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by Sonia Nordenson photography by Cheryl Mac, pureimagephoto.com
On June 4, YWD threw yet another party for select guests in the wedding industry, this time in our own “backyard”—the deservedly fabled city of Santa Barbara. Compared to the times that we travel to host YWD festivities, this event was quite relaxing, for we already knew most everyone who attended.
Our chosen venue (and Santa Barbara has a dizzying array from which to choose) was the vibrant and visually appealing restaurant Sevilla on Chapala Street. We had the entire place to ourselves. The music, by Boyd Music Services, was wonderful: lots of very sultry jazz. Our guests sat at tables or at the bar as they networked, and everyone flipped, page by page, through the new issue. We filled the space to the max with very happy guests—that included the crème de la crème of event professionals from Santa Barbara and California’s Central Coast.
Sevilla is making a name for itself with its new executive chef Rémi Lauvand who has infused the restaurant with big city energy and a new cosmopolitan menu to boot. Rémi, who is most known for his contemporary French cuisine and technical precision from his experience as the executive chef at Montrachet and executive sous-chef at Le Cirque in NYC, has revamped the entire menu and wine list to complement the restaurant’s contemporary and modern décor. For this occasion, the kitchen created a fabulous assortment of tapas that was served with chilled red and white sangrias.
The very swanky Sevilla is actually Santa Barbara’s oldest restaurant. The present owners, who purchased the property a couple of years ago, have invested about two million dollars into its complete renovation and redesign, and the place shows it. The interior is divine, with fine commissioned artwork including a mosaic island in the lounge. The dining room has both open and private seating with some spaces nooked behind curtains. In the hallway leading to the unisex restrooms the lighting glows up from the floor. Currently, Sevilla has its sights on expansion. It is developing a new 2,000 square-foot dining patio.
This event concluded a series of posh parties hosted by YWD for the release of the Summer 2007 issue, and what a grand culmination it was!
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In the words of the Brooklyn-based premier perfumer Christopher Brosius, “We live because we breathe, and with each breath we smell. This is inevitable. The sense of smell is our first and most immediate link to the world around us....
Malibu Cocktail Shaker
