“No butter!” This is what the waitress is yelling in my general direction, standing in the middle of the dining room. She is fed up. The entire restaurant is the size of a large closet. The kitchen appears to be a tiny compartment through a curtain. The chef is a mysterious figure that might be, […]
HAYLEY THOMAS CAIN
Posted inFood & Drink
SLO celebrates 40 years of farmer’s markets
In the beginning there were few—vendors, that is. The year was 1978. The campy soundtrack from Grease was heating up the charts. It was a sunny Saturday morning and a handful of local farmers gathered at the old Young’s Giant Food parking lot on Broad Street in SLO. They didn’t know it then, but […]
Posted inNews
‘Do you’ on the big day: Skip the crazy lashes and spray tans and aim to look like yourself, only better
Yes, wedding day beauty prep takes a lot longer than your normal Friday date night look. However, it doesn’t need to take a dozen hours, a yard of human hair extensions, and a bucket of self-tanner to look “natural and glowing.” All you need is the right beauty team and a few sane tips. Thankfully, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Dank dinner served: Weed-infused wedding fare makes for a high time
I’m at an undisclosed location nestled off a dirt road atop a hillside across the way from the SLO airport. With a quaint yellow farmhouse, rolling green lawn, and epic sunset view, the setting feels very much “the Central Coast wedding venue.” On this evening, everything is decked out like a bride’s dream Pinterest board: […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Rock Front Ranch’s exotic jujube fruit is superfood for your body and good for the planet
The first thing I noticed about Alisha Taff was her electric smile and bright, glowing skin. Even under the less than flattering fluorescent lights of the SLO Guild Hall, the farmer flaunted an inner radiance that belied her age. Amid the commotion of local food purveyors at the Slow Money SLO meeting, her product—a mysterious […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Local kids can get professional art instruction at the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum
Have you forgotten what it was like to be a kid? Let me refresh you. There was probably a lot of, “Don’t eat the paste,” “No, you can’t draw on Mommy’s wall,” and, “No glitter allowed on the dining room table!” going on. Instinctively, you knew that making things (with Play-Doh, crayons, and hand-painted macaroni) […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Wooded wonders: Cure your nature deficit disorder at the Wildling Museum’s tree-inspired exhibit
Look at a man’s face and his skin will give away his age: wrinkles around the eyes, scars on the hands. Look at a piece of wood, and you’ll see a similar tale unfold. Each ring within a stump’s center signifies the passage of time. Like fingerprints, woodgrain may be long, short, whorled, or gnarled. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
For artists, by artists: Valley Art Gallery cooperative shines light on founding members through Feb. 11
Sometimes, you’ve just got to roll up your smock and go totally DIY. Like the old adage goes, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In the case of a diligent group of Santa Maria Valley area artists, I’d amend that quote to read something like, “Be the scrappy nonprofit artists cooperative […]
