Arroyo Monthly March 2009 by Southland Publishing

I N E LINI V I NSAN G GABRIEL I N T HVALLEY E G R E A T E R FINEF LIVING THE

P A S A D E N A

A R E A

MARCH 2009

THE NEW FACE OF

PHILANTHROPY 25 GREAT PASADENA NONPROFITS THE JUNIOR LEAGUE GOES DIGITAL ART WORLD STARS GEHRY AND GRAHAM RAISE FUNDS FOR FROSTIG KIDS

ARROYO VOLUME 5 ~ NUMBER 3

M O N T H LY

18 SWEET CHARITY 9 25 NONPROFITS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR RADAR: Arroyo Monthly’s guide to Pasadena-area charities worth your time and treasure –By Noela Hueso and Carl Kozlowski

14 EARLY WARNING SYSTEM: Breast cancer survivor Katherine Rodriguez raises money for the battle against the disease and alerts young women to the importance of early screening. –By Ilsa Setziol

18 SOCIAL CLOUT: No longer a private club for debutantes, today’s Junior League of Pasadena welcomes every woman who wants to extend a helping hand to the community. –By Patt Diroll

34 THE ART OF PHILANTHROPY: The Frostig Collection commissions work from internationally important artists to benefit Pasadena’s Frostig Center for learning-disabled children. –By Carl Kozlowski

FEATURE 40 ART: Home is Where the Art is: A Pasadena couple turns part of their Craftsman home into the Offramp Gallery for art, resurrecting the residence’s unusual past as a public-private arts space. –By Jessica Hamlin

DEPARTMENTS 7 FESTIVITIES The Pasadena Playhouse and the Apl.de.ap Foundation

Photo: Melissa Valladares

43 THE LIST Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Shakespeare League of Pasadena and more

46 KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Television’s backstabbing chef shows leave a sour taste in our food columnist’s mouth.

48 THE ART OF SCIENCE Caltech scientists delving into optical illusions believe our brains trick us into seeing something that isn’t there … yet. ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

What a relief it has been for scoundrels of the millennium to be called on their destructiveness, for cheats in government and corporate America to be named in the public square. There are doubtless more revelations to come, but one heartening development is already becoming clear — the country is beginning to move in a new direction guided by a moral compass. As President Obama said in his inaugural address: “What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.” This is a new era for good citizenship and philanthropy. Charitable activity has long been a hallmark of Pasadena life, but in recent years it has taken on new forms. As Pasadena social lioness Patt Diroll discovered, the Junior League has evolved from an exclusive club for young ladies of privilege to a group that welcomes all women with the heart to help the community. Lynne Heffley explores an exciting new fundraising model — commissioning work by important artists for the sole benefit of a good cause, in this case, Pasadena’s Frostig Center for children with learning disabilities. And Ilsa Setziol talks to a young Altadena breast cancer survivor, Katherine Rodriguez, who’s spreading the word about a difficult decision she made in dealing with the disease, so as to alert other young women to the importance of early screening. Charities have taken a huge hit in this grim economy, and whether you can donate your time or your treasure, they need your help now more than ever. So we bring you a guide to 25 Pasadena-area nonprofits that should be on your radar. You might choose one or two to lend a hand to, and in so doing, as Obama said, “choose our better history, to carry forward that precious gift, that ... all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” — Irene Lacher

ARROYO MONTHLY EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher PRODUCTION MANAGER Yvonne Guerrero ART DIRECTOR Joel Vendette • JUNIOR DESIGNER Evelyn Duenas WEB DESIGNER Carla Marroquin COPY EDITOR John Seeley STAFF WRITER Carl Kozlowski CONTRIBUTORS Karen Apostolina, Jenine Baines, Leslie Bilderback, Michael Burr, Michael Cervin, André Coleman, Caroline Cushing, Mandalit del Barco, Patt Diroll, Gary Dretzka, Jessica Hamlin, Lynne Heffley, Bettijane Levine, Jana Monji, Arlene Schindler, Ilsa Setziol, Kirk Silsbee, John Sollenberger PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnny Buzzerio, C.M. Hardt, Melissa Valladares ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Fred Bankston, Dana Bonner, Elizabeth Guzman, Leslie Lamm, Rochelle Reiff, Alison Standish ADVERTISING DESIGNER Carla Marroquin VP OF FINANCE Michael Nagami • HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker BUSINESS MANAGER Angela Wang ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Archie Iskaq OFFICE ASSISTANT Emma Luna PUBLISHER Jon Guynn

CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.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 ©2008 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

6 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

FESTIVITIES

1. (From left) Artistic Director Sheldon Epps, Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance 2. Lena Kennedy, Brenda Galloway and Liz Levitt Hirsch 3. Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo 4. Bill Galloway, board Chair Michele Engeman and Brenda Galloway Below: Gabrielle Union

Pasadena Playhouse alumna Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, hosted a glittering gathering at the third annual Sheldon Epps Theatrical Diversity Project Celebration on Jan. 27. The event at the El Molino Avenue theater honored philanthropist Brenda Galloway and featured a special performance of “Stormy Weather” starring Leslie Uggams as Lena Horne (the West Coast premiere production broke the playhouse’s record for pre–opening-night ticket sales). The Brian Green Band entertained the crowd as the evening began with a cocktail reception. Guests grazed on a spread of Southern cooking — including black-eyed peas, beer-battered chicken bites and BBQ pulled pork — catered by Elements Kitchen. Wells Fargo’s David DiCristofaro, a playhouse board member, announced the bank’s commitment of $300,000, earning it the exclusive title of the Diversity Project’s naming sponsor. In pre-show remarks, special guest Gabrielle Union paid homage to Horne for opening the doors for African-American actresses. After the performance, guests gathered in the play-

PHOTOS: Pasadena Playhouse by Anthony Masters Photography; Apl Foundation by Marcel Montemayor of XDTM.com

house library for a party hosted by Faye and Robert Davidson.

Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas hosted an entertainmentindustry fundraiser for his foundation at Magnolia Lounge on Jan. 26. DJ Mia spun a mix of Black Eyed Peas and Apl tunes while models strutted in a trunk show of fashion by the performer’s stylists — Anna Kim and Lor-e Phillips. The Apl Foundation raises funds for disaster relief and other projects in the Philippines. The event was organized by Boehm Communications as part of the

1. Apl.de.ap

“26 days of caring” campaign sponsored by Pasadena’s Touché

2. (From left) Mark Alee and Winnie Jow

Salon & Spa, which donated 5 percent of January sales to more

3. Apl.de.ap with Touché owner Mira Khalil

than two dozen charities, including Five Acres and the Huntington

4. Recording artist Sir Lance, Lor-e Philips, rapper Qwes and model Karen Jean

Hospital Breast Care Center.

4 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 7

SWEET CHARITY

Nonprofits That Should Be On Your Radar BY NOELA HUESO AND CARL KOZLOWSKI

PRESIDENT OBAMA EXHORTED US TO MOVE FROM THE “ME” DECADES INTO THE “WE” DECADE — A SHIFT THAT HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE. IN THESE TOUGH TIMES, WITH MANY CHARITIES GRAPPLING WITH SHRINKING BUDGETS, THE PEOPLE AROUND US NEED OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER. IT ISN’T HARD TO FIND A PLACE TO LEND A HAND. LOOK WHEREVER YOU LAND: ARE YOU ONE OF PASADENA’S MANY CULTURE AFICIONADOS WHO SPEND SATURDAY NIGHTS AT THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE AND SUNDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE HUNTINGTON? AFTER THE CURTAINS COME DOWN AND THE GALLERIES CLOSE, SEND A DONATION OR VOLUNTEER. AFTER ALL, EVEN IF YOU’RE SHORT ON TREASURE, THERE’S ALMOST ALWAYS THAT OTHER PRECIOUS COMMODITY — TIME. HERE ARE SOME PASADENAAREA CHARITIES THAT MAY BE LESS VISIBLE THAN THOSE CULTURAL LANDMARKS, BUT THEY’RE VERY MUCH AT THE HEART OF WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE ONE OF THE MOST PHILANTHROPIC CITIES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. —CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 9

SWEET CHARITY

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ANIMALS

DOOR OF HOPE 669 N. Los Robles Ave. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 304-9130 | Doorofhope.us

PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA 361 S. Raymond Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 792-7151 | Phsspca.org FOUNDED: 1903 WHAT THEY DO: Caring for more than 10,000 animals annually, the

PHS & SPCA handles adoptions, animal training and humane education, plus animal control and licensing for Arcadia and La Cañada. It also looks into reports of animal cruelty and neglect. ANNUAL BUDGET: $5.6 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Nutro Products, Pasadena Animal League, Vroman’s Bookstore, Wells Fargo PRESIDENT AND CEO: Steven McNall

ARTS CALIFORNIA ALLIANCE FOR ARTS EDUCATION 495 E. Colorado Blvd. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 578-9315 | Artsed411.org FOUNDED: 1973 WHAT THEY DO: This group of arts organizations, schools, businesses and indi-

viduals promotes and supports visual and performing arts education throughout the state for preschool through post-secondary students. ANNUAL BUDGET: $900,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: California Arts Council, Dom and Carol DeLuise, the James Irvine Foundation, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Union Bank of California EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Laurie Schell PASADENA ARTS COUNCIL 65 S. Grand Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 793-8171 | Pasadenaartscouncil.org FOUNDED: 1964 WHAT THEY DO: The council advocates for the arts in Pasadena, serving as a bridge

between the city and local cultural institutions and offering financial support to artists and programming. PAC community programs include a curriculum called Next Step, used to teach high schoolers about the entertainment business. ANNUAL BUDGET: $250,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Mayor Bill and Claire Bogaard, Sheldon Epps, Harvey and Ellen Knell EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Terry LeMoncheck

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF PASADENA 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd. | Pasadena 91107 | (626) 449-9100 | Bgcpasadena.org FOUNDED: 1937 WHAT THEY DO: The Boys & Girls Club’s five Pasadena locations

provide after-school and summer learning environments for children and teens, embracing sports, the arts and technology. ANNUAL BUDGET: $1.8 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Bank of America, Capital Group Companies, Kaiser Permanente PRESIDENT AND CEO: Hilary Crahan 10 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

FOUNDED: 1985 WHAT THEY DO: Door of Hope provides transitional housing for

homeless families. ANNUAL BUDGET: $645,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Avery Dennison Corp., Bank of the West, Lake Avenue Church, Pasadena Community Foundation EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tim Peters ELIZABETH HOUSE (626) 577-4434 | Elizabethhouse.net FOUNDED: 1994 WHAT THEY DO: Elizabeth House is a haven for homeless pregnant

women, offering temporary shelter and help in meeting the future challenges of supporting a family. ANNUAL BUDGET: $365,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors Foundation, In-N-Out Burger Foundation, La Cañada Junior Women’s Club, Pasadena Rotary Club Women’s Club, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Pasadena Rotary Club EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Debbie Unruh FIVE ACRES 760 W. Mountain View St. | Altadena 91001 | (626) 798-6793 | Fiveacres.org FOUNDED: 1888 WHAT THEY DO: With both community-based and residential programs, child

abuse-prevention agency Five Acres specializes in mental health services (in homes and schools), foster care, adoptions and domestic violence– prevention education. ANNUAL BUDGET: $25 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Pasadena Unified School District Special Education, United Way EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert A. Ketch HATHAWAY-SYCAMORES CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES 210 S. DeLacey Ave., Suite 110 | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 395-7100 | Hathaway-sycamores.org FOUNDED: 1919 WHAT THEY DO: With 12 locations in Los Angeles County, Hathaway-

Sycamores is one of the largest children’s mental health and welfare nonprofits in Los Angeles County, facilitating foster care, adoption, mental health and other services. ANNUAL BUDGET: $45 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: The Eisner Foundation, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation PRESIDENT AND CEO: William P. Martone

ties in the arts, sciences and humanities for children ages 1 through 10 at Kidspace. The museum also features rotating programs and activities throughout the year. ANNUAL BUDGET: $2.6 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: The Ahmanson Foundation, Walt Disney Co., Ernst & Young, Nestle USA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Tracy Bechtold

HEALTH MOTHERS’ CLUB FAMILY LEARNING CENTER 980 N. Fair Oaks Ave. | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 792-2687 | Mothersclub.org FOUNDED: 1961 WHAT THEY DO: Mothers’ Club offers education programs and social services to

underprivileged families when their children are most impressionable — between birth and 5 years of age. ANNUAL BUDGET: $1 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Avery Dennison Corporation, the Eisner Foundation, Northrup Grumman, Target EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Susan Kujawa

480 N. Arroyo Blvd. | Brookside Park | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 449-9144 | Kidspacemuseum.org FOUNDED: 1979 WHAT THEY DO: Working in a real garden (and tasting the fruits of their

labor) and adopting caterpillars are just some of the many interactive activi-

AIDS SERVICE CENTER 909 S. Fair Oaks Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 441-8595 | Aidsservicecenter.org FOUNDED: 1987 WHAT THEY DO: AIDS Service Center offers benefits assessments, counseling,

education and assistance with home health care, housing, transportation and mental health services. ANNUAL BUDGET: $4 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: S. Mark Taper Foundation, Macy’s, Toyota, MAC AIDS Fund, Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Yvonne C. Benson

ROSEMARY CHILDREN’S SERVICES 36 S. Kinneola Ave., Suite 200 | Pasadena 91107 | (626) 844-3033 | Rosemarychildren.org FOUNDED: 1920 WHAT THEY DO: Rosemary Children’s Services helps young people who have

suffered abuse, neglect and abandonment. Services include a residential program for teen girls, a foster care program, specialized education and a mental health program. ANNUAL BUDGET: $8.2 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Ahmanson Foundation, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Patron Saints Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Greg Wessels

COMMUNITY HEALTH ALLIANCE OF PASADENA 1855 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 200 | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 398-6300 | Chapcare.org FOUNDED: 1995 WHAT THEY DO: CHAP is a nonprofit medical and dental health clinic serving

the Foothill communities. ANNUAL BUDGET: Nearly $4 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: City of Pasadena, Pasadena Community Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, Southern California Edison PRESIDENT: John J. Kennedy DAY ONE

PASADENA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION 351 S. Hudson Ave., Room 219 | Pasadena 91109 | (626) 396-3600, ext. 88350 | Pasadfoundation.org FOUNDED: 1971 WHAT THEY DO: PEF was founded to increase community and financial

support for public schools in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. It does that by sponsoring community forums, citywide softball tournaments and other programs. ANNUAL BUDGET: $1.6 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Ralph M. Parsons Corporation, Tom Sawyer Camps, Vroman’s Bookstore EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Joan H. Fauvre

ENVIRONMENT PASADENA BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION

KIDSPACE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

residents, businesses and institutions to spruce up their own sites, working with the city to replace missing trees and plant new ones and operating a plant bank. ANNUAL BUDGET: N/A SELECT SUPPORTERS: N/A PRESIDENT: Bette Cooper

140 S. Lake Ave., Suite 268 | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 795-9704 | Pasadenabeautiful.org FOUNDED: 1960 WHAT THEY DO: The organization promotes Pasadena’s beautification by help-

ing people find certified arborists, partnering with community and governmental organizations in an annual clean-up project, recognizing efforts by

175 N. Euclid Ave. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 229-9750 | Dayonepasadena.com FOUNDED: 1989 WHAT THEY DO: Day One provides substance-abuse-prevention services

for the cities of Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre and the Greater San Gabriel Valley. ANNUAL BUDGET: $361,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Drug Free Communities Support Program, the Flintridge Foundation, Alcohol & Drug Prevention Association EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Christy Zamani RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 763 S. Pasadena Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 585-1588 | Pasadenarmh.org FOUNDED: 2004 WHAT THEY DO: Ronald McDonald House provides a place to stay and emo-

tional support to families with children receiving long-term care at Huntington Hospital. ANNUAL BUDGET: $530,590 SELECT SUPPORTERS: McDonald’s Owner-Operators of Southern California, —CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 11

SWEET CHARITY

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ANIMALS

DOOR OF HOPE 669 N. Los Robles Ave. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 304-9130 | Doorofhope.us

PASADENA HUMANE SOCIETY & SPCA 361 S. Raymond Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 792-7151 | Phsspca.org FOUNDED: 1903 WHAT THEY DO: Caring for more than 10,000 animals annually, the

FOUNDED: 1985 WHAT THEY DO: Door of Hope provides transitional housing for

480 N. Arroyo Blvd. | Brookside Park | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 449-9144 | Kidspacemuseum.org FOUNDED: 1979 WHAT THEY DO: Working in a real garden (and tasting the fruits of their

labor) and adopting caterpillars are just some of the many interactive activi-

AIDS SERVICE CENTER 909 S. Fair Oaks Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 441-8595 | Aidsservicecenter.org FOUNDED: 1987 WHAT THEY DO: AIDS Service Center offers benefits assessments, counseling,

ENVIRONMENT PASADENA BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION

KIDSPACE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

140 S. Lake Ave., Suite 268 | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 795-9704 | Pasadenabeautiful.org FOUNDED: 1960 WHAT THEY DO: The organization promotes Pasadena’s beautification by help-

ing people find certified arborists, partnering with community and governmental organizations in an annual clean-up project, recognizing efforts by

175 N. Euclid Ave. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 229-9750 | Dayonepasadena.com FOUNDED: 1989 WHAT THEY DO: Day One provides substance-abuse-prevention services

SWEET CHARITY IT TOOK A LOT OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, BUT WE HAVE JUST BEGUN. TODAY WE BEGIN IN EARNEST THE WORK OF MAKING SURE THAT THE WORLD WE LEAVE OUR CHILDREN IS JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN THE ONE WE INHABIT TODAY. ~BARACK OBAMA

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Rusnak Automotive, Coldwell Banker, Hale Builders & Developers, Sherry Klein, South Pasadena Rotary Foundation, the Pernecky family PRESIDENT: Charlotte Harrison YOUNG & HEALTHY 37 N. Holliston Ave. | Pasadena 91106 | (626) 795-5166 | Youngandhealthy-pas.org FOUNDED: 1990 WHAT THEY DO: Young & Healthy’s volunteers provide free medical, dental,

psychological and case-management services to low-income children with inadequate or no insurance in Pasadena, Altadena, San Marino and South Pasadena. ANNUAL BUDGET: $980,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: N/A EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Mary Donnelly-Crocker

COMMUNITY OUTREACH LAKE AVENUE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 712 E. Villa St. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 449-4960 | Lakeavefoundation.org FOUNDED: 2001 WHAT THEY DO: LACF helps 170 disadvantaged youth in Northwest Pasadena

with mentoring, summer-camp and after-school programs. It also partners with local churches and other organizations to provide housing and other resources to low-income residents. ANNUAL BUDGET: $1.3 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation, NW ECHO Program, Holmes Body Shop, La Cañada Presbyterian Church, Trader Joe’s CHAIR: Bruce Stone PASADENA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 260 S. Los Robles Ave. | Pasadena 91101 | (626) 796-2097 | Pasadenacf.org FOUNDED: 1953 WHAT THEY DO: The Pasadena Community Foundation works with individu-

als and organizations to establish philanthropic funds and provides financial support to local nonprofits. PCF currently manages more than 200 funds. ANNUAL BUDGET: $450,000 (operating), $800,000 (grants) SELECT SUPPORTERS: Kiwanis Club of South Pasadena, Clifford Swan Investments Counsel, Gonzalez Goodale Architects, Lucas Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Jennifer Fleming Devoll PASADENA FORWARD 1015 N. Lake Ave. | Pasadena 91104 | (626) 797-7238 | Pasadenaforward.org FOUNDED: 2004 WHAT THEY DO: Pasadena Forward helps other local nonprofits expand their

programs and client base by providing organizational and back-office assistance. The Pasadena Marathon is its major fundraiser. ANNUAL BUDGET: $600,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Kaiser Permanente EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Israel Estrada 12 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY 770 N. Fair Oaks Ave. | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 792-3838 | Sgvhabitat.org FOUNDED: 1990 WHAT THEY DO: The organization builds and renovates housing for low-

income residents of 31 communities. Its efforts are partly funded by proceeds from its two Re-Stores — building-supply stores behind the Pasadena HQ and at 410 S. Irwindale Ave. in Azusa. ANNUAL BUDGET: Nearly $2 million SELECT SUPPORTERS: Walt Disney Co., Bank of America, Union Bank of California, Weingart Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, Annenberg Foundation EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Sonja Yates

HISTORIC PRESERVATION FRIENDS OF THE GAMBLE HOUSE 4 Westmoreland Pl. | Pasadena 91103 | (626) 793-3334 | Gamblehouse.org FOUNDED: 1972 WHAT THEY DO: This University of Southern California support

group helps fund the preservation and operation of the 1908 Gamble House, Pasadena’s iconic example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture designed by Charles and Henry Greene. The Friends also sponsor two annual scholar-in-residence fellowships for upper-division students of USC’s School of Architecture. ANNUAL BUDGET: $750,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Gamble family, Avery Dennison PRESIDENT: LuAnn Haslam THE FRIENDS OF THE CASTLE GREEN 99 S. Raymond Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 577-6765 | Castlegreen.com FOUNDED: 1995. WHAT THEY DO: The group hosts two tours of Castle Green each year — dur-

ing the first Sundays in June and December — to help fund its preservation efforts. The Friends also accept donations for specific restoration projects, such as the current plan to create replica roof tiles for the east-facing veranda. ANNUAL BUDGET: Averages $20,000 to $25,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Raises money mainly through the tours EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Jim Marrin PASADENA HERITAGE 651 S. St. John Ave. | Pasadena 91105 | (626) 441-6333 | Pasadenaheritage.org FOUNDED: 1977 WHAT THEY DO: One of the city’s largest membership organizations, with more

than 2,000 supporters, Pasadena Heritage sponsors tours, lectures and celebrations focused on the city’s historic architectural and cultural treasures. It also documents and advocates for the preservation of important historic sites and oversees an oral history project recalling Pasadena’s past through the eyes of its residents. The 2009 Spring Home Tour exploring the California style of Reginald Johnson, Gordon Kaufmann and Roland Coate takes place on March 29. ANNUAL BUDGET: $500,000 SELECT SUPPORTERS: Lucille W. Holling, Capital Group Companies EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Susan Mossman AM

SWEET CHARITY

TO KATHERINE RODRIGUEZ, NICE BREASTS ARE ESSENTIAL. “BREASTS ARE A WOMAN’S FEMININITY,” SHE SAYS, “A BIG PART OF HOW WOMEN FEEL ABOUT THEMSELVES AND A HUGE PART OF MY SELF-ESTEEM.” AT 21, SHE AUGMENTED HERS WITH IMPLANTS. “I WANTED TO LOOK LIKE ALL THE OTHER BARBIE DOLLS OUT THERE.” When she gave birth to her daughter 3 1/2 years ago, the Altadena resident decided to breastfeed, even though she was working full time. When her left breast produced less than the right one, she consulted a lactation specialist, but the problem persisted. Then on Feb. 1, 2007 — about six months after she stopped breastfeeding — she woke up in the middle of the night. “I put my hand on my [left] breast. I don’t know why,” recalls Rodriguez, a 36-year-old graphic designer. “I told my husband, ‘Wake up. There’s a lump in my breast.’ He felt it and went back to sleep.” Rodriguez did not go back to sleep.

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR KATHERINE RODRIGUEZ RAISES MONEY FOR THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DISEASE AND ALERTS YOUNG WOMEN TO THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY SCREENING. BY ILSA SETZIOL

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I’m here at her home near the base of the San Gabriel Mountains because Rodriguez wants other women to know what came next, to learn from the lifechanging journey she embarked upon that day. On March 15, the journey will take her to the Rose Bowl, where she plans to join 13,000 people in the Los Angeles County Affiliate’s 13th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Rodriguez is collecting donations on a page of the L.A. County Komen race website, and she’s one of the event’s top fundraisers. At presstime, she’d raised $1,320 of her $2,000 goal. Inside her tidy home, we peruse a couple of photo albums she created online and chat about her early childhood in Hawaii. Then I ask about what happened after she felt the lump. Rodriguez replies that she called her doctor first thing in the morning. Her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 38; the cancer had recurred nine years later. No other relatives had developed breast cancer, but Rodriguez had already taken the precaution of asking for a mammogram when she was 34. Nothing had turned up. (It’s worth noting that mammograms for women under 40 are often inaccurate because younger women have denser breasts, which are harder for X-rays to penetrate.) None of Rodriguez’s doctors told her that because her mother developed breast cancer at a young age, she might have inherited a gene mutation that makes people more likely to get breast and ovarian cancer — and at a younger age. (The lifetime risk of breast cancer for women with the mutation is estimated to be from 55 to 85 percent; for ovarian cancer, it’s 20 to 40 percent, according to the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions website.) American Cancer Society (ACS) spokesperson and Los Angeles surgeon Rebecca Alleyne says that Rodriguez’s doctors’ omission was a big mistake: “If you a have relative under age 50 with breast cancer, you need to start screening early: Have a mammogram, a breast MRI. If you have a strong family history, you should be tested for a gene mutation.” Indicators of a genetic predilection for breast cancer include: a close relative diagnosed before age 50, relatives with breast and/or ovarian cancer, a family member with cancer in both breasts at different times or male relatives with breast cancer.

“THE DECISION CAME DOWN TO MY DAUGHTER. I WANTED TO BE AROUND FOR HER. YOU FIND THIS WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF DESIRE, OF WANTING TO LIVE.” Rodriguez’s altered gene is known as BRCA1. The ACS estimates that genetic mutations — which can also impact the BRCA2 gene — lead to five to 10 percent of breast cancer cases. Dr. Alleyne explains that the BRCA1 mutation can be inherited from either parent. “It often doesn’t show up as cancer in men,” she adds, “so it’s not unusual that it’s passed on silently for a couple of generations. Someone may have had two great-aunts and a greatgreat-grandmother with breast cancer, but no one spoke about those things at that time.” The year Rodriguez was diagnosed, she was among some 13,790 women under age 45 who had developed breast cancer in this country, according to the ACS. Women who get the cancer before they turn 40 are seven percent more likely to die from the disease than older women; one theory is that they tend to contract a more aggressive form because weaker strains are overcome by their youthful immune systems. Just three days after Rodriguez felt the lump, her doctor confirmed she had breast cancer — a large tumor in her left breast, stage 3A on a scale of four. Sitting on her sofa, she touches the spot delicately. Implants can make it harder to detect breast cancer, but Rodriguez says one physician suggested her implant may have pushed the tumor to a spot where she was more likely feel it. The cancer seemed to be aggressive. Rodriguez’s doctors advised that the best way to prevent a recurrence was to remove both breasts. “I just wasn’t ready,” she says firmly. “You just don’t want to hear —CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 15

SWEET CHARITY

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR KATHERINE RODRIGUEZ RAISES MONEY FOR THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DISEASE AND ALERTS YOUNG WOMEN TO THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY SCREENING. BY ILSA SETZIOL

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SWEET CHARITY

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

that. I liked my breasts. They remove all parts of the breast. You lose sexual appeal. You’re left with two scars across your chest. I’m so vain, I wanted to keep my breasts so badly.” So Rodriguez had a lumpectomy — the removal of just the cancerous tissue — thinking she would keep on top of things with regular testing. A month later, both her breasts were gone. Women in a support group had convinced her it was the safest option and that with reconstructive surgery, she could feel good about her appearance. Ultimately, she says, “The decision came down to my daughter. I wanted to be around for her. You find this whole new level of desire, of wanting to live.” Rodriguez’s eyes tear as she continues: “[My daughter] was so loving. She would hold me and kiss me. She looked at my chest and said, ‘Ow-ies, Mommy, ow-ies.’” But the ordeal had just begun. She underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. During chemo, a catheter punctured her lung, and another tube was painfully inserted between her ribs. She threw up frequently, her hair fell out, her vision blurred and she’d start a task only to forget what she was doing. She was so weak she couldn’t climb out of the bathtub by herself. And yet she turned up for her job nearly every workday. “I felt if I sat at home eating Oreos and getting depressed, it wasn’t going to make it better,” she explains. Rodriguez’s mom, Francine Oschin, says cancer patients either “fall apart completely — it destroys them — or they grow stronger.” Her daughter, she says, “found an inner strength I don’t think she realized she had.” Rodriguez says she believes that people with a BRCA mutation should get an MRI every six months. That’s twice as often as most physicians advise, and probably more checkups than most insurance will cover. “I don’t care if it [leads to] unnecessary biopsies,” she says. “I’d rather have my breasts poked than find I have stage 3A breast cancer.” She also believes that women should ask their doctors for detailed handson instructions on how and when to perform self-exams. “It just amazes me,” she says. “I’ve been to four different gynecologists, and none of them said, ‘Do you know how to give yourself a proper exam?’” Dr. Alleyne agrees that many doctors are not providing enough information. “Most women don’t get instruction on a breast model or on themselves,” she says. “It’s really a shame, because it only takes two or three minutes to demonstrate. And most women under 40 find the lump themselves.” In Rodriguez’s living room, I glance over at a glass side table. It’s covered with a couple of dozen framed photos of family and friends. In one, she’s posing with a golfing buddy. The sport is one of her passions. Now that the pain is subsiding, she’s hoping to get back to it. Most of all, she is simply happy to have time with her family. “I love the end of the day. I lie in my daughter’s bed, read books, talk, give her a hug and [stay] until she falls asleep. Then I go into my room and lie down with my husband.” Rodriguez tells me that many things that used to bug her, like unfinished tasks, don’t anymore. “All I care about is that nobody’s calling me today telling me I’m dying,” she says. “You find this whole new level of wanting to be alive.” AM The 13th annual Los Angeles County Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be held March 15 at the Rose Bowl. Registration opens at 7 a.m., a health and fitness expo runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m. and the event ends at 2 p.m. Fees range from $25 to $40. The Rose Bowl is located at 1001

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SWEET CHARITY

Social Clout

NO LONGER A PRIVATE CLUB FOR DEBUTANTES, TODAY’S JUNIOR LEAGUE OF PASADENA WELCOMES EVERY WOMAN WHO WANTS TO EXTEND A HELPING HAND TO THE COMMUNITY. BY PATT DIROLL | PHOTOS BY MELISSA VALLADARES

WHEN THE JUNIOR LEAGUE WAS FOUNDED IN NEW YORK A CENTURY AGO, YOUNG LADIES NEEDED THE PROPER SOCIAL CREDENTIALS TO JOIN THE WOMEN’S SERVICE ORGANIZATION. ITS REPUTATION FOR EXCLUSIVITY MAY LINGER, BUT THE QUALIFICATIONS THAT COUNT FOR TODAY’S JUNIOR LEAGUERS ARE MUCH MORE DOWN TO EARTH — BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS AND A DESIRE TO PITCH IN.

(Pictured from left) JLP President Sherry Gray, Community Director Megan Daugherty, past President Pamela Hillings Tegtmeyer and President-elect Katrina Onderdonk; (Opposite page from left) Onderdonk helps kids refresh the Boys & Girls Club Garden; Tegtmeyer helps paint club walls.

18 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

Indeed, the venerable Junior League of Pasadena, which was established in 1926, has survived and thrived because of its willingness to bend with the times. “Flexibility is the secret of our success,” says league president Sherry Gray. “We know where we are now, but we also know where we want the league to be 10 years from now.” These days, service organizations resilient enough to favor energy over pedigree will be the ones that bound through the next decades. Even before the current fiscal crisis, many “old guard” fundraising groups were ailing, due to a decline in membership and lack of new blood. In recent years, some have had to scale down their major fundraising events, while others have disbanded altogether. Stay-at-home moms with time to spare for volunteer work were common in previous generations. Not so now. Many of today’s 30somethings work outside the home, because it often takes two incomes to pay for children and a mortgage. Such pressures have dealt a virtual death blow to the tradition of running charitable groups by invitation only. Exclusivity is passé, and organizations like the Junior League are finding their niche on the Internet, advertising for members on their webpages. The strategy is working: The Pasadena chapter currently has 140 active members; 50 more are provisional and more than 630 are sustaining — membership levels that involve less time and treasure. These are not the socialites of Junior League founder Mary Harriman’s era in the early 1900s, when only young women from the right New York City families were invited to occupy their post-debutante days playing Lady Bountiful to immigrants in Manhattan’s settlement houses. Two years after Harriman started the Junior League for the Promotion of Settlement Movements in 1901, her friend Eleanor Roosevelt joined the organization, teaching dance and calisthenics to young women. The league soon broadened its services and, by 1907, chapters had been

established in Brooklyn, Boston and Montreal — the first Canadian chapter. Its members successfully petitioned for free lunches in city schools and marched for women’s suffrage; during World War I, they sold war bonds and worked in hospitals. In the Depression years, Junior Leaguers opened nutrition centers, milk stations, baby clinics, day-care centers, birth control clinics and training schools for nurses. Their ranks have since grown to encompass 292 Junior League chapters in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Great Britain. Despite the league’s track record for good works, the Marie-Antoinettein-the-dairy image has been hard to shake. With such notable Junior Leaguers as former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan passing through the organization’s hallowed halls, the “Junior Leaguer” label evolved into a synonym for a member of the social establishment. But that stereotype is ancient history, according to Katrina Onderdonk, JLP president-elect. “Sixty-seven percent of our members work full time. Eleven percent work part time, and more than half are involved in other service organizations.” The ritual of vetting potential members for social cachet is defunct as well. “We host receptions for prospective members several times during the summer to provide information on what we do in the community,” she said. “No one is turned away if she is willing to work.” Annual dues are $175. League President Emerita (1994-95) Pamela Hillings Tegtmeyer, daughter of the late U.S. Rep. Pat Hillings, recalls the bygone era. “There was a time, several years ago, when a candidate had to be invited to a social gathering to be secretly evaluated,” she said. “At the time I joined, three sponsors were required. How times have changed.” The Pasadena website describes its more expansive wish list for members: “actively seeking women over 21, and of all races, religions and national origins who share in its commitment to volunteerism and community service.”

So what does the local league do in the San Gabriel Valley? The group has declared its special allegiance to children and families, and its accomplishments have won high praise from community leaders. More than a decade ago, it focused its efforts on Pasadena’s James Madison Elementary School, contributing more than $1.5 million and over 50,000 volunteer hours to the neighborhood over the years. The league bought the Madison Neighborhood Village’s Cornerstone Cottage, then refurbished it and deeded it to the Pasadena Unified School District; the community gathers there for literacy classes and a variety of social services. The JLP left the Madison community in 2006, and now the programs it launched are self-sustaining entities. “The school and the neighborhood were almost entirely Spanishspeaking,” says Pasadena Star-News Public Editor Larry Wilson. “What they did was extraordinary. They did so much good, tireless work with the kids, and their presence just across the street showed immigrant families in the northwest that Pasadena was there for them.” After Madison, members inaugurated a new effort in their campaign — “Nurturing Children through Family Support.” Their current signature project, which focuses on middle-school students, is called “Girls Rock!” It consists of three programs: Body-Wise, a girls’ nutrition and fitness conference; Be R.E.A.L., a series of seminars on relationships for girls and their parents/guardians; and Side by Side, a mentoring program designed to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in teenagers. To complement Side by Side, the league stages Done In A Day projects, involving the girls and league members in intensive short-term tasks to help the community. A Done In A Day team recently painted a room and replanted the garden at the Boys & Girls Club’s Scott Child Center on North Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena — all within a few hours. The crew included Kimm Groshong, a science writer who said she joined the league two years —CONTINUED ON PAGE 33 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 19

ARROYO

HOME&DESIGN

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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. Chelsea Construction is a full service, home remodeling company specializing in luxury and custom home design and construction, in business since 1996. Our services include projects of finish carpentry, bathroom and kitchen remodels, additions, and com-

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plete custom home renovations. We work primarily in the North Los Angeles Region from Glendale to Sierra Madre and our office is located in La Canada Flintridge. You may visit our website to view details of our projects www.chelseaconstructioncorp.com Crystal Clear Pool & Spa, Inc. Craftsmanship is a Skill...Since 1995 this family owned business specializes in high-end one of a kind custom swimming pool design and construction. Kevin Bauer, owner, has the interests of each customer in mind throughout the entire design and construction process. We go to great lengths to make sure we understand exactly what you want. Our commitment to quality is evident in the craftsmanship of our work. We want our customers to feel comfortable. Contact us today for more information at (626) 446-0592. Let us build your backyard dreams. Cynthia Bennett and Associates This celebrated designer and general contractor, with 11 designers, architects and project managers, have created some of the San Gabriel Valley’s most beautiful spaces. “Full Service” means they take any project from concept, plans, lighting and construction through furnishings and accessories, using the best materials and an exacting eye for detail. Theirdesign/build team aims for the iconic Southern California lifestyle of light, open spaces, accessible patios, garden areas, and kitchen great rooms. Using modern Green Design products and techniques, this 28year-old firm provides unsurpassed service and quality. 501 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena. (626) 799-9701. DreamMaker Bath Owner Steve Clemens has successfully serviced the San Gabriel Valley since 1992 as Canyon Oak Construction, Inc. We’re committed to creative excellence coupled with the top-quality products and services you expect. We’ll take you from start to finish on your project, with expert design and planning, superior products, and quality workmanship from a team of highly qualified professionals! From lighting to flooring, cabinets and countertops, plumbing faucets and fixtures – we never cut corners and provide nothing but top-quality, name-brand products. Dreammaker-SGV.com – (626) 398-9237.

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MISSION MILLWORKS Custom Doors, Windows and Fine Cabinetry

ished, detail-oriented garden. Garden View & their clientele are recipients of 60 awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association. Complete and integrated outdoor construction, nursery and maintenance. The intent of the company is to provide high-quality interrelated outdoor services. The synergy between having their own designer/project managers, in-house crews, their own large nursery, and being a licensed pool builder — coupled with Mark’s almost daily job visits — provides for efficiency, competitive pricing, quality & schedule control (626) 303-4043. GAROCCO, INC. Located at 656 E. Green Street, Pasadena, is known for their outstanding pools. From outdoor kitchens to pools, garden design and water features, Gar Sewell, CEO and lead designer, can fulfill all your landscape needs. Gar’s Monthly Tip: Investing in your property: In today’s market, many answers about where to invest your money can be risky and confusing. Keeping your money in-house by investing in home improvement will always have positive long-term results. This way, you can actually enjoy your money while it grows. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit Gar personally at Garocco, Inc.’s new Design Center. (626) 398-5050. www.garocco.com Since 1994, James V. Coane, Architects in Pasadena has specialized in: custom residences, estates, historic renovations and expansions, residential and apartment interiors, multi-family residential, corporate interiors, retail and small commercial building design. Primarily working in Pasadena and West LA, their projects stretch to Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, Aspen, and Beijing. American Institute of Architects award winners, and named Best Architect by Pasadena Weekly, their projects have been in Architectural Digest and other magazines and used as locations for filming and fashion shoots. Well-versed in historical and modern architecture and design and known for attention to detail on all projects. Visit www.jvca.com or call (626) 584-6922 HartmanBaldwin A 0% error margin on a guaranteed budget? We do it. HartmanBaldwin is a fully integrated architecture and construction company specializing in custom homes, restoration and remodeling for every budget. We are an award winning, full-service firm that merges artistic innovation with superior technical expert-

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ise. Call (626) 486-0510 to schedule your complimentary design consultation with one of our architects and let’s create something beautiful together. To view samples of our work and learn more about our wide range of services visit www.HartmanBaldwin.com. Invite us in; we can change how you live. Kitchen Tune-Up is one-stop shopping if you’re looking to change your kitchen. A Tune-Up is a process in which existing wood cabinets are made to look as close to new as possible. We also offer refacing, custom cabinets, bathroom vanities and cabinets as well as home entertainment centers and closets. We have a wide selec—CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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tion of popular countertops, including Livingstone, Corian, Caesarstone and Silestone. We can add pullout drawers, spice cabinets, even that island you’ve been dreaming about and we have in-house designers who can help transform your vision into reality. We are Steve and Megan Morelock. Please call for a complimentary consultation at (626) 533-4402 MacMar, Inc. From architecture to engineering, they’ve got you covered. Residential and commercial services range from tenant improvement work to remodeling — and everything in between. Call today for an appointment, (818) 566-8302 or visit www.macmarinc.com Mission Millworks We were founded in 1999 by Larry Lee to supply custom wood doors, gates, windows and cabinetry to all commercial and residential restoration projects in Southern California. MMW employs skilled designers, craftsmen and installation professionals capable of creating custom wood millwork for any purpose. NearGamble House, MMW has participated in the restoration of many historic homes from the late 19th and early 20th century. MMW is an expert in re-creating Greene & Greene Craftsman Style, stained glass and wood, doors, windows and other fine details. In addition to creating custom orders, we also install custom products.. Visit mission-millworks.com or call (626) 441-8509 Modern Lighting has been serving Southern California’s lighting needs since 1946. With all types of fixtures in every price range, and many manufacturer lines and a HUGE showroom, you’ll find what yiu want; if not we do, custom design. Our resources also enable us to make you custom designed fixtures. We also have stocks of light bulbs to compliment the fixture. We continually watch the marketplace for the best buys and while keeping quality consistent. We are able to keep prices low. Our staff has decades of lighting experience.. Feel free to contact us if our service is what you are looking for. Call us at (626) 286-3262 —CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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Mother Magnolia A private residential landscape design and construction firm operating here since 1999, Mother Magnolia’s passion is creating an outdoor space for you to enjoy. Your outdoor space should be your refuge, a place with power to rejuvenate. Our reliable and dedicated in-house designers, experienced masons, irrigation specialists, and landscape technicians will make your landscape vision a reality. Or, if you have a design prepared, we will provide construction bids. Fully bonded and insured, 3-time winner of HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge,” and a member of the California Landscape Contractors’ Association, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau. Call (626) 2962617, or visit www.mothermagnolia.com.

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ago after searching for a volunteer organization that would complement her day job. “The league offers me the opportunity to attend evening meetings, work on weekends and to meet great women in my area with similar interests. Being a member of the Done In A Day committee has been ideal.” The Pasadena group also participates in the Association of Junior Leagues International’s Kids in the Kitchen program, a nationwide initiative designed to address the growing issues of childhood obesity and poor nutrition. And, of course, there is the leagues’ most famous fundraising tools, their iconic cookbooks. Ever since the first one was introduced in 1943 by the Minneapolis league, these culinary bibles have been a no-fail source of revenue. Pasadena’s seventh book — “California Mosaic: A Cookbook Celebrating Cultures and Cuisine,” was a finalist for a USABookNews.com Best Book 2008 Award. Sales proceeds have already raised $35,000 for the organization. Over the past 80 years, the JLP has contributed thousands of volunteer hours and more than $3.5 million to a wide range of programs in the San Gabriel Valley. All this activity is administered from a small gray-and-white Beaver Cleaver–style house surrounded by roses at 149 S. Madison Ave. But with so many opportunities for community volunteerism, why choose the Junior League if its status-symbol image has become obsolete? “I value being part of an organization of women, working together, changing lives,” says Onderdonk. “Needs in the community are increasing and it is time for the JLP to play an even greater role.” AM

The Quality of Life They Deserve Does Your Pet Suffer From Any of These Conditions? · · · · · · · · · ·

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The Junior League of Pasadena hosts the “Chocolate Chip Ball” on March 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Castle Green. Chocolatiers and dessert chefs will create treats for the crowd and a competition for the title of best chocolate dessert in town. Tickets cost $125. The Castle Green is located at 99 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. For information about the event or the organization, call (626) 796-0244 or visit jrleaguepasadena.org.

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SWEET CHARITY

The Art of Philanthropy THE FROSTIG COLLECTION COMMISSIONS WORK FROM INTERNATIONALLY IMPORTANT ARTISTS TO BENEFIT PASADENA’S FROSTIG CENTER FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES. BY LYNNE HEFFLEY

Selling fine art to fund a good cause isn’t new. A local art sale initiative, however, is giving the concept an unusual and highly profitable spin. How “Canaries in the Sunset,” 2008, by Brad Howe, aluminum, stainless steel and polyurethane, 10 x 41 x 31 inches

about a bronze sculpture by architect Frank Gehry — small enough for coffee-table display — custom cast to benefit a good cause? Some of the country’s leading artists, including such towering figures as Gehry and the late sculptor Robert Graham — both known for their prominent large-scale public works — have created limited-edition small sculptures and works on paper specifically for the Frostig Collection, established to benefit the Pasadena-based Frostig Center for learning-disabled children. Launched in 2005 with a roster of important artists that changes each year, the Frostig Collection has so far raised nearly $800,000, enabling the nonprofit center to fund an expanded social skills program — complete with salaried director and staff — filling an urgent need for its students. The 2009 Frostig Collection features sculptor Nancy Rubins’ first small-scale bronze. Like many of the artists involved, Rubins isn’t known for hand-held art. Her outdoor installations include a monumental “tree” constructed from salvaged airplane parts at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and “Big Pleasure Point,” a three-ton explosion of actual boats created for New York’s Lincoln Center. Also featured in the 2009 and 2008 collections are equally unexpected and edgy artists of renown Larry Bell, Lynda Benglis, Brad Howe and Matt Johnson. Bell’s delicate, twig-like sculpture, “Petit Summer #26,” and Benglis’ enigmatic “Fistful” premiered at Art Santa Fe last July; all five pieces made their local public debut in January at the Los Angeles Art Show. How has this charitable fundraiser been able to attract such high-octane talent? Serendipity. And great contacts. 34 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

The Frostig Center, founded in 1951, offers schooling and services from first through 12th grades for children with such learning disabilities as dyslexia, mild autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). It also trains general and special education teachers and is internationally recognized for its research in the field. The center’s new social skills program is intended as a pilot model for future use nationwide. The Frostig Collection is the brainchild of Celia Piazza, the mother of a former Frostig student and longtime assistant to noted Los Angeles artist Charles Arnoldi, who created a piece for the first collection in 2005. Her husband, artist Chris Piazza, owns the Pour House Art Casting company in Los Angeles and is “one of the best bronze casters on our coast,” according to Venice-based art dealer Aldis Browne, who knows of no other small sculpture project put together to benefit a school or institution. “To my knowledge, it’s unique,” he said. Celia Piazza initiated the innovative fundraiser with the help of her husband — who does all the casting for the cost of materials only — and fellow Frostig parents Stephanie Rasines and Deborah Heisley, a center trustee and Cal State Northridge business school professor who came up with a marketing plan for the project. Piazza was inspired, she said, by Graham’s small sculpture project in the 1990s which turned former L.A. gang members into apprentice sculptors. Under Graham’s supervision, they produced limited-edition bronze replicas of the artist’s work for sale in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s gift shop. When Piazza and Rasines first broached the idea of an art sale initiative to fund the social skills program, “they had to lift my jaw off the floor,” said Bennett

Ross, the Frostig Center’s executive director. “People often come into my office saying, ‘I wish we could do this, I wish we could do that.’ This was the first time that anybody ever walked into my office and said, ‘I think we need an enhanced such-and-such, and I think it should look like this. And here’s the way I can raise the money for you so we can do it.’” The first Frostig Collection featured a $6,000 boxed set of bronze sculptures by Arnoldi, Michael C. McMillen, Gwynn Murrill, Sarah Perry and Ken Price. A series of bronzes by Gehry, Graham and R. Kenton Nelson followed in 2006, with a price range of $1,500 to $3,200 each. In 2007, “to give Chris a break,” Celia Piazza said, lithographs by Arnoldi, Nelson, Gary Baseman, Ed Moses and Alison Saar were offered, produced by Toby Michel, master printer and owner of Angeles Press in Santa Monica. While most of the offerings for 2008 and 2009 are bronzes, one piece in the new collection is Howe’s colorful mobile of aluminum, stainless steel and polyurethane, titled “Canaries in the Sunset.” Best known for massive mobile installations, Howe is the first artist asked to create a piece for the Frostig Kids Collection, introduced this year by Kate Stern, a professional art curator hired in 2006 to help Piazza oversee the burgeoning collection. “I wanted something playful that a parent would buy and put up, but that kids would fall in love with,” said Stern, who had previously worked with several Frostig artists as curator of exhibitions at the Zimmer Children’s Museum in Los Angeles. Prices for the current collection range from $950 to $3,000, with the exception of Rubins’ “Bronze Sculpture Number One.” Her rare small work, con-

structed of model boats and limited to an edition of 12, goes for $24,000, by far the collection’s most expensive offering to date — and three were purchased in the first month, said Stern. “Even in this economy, those who spend on art will still spend on art … we’re hoping.” Works from each year’s offerings remain available until the edition limit is reached, although after Graham’s death in December, production ceased on the artist’s untitled seated figure. What had been planned as an edition of up to 3,000 is now limited to 89. Accordingly, the price has increased from $1,500 to $2,500. The 2005 bronzes, still offered as a set, are occasionally sold separately on request, Piazza said. Of the numbered lithograph prints, one through 50 are sold as a suite of five in a handmade portfolio for $5,000; 51 through 100 are individually priced at $1,200. “None of us had sold art before,” Piazza said, “but we’ve been doing pretty well. We try to keep the expense-to-gross ratio as low as we can.” Still, the cost would be prohibitive if Piazza didn’t “have an ‘in’ with the bronze caster,” she acknowledged. “We couldn’t afford to do it otherwise.” And Piazza, who now sits on Frostig’s board of trustees, continues her collection work on a volunteer basis. When it comes to recruiting artists to create original work, Piazza and Stern just ask. More often than not, the answer is yes. “We’ve gone mostly to artists we already know or have a relationship with or have some kind of access to,” Stern said, “and I’m so appreciative and grateful and kind of amazed at their generosity. These people spend so much time creating these incredible pieces. It’s not like —CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 35

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they hand you a doodle. But I find that when you have something that helps children, you rarely get a ‘no.’ If you do, it’s because they’re simply too busy.” The artists are given proofs of their own works and offered a choice of pieces as a thank you, Stern said. But Rubins says she was persuaded to participate for the intangibles — “a wonderful cause and the idea of making a little bronze, which is something that I’ve never done before.” She had already been working on small studies for larger works with toy boats, “boats that people put over their fireplace” and small canoes and boats of balsa wood and birch produced by an assistant. “It was the transition to bronze that was new to me,” Rubins said. “I’m delighted.” Rising young artist Matt Johnson is represented this year by his untitled sculpture, a playful, July 4th–inspired exploding soda can. He has been rising (At top) “Bronze Sculpture Number in national repute since bursting onto One,” 2008, by Nancy Rubins, bronze, the scene with his painted plastic 20 1/2 x 19 x 18 1/2 inches “Breadface” in the Hammer Museum’s (Above) “Untitled,” 2008, by Matt Johnson, bronze, 7 x 10 1/2 x 9 inches 2005 exhibition “THING: New Sculpture From Los Angeles.” Johnson has worked with Chris Piazza and the Pour House on various projects and was happy to contribute, he said. Does the charitable nature of the commission affect his creative process in any way? “No, I just try to make something that I think is cool,” he said. The collection is separate from Frostig’s more traditional fundraising platforms, and its proceeds are reserved strictly for the benefit of the social skills program, Ross said. Thanks to the remarkable success of sales to date, he added, surplus proceeds have enabled the creation of a fund for the program’s future operations. “The Frostig Collection has allowed us to significantly increase the program for our kids, which has made a real impact on their emotional development and growth.” “I think the whole project is just extraordinary,” said Aldis Browne, who deals in 19th and early 20th century European paintings but privately collects Southern California art. “I have a lot of the Frostig pieces. They’re so beautifully crafted, beautifully produced and, obviously, they’re done in reasonably limited editions.” The pieces could be considered an investment, he said, “but I think that’s a pretty bad reason to buy art. Nonetheless, if that’s your reason, this is not a bad target. There’s so much slick commercial stuff being produced in the name of art, it’s really sort of a travesty.” But the Frostig Collection, he said, “is the other side of the coin. It has integrity and character and it’s beautifully done. There are no shortcuts.” AM A public showing of the Frostig Collection will be held March 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the William Turner Gallery at Bergamont Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. For information about the collection, visit thefrostigcollection.org or call (626) 791-9163.

36 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

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ART

Home is Where the Art is A PASADENA COUPLE TURNS PART OF THEIR CRAFTSMAN HOME INTO THE OFFRAMP GALLERY FOR ART, RESURRECTING THE RESIDENCE’S UNUSUAL PAST AS A PUBLIC-PRIVATE ARTS SPACE. BY JESSICA HAMLIN

Most art galleries are located in public spaces, Jane Chafin decided to take a road less traveled toward becoming an art dealer — she converted part of the quirky Pasadena bungalow she shares with architect Chaz Alexander into a public art gallery. That alone makes Offramp Gallery — named for its location next to the 210 freeway — unique, but the home’s history and architecture also contribute to a charmingly “off” feel.

(From top) “WHEATFIELDS LXIV (#64),” 2007, by Carlo Marcucci, udon noodles, squid ink spaghetti and porcini mushroom on wood, 32" x 12" x 3.5" “WHEATFIELDS LXVI (# 66),” 2007, by Carlo Marcucci, 26" x 26" x 5" and 13" x 13" x 5"

“The history definitely had an impact on me buying it,” says Chafin, who serves as gallery director. “I lived in Sierra Madre for 18 years. I love the architectural history of Pasadena — it’s just rich.” The original bungalow was completed in 1924 and later underwent various additions and renovations. One of its most notable homeowners was Evelyn Le Mone, who moved in around 1942 with husband Wallace and ran Le Mone Studios dance school from two adjacent rooms that now serve as the gallery and a guest room. Le Mone also founded the Pasadena Dance Theater and Pasadena Junior Ballet and was the dance instructor for the Pasadena Playhouse. Wallace Le Mone died in 1971 and Evelyn sold the home in 1998. The home had a few other owners before Chafin and Alexander came along to resurrect it as a public arts space. “I feel like I’m carrying the torch for Evelyn,” says Chafin, also an artist and former Barnsdall Park Municipal Art Gallery employee. She first encountered the home online in 2007, when she was contemplating a move from Las Vegas. But her first site visit with friend and fellow artist Anita Bunn was disappointing. “I left totally discouraged and thought there were loads of possibilities, but it was overwhelming,” she says. “It was purple and magenta and all these colors, and stuff was growing up around the house. Chaz wanted to see it, so we saw it the next weekend and, being an architect, he said, ‘We’ll do this and do that’ and made me feel like we could really do it.” After the couple moved in in December 2007, they set about converting the former dance studio, a long room with wood flooring and white walls ideal for displaying art. After painting the lavender walls in the living room and library — both adjacent to the gallery — more tolerable shades of golden yellow and off-white, the couple unveiled Offramp in September 2008. (The library is also used as gallery space.) The venue is currently open three days a week and by appointment. —CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

40 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 41

ART

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40

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The gallery’s inaugural show featured Bunn’s photographs — images of treetops against sky, mounted on square pieces of wood. The opening drew 150 guests who lingered to savor the work and the ambience, the artist says. “I think what really sets [Offramp] apart is the whole atmosphere,” says Bunn. “It’s in this lovely home with a mishmash of architecture. It’s an asset to the Pasadena contemporary art scene.” While Offramp’s website labels it a contemporary art gallery, Chafin says her vision is more expansive. “I don’t really have a narrow curatorial focus,” she says. “I am trying to stay open and see what I really like that I think maintains its integrity when you have it around for a few days.” Offramp’s eclectic exhibitions have included portraits by painter Linsley Lambert and mixed media constructions by Rick Araluce. March 8 marks the opening of a show of works by Los Angeles–based artists: sculptor Carlo Marcucci, who (Top) Jane Chafin and Chaz Alexander uses food products as his (Middle and below) Gallery visitors materials; Susan Sironi, who creates altered books (ordinary books transformed into works of art); and Joyce Dallal, who contributes an installation made from ink-jet-printed rice paper and wire. Chafin acknowledges that she sometimes finds it difficult to draw a clear distinction between home and work, but she says that hasn’t been a problem. “I love it so much that it has not felt like an intrusion,” she says. “I have met wonderful people. Some people just come in and look and leave, and others stay. It’s a natural thing to want to sit in this beautiful living room.” A free cup of coffee and conversation accompany a gallery viewing, if visitors so choose. “A lot of times it becomes a coffee klatch,” says Chafin, who hopes to open a small café in the gallery space. “This is a piece of Pasadena history and we’d like to keep that going. It’s not the Gamble House, but I think it has its place.” AM The Offramp Gallery hosts an opening reception for an exhibition of work by Carlo Marcucci, Susan Sironi and Joyce Dallal on March 8 from 2 to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 702 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena. Hours are from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m. Friday and by appointment. Call (626) 298-6931 or visit offrampgallery.com.

THE

LIST COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

A HIGHLY SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS

ALVIN AILEY DANCE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

March 18 through 22 — “Dance at the Music Center” continues with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Led by Artistic Director Judith Jamison and Associate Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary with a collaboration with the women’s a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. Opening night features the Southern California premiere of “Go in Grace,” the short film “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at 50 — A Golden Anniversary Celebration” and Ailey’s classic “Revelations.” Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For tickets, call (213) 365-3500 or ticketmaster.com. For information, call the Music Center at (213) 972-0711 or visit musiccenter.org.

MUSIC IN A HISTORIC PLACE

Joy Harjo photo by Paul Abdoo, dance theater photos by Andrew Eccles and Jack Mitchell

March 1 — The Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary’s College brings its Chamber Music in Historic Sites series to Pasadena. The Leipzig String Quartet performs Beethoven quartets in the 1931-vintage Pasadena Civic Auditorium, which boasts dramatic two-story windows overlooking the plaza and an ornamented ballroom with a coffered ceiling. The program includes an early quartet, Op. 18/3 in D; a middle-period piece, Op. 59/3 in C; and a late quartet, Op. 127 in E flat. The performance starts at 4 p.m. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (213) 477-2929 or visit dacamera.org.

LIFE’S A PICNIC AT SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE March 6 — William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize–winning drama, “Picnic,” opens at the Sierra Madre Playhouse March 6 and continues through April 11. The play centers on a charismatic drifter who transforms the lives of a beautiful small-town woman, her tomboy sister and a lonely local spinster. The haunting tale, which takes place over the course of a long, hot summer, examines the dangers and beauty of longing and love in the American Midwest of the 1950s. The Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Call (626) 256-3809 or visit sierramadreplayhouse.org.

OZ FOR A GOOD CAUSE March 6 and 7 — The Shakespeare League of Pasadena presents “The Wizard of Oz” at the Ambassador Auditorium. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and 1 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $15 for children ages 12 and under to $38. A VIP reception at 7:15 p.m. each evening costs an additional $7. The performance benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure and the Ronald McDonald House. The Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call (800) 5954849 or visit shakespeareclub.org.

NATIVE VOICES AND JEWELRY SHOWCASED AT THE AUTRY March 12 through 29 — Native Voices at the Autry launches its new season with the world premiere of “Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light,” a one-woman show by Myskoke

tribe activist, musician, poet, songwriter and playwright Joy Harjo. The wild theatrical ride features spoken word, storytelling, music and song, with Harjo on the jazz sax. Randy Reinholz, the Choctaw artistic director of Native Voices, directs the show. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. March 14 — Arizona’s Shiprock Trading Post presents a sale of vintage Native American jewelry, known as “old pawn.” The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Autry National Center of the American West is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Griffith Park. Call (323) 667-2000 or visit autrynationalcenter.org.

CALLIGRAPHY BY ALEX KERR AT SHUMEI HALL GALLERY March 13 — The Shumei Arts Council of America presents a calligraphy exhibition by author, Japonologist, Asian art collector and calligrapher Alex Kerr. The show opens March 13 and continues through May 10 at the Shumei Hall Gallery. Kerr has been enthralled by Japan since his first visit at age 12. Formerly an East Asian Studies scholar at Yale and Oxford, he has worked in that country as a traditional Japanese arts administrator since 1977. Since 2006, he has served on the Prime Minister’s Committee on Tourism in Japan, where he is best known as a writer and public speaker. Kerr developed his own calligraphy style, inspired by that of the imperial court. His trademark style uses bright colors mixed with gold and silver and the exquisite lines of court calligraphy. The Shumei Hall Gallery is located at 2430 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 584-8841 or visit www.shumeiarts.org shumeiarts.org for more information. —CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 43

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A THEME OF REBIRTH BY THE PASADENA SYMPHONY March 14 — Just as the Orchestras of Pasadena face a rebirth at a time of adversity, the Pasadena Symphony offers a performance with a theme of renewal. The orchestra performs “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Schumann’s “Spring Symphony” at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Music Director Jorge Mester conducts the orchestra, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626) 584-8833 or visit theorchestras.org for more information.

—CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

GOING GREEN AT THE ARBORETUM March 14 — The LA Environmental Education Fair comes to the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families and teachers can sample hands-on activities, lesson ideas and resources offered by environmental educational organizations. Fun is also on the agenda, with live music, crafts and storytelling planned throughout the day. Guests can see wild animals, receive a free pine seedling, participate in environmental challenges and take an eco-tour of unique arboretum areas. A treasure hunt for students in grades 4 through 12 challenges them to use a map and compass as they explore ecological treasures. To participate in the hunt, call Gary Widdison at (562) 922-6889. The Arboretum is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Call (626) 821-3222 or visit arboretum.org.

TOURNAMENT OF GEMS VISITS SAN MARINO March 14 and 15 — The Pasadena Lapidary Society presents its 51st annual “Tournament of Gems” show at the San Marino Masonic Center. Crystals, gems, minerals and jewelry from members’ collections will be on display, and select dealers will offer a wide variety of gem materials, beads and tools. Society members will demonstrate lapidary crafts, silver work, wirewrapping, gemstone carving and beading. Kids can sift for gems and other prizes in a “sand scoop” game. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The San Marino Masonic Center is located at 3130 Huntington Dr., San Marino. Call (626) 564-0935.

“GHOSTS” HAUNT A NOISE WITHIN March 14 through May 9 — Critically acclaimed classical repertory theater company A Noise Within continues its 2008-09 season with “Ghosts” by Henrik Ibsen. The play is set in Scandinavian fjord country, where Mrs. Alving eagerly awaits the homecoming of her artist son, Oswald. The independent woman who bravely bucks the rigid moral code of a male-dominated society anticipates a bright future with her precious son, but past sins and secrets of the dead reach out and shake her world’s foundation. Michael Murray directs. A Noise Within is located at 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 240-0910, ext. 1, or visit anoisewithin.org.

NEIL DIAMOND TRIBUTE BENEFITS HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL March 15 — The San Marino Celebrity Series presents Dean Colley in “Hot August Night — A Tribute to Neil Diamond.” Colley performs such Diamond hits as “Cherry, Cherry,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” and “Sweet Caroline.” The series, sponsored by the San Marino Guild of Huntington Hospital, raises funds for the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. The concert starts at 5 p.m. at Pasadena’s Lake Avenue Church. Tickets cost $30. Lake Avenue Church is located at 393 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 441-1465 or (626) 405-0497 for tickets and information.

ELIZABETH HOUSE GALA SUPPORTS HOMELESS WOMEN, CHILDREN March 21 — Elizabeth House, the only San Gabriel Valley shelter for homeless pregnant women and their small children, presents a gala fundraiser called “Where Love Embraces Life.” The dinner speaker is philosopher, scholar and author Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary. The 6:30 p.m. event at the University Club of Pasadena begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Dinner follows at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $150 per person. The University Club of Pasadena is located at 175 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 577-4434 or visit elizabethhouse.net.

AMERICAN GIRL FASHION ON DISPLAY March 27, 28 and 29 — The Flintridge Guild of Childrens Hospital presents seven fashion shows at Pasadena’s Brookside Country Club. Local girls will model American Girl fashions for children and their dolls. On Friday, dinner will also be served at 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, refreshments include tea sandwiches at 10 a.m., fruit at 1 p.m. and sweets at 4 p.m. At each show, one girl will win the latest America Girl doll, Chrissa, and walk down the runway. Bronson Photography will be on hand on Saturday and Sunday to shoot girls and their families. Girls are encouraged to bring their dolls. Tickets cost $40 per person on Friday night and $35 Saturday or Sunday. The Brookside Country Club is located at 1133 Rosemont Ave., Pasadena. Call (818) 952-7978. AM ARROYO ~ MARCH 2009 ~ 45

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

Glamorous Gastronomy TELEVISION’S BACKSTABBING CHEFS SHOWS LEAVE A SOUR TASTE IN THIS COLUMNIST’S MOUTH. BY LESLIE BILDERBACK

Each spring, I descend upon the classrooms of the Los Angeles Unified School District, bearing the promise of a healthy lifestyle as part of the schools’ Network for a Healthy California campaign. I teach a little food pyramid, make a little salad and get the kids to rethink the Powerade and Hot Cheetos they pick up at the gas station on the way home from school.

Worse than the influx of half-hearted cooks is the quality of the shows that got them there in the first place. The networks have taken what was once a respectable educational format and turned it into a freak show. We no longer learn how to make a classic cheese soufflé. Instead, we watch in horror as chefs

My arrival is always greeted with great enthusiasm, which does wonders for

degrade themselves and the profession with profanity, backstabbing and dirty

my self-esteem. “The chef! The chef!” they shout, as I schlep my ingredients

pool. We are glued to the set as their work is berated and cheer when they are

across the play yard. Alas, my ego soon deflates, because they do not ask what

sent packing. Such shows have more in common with Roman gladiatorial combat

restaurant I’ve worked at or what my specialty is. They want to know what TV

than they do with the food business.

show I am on. To them, being a chef means being a celebrity. Of course, they are mistaken. Very few chefs are on television. Even fewer

There are other, non-reality cooking shows on TV too, but as a culinary instructor, I find them hard to watch. Every chef worth his salt knows that hair

are actual celebrities. But thanks to the glam side of cheffing, our little nutrition

should be pulled back and contained. Fingernails should be short and polish-free.

program works. The kids are more likely to listen to a chef than a teacher when it

Rings, bracelets, watches and other transmitters of bacteria should be removed.

comes to eating their leafy greens.

Of course, none of that looks good on TV. If the health department rated cooking

Sadly, the assumption that the chef’s life is a glamorous one is not limited to children. Starry-eyed foodies are entering culinary schools in record numbers,

shows, you would never see an “A” in the window. I am not entirely against television cooking shows. I was, after all, raised on

right out of high school or as adults searching for a career change (usually in

“The French Chef.” But there is a vast difference between what Julia Child did

response to a mid-life crisis).

and what today’s shows offer. Child never whined, swore or chided the skills of

When did becoming a chef morph from being just another service job to a

another chef. She never claimed to be the best. She sought the advice and

shot at an Emmy? As a culinary student in the 1980s, I had no inkling of such

expertise of others. And she was never without an impeccably clean towel. Julia

prospects. I blame TV.

Child taught us all how to appreciate classic cuisine. She introduced ingredients

Too many cooks enter the work force with visions of Food Network stardom, only to leave when it becomes evident that peeling 50 pounds of carrots and chopping a case of onions is not paparazzi fodder. The result is an industry with

and techniques that were unknown to Americans in the 1960s and helped us lay fancy restaurant food on our Formica dinner tables. I am often asked to share my thoughts on the latest season of the popular

horrendously high job turnover. The revolving door of cooks is expensive for the

cooking shows. Unfortunately, I cannot comment because I no longer watch. Of

owners and generally results in lower wages, poor benefits, low job security and

course I know about them because I read the newspaper and own a TV, which

an industrywide lack of professional pride.

runs promos for these shows 24/7. But I cannot, in good conscience, sit and

46 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

CHEESE SOUFFLÉ À LA JULIA

This classic French recipe is based on a roux, which holds everything together and gives the soufflé structure. If you can’t find Gruyère, try another Swiss-style cheese. Take your soufflé dish directly from the oven to the table and set it on a napkin-lined saucer. Ingredients 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 11/3 cup milk, boiling 1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of white pepper 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 4 eggs, separated pinch of salt 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Method 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat the inside of six 8-ounce soufflé cups with melted butter. Next, sprinkle Parmesan cheese into the cups on top of the butter and swirl around to coat, tapping out excess. 2. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until all is absorbed. Cook for 2 minutes, but do not allow to brown. This is a roux. 3. Remove from heat and add boiling milk, whisking vigorously. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and return to heat, whisking for another minute until thick. Cool slightly, then add yolks. 4. With a hand-held or standing electric mixer (or a whisk and sturdy forearm), whip the egg whites and pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Fold a spoonful of whites into the roux mixture. Stir in cheese, then fold in remaining whites. Fill soufflé cups to the rim with batter, and set them on a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the center of the oven, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately. Once you’ve mastered the cheese soufflé, try adding a tablespoon of chopped herbs or 1/4 cup of chopped ham.

watch an entire show, because such offerings ignore the essence of what it means to cook for a living. These shows take our once-proud craft, reduce it to

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nothing but a gastronomical “Gong Show” and broadcast it to the world. That is not the profession I want the world to see. That is not the profession I want the kids of San Pascual Elementary School to see. The job of a cook is to make food that brings pleasure and sustenance. It is a dirty, hot, sweaty, tiring job with bad hours, bad pay and little reward. But great chefs do not care. They do it for the love of cuisine, and that, my friends, is what it takes to become a real “Top Chef.” AM Bilderback is a certified master chef and baker, a former executive chef of Pasadena’s California School of Culinary Arts and the author of Alpha Publishing’s “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sensational Salads,” which hits bookstores this month. Bilderback’s other five books in the series are “...Snack Cakes” (June 2008); “...Good Food from the Good Book” (March 2008), “...Spices and Herbs” (Dec. 2007); “...Comfort Food” ( Sept. 2007); and “...Success as a Chef” (Feb. 2007). A South Pasadena resident, Bilderback teaches her techniques online at www.culinarymasterclass.com.

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THE ART OF SCIENCE

In the Blink of an Eye CAN YOU BELIEVE SOMETHING IS REAL IF YOU’VE SEEN IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES? CALTECH SCIENTISTS DELVING INTO OPTICAL ILLUSIONS BELIEVE OUR BRAINS TRICK US INTO SEEING SOMETHING THAT ISN’T THERE … YET. BY M. JOHN SEELEY

Why, you might wonder, would Caltech’s busy scientists be devoting time to the

Changizi,

study of optical illusions? Those graphics are fun, but they’re usually consigned

Shimojo and

to the fluffy corners of pop culture that also include crossword puzzles, riddles,

company say

rebuses and cartoons. Take, for example, the Einstein-Marilyn illusion where the

optical illusions

face of the father of atomic energy seems to morph into the head of the ’50s sex

occur because

goddess when you back away from it a few feet. It’s interesting, especially if you

they contain cues

know that Marilyn thought old Albert was kind of sexy (yes, really!). Even though

that you are

that particular illusion involves one of their predecessors — Einstein visited the

approaching them

school in the early 1930s — that’s not what compels the Caltech crew. The heads

— usually cues of

they’re focused on are ours, and what they’re investigating is how we use them

perspective,

to process visual cues.

which indicate a

Optical illusions used by painters are known as trompe-l’oeil, from the French

vanishing point

expression for “trick the eye.” But according to former Caltech scientist Mark

and, therefore, “closer” and “farther” parts of the

Changizi (now at Rensselaer Poly in upstate New York) and biologist/psycho-physi-

two-dimensional graphic. Of course, most flat art,

cist Shinsuke Shimojo, the eye is not the passive victim of trickery but an active col-

at least since perspective came into use in the late

laborator in it. Whenever we see something, there’s a tiny lag between the time we

Middle Ages, fools us into thinking it depicts some-

receive it as light sensations and the time we comprehend it. Our brain fills the gap

thing three-dimensional. Where optical illusions dif-

by anticipating what we should be perceiving an instant later.

fer is that the depth cues mislead us. See how the

Biologists know that it takes 60 to 100 milliseconds for light hitting the retina’s

pair of dark lines in the graphic at right seem to

photoreceptors to reach the visual cortex — then another 100 to 200 milliseconds

bow outward in the middle — in reality they are two

to reach conscious awareness. So is this “neural delay” of one-sixth to one-third

straight parallel lines.

of a second important? It is if we want to catch a fast-moving ball, avoid a fall, or

The out-curving distortion we all perceive, they

— as we did earlier in our evolutionary development — need to know where that

say, supports their anticipate-the-future thesis.

springing wolf or saber-tooth tiger is going to be in that fraction of a second. If

Here’s their logic: First, the converging spoke-like

we’re running from harm (good runners can cover 80 to 100 feet per second), the

lines “tell us” — through our sense of perspective — that we are headed toward

delay leaves us several yards closer to whatever threat we need to escape.

their meeting point. Second, if we were approaching that point, a real space

The scientists launched their study of optical illusions, in part, to test their hypothesis — that the brain’s visual center offsets the delay by predicting and “seeing” an instant into the future. This is not to be confused with the ability we learn in childhood to calculate where an object will be in the future, based on its direction, velocity and the varying experiences we have with the motion of balloons, boulders or beach balls. The eye does something similar, but much simpler. In the journal Cognitive

between two upright lines (think of a tall doorway) would seem to be wider in the middle than at the top or bottom. The fact that this distortion has happened while we are in fact standing still is, they argue, another example of perceiving the future in the present. Is it solid proof of their theory that what we see is what we’re going to get, next instant? Not really, Shimojo acknowledges, but other scientists are also pursuing

Science, Caltech scientists hypothesized that the present we perceive is actually

the same mysteries. Harvard neuro-physiologists waving light sticks at salamanders

an image that the visual cortex created a fraction of a second ago — mainly by

have found — no, not that they want to dance — but that neurons in their retinas

bringing objects we’re approaching (or are approaching us) a bit closer — to

respond to a moving light before the light actually moves into that neuron’s “space.”

“predict” the present.

Incontrovertible proof that we “see the future” still awaits the work of some future

But what if neither person nor object is moving? The predicting distortion still operates, they theorize, scanning for what might be coming closer. 48 ~ MARCH 2009 ~ ARROYO

Einstein — or perhaps some future Marilyn Monroe might stumble on the evidence when closely reviewing the action in her latest film. AM

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