🍷 Episode 11 – Brielle Saarloos | Father & Daughter 🍷

In this episode of Chopping It Up, I sit down with my daughter, Brielle Saarloos, for a father–daughter conversation about our Saarloos and Sons Summer Allocation. This allocation isn’t just about wine—it’s about family, legacy, and the stories that live inside every bottle. Together, we walk through each of the wines in this release: Mischief (Grenache Noir), Ocker (Grenache Blanc, Syrah, Mourvèdre), The 19 (Brielle’s wine), and Grit (Petit Verdot).

We talk about how wine is more than flavor profiles or points on a scorecard. Wine is family history captured in glass. It’s cousins Cash and Brady on the labels of Mischief and Mayhem, it’s a 1971 Pinzgauer with a surfboard sticking out the back on Ocker, and it’s Brielle’s face on The 19, a bottle that marks her graduation and the journey from being a kid running around the vineyard to a college junior finding her own path.

From stories of harvest in Ballard Canyon AVA to late nights working the vineyard, we dig into the lessons of farming, the importance of terroir, and the work ethic passed down through generations. We share what it means to raise children and vines in the same soil, and why we live by our family creed: to honor those who came before us and prepare the way for those yet to come.

If you’ve ever wondered what makes the Santa Ynez Valley so unique—or why Saarloos and Sons wines are as much about people as they are about grapes—this episode is the perfect place to start. It’s optimism, grit, and gratitude bottled up in one conversation.

In this episode of Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with Thomas Birkholm, third-generation owner of the iconic Birkholm’s Bakery in Solvang. For over 70 years, the Birkholm family has been serving up Danish pastries, cakes, and the legendary bucket of cookies that generations of travelers have carried up and down the California coast. Thomas shares the incredible story of his grandfather Carl, a Danish-born baker and Merchant Marine whose journey took him across the Atlantic during WWII, into a CIA interrogation in New York, and eventually to Solvang, where he built a bakery that became a cornerstone of the town.

We dig into the history of Solvang’s heyday, how the famous cookie bucket started from a stack of hotel ice buckets, and why people still stop in for a taste of nostalgia and tradition. Thomas also talks about raising his kids in the valley, keeping the family business alive in changing times, and what it means to be part of the fabric of a community that “lives where people vacation.”

But Thomas isn’t just about flour and sugar — he’s also one of the founders of the Live Fast Rally, the Central Coast’s own motorcycle gathering that blends bikes, music, vendors, and charity into one unforgettable day. Each year, thousands of riders roll into Nojoqui Falls for the event, raising money for veterans and giving away a fully custom Harley. Keith and Thomas dive into how the rally started as Sunday rides with friends, grew into a valley tradition, and why it’s one of the most positive and welcoming biker events around.

This episode is part bakery, part community history, and part full-throttle motorcycle culture — the perfect mix of what makes the Santa Ynez Valley so unique.

In this episode of Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with Ian Palmer, a true homegrown son of Los Olivos whose family has been part of the Santa Ynez Valley for over a century. From his great-grandfather riding a bicycle out of Nebraska in the early 1900s, to raising the iconic Los Olivos flagpole that still anchors the town today, Ian’s family history is deeply woven into the roots of this valley.

But Ian’s story is far from just history—it’s about entrepreneurship, creativity, and community. From his early days in video production, to launching Inspired Emotion, to founding Authentic Leather Patch Co., Ian has built one of the valley’s most recognizable brands—supplying custom leather patch hats to businesses and adventurers across the country (and even spotting them as far away as Switzerland).

We talk about growing up in Los Olivos, riding dirt bikes through town before wineries took over, why locals “cut” the flagpole turn, and how the valley has evolved over the years. Ian also shares the hustle behind starting his company from a single sewing machine, the grind of building something that now ships nationwide, and his advice to young people about reaching out, taking risks, and chasing audacious goals.

This conversation is about heritage, hard work, and the entrepreneurial spirit that makes the Santa Ynez Valley what it is. If you’ve ever seen a leather patch hat in the valley—or across the country—chances are it came from Ian and his team.

In this episode of Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with Tatiana—a woman many of us know from morning coffee runs at Good Seed, but few realize is also ranked #1 in the world in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Masters 6, Purple Belt).

Tatiana started training less than four years ago, stepping onto the mat during the pandemic with no martial arts background. Since then, she’s dedicated herself to competition and climbed to the top of her division, proving that age, timing, or circumstance don’t limit what’s possible.

We talk about her journey from Solvang newcomer to world-class competitor, what it feels like to step into the largest Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Las Vegas with 12,000 competitors, the unique community and camaraderie of the sport, and how learning to defend yourself can transform your confidence and mindset.

This is more than a story about fighting—it’s about resilience, flow, community, and starting something new no matter where you are in life.

This week, Keith sits down with longtime friend and Valley local Adrian Kays—an award-winning trailer editor whose work has helped launch films like John Wick, Longlegs, I Saw the Devil, and more. From driving an ’87 FJ Land Cruiser coast-to-coast with nothing but a dream, to answering phones in Warren Beatty’s office, to cutting trailers that get audiences out of their seats and into theaters—Adrian’s story is all about grit, timing, and a love for the movies.

We talk about breaking into Hollywood, what really makes a trailer work (and what ruins it), why he chose the Santa Ynez Valley for his family, and the joy of a 50-yard commute down Ballard Canyon. This isn’t an interview—it’s a conversation about movies, friendship, and how the smallest cuts can make the biggest impact.

Organic strawberry farmer Parker Jones doesn’t just grow fruit—he grows the biggest crop in Santa Barbara County, by hand, under a system stacked against him. We talk about picking 80,000 boxes a week, why the “cold chain” starts in the field, and how water falling on his land legally isn’t his. Parker breaks down labor struggles, foreign competition, government red tape, and what it takes to feed 99% of America when you’re in the 1% that still farms. It’s a raw look at dirt, grit, and the fight to keep real food on the table.

At 16, most kids are thinking about the weekend. Von Gordon is thinking about Sunday at Augusta. In this episode, Keith sits down with the San Ynez golf phenom who’s already a two-time CIF champion, a Lanai golf model, and a fierce competitor shooting 65s from the tips. They talk work ethic, the mental grind of tournament play, pounding the rock when results don’t come easy, and why the game of golf might be the best training ground for life itself.

Some families grow grapes. Some raise cattle. The Kunkles? They build a life in the sky. In this episode, Chris Kunkle takes us from his grandfather’s P-38 missions in World War II—dogfighting over the Central Coast and landing in Normandy days after D-Day—to the airfield that now bears their name. We talk about keeping aviation alive in the Valley, giving local kids a free shot at a pilot’s license, and the quiet heroics of flying supplies into the backcountry when floods cut neighbors off from the world. Legacy, grit, and the kind of community you can only understand if you’ve seen it from the air.