Showcasing Downtown Resilience

Started last September to highlight economic resiliency during the pandemic, Downtown Business Spotlight — the Independent’s virtual collaboration with the Downtown Santa Barbara organization — continues into 2021. Last week, the “Side Street Stars” episode featured restaurateurs Mitchell Sjerven of bouchon, Tony Arroyo of Los Arroyos, and Ruben Perez of Black Sheep discussing the advantages and disadvantages of their locations with our Senior Editor Matt Kettmann. This week, Kettmann hops back on to interview hoteliers Warren Nocon of Hotel Californian, Chris Cline of the Canary Hotel, and Paul Bullock of the Eagle Inn about “Heads in Beds” at 3 p.m., on Thursday, January 21. And on January 28, Kettmann returns again to talk about “Cuisines of Many Cultures” with Ninder Josan of Apna, Daniel Yoshimi and Jennifer Yannella of Brasil Arts Café, and Charlotte Andersen of Andersen’s Danish Bakery & Restaurant. Heading into February, topics include finance, tasting rooms, and experiential travel. See old episodes and the upcoming schedule at independent.com/spotlight.