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.
John MacKinnon
For more than 3 decades, the Central Coast has been both my home and the place where I have built my career in the restaurant business. I grew up in Southern California and moved to the Central Coast in 1989. Read more>>
Danny Bruckbauer
I am a multidisciplinary artist from North Dakota, currently living and creating in Los Angeles California. I work with sound and clay, separately, although maybe there’s a way to combine them in the future. Read more>>
Sabina Gerard
After completing my MBA in 2018, while initially working in retail management, I dreamed of owning my own business. I wanted to experience the entire challenging, thrilling and sometimes frightening process of identifying the right business, learning and mastering new skills and establishing relationships with financial institutions and the City of Monterey to obtain funding and all necessary business permits and licenses. Read more>>
Brian & Audrey Edelman
We were married in the Summer of 2021. Throughout the wedding-planning process, we wanted our celebration to be fun and inclusive. Lawn games were the key to bringing our friends and family together. And let me tell you, this was the absolute best decision we could have made. It added the perfect vibe. Read more>>
The Lotus Collaborative
The Lotus Collaborative was founded by Dr. Liz Esalen in 2011 with the belief that treatment can be both clinically excellent and deeply human. Today, The Lotus Collaborative provides eating disorder and mental health treatment in Santa Cruz and San Francisco through Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs. Read more>>
Raul Moreno
If you’ve read my previous interview, you’ve probably heard the story how 24 Productions began and the challenges that shaped me. This chapter is different. Today, my focus isn’t just on creating artwork-it’s on building something that lasts. Every project is another opportunity to refine my craft, tell meaningful stories, and create visuals that people remember long after they’ve seen them. Read more>>
Daniel Greig
From as early as I can remember, I was the kid rearranging rooms — moving furniture, picking finishes, chasing a better flow in whatever space I was in. I grew up in Nipomo, a small town on California’s Central Coast, and my family traveled often. Looking back, my favorite part of every trip was never the itinerary — it was the places themselves. Read more>>
Roxanne Lapuyade
Food has always been an important part of my life. At age 12, I became a vegetarian and cooked for myself because my busy mom couldn’t accommodate my dietary choices (I mostly ate cheese and ice cream!). Read more>>
Gina Poltl
I come from a blended family that consists of four older brothers and me as the youngest and only girl. Our family dynamics presented some challenges at times and one of them being watching my half older brother struggle with unaddressed mental health needs which I didn’t obviously know at the time. Read more>>
Sam Coturri
I grew up in what is now referred to as the Moon Mountain District in Sonoma, where wine and farming were simply a way of life. My dad, Phil Coturri, has spent decades championing organic farming, so from an early age I learned that great wine starts in the vineyard. Read more>>
Anthony Ontiveros
At nine years old, standing in the middle of a rave surrounded by hundreds of adults, I had no idea that one night would define the direction of my entire life. Read more>>
Stephanie Aubuchon Fernandez
My journey into wellness began as a professional ballerina, where I first discovered Pilates during my dance career. What started as a way to strengthen and support my body quickly became a lifelong passion for movement, healing, and understanding the incredible potential of the human body. Read more>>
Ana Miguel
Hi! My name is Ana, and I was born and raised in San Diego. Both of my parents immigrated from Guanajuato, Mexico, in the mid 80’s. My dad was able to fix his status under the ‘Regan Amnesty Act’ and, from there, fix my mom’s status. Read more>>
Tiffanae Dawn Luke
After a motorcycle accident and Soccer injury, I needed knee surgeries and was told I wouldn’t be able to be as active. I had tried everything that existed to heal myself to no avail. I found Ayurveda. My first week on recommended practices and Specific Medicinal formularies designed for me, I slept deeply for the first time ever, pain lessened, depression eased, digestion improved, etc. Read more>>
Leah Varney
My professional story hasn’t followed one perfectly straight path, but creativity and connecting with people have always been at the center of it. I began working in hospitality, where I developed strong communication skills, learned how to read people, and eventually grew into leadership and bar management. Photography became another important creative outlet for me. Read more>>
Goi Yujaroen
I actually started as a teacher, not a chef. I earned my Master’s in Educational Psychology and spent 25+ years teaching across cultures — including years as an Assistant Professor of Thai at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. Teaching is the thread through my whole life. I love the moment when something clicks and someone realizes, “Oh! Read more>>
Jeffrey Reid
At twenty-three, I left behind a comfortable life in the United States and moved alone to the Wudang Mountains of central China in search of something I could not quite name. What began as curiosity soon became a seven-year apprenticeship under a Daoist kungfu master. Read more>>
Summer Skipper
I never imagined that one day I’d be building a digital marketing brand of my own. Like many people, I spent years supporting other businesses, watching them grow, and realizing just how much passion, creativity, and hard work it takes to turn an idea into something meaningful. As I started learning more about digital marketing, something clicked. Read more>>
Amanda Estes
I’ve had a passion for animals for as long as I can remember. After earning my degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management from Moorpark College, I spent years working with everything from wolves, foxes, and raccoons to animals in the television and film industry. Read more>>
Amy Mayhew
I’ve always loved thrifting, flipping furniture and clothes. In March 2020 I was doing hair (also a lifelong love of mine). COVID hit and we were forced to close. What was supposed to be a couple of weeks turned into months of uncertainty. During that period I had lots of time on my hands. I began buying lots of furniture to flip. Read more>>
Elsa Duenez
Fitness has always been more than just working out for me; it became a way to build confidence, discipline, and purpose. I started as a personal trainer with a dream of creating a space where people of all fitness levels could feel welcome, supported, and inspired. Read more>>
Olivia Fae Stadler
It took me a decade to break free of the ‘golden handcuffs’ of my first career. It paid well and I was good at it, but I yearned for something more meaningful and fulfilling to me. Looking back, psychotherapy was always my calling, but it took me a while to more fully discover myself. Read more>>
Michelle Oppenheimer
I’ve always been creative, but painting found me in acupuncture school — it was my escape from all that rigor. My mom’s a self-taught artist, and we used to paint together, so it was already in my blood. The real turning point was almost by chance. Read more>>
Dorothy Findlater
I was born in London and raised with a deep appreciation for British traditions, especially the simple pleasure of gathering around a beautifully prepared table for tea. After many years working in the entertainment industry, I moved to the Monterey Peninsula and saw an opportunity to share an authentic English Afternoon Tea experience with the local community. Read more>>
Dr Domo Jones
My journey has always been rooted in one core mission: empowering others to step fully into their purpose, tell their authentic stories, and walk in total alignment. I started out with a deep passion for visual storytelling, creative strategy, and expression. Over time, that passion naturally evolved into my work as a freelance brand consultant, content creator, graphic designer, and social media strategist. Read more>>
EJ Kim
Before any of this, I was a classical musician. People think that’s a strange jump, but it isn’t. You spend years on one phrase, chasing something only you can hear. Pastry asked the exact same thing of me — and it let me feed people. Read more>>
Amber Wighton
I grew up in Ojai, California, surrounded by Valencia orange groves, where I developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and the hard work that goes into growing exceptional citrus. That early connection to farming inspired me to continue the tradition with my own family through Wighton Family Farm on California’s Central Coast. Read more>>
Melinda Trembly
I studied interior design in school and started my career as an interior designer at a well respected architectural firm here in Santa Barbara. So the design training was always there. What I didn’t expect was the sideways path Rincon Road would take to get built. I left the firm on maternity leave after my daughter was born, and I never quite went back. Read more>>
Alicia Campos Masso
I was born in Talavera de la Reina, a city in Spain known for its centuries‑old ceramic tradition. Ceramics were not just an art form there — they were part of daily life, culture, and identity. I grew up surrounded by ceramics and artisans who treated their craft with devotion. That environment shaped me long before I realized I would become an artist myself. Read more>>
Sam Al-Maqtari and Jameson Paull
Jameson and I have been working together for years now. We originally met at Monterey Peninsula College, where we were both studying film and became involved in building up the film community there. We eventually transferred to CSUMB, but throughout that time we kept working together on different creative projects and became increasingly involved in the local arts community around Monterey County. Read more>>
Maddy Settles
I have been photographing friends and family since I picked up my first dslr camera in college. What started as a hobby quickly turned into something I felt passionate about – capturing human emotions in a beautiful way. It was about 2015 when I decided I wanted to try making photography my job. Read more>>
Dominique Nash
I’m originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and today I’m building the next chapter of my creative life in Los Angeles, California. Getting here wasn’t a straight line. My family and I traveled across the country from St. Louis to California, and in many ways, that physical journey reflects the evolution of my work as well. Read more>>
Andrea Andrews
Cooking has always been a passion of mine. I would create recipes and experiment with new dishes. It took a long time to get here, with many adventures along the way. After the military, I enrolled myself into culinary school. The catering program was not available, so I studied Baking and Pastry Arts. Read more>>
Nina von Raesfeld
I have always been someone who leads with feeling and logic. I am drawn to beauty, to depth, to the question of what it means to truly be alive in your body and in the work. That curiosity has shaped everything. Read more>>
Jeff Smith
I’ve always had a passion for cooking. There’s something incredibly rewarding about making food for people and seeing their reaction when they take that first bite. As far back as I can remember, people have told me I should become a chef. Read more>>
Stephanye Lagunes
I started my journey as a chef working in different kitchens and eventually in catering and private events, where I realized how much I enjoy bringing people together through food. I’ve also always loved traveling and discovering different cultures through their food, and that has really influenced the way I cook and create. Stroop Haus came from that same love for food, travel, and experiences. Read more>>
Kasey Kruft
I started working at Sweet Peas Flowers here in Ventura, CA when I was 15 years old. I started working here because my friend Melanie worked here and I thought she was cool! If she worked at Jiffy Lube, I would have got a job at Jiffy Lube. I just wanted to work with my friend. I started off watering plants and cleaning up. Read more>>
Richard Balikian
I grew up in Boston in a family of physicians and had a dad who would put me to work on projects every weekend. So I always loved the idea of starting a project one day and ending it the same day. Read more>>
TL Forsberg
I’ve always been fascinated by the people who don’t quite fit the mold because I’ve spent my life being one of them. As someone who is Deaf and Hard of Hearing, I often found myself caught between worlds. Too hearing for some spaces. Too deaf for others. For a long time, I believed belonging was something I had to earn. Read more>>
Cheyne Howell
My whole family has worked at one point or another at Deluxe Foods grocery store in the Deer Park Shopping Center in Rio Del Mar. My parents met there in the 70s. I worked in the deli. My sister did accounting for them. One day in 2004 my mom saw Deer Park Wine & Spirits for sale. Read more>>
Inaiya Giles
As a kid there was so many things I wanted to do and be growing up. But as I grew older so did my interest and hobbies. My father is a creative who would always help/inspire me with class projects or paintings that he would be able to complete. Read more>>
Zoe Hansen
I was born in London, England, and ran away to New York City at the age of 17 where I became involved in the fashion industry working for MTV on videos styling hair makeup I developed a drug problem that had continued from London. Read more>>
Craig Lane
I was born more aware than I should have been. And I overcame many life threatening accidents to become who I am. I sit and review my life now at 61 and it seems hard to believe how much I have lived. Feels like nine lives… I have a memory in the crib (which seemed like a prison looking out from those wooden ‘bars’). Read more>>
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>>
