Elks Citizen of the Year BILL OSTINI
In the Santa Maria Valley, where the scent of red oak smoke defines the horizon, few names carry as much weight as William "Bill" Ostini. To know Bill is to know a man whose life story is woven into the very fabric of the Central Coast, from the baseball diamonds of his youth to the late afternoon hours he still spends tending the roses at the original Hitching Post. Born in 1949 as the eldest of Frank and Natalie Ostini’s six children, Bill’s roots in Santa Maria run deep. He grew up through St. Mary’s Catholic School and Santa Maria High, marked early on by a competitive spirit and steady hand. Whether he was excelling on the baseball field or claiming a State Junior Championship in trapshooting at age 12, Bill demonstrated the focus that would later define his career. That same sense of duty led him to serve his country as a Vietnam veteran before returning home to the family legacy that awaited him in the hills of Casmalia. Bill’s journey with The Hitching Post began at the tender age of 10. For over sixty years, he has been the guardian of a culinary tradition that is world-renowned. While he and his brother Frank expanded the family name to Buellton in 1986, Bill eventually returned his full focus to the original Casmalia location. The restaurant became more than a steakhouse; it became a living museum of Santa Maria- style barbecue. Even today, Bill ensures the quality of every cut of meat and maintaining the standards his father set decades ago. Beyond the grill, Bill’s impact is measured by the lives he has touched. He has been an Elk member for 49 years and longtime member of the Santa Maria Country Club and the Santa Maria Gun Club. Bill has presided over the Casmalia Community Services District for 26 years, and this all speaks to his commitment to his neighbors. His quiet generosity has fueled countless local causes—from the Boys & Girls Club and the Santa Maria Humane Society to Jack’s Helping Hand and Cruzin 4 Life and so many more. The passing of his beloved wife, Sally, in 2023 marked a profound personal loss, yet Bill continues to find purpose in the work and the land. He remains a fixture at the restaurant, a man who leads by example. Whether he is ordering the week’s meat, cutting steaks alongside his chefs, or meticulously caring for the roses in the garden, he embodies the grit and grace of a bygone era.
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