What happens when a chef decides to break away from the late-night restaurant grind and bring high-quality, seasonal food directly to the people? For Cam Meyers, it meant creating Melrose Cafe, a "parking lot restaurant" that's transforming the Santa Cruz farmers' market scene one focaccia sandwich at a time.

Growing up in Santa Cruz's midtown neighborhood, Cam's culinary journey took her from local restaurant kitchens to the remote wilderness of Alaska, where she spent three years as executive chef at an eco-lodge accessible only by boat. There, faced with limited ingredients, she began perfecting her focaccia recipe – now the foundation of her thriving business back home.

The magic of Melrose Cafe lies in its radical simplicity and unwavering commitment to seasonal eating. Each Wednesday, Cam hand-selects ingredients from local farmers, transforms them into house-made aiolis and pestos on Thursday, mixes up to 150 pounds of dough by hand on Friday night, and rises at 4am to bake everything fresh before market. The result? Sandwiches so good that couples drive from Campbell every weekend just to get them, with lines forming before they're even set up.

Beyond creating delicious food, Cam represents a new generation of food entrepreneurs finding innovative paths between high-end restaurants and fast food. By eliminating the overhead of a brick-and-mortar while maintaining chef-driven quality, she's made truly local, seasonal eating accessible in a way that traditional restaurants often can't. When Cam says "you can buy everything in our sandwich right here at the market," she's not just sharing her sourcing philosophy – she's inviting customers into a more connected food experience.

Experience Melrose Cafe at the West Side Market (Saturdays) and Live Oak Market (Sundays) from 9am-1pm. Just don't ask when the tomato sandwich is coming back – you'll have to wait until they're perfectly in season, and that's exactly as it should be.

When Nick Borelli paddled out on his boogie board in 1980s Santa Cruz, he instantly became an outcast in a culture that prized standing on surfboards above all else. "If you boogie boarded, you were persona non grata," host Michael Howard explains, "the bottom of the totem pole." But this relegation to surf culture's lowest rung gave Nick a perspective few others share—one that would eventually inform his remarkable photography and approach to life.

In this deeply personal conversation, Nick takes us through his journey of growing up in what he calls "the ghetto" of Capitola Shores, where despite limited resources, he found freedom in the water. Through vivid storytelling, Nick reveals how Santa Cruz's notoriously rigid surf hierarchies shaped him, creating both wounds and resilience that would define his path forward. "I knew where I sit and it's been proven to me where I sit," he reflects, describing the often brutal social dynamics at legendary spots like Sewer Peak.

The heart of this episode explores Nick's struggles with depression and substance abuse—how surfing, alcohol, drugs, and food all became escape mechanisms. "I was living in a dark spot by myself and I wasn't telling anybody," he shares with striking candor. His turning point came during time in Boston, where he found both higher education and sobriety, learning to see himself and the world with newfound clarity.

Photography emerges as Nick's ultimate form of expression and healing. What began as an attempt to capture barrel shots and possibly gain acceptance evolved into something far more profound—a way of seeing beauty in moments others might miss. As Michael beautifully observes, Nick's unique viewpoint from a lower, humbler position reveals "a world under us" with "a different essence" that standing surfers never experience.

Listen to this remarkable conversation about finding peace through acceptance, seeing things as they truly are, and discovering art in unexpected places. Whether you're familiar with Santa Cruz surf culture or not, Nick's journey offers universal insights about authenticity, sobriety, and the courage to embrace your own unique perspective.

When Jack Akrop paddles out at Mavericks or charges massive waves at Jaws, he's drawing on lessons learned from a lifetime spent in and around Santa Cruz waters. But his path to becoming a respected big wave surfer wasn't the typical grom-to-pro pipeline story we often celebrate.

As Jack reveals in this vulnerable conversation, he started as "a boogie boarder at the bottom of the totem pole" who was actually terrified of the ocean. His journey weaves through baseball fields at Bellarmine High School, soccer pitches, lacrosse fields, and eventually back to the water where he found his true purpose. Along the way, a pivotal art teacher helped him recognize that his passion for surfing and snowboarding wasn't just recreation – it was a legitimate form of contemporary art and personal expression.

The discussion takes unexpected turns as Jack opens up about his struggles with depression, ADHD diagnosis, and finding healing through giving back to others. His recent big wave expeditions to Portugal, Ireland, Hawaii, and Mavericks – including some spectacular wipeouts that gained significant media attention – taught him valuable lessons about preparation, intentionality, and accepting failure as part of growth.

What emerges most powerfully from this conversation is Jack's commitment to sharing ocean knowledge through his business, Central Coast Waterman. In an era where increased beach access has created new safety challenges, his mission to educate both kids and adults about proper ocean safety and surfing etiquette serves a vital community need.

Whether you're a surfer, a parent considering water sports for your child, or simply someone interested in how finding purpose can transform mental health, Jack's story offers inspiration and practical wisdom about the healing power of the ocean and the fulfillment that comes from helping others experience it safely.