March 2012

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arroyo VOLUME 8 | NUMBER 3 | MARCH 2012

11 21

10 42

THE URBAN GARDEN 11 A CHEF’S GARDEN Chef Niki Nakayama of n/naka grows Japanese herbs and vegetables at her East Pasadena–area home.

— By Bettijane Levine

21 WILD ABOUT GARDENING Landscape designer Wynne Wilson’s wildlife refuge in Altadena.

— By Brenda Rees

23 FALLEN FOREST Evaluating Arroyoland’s urban forestry after windstorm

— By Ilsa Setziol

DEPARTMENTS 9

FESTIVITIES Claremont School of Theology, Rosemary Children’s Services’ Cottage Guild and more

10

STYLE SPY Punch up your wardrobe with accessories in hot hues.

38

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS The ingredients for a luscious cookbook library

41

WINING AND DINING Orange County’s hit Haven Gastropub unveils a Pasadena venue.

42

THE LIST Litfest 2012, Descanso’s Cherry Blossom Festival, Al Martinez at the Huntington and more

ABOUT THE COVER: Photo by Wynne Wilson of Terra Design

03.12 | ARROYO | 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

THANK GOD FOR JEANNE CARR. Name doesn’t ring a bell? Carr was a 19th-century horticulturalist remembered mainly for mentoring John Muir, the legendary naturalist and Sierra Club founder who helped save Yosemite from development. Of course, she left her mark on the landscape in other ways as well, not least by persuading her neighbors in what is now Pasadena to plant beautiful gardens in the 1870s and look beyond the vineyards and orange groves that were among the Indiana Colony’s raisons d’être.

Lo these many years later, Carr’s legacy can be seen all over Pasadena, from grand estates to the spectacular Huntington Botanical Gardens to community gardens that have transformed abandoned properties into accessible sources of beauty and food. Indeed, when it comes to Arroyoland gardeners, some of us have come full circle, returning to the area’s original mission of food production, although on a far different scale than the early agriculturalists.

Visit Chef Niki Nakamura’s acclaimed Culver City restaurant, n/naka, for example, and you’re likely to dine on Japanese vegetables and herbs picked that morning from her garden in the East Pasadena area. Nakamura spoke to Bettijane Levine about growing her own produce as a key element of her practice of kaiseki — cuisine as high art.

Landscape designer Wynne Wilson of Terra Design also grows food at her Altadena home, but not for her own plate. She explained to Brenda Rees how planting food sources for wildlife helped her garden win National Wildlife Federation certification — and the hearts of her new neighbors, some of Mother Nature’s more mobile offspring.

Some horticulture is less about producing bounty than it is about protecting it.

In the wake of last November’s severe windstorm that toppled thousands of trees here, Ilsa Setziol examines savvy planting practices that will help your own trees resist nature’s worst blows.

— Irene Lacher

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft JUNIOR DESIGNER Carla Cortez PRODUCTION MANAGER Yvonne Guerrero

arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

PRODUCTION Rudy Luthi COPY EDITOR John Seeley

PHOTOGRAPHERS Claire Bilderback, Gabriel Goldberg, Christie Hemm, Melissa Valladares ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brenda Clarke, Leslie Lamm, Heidi Peterson, Jon Wheat ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Rudy Luthi, Richard Garcia VP OF FINANCE Michael Nagami

CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL arroyoeditor@pasadenaweekly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 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

ArroyoMonthly.com

ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Monica MacCree OFFICE ASSISTANT Gina Giovacchini PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 03.12

©2012 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

PHOTO, TOP: Wynne Wilson of Terra Design

CONTRIBUTORS Joanna Beresford, Leslie Bilderback, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Mandalit del Barco, David Gadd, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Carl Kozlowski, Bettijane Levine, Rachel Padilla, Kirk Silsbee, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller, Bradley Tuck

FESTIVITIES Cottage Guild members (L to R): Liz Popoff, Lori Cucchiaro, Donna Pierson, Susan Hale, Jill Boli and Helga Sherman

Michael Rosen, LACO Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, Joyce Fienberg and K. Eugene Shutler

Harvard cultural anthropologist Marla F. Frederick gave the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr., lecture at Claremont School of Theology Feb. 7 as part of its annual celebration, which also included a special worship service and dinner... Pasadena trial attorney Thomas V. Girardi of the firm Girardi | Keese received the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Excellence in Advocacy Award at the group’s second annual Litigation Awards Dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Feb. 15… Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra honored Music Director Pasadena residents Titus and Wendy Brenninkmeijer with John Peaslee and Ken Berkowitz

Jeffrey Kahane at its Crystal Ball at The California Club on Feb. 11; the benefit was named in honor of Kahane’s 15th year --- known as the crystal anniversary in nuptial circles --- at LACO’s podium… The

Jonathan Stein, Justice Norman L. Epstein, Thomas V. Girardi of Pasadena and Lawrence H. Jacobson

Cottage Guild celebrated Valentine’s Day by creating a festive tea room at Rosemary Children’s Services’ largest group home for teenage foster girls in Pasadena on Feb. 14… The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum & Galleries unveiled pieces from the five films nominated for best costume-design Oscars on Feb. 11 at the opening reception for the 20th annual “Art of Motion Picture Costume Design” exhibition.

William Shernoff and Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield

PHOTOS: Lee Salem (LA Chamber Orchestra and Beverly Hills Bar Association)

LACO Executive Director Rachel Fine and Christopher Hawthorne of Eagle Rock

CST President Rev. Dr. Jerry Campbell, Rev. Dr. Arthur Cribbs, Dr. Helene Slessarev-Jamir

Oscar nominee Arianne Phillips and FIDM Curator Kevin Jones

Janis Brown, Dr. Marla F. Frederick and Dr. Cornish Rogers

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Linda Speigel 03.12 | ARROYO | 9

STYLE SPY

Bahama Mama Punch up your wardrobe with accessories in hot hues.

BY RACHEL PADILLA

Chase away those winter blues (and blacks, and grays) by accenting your look with a tropical palette of pinks, fuchsias, tangerines and yellows. Whether you’re planning an island getaway or lounging locally, these bold must-haves are a surefire way to invigorate your wardrobe. To add a touch of summer, pair with a simple tan dress or classic white tee and jeans. Mix and match these fruity add-ons to give a fresh jolt to the color-blocking trend. No fleeting spring fling, these delicious accessories will keep you on trend throughout the spring and summer seasons.

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Carrack wedge sandals, $98, Macy’s: Pasadena, Glendale, Santa Anita Tropical floral oblong scarf, $34.90, Express: Pasadena,Glendale, Santa Anita Pink wide-brim hat with bow, $40, D&Y, davidandyoungaccessories.com Resin bangles, $19.90 and $22.90, Express: Pasadena, Glendale, Santa Anita Silicon and .02-carat diamond ring, $88, Duepunti, FIDM Musuem Shop, Los Angeles

5.

PHOTOS: Rachel Padilla and courtesy of D&Y

2.

A Chef’s Garden

Green cabbage, purple carrots, green onions and spinach thrive behind Nakayama’s home.

Chef Niki Nakayama of n/naka nurtures an exotic variety of Japanese herbs and vegetables at her East Pasadena–area home.

PHOTOS: Lowell Frank for Farmscape

BY BETTIJANE LEVINE FOUR YEARS AGO, CHEF NIKI NAKAYAMA had never planted a seed or grown anything edible. Now she’s an urban farmer extraordinaire, master of what may be the most unusual organic vegetable garden west of the Mississippi — an exotic array of Japanese herbs and vegetables blooming in raised redwood beds, destined for her restaurant’s kitchen.

Nakayama greets each morning with a visit there “for inspiration,” she says. It is peaceful, fragrant, beautiful, prolific. On that little plot of land behind her home, she enjoys some meditative minutes amidst the garden’s shifting scents and palettes calibrated to the current season.

After deciding what to use that night for dinner at her Culver City–area restaurant, n/naka, she clips the produce she’ll need: perhaps some mizuna, a Japanese salad green; mitsuba, a Japanese parsley; a few tsugaro scarlet turnips; and some lunar white, Kyoto red and solar yellow carrots. Or kabocha squash, shishito peppers, Japanese eggplants, momotaro tomatoes and edible flowers such as nasturtium, borage and wild pansy — all picked at their peak of flavor.

She packs the produce into her car and heads for

The mint-like shiso leaf is often served with sashimi.

03.12 | ARROYO | 11

work at the intimate 10-month-old restaurant that seats 26, has no sign on the door and does no advertising. Starting at about noon, five days a week, she designs and creates the evening’s prix fixe tasting dinners (either nine- or 13-course), which have exhilarated some of the most persnickety palates in Southern California. Nakayama’s cuisine, which includes one vegetarian menu each night, has left diners and bloggers practically gasping for adjectives of appreciation: “Spectacular,” “best food experience of my life” and “OMG Worthy” are some of the raves on Open Table, Daily Candy and other websites.

Chef Nakayama’s backyard garden is at the heart of her success, she says. It is also at the core of her food philosophy, based on the ancient Japanese tradition of kaiseki. To connoisseurs, that single word conveys the essence of 500 years of Japanese dining culture and is an automatic stimulus to the senses. Kaiseki is the artful blend of taste, texture, scent and visual beauty, utilizing only ingredients in season, at their peak of perfection. It is Japanese cuisine as high art, and it relies totally on the chef as artist — one whose palate distinguishes the delicate flavor difference between a tomato, carrot or salad leaf just arriving at maturity and one that is perhaps a few days past its prime.

Two Los Angeles Times writers, on a dining tour of Japan some years ago, rhapsodized that kaiseki is “a poetic experience” involving “tiny jewel-like courses beautiful enough 12 | ARROYO | 03.12

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A bed of cabbage that may be pickled for tsekemono.

for a design museum.”

Nakayama, 36, could buy her produce at a Japanese market, she says, but it wouldn’t be as fresh and certainly not as pampered as the herbs and vegetables she grows in her own organic garden. And to attain true kaiseki, quality ingredient sourcing is key.

Nakayama, who says she has always known she would be a chef, has studied such subtleties since girlhood, attending Pasadena’s California School of Culinary Arts (later, Le Cordon Bleu College). She then apprenticed with some of the finest Japanese chefs in Los Angeles and spent three more years absorbing kaiseki culture at a renowned Japanese inn owned by relatives. She also toured Japan to study regional flavors and gardens, she says, noting that many Japanese people grow their own organic food. Finally, after rehearsing her skills at small restaurants she ran in Arcadia and West L.A., she was almost ready for the main act of her professional life. She had everything she needed to open her namesake restaurant, she says, except one essential ingredient: her own organic Japanese garden.

About a year before she opened her eatery, Nakayama hired Los Angeles–based Farmscape, an urban farming firm that plants and maintains residential gardens to produce healthy, organic, home-grown food. Master gardener Dan Allen, one of Farmscape’s eight co-owners, took Nakayama’s call and paid a visit.

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JAPANESE VEGGIES BY THE SEASON WINTER CROPS

Japanese Turnips

Mizuna

Tokyo market (round and white) and tsugaru scarlet (round and red). Can be pickled, steamed, stir-fried or chopped into a salad.

A popular salad green also used in soups and hot pots and as a garnish.

Japanese Carrots Lunar white, Kyoto red and solar yellow. Often thicker than Western carrots.

Daikon

Mitsuba

Shungiku

A radish served raw in salads, boiled in soups and hot pots or grated atop fish and tempura.

Also known as Japanese parsley and packed with nutrients; used in soups, noodles and meat dishes.

Also known as chrysanthemum greens, these popular leaves are rich in vitamin B.

SUMMER CROPS

Kabocha

Shishito

Momotaro

Also known as Japanese pumpkin, it’s packed with vitamins and served as tempura or boiled in sugar and soy sauce.

A sweet and usually mild pepper, used in tempura or roasted and topped with bonito flakes and soy sauce.

Delicious red medium-size tomatoes, usually served raw in Japan.

Shiso

Nasu

Kyusi

A mint-like herb served with sashimi, salads and stews.

Japanese eggplants, smaller and less bitter than their Western counterparts, used in a wide variety of dishes.

Japanese cucumbers, thinner than Western and always eaten unpeeled.Favorites include the hybrid tasty queen.

Available from the Kitazawa Seed Company, kitazawaseed.com, (510) 595-1188.

14 | ARROYO | 03.12

“Niki’s backyard was mostly dying grass,” he says. “It wasn’t huge, but it was certainly big enough to grow a big chunk of what she needed for her upcoming restaurant.” Allen was familiar with some of the unusual items Nakayama wanted to grow but totally unfamiliar with others. It was a learning experience for them both.

Allen constructed the raised redwood frames and filled them with nutritious soil; together they ordered seeds from the Kitazawa Seed Company, a Japanese organic seed supplier in Oakland.

The garden was fully operational by the time n/naka opened, and Allen has continued to plant and maintain it on a weekly basis ever since. He uses ladybugs and other natural methods to keep the produce pest-free. An underground system in each bed supplies automatic watering. “Farmscape does the work, but they have also taught me to participate,” Nakayama says. “I get so excited to have things growing — like shiso leaf, a Japanese-type mint that’s not really unusual. But it’s just so nice to have my own patch of it, because I get to choose what size leaf to use. And we have snow peas and edible flowers like borage, which has a cucumber-like flavor. And nasturtium, which has pepperlike flavor that’s not overwhelming.”

Perhaps best of all, she says, food from her garden is farm-to-table fresh each night — and that makes all the difference in flavor.

“At first Niki gave us very specific lists of what she wanted to grow,” Allen says. “Over time it has become more collaborative.” Allen, who’s from Iowa, can now reel off a long list of obscure Japanese vegetable names and explain their particular flavors. “Kabocha squash is a kind of Japanese pumpkin. It has the sweetness of winter butternut, but it’s tastier,” he says.

Although crops change with the season, there’s always abundant color, he adds, citing the variety of “round Japanese turnips which are white, scarlet and red; the three varieties of Japanese carrots which are white, red, yellow. There are the edible blue nasturtiums, colorful Japanese varieties of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes along with more usual crops such as green cabbage, bunching onions, baby arugula.” All potential fodder for Nakayama’s vegetarian meal each evening, whose success depends on the excellence of what she has carted across town from her backyard. ||||

PHOTO: courtesy Zen Sekizawa for n/naka

Chef Niki Nakayama

03.12 | ARROYO | 15

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Wild About Wynne Wilson created a wildlife refuge in the colorful garden around her Altadena home.

Gardening

PHOTOS: Wynne Wilson/Terra Design

BY BRENDA REES THE DESTRUCTIVE AUGUST FIRES OF 2009 brought smoggy days, closed forest roads and plumes of dark purple clouds rising above the Angeles National Forest. It also displaced countless animals suddenly left without nests, burrows or holes to call home.

Altadena resident Wynne Wilson was not surprised to see enormous flocks of birds arriving at her recently planted backyard garden for a cleansing dip in her newly paved creek bed. Critters of all shapes and sizes joined the post-fire influx to set up temporary shelters among the coffeeberry bushes, edible currant shrubs and 900 other plant types that punctuate Wilson’s three-quarter-acre landscape. “We were happy to welcome the birds and all the other escapees,” says Wilson, a landscape designer, photographer and former longtime Art Center College of Design instructor. “I’ve always wanted my own garden to be a wildlife refuge, a place I could connect with the natural world.”

Beneath a splendid vista of the rising San Gabriel Mountains, Wilson’s backyard ecosystem sculpts its own majestic scene of California natives mingled with Mediterranean plantings ideal for the Southern California climate. Part arid chaparral, part shady woodlands, the expanse is more than just a fine example of an economical water-wise garden (with the garden redo, her monthly water bill went from $1,000 per month to a mere $100 to $150). This arty smart garden contains several large areas, including a sun–baked salvia and California lilac garden with a stone seating circle, and an updated pool and a spa with custom hand-painted Malibu tiles, guarded by huge deodar cedars and privacy hedges of California lilacs. Veritable rainbows of floral color abound, including more than 3,000 plantings of coral bells (delicate but hardy plants that proliferate wildly), to Wilson’s delight. “I’ve also

A Swallowtail butterfly investigates California native wild rose foliage.

03.12 | ARROYO | 21

California natives and Mediterranean plantings converge beside a restored stream bed.

22 | ARROYO | 03.12

got so many varieties of penstemons that they are crosshybridizing into unique specimens,” she says.

The garden is open for educational tours, and Wilson and her Terra Design Company host classes and informal gatherings of eco-minded gardeners. (She’s also well connected with the Theodore Payne Foundation; her garden has been showcased on TPF’s annual garden tour for the past two years.) Former students and staff at Art Center, artists, musicians and garden clients are drawn together to discuss a topic that’s an evergreen in Arroyoland — using California natives and drought-tolerant plants to create wildlife habitats as well as beautiful landscapes. “It is ironic how [California natives] have been utilized in European gardens for over a century and are now finding new popularity here,” she says.

Wilson planted her garden in the spring of 2009, beginning by removing her typical suburban lawn, scraggly azaleas and other water-hungry plants. “I hand dug it up. We removed about 95 percent of the grass. It was a long process, but the best way to do [it],” she says of forgoing chemicals or large black plastic sheets that suffocate and kill beneficial insects (like native bees) and underground critters while they’re killing grass.

Wilson then followed guidelines set by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for designing a residential wildlife refuge. She discovered it wasn’t difficult to combine those directives with her ambition to craft a garden that would be attractive in any season. The trick: Use plants with long bloom times, interesting leaf structures and sculptural qualities.

The NWF specifies four main criteria to certify a garden as a wildlife refuge: The site must provide food and water sources, protective covering and safe places for wildlife to raise their young. In return, the organization participants (who may be involved in residential, school or community projects) receive an actual certificate, a free one-year free NFW membership and the opportunity to install an official plaque in their habitats.

But, says NWF spokeswoman Roxanne Nersesian Paul, “I think the real benefits are twofold — with so much of their habitat disappearing, wildlife has a better chance to survive when we provide space for them. For people, the chance to view the wildlife up-close and share with their children is an end in itself.” Some 146,000 locations — with California’s in the lead — have been certified since the program was launched almost 40 years ago.

For Wilson, getting the certification was “more a personal accomplishment and a way of giving something back…Waking up to the sights and sounds of birds, butterflies, bees and water is a wonderful way to begin one’s day.” Wilson found that supplying the program-mandated food and water was easy enough. She installed appropriate bushes, trees and flowers (e.g., manzanitas, lavenders, poppies, sages) which soon became a wildlife smorgasbord of tempting berries, nec-

A mix of California natives creates a tapestry of color around the fountain.

tar, leaves and fruit. For water, she constructed a 50foot-long recirculating man-made stream complete with 30 tons of boulders. Creating hiding spots and wildlife nurseries involved a little more thought when it came to placement. “Shrubs that are intermingled to allow animals to escape… plants with spiny branches and/or thorns are just the thing,” says Wilson, who used wild roses, native grasses and toyon and gooseberry bushes. Scattered stones in the stream bed also provide nesting opportunities for lizards and insects.

Large trees, like pines, offer great seclusion spots for raccoons, squirrels and birds.

“The ability to invite nature in is so easy,” says Wilson about the ever-changing critter clientele. “Every winter, we are a stopover for migrating cedar waxwings. I love it when they come. We had an incredible migration of painted lady butterflies that flocked to the native [California lilac] by the thousands one year.”

Walk her footpaths to glimpse Western fence lizards basking on enormous boulders. Nearby, monarch butterflies feast on California milkweed plants tucked beneath centuries-old California live oaks. Aerobatic dragonflies dart over bubbling waters.

At night, little brown bats and great horned owls perch high in the deodar trees, which offer ideal vantage points for their evening hunts. “When you create this kind of ecosystem, everything takes care of itself pretty much,” says Wilson. Sure, she’ll do monthly deep waterings, pruning and weeding but, on the whole, the garden runs on its own with no pesticides or fertilizers. Ladybugs eat aphids, possums eat the snails, hawks go after the small rodents. Wilson’s essential philosophy is to stand back: “Just let nature alone and it will be fine,” she says. ||||

The tiles were selected to harmonize with the garden’s plantings.

Landscape designer Wynne Wilson can be reached at wynnewilson@charter.net or (626) 296-3773. For information about the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat® program, visit nwf.org/gardenforwildlife or call (800) 822-9919.

A native Penstemon centranthifolius, a.k.a. scarlet bugler, attracts a hummingbird.

03.12 | ARROYO | 23

An uprooted tulip tree tore up parkway pavement along Edgewood Drive in South Pasadena.

The storm splintered a major limb of a jacaranda tree on Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

24 | ARROYO | 03.12

FALLEN

FOREST

S

A downed tulip tree blocks Edgewood Drive in South Pasadena.

Evaluating Arroyoland’s urban forestry after the windstorm

BY ILSA SETZIOL

HEN THOUSANDS OF TREES TOPPLED IN LAST November’s fierce windstorm, it was a reminder that urban trees, those gentle giants, can pack a powerful punch. Pasadena and Altadena are still littered with stumps, uplifted sidewalks and orange cones. The event has prompted soul-searching among arborists and tree lovers over the challenges of sustaining urban forests.

The loss of so many mature trees — more than 1,500 in Pasadena alone — is not just an aesthetic issue; it means hotter, more polluted neighborhoods for years to come.

“Large trees, particularly conifers, are like giant air filters,” explains Rebecca Latta, Pasadena’s former tree superintendent. “They intercept large-particle pollution that can get into your lungs.”

It’s a calm January day, and Latta is surveying some of the damage in north Pasadena. She examines the slanting 8-foot-tall stump and exposed roots of a deodar cedar. A resident has wrapped the tree with green-and-white barricade tape reading

PHOTOS: Barbara Eisenstein

W

“killer tree.” “The winds were coming from the north and pulled the root plate up,” says the consulting arborist and oak specialist based in Glendora. “You can see the roots came up a long way, so there had to be tremendous force placed on top of this very tall tree.” Indeed, wind speeds approached 100 miles an hour in the unusually destructive storm; meterologists considered it a ferocious variation on the gentler and warmer Santa Anas typical of the season.

Latta notes the winds particularly “devastated the really tall trees — Canary Island pine, deodar cedar, stone pine.” Some trees probably toppled simply because of the velocity. But the demise of others can, at least partially, be attributed to the challenges of growing trees in parkways. “Street trees have to be maintained in a situation where they have limited root space,” says Latta. “And, in some cases, the trees will pull up the sidewalk, curb and gutter, so those trees will have their roots pruned when new sidewalks are put in.” That makes the trees less stable. continued on page 27 03.12 | ARROYO | 25

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continued from page 25

TIPS FOR SELECTING AND PLANTING TREES • Purchase small trees in containers no larger than five gallons. The longer a tree is in a pot, the more time there is for root damage or stress to occur.”

• Purchase plants with roots that are spreading out symmetrically, not circling inside or overgrowing the container. Circling roots “will grow in tight balls that never adequately anchor the trees and eventually choke off water.”

• Leave lower branches on trees for the first few years to help feed and structure the young tree.

• Choose trees that will thrive in our semi-arid climate, such as coast live oak, Engelmann oak and western sycamore. .• When planting, don’t bury the crown (where roots intersect the base of trunk). Keep it slightly above ground level.

• Always remove the nursery stake, so the trunk doesn’t get scraped and the tree can sway, which promotes stronger roots. If staking is needed, use two with flexible webbing in between to allow the tree to sway a bit. Remove them after the first year or two.

• Mulch around the base of the tree, but keep the area directly around the trunk bare to prevent root rot.

• Young trees need more frequent water, but allow top layer of soil to dry before watering. Water deeply.

• Prune young trees to ensure good structure.

Recommended reading: The Pruning

Book by Lee Reich (The Taunton Press).

— Adapted from Barbara Eisenstein’s blog at Weedingwildsuburbia.com

Inadequate watering regimes also threaten both street trees and their brethren in home gardens. That’s because a tree and a lawn have fundamentally different water requirements, as horticulturist Barbara Eisenstein is quick to point out. “Watering once or twice a week for 10 minutes is not good for trees,” she says. “The water doesn’t soak down very far; trees want a much deeper root system and you want to water them infrequently and really deeply.”

The storm was so intense at Eisenstein’s South Pasadena home — small branches flying everywhere, windows blowing open, dust swirling around the house — that she worried her mature avocado and deodar cedar would crash onto the Craftsman home. They didn’t, perhaps because of the care she’d given them.

Eisenstein had removed the lawn around both trees and replaced it with mulch, which allows for less frequent watering and prevents root rot.

Another tip: Cap or remove irrigation systems around trees so they don’t spray the trunks.

“There should be no watering [next to the tree],” says Latta. “If the soil is too wet or the soil is compacted, you don’t have enough oxygen in the soil or the exchange of gasses that tree roots need to be healthy.”

Pasadena plans to hire a consultant to undertake a storm post-mortem and analyze how its street-tree practices might be improved. The findings are scheduled to be released to the public in the spring. Meanwhile, Forestry Superintendent Kenneth Graham says, when workers plant new street trees, the city hands out care guidelines to neighbors, advising, among other things, “not to grow any groundcover adjacent to tree trunks.” He notes that the city trims and inspects street trees every five to seven years, depending on the kind of tree. Latta says that for some trees, that’s not often enough.

And many trees, both municipally and privately owned, suffer from sloppy pruning. A lot of cities have cut their tree maintenance funds, and Eisenstein says they often contract with companies that charge less and aren’t as diligent. Pasadena, however, has increased its street-tree budget over the past decade.

Perhaps the worst offender is Southern California Edison, which prunes — no, hacks — trees near power lines, often lopping off their tops in a bad buzz cut. “Trees should never be brought down (called ‘heading back’ or ‘topping’),” Eisenstein says. “As soon as you cut a branch in the middle like that, it sends out multiple shoots that aren’t attached to the stem very well.”

The new shoots are weaker and the dense regrowth is more vulnerable to wind damage.

For homeowners, finding a good tree service can be a challenge. Latta says even she struggles to find qualified crews. She recommends making sure a certified arborist supervises any pruning and that the arborist doesn’t leave the worksite until the crew is done cutting. It also helps to hire a consulting arborist who specializes in the tree species you have.

As Latta continues her tour, she points out more stumps in Altadena, then drives by a spot where trees blown over in a previous storm have not been replaced. Pasadena officials say they’re optimistic they can secure grants and other funds for replanting, although they acknowledge the city faces financial constraints. But Latta wonders aloud whether L.A. County will have the money to reforest Altadena. “All these cities — Pasadena, Altadena, Arcadia, La Cañada — have really amazing urban forests,” she muses. “I think the legacy we leave our children is to replant and to maintain the trees we have so we don’t lose them.” And even if the fallen are replaced, it will be decades before the saplings grow into the giants that stood before the storm. |||| Ilsa Setziol is an environmental reporter who blogs at ramblingla.com.

03.12 | ARROYO | 27

arroyo

RESOURCE GUIDE ARCHITECTS HARTMANBALDWIN DESIGN/BUILD HartmanBaldwin Design/Build is a fully integrated Architecture, Construction and Interior Design Company specializing in upscale remodels, additions, historic restorations and new custom homes for highly discerning individuals that are passionate about their home and lifestyle. We pride ourselves in being chosen by clients who look for a full service firm that will provide them with outstanding design services, cuttingedge materials and products, quality construction that is sustainable and energy-efficient, as well as a relationship that goes beyond the duration of a project. Call (626)486-0510 www.HartmanBaldwin.com.

JAMES COANE & ASSOCIATES Since 1994, James V. Coane, has specialized in: custom residences, estates, historic renovations and expansions, residential and apartment interiors, multi-family residential, corporate interiors, retail and small commercial building design. American Institute of Architects award winners, and named Best Architect by Pasadena Weekly, their projects have been in Architectural Digest and other magazines and used as locations for filming and fashion shoots.

Well-versed in historical and modern architecture and design and known for attention to detail on all projects. Visit jvca.com or call (626) 584-6922.

CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS CHELSEA CONSTRUCTION Chelsea Construction is a full service design and construction company, specializing in luxury home remodels, custom homes and commercial construction. Our full time staff provides one stop comprehensive contracting services with cost efficient solutions and quick turnaround for our clients. Since the company’s proud beginnings in finish carpentry, window installations and crown moldings our precision and craftsmanship has evolved into an award winning team that focuses on detail, quality and service. Call us at (818) 949-4595 and visit us online at www.chelseaconstructioncorp.com

DINING & NIGHTLIFE RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE Ruth’s Chris Steak House believes every guest deserves the best. Here, steak is handselected, broiled to perfection at 1800 degrees and served on a 500-degree plate so that every bite tastes like the first. Or choose from the Chef’s Seasonal Specials: fresh seafood, classic sides and homemade desserts to satisfy any craving. Whether it’s a guys’ night out, just the girls or unwinding with coworkers, you deserve the best. Visit your local Pasadena Ruth’s Chris today.

(626) 583-8122 www.ruthchris.com

ECO FRIENDLY SOLUTIONS GREYWATER CORPS COMPANY PROFILE Greywater is gently-used water from

bathing and laundry that can be recaptured and used a second time for landscape irrigation. Using greywater saves water, saves money, reduces your carbon footprint, preserves remote aquatic ecosystems, reduces load on sewer and septic systems, and is now perfectly legal. Greywater Corps provides professional installation of simple residential greywater systems. 3400 Holyoke Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90065, (213) 949-2343 http://greywatercorps.com

EVENTS NATIONAL MS SOCIETY Join the movement at Walk MS to bring us one step closer to a world free of MS! Come and celebrate with thousands of fellow friends, co-workers and families that, like you want to stop MS in its tracks. There will be fun for the whole family as you enjoy a beautiful 5K walk, roll or stroll around the Rose Bowl. There will also be entertainment on the route and at the finish festival with food, music, jugglers, face painters, team booths, fun give-a-ways and more. www.walkcal.nationalmssociety.org

POSH ACCESSORIES Posh Accessories is your one stop headquarters for all the latest clothes and accessories! You’ll find the perfect outfit, beautiful bracelets, earrings and cocktail rings to die for! Choose from Trina Turk jewelry, Lockheart handbags, Lollia perfumes and candles, Charlotte sweaters, and so much more! Enjoy complimentary Posh gift wrapping for all your gift purchases.

838 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada, CA 91011 or 2537 Mission Street, San Marino, CA 91108

HEALTH & BEAUTY AURORA LAS ENCINAS HOSPITAL Behavioral health care treatment options are offered for patients with psychiatric, chemical dependency, or co-occurring disorders. Psychiatric services include inpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. has remained committed to quality care and service to the community for over 100 years, and grown to include 118 licensed acute care beds, plus 38 residential treatment beds.

Please call (626) 795-9901 or (800) 7922345 and ask for the Assessment & Referral Department.

FITNESS ARX FIT Efficient Exercise features highly effective and efficient personal fitness training programs utilizing their proprietary ARX Fit technology. Lack of time is one of the most common excuses for not regularly exercising so Efficient Exercise has designed adaptive resistance exercise (ARX) programs for the busy downtown professional giving a convenient, personal, and effective means to an end — improved health and fitness in minutes per week! Schedule a free trial workout today and experience. ARX Fit at Efficient Exercise, 515 S. Flower, 36th Floor kenyon@arxfit.com ULTIMATE FITNESS BREAKTHROUGH Get rid of unwanted fat and get that lean, tone and firm body you’ve always wanted WITHOUT diets that never work, spending hours at the gym or doing boring cardio.

Are you FINALLY frustrated with trying everything under the sun only to wind up back where you started with your fitness goals or maybe even a step further back than when you first started? We’ve got the solutions! Call us today for a free trial and see for yourself! Ultimate Fitness Breakthrough, 145 Vista Ave., Pasadena (626) 407-3150 www.ultimatefitnessbreakthrough.com

GIFT BOUTIQUES FANCY THAT! Throw open the windows and bring the outdoors in! The sweet smell of spring tempts all the senses and Fancy That! has a delicious assortment of gifts, décor and seasonal surprises. From exquisite florals and vases. to made in California birdhouses or 1960's vintage cookie jars to house your home baked goodies, Fancy That! has everything you need to dress your home for Spring. Fancy That! 2575 Mission St., San Marino fancythat.us.com

BEAUX CONTOURS The future of body sculpting and contouring has arrived at Beaux Contours! Our facilities and staff are geared towards giving you the look you have always wanted.

Whether it is a more defined mid section or a tighter jaw line, our physicians are here to help you. With multiple years of combined experience, our physicians will work with you to give you exactly the look that you have been searching for. Call our office today to schedule your complimentary consultation. You may also visit our website: www.beauxsurgery.com. Hope to see you in our offices soon!!

CHRISTINE WON, M.D. What is Concierge Medicine? It’s a type of practice that allows you to spend 30 minutes for office visits (rather than 8 minutes in a traditional practice). You’ll be treated like a person instead of a number. We’ll focus on preventive care to maintain your good health through a comprehensive annual physical that includes extensive blood tests, EKG, metabolic test and much more. Call us for info and how to join at (626) 793-8455.

DR. GREGORY VIPOND, MD FOR VIP FACIAL ARTISTRY Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery have the power to restore, enhance and correct. In the right hands, it can boost your self-esteem and outlook on life, give you a wealth of confidence, and transform how you are seen and treated by others. Dr. Gregory Vipond’s goal for every patient is for them to leave his office without appearing to have ever seen him by restoring and enhancing a patient’s natural beauty. Call today for a complimentary consultation. 51 North Fifth Avenue Suite 202 Arcadia, California 91006 (626) 357-6222 www.drvipond.com DR. MARILYN MEHLMAUER Having smooth, youthful skin is the first

step to feeling great about your appearance. Dr. Marilyn Mehlmauer offers a wide variety of solutions for any problem areas on your face. Whether you have lines, wrinkles or acne, we have a remedy to restore the elasticity and refine the appearance of your skin. Visit us and explore our facial rejuvenation treatment options. Call and schedule your consultation today, (626) 585-9474.

MASSAGE ENVY As noteworthy studies continue to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of massage, more and more people seek the restorative and preventative results of regular massage practice. In the same way that people from all walks of life seek the healthy advantages of routine exercise, proper diet and spiritual or meditative alignment, they also turn to the kinds of treatments offered at Massage Envy, in order to maintain a balanced and productive lifestyle. Massage Envy, 3707 E. Foothill Blvd., Hastings Ranch, Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 351-9100 VANITY MEDICAL AESTHETICS “Thinking about cosmetic surgery, but concerned about the cost and possible complications? Disappointed by expensive department store skin care, touted to eliminate wrinkles and clear blemishes?

We at Vanity Medical Aesthetics promise affordable medical aesthetics and great service. As the premier Med Spa, we have the reputation, experience, technology, training, and focus on safety to create the red carpet experience you deserve.

Not only will you look your best, you will feel your best.” (626) 284-9589 www.vanitydoc.com

INTERIOR DESIGNERS CYNTHIA BENNETT & ASSOCIATES, INC. Cynthia Bennett & Associates has been a celebrated design and build firm for almost 30 years. They specialize in innovative kitchen and bath design, general construction, historical renovation, project management and interior design.

With all areas of residential design and construction being taken care of by Cynthia Bennett and Associates, Inc., each detail will be thought of and coordinated. Call for a consultation at (626) 799-9701.

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

Call (626) 447-5370 or visit www.terrijulio.com.

INTERIOR SPACES WALLBEDS “N” MORE We are proud of our reputation for meeting and exceeding customers' expectations. We have the largest display of Murphy Wallbeds in California. We are –continued on page 35

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03.12 | ARROYO | 29

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Representing clients in the sale of their Architectural and Character homes for over 20 years.

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–continued from page 19 Mark Meahl founded Gardenview, Inc. Landscape, Nursery & Pools in 1978. Gardenview is a family business, run by the Meahl family and a dedicated, talented team of long term employees. They’ve won tons of awards from the California Landscape Contractor’s Association, and developed meaningful relationships with their clients. Naturally they’ve participated in several decades of technology and design evolution, but – the more things change, the more they stay the same. Homeowners want to create lovely, livable outdoor spaces for their family and friends.

Outdoor family rooms are perpetually popular. Large screen televisions, music systems, sofas, chairs and eating areas make outdoor living appealing through much of the year. Meahl also emphasizes the importance of environment, or ambiance. As an integrated outdoor construction, nursery and maintenance company Gardenview addresses comprehensive issues, including hardscape, structures, decking, water features, air flow, sources of heat and light. As you venture outdoors this spring and summer, you may want to consider the integrated world of your living space. Ceiling fans, firepits, outdoor fireplaces, and innovative lighting subtly transform outdoor living areas the way Shake–continued on page 33

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–continued from page 31 speare’s moonlight and musk roses transform his characters’ midsummer night. While many features of outdoor living have improved in appearance and advanced environmental propriety over the years, the fundamentals hardly change.

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In the end it’s not just the big stuff that counts. It’s not the expansive pool, the sprawling TV screen, the abundant rosebushes or the sparkling white, concrete dining room table and chairs. And it’s not the little stuff, either: the individual blades of a minimalist lawn, the lime green floral print of the cushions, the slow-turning fronds of the fan, the ancient mimosa, the brand new Green Egg cooker. It’s more than that. Your life indoors and outdoors is cumulative. In the words of John Vega and Michael Bernier, “Everything Matters.” AMHD

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arroyo

RESOURCE GUIDE –continued from page 28 your Murphy Wallbed specialists and will take you through every step of the purchasing process to ensure you choose a bed that matches all your requirements.

We will work with you, from beginning, organizing the room layout, choosing the bed style, wood and added features, to final delivery and installation.

Call (626)233-8544 or visit www.wallbedsnmore.com MODERN LIGHTING Modern Lighting has been serving Southern California's lighting needs since 1946.

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

JEWELRY, ART & ANTIQUES ARNOLD’S FINE JEWELRY It’s a busy time at Arnold’s Fine Jewelry.

Bruce Arnold and his seasoned staff work with patrons in choosing just the right gifts from diamond heart pendants to watches and rings. They also personalize jewelry by engraving graduation gifts sure to please lucky high school and college grads. If you have something special in mind or an estate piece that needs updating, Bruce will custom design a piece of jewelry. 350 S. Lake Avenue. Hours are 10am-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday.

(626) 795-8647.

JOHN MORAN AUCTIONEERS A full-service auction house for over 40 years, John Moran Auctioneers is internationally recognized as a leader in sales of exceptional antiques, fine art, jewelry and eclectic estate items. In addition to monthly Estate Auctions, Moran’s conducts tri-annual California and American Art auctions featuring top 19th and 20th century Impressionist and Western artists.

For information about consigning, purchasing at auction, estate services, appraisals, and free walk-in Valuation Days, please call (626) 793-1833 or visit johnmoran.com.

WAYNE JASON JEWELRY DESIGNS Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs has been in business since 1987, in the same location in the city of Pasadena, California. Wayne designs most of his own jewelry and manufactures it on the premises, eliminating a middleman. Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs offers unique, often one of a kind, top quality jewelry pieces at a value well below the competition. Most of our designs can be made in any color gold, 18karat or 14-karat, with any stones. 105 West California Blvd., Pasadena (626) 795-9215

OUTDOOR LIVING A.SARIAN POOL CONSTRUCTION A pool builder that stays with you after the pool is built. There are many pool builders; however there is only one that backs up

the pool after it is complete. With over 30 years of experience the Sarian brothers know how to construct a pool so it is not only superior in design but will ensure form will follow the function. With the help of their father Gary, Andy and John started a company that is based on three solid principles: high quality product, fair price and they deliver what they say. In the words of one customer, “I had no idea you guys were so good at such a reasonable price.” (818) 625-2219 BACKYARD STUDIO COMPANY PROFILE Backyard studio is a local architecture and construction office that specializes in comfortable, modern backyard structures: custom-built studios, personal retreats, guest rooms. The vision of Backyard Studio is affordable, ecological buildings that can be rapidly deployed, maximizing spatiality and function while using a minimum of resources. The principal of Backyard Studio, Leigh Jerrard, is an architect who draws upon an extensive background in small, experimental, and prefabricated structures to create surprisingly affordable and elegant structures that can be built in a matter of weeks. 3400 Holyoke Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90065. (213) 949-2343 backyard-studio.net GARDEN VIEW LANDSCAPE Specializing in landscaping, nurseries and pools, Garden View Inc. can take you from a design idea to a finished, detail-oriented garden. Garden View & their clientele are recipients of 60 awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association. The intent of the company is to provide high-quality interrelated outdoor services. The synergy between having their own designer/project managers, in-house crews, their own large nursery, and being a licensed pool builder provides for efficiency, competitive pricing, quality and schedule control. Call (626) 303-4043.

HUNTINGTON POOLS & SPAS Huntington Pools & Spas designs and builds custom pools, spas, and outdoor spaces. We create spaces that complement your home’s overall landscape and architecture using a combination of engineering, form, and fit. Our philosophy is that each project should have a unique balance and connection to the property's overall landscape and architecture. We view each of our waterscapes as a unique work of art and use only top industry professionals, select finish products, and proven technologies.

(626) 332-1527 www.huntingtonpools.com OLD CALIFORNIA LANTERN Recognized as one of the leading companies in the historical lighting business, Old California Lantern Company’s focus is decorative lighting inspired by the rich history and architecture of California.There are over 1,400 items in the Old California Lantern product line (including mailboxes, portable lamps, desk accessories and garden lighting) with many born through the company’s extensive experience in custom commercial

and residential lighting projects.Their goal is to create lighting and accessories that will live for years as family heirlooms. (800) 5776679/ (714) 771-5223 www.oldcalifornia.com PASADENA PATIO The Ultimate in casual outdoor furnishings await your visit to Pasadena Patio. You will see a number of sample stone wall treatments using different types of stone and applications. Complete outdoor fireplaces can also be viewed and see several lines of outdoor furniture. While you visit Pasadena Patio you will see a complete outdoor room constructed right inside the store. We look forward to your visit and serving you all of your outdoor needs. 78 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena CA 91107 (626) 405-2334 www.pasadena-patio.com TEAK WAREHOUSE Today’s hottest outdoor trend is the outdoor living room ... a favorite for hotels & resorts for years and now available for residential settings. Why go to an expensive resort for the weekend when you can turn your back yard into one? Invest in something that will bring comfort and style for the long run! Teak Warehouse boasts over 16 varied collections of deep seating, offering teak and wicker at the best prices in California. 133 E. Maple Ave., Monrovia. Call (626) 305-8325 or visit www.teakwarehouse.com TOM’S PICTURE PERFECT LANDSCAPE We accommodate all size projects from the small backdoor patio to the estate garden. Your go to company for all jobs such as construction, water, lighting, stone layout and irrigation. You will receive hands on customer service that includes daily visits to your project by Tom for optimum communication. Our goal is to ensure that the final project is exactly what you expect. No subs ever. All work is done from start to finish by Tom’s certified landscape professionals. Call (626) 443-3131 for more information.

VEGA+BERNIER DESIGN GROUP Bringing Design to Life is our mantra for every landscape project. With your needs and desires in mind, our design team creates diverse landscapes, outdoor living spaces, container gardens, green roofs and living walls that allow you to escape the distractions of modern life and return home to the heart of who you are. Specializing in Mediterranean, California native and drought-tolerant landscape design, Vega+Bernier uses sustainable design/build practices that are both budget-friendly and minimally invasive to our environment.

Please visit us at www.vegabernier.com/land or call (626) 795.5494 for a personal design consultation.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LAW OFFICE OF C.R. ABRAMS Estate planning and probate are two legal areas that people approach with dread.

Moving the valuable things of one person's life safely into the hands of others is a task fraught with pitfalls. One false move — one badly worded document — and

assets don't go where they were supposed to go. This is one time you need a really good lawyer. The Law Offices of C.R. Abrams serves individuals and their families in every aspect of estate planning, probate, estate and trust administration, resolution of trust and estate disputes, and guardianship proceedings. Call for more information or to learn about a FREE Living Trust Seminar near you. (877) 322-9778 or www.crabrams.com

REAL ESTATE DICKSON PODLEY Richard Langstaff is an effective Realtor who works hard for his clients. Representing clients in the sale of their Architectural and character homes for over 20 years in the Pasadena area. Richard Langstaff states "The greatest satisfaction in my business comes from getting results for my clients. I believe that the client’s goals and needs are always the key and the first priority. Podley Properties Richard Langstaff 818.949.5750 SOTHEBY’S, LIN VLACICHLin Vlacich of Sotheby’s, a 25-year veteran in the real estate profession, is known for her reputation and success as a leader in the San Gabriel Valley brokerage community, as well as for high professional ethics, superior negotiating skills, innovative marketing plans and extensive knowledge of real estate sales. Committed to excellence in representing buyers and sellers throughout Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena and the surrounding communities. Call (626) 688-6464 or (626) 396-3975 or email vlacichs@aol.com

SENIOR RESOURCES FAIR OAKS BY REGENCY PARK Regency Park Senior Living, with over 40 years’ experience, is renowned in Pasadena for its luxurious, beautifully-appointed senior communities. The Fair Oaks

by Regency Park is Pasadena’s most luxurious independent and assisted living senior community. Here residents enjoy a lifestyle of relaxed elegance and the opportunity to select from a broad array of services and activities—from fine dining and daily housekeeping to assistance with any of the activities of daily living.

951 S. Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena.

(626) 921-4108. Visit us at www.regencypk.com for more information PROVIDENCE ST. ELIZABETH (PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH’S) Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center is a 52 bed skilled nursing facility. We offer an array of health care services for residents to enjoy themselves with family and friends. To complement our reputation for caring, our specially trained staff works in partnership with residents, families, doctors, referring hospitals, and health professionals to make sure residents' needs are met. As a skilled nursing facility, Providence St. Elizabeth is staffed 24 hours a day by licensed professionals specially trained in geriatric medicine. For more information or to tour Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center, please call (818) 980-3872.

03.12 | ARROYO | 35

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Barnhart School offers a private elementary and middle school education for children in kindergarten through 8th grade from the Arcadia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and other San Gabriel Valley communities. Distinguished programs of Barnhart School are the Writers’ Workshop, the 7th grade Biotech project sponsored by Amgen, Spanish at all grade levels with a conversation club in 8th grade, early literacy emphasis, the Virtues character development program, and continued integration of technology, arts, and physical education.

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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church School Our church welcomes all families and children to share the Word of God . We have a Youth Group and Sunday School. Our preschool. And K-6th classes emphasize reading and mathematics in preparation for the annual S.A.T. tests given each grade.

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Pasadena Christian School Summer at PCS offers preschool care, sports camps, and an engaging academic approach in the Passport to Adventure Virtual Travel Program. Extended child care is also available. Our vision is for students to exemplify biblical principles, character and skills necessary to be life-long learners and productive citizens as they serve Christ. Our teachers are qualified and credentialed professionals who embody the qualities that we want to instill in our students. For more information, please visit our website of pasadenachristian.org or call 626-791-1214.

Summer Art Academy Cooking Camp comes to La Cañada High School this Summer! Starting June 18th, the Cooking Academy invites your child to take an exciting culinary journey during our various, one-week summer Cooking Camp sessions, each taught by experienced Le Cordon Bleu trained chef. Don't wait, classes will fill quickly as it is our second year in La Cañada! Enroll online at http://www.summerartacademy.com and create a freshly baked family memory today! Call us at 866-507-COOK for more information!

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03.12 | ARROYO | 37

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

Athenaeum Anthem The ingredients for a luscious cookbook library

BY LESLIE BILDERBACK | PHOTOS BY CLAIRE BILDERBACK

I RECENTLY READ THAT RUSS PARSONS, EDITOR OF THE LOS ANGELES

A proper chef (something that, in all fairness, Parsons does not claim to be) is taught never to cook directly from a book. Recipes should be rewritten onto a separate

Times food section, owns two copies of all his favorite cookbooks.

sheet, which is then carried into the kitchen and hung on the wall at eye level, or crammed into the pocket of your herringbone pants, along with your one good peeler

One copy is preserved for posterity, the other brought into the kitchen

and your Sharpie.

This serves several purposes: The paper takes up less counter space (which is usu-

as a working stiff, available for spillage. I had to laugh. Practical? Not

ally at a premium), and it keeps your books clean (although personally, I enjoy the nostalgia of a stain or two. It brings back fond memories of jobs, colleagues, restau-

really, unless by practical you mean "sells more books for publishers.�

38 | ARROYO | 03.12

rants and my youth, all now gone the way of the floppy disk and Kajagoogoo).

Buy These Books American Cookery by James Beard (Little, Brown; 1972) More important, recipes hand-copied from books are in-

Like America itself, this book is a melting pot. Beard is the father of American cookery, and this is why.

surance against screwing up. It forces at least one read-

Couscous and Other Good Foods from Morocco by Paula Wolfert (Ecco; 1973)

through, which is something amateurs rarely do. As a culinary instructor I can tell you that 99.9 percent of recipe failures are

I love all of Wolfert’s books. She is hands down the authority on Mediterranean cooking and the reason you can find couscous at Vons.

due to user error. Revving the KitchenAids and cold reading

The Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barron's; 1995)

the recipes as you cook inevitably results in leaving out a step or ingredient (which typically leads to a forced excursion to

I keep several copies of this book — one in my office, one in the kitchen and one in the car, because you never know when you might need to look up “flummery" or "shamogi.”

the market by some poor innocent bystander) or simple

The Gastronomical Me by M.F.K. Fisher (North Point Press; 1989)

hubristic wrongness.

The beautiful prose of this (and her other volumes, including Serve it Forth, An Alphabet for Gourmets, Consider the Oyster, How to Eat a Wolf) recount a lifelong love of food. It’s perfect for cultivating culinary snobbery.

This need to charge ahead without full knowledge is not just a plague of the kitchen. It is part of our national M.O. — it occurs everywhere, from the voting booth to the backseats of

Larousse Gastronomique by Prosper Montagne (Clarkson Potter; 2001)

cars. This lack of preparation is only facilitated by a new age

More commonly known simply as Larousse, after the French publishing house that first produced it in 1938, it is the premier culinary encyclopedia, proofread by August Escoffier himself. I am on the lookout for an old edition that has (I am told) an amazingly gory engraving of turtle soup preparation.

of kitchen technology. It is bad enough that most people now get their recipes off the Internet, where origin, authenticity and accuracy are dubious at best. (Being an Internet recipe provider, I guess I should be careful here.) Now you can fire up

MY COOKBOOK LIBRARY REACHED ITS ZENITH YEARS AGO. CAN WE ALL JUST ADMIT THAT

The Good Cook series (Time-Life Books; 1980) This series is so extraordinarily detailed, photographed and diagrammed, it should be required reading for anyone learning to cook. Twenty-eight volumes, available at a garage sale near you, cover everything culinary, including meats, eggs, sauces, soups, snacks, fruits, vegetables, beverages and kitchen organization. Also worth noting from the TimeLife people (circa 1968) is the 27-volume Foods of the World series, covering regional cuisine both here and abroad.

The Joy of Cooking by Marion Rombauer (Scribner; 1997)

THERE ARE TOO DAMN MANY

When this classic volume was revised in 1997, there was a lot of hoo-ha. At least it still has the opossum and squirrel recipes, complete with skinning diagrams and great tips like "don gloves to avoid possible tularemia infection."

COOKBOOKS OUT THERE?

La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking

by Jacques Pepin (Times Books; 1976)

iPhone apps to further enable your blind assault on food. Why

I still like this clear, descriptive, generously photographed book, even though Monsieur Pepin, former personal chef to Charles de Gaulle, once told me I looked like a horse. I'm sure he meant it in a nice way.

bother to learn something when you can have it beamed di-

Le Guide Culinaire by August Escoffier (John Wiley and Sons; 1983)

rectly at your head? And so, while I scoff at Parsons for his

Originally published in 1903, this is the definitive reference for haute cuisine formulas and nomenclature. As Escoffier insisted, this is not a recipe book. You're supposed to already know the recipes.

dual-tome collection, at least he is still reading books.

My cookbook library reached its zenith years ago. Can we all just admit that there are too damn many cookbooks out there?

In 1962 there were 850 cookbooks in print. So far this century, there has been an average of 3,000 new books on cookery published every year. Putting aside for a moment my dream of writing the Great American Gustatory Opus, have there really been 3,000 new breakthroughs in the world of food this year?

Mastering the Art of French Cooking (two-volume set) by Julia Child, Louisette Bertolle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf; 2001) Without this book, we'd all be eating crap.

The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Technique, and Science of Good Cooking by Madeleine Kamman (William Morrow; 1997) Despite a career spent in the shadow of Julia, Kamman (a legitimate chef) earned the right to tell you how everything should be done, including the how and why of recipes.

That is not to say I do not own cookbooks, because I sure as hell do. But, with the exception of the occasional flea market find (my latest being the hilarious Can Opener Recipes for

the Casual Cook from 1951), I have stopped adding to my cookbook library. Still, I understand the foodie nation's insatiable hunger for cookbooks and, to that end, I have compiled a list of what I consider to be the most important

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee (Collier Books; 1998) McGee is the Einstein of the kitchen.(Mc=Ge2). If you want to know why blueberries are blue or how your olfactory cells work (and if you're a serious cook, you should), buy this book.

The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts by Sherry Yard (Houghton Mifflin; 2003)

have followed mine.) Use it to start your cookbook library, or

I love this book and not just because I helped write it. (Regular readers of this column will recognize its infectious wit.) Sherry divided the book into master recipes, with subsequent variations, akin to the way pastry is taught in culinary school.

legitimize the one you've already got.

The Taste of Mexico by Patricia Quintana (Stewart, Tabori and Chang; 1986)

cookbooks you should own. (In some cases, newer editions

Now get reading. There will be a quiz next month. |||| Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author. A South Pasadena resident, she teaches her techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com.

Though you may never have heard of her, Quintana is a culinary rock star in Mexico. She studied with the greatest chefs of the 20th century — Paul Bocuse, Gaston Lenotre, the Troisgros brothers, Michel Gerard — and is her country's official culinary ambassador. This impeccable book is thoughtfully broken down by region, with the most authentic techniques available.

— L.B. 03.12 | ARROYO | 39

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WINING & DINING

Haven Gastropub 42 S. De Lacey Ave. Pasadena (626) 768-9555 Havengastropub.com Entrées: $10 – $42

Haute Pub Grub

Open daily from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Pasadena’s new Haven Gastropub pairs a huge beer list with inventive fine dining and comfort fare.

BY BRADLEY TUCK It’s interesting that Old Pasadena now has not one but two establishments proudly sport-

pheasant pot pie on a menu a few

ing the moniker “gastropub.” The first was King’s Row Gastropub, which opened on Col-

inches down from hiramasa crudo?

orado in April 2011, replacing Neomeze. The most recent, taking over the space formerly occupied by Brix 42, is Haven Gastropub, a new outpost of the Orange County venue.

The Haven in Orange has been a commercial and critical success for partners Wil Dee,

I opted for the latter as a table next to mine shoveled into the puff pastry crust of the pie. Judging by their fervor, it was

who also serves as beverage director, and Chef Greg Daniels. Figuring that Old Pasadena

more than acceptable. The crudo was exceptional. Lovely raw fresh fish with fine slivers of

has a similar feel to Orange, with its great foot traffic and shopping, they threw their hats

crunchy heat provided by the shards of Fresno chili, juicy ruby grapefruit wetting your whis-

into the ring and launched their paean to great beer and food here two months ago.

tle and arbequina olive oil pulling the flavors together to create a light but rich mouthfeel.

Walking into the space, a lot of it seems familiar, and the layout is essentially the same

Fried sardines were served whole, with a very light breading crust, a smoked paprika rouille

as when it was Brix 42. It’s still an enormous space, organized around a central bar, and

and golden raisins. Some diners might be fearful of the bones, and diners are often worried

those steel brewing tanks are still visible through glass walls. But the details are different:

about fishy fish, so putting these on the menu is a bold choice. I can eagerly imagine en-

Now there’s an open kitchen and a wine/private dining room toward the back of the

joying their rich flavor with a crisp white wine in the summer — chewing those fine bones

restaurant. And I’m happy to report that the new venue looks really promising.

would be a small sacrifice to make.

The term “gastropub” generally refers to a pub that offers elevated standards of food. It stems from the growth of such establishments in England in the early 1990s and, while not

Brussels sprouts are on pretty much every menu these days and are generally a far cry from the gray-green slurry of many English Sunday dinners of my childhood. These

being a pretty word, it sums up the genre pretty neatly. So, as in the

are sautéed to a nutty brown, with crisped prosciutto and a dash

classic chicken-and-egg conundrum, which comes first — the gastro

of lemon juice to brighten it all up. The grilled octopus involved 6-

or the pub? Does the food support the beer, or vice versa? At Haven,

inch-long tentacles that looked very Jules Verne, weaving their way

they both march in unison, which is as it should be. Dee has put to-

through a seascape of caramelized fennel and hearts of palm.

gether a really huge beer list, with some hard-to-find and carefully se-

The tentacles were really perfect, not rubbery in the least, tender

lected drafts and bottles. I counted 40 on tap and more than 90 in

and full of flavor.

the bottle. Add to this an interesting and accessible wine list, and a

Desserts come by way of an extremely talented pastry chef, San-

respectable lineup of craft cocktails, and you’ve definitely got the

tanna Salas, who has had an illustrious career so far with various

pub part covered.

Michael Mina establishments, including his restaurant at The Bellagio

The gastro side is taken care of by Greg Daniels, an alum of

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Haven Gastropub

Hiramasa crudo

in Las Vegas. Her peanut butter and jelly took the flavors and textures

Pasadena’s Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culi-

of everybody’s favorite bedtime snack and rendered the elements in

nary Arts. Stints at respected fine-dining establishments — Pascal in

a beautifully composed and sophisticated dessert: Blackberry sor-

Newport Beach and Napa Rose in Anaheim — were supplemented

bet, powdered peanut butter, a peanut butter brittle and a wafer of

by dining pilgrimages to restaurants as far-flung as Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Bray, U.K., and Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, both recipients of three Michelin stars. Daniels also cites a passion for culinary literature as a creative inspiration, which is always encouraging. Indeed, the menu is far from the mod-

Chef Greg Daniels

sourdough crisp was the kind of dessert that if shared could ruin a friendship. You’ll be counting the number of your dining companions’

spoon dips and racing them to the finish.

Haven’s owners are counting on Pasadena’s openness to an approachable but so-

ern riff on comfort food one might expect in a pub setting. Yes, there are the familiar sta-

phisticated menu, a parking structure right across the street and a good volume of foot

ples, like shepherd’s pie, mac ’n’ cheese and the like. But when was the last time you saw

traffic. I, for one, will be back, if only to try out that pheasant pot pie! |||| 03.12 | ARROYO | 41

THE LIST

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS

COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

SHAKESPEARE AND SORCERY AT A NOISE WITHIN

S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call (213) 6211050 or visit colburnschool.edu/tickets.

March 3 — Shakespeare’s Antony and

Cleopatra, a tragedy of lust, love, politics and war during the glory days of the

LOCAL ART HISTORY REVIEWED AT PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM

Roman Empire, opens at 8 p.m. at A Noise

March 4 and 25 — In

Within and continues through May 13.

conjunction with the

Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott

Pacific Asia Museum

co-direct.

exhibition about its

March 17 — The Illusion by Pierre

predecessor,“46 N. Los Robles: A History

Corneille, adapted by Tony Kushner, opens at 8 p.m. and continues through

of the Pasadena Art Museum,” Lynn Kien-

May 19. The classic tells the story of a fa-

holz, author of L.A. Rising: SoCal Artists

ther who calls on a powerful sorcerer for

Before 1980, discusses the period with

help in reuniting with his estranged son.

panelists influential in the museum’s his-

Tickets for both productions cost $46 for

tory at 2 p.m. both days. Free with mu-

Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday

seum admission.

matinee performances; $42 for Wednes-

March 18 — A screening of Pasadena Art

day, Thursday and Sunday evenings and

Museum Voices, a documentary featur-

Saturday matinees.

ing guest curator Jay Belloli interviewing

A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill

key artists, board members and curators

Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3100 or

involved in the “46 N. Los Robles” exhibi-

CELEBRATING DANCE DIVERSELY AT THE ALEX

visit anoisewithin.org.

tion, runs from noon to 4 p.m. Free with

March 3 — Choreographer Jamie Nichols presents Celebrate Dance 2012

museum admission.

at Glendale’s Alex Theatre, spotlighting new works performed by Hysterica

WOMEN AUTHORS STRUT THEIR STUFF

March 29 — The exhibition “Kimono in the

Dance Company, Invertigo Dance Theatre, LaDiego Dance Theatre, Los An-

20th Century,” showcasing items from for-

geles Contemporary Dance Company, Malashock Dance, Monat Dance,

March 3 — The annual Festival of

mal wear to children’s clothing, undergar-

Regina Klenjoski Dance Company and RhetOracle Dance Company.

Women Authors returns to Pasadena

ments and light summer pieces, opens

Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets cost $16 to $36.

from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the

and continues through March 10, 2013.

The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. For tickets, call (818) 243-2539 or visit alextheatre.org; for information, visit celebratedance.org.

Pasadena Senior Center. This year’s

The Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46

lineup includes Heidi Durrow, author of

N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Call (626)

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky; Fannie

449-2742 or visit pacificasiamuseum.org.

Flagg, author of I Still Dream About You;

Blame; and Susan Straight, author most

SHAKESPEAREAN SOUNDS BLAST ABOUT TOWN

Tickets cost $20.75 to $45.

seum is located at 46 N. Los Robles Ave.,

recently of Take One Candle, Light a

March 4 — The Los Angeles Philharmonic

Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111

Pasadena. Call (800) 726-7147 or visit swmusic.org.

Michelle Huneven, whose latest book is

Room. Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, author

Orchestra’s “Sounds about Town” series

S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Call (323) 850-

of A Woman of Independent Means,

features the Los Angeles Children’s Cho-

2000 or Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or

serves as moderator. Tickets cost $85;

rus and American Youth Symphony, with

visit laphil.com.

proceeds benefit the Senior Center.

James Conlon conducting, at 7:30 p.m.

L.A. ART, ANTIQUES ON THE BLOCK IN GLENDALE

The Pasadena Senior Center is located at

at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The evening

RATTLING A CENTURY-OLD CAGE

March 10 and 11 — Roadside America

85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Visit pasade-

features the world premiere of “The Isle is

March 10 and 11 — Southwest Chamber

presents the second annual “Antiques,

nafestivalofwomenauthors.org .

Full of Noises” by Icelandic composer

Music celebrates the centennial of com-

Objects and Art L.A.” show and sale from

Daniel Bjarnason, based on Shake-

poser John Cage in a series of concerts.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to

COLBURN ORCHESTRA SHOWCASES BRAHMS AND STRAUSS

speare’s The Tempest. The ensembles also

Pasadena locations include Art Center

4 p.m. Sunday at the Glendale Civic Audi-

perform Sir David Willcocks’“The Glories of

College of Design and Pacific Asia Mu-

torium. Items include fine art, furnishings,

March 3 — The talented students of the

Shakespeare.” In addition, LACC Artistic Di-

seum. The 8 p.m. Saturday concert at Art

decorative arts, textiles, jewelry, Chicano

Colburn Orchestra perform Brahms’ Piano

rector Anne Tomlinson conducts the cho-

Center features Cage’s “Atlas Eclipticalis,”

art, modernism, Americana, American In-

Concerto No. 2 and Strauss’“Ein Helden-

rus singing Shakespearean texts for treble

“Variations IV” and “0’00.” The 5 p.m. Sun-

dian arts and crafts and much more. Ad-

leben” at Pasadena’s Ambassador Audi-

voices and AYS Music

day performance at the Pacific Asia Mu-

mission costs $12 for both days.

torium. Sichen Ma is featured piano

Director Alexander

seum features his composition “Score.”

The Glendale Civic Auditorium is

soloist, and Bramwell Tovey conducts. Ad-

Treger conducts the

Tickets for each concert cost $38, $28 for

located at 1401 N. Verdugo Rd., Glen-

mission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is free,

orchestra in selec-

seniors and $10 for students.

dale. Call (626) 437-6275 or visit

but tickets are required.

tions from Prokofiev’s

Art Center College of Design is located at

antiquesandobjects.com.

Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131

Romeo and Juliet.

1700 Lida St., Pasadena. Pacific Asia Mu-

42 | ARROYO | 03.12

–continued on page 44

A you and

memory will

cherish

hold for

life.

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THE LIST continued from page 42 Richard Bunkall, Offering (detail), 1988, wood, oil, plaster

The Sweet Smell of SPRING

BUNKALL BY THE BOOK March 4 —Curator Peter Frank and artists Kenton Nelson and Ray Turner discuss the life and art of Richard Bunkall, the late Pasadena artist whose work is currently on display at the Pasadena Museum of California Art in the exhibition “Richard Bunkall: A Portrait.” The discussion, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the museum, includes the

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

L.A. PHIL LIVE, ON THE BIG SCREEN

Costen of the Light Bringer Project; and

March 18 — The Los Angeles Philhar-

novelist and USC creative writing

monic presents a screening from the

teacher Jervey Tervalon worked with

2011--2012 season opening–night con-

local government leaders, independ-

cert at Disney Hall in theaters nation-

ent publisher Red Hen Press and Cal-

wide, including locally at AMC Santa

tech to plan a day of panels and

Anita 16 in Arcadia. The concert fea-

readings by local literati, including

tures Music Director Gustavo Dudamel

Jonathan Gold, Ron Koertege and Ter-

and the orchestra with jazz great Her-

valon. Entertainment will include

bie Hancock celebrating the music of

music, theater, poetry and perform-

George Gershwin by performing

ances by local schoolchildren. Admis-

“Rhapsody in Blue,” “Cuban Overture”

sion to the event, a project of the

and “An American in Paris.” Tickets for

Pasadena Arts Council, is free.

the 2 p.m. screening cost $18 and are

Central Park is located at 219 S. Fair

available at the theater box office or at

Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-

fathomevents.com.

8171 or visit pasadenaartscouncil.org.

AMC Santa Anita 16 theater is located (888) 262-4386 or visit laphil.com.

LACO PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE WORK BY YOUNG VIRTUOSO

CHRONICLER OF L.A. ON DISPLAY

March 24 — The Los Angeles Chamber

March 17 — An exhibition of papers

Orchestra, conducted by Music Director

and other items from the 60-year ca-

Jeffrey Kahane, spotlights young com-

reer of author and Los Angeles Times

poser and piano virtuoso Timothy An-

columnist Al Martinez opens at the

dres in an 8 p.m. concert at Glendale’s

Huntington and runs through June 25.

Alex Theatre. Andres is featured pianist

The Huntington Library, Art Collections

in “Refracted,” a concert that includes

and Botanical Gardens is located at

the West Coast premiere of his work

1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626)

“Coronation,” in which Andres has

405-2100 or visit huntington.org.

added his own stamp to one of

at 400 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Call

Mozart’s incomplete concertos. Re-

LITFEST CELEBRATES ALL THINGS LITERARY

Royce Hall. Tickets cost $24 to $105.

March 17 — LitFest 2012 comes to

The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N.

Pasadena’s Central Park from 9 a.m. to

Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (213) 622-

5 p.m. Organizers Larry Wilson, public

7001 or visit laco.org.

editor of the Pasadena Star-News; Tom 44 | ARROYO | 03.12

peated at 7 p.m. Sunday at UCLA’s

continued on page 44

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THE LIST

continued from page 44

ident, a 118-year-old wisteria plant. The

THE MUSIC MAN STAGED FOR SCHOLARS

Guinness Book of World Records calls it

March 24 and 25 — The Shakespeare

weighing an estimated 250 tons. The

Club of Pasadena presents the Meredith

event, centered around Sierra Madre

the world’s largest blossoming plant,

Wilson musical classic The Music Man at

Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue, features

8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the

live music stages, 150-plus juried artists

San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Bill Shaw

and craftspeople, food booths and chil-

directs, with musical direction by Bob

dren’s activities in Memorial Park. Shut-

Marino and choreography by Rikki Lugo.

tles to see the plant depart on the hour,

The producer is Tanya Danforth. Tickets

from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shuttle ticket

March 24 and 25 — With cherry trees blooming at Descanso Gardens, the Cherry

cost $25 to $45 and benefit a scholar-

booth is at the corner of Montecito and

Blossom Festival celebrates the seasonal arrivals and Japanese culture from

ship program for graduating seniors in

Baldwin avenues. Shuttle tickets cost $10,

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, with guided walks at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.,

the Pasadena Unified School District.

$7 for seniors and kids. The free Gateway

Japanese folk tale--telling at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and a children’s introduction to

The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse is lo-

Shuttle travels on a loop from the Metro

origami from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The Camellia Lounge is open from 11 a.m.

cated at 320 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel.

Gold Line Sierra Madre Villa station at

to 3 p.m. both days, offering Japanese-themed dishes and cocktails. Free with

For information, call (626) 367-2428 or

the corner of Sierra Madre Villa and

Descanso admission.

email shakespeareinfo@earthlink.net. For

Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena to down-

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Call

tickets, call (800) 595-4849 or visit shake-

town Sierra Madre from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

(818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.

speareclub.org.

CHERRIES BLOOM AT DESCANSO

For information, call the Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce at (626) 355-

comes to the Ambassador Auditorium for a

the featured soloist. Performances are at 2

PARTY FOR A PLANT

5111 or visit wisteriafestival.com. To order

concert featuring Beethoven’s epic Sym-

and 8 p.m.Tickets cost $35 to $100.

March 25 — Downtown Sierra Madre

shuttle tickets online, visit

phony No. 3,“Eroica”; Mendelssohn’s “The

Ambassador Auditorium is located at

hosts a street party from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

wisteriatickets.com.

Fair Melusina” Overture; and Mozart’s Piano

131 S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call

in honor of the city’s Wisteria Festival, cel-

EPIC BEETHOVEN AT AMBASSADOR

Concerto No. 20. Nicholas McGegan con-

(626) 793-7172 or visit

ebrating Sierra Madre’s most famous res-

March 31 — The Pasadena Symphony

ducts, and pianist Nareh Arghamanyan is

pasadenasymphony-pops.org. ||||

46 | ARROYO | 03.12