Santa Cruz Waves June/July 2020 Issue 7.1

VOL 7.1

JUNE/JULY 2020

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SANTA CRUZ WAVES M AG A ZINE

OUR PROCEDURES MAY BE DIFFERENT BUT THE VIBE IS STILL ALIVE. 3 GENERATIONS STRONG, SURFING SANTA CRUZ SINCE 1969

PUBLISHER TYLER FOX

EDITOR ELIZABETH LIMBACH

PHOTO EDITOR JAIME BODDORFF

PHOTOGRAPHY

SCW PHOTOGRAPHERS TYLER FOX BRYAN GARRISON JOEL HERSCH DAVE "NELLY" NELSON

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JOSH BECKER RYAN "CHACHI" CRAIG TAYLOR GINIECZKI SAVANNAH HAYES TYLER HOPKINS PAIGE MCQUILL AN BERNARDO SALCE RYAN TUT TLE MIKE THOMAS GEOFF WHITMAN

EDITORIAL

WRITERS DAVE DE GIVE TYLER FOX JOEL HERSCH NEAL KEARNEY MAT T MILLER ARIC SLEEPER KYLE THIERMANN

PROOFREADER JOSIE COWDEN

DESIGN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR JOSH BECKER

DESIGNER JULIE ROVEGNO

PRESIDENT STEPHANIE LUTZ

CFO SARAH CRAFT

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES K ATE K AUFFMAN SADIE WIT TKINS

OFFICE MANAGER JENNIFER POLI

SALES & OPERATIONS

DISTRIBUTION MICK FREEMAN FOUNDER / CEO TYLER FOX

YOUR COMMUNITY SURF SHOP

Come by and say hi!

On the Cover: Candra Jordan gleefully glides across an emerald wall somewhere in Santa Cruz.

Photo: Bryan Garrison / @wetfeetphoto

The content of Santa Cruz Waves magazine is Copyright © 2020 by Santa Cruz Waves, Inc. No part may be reproduced in any fashion without written consent of the publisher. Santa Cruz Waves magazine is free of charge, available at more than 100 local distribution points. Anyone inserting, tampering with or diverting circulation will be prosecuted. Santa Cruz Waves assumes no responsibility for content of advertisements.

For advertising inquiries, please contact steff@ santacruzwaves.com or 831.345.8755.

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LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

THANK YOU

By TYLER FOX

H

ow intense has 2020 been? Our government has turned into a reality show, Kobe died in a helicopter crash, our lives have been flipped upside down by the coronavirus, and, most recently, the nation has erupted into protest over police violence.

With the pandemic, it's as if some divine power wrapped humanity up into one big straightjacket and forced us into submission—unable to grab at every want and desire; unable to consume like there is no tomorrow. Like naughty children we’ve been sent to our rooms, only allowed to leave after we’ve had sufficient time to contemplate our actions.

Not since the Spanish flu of 1918, which infected a third of the world’s population and killed more than 50 million people, have we had to deal with such a stealthy opponent— one that could infiltrate the securist of structures and decapitate the global economy with one fell swoop. To make matters worse, we now live in a digital world where we are force-fed doom and gloom like helpless geese on a foie gras assembly line.

But before I continue down this path of pessimism, I do see a glimmer of hope. I do not believe our fate rests on a fancy porcelain plate. We are fighters and I’m witnessing heroism and inspiration on a daily basis. This inspiration is not coming from the voice of our pompous POTUS but from the countless acts of kindness and compassion within our community. I know Santa Cruz is strong, but we’ve really stepped up to the plate. We’ve taken things into our own hands and raised money for protective equipment and donated our time, energy, and resources to those less fortunate.

It hasn’t been easy and I’ll admit I was questioning if this magazine was going to survive, but you’ve shown us you care.

With the help of our faithful advertisers, generous subscribers and avid readers we will live to print another day. We are brimming with gratitude and want to extend a huge thank you for the support. This road to recovery will not be quick nor will it be easy. However, through our resilience, love and support for one another I have no doubt we will emerge from the darkness stronger than ever before.

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INSIDE

INSIDE

VOLUME 7.1 - JUNE/JULY 2020

58

29

67 FIRST LOOK

18 Letter from the Founder 23 Word on the Street 24 Causes: Tiny Home Rules 29 Grom Spotlight: The Alive

DROP IN

32 Faces of Surf: Yu Sumitomo 36 In Depth: Adapting to a Pandemic 42 Behind the Lens: Bernardo Salce 55 One Shaper/One Board 56 Young Writers Contest 58 Adventure: Cycling to the Salton Sea

42 FOOD & DRINK 67 Drinks: Corralitos Wine Trail 71 Local Eats: Copper & Heat 74 Dining Guide

COOL OFF 79 Field Notes

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 2 1

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Relax•Restore•Unwind

Q:

How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your life, and have you been able to find any silver linings?

Rob Crompton, paramedic: “For myself as a paramedic, I’m always running into the possibility of getting exposed to many different types of pathogens. The challenges at this time lie in being better prepared and protected when coming in contact with possible infected patients, as well as properly decontaminating when going home to my family. ... It’s definitely been a silver lining to see some improvement in our environment and some positive effects to wildlife.”

Manu Koenig, county supervisor candidate: “Well, the traditional methods of campaigning—knocking on doors and holding events—are off the table, so I find I’m making a lot more phone calls. It’s nice because everyone’s home and happy to talk to someone new.

I’ve rediscovered the magic of the phone!

I’m also surfing more.”

Rachel Frazer, respiratory therapist: “As a respiratory therapist at Dominican Hospital, it’s been stressful and challenging at times, but I’m proud of how our hospital and co-workers have handled this pandemic locally. At home, like other moms, it’s Zoom meetings, keeping kids on task and trying to remember what day it is.”

Liz Birnbaum, founder and CEO of The Curated Feast: “During these past weeks, my team and I have worked multiple 12-hour days to support essential local businesses in their communications and outreach. … It’s been a wild ride, and I’m holding on tight. One silver lining is that we have more new client requests than ever, which is exciting."

Paige McQuillan, event planner: “As a wedding and event planner, COVID-19 has created so many unknowns for myself and my clients. It is forcing us to get creative with new ideas on how to host memorable celebrations with a small group of people or postpone until next year with fingers crossed that all has passed. One positive has been seeing the industry come together and unite more than ever before to try and make things as easy as possible for all our clients and ourselves.”

Jeff De Roza, hospitality professional: “I haven’t been able to work at all or spend much quality time with friends or family like many people. ... I have been able to surf and golf so that is one thing I’m very grateful for.”

WORD ON THE STREET

Paige Curtis, Alibi Interiors co-owner: “The COVID crisis has affected my life in mostly positive ways, and I feel fortunate to be able to say that.

My husband and I work for ourselves and had to let our team go mid-March, but the slowdown at our warehouse has allowed us to take care of our outstanding to do list, as well as given us the much needed space and time to be creative and bring new life and designs into our business.”

Matt Taylor, cinematographer: “As a cinematographer ... this time has been particularly challenging to get any work done. However, my girlfriend is a nurse in the ICU at Stanford and ... I couldn’t be more proud of the work she does and how brave she and her co-workers are. ... It wasn’t until she was actually putting herself at risk that I realized how selfless nurses really are.”

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o a N I T o D N — U — F— G N u I D L I B—

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a —

CAUSES

COULD TINY HOMES BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING CRISIS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY?

By ARIC SLEEPER

W

ith a serious lack of affordable housing in Santa Cruz County for young families, professionals, and students, it would seem that shifting the focus from building luxury apartments to smaller, modestly priced housing units would be a no-brainer. However, a lack of precedent and structure in state and local governments and financial institutions has stifled the tiny home revolution. Those who have committed to building and living in a tiny home have done so without a net, and at a greater risk than those seeking conventional housing.

“Getting a tiny house established can be so challenging on so many different levels because the business infrastructure isn’t quite there yet,” says Bela Fishbeyn, who owns a tiny home in Boulder Creek.

“For example, financing a tiny house is so hard. They’re not technically considered homes, and aren’t really eligible for mortgages.”

In 2017, Fishbeyn and her husband Spencer Wright were paying around $30,000 in rent annually in Redwood City, and wanted to find a way to invest that amount the next year into a home of their own, but a tiny one. It was also around that time that Fishbeyn found out she was pregnant. In order to make

H Spencer Wright and Bela Fishbeyn pictured with their daughter, Escher, at their Boulder Creek tiny home.

PHOTO: RYAN TUTTLE

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TINY HOMES

“ WE HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS, AND WE SHOULD BE EMBRACING ANYTHING THAT ALLOWS US TO BUILD HOUSING BETTER, FASTER, AND CHEAPER.” —MANU KOENIG

F A tiny house nestled in a Portland, Oregon yard.

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homeownership a reality for their young family, and after striking out with the bank, the couple put together enough money in a hodgepodge of equity and personal loans. However, trying to secure a Frankenstein’s monster of loans to buy a tiny house is just one of the many obstacles.

“You have to figure it all out for yourself, from the financing, to the zoning, to finding the land,” says Fishbeyn. “Then, you have to get a home delivered, and then how do you hook it up to power and water? You’re very much on your own.”

Although, the International Code Council, or ICC, did recently update the law to make the minimum habitable room area 70 square feet down from 120, most zoning codes are antiquated,

and planning departments aren’t equipped to deal with tiny homes. Some concerned citizens, like social advocate, entrepreneur, and Santa Cruz County supervisor candidate Manu Koenig, think that streamlining the processes at the planning department is the first step.

“In general, we have to fix the planning department because right now it adds tens of thousands of dollars, and months, if not years, of delay for anyone trying to do anything as simple as adding an extra bedroom,” says Koenig. “Because the permit process is so arduous, people either build without permits or they don’t build at all.”

For Koenig, the solution is to render the planning department more user-friendly by making the staff more accountable, reducing or eliminating

CAUSES

Wright and Fishbeyn navigated complex obstacles to finance, design and permit their dream home. PHOTO: RYAN TUTTLE

“WHEN YOU’RE RENTING, YOU TAKE WHATEVER YOU CAN FIND, AND YOU’RE AT THE MERCY OF THE MARKET, BUT WITH A TINY HOME YOU GET TO BE CREATIVE.”—BELA FISHBEYN fees, and making the processes easier and more transparent along the way so that little, but daunting, projects like building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) takes weeks instead of months or years. However, the building codes need to be changed in order to make tiny home living more accessible—and legal.

“We’ve started to do that with ADUs, by eliminating fees on an ADU under 800 square feet,” says Koenig. “So, there is an attempt to streamline, but I think we could do more, like allowing an ADU to be a tiny house. We have a housing crisis, and we should be embracing anything that allows us to build housing better, faster, and cheaper.”

Koenig points out that many cities in the United States have embraced the tiny home movement in order to curb housing shortages and reduce homeless populations by creating tiny home villages like Sonoma’s veteran village, and—Koenig’s ideal model— Community First! Village in Austin, Texas.

“In Austin, they’re housing 40 percent of their chronically homeless now,” says Koenig. “Housing is an essential need, and I believe housing is healthcare. In this county, we spend a ton of money on emergency healthcare and the long-term effects of the trauma of living on the street. It would be much better to deal with the problem up front and provide people with a house.”

Changing the building codes and planning processes associated with tiny homes will take time and political will, but a surplus of housing, albeit small, could bring a number of benefits to the currently under-housed and homeless.

For Fishbeyn and Wright, transitioning to tiny home life has been chaotic, but fulfilling, and they hope others follow them on the path to tiny home ownership.

“When you’re renting, you take whatever you can find, and you’re at the mercy of the market, but with a tiny home you get to be creative,” says Wright. “Even someone with a moderate income can customize their home and design their life all the way through, which does take work, but it’s very rewarding.”

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GROM SPOTLIGHT

A trio of budding rockstars steals the spotlight

By NEAL KEARNEY

A

crowd of thousands of amped-up fans at BottleRock Napa head bangs and howls to the sounds of a trio of relaxed and composed rockers.

Their sound is crisply sonic, yet crunchingly sludgy, with spacey solos and raw riffs. The crowd is so entranced they seem to forget that this band, The Alive, is opening the main stage for The Killers. What makes this performance even more spectacular is that none of the band members have a driver’s license.

The Alive consists of 15-year-old singer/guitarist Bastian Evans of Laguna, along with brothers Manoa and Kai Neukermans of San Francisco, ages 12 and 16 respectively. Kai and Bastian have been playing music

together since they were 8 years old. Little bro Monoa entered the mix at just 6 years of age when they all started skating, surfing and jamming together consistently.

Their parents met during a surf trip to Southern Chile back in the early 2000s, and reconnected years later through their mutual friend, big-wave charger and environmentalist João de Macedo. Bastian and Kai gained experience playing large shows and festivals with their previous band, The Helmets, while Manoa was gigging with Santa Cruz-based shredders The Devil’s Sliders.

When The Helmets dissolved, Evans and Kai went up to skate camp in the Sequoias to skate it out and figure out the next step. They decided to start a new band and got to

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 2 9

PHOTO: GEOFF WHITMAN

“BOTH BIG SURF AND HEAVY MUSIC HAVE THAT NEVER KNOWING WHAT’S AROUND THE CORNER ASPECT, WHICH CAN BE REALLY FUN.” —BASTIAN EVANS

work on new songs and shows. When it came time to find a bass player, Kai didn’t have to look any further than his little brother. Things clicked, and The Alive was born in January 2018 and quickly got busy playing shows.

The trio has performed at giant events such as Lollapalooza Chile, BottleRock Napa, Ohana Festival, Boardmasters Festival England, Surf, Music & Friends in Spain, Redgate Ranch Festival—Save the Waves, and WSL Kelly Slater’s Founders' Cup at the Surf Ranch, just to name a few. The Alive has opened stages for Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters with Chevy Metal, Ocean Alley, Gang of Youths, Tash Sultana, Carlos Santana, TSOL, and even Too Short. Their style is influenced by hard-rocking acts such as Queens of the Stone Age and Tool.

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They’ve got local Santa Cruz connections, as well.

Evans has known Adam Bartlett, the 13-year-old Westside charger, since they were mini-groms. They’ve played Buell Wetsuits and Surf Shop’s Jamie O’Brien meet-andgreet events and are fans of Cole Sandman’s surfing and guitar playing. They’re also fans and friends of the Santa Cruz Cousin Band. Whenever they come into town they hit up all the best breaks and skateparks with Bartlett and his crew of gifted grommets. They’ve done lots of events with nonprofits working to protect beaches and surf spots, like Surfrider Foundation and Surfers Against Sewage from the UK, and were named ambassadors for the Davenport-based Save the Waves Coalition.

Earlier this year, before shelter-in-place brought

GROM SPOTLIGHT

The Alive's busy schedule to a halt, Waves managed to wrangle all three members for a short roundtable discussion.

What soundtrack plays in your head when you paddle out into heavy surf? How would you compare heavy waves to heavy surf?

Bastian Evans: Usually a Tool song or maybe a Black Sabbath song will be stuck in my head in bigger surf.

I think both big surf and heavy music have that never knowing what’s around the corner aspect, which can be really fun.

What kinds of tricks or rituals do you use to calm the nerves when performing in front of so many people?

Manoa Neukermans: I just focus on playing. That way I think less about the crowd. I started playing bass with The Devil’s Sliders when I was 8 and that gave me more confidence at shows. Sometimes I get the most nervous at small gigs because people are right there looking at you.

Describe a day in the life of The Alive. I know there are some geographic challenges that make jamming every day difficult for you guys, but when you do link up, what is it like?

Kai Neukermans: School … I’m usually late—sorry teachers! Then in the afternoon, I go to the skate park

for a couple hours. After, I practice drums, do homework, eat, and sleep. Repeat daily. Manoa usually skimboards or surfs after school. As far as music, my brother and I come up with some riffs/song ideas on our own, and Bastian does the same. When we get together we’re amped to play and share our new ideas.

That’s usually how songs come together, but we also record and share ideas on the phone.

If you could get kidnapped by one heavy metal band and travel the world with them, which would it be and why?

Bastian: I would definitely travel the world with Tool.

Their music is so heavy and unique. I would also want to see one of their live performances because I haven’t seen them yet.

What's your most insane memory of being onstage?

What did it feel like in the moment?

Kai: I’d have to say BottleRock when I played a drum solo at the end of “Black Dog.” It was the biggest crowd I’d ever played to, so I gave it everything I had, and the crowd lit up. It was an epic moment! Really, anytime people are stoked on your music is pretty sweet.

PHOTO: GEOFF WHITMAN

Find The Alive online at thealive.net and on Instagram at @the.alive.

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YU CAN GET IT IF HE REALLY WANTS

FACES OF SURF

Japanese-born surfboard developer Yu Sumitomo defies the odds

By NEAL KEARNEY

A

s an inspiration for overcoming adversity, you could do worse than look to local surf technology entrepreneur Yu Sumitomo. Born in Tokyo, Japan, the affable businessman and skilled waterman fell in love with Santa Cruz at age 15, when he and three of his other countrymen came for winter in ’88. After this pivotal experience, Sumitomo has found himself drawn back to his adopted home time and time again, despite a plethora of personal and business setbacks that could easily buckle the strongest.

Growing up, the Sumitomos did not have it easy. His father was a surfer and made a scant income producing surfboards and wind surfboards under his Burleigh Heads label, named after the famous surf break located on the Gold Coast of Australia. The surf industry in Japan wasn’t yet big enough for Sumitomo’s dad to make a good income; all he could afford was a single room for himself, his wife, and their three children. They’d cook, eat, watch TV, and sleep in the cramped quarters. Japan’s conservative culture looked down on surfers, which didn’t help matters.

“Back then, being a surfer is [to be] a bit of a jerk,” explains the jovial businessman over a cup of coffee at his home in Twin Lakes, this past winter. “My dad had to deal with being stereotyped by society, who thought of surfers as bums or adulterous drug addicts.”

Despite the odds, the elder Sumitomo was eventually able to turn Burleigh Heads into a highvolume surf and wind surfboard factory with a wealth of skilled labor. The Sumitomo-Santa Cruz connection was established when Randy French, of Surftech fame, began doing stints shaping boards for Burleigh Heads. Not long after, local legends Doug Schroedel and Steve Coletta followed suit.

Every weekend, the Sumitomo family spent time at the beach, an hour’s drive from Tokyo. Like his father, Sumitomo fell in love with surfing, and made friends with a crew of surf-crazed groms. By the time he’d finished junior high, the highest required education level, the stylish goofyfooter was shredding. His father sent him and three of his pals to Santa Cruz in 1988 to experience the powerful winter surf. They rented a place on Pleasure Point and

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY YU SUMITOMO

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FACES OF SURF

surfed every day—with Schroedel shaping their boards and keeping an eye on the brave boys.

“Santa Cruz used to be a scary place for a visitor. I saw so many guys get kicked out of the water, getting beat up and everything,” remembers Sumitomo.

In between stints in Santa Cruz, Sumitomo and his pals began traveling all over Japan to compete. As opposed to relying on a sponsor, Sumitomo funded his adventures by working three 16-to-18-hour days for his father. Armed with a $100 payday, the boys would cram into a van to explore and compete at the best breaks in the country. This era of freedom and fun ran out when Sumitomo’s light drinking and marijuana use during parties evolved into using heavy drugs with unsavory characters.

“When I used hard drugs, I knew I can’t hang out with my old friends; they just knew something was different about me,” admits Sumitomo.

Fed up with his environment, Sumitomo moved to Santa Cruz at age 19.

It was the early ’90s and this time around he wasn’t a small kid, he was a full-grown man, which made him a more appealing target for loudmouth locals.

“So many times, guys would paddle up to me and say, ‘Beat it, you fucking nip!’ I didn’t like it but I’m a visitor, so I tried not to let it get to me,” he reflects. “If things got out of control, I had people on my side.”

Supporting himself posed a problem, considering his limited English vocabulary. So, he headed to the closest sushi joint, Pink Godzilla on 41st Avenue, where he began working just enough to get by, assisted by the nutrition of daily fresh fish. He and some friends rented a pad on East Cliff, surfing daily, yet it wasn’t long before the shadow that had enveloped him in Japan caught back up with him.

“I did a little homeless time in Santa Cruz. No motivation, no place to live, only my van,” recalls Sumitomo. “I was going crazy, no hope, no nothing, only 25 cents in my pocket. I sold my van for $1,500 to go back to Japan.”

Moving back in with his parents had the 24 year old going crazy, yet he caught a break from his dad, who gave him a position as a sales rep for Burleigh Heads. This offer not only allowed him to move into his own place, it jumpstarted Sumitomo’s inner salesmen, giving him a sense of direction. He put in 35,000 miles his first year, touring surf shops all over Japan, promoting surfboards.

Over the next 10 years, Sumitomo put in many more thousands of miles selling surfboards. Everything came to a halt when his father suffered a serious stroke that forced him to give up his thriving business.

“This was when the economy in Japan was doing super bad,” Sumitomo says. “All the factory workers relied on that paycheck. My manager and I figured that we had to do something, so I stepped up to get a loan from the bank and bought the factory from my dad.”

Around this time, Sumitomo met his wife, Eri Umeki, who happened to have family living in Campbell, California. After they married, they decided to move back to the United States to raise a family. He found work with French’s Surftech brand, on a quest to create lighter and stronger surfboards. His work found him spending eight months out of the year living in China, where the boards were produced.

The demands of work began to put a strain on Sumitomo’s marriage. The stress was leading him to find peace in drink and smoke. Then, a routine wipeout during a business trip in Japan forced him to start taking better care of himself: the lip of a closeout tube landed on his head, breaking his neck. Thankfully, he wasn’t paralyzed, but the recovery was brutal. It got in the way of work and put their plans to have children on hold as he healed.

In short order, fate would rake Sumitomo’s soul with its sharp talons yet again. Attempting to ride a hydrofoil surfboard for the first time in 2016, he fell at high speed, and the cleaver-like rudder connected with his face, nearly tearing it off. Thanks to skilled surgeons, he miraculously walked away without being disfigured for life.

By this time Sumitomo’s deal with Surftech had ended, and doctors discovered a serious heart problem that required two heart surgeries, from which he’s made a full recovery. Despite these life-shaking health ordeals, he and his wife were able to raise two children, move back to Santa Cruz, and continue to innovate surfboard construction with his patented “Thunderbolt” epoxy/PVC technology that he and his team in China have refined to near perfection.

Now 48, Sumitomo is working tirelessly to provide for his family, yet still manages to sneak in surfs when he can, entranced by the same epic surf and culture that had greeted him as a wide-eyed, fish-out-of-water teen.

THE LIP OF A CLOSEOUT TUBE LANDED ON HIS HEAD, BREAKING HIS NECK. THE RECOVERY WAS BRUTAL, AND IT FORCED HIM TO START TAKING BETTER CARE OF HIMSELF.

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FINDING THE NEW NORMAL

IN DEPTH

“Recognize that there is opportunity here that has never been here before. …

This is uncharted territory.”—Dr. Jill Lauren

By JOEL HERSCH

N

ot many people would have predicted that when the most daunting crisis of the century arrived on our doorstep, the collective call to action would be to do less.

Do not leave your home unless it’s essential, do not shake people’s hands when you greet them, and do not gather in crowds.

All of these new norms have been established to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, which some have compared to a fire that needs oxygen— except, in this case, the fire is a deadly disease and the oxygen it requires is people in close contact with one another. The only way to shut it down? Starve the disease of its fuel.

With no rulebook about how to re-draft cultural norms that keep society safe from COVID-19, people have largely been left to their own devices. This is the first time high school students have coordinated their own proms through video conferencing, friends share happy hour drinks over FaceTime, and face masks— the 2020 clothing item nobody should leave home without—have become fashion accessories.

All of these tactics have helped to ease the transition and slowly establish a new normal, which some feel is just as important for people’s well-being as the safety measures themselves.

Dr. Catherine S. Forest, a faculty member at UC San Francisco’s Natividad Family Medicine Residency

H Dr. Jill Lauren, who works for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Urgent Care in Santa Cruz, attaches photos of herself with her family to the front of her medical gown to make patients more comfortable while being tested for COVID-19. PHOTO: TAYLOR GINIECZKI

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FINDING THE NEW NORMAL

Above: Dr. Catherine S. Forest, founder of Project PPE for the Central Coast, shows a batch of masks being fabricated at Idea Fab Labs in Santa Cruz. Opposite page top: Jacob Lang, who works at Idea Fab Labs, prepares the laser cutter to create the shapes for new face masks. PHOTOS: JOEL HERSCH

Program in Salinas and family physician, says that a critical focus for the country is rewriting notions of what’s normal.

“This summer, we really need to figure out testing, [but equally important] we need to be honing in on cultural shifts,” she says. “Shifts that will support disease prevention and support our isolation in quarantine. … It will be about making those things OK for Americans.

Somehow finding a common language of, ‘what does it look like to move into the second half of this year safely?’”

Forest says this might mean developing ways to stay physically apart while nurturing human connection remotely with more regularity and intention. She also thinks we must meditate on the fact that surviving the pandemic is a global effort that requires unity.

“We are all in this together,” she says. “It can be a unifier and I’m

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hoping that there is some kind of a collectivity around that element that will help us through.”

While the number of confirmed cases in the United States has surpassed 1.7 million, Forest says that local communities were spared from a worse viral wave, with more deaths, because they took the crisis seriously and isolated early on.

“I’m very proud of our state— people here have done a great job at slowing the spread,” says Forest, speaking to Waves in May, when officials were considering how to reopen the economy. "If we do open up in an unsafe way, the result will likely be a big surge in infection and that will have dire consequences. That will be really hard for health professionals, knowing that additional deaths could have been avoided.”

Forest is also the founder of Project PPE for the Central Coast, which partnered with Idea

Fabrication Labs to make personal protection equipment (PPE) like face masks, of which there have been widespread shortages.

Supplying PPE for high-risk medical workers and vulnerable populations will be key in slowing the spread of COVID-19, which will buy time for that slow crawl toward herd immunity—a point that Forest says could take two to four years to reach.

While many people are doing their best to adjust to this complicated new lifestyle, the toll these changes take for many Americans is heavy. For those who have lost all work options and are struggling to put food on the table, the restrictions can seem worse than the disease itself.

That leaves the country on a deadly teeter totter, tipped on one side by the citizenry’s desire to get back to work and earn money—as well as a desire to return to some

IN DEPTH

semblance of their social lives—and weighted on the other side by the scientific predictions, and chronicling, of hospitals becoming overwhelmed with sick patients and a death toll that has passed 100,000.

With this in mind, local officials are tweaking health orders carefully in order to open economies, while staying poised to ramp up tighter regulations if needed.

As of press time, measures included restrictions on beach access, save for exercise and ocean access.

In an April 30 press conference, Santa Cruz County Public Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel stated that exercising outdoors carries an extremely low risk for viral transmission, but that sitting in groups is a different story.

“If people are moving in the outdoors, it’s nearly impossible for this virus to land … including for people in the ocean,” she said.

Newel said the county has grappled with the issue of non-residents visiting the area, particularly beaches, during shelter-in-place.

“In terms of restricting movement, there are basic constitutional issues that even a health officer order can’t change, even under pandemic situations,” she explained.

PHOTO: TYLER FOX

Supplying PPE widely for high-risk medical workers and vulnerable populations will be key in slowing the spread of COVID-19, which will buy time for that slow crawl toward herd immunity —a point that Forest says could take two to four years to reach.

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FINDING THE NEW NORMAL together, and that that will galvanize us into a better world.”

Some people have been able to maintain employment by working from home, which has saved them from daily commutes to an office, and also bought them more time with their families.

The health crisis has also laid bare the crucial need for reliable, affordable healthcare coverage.

“We need to continue to expand options for people to get health care that is not necessarily tied to their employer,” says Santa Cruz County 1st District Supervisor John Leopold.

“Because what we’ve seen is an incredible drop in the number of people with jobs.”

While the vast majority have been called upon to do much less in an effort to prevent disease transmission, a smaller population of essential workers have been called upon to do much more.

Dr. Todd Mitchell, a physician for Dominican Hospital, has been commuting since the coronavirus outbreak to work in hospitals in Alameda County (which had 1,797 cases and 118 deaths as of early May) and Santa Clara County (2,244 cases and 118 deaths).

“It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” Mitchell says. “The most important message right now is, there needs to be really universal buy-in to the concept of wearing a face covering whenever one is out in public, so from the moment you leave your house until the moment you step back into your house, you are wearing a mask, so we can all protect each other.”

Dr. Jill Lauren, who works for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Urgent Care in Santa Cruz, meets with patients outside under pop-up tents, where she administers COVID-19 tests. Because

PHOTO: TYLER FOX

The governor’s office, however, could implement a quarantine that would prevent traveling of any kind.

"That would restrict visitors from coming into our county,” Newell said.

“It would also restrict our residents from leaving the county and I don’t think any of us would be very happy about that either. That would be a restriction that would include all travel, including essential activities.”

Looking forward, Forest hopes that the pandemic will, at the very least, help to eventually reshape some of the partisan rhetoric and toxicity across the political spectrum.

“The silver lining is: can we as a people pull together and erase some of the nationalism [in this country]?” she says. “I think how we’re led through this will have a lot to do with it. And that somehow, we can experience having survived or endured this

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PHOTO: TYLER FOX

IN DEPTH

“ The most important message right now is, there needs to be really universal buy-in to the concept of wearing a face covering whenever one is out in public, so from the moment you leave your house until the moment you step back into your house, you are wearing a mask, so we can all protect each other.”—Dr. Todd Mitchell

her face is mostly obscured by PPE, Lauren has taped a photo of herself with her daughter on the front of her medical gown. It’s “an attempt to humanize the moment” with those she’s testing for the virus.

Over the last several months of the pandemic, Lauren has maintained a journal. She shared a recent entry with Waves, titled “Adapt. Accept. Appreciate.”

“Adapt to life as it is. It is not

changing any time soon,” it reads.

“Go through your grief stages, take your time, and arrive at acceptance.

Appreciate that there are silver linings everywhere. There is unexpected quality time with your family, time you may not have realized you needed but did. There is less traffic, less crowds.

The sky is clear and the air is clean. You are not on a ventilator today. You are alive today.”

The entry then pivots into a new consideration: opportunity.

“Recognize that there is opportunity here that has never been here before. The wheel is being re-invented in so many ways and you can be part of that life-changing/soulchanging experience. If you have an idea about a better way to do things in your community, develop it and share it. …

This is uncharted territory.”

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B E R N A R D O

S A L C E PHOTOGRAPHER BERNARDO SALCE EXPANDS HIS VIEW OF THE WORLD, ONE SHOT AT TIME

BY ARIC SLE E PE R

W

hen it’s been months since you’ve left the Santa Cruz work/ life bubble, and the world at large becomes an afterthought, the small, first-world problems we experience each day can become blown out of proportion—like finding a decent parking space at Trader Joe’s, or—in pre-pandemic times—getting stuck behind a family fanning out on the sidewalk. When trivial obstacles push photographer Bernardo Salce to annoyance, he reminds himself of all the people and places he’s visited over the years.

"A woman from the Hmong tribe takes a break during a trek through the mountains of Sa Pa, Vietnam."



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BEHIND THE LENS

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BEHIND THE LENS

"A man works at his stall in an open-air food market in Bangkok, Thailand."

“ What connects us all is much stronger than what separates us.”

“Even today, I was trying to add some pictures to my computer, but it was going so slow, and I was getting frustrated,” says Salce. “But then I remembered some people don’t have water, or have to walk miles just to get it.”

Born and raised in Brazil, Salce received a master’s degree in environmental law in 2008. But he soon discovered his spirit was too restless to stay cooped up in a law office all day in Brazil, and he moved to Cape Town, South Africa. There, he realized his ambition to use photography as a tool to tell stories about social and environmental issues. He continued his studies in Lisbon, Portugal for environmental education and then traveled

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BERNARDO SALCE

"An elderly woman carries buckets of food and water through a muddy road somewhere in Svay Rieng province, Cambodia. There is a strong link between climate change and gender issues.

Across societies, the impacts of climate change affect women and men differently. Women are often responsible for gathering and producing food, collecting water and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking. With climate change, these tasks are becoming more difficult. Extreme weather events such as droughts and floods have a greater impact on the poor and most vulnerable; 70 percent of the world’s poor are women. Despite women being disproportionately affected by climate change, they play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Women have the knowledge and understanding of what is needed to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to come up with practical solutions. But they are still a largely untapped resource.

Restricted land rights, lack of access to financial resources, training and technology, and limited access to political decision-making spheres often prevent them from playing a full role in tackling climate change and other environmental challenges."

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BERNARDO SALCE

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BEHIND THE LENS

“No matter whether you’re in South America, Asia, or Colombia, we have the same dreams.” all over the globe, shooting photos for a variety of nonprofits, from Cambodia, to South America, to Santa Cruz, California, where he now uses his skills as a visual storyteller for Patagonia. Waves recently asked Salce to share his perspectives and passions.

How have you evolved as a photographer since you started?

When I started, I was doing more landscape photography because that’s what I had around me, and I was a little shy. But when I started working for a photo agency, I had to follow their style and aesthetic, so I didn’t have a lot of room to develop my own voice as a photographer. It was great because I learned the technical aspects, but I didn’t really become myself as a photographer until I moved to Southeast Asia. I had the freedom and moved from landscapes and scenery to more street scenes, cultural stories, and people. I still shoot landscapes sometimes, but I love just grabbing one camera, one lens, and just walking around a city and talking to people.

"Mrs. Huot Sarom, a Cambodian symbol of resilience and the fight against human rights violations perpetrated by the Cambodian government, poses for a portrait at her property in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She had been forced off all but one of her 4.67 hectares of land. Land violations are the most prominent and prevalent form of human rights violations occurring in Cambodia today."

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BERNARDO SALCE

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BEHIND THE LENS

“I also like to show the beauty in the little things. We get busy with our daily lives and routines and we just stop seeing things.”

What are some of the themes or messages you try to convey with the images you capture?

When I was getting my master’s degree, one of my focuses was to use photography as a tool for environmental education, and I think that’s one of the things I’m trying to achieve with my work—to show people that what connects us all is much stronger than what separates us. Also, to inspire people to be in love with the world and with the environment and with each other. Because we are all the same, no matter whether you’re in South America, Asia, or Colombia, we have the same dreams. I also like to show the beauty in the little things. We get busy with our daily lives and routines and we just stop seeing things.

Photography can help us to stop and look around.

How does your social and environmental work complement your art?

Working at a nonprofit in South America, I learned how culture interferes with our perception of the environment and how that affects the way we deal with environmental problems. I’ve worked for a lot of research and education projects, and most recently, in Brazil, I was working as the operations manager for a nonprofit focused on women’s empowerment and environmental education. Those experiences give me a better understanding of social and environmental issues, which really benefits me as a photographer because I can take pictures to better represent those issues.

It also gives me access to those stories.

"A mother carries pieces of wood and her son in Bagan, Myanmar."

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BERNARDO SALCE "A man bikes past Hawa Mahal ('Palace of Winds'), in Jaipur, India.

Built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and featuring 953 small windows, it was designed to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen, since they had to obey the strict rules of 'purdah,' which forbade them from appearing in public without face coverings."

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BEHIND THE LENS

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BERNARDO SALCE

"A man walks his camels through the Thar Desert, India. About 40 percent of the total population of Rajasthan live in the Thar Desert, and their main occupation is agriculture and animal husbandry."

How do you try to make your work stand out?

It’s going to sound very simplistic, but I just try to be myself, and make pictures that are authentic, and present how I see the world. I feel like these days people are tempted to get likes on Instagram, so they end up changing their style, or only taking certain kinds of pictures because they know they’re going to get likes with those kinds of pictures. Say you post a picture of a pretty sunset—you’ll get hundreds of likes. But if you post a powerful portrait of someone or a complex image, people don’t stop to read the caption. I just try to be free. It’s like an instinct almost. Let it flow naturally. Don’t think too much during the process.

Otherwise, you’ll just block yourself.

What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of your work?

I feel like it’s more than just taking pictures: It’s everything that I’ve learned, the people that I’ve met, and the experiences I’ve had through photography. If it wasn’t for photography I wouldn’t have traveled to all of those places, and I wouldn’t be here. It was my camera and my curiosity that pushed me. The most rewarding thing for me is the people that I’ve met, and all their stories that made me grow as a person and really learn a lot.

Find Salce online at bernardosalce.com and on Instagram @bernardosalce.

"Using a local traditional technique, a man fishes for crabs at an estuary in the state of Bahia, Brazil."

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SANTA CRUZ

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ONE SHAPER, ONE BOARD

STO RY

PHOTO: PAIGE MCQUILLAN

Creation

By TYLER FOX

PHOTO: PAIGE MCQUILLAN

For more info on the next Locus Surfboards shaping workshop, visit locussurfboards. com. To learn more about Sustainable Surf’s EcoBoard project, visit sustainablesurf.org.

To watch me dance with my new board find @zorro_del_mar on Instagram.

PHOTO: TYLER HOPKINS

F

or an avid wave rider, the bond between surfer and surfboard can be a strong one. So strong, in fact, that countless hours are spent away from family and loved ones while we chase yet another opportunity to play in the ocean and dance with these objects that bring us so much joy. We give them nifty names. Adorn them with vibrant colors. We kiss, cradle and caress them. Our surfboards mean the world to us, yet much of the surfing population has never witnessed one’s creation.

To watch as a master shaper whittles a crude block of foam down into a voluptuous beauty or paints on color like a modern-day Picasso is truly a marvelous sight.

After years of sitting sidecar in the shaping bay I finally found the opportunity to build one of my own. With the generous donation of an eco-blank from Sustainable Surf and the guidance of local shaping guru Tyler Hopkins of Locus Surfboards, I was off to the races. I quickly learned how to handle the powerful planer without chopping off a finger. Measuring thickness and width to the fractions of an inch. Gently moving my hands across the deck and rails searching for inconsistencies all the while doing my best to soak up this newfound knowledge.

There are aspects in the process that happen quickly and aspects that require the utmost attention to detail, and I’m thrilled to have just completed my first-ever shred sled. Fingers crossed, she’ll move like a magic carpet, but even if she’s more slug than speedster I’ll still be stoked to have experienced this. The amount of time, hard work, passion and creative genius these shapers and glassers put into each one of their creations is truly astonishing, and I hope you readers make time, at least once in your life, to take a peek behind the veil into this wonderful labor of love.

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T

The Young Writers Challenge

he Young Writers Challenge is an ongoing contest challenging our community’s youth to pull out the pen or pencil, typewriter or keyboard and let their creativity flow. Our staff will pick one favorite submission to print in the following issue. This month’s winner is Blue Distefano, a 13 year old who sent us their hand-sketched zine titled “Respecting Queer and Trans Folks.” Thank you Blue, and keep up the great work educating us about this important topic.

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YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST

Submission Guidelines: If you are 18 or under, live in Santa Cruz County, and would like to submit a story, email your 300-word (give or take) entry to info@santacruzwaves.com with YOUNG WRITERS in the subject line, or snail mail it to Santa Cruz Waves, PO Box 7203, Santa Cruz, CA 95062.

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ADVENTURE

SAND SNOW A

N

D

EXPLORING THE WILDNESS OF JOSHUA TREE AND THE SALTON SEA ON TWO WHEELS

By Matt Miller

I

t was the kind of cold where you’d try to keep your body immobile, in order to maximize the loft in your questionably adequate sleeping bag. It was our second night out, and it proved colder than the first. We woke up on the morning of day three on the southern end of Joshua Tree National Park, with ice covering our tents and our water bottles frozen.

Bikepacking necessitates you make certain compromises on comfort to make the cut for what you can carry. What you lose in carrying capacity, however, you more than make up for in experience.

Sometimes though, you still end up

asking yourself: “Why did I do this?”

Our crew was a new assemblage.

Jon, Troy, and I have been bikepacking together for years. Josh and Mike knew each other through the bike and photography world, and were natural additions to the crew. The five of us rolled out of Cottonwood Campground to pay our dues with Jim, the ranger who, after some convincing, allowed us to camp at the day-use picnic area since the campground was full. We rode down Red Canyon, descending a textured palette of eroded earth down into a big wash, which we followed all the way down to the Salton Sea.

H The crew finds snow on day one, an indication of what might be in store for the trip.

PHOTO: MIKE THOMAS

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E Fossil-fuel-free bikes displayed with myriad art installations in East Jesus.

PHOTO: JOSH BECKER

H East Jesus host and spokesperson Moon is a former BBC documentarian who now lives full time in East Jesus. PHOTO: JOSH BECKER

F The crew from left to right: Troy, Matt, Jon, Josh, and Mike. PHOTO: MIKE THOMAS

He told us that today was another beautiful day on spaceship Earth.

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ADVENTURE

You still end up asking yourself: “Why did I do this?”

The allure of hot mineral springs led us to camp at the Fountain of Youth RV Resort, parking our bikes next to a 50-foot RV with a satellite and a couple of extra cars. This resort is an official wintering ground for “snowbirds,” northerners who move to warmer, southern states in winter. This place proved to be an interesting juxtaposition with where we were headed.

Day four started with riding through undulating desolation for 16 miles south to East Jesus, an eclectic art museum in Slab City. When we arrived, the resident host, Moon, enthusiastically told us the story of its founder, Charlie Russell, and his vision

for a world without garbage, and said that today was another beautiful day on spaceship Earth. Moon explained that he originally came out to East Jesus to make a BBC documentary and then never left. We were lauded for arriving on fossil-free vehicles.

East Jesus has beautiful and bizarre art made out of garbage, shining a light on consumption and humans’ greed for natural resources. It possesses a harrowing beauty and a good reminder of all the stuff we manufacture, consume, and dispose of. People create an incomprehensible amount of waste, and East Jesus has demonstrated this viscerally through art.

We rolled out of East Jesus and through Slab City. Slab is an old WWII marine training ground, Fort Dunlap, with only the concrete slabs remaining— hence the name. All of the folks residing there are technically squatting, in an interesting case of lawless and uncontrolled territory owned by the State of California. The main tourist draw here is Salvation Mountain, which is a massive, colorful, adobe visionary environment covered with passages from the Bible. It was built over a few decades and is now overseen by a 501c3 nonprofit and stewarded, ostensibly, by a group of locals. The creator, Leonard Knight, wanted to share his message

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E The final epic descent down Palm Canyon descends 3,500 feet in about 20 miles into Palm Springs. PHOTO: JOSH BECKER H On the shore of the Salton Sea you find shore birds, fish bones, and tires—the storied past of the Salton Sea is visible right at sea level. PHOTO: JOSH BECKER F Grocery shopping in Bombay Beach.

PHOTO: MIKE THOMAS

of love and light and used adobe, hay, cement, sand, and an estimated 100,000 gallons of paint to create this man-made mountain.

As we exited Slab City, a brightly painted outpost reminded us, “Caution, reality ahead.”

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ADVENTURE

Reality, of course, is relative.

Reality, of course, is relative. As we pedaled out of Slab City toward Bombay Beach, the reality we entered still felt pretty out there. Miles of desert wash and long trains with tagged rail cars stretched on to our right, with miles of soupy substrate and the Salton Sea to our left. Our target destination was the Ski Inn for some beer and onion rings.

As we walked in, our eyes caught a sea of dollar bills—thousands, taped all over the place. The beer is good and the people are kind, but finding a place to put your dollar bill will give you a run for your money. We meandered out to the beach for sunset to see the purple

orange hues illuminate the chalky white, fish-bone-riddled shore.

We grabbed snacks at the one market in Bombay Beach and then rode 15 miles in the cold dark all the way to Salton Sea State Park to set up camp.

What we’ll put ourselves through for a picnic table and water …

We awoke on day five and spent some of the morning down by the water, with hundreds of Bonaparte's gulls and a few beautiful American avocets. We rode back from the semiforgotten Salton Sea along flat, windy miles of road, emerging into expansive golf communities complete with

Porsches, bike/golf cart lanes, and green manicured lawns. Soon, we headed up into the San Jacinto Mountains for our final epic descent.

In six days, we rode through and experienced some little-known pockets of California, meeting new characters, exploring the backcountry, having some adventure, and learning about what happens when an inland sea is accidentally created.

To read more about the trip, and to see a video and additional photos, search for “Sand and Snow” on theradavist.com.

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FÂ Descending Red Canyon trail, miles of eroded, textured, and dry landscape en route to the Salton Sea. PHOTO: MIKE THOMAS

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FOOD & DRINK

HAPPY TRAILS The Corralitos Wine Trail produces exceptional wines born in an idyllic country setting

By DAVE DE GIVE

S

ituated from Pleasant Valley to Watsonville and about 20 minutes south of Santa Cruz, the six wineries along the Corralitos Wine Trail are sprinkled throughout a landscape of orchards, flower farms, and redwood forests.

“The Corralitos area is renowned for its ability to grow all kinds of exotic fruits and flowers that don’t work anywhere else,” says viticulturist and wine industry expert Prudy Foxx. “I have seen amazing flowers, old-fashioned roses, the most sumptuous apples ever, [and] exotic rare tropical fruits. ... It just turns out that wine is really fun and does really well so it is becoming the fruit of choice among so many unique options.”

While the ocean might not be the first thing that comes to mind when

describing the sunny Corralitos Wine Trail terroir, the proximity to Monterey Bay makes for an ideal growing area for varietals such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.

“The incredible deep waters of the Monterey Bay provide a temperature control that brings in refreshing morning coastal fog that burns off by mid morning,” says Foxx. The combination of cooler temperatures and moderated heat produces wines that age well. The coastal foothills provide rich soil from natural mountain erosion.

“The soils in Corralitos range from sandy loam at lower elevations to clay loam at higher elevations,” says Jim Schultze, who founded Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery with his wife Judy. ”This combines with the

cool climate to produce wines that have nice minerality, complex flavors and beautiful aromas.”

Historically, abundant apple orchards filled the region similar to some of the grape-growing areas of Oregon and Washington states, according to Schultze. Foxx adds that because the unique apple varieties were delicious, but didn’t ship as well, producing wine became a practical and natural commercial alternative for the region.

“Every winery on the trail is an experience in itself,” says Foxx, “sharing excellent quality wine that tells the story of the region.”

Visit corralitoswinetrail.com for more information.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORRALITOS WINE TRAIL WINERIES

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 67

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FOOD & DRINK

Trail Blazers: The wineries and vineyards of the Corralitos Wine Trail.

As of press time, all of the wineries offered online ordering and/or curbside pickup. Because of rapidly changing circumstances relating to COVID-19, be sure to call ahead or visit each establishment’s website for information about current hours, how to purchase, or with any other questions.

Alfaro Family Winery contains 56 acres of vineyards with plantings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Gruner Veltliner and Malbec. 420 Hames Road, Corralitos, alfarowine.com.

El Vaquero Winery features a 900foot hilltop Pinot Noir vineyard overlooking Monterey Bay. 2901 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, elvaquerowinery.com.

Lester Estate Wines is well known for producing a variety of Pinot Noirs, Syrahs and Chardonnays.

1950 Pleasant Valley Road, Aptos, lesterestatewines.com.

Nicholson Vineyards is run by ninth-generation Californians of Spanish and Italian ancestry who produce Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and specialty wines. 2800 Pleasant Valley Road, Aptos, nicholsonvineyards.com.

Storrs Winery and Vineyards runs an organically farmed vineyard producing a variety of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. 1560 Pleasant Valley Road, Aptos, storrswine.com.

Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards is a beautiful setting of 30 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah plantings. 550 Hazel Dell Road, Corralitos, windyoaksestate.com.

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FOOD & DRINK

Breaking the Code

Restaurant podcast promotes “being a girl” in a male-dominated industry

By DAVE DE GIVE

T

he most compelling aspect of Katy Osuna’s Copper and Heat— her popular podcast exploring the unspoken rules and traditions of restaurant kitchens—is the authentic voice she brings as a female chef in a male-dominated profession. With her university training in anthropology, sociology and journalism and extensive experience preparing food in some of the finest restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond, the Oakland resident is uniquely qualified for the task of creating her James Beard-award winning podcast.

In 2017, Osuna was working in the kitchen of Manresa, the three-Michelinstar-rated restaurant in Los Gatos, when she began hatching the idea of a podcast. It was the highest-caliber chef

job she had held yet in her then five years of professional kitchen experience, and she spent most of her time trying to keep her head above water in meeting the challenging demands of the position, all while trying to fit into an often militarylike structure of restaurant conventions that date back to 19th-century France.

“Because of my background in anthropology, I was thinking about a lot of the social interactions going on around me,” says Osuna. “After all the #MeToo stuff had come out, I was thinking a lot about my role as a woman. And it was making me really uncomfortable. Not because of anything overtly sexist—all the people I worked with were really great. But some of the systematic and cultural things I was noticing in the industry were giving me pause.”

Her observations led to the creation of “Be a Girl,” the first season of the Copper and Heat podcast, which she started with her husband, producer Ricardo Osuna.

Osuna says that some troubling statistics fueled the project: Despite the fact that institutions such as the Culinary Institute of America have reached 50 percent female enrollment, women make up only 27 percent of line cooks according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and comprise 19 percent of chefs and 7 percent of head chefs, according to the RestaurantHer website.

“And I think the guiding question for the first season was ‘why?’” Osuna says. “Why is the number of female head chefs so low? ... Anytime you hear a chef talk about their inspiration they almost

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY KATY OSUNA

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“ Anytime you hear a chef talk about their inspiration, they almost always say their mother or grandmother. Yet, women are hitting a ceiling when working in kitchens.”

FOOD & DRINK

Co-creators and husband and wife Ricardo and Katy Osuna.

always say their mother or grandmother.

Yet, women are hitting a ceiling when working in kitchens.”

She recounts a particularly galling experience she had while traveling professionally to restaurants in France with a group of fellow Manresa kitchen workers.

“In Paris, the entire savory [nondessert] side of the kitchen was young, 20-something guys,” Osuna recalls.

“They were like, ‘Wow, it's really impressive you're a woman on the savory side. Girls don't usually last very long here.’ In the meantime, they were constantly hitting on me. So, it just kind of solidified to me that women aren't taken seriously in kitchens, even by the chefs.

“Before service another night,” she goes on, “we were introduced to one of the top chefs in the country— super famous with a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Paris. He shook hands with everybody. ‘Nice to meet you, nice to meet you, nice to meet you,’ he says to

all my male coworkers. He gets to me, shakes my hand and says ‘Katy? Ooh la la!’ And continues around the circle. So that was pretty annoying to me.”

Osuna points out that the rigid environment of restaurant kitchens can be intimidating to anyone, including men and people of color, and that much like American society as a whole, people sometimes make assumptions based on ethnicity, gender, or cultural background.

In many of the Copper and Heat episodes, Osuna and her guests paint the picture of how fine-dining restaurants have long been a maledominated professional space with a code of ethics that includes expected responses of “Yes, chef,” the unwritten rule not to show any weakness, and the use of anger as a motivational tactic.

“Because it’s such a fast-paced, highstress environment, we’ve justified these things as being necessary to make things as efficient as possible,” she

explains. “Only now people are realizing that it’s not a healthy way and certainly not the only way to do things.”

Season two of the podcast—which wrapped up in May—ventured into other subjects, such as the issue of tipping and inequities in pay among restaurant employees. The way people are treated and communicate with each other is also grist for the show’s mill.

“Another clear example present in the culture of many kitchens is accepting that yelling bordering on verbal abuse is the only way to motivate people to do things properly in a kitchen,” says Osuna.

“There are a lot of these rules that I think have been ingrained in the culture of kitchens that people are just now starting to talk about and to not accept as ‘just the way it is.’”

Learn more about Copper and Heat, Katy Osuna, co-creator Ricardo Osuna, and story editor Rachel Palmer at copperandheat.com.

Further Listening: Hungry to take in more of the flavor of food culture and the regional restaurant scene?

Here are some additional and delectable food podcasts for the discerning foodie palate: The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put it on your plate.

Salt + Spine focuses exclusively on the art and craft of cookbooks with compelling stories behind their creation, evolution and long-lasting legacy.

Bite is a podcast for people who think hard about their food with a tantalizing guest list of writers, farmers, scientists, who uncover the stories behind what ends up on your plate.

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 73

* PLEASE NOTE: Restaurants need our support more than ever. Call or check a restaurant's website before visiting to learn about ordering options and in-person dining hours.

CAFE CRUZ

DINING GUIDE Downtown 515 KITCHEN & COCKTAILS

With a focus on inventive small plates and cocktails, 515 Kitchen & Cocktails has been offering a nuanced take on internationally influenced California cuisine in downtown Santa Cruz since 2006. 515 Cedar St., (831) 425-5051, www.515santacruz.com

AQUARIUS DREAM INN

Spectacular oceanfront dining just off the beach in Santa Cruz. One of Santa Cruz’s top dining destinations, Aquarius offers seafood and organic Californian cuisine. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on Sundays.

175 W. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, www.dreaminnsantacruz.com

BETTY’S EAT INN

Locally owned burger joint with a fun vibe.

Features award-winning burgers, fries, salads, beer, wine and shakes. Soak up the sun on the outdoor patios at all three locations. Expanded menu and full bar at this location only. 1222 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, (831) 600-7056, www. bettyburgers.com. Other locations: Midtown (505 Seabright Ave.) and Capitola (1000 41st Ave.).

74 | SANTA CRUZ WAVES

HULA’S ISLAND GRILL

PACIFIC THAI

ZOCCOLI’S

A Santa Cruz institution with amazing beach, boardwalk and wharf views. Open every day, featuring nightly specials and a full bar.

106 Beach St., Santa Cruz, (831) 423-3827, www.idealbarandgrill.com

PONO HAWAIIAN GRILL AND THE REEF

Harbor

KIANTI’S PIZZA & PASTA BAR

SOIF RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

California twist on Hawaiian island grill and tiki bar. 221 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-4852, www.hulastiki.com

IDEAL BAR & GRILL

Located in the heart of Downtown, stands boldly amongst fellow businesses with it’s vibrant colors and welcoming atmosphere. The indoor lively and update vibe is a crowd pleaser, with weekend performance. For those preferring a more relaxed experience, dine within the heated patio and cozy up to the fireplace. Kianti’s is as kid friendly as as they come. 1100 Pacific Ave. Santa Cruz (831)4694400 www.kiantis.com

MISSION ST. BBQ

Serving up smoked barbecue, craft beer and live music. 1618 Mission St., Santa Cruz, (831) 4582222, www.facebook.com/missionstbbq

Authentic Thai cuisine and boba teas in a modern and casual dining atmosphere. 1319 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 420-1700, www.pacificthaisantacruz.com

Traditional Hawaiian grill, poke bar, fresh ingredients, full bar. 120 Union St., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-7666, www.ponohawaiiangrill.com

Iconic delicatessen, sandwiches, salads, sides.

1534 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 423-1711,www.zoccolis.com

THE CROW’S NEST

Iconic restaurant and bar located at the harbor.

2218 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, (831) 476-4560, www.crowsnest-santacruz.com

A comfortable place to drink great wine, eat food that is as good as the wine, and then—if the wine is to your liking—buy some and take it home. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

105 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 423-2020, www.soifwine.com

Midtown

STAGNARO BROS. SEAFOOD INC.

CHARLIE HONG KONG

Seaside eatery turning out fresh seafood staples on the Santa Cruz Wharf with views of the Pacific. 59 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, (831) 423-2180

AKIRA

Sushi made with fresh-caught seafood and locally grown produce. 1222 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 600-7093, www.akirasantacruz.com Vegan-oriented menu. Southeast Asian fusion, organic noodle and rice bowls. Chicken, beef, pork and salmon offered. Family and dog friendly. 1141 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-5664, www. charliehongkong.com

FOOD&DRINK

DINING GUIDE

EL JARDÍN RESTAURANT

MALONE’S GRILLE

PLEASURE PIZZA

LA POSTA RESTAURANT

MISSION ST. BBQ

KAITO

Delicious and authentic Mexican cuisine featuring locally grown, fresh ingredients.

655 Capitola Road, Santa Cruz, (831) 477-9384, www.eljardinrestaurant.net With inventive Italian dishes crafted from local and seasonal ingredients, La Posta is a neighborhood restaurant that brings the soul of Italian cuisine into the heart of Seabright.

Open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. 538 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 457-2782, lapostarestaurant.com.

SEABRIGHT BREWERY

Rotating beer selection, with dog-friendly outdoor patio. 519 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-2739, www.seabrightbrewery.com

TRAMONTI RESTAURANT

Made with organic, local or Italian-imported ingredients, Tramonti’s authentic recipes reflect its family traditions and the simplicity and warmth of true Italian cuisine. The original Italian-style thin crust is baked in a brick oven, with fresh for di latte mozzarella and San Marzano tomato sauce.

528 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 426 7248, www.tramontisantacruz.com

Westside/Scotts Valley BRUNO’S BAR & GRILL

Offers American cuisine for lunch and dinner all week long and brunch on the weekend, plus onsite and offsite catering and banquet space for special events. With two bars, it’s the perfect spot whether you are craving burgers, steaks, ribs or salads, or just want to have some fun in Scotts Valley. 230 Mount Hermon Road, Ste. G., (831) 438-2227, www.brunosbarandgrill.com

Long-standing eatery and pub offering steak, seafood, burgers, vegetarian options and patio seating. 4402 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, (831) 438-2244, www.malonesgrille.com.

Serving up smoked barbecue, craft beer and live music. 1618 Mission St., Santa Cruz, (831) 458-2222, www.facebook.com/ missionstbbq

Quaint atmosphere specializing in ramen, sushi, Japanese tapas, beer and sake. in the heart of Pleasure Point.

830 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 464-2586,www.smilekaito.com

PARISH PUBLICK HOUSE British-influenced pub food with full bar. 841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 421-0507, www. parishpublickhouse.com

MARGARITAVILLE

SUSHI GARDEN Japanese cuisine specializing in fresh sushi, creative rolls and hot entrées. Spacious dining area with live music performances every Friday and Saturday night. 5600 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, 831-438-9260, www.sushi-garden.com

VIM

Vim is named for the energy and vitality that it brings to the Santa Cruz culinary scene. Patrons are invited to linger over approachable New American cuisine, decadent desserts, and modern cocktails. Chef Jesikah Stolaroff brings the feeling of home together with local ingredients and refined technique to create food that fills the heart. 2238 Mission St, Santa Cruz, (831) 515-7033, vimsantacruz.com

Eastside/Capitola AVENUE CAFÉ

Grass-fed beef, fun atmosphere, and a great beer menu. 1520 Mission St., Santa Cruz, (831) 425-5300, www.burgersantacruz.com

Serving traditional breakfast and lunch, along with some Mexican favorites. 427 Capitola Ave., Capitola (831) 515-7559, www.avenuecafecapitola.com

BURN HOT SAUCE

BURN HOT SAUCE

BURGER.

Burn Hot Sauce hand-made sauces are fermented for a year with local organic peppers, and are loaded with natural living probiotics. Spice levels range from mild to wild. Available at Santa Cruz Westside and Live Oak Farmers Markets. (831)888-6576

CASCADES BAR & GRILL AT COSTANOA

California cuisine, local, organic, and handcrafted ingredients. 2001 Rossi Road at Hwy 1, Pescadero, (650) 879-1100, www.costanoa.com

Offering traditional pizza, as well as new and exciting tastes and textures. 800 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 431-6058, www.pleasurepizzasc.com

Burn Hot Sauce hand-made sauces are fermented for a year with local organic peppers, and are loaded with natural living probiotics. Spice levels range from mild to wild. Available at Santa Cruz Westside and Live Oak Farmers Markets. (831) 888-6576

CHILL OUT CAFE

Breakfast burritos, espresso drinks, beautiful garden. 2860 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 477-0543, www.chilloutcafesantacruz.com

Waterfront restaurant offering a lively setting for casual Californian cuisine and cocktails.

231 Esplanade, Capitola, (831) 476-2263, margaritavillecapitola.com

SUSHI GARDEN

Japanese cuisine specializing in fresh sushi, creative rolls and hot entrées. Relaxing atmosphere with a beautiful koi pond. Separate sake bar with extensive list of sake pairings and local wine/beer during dinner. 820 Bay Ave.,831464-9192, www.sushi-garden.com

ZELDA’S ON THE BEACH

Indoor and outdoor dining with a beachfront deck, where American dishes, including seafood, are served. 203 Esplanade, Capitola, (831) 4754900, www.zeldasonthebeach.com

Soquel CAFE CRUZ

PARADISE BEACH GRILLE

Rosticceria and bar, nice atmosphere, fresh and local. 2621 41st Ave., Soquel, (831) 476-3801, www.cafecruz.com

THE POINT CHOPHOUSE

SURF CITY SANDWICH Fast-casual dining with craft sandwiches, gourmet soups, salads, and a micro-taproom.

4101 Soquel Drive, Soquel, (831) 346-6952, www. surfcitysandwich.com

Fine dining in the Capitola Village. An awardwinning beachside restaurant with spectacular ocean views. 215 Esplanade, Capitola, (831) 476-4900, www.paradisebeachgrille.com A traditional neighborhood steak “chop” house restaurant where generations of local families, friends and visitors to the area meet to celebrate in a casual setting. With good honest food, local draft beer and wine, and premium cocktails, the Point Chophouse offers something for everyone— even the little ones. Dinner and happy hour daily; breakfast and lunch weekends.

3326 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz, (831) 476-2733, www.thepointchophouse.com

PONO HAWAIIAN KITCHEN & TAP CAPITOLA

Hawaiian-style kitchen featuring 16 rotating taps with craft beer from the islands and beyond, Sabe cocktails, ciders, wine and, of course, the aloha spirit! Pupus, poke plate lunches and more. 3744 Capitola Road, 831-476-7458

THE SAND BAR

Capitola’s new hot spot for great food, cocktails, and weekly live music. 211 Esplanade, Capitola.

(831) 462-1881

SHADOWBROOK

Fine dining with a romantic setting, cable car lift.

A Capitola tradition since 1947. 1750 Wharf Road, Capitola, (831) 475-1511, www.shadowbrookcapitola.com

SOTOLA

California farmstead concept focusing on local farms, ranches and seafood. In convivial quarters with an outdoor patio. 231 Esplanade Ste. 102, Capitola, (831) 854- 2800

TORTILLA FLATS

For more than 25 years, their Mexican food has blended the fieriness of Mexico with the sophistication of French sauces, and the earthiness of the Yucatan and complexity of Santa Fe with all the freshness and lightness that Californians expect. 4616 Soquel Drive, Soquel, (831) 476-1754, tortillaflatsdining.com

Aptos/Watsonville AKIRA

Now in Aptos, sushi made with fresh-caught seafood and locally grown produce. 105 Post Office Drive, Ste. D, Aptos, (831) 708-2154, akirasantacruz.com

APTOS ST. BBQ

Santa Cruz County’s best smoked barbecue, craft brews and live blues every night. 8059 Aptos St., Aptos, (831) 662-1721, www.aptosstbbq.com

BITTERSWEET BISTRO

With its vast menu options from burgers to filet mignon, locally sourced produce, fresh fish and amazing desserts, the varied ambiance is perfect for an intimate dinner or casual gathering with family and friends. Enjoy a local beer on tap in the lounge while watching one of your favorite sports.

Relax during happy hour with a handcrafted cocktail. The heated outdoor patio welcomes good dogowners and their furry friends. 787 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos, (831) 662-9799, www. bittersweetbistro.com

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 75

FOOD&DRINK DINING GUIDE BURGER.

Grass-fed beef, fun atmosphere, great beer menu.

7941 Soquel Drive, Aptos, (831) 662-2811, www. burgeraptos.com

CAFE BITTERSWEET

Breakfast and lunch served Tuesday through Sunday. Outdoor dog-friendly patio. 787 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos, 831-662-9799, www. bittersweetbistro.com

CAFE RIO

Enjoy ocean-front dining with breathtaking views.

131 Esplanade, Aptos, (831) 688-8917, www.caferioaptos.com

CANTINE WINE PUB

Winepub serving wine, craft beer, cider, bubbles, and tapas. 8050 Soquel Dr, Aptos, www. cantinewinepub.com, 831-612-6191

FLATS BISTRO

Coffee, pastries and wood-fired pizzas.

113 Esplanade, Rio Del MarBeach, Aptos, (831) 661-5763, www.flatsbistro.com

MANUEL’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Traditional, delicious recipes, cooked fresh daily, served with a genuine smile. 261 Center Ave., Aptos, (831) 688-4848, www.manuelsrestaurant.com

PALAPAS RESTAURANT & CANTINA

SANDERLINGS IN THE SEASCAPE BEACH RESORT

Where your dining experience is as spectacular as the view. 1 Seascape Resort Drive, Aptos, (831) 688-7120, www.sanderlingsrestaurant.com

SEVERINO’S BAR & GRILL

Coastal Mexican Cuisine. Extensive tequila selection. Happy Hour, and dinner specials.

21 Seascape Blvd., Aptos, (831) 662-9000, www.palapasrestaurant.com

Award-winning chowders, locally sourced ingredients. 7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos, (831) 688-8987, www.severinosbarandgrill.com

PARISH PUBLICK HOUSE

Japanese cuisine specializing in fresh sushi, creative rolls, hot entrées and unique house specials. Casual and friendly atmosphere.

1441 Main St. Watsonville, 831-728-9192, www.sushi-garden.com

Two full bars, rotating taps, delicious pub fare, patio seating and thirst-quenching cocktails.

8017 Soquel Drive, (831) 688-4300, theparishpublick.com

PERSEPHONE

Persephone serves a seasonally changing farmto-table menu with influences ranging from Italian to Middle Eastern. All of the dishes are based on the locally available products and produce. Locally owned and family operated. 7945 Soquel Dr., Aptos, 831-612-6511, www.persephonerestaurant.com

SUSHI GARDEN - WATSONVILLE

SUSHI GARDEN - APTOS

Brand new location in Rancho Del Mar Center, serving fresh sushi/sashimi and delicious hot entrées in a spacious dining area and large communal bar seating. 38 Rancho Del Mar, 831661-0721, www.sushi-garden.com

San Lorenzo Valley COWBOY BAR AND GRILL

Sandwiches, steaks and American fare served in a kid-friendly joint with a country-western theme.

5447 Hwy 9, Felton, (831) 335-2330, www.feltoncowboy.com

THE CREMER HOUSE

The perfect spot to enjoy a cold, handcrafted beer, a glass of local wine, or a homemade soda while trying dishes using local, organic, farm-raised sustainable ingredients, as well as vegetarian items. 6256 Hwy 9, Felton, (831) 335-3976, www.cremerhouse.com

Bon appétit!

Live Here.

Call Me Today For: “Coming Soon” Properties & Off-market Listings.

STEFF LUTZ 831-345-8755 steff_lutz_realtor | stefflutz77@gmail.com | DRE #02046928

76 | SANTA CRUZ WAVES

Prevent mosquito bites this season Mosquitoes are both annoying and dangerous. They can transmit diseases like West Nile virus.

Protect

Public Health Prevent mosquitoes around your home Report neglected pools/hot tubs

DUMP & DRAIN

Manage vegetation & call us for mosquito-eating fish

Clean gutters

No water = no mosquitoes!

Dump any outdoor containers like buckets, bird baths, and pet bowls at least ONCE a week.

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM MOSQUITOES Wear long sleeves and pants when outdoors (especially dusk & dawn).

Use EPA-registered repellents, follow the label, reapply like

Dump standing water

Ensure windows and doors have tight-fitting screens

Change water in bird baths (1x/week)

Clear debris around catch basins

sunscreen, and look for these active ingredients:

DEET

IR3535

Picaridin

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

REPORT DEAD BIRDS

OUR FREE SERVICES INCLUDE: Inspection and control for mosquitoes

You can report online at:

Delivery of Mosquito-eating fish

westnile.ca.gov We pick up and test dead birds.

They are often the first indicator of West Nile virus activity in our county.

Dead bird pick-up Rodent advice and inspections

Información en Español

TRAVEL SAFELY At this time, there have been no

Identification of ticks & disease information

mosquito-transmitted infections of Zika in California, but the risk remains.

Protect yourself from mosquito bites so you don't bring Zika home.

If you or your partner is pregnant/thinking of becoming pregnant, speak with your doctor before

Santa Cruz County Mosquito & Vector Control

(831) 454-2590 --

traveling to areas with Zika (including

640 Capitola Rd

Mexico and Central & South America).

Santa Cruz, CA 95062

For more information, visit:

cdc.gov/zika

Email: Pesthelp @ agdept.com

-- Website: agdept.com/mvc/html SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 7 7

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FIELD NOTES

Unexpected Connections

By KYLE THIERMANN

Editor's Note: This column was written in pre-pandemic times, well before things like traveling by air and sharing food with strangers seemed inconceivable. It may be a while before these types of experiences return, but, in the meantime, may the author's account remind us of what we have to look forward to someday.

O

n my flight to West Africa, sometime between my second and fifth movie, I walk to the back of the plane to use the restroom. As I approach, I see four Ethiopian flight attendants sitting in a circle on the floor, eating a family-sized plate of what appears to be a hodgepodge of flatbread, red sauce, meat, and veggies with their hands.

As I wait for the bathroom, I stare.

When I see people who interest me, I stare like a little kid stares at Micky Mouse—I become so consumed by curiosity that I forget I’m in the room altogether. In elementary school this habit earned me the nickname Kyle Stare-mann. Later in

life, at bars, strangers would often greet me by saying, “what the fuck are you looking at?”

In this case, however, one of the women smiles and says, “do you want to try?” She holds out a handful of the dinner. Beneath the sound of the jet engine, I’m not sure I hear her right, so I walk closer and lean into their circle. “In our culture, we eat with our hands,” she tells me. “When someone new joins us, it’s customary that we feed them their first two bites.” Before I have time to retreat, her fingers are in my mouth, and I taste shredded chicken and a variety of spices that are foreign to me. She holds out another handful of what I soon learn is an Ethiopian bread called injera.

As I sit with the women, they tell me that injera is a staple in their country and that people have been eating it for thousands of years. They tell me the tradition of feeding another person is called gursha. They tell me that Lucy, the oldest human fossil, was found in

Ethiopia. “We are ambassadors of our country, and you must visit.”

Another passenger walks into the back of the plane to use the restroom. She is a middle-aged white woman who looks uptight. When the flight attendants offer her a handful of injera, the passenger responds with a panicked “no, thank you,” and retreats into the restroom. The women shrug and continue to tell me fun facts about their culture.

Suddenly, another flight attendant rushes to the back of the plane. “Boss is coming!” she says urgently. We scatter.

Back in my seat, with my fingers stained from the red sauce and my mouth still on fire from the spices, I enjoy the electric feeling a traveler gets from falling into a bizarre new world. The act of feeding one another with our hands is surely one of the earliest forms of gift-giving hominids ever performed, and I experienced this intimate tradition in a metal capsule, more than a mile above the Atlantic ocean.

SANTA CRUZ WAVES | 79

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PHOTO: @CHACHFILES

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