Lea Sandoval

Leanne and I met in middle school. She was tall, beautiful and carried herself with a confidence and ease that I did not have at the young age of 13. We became friends and our group was a large, creative, smart, witty and very fun tribe of both boys and girls. In high school, her home was one of the 5 best places to hang out. Her parents treated us like adults and gave us the freedom to explore and express ourselves. I loved hanging out at her house. Sitting in the kitchen – drinking “coffee”, eating something yummy and chatting way into the wee hours of the night.

After college I ventured into the entertainment business and she and her mom opened one of the best gift stores on trendy Melrose Ave, Love Gifts. They had a huge celebrity clientele and whenever I needed a gift or anything for a friend or client – I simply called Lea and she took care of it. When I left the industry and started my lifestyle brand, it was Lea who was the first to support me. Always a creative, Lea and her husband Michael are building a creative and unique brand and I simply get to hang out and watch them do this, up front and personal.

Lea met her husband Michael when she was 12. It wasn’t until she graduated college that their romance began and in the last 40+ years they have created a beautiful life. Included in that life is their 24 year old daughter and they are full time care takers to Michael’s 90+ year old dad. Lea splits her time between the city and the country. She has the best of both worlds. Running a Photo Production Company in DTLA (best art and food in Los Angeles) during the week, while her weekends are spent on their family-owned five acre property in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. 

The ranch is multi-functional and has many purposes. It is currently booked out for events, weddings, photo shoots and a hot spot for movie and T.V. location shooting. But where the real magic happens is in their gardens and their vineyards. They grow their own grapes and make their own wines (which are delicious) which are currently being distributed and sold to many restaurants and wine retailers. Lea’s garden is plentiful and after studying Herbology, she is using the resources from her beautiful surroundings to distill Bulgarian roses and other plants to make skin care products and perfumes. I have been gifted these beautiful bottles and they have become my greatest obsession. She is taking the “fruits of her labor” and all the goodness that grows from the soil of her property and turning that into a unique brand which encapsulates wine, beauty products, food and so much more. Everything they create has been manifested directly from their own soil and hard work.