Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Jane Hayes
For the past 25 years, I have proudly owned and operated Monterey Farms, a small local business rooted in Salinas, California. What started as a chef’s dream to share the true taste of fresh artichokes has grown into a company that celebrates the California’s State Vegetable and agricultural heart of the Central Coast. Read more>>
Jessica Ratliff
In 2019 I was 3 months postpartum and a fresh, first time (stay-at-home) mom wondering what to do with my days. My friend had been going to S.L.A.M, Sweat Like A Mother and she invited me to join her for a free class. I fell in love with the workouts, the community, the consistency- everything about it! Read more>>
Theron Whitney
Xibeo’s story actually began before the company ever existed. My partner, Lauren, and I met in 1998 while working for another exhibit house. I was managing sales, and Lauren was managing projects and operations. We quickly discovered that we shared the same work ethic and a belief that clients deserved a better experience. Read more>>
Merylin Ramirez
My journey has been shaped by a lot of hard work, learning, and the willingness to keep going even when I didn’t have everything figured out. I started my career in administrative and customer service roles, and over time, I found my way into the legal field. Read more>>
Laura Casasayas
I’m Laura Casasayas, L.Ac., founder of Holistic Acupuncture Santa Cruz, a Chinese medicine practice in Aptos with a focus on prenatal and postnatal care. I’ve been helping individuals and families achieve better health for more than 15 years. I’m originally from Catalonia, Spain, where I grew up in a multigenerational family of pharmacists and medicine makers. Read more>>
Dominic Priestley
Basketball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in California’s High Desert, and that’s where I really fell in love with the game. Some of my best memories are from my time at Silverado High School, where we went 29–3 and made an incredible run to the CIF Division 1AA Championship. Read more>>
Michelle Giguère
I’ve been fascinated by consciousness and human perception for as long as I can remember. As a child, I had experiences that I couldn’t explain and didn’t have a framework for understanding. Looking back, I would describe some of those experiences as forms of heightened perception, including what I now understand as remote viewing. Read more>>
Jo Standing
Jo Standing began on the East Coast making her way through her childhood with the help of the coastal surf, family, and her fire starter spirit. With a WWII veteran father who co-conceived twins at his 68 years of life and a corporate advertising sales executive mother running the show and alongside her sisters and brother she found her way well enough. Read more>>
Matthew Pollino
My martial arts journey began when I was 8 years old, and it quickly became a lifelong passion. In November 1993, watching the very first UFC, I was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knew I wanted to learn this incredible martial art. Read more>>
Conrad Dodd
Before diving into content creation, I spent 30 years selling luxury cars (Audi, Mercedes, BMW, and Maserati), most of that time as a General Manager or General Sales Manager. While the work was lucrative, the automotive business is demanding. It requires long hours and regularly pulls you away from weekends, holidays, and many of life’s milestones. Read more>>
Lazara Briones
I have been a neonatal ICU nurse for the past 34 years. In my journey, I have seen the devastating impacts that breastfeeding moms who have not been empowered with the knowledge on how to care for or feed their babies can have. I have seen babies readmitted for dehydration and hyperbilirubinemia, which led to something called kernicterus, which can result in irreversible brain damage. Read more>>
Natalie Ramos
fresco AT THE MARKET to Opened July 2025 at Santa Barbara Public Market A new fast-casual café inspired by a local favorite — bringing back Santa Barbara’s most-missed flavors A new concept with a familiar heart will open its doors at the Santa Barbara Public Market. Read more>>
Tess Molinari
After graduating college in Michigan, I decided I was ready for a change and made the move to California’s Central Coast. It was one of those leaps that ended up changing the entire direction of my life. Read more>>
Cindy Incorvaia
Music has been the language of my soul since I was a child. My father kept cassette tapes in his sporty pickup truck, and I remember playing songs on repeat as it sat in the driveway. My favorite was the 1969 hit by Three Dog Night. ‘One.’ Poetic, moody, stirring. I joined the school band in the 3rd grade as first-chair flute. Read more>>
Maria Rios
Pretty Petals Arrangements was born during the lowest point of my life. I had lost everything, was struggling financially, and developed severe carpal tunnel syndrome that left me unable to work. It was one of the hardest seasons of my life, but it also became the beginning of something I never expected. I’ve always found peace and inspiration in nature. Read more>>
Summer Couture
My story started with a love for adventure and a Jeep that quickly became more than just a vehicle—it became a hobby and a passion. What began as weekend trail rides turned into learning how to build, repair, and customize my Jeep, documenting the journey along the way. Read more>>
Petra Beumer
From Weight Loss to Inner Peace I was trained in Germany as a behavioral therapist, and for many years my work focused on helping people change habits that were harming their health. I taught smoking cessation classes, helped clients lose weight, and believed that lasting change came from discipline, structure, and accountability. Re ad more>>
Krista Goryl & Leslie Kelly
We’re sisters, working moms, finance professionals, and proud San Diego locals. We’ve always been the kind of sisters who swap ideas, solve problems together, and share anything that makes life a little easier. While we’re very alike in many ways—we both love efficiency, organization, and making the most of our time—we each bring our own strengths. Read more>>
Jessica Silva
I took business management courses at Cuesta College- not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with a business, but I quickly realized that I wanted to work with people as well as expressed my art. So in 2010, I decided I wanted to go the route of cosmetology. I quickly realized the fulfillment I found in creating art and building relationships. Read more>>
Tedde Minogue
I studied Art History and have always been interested in objects that tell a story. Curating beauty was the common thread to everything, I did but flowers were in the background and I decided to move them to the forefront. Read more>>
SHAYNA LABADIE
I’ve been a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years, and throughout my career I’ve had the privilege of working with children with a wide range of communication needs. My passion has always been helping children find their voice while empowering families with the tools and support they need to help their children thrive. Read more>>
Jag Farrah
I am a surfer, musician and graphic artist born in LA and raised in Ventura. I started off my early life surfing semi-professionally, modeling and traveling internationally with Billabong and Reef. Since I was homeschooled to follow my surfing career, I had extra time to dive into writing songs. I ended up choosing to pursue music over surfing. Read more>>
Joseph Guggia
I began my florist journey as a delivery boy at the age of 16, learning about the floral industry during that time. That led me to Carpinteria, where I became an assistant grower at the first chain store growing nursery, Sandlyland. The nursery primarily grew potted chrysanthemums, which was a huge seller at the Safeway grocery store chain. Read more>>
Nicole WOODLING
I have an academic background in interdisciplinary environmental science and conservation biology. I was always fascinated by the interconnectedness of the natural world. I had some really boring science jobs in my 20s and realized that I needed to incorporate creativity and entrepreneurship with my science training and love of biology and plants. Read more>>
Stéphanie Laederich
My name is Stéphanie. I am French, and I moved to California three years ago after my husband was offered a professional opportunity here that we felt we couldn’t pass up. Before that, I spent 10 years working in luxury hospitality, an industry I loved for its creativity, attention to detail, and focus on creating meaningful experiences for people. Read more>>
Skylar Stumpf
With sincere gratitude, thank you for the opportunity to reflect here – I can trace my nascent path to early teenage years, where I became fully absorbed in the classics of philosophy and medicine. I would spend summers in a magical, tropical setting, living on a pasture with animals (goats mainly), gazing at the stars every night. Read more>>
Kaileigh Otsuka
Growing up in Silicon Valley, I had what might be considered a strange start to entering the workforce and chalk up a lot of my success to simply being in the right place at the right time. Read more>>
Kelly Schindler
Like many therapists, my career didn’t begin the day I graduated. After earning my master’s degree, I spent the next several years working toward my 3,000 supervised clinical hours as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. During that time, I worked at a therapeutic preschool nonprofit funded through grants while also seeing clients in a small private practice under the supervision of a licensed therapist. Read more>>
Karen Payton
You know that feeling when when you are truly connected to spirit and you want to hold on to the magic? Well that’s kinda how my art started. As a teenager I fell in love with Grateful Dead music which then lead me to deep infatuation with the color and vibrancy of the hippie era. I never really let that go. Read more>>
Xavier Villa
I was born in Fremont in the Bay Area. My dad grew up working with his father on a flower farm in Half Moon Bay but realized he was tending land that would never be his. That lit a fire in him. Read more>>
Saba Lurie
I’ve always cared about building community and connection, and about the ongoing work of becoming a better version of myself. I’ve also wanted to be of service to others. These threads runs through pretty much everything I do, but this started long before I had language for it. Growing up, I was in and out of therapy, and adolescence was especially hard for me. Read more>>
Lisa Lisàndri
After careers as a registered dietitian and fitness professional, I decided to try my hand at fiction writing in my late 60s. Like many of my friends, I had time to spare during COVID. Years before that, I had fallen in love with romance novels after picking up a short western romance on my way to jury duty. Read more>>
Maya Bashir
I’ve always been drawn to creativity. Growing up in a family that valued design and the arts, it naturally became a part of who I am. While pursuing a career in the creative industry has never been considered the most stable path, I knew it was the one I wanted to take. Read more>>
Mark Esposito
I’ve always loved cooking and making people happy through food. I started my career working in some amazing kitchens under chefs like Stephanie Izard, Eric Greenspan, and April Bloomfield, where I learned the importance of technique, hard work, and attention to detail. I was also lucky enough to win a Food Network cooking competition, which pushed me to keep chasing my dream. Read more>>
