The Paradise Cafe proudly announces the restaurant’s first live art event, a benefit for SafeLaunch, to take place beginning at 5 p.m. this Sunday, July 20, on Paradise’s garden patio, 702 Anacapa St. in Santa Barbara.

This Sunday’s event will feature the live creation of a portrait by esteemed local artist Monika Molnar-Metzenthin while guests dine. Patrons may experience a surprising familiarity as the portrait emerges, as most of us have someone in our lives who is living this same journey. At the end of the event, the portrait will be auctioned with proceeds to benefit SafeLaunch’s primary addiction prevention programs.


The Paradise Cafe is owned by Randy and Janet Rowse. Randy Rowse also serves on the Santa Barbara City Council and is a member of Fighting Back, a committee of local educators, law enforcement and elected officials that seeks to address the many problems caused by substance abuse and addiction.

Janet Rowse and Ron Cuff, a retired Navy commander, co-founded SafeLaunch to inform communities about the science behind addiction that determines young people’s addiction risk. The epidemic of this chronic brain disease affects us all, often resulting in broken relationships, homelessness, poverty, crime, child abuse and domestic violence.

Call 805.283.7233 to make a reservation for the event. Put together a table with your family and friends, and enjoy a great evening al fresco for a great cause!

For $60, guests will have their choice of entree from the acclaimed Paradise Cafe menu, including a glass of wine, beer or nonalcoholic beverage, followed by McConnell’s Ice Cream for dessert. They will have the opportunity to talk with both the artist and the model as they watch the portrait develop before their eyes, and bid on the painting when finished.

SafeLaunch is a primary addiction prevention initiative whose mission is to prevent addiction before it starts, where it starts 90 percent of the time — in early first exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

For reservations or questions, contact Janet Rowse at 805.283.7233. Reservations are available for this event, which begins at 5 p.m. Sunday. Call now.

— Janet Rowse is a co-founder of SafeLaunch.