The play, in four moves

1. Find a spot on the map at idausa.org/vegcrush. 2. Order a featured VegCrush item. 3. Post it on IG. Tag @ida_international, the spot, and #VegCrush2026. 4. Live in SLO County? Sign the petition urging SLO leaders to back the Plant Based Treaty.

No passport, no prizes. Heads up: a lot of the featured plates are regular dishes made vegan on request, so speak up when you order, and ask if yours counts toward the 10%.

Who's on the menu

27 businesses, 28 locations, because one ale house is pulling double duty. Menus move, so treat this as the shortlist, not gospel.

Cambria (8). The heavyweight.

Robin's goes deepest: spring rolls, a meze plate, cauliflower tacos, a falafel bowl, and a vegan chile relleno. Mezzo Italiano is running its entire Italian vegan menu. Cambria Coffee Company's pastry lineup includes a pumpkin loaf and a double chocolate brownie, plus a vegan burrito. West End Bar & Grill has a chipotle black bean veggie burger, Linn's brings a spinach power bowl and a vegan burger, and True Earth Market, Lily's Coffee House, and Boni's Tacos round out the roster.

Morro Bay (3). Taco Temple has the Kind Veggie Burrito, and yes, the temple sauce is vegan. Top Dog Coffee will make its avocado toast and Impossible burger vegan. Nauti Anchor is pouring a beer that benefits In Defense of Animals. Which beer? They haven't named it yet.

Los Osos (4). The Olde Alehouse is the bar-food MVP: buffalo cauliflower, a falafel burger, plus a Nashville hot and a Tuscan vegan chicken sandwich. Brightside Pizza does build-your-own with vegan cheese. Beerwood says most of its menu can go vegan, and Noi's 2nd Street Cafe says many of its items can.

Atascadero (6). Street Side Ale House has an Impossible vegan burger and cauliflower tacos. Colony Sandwich has acai bowls and avocado toast. Country Touch Cafe has avocado toast, oatmeal, and a fruit bowl. Cielo brings an apple and beet salad and an antipasto trio. Barley & Boar and Guest House Grill will flip select dishes vegan.

Templeton (2). Jack's Bar & Grill has chipotle mushroom tacos and a marmalade Beyond Burger. Kitchenette Coffee & Brunch has a soyrizo burrito and chilaquiles. Breakfast that respects you.

Paso Robles (3). Red Scooter Deli runs a big vegan breakfast and lunch menu. Touch of Paso has avocado toast. Street Side Ale House's second spot is at 843 12th St.

SLO and Pismo (1 each). Feral on Higuera has a root salad they can make vegan. The Lido at Dolphin Bay Resort in Pismo has fried Brussels sprouts and field greens. Arroyo Grande is listed as a participating city, but nobody there was on the map when we checked.

North county is carrying

Cambria, Los Osos, and Atascadero hold 18 of the spots. The city of San Luis Obispo has one. Cal Poly folks without a whip, that's the catch. Get a ride to Cambria and you can hit three spots in one afternoon, since seven of its eight sit

on Main Street.

And peep who showed up. Outside of one resort restaurant, it's a roll call of local independents, the kind that live or die on regulars. When a small kitchen gives 10% of a dish to a cause, that's real money coming out of a real margin.

Where the 10% lands

Freedom Farms is In Defense of Animals' sanctuary in Creston, out in north SLO County. Per the organizers, it gives more than 50 rescued animals lifelong care: cows, horses, donkeys, peacocks, turtles, and cats. The faces of the campaign are Odie, a racehorse who showed up after the industry decided he was finished, and Eeyora, a donkey who was headed to slaughter.

Per IDA, that 10% covers the unglamorous stuff: hay, vet bills, hoof care, and shelter. A taco in Morro Bay turns into a hay delivery in Creston. That's the whole point.

The treaty, quick

The Plant Based Treaty is a global push to get governments to ease off animal agriculture, partly for the climate. Think of it as a sidekick to the Paris climate agreement. Los Angeles and Cambridge, Massachusetts, are among the dozens of cities already signed on.

Endorsing it doesn't ban anything on your plate. It's a public co-sign, and what happens next depends on the city. Cambridge's came with a resolution. It directs city departments to keep expanding plant-based options in city operations, events, and public education.

The VegCrush petition is open to SLO County residents. Eat the burrito, sign or don't. Your call.

Run it before the 18th

- Pick a lane. Cambria for range, Los Osos for bar food, Atascadero and Templeton for brunch. - Order by name. Then ask if your plate counts. - Check hours. Small spots keep small-spot hours. - Post it. Tagging a local kitchen is free promo for people who took a shot.

It's year one for VegCrush, so turnout is the scoreboard. Want more to get into around the 805? See what's popping this month.

Full map and menus: idausa.org/vegcrush.

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Up next · p.16Convivir: Willis Takes the 805 to Spain→

The sound is hard to box in.

Think Timbaland producing corridos.

Heavy drums. Spanish records. Hip-hop bounce. Melody. Tradition flipped through Willis’s own lens.

But the deeper meaning of Convivir has always been bigger than the production.

“Conviviendo is the action of ‘Convivir,’” Willis says. “When one allows themselves to be immersed into different cultures, they allow themselves to experience and understand traditions on a more personal level. All while making memories.”

That idea followed him all the way to Spain.

FROM SANTA BARBARA TO SPAIN

Willis made the trip to watch one of his closest friends get married.

“I recently had the pleasure of witnessing my good friend, my brother, marry the love of his life,” he says. “A beautiful moment and an honor to experience and be present.”

You travel across the world expecting everything to feel different.

Then somebody puts food on the table.

Music starts playing.

Family starts laughing.

Everybody’s celebrating.

And suddenly it doesn’t feel that far from home.

“On this trip I was also able to experience a different culture, but in so many ways also similar to the things I’ve grown up accustomed to.”

That’s really the whole point.

Different country. Different customs. Same feeling.

Connection.

THAT’S CONVIVIR

Willis comes from Santa Barbara and the larger 805 music scene, but his music pulls from more than one world.

Hip-hop is home.

Latin culture is home.

Spanish is part of the story.

So instead of separating those things, Convivir puts them in the same room.

That’s where the record gets interesting.

Willis isn’t trying to sound like a traditional corridos artist who discovered hip-hop.

He’s not making a rap record with Latin sounds thrown on top either.

This is what happens when both are already part of you.

And being in Spain gave him another way to understand that.

“I believe that the magic of life is making meaningful connections,” Willis says.

“That’s the thing all people crave and strive for.”

Simple, but real.

Because years later, you probably won’t remember every detail of a trip.

You’ll remember the people.

The wedding.

The song everybody lost their mind to.

The toast.

The picture.

The hug.

The moment.

“The memories LIVE FOR EVER!”

LIVE A LITTLE

There’s also something refreshing about hearing an artist talk about life outside of streams, drops and content.

Willis wants the music to move.

But he also wants people to actually live.

“We make time, and as life goes on we crave more. Never stop experiencing the treasures that life has to offer.”

His advice is even simpler:

“Make THAT TOAST! Dance to THE SONG! Hug YOUR FRIENDS, and take those PICTURES!”

That might be the best explanation of Convivir there is.

Be there.

Don’t overthink it.

Experience something.

Love people while they’re around.

Make the memory.

THE 805 GOES INTERNATIONAL

For Connxct, this is also the fun part.

Watching a Santa Barbara artist build a Spanish-language hip-hop project on the Central Coast is one thing.

Watching him take that same energy to Spain and find pieces of himself there makes the project hit differently.

Convivir started as music.

Now it feels more like a way of moving through the world.

Love.

Intent.

Connection.

Legacy.

“Wishes and Dreams are one action away from becoming a possibility,” Willis says. “This is your Reality, Live it.”

From Santa Barbara to Spain, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

And Connxct Magazine is along for the ride.

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Up next · p.27Baddies to the Front: Lorde Sanctus on Making NYX's "Baddie Anthem"→

Who is Lorde Sanctus?

"I'm a producer, artist, songwriter and futurist from the 805. I'm the Director of Entertainment Innovation at NYX Professional Makeup. My job is to innovate on how the brand interacts with technology and culture."

How did NYXTAPE get to round two?

"In 2025 I spearheaded the NYXTAPE campaign to support up-and-coming women in music. As a musician who's been in the business for over 20 years, there were so many women I wanted to support, but we could only pick five. I think we made the right choice. 340 million views on TikTok would agree.

"So we're back with round two to support women producers, and there was no one more deserving than one of my top five producers of all time, WondaGurl. I was introduced to Honey Bxby by our brand president and was sold rather quickly, so it all made sense."

The first NYXTAPE ran Snow Tha Product, Zeina, Dina Ayada, 8ae and Ashley Mehta through a songwriting camp. Round two hands the board to WondaGurl, the Juno-winning Toronto producer behind Travis Scott's "Antidote" and Jay-Z's "Crown." On the mic is Honey Bxby, the Asbury Park, New Jersey singer behind "Touchin'" and "Left Eye," who went to cosmetology school before music took over. A beauty brand could not have cast it better.

▶Watch

So what is "Baddie Anthem"?

"It's exactly what it sounds like: an anthem for the baddies. I served as a sort of executive producer, selecting the final track, organizing the talent, the location, et cetera. I've been on a nostalgic R&B kick, so when Wonda sent the pack with the early-2000s bop, everything started to gel."

How hard was it to get out?

"I've produced a lot of records for a wide range of projects, but this was the most intense. The scope changed so many times and dates got pushed back. We worried it might not come out. So to see it on streaming platforms and social, and to see the positive feedback, makes all of the work worth it."

▶Watch

What would you tell a new producer?

"Study the classics, as far back as you're able to go, and dissect your favorites. Who made them? Why did they make the choices they did? There's so much information out there that I wish I had coming up. Studying the past will make you a deadly commodity in the future."

Walk us through the process.

"I can't disclose the process, but I will say it took a long time. Perseverance is key. So is imagination. I never knew I'd start a record label for a major beauty brand, but I always imagined something like this could be possible."

Last word?

"Go stream 'Baddie Anthem,' add it to your playlists, and know that it's infused with 805 energy and creativity. I'm motivated by pushing my boundaries and doing things I've never done before. This project checks all the boxes, and to see it out in the world is hella gratifying."

Know a producer who needs to hear that advice? Send them this one.

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Up next · p.37Big Jaykes: How Lompoc Built a Food Truck, Plate by Plate→

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From a Cooler to a Kitchen: The Early Hustle

Back in 2018, 'Big Jaykes' wasn't a truck. It was an Instagram post, 25 plates of garlic noodles, and a friend's kitchen. Jayke figured he’d sell a few. Forty-five orders came in. Suddenly, he and a buddy were loading food into an ice chest, driving around Lompoc, trying to make deliveries. The noodles went cold. The operation was a logistical challenge, frankly. It was a mess. But a real hustle demands quick learning and persistence. They showed up again.

That first chaotic run pretty much sums up the whole Big Jaykes journey. The demand was there, loud and clear, long before the operation was smooth. The mistakes were public, sure, but the response was always the same: keep moving forward.

Jayke credits Nico Hayes of Bubba's Chicken and Waffles for sparking the idea. Nico was already slinging food from tents at his grandmother's house, a true grassroots operation. Jayke saw that model, adapted it, and started with his signature noodles. Word travels fast in Lompoc when something good is cooking. Soon, Jayke's friend's kitchen couldn't contain the demand, and the operation had to find a new home. Then COVID hit, and while it shut down many, it opened doors for Big Jaykes. Johnny's Bar and Grill offered up its kitchen. Later, Mi Amore Pizza and Pasta provided after-hours access and crucial backing, helping Jayke make the leap to a proper food truck. This wasn't just about finding a space; it was about finding allies. The customers were already lining up, a two-person operation struggling to keep pace. The truck wasn't just an upgrade; it was the foundation that turned scattered demand into a consistent, recognizable business.

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Up next · p.41Baker's Dozen II: The Oven Stays Hot→

The mixes are great, the master is clean and loud, and under the engineering is a writer who knows how to construct a hit: very catchy hooks, memorable moments in every verse.

Beat selection runs nearly as hot. Standouts like "Dumb," "Aye Bruther," "3AM on PCH," and "Dance" show the range: production that nods to the greats, E-A-Ski to The Neptunes, always with his own twist.

The bars are impeccable, and the pop-culture flips do real work: "If baby girl fire, let me bend it like Zuko." Elsewhere he's reaching for Mace Windu. Whatever the reference, he always finds a clever way to get his point across. This is writing you rewind to catch the second layer.

Flow is where a plug gets left on the table. It isn't the same flow on every song, more like one family of flows, and he does a decent job making sure each track sounds a little different from the last. Still, a little more variety would take these songs somewhere new. Good, not yet great.

And concept? This isn't a conceptual album, and it doesn't pretend to be. That takes nothing away from the project. If anything, there are a few more songs here than it needs. It's still worth the listen front to back: a really fun, genuinely good record.

Four plugs, then: . The oven stays hot. "Gettin' 2 It" sits at №1 on the 805 chart the same week the sequel lands, and the receipts live at connxct.club/charts.