Here Comes Jemma

Jemma Montecito is opening in our rarefied enclave.

The new eatery, which has number of branches including Brentwood and Hollywood, is at The Post, the reinvented Las Aves complex near the Andree Clark Bird Refuge.

The restaurant, owned by Jackson and Melissa Kalb of Memento Mori Hospitality, boasts 2,761 square feet of interior space and 1,276 square feet outside, and is described as “coastal Italy meets coastal California,” according to the Siteline website.

It will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also offer “picnic and pantry” items.

Welcome to the ‘hood…

At the Summit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been in New York for a mental health summit, just five months after the tony twosome were involved in what was described as “a near catastrophic car chase” in Manhattan.

The event saw them join NBC Today Show host Carson Daly and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to host a panel discussion at the World Health Day Festival in their first ever in-person event for their Archewell Foundation charity.

Before arriving at the Hudson Yards event Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, paid a visit to the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, described as “an alternative to college” for young adults of color for successful careers in the tech sector.

Afterwards the duo winged to Canouan in the Grenadines for a Caribbean break.

Interestingly enough, the island a just a short sail from the island of Mustique, where Harry’s brother, William, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Kate, have now become regular visitors.

I sailed to the Raffles resort on Canouan for a beach lunch some years back while staying a friend’s villa on Mustique, which I have visited many times, following in the footsteps of the late Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth, who had a home, Les Jolies Eaux, overlooking Lagoon Beach.

A small world…

Common Household Items

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow has found an interesting use for her Oscar – as a doorstop!

In a video interview by Vogue the Goop founder is seen walking through her estate before passing a wooden door being propped open by the golden statuette.

Paltrow, 51, who won the Best Actress award in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love, aged 25, joked: “It works perfectly!” 

Arias for Maria

On the heels of the opening of its season at the Granada with Bizet’s Carmen, Opera Santa Barbara returns to the Lobero with a special gala concert celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the legendary soprano Maria Callas on November 10.

The concert is presented in collaboration with UCSB’s Argyropoulos Chair in Hellenic Studies and will be repeated at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks on November 12.

Entitled La Divina: The Art of Maria Callas, it will feature Opera SB favorite sopranos Eleni Calenos and Jana McIntyre singing 12 of the diva’s best-known arias and ensembles, including selections from Norma, The Barber of Seville, Lucia di Lammermoor, Othello, and more.

In conjunction with the performances, UCSB will present a lecture called “Maria Callas: The Sacred Flame” by renowned opera scholar Helena Matheopoulos on November 8.

Evenings of high note…

Heading to Green-er Pastures

Geoff Green, CEO of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation for nearly nine years, is leaving for lusher financial pastures.

Geoff, an ubiquitous emcee and auctioneer at myriad local charity galas, is becoming CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits, starting in January.

Under his leadership, the SBCC Foundation has thrived and significantly grown its asset base, expanded partnerships with community-based organizations, and most importantly, provided resources that improve access and success for students at the college.

Geoff also led the creation of the SBCC Promise in 2016, a groundbreaking initiative that offers all recent local high school graduates the opportunity to attend City College full time at no cost and relies entirely on private donations.

To date, more than 7,000 students have participated.

I wish him well…

Sightings

Singer Katy Perry and a TV crew from ABC’s American Idol filming an upcoming episode on the pickle ball and tennis courts at the Montecito Club… Rocker Kenny Loggins and girlfriend, Lisa Hawkins, shopping at Pierre Lafond… The Weakest Link host Jane Lynch at Jeannine’s on CVR.

Pip! Pip!