Tag archives: local

Dawson Fuss
By Stella Haffner   |   March 19, 2024

Dear Montecito! I miss you! I can’t wait to be home for Spring Break next week! I’m getting ready to finish my second year at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and a lot has happened since the last time we spoke about my single “Oblivious,” which at the time was […]

A LOCAL Journey: The Path from Tech Entrepreneur to Restaurateur
By Jeff Wing   |   December 26, 2023

“I cooked my way through college. I was the cook in our fraternity for a while because our actual cook quit, along with a couple other guys. So I made meals for 50 guys, six days a week. That teaches you how to cook pretty fast.” Not to worry; “Frat House Epicure” does not define […]

Totally Local: The Indefatigable Mollie Ahlstrand
By James Buckley   |   December 12, 2023

After nearly 30 years, the mudslide of 2018 put an end to her elegant Trattoria Mollie on Coast Village Road. She opened a new Mollie’s next to the Granada on State Street, but COVID-19 crushed that endeavor too. Armed conflict broke out in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in 2020 and the country is now […]

This Is It!: Kenny Loggins Winds up His Final Tour at the Bowl
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 7, 2023

The longtime Santa Barbara-based singer-songwriter/rockstar Kenny Loggins retiring from the road is like the pop music equivalent of final go-rounds of baseball stars like Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols, except by a factor of more than two as Loggins’ touring career is more than twice as long as any baseball player. Plus, rather than receiving […]

Dudley Saltonstall Carpenter: A Life in Art
By Hattie Beresford   |   October 31, 2023

Upon the death of beloved local artist Dudley Saltonstall Carpenter in 1955, the newspaper expressed the esteem in which he was held and commented that he had continued to paint to the end of his full and creative life. And what a life that was. Born into a military family in 1870 in Nashville, Tennessee, […]

Alycia Clark: Leading the Way as Head Pharmacist at Direct Relief
By Dalina Michaels   |   October 24, 2023

In the realm of humanitarian aid and global healthcare, individuals like Alycia Clark stand as beacons of hope and progress. As the head pharmacist at Direct Relief, Clark plays a pivotal role in delivering vital medical supplies and assistance to those in need worldwide. Her dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to improving global healthcare have […]

Remembering Irene Hymanson
By Richard Mineards   |   October 3, 2023

On a personal note, I remember philanthropist and longtime Casa Dorinda resident Irene Hymanson, who has moved to more heavenly pastures at the age of 81. Irene was the daughter of violinist William Hymanson, a member of the Music Academy faculty from 1959to 1969. After living and working in Los Angeles as a paralegal, she […]

Notes Around Town
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 3, 2023

Santa Barbara musician Chris Shiflett, who gracious gives his hometown a Christmas gift each December via performance parties at the 300-max SOhO, shows up at the slightly bigger venue of the Santa Barbara Bowl (capacity 4,600) with his somewhat more famous band Foo Fighters on September 28, a late add to the venue’s schedule but […]

Montecito Wellness Opens
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 26, 2023

A new functional medicine clinic has opened in the Upper Village: Montecito Wellness Clinic, owned by Montecito mom and integrative doctor Dr. Talina Hermann, launched publicly last week with a grand opening this past Friday. “It’s always been my dream to open a clinic here,” Hermann told us last week as she geared up for […]

Kawaii Klaws
By Stella Haffner   |   September 12, 2023

In the Dear Montecito column, we have hosted writers, musicians, and filmmakers. This week, we are branching into a new medium with Lauryn Rousseau, a 2021 graduate of UCSB and the owner of Kawaii Klaws, a boutique nail art studio.  Q. How did you get interested in nail art? A. My cousin was really into […]

A Promising Touch
By Richard Mineards   |   August 29, 2023

Montecito author and wellness expert Michelle Ebbin got invaluable promotion for her new book The Touch Remedy when she appeared on the top ABC syndicated daytime TV talk show LIVE With Kelly and Mark in New York. She guided the husband-and-wife hosts through reflexology techniques on her segment, which went viral, appearing in People magazine, […]

Carolyn Pesnell Amory
By Montecito Journal   |   August 29, 2023

Carolyn Pesnell Amory passed away August 13th at 101 years. Carolyn led an exciting life and was well-known for her charity work. From 1979 to 1985 Carolyn was Chairman of the Board of the New York City Division of the American Cancer Society receiving every award given by the Society and breaking many fundraising records […]

‘All’s Fair’ in Art Scams
By Richard Mineards   |   July 18, 2023

Retired Montecito corporate attorney David Gersh has published his latest art mystery tome featuring Jonathan Benjamin Franklin, All’s Fair. It is the fourth in the series and one of eight books David, a Harvard Law School graduate, has written. “This is undoubtedly the best art scam work I have ever created,” he enthuses. The novel […]

Sharon Byrne Awarded for Her Work with Hands Across Montecito and the MA
By Eileen Read   |   June 13, 2023

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office awarded its Exceptional Civilian Award to Montecito Association Executive Director Sharon Byrne, citing her “extraordinary dedication to others and her collaborative work” with the Sheriff’s deputies, primarily in creating and managing the Hands Across Montecito project to address homelessness. The award described Ms. Byrne as “an accomplished neighborhood advocate […]

Benjamin Fay Brode: 1937 – 2023
By Ann Brode   |   June 6, 2023

Ben Brode had logged a lifetime of exciting adventures out in the world by the time I met him. But when destiny opened the door, he was ready for one more – a 44-year journey of the heart. As he told his kids recently, “when I got together with your mother, it felt like setting […]

Another Little Signing for Little Book
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 16, 2023

Steven Gilbar – attorney, artist, litterateur, gadfly – is Montecito’s answer to the Gutenberg press. This lone figure’s prolific authorship is surely responsible for our community’s overweening literacy – the screamfests about Dickens over breakfast, the fisticuffs over the provenance of the term “Chicken à la King.” Gilbar, once and future member of the California […]

Some Local Problems Are Global?
By Robert Bernstein   |   March 28, 2023

Communities all over California are struggling to meet a mandate to build more housing. This dates back to a 1969 “Housing Element” law, now in its sixth round. The current mandate is for 3.5 million new units by the year 2025. The state is far short of meeting that goal and local governments face penalties […]

Elizabeth Webb Woodworth: August 17, 1921 – February 20, 2023
By Montecito Journal   |   March 14, 2023

Elizabeth (Betty) Webb Woodworth died of natural causes on Feb. 20, 2023, in Santa Barbara, Calif. She was born on Aug. 17, 1921, in Hamden, Conn., to Anne Pinkney Webb and Paul Webb. Betty was a people person who loved life, no matter the moment or the environment. Betty’s early years were spent in Spring […]

Roger Arlen Phillips: 1934 – 2023
By Montecito Journal   |   February 28, 2023

Roger Arlen Phillips, 88, beloved and devoted husband, father, and friend, passed away quietly surrounded by love in his home in Montecito on Jan. 19, 2023. Roger was born in 1934 to Paul Edward and Lela Belle Phillips of Bakersfield, Calif. When he was a young boy, his family vacationed in Santa Barbara, where he […]

Martine Marie Daniel: July 16, 1963 – January 5, 2023
By Montecito Journal   |   February 28, 2023

Martine Marie Daniel, 59, of Coarsegold, California, passed away on Jan. 5, 2023, surrounded by loving family. Martine was born July 16, 1963, in Frankfurt, Germany. The daughter of Leota A. Robb and Darwin F. Daniel moved to Germany from the United States in the late 1940s, for the purpose of helping to rebuild Germany […]