COVER STORY —Henning Sorensen and his daughter Susie have celebrated Danish foods and traditions in their family restaurant for 45 years. A century ago, Danish immigrants founded Solvang on a windswept plain they dubbed “sunny fields.” Within a year, they had erected a hotel, store, barn, two houses and, serving as the symbolic heart of [...]
BUSINESS PROFILE David and Katie Hay designed a community of custom-built manufactured homes with amenities unheard of in most rental housing. Last summer, David and Katie Hay, owners of Central Coast Real Estate, LLC, announced the opening of some much-needed rental housing in the Santa Ynez Valley. Centrally located just a stone’s throw from El [...]
BUSINESS PROFILE Hidden in plain site at the corner of Highway 246 and Edison Street, Valley Oak Industries has been serving local contractors and homebuilders for 26 years. Often referred to simply as Valley Oak, the family-owned business specializes in handcrafted products for both residential and commercial construction projects. Valley Oak comprises a complex of [...]
Business Profile Three young mothers take their successful sweets business to downtown Solvang By their own admission, Tracy Angel, Claudia Contreras, and Shannyn Tupper tend to go a little cupcake crazy when it comes to their children’s birthday parties. Sometimes, however, crazy is a good thing — especially when it leads to a thriving business. [...]
On a shady lane in Buellton, a family-owned brewery brings a new wave of stylish beers and convivial fun to the Santa Ynez Valley. Called Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, it offers handcrafted brews, savory snacks served in a cozy pub and a customized brewing system complete with ringside seats. Jim and Jaime Dietenhofer, the brewery’s founding father-and-son [...]
Ladybeetles As we head into spring here on Figueroa Mountain, one beetle that is very popular is the ladybug. In the winter we have always had them in big numbers by the creek off Davy Brown Trail, at the headwaters along Bierbent Creek, and in the canyon behind our corrals. The word ladybug is a [...]
“She was born confident in life” Born in Aalborg, Denmark in 1930, Kirsten lived a comfortable life in the country until World War II when her father moved the family to Copenhagen. Kirsten’s sister, Inger Blondel, says the war changed their lives forever. “I never understood how Kirsten could be so confident after all the [...]
The first decade of Danish-American settlement in Solvang resulted in an unusual blend of architecture. Unlike the Danish bindingsværk (half-timber) and steep, copper roofs seen in the town today, early Solvang architecture had no outward appearance of Danish style. Within the privacy of the community, Solvang represented a haven for the preservation of Danish culture, [...]
Alyssa Price’s film, The Monstrosity, may be short, but it has a long reach — all the way back to junior high school. Anyone who has experienced those harrowing days will find a kindred spirit in Milly, a sweet thing who just wants to survive the bus ride to her first day at George Adams [...]
