Saarloos and sons- An Idiots Guide to Life - With Keith Saarloos

(Part 3 of 3) 📱  Who built the digital world we all live in today? 💻 How did the internet move from dial-up to the smartphone in your pocket? 🌾 And after helping shape the future of communications, why would someone leave it all behind for a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley? In the final chapter of this three-part conversation, Keith Saarloos sits down with former  FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick  to...

(Part 2 of 3) 🇺🇸  Should the government have a role in deciding what you can hear? 📺 What was the  Fairness Doctrine , and why did its repeal permanently change American broadcasting? 🎙️ And why does a decision made nearly 40 years ago still shape the debates we have every day? In Part 2 of Keith Saarloos' conversation with former  FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick , the discussion moves beyond tel...

🇺🇸  What was Ronald Reagan really like when the cameras weren't rolling? 🏛️ What was it like to work inside the White House during one of the most transformative presidencies in American history? ☎️ And how did the breakup of AT&T change the way every American communicates today? This week on  Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos , Keith sits down with former  FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick  for Pa...

Some towns have festivals. Santa Ynez has a jail wagon. This week on  Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos , Keith sits down with  Charlotte Becerra  from Old Santa Ynez Days and the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce to talk about one of the most wonderfully unhinged, deeply beloved, and historically perfect weekends in the Santa Ynez Valley. Old Santa Ynez Days started in 1962 as a fundraiser to help...

Some conversations remind you why you fell in love with wine in the first place. This is one of those conversations. Before Santa Barbara County wine was cool... Before tasting rooms lined the streets... Before wine country became a destination... There were a handful of people building something they weren't sure would work. Doug Margerum was one of them. In this episode, Doug tells the story...

There are people who make wine. And then there are people who spend their lives asking questions. This week on Choppin' It Up, Keith sits down with one of the most outspoken, thoughtful, and genuinely curious people in the Santa Barbara County wine industry... Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines. Before Larry was a winemaker, he was working in the music business. Before that, he was a kid from Los Ang...

There are people who make art… and then there are people who quietly dedicate their lives to observing humanity… pointing out the absurd… and somehow making us love each other a little more because of it. This week on  Chopping It Up , Keith sits down with international treasure, artist, humorist, adventurer, former Scots Guards officer, accidental aristocrat, and world-famous illustrator… Alasdai...

This week on  Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos , Keith sits down with one of the most interesting guys quietly shaping the Santa Ynez Valley food scene… Executive Chef Kevin Malone of Mattei's Tavern.  But this episode isn’t just about food. It’s about passion. About obsession. About the kind of people who go  all in  on everything they touch. Before Kevin was running one of the most beloved kit...

Before there was wine… there were people worth remembering. This is the RAW Video0 from our 2026 Spring Allocation—recorded in the vineyard as everything comes back to life. No script. No polish. Just the truth. I spent time this week with my son and we unplugged from everything—no phones, no noise, no distractions. And it hit me: We’ve built a world around convenience… but what we’re actually cra...

If you’re a parent… this is not optional listening. Because everything you think you know about schools, kids, and “how things are these days”… might not be the full story. This week on  Chopping It Up , Keith sits down with Dr. Kimberly Sheehan, Superintendent of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School—and what comes out of this conversation is something you don’t hear enough of: Hope. Not the fake k...

Andrew Coffin | The Reagan Ranch, Legacy, and Leadership That Still Speaks Some places are visited. Some places are remembered. A very rare few… shape the people who shape the world. This episode is about that place. I sat down with Andrew Coffin for a conversation about a quiet ranch above the clouds— and why it still matters today. Andrew serves as Director of Rancho del Cielo, the place Ronald...

Louis Lucas (Pt. 2) | Farming Wisdom, Industry Reality, and Why It Was All Worth It Some people build something. Some people survive something. And every once in a while, someone looks back on a lifetime of both… and says they wouldn’t change a thing. This episode is about perspective. Part 2 with  Louis Lucas  goes deeper — into the realities of farming, the changing economics of wine, the beauty...

Louis Lucas | Wine Pioneer, Valley Builder, and the Foundation of an Entire Industry Some people plant grapes. Some people build wineries. And every once in a while, someone builds an entire region. This episode is about foundation. I sat down with  Louis Lucas  — a true pioneer of Santa Barbara County wine — for a conversation about how this valley went from almost nothing… to one of the most dyn...

Casey Groves | Faith, Doubt, and Real Conversations About Church Some people talk about faith. Some people avoid it. And some people wrestle with it—honestly. This episode is about the wrestle. I sat down with my friend  Casey Groves  for a conversation that didn’t start in a church—it started over coffee, years ago, with questions, hesitation, and a healthy amount of skepticism. This isn’t a serm...

Josh | Motorcycles, Risk, Freedom, and the Kind of Life You Have to Go Chase Some people wait until life gives them permission. Some people buy the motorcycle first. And every once in a while, somebody decides to stop overthinking it, leave the nest, and find out who they really are out on the open road. This episode is about freedom. I sat down with my buddy  Josh — aka “I Am Riding Places”  — fo...

Mike McGrew & John Fiorey | Service, Trauma, Songwriting, and Turning Pain into Something Beautiful Some people run toward the worst day of your life. Some people carry what they saw for decades. And every once in a while, somebody figures out how to take that pain… and turn it into healing. This episode is about service. I sat down with  Mike McGrew  and  John Fiorey  for one of the most powe...

Logan Livermore | Local Music, Los Olivos History, and the Sound of the Santa Ynez Valley Some bands play songs. Some bands play a place. And every once in a while, you hear music that could only have come from one stretch of road, one valley, one life. This episode is about hometown music. I sat down with my friend  Logan Livermore  — frontman of  Logan Livermore and the 154  — for a conversation...

Saarloos and sons – Chopping it up – With Keith Saarloos Linda Palmer | Solvang History, Danish Culture, and the Work of Community Some places are built with lumber and brick. Some places are built with memory. And the best places are held together by people who still care enough to say hello. This episode is about community. I sat down with  Community Chaplain Linda Palmer  for a conversation abo...

Saarloos and sons – Chopping it up – With Keith Saarloos Some people chase fame. Some people chase money. Some people just try to live a meaningful life in the place they love. Dylan Ortega is one of those people. This episode is about roots. I sat down with Dylan Ortega — the afternoon voice of  Crazy Country 105.9  — for a conversation about growing up in the Santa Ynez Valley, discovering music...

SBWOMENWINEMAKERS.COM This week we have two forces of nature —  Anna Vecino eathappykitchen.com and  Sunshine Dench  futureperfectwines.com — for a real conversation about grit, mentorship, and building something that lasts. This episode is about women who don’t wait for permission. They show up early. They stay late. They outwork the room. We dig into the heart behind the  SB Women Winemakers &am...

Some people grow up here and leave. Some people leave and never look back. And then there are the rare ones who come home—and decide to carry the weight. This episode is about one of those guys. I sat down with  Josh McClurg —born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley, gone long enough to think he’d never come back… and now he’s back as  San Ynez High School’s Head Football Coach and Athletic Direct...

This is a  very special episode  of  Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos . Episode 34 is the  audio companion to our 2026 Winter Allocation , shared here so the stories behind these wines can be heard  in perpetuity . I’ve made more than  75 allocation videos  over the years, and this episode lives as part of that permanent record. Recorded live from  Ballard Canyon , this episode isn’t just about...

Shaun Cassidy | Teen Idol, Reinvention, and Creative Longevity Some people become famous. Some people become useful. A very rare few become both—and then evolve. This episode is about the evolution. I sat down with my friend Shaun Cassidy for a conversation about growing up in the spotlight—and choosing not to stay there. Shaun entered the public consciousness as a full-blown teen idol:  The Hardy...

Mark Herthel | Horses, Healing, Reagan, and Building Things That Matter Some people build businesses. Some people build institutions. And a very rare few build  the backbone of a community . This episode is about the latter. I sat down with one of my closest friends,  Mark Herthel , for a conversation that explains—without exaggeration—how the Santa Ynez Valley became what it is… and why it hasn’t...

This one mattered. Not because of fame. Not because of numbers. But because some stories don’t get told very often—especially by the people who lived them. Adam Firestone doesn’t do long interviews like this. He doesn’t need to. His work already speaks. But in this conversation, he sits down and walks through the full arc—honestly, quietly, without polish. We talk about growing up in the Santa Yne...