Wild Up at SBMA: GRADIENT

The modern music collective wild Upan adventurous chamber orchestra committed to creating visceral, thought-provoking happenings—comes to Santa Barbara Museum of Art on September 27 with a program inspired by Nam June Paik’s TV Clock. Featuring  Violinist Andrew McIntosh, the performance is  about space, light, and the passing of time.

Nam June Paik, TV Clock, 1963/1989. Twenty-four fixed-image color television monitors mounted on 24 pedestals. SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Grace Jones Richardson Trust, Lillian and Jon B. Lovelace, Leatrice and Eli Luria and the Luria Foundation, Zora and Les Charles and the Cheeryble Foundation, Wendy and Elliot Friedman, and Lord and Lady Ridley-Tree.

Nam June Paik, TV Clock, 1963/1989. Twenty-four fixed-image color television monitors mounted on 24 pedestals. SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Grace Jones Richardson Trust, Lillian and Jon B. Lovelace, Leatrice and Eli Luria and the Luria Foundation, Zora and Les Charles and the Cheeryble Foundation, Wendy and Elliot Friedman, and Lord and Lady Ridley-Tree.

Situated in front of Paik’s work, four wild Up violinists perform elegant and visceral works by Anahita Abbasi, John Cage, Tashi Wada, and Steve Reich. The event is free, but reservations are required as seating is limited.

wild Up has been called “Best in Classical Music 2015” and “…a raucous, grungy, irresistibly exuberant…fun-loving, exceptionally virtuosic family” by Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times, “Searing. Penetrating. And thrilling” by Fred Child of Performance Today and “Magnificent” by Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times. Over the last eight years, wild Up has collaborated with orchestras, rock bands and cultural institutions around the world.

The performance takes place on Thursday, September 27, from 6 – 7 p.m. at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. It is free but please reserve tickets at the Museum Visitor Services desk, or online at tickets.sbma.net.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 25, 2018.

Local Lowdown: Heather James Fine Art Gallery

The future site of the Heather James Fine Art Gallery on Coast Village Road, courtesy photo.

The future site of the Heather James Fine Art Gallery on Coast Village Road, courtesy photo.

Serious contemporary art collectors are in for a sweet surprise this fall when the new Heather James Fine Art Gallery opens at 1298 Coast Village Rd. in Montecito. Husband and wife James (Jim) Carona and Heather Sacre—whose combined names can be found on the walls of prestigious gallery locations in New York, San Francisco, Palm Desert and Jackson Hole—were vacationing in Santa Barbara when they came upon the Coast Village Road location that Carona describes as a “perfect fit” for a museum quality art gallery. “It was an opportunistic situation, but we often do things on an opportunistic basis,” he says.

Set against a backdrop of Spanish-style architecture, the program of exhibitions will echo Heather James’ four other galleries, whose exhibits have included paintings by Van Gogh, several Monets, a masterpiece by Matisse—which achieved one of the the highest prices ever paid at auction—cubist Picasso paintings and a Frida Kahlo self-portrait.

As Coast Village Road gets back on its feet after the disastrous debris flow earlier in the year, Carona says, “We’re excited to be coming to Montecito during this period of time. We had not yet signed a lease when the disaster hit, but had made a verbal commitment and have a lot of confidence in the area.”

Editor’s Note: The gallery’s opening date has been moved to November 2018. The gallery is expected to open by October 1. heatherjames.com

Leslie Dinaberg

This story was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

Erik ReeL : Zero Point & Rhonda P. Hill Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art

From Erik ReeL : Zero Point.

From Erik ReeL : Zero Point.

GraySpace hosts a pair of interesting new exhibits, both of which open on Friday.

Erik ReeL : Zero Point is the first local solo exhibition in a decade for ReeL, an improvisational non-objective painter. Featuring major new paintings and studies never shown before, GraySpace has coupled ReeL’s solo show with an exhibition curated by Rhonda P. Hill, ReeL’s wife, titled Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art, which will introduce a group of exciting, young, international fashion designers to Santa Barbara.

Two talks, one with Erik ReeL on non-objective painting, and a panel featuring Rhonda Hill and Erik ReeL, will be held during the exhibition (dates to be announced).

From Rhonda P. Hill Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art.

From Rhonda P. Hill
Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art.

Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art spotlights selected work by fashion designers, Tingyue Jiang, Alena Kalana, Susan Tancer and Hera Zhou, who blur the distinction between art and fashion. Hill makes a strong claim for fashion to be considered as a cultural phenomenon that can, in certain forms, be called art—on par with any other visual art. Hill points out that fashion can, in the right hands, consciously work on deeper levels that deal with our consciousness, identity and sense of place within our culture.

Graffiti Cluster bags by Susan Tancer.

Graffiti bags by Susan Tancer.

There will be an artists reception for both shows on Friday, September 21, from 5-8 p.m.

GraySpace Gallery is located at 219 Gray Ave., in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. The gallery is open Friday-Sunday from  1 – 6 p.m., and both shows will remain on view through November 11.

High-style Brooklyn Museum costume collection Charles James, photo by Rhonda P. Hill, courtesy of edgexpo-com.

High-style Brooklyn Museum costume collection Charles James, photo by Rhonda P. Hill, courtesy of edgexpo-com.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 20, 2018.

“Storm Reading” Celebration

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

When Access Theatre’s pioneering play Storm Reading debuted at the Lobero in 1988, it was a ground-breaking piece of theater, which went on to inspire audiences in show after show worldwide for nearly a decade. Part of what made this play so extraordinary is the central character, Neil Marcus, who played himself during the play’s six-year run. Marcus lives with a very visible disability and works hard to represent life in a realistic way that is not focused on the fear of being different.

“The world says ‘You are a spastic quadriplegic.’ I say I’m a dancer. There’s a new movement happening in the world. People are beginning to realize they are more than what they’ve been told they are. The flame is fanned. The fire spreads. Every moment is a new moment to do what’s never been done before,” says Marcus in Storm Reading.

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

Now a new generation has the opportunity to familiarize itself with the show, when Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation hosts “Celebrating Storm Reading,” an evening with the acclaimed Access Theatre cast (Neil Marcus, Matthew Ingersoll and Kathryn Voice) and Director/Producer Rod Lathim. Along with special guest Anthony Edwards, the cast and creators will return to the Lobero Theatre to take a look back at the impact the play had on audiences and at the sustaining message that art holds the transformative power to heal body and mind. Selected scenes from the show will be staged and scenes from the television version will be screened.

“This year is the 30th anniversary of the debut of Storm Reading,” says Lathim, founder and artistic director of the award-winning theatre company, Access Theatre, from 1979-1996. “Storm Reading was unique because it was created here in Santa Barbara and went on to tour internationally.”

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

Storm Reading, courtesy photo.

Storm Reading went on to tour through 20 states in the USA, as well as Canada and England over six years, and it garnered recognition from several luminaries in the entertainment world. Maria Shriver interviewed Marcus on The Today Show, and Linda Wertheimer featured him on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” Storm Reading was performed as part of the NBC TV Special “From the Heart” at the Kennedy Center with Access Theatre Honorary Board Member Michael Douglas.

Don’t miss “Celebrating Storm Reading” at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara) on Friday, September 21 at 7 p.m. A VIP reception begins at 5:30 pm. For tickets and more information, visit cottagehealth.org/crhevent.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 19, 2018.

Local Dish: Outpost’s New Executive Chef Hits a Home Run

Outpost Executive Chef Damien Giliberti, photo by Nicole Lazar.

Outpost Executive Chef Damien Giliberti, photo by Nicole Lazar.

Outpost at the Goodland recently promoted Damien Giliberti to Executive Chef, and if our recent meal was any indication, the Kimpton-run property made a great decision to put the kitchen in his capable hands.

The property’s former Executive Sous Chef, Damien Giliberti, a native of Northern New Jersey, worked at Finch & Fork for four years, then Outpost for the past two years. He draws his culinary inspiration from his Italian-American upbringing, where his family owned and lived next to their pizzeria. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Miami, he worked in kitchens from North Carolina to Miami, before heading West to Santa Barbara, where he now specializes in contemporary and rustic American cuisine with touches of Latin and Asian influences.

Outpost’s Fried Brussels Sprouts with Yellow Curry, Roasted Garlic Aioli and Chili Flakes, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Outpost’s Fried Brussels Sprouts with Yellow Curry, Roasted Garlic Aioli and Chili Flakes, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Our dinner started out with one of my favorite dishes of the night, Fried Brussels Sprouts with Yellow Curry, Roasted Garlic Aioli and Chili Flakes. Brussels Sprouts are, as they say, “having a moment” on local menus, but this preparation was both unique and delicious, with the warm notes of curry trumpeting the beginning of the fall season.

Outpost’s Tuna Crudo with Yuzu Dressing, Fuji Apples, Avocado Puree, Red Radish and Chili Oil and Some Like It Hot cocktail, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Outpost’s Tuna Crudo with Yuzu Dressing, Fuji Apples, Avocado Puree, Red Radish and Chili Oil and Some Like It Hot cocktail, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Next up was a bright Tuna Crudo dish with Yuzu Dressing, Fuji Apples, Avocado Puree, Red Radish and Chili Oil, followed by another fall favorite, Carmelized Sweet Potato with Tumeric Yogurt, Crispy Chickpeas and Garam Masala. 

Outpost’s Carmelized Sweet Potato with Tumeric Yogurt, Crispy Chickpeas and Garam Masala, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Outpost’s Carmelized Sweet Potato with Tumeric Yogurt, Crispy Chickpeas and Garam Masala, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

We also loved the Pork Belly Bao Buns (even my sometimes vegetarian friend indulged) with Pickled Cucumber, Jalapeno Kewpie, Sesame Seed, Cilantro and Hoisin Sauce. The larger entrees—Pork Chop with Carmelized Fuji Apples, Spicy Mustard Aioli and Upland Cress; and Salmon with Romanesco Puree, Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and Chipotle Hollandaise—were also very tasty.

Outpost’s Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumber, Jalapeno Kewpie, Sesame Seed, Cilantro and Hoisin Sauce, photo by Leslie Dinaberg

Outpost’s Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumber, Jalapeno Kewpie, Sesame Seed, Cilantro and Hoisin Sauce, photo by Leslie Dinaberg

Other new menu highlights include the Lamb Burger with Date Chutney, Harissa Yogurt, Pickled Red Onion and Watercress; and Grilled Strip Loin with crispy Red Potatoes, charred Mexican Green Onions and Chimichurri Sauce.

Outpost’s Pork Chop with Carmelized Fuji Apples, Spicy Mustard Aioli and Upland Cress (left), and Salmon with Romanesco Puree, Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and Chipotle Hollandaise, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Outpost’s Pork Chop with Carmelized Fuji Apples, Spicy Mustard Aioli and Upland Cress (left), and Salmon with Romanesco Puree, Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and Chipotle Hollandaise, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

“Working and living in Santa Barbara has allowed me to experience first-hand how food brings people together. It feels good to be a part of a community like ours, and to connect with our guests through food,” says Giliberti.

With food like this, let’s hope he continues to feed our community for a good long time!  

Outpost at the Goodland  is located at 5650 Calle Real, Goleta. For more information, visit www.OutpostSB.com.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 14, 2018.

Cocktail Corner: CA Brew & BBQ Festival

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

Summer may be coming to a close, but the festival season continues. Next up, on Saturday, September 29 is the lovely, oceanfront California Brew & BBQ Festival

Featuring more than 50 top breweries, cider makers and wineries, as well top Santa Barbara chefs competing for Best BBQ honors, the Chase Palm Park Field location makes this an ideal place for a day full of sun, sea, beer, BBQ and music.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

One2Tree, a soulful reggae band, and Neighborhood Thieves, and alternative rock and pop group, keeps the beat for this all-day feast for the senses where beer is king.

General admission includes:

  • All beer, cider and wines tastes
  • BBQ and food samples from local restaurants and food purveyors
  • Souvenir pint glass
California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

Limited VIP tickets include all of the above, plus:

  • VIP Pavilion catered by Patxi’s Pizza with pizza, salads and appetizers
  • Rare brews offered in the VIP area
  • Wines
  • Oceanside seating with an unobstructed view of the stage
  • VIP Restrooms
California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

For a complete list of beer and beverage vendors, click here.

For a complete list of food vendors—including BBQ competitors, who will be sampling tri-tip—click here.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

Not only is this guaranteed to be a day full of fun, the California Brew Festival also benefits the Surf Happens Foundation, whose mission it to enrich the lives of local youth through environmental education and the sport of surfing.

Cheers! Click here for more Cocktail Corner columns.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

California Brew & BBQ Festival, photo by Luis Esparza.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie believes variety is the spice of life. Send your suggestions to Leslie@sbseasons.com.

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on September 14, 2019.

Legacies: The Lasting Impact of Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain addresses UCSB Arts & Lectures supporters at the sold out benefit event at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Photo by Kathryn Grace.

Anthony Bourdain addresses UCSB Arts & Lectures supporters at the sold out benefit event at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Photo by Kathryn Grace.

The tragic death of Anthony Bourdain hit fans around the world like a shockwave, and particularly those in Santa Barbara, where just one month earlier he made one of his last public appearances at a sold-out benefit for UCSB Arts & Lectures to raise funds for core programs and educational outreach.

Without an inkling of how special the night would become in retrospect, I was honored to enjoy Bourdain’s raw and unfiltered presentation offering entertaining life lessons and anecdotes from the kitchen and on the road. The renowned food personality, award-winning journalist and internationally-acclaimed raconteur delighted all of us with a colorful discussion of his unlikely rise from being “42 years old, completely broke-ass, standing in a kitchen dunking French fries,” to doing what he considers the greatest job in the world, where “life does not suck.” 

 

Anthony Bourdain, photos by Kathryn Grace.

Anthony Bourdain, photos by Kathryn Grace.

The irony of his suicide was not lost on those who attended, but the legacy of his generosity, way with words and openness to new experiences also lives on. He inspired us to travel with passion, eat with gusto, drink with strangers and connect with our fellow human beings. In death, as in life, Anthony Bourdain brought us closer together.

 

Event Planner Tamara Jensen, Anthony Bourdain and A&L Ambassador Sherry Villanueva. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

Event Planner Tamara Jensen, Anthony Bourdain and A&L Ambassador Sherry Villanueva. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you … You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” —Anthony Bourdain

 

A&L supporters Lynda Weinman & Bruce Heavin and Sara Miller McCune with Anthony Bourdain. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

A&L supporters Lynda Weinman & Bruce Heavin and Sara Miller McCune with Anthony Bourdain. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

“Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.” —Anthony Bourdain

Participating local chefs with Anthony Bourdain. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

Participating local chefs with Anthony Bourdain. Photo by David Bazemore, courtesy UCSB Arts & Lectures.

“Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom … is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go.” —Anthony Bourdain

 

Leslie Dinaberg

This story was originally published in the Fall 2018 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

The Essence of Santa Barbara Style

BEAUTIFUL SPACES DON’T HAVE TO BE CONFINED TO A SINGLE DESIGN AESTHETIC. AS YOU’VE SEEN MANY TIMES IN THE PAGES OF OUR MAGAZINE, CHIC AND STYLISH HOMES COME IN ALL SORTS OF SHAPES AND STYLES AND SIZES. THE ONE FEATURE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THESE HOMES DO HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THEY’VE BEEN DEVELOPED WITH THE CREATIVE GUIDANCE OF A PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR DESIGNER.

 

Here are projects from three of Santa Barbara’s top designers—Penny Bianchi, Jodi Goldberg and Ann James—that are as distinct and varied as the women themselves. From Ann’s Spanish sophistication to Penny’s French Country charmer and Jodi’s clean and serene Zen style abode, a refined sense of design and extraordinary attention to detail imbue each of these homes with a distinctive vision, combining beauty with comfort and livability, that imbues the essence of life in Santa Barbara.

Leslie Dinaberg, Managing Editor

Related Features: 

Sophisticated Spanish Style

Here’s Your Moment of Zen

Montecito Foothills Meet French Country Chic

This story was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine.

Cocktail Corner: Saddle Up to Hitching Post Wines

Top Row: Hitching Post Wines Exterior, Hitching Post Wines Interior. Middle: Frank Ostini and Olive deliver lunch; l-r Frank Ostini, Jami Ostini, Charlotte Hartley and Gray Hartley. Bottom: Hitching Post Wines Interior, the Hitching Post Burger and Triple Fried Fries. Photos by Rob Stark, courtesy Hitching Post Wine.

Top Row: Hitching Post Wines Exterior, Hitching Post Wines Interior. Middle: Frank Ostini and Olive deliver lunch; l-r Frank Ostini, Jami Ostini, Charlotte Hartley and Gray Hartley. Bottom: Hitching Post Wines Interior, the Hitching Post Burger and Triple Fried Fries. Photos by Rob Stark, courtesy Hitching Post Wine.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! by Leslie Dinaberg

You know the saying, “location, location, location?” Well, sometimes it takes a while for the right one to become available—but in the case of Hitching Post Wines‘ long-awaited tasting room, it was well worth the wait!  

Located right next door to the famed Hitching Post 2 restaurant in Buellton (which was so memorably immortalized in the movie Sideways), Hitching Post Wines just opened their first-ever tasting room, after almost 40 years of winemaking. The spacious new nearly 12-acre property, formerly occupied by Loring Wine Company, belongs to Frank and Jami Ostini and Gray and Charlotte Hartley. The new tasting room is housed in a mid-century farmhouse with trailing walkways and outdoor seating areas with a view of the Santa Ynez Mountain landscape—including the Ostrich Farm next door. Throughout the property are walkways and casual picnic areas that invite guests to linger over a bottle of wine while taking in the dramatic landscape. Dogs are welcome too.

Bottles on display at the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Bottles on display at the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Longtime friends, Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini have been making wines in Santa Barbara County since 1979. Hartley, a former Alaskan salmon fisherman and Ostini, chef and owner of the Hitching Post 2 Restaurant, came together through their love of wine and winemaking. Over the years what was once their backyard hobby has turned into a highly acclaimed winemaking venture, with Pinot Noir as their primary focus. 

Currently, the winery produces about 17,000 cases a year.

Outdoor seating at the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Outdoor seating at the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

The Traditional Tasting at Hitching Post Wines offers a flight of five Hitching Post Wines consisting of Pinks 2017, Hometown Pinot Noir 2016, Cork Dancer Pinot Noir 2015, Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2015 and Gen Red 2016, priced at $15 per guest.

A Reserve Tasting, priced at $20, includes five wines—Highliner Pinot Noir 2015, Perfect Set Pinot Noir 2015, Bien Nacido Pinot Noir 2015, Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir 2015 and Four Top  2012. The caveat of the Reserve Tasting will be its ever-changing menu featuring rare single-vineyard bottling and special older vintages of Hitching Post.

Hitching Post Wines also offers customized Private Winemaker Tastings with Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini for $60 per guest (by appointment only).

A sign welcomes visitors to the new Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room.

A sign welcomes visitors to the new Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room.

The other beauty of this location is easy access to Hitching Post 2’s Santa Maria Style BBQ food pairings. Classics from the restaurant include HP Burgers, Triple-Fried French Fries, Santa Maria BBQ Artichokes and Grilled Corn Quesadillas. Coming soon, the public will experience an expanded lunch menu served from a refurbished 1970s Vintage Airstream trailer, relocated from Seaside, Florida, and converted into a first-class Santa Maria BBQ kitchen on wheels.

In the coming months, look for the phase two restoration of the rear building into a public wine bar with an enclosed patio overlooking the river with mountain views and a natural stage, ideal for live performances. The classic Airstream trailer and Hitching Post Santa Maria grills will offer a broader menu, cooked onsite surrounding by casual seating. Also planned is a phase three restoration and remodel of the original barn that oversees the Santa Ynez Mountains specifically for private Hitching Post events.

Inside the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Inside the Hitching Post Wine Tasting Room, photo by Leslie Dinaberg.

Hitching Post Wines is open Sunday – Thursday from  11 a.m. – 5  p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.  Food service from The Hitching Post 2 is available from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. daily, with limited cheese and charcuterie available for purchase in the tasting room. Hitching Post Wines is located at 420 E. Hwy. 246, Buellton. 

Cheers! Click here for more Cocktail Corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie believes variety is the spice of life. Send your suggestions to Leslie@sbseasons.com.

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on August 31, 2018.