He did it again.

Ramon Velasquez worked his restaurant magic another time, this time on Coast Village Road in the Montecito Country Mart.

Alma Fonda Fina, after nearly 10 years of anticipation, planning and vision, is open for business at 1024 Coast Village Road, Suite A.

“I want to thank everyone who was so patient and waited for us to open,” Velasquez said. “I think great things take time.”

Velasquez, the proprietor behind Corazon Cocina and Corazon Comedor, is bringing elevated Mexican food to Montecito. The restaurant opened a week ago and already it’s bursting with business.

It’s been a long time coming. He first entered a lease agreement about 10 years ago with Jim Rosenfield, the owner of the upscale shopping area. At the time, it was a different site in the Montecito Country Mart. After a lot of starts and stops, he’s finally here.

“It’s been a roller-coaster,” Velasquez said. “It’s a triumph of patience.”

He credits Rosenfield for courting him and waiting for him.

“Jim came to my pop-up at Three Pickles,” Velasquez said, adding that Rosenfield “didn’t give up on me.”

“Most people would have been like, ‘OK, let’s move on to another Mexican restaurant,’ but we both have something in common,” Velasquez said. “He’s a visionary, and in my own way, I am also a visionary.”

They believed that Alma Fonda Fina (Fine Soul Restaurant) was perfect for that spot, which had been occupied by Little Alex’s for years.

The restaurant is on the corner of the Montecito Country Mart, with big windows and a large outdoor space.

“It feels cozy and elegant in a way, and you still feel like you are on vacation at a restaurant in Mexico,” he said. “When you taste the food, you go, ‘Wow.”

Velasquez, a highly regarded chef, has installed head chef Alan Alba, a cooking partner for decades, going back to their time in Michoacan, Mexico.

Velazquez is a Michelin Bib Gourmand winner and uses local ingredients to source his food, with a focus on seafood, organic fruits and vegetables, and his ceviche.

The menu also includes carne asada, mole, enchiladas, salad, tacos and more.

“People are going to be surprised and blown away,” Velasquez said.

Yona Redz Moving Uptown

Jonathan Estrada, the creator of Yona Redz, is moving his restaurant from the 500 block of State Street to the 1200 block, to be next to Santa Playa Mariscos, a restaurant he is opening in the next few weeks.

“We secured a new lease next to the new restaurant,” he said. “Yona Redz will add to its menu. The new location has a bigger kitchen with a lot more space for customers to enjoy our food comfortably.”

Estrada’s restaurant is known around town for its birria quesotacos.

Soul Bites on State Street Needs Help

Soul Bites, at 423 State St. in Santa Barbara, has launched a GoFundMe.

“This is hard for me to say, but … we’ve had a rough summer, with some unexpected expenses, during our slower months and we need some help,” the GoFundMe states. “We’ve worked with our landlord, and they have generously offered us reduced rent for the rest of the year, to help us get back on track and to give us the opportunity to continue serving our community.”

The restaurant is hosting a series of events to raise money, “so that we can stay on State Street, in Old Town Santa Barbara and keep doing what we love.”

The restaurant has been a place for “the Black and Brown community, the LGBTQ+ community, the sober community, the houseless and disadvantaged, artists of all disciplines, and the youth of our community,” according to the GoFundMe.

The fundraiser kicked off on Monday with a goal of raising $30,000 by Sept. 15.

Noozhawk published a profile of Soul Bites two years ago.

Frank Tabar Joins Arlington Financial Advisors

Frank Tabar will guide strategic business development for Santa Barbara-based Arlington Financial Advisors.

“Frank brings so much experience across a wide spectrum of areas: trust, wealth management, banking and more,” Arlington Financial Advisors managing partner Dianne Duva said in a news release.

Tabar spent 12 years as a senior vice president and technology officer with the Farmers & Merchants Trust Co. of Long Beach, and the last seven of those years he was also a senior vice president and trust manager for the company’s Santa Barbara branch.

He spent two years with Bank of the West as a vice president and strategic project and trust operations manager, and 15 years at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust in a variety of roles, including trust client management, trust operations and compliance, according to a news release.

Tabar has a master’s degree in business administration from National University and is a certified trust auditor.