Planning and adapting are two of the most important skills in Amy Meraz’s industry. “You have to be good at pivoting and knowing that if something falls off the wagon, if something changes, there’s nothing you can do other than keep going with the changes,” she told the Sun. Call for cateringFor more information about […]
San Luis Obispo
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A local performer hits the road for a Central Coast tour
Hear original pieces and old Broadway tunes from singer Gale McNeeley on his four-stop tour in August called My Life in Song. He’ll be joined by pianist Paul Marszalkowski, a musical director at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre. McNeeley will sing original songs and renditions of musical selections from his time on Broadway. He toured with […]
Posted inGet Outside
Robin Greenfield on finding food, medicine, and connection in the wild
OUTDOOR KITCHEN For most people, food comes from the grocery store. For environmental activist and educator Robin Greenfield, food come from forests, lakes, roadsides, and fields. Greenfield is currently immersed in what he describes as “a year of foraging 100 percent of [his] own food and medicine.” There are no grocery stores, restaurants, gardens, supplements, […]
Posted inGet Outside
Take a hike with Hikes and Dykes
TRAILBLAZING The first time Nixie Margiotta (they/them) told me they were starting a hiking group called Hikes and Dykes, I had two immediate thoughts. First: That’s hilarious. Second: Why didn’t I think of that? The name alone feels like something dreamed up in a late-night conversation over cheap beer—cheeky, irreverent, and impossible to forget. When […]
Posted inNews
Long legacy: Central Coast tribes push to reclaim their ancestors’ remains and belongings
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series. The first, “Native return,” ran June 25. Whiteboards crowded with titles and case numbers loom behind Jonathan Malindine’s desk at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) officer has underlined some in red and circled […]
Posted inNews
Going home: A push to return Native American remains and belongings back to tribes
Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series. The second part is scheduled to run July 9. Some of the shelves at UC Berkeley and other institutions are kept from public view, but Kathy Marshall has seen them. “When [I] visit schools and universities, [I’m] just like, I bet none of these kids […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A Guadalupe butcher cuts up quality meats for barbecuers on the Central Coast
Ernesto Valle used to be known as the guy who cuts meat in the middle of nowhere. He opened Lobo Butcher Shop in Guadalupe four and a half years ago when the economy was still hurting from the pandemic. “For a couple months, I thought I was going to shut down in my first year,” […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The duo on a mission to make the best bubbly on the Central Coast
Legend has it that when Elizabeth Stilson first interviewed with her now-business partner, she said, “If I never have to make another red wine again, I’ll be happy.” As soon as the statement came out of the winemaker’s mouth, PasoSecco founder Chris Kern knew she was the perfect candidate for his sparkling brand. “That sold […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A day in the life of Santa Maria’s tamale lady
Brrring: When the clock strikes 1 a.m., Beth Rangel’s alarm sounds. Soon after, she starts cooking meat and prepping ingredients to make the day’s batch of tamales. Call BethBeth’s Tamales and Tacos opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closing at 11 p.m. On Sundays it’s open from […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Try something new with the Central Coast Meatless Meetup crew
Thirteen years ago, Steve Key decided to stop eating animal products. Before he flipped the switch, he’d call himself a “wannabe vegetarian,” refraining from meat most of the time but not going against the grain while out to eat with his buddies. He found it difficult in the 1980s and 1990s to find meatless options […]
Posted inNews
TMHA’s Bowl-A-Thon raises money for Central Coast mental health resources
Since the 1970s, Transitions-Mental Health Association (TMHA) has held an annual bowl-a-thon. The nonprofit serves San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties with the aim of reducing stigma around mental health and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness. “I think the idea was that it was unique,” TMHA Executive Director Jill Bolster-White […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Culture food trailer wants to give you the best smashburger you’ve ever eaten
During the busiest shifts at his food trailer, Willie Galvan can crank out a smashburger in 10 or 11 minutes. When there’s no line, he can do it in five. “The buns take longer to toast than the burgers,” the Santa Maria native said. After an order comes in, he toasts the buns and heats […]
