Page 205 – Good Times

Santa Cruz Burger Week 2023

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February 21, 2023

Flippy 2 robots—tagline: “Flipping awesome”—are now in place at 100 White Castle burger joints, and more are on order for hamburger houses around the world.

“The Future Burger” from Future Farms promises to “work better for you and better for the planet” with a pea protein- and soy-based patty and a little beet powder for color.

Chat GPT artificial intelligence, when asked to craft a poem about the future of hamburgers, responded (in part) with this:

In the future, burgers will evolve
As our tastes and technology resolve
To create new flavors and textures bold
That will delight both young and old

It’s a lot to take in. But the underlying point is this: The future of burgers is exhilarating, daunting and delicious at the same time.

In honor of Burger Week, Good Times resolved to dive—tastebuds first—into that future.

Behold The Belushi.

It’s a half-pound burger stuffed with bacon, blue cheese crumbles, aged Irish cheddar and American cheese that’s all beer-battered and—deep fried.

Truth be told, eating this burger often is a great way to limit any sort of future—the menu reads, “Not approved by the AHA—wish you the best”—but for the duration of the meal, it resembles magic. (Full disclosure: A half Belushi proves plenty for this burger lover.)

The Belushi occupies a prime place on arguably the most ambitious burger menu in the Santa Cruz area at The Parish Publick House, which has locations in Aptos and on the Westside.

Joining it are belly bombs like the jalapeño-and-cream-cheese-stuffed Filthy Freddy, bacon-loaded Penitent Pi, and The Huckleberry with more bacon, sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and horseradish mayo on grilled sourdough.

Parish lists 10 burgers, all told. Despite that robust range of options, the team there loves to break out new inventions for Burger Week, which runs Feb. 22-28.

For 2023’s edition, they’re doing a French dip-inspired burger layered with onion slow-sauteed in Jameson whisky, melty gruyere cheese and unlimited au jus “gravy”; a kimchi burger with spicy marinated cabbage and Korean barbecue sauce; and a special burger alternative just in case (fried chicken with brown butter and syrup on a waffle bun).

Co-owner/operator Erik Granath loves how Burger Week inspires his team to venture into new territory, with many items returning later in the year as specials, and how it pushes Parish to scale preparations for the masses who materialize for the informal caloric holiday.

“Year one, we learned a lot of lessons about what we can accomplish,” he says. “It’s always a blast, always a ride.”

As far as the future—beyond the importance of staying creative with recipes—he defers to his food point man, kitchen manager Zac Bates.

“The future is vegetal, animal substitutes, plant-based,” Bates says, “Moving towards more healthy and sustainable lifestyles.”

So, less Belushi, more beet juice?

Bates laughs and replies, “Indeed, yes.”

Surf City Sandwiches founder and co-owner Paul Figliomeni, a classically trained chef, is of two minds when talk turns toward the future.

On the one hand—and a balanced diet can mean a burger in each hand—he believes the future lies in solid fundamentals rather than bells and whistles.

That’s reflected in his Burger Week headliner, a sturdy Angus patty seasoned lightly with salt and pepper, cooked in its own fat, with a choice of cheese (I went with ghost pepper jack), lettuce, kosher pickles and mayo.

Nothing complicated; everything high quality.

“This one speaks for itself,” he says.

He does have a fondness for more daring burgers like his past Burger Week star, the Spicy Muchacho with chorizo, ghost pepper jack, tomato, chipotle mayo, avocado and crispy fried tortilla strips. Still, he believes the best thing coming to the world of burgers lies elsewhere.

“The future is blends,” he says. “The sky’s the limit.”

He’s currently workshopping a burger that combines Duroc pork belly with Angus brisket and Angus chuck, served patty-melt-style with melted Swiss, sharp cheddar, caramelized onions and Sriracha honey aioli on marble rye.

“I do a lot of research and development,” he says. “That blend has a ton of flavor but also cooks nicely because of the fat content.”

One fun futuristic side note: While Santa Cruz represents SCS’s original flagship location, its newest outpost will feature a tiki bar and nestle into a 37-acre land-locked surf park marvel in Mesa, Arizona, featuring a traveling wave, stationary rapid wave and experiential dining. Cowabunga.

Seabright Social subscribes to a similar simplicity theory—and brings the ghost pepper into play too: Its Burger Week feature act, the Brisket Burger, layers on house-smoked brisket, seriously spicy cheese, arugula and pickled onion.

SbS co-owner Keiki McKay is happy people have calmed down on the over-the-top toppings.

“Everybody was trying to make burgers cool and unique with things like foie gras or gold leaf,” she says. “Now I think it’s more classics with fresh ingredients and small creative tweaks. I could be wrong, but it works for me.”

The key for Back Nine Chef Ben Kralj is also straightforward: Get your grind on.

That’s the differentiator for his Outlaw Burger with a whiskey glaze, pepper jack, applewood smoked bacon and an onion ring on soft ciabatta.

“The secret is we grind our burgers in-house,” he says. “That’s why they taste so good.”

Few spots do that—let alone char-broil it, so patty drips ignite and further flavor the meat—because grinding is time-consuming, expensive and easy to outsource. However, that frequently comes with flavor-compromising preservatives.

Also uncommon: the type of intuitive marinade Chef Dameon Deworken applies to his Cruz Burger at Cruz Kitchen & Taps.

He mixes garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and a secret blend of spices into his patties, which play nicely with American cheese, jalapeños, homemade pickles, cilantro and lettuce on brioche buns (bacon and avocado optional).

His flavor insight also appears in his house veggie patty, which he worked at length to perfect. Deworken ultimately settled on a balance of beets, shiitake mushrooms, lentils, ginger and—surprisingly—peanut butter, treated with a similar marinade, minus the fish sauce.

His restaurant partner Mia Thorn sees his type of resourcefulness as part of a more significant pattern beyond the rise of plant-based burgers, which—per several studies—is part of a steady and increasing global desire for more alternative “meats.”

“I feel like the future of burgers isn’t necessarily in the average American ‘box,’” she says. “Like our burger, it will feature other flavors and different profiles you don’t [currently] see around town.”

“The Belushi” – The Parish Publick House. PHOTO: Mark C. Anderson

At Surf City Billiards Bar & Cafe—an under-the-radar foodie oasis—Chef Tawni Lucero keeps with that theme, drawing inspiration from a distant corner of South America.

Her lead special for Burger Week is the Oh So Messi, a nod to two Argentinian legends, World Cup champ Lionel Messi and open-fire chef Francis Mallman, whose private Patagonian island is called La Soplada (in English, “blown away”).

On a foundation of flame-broiled ground chuck Braveheart Black Angus beef, she’s adding two more traditional Argentine legends: from-scratch chimichurri and provoleta, a piece of salty provolone that’s spiced, dusted and fried.

Not that the expansive flavors stop there. Lucero is also prepping 1) a patty melt with smoked gouda, onion jam and sautéed shiitake mushrooms sizzled to order with Sriracha aioli on the outside (rather than butter or mayo) to give it a crispy, spicy, orange-tinged effect; and 2) a grilled teriyaki portobello with pepper jack and a pineapple-and-habanero chutney.

The cross-continental sweep of her flavors reflects her view of the burger’s arc going ahead.

“My idea of what’s coming is global,” she says. “I see more fusion and unifying flavors.”

While she calls her vision “a utopian ideal” of what burgers can be, SCBBC owner Zac Crandell is less optimistic, messaging her that “They’re going extinct” and “The future of burgers is nonexistent.”

Versions of that response surface several times on this odyssey. Paul Cocking, owner of Gabriella Cafe—which happens to make a grass-fed doozie of a Burger Week entry on a homemade bun—lowers the boom without blinking.

“The future of burgers doesn’t look good because beef is ruining the planet,” he says with a hint of carnivorous sarcasm. “So, we’re enjoying it while we can.”

Laurie Negro, the owner of the popular Santa Cruz boutique chain Betty Burgers, takes on that challenge in two ways.

One, she sources antibiotic-free, hormone-free and pasture-raised beef from family-owned Painted Hill Natural Beef because she values how they treat the planet and its animals.

Two, she offers every one of her burgers—including best sellers Point Grinder and Texas Two-Step—with a Beyond Meat patty swapped in.

“Burgers do have a future,” she says. “It’s plant-based, as people become more health conscious and environmentally aware.”

For Burger Week at her four locations, she’s introducing a Bahn Mi Burger, a Reuben Burger and a Cha Cha Cha Burger with roasted onions, sautéed red bell peppers and jalapeños, pepper jack and special house green onion “lube.”

“Everybody has sauce,” she adds. “Not a lot of people have lube.”

At Betty and across Santa Cruz, the diversity of burger options points to a primary takeaway from Good Times’ plunge into #thebraveburgerfuture: There are a prodigious number of spots putting real thought and care into their craft.

So, while the future of burgers will head in less-than-predictable directions, for one week in February, it will find a reliably delectable destination in Santa Cruz.

BURGER WEEK PARTICIPANTS

Some might consider Burger Week the fitting counterpoint to Good Times’ recent Health & Fitness Issue, but in many ways, this is a fitness issue too, as in, we’re gonna fitness all these burgers into our mouths.

Each participating restaurant across Aptos, Capitola, Felton, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Soquel will present a burger for $10, $12 or $15, and at least one will do a special burger at each price point. The options abound. You might say trying out a modest fraction of them is a healthy challenge.

Back Nine Grill & Bar
555 Hwy 17, Santa Cruz, 831-226-2350; backninegrill.com

Belly Goat Burgers
725 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-225-0355; bellygoatburgers.com

Betty Burgers
1222 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 600-7056; 1000 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, 423-8190; 505 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz, 423-8190; 415 Trout Gulch Road, Aptos, 831-612-6668; bettyburgers.com

Bruno’s Bar and Grill
230 Mount Hermon Road, Scotts Valley. 831-438-2227; brunosbarandgrill.com

Crow’s Nest
2218 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. 831-476-4560; crowsnest-santacruz.com

Cruz Kitchen & Taps
145 Laurel St., Santa Cruz. 831-713-5173; cruzkitchenandtaps.com

Felton Music Hall
6275 Hwy 9, Felton. 8312-704-7113; feltonmusichall.com

Gabriella Café
910 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. 831-457-1677; gabriellacafe.com

Gilda’s
37 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. 831-423-2010; gildas-restaurant.com

Heavenly Roadside Café
1210 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley. 831-335-7311; heavenlyroadsidecafe.com

Hula’s Island Grill
221 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz. 831-426-4852; hulastiki.com

Mad Yolks
1411 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. madyolks.com

Makai Island Kitchen & Groggery
49A Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. 831-466-9766; makaisantacruz.com

Malone’s Grille
4402 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley. 831-438-2244; malonesgrille.com

Mozaic
110 Church St., Santa Cruz. 831-454-8663; mozaicsantacruz.com

Paradise Beach Grille
215 Esplanade, Capitola. 831-476-4900; paradisebeachgrille.com

Paradox
611 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. 831-425-7100; hotelparadox.com/santa-cruz-restaurants

The Parish Publick House
841 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-421-0507; 8017 Soquel Drive, Aptos, 831-708-2036; theparishpublick.com

The Point
3326 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz. 831-476-2733; thepointkitchenandbar.com

Pono Hawaiian Kitchen & Tap
3744 Capitola Road, Capitola. 831-476-7458; ponokitchenandtap.com

Riva Fish House
31 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz. 831-429-1223; rivafishhouse.com

Robbie’s Sandwiches
3555 Clares St., Ste. TT, Capitola. 831-515-7411; robbies-sandwiches.business.site

Rosie McCann’s
1220 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 831-426-9930; rosiemccanns.com/santacruz

Roux Dat Cajun Creole
3555 Clares St., Ste. G, Capitola. 831 295-6372; rouxdatcajuncreole.com

Santa Cruz Diner
909 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. 831-426-7151; santacruzdiner.com

Seabright Social
519 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz. 831-426-2739; seabrightsocial.com

Sevy’s Bar + Kitchen
7500 Old Dominion Ct., Aptos. 831-688-8987; seacliffinn.com/sevys-bar-and-kitchen-aptos

Surf City Billiards
931 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 831-423-7665; surf-city-billiards.business.site

Surf City Sandwich
4101 Soquel Drive, Soquel. 831-346-6952; surfcitysandwich.com

The View at Chaminade Resort
1 Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz. 831-465-3449; chaminade.com/santa_cruz_restaurants

Vinocruz
4901 Soquel Drive, Soquel. 831-426-8466; vinocruz.com

Zachary’s
819 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. 831-427-0646; zacharyssantacruz.com

Teens and Lawmakers Work to Outlaw Reunification Therapy

Todd Guild

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February 21, 2023

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Teens and Lawmakers Work to Outlaw Reunification Therapy

On Jan. 17, 16-year-old Claire Protti and two of her friends traveled to Sacramento. But it wasn’t for a music festival or camping trip: The three teens planned to speak to lawmakers.

Last October, the teenagers watched helplessly as their friend and her brother were forcibly removed from their grandmother’s Santa Cruz home and taken to an undisclosed site to undergo court-ordered family “reunification therapy.”

It’s been four months, and she hasn’t heard from her friend.

“We haven’t heard from them at all,” Protti says. “We don’t know if they’re safe; we don’t know if they’re injured. We don’t know if they’ve been in school.”

It was out of concern for their friend and objection to the practice of reunification therapy that the trio decided to travel to Sacramento, where they spoke with lawmakers to advocate for their friends.

Under this relatively unknown therapy, children are taken to “reunification camps” for an intensive four-day session with one of the parents, often in cases of parental alienation. Therapists tout reunification therapy as a method for bringing parents and children together in cases where one parent has been estranged from the other, often in contentious divorce and custody disputes.

Critics, meanwhile, say the for-profit industry often categorically ignores what the children want.

Worse, it can be weaponized by vindictive and abusive parents who need only claim “parental alienation” to convince a judge to rule in their favor and award custody, says Tina Swithin, an outspoken critic of the therapy. In some cases, parents have lost contact with their children for years.

Protti is worried. It’s been 110 days; the kids have been kept out of school and away from their father and friends. There hasn’t been communication of any kind.

Protti now aims to spotlight the issue for the world to see.

“This has been so hushed up by everybody,” she says. “This has been happening for years and years, and I don’t think anyone was aware of it until she told us directly. We’re not going to stop until President Biden knows about it.”

Differing Opinions

Reunification therapy often begins with “transporters” from private companies with “specially trained counselors.” Transporters take the children to assigned locations—the group that took Protti’s friend and sibling, New Jersey-based Assisted Interventions, Inc., has not responded to Good Times’ requests for comment.

Lynn Steinberg, a family therapist who also did not respond to Good Times, spoke about the case in a Nov. 20, 2022 podcast called “Slam the Gavel,” including Toronto-based attorney Brian Ludmer, an expert on parental alienation.

Steinberg said the session went “very well” and ended “happily,” with the kids bonding with their mother.

“When the kids arrived at my office, they were in perfectly fine shape,” she said on the podcast. “They were friends with the transporters. There were no marks on them, although they had bitten and kicked and bruised the people who had transported them here.”

Sarah Stockmanns, who traveled to Sacramento with Protti, doubts these claims.

“I don’t think there’s any way for the kids to be friends with the transporters after they were so aggressively taken from their grandparents’ house,” she says. “I don’t think it’s possible, and I think it’s a total lie.”

Ludmer says that the father had refused a court order to bring them to the other parent, hence the court-ordered intervention.

He stresses that reunification therapy is a last resort in ugly custody cases where the warring sides have reached an impasse.

“The family will never restructure in a healthy fashion absent a healthy family structure being imposed on it,” he said in the podcast. “Hierarchies and boundaries and mutual respect and respect for court orders, empathy, forgiveness—all of the normal developmental tools of childhood–have been denied children in these situations, so the court has to impose it.”

The blackout period often accompanies the therapy and gives a “time out” for the parent who may have caused the estrangement.

Greg Gillette, the attorney for the father in the Santa Cruz County case, says the incident with the transporters raises public policy questions.

“These kids were physically handled,” Gillette says. “So, the question is, does that court order give those adults the right to do that? We question the use of force in police cases, and we question the use of force in other arenas.”

The mother’s attorney Heidi Simonson did not respond to requests for comment.

Regulation Battle

In the days before they were taken, the older sibling took to social media, warning friends it might happen. When the transporters arrived, a crowd of friends and family showed up. Some of these supporters recorded a disturbing video of the younger sibling being carried by a large adult with arms encompassing the boy’s chest. Then two other transporters, one grasping the teenage girl’s arms and the other her legs, carried her to a waiting vehicle as she screamed for help.

The video elicited a powerful response from the community and politicians, who condemned the process. Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin and Senator John Laird plan to push legislation that would regulate or prohibit reunification camps and transporter companies.

Pellerin says she is now researching the issue.

“It certainly seems very unusual to take children out of the hands of one parent who is not being charged with anything and basically cut off from that parent and all their friends and family,” she says. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Meanwhile, Laird and his staffers are teaming up with Sen. Susan Rubio, who authored a law last year that would have regulated the industry. The bill—Piqui’s Law, named after a 5-year-old boy killed by his father during a custody dispute—died on the Assembly floor in November.

“The video is troubling to anyone who has any humanity,” Laird says.

Rubio did not return a call for comment but has signaled that she plans to bring the bill back.

Protti and her friends don’t plan on halting their mission to get the kids back and bring legislative control over the reunification industry.

The Santa Cruz incident has also caught the attention of local lawmakers.

Former Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty, who is Protti’s uncle, took up the cause along with Santa Cruz Mayor Sonia Brunner in a press conference last November. He intends to push an ordinance regulating the industry in the unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County.

Supervisor Justin Cummings, who took Coonerty’s District 3 seat in the November election, took up that mantle in January when he urged the county to forge an ordinance prohibiting private transport companies from physical contact with minors. Such a rule would only apply in the county’s unincorporated regions, so Cummings called on other jurisdictions to consider similar regulations.

In addition to a proposal buried in the supervisors’ consent agenda—a section generally reserved for items expected to pass without discussion—the county asked state lawmakers to consider regulating the industry statewide.

“It’s serious enough that I believe the county should take the lead to try to address this issue,” Cummings says.

Children Empowerment

John Wall, a professor of Childhood Studies and director of the Childism Institute at Rutgers University, isn’t surprised that the court ignored the kids’ desires. He says that many courts do not let kids speak for themselves.

A relatively new philosophy, Childism focuses on children’s empowerment and how they are often marginalized in society, similar to how women once were in the 19th century. The thinking also advocates lowering the voting age. Wall says that many courts believe children are too young and cannot understand their situation in a courtroom setting, an idea he calls “nonsense.”

“A 15-year-old or an 11-year-old does have a lot of understanding of what’s going on in the situation,” he says. “But given a conflict between an adult and a teenager or a child, generally speaking, a judge will take the adult’s side.”

Wall says the American Bar Association has criticized such thinking and that policy experts are working on ways to rethink the system ostensibly designed to protect young people.

“When you don’t have standing in court and must rely on the judge, you are much more likely to have your rights ignored,” he says.

Wall says that a growing number of child advocates around the world are advocating for children’s suffrage.

“Our argument is that because children don’t have the right to vote, it’s easy for laws to ignore them,” he says. “The root cause of why children and teenagers don’t have standing in court in cases like this is that politicians who make our laws don’t have any reason to listen to them.”

Now that their voices have been heard by people who can help instigate change, Protti and her friends hope those lawmakers will continue to push so other children won’t have to endure the same trauma.

“It was amazing to see the government in action and to be able to talk to people we know can make much more of a difference than us high schoolers can make,” Protti says.

Board Shaper Mando Strives for an Inclusionary Surf Culture

Liza Monroy

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February 21, 2023

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Board Shaper Mando Strives for an Inclusionary Surf Culture

If it isn’t already, the surf world will soon be familiar with the name Mando. Mando grew up in Carmel, getting “smashed” by the waves at Carmel Beach as a kid, and was hooked.

“It was a really intimate way to get to know the water and the way waves work,” Mando says. “I just remember being obsessed with it. I wanted nothing more than to be a surfer.”

On Saturday, Feb. 25, at Traveler Surf Club, the Santa Cruz community will have a chance to meet and speak with the up-and-coming shaper and activist. Julie Cox, who co-owns Traveler with partner Rel Lavizzo-Mourey met Mando when Cox and Mando worked for the same company.

“I love how focused Mando has become on their boards in the last few years, and we are thrilled to be carrying them at Traveler,” Cox says. “I love the colorwork. Mando is positive and great to work with all around.”

Along with a charismatic presentation style and breadth and depth of knowledge about surf craft and social justice, Mando’s signature warmth and humor spearhead discussions into deeper conversations and community bonding. Mando will unveil a new surfboard model; they’ll talk about “what makes it such a good board, the tweaks I’ve made to the model and answer any burning questions.”

At the mid-twin board release party, attendees can participate in a “shaper chat,” trivia giveaways and hang out in Mando’s swanky Airstream. A leash and fins will be included for those who order a board at the event.

Mando creates boards for every type of surfer, from getting their first custom board to more advanced surfers progressing.

“Ordering a surfboard and even just learning about boards can be overwhelming and intimidating,” Cox says. “Mando makes board design understandable and relatable, so I’m excited for people to experience their knowledge and hopefully not feel intimidated. Mando is a great surfer who has been in the surf world for many years and knows their stuff. I surfed one of their fishes at the last demo day and had a blast.”

WAVES OF CHANGE

Mando’s path into shaping surfboards was unusual; as heir to a hotel and hospitality industry, they did not come from a “dynasty surf family,” as many legendary shapers do. With parents who worked in real estate and managed a hospitality empire of inns and hotels, Mando was expected to go into the family business and one day take it over.

“I’m grateful for the education I got from it, but I didn’t feel like there was anything else I could do other than take over the business. That’s where my value was. That dictated every decision I made.”

But the ocean had always called, and eventually, Mando would need to leave the family business to pursue “an opportunity to make something that was truly my own.” Thus, they blended their passion for surfing with well-honed business knowledge and skills from managing inns.

“I had no one to look up to when I started shaping,” Mando explains. “I didn’t know there were trans shapers, let alone female shapers. I can’t rely on legacy. I can rely on my business experience, and I can rely on my privilege as a business owner. I’m starting to feel some momentum and drive to do even more.”

Though Mando has been shaping for many years, Mando Surf Co. was founded just a year and a half ago.

“That happened during Covid because my inn was shut down. I thought, why not?” they say. A surf instructor at Las Olas Surfing for Women, Mando wasn’t traveling to Mexico to teach at the time.

“There was some opportunity and timing for sure,” they say. Now that Las Olas is up and running again, they travel to teach between four and six times a year. Mando boards are catching on south of the border, too.

“I’ve got a bit of a Sayulita market down there,” they say. Mando loves connecting with customers and getting text messages like, “I rode your board today; it makes my world!”

The world Mando has a part in making, in turn, is getting wider.

Though making boards and founding Mando Surf Co. was a natural path, combining their business know-how with their passion for surfing and, by extension, building boards, Mando defies expectations of a “typical” shaper, elevating the craft with an inclusionary social mission. As a member of Surf Equity, the organization that fought to secure women’s ability to compete in big wave contests like Mavericks, Mando is assembling a team of experts on trans inclusion in surfing. They’ve made it their mission to create a business centered around their true passion and pave the way for LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion in the surf world.

MANDO MANDATES

While building Mando Surf Co. and everything that goes along with launching a company, Mando is also working on social justice issues in the surf industry. As the world of surf and sport mirrors society, the stakes are high. Mando works with Surf Equity to correct the record following a recent social media outcry from pro-surf celebrities such as Bethany Hamilton and Kelly Slater following the World Surf League’s adoption of a trans-inclusive program. The policy outlined by the International Surfing Association states that an athlete may compete in the category of their gender identity. However, athletes must supply medical evidence that their serum testosterone concentration has been less than 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of the previous 12 months.

Arguments opposing the inclusion of trans athletes, per the American Civil Liberties Union, “erroneously claim that allowing trans athletes to compete will harm cisgender women” and goes on to state that the tactic “gets it exactly wrong—excluding women who are trans hurts all women. It invites gender policing that could subject any woman to invasive tests or accusations of being ‘too masculine’ or ‘too good’ at their sport to be a ‘real’ woman.” Opposition to the ACLU’s stance also reinforces the myth that women are weak and need protection.

“People who were saying it wasn’t safe for women to surf those big waves are now saying women’s rights are being threatened,” Mando explains. “It’s so easy to justify biases.”

SHAPING THE FUTURE

Mando wishes the “aggro part” of surfing went away. “The majority of us are not, anyway,” they say. “Bullies are just the ones with the loudest voices.” Mando seeks to aid in the burgeoning quest to carve space for everybody, LGBTQ+, trans or otherwise marginalized communities. Mando is careful with their words: “When it comes to activism and being a trans shaper, I don’t want to speak for anyone else in that,” they say, wishing to represent their own experience and purposes. Mando recognizes that they have been both privileged—growing up in a family with successful businesses—and marginalized as a nonbinary person. From this unique position, they seek to use their platform to benefit all suffering from exclusion.

“Some of us are just so connected to the ocean,” Mando says, “and when you’re not accepted, or the way people treat you is imbalanced with how you feel, it’s so hard. We can all relate to not feeling accepted or welcomed in the surf community. That’s easier for some than it is for others. The trans community really needs a unified voice and people to come in and say we deserve the space as much as anyone else. It’s all a journey.”

Mando Board Reveal Party happens Saturday, Feb. 25, 10am-2pm. Traveler Surf Club & Coastal Outpost, 747F 41st Ave., Santa Cruz. travelersurfclub.com

Rob Brezsny’s Astrology: Feb. 22-28

Rob Brezsny

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February 21, 2023

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Philosopher John O’Donohue wrote a prayer not so much to God as to Life. It’s perfect for your needs right now. He said, “May my mind come alive today to the invisible geography that invites me to new frontiers, to break the dead shell of yesterdays, to risk being disturbed and changed.” I think you will generate an interesting onrush of healing, Aries, if you break the dead shell of yesterdays and risk being disturbed and changed. The new frontier is calling to you. To respond with alacrity, you must shed some baggage.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Rightwing religious influencers are rambling amuck in the United States. In recent months, their repressive pressures have forced over 1,600 books to be banned in 138 school districts in 38 states. The forbidden books include some about heroes Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks. With this appalling trend as a motivational force, I encourage you Tauruses to take inventory of any tendencies you might have to censor the information you expose yourself to. According to my reading of the astrological omens, now is an excellent time to pry open your mind to consider ideas and facts you have shut out. Be eager to get educated and inspired by stimuli outside your usual scope.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I think we can all agree that it’s really fun to fall in love. Those times when we feel a thrilling infatuation welling up within us are among the most pleasurable of all human experiences. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do it over and over again as the years go by? Just keep getting bowled over by fresh immersions in swooning adoration? Maybe we could drum up two or three bouts of mad love explosions every year. But alas, giving in to such a temptation might make it hard to build intimacy and trust with a committed, long-term partner. Here’s a possible alternative: Instead of getting smitten with an endless series of new paramours, we could get swept away by novel teachings, revelatory meditations, lovable animals, sublime art or music, amazing landscapes or sanctuaries and exhilarating adventures. I hope you will be doing that in the coming weeks, Gemini.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The scientific method is an excellent approach for understanding reality. It’s not the only one, and should not be used to the exclusion of other ways of knowing. But even if you’re allergic to physics or never step into a chemistry lab, you are wise to use the scientific method in your daily life. The coming weeks will be an especially good time to enjoy its benefits. What would that mean, practically speaking? Set aside your subjective opinions and habitual responses. Instead, simply gather evidence. Treasure actual facts. Try to be as objective as you can in evaluating everything that happens. Be highly attuned to your feelings, but also be aware that they may not provide all facets of the truth.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is there anything in your psychological makeup that would help you do some detective work? How are your skills as a researcher? Are you willing to be cagey and strategic as you investigate what’s going on behind the scenes? If so, I invite you to carry out any or all of these four tasks in the coming weeks: 1. Try to become aware of shrouded half-truths. 2. Be alert for shadowy stuff lurking in bright, shiny environments. 3. Uncover secret agendas and unacknowledged evidence. 4. Explore stories and situations that no one else seems curious about.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The country of Nepal, which has strong Virgo qualities, is divided into seven provinces. One is simply called “Province No.1,” while the others are Sudurpashchim, Karnali, Gandaki, Lumbini, Bagmati and Janakpur. I advise Nepal to give Province No. 1 a decent name very soon. I also recommend that you Virgos extend a similar outreach to some of the unnamed beauty in your sphere. Have fun with it. Give names to your phone, your computer, your bed, your hairdryer and your lamps, as well as your favorite trees, houseplants and clouds. You may find that the gift of naming helps make the world a more welcoming place with which you have a more intimate relationship. And that would be an artful response to current cosmic rhythms.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Are you aimless, impassive and stuck, floundering as you try to preserve and maintain? Or are you fiercely and joyfully in quest of vigorous and dynamic success? What you do in the coming weeks will determine which of these two forks in your destiny will be your path for the rest of 2023. I’ll be rooting for the second option. Here is a tip to help you be strong and bold. Learn the distinctions between your own soulful definition of success and the superficial, irrelevant, meaningless definitions of success that our culture celebrates. Then swear an oath to love, honor and serve your soulful definition.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The next four weeks will be a time of germination, metaphorically analogous to the beginning of a pregnancy. The attitudes and feelings that predominate during this time will put a strong imprint on the seeds that will mature into full ripeness by late 2023. What do you want to give birth to in 40 weeks or so, Scorpio? Choose wisely! And make sure that in this early, impressionable part of the process, you provide your growing creations with positive, nurturing influences.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I recommend you set up Designated Arguing Summits (DAT). These will be short periods when you and your allies get disputes out in the open. Disagreements must be confined to these intervals. You are not allowed to squabble at any other time. Why do I make this recommendation? I believe that many positive accomplishments are possible for you in the coming weeks, and it would be counterproductive to expend more than the minimal necessary amount on sparring. Your glorious assignment: Be emotionally available and eager to embrace the budding opportunities.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Actor Judi Dench won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth in the film Shakespeare in Love—even though she was onscreen for just eight minutes. Beatrice Straight got an Oscar for her role in the movie Network, though she appeared for less than six minutes. I expect a similar phenomenon in your world, Capricorn. A seemingly small pivot will lead to a vivid turning point. A modest seed will sprout into a prismatic bloom. A cameo performance will generate long-term ripples. Be alert for the signs.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Most of us are constantly skirmishing with time, doing our best to coax it or compel it to give us more slack. But lately, you Aquarians have slipped into a more intense conflict. And from what I’ve been able to determine, time is kicking your ass. What can you do to relieve the pressure? Maybe you could edit your priority list—eliminate two mildly interesting pursuits to make more room for a fascinating one. You might also consider reading a book to help you with time management and organizational strategies, like these: 1. Getting Things Done by David Allen. 2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. 3. 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “What is originality?” asked philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Here’s how he answered: “to see something that has no name as yet, and hence cannot be mentioned though it stares us all in the face.” Got that, Pisces? I hope so, because your fun assignments in the coming days include the following: 1. to make a shimmering dream coalesce into a concrete reality; 2. to cause a figment of the imagination to materialize into a useful accessory; 3. to coax an unborn truth to sprout into a galvanizing insight.

Homework: What’s something you would love to do but were told never to do by someone you loved? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria Turns 45

Christina Waters

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February 21, 2023

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Forty-five years ago this week, Gayle and Joe Ortiz opened a tiny bakery in tiny Capitola Village. Scratch-made pastries, including croissants Gayle learned to make in Paris, attracted locals from the get-go. Five years later, after a gastronomic fact-finding trip to Italy, the couple added an Italianate deli crowned with a wall-sized rotisserie. With thousands of square feet devoted to specialties, sweet and savory, to consume in the sunny garden dining room or to take home, Gayle’s is an insanely consistent and popular Central Coast pit stop.

I’ve had countless coffee and pastry mornings with female colleagues and taken home countless items from bulging cold cases for heat-and-serve lunches and dinners. Nothing I’ve tasted from Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria has ever disappointed. Neither gigantic almond croissants, crunchy biscotti nor fresh sliced porchetta.

So, it was easy to bring home special items for our two-day Valentine’s graze. A boxed order of Miso-glazed Salmon and Sticky Rice with Shiitakes and Edamame looked intriguing, and so did the Valentine Chicken Piccata dinner, sided with long asparagus spears and voluptuous pasta formaggio laced with prosciutto and sage (both $23.95). We added an order of our favorite beet and orange salad ($5.50). Here’s where things always get difficult at Gayle’s. Pastry displays shimmer like the windows of Tiffany’s. For once, I didn’t hesitate. A single, substantial, beautiful Red Velvet Cupcake with a beautifully piped mountain of cream cheese frosting ($4.75) almost didn’t make it out of the parking lot.

The first night we split the salmon, along with glasses of a light, grassy, peach-inflected Storrs Sauvignon Blanc 2021. With our Chicken Piccata the next night, we succumbed to an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Gilroy’s Martin Ranch. With each bite, the cab proved a perfect choice. The chicken was succulent and tender, and the luscious cheese-coated pasta retained its firm texture, an authentic tribute to Gayle’s kitchen since we heated it in our oven before serving. Lots of cherries and plums in the opening, with a middle of granite and a finish haunted by oregano. A lovely wine to go with a lovely dish.

Everything in these take-home meals tastes fresh and pure, rather than the too-often muddy flavors that can happen with meals prepared in other kitchens and then microwaved at home. It’s a delicious formula Gayle’s has mastered. Dinner for two—or one if you’re Travis Kelce—for under $25.

The salmon dinner the night before was also excellent. The generous slice of thick steamed salmon filet had been sauced with creamy, almost sweet miso and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. With it came a rockstar side of sticky rice liberally embedded with fat green soybeans and generous slices of shiitake. Another side of wok’d baby bok choi and spinach quickly disappeared under our forks. So nice to dine on food as fine as many of our top restaurants yet enjoy the casual no-fuss ambiance of our own dining table, with lots of candlelight. And no sauté pans to wash!

Sophisticated comfort food and imaginative menus are as much a fixture of Gayle’s as are the down-homey meatloaf, lasagne or roast beef and potatoes to-go dinners.

And yes, that red velvet cupcake tasted as good as it looked. I removed a half inch of frosting to balance the cake and frosting into an adult ratio. Tender tangy cake, luscious tangy frosting. Happy 45th to Gayle’s, and happy Valentine’s to us!

Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria, 504 Bay Ave., Capitola, 831-462-1200; gaylesbakery.com

Big Basin Vineyards’ 2018 Homestead is a Festival of Flavors

Josie Cowden

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February 21, 2023

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Big Basin Vineyards’ 2018 Homestead is a Festival of Flavors

Blending several varietals might sound simple, but it takes a masterful winemaker to get it just right.

Big Basin Vineyards has nailed it with its 2018 Homestead ($28). A blend of 33% Carignane, 25% Syrah, 21% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s a big mouthful of tasty wine with spice-and-red-fruit-flavored Carignane leading the pack.

“Our Homestead represents the extraordinary granitic and limestone terroir of the Gabilan Mountains where we sourced the majority of the fruit,” winery owner Bradley Brown says. Homestead features several well-known vineyards in the area—Big Basin’s estate provides “the backbone.” An area map on the bottle’s back label shows each vineyard source in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And the front label depicts a California homestead, complete with a dog, rifle, banjo and rocking chair, painted by local artist Matt Jones. Visit mattjonesart.com to see other labels he designed for Big Basin.

Big Basin’s Feb. 24 Coastal Wine Dinner has already sold out. Make sure you get tickets early for 2024.

Big Basin Vineyards Santa Cruz Tasting Room & Wine Bar, 525 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz; 831-515-7278; bigbasinvineyards.com

Big Basin Vineyards Olive Oil

Also at Big Basin Vineyards is their 100% organic, extra virgin, cold-processed olive oil—now available for sale. “After two years lost to fires and recovery, our estate olive oil is back,” says Brown, adding that nothing captures the freshness of the olive harvest like their Olio Nuovo, “new oil.” Electric green-gold in color with aromas of artichoke and grass, it has a “very nice balance between pungency, richness and softness.” A limited amount was made, so check the website for info.

El Toro Bravo Rocks Sizzling Enchiladas

Andrew Steingrube

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February 21, 2023

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Hillary Guzman’s grandma Delia Rey opened El Toro Bravo in 1967, and Hillary started working there in 1999 temporarily but decided to stay when her father moved away. She says the restaurant is treated like a family member and emits a friendly vibe. Guzman defines the cuisine as traditional northern Mexican food. The menu masterpiece is the enchilada sauce: comforting, like a scratch-made gravy, locals rave about it. Enchilada filling options include ground beef, shredded chicken, prawns or crab grilled in lemon garlic butter. The tender and lean beef chili verde is another stand-out. The grilled cod soft taco is a good lighter option.

Meanwhile, the 222 app comes with six oysters prepared three ways: chorizo and cheese, spinach and cheese and lemon garlic butter and cheese. The dessert must-have is the sopapilla, a fried flour tortilla with cinnamon, sugar, vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. El Toro is open daily, 11:30am-9pm. Guzman talked to GT about her family’s resilience in the recent storms.

How did the storm affect the business?

HILLARY GUZMAN: We were affected in multiple ways. Financially, it set us back. We lost a lot of product and several business days, and our family did the clean-up ourselves. But most importantly, it was saddening to see our neighboring businesses affected too because, to us, they’re not just businesses; they are our personal friends. But we are a tight community, and I’m very optimistic we will rebuild and succeed.

How would you describe your family legacy?

We are not going anywhere; we are into our fourth family generation running this restaurant. We are the longest continually operating restaurant in the Capitola Village, and we have no plans on quitting. We come from a long line of stubborn, hard-working women. El Toro Bravo means “brave bull,” and that is us.

El Toro Bravo, 123 Monterey Ave., Capitola, 831-476-1553; eltorobravocapitola.com

Cabrillo College Baseball Preview

Local News

Quinn Southall

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February 21, 2023

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The Cabrillo College baseball team began its season under a new era of coaching that prioritizes individual development for the team’s betterment.

Seahawks manager Scott Masik fiercely stands behind the team motto: “1% better, every day.”

The first-year skipper made this his mission since taking over for longtime manager Bob Kittle, who did not return this season.

Masik signed with the Oakland Athletics after playing for Cabrillo in 2010 and 2011.

“Coming back here is an awesome opportunity because I’ve played on this field, and I know what it means to be a Cabrillo Seahawk,” he says.

Masik knows what it takes to build a winning team.

The Seahawks’ season got off to a rough start, as they won just three of their first nine games, including a 21-5 loss to San Joaquin Delta College.

Twenty-five of the 40 Seahawks are freshmen who are still adjusting to the vigor of college baseball, so the organization was prepared for the slow start.

“We’re a young coaching staff; we have a relatively young team,” Masik says. “We are trying to figure out how to win.”

Cabrillo’s roster has 13 players from high schools in Monterey Bay, but the rest are new to the area and traveled from as far as Hawaii. It’s a testament to the extensive recruiting process exhibited by all major Cabrillo sports—the basketball team has only one local player.

The Seahawks’ season is just ramping up, but it’s already clear they have considerable talent on their roster. Catcher Kawana Soares and pitcher Ian Sullivan—both sophomores with scholarships through next season—are team leaders and are here to ensure they win.

While Cabrillo lost its first four before winning three consecutive games, followed by another two losses, the Seahawks are confident they will figure things out as the season progresses.

Some positive takeaways early on include a dominant 10-3 victory against Laney College, a tough competitor.

“We know that coming into the season, it was going to be a tough stretch,” Soares says.

Last season, Cabrillo finished a mediocre 19-21 overall and 11-9 in Coast Conference South Division play.

During the offseason, the Seahawks worked tirelessly in the weight room to ensure each player was physically prepared for the intensity of the 40-game season.

“Every day is not going to be the best day of your life,” Masik says. “Baseball is a game of failure and adversity. We have a team who tries to take one step in the right direction every day.”

The focus has been on developing team chemistry—teammates have bonded through participating in non-baseball activities, like cheering for their Cabrillo peers at football and basketball games.

Following the losing streak, the team was more aware of the necessary adjustments.

“Our bats in the beginning, everyone was anxious; everyone was trying to swing the bat hard,” Soares says. “That was what kind of killed us; we didn’t have a lot of hits in our first couple of games.”

The modifications paid off, and Cabrillo went on a winning streak. The Seahawks began hitting their stride before two losses to San Joaquin Delta (10-0). But there’s a lot of time to figure things out, and progress is being made: Cabrillo (4-6) bounced back in extra innings with an 8-7 win over Diablo Valley College on Feb. 18.

“We’re taking this one game at a time,” Masik says.

Next, the Seahawks play West Valley College (3-7) on Saturday at 1pm in Santa Clara.

Community Bids Farewell to Seacliff State Beach Wharf

Todd Guild

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February 20, 2023

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Community Bids Farewell to Seacliff State Beach Wharf

Expecting a large crowd for a beach cleanup at Seacliff State Beach on Saturday, Save Our Shores printed 250 waivers for volunteers to sign before they got to work.

While that may have been enough for a run-of-the-mill beach cleanup, this was no ordinary event. Over a thousand people came to clean the beach and say goodbye to the wharf that once led to the Cement Ship but was decimated by a series of atmospheric river storms and a tidal swell in January.

It is unclear whether the pier will be rebuilt. Still, California State Parks has said it plans to use its limited financial resources to rebuild the damaged campground and other infrastructure.

Demolition is expected to begin this week.

Lu Robles-Sane, who came with her niece, says she originally moved to the area with her husband. After his death, strolls onto the pier and sitting on the benches have helped her through difficult times.

“I love it out here,” she says. “This is where I find my serenity.”

Robles-Sane’s niece Madison says that her brother used to go fishing on the wharf and that her great-grandmother told her about dances on the Cement Ship, which was intact and served as a local entertainment spot.

Ayla Urquhart, who says she is “basically 9-and-three-quarters,” pins a memory of the Seacliff Wharf onto a piece of driftwood. PHOTO: Todd Guild

Zina Urquhart said she and her daughter Ayla came to celebrate the Wharf.

“It’s really sad,” Zina says. “It’s been here for a long time, and it’s an icon.”

Capitola Hosts Benefit Concert

Local News

Todd Guild

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February 17, 2023

1

The City of Capitola is hosting a concert to raise money for those impacted by the series of storms that ravaged the county in January.

The “Beyond the Flood” benefit concert will feature Jive Machine, the Alex Lucero Band and Joint Chiefs with Tony Lindsay. The concert is free, but proceeds from beer sales and T-shirts will go to Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, an organization that has already issued $510,000 in disaster grants.

The January storms caused millions of dollars of damage to the Esplanade. Capitola Mayor Margaux Keiser has estimated the damage to the Village at $2.6 million, with repairs to the Capitola Wharf clocking in at roughly $9 million.

The stunning damage to the village, in which the Wharf was cleaved in half and beach logs were slammed into Zeldas on the Beach and Tacos Morenos, prompted visits from President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

Capitola Police Chief Andrew Dally said the idea for the concert came after a community beach cleanup that helped clear the beaches of the wreckage from the storms.

“There was just a lot of talk about what’s the next thing we can do,” he said. “It was really apparent that a lot of people in the community really wanted to step up and help with this.”

The public is encouraged to find alternatives to driving to get to the event, since parking is limited. A bicycle lot will be available.

Important Information:

What: “Beyond the Flood” concert

When: 12-6pm, Saturday

Where: at the Esplanade Park bandstand in Capitola

Schedule: Jive Machine – 12-1:30pm, Alex Lucero Band – 2-3:30pm, Joint Chiefs with Tony Lindsay – 4-6pm

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