The Taste of Local is Back!

Totally Local VC the Farm to Fork experts invites you to join them at this years

4th Annual Taste of Local event on Sunday, Sept 11, at the beautiful lawns of Ventura County Credit Unions Corporate office in Ventura. All food and samples are included in the admission price.

The Taste of Local is about bringing together farmers, chefs and community to celebrate our local harvest and the diversity of great food we have right here in Ventura County. It’s sure to be the epicurean event of the year! Over 60 area chefs, wineries, brewers, farmers and purveyors are expected to showcase their expertise during the 4th annual Taste of Local event.

Ventura County agriculture helps to feed our community and the world.

Ventura County is one of the top agricultural producers in the world and that translates into one of the best cuisine scenes that Californian has to offer. Locally grown, locally produced and locally owned are some of the key ingredients at the Taste of Local Festival. Guests have an opportunity to meet and chat with chefs, farmers and purveyors as they taste and learn about the bounty that is Ventura County.

Stop in to booths like the locally grown build your own strawberry short cake bar. Sponsored by the California Strawberry commission, Limoneira lemonade stand and our locally sourced grazing stations.

Taste, sample and sit back and enjoy the sounds of the Rose Valley Thorns and Spencer the Gardener

The Taste of Local showcases local brewers at its “Home Brew Challenge”. Guests sample and vote for there favorites as local brewers compete for top awards for the best home brews in the county.

Competing Ventura County bartenders will craft drinks from local grown ingredients. Attendees will sip (sample size) cocktails made from local farm-fresh ingredients and vote for their favorite. The winning cocktail will be crowned Ventura Counties signature cocktail and be featured at local restaurants throughout Ventura County.Edible Ojai, Ventura County magazine hosts the Farm to Fork Education Tent!

Don’t miss the workshops hosted by some of very own local experts!

We always offer a diverse selection of workshops at the event such as Brewing 101, Coffee Bean to Cup and cooking demos by Sweet Arleen’s.

Ventura County is known as one of the top agricultural producers in the world and that translates into one of the best cuisine scenes that California has to offer. Locally grown, locally produced and locally owned are some of the key ingredients in this year’s Taste of Local event.

More information on the Taste of Local:

https://totallylocalvc.com/taste-of-local-festival About Totally Local VC’s Agricultural Education Foundation.

Wings Over Camarillo was much more than airplanes. Photos by Yana Khiyod and Patricia Schallert

The premier air show on the central coast of California, Wings Over Camarillo, returned for its 41st year on Saturday, August 20, and Sunday, August 21. This aviation-themed, highly entertaining, and educational event featured aerobatic performances, parachute teams, military aircraft, helicopter rides, classic car show, STEM pavilion and food and drink. Held at the Camarillo Airport it celebrated Women in Aviation. It was presented by the Oxnard Auto Center.

A “Notable Women in Aviation” exhibit, that will remain permanently on display in the Commemorative Air Force Hangar, was introduced this year. The display includes a timeline of women’s firsts in aviation history, beginning with Jeanne Labrosse of France, the first woman to pilot any aircraft solo—a balloon—in 1798, and ending with Jessica Watkins, the first African American female astronaut at the International Space Station 2022.

Wings Over Camarillo is presented by Camarillo Wings Association(CWA) that promotes aviation and its heritage, while inspiring youth with aviation related programs, education and leadership opportunities.

CWA has donated over $521,000 in the past 11 years to local non-profits, promoting youth in science and aviation. “I want everybody to have fun,” said Bill Thomas, Wings Over Camarillo air boss. Two distinguished local aviators lead the event as grand marshals: CDR Colette Lazenka and Martha Phillips.

Community Memorial Hospital’s CCU/ICU Nurse’s Reunion
by Jennifer Tipton

On Saturday, July 30^th a group of old CMH nurses (not that any of us are old) gathered at the very lovely home of one of our own, Andrea Ricketts. Many hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was indeed a celebration! I am honored to have worked with these outstanding nurses, and when asked to share the event with the Ventura Breeze readers, I thought—let’s do it Person to Person style!

I asked six of the best CCU/ICU nurses:
“What’s your fondest memory of working in the unit at CMH?”

Andrea Ricketts
1986-2002 / returning 2008-present
“Caring for a young woman with Guillain-Barre syndrome; the young woman was the mother of two and ended up needing a ventilator to breathe. Because she couldn’t move her extremities, I laid the babies on their mother’s chest and picked up her arms to wrap around them. There were tears coming down her face and I knew how much it meant to her to hold them.”
(Author’s note: Guillain-Barre is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder with a rapid-onset of muscle weakness. It damages the peripheral nervous system, beginning in the extremities and progresses until it eventually affects the patient’s ability to breathe.)

Sonia Rieder
1996-present
“My favorite memory is when I met and married Randy, a physical therapist. He was working with my patient in ICU bed 8 and the patient had multiple IV lines. He asked me to help because he didn’t want to mess up my lines. Most PTs just go in and mess up everybody’s lines, but he was so thoughtful!”

Shirley Barela
1980-present (Forty-two years in the unit and still going!)
“Taking care of a young guy with a heart valve repair. The surgery started at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t end until midnight. He was on a ventricular assist device when I got him at midnight, it was 1982. I found out later that he died in that same room after his last surgery. He was waiting for a heart transplant.”

Merci Buhain
1982-2018
“Taking care of a patient that was over 400 pounds in ICU bed 7 (you know-the one that’s haunted). I had to use a footstool to stand on and needed help turning him. He was also on isolation, so we had to gown up every time we went in the room. I had him two nights in a row for continuity of care, and I remember crying at the end of my shift both times. He recovered and got discharged.”
(Author’s note: Didn’t I say fondest memory? But hey, at least this one retired and now happily takes care of her grandkids!)

Carolyn Estrada
1977-2008
“My favorite memory is when the nightshift nurses advocated for a twenty-five-year-old woman with cardiomyopathy. Her heart was so weak that the physicians said there was nothing they could do—she was done. But the nurses said no! We’ve got to save her! Because the nurses insisted, they put her on a ventricular assist device and sent her to UCLA. She came back several months later and said that she didn’t remember any of us, but thanked us for saving her life. She had fully recovered without needing a heart transplant. Even the physician had tears in his eyes. I am so thankful to have worked with so many nurses that truly cared about their patients, it can be a life changing event.”

Sue Kulpaca
1986-2005 / returning 2017-present
“I cared for the first HIV patient we had. He was in ICU bed 6 and because the rooms for bed 6 and bed 7 were connected, we used the room for bed 7 to change. We had to gown up for the HIV isolation room, with shoe covers and the whole bit. I took care of him every time I was on because no one wanted to. The curtain to the room was always wide open and it was like a fishbowl. When the patient’s partner came to visit, they had no privacy, so I finally closed the curtain to let them have some time together. Tearful. Close to my heart with a gay brother. So sad the way we treat some…”

I had a similar experience. In those days we knew so little about HIV/AIDS that many of us were frightened by it. You can read about it in my upcoming book:

“Off The Chart – A Nurse’s Journey of Heart and Humor.”

Seana-Marie Sesma

The Ventura County Chapter of The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-VC) is celebrating Seana-Marie Sesma, founder of Your PR Girls and Mary Jane Services Network, who was recently named the 2022 California Woman Business Owner of the Year by NAWBO California (NAWBO-CA) at its annual Propel conference in Sacramento.

“NAWBO California’s annual women business owner of the year award recognizes a woman business owner who has demonstrated excellent leadership skills and business acumen,” says Amber Wallace, NAWBO-CA Immediate Past President. “It is an honor to recognize Seana-Marie Sesma for this award. Through multiple businesses and extensive community involvement, Seana-Marie is an accomplished entrepreneur and community leader. She is an inspiration to our NAWBO community.”

This year’s Woman Business Owner of the Year, Seana-Marie Sesma recognized a need in 2017 within the newly legalized cannabis industry and founded Mary Jane Services Network to support cannabis businesses in achieving and maintaining local and state licensure. Processes for applying for commercial licenses are arduous and complex. Mary Jane Services Network offers critical business resources and support to manage local and state application processes for all license types, and for maintaining compliance to ensure annual renewals. To date, every single Mary Jane Services Network client has achieved their local and state licenses and renewals.

As for her other business, Sesma founded Your PR Girls with her mother, Juanita over 24 years ago. Your PR Girls specializes in eco-friendly promotional products and marketing services for corporations and nonprofits throughout the United States. A consummate volunteer, Sesma is known for creating unique events, including a playful art installation immersive experience at Santa Paula Art Museum.

The Ventura County chapter has had two other members recognized with this award in the past six years – land use expert Dawn Dyer of Dyer Sheehan Group won in 2018 and Karen Bain and Lisa Kudirka founders of Shave It, a shave ice retailer were recognized in 2015.

“Together as leaders in business, it is imperative that we take a stand for what is right and supportive for all women,” commented Sesma. She has also won Green Business Awards from Ventura Chamber and City of Ventura.

NAWBO also installed new member to National Board of Directors

The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) installed Dr. Janis Shinkawa Co- founder and Medical Director of Ohana Pet Hospital and member of the NAWBO Ventura County chapter to the 2022- 2023 National Board of Directors. The NAWBO National Board is a group of women from across America who support NAWBO’s mission to empower women entrepreneurs, regardless of race, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. To help women reach spheres of power and grow their businesses.

The good news is the wonderful Music Under the Stars has returned to the Olivas Adobe Historical Park for another summer of wonderful music, dancing and eating. The bad news (unless you have tickets) is that the eight outdoor concerts are sold out. The historical adobe is also open for viewing and docents (lead by docent president Mary Thompson) are there to give you a history lesson of the adobe and its occupants.