The Tasting Panel magazine

July 2009

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F ather Junipero Serra founded the Mission San Luis de Tolosa in 1772—the fi fth in his chain of 21 missions up and down California's El Camino Real. Today, San Luis Obispo is recognized as a college town for over 30,000 students from Cuesta Community College and California Polytechnic (Cal Poly), a nationally-ranked, four-year public university that em- phasizes a great agricul- ture program. The city of San Luis Obispo, one of about a dozen in SLO County, is the focal point for gov- ernmental, commercial and cultural matters of the state's Cen- tral Coast, and is the halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The expan- sive county is home to wine country (Edna Valley, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande), close proximity to the Pacifi c Ocean (Pismo, Avila and Shell beaches) and tourist sites (Hearst Castle and Morro Bay). Jameson Capital of the U.S. But, on further investigation, this city with a population of under 50,000 proves to have a staggering reputation on the bar scene thanks to the partners of Ash Management, a restaurant and entertainment company that manages six wildly popular sites within a four-block radius. While Ash is the managing arm, each entity is owned through separate corporations. Ash Management's Meghan Hales with her partners Bill Hales, Ron Meiers and Eric Schwartz. Jessica Oliver is a manager at Mother's Tavern, a venue just taken over by Ash Management in January. "We're the most beautiful bar and the coolest set-up in SLO." How Meygan Hales and her partners from Ash Manage- ment put a small California Central Coast town on the bar scene map by Meridith May / photos by Mike Magda Where the Heck is San Luis Obispo?

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