Sunstone Winery will start pouring in a new Santa Barbara location next month.
The Santa Ynez-based winery is taking over the former Folded Hills tasting room at 1294 Coast Village Road.
While the storefront is already seeing signs of Sunstone moving in, the tasting room won’t open until March, according to Teddy Cabugos, president and owner of the winery.
Cajun Kitchen Delays Opening Date
Noozhawk reported last Friday that Cajun Kitchen was set to reopen the week of Feb. 16.
However, Jorge Peralta, director of operations, said the opening will actually get pushed back to March.
The Goleta restaurant at 6831 Hollister Ave. has been closed for 11 months. Peralta said they have run into “renovation surprises,” he said in an email on Thursday.
The renovation includes a new dining area, a breakfast counter alongside a “modern look.”
“We want to ensure this new chapter starts perfectly,” he said.
Food Liaison Closes Carpinteria Café
Food Liaison will close the doors to its Carpinteria Café for good on Friday.
Co-owners Jason and Nirasha Rodriguez will pivot to focus on their catering business after closing the café at 1033 Casitas Pass Road.
They say the high cost of food, labor and rent ultimately led them to close the café doors after a decade of serving quinoa bowls.
After the co-owners announced the closure on social media about a week ago, they say they have had a line out the door every day since.
“There have been so many tears and hugs and hundreds of messages,” Nirasha Rodriguez said. “We are doubling, tripling our sales, and we can’t make enough food. It’s crazy.”
While the café will be closed, the co-owners will still use the kitchen space in the back of the restaurant to mentor chefs and for the catering business.
They say they are actively looking for a buyer for the café space.
Nirasha Rodriguez also said there might be future pop-ups so people can get their hands on their food.
BOND Fitness Transitions Ownership
BOND Fitness has two new faces leading the fitness center in Santa Barbara at 211 W. Carrillo St.
Mia and Chito Elias, longtime friends of gym founders Jenny Schatzle and Stephen Stowe, are taking over ownership.
“When Stephen offered an opportunity to us, I won’t lie it was pretty scary and intimidating, and we definitely sat on it for a couple of months,” Chito Elias said.
Under their leadership, the Elias duo want to get more strength training equipment, partner with local nonprofit organizations and foster a culture of inclusivity.
“We want everybody to walk in the doors and feel like they have had success and feeling like they have been seen and, on top of that, had a really good workout,” Chito Elias said.
Riviera Bar Closes After Almost Five Years
The Riviera Bar served its last cocktail on Valentine’s Day.
The downtown Santa Barbara bar first opened at 20 W. Figueroa St. almost five years ago.
“We are grateful for all our loyal friends, customers and purveyors. We love you and we will miss you. It’s been a pleasure serving you,” co-owners Kevin and Gwynn Boss posted on social media.
Sutter Health Acquires Hayashida Physical Therapy
Hayashida Physical Therapy, a Santa Barbara-based practice, has joined Sutter Health.
Sutter Health gained the orthopedic and sports-performance rehabilitation center in October, making it the first acquisition since Sutter merged with Sansum Clinic about three years ago.
Sutter Health celebrated the partnership with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.
Now, Sutter Health patients utilizing Sutter Health’s Physical Therapy Department have access to 27 therapists across three Santa Barbara County locations.
The three locations include: 319 Anacapa St., 271 N. Fairview Ave. and 5385 Hollister Ave.