Saarloos and sons -Chopping it up - With Keith Saarloos

SBWOMENWINEMAKERS.COMThis week we have two forces of nature — Anna Vecino eathappykitchen.com and Sunshine Dench futureperfectwines.com — for a real conversation about grit, mentorship, and building something that lasts.This episode is about women who don’t wait for permission.They show up early.They stay late.They outwork the room.We dig into the heart behind the SB Women Winemakers & Culinarians Foundation — how Santa Barbara County quietly became one of the most powerful regions in the world for women winemakers, and why mentorship is the key to the next generation.We talk about:🍇 The Grand Tasting at 27 Vines – March 7💎 The Denim & Diamonds Celebration – April 11🎥 The award-winning short film “WINS”🔥 Closing the mentorship gap in wine and food👩‍🍳 Launching a food company in a male-dominated grocery industry🍷 Honoring the OG women who paved the road in the Santa Ynez ValleyAnd we keep coming back to one thing:Hard work is the great equalizer.If you’ve ever thought about making wine… starting a food brand… or stepping into something bigger than yourself — this episode is your sign.👉 Tickets. Events. Mentorship. Documentary. Ways to get involved.👉 Everything lives here:This valley is special.The people building it are special.And if you want in — that’s where you start.🎙️ Choppin’ It Up on Crazy Country 105.9🌟🌟🌟 SBWOMENWINEMAKERS.COM 🌟🌟🌟🍷🔥 SBWOMENWINEMAKERS.COM 🔥🍷💪✨ SBWOMENWINEMAKERS.COM ✨💪

Some people grow up here and leave.Some people leave and never look back.And then there are the rare ones who come home—and decide to carry the weight.This episode is about one of those guys.I sat down with Josh McClurg—born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, gone long enough to think he’d never come back… and now he’s back as San Ynez High School’s Head Football Coach and Athletic Director.This is a conversation about why high school sports matter—not just for the kids on the field, but for the entire community that shows up behind them.• 🏴‍☠️ Small Town, Big HeartWhy San Ynez feels like “small town Texas dropped into the Central Coast,” and how Friday nights, packed gyms, and local pride keep a town stitched together.• 🧱 From Local Kid to LeaderGrowing up riding bikes until dark, dreaming of wearing black and orange, and learning the hard way what responsibility really looks like.• 🏈 The Long Road BackHancock → Chico State → football program cut → teaching in Sacramento → twins on the way → a leap of faith back to the Valley.• 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦‍👦 Family + Faith + GritNICU twins, building a life from scratch, working weekends, laying floors, and doing whatever it takes to provide.• 🧠 Why Sports Change KidsHow team culture pulls kids into structure, raises grades, creates belonging, and turns “lost” into “locked in.”• 📈 The Golden Era of ParticipationJosh shares that about 78% of San Ynez’s 750 students play a sport, plus why track and wrestling are exploding—and what great coaching really does.• 🏟️ Rio Memorial StadiumThe story behind renaming the field to honor Jeff Rio and Carl Rio—and what legacy looks like when a community remembers its own.• 🧱 Wall of HonorWhy Josh is pushing to recognize more of the “old guard” who earned it—and how pride and tradition get passed forward.If you live in the Valley, this episode is a reminder:these games aren’t just games.They’re community.They’re belonging.They’re a training ground for becoming someone.Go Pirates. 🏴‍☠️

This is a very special episode of Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos.Episode 34 is the audio companion to our 2026 Winter Allocation, shared here so the stories behind these wines can be heard in perpetuity. I’ve made more than 75 allocation videos over the years, and this episode lives as part of that permanent record.Recorded live from Ballard Canyon, this episode isn’t just about wine — it’s about farming, family, risk, and legacy.Inside, I walk you through the wines that define this allocation:Mayhem 🌊 — a carbonic Grenache moonshot, a farming flex, a prayer paddled into the unknownPurpose 🌱 — Syrah grown with intention on the high hillResiliency 🛡️ — Syrah from one of the hardest vineyards to farm in Santa Barbara CountyLegacy 🦅 — Syrah from a steep, dangerous hillside that reminds us what we’re protectingGRIT 💪 — a Petit Verdot built like the people it honors, strong, patient, and earned over timeThese wines are not manufactured.They are not repeated.They are one hillside, one year, one moment, bottled.This episode also touches on:The Very Ambitious Group Project — one small act a day to push good back into the worldWhy farming and winemaking are not separate thingsWhy stress, risk, and difficulty make better wine — and better peopleHonoring my father, Larry Saarloos, and the values that built everything we stand onThis is about giving our farming a shot at immortality in the bottles you open with people you love.If you’ve ever wondered where wine really comes from —not the winery,but where the song is written —this episode is for you.Thank you for being part of our family.We live to honor those who came before us.And we prepare the way for those yet to come.Stick with us.We’ve got your back. 🍇➡️🍷

Shaun Cassidy | Teen Idol, Reinvention, and Creative LongevitySome people become famous.Some people become useful.A very rare few become both—and then evolve.This episode is about the evolution.I sat down with my friend Shaun Cassidy for a conversation about growing up in the spotlight—and choosing not to stay there.Shaun entered the public consciousness as a full-blown teen idol: The Hardy Boys, hit records, magazine covers, screaming crowds, and instant fame at 18. The kind of success most people never experience—and very few survive intact.But instead of living off the past, Shaun transitioned.What unfolds is not a comeback story.It’s a reinvention story.• 🎤 Teen Idol, Up CloseWhat early fame really feels like when you grow up inside it—and why seeing it firsthand can either break you or prepare you.• ✍️ Writing His Way InFalling in love with the writers’ room, learning how stories are actually built, and discovering that the real magic happens behind the camera.• 📺 Building Modern TelevisionCreating American Gothic before antiheroes were fashionable. Discovering Heath Ledger on Roar. Working on The Agency, Cold Case, Invasion, Blue Bloods, and New Amsterdam.• 🏛️ Walt Disney’s OfficeWhat it’s like to work inside Walt Disney’s actual office—and how legacy can inspire you… or paralyze you.• ⚖️ Art vs. CommerceNetwork notes, creative conviction, and the moments when protecting the idea matters more than protecting the deal.• 🎶 The Road to UsWhy Shaun returned to the stage after 40 years—not with nostalgia, but with songs, stories, and a mission to get people back in the same room again.• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family, Grounding, PerspectiveWhy longevity only works if you know who you are when the noise fades.This conversation is about identity, reinvention, creative longevity, and what it really means to grow up in public—and then grow beyond it.This isn’t nostalgia.It’s evolution.

Mark Herthel | Horses, Healing, Reagan, and Building Things That MatterSome people build businesses.Some people build institutions.And a very rare few build the backbone of a community.This episode is about the latter.I sat down with one of my closest friends, Mark Herthel, for a conversation that explains—without exaggeration—how the Santa Ynez Valley became what it is… and why it hasn’t fallen apart.What unfolds is not a highlight reel. It’s a blueprint.🐎 The day it all started (1969)Mark’s parents crossed San Marcos Pass, pulled into Los Olivos, walked into a real estate office, and bought six acres for $18,000—land that would become Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic, now one of the most advanced equine hospitals in the world.🏥 Performing horse surgeries on a front lawnBefore the hospital existed, horses underwent abdominal surgery in downtown Los Olivos—on grass—while cars drove by. This wasn’t a story told for effect. It was standard operating procedure.🧬 Revolutionary medicine done out of necessity, not egoFirst colic surgeries. First large-colon resections. Custom titanium implants fabricated mid-surgery. The first equine underwater treadmill built from a jet ski. Hyperbaric chambers. High-field MRI. Bone scans. Stem cells in the 1990s—because the horse needed it, not because it sounded impressive.🔬 The donkey that changed modern regenerative medicineA paralyzed donkey named Eli stood up on its own after experimental stem-cell treatment—an event that quietly influenced spinal-cord research worldwide and later connected Mark to Mayo Clinic scientists.🧪 From stem cells to the future of healingWhy stem cells worked… why they’re complicated… and how today’s breakthrough—exosomes, the body’s healing signal—may finally deliver on decades of promise for both animals and humans.🐴 Platinum Performance, built like a hospital—not a brandStarted in a Los Olivos garage, grown one clinical solution at a time, obsessed with service, real results, and integrity. No trend-chasing. No marketing theater. Just fixing real problems until it became the Nike of animal health.🇺🇸 Ronald Reagan as a neighbor, not a monumentMark’s father served as veterinarian to Ronald Reagan—which meant horses on the White House lawn, riding partners from the Secret Service, brush-clearing at the ranch, and a president who personally called to say thank you for the way a horse was euthanized.📞 The phone call from the White HouseReagan called Mark’s father directly—his only phone call that day—to express gratitude. The call before it? The Vice President. No fanfare. Just character.🐍 “How’s the snake boy?”Reagan remembered Mark years later—not as a constituent, but as a kid whose science-project snake escaped the house. Leadership with a memory and a heart.🪵 Why work mattersA sitting president splitting wood, riding horses, and clearing brush because physical labor grounded him enough to carry the weight of the world.🌄 Why this valley still worksZoning. Stewardship. Showing up. Fixing fences. Picking up trash. Protecting rural character because once it’s gone, it never comes back.👨‍👩‍👦 Legacy without egoA family that taught openly, shared knowledge globally, trained hundreds of veterinarians from around the world, and believed the goal wasn’t to be the best—but to make everyone else better.This isn’t nostalgia.It’s structural integrity.If you live here, this episode explains why.If you don’t, it shows you what’s worth building.You’re listening to Choppin’ It Up on Crazy Country 105.9.Spend your money in the hood.Wave to your neighbors 👋Pick up litter 🧹Take care of what you love ❤️In this episode, we talk about:

This one mattered.Not because of fame.Not because of numbers.But because some stories don’t get told very often—especially by the people who lived them.Adam Firestone doesn’t do long interviews like this.He doesn’t need to.His work already speaks.But in this conversation, he sits down and walks through the full arc—honestly, quietly, without polish.We talk about growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley before it was a destination.About how science, land, and patience brought the Firestone family here.About building one of the first true estate wineries in Santa Barbara County—before anyone knew what that meant.We talk about leaving all of that behind to serve in the United States Marines.About being broken down on purpose.About leadership, responsibility, and learning who you are when the title disappears.And then we talk about beer.Not the glossy version—but the real one.Starting Firestone Walker with no money, no guarantees, borrowed equipment, and a lot of risk.Almost losing everything.The unlikely break that changed the trajectory.And what it takes to build something that lasts 30 years without losing your soul.This isn’t a press tour.It’s not a highlight reel.And no one is selling you anything.It’s a conversation about:Legacy versus momentumCommunity versus convenienceWhy places only survive if people show upAnd why the best lives—and businesses—are built slowly, with intentionIf you love the Santa Ynez Valley…If you care about American craftsmanship…If you believe service, risk, and patience still matter…This episode is for you.🎧 Chopping It Up — Adam FirestoneListen. Stay awhile. Build something that lasts.

This one felt like stumbling into a living library… and realizing the book can talk back.I met Chaplain Linda Palmer at Good Seed Coffee and within two minutes I knew I’d found one of those rare people who has lived ten different lives — and somehow woven them into one purpose.Linda is a community chaplain, a preparedness teacher, a trolley storyteller, a Solvang historian… and an engineer who helped build oil platforms, worked on major infrastructure, and somehow still ended up being the “Grandma Geek” at Barnes & Noble after hacking a Nook in public.And then she casually drops this:Her dad was Mayor Ken Palmer — three-time Mayor of Solvang.She helped write The Spirit of Solvang.She knows the town down to the bricks… literally.This wasn’t an interview.It was a download.We talk about:What a chaplain actually does (and why it matters more than ever)“Still points” — how to stop reacting and start thinkingPTSD, resilience, and building inner purpose before outer preparednessHow Solvang didn’t start looking Danish until 1947 (yep)Why Buellton changed everything when Highway 101 arrivedThe founders, the land purchase, the train line, and the business logic that built the townWindmills, haunted houses, mission bricks, and why Solvang’s “USP” is worth protectingAnd why this valley needs to record its elders before we lose the storiesLinda isn’t trying to be famous.She’s trying to make people stronger.And honestly… she might be the most useful human I’ve had on this show yet.If you love the Santa Ynez Valley…If you care about history…If you want tools for calm, safety, and purpose…This one’s for you.🎧 Chopping It Up — Chaplain Linda PalmerListen. Share. Get ready.

This one felt hidden in plain sight.Right here in Solvang, California, there’s a guy quietly shaping how the world sounds — and most people have no idea.Chris Pelonis owns Lost Chord Guitars, an intimate room built for listening.But that’s just the ground floor.Chris grew up inside Chris & Pitts BBQ, helped shape how generations remember food, then climbed into music — early exposure to the Rolling Stones, the Sound Factory, one microphone, one room, one truth.What followed was a life spent listening deeper than most:Designing hundreds of world-class studiosShaping sound for Sony PlayStation, Dolby, and beyondTouring as a guitarist with Jeff BridgesAnd always coming back to the same idea:not louder — truer.This wasn’t a résumé conversation.It was about craft.About patience.About building rooms — and lives — that translate emotion.We talk about:Growing up inside Chris & Pitts BBQ and the accidental lessons of entrepreneurshipEarly encounters with the Rolling Stones and the Sound FactoryWhy one microphone can beat tenDesigning nearly a thousand listening spaces around the worldTouring with Jeff Bridges and building a real bandWhy great sound is about honesty, not perfectionAnd why slowing down might be the most advanced technology we have leftChris isn’t selling anything.Neither am I.This is just a reminder that the best conversations still happenwhen we listen long enough for the truth to show up.If you love music…If you care how things are made…If you miss when craft mattered more than volume…This one’s for you.🎧 Chopping It Up — Chris PelonisListen. Share. Slow down.

This one felt surreal.Before Chopping It Up was ever a show, before there was a microphone or a Saturday morning slot, there was Northern Exposure — and a guy on the radio in Cicely, Alaska who made silence okay.John Corbett played Chris Stevens, and without knowing it at the time, he helped shape how I think about conversation.Not arguing.Not winning.Just sitting with an idea long enough for it to matter.So having John sit across from me wasn’t a press tour or a list of credits.It was just two guys talking — about luck, patience, saying yes, almost quitting, starting over, and choosing the long arc instead of the shortcut.We talk about:Almost walking away from acting before Northern Exposure changed everythingA Jack in the Box commercial that altered the course of his lifeBecoming famous overnight in Seattle during the birth of grungeTurning down Sex and the City… until one conversation changed his mindMusic, touring, loading gear, and driving every mile himselfWhy routines you actually enjoy might be the real definition of successAnd why the cure for the last five years might be embarrassingly simple:stand in line, talk to people, say yesJohn isn’t trying to sell anything.Neither am I.This is just a reminder that the best conversations still happen when we slow down and let them.If you’ve ever loved Northern Exposure…If you’ve ever felt the world speed up too fast…If you miss when things felt more human…This one’s for you.🎧 Chopping It Up — John CorbettListen. Share. Say yes.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with a true, behind-the-scenes legend of the Santa Ynez Valley: Pam Gnekow, CEO of San Ynez Valley Community Outreach—the woman quietly holding the safety net together while the rest of us go about our lives.Pam doesn’t just talk about helping people—she does it.From Meals on Wheels to veteran services, from domestic violence support to emergency food distribution, Pam and her team moved over 2.1 MILLION pounds of food into the hands and homes of people who needed it most—out of a tiny building, with massive heart.You’ll hear:How a simple question at the food bank turned into 10+ tons of food distributed every single weekWhy people will stand in line for an hour for food—and why that mattersHow churches, volunteers, cities, veterans, and neighbors all lock arms when it countsThe incredible story behind Cars & Cowboys, a sold-out fundraiser that proves charity and joy can coexistWhy a pop-up Vintage Christmas Market in the old Mole Hole became a full-blown Hallmark movie moment 🎄And why this Valley isn’t just beautiful to look at—it’s beautiful because of the people in itThis episode is about fountains, not drains.About building longer tables, not taller fences.About reminding us that need exists—even in places that look affluent from the outside—and that community still works when we choose to show up.If you’ve ever wondered:“How can I help?”“Does it even make a difference?”“Is there still good happening?”This one’s for you.👉 Listen.👉 Share it.👉 Then go do one small good thing.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with a man who should probably charge him rent for all the space he takes up in his head — his good friend Robbie Boyd, calling in from the opposite coast with a sharper wit than any TSA agent deserves to deal with at 3AM.This is a special episode.Not because Robbie grew up in Belfast during the Troubles.Not because he once rewired a house with a fountain pen and Catholic guilt.Not even because he flew across the country to sit in front of a microphone he absolutely did not want pointed at him.It’s special because this conversation is what we used to do as a country — two people who disagree on almost everything… agreeing that none of it is worth losing a friendship over.We go deep into:“Luxury has gotten cheap, but survival has gotten expensive.”Robbie drops the line that’s been haunting Keith for a year — and together they unpack smartphones, heated car seats, McDonald’s inflation, Cribs-level envy, and the weird comfort of knowing we all live better than kings but still feel worse.AI as tool, threat, and mirror.From fake videos that could ruin your life to kids who know how to swipe but not how to troubleshoot, we talk about what we’re gaining, what we’re losing, and what we’re absolutely sleepwalking through.Loneliness disguised as convenience.DoorDash instead of dinner. Netflix instead of date night. Banking instead of walking into town. When the easiest option becomes the default option, community quietly evaporates.(Spoiler: community doesn’t survive unless you show up.)Why comparison is killing our joy.Two pairs of shoes, one pair of wedding shoes, and a whole lot about Russian Czars.How friendships survive disagreement.The real heart of the episode — and the reason Keith refuses to hang up the phone when Robbie calls… even if he knows he’s about to lose an hour of his life.We end where all good conversations should:with Vonnegut, a walk to the post office, the joy found in the “in-between spaces,” and a reminder that the only thing anybody remembers about you is how you made them feel.This one hits you where it matters — in the part of your soul that still wants to be known, still wants to be connected, and still believes we can build something better together.Plug in.Sit with it.And maybe… call a friend.

In Part 2 of this episode of Chopping It Up, Keith picks back up with Efran Pulido right where we left off — on MSR Bug in Iraq, at the height of the IED war.Efran walks us through dismantling devices while insurgents watched from the hills, the day he rendered safe a 500-pound bomb buried in a ravine, and what it feels like to walk down a shut-down highway in a bomb suit with a blinking detonator in front of you and thousands of people stacked up behind you. From EOD school to “energetics,” to training TSA in explosive detection and X-ray recognition, he explains how you go from cutting wires in a war zone to calmly untangling 16 liens on a local property without breaking a sweat—because, as he says, “no one’s dying today.”Then we bring it fully back home: what the Valley felt like when El Rancho was a shoebox, Los Olivos was the edge of the earth, Los Alamos was quiet, and you had to wait for someone to give up their Verizon slot before you could even get internet. We talk about the old gas station, the Los Olivos sewer fight, why quaint is a feature and not a flaw, and why this snow globe of a town needs to stay under glass.We close with what matters most: family and community. His wife Kelly (the vice principal at the high school), their four kids, his son Diego setting kicking records under the Friday night lights, and the ridiculous concentration of talent in this Valley—Baja legends, polo champions, world-class musicians, and the guy fixing your flats at the tire shop.If you want a realtor who’s defused bombs, navigated federal agencies, and still treats your house deal like the most important mission of the day, you can call Efran at 805-598-4140. And if you find something suspicious on the side of the road… maybe call him for that too.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with homegrown Valley kid Efran Pulido — and Part 1 of his story starts a long way from real estate signs and collared shirts.Efran walks us through how his family first came to the Santa Ynez Valley: his grandfather in the Bracero Program, his dad alone on a horse ranch where Sunstone sits now, ready to hitchhike back to Mexico until no cars came… so he stayed and built a life here instead. We talk about learning English at Solvang School, crying in front of a black-and-white TV because he couldn’t understand a word, growing up on Elm Street breaking windows and playing basketball, and running the full gauntlet through SYVUHS.Then the story takes a hard turn: losing his way in Isla Vista, answering a random recruiter postcard meant for the Army, and getting poached by a Marine who walked in and dropped the line, “You wanna be on varsity?” From there it’s Okinawa, Hawaii, and finally EOD school in Florida—training to be the guy who walks up to bombs on purpose.By the end of Part 1, Efran is rolling into Iraq at the height of the IED war, watching burned-out convoys coming the other way, living at Checkpoint 22 with Iraqi National Guard, and suiting up in a bomb suit on his birthday to walk down a major highway in 120° heat toward a blinking device that might end his life.Part 2 picks up right where we left off—with the largest IED in the region, a 500-pound bomb, and the moment Efran earns the Navy Commendation Medal for Valor.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with mason and maker Emily Cody to remember her father, legendary sculptor and back-country builder John Cody — the man Keith calls “the Da Vinci of the Santa Ynez Valley.”Emily walks us through John’s wild arc: a dyslexic kid nicknamed Jungle Jack building cabins in the woods, a young sculptor carving serpentine in Solvang galleries, and the moment he hiked up Manzana Creek, found a meadow that felt like heaven, and decided to hand-build an off-grid stone home 37 miles from the flagpole in Los Olivos. We hear about the ocean-buoy hot tub cauldron, the hand-dug 50-foot well that still pumps today, and the way he used nothing but native rock, scrap, grit, and patience to turn wilderness into a living work of art.Emily shares the personal side, too — what it was like to be raised by a man who could turn a pile of stone into a crab, a train barbecue, or a life-size triceratops, and who quietly mentored half the Valley. From the rebuilt Hollister wall in Los Olivos, to headstones at Ballard Cemetery, to public pieces in Santa Maria and beyond, John’s fingerprints are everywhere…and now Emily is carrying that torch with Manzana Masonry, keeping his standard of real stone, real work, and no shortcuts.If you’ve ever driven past a Cody wall, soaked in his mountain magic, or just wondered what it looks like when someone refuses to live by anyone else’s rules, this episode is a love letter to a father, a family, and a Valley — and a reminder that our job now is to keep their stories, and their work, alive.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with local legend Johnny Hogan — the guy who didn’t just grow up at the Alisal, he shot 60 out there and holds the course record at the Ranch Course.They get into what makes that quiet little strip of fairways and oaks one of the most underrated classic tracks in the country — from its 1950s “dude ranch” roots to ice-block racing down 16, avocado toast and milkshake games, and the kind of staff that has known you since you were seven and still remembers your order.Johnny walks us through his journey from Valley kid to top-250 junior in the nation, breaking his wrist right when it mattered most, grinding his way back, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, and earning a full ride to Long Beach State. You’ll hear about teeing it up alongside names like Bryson DeChambeau, JT, Jon Rahm, and how chasing that dream led him into mini-tour life on the Dakotas Tour — living out of a suitcase, learning real golf on the road.But the heartbeat of this episode is what Johnny’s doing now:Mentoring the next generation of Valley “range rats” like Vaughn GordonTaking kids who’ve never stepped on a private course and unlocking the “superpower” of that first perfect strikeUsing golf as a classroom for discipline, humility, and communityChoosing to go 100 days without alcohol just to see what’s possible for his game and his lifeIf you’ve ever flushed one and felt that “oh no… I’m gonna do this for the rest of my life” tingle through your whole body, if you’ve ever wondered what makes the Alisal Ranch Course feel like a secret society of good people and good swings, or if you’re just looking for a reason to finally book that first lesson — this one’s for you.Tune in to Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos on Krazy Country 105.9, and if you’re ready to start your own journey, you can find Johnny on Instagram @johnnyhogangolf or catch him out at the Ranch Course, turning nerves, bad lies, and big dreams into something beautiful.

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with Eric Steinkamp, the mind (and hands) behind Feral Future / Feral Foods, to talk about what really happens when you stop eating like a lab rat and start eating like you actually live in the Santa Ynez Valley.Eric shares how his fiancée Carrie literally read the stars with astrocartography, pointed at this valley, and how that cosmic nudge turned into a real-life move from LA race tracks to slow roads, gardens, and a kitchen full of elk chili and wild boar pasta. From there, the conversation dives deep into what “you are what you eat” really means—epigenetics, gene expression, seed oils, sun, skin cancer, and why local, seasonal food grown in the same dust and pollen you breathe can literally change how your body works.They dig into one-ingredient foods vs. ultra-processed “forever foods,” butter vs. canola, and how our grandparents’ way of eating somehow became the radical, counterculture choice. Eric breaks down Feral Foods’ farm-to-table-to-go approach: elk chili, wild boar pasta, turkey wild rice soup, venison “mexi meat,” seasonal corn chowder, mineral-rich feral tea, grass-fed collagen marshmallows, and pantry staples like full-spectrum salt and feral herb blends—real food, prepared locally, ready to heat, eat, and feel good about.You’ll hear how Feral Future is bigger than just food: it’s about what you consume, what you surround yourself with, what you wear, and how you care for your tools—right down to Eric’s mobile knife sharpening so your kitchen is actually a place you want to cook in. At the core is a simple challenge: if you love this valley, prove it three times a day with what’s on your plate.Listen in, get hungry (in a good way), and then take one step: swap one processed meal this week for something made by your neighbors, from this dirt. Check out feralfuture.com, look for the Feral Foods fridges at Joy Cafe in Solvang and The Yard Orchard in Los Olivos, and support the people trying to keep our community healthy, strong, and here for the long haul. 🌾🤝

This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with community powerhouse Lisa Palmer to dive into the vision behind the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation—and why a world-class, two-pool complex right on the high school campus would change lives across the Valley.From learn-to-swim lifesaving skills for our youngest to aqua fitness and rehab for seniors, from everyday lap swimmers to CIF-ready competition for swim and water polo, Lisa lays out how this project strengthens health, safety, and community connection for ages 1 to 101. You’ll hear about the foundation’s progress, the plan to keep school use secure while opening daily public access, and how tournaments and true “home games” could finally bring that electric, hometown-crowd feeling to the pool deck.We get real about the goal—$13.7M—what’s already been raised, how local cities are stepping up, and exactly how time, talent, and treasure can push this across the finish line. If you’ve ever learned to swim, watched a kid fall in love with the water, or felt the calm of a good long swim—you’ll understand why this is the kind of legacy project that shapes a community for decades.Listen in, get inspired, and get involved. Put your hand up—volunteer, spread the word, or give what you can. Search “SYV Aquatics Foundation” to connect and learn more. 🌊🤝Highlights:Why year-round public swim access matters (safety, health, inclusion)The plan: competition pool + community/recreation poolSecure, concurrent school + public useLocal support, fundraising milestones, and how you can helpA vision for Valley pride: from first swim lesson to Olympic dreams 🏅

In this one, we sit down with author (and valley neighbor) Adam McHugh, whose memoir Blood From a Stone is a love letter to the Santa Ynez Valley and a raw, honest look at going from hospice chaplain and grief counselor in L.A. to wine guide and storyteller among our vines. We cover: how grief can become gratitude, why this valley saves souls with big skies and bigger terroir, the punk-rock work behind “romantic” wine, and what it really takes to belong to a place you once only visited. It’s reflective, hopeful, a little history-dorky, and very local.Listen if you’re into: real talk about loss + resilience, the geology and magic that make SB County wines special, and the winding road from “escape” to “home.”Grab the book: Blood From a Stone (find it at The Book Loft in Solvang or your favorite indie).Bonus: Adam teases his upcoming Solvang kids’ book—because this valley makes room for both hard truths and holiday wonder.Press play, take a deep breath, and fall back in love with where we live. 🎧✨

Clem Boyleston went from building high-tech solutions to hammering out purpose-built knives you’ll hand down to your kids. We talk Santa Barbara → Santa Ynez migrations, the smell of upturned dirt over the pass, and why the right blade is a tool, not a trophy. Clem breaks down performance vs. aesthetics, Damascus vs. san-mai (in plain English), chef knives that actually slice, ultralight backcountry blades, camp tomahawks, and why a great knife should fit your hand like it was born there.We get into:How a Last of the Mohicans obsession became a life in steelChoosing steel, heat treat, and grinds for how you cook, hunt, or campThe tradeoffs big brands make vs. true custom workEveryday carry, indexing, serrations, and real-world safetySharpening that brings dead blades back to life (yep, he offers it)Where to find him & gift one before the holidays:• Los Olivos Outfitters (local makers display)• Alice Hall shop pop-ups & summer BBQs• Homespun Show — Dec 6, Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop• Online: clemsknives.com and @clemsknivesHit play to meet the guy quietly forging world-class tools right here in the Valley—and maybe the last kitchen or field knife you’ll ever need.

Los Olivos, this one’s for you. Mary Nash (Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce) joins me to spill everything about the 45th Annual Day in the Country—happening Saturday, October 11. We talk why this day still feels like the good kind of chaos, how a town of 1,200 pulls off a festival for thousands, and why the only wrong way to show up is not showing up.What’s inside:8:00 AM – Kids Run + Fun Run (walkers + dogs welcome)10:00 AM – Parade MC’d by yours truly & Jeff Sieck (bring tractors, classics, bikes, teams, clubs—be in it!)All Day – 100+ vendors, food, music, communityApple Pie Contest – bragging rights on the line (limited spots!)Los Olivos Wine Festival at St. Mark’s—taste the town in one stopScarecrow Fest all October (vote for your favorites)Parking supports Youth Empowered (local kids’ athletics)This episode is your open invitation: dress 1940s, roll a vintage tractor, walk with your team, push a stroller, bring the dog—say yes and show up. We shout out this year’s Grand Marshal: Coastal Vineyard Care, the volunteers who make it happen, and why these neighbor-made days matter more than ever.Get involved & sign up (parade, vendors, pie, Wine Fest tickets):👉 losolivosca.com👉 Instagram: @losolivoscaCome for the parade, stay for the pie—leave feeling like you live in a snow globe. 💙