TikTok led Marisa Gomez to discover a Mexican coffee shop located roughly an hour from where she lives. She, along with many others, travels great distances to the rinconcito for colorful sweet breads, elaborate latte flavors, and the café’s signature aesthetic cups. It’s all very Instagrammable, but for Gomez, the lure runs deeper than that. […]
Santa Maria
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Giavanni’s Pizza cultivates a comedy community with open mics and stand-up shows
Ezra Paco had no choice but to kick-start his comedy career from a less-than-ideal launch point: Zoom. “It was really awkward,” Paco told the Sun. “The Zoom rooms were really weird because, just like with all things during the pandemic, you were at the mercy of what was going on in each person’s room.” Kids […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Zoom over to Orcutt for this year’s chalk festival
Peering down on the sidewalk during this year’s Orcutt Chalk Festival might just inspire a glance up into the cosmos. Blast Out of This World on Sept. 26 in Old Town Orcutt from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 75 students, professional artists, and beginners will transform their 6-by-6-foot concrete squares into colorful, detailed […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Start the fall with a movie in the park
Free outdoor entertainment is on the horizon in Santa Maria. Families are invited to neighborhood parks for three film screenings in September and October. Showtime is at dusk, so audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. On Sept. 18 watch The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants at Machado Plaza, located at 224 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Meraz Catering serves comfort food with a family-first mindset
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 […]
Posted inNews
Up in arms: County looks at revising gun shop zoning in unincorporated areas
Stationed at his cash register behind a jar of orange foam earplugs, the manager of Get R Gun in Santa Maria doesn’t agree with Santa Barbara County’s newest policy on firearms. He believes the recent action raises more red flags than the local controversy that triggered it. “We didn’t see a problem with Goodland Guns,” […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Chikis Cupcakes creates custom cakes that’ll wow the whole party
Anna Aguilar crafts cakes so tall that she doesn’t trust they’ll survive the car rides to their final destinations. Instead, she delivers her wedding and quinceañera cakes in pieces and builds them at the venues. “They’re always challenging, and I’m learning new things on those because with one little mistake, your cake can tilt,” Aguilar […]
Posted inNews
Historic ruling: Santa Maria judge says prosecutor violated Racial Justice Act
For the first time in Santa Barbara County’s history, a Superior Court judge concluded that the District Attorney’s Office broke a state mandate designed to root out racial discrimination in judicial settings. In mid-August, a hearing to determine former Santa Maria resident and convicted felon Kevin Wayne Burgess’ sentence in a domestic violence case ended […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria boosts security deposit assistance for renters
Moving is stressful. It takes time, effort, and money. “Imagine finding a place and needing that $3,000 deposit, and you know that you can do the month-to-month, but you don’t have that initial $3,000 because you’re living paycheck to paycheck,” Santa Maria’s community programs manager, Rosie Rojo, told the Sun. “By the time you’re able […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Comedian Aaron Foster to make a tour stop in Santa Maria
Anxiety. Grief. Depression. A perfect recipe for dark comedy. Aaron Foster is bringing his stand-up show, Mostly Jokes, to the Santa Maria Civic Theatre on Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. The comedian quit his job when he was 50, and now, a few years later, he’s been touring more than 70 cities and hopes to […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A popular social media account reviews Central Coast bites and sips
Nearly 15,000 people on Instagram follow one of the most popular food reviewers on the Central Coast. He’s often seen in a bright orange hat and a crisp white T-shirt with the acronym “lotsj” identifying his brand. He’s Jeff San Juan, the content creator behind Life of the San Juans on social media. What had […]
Posted inNews
The Grapevine brings new residential elder care, hospice options to Santa Maria
From the outside, the one-story home at 1130 Grapevine Road in Santa Maria appears to be just that: a nice house neighboring others in a suburban neighborhood. Past the front door, there are six bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a living room stocked with board games, puzzles, magazines, and coloring books within the city’s newest […]
