Lately I’ve been thinking about connections. Orange County is a populous place, but it feels like a tight community when your circles start to overlap. You know those delightful moments when you meet someone new and figure out they are one degree of separation from folks already in your life?
This magazine has been the source of many examples for me. During my (long) interview process here in 2014, the editor went to a party and met my next-door neighbor. This March, our copy editor went on a tennis vacation and wound up in a house with my sister-in-law. A few years ago, a friend for more than a decade told me she thought I should meet an author she knew, Kaira Rouda. This month, writer Valerie Takahama interviewed Rouda and immediately said “Alan, I think you would get along swimmingly with her.” So I could hardly pass up the chance to stride right up to Rouda at an event and introduce myself. Immediately warm, witty, and wonderful, she gave me a great book suggestion and couldn’t have been more generous. You’ll see for yourself on Page 92.
These chance encounters and purposeful interactions are a huge part of what we strive to highlight at Orange Coast. A student asked recently how we keep from running out of topics. How could we ever run out of fodder when every meeting leads to an intriguing person to profile, a trend to uncover, or a new restaurant to share? This issue’s photos are particularly alluring and capture the wealth of personalities in O.C.
Speaking of visuals, allow me a quick brag: For the eighth consecutive time, Orange Coast was honored with Maggie awards for publishing excellence, this time for feature layout and best overall design. We’re proud of our magazine every month, but a shout-out from peers always feels great.
—Ms. Alan Gibbons, Editor-in-Chief
My Favorite Things In This Issue
O.C.’s Own | Anaheim native Denim Richards on his scene-stealing role on Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone”
“I adore the photo of actor Denim Richards. He looks relaxed and at home in O.C.”
Finds | Bring the heat with warm sunset tones.
“The warm tones and sunset shades for this season are completely fetching.”
Ladylike | UC Irvine alum (’05) Teal Wicks stars in “The Cher Show,” a jukebox musical now playing on Broadway that celebrates the music legend’s long career.
“It’s no surprise that UC Irvine alumna Teal Wicks can capture Cher’s star power.”
Person of Interest | Fourth-generation farmer Kenny Tanaka of Tanaka Farms in Irvine
“Kenny Tanaka appears rightfully proud of his family’s long history in Orange County.”
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