Harlem to Vassar to Homeless to Hollywood

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CAPITALIST P.6 • BEHIND THE VINE P.26 • SYV SNAPSHOT P.27

HARLEM TO VASSAR TO HOMELESS TO HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER KATE LANIER’S HAYWIRE SAGA. ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD. BUT SOME OF IT IS. (STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 5)

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Content

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State Street Scribe – The story of Kate Lanier, a former substance-fueled hellraiser born and bred in the Harlem projects The Capitalist – If little boys and girls really want to change the world, politics isn’t the way to do it Beer Guy – A gift guide for the beer lovers in your life

Creative Characters – How Dr. Barry and Petite Pediatrics have incorporated new technologies and creative solutions to reduce risks to still see patients during the pandemic

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The Bud Guy – Zach Rosen on the history of rolling papers

E’s Note – Elliana Westmacott’s truthful rendition of her family’s wild trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon Plan B – Briana Westmacott takes her family river rafting on the Colorado River and realizes there’s only one way out of the Grand Canyon: down and out

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Behind the Vine – A chat with Greg Brewer, who was recently named “Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Santa Ynez Snapshot – Crown Point Vineyards owner Roger Bower has brought together an enviable collaboration of winemaking talent On Art – Dustin Williams shows his unique jewelry designs outside of Salty Brothers Soap Company on State Street I Heart SB – Elizabeth Rose is a week out from her bachelorette party. Will her addiction get the best of her or will she be able to say no?

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STATE STREET SCRIBE

by Jeff Wing

Jeff is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. A long-time resident of SB, he takes great delight in chronicling the lesser known facets of this gaudy jewel by the sea. Jeff can be reached at jeffwingg@gmail.com.

Kate Lanier’s Mad Zig-Zag to the Big Screen

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ne blustery autumn day in New York, Kate Lanier and Sheila Gray decided to take in a movie. It was late September, 2001. A couple weeks prior, there’d been a cataclysmic attack in the city’s financial district – an act so spectacularly gruesome, huge, and history-warping the event’s date would immediately and evermore reverberate like a trademark of socio-historical horror: “9/11.” Crowds famously flock to the movies for solace when the world’s on fire, and now Kate and Sheila seated themselves in the crowded dark and waited for the movie – Mariah Carey’s illfated star vehicle Glitter. Why this Kate Lanier, Mercedes, and Karen in the ‘80s movie at this moment? Kate had written the film; Sheila was Mariah’s acting coach.

There would be no solace.

Kate Lanier is your typical Santa Barbaran – a former substance-fueled hellraiser born and bred in the Harlem projects. The fledgling screenwriter’s meteoric three-picture deal with Disney would arrive hot on the heels of her living in an abandoned building in New York’s Lower East Side, her worldly possessions

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jammed into a Hefty® bag. That is, Kate did not initially seem poised for coronation by the Tinseltown Fates. “I was partying at thirteen.

We would just go up to the roof and smoke weed and drink rum and do coke,” she says. Artists are either born in the crucible’s refining fire or turned to ash. This is that story.

Kate’s mom and dad (Bennington and Princeton, respectively) had met through literary circles and were a leftleaning painter and writer of the starving variety; “creatives” in an era that preceded that loaded signifier. Their social lives were a study in whiplash bipolarity, the couple regularly decamping to the Hamptons and Cape Cod to sip gin and discuss the social novel with their elbow-patch-andheels cohort, then heading home to Harlem and the projects on E. 117th.

Kate’s mother had suffered her own whiplash on arriving in the U.S. as a teen. After six years of being secreted in Marseille by the family matriarch, she and her ...continued p.10

Kate Lanier out from behind the bar at AREA

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The Capitalist

by Jeff Harding

Jeff Harding is a real estate investor and a writer on economics and finance. He is the former publisher of the Daily Capitalist, a popular economics blog. He is also an adjunct professor at SBCC. He blogs at anIndependentMind.com

Blood Sport

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resident Kennedy once said, “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.”

That’s a cynical, but accurate, view of how we see politics. That view has not changed much over the last 231 years of American electoral politics. If anything it is a blood sport where lies, falsehoods, fibs, and half-truths are the norm. Of course, your party doesn’t do that, it’s the other side that is horrible.

If you run for any federal office be prepared for a fistfight. You will be branded as something slightly above a child molester, your positions and record will be lied about, and the media will either love or hate you. It’s absurd, Kafkaesque. That’s why good people don’t relish going through a meat grinder to gain power. With those obstacles in mind you should ask yourself what kind of person would want to go through that. The quick answer is, the ones who want power. Then ask yourself what kind of person is willing to do almost anything to gain power over our lives.

The answer should frighten you (as Lord Acton said, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely).

The way things are going it is unlikely we will get good people to run for

political office. What we get are packaged commodities uttering banalities that appeal to the gullible and pollsters.

Whatever it takes to get elected. This is the meat grinder effect. If you look at the candidates for president in this year’s election you know that is true.

This election was no different than the ones for the other 44 presidents.

We got Trump and Biden. Once again Trump left the pollsters befuddled by almost winning. But, because of the Trump cringe factor, even a worn out hack like Biden could beat him, but barely. Certainly there was no mandate as Biden likes to claim; most folks were glad just to get rid of Trump. I don’t think many Americans were actually proud of these candidates.

Yet, as Kennedy said, the thought of your child being president of the United States is seen as a laudable goal. There is a Girl Scout promo on TV where cute little girls are encouraged to get involved in politics when they grow up. Really?

Now, I am not anti-Girl Scout and I am sure they do some great things for girls, but encouraging girls to seize the seats of power as a laudable objective is in my view a wrong turn. Perhaps I didn’t see their promos on encouraging girls to be entrepreneurs who create businesses that employ thousands and make us all

better off. There are lots of women in business who are good role models and could better inspire them.

The problem is the widespread idea that politics is a way to solve society’s ills. That attracts a lot of men and women who may think they have the chops to change the world. Yet once they get in office most of them find they are just cogs in the machine. Despite that, once in they find they really love the power of office even if they never make a difference. They get a nice paycheck and benefits, people eager to gain their favor kiss up to them, the media constantly seeks their opinion, lobbyists court them. Power is addictive.

Just about every member of Congress fits this profile. Even most senators. Very few are thrust into the chairs of power that actually create legislation that mean anything.

If little boys and girls really want to change the world, politics isn’t the way to do it. They should instead look for inspiration in Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates who actually did change the world for the better. Their businesses employ hundreds of thousands, they churn out products and services that help hundreds of millions around the world, and they have made our lives better. What politician can say that?

I think I can make a pretty good argument that politicians do more harm than good.

There is the cause and effect factor to legislation. Politicians, especially Democrats, regularly promise to help the poor and create jobs. They don’t.

The above entrepreneurs do that.

Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty in

the mid-1960s promised to eliminate poverty. But, after spending about $22 trillion over the years to do that, the poverty rate is roughly the same as it was in Johnson’s time, about 12% to 13% of the population (according to the Census Bureau). It is not difficult to say that the War on Poverty was a total failure.

It has been the same with all government anti-poverty programs, from FDR’s New Deal, to Obama’s Change We Can Believe In: they haven’t ended, much less reduced, the poverty level. One would hope that these politicians would come to the realization that these programs have failed or that maybe there are other causes of poverty that the government can’t really solve. Yet they still bang the same drum.

Young, eager grads emerge from our colleges with a lot of enthusiasm, but also with a lot of bad ideas. Many just parrot what their professors drilled into them and never change or challenge those ideas. One of those ideas is that politicians can solve problems. What they don’t realize is their cherished ideals get ground down in the political process.

During my lifetime I can think of only one truly great result from Congress that changed things for the good and that was the civil rights legislation of 1964 and 1965 that ended segregation and guaranteed voting rights to African Americans in the South. Other than a few instances where the government’s heavy hand over the economy was lessened, not much good has emerged in the past 55 years.

So, with apologies to Willie and Waylon, “Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be politicians, let them be like Musk and Jobs and such.”

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by Zach Rosen

Gifting Beer During the Lockdown

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ith the pandemic still in full effect, it is likely that at least a portion of your holiday shopping is going to be done online this year. If you’re looking for gift ideas for the beerdoes in your life this holiday season, then there are plenty of options available online.

Etsy features a range of beer-themed clothing, art, and objects like coasters and bottle openers in one-of-a-kind designs. There are other more unique things on Etsy like 3D-printed hop cone holiday lights and handmade lip balms and soaps that explore a range of beer flavors. It’s also a good way to help support independent artists and craftspeople selling their goods on the site. Searching around the internet, the Keter Modern Cool Bar ($60-90 depending The Rare Beer Club features a range of on website and color) is one of the coolest beer unique and obscure brews like the legendary gifts I found. This small side table has a sleek Boon Mariage Parfait design and comes in several hip colors, including a nice teal tone. The tabletop telescopes up and down, revealing a hidden 7.5-gallon cooler underneath. We tend to be drinking more at home these days and this modern tabletop makes a stylish accent to the home bar.

Naturally, a good gift for the beer geek in your life is beer. Brewery gift cards and to-go crowlers are a perfect way to give the gift of beer while supporting your local brewery. All of the local craft brewers offer both of these and certainly can use the support these days. But if you’re looking to gift some brews that are more out

of reach, beer clubs and gift packs make a great way to give some beers that can’t easily be found around town. The online beer retailer, Tavour (tavour.com), has three different gift boxes including an IPA set, a sour beer one, or a mixed pack.

Each category is offered in a full size (816 bottles depending on volume) for $99 or a sample size (3-6 bottles) for $35. Zach Rosen is a Certified Cicerone® and beer The Microbrewed Beer of the Month educator living in Santa Barbara. He uses his Club (beermonthclub.com) remains the background in chemical engineering and the arts to seek out abstract expressions of beer and granddaddy of all clubs, having been in discover how beer pairs with life. business since 1994. Today they offer five different beer clubs at a range of prices. They have clubs for only U.S.-based or international beers, or a club that contains a combination of both, as well as one that contains only hoppy beers. But the most famous club by far is The Rare Beer Club. This club was co-founded with legendary beer writer Michael Jackson (no, not that one) and features limited-releases and exclusive bottlings. Each month offers beers often unheard of and is the perfect way to give that special someone something truly unique.

We’ve all been cooped up in our homes a little too much this year and giving someone a beer gift from Europe can help their mind travel to these places, even if they physically can’t. If you have a friend who is into Belgian and European beers, one of the best places to look for a gift is the Global Beer Network store. This Belgian beer importer was founded by Johnny Fincoene and his wife Claudine Massenhove, both Santa Barbara transplants from Belgium. Today they are retired and the company is located near Boston. The website remains a wealth of Johnny’s personal knowledge on Belgian beers, and the store (globalbeer.3dcartstores. com) offers a huge range of gift ideas including t-shirts, branded metal signs, and other beer paraphernalia from your favorite Belgian breweries like Gulden Draak, Delirium Tremens, and Chimay. The Wittekerke Mussel Cook Pot ($19) is a unique gift for the foodie beer drinker. Global Beer’s best offering is their large ...continued p.18

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...continued from p.5

brother had narrowly escaped the Holocaust that would claim the rest of the family. On arrival in the U.S., having just escaped a racist shitstorm with her life, the young escapee would be stunned and disgusted at the racism here, her outrage fueling a life of inyour-face activism, work with the NAACP, calling out of bigotry – and a sensibility that would likely influence her daughter’s own nourishing color blindness.

Kate grew up with a fiery independent streak her mom and dad were at pains to manage. “At thirteen I would go to these clubs up in the Bronx – you know Fab 5 Freddy? He would take me to see Afrika Bambaataa, Hulu Nation…” Streetwise Kate, until Kate Lanier mid ‘80s in NYC recently a tween, dove into the day’s hip hop culture and began to build her identity. “I thought I was black.

Everyone who knew me thought I was Puerto Rican. ‘Yeah, I’m Puerto Rican!’ I completely couldn’t deal with the fact that I was a white girl.”

UPPER EAST SIDE STORY Kate’s grade school years had coincided with NYC’s nadir as a city, opening doors that would eventually channel her Rimbaud-like heat into the visible light of art. “This is the ‘seventies in New York when the city is falling apart,” she says.

“They’re in a recession. They’re not picking up the garbage. I’m walking over junkies and walking around drunks. I saw a guy knifed to death outside my third-grade window.” Kate’s desperate mother managed to land a gig teaching art at a tony Upper East Side school called Fleming. Kate entered that world and pretended to adapt.

“It was like the Lycée Français; half French, half English. Very snooty. I had one dress. I’d play the part, go home, and tear it up with my crew till dawn.” Young Kate was aflame and brakeless. She had a “crew,” for instance. Despite her regular participation in episodes of chemical and spiritual mayhem, Kate later secured a scholarship to hifalutin Trinity High School in the city. Her incandescent night life in full swing, she nevertheless fell in with an unlikely posse. “These white kids were a little more open-minded, funky, and progressive.” You have guessed correctly, reader – she’s describing high school theater geeks. Wild Kate would fall hard, assembling a gonzo performance troupe, doing Brecht at Lower East Side playgrounds. A sliver of daylight suggested itself, but Kate’s partying continued to ramp.

“I’m fourteen – ninth grade. Walking to school I would find my friend and buy half a gram of coke, get to school, go in the bathroom, and snort it. I’d have a little bottle of tequila with me, do a couple of shots and go to my first class.”

AREA AND ALAN TAYLOR At 17, Kate fibbed about her age and landed a job at the day’s most wildly happening club in NYC, an epochal hipster centrifuge called AREA. The club was Art House Maximus – queued limousines, a nightly parade of the Grace Jones/Mick Jagger set, and heavily filtered Happenings the city’s cognoscenti were desperate to crash. Just working there conferred Big Apple cachet. Every six weeks the club’s theme would change and invites would go out “...to the five hundred coolest people in New York,” Kate says. Wild animals behind glass, a roaming monitor lizard, 10 million Twinkies suspended from golden threads; the usual. One notable “Outer Space” theme featured over the top cosmic decor and Kate’s fellow bartender and performance artist Christina, decked out as a messianic Barbarella, strutting around with her space rifle.

When one of the owners took a shine to Kate and they began dating, she moved from coat check to bartender. This thrilling promotion to the middle of the supernova bade ill for Kate’s recreationals. “I was behind the bar drinking all night, then we would close down at 5 am and head to an after-hours club. I started snorting heroin and coke, then I started shooting both of them.”

One night Kate was introduced to a new bartender at AREA; NYU film school student and future directorial darling Alan Taylor (Sopranos, Mad Men, Game of

The crowd outside of AREA nightclub

Thrones – you name it). Kate and AREA’s owner had split and she started dating Taylor, eventually moving in with him for two years. Just ahead lay higher ed, drugaddled homelessness, and Hollywood – that tired old template.

VASSAR, MISERY, KISMET By the time Kate entered Vassar on yet another scholarship (English Major with Distinction in Creative Writing), she was trapped in the jet stream and couldn’t come down. No one knew. “I always had the functional addict thing where I wanted to look good on the outside. It was a secret from everyone. I wanted to be the A student.” Her writing voice began to find its footing at Vassar, even as things otherwise careened out of control.

Following Vassar, Kate’s long run of adventurism came to its natural denouement – “I was living in an abandoned building on the Lower East Side, doing whatever to get drugs...” – when who should appear but Barbarella. “I was in SoHo, track marks on my arm, filthy, trying to meet this guy who’s going to get me high.” Kate saw her friend Christina, but had to squint to positively i.d. her old AREA chum. Last time she’d seen her they were doing coke together behind the bar. Christina looked radiant and put-together. Kate did not. “She sees me,” Kate says, “and she’s like ‘Kate! Come here come here come here!’, and she takes me to this church, and I’m like, oh **** she’s taking me to church!

But it was a young people’s recovery group.” Christina had been sober for six months. Copycat Kate would follow.

AMENDS Part of recovery is making amends – going to those you’ve wronged and setting things right. Kate’s longish “amends list” included AREA colleague and ex-dance partner Alan Taylor. He’d called off their relationship a couple years earlier – in part because Kate had broken into his home and robbed him. She now approached him with the abjectness these occasions summon, and cash to repay what she’d taken.

Alan forgave. And then some. “He says ‘Look, I’m doing this movie and it’s kind of based on my relationship with you. Would you play the character?’”

Taylor’s movie was his capstone film school project, a short called That Burning Question. It opened the NY Film Festival in 1990, won a raft of awards, and effectively launched Taylor into a directorial stratosphere he has since inhabited with aplomb. It all happened very quickly.

“Suddenly he’s meeting everyone, and they’re asking him ‘who’s the girl in your movie?’ And he’s like, ‘That’s Kate Lanier, she’s a New Yorker. She’s also a great writer.’” Kate had shown Alan a couple of scripts she’d written (“...very rough sketches”). Hollywood literary agent Ronda Gomez was intrigued. “Kate’s a writer, too? Let’s meet her.” In the event, Kate showed Ms. Gomez a script she’d written called Gabriel’s Watching (“...a black guardian angel watching over a white girl in Harlem…”). Ronda became Kate’s agent, gave her some notes on the script, and sold it in a bidding war to Warner Bros. “She loved my writing!” Kate says, then blinks. “I was twenty-three.” ...continued p.12

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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? Kate was still fumbling with her seatbelt when the rocket sled launched. “I suddenly had one job after another. When (Tina Turner biopic) What’s Love Got to Do with It came out, that was my third job that I’d ever done.” Kate’s speaking manner – what I call “calm-face-exuberant-vocals” – is on full display here. “What’s Love was a dream job – they even gave me a part in the movie, so I got to act. I was allowed to be on set the whole time. Brian (Gibson, the director) was so respectful of my words. I thought every movie was gonna be like that. I was wrong.” Please go on, Ms. Lanier.

“You’re going to really laugh, but I’ll tell you about a wonderful experience. It was writing Glitter for Mariah Carey. THAT was the best experience.” Why would I laugh? Well... it must be said that Glitter’s reputation in filmdom is that of a 900-pound Golden Turkey with all the trimmings; a film so deliciously misconceived it has nearly become legend. How to draw a line from the world-conquering What’s Love to Glitter? Kate explains.

“Glitter came out right after 9/11. It came out on September 13. No one was going to Glitter.” Check. But there’s more. “The studio f****d us – we had written a story that was dark and edgy, a lot of violence and sex and drugs, real emotions…”

Kate pauses. “Mariah is one of the smartest, most creative people I’ve ever met.

Her ‘I’m A Star’ is this very performative character. Her acting coach, Sheila, is this fantastic woman. The three of us had been working on this movie for two years!”

Kate’s rhapsodizing is a stark counterpoint to the film unleashed on the public. She couldn’t wait for this passion project to be unveiled. “I was like, ‘oh God, people are going to be blown away.’” When Sony saw the script they took scissors to it.

Fearful that Mariah’s young fan base would be scandalized, the studio stripped out everything... but the glitter. “It became this piece of crap,” Kate says plainly (see this article’s opening paragraph). “We just… cried! I was like, I can’t believe this is what it is.”

Kate brushed that one off and went on to conquer. Her projects include films for New Line (Set it Off), Disney (Everybody Can Float, The Rap Factor), Warner Bros (Cinderellas, Out of the Darkness), MGM (Beauty Shop, Mod Squad) and many others. Today, Kate is working on three TV projects, a spec feature length script called Dance Magic, and a novel about “three generations of women impacted by

Kate Lanier directing a short for Touchstone Pictures

the Holocaust, their interwoven lives playing out over a landscape that encompasses Nazi Germany, ‘50s art world SoHo in NYC, and ‘80s Manhattan nightclubs.”

Her full screenwriting portfolio – and details of her services as writing coach and mentor – can be found at katelanier.com. She can be reached at klwritingcoach@ gmail.com.

Kate Lanier’s journey to artistic self-discovery was fraught, let’s say – and featured the occasional jarring revelation.

“I was in a summer camp for city kids in second grade,” Kate says. “I remember getting the group picture and looking at it with my mom. Mine was the only white face in the picture, and I looked at it, pointing. I was like, ‘who’s that?’ And my mom said ‘…that’s you.’ I literally said, ‘I’m white?!’”

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CREATIVE CHARACTERS DR. CHARISH BARRY

by Zach Rosen

Petite Pediatrics, Dr. Cherish Barry, has built an outdoor care space in the lot behind her adobe office on Pueblo, to screen her young patients before they can be cleared to safely come into the office

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he health of a child can be concerning enough for parents during normal times and the pandemic has only added to those concerns. During this time families still need to bring their children to medical professionals for general checkups and immunizations that are so important for their development. At Petite Pediatrics, they have risen to the challenge and adapted their practice to address the concerns that this pandemic has brought. Founded by Dr. Charish Barry in 2008 and operating out of a charming old freestanding house on Pueblo Street, Petite Pediatrics is a concierge practice with a membershipbased service that provides a range of pediatric services like child wellness checks, immunizations, and treatments.

The concierge format permits Dr. Barry more freedom with her practice and allows her to give each patient more intimate care. This also gave her the ability to adapt and pivot quicker when the pandemic hit than other bigger practices that may be more restricted by red tape and limitations. Since the beginning of Petite Pediatrics, Dr. Barry has focused on bringing a modern approach to old school medicine. She

had already been using a secure HIPAA compliant teleconferencing platform for seeing families remotely and was able to quickly see more patients through this system when the quarantine started.

Dr. Barry knew realistically it was going to be a year or two before things returned to some sense of normal and wanted a more long-term solution than some of the pop-up tents being used by other medical practitioners and businesses. Petite Pediatrics fortunately had a secured, enclosed parking lot in the back where she could safely set up an outside practice. She had long been a fan of Airstream trailers and the selfcontained unit seemed like a good fit for establishing an autonomous office space for her outdoor practice. After checking with the county on regulations, who supported and liked the idea, she brought in Airstream Basecamp as a separate office and worked with a designer to craft a pergola space for an outdoor patient area. This has allowed her to continue to see patients who may be sick, but in a setting that is safer and easier to control from a sterilization standpoint. She still uses the main house for general wellness checkups

with low-risk patients, however, she has adapted the historic home with modern tools for addressing the challenges that coronavirus brings to an indoor medical setting.

Keeping an indoor space safe in a medical environment has its challenges, but Dr. Barry has incorporated new technologies and creative solutions to reduce risks as much as possible. The entrances into the building have been given glass doors that permit those entering to undergo thermal temperature scans and a facial recognition check to ensure that a mask is being worn.

To address internal airflow concerns, she installed a central UV air filtration system to the air conditioning unit alongside individual Molekule air purifiers in each room for an added layer of protection. Dr. Barry partnered with several companies to introduce new tools in her practice that allow her to give the same personal care but from a greater distance. She now uses an Eko stethoscope that gives her the ability to listen to a patient’s heartbeat through Airpods and a Wispr digital otoscope for looking into the ear canal without getting too close to the patient. This is an ongoing process and she continues to add and adapt her practice to emerging

technologies. Their office will soon be receiving the new LEAF Mask, an FDA-registered clear face mask with complete filtration and UV filter. The clear mask gives children the ability to see facial cues, which is important for their development. They will also soon be offering rapid COVID testing for patients, which will be vital for bringing children back to school.

Even with these additions, there are still families that may contain highrisk members and have trouble leaving the home under any conditions. To be able to still see these patients, Dr. Barry is launching a home visit service with herself and a team of pediatric-trained, board certified nurse practitioners that can perform wellness checks and immunizations from the home, mentioning that the medical industry has seen a national decline in child vaccinations during the quarantine.

This newly added service will allow parents to keep up with their child’s vaccination schedule during a time where leaving the home can be difficult.

Dr. Barry mentions that she has never wanted families to hesitate seeking medical attention because it feels unsafe. Thankfully with the innovative approach she is bringing to her practice, parents visiting Petite Pediatrics can feel a little more at ease when medical help, immunizations, or just general checkups are needed for their children.

Give the Gift of Santa Barbara in a Box or Basket this Season.

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range of branded glassware. Belgian beers are famous for their exotic styles of glassware, with each beer having its own specific glass to be poured into. Basically, there’s as many types of Belgian glasses as there are beers, and the Global Beer shop sells quite a few of them, with about 350 different glasses available. This includes more traditional glassware like chalices, tulips, and mugs, but also contains the more unique ones such as the Kasteel glass that has a small castle molded into the base, or the stirrup Kwak glass that historically was meant to be carried by coachmen in the 19th century. The rounded bottom would fit into a stirrup as they rode. It also meant that the glass There are plenty of amazing beer books to gift this cannot be put down on a table. Today, holiday season not many people use it for their horse coach and the glass has a wooden stand that people can rest it in.

THE GIFT OF GOOD READS Ever have that friend who thinks they know every beer? Well, it’s guaranteed there’s a few they haven’t heard of in the book All Belgian Beers, published by Stichting Kunstboek. With over 1,500 pages, this book lives up to its name, but in a small page size that makes it the perfect stocking stuffer. All Belgian Beers covers over 750 beers with each one being displayed in a two-page spread. One page features a clean image of the beer with the proper pour and in its specific glass. The other page provides general details like ABV, ingredients, and beer style, as well as more specific information including serving temperature, tasting notes, and even the correct pouring method for each brew. Every item is written in three languages, allowing you to practice your Dutch or French as you read on in English.

If that same know-it-all friend is not into Belgian beers, try gifting them a book on the anthropology of alcohol. Both Drinking Occasions: Comparative Perspectives

on Alcohol and Culture by Dwight B. Heath and Drinking Cultures edited by Thomas M. Wilson will introduce that friend to new ideas and help them put beer in a broader context. Each book looks at the role that drinking plays in our society, exploring how gender, race, and culture influences the way we drink and intersects with such conditions as time, location, and context. Beer & Philosophy edited by Steven D. Hales is a classic and could be a good gift for the more outward thinking beerdoes. This engaging read includes essays from a range of beer legends like Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery that explore different philosophical questions and viewpoints. Even though some of these books have topics that are more advanced, all of these books offer an interesting read for any level of beer knowledge.

STAY TUNED FOR BIERBARA The Bierbara beer dinner by Third Window Brewing Company has become one of the most celebrated beer events of the area and owner Kris Parker confirmed that they will be doing an event again this year for it. Each year this beer dinner is held on Saint Barbara’s Feast Day (December 4th) and offers an evening of amazing beers, spectacular food, and good company. The dinner celebrates their release of Bierbara, a strong festive blended beer whose recipe changes each year. In years past the dinner was hosted in one large communal table however this year it will obviously be done in a more COVID-friendly setting. The brewery is still working on details so keep an eye on their website and social media, or just go into the brewery, for more information.

The Bierbara dinner promises to be an Bierbara from Third Window is about to be released evening full of cheer, good beer, and a and will be accompanied by its traditional feast at the brewery much-needed breath of fresh air.

ARTHUR BEAUMONT: Art of the Sea Art Exhibit of Original Naval Paintings Coming to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum 53 paintings chronicling the accomplishments of the US Navy, from the USS Constitution to atomic bomb tests and expeditions to the North and South Poles

December 3, 2020 – May 30, 2021 Sponsored by:

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Arthur Beaumont, USS Fall River, Bikini Atoll Baker Bomb Test, July 25, 1946, watercolor, Robert Dreibelbis Collection

113 Harbor Way, Ste. 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109 • (805) 962-8404 • sbmm.org

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ONE OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY’S BEST NEW HOME VALUES.

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Carpinteria is a haven with its relaxed hometown vibe, and miles of coastline that is home to the “world’s safest beach.” From here, you are just minutes from miles of shoreline and farmland, breathtaking mountain views, and many renowned California wineries that dot this spectacularly beautiful region.

Don’t miss this opportunity! This is a rare and limited chance to own a brand new home in Carpinteria, the “have-it-all” hometown where you can live, work and play.

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TO SCHEDULE A TOUR CALL OR TEXT CRYSTAL 805.833.5870 Four moderate income homes set aside for qualified applicants. Warmington Residential is part of the Warmington group of companies. Square footages are approximate only. Prices effective date of publication and subject to change without notice.

Models depicted do not reflect racial preference. 11.11.20

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE SINCE 1926

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THEBUDGUY

by Zach Rosen

THE HAZY HISTORY OF ROLLING PAPERS RAW rolling papers are vegan and made of hemp

The iconic Zig-Zag logo depicts a zouave soldier from an old folk story

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re-rolled joints are a great convenience but sometimes there is an innate pleasure from rolling your own joint. It was looking down at these small delicate sheets of rolling paper that I recently wondered how they came to be. For millennia, civilizations throughout the Americas would smoke tobacco out of pipes or rolled in a tobacco leaf. To this day, cigars still use this natural wrapping. But paper production requires very specific tools, materials, and technology. It seemed like there was a story here. The history of the first rolling paper company is hazy but what is known is that the rolling paper industry first began in Alcoy, Spain, in 1154 AD and then spread to France, where their popularity soon spread around the world.

Spain remains a dominant force in the rolling paper industry, however, many of the innovations were developed by the French. Certainly one brand became the earliest and most notable one in history.

In 1532, a Frenchman named Pierre Lacroix traded a bottle of champagne for a packet of rolling papers with soldiers returning from Spain. This sparked the idea for his own company but it wasn’t until 1660 that the family began producing rolling papers under their

name, Lacroix (not to be confused with the LaCroix you’re drinking, that actually gets its name from the Wisconsin region).

Over the years they became the world’s leading rolling paper by staying ahead of the industry and the market. The company was key in developing several breakthroughs for the industry. In 1866 they introduced rice into their paper pulp formula, even switching their name from Lacroix to Rizla+, a combination of riz, the French word for rice, and the French meaning of their last name, “the cross.”

The slow burning rice paper became the new standard around the world. But it wasn’t until 1942 that the definitive gum strip that lines the edge of a rolling paper was invented. Once again by the Lacroix family. There was still one last invention needed before a pack of rolling papers took their modern form.

In France, another rolling paper company was founded by brothers Maurice and Jacques Braunstein in 1855.

Nearly forty years later they invented a patented package that allowed a single paper to be pulled out at a time. This package style is still in use today and the Z-shape the interlaced papers formed inspired the name for the company that would later become legendary Zig-Zag. There is a folk story about a French

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zouave soldier during the Battle of Sevastopol (1854–1855). The zouaves were a special regiment of infantry soldiers originating from the French North African region. He ripped a piece of paper from his gunpowder bag and used it to roll his tobacco after having his clay pipe struck by a bullet. The image of a zouave soldier is immortalized on the cover of every Zig-Zag package and has become one of the most iconic and recognizable logos on the planet. While this story about the inventive soldier is told by Zig-Zag, it certainly wasn’t the origin of soldiers using rolling paper. A license granted by Napoleon to Rizla+ in 1796 to produce rolling papers for his armies ensured that every soldier had access to rolling papers. Before this they were known to roll cigarettes by tearing pages out of books. By the time the Battle of Sevastopol happened though, rolling papers had already been in use by troops for over half a century.

WHICH ONE TO ROLL It is easy to get overwhelmed when choosing rolling papers. There are many brands and even within a single brand they will offer a variety of papers that differ in size, paper thickness, and material/additives. From blunt wraps, king-sized papers, and even slim ones, there are many length and width options when selecting a rolling paper. Usually I stick with the standard size of 1 ¼” but of course it is a personal preference.

Some prefer a bigger or smaller joint and it can be a lot of fun sharing a blunt with friends (although sharing joints may be one thing you want to avoid these days).

Unless you enjoy spitting out green bits after every hit, using a tip, or crutch, is a must. This small roll of thick paper at the end of the joint gives a buffer between your mouth and the cannabis in the joint while also making it easier to smoke as the joint comes to an end. These are sometimes called a filter but that is not technically true as it’s not filtering out

anything. Some companies even offer packs of special tip paper to make crutches out of, but if you need something from around the house, business cards make a great crutch material. There’s usually one laying around and you can just tear off what you need.

The paper thickness will influence how quickly the joint burns and stays lit. Choose a thinner paper for a stabler, more conversational joint and thicker papers for a speedy smoke. This may seem counterintuitive but the thinner paper allows more airflow and contains less fuel for the fire, so to speak. The material and gum used will also influence the burn speed. While rice paper is still a popular material, rolling papers can be made from hemp, cellulose (plant fiber), and wood pulp, among other materials. Rice paper is thinner and will make a longer lasting joint but is also prone to going out and can be difficult to roll with. Wood-based papers are easier to work with and have a stable burn. That being said, they are known to burn quickly and are viewed less favorably from an environmental and health standpoint. Hemp has become the preferred material by many as it’s often viewed as the most natural since it comes from the same plant. It is easy to use, burns at a moderate pace, and can be made sustainably with very little additives. Less natural rolling papers may have additives like chlorine, potassium citrate, or calcium carbonate to control color or slow down the burn. Often it is best to go with unbleached, additivefree papers. While bleached white papers might be more aesthetically pleasing, it is best to be aware of what you are putting in your lungs.

There are many brands of rolling paper and everyone has their own favorite.

Over time I’ve developed a preference for RAW rolling papers (as many have). They are made of hemp fibers, unbleached, and vegan, even offering organic versions. RAW features a good range of size and package options as well.

The RAW 300s contain, you guessed it, three hundred leaves of rolling papers in a pack. Usually I like to keep one of these in the house as backup. Just in case I unexpectedly run out of papers.

The sheets are unfolded and placed in a single stack which makes them prone to having liquid drop on them or just getting crumpled over time. This is why my go-to rolling papers are the RAW Classic mix pack that comes with both papers and tips. Hunting down crutches for the tip all the time can be burdensome so this mix pack contains both, making rolling a joint easy and convenient. Of course there are just as many ways to roll a joint as there are rolling paper styles so that topic is best kept for another article.

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Holiday Season is Here! &

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E’S NOTE by Elliana Westmacott Elli was born and raised in Santa Barbara and is now 14 years old. She has been writing E’s Note in the paper for four years. Elli loves soccer and has been playing since she was in preschool. She especially enjoys traveling the world with friends and family. Her goal is to pursue a career in journalism.

A TRUTHFUL TALE OF OUR FAMILY TRIP

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y parents are still raving about our summer trip, rafting the Grand Canyon. I thought I ought to tell you the truth about this adventure. First of all, the wonders of this unique and alien part of our planet are astonishing.

Floating through the canyon on the river feels comparative to living on a new planet or falling into a dystopian story. With every mile, there is a new bizarre factor, but when you’re within those canyon walls it can seem almost alarming. As I look back at it, I believe the Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most prized places, not because it is most enjoyable to be in, but because our planet can produce such a work of art – it is phenomenal.

The beginning of my family’s trip was normal. Our drive from California to the middle of Arizona was a tad warm for my liking, particularly because our air conditioning stopped working about halfway there. Still, other than that, it was easy going. We got to a hotel and went to bed early after an unsettling orientation from our river guide company. Now, I know that the guides needed to give us all of the information so that we wouldn’t do something idiotic like jump off of the boat during a rapid, but if I had a dollar for every time they mentioned death in that lecture, I could have bought a few plane tickets home.

I felt as though I was walking into a panic attack by getting on the bus that shuttled us off into the Grand Canyon at 4 am the next morning, and I wasn’t entirely wrong.

The first day of rafting the river was, dare I say, fun. Our guides were wild and simply refreshing to be around.

They told us stories of the historical Grand Canyon and the brave souls who dared to adventure the deserted lands before us. We ate the best meal you can find in Arizona and went to sleep

on our little sandbank under the stars.

The second day we woke to our guides yodeling “coffee” into the morning air.

We hiked, or more like rock climbed, up a steep cliff, but it was worth it. To stand over the Mars-like canyon and look at how far we had come was a breathtaking experience. It was like a scene out of a movie; if I had spun in circles and screamed “I’m the king of the world” it could’ve been. However, it was a scene that would come back to bite us later.

After finding our next sandbank to set up camp, my friend and I set out our blankets and sleeping bags before dinner and did as much freshening up that is physically possible in the Grand Canyon, so not much. The next thing we know, one of our guides is seizing on the ground near us, and our whole camp switched into disaster mode. We believe our captain had a seizure due to the extremely high temperature and lack of water from our Mars-like hike. When I say disaster mode, I mean all of the adults began to do anything they could to help the man. JJ, one of our guides, ran up the side of the cliff superwoman style to try to get a satellite signal for help, and the rest of us kids were taken away from the scene. I don’t know if you have ever seen a person have a seizure, but it is not a pleasant experience. As a teenager with anxiety issues, the reality of the situation didn’t set in until after our guide was helicoptered out and night had fallen.

I was silent until I spotted the slightest movement at my feet and realized there was a scorpion the size of my thumb crawling around. Ironically, just a few hours earlier, I had been asking that same guide about small scorpion tracks he believed to belong to none other than the deadly Bark Scorpion. When I realized this scorpion was sitting next to my foot, I not-so-calmly pointed this out and excused myself from the group

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to go to bed without supper. I then realized how easily I could’ve gotten hurt in the canyon, which I was continually reminded of throughout our trip.

On the third day, our whole group tried to drink more water after the previous night’s shocking events, but my mom went above and beyond by drinking a few extra gallons of electrolyte water. After arriving at our last night’s campground called Phantom Ranch, which had showers and air conditioning and walls to keep the scorpions away, we realized how sick my mom had become. It turns out her excessive consumption of electrolyte water did the opposite of what she wanted and nearly led her down the same path our guide had gone through the night before.

She went to see the ranger/medic while my sister and I waited with my dad outside of the miniature medical center for nearly four hours. We watched the sunset while our stomachs slowly twisted tighter into nervous knots. She emerged from the ranger station with a smile and we headed to our cabins to sleep.

I spied a series of lights flicker from the very top of the canyon and tried not to think about the comforts of life above the rocky walls. That night, I tried to sleep, but I kept thinking of how I had to hike up that very wall, 9.8 miles upward to be exact. It would be one of the most challenging hikes I’ve done in my life. The next morning, I woke with a blinding stomach ache and horrible nausea, but I persevered. I ate nothing during that hike except a bite of an apple and 30 berry blast flavored energy gummies.

The view at the top of the Grand Canyon was just as fantastic as the views inside, but the food was not. When I said our river guide’s food was the best food you can find in Arizona, I wasn’t kidding. Let’s just say some of my cuisine was uniquely challenging to chew. Another aspect I enjoyed was my new development for nosebleeds. Every day, I had one more nosebleed than the last.

Now I know I just rambled on a rant of complaints, but I do realize that these experiences have made me stronger. I miss certain aspects of the trip, like the smell of the morning air or the millions of stars that watched over me as I fell asleep each night. I miss the taste of the ice-cold river water and the way it felt to be disconnected from society. After a few days, I realized my only true necessities were water, food, and the clothes I may or may not have worn for four days straight. It was horrifying, and I will hopefully never step foot in the canyon again, but it was an experience I will surely never forget.

We got our car’s air conditioning working again in time for the drive home and arrived back to California with bags that smelled of dirt and feet. My mom tells people of the gorgeous river and how all of us kids were “troopers through and through,” and my dad says it was the best adventure we’ve ever taken. So, here is my version – my truthful rendition of our wild trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

Love from, E

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PLANB by Briana Westmacott When Briana isn’t lecturing for her writing courses at UCSB and SBCC, she contributes to The Santa Barbara Skinny, Wake & Wander and Flutter Magazine. Along with her passion for writing and all things Santa Barbara, much of her time is spent multitasking through her days as a mother, wife, sister, want-to-be chef and travel junky.

Writing is an outlet that ensures mental stability... usually.

DOWN AND IN

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he Colorado River is the seventh largest river in the contiguous United States, stretching 1,450 miles long and touching on parts of seven U.S. and two Mexican states. A section snakes through 277 miles of one of nature’s wonders: The Grand Canyon.

A few months ago, while entrenched in a global pandemic, my family and I embarked on an adventure that took us down 89 miles of this majestic river, through a living land before time.

The planning for this exhibition started back in 2019. You can’t simply enter into the belly of the Earth without some careful time and consideration.

In fact, less than one percent of the population ever step foot on the section of Earth we were attempting to explore; river rafting the Grand Canyon is not an easy ticket.

After meticulous planning, we decided to raft the Upper Canyon river section, which starts at mile 0 on the Colorado River and disembarks 90 miles later at the famous Phantom Ranch. The only caveat to this section is that you must be able to hike out of the canyon – a climb of 10 miles with a 5,000 feet elevation gain.

(My two teenage daughters were not happy about this choice. They had voted for the Lower river option with a 10-minute helicopter exit.)

And so, to ward off hours of teenage complaining, we enlisted two other Santa Barbara families to provide teen companionship. Our boat was booked for 12 passengers – six adults and six teens/tweens.

Canyoneers is the longest running river company on the Colorado River.

I did a great deal of research to find one that I trusted. I grew up river rafting with my family. I went through a river guide training program in college, and I have taken my kids rafting on California rivers multiple times. None of this truly prepares you for the Grand Canyon. We were facing numerous class 10 rapids and brutal heat coupled with a 47-degree water temperature. People die on this river.

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER In August of 2020, we launched from Lees Ferry in Arizona after being shuttled for two hours through the Navajo Nation. Our motorized pontoon C-Craft boat was impressively packed

with all of the necessary provisions, and we would spend the next three days and nights on the river.

The water was flowing green. This is unique because as soon as there is substantial rain, it quickly turns a reddish-brown color that matches the canyon. It was monsoon season, and we had anticipated some rain, even hoped for it since the air temperatures were often reaching over 100 degrees.

However, the rain never came, and the triple digits were the perfect cure for goosebumps that accompanied the peridot-colored splashes.

We were surrounded by living historical and geological lessons. We rode alongside steeply inclined rock layers that dated back to the era of dinosaurs. Fossilized crinoid were etched into the limestone, cross-beds of sandstone painted the walls around us as we floated through dozens of colorful Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata. Our ...continued p.24

Our river family in our river living room

View from the front seat, down and in

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guides filled our floating sections with tales of folklore and facts that kept our minds spinning… and then we would approach a rapid.

The Colorado River uses a 1-10 class ranking structure since it has such a high level of water (it is the largest river west of the Mississippi). Every day we had at least one class 10 to conquer, and this was when things got serious. “Down and in” was the position dictated to us for these sections of river and within minutes our adrenaline levels would jack up to a 10 with screams of fearful fun.

When we weren’t riding the rapids, we took side canyon hikes through crevices

of wild Earth. One day, we hiked up to an outer-worldly horseshoe bend lookout.

Through it all, there were creatures: bats, wasps, big-horned sheep, scorpions, and so many birds swarming around us. Each night the river-front sand was our mattress, and a whole different show would take place. When the stars in the Grand Canyon come out, they cut dotted holes through the black sheet of sky. As the moon rose, a spotlight transformed the night and it became hard to decipher from day. My family continues to debate about what was the most spectacular: the sun, moon, stars, water, or Earth down in the canyon.

ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER At the end of the second full day on the river, we lost our head captain. Ironically, he had been actively reminding us of a condition that individuals sometimes experience in extreme climate settings called Hyponatremia. Your body goes into shock due to dehydration and lack of electrolytes. We were all downing water bottles spiked with electrolyte powder, but maybe our captain was not.

He experienced a Grand Mal Seizure on the beach, and I can honestly attest that I thought he might die right there in the bottom of the canyon. It was the most extreme medical situation I have

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ever witnessed. Thankfully, my friend Jess Barker is a Physician’s Assistant because I believe she saved his life that afternoon. One of the other river guides bounded up the canyon’s side to get satellite phone reception. Within an hour, a helicopter landed on a small strip of beach to rescue our captain and medivac him to a hospital. We were all quite shaken, but luckily our captain was fine. The river flowed on.

Down one guide, we faced one more full day and one last class ten rapid to conquer. I had a little chat with the remaining two guides about our lack of need for thrills but rather our desire to make our way down via the safest route.

They reminded me, there is only one way through rapids this big – down and in. And, so, the adventure continued.

I spent the final day on the river guzzling electrolyte water for fear to succumb to a similar fate as our captain. I may have overdone my water/electrolyte intake as I ended up having to visit the ranger station’s medic once we arrived at the Phantom Ranch. It was not my high moment having to get an IV drip at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but that drip did the trick, and I was able to hike out the next morning.

Our final day began at 4 am as we trekked the Bright Angel Trail that ascended to the South Rim. The river company provided us with a wonderful hiking guide and we miraculously beat the record for the fastest group of 12 to hike that 10-mile trail up and out of the grandest canyon. Even the reluctant teens had a glowing sense of pride.

Rivers have always intrigued and inspired me. They reveal a symbiotic relationship between Earth and water; a river is alive. Like humans, a river is unpredictable. Water levels, shifting rocks, weather, and debris all play into its constant evolution. You will never ride the same rapid twice. Much like this life we are living, we try our best to properly navigate all the bumps, tricks and turns life delivers to us, but in the end, there are many times we have to surrender and simply get down and in for the ride.

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Behind the Vine

by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

Hana-Lee Sedgwick is a writer, wine consultant and lover of all things wine and food. As a Certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier, she loves to explore the world of wine in and around her hometown of Santa Barbara. When not trying new wines or traveling, she can be found practicing yoga, cooking, entertaining and enjoying the outdoors. Visit her popular blog, Wander & Wine, for wine tips, tasting notes and adventures in wine and travel: wanderandwine.com

A CHAMPION FOR THIS REGION

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reg Brewer has been a fixture on the Santa Barbara wine scene for the past three decades. As co-founder and winemaker of Brewer-Clifton, he’s spent the last 25 years producing acclaimed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills appellation of Santa Barbara County. In 2005, he launched Diatom, a project exclusively dedicated to Chardonnay raised in the diatomaceous earth of the Sta. Rita Hills, and in 2016, started his cool-climate Syrah-focused label, Ex Post Facto.

With a career deeply rooted in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA – an appellation he helped define and establish in 1997 (later receiving AVA status in 2001) – Greg Brewer has spent countless hours sharing his love and passion for this appellation, and has earnestly acted as an advocate for the entire wine growing region of Santa Barbara County. This dedication has earned him much recognition over the years, most recently by Wine Enthusiast Magazine who named him “Winemaker of the Year” as part of its Annual Wine Star Awards. Greg is the first winemaker from Santa Barbara County to win this prestigious award in its 21-year history. I sat down with Greg to learn more about what this award means to him, reflect on his years making wine, and discuss what’s in store for the next decades of his career.

Q. First of all, congratulations! What an amazing feat to be named Winemaker of the Year. How does it feel to receive this recognition and how does it feel to be representing this entire region through this award?

A. Thank you! It still feels a little bit surreal that I was singled out, but I really see the award being owned and earned by all of us in this region. Santa Barbara County is really my identity as a winemaker and the ultimate goal is to portray and demonstrate this place with as much clarity and discipline as possible. So really this is a testament to how special Santa Barbara is, and to see Santa Barbara gain this awareness on a global platform is really the most exciting and rewarding element for me.

You’ve spent the past three decades making wine in Santa Barbara County and just celebrated your 25th harvest with Brewer-Clifton. How has this region shaped you as a winemaker?

It’s totally shaped me, because I am professionally born here. I started at Santa Barbara Winery in 1991 when I was 21 years old, and have never worked or desired to work in other regions, so basically my entire adult life has been in the Santa Barbara wine industry. While I find inspiration from other regions and other fields, like art, music, and fashion, Santa Barbara is my place and I’m very prideful of that.

I feel that having that intimacy with one place is a gift.

The entirety of your career has been working specifically with Sta. Rita Hills fruit.

What makes Sta. Rita Hills so special to you?

Something I’ve been reflecting on a lot over the past five to ten years is my relationship to the Sta. Rita hills. It’s much like being with a significant other – you have confidence in that person, you can surrender to that person. You don’t erase yourself exactly, but you can be vulnerable and give your all to that person. I’ve given myself to the Sta. Rita Hills in that way, to make wines that sincerely channel this region.

As for what makes the Sta. Rita Hills special, it’s multifaceted. It starts with the ocean. There’s a duality of spirit with the ocean for me: it can be calming and contemplative but it can also be a little bit intimidating and savage, which can be reflected in the fruit. I love that the landscape is somewhat desolate and empty in a lot of ways, with a beautifully predictable climate and a long, slow season that really gives one the opportunity and privilege to do whatever one wants stylistically.

Speaking of wine style, how would you describe your winemaking philosophy?

My approach is neutral – it’s all about quieting my voice and erasing myself because this region is so strong. I aim to celebrate the raw nature of the Sta. Rita Hills and pursue that with refinement and purity.

Do you have a favorite grape variety or clone to work with?

No, I don’t really see things in favorites.

Obviously Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have been the main vehicles for me to convey place, but clonal diversity, vineyards, different blocks and soils, they all play an important part. Much like different musicians and instruments in an orchestra, they all contribute something important on a singular level but it’s really the collective of those components that make it all work.

Going back to your early days in wine... how did you become interested in a career in wine in the first place?

I was working on my Masters in French Lit and teaching French to undergrad students, and wanted to get a side job. I happened to see an ad in the newspaper Greg Brewer, recently named “Winemaker of the for a tasting room job at Santa Barbara Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as part of its AnWinery. When I walked in the winery for nual Wine Star Awards (photo credit: Jackson Family my interview, I was in heaven… the smell, Wines | Jeffrey Braverman) the people, it all felt so right. I didn’t get the job at first, but an opportunity opened up a month later and I got hired. After that first day behind the bar, I drove home and bought a wine book… I still have it actually. I thought the sooner I learn more about this, the sooner I’ll be able to make people feel more comfortable about wine – not in a presumptuous way, I just wanted to help people feel less freaked out about it.

I quickly fell in love with the whole scene and helped out in the cellar whenever I could. At the end of 1992, I wasn’t super happy in grad school and I knew the assistant winemaker at Santa Barbara Winery was leaving, so I wrote to [Santa Barbara Winery Winemaker] Bruce McGuire. He ended up giving me that opportunity, even though I didn’t know anything about making wine. I owe him the world. Santa Barbara Winery is also where Steve [Clifton] and I started Brewer-Clifton.

Who were the people you looked to as mentors or who influenced you as a winemaker when you were starting out?

For sure Bruce McGuire – he gave me that first shot and really taught me everything. Chris Whitcraft and his best friend Burt Williams [of Williams Selyem in Sonoma] were also both very instrumental in my career, providing guidance during my formative years. Also Bryan Babcock, Bruno D’Alfonso, and Lane Tanner, who have always been so kind. They were like heroes of mine, and still are!

I could go on and on.

What is something that’s been significant to you over the course of your career?

Besides being able to tell the story of Santa Barbara through wine, being linked to the local food and wine community has been so special to me. Seeing the stamina and perseverance of the people in this community and being a part of it all, there’s something beautifully deep in those connections and I treasure those.

Is there a specific wine or even a certain vintage that you’re most proud of?

Every year has played an important role, so nothing can be singled out for me.

Looking back, every vintage is a snapshot of what’s happening in our lives. From the development years to the years of getting acclaim, to economic challenges and colder vintages, punctuated by personal growth and personal challenges – it’s all reflected in the wines and there’s really a fondness for it all.

So, what’s in store for the next few decades?

I think just staying the course and using my platform to further message Santa Barbara around the world, especially to expose people outside of the realm of food and wine to the wines and people here. I also want to nurture and mentor others, instilling confidence by offering leadership, guidance, and inclusivity to the next generations in wine.

My ultimate fantasy as I ease into retirement – if I ever retire because working is my life and my identity – is to get my job back at Santa Barbara Winery when I’m like 80 years old. I want to be that old guy giving tours and telling stories about the early ‘90s, riding around on my scooter [laughs]. But really, it was such a beautiful beginning for me and I think wrapping it all up where it started would be very poignant.

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SYVSNAPSHOT

by Eva Van Prooyen Keeping a finger on the pulse of the Santa Ynez Valley: what to eat, where to go, who to meet, and what to drink. Pretty much everything and anything situated between the Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains that could tickle one’s interest.

CROWN POINT VINEYARDS AND ITS ALL-STAR TEAM

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rown Point Vineyards is a 105-acre hilltop ranch overlooking the Santa Ynez Valley in the Happy Canyon AVA – and named for its optimal location situated at around 900 feet with 360-degree views. The estate currently has 46 acres planted to all five noble red Bordeaux varieties as well as a tiny block of Sauvignon Blanc.

Those 46 acres of vines undulate beautifully across the property’s rolling topography, but even more impressive is the brag worthy terroir, collection of French and California clones populating the vineyards, and the team assembled to give Crown Point the royal treatment.

In what is perhaps the equivalent of a viticultural “Dream Team” – cowboy, rancher, entrepreneur, and owner of Crown Point Vineyards, Roger Bower, has brought together an enviable collaboration of winemaking talent with a performance aimed at producing the highest caliber of California Cabernet Sauvignon in Santa Barbara County.

Joining vaquero and long-time vineyard manager Juve Buenrostro, is a posse of three acclaimed French winemaking virtuosi: master blender Michel Rolland, world-renown wine consultant Philippe Melka, and winemaker Simon Faury.

It is widely known within the wine industry that Rolland has consulted with over 250 world-class wineries throughout 14 countries around the world, including France, Spain, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, and the United States, and is credited with contributing to the evolution of viticulture and winemaking as it is known today.

“Melka is an acclaimed winemaker and geologist,” says Bower noting Melka’s

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bragging rights include that his first job out of school was at Château Haut-Brion.

He holds a degree in Geology from the University of Bordeaux and a master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology and has extensive training from the most celebrated vineyards and wineries in Bordeaux, Italy, Australia, and Napa Valley.

Faury was born and raised in France and earned his master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of Bordeaux. He was the former head winemaker at Napa Valley’s iconic Merryvale Vineyards and is armed with an impressive resumé that includes esteemed names such as Château Pichon-Longueville Baron, Domaine de Chevalier, Robert Mondavi Winery, Bodega Michel Rolland, and Harlan Crown Point owner Roger Bower Estate.

A native of Jalisco, Mexico, Vineyard Manager Buenrostro’s viticultural career began in 2001 in Ballard Canyon. Since then he has overseen vineyards in the Los Olivos area for Coastal Vineyard Care and managed prestigious vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills AVA. “I love the wines we get from this vineyard,” says Juve, “It’s great to see the diversity of this estate and the difference between blocks and clones.” As for his approach, Juve says everything needs to be in balance, “we adapt the plant and crop based on the soil and the weather. We want to adapt the vine to the terroir.

I love the hillside slopes we have – their high magnesium soils, how rocky those vineyards are, and how well the vines adapt to those conditions.”

A ten-acre section near the top of the property, boasts a stunning array of yellow, ...continued p.30

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ON ART

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by Margaret Landreau

In the last 18 years, Margaret Landreau has accumulated 13 years of serving on the Board of Directors of Santa Barbara County arts-related nonprofits and has worked as a freelance arts writer for 10 years. She creates her own art in her Carpinteria studio.

DUSTIN WILLIAMS JEWELRY

T

here are so many new opportunities on State Street these days, Dustin Williams has found a spot for himself where he shows his unique jewelry designs outside of Salty Brothers Soap Company at 429 State Street on Saturdays. He began showing on Sundays at the Santa Barbara Arts & Crafts Show as well, before COVID-19 shut it down.

Williams collects his turquoise or buys it when it is still a rough rock. His art begins by cutting and polishing the turquoise gemstones which he puts into beautifully detailed settings of sterling silver leaves he designs for each piece. He has only been silversmithing a year and a half, but his attention to detail and his concerns for the quality of his work lead to pieces that bring out the natural beauty of the stones and they become a wearable artform.

“I love making a finished piece that begins as a chunk of rock and flows through the processes where I turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry. Each piece has its own timeline and I’m still blown away when they’re done.”

We can only wonder how much of the 10 years Williams worked as a sushi chef

contributed to his vision of creating exquisitely beautiful aesthetics in his current endeavors. Possibly his creative spirit broke free when he began building projects for Burning Man 14 years ago.

Williams and a fellow artist created part of the Honorarium for Burning Man, a “bottled up” Genie illuminated with electric lights.

Williams has created bicycles with giant wings, and wings for individuals on roller skates to wear in the Solstice Parade for the past five years. When he first heard about the parade, he got dressed up and went to watch it. He was invited to jump onto a float while it rolled past and he has participated in it ever since.

He makes time in his busy schedule for “Bike Delights,” a group who meet the last Saturday of the month at sunset to roller skate, bike, and tricycle about five miles for the evening. You might think he couldn’t fit any more projects into a day, but in his “spare time” he is building a shop where he will be able to house his lapidary and jewelry workshop and eventually he hopes to invest in more equipment and tools to perfect his craft. He shares, “I miss my classes and classmates, the classes are great, we are kind of a family.”

Williams invites you to visit his booth at the Santa Barbara Arts & Crafts Show on Sundays, and he sometimes sets up outside of Salty Brothers Soap Company at 429 State Street. Contact him at (805) 324-3407.

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I Heart SB

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By Elizabeth Rose Since 2015, I Heart SB has followed Elizabeth Rose through dating in Santa Barbara and falling in love, a long-distance relationship, living on a 34’ sailboat then sailing from Washington to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The couple is now engaged, back on dry land, living in an Airstream in Carpinteria. Comments welcome at ihearterose@ gmail.com. For more stories, visit www.ihearterose.com.

WHEN A BACHELORETTE PARTY & ADDICTION COLLIDE

I

’m a week out from my bachelorette party, which means I’m a week away from my addiction getting the best of me. It’s not alcohol that makes me worry; it’s weed. As many of you who have followed this column know – thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, by the way! – I’ve struggled with this for a while. It turns out it ain’t over yet.

Back in 2017, I wrote a piece called “Last Dance with Mary Jane.” A farewell to arms, so to speak, of the vice that I love so much. But as recovery seems to go, it wasn’t a total goodbye. I quit on March 17, 2017, and smoked again in June of 2018. The on-again, off-again battle continued until last October when I completely lost my shit in the sense of massive anxiety and debilitating guilt after hitting a friend’s freshly packed bowl of pesticide-free Carpinteria grown weed.

(Ah, I can still smell it.) It was right before the Avocado Festival, while Jason was out commercial fishing for lobster all day. I didn’t enjoy the festival, of course. The shame of being high while Jason was working his ass off was crippling. You see, I had “quit” again the month before and told Jason that was the end for me.

The night before, I bargained with myself and Jason that my bachelorette party and Burning Man would be my “free zones.” How f’d is that?

The worst part? I lied to him when he asked about it later that night. I’m sure he could tell from my glassy eyes and distant gaze that I did something. For a solid ten seconds, I held tight to the fact that I didn’t smoke but admitted the truth when I realized drugs were making me lie to my partner. The thing is, I doubt he would have been that upset if I had just admitted I smoked to begin with. But instead, he was hurt and disappointed. Felt betrayed, understandably. Why did I lie? Probably from the shame of going back to the one thing that held me back from my best life.

Perhaps because I was high.

We got into a big argument that night, where I played the role of every addict you see in the movies, trying to convince someone they will change. “Things will be different this time,” I said. “I’m doing the best I can,” and even, “You can drug test me!” It was pathetic. I realized the only way I could prove I was serious was to show it. I went to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting the next day.

I know what you’re thinking. Actually, I don’t, but my guess is, Why are you still doing this to yourself? Why are you quitting because of someone else? Shouldn’t you quit for yourself? I’ve pondered over the last one a bunch because quitting for someone else is when resentment comes in. The thing is, Jason has witnessed marijuana affect my life negatively, my writing, mainly. He’s listened to me go on about my constant struggle, and he only wants the best for me, which I appreciate greatly.

[By the way, I feel like an A-hole for being addicted a substance that 4135to State St.isn’t generally viewed as a threat. Alcohol addiction, people get. But weed? Nah, man.

805-967-8282 Pass it over! The paranoia is in your head. Maybe society at large doesn’t yet view weed the same as the rest. But addiction is addiction is addiction. You’re just born that way. There’s no need for shame. (Though we have it, and it sucks.)]

I went to the NA meeting on a crisp Sunday morning last fall, not entirely convinced I would stop. (The night before, I bargained with myself and Jason that my bachelorette party and Burning Man would be my “free zones.” How f ’d is that?) I went to NA for the tools to help with addiction and to feel less alone with others struggling the same or worse than me. Honestly, for the past year, those tools have helped immensely.

And now, here we are. A week from my “free zone,” and I have to admit; I’m a little scared. Can I resist? Would I be able to handle it? No, would be the answer to the last one. Even if I smoked then stopped, the craving would gnaw at me for months. Contemplating my future feels as if I’m holding a daisy in my mind, plucking the soft, white petals before tossing them into the air one at a time. I love me, I love me not. I love me, I love me not. I love me…

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...continued from p.27

Winemaker Simon Faury

green, orange, and red rocks making up a demanding type of “soil,” – it is widely believed, ‘a struggling vine makes the best wine.’ The thinking is the vines will struggle greatly, achieving ideal conditions for sugar and acid levels, resulting in fruit with more complexity and nuance. “It’s a rock pile up here. We have huge expectations for this block. This is the future of the property,” says Bower adding, “We have selected the best clones available in California and France and planted them here at Crown Point.”

“Crown Point estate is pioneering in California in this regard,” says Bower, explaining, “We are creating one of the most diverse collections of quality Cabernet Sauvignon clones. Each clone is giving us unique characteristics, great diversity and complexity for our wines.”

“I was immediately drawn to Crown Point’s estate and I truly believe Crown Point can contend with some of the greatest Bordeaux producers in the world,” says Faury, explaining, “not all types of Cabernets are the same. Over the centuries, minute changes in the plant have resulted in having some vines with slightly unique characteristics. Most of them were isolated in Bordeaux, but some made their way to California one hundred years ago.”

Offering up an insider’s introduction to some of the clones planted at Crown Point, Faury says, “Clone 4 was imported to UC Davis from Mendoza, Argentina in

1964, it produces wines of great texture. Clones 7 and 8 originated from Concanon Vineyard up in Livermore and formed the backbone of California plantings in the ‘70s and ‘80s. They originally arrived in California in the 1880s from Bordeaux – possibly originating from Chateau Margaux. Clone 30 was selected in 1989 from the Disney-Silverado Vineyard in Napa. This is possibly my favorite heritage clone, it makes some incredible wines, elegant and very floral.” As for the French clones, Faury adds, “Clone 52 comes from the “Vincent Series,” this is a high quality clone selected from an anonymous iconic Chateau. Clones 337 and 47 are widely planted to our estate here. They are some of the most qualitative clones available, yielding small berries, reliable and high quality wines.”

“This all-star team of wine masters coming together is a positive cool thing,” says Bower, adding, “we are studying each clone, tasting the wines produced from them, and identifying the ones most suited for the estate’s terroir, site, and climate. This way, we are improving our vineyard year after year and choosing the vines that will make the future of Crown Point.”

As for Bower, he was born in Topeka, Kansas, and raised in Minnesota and Ohio, where his father ran a fire alarm company based in Cleveland. Bower eventually moved south to Texas – determined to start his own firefighting technology company. He was particularly interested in putting out liquid fires, “there was not much competition in that sector yet, and I started formulating it on my own and put out a lot of fires,” says Bower, who ultimately succeeded, first making a dry chemical that goes into fire extinguishers and then developing a proprietary foam substance to use on much larger industrial-scale fires. From his success, Bower bought a few ranches in Texas, and took an interest in raising cattle for beef. Always seeking to be the best, he bought a wagyu bull, and got a Prime rating for his beef. Bower sold his company, Chemguard, in 2011 and says, “I wanted to have another career, a fun career, I love having red wine when I’m having my steak, and because of my background with the chemical factory, I knew a little about chemistry, tanks, and manufacturing. I raised my own cattle, horses, and hay, so I knew about farming, and thought, ‘maybe I should start a vineyard and wine brand.’”

Crown Point wines have consistently attained high scores from multiple critics who often described them as deep, dark, and lush as well as uncompromised, indulgent, age worthy, and impeccably balanced. “My goal is to have a 100-point wine someday. Since establishing Crown Point in 2012, it has been my goal to invest in a team committed to crafting the highest caliber of wines from this special estate and to reach new levels of excellence for Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Barbara County,” says Bower adding, “I am filled with confidence and enthusiasm for what this vineyard and talented group of individuals are capable of.”

Crown Point offers wine tastings and virtual wine tasting experiences by appointment only. For more information, visit www.crownpointvineyards.com.

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We give thanks as God the Father sustains us through this time in health, not simply of body but soul, and in closer faith and trust in His eternal promises vouchsafed to us in our baptisms into the death and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

We will welcome you to worship with us again when local conditions improve and the risks associated with COVID have lessened.

3721 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 805-687-3734 EmanuelLutheranSB.org email: info@EmanuelLutheranSB.org

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