Issue 56

Kinfolk Issue Fifty-Six explores California as both a real place and a mythic ideal. The Golden State has long embodied the art of living well—an effortless, sun-drenched vision where nature meets glamour and innovation shapes everyday life. But beyond the dreamscape, California remains a powerful engine of culture, wellness and technology: a proving ground for human potential.

This issue traces the state’s enduring allure. In Silver Lake, we visit record producer Emile Haynie—known for his work with Adele and Lana Del Rey—as he hosts community dinners in his music studio. Further north, we tour the handcrafted Blunk House, home of artist JB Blunk, whose legacy is rooted in California’s natural landscape and back-to-the-land ideals. Food writer Rebekah Peppler shares a seasonal menu shaped by local ease and ingredients, while 103-year-old Betty Reid Soskin reflects on a century of Californian history through her own remarkable life.