Arroy Monthly November 2010

F I N E

L I V I N G

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T H E

G R E A T E R

P A S A D E N A

A R E A

M O N T H L Y

NOVEMBER 2010

FROM GRAND TO SLEEK, STYLISH SPACES FOR THE CHEF

BEYOND GRANITE

THE NEW WAVE OF COUNTERTOPS

8 QUICK UPDATES

FOR YOUR GALLEY

THE ART OF GLASS

PAINT YOUR SPACE WITH LIGHT

KITCHEN COUTURE

ARROYO VOLUME 6 ~ NUMBER 11

M O N T H LY

14 KITCHEN DESIGN 10 COOL KITCHENS A portfolio of stylish surroundings where homeowners can really cook with gas.

–By Betti Levine

14 COUNTER MEASURES Today’s kitchen countertops balance high style and common sense.

–By David Gadd

18 SHEER BEAUTY Tico Tech’s Rafael and Janet Calvo create custom stained-glass pieces in their Altadena home.

–By Noela Hueso

BOOKS 42 LIAN OF PASADENA

PHOTO: Courtesy of DeWulf Concrete; Courtesy of Pedini (cover)

Humorist Lian Dolan sends up her hometown in her debut novel, Helen of Pasadena.

–By Mandalit del Barco

DEPARTMENTS 7 FESTIVITIES The fall gala season is here — L.A. Opera, Descanso Gardens, the Autry National Center and more

46 OBJECTS OF DESIRE From Pedini to Penguin, here are eight quick updates for your kitchen.

48 THE LIST Raphael comes to the Norton Simon, the Japanese Garden Festival, Leslie Uggams returns to the Pasadena Playhouse

51 DINING The Raymond Restaurant’s latest turn as a foodie mecca 54 KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Care for world piece this Thanksgiving?

We have the recipe for a harmonious holiday.

ABOUT THE COVER: Pedini’s Integra island of white and gray oak with a white high-gloss finish, pediniusa.com

ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

WHEN DID KITCHENS GO FROM BEING THE HIDDEN back room where magic somehow happened to the centerpiece of a life well lived? Perhaps it’s a result of the democratization of style that came about in the late 20th century with the rise of such affordable home stores as Pottery Barn. Or maybe it’s a ripple effect of the parallel rise of American cuisine and the celebrity chef.

Regardless, these days a great kitchen is nearly as important to selling a house as location, location, location. And the cook — more likely than ever to be a foodie him or herself — is the star of the show. Any domestic fantasy is incomplete without a stylish and functional arena for a homeowner to entertain in. Which brings us to the focus of this design issue — the fab contemporary kitchen.

While you may choose to start designing your kitchen from the studs, like some of the rooms featured in this issue, it’s not always necessary. New countertops can quickly update your kitchen, and these days, there are many more options beyond the lovely (but ubiquitous) granite. In “Counter Measures,” David Gadd explores some of both the freshest and most time-honored alternatives around.

Homeowners who don’t want to keep up with the Joneses but prefer their own distinctive surroundings might also opt for new cabinets with custom art glass embedded in the doors. Rafael and Janet Calvo of the Altadena design firm Tico Tech tailor their stained-glass creations to their clients’ taste, as they explained to Noela Hueso in “Sheer Beauty.”

Not that ambitious? Objects of Desire writer Brenda Rees offers ideas for ordering in a big style splash or simply the perfect countertop accessory to add that je ne sais quoi to your kitchen. — Irene Lacher

ARROYO MONTHLY Altadena, Arcadia, Eagle Rock, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Sierra Madre, Pasadena, San Marino and South Pasadena

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher PRODUCTION MANAGER Yvonne Guerrero ART DIRECTOR Joel Vendette JUNIOR DESIGNER Eisen Nepomuceno WEB DESIGNER Carla Marroquin COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Michael Burr, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, André Coleman, Mandalit del Barco, Patt Diroll, Gary Dretzka, Jenn Garbee, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Katie Klapper, Ilsa Setziol, Kirk Silsbee, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller, Bradley Tuck PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnny Buzzerio, Teri Lyn Fisher, Gabriel Goldberg, C.M. Hardt, Melissa Valladares ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Fred Bankston, Carolyn Johansen, Leslie Lamm, Alison Standish, Cynthia Vazquez ADVERTISING DESIGNER Carla Marroquin VP OF FINANCE Michael Nagami HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker

CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL arroyoeditor@pasadenaweekly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105

BUSINESS MANAGER Angela Wang ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Monica MacCree

ArroyoMonthly.com

OFFICE ASSISTANT Claudia Solano PUBLISHER Jon Guynn

6 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

©2010 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

FESTIVITIES

1. Theodore F. and Marian Craver flank Jackie Autry, founding chair and lifetime trustee

Merle Haggard was honored for his distinguished career by the Autry

2. The Texas Tenors: J.C. Fisher, Marcus Collins and John Hagen

National Center at its 23rd annual

3. Daniel and Jenifer Finley

gala on Oct. 2. Jackie Autry, founding

MAIN: Dwight Yoakam and Merle Haggard

trustee and lifetime chair, presented the country music legend with the Spirit of the West Award, saying, “This is a man my husband admired.” The $1,000-a-plate event, co-chaired by Autry Trustees Marian and Ted Craver, raised $1.7 million for the center’s art and artifact acquisitions and

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education programs.

More than 300 garden enthusiasts gathered at Descanso Gardens in

PHOTOS: © Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging (Autry); Lee Salem (Master Chorale); courtesy of Descanso Gardens (SEEDS)

La Canada Fliñtridge on Oct. 10 for the balmy venue’s 10th annual SEEDS (Supporting Education and Excellence at Descanso) fundraiser. KNBC Channel Four weather1

caster Fritz Coleman, a frequent sight at Arroyoland benefits, served as the evening’s guest auc-

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tioneer. “Descanso is an oasis — a Los Angeles Master Chorale Music

physical and spiritual escape,” he

Director Grant Gershon of Eagle Rock was

said. Sharon Mintie Miller of La

honored at the group’s 2010–11 season open-

Cañada Flintridge was chairperson

ing concert and gala at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sept. 26. After a performance

of the event, which raised 12

of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, the celebra12

$150,000 for Descanso’s educational programs.

tion of Gershon’s 10th anniversary as the chorale’s maestro continued with a black-tie

1. Kent and Joyce Kresa, Grant Gershon and Mark Foster 2. Suzanna Guzmán, Ricky Ian Gordon and Elissa Johnston

gala titled, “Bravo, Grant!” Luminaries deliv1. Liz and Steve Gleason with Tanya and Paul Zimmerman

ering musical or spoken tributes included mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán of

2. Katie Poole, Dr. Jae Townsend and John Heffernan

Pasadena and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, also based in Pasadena. The evening raised $282,000.

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3. Myrna Levy, Bobbie Furrey, Tim Lindsay and Liz and Art Silveri ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 7

FESTIVITIES

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The Pasadena Museum of History honored James R. Watterson as a Contemporary History Maker at a gala fundraiser in the museum’s gardens on Sept. 25. Watterson was honored for his 12

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work as a supporter and benefit organ-

Greg Wessels receives congratulation from Andi Lane, aide to state Sen. Carol Liu.

izer for many of the area’s cultural institutions and community-based charities.

Supporters and staff of Rosemary Children’s Services con-

Susan Caldwell, George Martin and

verged on the Pasadena agency’s Cottage — Rosemary’s oldest

Peggy Phelps served as co-chairs of

residential building, built in 1928, and home to 19 teens in foster

the Gala Honorary Committee. Patrick

care — on Oct. 13 for its 90th-anniversary celebration and annu-

Conyers, Karen Craig, Wendy

al open house. Rosemary’s executive director, Greg Wessels,

1. James R. Watterson makes a model entrance

Funkhouser, Chuck Livingstone and

discussed the agency’s progress and goals in an address.

2. Dr. Michael and Janet Kadin, Claire and Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard

Laura Thompson co-chaired the event,

Guests included Pasadena Police Chief Phillip L. Sanchez and

which raised $147,000 for the museum’s

representatives of the offices of U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-

education programs.

Burbank), state Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge),

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3. Maxine Harris, Nancy Davis and Jim Watterson 4. Rev. Ed Bacon, Hope Bacon and Jim Watterson

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge),

5. Bill and Jeannette O’Malley

L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Pasadena Councilman Steve Haderlein.

L.A. Opera celebrated its 25th-anniversary season on Sept. 23 with an opening night gala following the world premiere of Pasadena composer Daniel Catán’s Il Postino, starring tenor Plácido Domingo, L.A. Opera’s Eli and Edythe Broad

PHOTOS: James Staub (Pasadena Museum of History); © Steve Cohn/ Steve Cohn Photography (LA Opera)

General Director. The al fresco gala, which raised $1 million, took place in front of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the Music Center Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.

1. Edward and Alicia Clark with Daniel Catán

Inspired by the opera’s

2. Gordon Getty and Warner Henry

romantic setting, gala chair Mary Hayley decorated the

3. Ginny Mancini and Alyce Williamson

space in the spirit of an Italian fishing village. More than 500

MAIN: Plácido Domingo, Milena Kitic-Panic and Milan Panic

guests attended, including Pasadena’s Milan and Milena Panic, who underwrote Il Postino; Alicia and Ed Clark, who provided special commissioning support for the opera; Alice and Joe Coloumbe; and Carol and Warner Henry.

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ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 9

KITCHEN DESIGN

COOL KITCHENS AMID SURROUNDINGS THIS STYLISH, HOMEOWNERS CAN REALLY COOK WITH GAS.

BY BETTI LEVINE

A GLAMOROUS GALLEY Marlene Oliphant brings more than an eye for design to her kitchen remodels — she’s an amateur chef and professional cookbook author when not designing interiors. So she had much in common with the couple who hired her to overhaul their Pasadena condo kitchen. The empty nesters were downsizing from a larger home to a three-level space and asked her to redesign it from top to bottom, with special emphasis on the kitchen.

“Both the husband and wife are avid cooks, and they love to cook together,” says the Glendale-based designer.

“They also love to entertain.” But the kitchen was your typically claustrophobic 1980s galley, an isolated afterthought. It had white appliances, too few cabinets, too much unused space and an unattractive dropped ceiling with fluorescent lights. Plus, the kitchen’s entryways were narrow at both ends.

Oliphant’s goal: to integrate the kitchen into the rest of the living space, give it the same contemporary stream-

She opened up the space by increasing the height and width of the entryways at either end. She removed the dropped lighting, raising the ceiling, and created a 6-foot-wide opening in the wall above the cooktop to create a pass-through, with a granite counter, to the living room. Oliphant says the space is ideal for people who entertain because it “connects you with guests and is great for serving appetizers and drinks.”

The espresso-finish wood cabinetry is from Sierra Custom Kitchens in Pasadena. The stainless-steel appliances are all manufactured by Viking. The floor and backsplash are made of Crossville porcelain tile. And the kitchen now echoes the color scheme of the rest of the home: chocolate, gold and cream with touches of celery and apple green. A truly personalized touch is the mural above the sink, by Pasadena artist Lynn McDaniel. It depicts the Italian villa where the couple celebrated their 40th anniversary.

10 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

PHOTO: Harry Chamberlain Photography

lined style and create surfaces that would stand up well to heavy use.

A MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT CENTER This sophisticated kitchen is part of a house, washed in slate gray, designed by Susan Sawasy of San Marino. “I followed through with that slate shade on the walls,” she says, “and spiked it with white CaesarStone countertops that lend a beautiful sparkle, like white crystal.” For added shimmer, Sawasy used gray-veined white marble on the floor and backsplashes. Lower cabinets are made of the African hardwood anigre in a pecan shade. Upper cabinets are finished in gray high-gloss automotive paint, and a Fortuny light fixture adds a splash of elegance to the space.

But the true sophistication of this kitchen doesn’t lie in what you see on the surface, the designer says. “It’s in the nuances, the particular placement of multiple food preparation areas,” the personalization that came from understanding the lifestyle of the homeowners.

“We had 500 square feet to work with, and we gutted right down to the studs,” Sawasy says. “We reconfigured the space to make it right for this couple who prepare family meals and who frequently employ caterers for major entertaining. We built a kitchen in which one or many people can work comfortably.”

In addition to a Wolf range, the room offers multiple cooking bays, prep stations, cooktops and ovens. There are three sinks: a large primary sink, a prep sink next to the stove and another major sink in the adjacent mudroom, which Sawasy designed as a catchall for caterers during parties. “You know how dirty pots, glasses, dishes, cutlery pile up when you‘re entertaining? In this house, that’s all hidden in a separate area. If guests wander into the kitchen, they don’t see any mess.” Another boon to caterers is the induction cooktop which boils water instantly. That’s also a personal favorite of the homeowner, Sawasy says. “It’s where she whips up her lattes

PHOTO: Courtesy of Casawasy Interiors

every morning. She tells me she uses it more than she uses her stove.”

ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 11

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KITCHEN DESIGN

HIGH EUROPEAN STYLE This dream kitchen was part of a dream assignment for South Pasadena designer Jennifer Bevan-Montoya. “About two years ago, just before the economy tanked, a married couple asked me to design their ideal home — from scratch,” she recalls. “It would be built brand new, but they wanted it to look seasoned, vaguely European, with Tuscan touches and perhaps a hint of Mediterranean. The budget was huge. And the kitchen was crucial. In this family, it’s the husband who loves to cook, who likes friends gathered as he whips up delicacies to pair with his extensive wine collection. The wife described her ideal kitchen as a comfort zone, a place for family to sit and snack, share their stories and secrets.”

Bevan-Montoya designed a single solution to both their needs: a vast center island, surrounded by comfortable seating. It’s perfect for informal family get-togethers, she says, and for friends to gather while the husband plays Iron Chef.

The completed kitchen features 16-foot-high ceilings with hand-hewn curved wood beams.

The massive 5x8-foot center island has a travertine marble top and chocolate wood base in which are hidden all sorts of culinary conveniences, such as warming drawers and wine coolers.

“A major focal point is the huge hand-carved limestone stove hood, which rises to the ceiling and looks almost like an overmantel,” Bevan-Montoya says. Another highlight is the antique cast-iron backsplash behind the stove — originally made to back a fireplace in an old English manor house, which is why it bears a family coat of arms. “We found it in London, where we traveled to buy accessories for the house,” the designer says.

The floor is antique limestone tile, purchased from Cavendish Grey, a West Hollywood firm that specializes in reclaimed European stone. Two Miele dishwashers, along with Wolf and Viking appliances, dot the kitchen’s perimeter. Says Bevan-Montoya: “The family loves this

PHOTO: Courtesy of Casawasy Interiors

room; they invited us to dinner to thank us.”

ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 13

KITCHEN DESIGN DeWulf Concrete’s black Cooper countertops add tough style to an industrial-flavored kitchen.

TODAY’S KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS BALANCE HIGH STYLE AND COMMON SENSE.

BY DAVID GADD

14 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

UTILITARIAN WORKPLACES THEY ONCE WERE, AN OUT-OF-SIGHT PROVINCE OF DOMESTIC HELP OR HARRIED HOUSEWIVES, THE CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN IS USUALLY THE SHOWPIECE OF THE HOUSE. GUESTS GATHER THERE, NIBBLING HORS D’OEUVRES AND SIPPING CHARDONNAY WHILE THE HOST DICES PHOTO: Courtesy of DeWulf Concrete

COUNTER MEASURES

FAR FROM BEING THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES

TOMATOES OR PUTS THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A RACK OF LAMB. “We design all our kitchens as gathering points,” says Don Boline, CEO of Concept Builders in Glendora. “It’s all about entertaining today.” That’s why he discourages clients from putting cooktops on their kitchen islands. “That’s where guests congregate to chat,” says Boline, “so we put the range on a back wall.”

In these kitchen-centric times, both the aesthetics and the practicality of countertop surfaces are more important than ever, and options are correspondingly more numerous. While traditional granite is still the material of choice for many homeowners — and their Realtors, who say it helps sell homes –– the adventurous can choose from a growing variety of stylish manufactured surfaces, from laminate to cast concrete and recycled materials.

Interior designer Leona Valone opted for stalwart standby granite for the kitchen of her own traditional San Marino home. She loves granite’s durability and resistance to stains, but for clients’ kitchens, she lets the overall design determine the countertop material. Form may even trump function if it creates the look she’s going for, which can happen when she incorporates porous (read: stainable) limestone into her design. “For the aesthetics,” the designer acknowledges, “I’m sometimes willing to throw caution to the wind.”

Indeed, the give-and-take between looks and practicality is as important in kitchen countertops as it is in shoes. Fortunately, today’s manufactured materials have managed to balance the scales, giving kitchen designers and their clients the best of both worlds.

In the stylish midcentury days of Mad Men, Formica was the material of choice, practically synonymous with countertops. The Cincinnati-based Formica Corporation (formica.com) is still making its signature laminate material, first developed in 1912; its extensive research into consumer color and pattern preferences keep it an industry contender. Gerri Chmiel, Formica’s senior design —CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 15

KITCHEN DESIGN DeWulf Concrete’s black Cooper countertops add tough style to an industrial-flavored kitchen.

TODAY’S KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS BALANCE HIGH STYLE AND COMMON SENSE.

BY DAVID GADD

14 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

UTILITARIAN WORKPLACES THEY ONCE WERE, AN OUT-OF-SIGHT PROVINCE OF DOMESTIC HELP OR HARRIED HOUSEWIVES, THE CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN IS USUALLY THE SHOWPIECE OF THE HOUSE. GUESTS GATHER THERE, NIBBLING HORS D’OEUVRES AND SIPPING CHARDONNAY WHILE THE HOST DICES PHOTO: Courtesy of DeWulf Concrete

COUNTER MEASURES

FAR FROM BEING THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES

TOMATOES OR PUTS THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A RACK OF LAMB. “We design all our kitchens as gathering points,” says Don Boline, CEO of Concept Builders in Glendora. “It’s all about entertaining today.” That’s why he discourages clients from putting cooktops on their kitchen islands. “That’s where guests congregate to chat,” says Boline, “so we put the range on a back wall.”

In these kitchen-centric times, both the aesthetics and the practicality of countertop surfaces are more important than ever, and options are correspondingly more numerous. While traditional granite is still the material of choice for many homeowners — and their Realtors, who say it helps sell homes –– the adventurous can choose from a growing variety of stylish manufactured surfaces, from laminate to cast concrete and recycled materials.

Interior designer Leona Valone opted for stalwart standby granite for the kitchen of her own traditional San Marino home. She loves granite’s durability and resistance to stains, but for clients’ kitchens, she lets the overall design determine the countertop material. Form may even trump function if it creates the look she’s going for, which can happen when she incorporates porous (read: stainable) limestone into her design. “For the aesthetics,” the designer acknowledges, “I’m sometimes willing to throw caution to the wind.”

Indeed, the give-and-take between looks and practicality is as important in kitchen countertops as it is in shoes. Fortunately, today’s manufactured materials have managed to balance the scales, giving kitchen designers and their clients the best of both worlds.

In the stylish midcentury days of Mad Men, Formica was the material of choice, practically synonymous with countertops. The Cincinnati-based Formica Corporation (formica.com) is still making its signature laminate material, first developed in 1912; its extensive research into consumer color and pattern preferences keep it an industry contender. Gerri Chmiel, Formica’s senior design —CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 15

KITCHEN DESIGN

The fresh white of CeasarStone’s Blizzard surface works well with this kitchen’s minimalist aesthetic.

manager for North America, notes that in the current economic crunch, “We’ve seen more people turning to affordable laminate.” In response, Formica recently introduced its contemporary 180FX line, offering exotic granite patterns with much larger repeats — that is, instead of assembling several pieces to cover an island, homeowners can buy one large laminated plastic sheet, which makes the imitation granite more believable. And Formica typically costs half the price of a true granite surface.

Another midcentury surface still in use is DuPont’s Corian (corian.com), which was originally developed as a synthetic replacement for human bones in surgical procedures. First sold commercially in the late 1960s, Corian been a popular choice for kitchen countertops ever since. It comes in an ever-widening palette of more than 100 color choices and, since the pattern runs through the entire depth of the material, Corian can be refinished if the surface is damaged.

The downside, says Susan Sawasy, president of the Pasadena chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, is that “Corian is a very artificial-looking material.” So many designers are moving toward products with a more natural look, a trend exemplified by a formidable newcomer: manufactured quartz.

In a growing number of homes, “quartz materials have replaced the Corian look,” says kitchen specialist Natalie Epstein of EuroConcepts, a design showroom in West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center. Epstein notes that, beyond looks, “durability is a big factor” in the engineered quartz trend.

Israeli company CaesarStone (its manufacturing plant is a kibbutz near the ancient Roman city of Caesaria) was the first to use quartz — one of the hardest materials found in nature — as the primary component in countertop surfaces.

Made from 93 percent pure quartz aggregate mixed with polymer resins and pigments, then vacuum-formed, kilned and polished, this scratch-, heat- and stainresistant product has become the go-to solution for many kitchen designers.

“Quartz is the fastest-growing segment of the countertop market worldwide and in the U.S.,” says Ed Rogers, director of business development at the CaesarStone U.S. office in Van Nuys (caesarstoneus.com). Because of its manufacturing process, Rogers notes, CaesarStone’s surface is consistent from slab to slab — unlike marble or quartz — and can be selected from a small sample, avoiding trips to the yard to look at specific pieces. The product does not require a sealant and its nonporous structure makes it ideal for food preparation.

To ensure quality fit and finish, the company recommends installation by CaesarStone-certified fabricators such as European Art Stone of North Hollywood, 16 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

PHOTOS: Courtesy of CaesarStone U.S.; courtesy of Formica

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

where marketing director Harry Ter reports that manufactured quartz is running neck-and-neck in popularity with granite and marble. “The low maintenance of manufactured products is a selling point,” Ter says. Cosentino’s Silestone (silestone.com), DuPont’s Zodiaq (zodiaq.com), Italy’s EuroStone (eurostonequartzcountertops.com) and Minnesota-made Cambria (cambriausa.com) are rival brands of manufactured quartz; Compaq (compaq.us) sells engineered products based on both quartz and marble.

Cast concrete is another excellent option for kitchen countertops as well as sinks, and its industrial look is especially appropriate for loft spaces and other live-work environments. Santa Monica’s DeWulf Concrete and Advanced Concrete Enhancement based in Sun Valley both specialize in custom concrete fabrication. With 50 different colors and several surface textures available, “the possibilities are endless,” says Advanced’s precast division manager Layton Penza. “Anything you can think of, we can do in concrete.” Penza notes that concrete is a naturally green product and has antimicrobial properties. But don’t think that concrete is cheap: “Done right, it’s very expensive,” notes Sawasy. Penza estimates that custom concrete costs from $90 to $120 per square foot, including installation, while engineered quartz runs from $45 to $90 per square foot. Estimating average cost can be tricky, however, because of the custom nature of countertop fabrication, according to Ed Barron, a designer for Burbank’s California Kitchens.

Eco-conscious homeowners will want to investigate countertops made from recycled materials. Eco by Cosentino (ecobycosentino.com) consists of 75 percent post-industrial and post-consumer material — including porcelain, mirror, crystallized ash and stone scraps — bound by an environmentally friendly resin made from corn oil. Vetrazzo (vetrazzo.com), invented in Berkeley in the mid-1990s and recently acquired by Canada-based stone-maker Polycor, consists of up to 85 percent glass — primarily recycled wine, beer and mineral-water bottles — in a non-resin cement binder. One 5x9-foot panel of Vetrazzo can contain up to 1,000 recycled glass bottles. And new-to-market IceStone (icestone.biz) is made of recycled glass and concrete. AM

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ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 17

KITCHEN DESIGN

TICO TECH’S RAFAEL AND JANET CALVO CREATE CUSTOM STAINED-GLASS PIECES THAT THROW COLORFUL LIGHT ON CALIFORNIA HOMES AND BUSINESSES.

BY NOELA HUESO

18 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

FROM TOP: Stained-glass specialists Janet and Rafael Calvo; Beveled kitchen cabinets; calla lily cabinets

SPEND A FEW MINUTES WITH RAFAEL AND JANET ELLIS CALVO, THE PERSONABLE OWNERS OF ALTADENA DESIGN FIRM TICO TECH, AND YOU CAN SENSE THEIR CONTENTMENT. THEIR PARTNERSHIP, PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL, IS EFFORTLESS, AND THEY’RE EXCITED ABOUT THEIR LIFE’S PURSUIT. AS FAR AS THEY’RE

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Tico Tech

CONCERNED, ALL’S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD. Who can blame them? Their custom leaded art-glass business is thriving, born at the start of their marriage nearly 13 years ago; Tico Tech is an American Society of Interior Designers Pasadena Chapter industry partner, and its stained-glass windows and doors have been part of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design for four years running. The Calvos’ work has also been featured on PBS’ This Old House and the Planet Green TV network’s Greenovate, and they’ve left their colorful mark on residential and commercial buildings throughout the San Gabriel Valley, including such notable structures as Caltech’s stately Athenaeum.

One of Tico Tech’s specialties is kitchen projects, including pantry and cabinet doors, skylights and custom-fused glass tile for backsplashes. For one client, whose love of Diego Rivera’s calla lily art was already reflected in her kitchen’s accent tiles, the Calvos took the design a step further by creating kitchen cabinet doors with the same pattern. But Tico Tech’s work isn’t limited to traditional windows or doors.

For a Hastings Ranch home, they created a stained-glass front door flanked by 22 stained-glass louvers, which enhance the circulation of fresh air; it’s all adorned with a pattern of wisteria blossoms, and when the louvers are closed, the design coheres so that one can hardly tell they’re louvers.

Stained-glass projects — which can be created using lead, copper foil or zinc and clear, colored and textured art glass — range in price from $175 per square foot for beveled rectangular kitchen panels to $550 per square foot for a quatrefoil pattern window. Custom sandblasted work starts at $75 per square foot and goes up to $175.

It all begins at the Calvos’ cozy home, which is equal parts manufacturing facility and showcase, filled with examples of their handiwork, from decorated sandblasted doors to patterned mirrors and stained-glass windows. “It’s a wonderful business for us because we each really enjoy people,” says Janet, 57,

chatting in the couple’s living room. “When you walk in someone’s home [to bid for a job], you immediately get into the intimate parts of their personality — their color, décor, what they like in design. We feel by the end of the process that the majority of our clients are friends.”

It was Rafael’s desire to understand the stained-glass window-making process — and his love for his wife — that led to his career in design. Eight months before the couple’s first wedding anniversary in May 1997, Rafael, 51, went hunting for the perfect gift for his bride. He didn’t have to go far. Traveling the circuit as a retail sales rep for Sparkletts, he observed one of his clients, the owner of a stained-glass company, creating a piece. Intrigued, Rafael asked the client how he could make his own stained-glass window and almost immediately began to craft his gift — the image of a woman on a horse, an homage to his equestrian wife. He worked on it covertly at his motherin-law’s house, but he couldn’t keep the secret for long.

When Rafael showed his work to Janet, she was enchanted. The day they took the unfinished project home, they ended up cutting glass for nearly 12 hours.

—CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 19

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20 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

EDUCATION& ENRICHMENT Altadena Stables Altadena Stables is a full-service facility and offers a safe and friendly environment for your riding enjoyment. Boarded horses are attended to 24/7 by experienced caretakers who live on the property. The location is next to the Arroyo and its beautiful forest trails. Instruction is provided on reliable stable horses by two professional horsewomen and trainers, who offer lessons, camps, clinics and groups for riders of all ages and skill levels altadenastables.blogspot.com Chandler School Chandler School is widely considered to be one of the preeminent K-8 independent coeducational schools in the San Gabriel Valley and an undisputed leader in integrating instructional practice with emerging technologies. Chandler School is known for its rigorous academic program, as well as for nurturing the social development of young students.

The mission of the school is to provide each student with the highest quality and most academically challenging education in a nurturing, balanced, and diverse environment. For more information Chandler School please visit chandlerschool.org.

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High Point Academy Summer is particularly exciting because of the wide range of classes this year. We will be offering a number of enrichment classes including mock trial, woodworking, water games, computer games, movie making, and cinematography. Sports include golf, bowling, basketball and volleyball. Arts and crafts will include painting, jewelry making, and mini-soldier painting. We have expanded the options for incoming kindergarteners this summer as well.

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—CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Justine Sherman & Associates, Inc. Justine Sherman & Associates is a nonpublic agency serving the speech-language, orofacial myology, and educational needs of young toddlers through adults. We strive to provide our clients with exceptional therapy and support so that they may achieve their greatest potential. Call (626) 355-1729 or visit justineshermanslp.com.

Pasadena Waldorf Annual Elves Faire is reminiscent of a medieval faire, where fairies, elves, and minstrels abound. Celebrate the end of the Fall harvest season and the coming darkening and cooler Winter months when families gather together cozily in the warmth of their homes and rejoice in the light-bringing holidays. We invite you to join us for holiday shopping, artisan crafts, music, entertainment, food, games and great family fun! Sat., Nov. 20 from 10am – 4pm. Free Admission! 209 East Mariposa Street, Altadena, (626) 794-9564. I

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

“At midnight, we were thinking, we have to be up at 5:30 in the morning, but Janet kept saying, ‘Just one more!’” Rafael recalls. After that first, very personal design, commissions from impressed friends started coming in.

Next came the brainstorm for what would become one of their most popular items. “One Saturday morning, I woke up and told Janet I needed a couple of hours to work on something,” Rafael recalls. It was a functional glass pinwheel. “The very first one, which Janet affectionately named Old Clunker, wouldn’t turn in a hurricane,” he adds with a laugh, “but it FROM TOP: Moroccan-style windows; a sconce from evolved into this very elegant pinwheel that the 2009 Pasadena Showcase House we started to market.” They make from 100 to 200 a month, usually sitting in front of the TV, and sell them for $40 to $55 at high-end garden centers throughout the country. “We do the pinwheels almost as therapy,” Rafael says. “It’s very relaxing.”

But Tico Tech — a term coined by Rafael’s Costa Rican father to indicate that he was going to come up with an answer to a problem, as in “We’re going to Tico Tech this” — is more than just a stained-glass business. It is, as its website suggests, “a place for creative solutions.” The company holds two patents — one in plastics and one in energy — with another waiting in the wings, and it was with Rafael’s small, plastic twist-on funnel, which minimizes the waste of liquids being transferred from one bottle to another, that the business began in November 1996. They’ve since sold the funnel to the health care, nutrition and horse-grooming industries. “It’s a simple little idea, but nobody’d thought of it,” says Rafael.

The Calvos’ innate creativity enabled them to grow their part-time venture into a full-time business nearly a decade ago, despite the fact that neither had any formal art education. Rafael is an Occidental College and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, and Janet is a Stanford alumna who’d worked for the Norton Simon Museum and Transamerica. “We consider ourselves artistic but not trained,” Janet says. Now Rafael is the face of the company, going on sales calls and meeting clients. Janet is in charge of the administrative duties. Together they design, cut, assemble and install their glasswork, commissioned by customers from San Francisco to San Diego. And each piece is unique. “When we provide a client with a design, we don’t repeat it unless it’s a standard kind of an image like diamonds,” Rafael says. “A lot of what this is about is not being afraid to explore. It’s about not fearing the unknown.” AM

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Tico Tech

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ARROYO

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 ty bills,” says Victor Gonzalez-Maertens, a home cooling expert with Lennox, a leading manufacturer of home heating and cooling products.

While installing a complete residential solar energy system can be cost-prohibitive for many homeowners, recent technology that integrates solar power with individual household appliances is making it easier for homeowners to harness the power of the sun without breaking the bank.

Solar-powered heating and air conditioning One example is the first-of-its-kind SunSource Home Energy System, which was introduced by Lennox this year. It’s a solar-powered central heating and cooling system that reduces overall household electricity consumption without the costs associated with traditional solar installations.

—CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 “More than half of a home’s energy costs go toward heating and cooling the home, so if you can use a high-efficiency air conditioner and solar energy to help offset those costs, you can make a substantial dent in your overall utility bill,” says Gonzalez-Maertens.

The SunSource system is based on a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump that is solar-ready, which means a homeowner can add solar modules to create a solar energy system, if and when they want one. Gonzalez-Maertens says the homeowner will be able to reduce the energy demand of their home just with the high-efficiency equipment, but will be able to save even more when they add the solar component.

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 that consume electricity, such as lighting and appliances, when the heating and cooling system is not running. In addition, if the SunSource system generates more power than is used by the home, that power will be sent back to the utility company, which may entitle the homeowner to a credit on their utility bill.

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—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 In addition to solar water heaters for the home, many homeowners are turning to solar swimming pool heaters that can save money, extend the swimming season and give the owner more control over water temperature.

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ARROYO

HOME DESIGN DIRECTORY OF SERVICES

ARCHITECTS

INTERIOR DESIGN JAMES COANE & ASSOCIATES

CAROL COBABE

Since 1994, James V. Coane, has specialized in: custom residences, estates, historic renovations and expansions, residential and apartment interiors, multi-family residential, corporate interiors, retail and small commercial building design. American Institute of Architects award winners, and named Best Architect

by Pasadena Weekly, their projects have been in Architectural Digest and other magazines and used as locations for filming and fashion shoots. Well-versed in historical and modern architecture and design and known for attention to detail on all projects. Visit jvca.com or call (626) 584-6922.

With a philosophy of “good design resulting in the creation of harmony in one’s environment,” Carol’s work has been published in countless publications. She has participated in several showcase houses, the Los Angeles Assistance League Design House, the Venice Family Clinic Design House and Little Company of Mary Design House in Palos Verdes. Carol is also a winner of the coveted First Place Award of the L.A. Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Call (626) 441-6052.

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Cynthia Bennett & Associates has been a celebrated design and build firm for almost 30 years. They specialize in innovative kitchen and bath design, general construction, historical renovation, project management and interior design. With all areas of residential design and construction being taken care of by Cynthia Bennett and Associates, Inc., each detail will be thought of and coordinated. Call for a consultation at (626) 799-9701.

HartmanBaldwin Design/Build is a fully integrated Architecture, Construction and Interior Design Company specializing in upscale remodels, additions, historic restorations and new custom homes for highly discerning individuals that are passionate about their home and lifestyle. We pride ourselves in being chosen by clients who look for a full service firm that will provide them with outstanding design services, cutting-edge materials and products, quality construction that is sustainable and energy-efficient, as well as a relationship that goes beyond the duration of a project. Call 626.486.0510 to schedule your complimentary design consultation. HartmanBaldwin.com.

DAY OF DESIGN WITH TERRI JULIO Day of Design with Terri Julio — Imagine the opportunity to consult with a professional designer for an entire day. Now you can for a fixed flat fee. Let Terri’s expertise be the first thing you call upon when considering any project. It is a worthwhile investment and a good dose of prevention considering valuable dollars and time can be lost when improvements go awry. Call (626) 447-5370 or visit terrijulio.com.

MARK HOUSTON ASSOCIATES, INC. Mark Houston Associates Inc. provides residential planning and design services in San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles and surrounding areas. With Mark Houston Associates Inc. you are an integral part of the design process. We work with you to create a residential environment that expresses your personality, values and vision. This collaboration begins with discerning your needs and flows through to the completion of construction. Call (626) 357-7858

INTERIOR SPACES

NOTT & ASSOCIATES The “Design/Build” team of Tom and Jeffrey Nott specializes in custom homes in Pasadena. Tom Nott received his Bachelor of Architecture at USC, and has worked for decades on major projects. His work includes projects including for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the L.A.Subway and countless commercial parks. Jeff began in the field at age 12, attended UCLA and UCSB and has built custom homes with distinguished designers in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. Together they have completed over 130 projects in South Pasadena alone. Nott and Associates provides complete design through construction services, fulfilling your vision and appreciating your budget.

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AMERICAN WINDOW COMPANY Since 1999, American Window Company has supplied builders, general contractors and homeowners with a wide variety of door and window options. We can enhance the current style of your home or help you create an entirely new look. We offer the very best manufacturers’ products. They are beautiful, efficient, affordable, dependable and long-lasting. We want to be the door and window replacement supplier for the life of your home. 803 N. Glendora Blvd.,in Covina. 909-967-4043 americanwindowcompany.com

CAROUSEL FLOORS This family-owned, 38-year-old company provides a superb selection along with remarkable service. For hardwood, select from all the top names, including Appalachian Hardwood Floors, pre-finished or finished by expert craftsman. For linoleum, Marmoleum is a natural, eco-friendly, stylish flooring with multiple patterns. Carousel is a Mohawk Color Center, carrying Fabrica, Karastan, Masland and Schumacher to name a few. Free consultations; designers welcome. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat.; or by appointment. 676 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626) 795-8085.

MAUDE WOODS Stepping into Maude Woods: Artful Living, shoppers may feel they’ve entered someone’s beautiful home. Owner Carrie Davich mixes new upscale furnishings with vintage and renovated second-hand treasures. Within this “home” shoppers can find a unique hostess gift for $25, a $5,000 table and a variety —CONTINUED ON PAGE 40 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 39

ARROYO

HOME DESIGN DIRECTORY OF SERVICES ing an outdoor space for you to enjoy. Your outdoor space should be your refuge, a place with power to rejuvenate. Our reliable and dedicated in-house designers, experienced masons, irrigation specialists, and landscape technicians will make your landscape vision a reality. Or, if you have a design prepared, we will provide construction bids. Fully bonded and insured, 3-time winner of HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge,” and a member of the California Landscape Contractors’ Association, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau. Call (626) 296-2617, or visit mothermagnolia.com.

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39

of beautiful items in between. 55 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Call (626) 577-3400 or visit maudewoods.com

MODERN LIGHTING Modern Lighting has been serving Southern California’s lighting needs since 1946. With all types of fixtures in every price range, you’ll find what you want. If not, we do custom design. We have stocks of light bulbs to compliment your fixture and we continually watch the marketplace for the best buys. Our staff has decades of lighting experience.. Feel free to contact us if our service is what you are looking for: call (626) 286-3262.

TEAK WAREHOUSE Today’s hottest outdoor trend is the outdoor living room ... a favorite for hotels & resorts for years and now available for residential settings. Why go to an expensive resort for the weekend when you can turn your back yard into one? Invest in something that will bring comfort and style for the long run!

Teak Warehouse boasts over 16 varied collections of deep seating, offering teak and wicker at the best prices in California.

133 E. Maple Ave., Monrovia. Call (626) 305-8325 or visit teakwarehouse.com

MORTGAGE LENDERS WELLS FARGO The Patsy Grant Team at Wells Fargo Home Financing meets your needs. Because your home is one of your biggest investments, it’s important to ensure that your mortgage fits you.

This is our specialty — helping you find mortgage solutions that meet your current situation while complementing your long-term financial goals. We will help you determine what mortgage options work for you, guide you through the loan process and answer your questions. Patsy: (626) 577-3721; Jim: (626) 577-3703

SWAN POOLS Swan Pools has been building quality pools for over 50 years.

We are experts at new construction, remodeling existing pools, spa additions and difficult site construction. All jobs are designed, contracted and supervised by the owner and family.

We are fully licensed and general liability insured with the highest Better Business Bureau rating and can provide referrals upon request. Call us if you have any questions or would like to set an appointment for a free in home consultation. (626) 966-8631.

OUTDOOR LIVING GARDEN VIEW LANDSCAPE Specializing in landscaping, nurseries and pools, Garden View Inc. can take you from a design idea to a finished, detail-oriented garden. Garden View & their clientele are recipients of 60 awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association.

The intent of the company is to provide high-quality interrelated outdoor services. The synergy between having their own designer/project managers, in-house crews, their own large nursery, and being a licensed pool builder provides for efficiency, competitive pricing, quality and schedule control. Call (626) 303-4043.

REAL ESTATE LIN VLACICH-SOTHEBY’S Lin Vlacich of Sotheby’s, a 25-year veteran in the real estate profession, is known for her reputation and success as a leader in the San Gabriel Valley brokerage community, as well as for high professional ethics, superior negotiating skills, innovative marketing plans and extensive knowledge of real estate sales.

Committed to excellence in representing buyers and sellers throughout Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena and the surrounding communities. Call (626) 688-6464 or (626) 3963975 or email vlacichs@aol.com ■

MOTHER MAGNOLIA A private residential landscape design and construction firm operating here since 1999, Mother Magnolia’s passion is creat-

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BOOKS

ON THIS SUNNY PASADENA DAY, WE FIND THE HILARIOUS LIAN DOLAN TRYING TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE WHILE STANDING AT THE CORNER OF ORANGE GROVE AND COLORADO BOULEVARDS — IMMORTALIZED BY TV CAMERAS FILMING THE ROSE PARADE. SHE WEARS A SPARKLY CROWN AND WAVES REGALLY TO THE

LIAN OF PASADENA

HUMORIST LIAN DOLAN AFFECTIONATELY SENDS UP HER HOMETOWN IN HER FIRST NOVEL, HELEN OF PASADENA.

BY MANDALIT DEL BARCO

42 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

PHOTOS: Mandalit del Barco; Suzanne McNulty (opposite)

PASSING TRAFFIC. “Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist,” she says, imitating the choreographed hand gesture of every Rose Parade queen she has admired for the past 17 years. A few truckers exiting the freeway even wave back.

Dolan — blogger, podcaster and novice novelist — confesses that it has been her secret fantasy to preside over the annual parade in her adopted hometown. She even timed her 1993 wedding so guests could attend official Rose Bowl events. “I don’t know why the maximum age is 19,” she says with a sigh, playfully bemoaning the queenship that will never be. “I was hoping they would raise it to 47.”

The Rose Parade shtick is part of the online promotional teaser for her justpublished first novel, Helen of Pasadena (Prospect Park Books), a send-up of a 40something mom who finds herself suddenly widowed, broke and forced to reinvent herself… before meeting a sexy archaeologist. The book satirizes fixtures of Pasadena culture like the yoga-devoted “neutron moms” who fret about getting their children into the right private schools.

Helen works at the Huntington Library while raising a teenage son. Her late, philandering husband had a Pasadena pedigree and her old-money motherin-law, Mitsy, is “tall, Minoan, skinny, always tan…always in a tennis skirt, frosted lipstick, a helmet-head hairdo,” says Dolan, 45. She based Mitsy on a college friend’s mother, she adds, but her real-life mother-in-law and husband are nothing like the fictional characters. The author does, however, have something in common with her witty heroine. Like Helen of Pasadena, Dolan says, she’s a “serial volunteer,” loves ancient cultures and studied classic Greek and Latin in college.

Dolan’s sister Liz kids that it’s good Lian was able to use “all that vaguely useless material” to write the book. “Lian jokes that the only other job you could use a classics degree for is working in a Greek restaurant,” she says.

Dolan is no mysterious historical figure à la Helen of Troy. On her blog and weekly podcast, The Chaos Chronicles, she describes herself as a “mother, wife, writer, talk show host and chronicler of everything that goes on in a house with two boys, one man, one big dog and so much laundry.”

Add to that resumé, professional sister: Three hours a day, six days a week, for more than 10 years, Dolan has exchanged snappy banter with four of her older siblings on The Satellite Sisters show on radio and online. From Los Angeles, Oregon, Dallas and sometimes as far as Moscow — where the various siblings have scattered — Lian and her sisters have dished about working women, motherhood, news, politics, entertainment, arts and more. “We didn’t want to go on the air and whine and moan,” says Dolan. “That wasn’t our style.”

Instead, the Satellite Sisters ask listeners (and each other) such hard-hitting questions as: Have you ever been a fashion victim?

Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Academy Award? Which is worse — a week in North Korea or a root canal?

After moving from public radio to commercial ABC, the popular prize-winning show ended in 2008 following the network’s merger with Citadel Broadcasting. “It broke our hearts when we didn’t get our contract renewed and we kind of got lost in a corporate merger,” says Dolan.

But the Satellite Sisters’ conversations are still going strong at satellitesisters.com, a website, blog and weekly podcast that draws more than 100,000 pageviews a month. In addition, Dolan produces her own podcast of The Chaos Chronicles (chaoschronicles.com), which evolved from its start as a humor column in Working Mother magazine. She doles out advice on everything from conquering “mommy brain” to surviving extreme dental work; she even offers beverage news: “To Pom or Not to Pom.” On top of that, she has made solo appearances on Today and The Oprah Show. And she is working on two more novels. “People are, like, where’d you find the time?” Dolan says with a laugh.

“I’m, like, well, unemployment really frees you up!”

Dolan grew up the youngest of eight children in Fairfield, Connecticut. Being the baby of the bunch apparently helped hone her wit. “Lian used to practice her material before coming to the dinner table,” Liz says, “because she knew you can’t just go to dinner with ‘I had a math test today.’ Everyone’s already had that math test; they don’t care. Nobody wants to hear about your math test. She had to take normal life and punch it up.”

Dolan says she went on to forge her own path. Miserable in her first job at a New York ad agency, she quit and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to become a “ski bum.” But being so far from Bloomingdale’s finally got to her, she wryly explains, so she moved to New Orleans and Portland, Oregon, before landing in Pasadena to study at nearby Pomona College. For a time, she produced music videos of athletes for Nike, the National Football League and the National —CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 43

BOOKS

ON THIS SUNNY PASADENA DAY, WE FIND THE HILARIOUS LIAN DOLAN TRYING TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE WHILE STANDING AT THE CORNER OF ORANGE GROVE AND COLORADO BOULEVARDS — IMMORTALIZED BY TV CAMERAS FILMING THE ROSE PARADE. SHE WEARS A SPARKLY CROWN AND WAVES REGALLY TO THE

LIAN OF PASADENA

HUMORIST LIAN DOLAN AFFECTIONATELY SENDS UP HER HOMETOWN IN HER FIRST NOVEL, HELEN OF PASADENA.

BY MANDALIT DEL BARCO

42 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

PHOTOS: Mandalit del Barco; Suzanne McNulty (opposite)

PASSING TRAFFIC. “Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist,” she says, imitating the choreographed hand gesture of every Rose Parade queen she has admired for the past 17 years. A few truckers exiting the freeway even wave back.

Dolan — blogger, podcaster and novice novelist — confesses that it has been her secret fantasy to preside over the annual parade in her adopted hometown. She even timed her 1993 wedding so guests could attend official Rose Bowl events. “I don’t know why the maximum age is 19,” she says with a sigh, playfully bemoaning the queenship that will never be. “I was hoping they would raise it to 47.”

The Rose Parade shtick is part of the online promotional teaser for her justpublished first novel, Helen of Pasadena (Prospect Park Books), a send-up of a 40something mom who finds herself suddenly widowed, broke and forced to reinvent herself… before meeting a sexy archaeologist. The book satirizes fixtures of Pasadena culture like the yoga-devoted “neutron moms” who fret about getting their children into the right private schools.

Helen works at the Huntington Library while raising a teenage son. Her late, philandering husband had a Pasadena pedigree and her old-money motherin-law, Mitsy, is “tall, Minoan, skinny, always tan…always in a tennis skirt, frosted lipstick, a helmet-head hairdo,” says Dolan, 45. She based Mitsy on a college friend’s mother, she adds, but her real-life mother-in-law and husband are nothing like the fictional characters. The author does, however, have something in common with her witty heroine. Like Helen of Pasadena, Dolan says, she’s a “serial volunteer,” loves ancient cultures and studied classic Greek and Latin in college.

Dolan’s sister Liz kids that it’s good Lian was able to use “all that vaguely useless material” to write the book. “Lian jokes that the only other job you could use a classics degree for is working in a Greek restaurant,” she says.

Dolan is no mysterious historical figure à la Helen of Troy. On her blog and weekly podcast, The Chaos Chronicles, she describes herself as a “mother, wife, writer, talk show host and chronicler of everything that goes on in a house with two boys, one man, one big dog and so much laundry.”

Add to that resumé, professional sister: Three hours a day, six days a week, for more than 10 years, Dolan has exchanged snappy banter with four of her older siblings on The Satellite Sisters show on radio and online. From Los Angeles, Oregon, Dallas and sometimes as far as Moscow — where the various siblings have scattered — Lian and her sisters have dished about working women, motherhood, news, politics, entertainment, arts and more. “We didn’t want to go on the air and whine and moan,” says Dolan. “That wasn’t our style.”

Instead, the Satellite Sisters ask listeners (and each other) such hard-hitting questions as: Have you ever been a fashion victim?

Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Academy Award? Which is worse — a week in North Korea or a root canal?

After moving from public radio to commercial ABC, the popular prize-winning show ended in 2008 following the network’s merger with Citadel Broadcasting. “It broke our hearts when we didn’t get our contract renewed and we kind of got lost in a corporate merger,” says Dolan.

But the Satellite Sisters’ conversations are still going strong at satellitesisters.com, a website, blog and weekly podcast that draws more than 100,000 pageviews a month. In addition, Dolan produces her own podcast of The Chaos Chronicles (chaoschronicles.com), which evolved from its start as a humor column in Working Mother magazine. She doles out advice on everything from conquering “mommy brain” to surviving extreme dental work; she even offers beverage news: “To Pom or Not to Pom.” On top of that, she has made solo appearances on Today and The Oprah Show. And she is working on two more novels. “People are, like, where’d you find the time?” Dolan says with a laugh.

“I’m, like, well, unemployment really frees you up!”

Dolan grew up the youngest of eight children in Fairfield, Connecticut. Being the baby of the bunch apparently helped hone her wit. “Lian used to practice her material before coming to the dinner table,” Liz says, “because she knew you can’t just go to dinner with ‘I had a math test today.’ Everyone’s already had that math test; they don’t care. Nobody wants to hear about your math test. She had to take normal life and punch it up.”

Dolan says she went on to forge her own path. Miserable in her first job at a New York ad agency, she quit and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to become a “ski bum.” But being so far from Bloomingdale’s finally got to her, she wryly explains, so she moved to New Orleans and Portland, Oregon, before landing in Pasadena to study at nearby Pomona College. For a time, she produced music videos of athletes for Nike, the National Football League and the National —CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 43

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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: The author on a Helen hunt

PHOTO: Mandalit del Barco

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

Basketball Association. But marriage, motherhood and independent multimedia productions beckoned.

Liz says her little sister has always been opinionated, energetic and funny. “Lian is a serial over-committer; she knows that about herself,” she teases. “Her sisters have almost had to conduct interventions. But being engaged in her kids’ schools and the community is very important to Lian.”

So is Pasadena, which Dolan describes as “Connecticut with palm trees.” She says she appreciates the city’s sense of tradition and civic pride, with generations of families in the same schools, clubs and organizations.

She married a Pasadena native — commercial real estate analyst Berick Treidler — and they live with their two sons in walking distance of the Rose Bowl.

Dolan spends almost every day cheering at soccer games, exercising with friends or walking her dog near the Rose Bowl. And this is where she and a small, low-budget crew are videotaping the first scene of her promotional book trailer. She beckons soccer moms and joggers with ridiculous props: a giant foam finger and pink Bedazzled cowboy hat. The mission of her woman-on-the street interviews: to give a freshly minted copy of Helen of Pasadena to a flesh-and-blood Helen of Pasadena.

“Is your name Helen?” she asks several somewhat bewildered strangers.

“Would you consider changing your name to Helen?”

No such luck.

“Maybe you have something in common with Helen: Are you a mother? Were your parents fiber artists? Any chance you majored in classical archaeology? Is your husband having an affair with a news floozy? Do you think at any time in the future your husband might be run over by a Rose Parade float?”

By now, Dolan has made it to the Rose Bowl, and finding no Helens of Pasadena there, she moves on to Old Town. Outside Tiffany’s, she dons an even more humiliating get-up: an oversize sandwich board she made by hand with foam core and colorful ribbons. (Those crafting skills came in handy!)

“What’s your name?” reads the front of the sign.

“Ask me about Helen of Pasadena,” reads the back.

When these classic marketing techniques invite only giggles and funny looks, Dolan changes her signage and waddles down the street.

“Seriously, is no one named Helen anymore?” reads the sign draped over her body, from neck to ankles.

And finally, in desperation: “free kitten.”

There seems to be no limit to Lian Dolan’s antics when it comes to self-promotion, but the fledgling author seems pleased with a job well done. “I’ve been watching a lot of book trailers lately and the standard is fairly low,” she says with a mischievous smile. “So I think we’re meeting it.” AM

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OBJECTS OF DESIRE

FROM UNDULATING KITCHEN ISLANDS TO A VENTILATION HOOD THAT PRODUCES A SYMPHONY OF LIGHT, THESE CREATIONS WILL GIVE YOUR KITCHEN A 21ST-CENTURY FLAVOR.

BY BRENDA REES

THE PENGUIN MACHINE

AS THE HUB AND HEART OF THE HOME, THE KITCHEN IS WHERE THINGS HAPPEN. AND WITH THE HOLIDAYS UPON US, HAVING A KITCHEN SPACE WORTHY OF ENTERTAINING AND IMPRESSING GUESTS IS ON OUR TO-DO LIST. YOU DON'T NEED A COMPLETE REMODEL TO CREATE A KITCHEN THAT IS

This handsome flightless bird

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countertop, bar area, patio,

About the size of a coffeemaker,

yacht or ice floe. $199 and up.

the Penguin effortlessly transforms

Williams Sonoma, The

ordinary H20 into sparkling water in

Commons, 142 S. Lake Ave.,

just seconds. Because the bird

Pasadena (626) 795-5045, sodastream.com.

doesn’t require batteries or electric-

COMFORTING, STYLISH AND CHIC; SOMETIMES MODEST CHANGES CAN BRING OUT THE ROOM'S TRUE IDENTITY AS THE CENTER OF THE KNOWN PARTY UNIVERSE.

DUNE ISLANDS Pedini takes the ho-hum kitchen island and tarts it up with its Dune line of fantastic parabolas, the likes of which you haven’t seen since sixth-grade geometry. With 360-degree accessibility, these kitchen islands –– in various shapes: Peninsula, Atoll and Boomerang –– are definitely for the swinging Jetsons-loving crowd. Form indeed follows function here: These islands contain plenty of space for storage, sink, cooktop and dishwasher. Have your guests pull up a bar stool, shake up a martini and pretend it’s 1960 all over again. Prices vary.

Pedini L.A., 801 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 658-8801, pediniusa.com.

46 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

LUMEN COLORED VENTILATION HOOD Miele’s Lumen is one very stylish

SEMI-PRECIOUS STONE SURFACES

slim-line stainless-

Amethyst, wild agate, labradorite...they’re not just for earrings or necklaces anymore.

Leave it to German engineers to rev up this kitchen necessity with multicolored LED

The folks at Cosentino, a Spanish manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces, are thinking

light bands artfully integrated into the edge of the canopy. You can program your hood

outside the jewelry box with their Prexury Collection, a line of surfacing materials that

to rotate through standard preset colors of white, green, red and blue, but the real fun

combines semi-precious stones, petrified wood and fossils with state-of-the-art

happens when you set the canopy to flash through all the transitional colors in the

technology. The result? Awesome-looking slabs. With 12 color options ranging from

human viewing spectrum (that’s 196,000, if you’re counting). Color changeover can be

smoky quartz to red jasper, these smooth and elegant rock pieces can transform

set at 1-minute or 15-minute intervals; or you can freeze it on a favorite color to illumi-

countertops and walls into works of art from nature. Imagine prepping a simple dinner

nate the mood of the moment. We dare your toaster to do that. $3,000.

of macaroni and cheese atop a semi-translucent carnelian surface....pure decadence!

Snyder Diamond, 432 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, (626) 795-8080, mieleusa.com.

steel ventilation hood.

$380 to $440 per square foot.

Sierra Custom Kitchens, 2534 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 792-8080, prexury.com.

INTEGRATED DOOR FRONTS “The kitchen can be like another room in the house,” says Pasadena designer Kristina Urbanas Spencer, who recently remodeled her kitchen with integrated door fronts, a.k.a. appliance cabinetry. “The new trend in kitchen design moves away from the industrial restaurant-style stainless-steel world and brings it into a place of comfort and style.” Spencer’s refrigerator and dishwasher were incorporated into the cabinetry remodel; appliances were specifically ordered so their

MOSAIC KITCHEN SINKS

fronts would match the new cabinetry and blend into a seam-

Smooth, shiny, dreamy....there are plenty of ways to describe Linkasink’s line of artisan

less whole. “Before, we wanted to show off our appliances;

kitchen sinks. Bring out the thesaurus as you admire these hefty sinks constructed with

now we want to conceal them,” she says. “This design

hand-hammered heavy gauge copper or stainless steel with a satin-nickel finish. Inside

harkens back to the retro styles of the 1950s –– seamless and

is a mesmerizing sunburst mosaic of small stainless steel tiles. Be careful when you're

sleek.” Prices vary.

near these burnished beauties –– their gleaming resplendence can be hypnotic, and

Precision Krafts, 1853 N. Victory Pl., Burbank, (818) 953-

you might find yourself gazing at them for hours. $5,800 to $6,900.

7343, precisionkrafts.com.

Mission Tile West, 853 Mission St., South Pasadena, (626) 799-4595, and George's Kitchen and Bath Showroom, 99 Palmetto Dr., Pasadena, (626) 792-5547; linkasink.com.

PUGET SOUND STYLE ARWA-TWINFLEX KITCHEN FAUCET Introduce a twisting serpent into

These lovely hand-blown artenough to hold any position until you move it.

glass pendant fixtures from WAC Lighting cast a

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finished faucet has a colorful

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designs in the

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Rock (vibrant amber, terracotta and sunrise

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gray and black, with sheaths

yellow), Moss (the brilliant lush green hues of a deciduous forest) and Seraphim (an ele-

lettuce or spray the

easily interchangeable. Just

gant tone-on-tone motif). Not only are these babies beautiful, they are energy-efficient

like a snake shedding its

(they use compact fluorescents) and eco-friendly as well (the family-owned manufactur-

annoying cat. You get the picture. Made of PVC, the faucet sheath is strong

skin... $980.

Available at geminibkp.com.

ing facility is committed to zero landfill practices). Hang. Light. Enjoy. $399 to $660.

Lighting Direct, (800) 375-3410, lightingdirect.com.

ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 47

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Let

THE

make it EASY for you...

LIST COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

DISCOVERING BEETHOVEN

HUNTINGTON HAPPENINGS Nov. 5 and 6 — “Pacific Spaces: Comparisons and Connections across the Pacific Ocean in Early Modern and Modern Times” brings together scholars to discuss the prominence of the Pacific region in contemporary global economics, politics and cultural affairs and ways in which Pacific migrations fit into the histories of the regions’ maritime areas. The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days..To register ($25, free for graduate students), call (626) 405-3432 or email skrasnoo@huntington.org.

Nov. 9 — In a Distinguished Fellow Lecture, Helen Horowitz, professor of history at Smith College and a Los Angeles Times Distinguished Fellow, discusses Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper –– the story of a woman’s descent into madness, inspired by the author’s own experience –– and Gilman’s life in Pasadena.

The 7:30 p.m. event is free; no reservations required.

Nov. 15 — A 7:30 p.m. screening of the 2003 documentary Bukowski: Born Into This, by filmmaker John Dullaghan, provides a comprehensive cinematic exploration of the poet and novelist’s life. Dullaghan will introduce the film and answer questions afterward.

Admission is free; no reservations are required.

Nov. 17 — In a Wark Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Jeremy Warren, collections and academic director of London’s Wallace Collection and curator of the Huntington’s “Beauty & Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Peter Marino Collection” exhibition (pictured), discusses the influence of the ancient world –– with an emphasis on Rome –– on artists and their patrons. Admission is free; no reservations required.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626) 405-2100 or visit huntington.org.

ARTS GROUP CELEBRATES 50 Nov. 5 through 7 — Sierra Madre’s Creative Arts Group, which offers programs and workshops for all ages, celebrates its 50th anniversary with an art festival of works by more than 80 artists from Friday through Sunday. Opening night runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, and a student sale is part of the weekend program, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Creative Arts Group is located at 108 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre. Call (626) 355-8350 or visit creativeartsgroup.org.

48 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

DISCUSSING ARTS AND CRAFTS AT ART CENTER Nov. 6 — The Friends of the Gamble House Lecture Series kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Art Center College of Design’s Ahmanson Auditorium with Gamble House Curator Anne Mallek’s discussion of “Patterns for a Movement: The Arts & Crafts in England and Scotland.” The lecture explores the movement’s British beginnings and how that country’s patterns and patternmakers transformed the movement, paving the way for its American successors. Tickets cost $40 (free for Friends of the Gamble House).

Art Center College of Design’s Ahmanson Auditorium is located at 1700 Lida St., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-3334 or visit gamblehouse.org.

LATIN PASSION IN PASADENA Nov. 6 — Con Sabor A Tango, the dance instruction and performance space, and Otero Dance Company present “Latin Passion,” an 8 p.m. performance featuring the three most popular Latin dances –– tango, gaucho and salsa –– with an international cast. The $38 ticket price includes food, drinks and dancing until 2 a.m.

Con Sabor A Tango is located at 1368 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena.

Call (818) 968-2500 or visit consabor-atango.com.

A CELEBRATION OF HEALTH Nov. 6 — The first annual Glendale Health Festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pacific Community Center, offers free medical screenings and community education on high blood pressure, obesity, proper nutrition, cancer awareness, diabetes, heart disease, bone health and more. Breast and cervical cancer screening will be available, and a multi-lingual staff will be on hand. Free food and family-friendly entertainment are also planned.

The Pacific Community Center is located at 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale. Call (818) 980-7777 or email aamsc.com.

A FESTIVAL AND BUFFET AT DESCANSO Nov. 6 and 7 — The Japanese Garden Festival at Descanso Gardens celebrates the arts, crafts and culture of Japan from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The event includes a performance

by Japanese taiko drummers (pictured), and Japanese food will be available for purchase. Free with Descanso admission.

Nov. 25 — Descanso celebrates Thanksgiving with a buffet from Patina Catering, with seatings at noon and 2 p.m. The meal includes turkey and all the trimmings. The cost is $45, $37 for members and $17 for children ages 4 to 12. Lunch is free for children ages 3 and under.

Call Patina at (818) 790-3663 for reservations, which are required.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. For information, call (818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.

Christmas Light Displays Home • Retail • Commercial Liability & WC Insurance Provided

COMEDY FOR A CAUSE Nov. 7 — “Fritz Coleman Comedy Night” at 7 p.m., benefiting the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, features the TV weatherman along with four other comedians at the Glendale Centre Theatre. Regular tickets cost $25; VIP tickets, which include dinner at Glendale’s Phoenicia Restaurant from 5 to 7 p.m., cost $50.

The Glendale Centre Theatre is located at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. Call (818) 243-3121 or visit arcglendale.org.

We also decorate Weddings, Parties and Special Events with festive lighting!

626.890.6102 www.TheChristmasLightPros.com

A FRENCH CONNECTION AT DISNEY HALL Nov. 7 — The Los Angeles Master Chorale, directed by Music Director Grant Gershon, presents “French Connections,” an all-French a cappella program, at 7 p.m. The evening features seldom-performed works from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including Duruflé’s “Four Motets on Gregorian Themes,” Josquin’s “Missa Beata Virgine,” 16thcentury French chansons by Janequin and “Trois Chansons” by Ravel. Ticket prices range from $19 to $124. Student rush tickets cost $10 and are available at the box office two hours before the performance.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Call (213) 972-7282 or visit lamc.org.

Your Dream Home NOW!

ARTISANS AND AUTHORS SHOWCASED Nov. 7 — The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center presents an artisan boutique and author showcase from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, featuring the talents of temple members.

Works for sale include jewelry, woodworking, needlepoint, tallitot, Judaic art prints and more. In addition, authors will read from their latest works, which will be available for purchase. Proceeds benefit charitable groups supported by the PJTC Sisterhood.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center is located at 1434 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena.

Call (626) 798-1161 or visit pjtc.net.

MUSIC AT THE COURT

PHOTO: Courtesy of Boston Court (Billy Cunliffe)

Nov. 5 –– The Norton Simon Museum is scheduled to display an early work of the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael –– The Small Cowper Madonna (c.1505), on loan through Jan. 24 from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The piece, made during his brief stay in Florence (1504–08), is one of only a dozen Raphaels in U.S. collections. On Nov. 6, Linda Wolk-Simon, a curator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, will discuss “From Urbino to Eternity: Raphael, Prince of Painters” at 4 p.m.

The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.

Call (626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of the Huntington Library (Diana the Huntress by Antonio Montauti); Michael Burke (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra); National Gallery of Art, Washington (Raphael's The Small Cowper Madonna)

RAPHAEL ON LOAN

Nov. 6 — The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents an installment of its Discover series with “Discover Beethoven 7,” a musical exploration of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, at 8 p.m. at the Ambassador Auditorium. Conductor Jeffrey Kahane, also the featured piano soloist, serves as the musical tour guide for the evening. Ticket prices range from $20 to $100.

The Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena.

Call (213) 622-7001, ext. 215, or visit laco.org.

Spectacular Outdoor

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center’s 2010 Fall Music Series closes its season on a high note with a trio of performances: Nov. 12 — Grammy-nominated composer, arranger and jazz pianist Bill Cunliffe (pictured) performs his innovative, swinging songs in a return engagement.

Nov. 13 — Music by the flute and piano duet of Robert Thies and Damjan Krajacic blends classical, jazz, Cuban, Brazilian and Eastern European influences.

Nov. 15 — The Brasil Guitar Duo performs traditional and Brazilian works, reflecting the influence of both classical and world music.

Performances start at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $25 and are available online or by telephone.

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.

Call (626) 683-6883 or visit bostoncourt.com.

GOING UPTOWN AT PASADENA PLAYHOUSE Nov. 16 — Leslie Uggams: Uptown Downtown opens at the Pasadena Playhouse.

The vocalist illustrates her professional travels in stories and song from uptown to downtown, from the Apollo Theater to Broadway and from Mitch Miller to Roots.

—CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

Specializing in Remodeling & New Construction Custom Cabinetry Tile, Carpet, Wood and Ceramic Indoor & Outdoor Painting 31 Years of Professional Experience DAN MIKOLASKO CONSTRUCTION, INC. 626-338-0244 • www.dmchomeimprovements.com ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 49

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Let

THE

make it EASY for you...

LIST COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

DISCOVERING BEETHOVEN

HUNTINGTON HAPPENINGS Nov. 5 and 6 — “Pacific Spaces: Comparisons and Connections across the Pacific Ocean in Early Modern and Modern Times” brings together scholars to discuss the prominence of the Pacific region in contemporary global economics, politics and cultural affairs and ways in which Pacific migrations fit into the histories of the regions’ maritime areas. The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days..To register ($25, free for graduate students), call (626) 405-3432 or email skrasnoo@huntington.org.

Nov. 9 — In a Distinguished Fellow Lecture, Helen Horowitz, professor of history at Smith College and a Los Angeles Times Distinguished Fellow, discusses Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper –– the story of a woman’s descent into madness, inspired by the author’s own experience –– and Gilman’s life in Pasadena.

The 7:30 p.m. event is free; no reservations required.

Nov. 15 — A 7:30 p.m. screening of the 2003 documentary Bukowski: Born Into This, by filmmaker John Dullaghan, provides a comprehensive cinematic exploration of the poet and novelist’s life. Dullaghan will introduce the film and answer questions afterward.

Admission is free; no reservations are required.

Nov. 17 — In a Wark Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Jeremy Warren, collections and academic director of London’s Wallace Collection and curator of the Huntington’s “Beauty & Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Peter Marino Collection” exhibition (pictured), discusses the influence of the ancient world –– with an emphasis on Rome –– on artists and their patrons. Admission is free; no reservations required.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626) 405-2100 or visit huntington.org.

ARTS GROUP CELEBRATES 50 Nov. 5 through 7 — Sierra Madre’s Creative Arts Group, which offers programs and workshops for all ages, celebrates its 50th anniversary with an art festival of works by more than 80 artists from Friday through Sunday. Opening night runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, and a student sale is part of the weekend program, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Creative Arts Group is located at 108 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre. Call (626) 355-8350 or visit creativeartsgroup.org.

48 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

DISCUSSING ARTS AND CRAFTS AT ART CENTER Nov. 6 — The Friends of the Gamble House Lecture Series kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Art Center College of Design’s Ahmanson Auditorium with Gamble House Curator Anne Mallek’s discussion of “Patterns for a Movement: The Arts & Crafts in England and Scotland.” The lecture explores the movement’s British beginnings and how that country’s patterns and patternmakers transformed the movement, paving the way for its American successors. Tickets cost $40 (free for Friends of the Gamble House).

Art Center College of Design’s Ahmanson Auditorium is located at 1700 Lida St., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-3334 or visit gamblehouse.org.

LATIN PASSION IN PASADENA Nov. 6 — Con Sabor A Tango, the dance instruction and performance space, and Otero Dance Company present “Latin Passion,” an 8 p.m. performance featuring the three most popular Latin dances –– tango, gaucho and salsa –– with an international cast. The $38 ticket price includes food, drinks and dancing until 2 a.m.

Con Sabor A Tango is located at 1368 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena.

Call (818) 968-2500 or visit consabor-atango.com.

A CELEBRATION OF HEALTH Nov. 6 — The first annual Glendale Health Festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pacific Community Center, offers free medical screenings and community education on high blood pressure, obesity, proper nutrition, cancer awareness, diabetes, heart disease, bone health and more. Breast and cervical cancer screening will be available, and a multi-lingual staff will be on hand. Free food and family-friendly entertainment are also planned.

The Pacific Community Center is located at 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale. Call (818) 980-7777 or email aamsc.com.

A FESTIVAL AND BUFFET AT DESCANSO Nov. 6 and 7 — The Japanese Garden Festival at Descanso Gardens celebrates the arts, crafts and culture of Japan from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The event includes a performance

by Japanese taiko drummers (pictured), and Japanese food will be available for purchase. Free with Descanso admission.

Nov. 25 — Descanso celebrates Thanksgiving with a buffet from Patina Catering, with seatings at noon and 2 p.m. The meal includes turkey and all the trimmings. The cost is $45, $37 for members and $17 for children ages 4 to 12. Lunch is free for children ages 3 and under.

Call Patina at (818) 790-3663 for reservations, which are required.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. For information, call (818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.

Christmas Light Displays Home • Retail • Commercial Liability & WC Insurance Provided

COMEDY FOR A CAUSE Nov. 7 — “Fritz Coleman Comedy Night” at 7 p.m., benefiting the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, features the TV weatherman along with four other comedians at the Glendale Centre Theatre. Regular tickets cost $25; VIP tickets, which include dinner at Glendale’s Phoenicia Restaurant from 5 to 7 p.m., cost $50.

The Glendale Centre Theatre is located at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. Call (818) 243-3121 or visit arcglendale.org.

We also decorate Weddings, Parties and Special Events with festive lighting!

626.890.6102 www.TheChristmasLightPros.com

A FRENCH CONNECTION AT DISNEY HALL Nov. 7 — The Los Angeles Master Chorale, directed by Music Director Grant Gershon, presents “French Connections,” an all-French a cappella program, at 7 p.m. The evening features seldom-performed works from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including Duruflé’s “Four Motets on Gregorian Themes,” Josquin’s “Missa Beata Virgine,” 16thcentury French chansons by Janequin and “Trois Chansons” by Ravel. Ticket prices range from $19 to $124. Student rush tickets cost $10 and are available at the box office two hours before the performance.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Call (213) 972-7282 or visit lamc.org.

Your Dream Home NOW!

ARTISANS AND AUTHORS SHOWCASED Nov. 7 — The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center presents an artisan boutique and author showcase from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m, featuring the talents of temple members.

Works for sale include jewelry, woodworking, needlepoint, tallitot, Judaic art prints and more. In addition, authors will read from their latest works, which will be available for purchase. Proceeds benefit charitable groups supported by the PJTC Sisterhood.

The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center is located at 1434 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena.

Call (626) 798-1161 or visit pjtc.net.

MUSIC AT THE COURT

PHOTO: Courtesy of Boston Court (Billy Cunliffe)

Nov. 5 –– The Norton Simon Museum is scheduled to display an early work of the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael –– The Small Cowper Madonna (c.1505), on loan through Jan. 24 from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The piece, made during his brief stay in Florence (1504–08), is one of only a dozen Raphaels in U.S. collections. On Nov. 6, Linda Wolk-Simon, a curator for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, will discuss “From Urbino to Eternity: Raphael, Prince of Painters” at 4 p.m.

The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.

Call (626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of the Huntington Library (Diana the Huntress by Antonio Montauti); Michael Burke (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra); National Gallery of Art, Washington (Raphael's The Small Cowper Madonna)

RAPHAEL ON LOAN

Nov. 6 — The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents an installment of its Discover series with “Discover Beethoven 7,” a musical exploration of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, at 8 p.m. at the Ambassador Auditorium. Conductor Jeffrey Kahane, also the featured piano soloist, serves as the musical tour guide for the evening. Ticket prices range from $20 to $100.

The Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena.

Call (213) 622-7001, ext. 215, or visit laco.org.

Spectacular Outdoor

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center’s 2010 Fall Music Series closes its season on a high note with a trio of performances: Nov. 12 — Grammy-nominated composer, arranger and jazz pianist Bill Cunliffe (pictured) performs his innovative, swinging songs in a return engagement.

Nov. 13 — Music by the flute and piano duet of Robert Thies and Damjan Krajacic blends classical, jazz, Cuban, Brazilian and Eastern European influences.

Nov. 15 — The Brasil Guitar Duo performs traditional and Brazilian works, reflecting the influence of both classical and world music.

Performances start at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $25 and are available online or by telephone.

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center is located at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.

Call (626) 683-6883 or visit bostoncourt.com.

GOING UPTOWN AT PASADENA PLAYHOUSE Nov. 16 — Leslie Uggams: Uptown Downtown opens at the Pasadena Playhouse.

The vocalist illustrates her professional travels in stories and song from uptown to downtown, from the Apollo Theater to Broadway and from Mitch Miller to Roots.

—CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

Specializing in Remodeling & New Construction Custom Cabinetry Tile, Carpet, Wood and Ceramic Indoor & Outdoor Painting 31 Years of Professional Experience DAN MIKOLASKO CONSTRUCTION, INC. 626-338-0244 • www.dmchomeimprovements.com ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 49

WARNING!

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS

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A SWEET PERFORMANCE Nov. 26 — The two-person play Sweet Mama String Bean, performed by ValLimar Jansen and Frank Jansen, returns to the Fremont Centre Theatre. The play tells the story of legendary blues singer Ethel Waters, who rose from life on the streets to stardom on radio, TV and Broadway and in feature films. ValLimar Jansen portrays Waters, accompanied by her husband and musical director, Frank Jansen. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays, Dec. 2–5, Dec. 9–12, and 16–19, plus Dec. 31.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Admission costs $30, except Thursday performances ($15). The Dec. 31 show includes dinner, wine, party favors, live music from the Sweet Mama String Bean Combo and a Champagne toast. New Year’s Eve tickets cost $80 until Dec. 5, $95 thereafter.

The Fremont Centre Theatre is located at 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena.

Call (866) 811-4111 or visit fremontcentretheatre.com for reservations.

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49

Previews begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with opening night at 8 p.m. Nov. 19. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, at 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m.

Sundays through Dec. 12; check the website for Wednesday matinees. Ticket prices range from $39 to $69.

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-PLAY or visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.

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50 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

Nov. 21 — “Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff” opens and continues through March 20, displaying the late Pasadena resident’s early ceramic works and his later paintings. Bischoff gained early fame as a china decorator after migrating from Austria to New York, where he founded the Bischoff School of Ceramic Art. After settling in Pasadena in 1906, he turned to landscape paintings in the plein air style. The exhibition is guest curated by Jean Stern, executive director of the Irvine Museum.

The Pasadena Museum of California Art is located at 490 E. Union St., Pasadena.

Call (626) 568-3665 or visit pmcaonline.org. AM

PHOTOS: Robert Whitehead (Sweet Mama String Bean); courtesy of Pasadena Museum of California Art (“Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff”)

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DINING

As Time Goes By THE RAYMOND RESTAURANT, ON THE SITE OF A 19THCENTURY HOTEL, IS UNDERGOING YET ANOTHER METAMORPHOSIS, INTO A SOPHISTICATED DESTINATION FOR DISCRIMINATING FOODIES.

BY BRADLEY TUCK

1

“NOTHING ENDURES BUT CHANGE,” HERACLITUS SAID SOME 2,500 YEARS AGO. IT’S A THEME THAT HAS BEEN CONTEMPLATED BY DOZENS OF THE GREATEST MINDS SINCE, AND IT SPRINGS TO MIND AS ONE ENTERS THE RAYMOND RESTAURANT ON FAIR OAKS AVENUE. Looking at the little Craftsman bungalow hunkered down in a hollow next to a busy stretch of road, it’s hard to imagine

2

the grand Raymond Hotel that stood on the site from 1886 to 1895, until it burnt to the ground in a conflagration that lasted

1. Beet salad 2. The Raymond Restaurant 3. Steak and roasted root vegetables 4. Scallop with trumpet mushroom

3

just 40 minutes.

An even grander structure, thankfully more fireproof than the first, was erected in 1903 and survived until 1934, only to succumb to the travails of the

The Raymond Restaurant 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena (626) 441-3136, Theraymond.com Dinner entrées: $24 to $39

Great Depression, when it went into foreclosure and was razed to make way

pace along Fair Oaks, and the little cottage bears witness to the progress that

Tuesday through Thursday: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m.

comes to most places, like it or not.

Bar: Tuesday through Sunday, 4:30 p.m. to close

for housing development. The structure that houses The Raymond Restaurant was once the hotel caretaker’s cottage. Now traffic streams past it at a fair

On a recent Saturday night, the crowd was definitely a mixed bag, with

As for its home turf, Pasadena has a reputation, somewhat deserved, for being a bit conservative when it comes to restaurants. It’s a shackle that has

older patrons who were clearly very familiar with the layout, and some young cou-

slowly been shaken off elsewhere in town, with some interesting market-driven

ples on dates. The dining room itself looks a little staid, and it would be nice if it got

menus being offered at places like Dish Bistro and Elements Kitchen. And under

to unbutton a bit in the makeover, but it’s welcoming and comfortable as it is. The

Executive Chef Tim Guiltinan and new General Manager Chris Mangandi, The

service is also friendly, with none of the stuffiness one might expect from a 35-year-

Raymond is about to take off its spectacles, shake out its hair and give diners a

old fine dining establishment.

come hither look.

Guiltinan has been stirring things up on the food front since arriving from

PHOTO: Emily Sandor Photography (Raymond exterior)

4

Guiltinan is a big fan of seafood who has been trying to wean the clientele away from meat and potatoes since taking over. He’s doing a great job of it. With suppliers

Costa Mesa’s Café Rouge in October 2008. Mangandi came in 2009, bringing his

in the Northwest sending him super-fresh fish, he’s able to offer some dazzling

vision for a younger, livelier restaurant, which inspired even more dramatic changes

sashimi. It’s on the menu as a starter and was as clean and silky as it gets. A side of

to the menu. And now, at Mangandi’s behest, the small bar at The Raymond is

gorgeous salad leaves, as crisp as if they’d just been pulled from the garden, was

about to get a new lease on life in the capable hands of innovative bartenders

dressed with olive oil, lemon and smoked salt. So simple. It’s an ingredients-driven

Aiden Demerest and Marcos Tello and their consulting company, Liquid Assets. The

menu. Tiny grilled baby octopuses were perched on tarragon-infused chunks of can-

Raymond has long been known for an encyclopedic wine list that appeals to its

taloupe, along with hearts of palm, a lovely item you don’t see too often. An entrée

older core clients. By bringing in Demerest and Tello, who between them have per-

of Alaskan halibut with Venus clams, anise and garlic was crisped beautifully and sat

formed lauded alchemy at Seven Grand, The Edison and The Varnish, the hope is

in a robust chorizo and piquillo pepper broth. The thing that rings consistently

that a younger, cocktail-savvy crowd will discover the bar. Along with the new liba-

through Guiltinan’s cooking, whether it’s a simple salad or a Peking duck, is clarity. In

tions, a remodel is in the pipeline, with plans to tear down a wall and open up the

both presentation and flavor, there isn’t any extraneous “noise” to dull his message.

space to the beautiful wisteria-shaded patio beyond. A new name, 1886, will mark

It will be very interesting to go back to The Raymond once this latest meta-

it as a destination in its own right, a place where drinkers can gather in the balmy

morphosis takes place. Change is a good thing, by and large, and the little bunga-

nighttime air long after the kitchen closes.

low will have a new set of stories to tell. AM ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 51

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A R R O Y O

Wine Country: Ugo’s Café in Sierra Madre TASTEFULLY ARRANGED MARRIAGES OF FOOD AND WINE

BY DAN O’HERON While the wine list displays growing sophistication, the restaurant remains so warmly charming that every guest feels at home. Sometimes a table of guests could be seen swirling snifters of 2004 Terravino Brunello di Montalcino, D.O.C.G. In elevating their heads to admire its deep ruby hues, it’s not that they are snooty – it’s part of their appreciation that Ugo’s owners, Cesare and Sherry Grossi have brought them this great red.

Made from the Sangiovese grape, one of the top two red grapes (the other being Nebbiolo) in Italy, aged four years, much of that time in wooden barrels, it is regarded as one of Italy’s best, and most powerful wines.

More than power, the Grossi’s are more interested in the delicacies of matchmaking.

They set out to prove that when ideal reciprocal flavors of food and wine are brought together, the two combine for more delicious taste perceptions than either alone could provide.

By no accident, Sangiovese is the dominant grape in Villa Sopita, Puglia, Italian red. It provides a dandy drinking buddy for Ugo’s famous penne paste, a dish loaded with a thick, full-bodied Bolognese meat sauce created from a recipe handed down to Cesare in Rome from his mother, Palmira.

To accompany filet mignon, the choice is a Jinetes 2006, UGO’S CAFÉ 74 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Mendocino, Syrah created by top jockeys Mike Smith and Alex Solis and trainer Tom Lenner. Layered with blackberSierra Madre ries, plums and cloves, the mix gallops with the aplomb of (626) 836-5700 ugoscafe.com a show horse.

For Ugo’s popular lasagne — strata of succulent semolina and three great cheeses, enriched by Palmira ’s Bolognese sauce – a good match would be a full-bodied, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon like Robert Mondavi 2006, with its nick of thyme and cinnamon.

Beyond the inspired romancing of food and wine, it’s also a very good year at Ugo’s for entertainment, with a classical guitarist playing on Friday and Saturday. ■

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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

Sure, you have pie every year. But have you been using it correctly? Pie is your counterinsurgency plan against Thanksgiving’s full-frontal attack of football-induced high testosterone levels, self-centered teenagers and the random frustration that often accompanies your more lubricated guests.

Is Grandpa telling his stupid jokes again? A big slice of sweet potato pie will plug that hole. Cousin Ethel still boasting about her mediocre offspring? Distract her with a slice of chocolate pecan. Can’t get your kids off Facebook? A wedge of key lime should do the trick.

The power of pie is mysterious. Sure, it’s folksy, down home and reminds you of

World Piece TRY THIS RECIPE FOR A HARMONIOUS HOLIDAY.

your mom. (Or the mom you are supposed to have, with a gingham apron, housecoat and pin curls — not the one heading off to Pilates with her Louis Vuitton gym bag.) But pie has something else. Like baby bunnies or a man in a dress, pie magically induces smiling. (Together, the three form the Axis of Mirth.)

And pie is the great equalizer. It is hard to be snooty, or bully someone, with a hunk of lattice-topped boysenberry on your fork. We should deploy a boatload of pie with the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces as they administer calm and concord in Congo. And imagine for a moment the possibilities if Hillary brought pie to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Perhaps shoofly? I’m for sure going to send Al-Qaeda some hot apple pie topped with melted New York white cheddar. A country with the freedom to combine sweet and savory in such an ingenious way can’t be all bad.

Yep, 10 years from now, when we live in a world without airport X-ray scanners,

BY LESLIE BILDERBACK PHOTOS BY TERI LYN FISHER

you’ll have pie to thank. And from that time forward, all art and literature will be dedicated to the celebration of pie: Pie-ku Flaky, juicy, warm Wedge of possibilities

For this Thanksgiving, I have vowed not to write yet

Sweet hope on a fork Imagine: world peace of pie.

another article about the perfect turkey. Nor will I

But until then, we just need to keep eating it. While I prefer my pie homemade, I’ll eat store-bought pie when the conditions are right. In my experience (which is

opine on the great side-dish-you-never-thought-of

ample), the good pie places all share a certain ambience: They are throwback diners with booths and nary a tablecloth in sight. There is at least one surly waitress and a

that will forever elevate your status as a cook. For

Mike Hammer type at the counter (doubtless washing down a slice with a cup o' joe before drillin’ some dope peddler full of lead). The best pie I ever had was in such a

those articles, feel free to reference any periodical

place: a diner in Cherokee, Oklahoma. Most of the food was iffy. I am pretty sure my tuna melt was seasoned with cigarette ashes. But the amazing lemon meringue

printed during the past 70 Novembers.

I do sympathize with you, though, as you brace for another season as endurance cook, argument arbiter and family cruise director. (See, just thinking about it has sent

finale was ample compensation. (When you live in Cherokee, Oklahoma, you have time to perfect such things.)

There are plenty of great places where you (and the Pilates mom) can get pie in

your pulse racing.) On Thanksgiving, even though we are supposed to bask in the

L.A. Lots of folks swear by places like Du-par’s or The Apple Pan. But if I’m in the

warm glow of family togetherness, conflict is inevitable. Heck, it’s a part of our her-

market for pie, I am going to look for a place with “pie” in the name. That’s just good

itage. The first Thanksgiving was not a big-buckled, feather-headdressed love fest.

pie sense.

The pilgrims came to the New World pitifully unprepared to live off the land. They took

The House of Pies is a safe bet. Just ask any cop. Or screenwriter. Formerly a

the Indians’ generous handouts and thanked them later with a massacre and a cere-

huge chain of A-frame family restaurants, there are only a few left. Luckily for us, one

monious display of the chief’s head on a pike. (Yeah, they leave that part out in fourth

is at Franklin and Vermont in Los Feliz. It’s open 24 hours, but all the good pie eatin’

grade.) And every November since, be it by annoyance or emotional blitzkrieg, our

happens between 2 and 5 a.m., when the pie comes with freak show à la mode.

patience has been tested on the fourth Thursday.

If you prefer to savor your pie in a tamer environment, then head to Pasadena’s

But never fear. I have a secret weapon.

Pie ’n Burger at California Boulevard and Lake Avenue. I think it’s the best pie in

Pie.

town and apparently so do they — you notice it’s not called Burger ’n Pie. That’s

Yes, America, pie is the answer. It is the culinary equivalent of Zoloft. A bad

bold pie confidence, my friends. You should feel free to order it that way too. First

mood is simply not possible when you’re staring at puffy golden crust with berry

pie, then burger. Or maybe just more pie. AM

juices bubbling through flaky strips of dough, or billowing clouds of meringue floating on a tangy bed of lemon sunshine. Four out of five doctors agree that unhappiness is

Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker, chef, cookbook author and lead pastry

a physical impossibility for anyone confronted with mountains of whipped cream dol-

instructor at École de Cuisine Pasadena. A South Pasadena resident, she teaches her

loped atop a black-bottom stratum of chocolate cream.

techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com.

54 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

BASIC PIE DOUGH PRIMER Making piecrust is one of those challenging activities that people dread, like math and public speaking. The following recipe is a step-by-step primer. To follow a recipe properly, you should read it first, before you start cooking. Don’t think that just because you've been cooking for 30 years that you know what’s what. If you don’t read it, the phone will ring or someone will ask you for a favor, and you will get sidetracked. Then you will forget what you have measured or miss a step or realize you don’t have an ingredient. When that happens, don’t blame me. Chalk it up to user error.

Makes enough dough for 3 (8-inch) circles INGREDIENTS ½ cup ice water 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced and chilled 4 ounces (¼ block) lard, diced and chilled (or another 4 ounces of butter if you are a vegetarian)

METHOD 1. Combine water and vinegar, and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar and mix well. Add diced butter and lard, and cut in until a coarse, crumby texture is achieved.

“Cutting in” means you break the fat into small pieces by literally cutting. Use fingertips or a pastry blender if you’re slow. Be sure not to work the butter too much, and make sure the fat is very cold because that makes it easier to work with. Little chunks of fat, about pea-size, are needed for flakiness. In the oven, the fat’s moisture creates steam, raising little pockets in the dough. This is flakiness. If you end up creaming the fat and flour into a paste, you will not have flakes and the dough will be very tough.

2. Add half the liquid, and stir with a fork to moisten.

Don't get clever and use a whisk or a wooden spoon. The fork doesn't overwork the dough, and it’s much easier to clean.

And add just enough additional liquid to hold the dough together. It should be dry and never sticky.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, using a plastic scraper or big rubber spatula, fold the dough over onto itself 6 to 8 times, until it begins to hold together as a single mass.

6. Transfer dough circle to a pie pan by rolling it up onto the pin or folding it in half. Place the lined pie shells in the refrigerator while rolling out remaining dough and preparing filling.

7. To crimp the edge of a single crust pie shell, start by trimming the dough an inch beyond the edge of the pan.

Scissors make this job a snap.

This is not kneading but a gentle pressing of the dough.

4. When it forms a single mass, form it into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Overnight is better.

The dough should look marbled, with visible patches of butter and flour. Dough can be refrigerated for 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. If you skip this step, you'll be sorry. The fat needs time to resolidify, and the flour must have time to absorb the liquid. Unchilled dough is next to impossible to roll out.

5. To roll out dough, divide evenly into 3 pieces. Work with only one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough refrigerated.

Never try to roll out the entire recipe. It’s more than you need and will just frustrate you.

Knead the dough briefly to soften, and form it into a disc. Place on a floured surface and, with a dowel-style rolling pin, roll over the center of the dough in one direction. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll over the center again. Turn again, and repeat this pattern until the dough is an 8-inch circle.

This is an important point. Turning the dough in this manner keeps it round and alerts you right away if it starts sticking to the counter. Spread flour underneath as necessary to prevent sticking.

Work quickly to prevent the dough from warming up. If necessary, take a break and rechill the dough for a few minutes.

A dowel-style pin is better for this small-scale rolling. Pins with handles exert more leveraged pressure than is necessary here and can easily make the dough too thin.

Roll the edge of the dough under itself all the way around, then pinch it tightly, until it is the thickness of a single layer of dough. The fluted edge can be achieved by pinching with two fingers from the outer edge while simultaneously pressing with one finger from the inner edge.

The edge can also be pressed with a fork or spoon.

Crimp a double crust the same way, but the filling must go in first and the two crusts must be trimmed, folded and crimped together.

Care should be taken here to press the two doughs together as thin as possible. If the rim is more than ¼-inch thick, the center will be raw and doughy.

8. Fill the shells according to your pie recipe, then freeze solid before baking. Blind-baked shells (pre-baked, with no filling) should be frozen, then baked with a fake filling of dried beans or raw rice. (Line shell first with foil.)

Frozen dough holds its crimped shape. If the dough is room temperature, the oven will melt the fat before the proteins can solidify and cause the decorative edges to shrink and flatten.

9. Pies usually bake at 350˚ until golden brown at the edges. Fruit fillings should be bubbly, and custards should be set. You may need to adjust time and temperature, or tent with foil, to suit your recipe and your oven.

ARROYO ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ 55

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“For Gifts You Love To Give” 58 ~ NOVEMBER 2010 ~ ARROYO

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