Lisa McKinnon

Download photo Amanda ElBassiouny thrives alongside her students as they explore the things that first drew her to study psychology. Photo: Erik Hagen Nearly four years after joining the Cal Lutheran faculty as an assistant professor of psychology, Amanda ElBassiouny, PhD, likes to joke that she’s a senior. But ElBassiouny is in no rush to leave campus at the end of the academic year. She’s looking forward to her promotion to associate professor this fall.

Lisa McKinnon | Ventura County Star | 9:08 am PST December 4, 2020 My first Café Society column in five months will be my last story for the Ventura County Star after nearly 29 years with the paper. When I wrote back in July that I was stepping away from The Star indefinitely after filing a column about the corn burritos at Karina’s Mexican Food in Ventura, my life was already changing in profound ways.

As the new executive chef at Ojai's most storied restaurant, J. Richard Sejkousky is bringing vegetarianism back to the menu, one dish at a time. "More and more, it's the way I'm eating. I think a lot of other people are interested in eating that way, too," said Sejkousky, a former high school English teacher turned chef who joined the Ranch House in September after stints at the Mupu Grill in Santa Paula, Sheila's Wine Bar in Camarillo and Cafe Firenze in Moorpark.