SN8 | Ep420 - The Lark | Featured in Our Fall Restaurant Series 2021 | Part I

The TJS Radio Restaurant Series, Part I - The Lark

I think that it has been well established at this point that I’m a big fan of the fall season.

For all of the right reasons:

Friday night football games under a blanket in the bleachers, under the bright lights, in the chilled fall air, sounds of laughter, cheers, happiness.

For when the sun is further from home and the shadows are long, and the light is weak during the vibrant early morning and sunset evening walks

For the trees changing their leaves.

For the harvest. Wine country and Wine Harvest festivals.

Coffee, fires, good conversation with friends around the table in my favorite neighborhood joint.

For the holidays, the excitement is in the air.
Friends and family and the hope for a prosperous new year for all of us.

And I’m excited for this: This is the Fall Restaurant Series.

Like nearly every business, the past few years have been really, really hard on our friends in the restaurant business.
But that’s not what this special restaurant series is about…This series is cheering on and supporting those who have survived the years by highlighting their accomplishments and reminding all of us about what makes each restaurant special.
It reminds all of us, including the restaurateurs, sometimes why our neighborhood restaurants and staff are so important to our social wellbeing. They continue to be a part of our lives.

Restaurants will forever remain our happy gathering place for life’s most important celebrations, or simply just to connect with friends at the end of a long week. This year we kick off the fall restaurant series with our friends from Acme Hospitality.
They live for their restaurants and their guests, and they follow my favorite personal rule: Get better every day.

I’m going to let them tell you why they love their restaurants.

If you haven’t been, go.

If you’ve been, you will fall in love with your Acme Hospitality restaurants all over again.

If you love restaurants and are curious about what happens behind the curtain, then sit back and just enjoy.

And then go.

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First, I sit down with SHERRY VILLANUEVA

Sherry is a longtime resident of Santa Barbara.

She is the founder and Managing Partner of Acme Hospitality, she owns and operates eight successful restaurants in Santa Barbara including The Lark, Lucky Penny, Pearl Social, Helena Avenue Bakery, Santa Barbara Wine Collective, Loquita, Tyger Tyger, and La Paloma Café.

In 2019, Sherry launched Acme Lodging, a hotel development, and management company with two historic boutique properties in California Gold Country.

Both National and California Historic Landmarks, The National Exchange Hotel in Nevada City, and the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley recently coming up in future episodes.

Sherry’s commitment to the local Santa Barbara community is reflected in the numerous volunteer positions and board roles she has held that include Direct Relief, Storyteller Children’s Center, Santa Barbara FoodBank, Santa Barbara Middle School, and Santa Barbara High School Education Foundation. 

Sherry lives between Los Olivos and downtown Santa Barbara with Jim, her husband of 33 years. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters, Annie and Katy.

Sherry has received numerous awards and recognition for her contributions to the Santa Barbara business community including:

“2021 Executive of the Year” from the South Coast Business & Technology Awards

“2020 Honoree and Keynote Speaker for Top Women in Business” by the Pacific Coast Business Times

“2019 (Acme Hospitality) Large Business of the Year” from the Santa Barbara Regional Chamber of Commerce

“2018 (T