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A new seafood joint plans to open in downtown Santa Barbara in April, touting a Southern-style crab shack with an interesting twist on dining.
The Drunken Crab offers patrons no plates, just Louisiana-style seafood that comes out in plastic bags before being poured on the table.
Bibs, gloves and cleanup gear complete the experience, which is coming to 416 State St. this spring, according to general manager Nani Liu.
The Drunken Crab has just one other location in North Hollywood.
“We pride ourselves in a ‘Southern Hospitality’ style of service where families can come have fun, get messy and hang with our upbeat Crab Staff,” Liu said in an email.
“We chose the beautiful seaside of Santa Barbara because aside from fantastic seafood, we have a unique style of dining that people of all ages can enjoy.”
The restaurant will go into the former Killer Shrimp restaurant, which closed in late 2014 after about a year in business. The Santa Barbara restaurant was also Killer Shrimp’s second location outside of the original in Marina del Rey.
The Drunken Crab is about to begin its hiring process, aiming to employ 30 to 35 staff members.
Chocolat du CaliBresson Relocates
Chocolat du CaliBresson is moving this week from inside La Arcada at 1125 State St. to the artsy Santa Barbara shopping center’s exterior on the corner of State and Figueroa.
The chocolate shop closed Monday with plans to move and reopen at 1100 State St. on Monday, according to owners Jill Marie & Jean Michel Carre.
The couple has called La Arcada Courtyard home the past four years, and their original shop is in Carpinteria, where they settled after moving from France with 30-plus years in the restaurant business.
In addition to handmade French chocolates, the new location will also sell artisanal gelato, Jean Michel’s hot chocolate (three different flavors) and espresso.
Phoenix of Santa Barbara Transitions to Crescend Health
The nonprofit mental health agency, Phoenix of Santa Barbara, became Crescend Health this week.
Crescend Health will celebrate the occasion from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 10 at the Hill Adobe, 15 E. Carrillo in downtown Santa Barbara. The event will include refreshments and music by Flamenco guitarist Tony Ybarra.
Founded in 1972, Crescend Health provides residential and outpatient mental health recovery-oriented services, with the goal of helping individuals and families cope and thrive in the face of psychiatric and substance abuse conditions.
The nonprofit plans to host the inaugural Jonathan Awards event at the El Encanto in Santa Barbara on May 11. The awards will celebrate the legacy of humorist and artist Jonathan Winters, who turned his own psychiatric challenges into a triumphant life.
Silver Air Announces Promotions
Silver Air, a Santa Barbara-based private jet management company, has promoted Chris Marshall to director of operations and Anders Hostmark to chief pilot as part of the company’s ongoing internal development setting the stage for continued and managed growth in 2016.
“Silver Air is fulfilling its promise to be the absolute best, pure management service provider in the private aviation industry by developing processes and systems along with a world-class team to manage our growth in 2016 and beyond,” Silver Air co-founder, president and CEO Jason Middleton said in a statement.
“Chris and Anders are great examples of team members who have embraced our client-service, pure-management philosophy that puts our jet owners and charter brokers first.”
Marshall, who served as Silver Air’s previous chief pilot for more than four years, has a long and colorful career in aviation. Learning to fly at just 7-years-old, he is a three-time Guinness World Record holder as the youngest aviator to fly transcontinental when he was 10-years-old and transatlantic at 11.
A veteran pilot with more than 25 years of experience, Hostmark began flying with Silver Air in 2014. In his new position as chief pilot, Hostmark oversees the company’s growing team of pilots.
As Silver Air continues its managed growth, it is actively retaining new aircraft and clients who see the value in the transparent, pure jet management service that combines old-fashioned customer service with industry-leading technology and a talented, smart, tech-savvy staff.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.