Editor’s Letter

The Central Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Our home is filled with stunning natural landscapes, a vibrant collection of cultures, and an abundance of seasonal eateries and bars. From the moment the first wildflowers bloom in the Spring until the last intense days of Summer, it’s a truly unique region.

For Volume 16 of Living Lavishly, we wanted to pay homage to the artists who help make our community so special. Whether it’s through ceramics, stained glass, home decor, mixology, or any other artistic medium, the act of doing something well is an art. So sit back and take in every element of this magazine-turned-gallery while enjoying your favorite cocktail or mocktail. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we do putting it all together!

Amy Blasco

Executive Editor

Amy Blasco

Amy has 15 years’ combined experience in writing, editing, marketing, and education. A journalism graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she started her career as a reporter for the Santa Maria Sun and worked her way up to Managing Editor. She also served as Program Director at the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum and is currently the Senior Content Creator at Simply Clear Marketing and Media. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, birdwatching, baking, and working on her series of children’s books about her cat, Tortilla.

Contributors

Victoria is a financial coach on the Central Coast of California. She helps clients develop financial clarity, a strategic plan, and additional revenue streams. When she’s not working with clients or writing her latest book, she’s exploring the Central Coast with her husband and two boys. Since relocating from Bakersfield to the Central Coast, Judy has repurposed her public relations company, Salamacha PR Strategies, to write for multiple publications, including the Bay News, Sun Bulletin, SLO Tribune, Estero Bay News, and Living Lavishly Magazine.

Sarah is a dreamer, mother, rain-dancer, wine-drinker, singer, ocean-air-breather, a photographer, and a storyteller. She lives in Atascadero with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, and two dogs (a German shepherd and a bloodhound).

Molly O’Brien is a proud Cal Poly journalism alumna who’s currently working as a Los Angeles-based freelance travel writer for a number of outlets including The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel, Lonely Planet, and Bloomberg as well as her own travel website, metropolitanmolly.com.

Originally from Timisoara, Romania, Carla moved to the Central Coast with her family in 2001 and has been living here ever since. She graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing Management, back in 2018 and has been working professionally in the marketing space ever since.

Myles Jeffrey is a Certified Cicerone and homebrewer. A native of California, he now lives in Austin, Texas with his family and is completing a PhD in English at UT Austin.

Wendy is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist; travel, wine and lifestyle writer; diabetes research event planner; and mother of two. Formerly a TV news anchor, reporter and producer at KSBY and KCOY, she segued to newspaper and magazine writing; event emceeing; and volunteering for Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.

After being a writer and editor at publications from The New York Times to The Los Angeles Times, Michalene Busico moved to the Central Coast in 2021 and became Marketing Manager at Precision Construction Services, the SBA's 2023 California business. She's always on the hunt for great food and great design, and is thrilled to be writing about both for this issue of Living Lavishly.

Spring / Summer 2023

EXECUTIVE EDITOR & CONTENT STRATEGIST

Amy Blasco

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Molly O’Brien

DESIGN & LAYOUT

Emilia Bollini

MARKETING

Carla Cary

Bret

Christi Downs

George Hallam

Katie Korgan

Tina Mitchell

Aidan Weber

Recycling Note

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING OPERATIONS

Kelley Braga

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/ PHOTOGRAPHERS

Andrea Chavez

Cindy Bevans

Michalene Busico

Tyler Ellison

Myles Jeffrey

Sarah Kathleen

Ariana Lovato

Judy Salamacha

Victoria Sexton

Wendy Thies Sell

Shelly Van Rozeboom

This magazine is 100% recyclable. It can be put in blue recycling bins, dropped off at the SLO County Library (if this issue is less than a year old), or even mailed to MagazineLiteracy.org, which distributes old magazines to children, teens and adults who are at risk of illiteracy.

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This is a publication of Simply Clear Marketing, Inc., Copyright 2007-2022 all rights reserved. One free copy per person. Additional copies can be obtained at our offices at 615 Clarion Court, #2, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401. Simply Clear Marketing and Media makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of its contents. Please notify us if information is incorrect.