This Week on the Central Coast…
Festivals, restaurants, ice cream, and more! The Central Coast’s summer activities are in full swing!
Good morning! We are now in the tourist-filled mayhem of Car Week. Stay up to date with the events so you know where to go (or where to avoid, depending on your level of affection with fancy cars) with my Breakdown of Car Week.
This week’s report is filled with upcoming events, such as the West End Festival and Turkish Festival. Many delicious announcements were made in the form of new restaurants and a new Marianne’s ice cream flavor in honor of the mischievous Otter 841.
What events are you all going to this summer? Leave a comment below!
Monterey
Monterey wants to expand its walking tour
Monterey’s historic walking tour is about to get an upgrade. Currently, the tour covers historic downtown over the course of 2.8 miles. With the proposed expansion, the tour would include routes that would show the diverse history of Monterey.
There would be two additional routes that walkers could choose from. The Pearl District path would share the history of Asian immigrants in the early 1900s and the eventual Sicilian settlement. The Lower Presidio / New Monterey Path would show the importance of Chinese fishermen and Portuguese whalers that began the industries of Cannery Row.
No set finish date has been discussed as the project is currently being presented to the Museums & Cultural Commission.
Current prices are $25 for adults, $15 for students (ages 13 to 21), and free for children 12 and under.
Carmel Beach was included in the 22 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World
According to an article from U.S. News & World Report, Carmel Beach is in the top 22 beaches in the world. The article pointed towards its ideal surf conditions and dog-friendliness as two great perks of the beach. But pairing that with Carmel-by-the-Sea’s European style village architecture is what pushed it into contention.
Carmel Beach is in good company within the article as beaches from thirteen other countries were mentioned. Notable beaches include Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda, South Beach in Florida, Railay Beach in Thailand, and Marina Beach in Portugal.
This year’s West End Celebration in Sand City will take place on the last weekend of August. The festival has been a key event that the city has hosted for over two decades, honoring the artists of the area.
Six blocks will be turned into “pedestrian galleries and sidewalk theater for visual and performing artists”. Live music fills the air throughout the event as food and drink keep you full and happy. Sand city has always proudly supported its local artists and has fostered a rich culture through many public murals and celebrations.
The 2023 West End will feature three stages with over 20 performers throughout the weekend, as well as dozens of vendors selling art, food, and accessories.
West End Celebration will start on Saturday (8/26) from 11am to 5:30pm and finish on Sunday (8/27) from 12pm to 5pm. The festival will take up six blocks in Sand City, between Contra Costa, Redwood, Ortiz, and Holly Street. Entry is free.
The last weekend of August will be a fun one for locals. The Turkish Festival will take place at the same time as West End at the Custom House Plaza in Monterey.
The Turkish American Association of California presents the festival as a way of showing the cultural heritage of Turkey. They hope to bring a better understanding of the diversity of cultures within the community and promote peace.
The event will feature food and drink vendors, offering delicious dishes like kebaps, baklava, and Turkish coffee. Live music and demonstrations, including folk dancing, belly dancing, and art exhibits will keep guests entertained throughout the night. There will even be activities for children, such as face painting, puppet making, and games.
The festivities take place on Saturday and Sunday (8/26 to 8/27) from 11am to 7pm at the Custom House Plaza. Entry is free.
The Horror Writers Association hosted a workshop for teens
The Monterey Public Library welcomed the Horror Writers Association (HWA) last Friday. The workshop was aimed at teens who aspired to write their own horror novels, though the event was open to all ages. Participants worked in groups of five to develop stories with the help of HWA members.
Pacific Grove resident and HWA co-chair, Francesca Maria, hosted the event. Her own book, “They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark”, explores the horrors that hide at the corners of everyday life.
The HWA is a nonprofit group of writers and publishers who promote dark literature and the authors who write it. Their mission is to promote an interest in good horror and dark fantasy literature as well as recognizing diversity within the genre. The group launched a Mental Health Initiative aimed at bringing awareness to mental illness and “intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre.” The HWA hosts several events and dedicates a portion of their newsletter to mental illness awareness. Their site features resources for mental health help as well.
Salinas’ Villa Azteca plans to open a new location at the Carmel Plaza
Villa Azteca is a gourmet Mexican restaurant in Salinas is planning on opening a second location in Carmel Plaza called Nicola’s. No details about Nicola’s menu have been revealed yet, except that it will feature “fine Mexican food”. However, if we look into Villa Azteca’s menu, you can expect to enjoy dishes like octopus scopes, rib eye aguachile, and salmon al pastor tacos. Most of the items range in price, from $10 for appetizers to about $30 for entrees.
The restaurant expects to be open by September.
Santa Cruz
Marianne’s Ice Cream announces a new flavor in honor of Otter 841
Legendary ice creamery, Marianne’s, announced a new flavor to its expansive lineup, called Otter 841. The new scoop features cinnamon caramel ice cream with Pacific Cookie Company snickerdoodle dough chunks swirled into it. A portion of the flavor’s proceeds goes towards ocean conservation efforts.
Marianne’s Ice Cream opened in 1947 when original owners Lenore and Tom Becker wanted to afford their kids’ college tuition. Today, the ice cream shop is on its third generation of owners, Kelly Dillon and Charlie Wilcox. The pair emphasized Marianne’s commitment to quality, noting that it sometimes means not producing as much as the national companies, but “That’s okay, because it’s special. It’s Marianne’s. And it’s just the way we do it.”
Kelly noted the unique situation of having regulars from multiple generations. “I love it when folks who came with their grandparents back in the 1940’s and 50’s, bring their grand-kids and great grand-kids today. That’s six generations represented. We’re awfully lucky spending each day sharing the Marianne’s love. Nothing’s better than that!”
If you’ve never been to the shop, you definitely need to go. Each of their three locations have slightly different hours, but they are all open between 11am and 10pm. The original location at 1020 Ocean Street is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The company offers over 100 flavors to choose from!
Salinas
Local baker will finally get the commercial location he needs in downtown Salinas.
Otto’s bread company is a bakery that grew from a cottage food operation in Otto Kramm’s apartment. He specializes in sourdoughs of varying flavors (last week was olive sourdough and roasted garlic & rosemary sourdough), but also offers pretzels and other types of bread.
Kramm’s story is an inspiring one. He started his company as a cottage food business out of a Salinas studio apartment. He sold his first loaves in 2020, but the love of bread baking began many years before when he was living in Santa Rosa and working in agricultural finance. A new position brought him back to Salinas, his hometown, and the baking came with him. COVID lockdowns forced him to work from home and he was able to bake more, producing around 40 loaves per week.
In 2021, he quit his day job and went all-in on the bakery, shifting his license to be able to sell wholesale to places like Bruno’s Market and Deli and The Beerded Bean. By this time, his apartment could hardly be called that anymore. Instead of normal furniture, the space housed three fridges, a bread oven, mixers, and a bakery work bench.
With his full focus on the bakery, he was turning out over 100 loaves and over 200 pretzels each week. Finally, Kramm has found a commercial location in downtown Salinas. He’s been busy moving in commercial equipment and preparing to bake. He plans on progressing slowly, baking wholesale exclusively (hopefully starting in September) before eventually adding prepared food for retail sale. Who knows what else will come? The new location has the capabilities to support a full kitchen as well as a beer and wine license.
Follow Kramm on Instagram @ottosbread and on Facebook.
Salinas teen honors farm workers in national speech
Melissa Zavala is a sophomore at Alisal High School who was invited to the Mikva Challenge Soapbox National Showcase in Washington D.C. The Mikva Challenge was created to empower youth to become active citizens in their communities. The Soapbox National Showcase, in particular, is a public speaking program that challenges young people to speak out about issues that affect their lives.
Zavala’s speech was a fact-filled love letter to the farm workers who supply our nation with food. “According to Farm Progress Data, Salinas produces 85% of the nation’s summer vegetables, 50% of strawberries, and a large percentage of its fruits and nuts. All picked and processed by these individuals, they should be given credit and respect for the valuable job they do”.
She hopes her words will educate future generations about the important contributions our local farm workers provide to not only our communities, but a large portion of the nation. She also expressed appreciation for her parents, both of whom are farm workers. “I wrote this in a way to say thank you to my parents to let them know that they can value their work and it’s one thing to be proud of. I am so proud to be their daughter and everything they’ve done in their work”.