Tag Archives: santa barbara

A Drive For Vital Training

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Rusnak/Westlake Porsche outfits a 2020 911 in a vinyl-wrap tribute to fallen
hero Sgt. Ron Helus to garner attention for a joint fundraising effort with the
Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation toward the new Helus Training Facility.

To honor the memory of Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the line of duty during the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill that claimed 12 lives, Rusnak/Westlake Porsche (rusnakwestlakeporsche.com), has joined the Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation on a mission to fund and build a new tactical, live-fire training facility named for the fallen hero.

“Community support for the new facility has been overwhelming,” says Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation board member Christina Conley. In less than a year, she says, the Foundation has raised half of the $800,000 needed to fully fund the construction of the state-of-the art facility, which will better prepare law enforcement officers for modern-day threats, such as maneuvering, coordinating, and securing locations under live-fire conditions.

To help raise awareness for the project, Keith Goldberg, general manager of Rusnak/ Westlake Porsche had a vinyl wrap made for a 2020 Porsche 911 that was inspired by Helus/hero badge designs that appear on local sheriff’s vehicles. “It really meant a lot to me to do something for the victims,” says Goldberg. “It was a great honor not only to bring awareness to what happened but also to do something in Sgt. Helus’s memory to fundraise for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation.”

The Hero911 Porsche is now displayed at community events to draw awareness to the fundraising effort to build the Helus Training Facility. For more information or to donate, visit vcsheriffsfoundation.org.

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

A Fashion Line for a Lifeline

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Morgan Lexi Mitchell (top, right) donates half of the profits from her Only Kid fashions and accessories to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Looking to combine her artistic expression with suicide awareness and prevention, 17-year-old Westlake High School junior Morgan Lexi Mitchell designed the Only Kid (only-kid.com) fashion line. “I wanted to find a way to support National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,” says the Assisteens of Conejo Valley volunteer, who donates 50 percent of the profits from the sales of her colorful stickers, iPhone cases, hoodies, and beanies.

“I had been playing around with the idea of Only Kid for some time,” Mitchell says. “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I had a lot of time on my hands, and that idea became a reality. Quarantine gave me the time I needed to develop designs and products.

“I wanted to make a difference in a way that personally relates to me,” she explains. “I have struggled with depression, and I wanted to showcase my art in a way that would raise awareness for suicide prevention, which is often a silent struggle.”

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Gym Handy

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Originally published in the November 2020 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

There’s no need to miss a workout since DreamQuest Fitness (dreamquestfitness.com) launched its mobile gym experience.

The brainchild of fitness trainers Jose and Tiffany Fernandez, the fold-out trailer housing all the necessary equipment in a hygienic workout space comes to exercisers’ homes and offices in the Conejo Valley, Moorpark, Simi Valley, and Calabasas.

“It wasn’t until the pandemic struck that we both realized the necessity for a mobile gym,” says Tiffany. “We believe there are a vast number of people, like us, who are fitness-minded and feel uncomfortable with our new normal.”

Book a fitness assessment, a one-one-one or group personal training package, or open workout sessions (from $12 per hour) for up to 12 participants (face coverings required) via the website.

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

A Cup of Appreciation

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Vega Coffee works with rural farmers in Central and South America to produce the coffee it delivers to everyday heros here at home.

Vega Coffee works with rural farmers in Central and South America
to produce the coffee it delivers to everyday heros here at home.

Santa Barbara-based Vega Coffee (vegacoffee.com) is all about connecting people. Working with craft roasteries in Nicaragua and Colombia, cofounders Rob Terenzi, Noushin Ketabi, and Will DeLuca developed a network of seed-to-cup coffee professionals
for their import business, which focused primarily on home deliveries and college customers until the pandemic hit.

When colleges closed due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, the three partners developed the Coffee for Community Heroes Program to offer customers the option to send specially
priced coffee care packages to first responders, healthcare workers, grocery store teams,
mail carriers, and others to whom they wish to express gratitude. “Orders are going to hospitals, fire departments, nursing homes, to all of the everyday heroes who are keeping our communities safe and strong,” says Terenzi.

Employers are even getting in on the act by fueling their work-from-home teams with
special coffee deliveries. 805 Living readers who’d like to try a cup of community for themselves can use the code 805LIVING to receive 20 percent off all Vega Coffee
website purchases.

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Pedaling Sourdough

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Bread Bike co-owners Mariah Grady and Sam DeNicola
deliver their freshly baked sourdough loaves via bicycle.

One of Sam DeNicola’s goals as the founder of Bread Bike (slobreadbike.com),
a community-supported bread bakery and delivery service based in San Luis
Obispo, is to feed and get to know as many people in the community as possible.
“I really like getting to see the people who are going to eat it,” DeNicola says of his
company’s fresh wares. “Just yesterday when I knocked on a door, two little girls
squealed, ‘Yay, it’s the bread guy!’ ”

Co-owners DeNicola and Mariah Grady bake about 300 loaves a week of 100
percent organic, naturally leavened sourdough bread in various flavors, which
are delivered by bicycle to subscribers’ homes and pick-up locations, including
Whalebird Kombucha and SLO Food Co-op in San Luis Obispo and Etto Pastificio
in Paso Robles. In areas from Santa Barbara to Los Osos, loaves are delivered via
the Blossom Urban Garden community-supported agriculture program.

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Streaming Culture

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Originally published in the November 2020 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

Necessity is certainly the mother of invention these days, and performing arts organizations are pivoting in creative ways to bring entertainment directly to home audiences.

“Music is the common denominator that brings humans together, no matter the time or the place in history,” says New West Symphony (newwestsymphony.org/2020-
21-virtual-season) CEO Natalia Staneva.

With that in mind, Staneva and the symphony’s artistic and music director, Michael Christie, have developed Global Sounds, eight mini music concerts and festivals inspired by cultures from around the world and presented virtually through June 2021.

“We discovered that our community contains a variety of cultures with vibrant musical traditions that have inspired and influenced classical music composers for generations,” says Christie. “And thus was born the concept of turning each concert experience into a mini cultural festival.”

Along with the orchestra performing symphonic works, each concert week will feature in-depth interviews with cultural experts and solo and ensemble performances of orchestra members and guest artists. Visit the website for tickets and more details.

UCSB Arts & Lectures (artsandlectures.ucsb.edu) brings cultural events home with House Calls, an interactive, online series of concerts, conversations, and question-and-answer sessions with musicians like Danish String Quartet and Rhiannon Giddens and authors such as Anne Lamott and Cheryl Strayed.

“House Calls is one way that Arts & Lectures is serving our community during a time when people are craving connection,” says Celesta M. Billeci, UCSB Arts & Lectures Miller McCune executive director, “to each other as well as to the major issues our nation and our world is facing right now.” For more information about individual events or to purchase tickets, visit the website or call 805-893-3535.

Cover of 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, November 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Flavor of the Month: Caramel

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Photo © DARINA KOPCOK/STOCKSY UNITED

Photo © DARINA KOPCOK/STOCKSY UNITED

Celebrate National Caramel Month with these luscious, autumn-inspired interpretations of one of fall’s favorite flavors.

What: Handmade from her Great Grandma Edith’s 1930s era recipes, Anne Marquart’s made-to-order caramels, including the buttery, apple cider and cinnamon–spiked bites, available only for a limited time

Where: Online from Paso Robles’ Sugar + Spoon (sugarandspooncaramels.com) and at retail locations in the Paso Robles area

When: Through October

What: Caramel-flavored beers, such as Paso Robles’ Firestone Walker Brewing Company Unfiltered DBA with notes of toffee, caramel, and toasted oak; Carpinteria’s IIsland Brewing Company Avocado Honey Ale with hints of caramel and honey; and Westlake Village’s Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. Finney’s Irish Red Ale with layers of rich caramel malt flavor

Where: Finney’s Crafthouse (finneyscrafthouse.com) locations in Westlake Village, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo

When: Year-round

What: Jessica Foster’s dark chocolate bonbons filled with tangerine caramel or sea salt caramel and pepitas

Where: Online from Jessica Foster Confections (jessicafosterconfections.com) and at multiple retail locations on the Central Coast

When: Through Thanksgiving

What: The Sea salt Zookie, caramel-pretzel ice cream, Nutella, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and cookie crumbles atop a fresh-baked, fish-shaped pastry

Where: Coastal Cone (coastalcone.com) in Ventura Harbor Village

When: Year-round

What: Caramel Apple Popcorn, a colorful combo of caramel popcorn and green-apple-candy flavored popcorn

Where: Popped Fresh (poppedfresh.com) in Agoura Hills

When: Year-round

What: Hot Caramel Sticky Buns, fresh-baked fluffy cinnamon rolls, topped with a rich caramel glaze

Where: Sticky Fingers Baking Company (stickyfingersbakingcompany.com), Ventura

When: Every other Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. until they run out; year-round

805 Living Cover, October 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, October 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Porch Swings Over to Summerland

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Shop for furnishings, textiles, and the works of local artists at Porch on Summerland’s Lillie Avenue. Courtesy photo.

Shop for furnishings, textiles, and
the works of local artists at Porch
on Summerland’s Lillie Avenue. Courtesy photo.

“The building itself is an object of art. I feel like it was meant for us,” says Diana Dolan, owner of Porch (porchsb.com), about her shop’s new digs on Summerland’s Lillie Avenue. The relocation to the larger space is her dream come true for the unique home and garden store that she has operated in Carpinteria for the past 12 years.

Featuring furnishings, kitchen goods, textiles, bedding, jewelry, candles, coffee-table books, succulents, and works by local artists, such as Pedro de la Cruz, Will Pierce, Lety Garcia, Colette Cosentino, and Michael Haber, the business is known for its thoughtfully curated space and inviting indoor/outdoor vibe, and Dolan says the new location will embrace that same spirit.

“Our soul remains true to our essence,” she says. “We’re going to continue to offer beautiful home and garden furnishings inspired by nature.”

Porch and other recent newcomers to Summerland—Sweet Wheel Produce, Field+Fort, and The Well—join businesses like The Sacred Space, Botanik, Garde, and Summerland Oriental Rugs in what is fast becoming an exciting design destination. “I think shoppers are looking for a real connection to something heartfelt and soulful,” says Dolan.

805 Living Cover, October 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, October 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

Raise a Glass to a Lost Hero

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Toast local fallen Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus with a beer brewed in his honor that also gives back, courtesy photo.

Toast local fallen Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus with a beer brewed in his honor that also gives back, courtesy photo.

Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. (togothillbc.com) in Thousand Oaks created its 4S3 beer to honor Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the line of duty during the 2018 mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill. Brewing the blonde ale was a collaboration between the Tarantula Hill team, first responders, Helus’ wife, Karen, and son, Jordan, and other involved families, says CEO Ali Zia.

Everything about the beer, including its name, which is expressed as “four Sam three,” Helus’ radio call sign, and the ingredients, Victory malt and Warrior and Noble Saaz hops, was collaborative, says brewmaster Mike Richmond. And at least one Helus family member has helped to create the brew each time a batch is made. Jordan was even involved in designing the can, which includes the messages “where our heart lies” and “never forget.”

The special brew is available at the brewery and local liquor stores and by order for shipment. A portion of the proceeds from every 4S3 beer sold is donated to local causes.

805 Living Cover, October 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, October 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.

UPcycle Chic

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Designer Kate McHale Jensen in one of her creations, photo by Steven Krebs.

Designer Kate McHale Jensen in one of her creations, photo by Steven Krebs.

Everything old really is new again in the hands of fashion designer Kate McHale Jensen. Inspired by the timeless style and comfort of men’s shirts, Jensen’s KMJ (shopkmj.com) line came about after the designer, who says she “has lived and breathed fashion and clothing since I can remember,” took a shirt from her husband’s closet and remade it into something for herself.

Each one-of-a-kind women’s style is fashioned from a vintage men’s shirt and hand cut by the designer herself in her Santa Barbara studio.

So “no two are alike,” says Jensen, who suggests that their popularity may be partly due to the fact that “sustainability is so much at the forefront of fashion these days.” Her most-sold design is the Bon Voyage, a feminine twist on the classic button down, with a three-quarter-length puff sleeve.

“I get the biggest rush,” Jensen says, “from pulling the next batch of vintage shirts to offer them another life—digging through, seeing the potential of an otherwise forgotten shirt to be repurposed in the hope of making women feel empowered and alive.” She’s also excited by special commissions, when people send her sentimental favorites—such as a father’s wedding tuxedo—to be refashioned into something new.

805 Living Cover, October 2020. This story originally appeared in 805 Living Magazine, October 2020. Click here to see the section as it originally appeared in print.