The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum recently welcomed area teachers and administrators to explore its exhibits and demonstrated current curriculum for elementary education tours and classroom outreach.

 “Museum programs underway are targeted to meet the California History and Social Studies Framework as well as the California Environmental Education Initiative Standards for second through fifth grades,” said Executive Director Dr. Brian Stenfors, “and may be adapted to suit other grade levels or areas of focus. We welcome educators from throughout the area to interface their curriculums and bring students to the museum.”

As the museum’s educational programs develop, staff members are seeking more volunteer docents to welcome tour groups of all ages and facilitate small groupings and hands-on activities for school tours.

To learn more about volunteering or to schedule a tour, contact Curator of Education Theresa Reilly at education@santaynezmuseum.org or 805-688-7889, ext. 109.

The nonprofit museum at 3596 Sagunto St. in downtown Santa Ynez is committed to a mission to preserve, interpret and celebrate the history of human experience in the Santa Ynez Valley and Central Coast by informing, educating, inspiring and engaging museum guests of all ages and backgrounds.

For more information, visit www.santaynezmuseum.org. 

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Admission will be free on Saturday, March 10, to three local museums that are hosting special events to celebrate Museum Day in the Santa Ynez Valley.

In addition, visitors to the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum, and Wildling Museum of Art and Nature have a chance to win one of four prize packages.

At the Elverhøj, which celebrates the history and culture of Solvang and features changing exhibitions of contemporary art, hands-on activities will be offered throughout the day.

Visitors can try the intricate art of bobbin lacemaking, weave a Danish paper star, dress up and snap a selfie with a Viking, see amazing demonstrations by a master papirklip artist, and visit the diorama cottage to see how downtown Solvang looked in the 1920s.

The museum is at 1624 Elverhoy Way in Solvang. Get more information at www.elverhoj.org or 805-686-1211.

The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and Parks-Janeway Carriage House has one of the finest collections of saddles, tack, stagecoaches and horse-drawn wagons west of the Mississippi.

Visitors can explore the history of California’s Wild West and be transported back to the 19^th century with the new Yosemite Stage exhibition. They can also enjoy freshly popped popcorn as they stroll through the courtyard and learn the unique history of each Santa Ynez Valley town.

The museum is at 3596 Sagunto St. in Santa Ynez. Get more information at www.santaynezmuseumn.org or 805-688-7889.

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is featuring three exhibitions: “The River’s Journey: One River, Six Artists, Ninety-Two Miles,” which explores the Santa Ynez River and watershed through the eyes of six local artists; “Overview: the Aerial Photography of Bill Dewey,” which features stunning images of the diverse landscape of the tri-county region; and “Climate Change: Students’ Perspectives from Santa Ynez Valley High School.”

Hands-on craft opportunities will take place all day, and at 2 p.m. there will be a screening of the documentary “The Santa Ynez River Wilderness,” exploring the rich biodiversity of the region’s watershed.

The Wildling is at 1511-B Mission Drive in Solvang. Get more information at www.WildlingMuseum.org or 805-688-1082.

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When Chef Maili Halme was shown the old bar’s mantle, portraits of the Mattei family, and other relics of the historic Mattei’s Tavern, she started jumping up and down with glee.

“I can’t even begin to tell you the amazing response I’ve had since we announced that we are restoring Mattei’s to its former glory days and breathing new life into it,” she said.

Halme, the new chef and owner of the restaurant that will open early next year in the Los Olivos tavern, will host an open house on Dec. 2. For the occasion, she is pulling out all the stagecoach stops; she plans to have old carriages on display as a fundraiser for the Santa Ynez Valley’s Carriage Museum.

“If they want the finest food and drink in the valley — in the whole state, by gar! — they will come to Mattei’s.” — Felix Mattei

“People have been contacting me from all around saying they have photos of their first date, rehearsal dinner, artifacts from the restaurant, historical photos, and I am just soaking up all of it. I keep pinching myself that this isn’t a dream,” Halme said.

Those that have grown up in the Santa Ynez Valley know the significance of the historic white building on Highway 154 in Los Olivos, and many have wondered what it was like when trains rolled up in front of Mattei’s Tavern.

“Mattei’s became to me what it was to everyone else in the valley: the place we all gathered to celebrate birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. It was a beloved restaurant filled with memories of personal celebrations,” Halme said.

She also recalls a fond memory of sitting on the fence at Mattei’s and thinking that one day she would like to own it.

Halme started her career as a chef at 19 years old, cooking for the Barrack family and working as a waitress at Mattei’s. Her mother and sister own the world-famous Solvang Bakery, where she helps out when she can, and her grandfather was a chef who owned Bray’s 101 in Goleta.

“I loved their tomato soup so much that I snuck into the kitchen to copy the recipe and I made that tomato soup from then on. I loved the crisp salad bar with the cold plates. I loved the squaw bread and the artichokes. I loved everything about it,” she said.

Halme has built a fine reputation of her own, cooking for numerous dignitaries and celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey.

“I am a total history buff and love collecting cookbooks. It’s fitting that I have a cookbook from the White House in 1887 and I hope to incorporate some of those recipes from the day into the restaurant,” Halme said.

On a tour of the restaurant as a construction crew restored the floors, took out modern lighting and replaced the original lamps and portraits, she paused as she took a step on the stairs.

“You can’t know the feeling of excitement I had when I got to go upstairs for the first time. I have wanted to do that my whole life.”

At the top of the stairs are the original hotel rooms, which are now used as offices. The rooms were tiny, as guests got only a bed and a dresser.

At one time, the hotel and tavern built by Italian Swiss immigrant Felix Mattei were an important link in the transportation chain through Santa Barbara County.

Mattei was born in 1854 in Cevio, Switzerland, the son of a doctor. He emigrated to New York and rode the train to California to visit relatives near San Francisco, according to a history book by Walter A. Tompkins. He then became a dairyman and worked his way down to San Luis Obispo County and operated the Huasna Rancho near Arroyo Grande.

The Mattei family came to Los Olivos from Huasna Valley in Arroyo Grande and left a 40-year family legacy of running their hotel, stagecoach and railway stop.

He married Lucy Fisher, daughter of a San Luis Obispo gunsmith, in 1879, and they had five sons. In addition to the ranch they also operated a hotel in Cayucos, where Mattei found his love for the hotel industry.

He first came to the Santa Ynez Valley when he was driving a herd of horses and decided after some years to build a hotel and restaurant in Los Olivos in 1886.

Originally called the New Central Hotel, it became a well known as the last stop for the stagecoach from Santa Barbara; the train took travelers north from Mattei’s. Later it was known as Hotel Los Olivos and eventually Mattei’s Tavern.

In 1901 the expansion of the Southern Pacific Railroad allowed travelers to take the train down the coast, so the Los Olivos Depot was no longer used, according to the Santa Ynez Historical Museum.

Among many colorful tales told about Mattei’s Tavern is the one of a lynch mob in 1891. According to stories told by the family, the mob gathered outside of Mattei’s as suspects in the murder of Fred Hoar, the Los Olivos telegraph operator, awaited transportation to the Santa Barbara Jail.

The suspects had been caught in Los Alamos and Sheriff Broughton was adamant that they stand trial. To escape the mob, the sheriff dressed the suspects in Lucy Mattei’s dresses and sneaked them out when the tavern was being emptied.

The suspects were then tried and found guilty, ending their days in San Quentin Penitentiary.

Early travelers, including the founders of Solvang, signed the tavern’s guest book as they got off the train or stagecoach and stayed in the hotel.

Adding to the tavern’s historical significance, Halme added, is that Solvang’s founders stayed there when they arrived in the valley. They signed the guest book as they got off the train and stayed in the hotel before going on to Solvang.

“The first ride for the founding of the Vaqueros Visitadores also came to Mattei’s and they all signed the guestbook as proof of who attended their first meeting. I love our valley so much, and this is way bigger than me reopening Mattei’s,” Halme said.

The Mattei family line in the area ended when Bert Mattei died in August 1961. The tavern has been sold several times since then. The new owners are the Strange family, longtime friends of Halme’s.

Halme wants to respect as much of the tavern’s history as possible, including some of its classic dishes, while adding her own touches. She hopes even to bring back some of the menu created by its renowned cook Gin Lung Gin, who was Mattei’s chef and a trusted family friend for 37 years. He is even buried on the property.

“Gin could take anything and make it into something fabulous. from what I read in the history books. That’s the level of cooking I want, where people come to appreciate not just the history of the tavern but can taste it as well,” Halme said.

She invites anyone who has something to share, whether that is a story about the Mattei family or an experience at the restaurant, to contact her on Facebook.

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By Jessica Schley

New Executive Director Brian Stenfors kicked off a fresh chapter for the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum with a groundbreaking event July 28 at the historic Crossroads Estate owned by the Bill Foley Group on Foxen Canyon Road.

More than 200 guests enjoyed an evening of wine tasting, Mexican food, mariachi music by Mariachi de los Major, Flamenco dancing by Zemeno Dance Academy, trick roping by the famed Ramon Becerra, and a lively live auction featuring more than a dozen items from rare wines to getaway experiences.

The evening was wrapped up with an intimate musical performance by the renowned cowboy singer and songwriter Dave Stamey.

A classic buckboard carriage from the museum was displayed at the event. Originally owned by Mattei’s Tavern in 1895, the carriage was used for sight-seeing, to show the hotel’s guests around town. The museum plans to develop a unique display area for this carriage inside its Parks-Janeway Carriage House alongside its many other wagon and carriage displays.

The funds generated by the event will help to revitalize many important aspects of the museum’s mission statement:  “creating a better future for the Santa Ynez Valley by inspiring generations to find wonder and meaning in our past.”

Founded in 1962, the museum preserves the history and artifacts that help to define and distinguish the valley’s unique story and culture. The museum’s new direction with Stenfors at the helm is threefold: to “develop state of the art exhibitions that educate and inform valley residents and visitors, to provide a community center for activities and educational events representing Valley heritage as well as other cultures, and to become a safe and secure repository for the preservation of valley artifacts.”

For more information about the museum and its upcoming events, visit www.santaynezmuseum.org.

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By Jessica Schley

SYV Star file photo

A new chapter has begun for the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and Parks-Janeway Carriage House with the recent selection of a new executive director, Brian Stenfors.

Museum president Joe Olla said he and other board members made the selection from a field of extremely well qualified candidates, and the selection process took several months while the board deliberated to select the right person.

Stenfors has an extensive background in nonprofit leadership, including local institutions such as the Music Academy of the West and the Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation.

The museum wanted to choose a director with a strong background in executive areas as well as an appreciation of the unique cultural heritage that the museum seeks to preserve.

“A proper balance is essential for a healthy future,” one board member said.

Stenfors also has an extensive equestrian background in the English disciplines and is passionate about the region’s history of horsemanship, from Californios to carriages, wanting also to celebrate the many other riding traditions the region is known for.

Olla said Stenfors is the right person for the job. He feels it is extremely important for the institution to connect the valley community and its visitors with the rich history and traditions of the area. In his previous positions, Stenfors has worked to achieve just that.

Few residents realize that the methods of horsemanship and vaquero culture that were developed in this region spread throughout the globe and became famous worldwide, even as they dwindled in this region in recent decades. Only quite recently have these traditions been revived and begun to be celebrated by the broader equestrian community.

“People need to know what the valley is, what it has been, and what it is going to be,” Olla said in an interview about the new director. “It’s all connected: There is a thread that runs through all of this special place, and we have got to keep track of that thread, because if we don’t we are going to lose track of our meaning, and who we are, and what we are about. Other places have lost track of that thread and lost their sense of identity. I know that Stenfors will be a strong force in keeping that thread alive for future generations,” Olla said.

The Santa Ynez Historical Museum and Parks Janeway Carriage House, at 3596 Sagunto St. in Santa Ynez, is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with tours available by appointment from Tuesday through Friday. Admission is $5 per adult and free for children 12 and younger.

For more information log onto www.santaynezmuseum.org.

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Staff report

A collection of rare boots, heels and slippers will be on display at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Carriage House in Santa Ynez through the end of June.

The exhibit chronicles the rise of footwear fashion over several centuries and includes examples from throughout the world, from ancient to contemporary.

The museum’s Costume Council curated the exhibit by borrowing from a variety of private and museum collections. One pair of floral-pattern platform heels, for example, was made to be worn only once, by a haute couture model, down the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Visitors can see examples of spike heels, jeweled slippers, hand-painted leather boots and Chinese ladies’ platform shoes.

Museum hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 3596 Sagunto St. in Santa Ynez. Admission is $5, and children under 12 are admitted free.

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