Ojai: Talk of the Town

Chef Robin Goldstein has written "A Taste of Ojai," "A Taste of Santa Barbara," and "Wine Country," as well as catering many high-profile events in and around the area. She also travels to Europe each year to sample local cuisines and returns freshly inspired to expand her culinary repertoire.

A long-time Ojai resident, Chef Robin grew up in the restaurant business in Washington, D.C. and was fascinated from the jump, delighting in the sensations of smell, taste and touch, the hurly-burly and hustle bustle of her grandparents' busy, three-story landmark restaurant. She attended the other CIA - Culinary Institute of America, and moved to Los Angeles in 1984. After earning her stripes with several famous restaurateurs she branched out on her own, living in Spain and developing a love for Mediterranean cuisine. She has carved a niche for herself for focusing on fresh, local flavors and unusual combinations, which we talk about. We also talk about why restaurant culture is so important, how even the most modest kitchen experimenters can have success, and the future of food.

We did not talk about extinct primates, post-fire chaparral regrowth or hand-lining for tuna.

You can learn more about her, or book her for your event (or buy one of her four books) at PrivateChefRobin.com.

In this reprise edition, writer and frequent OQ contributor Kit Stolz talks about his epic walkabout, covering every one of the 2,560-miles of Pacific Crest Trail, from the deserts along the border with Mexico, to touching the fence that separates the U.S. from its northern neighbor in Washington State's foggy pine forests.

We talk about this epic journey, the lessons learned along the way, and the enduring friendships formed in the crucible of personal challenge and hardship. We also talk about Ojai's increasing aridification, the new wave of migrants to our "smiling vale" and the high-quality education and conservation that defines our community. Plus lots of other things.

Kit and I did not talk about the William Barents' explorations, intermittent fasting or the rise of Generation Z.

You can check out more of Kit's writings at https://achangeinthewind.com/

Welcome to this episode with guest George S. Stuart. This 95-year-old marvel has created more than 400 meticulously detailed figures at 1/4 scale of many of history's most important figures - including Louis XIV, Catherine the Great, Abraham Lincoln and many more. Around 200 of these historical figures are exhibited in a special gallery at the Ventura County Museum. It is widely regarded as the most historically accurate of its kind, with figures exhibited in the Clinton Presidential Library and Smithsonian.

Through his miniature masterpieces, Stuart not only captured the physical details but also the essence of each historical figure, offering a unique perspective on the past.

Stuart talks about his challenging upbringing in Altadena, battling with a then-undiagnosed dyslexia, his years in Washington D.C. preparing to be a foreign service officer, his extensive travels, his career at the Smithsonian Institution, where he sculpted models of inventors to accompany their patent applications, and mastered the craft of creating figures. He spent years as a public speaker, lecturing and giving talks about his creations, weaving narratives that brought history to life. His commitment to educating and entertaining through art is a testament to his love for the stories embedded in our collective past.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of George S. Stuart, following his relocation to Ojai in 1959, where he established the renowned Gallery of Historical Figures. Learn about the impact of this artistic haven on the community and how Stuart's legacy continues to resonate, reminding us of the power of art to bridge the gap between the present and the rich tapestry of our shared history.

We did not talk about tenkara fly fishing, Ojai's earthquake fault lines or the voyages of the Kon-Tiki.

For more on Stuart's incredible legacy, visit the Ventura Museum at venturamuseum.org.

From the vault: Malcolm McDowell joins the podcast to talk about "A Clockwork Orange" on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. He goes deep on his complicated relationship with director Stanley Kubrick, the strange sequence of events that led to him being picked for the role, his close working relationship with other great directors, including Lindsay Anderson, Kubrick's passion project, "Napoleon," and the wan simulacrum which Ridley Scott just released, as well as tales of life in front of the camera, raising kids Ojai and much more.

We did not talk about the Ankithera, rugby or Brazilian emeralds.

Here's an insightful interview with McDowell from Slash Films. https://www.slashfilm.com/760908/how-a-clockwork-orange-changed-malcolm-mcdowell-forever/#:~:text=Much%20like%20Burgess'%20evolving%20emotions,saw%20onscreen%20was%20very%20real.

Sophie Ward Koren has been writing since she was old enough to hold a pen, and has published two books with a third on the way. She also has a busy blog and Instagram account chronicling her essays, poetry and stories about raising children in Ojai. Her work has been published in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, V Magazine and others.

Born and raised in Perth in Western Australia, the oldest of four children, she went on to a successful career in modeling (her sister Gemma Ward is a well-known model as well) before meeting fellow Aussie Isaac Koren (the accomplished vocalist with The Kin and the Koren Brothers), having a son and moving to Ojai. Now they have a newborn and Sophie uses her writing to share her struggles, triumphs and helpful life lessons along the way.

We talked about Perth's exotic wildlife (quokka anyone?), creative community, cooking, international fashion modeling, finding a purpose through dark clouds of doubt and fear, Ojai's exceptionalism and much more. We did not talk about Shark Week, Australian Rules Football or Genghis Khan.

For more on this fascinating Ojai neighbor, check out SophieWardKoren.com, where you can find further links to her books, blogs, recipes and more.

Jim Bailey, founder and director of Rock, Tree, Sky - an immersive school located in upper Ojai, has been a key participant in an exciting new approach to education, called Education Reimagined. Jim was among the invitees of distinguished educators who attended a seminal conference in Rhode Island earlier this year, called "Exploring Ecosystems in Community: Insights, Questions, and Collaborative Learning."

Bailey, who came to Ojai several decades ago as a science teacher and who has also taught at Oak Grove School, is known as an influential, transformative teacher, so he was exactly the kind of educator we need reimagining education for the modern era. He said the approach is to "work for the many, for all learners, not just some; we need to bring in more student agency and self-determination."

We talked about the many lessons he's learned as a caring, thoughtful teacher, and how it's possible to ignite a love of lifelong learning in unexpected ways. The wide-ranging discussion touched on key issues that confront Ojai and a society at large. We did not talk about pickerel mating habits, Japanese salt cures or the shifts in ocean currents.

Learn more about Bailey and his innovative school at https://www.rocktreesky.org/

Janelle Kandziora of Janelle's Interiors is featured on the cover of this Winter issue of Ojai Quarterly with her lead designer Erin Bernthal. She talks about how she brought her varied experiences to the range of residential and commercial properties on which they ply their trade.

As Ojai has long been a laboratory in the art of living, this timely and relevant conversation hits home. She shares insights in what brings happiness to your environment, the mix of materials, textures, surfaces and colors that form the palette of design. Kandziora talks about her journey from an art student, dreaming of a career in teaching, to a chance encounter with her husband's hotel designer that led the flourishing career in, first Minnesota, then Palm Springs, then Ojai.

We also talked about feng shui, Marie Kondo's Magic Art of Tidying, architectural styles, being "house therapists" and raising kids in Ojai. We did not talk about candlemaking, the Balfour Declaration or the Holodomor.

Check out Janelle's and Erin's work at ...

https://www.janelleinteriors.com/

A well-known artist and illustrator, Darren brings his distinctive pen to many recognizable places around Ojai for his hundreds of thousands of followers. Darren talks about growing up on the frozen tundra of Buffalo, New York and how he lucked into a graphic design course in high school that gave him the idea he could create a career for himself doing what he'd be doing anyway — drawing.

We re-release this wide-ranging and fascinating talk with this enigmatic artist who has left his Ojai-inflected distinctive stamp all around the world. We talk about plant medicine, public schools, Buffalo's surprisingly vibrant arts scene and much, much more. We did not talk about Plains Indians and their kinship with the millions of bison that once roamed through our country, flint-knapping or counting coup.

This is a re-release of an episode from 2021. Check out Darren's prolific and talented art on IG @RealFunWow or the cover of the OQ he drew in Spring 2021 on Issuu.com.

T.C. Boyle has written 19 novels and hundreds of short stories, and is a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award. In the Fall issue of Ojai Quarterly, Kit Stolz reviewed his latest, "Blue Skies," the comically dystopian misadventures of a family on the brink of catastrophes, both environmental and personal.

Boyle covers a wide range of topics on the podcast, including growing up in impoverished circumstances, his musical career, the way his characters live on and off the page, doing the deep research that goes into his work, especially "Blue Skies," and how he came to the Ojai-Santa Barbara area. He also talked about living in Frank Lloyd Wright's final "Prairie Style" house, insect cuisine, and a Filipino billionaire's (fictional) scheme to cool down the planet with sulphur dioxide. And a ghost.

We did not talk about Mars travel, tire tread wear or the Battle of Marathon.

Check out more on T.C. Boyle on his website at tcboyle.com or his comically inspired twitter (X?) account at @tcboyle.

Author and screenwriter Mark Frost grew up in a show business family, worked at famous Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, before heading to Hollywood to work for Steven Bochco, who revolutionized television with "Hill Street Blues," where Mark as on the writing crew with David Milch and also worked with another Ojai resident, Mimi Leder.

Not long after he joined David Lynch to co-create "Twin Peaks," the show that attained cult status as soon it was aired. Frost has also written and/or directed "Storyville," "The Fantastic Four," and "Greatest Game Every Played." Among his popular books on golf and baseball are "Game 6," about the Reds-Red Sox World Series that captivated the world and marked a moment when baseball became a big business. He also wrote the golf classic, "The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever."

We talk about the WGA strike, since settled, and Mark's history with previous strikes, as well as Ojai environmental issues (Mark is a key leader with the Ojai Defense Fund, founded by our mutual friend John Broesamle, who just passed," and his new projects, including a book on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from whom an uncle worked as his press agent.

We did not talk about "Seven Samurai," Harvard admission policies or the James Webb Space Telescope.