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Another Coast Village Road business is saying goodbye.
A couple of weeks after Cava Mexican Restaurant and Bar abruptly closed its doors, Little Alex’s has announced that it will depart.
After nearly three decades, the Mexican restaurant inside the Montecito Country Mart plans to close in late November. It was a popular lunch, breakfast and dinner spot for Santa Barbara and Montecito locals.
“It has been our pleasure to serve the Montecito community for almost 33 years,” Little Alex’s said in a statement. “All of our patrons have truly become part of our family. We have been given notice to vacate our location and will be closing Nov. 22. Thank you all for your unwavering support for over three decades. We appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts and will miss you all.”
Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon, whose district includes Little Alex’s, said she was devastated by the development.
“Little Alex’s has been a family favorite for large groups, catering, or soup to go when we are sick,” Sneddon said. “This is another big loss to our local community.”
Rosewood Miramar Beach Names Managing Director
Rosewood Miramar Beach has promoted Rick Fidel to managing director.
Fidel will oversee all aspects of the resort.
“It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Rick Fidel as Miramar’s managing director,” said Philipp Posch, senior vice president of hospitality at Caruso, owner of Rosewood Miramar Beach. “This well-deserved promotion comes off the back of Fidel’s 2½-year tenure as Rosewood Miramar Beach’s resort manager, in which he played a pivotal role in opening the property and establishing it as one of the world’s top resorts. We are confident that he will continue to deliver an exceptional experience for our discerning guests and trust that under his leadership our team will achieve even greater accolades and achievements in the years to come.”
Fidel previously worked as the resort manager.
Before joining Rosewood, Fidel served as the director of operations of the W Hoboken Hotel. He was also director of rooms at The St. Regis Atlanta, assistant director of rooms at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas, director of housekeeping at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore and director of rooms at Stowe Mountain Lodge, according to a news release.
“We are very happy to recognize Rick’s numerous contributions to Rosewood Miramar Beach and the Montecito community,” said Bede Barry, Rosewood Hotel & Resort’s vice president of operations-Americas. “Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated a strategic and thoughtful approach to leadership, with a commitment to customer service that makes him invaluable to his teams. We look forward to continuing to work together with Rick to deliver the best quality experience for our guests, neighbors and fellow associates.”
Holiday Shopping at La Cumbre Plaza
A Crimson Holiday is returning to La Cumbre Plaza.
From Oct. 15 to Jan. 7, people can buy unique gifts by local artisans, inside the mall, at the site of the former Tiffany & Co.
Doors open for the season next Friday, but the store will hold a grand opening event from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 21. The event will feature food, wine, and an opportunity to meet with the artists and craftmakers.
On Dec. 2, the store will offer food, wine and raffle off more than 40 gift certificates.
Solvang Fine Art Opens
Solvang Fine Art has opened at 482 First St. in Solvang. It’s the only gallery in the Santa Ynez Valley specializing in historic fine prints by American and European artists, featuring etchings by Rembrandt and original prints by Salvador Dalí, according to a news release.
The gallery also will showcase a select group of prominent contemporary California artists, including landscape paintings by artists living on the Central Coast.
“Solvang Fine Art will offer truly museum-quality artwork, with original prints by some of the greatest artists in the history of Western art,” founder Julie Torchia said. “These are the artists that you learn about in school and changed the course of history. We want to help collectors acquire museum-quality works that they absolutely love.”
Torchia, from San Luis Obispo, has a bachelor’s degree in art from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in modern and contemporary art history from Hunter College, City University of New York.
Solvang Fine Art is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and is closed on Tuesdays.
Foodbank Expands
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County has purchased a 77,900-square-foot warehouse/office property at 80-82 Coromar Drive in Goleta for $12.7 million.
Liam Murphy and Greg Bartholomew of Hayes Commercial Group represented the Foodbank in the transaction. Dave Pintard of Pintard Commercial Real Estate and Kristopher Roth of Hayes Commercial Group represented the seller.
“In the past 18 months, Foodbank has doubled the amount of food and services it provides to the residents of Santa Barbara County,” Murphy said. “We are honored to help Foodbank acquire this property, which will enable them to continue to increase their services, including accepting and distributing food to alleviate food scarcity and insecurity.”
The property consists of two buildings on a 4.3-acre parcel. The Foodbank plans to occupy a portion of both buildings and lease additional space to other nonprofits and businesses working to improve the community, according to a news release.
Community West Bank Announces Promotions
Community West Bank has announced the promotion of William “Bill” Filippin to president effective Oct. 1, according to a news release.
“Bill’s strategic contributions over the last six years have helped the bank expand its regional footprint and product offerings, and grow to over $1 billion in assets,” said Martin Plourd, CEO of the bank and president/CEO of Community West Bancshares. “He is very deserving of this opportunity. Bill’s knowledge of banking, finance, credit administration and risk management is exceptional. His leadership abilities and proven expertise in community banking will be of great value to the bank as we continue to position ourselves for future success.”
Filippin currently serves as executive vice president, chief credit officer and chief administrative officer, and has been with the bank since 2015.
In addition, Jason Beitz has been promoted to chief credit officer. Beitz has served as deputy chief officer of the bank since June 1, 2020.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
