FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA FEBRUARY 2013
WHERE TO LAND ON V-DAY 5 ROMANTIC PLACES TO SEAL THE DEAL WITH YOUR VALENTINE
GAY MARRIAGE IN THE BALANCE Same-sex couples await the high court ruling LOCAL LITERATI ON PULSEPOUNDING PAGE-TURNERS PASADENA PASTOR ED BACON: Love is All You Need
arroyo VOLUME 9 | NUMBER 2 | FEBRUARY 2013
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LOVE 12 LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED Pasadena pastor and author Ed Bacon lays out a path to peace. —By Bettijane Levine
17 GAY MARRIAGE IN THE BALANCE Same-sex couples in Arroyoland anxiously await the Supreme Court’s pending ruling on Prop. 8, California’s ban on gay marriage. —By Kathy Kelleher
21 WHERE TO LAND ON V-DAY Consider one of these alluring venues for your Valentine’s Day festivities. —By Bradley Tuck
32 ROMANTIC READS Local literati weigh in on their favorite novels about passion --- both unbridled and otherwise. —By Scarlet Cheng
DEPARTMENTS 11
FESTIVITIES Pasadena ASID’s “Empty House Party”
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ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX
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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Foodie TV worth watching
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WINING AND DINING Bittersweet Treats’ masterly confections confound even confirmed dessert-phobes.
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THE LIST The Year of the Snake at the Pacific Asia Museum, the Autry’s Masters of the American West and more
ABOUT THE COVER: Photo by Anna Omelchenko
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EDITOR’S NOTE
IT’S THE DEAD OF WINTER, WHEN A YOUNG man’s (and woman’s) fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Not that Valentine’s Day has always been so cozy. Named after one or more early Christian martyrs, the first valentine — signed “from your Valentine” — was a farewell sent by the third-century Roman saint Valentinus to his jailor’s daughter shortly before his execution. Or so legend has it. Fast-forward a millenium or so to the High Middle Ages, and we have Chaucer and the culture of courtly love to thank for the day’s romantic message. Couple that with our fabulous Southern California climate, and you have a tasty buffet of possibilities for ways the smitten can celebrate. And in a feature about places to spend V-Day, Bradley Tuck suggests some lovely outdoor settings for romance along with the requisite dinner date. Of course, some people — gay men and lesbians who want to take on the blessings of marriage along with its burdens — still have miles to go before they can celebrate. Same-sex marriage is finally on the country’s front burner, with the Supreme Court poised to hear a case that could overturn California’s ban and President Obama including gay people in his recent call for civil rights, the first time a president has even mentioned gay people in an inaugural address. Kathy Kelleher spoke to same-sex couples in Arroyoland to find out how this controversial issue is impacting their lives. On the literary front, where relations between the sexes have lately been dominated by the Fifty Shades of Grey bondage juggernaut, Scarlet Cheng asks local authors to name their favorite romantic reads. Interestingly, most picked books that find eroticism in a different kind of restraint — not in handcuffs, but in the reticence of the 19th century. You might call that repression; we prefer to see the glass half-full — of mystery, that is. And finally, Bettijane Levine talks to Pasadena’s outspoken pastor and author Ed Bacon about love in its broadest sense, a prescription he says could save the world. —Irene Lacher
EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft JUNIOR DESIGNER Carla Cortez PRODUCTION Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Mandalit del Barco, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Carole Jacobs, Kathy Kelleher, Carl Kozlowski, Bettijane Levine, Brenda Rees, John Sollenberger,Nancy Spiller, Bradley Tuck
arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA
SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon
ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brenda Clarke, Joseluis Correa, Leslie Lamm
EDITORIAL arroyoeditor@pasadenaweekly.com
ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Joanna Dehn Beresford
PHONE (626) 584-1500
ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear
FAX (626) 795-0149
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker
MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105
BUSINESS MANAGER Angela Wang
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ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Monica MacCree OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Weathersbee PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 02.13
©2013 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
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FESTIVITIES
Empty House Party Co-Chairs Beverly Marksbury and Donna Gotch Left to Right: Interior Co-Chair Lynn Mehl, Assistant to the Benefit Chair Eileen Reilly, Interior Co-Chair Dana Marevich, President Kathryn Hofgaarden, Exterior Co-Chair Andrea Kelly, Benefit Chair Katherine Watkins, Designer Liaison Karen Daroca, Exterior Co-Chair Brigett Guitron and Assistant Exterior Chair Debra Qurtman
Greiman with her work
Tony Le-Huynh and Jeff Lokker of Huntington Pools & Spas
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) kicked off the 2013 season on Jan. 18 with its traditional "Empty House Party," which drew some 500 design Carla Padour, Karen Shoener and Genaro Lagdemeo of Designs of the Interior
and architecture fans to inspect a 1941 Monterey Colonial-style estate in Arcadia in all its naked glory. When the home, originally designed by architect Ronald E. Coate Sr., reopens to the public on April 21, it will be utterly transformed by 19 interior and 9 landscape designers into the 49th Pasadena Showcase House of Design. While the designers described their plans for their room or garden, guests inspected color swatches and sketches and feasted
Maya Williams and Jaimee Laisne of Maya Williams Design
on The Kitchen for Exploring Foods' lavish buffet of stoned crab claws, shrimp, short ribs, soups and more. Tickets to the completed Showcase House cost $35
Jason Lai and Stephanie Leese of L2 Interiors
to $45. “Through the proceeds from Showcase House, we are able to fund school music and arts programs that have been eliminated due to cutbacks in support of the arts,� said PSHA President Kathryn Hofgaarden.
Call (714) 442-3872 or visit pasadenashowcase.org.
Sean Mulqueen, Mykal Blueskyes and Steven Sandalis of Mystic Water Gardens
Emily Brenner, Michael Fullen, Catherine Talarico, Lynsey Greive of Michael Fullen Design Group, Inc.
PHOTOS: Carl Kalamon
Isara Ongwiseth, Stephanie Reed, Kirk Aoyagi and Cassy Aoyagi of FormLA Landscaping
Brian Walters and Jason Lee of Jason Lee Design Studio Inc., Landscape Design
Dona Dockendorf and Brenda Jacquez of Tocco Finale
Carey Yount and Karen Tandy of Design Details
Katharine Pinney of Gung Hoe Garden Girls & Martin Aguilar of Martin Aguilar Landscapes
Ann Sanstrom, Tessa Platner and Peggy Platner of Platner & Co. 02.13 | ARROYO | 11
PHOTO: André Coleman
LOVE
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is All You Need In his latest book, Pasadena Pastor Ed Bacon describes a path toward uniting our fractious, divided nation. BY BETTIJANE LEVINE
THE COVER OF ED BACON’S LATEST BOOK, 8 HABITS OF
LOVE: OPEN YOUR HEART, OPEN YOUR MIND, SIMPLY GIVES THE AUTHOR’S NAME, WITH NO MENTION OF HIS DAY JOB
Bacon is not traditional by any means. In his tweets, blogs, sermons and this book, he is what many commentators have called “radically inclusive.” The words rankle a bit, because they imply an exclusivity exists and he has breached it. But Bacon doesn’t believe such boundaries exist. Indeed, he made national headlines a few years ago, when he announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show that “being gay is a gift from God.” And consider this, from one of his blogs on the Huffington Post:
AS A NATIONALLY RESPECTED RELIGIOUS LEADER. THIS OMISSION WAS DELIBERATE, SAYS BACON, A PRIEST AND RECTOR AT PASADENA’S ALL SAINTS EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WHICH HAS MORE THAN 4,000 CONGREGANTS AND IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. LOVE, THE BOOK’S SUBJECT, IS NON-DENOMINATIONAL. AND FOR THAT MATTER, BACON SEEMS TO BE SAYING, SO IS THE DEITY. IF THIS SOUNDS WAY TOO RADICAL, THEN YOU’RE THE READER HE’S TRYING TO REACH.“GOD DOES NOT BELONG TO ANY RELIGION; EVERY RELIGION BELONGS TO GOD,” HE WRITES IN THE INTRODUCTION, QUOTING A MUSLIM FRIEND. AND ALTHOUGH HE IS A MAN OF THE CLOTH, THIS IS NOT A BOOK ON SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION, HE SAYS.“I HAVE TRIED TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT LIFE.”
“I don’t believe a spiritual life has to include going to church on Sundays. Or any other day, for that matter. No one must believe in one ‘God,’ let alone my particular concept of God. We don’t have to be straight to get married, be pure to find salvation — or even be religious to find a divine community. And yet... “I am a man of the cloth. I do believe in God. I go to church even when on vacation. Each Sunday I preach to a congregation of more than a thousand… and each morning I pray for an hour. I know the Bible inside out, and I draw on it for inspiration and transformation. “But I don’t ask of you to share my beliefs, or worship in any particular way, place or time to become part of my tribe. My tribe is that of the world, and everyone, everywhere is already included.” In the introduction to his book, Bacon laments that religious history is “tragically blemished” by those who “hijacked the idea of God” to identify other groups they condemn as evil — a way to “justify violence so the group seeking power could be ‘saved’ and ultimately dominate.” Bacon says he rejects the idea that those who believe differently are “unsaved” and destined for hell. “No wonder millions embrace a noble position of atheism out of a sense of intellectual, spiritual and moral integrity. I myself am an atheist about that particular concept of God,” Bacon writes. Bacon’s main thesis is that if we lived our lives based on love and free from fear, we could transform not just our individual paths, but also the trajectory of life on this planet. But how to define love, and what kinds of fear does he allude to? The answers are illuminated in his eight habits, which have little to do with romantic love or the fear of failure to reach a particular material goal. They are generosity, stillness, truth, candor, play, forgiveness, compassion and community. Bacon’s is an awe-inspiring leap into a world where we see the beauty and glory of what we’ve been given, rather than what we lack. And where we discard our fears of “the other,” meaning fear of the person, religion, society or political party that differs from our –continued on page 14 02.13 | ARROYO | 13
beliefs, and which we therefore dismiss or deride or try to destroy. If Bacon’s habits of love were to prevail, he believes, the venomous squabbles among our country’s elected leaders might evaporate, although their respective points of view could be maintained. Troubles, such as those in the Middle East, could be resolved with dignity and respect for human life. And each of our own personal paths would be altered for the better. “I guarantee that these eight habits will help a practitioner emancipate himself or herself from fear,” Bacon said in an interview with Arroyo Monthly. “I think fear underlies the divisiveness, the hate speech and the polarization that we are experiencing in both our nation and also in the world.” His eight habits also try to answer the tough questions that even the most successful of us must face individually: “How do I live the most meaningful life I possibly can? What does that life look like for me?… How do I move forward? How does a family or business or board of directors — or nation, for that matter — leave behind the force field of fear and enter into one of love?” The author devotes a chapter to each of the eight habits. Each flows logically into the next, eventually providing us full access to our best and most realized selves. A full explanation of each habit is impossible here, but Bacon offers an example. The habit of generosity, he says, “literally provides freedom from fear as soon as one realizes there are myriads of kindnesses coming into our lives from every area of the universe, and that our job is to match the outflow with the inflow, to give as much as we are receiving, so that we are instruments of blessing one another and the world,” Bacon says. “This really calls for a first step of gratitude. Are we aware of all the blessings and kindnesses that surround us on every side, at every moment? In most instances we are not. We don’t take count. “And that leads us to the second habit, of stillness,” he continues. “Marrying generosity with stillness leads to awareness of blessings on every side. The butterfly outside is a blessing, the beautiful day before us… all the wonderful people in our lives. It means literally stilling the chaos that is inside us all, so we can actually see the blessings, and also be aware of the fear inside us and trace that fear back to its genesis. “When you become aware of the blessings, generosity calls you to give away as many as you are receiving. You become an instrument of blessing in other people’s lives…” Bacon was born in 1948, in the small, rural town of Jesup, Georgia, where his family had lived as practicing Baptists for generations. His mother was a teacher, his father a preacher who was also superintendent of the county’s schools. His was a strict, conservative religious upbringing, which included expectations that both Ed and his brother would follow in their father’s footsteps. Both sons were ordained as Baptist preachers in their youth. But as Bacon matured, he found that his father’s faith was incompatible with his own emerging beliefs. He attended Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, then spent a few semesters at Vanderbilt University Law School before deciding a law career was not for him. He’d had a chance encounter with Martin Luther King as an undergraduate, which inspired him to reread the Bible with a more open mind. It soon became clear to him that religion was not all about tribes and separatism, which was how it had seemed while he was growing up. It was really about inclusiveness, community and compassion. After leaving law school Bacon returned to Mercer, where he spent seven years as the school’s campus minister and dean of students. During that time he became familiar with 14 | ARROYO | 02.13
the Episcopal faith and discovered that its ethos was more in tune with his own emerging beliefs. In 1977, he took a sabbatical from his Mercer job to attend Candler School of Theology in Atlanta and then applied to become an Episcopal priest. After serving as a youth minister in Atlanta, he was admitted as a postulant for the priesthood and ordained in the Episcopal church in 1983. Bacon’s father knew about his son’s Episcopal bent, but he writes that they had never formally discussed the younger man’s future plans at that point. Bacon was then recruited to become the dean of a large, progressive Episcopalian cathedral in Mississippi. Taking that job would be the final step to a permanent commitment as an Episcopalian priest. But Bacon, a devoted and loving son, writes that he was so conflicted that he actually developed chest pains and was unable to decide what to do. “I was firstborn in a family of Southern Baptist clergy. My father, brother and I had all been ordained Baptist preachers…” Would his father, who was terminally ill, feel hurt or betrayed? Would he disapprove? Would taking the job break his father’s heart? Bacon presented his dilemma to a Jewish rabbi, who was known for his conflict-resolution talents. The rabbi counseled Bacon that taking the job might mean that the young man would never return to the religious life of his forefathers, or to the Georgia countryside and culture in which generations of Bacons had lived. “You have to go directly to your father and ask him if that is all right with him,” the rabbi said. Bacon made the call, “trembling, pacing and sweating.” He told his father that taking the job felt right, but it meant he would not be returning to Georgia… or the Baptist faith. Then, in a shaking voice, he asked, “Dad, all of this is very different from what you always had in mind for me. I need to know if all of this is okay with you.” With what little breath he could muster, Bacon’s father wheezed out the four words that Bacon says allowed him to move forward and embrace his chosen life. “Son, go for it,” his father said. Those four words uttered by his dying father were the most potent blessing and most generous gift Bacon writes he ever received. Bacon’s book is peppered with such tales of his own and his congregants’ lives, each illustrating one of the habits of love. It is likely that his book will change some lives for the better, especially if, as Publishers Weekly observed, “Readers who find a life-giving energy pulsing in these pages will pass this book on to those they love.” Bacon hopes, of course, that it might just, in some small way, change the world. |||| 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind (Hachette Book Group; 2012) by Ed Bacon is available at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.
PHOTO: Cam Sanders
–continued from page 13
“My tribe is that of the world, and everyone, everywhere is already included.”
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Gay Marriage in the Balance Gay and lesbian couples in Arroyoland watch closely as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on same-sex marriage in California — and possibly the country. BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER
LIKE SO MANY THESE DAYS, THE ROMANTIC CONNECTION BETWEEN JAMILLA DAVIS AND ELIZABETH VARELLAS BEGAN THROUGH AN ONLINE DATING SERVICE. THEY DECIDED TO MEET FOR COFFEE. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT IT WAS NOT. “She was wearing these pants she had made herself, and they were splattered with paint,” Davis said of that first in-person date. “She thought they were really cool. I was thinking, this is going to be a quick date.” But when a homeless woman asked for cash, Varellas bought the woman dinner instead; she and Davis sat at a nearby table, respecting the woman’s space while gently asking her about her life. This simple act of humanity so touched Davis that she overlooked the quirky pants and took a chance on her date. That was five years ago. Now Jamilla, 27, and Elizabeth, 35, share an Altadena abode with their dog, Bearrie, and Lulu, the guinea pig. They are registered domestic partners, each bearing the hyphenated last name of Davis-Varellas. Yet the dream is incomplete. –continued on page 20 02.13 | ARROYO | 17
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–continued from page 17
The two women want to declare their love formally, to plan a beautiful wedding and marry with all the attendant decorum, ceremonial rites and frivolity: a dress, flowers, a cake and loved ones in attendance to celebrate and witness an official dedication of their love and commitment. But like many same-sex couples, the women missed the five-month window when they could legally marry in California. (They had been seeing each other for only a year and weren’t ready for a permanent commitment when the state’s gay marriage ban kicked in.) About 18,000 same-sex couples did tie the knot when legalization of gay marriage took effect in June 2008, after the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to wed under the state Constitution’s equal protection clause. That right was stripped away when Proposition 8 narrowly passed in November 2008. The same-sex marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional in 2012, twice — by the Federal District Court and then by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Prop. 8 supporters appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the country’s highest court has announced that it will hear arguments in late March. The court may affirm or reject a constitutional right to same-sex marriage in California — and possibly the whole country. The panel’s first task is to consider whether or not defenders of Prop. 8 have the legal standing to bring their appeal. If the court finds that Prop. 8 proponents have no legal standing to do so, then the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling will be vacated, but the Federal District Court ruling striking down the ban would likely stand, according to David C. Codell, Visiting Arnold D. Kassoy Senior Scholar of Law and Legal Director of The Williams Institute at UCLA’s School of Law. The Supreme Court is also hearing a New York case challenging a portion of a federal law (called the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA) that requires the federal government to deny benefits to gay and lesbian couples married in states that allow such unions. There are 1,138 federal provisions governing benefits available to a married man and woman that same-sex spouses are denied. House Republican leaders last month pledged to spend up to $3 million to keep defending DOMA in court because the Obama administration dropped its defense on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court ruling will come down amidst a dramatic shift in public attitudes on same-sex marriage. Recent polls show a majority of Americans support gay marriage, and nine states plus the District of Columbia now permit it. President Obama called for gay rights in his second inaugural address — becoming the first president to do so. The New York Times urged the administration to double down on its support by filing a Supreme Court brief challenging the ban, rather than leave those decisions up to the states, which has been Obama’s policy. “This is an historic moment in the movement for civil rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community,” said Codell. “The Supreme Court may use the pending cases to decide whether the federal government may discriminate against legally married same-sex couples, whether California and possibly other states must permit same-sex couples to marry and how closely courts throughout the country should scrutinize laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation. The court may not reach all of those issues, but its answers to any of those questions will be of enormous importance.” Couples like Jamie Hebert and Alec Mapa of Highland Park, who married one month before Prop. 8 passed, appreciate the gravity of the latest development. Like many samesex couples, married or not, they await the Supreme Court ruling with intense anticipation. Although their own marital status is secure, they are passionate activists working toward securing legal marriage for other same-sex couples. “I think if the Supreme Court does not rule on the side of marriage equality, then I will be very sad and I won’t feel like my marriage is valid in the state,” said Hebert, 35, a film producer who has been with
Mapa for 10 years. The couple adopted a son, Zion, three years ago after their legal marriage in 2008, private wedding ceremony in 2006 and domestic partnership in 2005. Hebert says that he feels as though he married Mapa three times. “My marriage won’t feel different personally [if Prop. 8 is upheld] and even though I am official, it won’t feel equal or fair if all my LGBT sisters and brothers can’t marry too. I will feel much better about humanity if the court rules for marriage equality.” Like Hebert and Mapa, Mark Arteaga and his partner, Bart Verry, had been together 11 years before legal marriage was even a possibility. Neither felt that they needed to formalize their love for each other to make it legitimate or real. But both men felt it was an important opportunity to become an essential part of gay civil rights history. For Arteaga, it was also the realization of a social ideal that he assumed was out of reach when he was a Jamilla and Elizabeth Davis-Varellas
child. “I grew up feeling like I am never going to be married to someone I love,” said Arteaga, 40, a researcher at USC’s School of Social Work who is earning a master’s degree in public administration at the university. “We went on the first day in June when marriage licenses were available to get our license and got married on the 90th day [marriage licenses expired in 90 days]. It was a magical day. We were married in Laguna Beach at our favorite resort. Why are we denying that right and access to such an important cultural institution?” If the court rules in favor of the ban, nothing will change about their marriage in the personal sense, said Arteaga. But the emotional impact will be equivalent to “being less equal in the eyes of the law,” he added. For Verry, marrying Arteaga was a way to affirm and exercise the law as activists. “We never even talked about getting married,” said Verry, chief operating officer for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). “But when Prop. 8 became a reality, we agreed that this was something we needed to do — that it was an important thing to do for our LGBT brothers and sisters. I know a number of people who never thought that Prop. 8 would pass and are very disappointed they did not get married when they could legally.” Pasadena’s All Saints Episcopal Church has been blessing same-sex marriages and civil unions since 1991, uniting 41 such couples before the ban passed. The church stopped signing state marriage licenses in protest. “For All Saints, we went out of the civil marriage business when Prop. 8 passed,” said Rev. Susan G. Russell, senior associate for communications, who has been presiding over same-sex unions for the past 15 years. “We won’t sign marriage licenses as agents of the state for some couples until we can do it for all couples. We are looking forward to the Supreme Court doing the right thing and restoring equal protection under the law. We still do the sacramental part of marriage.” –continued on page 20 02.13 | ARROYO | 19
–continued from page 19
Seeking a legal marriage — be it sacred, celebratory or a simple frill-free service — has been an emotional seesaw for people like Jamilla and Elizabeth Davis-Varellas. Jamilla, a veterinary technician, and Elizabeth, an account specialist for an online dating service, have watched and waited for the decision to change their fate, poised to get a marriage license if and when the ban is lifted. But so far, the long wait has been marked only by letdowns — as soon as a court ruled the law unconstitutional, Prop. 8 supporters set their appeal in motion. “I have become kind of numb to it,” said Elizabeth Davis-Varellas. “I am not going to get my hopes up until I 20 | ARROYO | 02.13
hear that Prop. 8 is null and void and that gay marriage is legal in California again.” But for Jamilla Davis-Varellas, there is still hope. “My hope is that it gets struck down by the Supreme Court and there is nowhere else they can go to appeal it,” she said. “Then we will actually have time to plan a wedding, pick a day, pick a venue. And I can pick out a dress and she can pick out a suit.” So the two women wait once again, with intense interest and longing for a Supreme Court ruling that will settle the matter once and for all. If marriage equality is restored in California, the couple will start planning the wedding of their dreams. ||||
PHOTO: Bethany Nauert
Jamie Hebert, Alec Mapa and their son, Zion, with their pooches.
Where to Land on V-Day Looking for a place to entertain your valentine? No need to look beyond these hot-blooded spots in Arroyoland. BY BRADLEY TUCK
SAINT VALENTINE HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR, ALONG WITH HIS COHORT, CUPID. WHEN WE’VE BARELY RECOVERED FROM THE ASSAULTS OF THE HOLIDAYS AND ARE FEELING OUR FATTEST FROM SEASONAL GLUTTONY, ALONG COMES A FIXATION ON LOVE AND ROMANCE THAT FORGIVES NOT THE SIZE OF THE MUFFIN TOP PEERING OVER OUR WAISTBANDS. OH, VALENTINE’S DAY. DO WE EMBRACE YOU, IGNORE YOU OR JUST GRIN AND BEAR IT? ONE MAN’S ROMANCE IS ANOTHER MAN’S THOMAS KINCAID PAINTING. SO WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU CELEBRATE THE SEASON OF LOVE WITH A SIGNIFICANT OTHER, A FRIEND OR JUST YOURSELF. ENJOY. WE’LL BE SWALLOWING OUR FEELINGS IN FRONT OF THE TV.
PHOTO: Courtesy of the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden Let’s face it, almost any garden awash with flowers and foliage is going to foster whatever romantic notion you may have lurking within. But the Arboretum is exceptional. The Queen Anne Cottage is a confection of Victorian architecture so beautifully framed by weeping willows, reflected in its lakeside setting, it’s almost too chocolate box. Punctuating the garden landscape are the spectacular trumpet trees. Blooming at the end of January, the peppering of Tabebuia impetiginosa outdoes anything in the landscape as the trees explode with hot pink blossoms until March. Even the resident peacocks look a little drab in comparison. The L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Call (626) 8213222 or visit arboretum.org. –continued on page 22 02.13 | ARROYO | 21
–continued from page 21
Fiore Market Cafe Ask people to name their idea of a romantic destination and chances are they’ll say Paris or Italy. Well, we’re in Pasadena right now, and maybe you can’t just whizz over to Capri, but you can head to Fremont Avenue in South Pasadena, where you will find the Fiore Market Cafe. Owned by hardcore Italophiles Anne and Bill Disselhorst, Fiore is a tiny café made up of one small room complemented by a lovely outdoor patio. There’s a rosedraped archway, olive trees in old wine barrels and a charming vegetable garden right next to you as you munch on lovely, simple rustic fare. For an afternoon date with the apple of your eye, it’s pretty hard to beat. The Fiore Market Cafe is located at 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. Call (626) 441-2280 or visit fioremarketcafe.com.
A Walk in the Wild
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Remember the opening scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where the gloriously beautiful Audrey Hepburn munches a croissant from a paper bag while pondering the baubles in the window of the legendary jewelry store? Well, if you’re single and feel like a little romance, pop into The Market on Holly, pick up one of their seriously wonderful almond croissants and a coffee to go, and walk over to Tiffany’s on Colorado. Then buy yourself a tiny trinket. Something to remind you, for the rest of the year, how much you love yourself. Because as Oscar Wilde said, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” Tiffany’s is located at 68 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.The Market on Holly is at 57 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Call (626) 844-8811 or visit themarketonholly.com.
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PHOTOS: Top: Courtesy of Fiore Market Cafe. Middle: Photo by Seth Smigelski/hikespeak.com
Valentine’s Day falls on a Thursday this year. If you can get the day off and indulge in a glorious escape to the wild, you could do worse than a hike to Hermit Falls in the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s not for the infirm, as it involves a good long walk with some changes in elevation. But you’ll be rewarded with shaded glens, babbling brooks and stunning mountain scenery, capped with a gloriously beautiful waterfall. If you’re planning to propose to somebody this might be the place. Just don’t drop the ring. This website has good directions: hikespeak.com/trails/hermit-falls/
Café Beaujolais Like some of our most enduring loves — not much to look at on the outside, but lovely on the inside —Eagle Rock’s Café Beaujolais is almost a cartoon of the perfect Parisian bistro. A menu of French classics, like escargots, and a wine list that clatters with château this, domaine that. Chandeliers, candlelight and French waiters who greet les dames with “mademoiselle” all add up to a one-night trip to Paris via the 134. Café Beaujolais is located at 1712 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles. Call
PHOTOS: Top: Courtesy of Café Beaujolais. Bottom: Courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum
(323) 255-5111.
Norton Simon Museum In love, it’s important to discover what nestles between the ears of a prospective partner. Intelligence and an appreciation for art is sexy. Pablo Picasso was no looker but he definitely had a way with the ladies, fathering four children with three women, while keeping a succession of mistresses. Whilst we wouldn’t advocate such wanton lasciviousness, we’d certainly encourage a stroll around the Norton Simon with a suitor. It’s small, with an impeccably curated collection of important art. The Sculpture Garden designed by Nancy Goslee Power is inspired by Monet’s garden at Giverny, and it’s impossible to wander through — hand in hand, of course — without becoming a little breathless over the collection, which includes works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Richard Serra and Dame Barbara Hepworth. |||| The Norton Simon is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.
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2012
2012
+3.0% ALTADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. ARCADIA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. EAGLE ROCK HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. GLENDALE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. LA CANADA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SAN MARINO HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SIERRA MADRE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SOUTH PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. TOTAL HOMES SOLD AVG PRICE/SQ. FT.
NOV ’12 39 $460,000 1588.5 NOV ’12 29 $725,000 1869 NOV ’12 14 $527,500 1242 NOV ’12 96 $474,250 1513 NOV ’12 16 $1,040,000 1988 NOV ’12 128 $531,000 1500 NOV ’12 10 $1,545,000 2494 NOV ’12 6 $528,000 1355 NOV ’12 13 $825,000 1552 NOV ’12 351 $432
HOMES SOLD
351 410
AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.
RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT
HOMES SOLD
+16.8%
HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000
DEC ‘12 37 $485,000 1602 DEC ‘12 31 $888,000 1933 DEC ‘12 14 $520,000 1394 DEC ‘12 115 $500,000 1467 DEC ‘12 21 $1,150,000 1910 DEC ‘12 149 $530,000 1301 DEC ‘12 12 $1,700,000 2352 DEC ‘12 15 $585,000 1659 DEC ‘12 16 $726,750 1486 DEC ‘12 410 $445
SOURCE: CalREsource
ADDRESS
CLOSE DATE PRICE
ALTADENA 1607 Gaywood Drive 3038 Maiden Lane 1111 Mt. Lowe Drive 1419 East Palm Street 3675 Giddings Ranch Road 846 La Vina Lane 840 La Vina Lane 2545 Boulder Road 1145 East Altadena Drive 1981 New York Drive
BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
12/07/12 12/19/12 12/20/12 12/07/12 12/21/12 12/11/12 12/05/12 12/05/12 12/04/12 12/21/12
$750,000 $826,000 $860,000 $900,000 $910,000 $930,000 $1,091,000 $1,400,000 $1,565,000 $1,575,000
4 7 8 3 5 4 3 6 3 5
2736
1960
1735 3311 3196 2108 2995 3286 4237
1912 1998 2000 1956 1925 1923 1931
ARCADIA 512 West Foothill Boulevard 50 East Arthur Avenue 2108 South 2nd Avenue 1134 Greenfield Avenue 900 North Santa Anita Avenue 1518 South 3rd Avenue 935 South 10th Avenue 1841 Highland Oaks Drive 319 East Newman Avenue 1735 El Vista Circle 151 East La Sierra Drive 1926 South 2nd Avenue 418 Danimere Avenue 518 Coyle Avenue 2025 Elkins Place 1428 Santa Margarita Drive 1436 Carmelita Place 129 West Orange Grove Avenue
12/31/12 12/28/12 12/28/12 12/11/12 12/27/12 12/18/12 12/04/12 12/03/12 12/28/12 12/06/12 12/19/12 12/31/12 12/26/12 12/19/12 12/03/12 12/20/12 12/20/12 12/24/12
$768,000 $887,500 $888,000 $901,000 $950,000 $975,500 $1,060,000 $1,088,000 $1,110,000 $1,238,000 $1,238,000 $1,328,000 $1,373,000 $1,400,000 $1,600,000 $1,960,000 $2,680,000 $4,800,000
3 4 2 3 2 4 3 2 5 3 3 4 5 4 3 5 3 6
1983 1937 1452 2448 788 2018 1725 1933 3132 2658 2974 2606 3658 4325 2364 3552 3155 9928
1977 1963 1949 1955 1927 1956 1947 1953 1998 1950 1962 1983 1997 2000 1955 1953 1948 1994
EAGLE ROCK 5131 North Maywood Avenue
12/12/12
$912,500
3
2612
GLENDALE 1441 Thompson Avenue 1242 Ethel Street 315 Wonderview Drive 2380 Cascadia Drive 3114 Grangemount Road 3540 Emerald Isle Drive 611 Arden Avenue 3154 Kirkham Drive 840 Calle La Primavera 1750 Alamo Drive 1612 Thompson Avenue 363 Wonderview Drive 1540 Ridgeway Drive 3100 East Chevy Chase Drive 1528 Ard Eevin Avenue 3127 Kingridge Way 1654 West Kenneth Road 2544 Flintridge Drive 1025 West Mountain Street
12/06/12 12/12/12 12/12/12 12/28/12 12/27/12 12/05/12 12/31/12 12/17/12 12/13/12 12/18/12 12/10/12 12/07/12 12/07/12 12/11/12 12/18/12 12/28/12 12/21/12 12/27/12 12/21/12
$751,500 $760,000 $765,000 $769,500 $775,000 $776,500 $780,000 $790,000 $797,500 $800,000 $801,000 $820,000 $867,500 $895,000 $1,000,000 $1,055,000 $1,250,000 $1,485,000 $1,752,500
2 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 5 3 5 5
1392 2489 2477 2424 1886 1863 2766 2520 1720 1956 1921 2381 2502 3799 2407 2700 1648 4330 4231
$165,000 $285,000 $649,000 $689,000 $389,000 $850,000 $731,500 $715,000 $1,495,000 $1,658,000
05/30/1978 01/02/1996 10/15/2010 03/05/2003 08/20/1998 08/14/2003 03/29/2002 10/29/2002 07/14/2006 12/28/2006
$470,000 $362,000
01/30/2002 05/24/1991
$853,000 $400,000 $780,000 $930,000 $398,000 $1,115,000 $1,090,000 $1,300,000 $1,000,000 $1,088,000 $828,000 $680,000 $400,000
12/08/2006 12/19/2011 05/25/2004 05/04/2007 03/17/1994 11/01/2005 09/03/2004 06/27/2006 01/04/2008 11/02/2004 05/29/2002 08/10/2001 06/13/1986
1908
$500,000
04/19/2012
1931 1927 1972 1977 1967 1969 1938 1968 1993 1954 1955 1969 1929 1964 1927 1972 1941 1981 1936
$467,500 $555,500
01/07/2004 02/24/2012
$685,000 $343,000 $387,000 $820,000 $540,000 $868,000 $305,000
07/08/2011 02/11/1994 03/29/1993 10/25/2007 01/07/2003 10/04/2006 09/10/1998
$215,000
12/29/1980
$330,000 $1,120,000 $885,000 $353,000 $1,375,000 $1,844,000
07/31/1990 08/31/2007 11/24/2010 01/31/1990 05/31/2007 04/27/2010
The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2013.
24 | ARROYO | 02.13
HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT
SOURCE: CalREsource
ADDRESS
CLOSE DATE PRICE
LA CAĂ‘ADA FLINTRIDGE 4712 Rockland Place 827 Salisbury Road 4332 Hayman Avenue 928 Big Briar Way 337 Knight Way 5008 Walmar Avenue 633 Foxwood Road 814 Milmada Drive 5187 Princess Anne Road 5123 Gould Avenue 2270 Cross Street 5030 Alta Canyada Road 1156 Descanso Drive 4643 Palm Drive 4813 Hampton Road 868 Flintridge Avenue 3870 Chevy Chase Drive
BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
12/21/12 12/05/12 12/17/12 12/21/12 12/11/12 12/21/12 12/28/12 12/21/12 12/27/12 12/12/12 12/17/12 12/14/12 12/14/12 12/27/12 12/19/12 12/26/12 12/04/12
$755,000 $774,500 $1,015,000 $1,027,000 $1,100,000 $1,100,000 $1,150,000 $1,200,500 $1,208,500 $1,302,500 $1,410,000 $1,491,500 $1,520,000 $1,610,000 $2,165,000 $2,501,000 $2,935,000
2 3 2 3 4 3 3 3 1 4
1034 1378 1618 2168 2551 1910 1842 2122 1923 3265
1952 1931 1948 1967 1952 1950 1951 1952 1952 1965
3 4 4 7
1614 5584 4788 5941
PASADENA 2940 Thorndike Road 3481 Yorkshire Road 1490 East Del Mar Boulevard 3805 Ranch Top Road 1295 Wellington Avenue 1970 North Altadena Drive 3860 Hampton Road 708 South Los Robles Avenue 1854 East Mountain Street 1060 East Topeka Street 276 Wigmore Drive 560 Glen Court 140 Sierra View Road 425 Anita Drive 845 Las Palmas Road 395 South San Marino Avenue 1126 Linda Vista Avenue 3069 Doyne Road 1155 North Hill Avenue 1635 Pegfair Estates Drive 500 South Allen Avenue 217 South Marengo Ave. #208 1197 Arden Road 845 Linda Vista Avenue 809 South Los Robles Avenue 2956 Lombardy Road 520 Madeline Drive 1175 South Oakland Avenue 632 North Raymond Avenue 502 Laguna Road 1265 Encino Drive 920 Hillcrest Place 1138 Arden Road 1200 South Arroyo Boulevard
12/17/12 12/27/12 12/12/12 12/28/12 12/27/12 12/03/12 12/27/12 12/21/12 12/21/12 12/21/12 12/13/12 12/26/12 12/17/12 12/28/12 12/28/12 12/03/12 12/21/12 12/03/12 12/12/12 12/21/12 12/04/12 12/14/12 12/27/12 12/21/12 12/28/12 12/20/12 12/28/12 12/06/12 12/20/12 12/05/12 12/21/12 12/28/12 12/12/12 12/07/12
$750,000 $752,000 $795,000 $800,000 $810,000 $836,000 $875,000 $898,000 $930,000 $995,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,050,000 $1,080,000 $1,080,000 $1,150,000 $1,151,000 $1,175,000 $1,187,500 $1,188,000 $1,227,500 $1,350,000 $1,415,000 $1,475,000 $1,580,000 $1,680,000 $1,700,000 $1,830,000 $1,975,000 $2,350,000 $2,510,000 $3,200,000 $3,235,000 $5,800,000
3 2 4 3 7 2 3 5 4 3
SAN MARINO 2625 Monterey Road 1415 South San Gabriel Blvd. 2525 Monterey Road 1710 Las Flores Avenue 2355 Longden Drive 1420 Bellwood Road 1876 Windsor Road 1698 Lorain Road 2400 Ridgeway Road 625 Chester Avenue 800 Chester Avenue 1591 Virginia Road
12/28/12 12/14/12 12/07/12 12/14/12 12/03/12 12/28/12 12/06/12 12/06/12 12/07/12 12/13/12 12/27/12 12/20/12
$1,053,000 $1,070,000 $1,100,000 $1,235,000 $1,420,000 $1,600,000 $1,800,000 $1,820,000 $2,000,000 $2,618,000 $3,128,000 $5,300,000
SIERRA MADRE 1930 Vista Avenue 233 San Gabriel Court 2060 Liliano Drive 251 Rancho Road
12/18/12 12/13/12 12/06/12 12/12/12
SOUTH PASADENA 1601 Hill Drive 1928 Mill Road 1916 Marengo Avenue 2022 Camden Parkway 2035 Oak Street 400 Oaklawn Avenue 2024 Ashbourne Drive
12/07/12 12/21/12 12/21/12 12/14/12 12/14/12 12/21/12 12/05/12
$450,000
03/23/2012
$720,000 $900,000 $520,000 $1,250,000
11/05/2012 05/18/2004 06/12/2001 07/11/2005
$535,000 $255,000 $975,000 $930,000
09/21/1994 03/15/1985 06/06/2003 10/11/2001
1927 1990 1973 1989
$695,000 $870,000 $600,000 $650,000
03/25/2011 12/14/2000 04/06/1983 09/22/1988
1421 1662 2061 2296
1951 1946 1922 1960
$839,000
07/14/2009
1609 1761 2582 2245 2090
1953 1948 1921 1926 1920
$645,000 $953,000 $1,150,000 $322,500 $475,000
11/26/2003 03/25/2005 03/31/2006 11/23/1999 05/29/2002
3 4 4 5 6 3 6 5 3 4 1 2 2 2 5 9 5 8 4 5 9
2283 3188 4002 3290 1935 2192
1973 1945 1976 1947 1927 1921
$1,130,000 $235,000 $2,000,000 $1,495,000
07/18/2006 12/13/1991 10/10/2007 04/23/2008
$1,425,000
11/06/2006
$1,050,000
11/16/2007
3266 2280 2558 550 2341 2616 1210
1923 1962 1926 2008 1951 1948 1909
$465,000 $260,000 $1,305,000
02/24/1989 09/25/1985 02/06/2007
$510,000
11/09/1998
2596 3528 4713 4781
1922 1963 1980 1988
$760,500 $250,000 $930,000 $1,925,000 $501,000 $2,260,000 $1,520,000
07/29/2011 10/27/1987 03/15/1991 02/27/2007 06/06/2000 04/13/2012 03/04/2004
9
8148
1915
4 4
1948 2340
1928 1947
$999,000 $1,031,000 $553,000
04/04/2006 10/30/2008 07/18/1988
3 4 2 4 2 5 4 4 5
2044 2026 2257 3062 2352 3393 3387 4312 5210
1936 1945 1955 1928 1946 1937 1952 1941 1928
$620,000 $785,500
07/20/1993 02/15/2002
$550,000 $213,500 $2,398,000 $1,620,000 $350,000
07/09/1993 04/07/1978 08/27/2012 03/25/2003 04/05/1977
$865,000 $870,000 $905,000 $1,165,000
3 3 4 4
1789 2090 2922 2450
1951 2000 1962 1950
$899,000
11/15/2006
$907,500
06/29/2004
$751,000 $875,000 $888,000 $979,000 $1,606,000 $1,875,000 $5,950,000
3 7 3 2 5 4 5
1844
1949
1452 1650 3613 3461 6071
1941 1924 1928 1946 1927
$698,000 $740,000 $185,000 $399,000
12/01/2010 11/16/2001 09/02/1986 08/06/1997
$1,190,000 $1,915,000
09/04/2007 05/07/1996 02.13 | ARROYO | 25
arroyo HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
TIME AND TRANSITION: THE WAY WE LIVE TODAY, TOMORROW, AND YESTERDAY… “Architecture should speak of time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” – Frank Gehry DOMESTIC LIFE IN PASADENA AND THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY OPENS WITH THE HAHAMOG-NA TRIBE OF NATIVE AMERICANS, MEMBERS OF THE TONGVA NATION. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THEY LIVED IN THE LUSH REGION BETWEEN OCEAN AND MOUNTAINS IN THATCHED AND VAULTED LODGES. THEY PREPARED MEALS OF LOCAL VEGETATION, SMALL WILDLIFE AND OCEAN FISH WITH CATALINAN SOAPSTONE TOOLS AND VESSELS. THEY TRAVELED THE TONGVA FOOT TRAIL THAT SKIRTS THE EDGE OF TODAY’S ROSE BOWL, THE ARROYO SECO AND PAST THE JET PROPULSION LAB INTO THE MOUNTAINS. EVENTUALLY THEY WERE OUTNUMBERED BY EUROPEAN, MEXICAN AND AMERICAN SETTLERS WHO ESTABLISHED THE SAN GABRIEL MISSION, RANCH LAND, GRAND HOTELS, LOCAL BUSINESSES, EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CENTERS, AND PRIVATE HOMES RESPECTIVELY. –continued on page 29 26 | ARROYO | 02.13
PHOTO: Courtesy Chelsea Construction
By Joanna Dehn Beresford
02.13 | ARROYO | 27
28 | ARROYO | 02.13
PHOTO: Courtesy James V. Coane & Associates
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
–continued from page 26 When I consider it, the Tongva history seems to creep forward in real time, over millennia. The narrative momentum picks up a little in the late 18th century with the founding of the Mission, sets a somewhat brisker pace through the 1800s, and hits a considerable stride in the previous century. The sense of acceleration really goes berserk though in the last ten years, which feel like they happened in about the last ten seconds. Tomorrow, next week, the remainder of 2013, and the rest of the 21st century? They’re about to be mixed up in a blender, poured over ice, and gulped down by the gods. Maybe every generation experiences the passage of time with the same sense of quickening, almost dizzying, haste. Architecturally speaking, however, my layperson’s intuition keeps nagging at me. I suspect that we’re both unique unto ourselves, and similar to our predecessors of one hundred years ago, the devotees of the Arts and Crafts movement who helped to define a design movement and our community. As I understand it, the movement began in response to the opulence of the Victorian era and the perceived loss of individual, human dignity portended by mass production and automation. Not to mention the sweeping and unforeseen effects of electricity. The Craftspeople and their clients sought, among other things, a kind of sacred simplicity and restraint. They honored sturdy structures, artisanal skills, and organic materials — all of which would contribute to a domestic environment that was at once traditional and distinctly modern. Welcome to now. We live on the knife’s edge of a topsy-turvy economy, among shifting demographics, in the midst of a technological frenzy, in homes that will soon be smarter than we are. Some of us would like to catch our breath. “People in the San Gabriel Valley cherish our architectural heritage,” says Jerry Schmitz, Director of Project Management for Chelsea Construction, a full service design and construction company, specializing in luxury home remodels and custom homes. Jerry describes clients who are interested in maintaining the historic integrity of their homes while incorporating contemporary trends and amenities. The Chelsea design/build team and their clients appreciate a renewed attention to detail that includes careful choice of materials (like stone, tile and wood) and effects everything from the choice of light switches to custom molding and cabinetry. Chelsea Construction owner, Mark Snashall, embodies the integrity of traditional master craftsmanship. He founded the company in 1996 after 25 years in the construction field that included training and apprenticeship with the City and Guilds of London Institute, finish carpentry at Windsor Castle and shop fitting in Sydney, Australia. Among Chelsea’s new, ground-up projects and remodels, Mark and Jerry note another development: a rekindled interest in the use of basements.“It’s a great way to increase the amount of usable, family space in a home,” Jerry explains. Basements can include a home theater, wine cellars, recreation and game rooms, bars and home gyms. Architect James Coane, of James V. Coane & Associates, sees a similar trend.“Basements are cool because they are totally old school, but they are also a great way to maximize usage of property… Lately we have been adding ‘The Ladies Office’, for wrapping, scrap booking, photography, gift hiding, etc. And a few current basements include bowling alleys, Karaoke stages, a rifle range. A few have faux casinos. Humidors and cigar rooms are pretty popular, too.” –continued on page 30 02.13 | ARROYO | 29
PHOTO: Courtesy HartmanBaldwin
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
–continued from page 33 Second Stairs have also re-appeared, particularly in higher-end homes.“Second stairs are old fashioned, but too often forgotten,” says James.“They can be book-lined, surrounded in paneling, an art gallery. We always make them land in the kitchen, that’s where everyone wants to go... They usually become the most used stair in the house.” Most of the Coane projects integrate as much solar energy as possible — some are nearly 100% solar powered. And, possibly to offset the vertiginous symptoms of post-modern existence, James Coane and his colleagues have increased their use of Zen materials,“pebbles, bamboo, Mangaris wood, glass mosaic tiles, textured glass panels…materials that are calming.” “We are also building a lot more yoga studios, tatami rooms, and large outdoor areas.” One of their current projects includes a courtyard with a huge Koi pond.“It literally has a floating island with glass in the floor so you can watch the Koi swim under the island while you sit at the island fire pit, waterfalls, a floating stone walkway, and a glass bridge.” The integration of indoor and outdoor living has distinguished California architecture and design for generations, and continues to provide a meaningful connection, both aesthetically and practically, for residents to their natural environment. Maybe now more than ever we long for that relationship. The design/build team of HartmanBaldwin recently completed several renovation projects for local clients who own vacation beach homes. These extensive remodels both involved significant changes to both the exterior and the interior of the residences. The Mediterranean theme of the San Clemente home, for example, begins on a graceful patio that overlooks the ocean and features Mexican tile, warm woods and casual, comfortable furniture. From the inside views were enhanced and sapphire blue tile was introduced, flooding the home with natural light and color to reflect the home’s surroundings. In Laguna Beach they enlarged a deck that overlooks Emerald Cove and incorporated retracting glass doors that blend interior and exterior living areas. The expanded deck also includes wraparound glass railings, an outdoor kitchen and fireplace, and a rooftop observation deck. Here the distinction between indoor and outdoor space is nearly indistinguishable; residents and their guests enjoy the sunshine, starlight and sea breezes as easily as they breathe. “These homes take their inspiration from the environment,” says HartmanBaldwin’s Karla Rodriquez, adding that “architecture is never passive. Where you live changes how you live your life. We ask clients — what do you want? What inspires you? What truly moves you?” And they design and build residences so that clients enjoy a fully realized life throughout their home and the world that surrounds it. In a sense, there’s nothing new under the sun. The light that bathes these homes on the beach and in the valley comes from the same source that warmed the huts and trails of the Tongva Indians and the Spanish missionaries and the architectural idealists who built the ultimate bungalows in Pasadena. Those of us who live here today may be nearly as captivated by multiplatform technologies as we are by a breathtaking view — but we probably want pretty much the same thing from our homes, ultimately, as our ancestors did. We want to live in and around them with joy, purpose, intelligence and love. AH&D 30 | ARROYO | 02.13
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
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02.13 | ARROYO | 31
h Romantic Reads BY SCARLET CHENG
WITH THE RECENT EROTIC NOVEL FIFTY SHADES OF GREY A PUBLISHING PHENOM
THAT HAS CAUSED LITERARY CRITICS QUITE A BIT OF PAIN — AND NOT THE GOOD KIND — ARROYO MONTHLY ASKED SOME MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL LITERATI TO
Naomi Hirahara
OFFER THEIR TOP PICKS FOR NOVELS THAT KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING.
KATE GALE What I love about The Lover [by Marguerite Duras] is that it’s suffused with passion and it’s exquisitely written. What attracts me as an editor and a reader is great writing. It’s also set against the backdrop of the end of the French colonial era, so you have the sense of it being a story about something greater, a story about colonization in many forms, subjugation in many forms. What do you think it tells us about love? Is there always this power play in love? The Lover is about that tipping point where you meet someone, and the relationship makes no sense, and you
tip into it anyway. It’s about that part of love that’s unpredictable, and I think that wildness is what makes romance amazing. In the book, the protagonist becomes more and more engrossed in the whole affair. She’s in love with being in love, and then also with the act of sex. He’s actually in love with her as a person. I think that’s how love often plays out — people are in love for different reasons. She’s quite a bit younger than he is. She’s an eyeful, she’s underage. That’s part of the forbidden aspect of this story. They’re from two different cultures and races, and then she’s quite young. Right.
overhears this and writes her a note that, quite the contrary, men’s love can be constant — in other words, he says he loves her. There was so much propriety in those days, you wouldn’t say this directly to a woman. She opens the letter and discovers his true intentions. Just like any other romance, there are so many misunderstandings — she thinks he’s with somebody and he’s not, and the other way around. Then the truth comes out. There’s no doubt they are going to be together... I do relate to small gestures. In my own home I was very observant and aware because one little word, one little pat on the back meant much more than other people would view it.
Gale is managing editor of Red Hen Press, a literary pub-
Hirahara lives in South Pasadena and pens mystery nov-
lisher in Pasadena.
els featuring Japanese-American gardener Mas Arai.
NAOMI HIRAHARA
Edgar Award, and her fifth novel in the series, Strawberry
My taste tends to be on the darker side, but I do have a favorite in terms of romance. It’s a classic — Jane Austen’s Persuasion, her last book. I don’t think she had time to rewrite it. I like it because the protagonist, in those days, was considered older; she had lost her bloom — that is, she was in her late 20s. I think there’s something inside of me — it’s probably how I was raised — that loves the restraint of that era. And, yes, I like Downton Abbey, too! My mother was Japanese... I love the restraint, the little touches that are so meaningful. They wrote letters back then; I find that so romantic.
Yellow, is coming out in March.
Kate Gale
Her 2006 novel Snakeskin Shamisen won the prestigious
32 | ARROYO | 02.13
I’m very old-fashioned, and I think the most romantic book ever written is Jane Eyre [by Charlotte Brontë]. It’s just so beautifully written; it’s about love — the incredible conversation these two people have, their way of teasing, approaching and avoiding each other. When Mr. Rochester has proposed to Jane and they’re to be married, she begins to avoid him. It’s never written, but of course it’s about the incredible sexual tension. They’re living in the same house, and they’re about to be married. When he sees her, he pinches her. It’s so subtle, sexy, wonderful and repressed. Is there something about the heroine you particularly like? Jane Eyre narrates it in her modest and hyper-intelligent
PHOTO: LEFT: Mark E. Cull, TOP RIGHT: Mario G. Reyes
Do you remember any specific scene that shows this? The protagonist, Anne Elliot, has this doubt [about Captain Wentworth]. She mentions to one of his comrades that women are more constant in their love. He
MICHELLE HUNEVEN
Michelle Huneven
voice. She’s a terrible tease to Mr. Rochester; she uses her role as his subservient — as his daughter’s governess — to be prim and withholding to the point it drives him crazy. She’s very sly and knows exactly what she’s doing, and they both enjoy it very much. You think there’s hot passion underneath all that? No doubt about it, really hot passion. She leaves Mr. Rochester when she finds out about the wife in the attic. She ends up on the doorstep of people who are distant cousins. One of them is St. John. He doesn’t love Jane Eyre, and he wants to marry her because he’s not erotically attracted to her. Jane Eyre is forced to make a choice. She likes him well enough, [but] she does not love him, and she eventually she goes back to Mr. Rochester. Really, it’s a choice about do we want to be good and chaste and not give in to carnal love, or do we believe in passionate love? Jane Eyre is a huge vote for passionate, physical love. Huneven is a longtime resident of Altadena, where she
Victoria Patterson
cause she’s not his class, there are lots of obstacles. But she knows who she is, she doesn’t kowtow to anyone. She’s pretty incredible. Do you remember when you first read it? I think it must have been high school, and then I recently have been listening to it in the car, on a CD from the library. Each time I listen or read it, it just sweeps me away. Is there something about the writing that transports you? She’s so direct. It’s also very operatic — there are highs and lows, and low lows. [ Jane] becomes a beggar at one point, homeless. She leaves and has nowhere to go. Right after she finds out about the woman [Rochester’s first wife], she goes off. Hungry and cold, she ends up on the doorstep of the family that saves her. It’s so crazy, so much stuff goes on. This is a great theme in literature, the quest for love. She doesn’t settle, she wants the real deal. There’s really a soul connection [between Jane and Rochester] that you get through their dialogue.
was born. She was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for her third novel, Blame (2006) and is
Patterson, a longtime resident of South Pasadena, is the
busy preparing her fourth novel, Off Course, for release
author of the novel This Vacant Paradise (2011), and
next year.
her collection of short stories, Drift, was a finalist for the
VICTORIA PATTERSON
Peerless Four, her latest novel released last fall, is based
Love is just a huge theme in literature, one of the biggest themes in literature; it’s in so many books. [Charlotte Bronte’s] Jane Eyre is a sweeping, romantic epic love story. What I love about it is that the heroine is such a strong intense female character, so self-aware. Usually, at that time and in that genre, women tended to be more objects, more victims. She’s not gorgeous, she’s just plain. There’s also the class thing going on be-
on real people: Canadian women who competed in
from a woman’s point of view, a woman who was involved with men and women. His point of view is that the world is one of limitless possibilities. My idea of romance is that it should be whatever you want it to be, however you can make it. A theme of my own work is: We’re all damaged goods, we fix each other through love. I really think that’s the job of romance in literature, to show how people can be healed, how we heal one another with love. Sissy [the protagonist] finds love in three different places — a young man that she’s quite devoted to, a young woman that she’s quite devoted to and a older man that she’s quite devoted to. With each of them, she has both an erotic experience and a romantic experience. I think romance in literature is about teaching people what they need to know about love in order to be healthy, self-aware and self-confident adult human beings. You could say that romance is a rite of passage. Is that why romances are usually about young people? Yes, well kind of. Romance is about young people, because young people need to know these things. I’ve heard it said that a love story ends when the people get together.
the 1928 Olympics.
Is that what you believe? Romance ends, but love begins. I’m drawing a distinction between the two, where romance is finding love, and love is having a loving relationship. ||||
JOHN VORHAUS
Vorhaus lives in Monrovia and is known for his two rollick-
I’m directly influenced by Tom Robbins’ Even Cowgirls Get the Blues for both its romantic and erotic aspects. I was young and impressionable when it first came out. It was one of the first works of modern literature where a man was writing
ing “sunshine noir” novels about con man Radar Hover-
California Book Award and the 2009 Story Prize. The PHOTO: LEFT: Karen Tapia , RIGHT: Gerard Brewer
John Vorhous
lander — The California Roll and The Albuquerque
Turkey. This versatile writer is also the author of 10 books on poker. 02.13 | ARROYO | 33
KITCHEN CONFESSIONS
Food Television Worth Watching (If I do say so myself.) STORY BY LESLIE BILDERBACK
I HAVE NEVER BEEN ENTIRELY THRILLED WITH
disciple of the “turnabout is fair play” handbook, I, in turn, have been known to subject my students to this type of
TELEVISION COOKING SHOWS. I’M NOT SURE
test in their final exams. (The TV show Chopped is a fair approximation of such an exam, although rather than
WHETHER THEY HAVE HELPED OR HURT THE
taking home money, a student “winning” this school competition is awarded the right to continue paying tuition.)
FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY.TRUE,THEY HAVE
Sure, it was fun to torture students with weird ingredients. But it also taught them to think on their feet, a skill crucial
EMBEDDED THE CULINARY ARTS IN THE COM-
to successful cheffing.
MON CONSCIOUSNESS.THEN AGAIN,THE
impetus behind the locavore movement, but it is not a
Creating dishes based on available ingredients is the new idea. The best chefs have cooked that way for
CULINARY “ARTISTS”THEY’RE INSERTING INTO
decades. As a matter of fact, I think it’s fair to say that every dish ever conceived was created this way. (What’s
THAT CONSCIOUSNESS INCLUDE EMBATTLED
in the fridge? Chicken wings, celery and blue cheese dressing? Behold, Buffalo hot wings!) Of course, real
FOOD NETWORK STAR GUY FIERI. SO IT WAS
recipe development is more thoughtful than that. But it is these weird ideas that get the creative juices flowing and
WITH TREPIDATION THAT I CONSIDERED MY LITERARY AGENT’S SUGGES-
lead to legitimate culinary innovation. Plus, it is a great way to clean out the refrigerator.
TION THAT I AUDITION FOR A COMPETITIVE COOKING SHOW. SHE AR-
idea of national television. I have long known that the TV world is not one I could inhabit
So, I felt confident in the general premise of the show. But I was not so comfy with the on a regular basis. It had always looked incredibly boring, and it has been. The hours of
GUED THAT IT WOULD BOOST SALES OF MY UPCOMING BOOK, MUG
standing around, waiting for technical details to be worked out, just felt wrong. It is not an easy transition from the fast pace of regular food service. What’s more, many segments
ed es,
CAKES, SLATED FOR PUBLICATION THIS SUMMER. SO, I WARILY AGREED
ended in a request for contestants to stand still and don an expression of surprise, or excitement, or worry or dread. As you may imagine, I am a terrible actress, and all that face-
n
TO THE CONDITIONS AND SIGNED THE WAIVERS TO APPEAR ON THE
making made me giggle. My giggles, in turn, required additional takes, which I found even more hilarious. I am clearly not TV material.
s
mts ee sn-
½
on d
FOOD NETWORK’S SWEET GENIUS. I was familiar with the show but had never watched an entire episode. With a month to
Israel, is a little creepy, I found him to be a sweet and silly guy, with a fascinating back-
prepare, I resigned myself to the task of watching as many episodes as I could stand. The
ground. A self-taught baker, his wedding cakes were “discovered” by Martha Stewart and
game’s object is to make desserts using secret ingredients, which fit into a specified genre
are now the most coveted wedding cakes in the Empire State. But despite his enviable
(i.e. chocolate, candy, cake) and visually express a designated theme. Contestants com-
pastry empire, he was generous and patient with his contestants. All that success has yet
pete for three rounds, and the winner is crowned a Sweet Genius.
to go to his bald little head. Yes, he talks funny and looks like an elf. But classifying culinary
“Who would bake with that?” is the standard incredulous reaction to the ingredients contestants are obliged to use. Things you would never willingly add to a cake — Bloody Mary mix, hummus, banana peppers, gummy candies, black garlic, tuna fish — have all is-
But it wasn’t all bad. Despite the popular notion that the host of the show, Ron Ben-
found their way into this competitive arena. But the concept is not as weird as it seems. The basic premise of the mystery ingredient is standard in culinary education. As a student, my teachers used it to measure my command of basic cooking techniques. A loyal 34 | ARROYO | 02.13
talent by outward appearance is a bad precedent. Why do you think the “exhibition kitchen” went out of favor? Some things should remain a mystery. Another aspect of television I find unsavory is the snarky, competitive rivalry producers set up among contestants. In my case, all animosity was completely fabricated. All the contestants on my episode got along great and we still keep in touch. Despite a healthy confidence, I always feel a bit intimidated when I meet other chefs. I know I
Pear-Rosemary Butter Cake with Taco-Shell Streusel This is my winning cake recipe. I urge you to leave the taco shells out, as I only used them because I had to, and their inclusion did not enhance the overall dish.To really replicate the Sweet Genius experience, close your eyes, open your fridge, grab the first thing you feel — then add that to the cake! INGREDIENTS FOR FRUIT FILLING: 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced ¼ cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tablespoons butter
FOR CAKE BATTER: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1½ cups sugar 4 eggs 3 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup milk
FOR STREUSEL: ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats 2 corn tortilla taco shells, pulverized ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup unsalted butter
METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 10-inch cake pan with pan spray; line with a circle of parchment paper, then spray that too. 2. Toss pears together with sugar and rosemary, then sauté in butter over high heat until caramelized and tender. Set aside to cool. 3. To make the batter, cream butter and sugar until smooth and lump-free, then add the eggs one at a time. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt, and add to butter mixture alternating with milk. Set batter aside. 4. To make the streusel, combine the all-purpose flour, oats, taco shells, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Fold the pears into the batter, then fill prepared pan (no more than 2⁄3 full). Top generously with streusel, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until a pick inserted comes out clean. Cool to room temperature, remove from pan and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.
am good, but there are certainly others better than I am, at least in theory. One of my opponents came from Le Bec Fin, a well-established bastion of the Philadelphian culinary elite. Another was a self-described expert in molecular gastronomy, an arena I have actively avoided, the way parents in the 1950s avoided Elvis. The final guy refused to talk to us initially, choosing instead to psych himself up via his iPod. But as the day dragged on, we got to know each other. I was the oldest of the group and, as such, found myself slipping into mentor mode, doling out culinary tips, tricks and career advice. My nerves quickly dissipated, and the entire experience became a super-fun game. As the show wore on (spoiler alert) I was genuinely sad to see each of them eliminated. (Not sad enough to give up my title as Sweet Genius, mind you. A loss would have been humiliating on a number of levels.) Yes, I won the show. It was a fun experience, fun to watch myself on TV and fun to watch my kids’ reactions, which resulted in sore sides from uproarious laughter. I received scores of congratulatory emails, then it was back to work the next day, as usual, where I got a couple of thumbs up. The great thing about working in food service is the anonymity. Nobody cares what you did before, or what you do in your spare time. They only care that you can get the order out right and on time, that you keep your station neat and clean up your messes. This is how you know that TV is fake. I am a Sweet Genius, but I still had to take out the trash, wipe down the mixers and sweep up my station. That’s as it should be. I chose the kitchen for a reason. If I wanted stardom, I would have kept my job waiting tables.
||||
Leslie Bilderback, a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author, can be found in the kitchen of Heirloom Bakery in South Pasadena. She also teaches her techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com. 02.13 | ARROYO | 35
WINING & DINING
Bittersweet Treats 1731 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena (626) 796-8655 bittersweettreats.com Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sweets for the Sweet Bittersweet Treats’ masterly confections persuade even savory foodies that since life is short, it really does pay to eat dessert first (but last works, too). BY BRADLEY TUCK • PHOTOS BY GREG HUEBNER
GROWING UP, IT SEEMED I WAS CONSTANTLY ENVELOPED BY THE SCENTS OF ALMOND ESSENCE, BUTTER AND VANILLA BEAN AND THE WHIRR OF A HAND WHISK. MY MOTHER WAS A BAKING FANATIC, AND BARELY A DAY PASSED WITHOUT A NEW BATCH OF COOKIES, PIES, CAKES OR PASTRIES FILLING THE HOUSE WITH THEIR WARM PERFUME. MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE OF THAT EXPOSURE THAT I CAN SAY, WITH A PERFECTLY STRAIGHT FACE, “I DON’T HAVE A SWEET TOOTH.” GENERALLY, I’LL TAKE A SLICE OF PIZZA — EVEN A HUMBLE ANCHOVY — OVER A DESSERT. CUPCAKES LEAVE ME COLD. I AM IMPERVIOUS TO, EVEN FROSTY ABOUT, FROSTING. SO, WHEN A GOOD FRIEND WHOSE PALATE I TRUST KEPT SENDING ME TEXTS ABOUT A LEMON--POPPY-SEED CAKE FROM PASADENA THAT WAS BREAKING HIS HEART, I WAS UNMOVED. BUT THE TEXTS KEPT COMING. THERE WAS, ALLEGEDLY, A LEMON BAR FOR WHICH HE WOULD “PAWN HIS SOUL.” My friend and I do share a penchant for Negronis, served on the rocks, which qualifies him as a man of taste. So, one blustery afternoon I relented and made the journey to East Colorado Boulevard, across the street from Pasadena City College, and pushed open the door to a jewel box of a bake shop, Bittersweet Treats. A bright modern interior with high ceilings and an abundance of light through ample windows houses a glass case full of childhood memories — cookies, handmade fig 36 | ARROYO | 02.13
An array of sweet temptations
rolls, what looked like peanut brittle with a scattering of pretzels embedded in the toffee. They looked like the confections my mother baked all those years ago, just a lot less haphazard. Their precision and execution should come as no surprise, because their baker and the owner of Bittersweet Treats, along with partner Linda Chen, is Danielle Keene. Keene has worked as a pastry chef at some of L.A.’s most respected restaurants. After training at Water Grill, Campanile and A.O.C., she has been pastry chef at The Little Door, Blair’s, BLT Steak and Wilshire. The avid foodie TV viewer out there might even recognize her from Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts, where she reached the finals. Linda Chen grew up baking with her older sister
Lemon–poppy-seed cake
and eventually worked part-time in her family’s coffee shop, which she managed after college. It turns out that Chen is an avid Top Chef fan, and on seeing Keene in Just Desserts, she decided to contact her. And so a partnership was born. As I scanned the glass pastry cases, I was struck by something — the size of the treats. They’re normal size — no cupcakes so large that they’d look at home in a Playboy bunny’s brassiere. No, these desserts (which also include ice cream) are just the right size to have a few bites, with a sip of tea or coffee perhaps. I sat right down and ordered the lemon--poppy-seed cake. It’s wide and low, with a thin glaze of somethingor-other and a sliver of candied lemon. To wash it down, a cup of Lamill coffee roasted in Silver Lake. I took my fully compostable fork and parted the icing and the lemon sliver. A plump mound of fragrant sponge dotted with specks of poppy seed accompanied the lemon and icing to my mouth. My eyes rolled to the back of my head. “I don’t have a sweet tooth, I don’t have a sweet tooth, I don’t have a sweet tooth” was the mantra I repeated as I inhaled deeply and exhaled. And swallowed. My friend’s texts did not lie. Our trust built on Negronis would remain intact. This was indeed a Brownies
heartbreakingly lovely little cake. And I began to realize that it wasn’t that I didn’t have a sweet tooth. It was that I didn’t have a tooth sweet enough for the majority of cloyingly sugar-loaded desserts that are the norm in the cake and cookie world. I bought a few more cakes to try at home and asked Danielle about her baking. And it all made sense in just three
sentences.“I bake the way my mom and grandmother bake, and what I grew up eating. I like to think what sets my product apart from others is that everything is made from scratch and I try not to make things too sweet. That’s a big goal of mine, to not make things unnecessarily sweet.” I clutched my box of treats tight, all the way home on the bus to Hollywood. I stopped to buy wine at my favorite wine store and, to the shopkeepers’ delight, gave them my box. Because I can go back to Bittersweet, and love should be shared. |||| 02.13 | ARROYO | 37
38 | ARROYO | 02.13
THE LIST
A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER
FESTIVAL CELEBRATES YEAR OF THE SNAKE
and CSULB Art Museum curator Kristina Jeffrey Kahane
Newhouse at 3 p.m. at the Pasadena Mu-
Feb. 2 — Pacific Asia
seum of California Art. The talk ties in with
Museum welcomes
“Take Me to the Apple Breeder,” an exhibi-
the Chinese Year of
tion of Rath’s works continuing through
the Snake with its
Feb. 24. Rath creates porcelain apple
third annual Lunar
sculptures and large
New Year Festival
photographic por-
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The celebration in-
traits of hybrid trees,
cludes a lion dance, the Xiao Hong Hua
inspired by research
children’s dance group from Nanjing,
she gleaned from
China, and performances from other
the USDA/Cornell
Asian cultures. Activities also include
University Plant Genetics Resource Unit in
crafts, and food will be available for pur-
Geneva, N.Y., which preserves from extinc-
chase. Admission to the event and gal-
tion endangered, century-old apple vari-
leries is free.
eties. Free with museum admission.
Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 4492742 or visit pacificasiamuseum.org.
The Pasadena Museum of California Art is
A LACO TRIO
located at 490 E. Union St., Pasadena. Call (626) 568-3665 or visit pmcaonline.org.
Feb. 2 — The orchestra’s annual gala,“Taking a Chance on Love,” honors support-
GOODHUE’S LEGACY EXAMINED IN LECTURE AND TOUR
ers Jennifer and Royce Diener and David K. and Kay Duke Ingalls. The 6 p.m. event, at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles, includes performances by
MARRIAGE, MOVIES AND MORE AT PASADENA MUSEUM OF HISTORY
Feb. 2 — Noted local author Romy Wyllie
Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, orchestra musicians and special guests, plus live
Feb. 8 — “I Do! I Do! Pasadena Ties the
will discuss architect Bertram Goodhue’s
and silent auctions, dinner and dancing to live jazz. Tickets cost $750.
Knot,” a two-part exhibition exploring
Arts and Crafts movement legacy at
The California Club is located at 538 S. Flower St., Los Angeles.
local weddings from the mid-1800s
6 p.m. at Pasadena’s Neighborhood
Feb. 14 — The orchestra’s Baroque Conversations series continues at 7 p.m. at Zip-
through the present, opens at the
Church. Tickets for the Sidney D. Gamble
per Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, as Kahane, Patricia Mabee (principal
Pasadena Museum of History. Part I, on
Lecture cost $20 ($15 for Friends of the
keyboard), Sarah Thornblade (associate second principal violin) and violinist
view through July 14, covers 1850
Gamble House).
Cheryl Norman-Brick perform works by Bach. Tickets cost $55.
through 1950, showcasing more than 35
Feb. 9 --- A 10:30 a.m. tour of the Caltech
Zipper Concert Hall is located at the Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
historic wedding
campus highlights the architectural
Feb. 23 — An 8 p.m. LACO Discover concert at Pasadena's Ambassador Audito-
gowns and the sto-
legacy of Bertram Goodhue’s designs.
rium features Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 58. Kahane conducts and
ries that accom-
Tour tickets cost $35 ($25 for Friends).
serves as featured piano soloist. Tickets cost $25 to $110.
pany them, along
The Neighborhood Church is located at
The Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call
with wedding por-
301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena.
(213) 622-7001 or visit laco.org for tickets and information.
traits, engagement
Caltech is located at 1200 E. California
and wedding announcements, guest
PHOTO: ©Liza Mazzucco (Caroline Goulding), ©Jonathan Exley (Robert Crais)
Blvd., Pasadena. Visit gamblehouse.org.
books and related items. folk and Americana music scene. Stane
artist presentations
Feb. 12 — A program of family stories
COMEDY KINGPIN’S CAREER CONSIDERED
has also been active in various charita-
and a chuck-wagon
from Pasadena’s African-American
ble activities, including food and toy
luncheon. Free with
community will be presented at 6:30
Feb. 2 — The Pasadena Public Library’s
drives. Refreshments will be served. Ad-
regular museum ad-
p.m. The event spotlights five local fami-
“Speaking Of” discussion series explores
mission is free.
mission. An optional
lies who have called Pasadena home
the life of local enter-
The Allendale Branch of the Pasadena
cocktail reception
for four or five generations, exploring
tainment impresario
Public Library is located at 1130 S.
and fine art sale runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m.,
the reasons they settled here and how
Bob Stane at 2 p.m.
Marengo Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 744-
at an additional cost of $270 per person
they dealt with challenges and they es-
at the Allendale
7260 or visit pasadenapubliclibrary.net.
($195 for Autry members).
tablished their place in the community.
The Autry National Center is located at
Family heirlooms and historic images from family collections will be on dis-
House Comedy Club from 1961 to 1978,
WESTERN AMERICAN MASTERS RETURN TO AUTRY
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park. Call (323) 667-2000, ext. 331, or visit
play. Tickets cost $8 ($5 for members).
helping launch the careers of the
Feb. 2 — The “Masters of the American
theautry.org.
Smothers Brothers, Lily Tomlin, Steve
West” exhibition makes its 16th annual visit
Martin, Jay Leno, David Letterman and
to the Autry National Center today
OF APPLES AND ART
Call (626) 577-1660 or visit
others. In 1998, he became owner of the
through March 17. The exhibition of work
Feb. 3 — Los Angeles artist Jessica Rath
pasadenahistory.org.
Coffee Gallery Backstage, a prime music
by top Western artists opens at 10 a.m.
discusses beauty in art and food with
venue that hosts numerous stars of the
with a full day full of activities, including
Cornell apple breeder Dr. Susan K. Brown
Branch. Stane coowned The Ice
The Pasadena Museum of History is located at 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena.
–continued on page 41 02.13 | ARROYO | 39
40 | ARROYO | 02.13
THE LIST –continued from page 39
CAMELLIAS, TEA AND VALENTINES
canso’s “That’s Amore” three-course
Feb. 9 and 10 — Descanso Gardens’ an-
Valentine’s Day dinner, prepared by
nual Camellia Festival features “faery
Patina Catering, offers seatings at 6 and
tours” of the Enchanted Forest from 9:30
7:30 p.m. at the Boddy House. The cost is
a.m. to noon. “Tea Time with Chado Tea”
$78 ($70 for members). Visit patina-
runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and
group.com/descanso for reservations.
Sunday, with tastings of teas for sale and
Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Des-
information about their origins. A Camel-
canso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Call (818)
lia Garden walk-and-talk is scheduled
949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.
for 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m. both days. Curator Wen Wang discusses Descanso’s world-famous camellia collec-
A SONIC MAHLER MASTERPIECE FROM SYMPHONY
tion on Saturday at
Feb. 9 — The Pasadena Symphony pres-
1:30 p.m. These
ents a Symphony Classics concert at
events are free with
Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium at 2
Descanso admis-
and 8 p.m. Grammy-nominated conductor
sion. A traditional
Nicholas McGegan leads the orchestra in
Japanese tea cere-
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, known as the
mony at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday re-
“Sunlit Symphony.” Mozart’s Clarinet Con-
quires a $10 ticket, available at
certo is also on the program. Soprano Yulia
ticketweb.com.
Van Doren and clarinetist Donald Foster are
Feb. 14 — Celebrate Valentine’s Day on
featured soloists.Ticket prices start at $35.
the Tram Tour of Love, which visits Des-
The Ambassador Auditorium is located
canso’s romantic spots at 4 p.m. as
at 131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call
guests toast each other with a glass of
(626) 793-7172 or visit pasadenasym-
Champagne. The cost is $25 per couple;
phony-pops.org.
visit ticketweb.com for tickets. Des-
–continued on page 42
02.13 | ARROYO | 41
THE LIST
BACK FROM THE DEAD
Feb. 16 — The comedy Von Bach opens and continues through March 10 at the Fremont Centre Theatre. The play by Owen Hammer is based on the life of Baron Heinrich Von Bach, a 19th-century scientific genius whose theories about death and the afterlife were resurrected by Hollywood and used as the basis of films. In the middle of a production about his life, the ”real” Von Bach, unhappy with the movies' treatment of his memory, returns from the dead, leading to post-mortem hilarity. Scott Rognlien directs. Von Bach is a co-production of The Next Arena and the California Performing Arts Center. Performances start at 8 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $25, $20 for students and seniors, except for the gala opening and Champagne reception, where seats cost $34.99.
Fremont Centre Theatre is located at 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. Call (866) 811-4111 or visit fremontcentretheatre.com.
–continued from page 41
WINE AND FRIENDS
NO SOUR GRAPES
Feb. 17 — Friends of the Sierra Madre
Feb. 23 — A Noise Within’s production
Library host the group’s 43rd annual wine
of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath,
tasting from 2 to 5
adapted by Frank Galati, opens at
p.m. at Alverno Villa
8 p.m. and continues through May 11.
in Sierra Madre. The
It’s the story of the
library fundraiser
Joad family, strug-
includes samples
gling farmers driven
from 20-plus vintners,
from their Okla-
hors d’oeuvres, live music, Magic Castle
homa home during
entertainment and a silent auction. Tick-
sion, who head for California and a
the library or at Sierra Madre’s The Bottle
new life, encountering hardships and
Shop, Arnold’s Frontier Hardware and
prejudice along the way. Tickets cost
Savor the Flavor.
$40 to $52. ||||
Alverno Villa is located at 675 W. High-
A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill
land Ave., Sierra Madre. The Sierra Madre
Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3100 or
Library is at 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
visit anoisewithin.org.
Visit sierramadrelibraryfriends.org. 42 | ARROYO | 02.13
the Great Depres-
ets cost $60 and can be purchased at