Student Lookout: Mother’s Day, a delicious bakeshop, and resources following hate incidents

What’s good, friends,

As happy as I am to see the sun shining and the weather warmer in recent days, I gotta say that the couple of days of rain last week were really nice. Even after the soaking-wet winter, rain is still rather pleasant when it’s not destructive.

I hope everyone has a fun and/or relaxing weekend planned, and if you’re celebrating Mother’s Day, that you have a great time seeing your family. Without further ado, let’s hop right into it.

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Onward …

Deals Download

• Students (and teachers) get 10% off at Well Within on Thursdays.
• HoM Korean Kitchen offers 15% off for students.
• Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers free admission to UC Santa Cruz students and 25% off for all student tickets.

BEST DEAL OF THE MONTH: Student tickets at Kuumbwa Jazz

Located in downtown Santa Cruz, Kuumbwa Jazz is a nonprofit providing Santa Cruz the full spectrum of jazz music through live performance and education. Check out an upcoming show and take advantage of discounted student tickets.

➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.

Good Eats

Companion Bakeshop ($$)

You can get Companion pastries at Cat & Cloud, but for the full experience, head to either the shop on Mission Street in Santa Cruz or the one on Soquel Drive in Aptos. They’ll have everything your baked good-craving hearts desire from fresh baguettes to savory creations and classic confections. Both locations also serve up coffee and some more substantial, fresh breakfast foods like quiches and frittatas as well. Pretty good way to start the day, if you ask me.

This week, Jessica M. Pasko — one of the local food writers filling in for Lily Belli while she’s on maternity leave — checks in on Capitola Village establishments’ continuing recovery efforts after the winter storms, and recently noted that Esplanade restaurant My Thai Beach has finally reopened. Speaking of Capitola, she also let local foodies know that Nick Sherman, the chef/owner of Trestles, is hoping to open a new Italian-inspired restaurant named Cavalleta by the summer.

Take this week’s news quiz

Inside Santa Cruz: Resources following hate incidents

Recently, UC Santa Cruz, one of the top 60 public universities by Jewish population, per Hillel, reported two separate antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ incidents that have left many feeling disappointed and exhausted. In one instance, a group of students reportedly held a birthday party for Adolf Hitler on campus. In another, the cars of Jewish students were reportedly targeted with hateful flyers in downtown Santa Cruz.

UCSC’s Jewish Student Union wrote on Instagram that its members feel “numb in the way that this is not the first time we have experienced this type of hate on the UCSC campus.” Merrill College Provost Elizabeth Abrams told Lookout’s Hillary Ojeda, “I would encourage more response, I would encourage something else. We need more than messages at this point.” Both the Jewish Student Union and Abrams have called for more action from the school. Local civic and religious leaders also called on the community to stand up against these actions. People affected by these incidents, please take care of yourself, and prioritize your mental health and safety. For those who need them, here are some resources and safe spaces to help process these hateful incidents.

UCSC Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS has the Let’s Talk drop-in program, which provides one-on-one counseling Monday through Friday. For up-to-date times, check out CAPS’ monthly calendar. You can also make in-person appointments between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. After hours, you can call crisis services at 831-459-2628.

CAPS also recently implemented a support space for those affected by these incidents. Though there are none currently planned for next week, CAPS says it is taking matters week by week. Updates can be found through its calendar or through its support space page.

Santa Cruz Hillel Coffee Dates

If you’re looking for someone to talk to about your college experience and recent political news, Hillel’s coffee dates could be for you. You can meet with one of Hillel’s staff members for coffee (paid for by them) to talk. Santa Cruz Hillel is a Jewish organization that stimulates both community and student Jewish life. Hillel organizes and sponsors events at universities and has close ties with organizations such as the Jewish Student Union and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. It also has different scheduled events, with some being weekly seminars.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Cruz

Location: 542 Ocean St., Suite F, Santa Cruz
Phone: 831-824-0406

Though I wrote about the organization last week, I feel like it’s worth mentioning NAMI again. NAMI is a nationwide nonprofit that seeks to destigmatize the conversation around mental health. If you need community support, NAMI offers peer meetups, with the next one coming up Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. The peer meetup is open to anyone and you can register on NAMI’s website. The organization also offers support groups for all ages and both English and Spanish speakers. If you’re just needing someone to talk to, it also offers crisis hotlines where you can talk to trained professionals.

Around Town - Events

Here are a few events you should check out:

Tannery Arts Center Spring Art Market, Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Head to the Tannery Arts Center on River Street to check out the Spring Art Market this Saturday. You’ll be able to enjoy live music, beer and wine from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and Big Basin Vineyards, and a number of local food trucks, too. Peruse the paintings, prints, candles, clothing, and much more to finish off your Mother’s Day shopping.

Branciforte Branch Library grand reopening, Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

A yearslong effort to revitalize local libraries is nearing completion, with the Branciforte branch on Gault Street the latest to have its grand reopening. Make your way to Midtown this weekend if you want to check out the new facility and see all the features it has to offer.

Nancy Singleton Hachisu, “Japan: The Vegetarian Cookbook,” Tuesday, 7-9 p.m.

Join other home cooks and foodies at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Tuesday for a showcase and discussion of Hachisu’s vegetarian cookbook. Having established herself as a major voice in Japanese home cooking, she has written four food and travel books, and has participated in the Netflix series “Salt Fat Acid Heat.” Home cooks, don’t miss this.

➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for great things to do, check out Wallace Baine’s Weekender here.

How I Got My Job: Chayne Hampton

Kaya talked this week with Santa Cruz Plumbing manager Chayne Hampton, who discussed his path from incarceration to shop hand to manager.

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

The two spoke about the difference between union and non-union plumbing, the trajectory of his post-prison career, advice he has for formerly incarcerated individuals, and how there is a lot more to plumbing than one might think.

This week, I read: “Hollywood was built on the work of underappreciated writers. Just ask Chandler, Faulkner, and Fitzgerald” by Stacy Perman

This piece from Lookout content partner the Los Angeles Times aptly touches on the long-standing woes of screenwriters in the television and entertainment industry that has spurred the latest writers’ strike. Although the objections are predictable — underappreciation, exploitation and continued poor pay even as studios and executives enjoy booming profits in the streaming era — Perman uses archived essays and quotes from legendary writers, like this one from Raymond Chandler, whose complaints from 80 years ago closely mirror those today.

As a cinephile, the stagnation of progress on these issues fascinates me. Though screenwriters are some of the most vital creative forces behind the art of cinema, they are often neglected altogether. It’s particularly eye-opening to see that some of the most well-known and respected writers experienced those very same injustices. Chandler believed that this was all intentional, as he recalled being excluded from the press review of his first project to receive an Academy Award nomination, “Double Indemnity,” and puts it best here:

“This neglect is of no consequence to me personally; to any writer of books a Hollywood byline is trivial. To those whose whole work is in Hollywood, it is not trivial, because it is part of a deliberate and successful plan to reduce the professional screenwriter to the status of an assistant picture-maker, superficially deferred to (while he is in the room), essentially ignored, and even in his most brilliant achievements carefully pushed out of the way of any possible accolade which might otherwise fall to the star, the producer, the director.”

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That’s it for me this week! Once again, shoot me any summer content suggestions you’d like to see in Student Lookout. And, of course, happy Mother’s Day!

Talk to y’all next Friday.

— Max