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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | APRIL 24, 2022
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St. Amand Kitchen reopens after some upgrades BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
An Ocotillo landmark restaurant is open again after shutting down for a little more than a month to make some upgrades. The owners of St. Amand Kitchen and Cocktails in Ocotillo have added more shade to their outdoor dining area, and improved its private dining area. There has been a restaurant at the corner of Ocotillo and Alma School roads for 17 years. For most of its life, it was known as D’Vine Bistro & Wine Bar. Ken and Lynn Morrow joined the ownership group in 2018 and oversaw the transformation to St. Amand, who is the patron saint of beer, wine and fine food. “We shut down for a refresh for about six weeks or so,” Ken said. “We extended the patio out to what it is now, and redid the back dining room floor, and then redid the panels going around the back that way.” They also made some changes to the menu, replacing items that aren’t ordered as much with new dishes they hope will be popular. “It was changed dramatically when we first took over from D’Vine to St. Amand,” Lynn said. “We kept all the fa-
When Ken and Lynn Morrow joined the ownership group of St. Amand Kitchen & Cocktails in 2018, they oversaw its transformation from an earlier eatery. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
vorites, … so it’s relatively the same. We have a new executive chef, and that’s been wonderful.” Ken said it wasn’t an easy decision to shut down just as they were picking up steam from the pandemic. “Very difficult and not cheap,” Ken said. “We had our reasons for doing it,
and they’re paying off. The patio extension is the best thing to come out of it.” Before, the shade on the outdoor patio was limited. By adding more cover, most diners are not out of direct sunlight except for when the sun sets late in the afternoon. They’ve added some curtains to keep the sunlight out
of diners’ eyes. “Everyone who comes back here says, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so glad the patio is extended, there’s more shade, more insulation from the weather,” Lynn said. “Hopefully, that means we’ll be able to extend it through the summer a little bit longer with more shade.” It was the second time they’ve had to close down since changing the name. The first came when the government ordered a shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ken said despite that, they were able to pay their employees during the nearly two months they were shut down. St. Amand remains one of the few places in South Chandler that has live entertainment on the weekend. “Right here in Ocotillo, we’re it,” Ken said. Lynn said in the heart of Ocotillo, the choices are limited to St. Amand and The Living Room. St. Amand usually has up to three performers and The Living Room relies on just one person or a DJ, she said. Ken and Lynn said the secret to their success in the restaurant business is to hire great people, and then get out of their way. See
AMAND on page 40
Local Reiki master publishes third book SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF
Chandler author and Reiki master Olivia Veloso couldn’t visit her native Philippines or engage in many of the activities she normally does during the pandemic, but COVID-19 hardly slowed her down. Veloso has just published her third book, “From a Place of Knowing,” which she started in April 2020 after opening her Instagram account an seeing a post that read: “When you know, teach.” While her first book, “On the Wings of Manifestations,” was about her guardian angel experiences and the second one, “Wherever You Take Me,” is about the law of attraction, her new book contains “interrelated stories of my guardian angel, the law of attraction and Reiki.” “I added unexpected and surprising twists to every chapter and as you read on, some of the experiences will make you cry, while others will make you laugh, and I added some of my true to life spiriti encounters - ghost stories that will make your hair rise,” she explained. “Without trying, the sequence of how I got to a powerful place began to naturally unfold, a place where I surrendered the control and let situations be. I started to respond to life from my
Chandler author and Reiki master Olivia Veloso has just published her third book. (Special to SanTan Sun News)
place of knowing. I wanted this book to be an easy read and as it turned out, my experiences will show my readers how they too can move forward and become aware of an amazing world where synchronized events unfold right before their eyes.”
There were other things Veloso discovered during the pandemic. “I started to receive phone calls, at first from close friends and my Reiki students who needed someone to talk to,” she recalled. “Before I knew it, I was spending two to three hours almost every afternoon attending to calls. It was my way of helping out when we were at the height of the pandemic. Most of the time, I didn’t have to say anything, all I did was listen, and that helped them know they weren’t alone and that they mattered.” After COVID restrictions were lifted, Veloso worked with Shaunte Fox, owner of Sozo Healing House in Tempe, to introduce Reiki to people. “Reiki calms and soothes, and uplifts our energy,” Veloso explained. “It helps speed up the recovery stage of any ailment. The benefits that we can get out of a Reiki treatment are endless. That was the beginning of our Open Reiki Share Days, when we offered half an hour Reiki treatments for a small fee. “And it is thanks to my Reiki students who volunteer to give treatments, to this day, we continue to give everyone the opportunity to improve their health and their quality of life.” A Reiki master for 30 years who supervises the treatments, Veloso believes “more people are turning to
holistic medicine and natural healing than ever before” in the wake of the pandemic. She established Gendai Reiki Ho, Oneness “ to contribute to the promotion of peace and restore wellness in our society.” It is a sponsor of the Usui Reiki 2022-2023 Osaka, Japan Convention and because she is a member of the Association of Gendai Reiki Ho Madrid, Spain, who are the main organizers of the Usui Reiki Convention, she will be there as a volunteer. For the first time in two years, she also was able to return to the Phillipines, whereshe was the first master to introduce Genai Reiki Ho to that country. “Since there are many different lineages in western Reiki, Gendai Reiki Ho is the only system recognized by the Japanese government as the one and true Reiki. In the world of Reiki, this lineage is very important.” She will be having a reading from her book at 3 p.m. May 1 at Sozo Healing House. RSVP at: 480-266-4575 because space is limited. After that she will. be returning to the Philippines for another book presentation and signing. Information on Veloso’s Reiki and other holistic practices: 480-471-5891 or 480-266-4575 or e-mail ochiong@ hotmail.com
