The contentious debate over whether city leaders should approve a dispensary operating near Santa Cruz High School has come to a close. The Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 on May 13 to greenlight The Hook Outlet, a dispensary at the former site of Emily’s Bakery on the corner of Mission and Laurel Streets.
The Hook is required to file a quarterly fake ID report, ban anyone under 21 from buying cannabis, and pass an annual review of their permit under conditions of approval brought by Councilmembers Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Martine Watkins.
The seemingly innocuous proposal became embroiled in controversy after the Santa Cruz City Schools came out against it earlier this year due to its proximity to the local high school. During numerous meetings leading up to the final vote, fears centered on students possibly using fake IDs to purchase cannabinoid products.
The dispensary was approved by the Planning Commission on March 7 after it agreed the dispensary met all city zoning requirements. However, the decision was appealed to the city council by a group of concerned parents.
The intervention of the school and parents spurred support from customers of The Hook and Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), which is selling one of five cannabis licenses in the city to The Hook as part of the approval.
Although WAMM is not on the application for the dispensary, many community members who have benefitted from WAMM over the years came out to speak in favor of approving the dispensary as a means of continuing WAMM’s mission.
WAMM is selling their license because of “massive debt” they have accrued selling marijuana at a discount to those with disabilities and medical conditions, according to Valerie Corral, founder of WAMM.
Political heavyweights State Senator John Laird and State Assemblymember Gail Pellerin also wrote letters in support of approving the dispensary based on their history with WAMM going back to Corral’s work in decriminalizing marijuana and the 2002 DEA raid on WAMM facilities.
In a prior meeting Emily Reilly, ex-mayor and owner of Emily’s Bakery, also spoke favorably of Bryce Berryessa, co-founder of the Hook, whom she sold her lease to.
In proposing the motion to deny the appeal, Councilmember Sandy Brown said, “This is an incredibly responsible business and partner. It is not about WAMM but it is too.”
Vice Mayor Renee Golder was unapologetic in her reasons for not supporting the approval for the dispensary. She was the sole ‘no’ vote during the council meeting.
“I also saw the letters of some of my esteemed political colleagues. None of them are raising young adults or high school students,” Golder said.. “I’ve seen kids go to the ER completely throwing up, having to get IVs over and over again because of the level of potency, and yes it is on the parents, but not all kids have parents that are there to educate them and teach them and that is unfortunately that is the responsibility of the schools and that is why I think the schools feel so passionate about this.”
Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson took a middle position, but still ultimately voted in favor of the dispensary.
“I feel that as a parent, a prevention advocate, an ally and a friend to the cannabis industry, it is not the right location, ” Kalantari-Johnson said. “But having said that, the rules on the books are the rules on the book. I have heard what people are saying. It is unfair to change the rules.”
As a member of the city council’s cannabis subcommittee, Kalantari-Johnson said they would be proposing changes to the city’s cannabis laws in the future, including increasing the distance from schools that dispensaries would have to follow in the future from 600 feet to 800 feet.
With the issue of The Hook finally settled, the city council turns its attention across the street, where the council will take up the appeal of the Food Bin housing project on May 28, stay tuned.
What are your memories of your first Giant Dipper ride?
Mystery
The ride seemed so much bigger and more terrifying the first time. I rode with my mom and I was really excited because I’d been too small to ride for a long time. I felt like one of the big kids. It’s definitely rattly, but I feel safe on it, secure.
Mystery Epreuer, 19, Student
Shea
I was really nervous to get on, the whole time. It was my first roller coaster. After I went on, I just wanted to go on it so many more times. I thought it was the best ride. I was like, “I don’t want to go on any other ones, just this one again.” It’s fast, exciting, but fun, definitely worth it.
Shea Weber, 20, Student
Ryan
I must have been 6 or 7. I always wanted to ride it, but I wasn’t tall enough. That first big drop is exhilarating! Maybe the most satisfying part was being able to prove that I was tall enough to ride. My two older siblings were with me, so I couldn’t be too scared, because then I’m not cool.
Ryan Kolderup, 19, Student
Zack
In sixth grade I did Boardwalk Summer Camp. My sister loved roller coasters, but I did not, I was terrified. It took a lot of effort to convince me to ride with her, but when I finally gave in, I loved it. I rode multiple times in a row to make faces at the camera.
Zack Stack, 20, Student
Sarah
My only time, my schoolmate got us passes. I was terrified going up the first big hill. I closed my eyes, held on tight and tried to get under the bar and hide. Afterward, I thought, “I’ll never do that again!” For a half-second I thought about doing the 100th anniversary—but no.
Sarah Lee, 40,-seventeen, Gig worker
Briana
I was nine, and my brother made me sit in front. You hear the tick, tick, tick, going to the top, and it feels like you stop for an eternity—then sheer panic lifting out of your seat, down the first dive. Squeals of excitement, and boom it’s over. At 49, the thrill is still there, but is waiting in line worth the 30 seconds?
Briana Mosbacher, 49, Office Manager at Bed and Biscuits
Aptos resident Robert Seals, often called Bobby Seals, with no relation to the famous Black Panther, is a maverick of the highest degree. One timeline has a teenage Seals contemplating the life of becoming a professional skier, and then quickly becoming immersed in the world of the arts, and the tumultuous 1960s.
A passion for metallurgy (Seals is a self-proclaimed “metal wizard”) led to the invention of the Cool Tool (the first multi-tool for mountain bikes), as well as the retrotech bicycle frame (a cruiser bike with modern geometry), plus folding stages and some of the first solar sound stages.
Which led to the invention of the first modern-age, portable, stainless steel drinking container, called the Kleen Kanteen. Which has become a billion dollar industry. But that timeline leaves out the music, the spirituality, the devotion to making the world a better place and, well, the maverickness.
You need a maverick energy to be an inventor. From the Wright Brothers to Thomas Alva Edison, you can find yarns of gruff, prickly and outrageous behavior, and Seals is no different. There are stories about Seals, up in Northern California, that have become legend. Seals challenged a police officer and his horse to a grueling 20-mile run. Seals won. Twice. Or, how about when Seals moved to Santa Cruz in 2012, and built a frightening 14-foot tall sculpture that glared down into his neighbors windows with malevolence? Seals dismembered the structure after dealing with the Santa Cruz Planning Department and other squares. A maverick move.
As far as inventors go, Seals is talked about in the same manner as John Henry. Is he a real human being or just part of the new American folklore? Or both? Recently, Seals has invented a new, safer, drinking container, as well as teaching the youth about the magic of nature. He contains mavericktudes.
Hey, Hey! It’s the 1960s
Growing up in the very tiny Northern California town of Chester, Seals was skiing down Stover Mountain at three years old. By the time he was a teenager, he was the most accomplished skier in the region. “I was noticed by Sierra College, who at that time had the best ski team in the US,” Seals says. The year is 1966 and a random class in ceramics planted a seed in the young man’s mind. “I fell in love with sculpture. After two years and two national championships, I received a ski scholarship to Utah State. I changed my major to art. After a year, I relocated to Chico and dove into ceramic and welding art,” Seals recalls.
There’s no denying the sheer vital force that Seals harbors in his wiry frame of almost eight decades. Like all good metal, he’s been tempered, time and time again. Back in the later part of the 1960s, there was a divisive war, multiple civil rights movements, and social movements dominating the front page of every paper in America. An extraordinary number of young people, at that time, had a burning desire to do something, anything. “We were always doing interesting protests against the war. We’d hang on crosses that were covered in money, have sex on the administration’s steps, anything to be a general nuisance,” Seals says.
NEXT BIG THING Beverage Safe hits stores in Santa Cruz this summer. Photo: Kathy Staychock
It’s a Tool That’s Cool
You’ve got to remember, Seals was not your average hippie. “During the summers at Chico State, I would fall burning timber. I would actually jump out of helicopters with a running chainsaw, and five gallons of gasoline. Right into the forest fire,” he recounts. This is not a random story. The money Seals earned from that job allowed him to buy some property in the Sierra Nevada hills where he held epic bike trail races. Which led to his first invention. the Cool Tool.
In the early 1980s, there were little cliques of mountain bikers pedaling around Chico, California. Seals built several miles of trails on his property and held races. One day, a little black pouch, full of tools, that sits under every mountain biker’s seat, fell off and was left unclaimed. “Mountain bikes were always in need of repair,” says Seals. “I emptied the bag on my desk. Out fell a crescent wrench with a six-inch iron handle and a chain breaker, with another long handle. And I just started putting the tools through my mini grinder. I cut off everything unneeded. I braised all the parts and put them back together, and that was the birth of the Cool Tool.”
“I received my Cool Tool as a gift in ‘95 or ‘96. It was the perfect multi-tool for the time and such an important part of my tao of teenaged mountain biking that all these years later my mom still remembers it. These days a multi-tool is just something I use on the trail, but back then if I didn’t fix it with my Cool Tool, it meant my bike was heading into the shop.” – bike enthusiast Andrew Major
Seals sold the Cool Tool to Gerber (the maker of the Leatherman tool, not the baby food), and with that money was set up for what came next.
Time to Change the World
There used to be a time, not that long ago, where if you were thirsty, you would have to find a water fountain or a garden hose. But here in 2024, most people reading this can’t imagine not having their portable stainless steel water container with them. You can thank Seals for that.
“I had gone to see Julia Butterfly Hill speak. She was lamenting about the hormone-disrupting chemical BPA that was inside every plastic water bottle. She was full of passion about how plastic bottles were poisoning humans and the Earth,” Seals recalls. Rushing back to his welding shop/laboratory, Seals began to work on what quickly became the Kleen Kanteen.
It was more than an idea; it was a revolution. Reusable stainless steel water bottles, imitated by numerous companies, became and still are the rage. But according to Seals, it was not exactly the product he wanted to make.
“I worked in the dairy industry back in my early days. All containers had to be mirror finished on the inside. I owned a big water truck I took to disasters, whose interior also had to be FDA approved, and mirror finished,” he recollects.
But he’s not quite satisfied. “Water in a mirror-polished interior seals in the metallic taste. And it’s the only way to get bacteria off,” Seals continues.
“My broker convinced me that if we just electropolish the interior, much cheaper at the time, it would serve the same purpose. It didn’t, it doesn’t and the current world of stainless steel water bottles are very problematic,” he explains. “If you put orange juice in your container, or a smoothie, the liquid is exposed to nickel, the outgasses and the metallic taste,” Seals explains.
Enter Beverage Safe
Seals has recently invented and patented Beverage Safe, a new type of stainless steel water container that doesn’t leach out heavy metals, or hold on to bacteria. While not on the shelves yet, Beverage Safe is doing a slow roll out over the next few months. There’s still product testing to be done and a million other details before the first Beverage Safe hits the stores in Santa Cruz, during this summer. Also, Beverage Safe is a female-owned business.
Beverage Safe owner Kathy Staychock, who did her undergraduate work at UCSC, has been working with Seals since Kleen Kanteen. “I had just gotten back from six months in Colorado, working as a backcountry ranger. I was hearing about how BPA was linked to breast cancer, and all summer long, my plastic water bottle was attached to my hip” Staychock says.
“As soon as I heard the work Bobby was doing, I left graduate school (at CSU) to join him. He would call me every morning before 7am to tell me we need to get Kleen Kanteen on Oprah,” Staychock remembers. After some years passed, Staychock reconnected with Seals in Santa Cruz.
“Bobby never gave up trying to create the original vision that he had of a safe drinking container. Did you know every single tin can or aluminum can that you have, even organic tomatoes, has BPA as a liner? Aluminum is corrosive with acidic content, so it has BPA or, what they call now, a regrettable substitute, which is as bad, if not worse,” Staychock explains.
Staychock has aligned herself, again with a maverick, and the future of Beverage Safe looks good. “I find it appropriate that we reunited in Santa Cruz. We have the best product and Santa Cruz, with its healthy lifestyle, is the best place to launch it,” Staychock says.
And to come full circle, you can see environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill’s endorsement of Seals, and Beverage Safe, on Seals’ YouTube channel.
The Old Man and the Sea
If you feel like a new stainless steel water bottle isn’t mavericky enough, hold tight. Staychock will be donating part of the profits from Beverage Safe to the nonprofit arm of Seals’ world, Mother Nature’s Temple. And the nonprofit’s current work, and Seals’ newest passion, is helping kids who would never get a chance to get out in the ocean and hang out next to a whale.
Every week, weather permitting, Seals and crew have up to 30 children on Ocean Spirit, a 40-foot long rigid hull inflatable. “It’s the kind the military and the Coast Guard use,” Seals says. And each voyage is accompanied by Maureen Gilbert, who supplies much of the educational component of the voyages. “I’m a marine educator and naturalist,” Gilbert says. “I led trips on the Monterey Bay for 20 years. I volunteered for a long time at the Marine Mammal Center and I also volunteered at the sea lion facility at Cal State.”
Gilbert has a great appreciation of the work that Mother Nature’s Temple does, with Seals at the helm. “To bring underserved individuals out to see the whales and Monterey Bay is incredibly satisfying. We work with one particular agency that specifically puts together outdoor adventures for both adults and children with special needs. Earlier this year we took out a group of children who are hard of hearing. And to watch their faces light up as we headed out of the harbor? Made me cry,” Gilbert says.
So? Is this what big maverick energy looks like in 2024? Making people smile and teaching them about nature? “That’s the reward,” Seal confirms. “We’re just always looking for ways to keep it going. You know, we’re always looking for grants and hope Beverage Safe can keep us afloat.”
In addition to its productive agricultural fields, Watsonville is also fertile ground for public art, from the murals of historic produce labels to the annual outdoor sculpture exhibits at Sierra Azul Nursery & Gardens.
Last week, a new mural sprouted up downtown and an exhibit of work by Watsonville teens opened at Pajaro Valley Arts.
Dozens of people gathered in downtown Watsonville on May 17 to celebrate the completion of a new large outdoor mural at Community Bridges at the corner of Main Street and East Lake Avenue.
Titled “Wisdom of Our Elders,” the colorful 225-foot-by-32-foot mural represents a collaboration between Community Bridges, Elderday and California-based Chicano muralists Augie WK and Jessica Carmen, known as The Jams.
Community Bridges spokesman Tony Nunez said the mural reflects “the depth of knowledge accumulated over a lifetime, the importance of history and the strength of our community.”
He added that numerous local groups came together to ensure that the mural reflects the diverse and vibrant voices of the community.
“This mural is more than just artwork; it’s a celebration of life’s beauty and the many joys of aging. It stands as a testament to the invaluable contributions of our older adults and the wisdom that they impart on all of us.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony coincided with Older Americans Month.
Lois Sones, program director for Elderday, described the mural ceremony as a milestone: “Two years ago today we were standing right here breaking ground for this building, changing it from a discount mall to a state of art facility for older adults.”
She highlighted how Elderday moved from Santa Cruz to Watsonville “with absolutely no interruption in service.”
Describing the mural as “one of the largest canvases we’ve ever created on,” Jessica Carmen says that she and Augie WK did a great deal of community outreach to draw out memories and stories to incorporate into the mural.
Community Bridges CEO Ray Cancino says the mural is a “wonderful representation of the work that we do” and he points out that Central Coast Alliance for Health and other groups played big roles in funding the project.
According to a press release, Community Bridges intends to use compelling imagery to celebrate seniors and “illuminate their indispensable role in our daily lives, while also emphasizing our shared commitment to providing them with the care, support, and dignity they rightfully deserve.”
The mural showcases various elements honoring older adults, including a cheerful man and a dignified woman known as “El Don y La Doña.” The figures are a composite of numerous grandparents from the community and former Elderday participants. In between the portraits are several “memory bubbles,” capturing moments shared between elders and younger generations.
On the other end of the generational spectrum, a new exhibit by local high school students in the Teen Artes program opened the same day in the Pajaro Valley Arts Porter Building.
The show features mixed media, paintings, collage, ceramic sculpture and other mediums by four students from Watsonville, Aptos and St. Francis High schools as well as alumni, and teaching artists.
The show was curated by Teen Artes participants in 2023-2024 with the help of local artist Josefina Rocha.
Teen artist Yasmín Salas shared her thoughts on participating in the exhibit. “I’ve always been shy and art was my main way to express myself, ideas, and creativity. What inspires me to create is my love for nature and my Mexican culture. I enjoy walking around Watsonville admiring the murals by local artists,” Salas said. “I especially enjoy working with fellow teen artists from Watsonville. Teen Artes has been a supportive and creative hub for me and I loved meeting fellow young artists in Watsonville. I have learned so much from being a part of Teen Artes, such as marketing techniques, how to wire paintings, and how to curate a gallery. This is an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
The Teen Artes show runs through June 30 at the Porter Building at 280 Main St. in Watsonville, Wednesday through Sunday 11am–4pm.
One of Mexico City’s top bands, Sonido Gallo Negro (Black Rooster Sound), is a nine-piece instrumental combo drawing on the mystical sound of ’60s Peruvian cumbia (a subgenre of chicha). The band also integrates styles like huayno, cumbia sonidera and boogaloo, with trippy electric guitars, Farfisa organ, theremin, flute and plenty of driving Latin percussion. Among their other influences are spaghetti Western soundtracks, psychedelia and surf music, as heard in their five albums. Their live shows also add a visual element, with real-time illustrations by Mexican designer Dr. Alderete. DAN EMERSON
Weedeater is a perfectly named sludge metal outfit from Cape Fear, a North Carolina headland that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. Their vibe is stoner-dom meets punk nihilism meets acid rock meets southern Gothic doom. Fans of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Blue Cheer will find much to love here. Also of note is the fact that the band worked with the late producer Steve Albini, who surely lives on through their sound and shows. ADDIE MAHMASSANI
Rising star singer-songwriter Eric Paslay comes by his sagebrush twang honestly; he’s a native of dusty Abilene, Texas. A platinum-selling Grammy, CMA and ACM-nominated artist, he has released one album for EMI Nashville, which contains the hit singles “Friday Night,” “Song About a Girl” and “She Don’t Love You.” He’s also written several hit songs for other artists, including Amy Grant. Last December, he released a new six-song EP, Perfect Stranger. His local appearance is part of the resort’s Nashville Nights concert series. DE
Six Californian photographers (Ansel Adams, Norman Locks, Karolina Karlic, Shelby Graham, Binh Danh and Edgar Cruz) encompass Of Love and Revelation: Learning Photography from the Land, an exhibition highlighting how each artist combines various styles and methods in their landscape photography with different outcomes. Each artist brings their personal story, relationship to photography, relationship to each other and relationship to the land, confronting difficult and complex themes such as social injustice, settler colonialism, climate change and economic inequality. Their results ask the audience to consider how they relate to “California as a place and as an idea.” Runs May through September. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: Noon, Museum of Art & History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. $10. 429-1964.
SATURDAY
SOFT ROCK
ADVANCE BASE
Who could forget the band Casiotone for the Painfully Alone? The name was a bit of a prediction, for better or for worse, for Owen Ashworth, who has since struck out on his own with a keyboard and a dream, calling his new project Advance Base. Ashworth combines poetic, stripped-down vocals with effect pedals, drum sounds and an electronic piano. His voice carries shades of Bon Iver; his lyrics are closer to the National. If those references aren’t enough to clarify, Advance Base’s songs are full of melancholy feelings about the cost and privilege of being alive. JESSICA IRISH
Most people tend to prefer music from their teenage years—that’s why the older people get, the more they think current music, to put it bluntly, sucks. However, the kids are alright; it only takes looking at Santa Cruz’s scene to see why. Trestles has quickly grown audiences with indie music that connects classic rock ‘n’ roll with modern songwriting, earning them Band of the Year at this year’s NEXTies. Then there’s Plum Skin, an all-woman group with a Vaselines-style dream pop sound that’s so catchy even the most curmudgeonly will tap their feet. Joining them is Career Woman, an LA-based project from Melody Caudill, who’s been recording for the past seven years—since the age of 13. MAT WEIR
A quick Google search of Madeline Pendleton will lead to many pages, most notably, a TikTok profile with 1.8 million followers and the site of her employee-centered clothing business, Tunnel Vision. Pendleton’s latest venture is her book I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt, which details her life as an erstwhile unhoused, now-CEO, anti-girlboss hero. For anyone skeptical of the late-stage capitalism that seems to run the world, Madeline Pendleton offers another possibility, one that she seems to live by: her company splits profits equally among all staff. Socialism, irl? Crazier things have happened. JI
INFO: 7pm, Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free. 423-0900.
JAZZ
TAMMY L. HALL
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and halted all touring, venues across the country had to come up with creative ways to keep the lights on. For the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, one of those ways was to offer an online master class. This free-to-stream show gave viewers an intimate look into the minds of some of jazz’s best and brightest living musicians, directors and composers. Once society reopened, Kuumbwa’s master class continued, and this Tuesday features Grammy-winning pianist, composer, arranger and music director Tammy L. Hall. For those musicians who like to jam, this class is for you, as Hall will give her unique insight into musical improvisation. MW
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz. Free. 427-2227.
WEDNESDAY
AUTHOR EVENT
PHIL YEH
Ever since he was a kid, Yeh wanted to be a cartoonist and even convinced his dad to drive him to the very first San Diego Comic-Con (aka THE Comic-Con) in 1970, where he met Jack Kirby (X-Men, Captain America) and Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451). Seven years later, he wrote the first all-original American graphic novel, Even Cazco Gets the Blues, and hasn’t looked back since. Yeh is also the founder of Cartoonists Across America & the World, an organization promoting literacy since 1985. This Wednesday, meet the man and get one (or several!) of the over 80 books Yeh has written and illustrated, like Dinosaurs Across America and The Winged Tiger. MW
INFO: 11am, Atlantis Fantasyworld, 1020 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Free. 426-0158.
Re: George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: Once more, we find ourselves plunged into Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle.
Debord (1931–1994), a favorite French intellectual of the espresso-and-resistance crowd, published the above book in 1967, popularizing its assertion that the public perception of “being” had devolved into a “spectacular” set of mere distracting contrivances.
In common with many of its think-piece contemporaries on the subject of the modern human condition, Debord’s essay has grown a few whiskers since then. The concept of idealistic social upheaval isn’t exactly what it used to be.
And yet, Situationist critic Debord’s observations on lived reality, representation and perceived social life—especially the parts about the ongoing commoditization of personal interaction and the persistence of colonialism—still manage to touch a chord in the era of AI and social media. Gratifyingly, such underlying skepticism has never gone out of fashion.
Writer-director Miller’s original 1979 hot-rods-and-body-armor fable caught the vibe. The gaudy franchise about an always-disintegrating, gasoline-deprived Australia and the adventures of a lone rebel stands out in a crowded field of dystopian fantasies.
Mad Max and his virtual descendants—forever trying to straighten out injustices in the name of the downtrodden—have seemingly never lost their power to excite and engage. Furiosa, the fifth entry in Miller’s irresistible demolition derby, aims to be both spectacular and spectacularly meaningful.
It’s an origination myth. Innocent young Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne), reaching for an apple in a tree, gets kidnapped by a gang of barbaric bikers and swept into a life of never-ending terror and warfare. She grows up into the epitome of a fierce survivor. The adult Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), who secretly nurtures the seed of the apple tree as hope for the future, becomes a leading warrior in the army of Dr. Dementus (played in a froth by Chris Hemsworth). She eventually joins forces with another rebel, Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke).
Two hours and 28 minutes of chaotic cinematic violence ensue. A big battle, a chase scene, a bigger chase scene, a much bigger battle. Furiosa lands a job as a “pit boy” on one of Dementus’ war wagons, after passing through the royal harem. An English football cheer rises from Gastown. Slaves harvest maggots for food, off of a collection of severed limbs.
In one scene, Dementus clearly resembles Nikolay Cherkasov’s Alexander Nevsky from the similarly energetic 1938 Sergei Eisenstein epic of the same name—Miller has conceivably been doing some late-night Soviet film homework.
There’s enough action here for three features. Maybe the filmmaker could have split the long, long running time across several movies and given them separate names (Chunder Road? Sand Witch Spread? The Great Unwashed?).
Snuggled down pop-eyed in their reclining seats, viewers struggle to distinguish between the characters—was that Scrotus or Toe Jam? What finally happened to the two Vuvalinis, male and female? Sadly, original hero Mel Gibson is nowhere to be seen. All the while, busy Furiosa hides the prophetic apple seed in her hairdo.
Taylor-Joy, deservedly heralded for her performance in the chess drama The Queen’s Gambit, is starved for dialogue while scooting through the outback, but Furiosa’s steely determination—not to mention her expressive eyes—nearly carries the movie. Nearly. Her stunt double looks ready to compete in the Olympics. Can’t say the same for Hemsworth’s fulminating Dementus, with his chains and leather and his stuffed animal toy. Haul out the time machine—misplaced Thor belongs in a 1960s-era AIP outlaw biker pic, opposite Bruce Dern and Adam Roarke.
The basic premise of the Mad Max saga has never changed, but the over-familiarity of the set pieces and the rapid-fire “top this” grotesquery can wear down even the most appreciative audience. Exuberance alone can’t quite carry the burden, especially the fifth time around. The franchise peaked with Fury Road. This spectacle is running out of gas.
Opens May 24 at theaters in Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville.
Fans of Black China Bakery (216 Fern St., Suite A, Santa Cruz) can be forgiven for not paying attention to the outgoing voice message. They’re too giddy with anticipation of, say, the German chocolate cake or the banana chocolate chip scone.
“People don’t listen,” owner-operator Katelin Brightman says. “You can’t just call and get something the same day!”
Black China, in other words, has gotten popular enough that it can focus entirely on wholesale operations. Brightman and her cheerful and tight-knit team will happily make a vegan chocolate peanut butter cake for your special occasion. You just have to plan (and call) ahead.
There is welcome relief, however: Locally grown and sown Black China stocks all the area’s Whole Foods and New Leaf markets with indulgent dairy-free treats until they sell out.
Way back in 1983, when Brightman’s mom launched Black China Bakery with a friend, vegan was a fringe consideration, and BCB’s inventory reflected that. Now more than 90 percent of its production—whether red pepper rosemary olive scones or double chocolate-sea salt cookies or sour cream raspberry cakes—is plant-based.
Meanwhile Brightman can keep discerning vegan appetites happy without the demands of a 9-to-5.
“We’ve done a cafe and storefront, which was great, and I love the creativity of that,” she says, “but I love the fact I don’t have a set schedule.”
blackchinabakery.com.
WE’RE NUMBER ONE
Beckmann’s Bakery of Santa Cruz (1053 17th Ave.) makes a mean sourdough, and has since the ’80s, when Peter Beckmann delivered his first loaves by bike. But it was BB’s pies that took the prize at the National Pie Championships. The American Pie Council hosted the 2024 competition in Florida at the end of last month, and Beckmann’s earned three blue ribbons this go round. They’ve also made the podium in years past for everything from pecan to pumpkin pie; this year Beckmann’s grabbed top honors for its berry bomb, cherry and peach, which are all available at scores of local grocers, a few dozen farmers markets and beckmannsbakery.com. “It’s a celebration for Santa Cruz, getting a hometown product recognized on a national stage,” Beckmann’s Business Development Operations Manager Tony Stumbaugh says. “We’re famous for tourism and skateboards in Santa Cruz, but it’s nice to be known for food too.”
NIBS AND NUBS
Hindquarter Bar & Grille (303 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz) provides a solid happy hour(s) 2:30-5:30pm Monday-Saturday with $6 drinks and $6 bites, thehindquarter.com…New Santa Cruz Mountains outpost Domaine Eden (23000 Congress Spring Road, Saratoga), sibling spot to storied winery Mount Eden, is now open for tastings on weekends with advance reservations, domaineeden.com…Legendary community resource Love Apple Farms (5311 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley) is changing hands, but its legion gardener following can take comfort that it’s staying in the family, with Cynthia Sandberg handing the trowel to her son Zach Geske, growbetterveggies.com…“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature,” Alfred Austin once said. “To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”
La Chimichanga Cantina in Scotts Valley opened in 2019. Nancy Ortiz started there a year later and was promoted to manager four months ago. She worked at the previous restaurant in the same location, but left due to a car accident before coming back after a cook recommended her as a great employee to the new owners. Born in Querétaro, Mexico, she says she immigrated here 24 years ago with her family for a better and more successful life.
She defines La Chimichanga Cantina’s ambiance as inviting and colorful, pairing amiable employees with eye-catching animal paintings on the wall. The menu is Jalisco-centric Mexican food, based on a combination of the owner’s family recipes and the chef’s creations. The breakfast burritos are huge in size and popularity; for lunch/dinner, they of course feature a hearty chimichanga, a deep-fried and customizable burrito. Combo plates with tacos, enchiladas, tamales and chile rellenos are also available. They also offer vegan options like nachos and crispy tacos, and have a full bar highlighted by their raved-about house margaritas.
Tell me about your bar program.
NANCY ORTIZ: We have house specialty drinks, one of which is our margarita, but we also offer Chimi-ritas, which are margaritas with cognac and Grand Marnier. We have other margaritas too, like skinny and flavored options, a drink called Toxica that has mezcal, and the Paloma, with grapefruit soda, tequila, fresh lime and a Tajin/Chamoy rim dip garnished with orange and cucumber. And we also have an inclusive nonalcoholic menu featuring aguas frescas, horchata, pina coladas, Jarritos and soft drinks.
What do you love about the Scotts Valley community?
They have really embraced us and been very welcoming. Our customers have been very supportive and complimentary of our food and drinks. Guests often thank us for having a totally vegan menu in a Mexican restaurant, which is very unique. And we often get recommendations and referrals from locals who tell their friends about our great happy hour menu.
Open daily 8am–9pm. 95 Mount Hermon Road, Scotts Valley, 831-438-2567; chimichangacantinasv.com
One of the many perks of writing this column is the chance to meet interesting people, which is how I found myself at reception at Stanford to celebrate the success of the Netflix Twins Study. I happily made the hour-plus drive. Among the A-list of panelists sat local researcher Erica Sonnenburg, who also appeared in the series.
Sonnenburg and her work/life partner, Justin, study the human microbiome (a fancy word for the trillions of bacteria that inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract) and how dietary choices, antibiotic use and other factors affect it. The microbiome impacts metabolism and weight gain, and even has the potential to influence our state of mind.
But here’s the clincher: the unique set of microbiota that live in our GI tract don’t eat everything we do. In fact, they’re very picky. So even while as a nation our collective calorie consumption continues to rise, our guts have become increasingly malnourished. And not because we’re lacking in protein. In fact, glorifying protein and vilifying carbohydrates has left our biota hungry and confused.
Which brings me back to that late April evening at Stanford, listening to Erica Sonnenberg share her science-backed remedy for an underfed microbiome, the kind most of us live with today. Turns out all of our scientific advances in gut health can’t compare with an age-old tradition we’ve swept to the side in the age of grab and go, but one we can easily bring back with a trip to the store or, better yet, farmer’s market: fermented foods.
SAUCY Wise Goat Organics’ salsas add probiotics to dishes such as vegan tacos PHOTO: Mary Risavi
Return of Fermented Foods
Fermentation is the process by which food and beverages are transformed through enzymes from bacteria, yeast or microorganisms into gut-happy probiotics.
Probiotics are the live organisms known for restoring the natural flora in our gut that support digestion. These, along with plant-based complex carbohydrates, are the foods our microbiota crave.
While probiotic labels are slapped on everything from soda to skin cream as marketers jump on this trend, it’s hard to sift through the hype. In truth, the science is still evolving, and the “probiotic” label is not FDA-regulated, since it’s not considered a drug.
While taking a probiotic supplement isn’t a bad idea per se, you’ll get a more robust shot of gut food with non-pasteurized sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, koji, miso and sourdough bread.
Fermented condiments and beverages like apple cider vinegar, wine vinegar, kefir, kvass and kombucha are also great probiotic options.
These are the foods that do a belly good, and for Santa Cruzans, they’re easier than ever to find.
Fast forward to Saturday morning at the Aptos Farmers Market, where I returned to my go-to kraut stop, Wise Goat Organics, with a renewed sense of purpose. The enticing array of fermented products can be overwhelming, but the kimchi and fermented salsa are two of my favorites. The man in line in front of me was picking up his weekly order—about 10 jars of kraut. Maybe I’ll work my way up. wisegoatorganics.com
The story behind Wise Goat—founded over 15 years ago by a nutritionist, acupuncturist and goat owner—intrigued me. I reached out to Mary Riviti, producer of this award-winning brand, to learn more. She knew of the Sonnenburg’s work because they’ve used her products in some of their microbiota research.
We talked about the growing interest in fermentation, which Rivita says has gone from alternative to mainstream in recent years. “Today, more social influencers, nutritionists, even GPs recommend it. You’d be surprised at how often my customers tell me their Kaiser doc told them to start eating sauerkraut. There is more research linking fermented foods to immune function, hormones, mood, almost everything is connected to the gut. The other thing is stigma. Sauerkraut is no longer your grandmother’s recipe.”
When asked whether people shop for the health benefits or taste of fermented foods, Riviti says it’s both: “People come for the gut tonics and start looking around—all foods, even health foods, can be tasty.”
With nearly two decades on the Santa Cruz fermentation scene, La Vie Wellness is another well-established local presence. For 19 years, founder Yeyen Gunawan and her team have been crafting probiotic drinks and superfoods, becoming mainstays at multiple farmer’s markets.
But it’s been a while for me, so I planned a trip to the Sunday Live Oak market to check out the goods.
I was eyeing the delicious-looking coconut yogurt, but after talking to the knowledgeable La Vie rep, I decided to go with a tropical kefir containing, among other things, 30 billion cultures per ounce. La Vie’s wellness drinks are made with an infusion of fresh juices and superfood ingredients and include a variety of freshly made almond milks, as well as the first-ever multi-day Probiotic Juice Cleanse. Similar to Wise Goat, La Vie uses mostly local ingredients grown within 200 miles of Santa Cruz and contains no soy, dairy or gluten.
I left with two bottles of fermented goodness.
My last stop was at Hakouya, where founders Eriko Yokoyama and Masumi Diaz are passionate about fermentation. They are particularly interested in koji, the fungus grown on rice, barley or beans that results in a diversity of probiotic enzymes. It is the base ingredient used to make miso, soy sauce, sake and all kinds of Japanese condiments.
Koji has more than 100 enzymes, and the Hakouya team believe it is a major contributor to health and human longevity in Japan. Koji originally comes from southern Japan, where humans have the longest average lifespan on the planet.
Miso is a staple in Japanese cooking that is full of proteins, probiotics and nutrients. Hakouya miso is aged for up to 18 months for a perfect balance of umami and abundance of beneficial enzymes to support a healthy digestive system. Most miso products sold in stores have added alcohol, which kills beneficial enzymes.
While the products are pricey, the miso lasts for months.
To be sure, the fermented products I’ve mentioned are all a tad more expensive than mass-produced foods, but for those of us on a budget, a little tends to go a long way. And I’d be remiss not to mention that fermenting cabbage to make your own kraut is easily doable in your own kitchen, although it takes time to enjoy the results.
Marty Mathis was probably born to make wine. As the son of Kathryn Kennedy, who started her namesake winery in 1979, he grew up surrounded by grapevines. His release of the 2023 certified-organic Albariño ($29) is 100% shade-grown under a pergola.
Mathis says it took eight years of hard work from the point of his travels in Spain around Rías Baixas to building his own pergolas and growing vines in order to “offer this bottled wine to you.”
Think about that when you enjoy every sip of this crisp and refreshing white wine. “It has the citrus aromas of a Riesling with the stony fruit aromas of a pinot grigio,” Mathis says.
And here’s a guy who barely sleeps. “I eat lunch in 15 minutes,” he says, “junk food in my truck. I never have time to sit down for slow-food lunches at fine restaurants. There’s too much work to be done in the vineyard.”
Marty Mathis, winegrower and president of Kathryn Kennedy Winery, can be contacted at ca******@ka******************.com or his mobile at 408-230-0392. kathrynkennedywinery.com
CRISP TONES Marty Mathis serves up a new Albariño.
Carmel Cuisine
Many favorite restaurants and wineries participate in Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Culinary Week, starting with a Kick-Off Party at Carmel Plaza on May 31. Stay in the centrally located Hofsas House on Fourth and San Carlos Street. Find a list of events from May 31 to June 6 at carmelcalifornia.com/carmel-by-the-sea-culinary-week.
Thistle Fest
Chef Brandon Miller returns to the Artichoke Festival with his ever-popular cooking demos. With a focus on artichokes (of course), he’ll be whipping up some incredible culinary delights. Look for him at noon on June 8–9 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Visit artichokefestival.org for info.
Scenic Dining
Chaminade Resort and Spa hosts its first Vine to View dining experiences on June 7, featuring John Anthony Vineyards. Visit chaminade.com for details.
You need a maverick energy to be an inventor. From the Wright Brothers to Thomas Alva Edison, you can find yarns of gruff, prickly and outrageous behavior, and Bobby Seals is no different. There are stories about Seals, up in Northern California, that have become legend.
In addition to its productive agricultural fields, Watsonville is also fertile ground for public art, from the murals of historic produce labels to the annual outdoor sculpture exhibits at Sierra Azul Nursery & Gardens.
Sonido Gallo Negro is a nine-piece instrumental combo drawing on the mystical sound of ’60s Peruvian cumbia. The band also integrates styles like huayno, cumbia sonidera and boogaloo. Thursday at Moe's Alley.
Mad Max and his virtual descendants—forever trying to straighten out injustices in the name of the downtrodden—have seemingly never lost their power to excite and engage.
Marty Mathis was probably born to make wine. As the son of Kathryn Kennedy, who started her namesake winery in 1979, he grew up surrounded by grapevines.
