Portola Hotel & Spa is excited to welcome new Chef de Cuisine, Daniel Williston! With a background in California coastal cuisine, Williston is thrilled to bring his expertise and passion to the hotel’s refined restaurant, Jack’s Monterey. Chef Williston will spearhead the culinary team in creating menus for specialty dinners at the Portola, including wine pairing and scotch pairing events.

In 2010, Williston began as a line chef at Aubergine in Carmel by the Sea, eventually working his way up to Executive Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine over his seven years at the fine dining restaurant. He then moved to Los Angeles to assist in opening NoMAd as Sous Chef as well as the hotspot Otium, where he was also Sous Chef.

At Jack's Monterey, Chef Williston aims to tempt the taste buds at every visit and enhance the restaurant's reputation for serving sustainable and locally-sourced California Cultural Cuisine. Chef Williston fuses his love for seafood with flavors reminiscent of Japanese cuisine, using premium ingredients and minimalist plating while staying true to his California coastal influences.

Below are the showtimes for Osio Theater, October 18-24, 2019. Osio, a nonprofit movie theater dedicated to independent, foreign, and art films, is located at 350 Alvarado Street in Old Monterey. Purchase advance tickets on our website.

RAISE HELL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS
Weekdays at 2:15pm, 4:15pm, 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11:45am, 2:15pm, 4:15pm, 6:30pm
Special Q&A with director Janice Engel on Friday at 6:30pm
This documentary tells the story of media firebrand Molly Ivins, six feet of Texas trouble who took on the Good Old Boy corruption wherever she found it. Her razor sharp wit left both sides of the aisle laughing and craving ink in her columns. She knew the Bill of Rights was in peril, and said "Polarizing people is a good way to win an election and a good way to wreck a country." Molly's words have proved prescient. Watch the trailer.

LUCY IN THE SKY
Weekdays at 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
Natalie Portman plays Lucy Cola, a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she’s deeply moved by the transcendent experience of seeing her life from afar. Back home as Lucy’s world suddenly feels too small, her connection with reality slowly unravels. Watch the trailer.

FANTASTIC FUNGI
Daily at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
This consciousness-shifting documentary takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet. Watch the trailer.

MONOS
Daily at 1:45pm, 6:15pm
Sat & Sun at 11:30am, 1:45pm, 6:15pm
On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. But order descends into chaos and the strong begin to prey on the weak in this vivid, cautionary fever-dream of a film. Watch the trailer.

MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL
Daily at 1:45pm
Horn player, bandleader, innovator. The very embodiment of cool. The man with a sound so beautiful it could break your heart: Miles Davis. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, studio outtakes, and rare photos, this documentary tells the story of a truly singular talent and unpacks the man behind the horn. Watch the trailer.

LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
Weekdays at 4:15pm, 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11:45am, 4:15pm, 6:30pm
A musical biography of one of the most successful and versatile female singers of the 20th century and one of the most...Read More

A Taste of Campbell is an annual fundraiser event organized by Campbell CERT to help them fund their activities to improve disaster and emergency preparedness throughout the community. This year's event will be held at Orchard City Banquet Hall on November 2nd and will feature some of Campbell's hottest restaurants.

Use promo code OCTSAVE to get $4 off!

Tickets for the event are $46, but from now through October 20th, you can get $4 off if you use the promo code octsave when you purchase your tickets! You'll save a few bucks and get to enjoy a delicious afternoon while investing in the safety of your neighborhood and greater community. What's not to love?

Purchase Tickets Online

https://www.downtowncampbell.com/taste-of-campbell

Finish the week on a high note! Fridays at 5:30pm at Prime Fitness, Coach Masha Cavazos of Boxing Strong brings her upbeat, energetic style to catapult you into the weekend. Her Tune-Up Strong class focuses on strengthening major muscles groups though variations of intensity, tempo, and equipment. This is a strength-based class, but the rhythm is going to get you.

Fee is $10 per person, register online. Prime Fitness is located at 191 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Below are the showtimes for Osio Theater, October 11-17, 2019. Osio, a nonprofit movie theater dedicated to independent, foreign, and art films, is located at 350 Alvarado Street in Old Monterey. Purchase advance tickets on our website.

EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE
Fri at 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11:15am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
After escaping Jack and his gang, Jesse Pinkman goes on the run from the police and tries to escape his own inner turmoil. This is a limited release film, screening Friday-Sunday at Osio. Watch the trailer.

FANTASTIC FUNGI
Daily at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
This consciousness-shifting documentary takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet. Watch the trailer.

MONOS
Daily at 1:45pm, 6:15pm
On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. But order descends into chaos and the strong begin to prey on the weak in this vivid, cautionary fever-dream of a film. Watch the trailer.

TEL AVIV ON FIRE
Weekdays at 4:15pm
Sat & Sun at 11:30am, 4:15pm
Salam, a 30-year-old Palestinian living in Jerusalem, works as an intern on a popular soap opera. Every day he must pass through an arduous Israeli checkpoint to reach the television studios. After meeting the commander of the check point, Assi, whose wife is a huge fan of the show, gets involved in the writing of the show. Salam soon realizes that Assi’s ideas could get him a promotion but when Assi and the soap’s financial backers disagree on how the show should end, Salam must solve his problems with a final master stroke. Watch the trailer.

MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL
Daily at 1:45pm, 6:30pm
Horn player, bandleader, innovator. The very embodiment of cool. The man with a sound so beautiful it could break your heart: Miles Davis. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, studio outtakes, and rare photos, this documentary tells the story of a truly singular talent and unpacks the man behind the horn. Watch the trailer.

LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
Weekdays at 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 7pm
Sat & Sun at 11:45am, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 7pm
A musical biography of one of the most successful and versatile female singers of the 20th century and one of the most successful recording artists of all time. At the height of unprecedented success, Ronstadt, a restless and adventurous artist, turned away from pop music to...Read More

Did you know that this Thanksgiving you can order a feast to go from Estéban Restaurant? Skip the cooking but still enjoy a festive feast with your loved ones from the comfort of your home. Visit their website for more details, including menu offerings.

Estéban's take home Thanksgiving Feast allows guests the option to dine in the comfort of their own home. This festive feast is the perfect amount for 8-12 people. Orders must be made by Thursday, November 21, 2019 and are available for Thursday, November 28 - Sunday, December 1, 2019. To order, please call 831-324-6773.

The Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner features classic dishes, including; Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque, Mixed Baby Lettuce Salad, Harvest Vegetable Escabeche, Caggiano Sausage and Brioche Stuffing, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Roast Diestel Ranch Turkey, and Apple and Pumpkin Pie. The Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner is $595 plus tax and gratuity.

For an extra special dinner, additions include: Artisanal Cheese and Charcuterie Board for $115, plus tax and gratuity; Truffle Mac & Cheese for $75 plus tax and gratuity; or Chilled Prawns with cocktail sauce and lemon aioli for $36 per dozen, plus tax and gratuity.

Estéban Restaurant is located at Casa Munras Garden Hotel and Spa, 700 Munras Ave in Downtown Old Monterey.

The Intimacy, Sexuality and Gender Center of Monterey (ISGC) is happy to announce that our founder and director, Stephen Braveman, will receive the Unity Award from Monterey Peninsula Pride. The award ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 13, 4pm-8pm, at Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave Street in Monterey. The purpose of this event is to highlight leaders who have dedicated their time, energy, and available resources to advocating and providing for the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Monterey County.

Those of you who know Stephen Braveman, LMFT, DST know that he is a passionately dedicated clinician. Stephen literally helped to found and create the organization that today is Monterey Peninsula Pride. After decades of selfless service on behalf of our community, Stephen graciously stepped into the role of advisor, supporting a new generation of leaders to define and create an organization that will serve our community for decades to come.

This will be the first time that Monterey Peninsula Pride has honored Stephen. It is meaningful and appropriate that Stephen will receive "The Unity Award" because it underscores Stephen's achievement. He embodies the qualities and ethics that those in our profession aspire to achieve in their advocacy efforts: using our voice, knowledge, and potential power in the community to create spaces for our clients to safely gather, share, connect, and grow together. Stephen's work clearly demonstrates that joining together in unity can offer the foundation to create something that could not be achieved by one person alone.

To learn more about the awards ceremony and to sign up online click here. To learn more about Stephen and his work click here. Congratulations, Stephen, from the Downtown Old Monterey community!

ISGC is located at 494 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. They can be reached by phone at 831-375-7553.

Cat's Meow is happy to announce our extended Halloween season hours! Now until the big day, we'll be open Monday through Saturday, 10am-8pm. Come and find a great costume - visit us at 601 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Photo courtesty of Susan Blake.

This month’s featured historic home is the James Henry and Jessie Campbell House at 91 South Second Street. It is the most significant historic home directly related to town founder, Benjamin Campbell.

Built in 1895, it sits on what was once part of a 160-acre ranch that Benjamin purchased from the United States Government in 1870. The 20,000 square foot lot was a gift from Benjamin to his son James Henry Campbell and his wife Jessie Agnes McKenzie. James used the land for dairy farming for many years, but when he married Jessie he decided to subdivide parcels.

The two-story Queen Anne Cottage style home is a fine example by local builder George Whitney who built many of Campbell’s original historic homes. Several of these homes still stand in downtown. Whitney’s attention to detail and craftmanship can be seen in the porch brackets, the turned wooden pillars and the wrap-around front veranda, and the unique cut eve shingles which was a builder’s signature in that time.

A large basement was added to the house around 1905. James and Jessie created a “milk room” under the coolest, north portion of the house, since there was no refrigeration at the time. It served as a cooling room for milk from their Jersey cows to be stored and kept for a short time. According to Jeannette Watson’s book, Campbell the Orchard City, Jessie used large pans for the milk which were placed on rotating racks. Later, the cream would be skimmed off the top and churned into butter. James and Jessie sold the milk, cream and butter to the townspeople. Benjamin Campbell and his wife Mary who lived a block and a half away on what is now Campbell Avenue, would frequently stop by.

Remarkably, this house has had only two owners. It remained in the Campbell family until the 1950’s, when Joseph P. and Connie Russo purchased it completely furnished for $112,000 from Jessie Agnes Campbell, who was now a widow. Mr. and Mrs. Russo worked in real estate and Joseph saw something unique and charming about the old house and grounds. They lovingly restored it and enjoyed sitting on the front porch watching traffic, according to their son, Joe Russo Jr.

After his parents passed away in the early 2000’s, Joe Jr. and his wife Mary Ann became the sole owners of the property when Joe’s brother who lived in Visalia declared he was not interested in it. This next generation of the Russo family has done extensive restoration, seismic retrofitting and needed upgrades to the house. While doing the seismic retrofitting to the basement, the Russo’s came across an old 7 lb. flat iron and the top of a wooden barrel. The top shows the words, “Farmers Union Campbell”.

The Farmers Union was one of the first commercial businesses in a newly created downtown business district on Campbell Ave. The Farmers Union store started in 1894. It offered free horse drawn delivery to locals, since traveling to San Jose for...Read More