Visiting: Steelhead Fine Goods

My friend Allan is the owner of Steelhead Fine Goods, a quality, bespoke leathergoods company based in Santa Barbara, California. So it's fitting that he's named his company after the ocean-going form of rainbow trout. Steelhead.

Once upon a time, you could name any river or stream in Southern California, and these beautiful fish were probably known to swim up it from the Pacific Ocean and spawn in their place of birth. But the damming of rivers, pollution, and over-fishing have left the steelhead a rare sight in the past few decades.

Steelhead Fine Goods, like its namesake, is rare breed. 

I had the chance to visit his shop recently during Allan's downtime, chat, and take some photos. Check out the photos here:

Just like conservationists are wont to bring back the magnificent steelhead, Allan is looking to breathe new life into a once dying craft. 

I'm not going to lie, I was taken by the smell of leather and the prospect of some nice leatherware. So after leaving his shop, I placed an order for a leather belt. I mean, it's good to support independent craftspeople, right? Oh, and you can check out more of Allan's work on his Tumblr. 

Throwing a Beefsteak

I don't know how the beefsteak banquet fell out of fashion but it sure as hell needs to make a comeback. After all, how could a menu of steak and beer be wrong? So, on a not-so-warm Saturday evening a handful of friends gathered to make an honest attempt to bring it back.

An early 1900s beefsteak. Note the simple menu.

For those of you who aren't aware of what a beefsteak entails, I suggest reading "All You Can Hold for Five Bucks," an (amazingly sexist) article from a 1939 issue of The New Yorker. Quite simply, the beefsteak is, "slices of ripened steaks, double lamb chops, kidneys, and beer by the pitcher [...] Knives, forks, napkins, and tablecloths never had been permitted."

Oh, and one other rule: no women.

I'm not going to lie, though, at the onset of this event, I'd been thinking about throwing sides in, maybe even a salad or other chlorophyll-based sustenance. But a cooler head prevailed and a friend convinced us to throw a genuine beefsteak. Thank you, Scott.

Then as osso buco and round tip hit the red oak wood fire with its aroma and smoke wafting into our faces, we drank beer from mason jars and discussed welding, woodworking, and various other things that we thought would make us appear manly.

The night's success could be seen on our aprons, wiping steak juices from off our fingers, catching beer spills, and, in my case, wiping blood from a cut tongue on whatever white section of poly-cotton we could find. This is definitely something we'll be doing again. Just maybe with a sober photographer on hand...

Omoir Photography

photo: Cristina Gutierrez of Omoir Photography

There are no two ways around it, Cristina, of Omoir Photography pumps out some great stuff.

Some people (nowadays, and more often than not) wield a Canon DSLR with an L lens like they're some kind of professional but they seldom have the requisite skill or creativity to pull it off. Cristina does.

Over the approximately two years I've known her she's won some awards for her work, "abduction" and has produced some shots that truly make me jealous. In fact, there has been more than one occasion where I've stopped in my tracks to think, "Where the hell did she get this idea? And why didn't I think of this?"

I personally like her darker stuff but I've also seen some great portraits coming from her direction.

Check her out. Keep her in mind.