Kaffe Fassett a Legacy in Creativity

Kaffe’s great grandmother, Jane Gallatin Powers, had the first artist studio in Carmel-by-the-Sea and is credited with bringing culture to Carmel. The Powers’ guest list included writers George Sterling, Jack London, and Mary Austin and notable artists of the day, William Merrit Chase and William Ritschel.

Kaffe’s parents Bill & Lolly Fassett founded Nepenthe Restaurant in 1949, a legendary watering hole for writers, artists, poets, and bohemians for over 60 years. The Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe opened in 1963 offering one-of-a-kind adornments for the body, mind and spirit, including unique pieces from Kaffe’s hand-knit collection. The Phoenix Shop offers the largest selection of Kaffe’s hand-knits in the world along with rugs, sweaters, hats, socks, baby blankets and caps from the needles of his sisters Holly, Kim and Dorcas. www.nepenthebigsur.com or www.phoenixshopbigsur.com

Erin Lee Gafill

Kaffe’s niece Erin Lee Gafill is an accomplished artist and writer and teacher who credits Kaffe as her first artistic inspiration. In 1998 Erin & her husband Tom Birmingham co-founded the Big Sur Arts Initiative to bring arts education to Big Sur children. Erin was chosen in 2001 as the first American artist-in-residence at the Hamada International Children’s Museum of Art in Hamada, Japan. She is on the creative arts faculty of Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico, and Esalen Institute, in Big Sur. She is the author of an inspirational memoir about creativity, Drinking From a Cold Spring, a Little Book of Hope. Her work can be seen at www.eringafill.com, at www.lefcoastgalleries.com, and at the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe in Big Sur.

Erin’s son Chi Rinehart Birmingham is an artist, too, pursuing an MFA in Illustration at the School for Visual Arts in Manhattan. In 2007 Southwest Art Magazine named Chi one of “21 under 31” artists to watch out for. His work has been represented by Hang Art and Triple Base of San Francisco and Studio One of Monterey. Limited editions of his work are published by Studio One, 20x200.com, and Tiny Treasures. In 2009 the Center for the Arts in Ojai and Besant Hill School of Happy Valley honored Chi with a teaching residency and one man show. www.chibirmingham.com.

Another of Kaffe’s nieces, Romney (“Nani”) Steele is the author of a new cookbook/memoir My Nepenthe, Bohemian Tales of Food, Family and Big Sur collecting 60 years of recipes, family stories, photographs and personal reflections about the family’s restaurant. Awarded Best American Regional Cookbook of 2009 by Epicurious.com, My Nepenthe, is available at www.nepenthebigsur.com  Nani blogs about the book, food, and the creative life at www.mynepenthebook.com.

Kaffe's cousin Heidi McGurrin is a photograper in Carmel, CA. Heidi’s talented brood includes son Thyme Lewis, a successful actor in Hollywood most notably for his part as Jonah on Days of Our Lives; Ali Monroe, founder and director of the North Beach Jazz Festival, and Winona Lewis, hair stylist and owner of the SF salon diPietro Todd.

Sara and Holly carry on a long standing family love of belly dancing. Folk dancers, Greek dancers, and Belly dancers have always been a part of the scene at Nepenthe, and Kaffe's nieces Sara Rowe and Holly Rose are keeping up the tradition. If you are lucky, one day when you are visiting at Nepenthe, you'll find them dancing on the terrace.