Arroyo Monthly January 2008

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M O N T H L Y JANUARY 2008

Citrus Palooza Start the year off with a tang

Freaks & Geeks

A journey into the heart — and mind — of Pasadena

Novelist Stephen J. Cannell Hits Lucky Number 13

Carnegie Observatories Pasadena’s astronomical wallflower comes out


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ARROYO VOLUME 4 ~ NUMBER 1

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M O N T H LY

8 CULTURE “On the Trail of Freaks & Geeks”: A journey into the heart – and mind – of “creative Pasadena” –By Jenine Baines

22 THE COSMOS “Through a Glass Darkly”: The race for the world’s biggest telescope is heating up in Pasadena. CalTech is one front in the quest, but there’s another global contender you may not know about. –By Brenda Rees

28 BOOKS “Mystery Man”: Bestselling author Stephen J. Cannell hits likely lucky number 13 in his succession of crime novels. –By Carl Kozlowski

22 DÉJA VU “Flights of Fancy”: South Pasadena’s Cawston Ostrich Farm bred the earthbound birds for aficionados of fashion and fantasy. –By Rick Thomas

DEPARTMENTS 6 FESTIVITIES Five Acres, Scissors Paper Rock Hair Salon, Prospect Park Books

36 THE ART OF SCIENCE The Rhodes less traveled 45 COMMUNITY Petting zoo story 49 THE LIST The China National Opera, South Pasadena Music Guild, Pasadena Museum of History

53 KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Citrus palooza 54 TASTE TEST Surrendering to Strong hands at the Dining Room ABOUT THE COVER: Photograph by CM Hardt ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 3


E D I TO R’ S N OT E

Passion combined with experience results in perfection. For over

re you a freak or a geek? If you live in Pasadena, chances are you’re one or the other, and now you have a secret society to call your own. Postcards declaring the existence of Freaks & Geeks began cropping up around town a couple of months ago, with a website address (www.freaksandgeekspasadena.org) as the only clue to authorship. The site wasn’t much more forthcoming about who was behind this and what they had up their sleeve. Jenine Baines sniffed around town to solve the mystery and, in the process, encountered the very essence of Pasadena, home to some of the country’s most creative minds. One of them is Pasadena native Stephen J. Cannell, who has built two entertainment empires out of pure imagination, first as a television producer and now as a bestselling mystery novelist. Carl Kozlowski found out how Cannell keeps it all fresh, just as “Three Shirt Deal” (St. Martin’s Press), his 13th book and latest Shane Scully mystery, hits bookstores this month. On the super-geek side of the equation is the Observatories of the Carnegie Institute of Washington. The what, you say? Just a global leader in space research, which is building a telescope larger than any currently in existence. Brenda Rees takes a closer look. Finally, we showcase one city’s fine-feathered past, with an excerpt from Arcadia Publishing’s “South Pasadena’s Ostrich Farm” by Rick Thomas. Many of the book’s fabulous photos come courtesy of the South Pasadena Public Library, home to one of the area’s priceless photo archives. The library’s riches parallel those of the grande dame of local archives, the Pasadena Museum of History, source of the photos and drawings of the remarkable Moorish Fényes home that appeared here in November. –Irene Lacher

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ARROYO MONTHLY EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher PRODUCTION MANAGER Yvonne Guerrero ART DIRECTOR Joel Vendette • ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Piechowski CONTROLLER Michael Nagami • HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker OFFICE MANAGER Joe Beauvais CONTRIBUTORS Jenine Baines, Joe Beauvais, Jake Belcher, André Coleman, Steve Coulter, Bob Ecker, Mandalit del Barco, Noela Hueso, Carl Kozlowski, Brenda Rees, Arlene Schindler, Kirk Silsbee, John Sollenberger COPY EDITOR John Seeley PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Germana, Christopher Rainone, Evans Vestal Ward ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Marc Andonie, Fred Bankston, Dana Bonner, Hilary Chen, Gladys Campanile Andrea Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Guzman, Leslie Lamm, Rochelle Reiff, Cynthia Wagner, Noelle Watkins ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Maricela Estrada, Carla Marroquin TRAFFIC MANAGER Jake Belcher • jakeb@pasadenaweekly.com ACCOUNTING SUPERVISOR Angela Wang ACCOUNTING Archie Iskaq, Tracy Lowe, Ginger Wang PUBLISHER Jon Guynn

CONTACT US ADVERTISING publisher@arroyomonthly.com • EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 • FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105 www.ArroyoMonthly.com ©2007 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

4 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO


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festivities LOS ANGELES OPERA FOLK AND THE 2008 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES QUEEN and her courtiers were among the many supporters who dropped in at Five Acres’ holiday open house on Dec. 6. The festivities at the treatment center for abused and at-risk children included a choral performance by kids in residence who work with the opera’s community outreach staff throughout the year. The children’s creativity was also spotlighted during the unveiling of an outdoor wall mosaic, which they 4 created and named “5 Acres Beach” under the guidance of folk and glass artist Leigh Adams of Altadena. Southern California Edison officials presented the center with $10,000 to benefit its volunteer- tutor reading-therapy program.

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1. LA Opera’s Michal Connor and Karen Hogle; 2. Bob Ketch, Five Acres’ executive director, and Wesley Tanaka, public affairs director for SoCal Edison; 3. LA Opera’s Michal Connor conducts singers at Five Acres; 4. Members of the 2008 Rose Queen’s Court

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SCISSORS PAPER ROCK HAIR SALON OWNER YOLANDE CARSON CELEBRATED A BOUNTIFUL FIRST YEAR in business by hosting a holiday party at her Pasadena shop on Dec. 9, benefiting two local charities. Carson served tamales and champagne to several dozen friends and clients, who donated enough money, toiletries, clothing, toys and books to fill a pickup truck. The gifts will benefit Casa Maria (which provides transitional housing to homeless women and children) and Choices (a day-care and outpatient program for 3 mothers who are substance abusers and their children). Among the guests was Al Sorkin, executive director of URDC Human Services Corp., the parent nonprofit that oversees both programs. “I had a really great year, and I thought I needed to give back. This is a nice, little community,” says Carson, who lives near her 1864 No. Allen Ave. salon. “We just try to support each other, and it was a personal goal of mine to try and make a difference.”

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1. Curt and Yolande Carson; 2. Yolande Carson and the salon team; 3. Al Sorkin


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C U LT U R E

On the Trail of Freaks & Geeks A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART—AND MIND—OF “CREATIVE PASADENA” BY JENINE BAINES

ALTHOUGH I’VE LONG IDENTIFIED AS A WRITER, THE PROSPECT OF BECOMING AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER WAS A BIT MORE DAUNTING. SO WHEN MY EDITOR ASKED ME TO TRACK DOWN THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR A WEBSITE THAT APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE A FEW MONTHS AGO TO AMUSE MANY, RAISE THE HACKLES OF A FEW AND INTRIGUE MOST, I WASN’T SURE I HAD THE INVESTIGATIVE CHOPS TO FULFILL THE ASSIGNMENT. BUT AS THE AMERICAN POET JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL ONCE WROTE, “NOT FAILURE BUT LOW AIM IS CRIME.” I GOT TO WORK. Obviously, the first place to start was the website itself : www.freaksandgeekspasadena.org. The home page declares the existence of “Freaks & Geeks: Creative Pasadena.” I clicked to enter and found this: “Only in Pasadena is there such a great collection of artists and scientists...We’re picking up the ball where Da Vinci dropped it.” Exactly how the site’s authors were going to accomplish that was left a mystery, as were their identities. But one fact was certain: Visitors could cough up $16.99 for a Freaks & Geeks T-shirt. Now Cambridge, Massachusetts; Oxford, England; New York and Los Angeles might quarrel with the website’s opening line, but you have to admire its brio. After all, a city whose environs include eight major art institutions, two museums of history, two architectural meccas, five colleges and universities, eight musical organizations, three dance troupes and three theater companies has as much right as anyplace to declare itself headquarters of “a neo-Renaissance,” as the site proclaims. 8 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

Nor is this a recent phenomenon. Pasadena has long been home to renowned freaks, such as the tile artist Ernest Batchelder and architects Charles and Henry Greene, as well as revered geeks, including astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble and Albert Einstein. Nevertheless, I did wonder why the site’s designers chose that particular title. “Freak” and “geek” are not exactly reverential terms; how would Pasadena’s artists and scientists respond to such designations? The site’s authors seemed to anticipate such concerns, taking care to define a freak as “someone intuitive and right-brained, artistic and musical, a creative nonconformist who sees and shapes the world differently.” Similarly, a geek is “someone fascinated by knowledge and imagination, a left-brained person creatively and passionately pursuing the far edges of technology and science.” On an impulse, I hit “contact” and typed, “Who are you people?”


“In the Dermisphere,” an exhibition on the art and science of skin, featured figure-based art along with artifacts from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Installed in the Williamson Gallery, Art Center College of Design. Photo: Vahe Alaverdian. Right: Freaks & Geeks logo

“We refer to ourselves as a meme,” info@freaksandgeekspasadena.org replied inscrutably. According to wikipedia, a meme “constitutes a theoretical unit of cultural information, the building block of cultural evolution or diffusion that propagates from one mind to another analogously to the way in which a gene propagates from one organism to another...” I read further, eventually finding an example that clarified what info@ was getting at: “A short story written by Mark Twain…describes his encounter with a jingle so ‘catchy’ that it plays over and over in his mind until he finally sings it out loud and infects others.” I emailed Tom O’Connor, the executive director of the Pasadena Symphony, a venerable institution of freaky types, to see if he’d been “infected.”“Have you heard of freaks and geeks?”

“This thing still lives?” Tom typed back. “It’s a hot potato at CalTech.” Indeed, it was. “While we certainly have a sense of humor and can appreciate a clever joke, Freaks & Geeks seems to be a joke at the expense of Pasadena’s most productive and respected citizens,” Jill Perry, the school’s director of media relations, told me. I have friends at CalTech. I’m married to a CalTech employee. If F&G was “implying that artists and scientists are not like regular citizens...they are like circus performers...different from you and me...people you point at and are repulsed by,” as Perry claimed, I wanted to expose it. Instead, I found this: “Whether it’s a fifth symphony or a Mars rover,” the site says in a manifesto, “there’s a higher level of understanding that we’re all trying to get to.” Ultimately, I learned that the problem stemmed from a F&G video presentation developed by the Agency, students at Art Center College of Design who create advertising campaigns for corporate clients. The Agency had been asked by the Pasadena Arts Council to design a hypothetical campaign promoting Pasadena – home to both artists and scientists – as a uniquely creative place, a sort of 21st century version of Renaissance Florence. The video was for discussion only, created to provide a thought-provoking program for one of the council’s monthly luncheons for cultural leaders in March. From the beginning, F&G belonged to no one organization and had no budget. It had only a marketing plan and a quiz designed to separate the freaks from the geeks (see page 11) — which later morphed into the website — as well as a promotional video featurnig interviews with students at Art Center and CalTech, responding to the question: “Which are you – a freak or a geek?” “Everyone was laughing at parts of the video, and CalTech took this as laughing at the kids from CalTech,” says a cultural leader who attended the lunch and asked for anonymity. “The Freaks & Geeks concept was developed, in part, to engage younger members of the Pasadena community in the discussion,” says Terry LeMoncheck, executive director of the Pasadena Arts Council. “The intent was to be relevant and meaningful, never mean-spirited.” Postcards bearing Freaks & Geeks’ logo, manifesto and website began popping up around town in October. On a whim, I Googled “geek.” It didn’t take long to discover that the term geek had often been coupled with CalTech in the past, long before the birth of F&G. An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education refers to the institution as a “Paradise for Geeks,” while WIRED magazine hails Michael Brown, a CalTech astronomy professor, as one of the “ten sexiest geeks” of 2006. And CalTech itself has been known to jump on the geek bandwagon. A quarterly publication, E&S: Engineering & Science, described public-radio personality and alumna Sandra Tsing Loh as having “come to terms with her inner geek.” Can “‘funny’ and ‘science’ be used in the same sentence?” the article asks. “CalTech and public radio think so,” it concludes – supporting Perry’s contention that the institu—Continued on page 11 ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 9


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C U LT U R E —continued from page 9

tion can appreciate a good joke. Undoubtedly, “anonymous” had it right: it was the video that disturbed CalTech, not the geek concept itself. Just to make sure, I ran the site by my favorite geek, a research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “It doesn’t bother me,” my husband said. “But I only read the definition. I don’t have time to look at the whole site.” Fortunately, the freaks I found weren’t so harried. “I love the concept,” says the world-renowned mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, a Pasadena resident who grew up in Los Angeles. “I’m a hybrid freak myself. I find science dazzling.” Ted Bosley, executive director of the Gamble House, resonates to F&G’s manifesto. “It’s a fun, slightly irreverent and refreshingly unexpected way to think of Pasadena’s unique blend of science and art,” he says. “It feels like an idea that might evolve into a cultural identity for the city, which could extend beyond its borders.” This is already happening, albeit not because of F&G. One ad in the Pasadena Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s new marketing campaign – “Pasadena, Simply More” – features an eye-catching image of the planet Mars. Beneath it, a headline reads: “Simply More Space,” followed by copy promoting the ample size of the new convention center, opening in spring 2009. “These are works in progress,” cautions Nan Marchand, the bureau’s executive director. “But we have a modest advertising budget. We have to be clever to be heard.” Consequently, Marchand can appreciate F&G’s mission. “It’s perfect for the web,” she says. “Anything that will raise an eyebrow or invoke curiosity to break through the chatter of the Internet is a good thing. In fact, I would not be opposed to having the PCVB’s official visitor site linked to Freaks & Geeks.” “Some people may squirm at the words freak and geek,” adds Bosley. “But young people particularly, and the young at heart, will more likely feel its liberating message: that Pasadena is not, and has never been, the exclusive domain of the little old lady from the famous song.” Local watercolor artist Dana Marevich has no doubt that she is as much geek as freak. “While most visual artists say, ‘Oh, I’m so right-brained,’ they don’t realize that they use their left side for a lot of things,” Maravich says. “Perspective, for example, is very mathematical. If it’s incorrect, it throws the whole picture off.” Freakdom and geekdom can mesh only so much, however. Richard Davies, a recently retired JPL scientist who took up painting in the 1970s at the behest of his artist-wife Gwenda, believes that certain arts resonate more vividly with his fellow geeks than others. “I remember listening to my colleagues discuss the fine points of a Bach concerto for hours,” says Davies, whose drawing partner for many years was one of those exceptions: CalTech’s Richard Feynman, a Nobel Laureate in Physics. “Many scientists have great ears for music, but most, with a few wonderful exceptions, don’t have a great eye for visual art.” Jay Belloli, director of gallery programs at the Armory Center for the Arts, is not surprised by Davies’ comment. “Science is a very logical process. And there’s an extraordinary logic to Bach,” says Belloli, who will present an exhibition in late June exploring the legendary friendship between Feynman and painter and sculptor Jirayr Zorthian. The two would get together on Sundays and teach each other their respective disciplines. Although both Zorthian and Feynman have passed away – “I’m the last one left,” Davies says ruefully of “the clan” of Pasadena-based arts and sciences patrons and participants – Stephen Nowlin, director of the Williamson Gallery at Art Center College of Design, has taken the F&G manifesto to heart. Through his collaborations with science institutions throughout Pasadena, he has picked up where Zorthian and Feynman left off. Recent projects Nowlin has curated include “In the Dermisphere,” which explored the art and natural history of skin, and —Continued on page 21

ARE YOU A FREAK OR A GEEK? Answer these questions to see just what side of the brain you stand on! 1. The sun is: a) hot. b) a ball of combusting hydrogen and helium gas. c) yellow. d) a constant in an everchanging world where nothing is certain. 2. Light is to dark as: a) on is to off. b) matter is to anti-matter. c) this quiz is too stupid. d) enlightenment is to the absence of all meaning as you descend down into the black vacuum of your soul and it cries out for understanding. 3. A lab is for: a) walking in the park. b) conducting experiments that will change the way people view the world and elements in it. c) the acronym for the League of American Bicyclists. d) developing and processing the film of pictures that will expose the truth of the world.

4. This is: a) ummm...a circle? b) a symbol which can be defined in formulas ranging from 2πr to πr2. c) your mom. d) the black void of my heart which swallows up my pointless existence. 5. You have nine bags, each containing 1,000 coins and a regular weighing device. One of the bags contains false coins of 9 grams and the other contains true coins, which are 10 grams in weight. What is the MINIMUM number of times you have to use the scale to determine which bag has the false coins? a) Who carries cash anymore? b) Four, allowing for a weight/error margin of +/- .05 grams. c) You lost me at nine bags. d) Money is the Man’s way of keeping us compliant in a consumerdrivensociety, which rapes the land, exploits children and leaves us emotionally numb and spiritually void. If you answered all a’s, we think you’re late for a facial treatment. If you answered all c’s, you might want to get that condition checked out. If you answered all b’s, congratulations! You’re a GEEK! You should head down to Pasadena and check out a lecture at CalTech. It will blow your mind. If you answered all d’s, you’re lucky, too. You’re a FREAK! You’d love the museums, architecture, and artistic institutions that Pasadena has to offer. Answers all over the place? Great, you’re a hybrid FREAK & GEEK! Either way, come out of the darkroom of life’s routine and engage your heart and mind in Creative Pasadena! Quiz courtesy of www.freaksandgeekspasadena.org. ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 11


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Y O U R C A S T L E H O M E I M P R O V E M E N T D I R E C T O RY The Bath Connection makes shopping for a new bathroom an unexpected pleasure. With a huge selection and the friendliest staff in Pasadena, the Bath Connection is the perfect marriage of fixtures and service. Whether you are searching for a new sink, tub, toilet or faucets, there are styles to suit every taste, and the staff can help you make the all-important decisions that will send you home with a smile. Come in and see what your new bathroom could look like, at 2583 E. Colorado Blvd., in Pasadena, or call (626) 577-7015. Canada Tree Care - Formative pruning, reshaping, thinning, removal of dead and damaged branches, cable bracing, repair of storm-damaged trees, felling (skilled dismantling of awkward and dangerous trees), fruit tree and shrub pruning – If you’re a homeowner with a yard, you’re familiar with these terms, and if you aren’t, you should be. These are the services expertly performed by Certified Arborist Michael Barker at Canada Tree Care for his longtime customers. If you want healthy trees for years to come, or if you have experienced the trauma of having trees fall in your yard due to unforgiving weather, old age or disease, then please know that Canada Tree Care understands your needs and will take care of them with mastery and heart. Each season requires your trees to be maintained in some way, and why wait until they’re way

beyond improvement or repair? It couldn’t hurt to have Michael have a look at your beautiful trees with a FREE estimate. Call (818) 952-1078 and have a look at the complete list of services at www.canadatreecare.com. Carol Cobabe Design — With a philosophy of “good design resulting in the creation of harmony in one’s environment,” Carol’s goal is to enrich, inspire and instill feelings of comfort. With an extensive career since 1988, her disciplined usage of the basic elements of space, color, texture, light and nature succeeds in reflecting the unique style and purpose of each client. Carol’s work has been published in Designers West, Better Homes and Gardens, Window and Wall Ideas and F. Schumacher’s Classic Directions. 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. Craypo's Pool & Spa — We have been in the swimming pool business for more than 16 years. We understand all phases of construction and maintenance. We also understand that your yard is an extension of yourself and we will treat your project with the dedication and attention to detail you deserve. Call our office — (626) 355-6145 — to make an appointment. We look forward to making your backyard your own private oasis!

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Your newest alternative for purchasing FIXTURES, FURNISHING AND ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR BATHROOM NEEDS. Our friendly staff is standing by to provide you with reasonable pricing and excellent service.

Historic Lighting-Our long dedication to the Arts & Crafts revival has been inspired by the original Craftsman movement centered in the Pasadena area. Our showroom blends quality production home furnishings with representation of individual artisans. Our close relationships with noted local craftsmen allow us to offer individual pieces not readily available elsewhere. Lighting and interior design services are available. Working from architectural plans and photographs or actual site visits, we can assist clients with their Craftsman and Bungalow-style projects, both old and new. Historic Lighting is located at 114 E. Lemon Ave., Old Town Monrovia, (626) 303-4899. Nott and Associates is the “Design Build” father-and-son team of Tom and Jeffrey Nott. This family team specializes in custom homes in Pasadena and the greater Los Angeles region. Tom Nott studied architecture at the University of Southern California, and since then has worked on major projects throughout Southern California. His work spans decades and includes projects for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the L.A. Subway and countless commercial parks. Jeff began working in

—Continued Garage Garage

Randy Sandiforth Organization Consultant

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the field at age 12, graduated from UCSB and has worked with many well known designers in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, building custom homes. Together for 30 years, they have completed over 120 projects in South Pasadena alone. Nott and Associates provides complete design through construction services, caring for your vision and appreciating your budget. Visit www.NOTTASSOCIATES.com or call (626) 403-0844. Pashgian Brothers — To enter the gracious, two-story showroom of Pashgian Brothers is to enter the complete world of efficient contemporary resources, with the tradition of a “customer comes first” business. Pashgian Brothers was established in the United States in 1889, thus making it, legitimately, the oldest oriental rug company west of the Mississippi River. Their luxurious wares come from such countries as Iran, Pakistan, India, China and Afghanistan, to name a few. Also, because Pashgian Brothers own several factories around the world, they can custom-order rugs to your specifications,

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—Continued

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the field at age 12, graduated from UCSB and has worked with many well known designers in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, building custom homes. Together for 30 years, they have completed over 120 projects in South Pasadena alone. Nott and Associates provides complete design through construction services, caring for your vision and appreciating your budget. Visit www.NOTTASSOCIATES.com or call (626) 403-0844. Pashgian Brothers — To enter the gracious, two-story showroom of Pashgian Brothers is to enter the complete world of efficient contemporary resources, with the tradition of a “customer comes first” business. Pashgian Brothers was established in the United States in 1889, thus making it, legitimately, the oldest oriental rug company west of the Mississippi River. Their luxurious wares come from such countries as Iran, Pakistan, India, China and Afghanistan, to name a few. Also, because Pashgian Brothers own several factories around the world, they can custom-order rugs to your specifications,

from traditional and contemporary designs. Cleaning and repair of your treasures are also available. Designers and their clients are welcome. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon.Fri.; 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Sat.; and by appointment Sun. 993 E. Colorado Blvd. Call (626) 796-7888 or (323) 681-9253. Prime Building Materials is a family owned business that has been serving the Southern California building industry for over 20 years with pride and traditional values. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff work with homeowners, developers, landscape contractors, general contractors, designers and architects alike to achieve your exact goals, dreams and beyond. Our huge supply yard features acres of building materials for all phases of building and home improvement, with a specialty showroom featuring a host of interior and exterior products. From formal residential landscapes and masonry to large, track-home developments, Prime Building Materials can provide all the materials to create the perfect living environment. Call us for a free consultation or estimate on your

—Continued

residential remodeling and additions

Make Your Backyard An Oasis

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next project. Three locations to serve you: 7811 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood; and 11694 Sheldon St., Sun Valley; 2800 Teal Club Rd., Oxnard. Call (626) 284-2222.

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Roman Deco — We are direct importers of fine European furniture and accessories with 20 years of experience in sales and importing of exclusive, high-quality furniture and accessories from top manufacturers in Europe. We have a large selection of fine furniture, accessories, lighting, chandeliers, decorative objects and much more in stock. We pride ourselves on the customer care and service that we provide. We supply our clients with extensive home furnishing and decoration services, using the finest material available in the market. Call us at (323) 466-3304.

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next project. Three locations to serve you: 7811 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood; and 11694 Sheldon St., Sun Valley; 2800 Teal Club Rd., Oxnard. Call (626) 284-2222.

everything, you’ll be able to accomplish more, save time and enjoy life! Call Randy Sandiforth at (626) 403-9052 or e-mail rsandi4th@aol.com. Member: National Association of Professional Organizers.

Roman Deco — We are direct importers of fine European furniture and accessories with 20 years of experience in sales and importing of exclusive, high-quality furniture and accessories from top manufacturers in Europe. We have a large selection of fine furniture, accessories, lighting, chandeliers, decorative objects and much more in stock. We pride ourselves on the customer care and service that we provide. We supply our clients with extensive home furnishing and decoration services, using the finest material available in the market. Call us at (323) 466-3304.

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World Caravan — Enter this magnificent store and discover another world. World Caravan offers eclectic furniture and accessories from every corner of the globe. The choices are endless! Hand-knotted rugs and unique accent pieces are arranged in artful vignettes that make it easier to visualize. Reasonable prices. 170 S. Lake Ave. Call (626) 578-1137.

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Tom and Jeff have built beautiful homes in the San Gabriel Valley for over 30 years.

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C U LT U R E —continued from page 11

“EAR(th),” a sound installation with artist Steve Roden and geophysics science data from CalTech. “Thoughtful contemporary art mines its subjects for meaning, nuance and a sense of both the profound and the provocative,” says Nowlin, who is currently at work on “Observe,” a collaboration with NASA’s Spitzer Science Center at CalTech; the October 2008 show will present five large-scale works of art exploring where things come from and how they work. Indeed, it is good “Einstein’s Dilemma,” 2003: Artist Jennifer Steinkamp explored the old-fashioned “curiosity revolutionary and disturbing aspects of scientific discovery as part of the exhibition “Neuro,” a CalTech/Art Center collaboration. to find out stuff about Installed in the Athenaeum lobby, CalTech. the world” that links Photo: Steven A. Heller artists and scientists, says Pietro Perona, the director of the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering at CalTech. “Both disciplines reflect the pinnacle of western culture,” says Perona, who collaborated with Nowlin in 2003 to present “Neuro,” an exhibit where artists and scientists “met halfway” to create a new kind of expression. According to Albert Einstein, perhaps the ultimate geek, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” Yet while the outcomes from both scientific and artistic exploration can be beautiful, there is one key difference, says Perona: Science must be true; art can get away with being new, exciting or even simply shocking. “I think the difference lies in that fact that science, ultimately, tells us what we know about the world and the artistic disciplines tell us what we say about the world,” says Tom Coston, president of the Light Bringer Project. “But as our world advances, these disciplines are losing their formal boundaries. Many institutions are now creating fields of study that merge these endeavors with a whole new philosophical approach that blends and advances both.” But Rachael Worby, music director of the Pasadena POPS, is less concerned with who believes and creates what than with the creative process itself. “It’s part of being human,” says Worby. “I don’t think I’m more creative than my 8-year-old daughter. Just this morning, I watched her build a home out of a box while pretending she was a raccoon. She had such creative solutions to make that box a home, I was astonished.” As the maestra and I chat over a cup of coffee, I can’t help but think about how in sync she is with the writer Oscar Wilde, whose works remain as popular in the 21st century as in the 19th, when they were written. “The final mystery is oneself,” said Wilde, who certainly embraced his freakdom. More than 150 years later, Rachael Worby concurs, adding her own arpeggio to Wilde’s refrain. “When you think of great creative people, you have to include Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” she points out. “Those aren’t machines out there. One has to think creatively every moment of every day.” AM ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 21


THE COSMOS

Through a Glass Darkly THE RACE FOR THE WORLD’S BIGGEST TELESCOPE IS HEATING UP IN PASADENA. CALTECH IS ONE FRONT IN THE QUEST, BUT THERE’S ANOTHER GLOBAL CONTENDER YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT. BY BRENDA REES

Two telescopes larger than any currently in existence are quietly taking shape in Pasadena. One is under way at CalTech, which doubtless wouldn’t surprise observers familiar with the city’s supernovae of astronomical research—the university and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But neither can lay claim to the second project. That telescope’s creators labor for the third member of what is literally a stellar triumvirate in Pasadena—the Observatories of the Carnegie Institute of Washington. The Carnegie Observatories may keep a low profile on home turf, but the place is known around the world as one of the foremost research facilities investigating the cosmos. Its elite corps of astronomers, who have included Edwin Hubble, has been on the front lines of the quest to explore the heavens since 1904. And Carnegie stargazers, whose main offices sit on a residential street off Lake Avenue, are still kicking astronomy research up a notch with the construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope. After its scheduled completion in 2016, scientists hope it will help clarify the origin and evolution of planetary systems by documenting the formation of stars, galaxies and black holes. Carnegie is spearheading the project with seven universities and research facilities, which include Harvard, MIT and the Smithsonian Institution. With an aperture of 24.5 meters (80 feet), the telescope will produce images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. (The twin 10-meter Keck scopes in Hawaii are currently the world’s largest optical telescopes.) Carnegie’s new, $550 million device will be located near its other working telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory, located high in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Carnegie has been managing and operating Las Campanas since 1969. The remote location is prime real estate for cosmic snooping: dark, isolated skies, a dry climate and a very stable atmosphere: It’s similar to the environment surrounding the organization’s first venture, the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, before the skies were obscured by the growth of the population—and its annoying city lights. (Las Campanas became the Carnegie Observatories’ principal observation site in 1986, when the operations of the Mount Wilson Observatory were transferred to the Mount Wilson Institute, also in the Carnegie Institute’s bailiwick. Some insiders speculate that locals assumed the headquarters migrated south as well, accounting for Carnegie’s low profile in its own backyard.) Whether Carnegie’s telescope, also known as the GMT, will be the biggest telescope by the time it goes into operation remains to be seen; other scientific organizations are fast-tracking even larger scopes, including the whopping, 42-meter European Extremely Large Telescope, slated for completion in the next decade as well. 22 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

Just last month, CalTech and the University of California, along with the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, received a $200 million commitment toward the development and construction of a device even larger than Carnegie’s, the Thirty-Meter Telescope, also scheduled to start operations in 2016. Meanwhile, the massive undertaking to create the GMT has science circles buzzing. After all, according to Wendy Freedman, director of the Carnegie Observatories and chair of the GMT Board, “telescopes of this size are not ordered off the shelf. They are all literally made by hand. The whole process is pretty amazing.” Indeed, the GMT’s first mirror was made from 18 tons of borosilicate glass crushed from Floridian sand; it was finished in 2005 at the University of Arizona’s Mirror Laboratory, located beneath the bleachers of the school’s football field. The mirror was one of seven designed for the GMT, each 8.4 meters (about 27.5 feet) in diameter. The design is innovative: Six primary mirrors curve around a seventh at the center, like the petals of a flower. The giant mirrors reflect light toward a set of secondary mirrors above, which then redirects the beams down through a hole in the central mirror for data collection at the bottom. When completed, the GMT mirrors will be transported to Long Beach for the nearly 6,000-mile boat ride to their new Chilean home. “You can’t believe the elaborate cases which are being created for these mirrors,” says Freedman. “Trucks have to drive very slowly, and we’ve had to widen the road in places. [The mirrors] will not do us any good even the slightest bit cracked.” The GMT is not the only pending project for the Pasadena-based stargazers. Heading down to Chile in a few months is the newly designed Planet Finding Spectrograph, which measures the orbital jiggle far-off planets make around their suns. “Just in the last 10 years, [astronomers] have made great discoveries about planetary systems elsewhere in the galaxy,” says Freedman, noting that the current number of known planets is 268. “I’m sure that number will increase once we start using this instrument.” Pondering the universe, designing instruments and formulating theories are the daily bread of the Pasadena campus. Currently, 18 staff astronomers (including those of emeritus status) work alongside a fluctuating number of postdoctoral fellows and associates. Freedman says scientists working at Carnegie institutions have an unfettered freedom to “pursue creative solutions to problems and questions.” Unlike university faculty, staffers don’t have extra responsibilities for teaching or publishing articles. As the website notes, “The assurance of generous long-term support permits [its] scientists to pursue longterm projects whose pace is dictated by the pace of discovery itself, rather than


How to View the Carnegie Observatories The Carnegie Observatories holds an annual open house in the early fall; in addition, a spring lecture series takes place in 2008 at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino and the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Past topics have included black holes, supernovae and extra-solar planets. The observatories are located at 813 Santa Barbara St. in Pasadena. For more information, go to www.ociw.edu; to learn more about the Giant Magellan Telescope, visit www.gmto.org.

by the need to justify the next grant or the next allocation of telescope time. It is this exceptional environment that has enabled the relatively small Carnegie staff to make such disproportionately large contributions to astronomy.” That’s just how founder Andrew Carnegie wanted the organization to be. One of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful men in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Carnegie’s name endures because of his mammoth philanthropic projects, which included building public libraries. Chartering the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C., in 1902, the former steel tycoon

hoped to encourage the pursuit of scientific knowledge for its own sake for the benefit of humanity. Of the institution’s 11 original departments and enterprises, only six remain active, one being the observatories that began here in Southern California. In 1904, noted Pasadena booster George Ellery Hale convinced Carnegie to fund an astronomical enterprise, the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, which, for the first half of the 20th century, was home to the world’s largest telescopes and —Continued on page 24 ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 23


THE COSMOS —continued from page 23

other sophisticated equipment for studying the sun. On the forefront of modern astrophysics, Hale had previously created the spectroheliograph and was responsible for discovering the principles of solar magnetism. He believed that building giant telescopes atop Mount Wilson would further push the limits of the science by providing tangible data. “Without Hale, who knows if there would be a science tradition here in Pasadena?” muses John Sepikas, professor of astronomy at Pasadena City College and an education affairs official at JPL. “[Hale and Carnegie] both ushered in a golden age of astronomy for Pasadena – and the world, for that matter.” A century ago, work crews trekked back and forth on sometimes precarious dirt roads between Mount Wilson and the Myron-Hunt–designed Carnegie campus. “A lot of my students have grandparents who helped build the telescopes up there,” says Sepikas. “Back then, there was a great sense of pride in being associated with the observatory; people were excited to be connected with Mount Wilson.” Great discoveries came from Mount Wilson and Carnegie astronomers, such as Hubble, who proved the notion of the expanding universe and the increasing speed of that expansion. Indeed, one can imagine him rambling between mountaintop telescope and bucolic campus, carrying some of the 350,000 glass-plate negatives now archived in the campus basement. “Everything was done with mules back then,” muses Freedman. “Now we use frequent flyer miles and email.” Indeed, the connection between past and present is evident when astronomers walk onto the Pasadena parking lot and look up...and then down. Up is stately Mount Wilson with its venerable observatories and solar towers. Down on the blacktop is an accurate-to-size, white-paint outline of the GMT’s gigantic mirror pattern. The size is daunting. There are many links to the future at the observatory headquarters; one program seeks to spark interest in science at a young age—the adoption of nearby Longfellow Elementary School. Staff astronomers routinely visit classrooms, provide educational activities and even offer field trips to the campus. Another program opens the Pasadena campus to postgraduate students from Claremont College. “Getting young people excited and interested in science is so important,” says Freedman. “I truly believe that what we are going to be doing here in the years to come will be some of the most significant research ever. To me, this is the place to be in the future.” AM 24 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO


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E D U C A T I O N

A N D

Adat Ari El — Over 25 years in the making, Adat Ari El Day School prides itself on being a cutting-edge competitive institution that was born out of the need for a community-based Day School, dedicated to the academic, emotional and spiritual development of its students. The beautiful state-of-the-art facility houses modern, colorful classrooms; fully equipped computer and science labs, a resource learning lab; an art studio, a multi-purpose auditorium and a computerized library. Come visit and see education the way it should be, at Adat Ari El Day School, (818) 766-4992, or visit their website at adatarieldayschool.org. The Huntington Learning Center is a nationally recognized leader in the field of improving a child's basic study skills through remediation and enrichment programs. Students are given individual attention by certified teachers using personalized programs tailored to improve skills in a child's trouble areas. Huntington offers individual testing and tutoring in reading, math, study skills, writing and SAT/ACT preparation to students of all ages. Parents who would like additional information, or who are concerned about a specific aspect of their child's academic performance, are encouraged to contact the Huntington Learning Center at 1832 E. Washington Blvd in Pasadena or call (626) 798-5900. KidsArt teaches a classical, realistic drawing and painting program using charcoal, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oils & more. Students, ages four

Open House Date

E N R I C H M E N T years old through adults, are taught to draw and paint subjects such as still-life, the figure, landscapes, cartoons, animals, anime, and more on an individualized basis. Visit our website at www.kidsartclasses.com or call the studio nearest to you to schedule a FREE INTRODUCTORY CLASS, La Crescenta (818) 248-2483, Monrovia (626) 3587800, or Pasadena (626) 577-7802. Hillside School and Learning Center in La Cañada has more than three decades of experience at creating programs that respond to the individual learning needs of children. This isn’t learning just to get a grade, or learning to just get by. It’s learning for success! Hillside School will restore and build confidence in your child! Hillside’s skilled staff educates and encourages students to be successful academically and socially. Call Bob Frank with any questions at (818) 790-3044. St. George’s Preschool — At St. George’s Preschool the staff creates a positive environment that encourages each child to develop a healthy self-concept and provides a warm and nurturing atmosphere in which emotional, social, physical and intellectual growth takes place. Within appropriate boundaries, individual choice is encouraged to allow each child to participate actively and learn about their world. “I want to live at preschool forever!!” and “I just don’t know how I’m going to fit all these ideas in my brain” are quotes from the happy students! Call today for a tour at (818) 790-3842, Enrollment opens in February!

For every stage in your life, LA Financial is here for you. LA Financial offers a wide variety of products and services designed to complement your busy life.

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© 2006 Huntington Learning Centers, Inc. Independently owned and operated. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this program.

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E D U C A T I O N

A N D

Adat Ari El — Over 25 years in the making, Adat Ari El Day School prides itself on being a cutting-edge competitive institution that was born out of the need for a community-based Day School, dedicated to the academic, emotional and spiritual development of its students. The beautiful state-of-the-art facility houses modern, colorful classrooms; fully equipped computer and science labs, a resource learning lab; an art studio, a multi-purpose auditorium and a computerized library. Come visit and see education the way it should be, at Adat Ari El Day School, (818) 766-4992, or visit their website at adatarieldayschool.org. The Huntington Learning Center is a nationally recognized leader in the field of improving a child's basic study skills through remediation and enrichment programs. Students are given individual attention by certified teachers using personalized programs tailored to improve skills in a child's trouble areas. Huntington offers individual testing and tutoring in reading, math, study skills, writing and SAT/ACT preparation to students of all ages. Parents who would like additional information, or who are concerned about a specific aspect of their child's academic performance, are encouraged to contact the Huntington Learning Center at 1832 E. Washington Blvd in Pasadena or call (626) 798-5900. KidsArt teaches a classical, realistic drawing and painting program using charcoal, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oils & more. Students, ages four

Open House Date

E N R I C H M E N T years old through adults, are taught to draw and paint subjects such as still-life, the figure, landscapes, cartoons, animals, anime, and more on an individualized basis. Visit our website at www.kidsartclasses.com or call the studio nearest to you to schedule a FREE INTRODUCTORY CLASS, La Crescenta (818) 248-2483, Monrovia (626) 3587800, or Pasadena (626) 577-7802. Hillside School and Learning Center in La Cañada has more than three decades of experience at creating programs that respond to the individual learning needs of children. This isn’t learning just to get a grade, or learning to just get by. It’s learning for success! Hillside School will restore and build confidence in your child! Hillside’s skilled staff educates and encourages students to be successful academically and socially. Call Bob Frank with any questions at (818) 790-3044. St. George’s Preschool — At St. George’s Preschool the staff creates a positive environment that encourages each child to develop a healthy self-concept and provides a warm and nurturing atmosphere in which emotional, social, physical and intellectual growth takes place. Within appropriate boundaries, individual choice is encouraged to allow each child to participate actively and learn about their world. “I want to live at preschool forever!!” and “I just don’t know how I’m going to fit all these ideas in my brain” are quotes from the happy students! Call today for a tour at (818) 790-3842, Enrollment opens in February!

For every stage in your life, LA Financial is here for you. LA Financial offers a wide variety of products and services designed to complement your busy life.

Assessing Needs. Increasing Scores.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 9-11 a.m.

Please call Shelley Belafsky (818) 766-4992 ext. 214

Huntington

SAVE

1 00 CALL TODAY! $

Membership available to anyone living or working in LA County

Offer Good on Dia gnostic Test Only.

Free Checking – with FREE BillPay, no strings attached Loyalty Rewards Program - receive points for almost every credit union relationship including debit card purchases

HILLSIDE SCHOOL AND LEARNING CENTER WHERE PROFESSIONALS GO WHEN THEIR CHILDREN NEED HELP

Call 626-798-5900

1832 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena

• 30 years Experience in Helping Children • Educational Therapy & Tutoring K-12th grade • WASC Accredited School 7th-12th grade

HLC-1409

© 2006 Huntington Learning Centers, Inc. Independently owned and operated. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this program.

ADVERTISEMENT

• College Counseling Contact the School at (818) 790-3044 • www.HillsideForSuccess.org

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LA Financial Credit Union 224 North Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena 800.894.1200 www.lafinancial.org ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 27


BOOKS

Mystery Man BESTSELLING AUTHOR STEPHEN J. CANNELL HITS LIKELY LUCKY NUMBER 13 IN HIS SUCCESSION OF CRIME NOVELS. BY CARL KOZLOWSKI | PHOTOS BY CM HARDT

Stephen J. Cannell writes in a concentrated rush, his pen stabbing the page as he sits behind the desk of his tastefully appointed office six stories above Hollywood Boulevard. His rapid strokes chase the thoughts racing through his head, of another tense scene in yet another thriller of his own creation. He asks a new arrival to wait just a moment, but the words keep flying onto his notepad for another 10 minutes before he unknits his famous brows and declares himself finished. The moment comes as a surprise, for as a TV producer who created more than 40 series, including the blockbusters “The Rockford Files” and “The ATeam,” Cannell ensured that the public knew what the man behind the writing looked like. Each week, every episode of every series he produced followed its credits with a shot of Cannell jabbing briskly at a typewriter before flinging a completed page into the air. To see him go even more retro by handwriting his next novel is a revelation and a symbol of how the media giant has fully reinvented himself as a crime novelist, one whose books have proven to be as successful as his small-screen work In fact, just as 13 of Cannell’s series scored the milestone of five seasons on the air, so too have all 12 of his novels hit the New York Times 28 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

bestseller list. His likely lucky number 13 is the new novel, “Three Shirt Deal” (St. Martin’s Press), the seventh book following the adventurous life of Shane Scully. In his latest venture, the rule-breaking, quick-witted Los Angeles Police Department detective uncovers a massive wave of corruption threading together murderous cops, gang bangers, a mayoral candidate and the son of a powerful lawyer. (Cannell’s six other novels are standalone thrillers.) “Sorry, but you’ve got to write it all the moment inspiration hits,” he says, bounding out of his chair and across the award-filled room to offer a handshake surprisingly strong for someone 67. It’s 2:15 p.m., and the lifelong —Continued on page 30



BOOKS —continued from page 28

In Cannell’s TV series and books, America’s justice system still works and the people who work in it engage in truly heroic efforts. What’s more, married heroes always stay true to their spouses. Pasadena resident has already polished off his daily regimen of a 4 a.m. workout and five hours of writing before he has even set foot in the office. His work focus is so intense that he hired a driver 24 years ago so he wouldn’t waste time between home and work. “He started needing a driver because, in those days, he had six or seven shows on the air,” says his longtime chauffeur and personal assistant, Michael Potter. “His wife suggested having a VCR in his car with a driver, so he could save 90 minutes a day watching dailies to and from home instead of being stuck in the office. It was born out of functionality, to reduce time away from his family, rather than a show of status. I believe that what happens in the limousine stays in his limousine.” Cannell’s commitment to family time has helped him earn another rare notch among Hollywood’s famous faces: a 49-year marriage to his highschool sweetheart, Marcia. The couple have three adult children: Tawnia, 38, a TV director; Chelsea, 26, a correspondent for ReelzChannel; and Cody, 24, who just graduated from college. (A fourth child, Derek, died in 1981 at age 15, suffocated by the collapse of a sand castle he was building.) He credits his late father, Joseph, a furniture and interior design business owner, with shaping his core values. “My dad was my best friend, the most powerful and important relationship in my life with the exception of my wife,” he says. “This guy taught me 30 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

how to think, behave and be the right kind of person, and I constantly try to live up to the high standards that he lived and set for me. I had severe dyslexia, and school was a really hard thing for me, but the idea of being a writer was something I really cherished and did well at in school.” Cannell now serves as a spokesman for individuals with the disorder. As an adult, he delved into the crime genre because it was the easiest way to break in to Universal Studios, where he launched his career. He went on to reinvent the cop-show formula of tough, stoic heroes solving cookiecutter mysteries. He incorporated characters whose quirks made them popculture standard-bearers rather than two-dimensional drones. But after building a TV empire by creating his own studio – taking on all the risks and rewards of his hits and failures – Cannell chose to sell the company in 1996 and morphed into a novelist. The timing was perfect because power had shifted to the major studios, forcing even the biggest independent producers like Cannell to work under a salaried contract. “I think novels are much more fun to write,” he says. “You have the wonderful omniscient tool where you can go into a character’s thoughts, while everything in a screenplay has to come out of characters’ mouths. The process is still the same, writing five hours a day. I draw my ideas by trying to make connections between real events that nobody else might catch and weave those together into the fictional crime plots of my novels.”

The novels are driven by the same moral codes that suffused his TV series and all his subsequent novels: Most cops are good, and the good will root out the bad. In Cannell’s TV series and books, America’s justice system still works, and the people who work in it engage in truly heroic efforts. What’s more, married heroes like Scully always stay true to their spouses. “Life’s all about choices,” he says. “I also believe in prioritizing. Most people aren’t good at it. But if I decide I want to accomplish this goal, I will accomplish it.” Critics seem to agree. In a review of his first novel, “The Plan” (William Morrow; 1995), the Los Angeles Times commended his “sharp dialogue [and] tight pacing” and called the book “the work of a pro who hasn’t forgotten any of his old tricks.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer said: “Cannell certainly knows how to tell a story…You’ll probably read the entire book with a smile on your face.” He may write his novels in time-tested longhand, but his approach to marketing them is cutting edge. On his websites, www.cannell.com and www.threeshirtdeal.com, he has launched a four-part series of “webisodes” – short scenes that tie in with the novel and are intended to bridge the events of his previous novel, “White Sister,” and the new one. In quick-cutting shots and terse dialogue, the minutelong shorts bring readers up to speed on matters such as the condition of Scully’s wife, who was shot at the end of “White

Sister.” While Cannell admits the webisodes are not crucial to understanding “Three Shirt Deal,” he sees them as a way to stay on the front line of media and promotion, as well as give his fans an entertainment bonus. Another site feature, “Shane Scully’s Tour of Duty,” presents short videos and photos of prominent locations from each of the previous six Scully novels, helping readers picture the settings for the books. Cannell’s favorite mystery novelists are as contemporary as his marketing chops: He names T. Jefferson Parker, Joseph Wambaugh, Dennis Lehane and, especially, Janet Evanovich as authors whose work he admires. “I’m not a guy who goes on the ‘Today’ show, and when Matt Lauer asks who else he’s reading, lists only dead authors so they won’t knock me off the New York Times bestseller list,” Cannell says with a laugh. “I’m not worried about competition because I respect anyone who works hard at this, and there’s room for all of us. I believe in over-preparing as the key to everything in life. You have to be so good and so much better than everyone else that no one can turn you down. Most people don’t realize that, but those are the ones who don’t last.” AM Stephen J. Cannell will appear at a booksigning at Vroman’s Bookstore on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. Vroman’s is located at 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-5320 or visit www.vromansbookstore.com. ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 31


BOOKS —continued from page 28

In Cannell’s TV series and books, America’s justice system still works and the people who work in it engage in truly heroic efforts. What’s more, married heroes always stay true to their spouses. Pasadena resident has already polished off his daily regimen of a 4 a.m. workout and five hours of writing before he has even set foot in the office. His work focus is so intense that he hired a driver 24 years ago so he wouldn’t waste time between home and work. “He started needing a driver because, in those days, he had six or seven shows on the air,” says his longtime chauffeur and personal assistant, Michael Potter. “His wife suggested having a VCR in his car with a driver, so he could save 90 minutes a day watching dailies to and from home instead of being stuck in the office. It was born out of functionality, to reduce time away from his family, rather than a show of status. I believe that what happens in the limousine stays in his limousine.” Cannell’s commitment to family time has helped him earn another rare notch among Hollywood’s famous faces: a 49-year marriage to his highschool sweetheart, Marcia. The couple have three adult children: Tawnia, 38, a TV director; Chelsea, 26, a correspondent for ReelzChannel; and Cody, 24, who just graduated from college. (A fourth child, Derek, died in 1981 at age 15, suffocated by the collapse of a sand castle he was building.) He credits his late father, Joseph, a furniture and interior design business owner, with shaping his core values. “My dad was my best friend, the most powerful and important relationship in my life with the exception of my wife,” he says. “This guy taught me 30 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

how to think, behave and be the right kind of person, and I constantly try to live up to the high standards that he lived and set for me. I had severe dyslexia, and school was a really hard thing for me, but the idea of being a writer was something I really cherished and did well at in school.” Cannell now serves as a spokesman for individuals with the disorder. As an adult, he delved into the crime genre because it was the easiest way to break in to Universal Studios, where he launched his career. He went on to reinvent the cop-show formula of tough, stoic heroes solving cookiecutter mysteries. He incorporated characters whose quirks made them popculture standard-bearers rather than two-dimensional drones. But after building a TV empire by creating his own studio – taking on all the risks and rewards of his hits and failures – Cannell chose to sell the company in 1996 and morphed into a novelist. The timing was perfect because power had shifted to the major studios, forcing even the biggest independent producers like Cannell to work under a salaried contract. “I think novels are much more fun to write,” he says. “You have the wonderful omniscient tool where you can go into a character’s thoughts, while everything in a screenplay has to come out of characters’ mouths. The process is still the same, writing five hours a day. I draw my ideas by trying to make connections between real events that nobody else might catch and weave those together into the fictional crime plots of my novels.”

The novels are driven by the same moral codes that suffused his TV series and all his subsequent novels: Most cops are good, and the good will root out the bad. In Cannell’s TV series and books, America’s justice system still works, and the people who work in it engage in truly heroic efforts. What’s more, married heroes like Scully always stay true to their spouses. “Life’s all about choices,” he says. “I also believe in prioritizing. Most people aren’t good at it. But if I decide I want to accomplish this goal, I will accomplish it.” Critics seem to agree. In a review of his first novel, “The Plan” (William Morrow; 1995), the Los Angeles Times commended his “sharp dialogue [and] tight pacing” and called the book “the work of a pro who hasn’t forgotten any of his old tricks.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer said: “Cannell certainly knows how to tell a story…You’ll probably read the entire book with a smile on your face.” He may write his novels in time-tested longhand, but his approach to marketing them is cutting edge. On his websites, www.cannell.com and www.threeshirtdeal.com, he has launched a four-part series of “webisodes” – short scenes that tie in with the novel and are intended to bridge the events of his previous novel, “White Sister,” and the new one. In quick-cutting shots and terse dialogue, the minutelong shorts bring readers up to speed on matters such as the condition of Scully’s wife, who was shot at the end of “White

Sister.” While Cannell admits the webisodes are not crucial to understanding “Three Shirt Deal,” he sees them as a way to stay on the front line of media and promotion, as well as give his fans an entertainment bonus. Another site feature, “Shane Scully’s Tour of Duty,” presents short videos and photos of prominent locations from each of the previous six Scully novels, helping readers picture the settings for the books. Cannell’s favorite mystery novelists are as contemporary as his marketing chops: He names T. Jefferson Parker, Joseph Wambaugh, Dennis Lehane and, especially, Janet Evanovich as authors whose work he admires. “I’m not a guy who goes on the ‘Today’ show, and when Matt Lauer asks who else he’s reading, lists only dead authors so they won’t knock me off the New York Times bestseller list,” Cannell says with a laugh. “I’m not worried about competition because I respect anyone who works hard at this, and there’s room for all of us. I believe in over-preparing as the key to everything in life. You have to be so good and so much better than everyone else that no one can turn you down. Most people don’t realize that, but those are the ones who don’t last.” AM Stephen J. Cannell will appear at a booksigning at Vroman’s Bookstore on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. Vroman’s is located at 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-5320 or visit www.vromansbookstore.com. ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 31


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DÉJÀ VU

Flights of Fancy SOUTH PASADENA’S CAWSTON OSTRICH FARM BRED THE EARTHBOUND BIRDS FOR AFICIONADOS OF FASHION AND FANTASY. BY RICK THOMAS

It is probably hard to imagine just how popular ostrich feathers were 100 years ago. Today, many women’s fashions come and go so quickly that they amount to passing fads, but ostrich feathers remained popular in America for nearly 50 years. The ostrich feather symbolized wealth and upper-class refinement, much like a fine automobile does today. One Cawston catalogue declared: “Ostrich feathers are now as staple as diamonds. They do not fluctuate in popularity like furs and are constantly used.” Ostrich feathers were dyed in a variety of colors, ranging from black and white to light blue and pink. They were handcrafted to form an array of garments and accessories such as boas, hats, fans and muffs. Imagine the scene in the late 1800s: The Victorian period dictated the style of flowing adornments. Ostrich feathers piled atop a broad-brimmed hat had a floating grace, which seemed to accent perfectly the more restrained cotton dress, with a corset pulled tight beneath. Prices remained high for imported ostrich feathers from South Africa, the principal supplier of ostrich feathers for the world’s fashion community at that time. Edwin Cawston, English adventurer and world traveler, quickly realized that there was big money to be made in ostrich farming in America. He was convinced that Southern California, with its year-round mild climate, was the perfect place to launch his new business enterprise. The Cawston Ostrich Farm, which opened in 1896, was world famous in its time and remained in business for over 30 years. All the structures have been demolished, but many have been preserved in photographs archived by the South Pasadena Public Library, allowing me to show behind-the-scenes views rarely seen in history books. Some items were acquired from the Cawston Ostrich Farm itself years after its doors were closed to the public. Credit lines were provided for all images that weren’t from my own collection. AM

The Cawston baby was more famous across America during the early 20th century than the Gerber baby, who appeared later on all Gerber Baby Food products starting in 1927 (becoming its trademark in 1931). This photograph of the Cawston baby sitting with newly hatched baby ostriches was duplicated over a million times on postcards and a variety of souvenir collectibles. Note the relative size of the baby ostrich chicks to a human baby.

Reprinted with permission from “South Pasadena’s Ostrich Farm” by Rick Thomas (October 2007). Available from the publisher online at www.arcadianpublishing.com or by calling (888) 313-2665.

ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 33


DÉJÀ VU —continued from page 33

MORE THAN ONE PERSON THOUGHT EDWIN CAWSTON WAS CRAZY FOR TRAVELING HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO ACQUIRE OSTRICHES AND START A FARM ON THE BANKS OF THE ARROYO SECO, JUST AFTER THE REGION’S MAJOR SOURCE OF TOURISM, THE ROYAL RAYMOND HOTEL, BURNED TO THE GROUND. BUT SOON AFTER CAWSTON OPENED HIS OSTRICH FARM TO THE PUBLIC IN 1896, HE PROVED HIS CRITICS WRONG. THE NEW YORK PRESS DESCRIBED HIS OSTRICH FARM AS “ONE OF THE STRANGEST SIGHTS IN AMERICA.” WITH PUBLICITY LIKE THAT, CAWSTON’S RISKY VENTURE WAS ABOUT TO PAY OFF. IN NO TIME AT ALL, THE CAWSTON OSTRICH FARM WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, REGARDED AS ONE OF CALIFORNIA’S MOST POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. (COURTESY SOUTH PASADENA PUBLIC LIBRARY.)

PICTURED CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Taking a souvenir photograph with an ostrich was a must at the ostrich farm. Chariot races were popular during the early years of Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses festivities. One year, two ostriches were used instead of a horse. The pair’s awkward appearance and refusal to go in a straight line caused the crowd to roar with laughter. In 1927, the Franchon and Marco vaudeville show featuring the Sunkist Beauties performed at the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena. The Cawston Ostrich Farm supplied the ostrich feather plumes for the dance troupe’s extravaganza “Indian Summer Idea.” This scene looks like it could be in Africa. Upon closer examination, wooden planks are visible among the pyramids, actually painted murals. Also note the partially hidden man on the far left. He is chasing ostriches from behind the car, which explains the frantic ostrich heading directly toward the viewer. The Cawston Ostrich Farm was frequently used by the movie industry for publicity shots like this one. (Courtesy South Pasadena Public Library.)

34 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 35


DÉJÀ VU —continued from page 33

MORE THAN ONE PERSON THOUGHT EDWIN CAWSTON WAS CRAZY FOR TRAVELING HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO ACQUIRE OSTRICHES AND START A FARM ON THE BANKS OF THE ARROYO SECO, JUST AFTER THE REGION’S MAJOR SOURCE OF TOURISM, THE ROYAL RAYMOND HOTEL, BURNED TO THE GROUND. BUT SOON AFTER CAWSTON OPENED HIS OSTRICH FARM TO THE PUBLIC IN 1896, HE PROVED HIS CRITICS WRONG. THE NEW YORK PRESS DESCRIBED HIS OSTRICH FARM AS “ONE OF THE STRANGEST SIGHTS IN AMERICA.” WITH PUBLICITY LIKE THAT, CAWSTON’S RISKY VENTURE WAS ABOUT TO PAY OFF. IN NO TIME AT ALL, THE CAWSTON OSTRICH FARM WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, REGARDED AS ONE OF CALIFORNIA’S MOST POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. (COURTESY SOUTH PASADENA PUBLIC LIBRARY.)

PICTURED CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Taking a souvenir photograph with an ostrich was a must at the ostrich farm. Chariot races were popular during the early years of Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses festivities. One year, two ostriches were used instead of a horse. The pair’s awkward appearance and refusal to go in a straight line caused the crowd to roar with laughter. In 1927, the Franchon and Marco vaudeville show featuring the Sunkist Beauties performed at the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena. The Cawston Ostrich Farm supplied the ostrich feather plumes for the dance troupe’s extravaganza “Indian Summer Idea.” This scene looks like it could be in Africa. Upon closer examination, wooden planks are visible among the pyramids, actually painted murals. Also note the partially hidden man on the far left. He is chasing ostriches from behind the car, which explains the frantic ostrich heading directly toward the viewer. The Cawston Ostrich Farm was frequently used by the movie industry for publicity shots like this one. (Courtesy South Pasadena Public Library.)

34 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 35


A RT O F SCIENCE

The Rhodes Less Traveled CALTECH'S TODD GINGRICH PACKS HIS BAGS FOR OXFORD. BY STEVE COULTER

The summer between my junior and senior years in high school, I took a job waiting tables at a popular diner by the beach. Cash tips were a wonderful thing when I was 17 years old, and bodysurfing after work was a truly awesome perk. At the time, I really couldn’t relate to the kids who spent those sunny summer days preparing for the SATs, completing internships or voluntarily going to school. Kids like me didn’t particularly care about the future because we were having so much fun in the moment. Over the years, I have come to realize that kids like me and kids who took a more disciplined path were really out to do the same thing – seize the day. While I was making memories that would help fuel a lifetime of writing, other kids were laying the groundwork for successful careers in business, law or science. Todd Gingrich is one of those “other kids.” While a lot of his peers were taking retail jobs to earn easy spending money during their last summer of high school, Gingrich sought out less glamorous work washing beakers at a local college lab. From those humble beginnings, the Missouri native set off down a scientific path that led him to CalTech and a degree in chemistry. Next stop? Oxford University in England, as a 2008 Rhodes Scholar. “It’s still a little surreal, but I guess I’ve had enough time to let it sink in. I found out in mid-November, so it’s pretty fresh in my mind,” Gingrich said. At 22 years old, Gingrich is one of only 85 scholars worldwide in this year’s crop—and only 32 of them American—who were awarded the prestigious academic distinction. Rhodes Scholars have the opportunity to study at Oxford for two years, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. All educational costs, including matriculation, tuition, laboratory fees and some living expenses, are paid for by the Rhodes Trust. A short list of the notable Americans who have enjoyed Rhodes Scholarships since they were first created in 1902 includes: Supreme Court Justice David Souter (1961); former president Bill Clinton (1968); former Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark (1966); political pundit George Stephanopoulos (1984); and Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti (1993). With so many politically minded Americans emerging from Oxford over the years, it might be tempting to assume that Gingrich will be something of a fish 36 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO

out of water during his time in England. In reality, Rhodes Scholars have enrolled in every discipline available at Oxford, according to the Rhodes Trust. Gingrich counts two current CalTech professors among his favorite former Rhodes Scholars – Jack Richards, professor of organic chemistry and biochemistry; and Niles Pierce, associate professor of applied and computational mathematics and bioengineering. The student body president was also inspired by CalTech’s Nate Lewis, George L. Argyros Professor and professor of chemistry, who guided his study of solar energy. Improving the environment is a direction Gingrich plans to continue while earning a master’s degree in theoretical chemistry from Oxford. “You have to be living under a rock to be my age and not think that the environment is a major thing to be concerned about,” he said. “You get hit over the head with it over and over again. Then you go outside and look up at the sun, and you think ‘Well, why aren’t we doing this?’” Of course, even the most driven 22 year old would have to admit that there are some things about this opportunity that have absolutely nothing to do with academics. For Gingrich, who has been to England once before on a family vacation, there is definitely a romantic lure to being immersed in a distant culture. Among the many things he plans to do while in England are touring the country by bicycle, playing lots of soccer, visiting London and possibly learning to row. “I imagine I’ll learn a lot that I’m not really anticipating,” he says. So maybe we’re not so different after all. Well, except for the Rhodes Scholarship…and that whole saving-the-earth thing. AM


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& JEWELRY

The Aztec Art Gallery — The 24 hour art gallery is unique. It is now open at

and complete personalized dedication. Monthly estate

the Aztec Hotel. Say it’s Saturday night around 9 p.m., and you’re hungry and

and fine furniture auctions are where collectors, dealers,

thirsty. Stop by the Aztec Sports Bar & Grill and dance to a live band. Take a

decorators and others gather to buy the finest antiques,

break and visit the 24-hour art gallery in the main lobby. Visit us at Art Talk

silver, American Indian, oil and watercolor paintings,

on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. and learn how to enhance your painting with

jewelry, unusual accessories and much more. They also hold an auction

the right frame. All events are held at 311 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia.

(three times per year) for exceptional California and American paintings. Consignment and the purchasing of estates. 735 W. Woodbury Road,

Art and Antiques on Lake — Our shop is an all-inclusive place where

Altadena. Call (626) 793-1833 or visit www.johnmoran.com.

experienced dealers will help customers in all aspects of art and antique pur-

“South of Santa Fe”

Oil On Canvas

(42” x 30”)

A Recent Work By Jeanne LeFevre

chases. With the focus these days on remodeling kitchens, baths and living

Whites Art, Framing & Restoration — Serving the commu-

spaces, average homeowners lose touch with what makes their house a

nity since 1944, Whites offers the most complete and com-

home, its individuality. At Art & Antiques, we present vintage art, furnish-

prehensive fine-art framing and restoration services in the San

ings, lighting, etc., in a way that will give the homeowner a choice of qual-

Gabriel Valley. Nestled in the charming town of Montrose,

ity vintage items that have stood the test of time. 60 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena;

Whites specializes in archival conservation and custom fram-

(626) 356-0222.

ing, sophisticated matting, shadow boxing and other creative display solutions for unique and unusual works of fine art. You can also experience

2414 Honolulu Ave. Montrose, CA 91020 Tel. 818.957.4071 Fax 818.957.8100 whitesfineart.com

You won’t believe the incomparable 360-degree view from the

an exquisite collection of fine art on display. 2414 Honolulu Ave., Montrose.

balconies of the fine-art gallery, ArtSource Gallery in down-

Call (818) 957-4071.

town Glendale. Ripsime Marashian has been a remarkably successful art dealer and consultant with ArtSource Gallery for over 10 years. Not only does she have her B.A. in art and music, she has an extraordinary passion for the visual arts which instantly becomes clear when you meet her. The gorgeous interior of the gallery and the ambience created with light and music make it a fabulous cultural destination. Offering both American and European works from many brilliant artists, Ripsime is very happy to invite you up to this stunning 9th-floor penthouse gallery to receive your free gift of an offset litho of Ruben Abovian’s “Romance I.” John Moran Auctioneers — Expertly serving clients since 1969, John Stop in and see the gallery and receive an offset lithograph of Ruben Abovian’s “Romance I” as our gift to you.

Moran Auctioneers is a full-service auction house offering quality objects

T

THE AZTEC ART GALLERY

Fun, Friends, & Art

JOIN US!

Gallery Open House New Affordable Artists: California Gold Saturday, January 12th 6pm – 9pm

Art Talk at the Aztec Gallery Discussion: “How a Frame Can Enhance a Painting” Saturday January 26th 7pm – 8pm

ART GALLERY

at The Aztec Hotel

Now OPEN 24 Hours

Oil & Acrylic Painting Classes Saturdays 2pm – 5pm $30 a session 305 W. FOOTHILL, MONROVIA • 626.574.0503

ADVERTISEMENT

Monrovia Arts Festival Association

COME SEE THE STORE THAT SETS A NEW LEVEL OF QUALITY AND SERVICE IN THE AREA. Let us help you make your house a home with the best in Vintage Fine Art, Antiques, Fine Furnishings and many other interesting and exciting things! 60 NORTH LAKE AVE. PASADENA, CA 91101 626.356.0222 | 951.316.0429 OPEN DAILY 11A.M. TO 5:30P.M.

ADVERTISEMENT


A RT,

ANTIQU ES

& JEWELRY

The Aztec Art Gallery — The 24 hour art gallery is unique. It is now open at

and complete personalized dedication. Monthly estate

the Aztec Hotel. Say it’s Saturday night around 9 p.m., and you’re hungry and

and fine furniture auctions are where collectors, dealers,

thirsty. Stop by the Aztec Sports Bar & Grill and dance to a live band. Take a

decorators and others gather to buy the finest antiques,

break and visit the 24-hour art gallery in the main lobby. Visit us at Art Talk

silver, American Indian, oil and watercolor paintings,

on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. and learn how to enhance your painting with

jewelry, unusual accessories and much more. They also hold an auction

the right frame. All events are held at 311 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia.

(three times per year) for exceptional California and American paintings. Consignment and the purchasing of estates. 735 W. Woodbury Road,

Art and Antiques on Lake — Our shop is an all-inclusive place where

Altadena. Call (626) 793-1833 or visit www.johnmoran.com.

experienced dealers will help customers in all aspects of art and antique pur-

“South of Santa Fe”

Oil On Canvas

(42” x 30”)

A Recent Work By Jeanne LeFevre

chases. With the focus these days on remodeling kitchens, baths and living

Whites Art, Framing & Restoration — Serving the commu-

spaces, average homeowners lose touch with what makes their house a

nity since 1944, Whites offers the most complete and com-

home, its individuality. At Art & Antiques, we present vintage art, furnish-

prehensive fine-art framing and restoration services in the San

ings, lighting, etc., in a way that will give the homeowner a choice of qual-

Gabriel Valley. Nestled in the charming town of Montrose,

ity vintage items that have stood the test of time. 60 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena;

Whites specializes in archival conservation and custom fram-

(626) 356-0222.

ing, sophisticated matting, shadow boxing and other creative display solutions for unique and unusual works of fine art. You can also experience

2414 Honolulu Ave. Montrose, CA 91020 Tel. 818.957.4071 Fax 818.957.8100 whitesfineart.com

You won’t believe the incomparable 360-degree view from the

an exquisite collection of fine art on display. 2414 Honolulu Ave., Montrose.

balconies of the fine-art gallery, ArtSource Gallery in down-

Call (818) 957-4071.

town Glendale. Ripsime Marashian has been a remarkably successful art dealer and consultant with ArtSource Gallery for over 10 years. Not only does she have her B.A. in art and music, she has an extraordinary passion for the visual arts which instantly becomes clear when you meet her. The gorgeous interior of the gallery and the ambience created with light and music make it a fabulous cultural destination. Offering both American and European works from many brilliant artists, Ripsime is very happy to invite you up to this stunning 9th-floor penthouse gallery to receive your free gift of an offset litho of Ruben Abovian’s “Romance I.” John Moran Auctioneers — Expertly serving clients since 1969, John Stop in and see the gallery and receive an offset lithograph of Ruben Abovian’s “Romance I” as our gift to you.

Moran Auctioneers is a full-service auction house offering quality objects

T

THE AZTEC ART GALLERY

Fun, Friends, & Art

JOIN US!

Gallery Open House New Affordable Artists: California Gold Saturday, January 12th 6pm – 9pm

Art Talk at the Aztec Gallery Discussion: “How a Frame Can Enhance a Painting” Saturday January 26th 7pm – 8pm

ART GALLERY

at The Aztec Hotel

Now OPEN 24 Hours

Oil & Acrylic Painting Classes Saturdays 2pm – 5pm $30 a session 305 W. FOOTHILL, MONROVIA • 626.574.0503

ADVERTISEMENT

Monrovia Arts Festival Association

COME SEE THE STORE THAT SETS A NEW LEVEL OF QUALITY AND SERVICE IN THE AREA. Let us help you make your house a home with the best in Vintage Fine Art, Antiques, Fine Furnishings and many other interesting and exciting things! 60 NORTH LAKE AVE. PASADENA, CA 91101 626.356.0222 | 951.316.0429 OPEN DAILY 11A.M. TO 5:30P.M.

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Pira Sadeghi, D.D.S. has been in private practice for the last 15 years in California, practicing in the fields of general and cosmetic dentistry. She is a graduate of the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies in cosmetic and full mouth rehabilitation, TMD and occlusion programs and specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with TMJ, head, neck and facial pain disorders. Dr. Sadeghi’s philosophy is a conser-

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When you walk into the office of Dr. Tahani and Dr. Garrett you are sure to walk away smiling! Dr. Garrett, who graduated from Northwestern University School of Dentistry, also served as Associate Clinical Professor at USC Dental School for over 25 years. Dr. Tahani is a graduate of Boston University School

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Voted d Pasadena’s

Bestt Naill Salon

Pasadena Weekly Readers Poll 2007

Tinzee Nail Salon We provide our clients the ultimate protection in salon sanitizing

• Spas and chairs are cleaned after each use with anti-bacterial soap. • Spas and spa chairs are run with clean water & disinfectant after each use. • Fresh towels for each client • Pumice stones, files and buffers are one time use only and new for each client. • All implements are sanitized using 3 steps, anti-bacterial soap, EPA registered hospital disinfectant that kills bacteria, viruses and fungus and sterilizing oven.

Over 300 Nail Colors Gel Nail & Waxing Available 436 6 S.. Fairr Oakss Ave.,, S.. Pasadena (in n OSH H & Kinko’ss Plaza)

) 403-3311 626 Openn 10am m — 8pm m Daily

(

Health&Beauty G w e n O n 2 — Gwen & her colleagues will work tirelessly to perfect the best style for each bone structure, hair type, personality and physical stature with each of their clients. By appt. (626) 355-4255

Dr. Bardakjian heads up Plastic Surgery Center of Glendale, where they offer the absolute best prices on any aesthetic treatments in the area, all this offered by the doctor who’s been voted the best plastic surgeon in Glendale three years in a row! His compassionate and caring demeanor makes him a

doctor you trust instantly. Just next to Glendale Memorial — Hospital - call for a free consultation today.

Pira Sadeghi, D.D.S. has been in private practice for the last 15 years in California, practicing in the fields of general and cosmetic dentistry. She is a graduate of the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies in cosmetic and full mouth rehabilitation, TMD and occlusion programs and specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with TMJ, head, neck and facial pain disorders. Dr. Sadeghi’s philosophy is a conser-

vative, nonsurgical approach to the treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Dr. Sadeghi practices at two locations: 727 E. Broadway in Glendale and 1501 W. Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock. Call (323) 255-9001.

When you walk into the office of Dr. Tahani and Dr. Garrett you are sure to walk away smiling! Dr. Garrett, who graduated from Northwestern University School of Dentistry, also served as Associate Clinical Professor at USC Dental School for over 25 years. Dr. Tahani is a graduate of Boston University School

Cosmetic Surgery

of Dental Medicine. He is also certified by the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation. Be sure to ask about Lumineers, the safe, painless porcelain veneer.

Tinzee — Over 300 nail colors (OPI, Orly, Misa). All implements are sanitized by 3 steps: 1) Anti-bacterial soap. 2) Quat liquid that kills bacteria, virus and fungus. 3) Sterilizing oven. Experience our spa treatment without the high prices. Open 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily. 436 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena (626) 403-3311.

www.tinzeenailsalon.com

Botox $7.50 per unit Restylane $350 per cc

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM HEAD, NECK, & FACIAL PAIN?

Radiesse $400 per cc Juvederm $350 per cc

You may have TMJ Disorder.

General, Cosmetic,

Free consultations:

We Can Help!

& Implant Dentistry

Special $1500 OFF any surgical procedure!

• Zoom • Lumineers • Invisalign

100% Financing O.A.C. COMMON SYMPTOMS

Mention this ad and receive

• 20 years experience • Fully Accredited Plastic Surgery Center

818-247-4894

We listen to your needs and we utilize all our 15-years of experience, knowledge & technology to customize your treament.

YOUR FIRST VISIT

3043 Foothill Blvd, Suite 10, La Crescenta, CA 91214

www.lacrescentadentistry.com

Vatche B. Bardakjian, MD

Chronic Headaches - Ringing Ears - Ear Congestion Facial Pain- Clicking Jaws - Neck Pain Clenching & Grinding - Dizziness

10% OFF

Eagle Rock 1501 W. Colorado Blvd (323) 255-3500

Glendale 727 E. Broadway (818) 240-5888

www.tmjhelpcenter.com

www.cosmetic-dental-center.com

ADVERTISEMENT

• Breast Augmentation • Breast Reduction • Breast Lift • Tummy Tuck • Liposuction • Eyelid Surgery • Nose Surgery • Laser Hair Removal

Se Habla Español M – F, 9 – 5 1500 S. Central Ave., #126 (next to Glendale Memorial Hospital)

www.plasticsurgeoninLA.com

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At Angel’s Nest Stationers, you are invited to celebrate all of

Risqué has a wide selection of beautiful lingerie, garters, stock-

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sion; she has extensive experience in helping you, the bride, pick

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T


At Angel’s Nest Stationers, you are invited to celebrate all of

Risqué has a wide selection of beautiful lingerie, garters, stock-

life’s special occasions. Offering everything for a wedding: invi-

ings, bustiers, gorgeous crystal jewelry and so much more. They

tations — including those by William Arthur, Crane, Elite and

also create custom gift baskets, and focus heavily on their bridal

Encore as well as custom designs and many more, plus favors,

registry and bridal lingerie collection to make any bride feel

gifts, candles, servers and organizers. Trust Yvonne Navarro with

special for their most magical moment in life. Risqué prides

everything you need to perfectly punctuate your special occa-

themselves on a friendly and helpful environment to make fo

sion; she has extensive experience in helping you, the bride, pick

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COMMUNITY

Former baseball pitcher Jim Gott knows what it’s like to defy the odds: After all, he scored a successful 14-year run in the Major Leagues, including five years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But as the father of two autistic children (six kids in all), Gott has been taking on an even more important challenge: finding ways to integrate them and other autistic youth into mainstream society.

Petting Zoo Story FORMER DODGERS PITCHER JIM GOTT AND HIS WIFE CATHY OPEN DANNY’S FARM AS A HAVEN FOR SPECIAL-NEEDS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS–AS WELL AS KIDS WITH A BIRTHDAY TO CELEBRATE. BY CARL KOZLOWSKI | PHOTOS BY MIEKE KRAMER

Gott and his wife, Cathy, recently unveiled their solution with the grand opening of Danny’s Farm. The Altadena acreage is home to a variety of rescued critters, including goats, pigs and a donkey, all available for the petting pleasure of visitors, autistic and otherwise. (The menagerie’s care team includes three developmentally disabled individuals.) Danny’s Farm is also available as a no-muss, no-fuss barnyard birthday-party venue for kids of all abilities, offering everything from food to thank-you cards. “The idea came about because our son Danny’s favorite thing to do is go to petting zoos, and there’s nothing close by,” Cathy says. “[At 14], he’s starting to age out of school programs, and while the press talks about autism in children, they don’t focus on what happens when they’re adults, having to work and be part of the community. This was inspired by our son’s love of animals and children, and how sociable he could be when he was around them.” Running such a complex enterprise would be daunting to many, but the Gotts long ago learned the ropes of working —Continued on page 47 ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 45


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with the developmentally disabled. For the past decade, the couple has owned and operated Education Spectrum (www.edspec.org), a special-needs education center they opened after Jim retired from the majors in 1995. To launch Danny’s Farm, they obtained a grant from the California Department of Developmental Services, which was possible because the farm provides jobs for the disabled. The Gotts also partner with Pasadenabased Villa Esperanza Services to provide job coaching and other assistance to such individuals. “We’re excited about the Gotts’ vision to provide meaningful and fulfilling employment for adults with developmental disabilities,” says Gioia Pastre, vice president of development at Villa Esperanza, which provides services for children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities. “We’ve known the Gotts and worked with them for a long time, so when they were developing Danny’s Farm, they contacted us and wanted to find work for adults with disabilities. We provided the training and the adults to work there.” The farm is also designed to accommodate party guests with developmental disabilities. “In our experience with kids with autism at birthday parties and loud places, overstimulation is a problem, and since the kids have no sense of danger, they tend to run all over the place,” Cathy says. “This is very quiet, not too big, safe and completely wheelchair accessible.

The staff is trained in sign language, and one employee is profoundly deaf. He teaches kids who visit how to sign the names of all the animals.” The animals are finding a happier home as well. A pygmy goat named Tiny Tim came to Danny’s Farm after a breeder nearly euthanized him because a defective growth plate in his front leg left him with a limp. At Danny’s Farm, the once-spurned goat has found a loving environment where he sleeps alongside a donkey named Jenny and a calf named Norman, who was himself rejected by his mother at weeks old. For Cathy, witnessing such cross-species relationships is one of the most moving aspects of Danny’s Farm. Indeed, she notes, it parallels the ways in which the kids who visit are often able to relate better to animals than to other people. “It’s just the perfect environment for them to thrive,” says Gott. “And it’s so important to have a place that offers that special sense of connection.” AM Danny’s Farm is located at 3064 1/2 Ridgeview Dr., Altadena. Call (626) 797FARM or visit www.dannysfarm.com for more information. ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 47


48 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO


{ List THE

A highly selective preview of upcoming events

BY JOHN SEELEY

THESE MAY BE BOOK SINGINGS Jan. 8 — Bestselling mystery writer J. A. Jance didn't get 10 million books in print by being predictable and routine; she thinks that reading passages at book signings is superfluous and boring — so sometimes she sings instead. Author of the J.P. Beaumont series; the Joanna Brady series; the Ali Reynolds series; three other thrillers; and a book of poetry, Jance is flying her own plane on this 30-city book tour, which touches down at La Cañada's Flintridge Bookstore at 1:30 p.m. and at Vroman's Bookstore that evening at 7. Her latest is "Hand of Evil” (Simon & Shuster; December 2007), Jance's third mystery featuring Ali Reynolds, TV anchorwoman – turned – murder investigator. The Flintridge Bookstore is located at 964 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge. Call (818) 790-0717. Vroman's Bookstore is located at 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-5320.

REMEMBERING MARTIN LUTHER KING

HOLIDAY CONCERTS AT ST. JAMES’

Jan. 5 – Gospel singer Ruth Davis performs and Pastor Luscious Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church speaks at the sixth annual “Rekindling the Light of Peace” celebration honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King at 9:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Human Relations Commission, takes place in front of the statues memorializing Pasadena’s civil rights pioneers Jackie and Mack Robinson on Garfield Street, opposite across City Hall. City Hall is located at 100 N. Garfield St., Pasadena. Call the Human Relations Commission at (626) 744 4234.

Jan. 13 — St. James’ South Pasadena Music Guild presents a slightly belated but nonetheless spirited Epiphany concert at 5 p.m., preceded by a tour of St. James’ Episcopal Church and its stunning stained-glass windows at 4 p.m. A cocktail/appetizer reception to benefit the guild follows the concert. Concert tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Tickets for the concert, tour and reception cost $50. Jan. 20 — A free gospel celebration will honor the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr., at 10:15 a.m. The St. James’ Episcopal Church is located at 1325 Monterey Rd., South Pasadena. Call (626) 799-9194 or visit www.sjcsp.org/music.html.

CHAMBER MUSIC AND COCKTAILS AT THE CASTLE

ALOHA HA HA

Jan. 13 — Chat with the maestro as you enjoy chamber music and cocktails at the Romanesque Room of Pasadena’s legendary Green Hotel. The California Philharmonic’s “Music, Martinis and the Maestro” program takes chamber music out of the concert hall and puts it back into the kind of intimate environment for which it was composed. The Green Hotel is located at 50 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626) 300-8200 or visit www.calphil.org.

Jan.18 — Two pineapples walked into a bar and ... If you want to hear the Hawaiian punchline, check out the Comedy Luau at Coffee Gallery Backstage. The venue showcases an array of Asian, Latino and Hawaiian comics, as well as Polynesian dancers and the music group Oahu. Paul Ogata headlines the 8 p.m. show. The Coffee Gallery Backstage is located at 2029 N. Lake Ave., Altadena. Call (626) 398-7917 or visit www.coffeegallery.com.

I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME HARMONIZE

CONSUMING THE COSMOS

Jan. 13 — 2008 promises to be the year of the woman in American politics, offering an unparalleled opportunity for women candidates, activists and voters to make a difference. Vox Femina Los Angeles, an eclectic choral ensemble emphasizing music by women composers, joins activist/singer Holly Near from 3 to 5 p.m for an inspirational afternoon for people interested in making an impact. The Neighborhood Church is located at 301 N. Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena. Call (310) 922-0025 or visit www.voxfeminala.org.

Jan. 19 — CalTech’s “Science Saturdays” series explores the weird and wondrous phenomenon of black holes, the ultimate cosmic consumers which attract and destroy entire stars. After a high-definition film journey narrated by Sam Neill, astronomer and physicist Steve Drasco leads a discussion. Admission is $5 for the 2 p.m. show. CalTech’s Beckman Auditorium is located at 332 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 395-4652 or visit www.events.caltech.edu.

—Continued on page 51 ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 49


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THE LIST —continued from page 49

RUSSIA REVEALED Jan. 19 — Rarely performed works by Finland’s Einojuhani Rautavaara and Romania’s Georges Enesco headline this LA Chamber Orchestra program at 8 p.m. Rudolf Barshai, a member of the quartet that premiered many of Shostakovich’s works, rearranged the composer’s fourth quartet as a chamber symphony. Emerging violinist Chee-Yun performs Prokofiev’s Violin concerto No. 2 in G minor. A 7 p.m. talk precedes the concert. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-ALEX or visit www.laco.org.

HELLO, MY CONCUBINE Jan 19 and 20 — In its U.S. debut tour, the China National Opera presents “Farewell, My Concubine” under the aegis of the Chinese American Inter-Cultural Exchange Foundation. This first-ever westernized production of the classic Chinese opera, 18 years in the making, is the realization of a lifelong dream by internationally renowned Chinese composer and conductor Xiao Bai. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets, which range in price from $50 to $200, are available at www.ticketmaster.com. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-7360 or visit www.thepasadenacivic.com.

FERGIE TELLS Jan.23 — Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who’s a businesswoman, bestselling author and global humanitarian dedicated to children’s charities and global family wellness, will talk about her life and challenges: her childhood, her sudden catapult to fame and the brief honeymoon period with the media followed by years of vilification by the press. Her talk, part of the Distinguished Speaker Series of Southern California, begins at 8 p.m. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (310) 546-3222 or visit www.speakersla.com.

BAGGING HISTORY Jan. 23 — The Pasadena Museum of History is digging into ladies' handbags, not for money but for knowledge. “The Purse & the Person, A Century of Women's Purses” exhibition excavates this essential accessory's mysterious depths for clues to its owner's personality, selfimage and fashion sense, as well as the concerns that color her everyday life. Eight exhibition vignettes examine iconic 20th century women of varied ages and eras, from the Edwardian matron to the 1920s flapper to today's “superwoman.” Purses pro-

JPL’S WARM-UP AND TAKEOFF Jan. 24 — CalTech’s “Voices of Vision” series explores the founding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 75 years ago and the events that made JPL a leading explorer of this and other galaxies. Blaine Baggett – author, former TV producer and executive manager of JPL’s office of communication and education – speaks on “JPL and the Beginnings of the Space Age” at 8 p.m. CalTech’s Beckmann Auditorium is located at 465 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena. Call (626) 395-4652 or visit www.events.caltech.edu.

NATIVES NOT FADING AWAY Jan. 26 — Before the Autry National Center’s “Picturing the People” exhibit of photography of and by Native Americans closes on Jan. 27, the show’s final weekend brings two noteworthy events: L. Frank Manriquez, a “decolonizationalist” artist and contributor to the exhibit, lectures at 2 p.m. Saturday and signs the book she co-authored with Kim Hogeland: “First Families: A Photographic History of California Indians” (Heyday Books; 2007). Simultaneously, in the museum’s Wells Fargo Theater, Native American youths will showcase their writing and music compositions as part of the Young Native Voices Theater Education Workshop. Both events are free, but reservations are requested for the latter. The Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Call (323) 667-2000, ext. 354, or visit www.autrynationalcenter.org.

QUIXOTIC AFTERNOON Jan.27 — Perhaps the first storybook hero to capture the imagination of millions was windmill-warrior Don Quixote. The 15th century “man of La Mancha” inspires this LA Chamber Orchestra family concert. Classical guitarist Christopher Parkening joins the orchestra to perform a dance suite, with traditional Spanish folksongs and music by blind composer Joaquín Rodrigo, starting at 2 p.m.. Pre-concert activities at 1 p.m. include an instrument petting zoo, an interactive Spanish tale with the Kidspace Storybook Theatre and flamenco fan decoration. Tickets cost $9 and $15. There’s an earlier performance at the Milennium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-ALEX or visit www.alextheatre.org/events. AM

vide glimpses into a night on the town, a day at the races or lunch with the ladies. While the varied shapes, colors and sizes attest to the idiosyncrasies of a woman's personality, the contents can be as revealing as her journal. The exhibit continues through March 31, 2008. The Pasadena Museum of History is located at Orange Grove Boulevard and Walnut Street. Tickets cost $5; children under 12 are admitted free. Call (626) 577-1660, ext. 10, or visit www.pasadenahistory.org.

ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 51


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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

Citrus Palooza TIPS ON BRINGING TANG TO YOUR TABLE BY LESLIE BILDERBACK When we moved here from San Francisco one winter long ago, I was thrilled to find a citrus tree in our backyard, heavy with big, round, juicy oranges. It wasn’t until I fed them to my shocked toddlers that I learned it was actually a tree of very large, orange-fleshed, Meyer lemons. (Quit crying and eat your orange!) Winter is citrus season, and once again my tree is dripping with fruit. I find this counterintuitive, because winter should be a time for warm foods, like soup. But that’s life in SoCal. For the rest of the country, winter means salting roads and electric blankets. Here, it means digging into the back of the closet for shoes that require socks. The first hint of citrus season comes in November, when tangerines burst onto the scene, ready for their holiday appearances in decorative bowls and the toes of Christmas stockings, much to the disappointment of spoiled kids everywhere. The tradition of giving citrus at Christmas is very old. You see, long ago, when citrus fruit was rare, gifts were given as a show of love and appreciation during the season, not out of a sense of obligation, or to buy affection, or to one-up the ex. In January, the other citrus fruits begin to flood the market. The blood orange is one of the more peculiar varieties. As I understand it, a confused bee cross-pollinated a rose and an orange, thus impregnating the fruit with

a pigment known only in flowers. This is probably apocryphal, but I enjoy spewing such fascinating culinary facts at parties. (Come to think of it, I haven’t been invited to any parties lately.) These ghoulishly named, red-fleshed, Mediterranean gems have been gaining popularity since the early ’80s, back when I was a young culinarian. I had a chef once who would stain regular oranges with raspberries when we ran out of the bloody ones. There’s a little trade secret you can keep under your hat. You’re welcome. Ruby-red grapefruit is another winter favorite of mine. Sweeter than the yellow variety, I discovered it as an adult. I was served only yellow grapefruit as a kid, drenched in sugar and topped with a cherry. I don’t think it was a very nutritious breakfast, but it sure woke me up. The cute little kumquat is also in season. They are not technically mini oranges, but they look the part. Eaten raw, they taste like a wad of orange rind; not what I would call delicious. But sliced thinly and dressed, or stewed in honey and sweet spices, they are lovely. There’s an amazing variety of citrus in the markets now, which will still be around for another month or two, a spectrum that includes lemons, limes, tangerines, grapefruits and oranges galore. Pick up something new and give it a try. If you’re lucky enough to have trees, freeze the juice and zest for use later this year, when you’re wearing sandals again. AM Bilderback is a South Pasadena resident and the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Spices and Herbs” (Alpha; December 2007), “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Comfort Food” (Alpha; September 2007) and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Success as a Chef” (Alpha; February 2007). A former executive chef of the California School of Culinary Arts, Bilderback teaches her techniques online at www.culinarymasterclass.com.

This dish makes a terrific light lunch, and it’s a quick fix for dinner on a busy night. The tang of the citrus is a perfect counterpoint to the rich, oily salmon and fresh, peppery watercress.

BAKED SALMON WITH WINTER CITRUS SALAD

Ingredients (Serves 4) 2 shallots, 4 (3-oz.) salmon minced fillets 1 tbsp. fresh tar1 ruby-red ragon, minced grapefruit 1 tbsp. fresh 3 blood oranges chervil, minced 4 tangerines 1 cup olive oil 1 lime 1 tbsp. sea salt 1 lemon

6 kumquats, sliced into thin wheels 2 cups fresh watercress or mixed greens

Directions Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grate the zest of grapefruit, blood oranges, tangerines, lime and lemon into a large bowl. Juice the lime and lemon into the bowl. Add shallots, tarragon and chervil. Slowly add olive oil, whisking until well combined. Set aside. Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish lightly coated with olive oil. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing over each fillet and sprinkle with salt. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 15 minutes or to desired doneness. Meanwhile, peel and slice grapefruit, blood oranges and tangerines, and add to remaining dressing, along with sliced kumquats. Toss to coat. Serve salmon on a bed of watercress or greens and top with citrus salad. ARROYO ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ 53


TA S T E T E S T

A Blind Tasting SURRENDERING TO STRONG HANDS AT THE DINING ROOM BY MANDALIT DEL BARCO Putting yourself in the hands of a chef is a singular act of trust. Not many people are willing to say, “Whither thou goest, I will go” when committing to a dinner bill the size of a car payment. But during the five nights a week he’s on-site at the Dining Room of the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, chef de cuisine Craig Strong draws a handful of guests willing to go with his flow by ordering his signature blind tasting. Okay, so it doesn’t really take that much courage. After all, the Dining Room just earned a star in the Michelin Guide’s debut Los Angeles edition this year. Strong has plied his trade there since 2000, after a stint as a sous-chef in a Ritz-Carlton-managed hotel in Barcelona. His Mediterranean sojourn added a light fillip to the French repertoire he acquired at L’Academie de Cuisine in Washington, D.C. “The Spanish chefs really want to be different from the French,” notes the young Glendale native, adding that he has tried to create food with “one foot in the past and the other in the future.” The Ritz-Carlton is due to change hands on Jan. 8, and the fate of the inventive Strong under the hotel’s new owner–the Boston-based Langham Hotels International– was uncertain at the time of this writing. But it’s hard to imagine that the chef won’t easily surf the transition. The Dining Room’s old-school décor is another story, one long overdue for an extreme makeover. The tired wood paneling and ship models behind glass are way out of step with the The Dining Room | Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena | (626) 585-6218 forward-looking menu. Tuesday through Thursday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Friday and Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m. Soon after we arrived at the Dining Room, the charming 36-year-old chef greeted us. delight was served with an exceptionally pretty, late-harvest 2000 Trimbach “This is going to be a lot of fun,” he promised with a grin. “And I want Vendanges Tardives Gewurztraminer from Alsace, France. you to feel comfortable with what you eat, not like you’re trying some weird The high point was a surprise: Strong’s liquid polenta and truffles with experiment.” Strong asked me and my companion if we had any food preferpoached quail egg and intensely savory Serrano ham tasted so rich it might ences or allergies, then proceeded to treat us to a customized nine-course have qualified as an eighth deadly sin, were it not for the fact that the chef menu of his own Spanish-influenced dishes with wine pairings selected by actually used milk and other light ingredients which were utterly transformed sommelier John Gregory Ortiz, also the maitre d’. in his hands. Strong expertly delivered what he calls modern American cuisine, which His admitted perfectionism paid off in his flavorful Muscovy duck breast draws on the country’s melting pot of cultures. Our meal began with a truly and grilled New York strip, nicely charred on the outside and velvety on the amusing amuse-bouche: bite-size caviar tacos—“my homage to L.A.,” as inside. They were served with a complex and refined Clos de L’Oratoire des Strong put it. This was followed by a lovely watercress and fennel salad with Papes 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a crisp, floral 2005 Cascina Chicco house-cured salmon and fried red onions, and a delicately breaded tempura Langhe Nebbiolo, respectively. squash blossom, stuffed with brandade, micro greens and a Romesco sauce Strong’s Meditteranean education was evident even in his dessert of reminiscent of a Thai peanut sauce. The light dish was nicely balanced with a extra-virgin olive-oil ice cream, which wasn’t at all oily, leaving only a faint, fruity 2005 Loriñon Rioja. pleasant aftertaste. The chef noted that he concocted the offering doing his Next came a perfectly prepared sautéed foie gras à l’orange accompanied creative thing during his tenure in Spain, “just messing around.” AM by a persimmon Asian–pear ginger–salad and onion marmalade. The buttery 54 ~ JANUARY 2008 ~ ARROYO




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