Jake and Jones // Jennifer Steinwurtzel

Jake and Jones is hands down one of the best boutiques in Santa Barbara. This special destination is a small boutique, yet it has all of your shopping needs met. You are bound to be impressed by their incredible curation of clothing for women and kids, unique jewelry and accessories, books, candles, shoes, and even household pantry staples. Jake and Jones’ owner Jennifer has the most incredible taste and her style really shines through in every aspect of the shop. She makes it her mission to celebrate women of all shapes and sizes, making every woman feel beautiful and seen when they enter. We knew the woman behind such a cool spot had to have some glowy tips to share, so we asked her to divulge all of her secrets.

Jake and Jones // @shopjakeandjones

NAME:

Jennifer Steinwurtzel

NICKNAME:

Jenny, Jen Jen, Mama

PROFESSION:

Shop Owner, Jake and Jones

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I grew up in Washington, DC and moved to New York City in my 20’s after college for graduate school. My mom’s family is from NY and they all live there, so for me New York is home.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

I live in Santa Barbara, CA - in a beautiful mid century home, with fruit trees, a garden and the mountains behind me and the ocean in front of me.

WHEN YOU’RE EATING HEALTHY, WHAT IS A TYPICAL…

For me, eating healthy really means listening to my body. So when I am eating healthy it looks like a bit of everything from pizza, to kale salads, to burgers, to green juices. I know I am not healthy when my plate looks too one way or the other - I am the happiest and healthiest when I am eating a balance of everything, listening to my body, not judging what it wants and feeling the flow.

BREAKFAST: Ever since becoming a mom, I savor my morning coffee. I am sensitive to caffeine and people laugh but I am a decaf coffee drinker! Luckily for me, Handlebar is my neighbor, so I frequent there. Some days I have time to scramble some eggs and spinach (from Farm Cart Organics) and sometimes it’s a green smoothie from Juice Ranch and sometimes it’s a pastry from Renauds:)

LUNCH: Often I am at the shop and we are busy, so I am always in a pinch for lunch. I love to order a great salad from Lucky Penny, Helena Bakery, Merci Montecito. If I am at home, we usually toss some lettuce with some protein and of course an avocado and call it lunch! We are also fortunate to have a few meals delivered to us each week from my dear friend’s, Valeska Voiges’s company and these usually consist of salads, soups and other anti-inflammatory meals. My favorites are her Chinese chicken salads, kale salads with falafel and her homemade hummus!

DINNER: My sweet fiancé, Taylor, is the chef and we love to cook together. We often make fresh produce from the farmers market. He cooks delicious salmon, chicken tagines and has become quite good at grilling steaks and burgers (which I often need and crave). We also have a lot of nights were we eat vegetarian or simple salads, or roasted veggies, or a family favorite, tempeh tacos. With the kids, we like to make pizzas, have them help out and they love a simple salad from our garden or the farmers market with Taylor’s homemade and simple vinaigrette. Dinners are special time when the kids are home - we sit, talk and soak in that time together.

SNACK: I am more a meal girl than a snack girl. I love a snack with a cocktail - like salted nuts, cheese and crackers, olives…something savory. We are also big fans of guacamole and chips, I think once you live in California you eat avocados with every meal. But I am not much of a snack person - I find myself too busy to stop and nosh.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS/RESTAURANTS TO EAT HEALTHY?

I tend to be attracted to restaurants that use quality ingredients. I love really good food and really good food starts with the ingredients. If the ingredients are good and sourced well, to me, it is healthy. Bettina is one of my favorites. Rachel and her husband, Brendan changed the food scene here in Santa Barbara when they showed up and it has forced other restaurants to improve. High on my list to try is Apertivo because all of my chef friends are saying it is the place here to eat.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INDULGENCE?

I love a good pastry, chocolate and of course living here, McConnells and Rori’s ice cream. We are also candy people so you can find us sharing some kind of candy together as a family.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS/RESTAURANTS TO INDULGE?

I love going down to LA for food, shopping and fun. One of my favorite spots is AOC - I think the food, the wine, the entire thing is so delicious. There are so man indulgent places also in NYC like we went to Carbone and it was amazing, the entire experience from the dirty martinis to the pastas and dessert. We loved Farmstead in St Helena. Oh and one of the best meals I have had was in Philly at Zahav. I love Israeli and middle eastern food. Whenever I am at a quality restaurant I indulge. Life is short and I want to taste the most of it.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR LAST MEAL ON EARTH?

Pizza. Probably a slice of Joe’s pizza from NYC or a really good burger, like the one my honey makes for me with grilled mushrooms and onions.

WHAT IS THE BEST DISH YOU COOK/ YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE?

Oh man, I used to cook so much more! I think my family would say tay scrambled eggs and pancakes because I scramble the eggs in a ton of butter or ghee and the pancakes are from a mix lol. I also make our family tempeh tacos - they come out really good, but they are so easy to make so I don’t think it counts! I do love to cook but with work I am often too tired at the end of the day, but I know I will cook more again in the future.

WHERE DO YOU GROCERY SHOP?

Truth be told, I don’t do most of the grocery shopping. I do frequent the farmers market on Saturdays and I bring my boys with me so they can get used to seeing and tasting the fresh food. Then we weekly have a chef prepare us meals and for the rest of what we need, we usually do a Whole Foods haul and I do love to wander through Trader Joes. My fiancé works in the food and beverage industry so he is often at the high end grocers, so I have gotten very good at texting him to pick up a few things here or there.

TOP 3 ITEMS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN?

Avocados

Butter

Berries

WHAT IS YOUR FITNESS REGIMEN? (how often & what you do)

I have always been an athlete so I love being active and need to sweat often. I have to exercise in the morning and I am a much better person when I do both at work and home. I love to hike and am on the trails most days with my dog and right out the back door. I play tennis a few times a week, ride my peloton and try to get on my yoga mat. And I have recently been playing more golf now that both of my sons are golfers. I played soccer, basketball and lacrosse growing up and love to play most sports. I wish I was an ocean girl. I envy all the ocean people - surfers, swimmers…etc. Seems so romantic.

WHAT IS YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE? (products, facials, etc)

Honestly, nothing. I try to wear a hat when I am in the sun for an extended period of time, but other than that, I was born with good skin. Every time I try to start a skin care regime, because I love the products so much, my skin flares up. I love all the Living Libations products that we sell in the shop (number one seller), but I often just put the oil on my hands because I love the smell and avoid my face. My dermatologist, Dr. Erika Klemperer (highly recommend) advised me less is more for me and also to think and practice good gut health to help with my rosacea. She did have me use Symbiome which I sparingly use on my face and there was a time when I was putting vitamin C and E from Mad Hippy on my face and chest to help with sun damage. I do love Tammy Fender’s face wash and am a fan of Lauren’s All Purpose, which we also sell in the shop.

WHAT IS YOUR SELF-CARE ROUTINE?

This year has been such a hard year for my mental health. I really struggled through COVID and it took a toll on me. So much of my self-care comes through connection with others. I take care of myself by seeing friends, connecting with strangers, being out in the world. I also find my self-care comes through listening to myself - being present to what I am feeling and trusting myself. For example, if I am tired, to rest. If I am hungry, to eat. If I want to turn left, turn left. Self-care is listening. I also find time for self-forgiveness. It is easy for me to go down the rabbit hole with negative thoughts and regrets and I have to stop and practice forgiveness and acceptance. I do this daily, all the time and especially before bed. Oh and also for my Aries self, I need movement and to sweat - I often tell my family, “I am going for a hike to talk to the trees” and that is my way of caring for myself.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MAKEUP/NATURAL BEAUTY PRODUCTS?

I don’t use make up. I don’t like it. Once in a while I will put some mascara on and a lip gloss, but in general I don’t like the way make up feels, so I don’t wear it. Does that make me boring? Ha ha.

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, WHAT 3 PRODUCTS WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU?

Sunscreen

Vibrator

Crossword

WHAT PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY/HEALTH/FITNESS/SPIRITUAL GURUS DO YOU SWEAR BY?

I studied and taught yoga very seriously for about 12 years and what I walked away with is that you are your greatest GURU. So, I definitely read and listen but in the end I am the only one I swear by because at the end of the day only we know what we truly need and listening and trusting that to me is the greatest spiritual practice. I do love Glennon Doyle. I am also a writer and I find her writing to be spot on and I love how she shares her lessons through experience. And Esther Perel is an amazing speaker. And I LOVE Cody Rigsby on the Peloton.

TOP 3 FAVORITE SONGS?

Right now…Levitating, Duo Lipa

Always…Into The Mystic, Van Morrison

My Kids…Shut Up and Dance With Me

MOST-WATCHED MOVIE?

The Notebook - totally boring but I love it and I watch it just before my period so I can get a good cry out. BUT I will say I watched Normal People, the show and read the book many times so it might be the most watched at this point.

MOST LIFE-CHANGING BOOK?

Autobiography of a Yogi

Mating in Captivity, Esther Perel

FAVORITE SHOPS/BOUTIQUES?

Mine! Jake and Jones. Others I love: Marni, Bottega Veneta, Oroboro.

COOLEST PLACE YOU’VE EVER VISITED?

India. Hands down. India is like the best and worst all wrapped into one. Amazing food, colors, culture and the most gorgeous hotels I have ever stayed in.

FAVORITE HOTELS?

Hands down the most amazing and gorgeous hotel I ever stayed in was in India, in the northern part, and I cannot remember it’s name, but I have tons of pictures. This hotel changed me because it awoke in me a desire to design and allow my creativity to flow. It was so gorgeous and cool that I dream about it to this day.

Other favorites:

Aman, Tokyo

Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills

Como Shambala, Ubud, Bali

We did just stay at your sweet hotel, The Proper in Santa Monica and loved it! We agreed best cocktails hands down and we loved the food! I am a big fan of Tablet Hotels, a site that offers luxury and boutique hotels. I love love love nice hotels.

WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

When I was about 7, my dad gave me a ring with my birthstone for Hanukah. I was so surprised and felt so loved and seen in that moment. My mom, just this year, bought me some incredible art for my home, and in the same way, when I opened it up, I felt completely known in that moment. She nailed it as I would have picked out the very same pieces. I think that’s what makes gifts so great - is that feeling of feeling known, gotten and held.

MOST PROFOUND HEALING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Years back, I was practicing yoga with my teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, in Woodstock and I was in a floor back bend and Sharon came over and adjusted me deeply into the backbend and in that moment so many emotions came through me that when it was over I felt something in me shifted. Our bodies are such powerful carriers of emotions. I crave that feeling and can still feel the essence of it.

On a completely different note, and the opposite end, a few months ago, I had Vertigo for the first time and it was horrible. I mean, so horrific, and I saw a western ENT doctor and when he got me on the right meds, I felt such a gratitude for Western medicine.

So I live in both worlds - I believe in the power of spiritual healing and I believe in science and medication. So healing really feels like a word that spans those two worlds.

And nothing heals like love and time.

WHO ARE YOUR MOST TRUSTED HEALERS?

I go weekly to Nikki Donner Sherwood for acupuncture. I would say she is the only “healer” I see because I don’t love or really believe in that word. It gives a lot of power to someone else, and I think with power transfer comes other weird tendencies. But Nikki is a trusted source for me - I have seen her for 9 years almost weekly. She is like a spirit guide and I go to her for acupuncture and also for her wisdom. She is so wise and loving and willing to share her experiences as someone who is older.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE YOU’VE HAD TO FACE AND WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM IT?

Separating from my children’s father. Hands down the biggest learning experience and it continues to be. Sharing kids, custody schedules, not knowing what your kids are doing, not having your kids with you at all times…it has taught me so much about what it means to be a mother. I have learned that I can’t control everything and when I stop trying, a lot of beautiful things happen. It has taught me to trust myself, to redefine what being a mother is and to confront uncomfortable feelings like feeling guilty, sad, embarrassment or shame.

I have taken away that our kids are so resilient and they want to be resilient and that in some ways, not being constantly there gives kids a sense of independence that whether we like it or not is coming and is healthy. I have learned that parents aren’t responsible for their kids paths and no matter how much we try to protect and guide them, they are spiritual beings on their own paths just like us. I have learned to savor my time with them - to not complain about them, to ask for help when I need it, to rest and take care of myself when they are with their dad, to set boundaries with their dad and to stand up for myself over and over again. We are just as important as our kids and that often gets forgotten in motherhood.

And best of all, I have learned that I am most deserving of love - the kind that is romantic, kind, intimate, hot and loving. We all deserve that.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

Me, my kids, Taylor and our dog at the beach. Simple, easy, no plans…just us all relaxed and together.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE GLOW TIP/SECRET??

I feel like I walk around with this secret that I get to do whatever I want. And I think it helps me glow. I know that I can trust myself to do and be whatever and whoever I want to do or be. I am not afraid of my needs or wants and I think that creates a lot of glow. So many women are afraid of what they feel or want that they do other things and never really satisfy themselves. Or they look outward for satisfaction. I get it, because sometimes I fall into that trap too. But when you realize that you have all the answers and that you can do, eat, move, love, see, shop, be whatever you want, the world opens and it’s amazing.

FAVORITE QUOTE?

A pearl goes up for auction. No one buys her, so she buys herself. - Anonymous

My cousin sent me this years and years ago and it landed on me hard. At the time I wasn’t buying myself but now I over and over chose to buy myself if that makes sense.

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?

Money. I have always been financially secure and the older I get and the more I look around, I realize how that is so important and not to be taken for granted. All of what I get to do is because my grandfather was poor and he took a giant leap of faith and believed in himself and my family has kept his hard earned money going. We all have to be honest with our level of privilege and how we got where we are and be humbled by it. I give a lot of money to charities, to friends because I know and am grateful for all that has been given to me and it is how I reconcile the unfairness of money and privilege. Every time I am at a fancy hotel, eating nice food, shopping, I think about him and am so grateful and to my mom who passes it down to me. It is hard to wrap my brain around the giant gap we have between the wealthy and the poor. My family are givers, we always have been - we believe in lessening that gap. All of what I do is because I have been given financial security. And I don’t take any of it for granted.