This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with community powerhouse Lisa Palmer to dive into the vision behind the Santa Ynez Valley Community Aquatics Foundation—and why a world-class, two-pool complex right on the high school campus would change lives across the Valley.

From learn-to-swim lifesaving skills for our youngest to aqua fitness and rehab for seniors, from everyday lap swimmers to CIF-ready competition for swim and water polo, Lisa lays out how this project strengthens health, safety, and community connection for ages 1 to 101. You’ll hear about the foundation’s progress, the plan to keep school use secure while opening daily public access, and how tournaments and true “home games” could finally bring that electric, hometown-crowd feeling to the pool deck.

We get real about the goal—$13.7M—what’s already been raised, how local cities are stepping up, and exactly how time, talent, and treasure can push this across the finish line. If you’ve ever learned to swim, watched a kid fall in love with the water, or felt the calm of a good long swim—you’ll understand why this is the kind of legacy project that shapes a community for decades.

Listen in, get inspired, and get involved. Put your hand up—volunteer, spread the word, or give what you can. Search “SYV Aquatics Foundation” to connect and learn more. 🌊🤝

Highlights:

• Why year-round public swim access matters (safety, health, inclusion)

• The plan: competition pool + community/recreation pool

• Secure, concurrent school + public use

• Local support, fundraising milestones, and how you can help

• A vision for Valley pride: from first swim lesson to Olympic dreams 🏅

In this one, we sit down with author (and valley neighbor) Adam McHugh, whose memoir Blood From a Stone is a love letter to the Santa Ynez Valley and a raw, honest look at going from hospice chaplain and grief counselor in L.A. to wine guide and storyteller among our vines. We cover: how grief can become gratitude, why this valley saves souls with big skies and bigger terroir, the punk-rock work behind “romantic” wine, and what it really takes to belong to a place you once only visited. It’s reflective, hopeful, a little history-dorky, and very local.

Listen if you’re into: real talk about loss + resilience, the geology and magic that make SB County wines special, and the winding road from “escape” to “home.”
Grab the book: Blood From a Stone (find it at The Book Loft in Solvang or your favorite indie).
Bonus: Adam teases his upcoming Solvang kids’ book—because this valley makes room for both hard truths and holiday wonder.

Press play, take a deep breath, and fall back in love with where we live. 🎧✨

Clem Boyleston went from building high-tech solutions to hammering out purpose-built knives you’ll hand down to your kids. We talk Santa Barbara → Santa Ynez migrations, the smell of upturned dirt over the pass, and why the right blade is a tool, not a trophy. Clem breaks down performance vs. aesthetics, Damascus vs. san-mai (in plain English), chef knives that actually slice, ultralight backcountry blades, camp tomahawks, and why a great knife should fit your hand like it was born there.

We get into:

• How a Last of the Mohicans obsession became a life in steel

• Choosing steel, heat treat, and grinds for how you cook, hunt, or camp

• The tradeoffs big brands make vs. true custom work

• Everyday carry, indexing, serrations, and real-world safety

• Sharpening that brings dead blades back to life (yep, he offers it)

Where to find him & gift one before the holidays:
• Los Olivos Outfitters (local makers display)
• Alice Hall shop pop-ups & summer BBQs
• Homespun Show — Dec 6, Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop
• Online: clemsknives.com and @clemsknives

Hit play to meet the guy quietly forging world-class tools right here in the Valley—and maybe the last kitchen or field knife you’ll ever need.