did not survive into the 21st century but is commemorated at Casa Dorinda King and Queen dined quietly and alone at Casa Dorinda each evening. One of their company, the Baron Goffinet, was an accomplished musician and often played the Blisses’s pipe organ to entertain the royal couple. When the queen indicated that she was a fan of Negro spirituals, Estelle Faive, the Blisses’s secretary and manager, contacted the premier booking agent of Los Angeles, L.E. Behymer, to see if perhaps he could find such a performer. Alas, there was no one available, but they found a substitute act, which was dispatched immediately.

On the last night of their stay at Casa Dorinda, King Albert Crown Prince Leopold, Queen Elisabeth, and King Albert planted trees at the Mission (as seen here), Alameda Park, and at Casa Dorinda (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

110 |

and his queen were just finishing the soup course when from the corridor came the sound of ukuleles and the melodious tones of Hawaiian singers.

MOGULS & MANSIONS

Said Mrs. Faive in a 1930s interview, “The King turned incredulously toward the direction from which the music came; the Queen looked up in pleased surprise.…The King said the house was like a palace in fairyland – one had but to express a wish and it was granted.” Estelle Faive believed that this was probably the first time their majesties had heard Hawaiian melodies sung by native singers, and that “The King’s Serenade” and “Aloha”, along with several folk songs sung in subdued voices and accompanied by muted strings in the candlelight of Casa Dorinda must have been completely enchanting.

During his time there, the King was often found in the

The Music Room saw many world-famous performers entertaining Dorinda’s guests (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

garden sitting on a stone seat on the terrace, quietly enjoying the garden with its incredible live oaks. On the last day of their sojourn, he planted a sequoia tree to commemorate the visit. The stone bench became known as the King’s Bench.

SOIRÉES

A

s exacting as Anna Dorinda was in the creation of her estate, she was equally so in the creation of her soirées.

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist and composer, gave several concerts for Anna Dorinda’s guests. In his memoirs he wrote, “The most agreeable and enjoyable private house in which I played in America was that of Mrs. Bliss in Santa Barbara…. To play in her house was an experience unlike anything else.… It was like celebrating a mass. The atmosphere of silence was like that of a temple… beautiful and inspiring.”

Despite having served as Poland’s foreign minister and having represented Poland at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, however, Paderewski was not afforded honored guest status.

Upon his arrival, Anna ensured he was shuffled to the servants’ entrance like any itinerant piano man. The story goes that he

Anna Dorinda Bliss awaits her guests in the Music Room (Courtesy

shrugged his shoulders philosophically and said, “It’s all right; I’ll

Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

111 |

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

World-famous vioinist Ignace Jan Paderewski often played concerts in Santa Barbara and gave private recitals at Casa Dorinda (WikiCommons)

“D. was wise in having part of the patio enclosed and charmingly furnished with rugs, chairs, tables, etc…. the mise-en-scène was really beautiful.” ~ Estelle Faive (Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Archives, Washington, D.C.)

just add another $5,000 to the bill.”

In February 1923, Anna hosted a musicale at her home where Efrem Zimbalist, Russian-born violinist and composer, played.

Her secretary wrote a letter to Frances Thorpe, wife of Anna’s agent, describing the event, saying, “Dorinda looked especially beautiful (in white grenadine embroidered in steel), wore pearls

Program for Paderewski’s 1927 performance at Casa Dorinda (Courtesy Montecito Association History Committee) Anna Dorinda had plenty of help in preparing for her parties.

and engraved emeralds, received seated, to my great satisfaction,

A list of employees for that year reveals 20 in the house alone,

[she had developed chronic back pain], in that high-backed

and included three secretaries, his and her chauffeurs, and a full

violet chair placed just at the entrance of the music room hall….

complement of butlers, cooks, and maids. In addition, there were

D. was wise in having part of the patio enclosed and charmingly

14 gardeners and eight maintenance staff.

furnished with rugs, chairs, tables, etc…. the mise-en-scène was really beautiful.”

112 |

Anna also became involved with various Santa Barbara institutions. In 1921, she donated the money for a children’s wing

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MOGULS & MANSIONS

at Cottage Hospital, as well as a wing for infectious diseases.

Coming on the heels of the devastation caused by the Spanish Flu in 1918/1919, there was a great need for both facilities.

In 1926, she gave the money to purchase land in Mission Canyon for the Blaksley Botanical Garden. She served on the first Botanic Garden Committee and, as time went by, added gifts and endowments. After her death, her daughter Mildred inherited her mother’s position of patronage of the Botanic Gardens as well as Casa Dorinda.

Anna on the terrace of Casa Dorinda before one of her soirées (Courtesy of Dumbarton Oaks)

STRIFE

S

Santa Barbara Street. He died in 1932. Anna continued her active lifestyle until her own death in 1935. Always prepared for every

eparate bedroom suites and separate chauffeurs hinted at

eventuality, in 1921 Anna had given Spencer Thorpe directions

problems in the marriage. In 1924, Anna wrote a letter to

in the event of her own demise. She wrote, “I have very distinct

Spencer Thorpe announcing she was going to New York for an

ideas as to the following in case of my death, and Madame Faive

extended period to take care of business. If William died while

can be present to see that the undertakers do not embalm my

she was gone, his body was to be sent to his daughter’s home in

body — simply lay me in the casket — screw down the top — let

Washington, D.C., where he could be cremated and later interred

two days elapse then have a simple service for friends only at the

in Saint Louis with his first wife.

house, and immediately have the body cremated.”

“All of the expense should be submitted to [his son] Robert for payment,” she wrote, “as I have supported Mr. Bliss in every way for thirty years and in addition have given him the income on a quarter of a million dollars annually….”

“I have always tried to do the right thing and have endured misrepresentation and neglect from him, but have still educated both his son and his daughter and placed them in the world, so it is only just that his son should pay his final expenses, and I do not wish Mr. Bliss buried in my mausoleum in Woodlawn Cemetery….”

When the earthquake of 1925 forced both Blisses to vacate the house until repairs could be made, Anna wrote, “Mr. B. will never be able to return, nor do I wish it.”

William did return to Santa Barbara but moved to 2003

114 |

Casa Dorinda’s main corridor in 2015

MOGULS & MANSIONS

William Henry Bliss (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

The newly painted eaves of the courtyard at Casa Dorinda

In a handwritten addition to the instructions, she indicates that the casket should be the simplest and most inexpensive possible since it was just going to be burned anyway. Ever practical, she wrote that its modest nature could be hidden by flowers during the simple service. Anna’s influence in Santa Barbara lasted well beyond her death through her bequests to cultural institutions and the beautiful botanic gardens, which once bore her family’s name.

Mildred and Robert Bliss lived at the estate she had inherited for a short time after donating Dumbarton Oaks to Harvard University for a research library, museum, and garden.

In 1943, Casa Dorinda briefly served as officer housing when Santa Barbara became a redistribution center, but it proved too expensive for the army to maintain. In 1946, Mildred Bliss sold the estate to Dr. Homer F. Barnes, who opened the Montecito School for Girls. In the 1970s, it was made into an exclusive retirement community and continues so today.

(Sources: James Frush’s Casa Dorinda; Anna’s letters to

The courtyard tower is patterned after one Winslow designed for a hotel in Douglas, Arizona

Spencer Thorpe; Dumbarton Oaks website; Noticias “A Garden

Committee; www.peachridgeglass.com/2015/01/demas-s-barnes-

for All Times”; Santa Barbara Writer’s Project information from

medicine-man-to-politician/; David Myrick’s Montecito and Santa

December 14, 1939, at the Montecito Association History

Barbara; various topical websites.)

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TRAILBLAZERS

BY CAROLINE HARRAH

MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITH JASON SPIEVAK

J

ason Spievak has been a key player in Santa

creamy, longer. Flavorless tomatoes could be a thing of the past,

Barbara’s entrepreneurial community for nearly

allowed to ripen more fully on the vine.

20 years. He is a stellar example of the value that entrepreneurs provide through their ongoing

But the most significant aspect of Apeel’s technology is its impact on global hunger: reduced waste and more edible

mentorship for vulnerable early-stage companies, especially

food that reaches the hungry. According to the Food and

those departing academic settings and their infrastructure.

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than

An adjunct lecturer for UCSB’s Technology Management

one-third of food produced today is lost or wasted before it has

Program and New Venture Competition, Jason’s experiences

the opportunity to reach consumers – a financial cost estimated

as a company founder, CEO, CFO, investor, and connector

to be about 1 trillion USD each year. Apeel’s solution is intended

have made a difference for dozens of companies within and

to create a more sustainable food system wherein resources

beyond UCSB.

expended in agriculture will be reduced and the output of food production more fully utilized.

APEEL SCIENCES’S NEXT BIG THING IN FOOD

T

Jason was afforded the privilege of an early look at Apeel through his affiliation with the university. Being a savvy

oday, Jason is the Chief Commercial Officer at Apeel

entrepreneur, Jason was able to spot a great product. He liked

Sciences, a cutting-edge Goleta-based company that

what he saw at Apeel – a lot. So, he jumped in head-first,

looks set to revolutionize the food industry. Apeel’s primary

investing, and then serving as a board member, until he became

product, Edipeel – released in October 2017 – is a plant-based,

the company’s CCO.

edible, and invisible coating made from the peels and skins of fruits and vegetables. It has been called the “the biggest revolution in food since refrigeration” (Charlie Rose of CBS This Morning). The solution allows growers to produce more nutritious and tastier fruits and vegetables with more than twice

LESSONS FROM LIFE

J

ason is but one in a powerhouse network of proven business leaders in Santa Barbara’s entrepreneurial

ecosystem who have made it their personal missions to support

the shelf life of today’s produce – all without refrigeration or

the next generation of innovators. He is an industrialist in the

chemicals. Peaches will remain plump and juicy and avocados

truest sense of the term in his “pursuit of opportunity beyond

118 |

TRAILBLAZERS For those who casually know him, it might appear that Jason has always been destined for entrepreneurship and success. And yet, his personal journey suggests otherwise. It might even surprise some. Lessons from the early part of his career are worth noting and are relevant today.

• NOT EVERY ENTREPRENEUR STARTS WITH A PLAN FOR HIS OR HER LIFE. THAT’S OKAY. Jason admits he didn’t have a clue what he wanted to do when he completed high school. Challenges experienced early in resources controlled” (Howard Stevenson, Harvard Business

life with the divorce of his parents and subsequent instability

School). According to colleagues at UCSB, Jason is known

at home left him somewhat aimless. But within a year of high

to be swift in his evaluation, his senses keen, and his pursuit

school, the reality of his prospects without a degree caused

relentless. Expectations are high, for himself and those around

him to reconsider things. When Jason was accepted to UCSB,

him. When he commits, he focuses intently on the opportunity,

he says that “changed everything” for him. And today, he

not impediments, and he works diligently to find the resources

describes UCSB as the place that gave him “everything good

to make things happen.

in his life” – his wife, Lynette (whom he met his freshman year

| 119

TRAILBLAZERS

and whose commitment he says allowed him to pursue his

growing). His newly minted degree and industry knowledge

passion), his career, and the opportunity to work with smart

made him an ideal candidate for a role in corporate finance in

and innovative people.

the Technology Mergers & Acquisitions group at Broadview International. Here, he participated in more than $1.25 billion

• EVERY EXPERIENCE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW. EMBRACE IT. After graduating from college, employment was difficult to

in successful M&A transactions and private placements. His exposure to fundraising and the capital markets would later prove invaluable.

come by in Santa Barbara, and Jason moved to – and worked in – the Bay Area in the telecommunications industry as a

• LEARN TO ADAPT AND THRIVE IN

wireless industry analyst and then as a product manager for

CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND YOUR CONTROL.

a web-based remote access company. Recalling a book he

OPPORTUNITY IS NOT A PLACE.

had read in college (Barbarians at the Gate – a tome about

Prompted by a family health-related matter, Jason and wife

the leveraged buyout and fall of RJR Nabisco), he decided to

Lynette were faced with the difficult decision to move back to

pursue a career in business and give graduate school a try. He

Santa Barbara, closer to where they could help family. It seemed

pursued an MBA in 1996, graduating with a double-major in

a risky but necessary career move, and Jason initially feared his

finance and marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of

departure from the Bay Area would forever impact his prospects.

Management at Northwestern University. It was at this time that

Ultimately, there was only one choice: to return to Santa Barbara.

the technology industry was on fire (and the dot-com bubble

As for his career, he convinced himself that entrepreneurial

120 |

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TRAILBLAZERS opportunity was not limited to a single place. He could and would make

mobile analytics software. Named the fastest-growing company

the most of Santa Barbara, and perhaps even find the quality of life that

on the California Central Coast in 2013 by Pacific Coast Business

had eluded him in the Bay Area. Indeed he did.

Times, Jason successfully built the company to approximately 150 employees. But after seven years as its chief executive, he

• TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD AND

acknowledged that his passion and skillset were better-suited for

NURTURE YOUR NETWORK. RELATIONSHIPS

early-stage companies. It was time to find his successor. In a Wall

ARE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET.

Street Journal article he penned, Spievak stated, “You don’t build a

Jason’s experience in Silicon Valley presented the opportunity

company so you can carry a CEO business card. You

to work more closely with other entrepreneurs

build a company to do things that people said

through the Santa Barbara Technology Group

couldn’t be done; to deliver solutions that

(SBTG) – an incubator that provided

change people’s lives, and to ensure

seed capital, mentoring, and a

great outcomes for the team who

physical presence for aspiring

has contributed to the goal.”

entrepreneurs along the Central • THE ULTIMATE

Coast. SBTG also hosted the

OPPORTUNITY FOR GOOD.

popular and well-attended Tech Brew networking events. Through

As Chief Commercial Officer at

this experience, Jason was able to

Apeel, Jason has been presented with

build a sizeable, influential network that

an unprecedented opportunity to play

he still enjoys and benefits from today.

a key role in the commercialization of a technology that affects nearly everyone

• BE TRUE TO YOUR VALUES.

and has potential to make dramatic social

Jason was eventually recruited to serve as

impact on the global problem of world hunger.

CFO of Callwave, a leader in Internet and mobile communications. His prior experience helped him to take

And as he reflects on all he has learned over the years, Jason says, “My biggest takeaway so far and what

the company public in 2004. This required yet another move back to

we’ve tried to instill in our kids is that the secret to happiness is

the Bay Area. After some time living there and a little soul-searching,

to treat others the way that you would like to be treated. True joy

Jason learned another valuable lesson: to be faithful to his values.

comes from creating joy for others. My grandfather had a saying he

Silicon Valley no longer worked for him and his young family. So, he and

was fond of in his later years: ‘You only need three things in life to

Lynette once again moved their family back to Santa Barbara.

be happy: something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.’”

• KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS. In 2007, along with Rob Duva and Colin Kelly, Jason co-founded RingRevenue (now known as Invoca), the leading provider of

122 |

Jason’s grandfather would be pleased to know that Jason listened to, and acted upon, those words of wisdom.

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B Y J O A N N E A . C A L I T R I

R YA N E M M O N S ENTREPRENEUR

Waiākea’s initiatives and groundbreaking social platform. Waiākea is 12 months away from launching a patented non-additive that

B

will allow its bottles to degrade more than 97 percent faster than

orn and raised in Montecito, 25-year-old

traditional plastic bottles, while still being fully recyclable, making

millennial Ryan Emmons spent winters and

sustainable waste management a reality at last.

summers in Hawaii with his family, which he

says gave him a strong appreciation for the environment and an active outdoor lifestyle. He coupled that with his charity efforts in Africa and developed the concept for Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water. As a Rath Scholar at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, he conducted a three-year feasibility study of the Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water with co-founder Matt Meyer in the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Ryan graduated early to launch the brand, a water he believes is one of the most naturally healthy, pure, and sustainable waters in the world.

His business model introduces a progressive triplebottom line built on a variety of healthy, eco-friendly, and ethical initiatives. In August 2017, Waiākea ranked 414 in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 of the fastest-growing companies in America, with Microsoft, GoPro, Cliff Bar, and Patagonia.

[Inc. Magazine ranks the nation’s leading companies based on their percentage revenue growth over a three-year span. In 2017, more than 10,000 companies were considered.]

Emmons has been featured in Beverage World, Environmental Leader, Food Navigator, and Forbes magazine as one of the 10 most disruptive leaders in the beverage industry for (photo by Sophia Lotter) 124 |

m

M U R D O C K I N M AT T E S I E N N A T E A W W W . S A LT O P T I C S . C O M

| 125

MONTECITO MILLENNIALS

B Y J O A N N E A . C A L I T R I

CROSBY LOGGINS MUSICIAN, RECORDING A R T I S T, D A D & T E C H G U R U

Crosby formed a teenage grunge band, Crosby Loggins and the Light Band, with noted songs “We All Go Home” and “Music from Big Pink”. Crosby says, “My father always taught me never to have

N

a plan B, because making it in music is so insanely difficult that if amed affectionately after Bing Crosby, Crosby

you formulate a workable backup plan, you’ll probably use it. It was

Loggins grew up in Montecito. He embarked on

psychotically hard work with the band, unbelievably fulfilling, and it

his creative journey early on. Crosby says, “I can’t

fundamentally formed who I am as a person to this day.”

remember a moment when I was a little kid that I wasn’t sure I would

Today at the age of 36, Crosby is the owner of SBIT Group, LLC,

someday create music for a living. This was the early ‘80s, when my

a premier boutique technology consulting firm that specializes in

father, Kenny Loggins, was at the top of his career. There were no

business-grade network & Wi-Fi engineering. “It was a natural thing

stage tricks or backing tracks in the music industry in those days. The

to go tech,” Crosby says, “especially after ProTools came on the scene.”

musicians in all of Kenny’s bands, and everyone he wrote with, were

Following the advice of Mel Beckman (an Internet and IT engineering

just insanely talented. As a young kid, it was nearly indistinguishable

technologist, author, and public speaker), Crosby worked in IT on the

from magic. There was no way I couldn’t get hooked.”

side to support his budding music career.

In 2009, his elementary school friend Todd Dabney, who had founded SBIT in 2005, hired Crosby to help out with his rapidly expanding company. In that job, Crosby connected with tech pros from the local music scene. It was here that his connections to music became the unexpected bridge to his current life as a technology professional. Taking over SBIT completely in 2011, he and his team now service hundreds of clients locally.

As for music lately, Crosby says, “Never for money.” He is exceedingly busy, creatively growing his company. “I rarely feel inclined to perform for anyone other than my wife and kid anymore. It’s truly strange; I’m sure some of my old buddies think I’m nuts. Music is something I want to keep close in my heart and in my family. I ultimately decided there were better ways I could do that than touring 300 days a year without them. My wife, Brooke, taught herself the uke

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

126 |

recently. Nowadays when we’ve got a few spare moments, we jam for our daughter, Pheifer. Brooke’s hooked on music too.”

m

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lthough Uriel Nielsen and Bill De Mattei (of Mattei’s Tavern) were the first to plant grapes at a commercial level in the 1960s, it was Pierre Lafond (yes, the same Pierre who runs and owns Pierre Lafond in Montecito’s upper village) whose Santa Barbara Winery became the first winery in Santa Ynez Valley to operate commercially since before the Prohibition era.

The ensuing years brought more viticultural entrepreneurs, led by Fess Parker (TV’s “Davy Crockett”), Brooks Firestone, and Fred Brander, and followed by scores of talented and resourceful vintners. By the turn of the 21st century, Santa Ynez Valley had already become a destination for those who knew wine, but in 2004, the movie “Sideways” not only caused a precipitous drop in sales of Merlot, but also put the valley firmly on the international wine scene.

What with the 120-plus wineries and an equal number of wine tasting rooms, many of them in Solvang, but also scattered around the hills and vales, breweries, music, dining, and shopping (nearly all Santa Ynez Valley boutiques are individually owned; chain stores are nearly non-existent), you’ve got yourself a full weekend, heck, a full week.

MONTECITO MILLENNIALS

B Y J O A N N E A . C A L I T R I

EMMA STEINKELLNER I L L U S T R AT O R A N D A U T H O R

T

wenty-three year old Emma Steinkellner has been drawing since she was “just a child.” She has been advancing her innovative career ever since graduating Stanford University’s department of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in

2016. She created, wrote, and illustrated her honors thesis titled It Gets Weird, a science-fiction, sex-ed graphic novel for adolescent readers.

In the summer of 2016, she made an illustration portrait of the Montecito Starbucks baristas as a “thank you.” This prompted the paperback launch of her joint creation book titled Quince to a global audience. Emma said, “That illustration, which I posted on my art Instagram, caught the eye of a literary agent and he got in touch with me asking if I had any ideas for children’s books or graphic novels.

And the rest is history! So, the lesson here, kids, is always draw your baristas.”

The graphic novel Quince, about 15-year-old Lupe Veracruz who gets superpowers on her quinceañera, is a collaboration with her sister, Kit, the writer and its creator Sebastian Kadlecik. It all began in 2015 and a 15-part limited series is available online in both an English and a Spanish edition [translator Valeria Tranier]. The completed story is scheduled to be available in a print-trade paperback in October. The creators presented it at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con to their fans, which has given it steam. The comic has received rave reviews from various online publications, including the feminist pop-culture site The Mary Sue. Emma is on a mission to help others with her talents. She said, “This year, I’ve been making a more concerted effort to raise funds for organizations I care about with the artistic tools that I have. I’ve always sold commissioned holiday portraits, but this year I gave part of my earnings to Planned Parenthood.

And when Valentine’s Day rolled around, I illustrated custom valentines to raise money for the International Rescue Committee. Then people get a little portrait or valentine and some good will for their money, so that’s fun.”

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m

(photo by Joanne A Calitri)

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MONTECITO MILLENNIALS

B Y J O A N N E A . C A L I T R I

J.J. KANDEL PRODUCER/ DIRECTOR/ACTOR

P

roducing artistic director and board president of Throughline Artists NYC, J.J. Kandel is creating his next Stage to Screen project titled In This, Our

Time, written and directed by Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman), based on Dinelaris’s play by the same name that J.J. directed in 2011.

In “the biz” for more than 10 years, Kandel’s many successes include working at Throughline’s Stage to Screen Initiative, whose first three films were made with critically acclaimed playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute, the Maui Film Festival Audience Award for 10K [2017], and he was nominated for the Tribeca Film Festival Best Narrative Short Award for The Mulberry Bush [2016], now part of the Screening Room Series online at The New Yorker.

J.J. said, “I’ve been quite lucky with The Hurt Locker (2008) taking me to Jordan and Zero Dark Thirty (2012) to India (thank you, Kathryn). I’m very interested in using the process of live theater to create filmed content. It’s an extraordinarily valuable connection that is being overlooked. Our Stage to Screen film 10K is a 19-minute, single moving shot that we captured in one day. I don’t think that would have been possible, or even attempted, without the benefit of the live theater process. I was doing theater for as far back as I can remember, performing skits and comedy routines at the family dinner parties. If I had an audience, I was going to put

coming to New York as what I did instead of getting a master’s degree.

on a show. These days, I find myself leaning toward film. I like the

NYC can be one hell of a great teacher. Not always kind but always

permanence of film and that a wider audience can enjoy the work. It’s

instructive. And like a great teacher, I think it can reward you, both in

always bothered me that all live theater has a closing night. I think of

terms of possibility and opportunity if you put enough work in.”

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SANTA BARBARA BROKERAGE | SANTA YNEZ VALLEY BROKERAGE | MONTECITO BROKERAGE | WESTLAKE VILLAGE BROKERAGE Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. SIR CalBRE#: 899496

BY JEFF WING

JEWELS & GEMS

OLIVER AND ESPIG’S PEARLS OF WISDOM

I

n Breakfast at Tiffany’s, George Peppard and Audrey Hepburn amble into Manhattan’s iconic luxury retailer on a lark. When the gentleman behind the counter stiffly approaches to offer his services, the outclassed lovebirds sheepishly ask about having something engraved – a toy ring mined from a box of Cracker

Jack. To their delight (and the moviegoer’s), the over-starched Tiffany’s representative replies with an appreciative arched eyebrow, and immediately becomes a willing co-conspirator. “Didn’t I tell you this was a lovely place?” Audrey gushes.

In Montecito’s famously cozy upper village, there exists a similarly embraceable bastion of approachable splendor. Oliver and Espig Gallery of Fine Arts & Jewelry is a treasure trove of such gorgeous stuff as is typically seen only in fever dreams and hushed museums. There are yellow and pink sapphires, emeralds, rubies, garnets, citrine, tanzanite – yes; all the rich, mesmerizing colors of Mother Earth’s mineralogical garden. But Glenn Espig also lives for – and travels the world curating – the unexpected.

Among Oliver and Espig’s treasures, you will also find pulse-quickening objets d’art: stunning metallurgical innovations you can slip onto your finger, and wearable instances of the radiant Paraiba Tourmaline, a rare gem (discovered in a small alluvial deposit in Brazil in 1989) into which the geologic eons have whimsically infused trace copper, giving the stone an electric cornflower blue you have to see to believe.

The gallery’s collection of represented work also includes Shibori textile art, Alex & Lee creations, and the work of artists Oleg Ardimasov, Tielle Monette Larson, Annie Hoffman, Claire Duncan, Sol Hill, and Claire Scott Espig. Oliver and Espig also represents sculptors Sue DiCicco, Robert Ervin, Kestas Urbaitis, and Francis Jansen.

132 |

redwood and treated by artist Kestas Urbaitis.

The doors slide closed behind us, and Glenn Espig begins enthusiastically holding court.

His energy is that of a kid with a brand-new bike. After all, he’s only been at this for 40-some years, and the excitement has yet to dial down. With each of Glenn’s emphatic pronouncements—and there are a number of them — Marcia (pronounced “Mar-see-a”) bursts out with uncontainable, musical laughter.

Born in Seattle, Glenn had been whisked almost And just when you think your cup runneth over, you will be introduced to the South Sea Golden Pearl in all its breath-deepening beauty. Let’s say that again.

immediately away to the East Coast, where his father had a job as an engineer. Glenn later spent his high school years in Texas, where

“South. Sea. Golden. Pearl.” This is not a screenwriter’s invention,

his dad worked on the Apollo space program. Upon

but a sustainably sown product of dear Mother Nature herself, in

the wrapping up of the Apollo project, his family left the Lone Star

partnership with conservationists whose efforts are also resuscitating

State and came to Santa Barbara, where Glenn finished high school and

precious reefs and bringing economic lifeblood to a community of South Sea farmers and artisans. These golden pearls come all the way from the sun-kissed island province of Palawan in the Philippines.

GLENN THE EXCITABLE

“I

’ve always been one of those people who likes unusual things,” Glenn says, “beautiful things. And I always tried to do

something different. If someone’s already invented the wheel, do we need another one?”

On arrival, I’m introduced to Aiana, the gallery’s congenial general assistant, and gallery art director Tielle, dressed in what can best be described as perfect-pitch Bohemian. Glenn, gallery manager Marcia Ribeiro, and I retreat to an immaculate chamber hidden behind two thick sliding wooden doors, polished to a grain-revealing sheen and inlaid with butterfly-shaped joinery, carved from a fallen Santa Barbara

| 133

JEWELS & GEMS attended UCSB. A biology major studying to be a dentist, he had an epiphany and decided to throw himself at jewelry making.

Why jewelry making?

Why indeed.

“I decided to pursue making jewelry because it was so much fun!”

Glenn says. “It started with simple agates and amethysts and things like that. And that grew into other things. I inlaid malachite and lapis and fire agate. Nobody was inlaying fire agate. I had to go to Mexico for the fire agate in the mines down there. Finding lapis was difficult, until I made friends with some Afghanis. There are some stories I could tell you...”

BEACH SHOW INCUBATOR

G

lenn began crafting and purveying his jewelry at the Santa Barbara Art Beach Show in the early ‘70s. “The city always

Glenn Espig, owner of Oliver and Espig Why would you want to shut down this kind of incredible business

wanted to shut down the beach show in those days, which I never

incubator?” Down at the beach show, Glenn met his soon-to-be

understood. A lot of amazing people got their starts at the beach show.

business partner, Norwegian goldsmith Ingerid Ekeland. Soon, the two decided to pool their talents and open a jewelry store.

“We decided to make art jewelry because I didn’t want to make traditional jewelry. When I started on the beach, there were twohundred twenty-five craftsmen, and of those, ninety-five were jewelers.

I wanted to be sure what I made was significantly different. That holds true today. Uniqueness, either in the way the piece is made, or the uniqueness of the gem, is the goal.”

The enterprise made the transition from jewelry store to gallery in the early 2000s.

Oliver and Espig attend high-end art, antique, and jewelry shows in selected cities all across the country. Audiences that attend these events come for one-of-a-kind pieces that literally don’t exist anywhere else.

This is where Oliver and Espig shines.

“There are generics that are proliferated constantly,” Glenn explains. “Take a Rolex watch. That’s a marvelous watch, but if you don’t buy that stainless-steel beauty today, there’ll be another one tomorrow.

134 |

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JEWELS & GEMS “That’s not what we want to do.”

Oliver and Espig recently received two consecutive Spectrum Awards, a coveted and prestigious recognition in the jewelry design industry. Offered annually by the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), the awards honor designers whose work is comprised of natural-colored gemstones and cultured pearls. The Spectrum Award is the high-water mark for jewelry designers, and Montecito’s hometown gallery was again recognized. That’s twice in as many years Oliver and Espig have brought the award home, an extraordinary achievement in a field of entrants that encompasses the whole of North America.

“Last year, we won with a pendant with the Golden Pearl. This year, we won with the ring,” Glenn quietly exults with his trademark radiant smile, referring to the Judy Evans-designed platinum and 18K yellow gold ring with its South Sea golden-cultured pearl nestled in a diamond-dusted setting. A customer had inquired about purchasing the aforementioned winning pendant. Oliver and Espig are

Glenn show me the Spectrum-winning pendant in question, a singular piece of fine art that is the

hanging onto the originals, and are

only one of its kind on Earth. Designed

producing a limited edition of 24

by award-winning jewelry artist Judy

pieces each of the Spectrum-

Evans and titled L’harmonie Dorée, the

winning Golden Pearl-centered

pendant is piercingly understated: a

pendant, and Pearl ring. Those who

lustrous Golden Pearl, lightly embraced

acquire either of these limited edition pieces will receive, as well, an equally rare, original and limited Hermés-like silk scarf based

in a mounting of platinum whose suggestively aqueous design is dusted with a gently chromatic ombre of white and canary yellow

specifically on the respective design elements of the

diamonds.

Golden Pearl pendant and Pearl ring.

“A huge part of what we do now is what we call sustainable luxury,” Glenn says. He pauses to look at Oliver and Espig’s award-

SUSTAINABLE LUXURY

winning pendant design. “This pearl represents a lot of the good things we’re doing for the environment. It is, in a sense, a reward for the good things.” The story of the Golden Pearl is that of the Golden-

W

e all know what luxury is.

But… sustainable luxury?

Marcia Ribeiro, manager of Oliver and Espig gallery, suggests

136 |

Lipped Pinctada Maxima oyster in the pristine waters of the Palawan Island province of the Philippines — and of two men who saw to this threatened species’ restoration in the world.

JEWELS & GEMS

SPACE FOR A SAFE

G

lenn Espig has traveled widely and seen much, but some of his stories take place in familiar latitudes. ”I was doing the beach

show, had no money — I was a poor college student renting an 8’ x 8’ space in the old Medical Arts building at 1421 State Street. The guy was super-nice – Joe Butler. He said, ‘I know you don’t have any money, but if you keep up on your rent, you can rent it month to month.’ And at one point I asked him, “Can I open up the front of my space? Put in a display window?’ He said, ‘Sure! How you gonna do that?’ I said, ‘Well, with a chisel and a hammer.’” Marcia and their visitor burst out laughing at Glenn’s telling. “So, early one morning I knocked out the hole, built the window, and had a glass guy do the rest. Today, when you look at the Medical Arts building, on the left there is a door and a 3’ x 3’ square window. That’s my window! It’s still there! From 1974!”

When he began to outgrow his Medical Arts space, Espig found a space down the street at La Arcada, Santa Barbara entrepreneur and philanthropist Hugh Petersen’s landmark commercial Paseo on State Street, between Victoria and Figueroa. The owners of the Medical Arts building had found, and given to Glenn, a momentously heavy, old bank safe, the kind that is on casters and is nearly the size of a small walk-in freezer. “This was in 1976. The morning I moved, I built a ramp, got the safe out of my space, tied it to the back of

A HIGH-END PARTNER IN HARMONY

I

my station wagon, and slowly drove it down State Street to my new location.”

Startled pedestrians who believed they were witnessing a particularly inept bank robbery called the police. “Charlie Johnson was the watch commander on duty, and he shows up with the lights

n 1979, Filipino entrepreneur Manuel Cojuangco and French pearl

and the sirens and says, ‘Glenn… what’re you doing? You can’t drag a

farmer Jacques Branellec founded a company called Jewelmer,

safe down the middle of State Street!’

and in so doing created a nature-enhancing business model, and a perliculture empire whose yield is both a robust regeneration of this once-endangered animal, and a careful rehabilitation of the environment that alone sustains this creature and its unique South Sea Golden Pearl. Since the founding of Jewelmer, the company’s practices have arrested the decline of the Palawan area’s reef and brought an economic and cultural revival to the stretch of island and sea whose destiny the company has married to its own.

“Luckily, I’d made a ring for this battalion commander, so he knew who I was,” Glenn laughs. I said, ‘But I’m almost there!’ ‘Okay, but hurry it up.’”

A few days later, Glenn got a phone call from Hugh Petersen himself. He was calling from Chicago. “They told me you dragged your safe down State Street!” Petersen yelled through the phone.

“Well, I couldn’t afford to have it moved,” Glenn explained. “They wanted something like a thousand bucks to move it!”

“Well, Glenn,” Petersen said, “If you’re bold enough to drag a safe down State Street, you’ll probably do just fine.”

| 137

Jordan Pope

Artistic Presence

A

rtist Jordan Pope’s series of master sized oil paintings “Quiet Dreams and Reflections” is now in its final stages, with ten of the twelve conceived paintings already completed. Her painterly point of view and beautiful color have made her an artistic presence in Santa Barbara and her paintings are enjoyed in collections across America as well as internationally.

This collection “Quiet Dreams and Reflections” began mid 2015 and now with seven of the ten completed works sold , Jordan is convinced Santa Barbara and our beautiful south facing coast and mountains are a magnificent inspiration for creativity and painting . As well it being her reason for relocating from the Northwest seventeen years ago .

Jordan explains “I came to paint the glorious light like the early California artists . Whenever I heard or read about their painting adventures in old California, I became restless and felt left out, as if there had been a special party to which I wasn’t invited.

I just wanted to be here ! ” Jordan Pope’s paintings are exhibited and available for purchase at Portico Fine Art Gallery, 1235 Coast Village Road in Montecito/Santa Barbara Ca. Portico Fine Art Gallery has been a destination for art lovers for many years and is the longest established fine art gallery on Coast Village Road, representing twenty two artists, whose works include landscape, still life, figurative and California western paintings.

Jordan Pope Sonata . 60 x 40 . oil

Jordan Pope Paraiso de Oro 60 x 40 . oil

Portico Gallery Fine Art • Custom Framing • Art Classes

Fine Art • Weekly On-going Art Classes • In-Studio Packages for Visitors porticofineart.com 1235 Coast Village Road, Montecito

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Open Daily

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JEWELS & GEMS

VILLAGE PURVEYORS OF RARE BEAUTY AND CONSCIENCE

O

liver and Espig Gallery of Fine Arts & Jewelry is a comparatively recent arrival in Montecito, but the

gallery is no stranger to Montecitans, who have long been visiting the La Arcada location in downtown Santa Barbara.

Glenn Espig is delighted to have brought his passion to the upper village. He has deeply held ideas about what his gallery can offer.

“Whether it’s the Sri Lankan sapphires, or any of the other precious materials we work with, we’re sensitive to where all our products come from,” Glenn says. The conservationist thread weaves through nearly everything Oliver and Espig does.

This is not mere hype.

In 2005, Messrs. Cojuangco and Branellec founded another unique entity.

It is distinct from, yet intimately related to, the Jewelmer perliculture enterprise.

The Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF), a nonprofit, provides sustainable work and livelihood practices for the regional Palawan partner communities, building homes on the island, producing a Youth Environmental Workshop, and leading educational symposia for the communities there. For their efforts in humanitarianism, cultural resuscitation, and conservation, Manuel Cojuangco and Jacques Branellec have each received France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’ Honneur; an honorific knighthood established

by Napoleon Bonaparte himself for recognition of grand civil merit. Oliver and Espig is the premier Jewelmer boutique in America, and both Glenn and gallery manager Marcia Ribeiro travel to the Jewelmer Golden Pearl farm in the Philippines to witness, experience, and be stirred by operations there. In photos, Glenn’s broad smile as he walks among the people of Palawan says it all. “Oliver and Espig has been evolving during the years,” Marcia says. “I can tell you today that our focus will continue to consist of high-end masterpieces that support good practices and sustainability.”

140 |

This is Glenn’s passion, and it’s genuine.

m

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nions

(photo by Franck Lecreney)

B Y K E L LY M A H A N H E R R I C K

(photo by Josh Newton)

T

(photo by Franck Lecreney)

(photo by Kelsey Albright)

hree brides for three brothers! The Campbell-Rochestie family of Montecito was blessed with three new daughters-in-law when three “brothers” – Taylor, Alex, and Shaw – announced they were planning on proposing to their significant others in 2016. Due to Taylor’s basketball schedule, this meant a trio of weddings had to be planned for the summer of 2017, all within

one month of one another and spanning across the globe!

To make this work, each couple had to make concessions, and they did so happily, supporting one another and going through the planning process together. The three brides-to-be even went dress shopping in unison and shared a joint bridal shower at the Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore in Montecito. The celebrations continued with multiple engagement parties, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, weddings, and day-after brunches. “Thus began the happiest marathon I would ever run, and the closest I would ever come to having triplets!” says Christina Campbell, the mother of the grooms. “It was the happiest and most joyful time of my life.”

| 143

Agathe Seuru & Taylor Rochestie

T

he first of the Rochestie brothers to marry in the trio of weddings was Taylor, who married his longtime love, Agathe, in

Le Mans, France, on July 29, 2017.

The two met six years prior when Taylor, a professional athlete, was playing his third season of basketball in Le Mans, Agathe’s hometown. Their courtship was filled with long-distance living, international travel, and breaking through language barriers, as Agathe was not yet fluent in English. Each summer, the pair would spend time with her family in Le Mans and his in Montecito, getting to know each of their extended families.

In the summer of 2016, during a family barbecue in Le Mans, Taylor planned the ultimate proposal, filling his bride-to-be’s childhood home with candles, leading outside to a circle formed by her entire family, each holding a candle. Standing next to Agathe’s father, Taylor bent down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage.

The couple planned a fairytale French wedding, with a grand castle as the backdrop. The formal ceremony took place at the Cathédrale St. Julien Le Mans, followed by a reception at Château de Chéronne in Tuffé, which was built in 1490. The bride and groom arrived at their reception in a horse-drawn carriage. Agathe was dressed in a long-sleeve formal dress, and Taylor wore a black tuxedo. Like the bride’s formal gown, the wedding was elegant, decorated in tones of white and champagne. The blending of two cultures was evident in the wedding festivities, with toasts given in both French and English, using translators and non-verbal communication.

Taylor’s parents hosted a Friday evening welcome dinner, and Agathe’s parents held a Sunday brunch on their family farm. With 230 guests, and about half visiting from America and other countries, the wedding was a true international family affair.

144 |

(photos by Franck Lecreney)

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Ashley Israel & Alex Rochestie

B

ack in California, Ashley and Alex held their wedding in Solvang on August 12,

2017. The creative black-tie, Mexican-themed wedding was held at Whispering Rose Ranch and featured authentic touches including hand-painted maracas bearing the couple’s wedding logo and date, and handmade sombreros. Running horses created a beautiful background to the ceremony.

Wanting their 180 guests to get to know one another and mingle, Ashley and Alex opted for a unique seating idea during the ceremony: they asked their guests to draw a number to find their seat, instead of choosing

to Santa Barbara for the holidays and Alex

sides. Following the ceremony, guests were

knew it would be the perfect time to pop the

treated to a gourmet Mexican menu, followed

question. The three headed up Montecito’s

by a non-traditional “cake” made out of

Park Lane on the way to their destination,

cheese! Those wanting something sweet were

and despite multiple questions from his soon-

offered churros.

to-be fiancée, Alex managed to get her and

The couple were both raised locally

Evelyn out of the car at an overlook to take

and originally met in English class at Santa

in the sunset. Alex proposed with a stunning

Barbara High School; it wasn’t until post-

emerald-cut ring designed by Daniel Gibbins

college that their romance flourished. After

in Montecito. Grandma Evey was there to

dating for three years, Ashley’s grandmother,

witness the happy moment.

Evelyn Thomsen, age 95, continued to

The couple mini-mooned at the Ojai

ask Alex when he planned to propose. She

Valley Inn & Spa, and enjoyed their wedded

requested to be the first to know. The groom-

bliss before attending the third and final

to-be decided to do better than that and have

Rochestie wedding just a few days later.

Grandma in tow for the big moment.

Alex, Ashley, and Evelyn were traveling

146 |

(photos by Kelsey Albright)

Jessie Davidson & Shaw Leonard

J

ust eight days later, the final “brother” tied the knot with his bride, Jessie, in an intimate, romantic wedding in Montecito.

The couple, who met in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, dated for about

three years before Shaw, a director and cinematographer, asked for Jessie’s hand in marriage on the banks of the Teklanika River in Alaska’s Denali National Park. After a 4,000-mile road trip, the two set off on a two-day backpacking trip, with the ring hidden in Shaw’s backpack. Shaw proposed with the beautiful sapphire ring as the couple ate dinner on the edge of the river. This was right after Jessie had joked that their dinner of freeze-dried backpacking food was “the most romantic dinner” they’d ever had.

Their intimate wedding included 50 of their closest friends and family members, and took place in the solarium at Stella Mare’s bistro in Montecito. Jessie’s father built the arbor under which they stood during the ceremony, while Shaw’s uncle married the pair. They wrote their own vows. The wedding was truly a local affair, with florals sourced from Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria; the wedding cake was the famous coconut cake by State Street eatery, Jane.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Monteverde, Costa Rica, exploring the cloud forest reserves and reveling in nature.

(photos by Josh Newton) | 147

Kelley Starr Donahue & Jonathan Katz-Moses

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fter dating for two years, Kelley Starr Donahue and Jonathan KatzMoses were engaged at the Douglas Preserve, in the same spot they

first met. The preserve is not only one of Santa Barbara’s favorite oceanview bluffs, it is also a favorite hangout for dogs and their owners. It was here that the couple met, while Jonathan was walking his golden retriever, Sandy Benjamin Franklin Tyrannosaurus Rex Katz-Moses the 1st.

Fast-forward two years later, and Jonathan devised a plan to take Kelley back to the Douglas Preserve. He had hired a photographer who was hiding in plain sight, pretending to take photos of the sunset. Jonathan was armed with a beautiful ring from local jeweler Bryant & Sons, and he had placed it in a custom wooden ring-box that Jonathan had crafted by hand.

As the sun was setting, he dropped down to one knee on the exact spot where they met and asked for Kelley’s hand in marriage.

Kelley is a Montecito local who attended Montecito Union School, Crane School, and San Marcos High School. She and her mother, Diana Starr Langley, planned an elegant and timeless wedding, which was held in Montecito’s Ennisbrook, where the family resides and where Kelley grew up. The ceremony was indoors, in front of the mammoth fireplace, and presided over by Jonathan’s father. Sandy Benjamin Franklin Tyrannosaurus Rex Katz-Moses the 1st was a talented ring bearer, as she walked down the aisle carrying a basket in her mouth, bearing the ring toward the couple.

The reception and dinner that followed the ceremony took place outdoors, with Montecito’s sun-kissed foothills as the backdrop. The elegant fête, accented with navy, white hydrangea and rose centerpieces, and sparkling café lights, was a perfect party to celebrate the couple’s big day.

148 |

(photos by Jess Dalene)

santa barbara style weddings

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Jessie Bridges & Kevin Rodriguez

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essie Bridges and Kevin Rodriguez said their vows while surrounded by 200 friends and family members in Paradise Valley, Montana.

Exactly two years after the day they met in the Bay Area, Jessie and Kevin went to the quaint

Sonoma County town of Guerneville for a weekend away to celebrate their anniversary. The couple and their dog, Banjo, walked along Goat Rock Beach, and Kevin asked Jessie to marry him with a beautiful Rebecca Overmann-designed ring that they had picked out together.

The duo planned a full wedding weekend, beginning with a barbecue, Bluegrass, and Blues welcome party where the guests donned their western wear for local barbecue and brews. The next day, the bride and groom prepared for the day at the bride’s family ranch; guests arrived in old yellow school buses and took their seats in the open field just outside the house where Jessie had spent her childhood summers.

Dinner took place in a beautiful white tent, with peaks that mimicked the surrounding towering mountains. Guests dined on bison and trout, and ventured out between courses to take photos in front of the glowing Big Sky sunset. Musician Eric Lindell and his band, who the couple had listened to in concert on their second date many years prior, joined the celebration, providing guests with the same soundtrack to which the couple fell in love.

The morning after the wedding, the couple invited everyone to a secluded beach on the Yellowstone River, where they reminisced about the wonderful night before.

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(photos by Audrey Hall)

Misty Millward & Michael Armand Hammer

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n May 29, 2017, Montecito’s Misty Millward and Michael Hammer tied the knot in the Cayman

Islands at an impromptu wedding overlooking the beach.

With only seven guests in attendance, the ceremony was simple and beautiful, and incorporated traditions from the Caymans. The couple arrived and departed via helicopter, with the bride wearing a custom dress commissioned and designed in only five days!

Misty and Michael have both called Montecito home for decades, and were introduced by mutual friend Bobbi Younce. The two were good friends for years before a romance blossomed between them. On July 4, 2016, after dating for two years, they took Michael’s extremely rare 1963 white Rolls Royce convertible, which was given to him by his grandfather, for a drive to the top of Park Lane to watch the fireworks.

After finding the perfect spot, Michael told Misty he had something for her to celebrate the holiday and presented her with a series of gifts, culminating in a canary diamond ring while asking for her hand in marriage.

The following May, during a stay at their home in the Cayman Islands, the couple realized they were ready to become husband and wife. They decided to forego a big wedding and instead planned a small spontaneous event within a five-day period.

The day was tropical and romantic, and the perfect start to their married life together.

(photos by Rebecca Davidson)

| 151

Courtney Phillips & Samuel Spoehr

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fter meeting through an online dating site in 2012, Courtney Phillips and Samuel Spoehr were married in Santa Barbara on

September 16, 2017.

The couple was engaged overlooking the ocean at the locale of their third date, the rooftop bar of Venice Beach’s Hotel Erwin. Sam proposed with a stunning ring that he helped design with Santa Barbara jeweler 33 Jewels, using his late mother’s engagement ring of diamonds and sapphires, as well as an emerald given to him by Courtney’s mother, Marla Phillips.

Courtney, a native of Montecito, with the help of her mom, planned a quirky, heartfelt ceremony at Santa Barbara’s Natural History Museum.

It was a Jewish ceremony, taking place under a rose and garland-covered chuppah beneath the trees. The service was presided over by both Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer and the couple’s friend Nellie Bowles. The couple’s vows mentioned Doctor Who, their pets, and their deep love for each other. There were equal laughs and sniffles in the 155-person crowd. The bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle to music from The Lord of the Rings, and the reception was a lively party with a tarot card reader, a dinosaur-themed lounge, and tables named after famous pirates.

Courtney and Sam honeymooned in Italy; one of the many highlights was a stay with an eccentric couple and their seven cats, on an olive oil farm in Tuscany.

152 |

(photos by Jess & James Photography)

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