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William Archie Brinks, 82, passed away peacefully in December in Bisbee, Arizona surrounded by family. Bill was born in Santa Barbara, California to Vernal and Betty Brinks. He attended Peabody Elementary School, La Cumbre Junior High, and graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1956. He studied mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo graduating in 1961. Bill was an engineer at Vandenberg Air Force Base where he worked on the Atlas Rocket program and then at Lockheed Martin in Mountain View.Despite being a highly trained and talented engineer, Bill’s roots in the world of food called him back to Santa Barbara in the early 1960s. He helped his aging parents at the old “Brinks Grocery” at Figueroa and Chapala Streets. After having daughter Pamela, and with the help of his parents and wife Teresa, Bill opened the popular “Brinks Vintage Shop” in 1967 at the newly constructed La Cumbre Plaza Mall. The business catered to both regular customers of Brinks Grocery, as well as new discriminating foodies and wine lovers. Brinks Vintage Shop became a local institution, a go-to source for great wines, cheeses and gourmet foods. And especially for their handmade deli sandwiches with his popular “goop” dressing…the secret recipe has gone down as a classic, with people in Santa Barbara to this day still talking about it.Bill Brinks was an early supporter of the emerging Santa Ynez wines, providing the first retail sales locations for a number of now well-known local wines. He recognized quality and wanted to share it, holding tasting parties when such things were rare locally. Early winemakers Bill counted among his many friends include Richard Sanford, Fred Brander and winegrower Louis Lucas, not to mention the winemakers from north coast counties, such as Chuck Ortman, Carl Doumani, Joe Swan, and Tom Dehlinger.After 20 years in the gourmet food business, Bill opened a number of restaurants including the popular Pinocchio Restaurant at 21 W. Victoria. After getting out of the restaurant business, Bill started a new life in Sierra Vista, Arizona and got back to his engineering roots. Acting as developer and builder, he created Brinks Construction, building apartment complexes and residential subdivisions. Easing into retirement, he took the reins of the wine department at the Tucson’s branch of Arizona’s finest gourmet food and wine chain, AJ’s, finally retiring to a strawbale home, which he built himself, in a small town just outside Bisbee, Arizona. Bill Brinks was not a man to leave things undone. He always came full circle. Bill Brinks was a happy visionary, gourmet, great friend and father.A Celebration of Life is planned for April 23 in Santa Barbara. If you would like to attend, contact Pamela Brinks at pjbrinks@gmail.com by April 1. In lieu of flowers please donate to your local Hospice organization.
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