story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 12/24/18
This story about a new line of gourmet foods bearing the Montecito name -- wine, coffee, olives and, soon, beer – actually begins in New Zealand. That’s where a young John Braid, back in the 1960s, fell in love with wine, and sold a lot of it out of his shop. It’s a passion that followed the entrepreneurial Kiwi when we packed his bags and moved to Santa Barbara, and then acquired a little shop on East Valley Road.
John Braid
would come to be adored by the Montecito community over the 45 years he ran the
Village Cheese & Wine Store. His regulars loved the simple yet generous sandwiches,
the global food products he carried and the small, rotating selection of wines.
It was his personality they treasured most, though – genuine, gentle and
generous. A renaissance man and a gentleman at once. And when John Braid died
in 2016, a stunned Montecito mourned him.
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| First responders at the Village Cheese & Wine Store |
“And then
here comes the Thomas Fire…” continues Patrick Braid.
The colossal
Thomas Fire that roared through Santa Barbara in December 2017, and the roaring Montecito
mudslides that followed in January 2018, would go on to generate a litany of
stories. Heart-wrenching stories of the 20 residents who perished. And heroic
stories of the emergency personnel who risked it all to help.
Patrick Braid
saw his own personal story suddenly unfolding, too – and a story anchored by
that tiny sandwich shop he’d unwittingly inherited from his dad.
The night the
Thomas Fire thundered into Montecito, and even as evacuations ensued, Patrick Braid
rushed to the store to gather photos and mementoes. “We decided to hold our
ground instead and to keep the doors of the shop open,” he says, “for the Cal
Fire guys and all the first responders. They were stoked to have access to the
restaurant, restrooms, cold drinks – just Snickers, even. Funny how the
smallest things can make the biggest impression.”
Just weeks
later, in the wee hours of January 9th, Patrick Braid found himself
rushing to his shop all over again, this time in boots, lugging gear, as he
trounced through knee-high mud. His business had survived. But its location –
where East Valley and San Ysidro Roads converge – instantly became “ground zero
for responders,” recalls Mr. Braid. “So we jumped into action again, opened our
doors, put candles in the bathroom, hand-carved more than 100 sandwiches just
that first day. All those guys were so pumped that we said, no matter what,
we’d stay open throughout the entire event.”
No easy
task, of course. While the Village Cheese & Wine Store did become the only
Montecito food shop open for weeks, not only for rescue personnel but for
marooned residents, too, keeping the business open required pulling strings. A
few lawmakers and law enforcement leaders did step up to bend the rules just
enough, and Patrick Braid became perhaps the only civilian with unfettered
access to what had suddenly become a disaster zone. Donations from companies
like Vons, Trader Joe’s and Smart & Final ensured he’d be able to offer
sundries and supplies to his new clientele at no cost.
Months
later, as normalcy began its slow return to Montecito, Mr. Braid couldn’t shake
just how impressed he’d been by the mettle of the rescuers, especially the
Montecito Fire Department, his shop’s neighbors across the street. “So inspired,
actually,” he says, “that I hatched this concept of creating brands to help.”
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| Patrick Braid w/KEYT's John Palminteri, who covered the mudslide from day one |
So, on the
one year mark of events that changed Montecito forever, Mr. Braid is launching
a line of specialty food products that honor its name.
Montecito Coffee
Co. launched a few weeks ago – a line of coffees produced from top-quality
beans from around the world and crafted by renowned Ventura-based roaster Gayla
Moore. The packaging features bright, colorful paintings by Santa Barbara plein
air artist Jeremy Harper of iconic local landmarks like Butterfly Beach,
Hammonds Reef and, of course, the historic Montecito Firehouse. The coffees
sell for $12 and in smaller half-pound packages because “the key is drinking
coffee as close to roast date as possible,” says Mr. Braid.
Montecito
Wine Co. is a tribute to Mr. Braid’s late father. It launched this month in
partnership with winemaker Doug Margerum, who was himself displaced by the
Montecito debris flow. The Butterfly Beach 2017 White Rhone Blend from the Los Olivos District AVA sells for $36 and the Old Firehouse
2017 Pinot Noir from the lucrative Sta. Rita Hills growing area retails for $67.
“This is not
cheap, discounted stuff,” insists Mr. Braid, who aims to ensure his brands
yield premium products that “live up to the high quality Montecito is known
for. Montectio is, itself, a luxury brand, and at an even more global scale
now. So whatever products we release that bear that name have to be the
crème-de-la-crème. And,” he continues, “people won’t mind paying a slight
premium because they know it’s all going to the greater good of humanity and a
community that’s been devastated."
Montecito
Olive Co. just hit the market, too – a collaboration with Craig Makela of California Coast Naturals. And plans for Montecito Beer are already underway.
All the
Montecito Co. brands are selling at the Village Cheese & Wine Store, though
Mr. Braid has his sights set on mass distribution as well as direct-to-consumer
sales through specialty clubs and, in particular, e-commerce. In fact, he’s
already secured a lengthy list of online real estate that bears his venture’s
name, including montecitoandcompany.com, motecitocoffeeco.com, montecitowineco.com and montecitovillagerecoveryfund.com.
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| John Braid |
And
Montecito is just the beginning.
The power of
retail to aid communities in recovery has Mr. Braid thinking on an
international level, as he looks ahead to “a brand of collections” inspired by
regions around the world hit by disasters. “We can create a line [of products]
for them and a percentage of the gross revenues goes to each affected area,” he
says.
“A social
movement,” he calls it. “And to think – it all came from a huge disaster in one
of the most beautiful and affluent areas of California."
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