WENDY THIES SELL

Whether she is rescuing abused street dogs in Thailand or rehabilitating ancient grapevines at home in Santa Barbara County, Deborah Hall has found new meaning for her life on her 130-acre ranch, near Lompoc. Two miles east of La Purisima Mission, deep in a canyon in the Sta. Rita Hills wine appellation, is Gypsy Canyon, […]

They don’t wear red tights and a cape. Nor do they have superpowers. However they do dedicate their lives to helping the less fortunate, and they drive a cool van with a giant carrot on the back.  The fine folks at Veggie Rescue are making our community a better place, and it’s probably only slightly […]

The new coffee house and eatery in the shopping center at the corner of Clark and Bradley in Orcutt is more than a coffee shop.     For 6 Degrees co-owners Starr Hall Egan and her husband, Jude, first and foremost, it is a place for locals to gather.  “We moved here, and we thought, […]

When I want straight talk about wine, I head straight for Larry Schaffer. Whether attending a Santa Barbara Vintners event, a Rhone Rangers tasting, or visiting his Tercero wine tasting room in Los Olivos, I can always count on this fervent wine guru for a lively discussion and his occasionally provocative perspective. Schaffer has a […]

Described by some as the restaurant Lompoc has been waiting for, Scratch Kitchen restaurant and wine bar opened for business on May 1. “It’s a restaurant that Lompoc deserves,” replied co-owner and chef Augusto Caudillo. “We are fertilizing the epicurean desert that has been Lompoc for a long time, and we want to give Lompoc […]

When Chef Pranita ‘Jay’ Onyeneke and her cousin Chris Vongsaroj walked into Antonio’s Ristorante in Nipomo last fall, they had something other than lunch on their minds. “I came through the door, ordered a couple appetizers, and straight-up asked him,” Vongsaroj said, recalling his offer to buy a restaurant that was not for sale. The […]

Four days after the finale of the home cook competition All-Star Academy aired on the Food Network, first runner-up Vanessa Craig was back in the kitchen cooking up a storm in her native Santa Barbara County. Larner Vineyards and Winery invited Craig, who grew up in Solvang, to prepare a multi-course dinner for 20 guests […]

The merriest month in Paso Robles may well be May. Before the intense heat of summer sets in, two wine events are planned in this Northern San Luis Obispo County wine region: CABS of Distinction and the Paso Robles Wine Festival. With 32,000 vineyard acres and more than 200 wineries producing wines from more than […]

Owner of one of the most popular destinations in Northern Santa Barbara County’s restaurant scene, Clark Staub, has built a thriving business centered on pizza, or as he prefers to call it, flatbread. For 13 years, Full of Life Flatbread has handcrafted seasonal flatbreads, baked fast in a scorching hot, oak-fired stone oven, and served […]

The first time I met Gavin Chanin was late 2011 at the legendary Qupé/Au Bon Climat (ABC) winemaking compound east of Santa Maria. We were sitting at the fabled lunch table where cellar workers gather daily for tasty chow prepared by local wine rock star Jim Clendenen. I was there to interview all-around great guy […]