Bakersfield Magazine • 30-5 • Cheap Eats / Kern Health

Restaurant Review The Mark-Downtown VOL. 30 NO. 5

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YOUR CITY. YOUR LIFE. YOUR MAGAZINE.

Our Annual Checkup on Kern County’s Health Care

Who’s Taking Careof You?

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Local

Cheap Eats

More Dining, Less Dough Presented By

Still Passing the Pig After All These Years

Close Encounters UFOs Over Kern

health 2013

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Vol. 30 No. 5 • HEALTH 2013

99 Departments Editor’s Letter

OMG, I’ve Been “Frugaled”!...17 Kern’s This and That.........19 WE MAKE ANY OCCASION A SPECIAL ONE. Whatever your special occasion is, it should

be just that: special. Our dedicated staff will make your event as memorable as it is effortless.

You will feel confident knowing our professional meeting planners are here to help you plan your celebration or milestone event.

Contact our Sales & Catering Professionals!

Citizen Kern

Meet Robin Bramlett.........32 HISTORY

Believe It Or Not!...............33

33

RISKTAKERS

Bottoms Up

Human Resources

Entertaining the Bakersfield Way

Gardening With Mrs. P

Life is a Cabernet

New Tastes...........................35 Preventing Negativity........38 Over The Hill.....................89

The Wow Factor................102 The Don’t List..................103 Our Time For Wine..........105

home & garden

Home Safe Home................91

Quick Bites

Vanessa Emo, Director of Sales

Kelly Sloan, Group Sales Manager

Jeff Hayward, Director of Catering

Sweet Diversion................108

Great Getaways

Escape to Sea Ranch...........95

In & Around B•Town

Teresa Carlson, Local Negotiated Rates Manager Tasha Rios, Convention Services Manager

What’s Cookin’

Bakersfield’s Sound

Rickee Russell, Catering Sales Manager

Please call us at 661-323-1900, to inquire about availability, menus and rates.

Decidedly Decadent...........99

102

BAKERSFIELD MARRIOTT AT THE CONVENTION CENTER

661-323-1900 • info@bakersfieldmarriott.com

Menu prices vary and do not include taxable service charge and sales tax.

10 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Istock/Darumo/thinkstock

Kern Facts

Party Time........................124 Southern Pacific Depot....130

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 11

WHY PAY MORE?

WE BEAT OUR MAJOR COMPETITION IN PRICE, QUALITY, AND SERVICE

BY FAR!

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED STORAGE

Vol. 30 No. 5 • HEALTH 2013

39 Features All together now

Funding the Idea..................39 CHEAP EATS

Frugal Foodies Unite...........43

43

Heirloom Favorites

A Harvest Classic.........112 CHALLENGES

Nonprofit Spotlight.......114

7 AM –7 PM 7 DAYS A WEEK

COVERED RV STORAGE NOW AVAILABLE FREE DUMP STATION

Fundamentals

Community Partners.......115

57

...a closer look KernHealth

Intro...................................53 Homegrown Healthcare

1

Medical Mentors.................55

11107 KERN CANYON ROAD WHERE 184 & 178 INTERSECT

Electronic Lifelines

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Cyber Support......................57 When Docs Get Sick

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A Physician’s Care................61

OFF OSWELL & 178 FREEWAY

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HOSPITAL UPDATE

New Advances......................65

200 SOUTH REAL ROAD

WHERE 58 FWY & 99 INTERSECT

More Good News

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12 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Local Cancer Care...............71 Wings & Prayers

61

Angel Flights.........................73 ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Nursing Legacy................79

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

A Local Website For THE HISTORY BOOKS ANNUAL GENERATIONS Profiles BAKERSFIELD’S SOUND ARCHIVED HISTORICAL ARTICLES

ONE MINUTE BUSINESS BRIEF

Curriculum Vitae......................37 THE SERIES

Medical Achievers....................81

home & Garden resources

Home & Garden .......................92 Bakersfield Magazine is working to preserve the history of Kern County through stories of Kern’s proud and fascinating past!

KernCountyGenerations.com

The Dining Guide The Dining Guide..................109

community partners Community Partners..............113

Got A New Gun?

Learn How To Safely and Efficiently Use It. FIREARMS TRAINING FOR CIVILIANS Buying a gun without being trained, is like buying a piano and believing you are a musician.

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Shoppers Bazaar.....................120

everafters...

Weddings...............................122

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14 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Featuring the 2014 Ladies in Red Photo Spread plus

Women businesS FEATURE SECTION

FE Com BR i 2 0 UA n g 14 RY

Love Your Home

Dogs Are Good For Our Health Meet Demi Despite all she’s been through, she’s a sweet, loving girl. Several years ago, a friend saw her picture on the County Animal Control website. Her face was swollen and almost hairless, and she looked miserable. Our friend called to ask if we could take her in, and we agreed. She had mange and a skin infection so severe her eyes were swollen shut. After taking various medications for months, she was finally healed. Soon afterwards, she was adopted and we thought she would have a lifetime of happiness. Sadly, in little more than a year, she came back to us. Her family had split up and there was no room for Demi. It was a painful experience for her. Although her emotional wounds have healed, she is still a bit shy. Anyone who adopts this beautiful girl will have to visit a time or two to win her trust. She has so much love to give.

ALPHA Canine Sanctuary

P.O. Box 5517, Bakersfield, CA 93388 (661) 391-8212 ALPHACANINE.ORG

ALPHA is a no-kill rescue, which means any dog that is not adopted is given care for life. The 20-acre sanctuary, in existence for 18 years, is almost always at its full capacity of 100 dogs. Space opens up only when an ALPHA dog is adopted, which allows us to accept another dog in need.

We also fund free or very low cost spay/neuter for dogs belonging to low income community members.

Pet overpopulation is rampant in our community and some 19,000 pets will end up at the animal control shelter this year. Despite heroic efforts by animal control personnel to save as many as possible, most will not make it out alive. This is a community problem and we will solve it only by spaying or neutering large numbers of pets in our community.

When the birth rate is greatly reduced, there will be a loving home or safe place for almost all.

ALPHA is a 501(C)(3) non-profit and receives no government funding. We are supported entirely by tax deductible donations from animal lovers. Please help us help them.

Photo courtesy Jennifer Williams Photography Photo courtesy Jennifer Williams Photography

Your Donations Help Us Save Precious Lives

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 15

remembering

Les & Donna Corum founders . visionaries . friends

Vol. 30 No. 5

Health 2013

Publisher & Executive Editor Mike Corum Assistant Editor Anika Henrikson Garden Editor Lynn Pitts Wine & Food Editor Mike Stepanovich Creative Director Chuck Barnes Graphic Artist Laura Turner Systems/Production Ryan Turner Sales & Marketing Lisa Corum Brittnee Walters Lisa Villegas Wilson Photography Isabel Alvarez, Juli Feller Eric James, Robert Perez Staff Writer Maryann Kopp Contributing Writers Travis Anglim, Cheryl Dieter David Nigel Lloyd Robin Paggi, Jessica Shillings Eman Shurbaji, Yana Todorova Accounting/Human Resources Melissa Galvan Distribution/Circulation Brigit Ayers Cover Photo iStock/Thinkstock Bakersfield Magazine, Inc. 1601 New Stine Road, Suite 200 Bakersfield, CA 93309 Office (661) 834-4126 Fax (661) 834-5495 marketing@bakersfieldmagazine.net www.bakersfieldmagazine.net Bakersfield Magazine is published bi-monthly by Bakersfield Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. ŠCopyright 2013 by Bakersfield Magazine, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher of Bakersfield Magazine is strictly prohibited.

Bakersfield Magazine, Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or photographs, even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in Bakersfield Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of Bakersfield Magazine management or owner. Bakersfield Magazine, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for claims made by advertisers.

Subscription rate is $14.95 for 1 year, $21.95 for 2 years.

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Letter from the Editor

Those that know me know I have an obsession with PopTarts (see editor’s letter 29-3); Cherry PopTarts to be exact.

Per the Kellogg's web site, they're the kind “with cherry flavored filling, pink frosting, and sparkly red sprinkles, it's a cherry on top of a cherry, if you can imagine that” –and boy can I...

I'm not sure what it is about them (other than the very accurate, yummy description above). To this day, I wouldn't consider them anything more than a snack, and as a kid we weren't allowed to eat such “convenience” foods (mom believed a bowl of cereal was the breakfast of champions).

It wasn't until I was a dad that I finally succumbed to the hypnotic barrage of PopTart commercials aired during Saturday morning cartoons, and at the repeated insistence of my kids, I broke down and bought a box. I tried a bite and wasn't impressed...but, that bite set in motion a series of events that would change my life.

Sure, it started innocently enough; if the kids were running late for school, pop a couple PopTarts in the toaster and let them eat them in the car. Running really late?

Bypass the toaster. Afterschool snack? Eat a PopTart. Can we have dessert? Have two.

Soon, I started to crave the sweet, buttery, flaky crust and flavorful filling of those evil rectangles. All the kids were doing it, why not me? And so I began to reach for the “Tart” whenever hunger struck. It started out small, maybe once or twice a week and gradually I began to up my intake...but I could still maintain.

That is, until that frightful day I brought home “Cherry.”

Cherry wasn't like any other Tart I had ever had. Looking back I can see now how easy it was for me to become hooked. For one, see the very accurate, yummy description above, and another, the sheer convenience (mom was wrong)! No need to heat up Cherry, she was good to go straight out of the box, and go we did—morning, noon, and night. At one point things got so frenzied, I started ordering them by the case load through Amazon.com just to satisfy my unsated desire. And then...

Call it progress (I call it sin) when, following a trend started in the new millennium, corporate conglomerates shrank down their popular products, changed the packaging, and charged the same for

istock/mark herreid/thinkstock

OMG, I've been “frugaled”!

less. My Cherry fell victim to the “new & improved” machine. Even though my letter writing campaigns proved fruitless (the Kellogg's representatives denied my allegations), I knew in my heart that my suspicions were real. I had been frugaled—the act of being given less in the name of the almighty dollar. My love, forever tainted.

In the spirit of good food and frugality, we are proud to present this year’s Cheap Eats (pg. 43), but unlike my torrid tale, these aren't store-bought, processed breakfast foods we’re talking about, and being frugal is definitely a good thing.

We searched local restaurants to find a wide variety of great tasting meals, all for $10 or less. And just to keep it “spicy,” we also compiled some great “dinners for two” for under $35. In all, we featured over 45 local restaurants. Being frugal never tasted so good.

And, as in every December issue, we are proud to offer our KernHealth feature (pg. 53). It includes our annual Hospital Update (which has been expanded to include facilities throughout the county), as well as several other positive health-related stories on coping, compromise, and hope. These, plus all our regular features, and even a few surprises (can you say “UFO”?), make for another out-of-this-world issue.

After my discovery, I tried boycotting PopTarts, but some things are just too darned good to get hung up over a little thing like principle.

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s we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas Season with thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for your continued trust in Alternative Care and our devoted caregivers, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas & a New Year with many blessings!

—Jeanne Shamblin

Enjoy!

Mike Corum comments@bakersfieldmagazine.net

Alternative Care 661-631-2036

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 17

18 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Kern Facts

People • Places • Events

She’s the Investor Relations Specialist at Kern Economic Development Corporation and he’s a Service Manager/Electrician at South Valley Electrical Contractors, and this busy couple makes sure to keep the electricity alive between them!

Istock/VladyslavDanilin/thinkstock

HIS & Hers What was the first thing you thought when you met your future spouse for the first time?

Trish: I saw a picture of him at my best friend’s house and I thought he was really cute. I immediately wanted to meet him and he didn’t disappoint when we met two days later.

Aaron: She was a great girl who liked to have fun. Not much has changed.

What is the funniest thing that happened while you two were dating?

Trish: We went to Tijuana (back in the day when it wasn’t so frightening) and found a bar that advertised cheap drinks with a show. We learned quickly why the drinks were so cheap and we couldn’t leave fast enough!

Aaron: We went to a Mediterranean restaurant and a belly dancer came out and suggestively danced at our table. Trish was embarrassed and I had to pretend to hide my interest! We ended up laughing hysterically afterwards.

What is the craziest thing your spouse has ever done for you?

Trish: Our first three years of dating was a long distance romance. Staying together as a couple, but separated by distance was crazy, but I am a pretty good catch, so I hope he thought I was worth it!

Aaron: For one of my milestone birthdays, she took me out to dinner at a hotel. As the check came, she passed me a room key and told me to meet her upstairs in ten minutes. End of story.

What is your spouse’s biggest phobia?

Trish: That would be a sudden loss of a loved one. We lost his mom at an early age (63) due to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Her death has made a lasting impact on us. We try to live each day together to its fullest.

Aaron: She used to be afraid of bridges over water but she conquered that fear. These days, she fears our son’s impending college tuition bills, and having to take care of my old bones someday.

Who’s the first one to admit when they’re wrong?

Trish: First of all, I’d have to be wrong to admit it. Honestly, I have a perfectionism problem and I come from a long line of stubborn people.

Aaron: Me, of course! She would never admit it first!

What is your spouse most passionate about?

Trish: Our family. We struggled to have our son and we never want to take that for granted. Anytime we can take a road trip, take in a concert, a ball game, or amusement park, we try to make a memory for our family.

Aaron: She is very passionate about her work at Kern EDC. From the team dynamics in the office to the actual services they provide companies in the county. It’s also important to her to keep a good balance between work and home life.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Bakersfield?

Trish: I am a foodie. I love anything to do with food or cooking. We can usually be found at a locally-owned restaurant on a Friday night. Our other love is watching our son, Dylan, play baseball. We are big sports fans!

in step with:

Trish & Aaron Reed Aaron: I guess I would say community events. From First Fridays to a Blaze game, there is so much you can do here in Kern County.

What is your least favorite thing about your spouse and most favorite thing?

Trish: He slurps his first sips of coffee in the morning. Sorry, honey. You know you do! My favorite thing about him is that he can always make me laugh. For instance, he loves to change song lyrics. It can be days later and I will hear a song and just crack up.

Aaron: My least and favorite thing about Trish is her tenacious nature.

When she is passionate about something she goes after it, like her work and running/workout regimen. Beyond that, it is her smile and humor I love the most.

For one of my milestone birthdays, she took me out to dinner at a hotel. As the check came, she passed me a room key and told me to meet her upstairs in ten minutes. End of story. www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 19

Kern Facts

TRANSPORTATION FUTURE LOOKS

“RAIL GOOD”

T

istock/thinkstock

he growth that our community has seen in the recent years has been impressive, to say the least. We’ve risen in the national rankings for agricultural output, oil production, and a number of other industries. But one that might surprise you readers is our rankings in transportation.

That’s right, our local Amtrak route is growing, too.

Amtrak’s San Joaquin corridor saw ridership increase over six percent in the last year, more than almost any other route in the country.

“As the Central Valley grows, more people are discovering the convenience and economy that train travel provides,” explained David Lyman, manager of the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“At the CVB, we have seen an increase in riders from up the valley who take the train to Bakersfield for the day,” he added.

“Sometimes they bring their kids, sometimes they travel alone. But they always are looking for things to explore for a few hours, and downtown Bakersfield has many places to explore on foot.”

And we’ll see more of those benefits as the years continue.

The route, from Bakersfield to Sacramento, logged 1.22 million passengers over the past year, compared to 1.14 million the previous year—that is an increase of 6.6 percent!

In fact, only Amtrak’s Lincoln Service from Chicago to St. Louis did better, increasing 9.7 percent. Plus, Amtrak released ridership figures recently that showed Bakersfield as the fifth busiest Amtrak station in California, behind Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and Emeryville.

But that’s not the only good news riding our rails right now.

The San Joaquin corridor also had higher ticket revenues in the year, going from $38.66 million in 2012 to $39.4 million!

Here’s hoping conductors working our local routes have to punch even more tickets in the coming year!

20 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

In & Around B•Town

Still Passing Pigs After All These Years

O

“

h, he’s got pigs in his pocket, he must be crazy,” David Moffat said with a chuckle. “At least, that’s what some people thought.” But Moffat wasn’t crazy. Instead, he was in the throes of inventing one of the most recognizable games ever: Pass the Pigs.

Of course, at the time, he was only reminding himself of the happy memories he made while touring Europe, specifically Germany. While there, in between beer and heaping plates of sauerkraut, he discovered the existence of the “good luck pig,” a cultural charm in Germany…which would fittingly bring him quite a bit of luck in his life. “Back in L.A., my friends and I would sit around drinking beer martinis—which, of course, is glass of draft beer with an olive floating in it.” One day, the guys used the pig instead of the olive and started making up a point system for what they could accomplish, positionwise, with the sinking pig.

Years would go by before Moffat—who, in ’75 opened The Old House soup and sandwich restaurant here in Bakersfield—and his pals would realize what they had on their hands.

“At the restaurant, I started introducing people to the game while they were eating. Before

long, lots of people were asking about it. One guy evenoffered me twenty bucks for two pigs,” Mof36 MILLION fat explained.

COPIES SOLD & In 1977, after some legal COUNTING! advice and a lot of rule-inventing between Moffat and his friends, Pass the Pigs (which also went by Pig Mania when it was first marketed) was born. Though the ownership of the game has gone through a number of toy and gaming companies, Moffat’s life changed drastically. In the 35-plus years the game has been on the market, it’s sold 36 million copies worldwide…and Moffat has lived a comfortable life here in Bakersfield off the royalties.

“I remember one day when I was still working at The Old House. I was waiting for the mail to come because I was expecting a check—the game had really taken off at that point. Well, I stopped serving in the middle of an order, ran to check the mail, opened the letter, saw the amount of zeroes on that check, and got so excited. But then I ran back out to the line and asked, ‘Was that mayo you wanted on your sandwich?’ ” We’re hoping it was a ham sandwich.

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 21

Weddings 2014

Kern Facts

Bridal Show

A

A-LIST

List extra

CONTEST

W

hen the weather outside is frightful, we’re here to provide something delightful. And what’s more delightful than a hot meal on a cold winter day? How about one that’s free? If you spot your name in the randomly compiled list below, email us at alist@bakersfieldmagazine.net, and you’ll be entered into a contest for a $100 gift card to Café Med! But hurry because your entry must be received

by December 31 to be eligible. Then we’ll select the winner and if it happens to be you, you’ll be one step closer to a fantastic Mediterranean meal on us!

Marie Stowers

Kirby Shropshire

Carl Elliott

Chris Knight

Jolie Brottier

1-26-14

Kern County Fairgrounds

Salvador Gonzales

Esther Uranday

Susie De La Rosa

Jayon Jones

Racheal Jones Robinson

Leo Simoes

*Contest eligibility for A-List members who have not won in the last three months.

Noon – 3p.m.

W

Free Stuff!

e sure do love our winners! Not only do we get to meet more amazing readers and fans of the magazine, but we get to see the look of joy on their faces when we hand over free stuff, like gift cards, restaurant coupons, and tickets to amazing events and shows. And sometimes we capture that joy with a photo for all to see! So check out some of our recent winners and keep entering our contests so you can be one yourself!

• Giveaways • Fashion Show • Wedding Vendors DJs • Photographers Cakes • Gowns • Tuxedos Gown Preservation • Flowers Reception Halls • Invitations Catering • Equipment Rental and more...

Dan Thompson

661-633-9200

Jennifer Nolen

VIP Tickets & Information

www.KernCountyBridalAssociation.com

Mariela Casteel

Junior League Wine Fest Tickets Gerhard Kopp

Garces Gala Gift Basket Tianna Lundy A-List Contest Kristy Allen

Image by Juli Feller Photography 22 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

$100 El Portal Mexican Grill

Scary for Charity Tickets Jennifer Nolen Carrie Riel Boys & Girls Club ArtFest Gift Basket Amy Carey

Name Here Sarah Lightle

Stuff We Like Steve Hollick Lolo’s Boutique

Lorena Ayon

Self Serve Pet Salon

Bakersfield Symphony Dan Thompson The French Quarter Orchestra Tickets Sarah Lightle Ashley Thompson Robby’s Nursery Lana Elfstrom

People • Places • Events

stuff we like

Become B-Town Famous!

Be the envy of friends and family!

Impress your neighbors and co-workers!

Get your name in your city magazine and your photo on the world-wide web... best of all

C&C Hardware Necklace with Large Pendant and Pearls, $320 Full Bloom 4909 Stockdale Hwy. 661-831-1751

Ornate Framed Jewelry Christmas Tree, $85 Mill Creek Antique Mall 805 19th St. 661-324-1900

WIN $75 gift certificates

from these featured local merchants!

Log on to BakersfieldMagazine.net for details and entry form.

Good Luck!

Shabby Chic Roosters and Hens, $45-$55 Adrijon Home and Garden 2231 N St. 661-327-0077

Staci Convertible Boots, $29.99 Bleu Lavender Boutique 1412 17th St., #C 661-549-6101

New Ugg Boots Bling Collection, $130-$250 Guarantee Shoe Center 2101 Chester Ave. 661-325-8751

Party Platter, $15-$50 Caesar’s Italian Delicatessen 9500 Brimhall Rd., #304 661-588-7004

Bakersfield’s Local Best-Sellers, $12.95-$49.95 Russo’s Books 9000 Ming Ave., #I-4 661-665-4686 www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 23

NOPE IT’S NOT

photo by Todd Pierson

Kern Facts

Anyone who believes there’s nothing new under the sun in Kern County is in for a surprise!

For today in the city of David, a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. Luke 2:11

Rev. Msgr. Craig F. Harrison, V.F. Pastor

We would like to take this opportunity to wish the readers of Bakersfield Magazine a blessed holiday season, and every good wish for a prosperous new year filled with joy, hope, love and the peace of Christ Jesus.

900 H St. (1 block south of California Avenue) • 661-327-4734 • FAX 661-377-0363 24 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

While we certainly have our share of wildlife here, a recent discovery in our area has made international headlines and it’s shaking the foundations of what we know about local biodiversity. A few scientists discovered not one, but four different species of legless lizards in vacant lots right here in Bakersfield.

“The first specimen was found by a biology professor at CSUB, David Germano,” said Theodore Papenfuss of UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. “He found it in a vacant lot within a mile of the campus. He sent it to me and it had a purple underbelly, which was unusual because most legless lizards in California have a yellow underbelly.”

Papenfuss thought that it was just a freak occurrence. That is, until he came to Bakersfield and found yet another one underneath a discarded t-shirt in the same vacant lot. The search, as they say, was on, and even more were found in a lot that was near Costco on Rosedale Highway.

Teaming up with fellow scientist James Parham of Cal State Fullerton, they started setting out spots in specific areas with sandy soil where the lizards could be found. They like to hide under objects, so the team set out 1,096 pieces of cardboard in specific areas and waited till the lizards emerged and could be documented. (They named the first species they found the Bakersfield Lizard!)

So what should you do if you find one? Parham said, “Just enjoy them and leave them alone. If [you] find a dead one, then [you] should freeze it and contact me.” You can reach Parham at jparham@ fullerton.edu and Papenfuss at aslaherp@ berkely.edu and (510) 643-7706.

In & Around B•Town

istock/thinkstock

by the

8 30 225 2,170 30,000 92.3

Billion

Numbers

Cross-trained patrol dogs in the K-9 Unit at the Bakersfield Police Department The radius (in feet!) of the water spray cannons at Bakersfield City parks The cost for a three-day dig out at Sharktooth Hill through BVMNHS Acres of fresh garlic harvested in 2012

The amount the CSUB Alumni Association has awarded in student scholarships since 1993 The taxable value of all Kern County property for the fiscal year starting in July, 2013 Sources: bakersfieldcity.us/police; bakersfieldcity.us/kids; sharktoothhill.org; Kern County Department of Agriculture; csub.edu; recorder.co.kern.ca.us

Residential & Commercial

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. ey, Bakersfield Care to test your powers of been observation? We’ve n, taking photos of traversing the tow and marks and statues, buildings and land st skills to the te we want to put your Quiz. Can you p with this issue’s Po took this photo identify where we ? Here’s a hint: it’s with only this clue a ht. Too obscure of hiding in plain sig clue? Too bad! take a stab But if you want to ments@ m at it, email us at co e.net and in bakersfieldmagaz g for a $30 in nn you’ll be in the ru ’s Books! gift card to Russo Good luck! : Water Tank near Last issue’s answer d Mohawk Street.

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www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 25

Kern Facts

Test Your

City Limits!

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

is an annual event that is part scavenger hunt and part obstacle course.

UN

TN

COM M

ER

BAKE

INE AZ

FIELD MAG RS

R IT Y PA

Join Stewards, Inc. for its Second Annual Downtown Scavenger Hunt!

The event will bring together hundreds of participants, in teams of 2-4, to compete in a downtown-wide race that will test their bodies and their brains!

BakersfieldAmazingRace.org For sponsorship info: Andrae Gonzales (661) 565-4636 or email: andrae@stewardsinc.org THANK YOU!

having a number of members who perform regularly at L.A.’s esteemed Magic Castle).

Along with regular meetings to work on acts, the club also hosts events for the public, like the Festival of Magic, which took place a few weeks ago (we’re talkin’ local, national awardwinnin’ magicians wowing 300 people with Close up, Illusion, Comedy, Mentalism, and Escapism). But that’s not all. “We also visit the Boys & Girls Clubs locally and the Bakersfield Homeless Center to entertain kids with magic,” Lopez added.

If you’re looking to add a little magic into your life, you can contact Lopez at chrislopezmagic@yahoo.com. But be sure to write that down somewhere, as it might soon disappear!

The Infamous...

Not a Pretty Picture

K

ern County is known for having some pretty wild characters take up residence here.

Geniuses, innovators, talented musicians… none of them come close to the story of Spade Cooley.

In David Kulczyk’s new book, California Fruits, Flakes, and Nuts: True Tales of California Crazies, Crackpots, and Creeps, he details the life of one Mr. Donnell Clyde “Spade” Cooley, a man who would rise to fame as a star of the stage, screen, and radio in the ‘40s and early ‘50s and also take up residence in Willow Springs. But his rise was not without a fall: Cooley’s troubled relationship with his second wife, Ella Mae Evans, and their time on their ranch here in Kern. Now, “troubled” might be an understatement, seeing as Cooley was convicted of Ella’s murder in 1961 following a veritable sideshow of a trial including fainting spells, tears, and an alleged heart attack (making his 30-day trial the longest in Kern history). But if you want to know more, pick up your own copy, available at Russo’s Books.

26 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Wikipedia

The Bakersfield Amazing Race

e’ll need a volunteer!

Anyone looking to get sawed in half? No? Maybe just a little card trick?

Well, how’s this for some sleight of hand—Bakersfield has been home to an official magic club for almost 60 years! How many of you were aware of that fact? Well, you should be, because this club, affiliated with the Society of American Magicians, isn’t only here to hold the secrets to the world’s greatest illusions, they’re here to entertain our community.

Chris Lopez, president of the Bakersfield Magic Circle Assembly 69’s club, explained that the club is always growing with young and old magicians alike, even though their existence does manage to stay somewhat under the radar (and that’s despite

istock/thinkstock

Nothing Up My Sleeve...

W

Local

expressions

By David Nigel Lloyd

What’s the hardest part of being a writer? “Sacrifice,” said Nick Belardes emphatically. want to walk this razor thin path? “Writing was in my DNA,” he said. Where it leads from is the Bakersfield in which he grew up, where he is now raising two sons and where in

fro Wonderly concurs: “Nick helped me gain my writer’s voice and took my skill level from novice writer to advanced.”

Her play, So Damned Heavenly Bound, came out of the work-

PHOTO BY ROBERT PEREZ

“Walking away from the corporate world left me with only hope that I’d keep finding creative ways to make money until my manuscripts sell,” the Bakersfield writer said.

Belardes has been published, however. Lummox Press just released Songs of the Glue Machines, his poetry memoir about factory work. In 2009, Viva Editions published his Random Obsessions, “a book of oddities where,” according to its blurb, “you will learn that [among other random things] Thomas Jefferson’s grandson was an ax murderer.”

Self-published in 2005, Lords: Part One is set amidst the alleged abuses of certain powerful local leaders, the socalled Lords of Bakersfield. Belardes doubts there will be a Part Two. “The opportunities just aren’t viable for me to write the full story,” he said.

In a way, he is walking the proverbial razor’s edge. The proverb, however, is 7,000 years old, coming to us from India’s Upanishads through The Razor’s Edge, W. Somerset Maugham’s 1944 novel, and through the American philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“The path is impassable, sharp as a razor’s edge,” says the ancient adage. If it is the right thing to do, however, walk it you must. “I lectured at the Bakersfield Museum of Art about how difficult it is to be an artist of any kind in this area,” said Belardes who moved from San Jose to Bakersfield when he was eight.

Why then would anybody

“It’s important to continue to be an artist.

Determination breeds more determination to succeed in every facet of living. Stay positive everyone!” ­– Nick Belardes

2009, he started The Random Writers Workshop.

“If I believe in community, that means giving to the community,” he explained. “The workshop is much cheaper than any other writing program and I have years of college level teaching experience in writing.”

Random alumnus Patty Ren-

shop. “It ran for six weeks in Hollywood to mostly packed houses,” she said.

In 2013, the workshop participated in The (In)Visible Memoirs Project. Its directors published two anthologies of memoirs by writers from two dozen California communities, including Bakersfield, that they

deemed underserved by literary programming.

Belardes organized a public reading of the Bakersfield contributions to the project this December at the Gate. “Seldom have so many Bakersfield writers been a part of an anthology of this magnitude,” he said, “and twice within a year’s time, and both times having the honor of inspiring the titles of each anthology.”

The current anthology, Lionhearted, was named after a contribution by Veronica Madrigal while the first, I Speak From My Palms, was the title of Jane Hawley’s piece. “Jane,” Belardes noted, “is now the Book Reviews Editor for the Texas State MFA Program in Fiction.” She is also, as of this Halloween, engaged to marry Nick Belardes. As he proposed by video dressed as a chimp in business attire, there might well be a future memoir there.

As for that razor thin writer’s path, is he approaching his destination? “I’ll start to find out in the coming year as my agent [the Cicily Janus Literary Agency] pitches all the material I’m revising.”

A manuscript sale to a prominent publisher will give him the viability he has worked for so long. “I’m confident it will happen” he said, pausing for a reality check. “And I could end up burying everything in the back yard.”

He turned his uncertainty into a message of encouragement.

“It’s important to continue to be an artist,” he exhorted. “Determination breeds more determination to succeed in every facet of living. Stay positive everyone!”

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 27

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hen figuring out how to spend a Friday or Saturday night in Bakersfield, there are countless options. You can choose to do everything from relaxing with friends over a bottle of wine or even taking in the local art scene in a myriad of ways. But what if we said you could combine the two and make it into an evening you’ll never forget?

That is exactly the sort of fun you can expect by indulging in one of the latest,

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photo courtesy jason rojas

Call today for an assessment Phone: 661-395-5800 Fax: 661-864-0732

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Picasso!

most unique hotspots to hit our hometown.

Aptly named Corks and Strokes, this studio offers a new meaning to painting the town red: a night of painting and imbibing! Owner Jason Rojas relayed that he was inspired by seeing such studios in other parts of California, as well as other states. “We wanted to bring something new to Bakersfield,” he said.

“We provide a two-hour class with an instructor and all of the supplies needed to paint the pictures, and the people attending the class bring their own wine or beer and whatever snacks they may 28 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

want.”

So how does this enticing process work? First off, be certain that all parties attending will be 21 or older. Secondly, you can book a spot in a class—which are typically on Fridays and Saturdays—via their website, www.corksandstrokes.com.

You choose the painting that you would like to learn and then follow the steps to register. Though this business has only been around since July, it has been wildly popular, with every single class being booked solid. “I recommend that you register within the first week the classes are announced, which is about a month in advance prior to the class. They fill up fast,” Rojas advised.

There’s also the option of booking a private party, or, if it is a masterpiece of a family outing you desire, they also offer combination classes where people of all ages are welcome, and alcohol is not allowed. With those options and the near-guarantee of a fun night, it’ll surely be something worth toasting!

istock/VikZa/thinkstock

People • Places • Events

661-835-8189

200 New Stine Road, Suite150 Bakersfield, CA 93309 www.bowlesfinancial.com Securities and investment advisory services offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. and its affiliates, member FINRA/SIPC and a registered investment adviser. Additional investment advisory services and insurance products offered through BOWLES FINANCIAL GROUP, INC., a registered investment adviser not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

O

n November 21, 19 21, the small town of Fo rd City (about a mile north of Taft) officially began. The town owes its origins to the Kern County oil boom s of the early 20th Century and also the Ford Motor Company, since the tow n earned its name thanks to the abund ance of Model T Fords populating the are a.

Source: Historic Chronolo

gy of Kern County

Thomas D. Nelson, D.P.M., Inc. Diplomat American Board of Podiatric Surgery Medicine & Surgery of the Foot

Dr. Thomas D Nelson (661) 322-2895 1701 27th Street | Bakersfield, CA 93301 Office Hours by Appointment www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 29

The Women’s Care Center

Kern Facts Bakersfield Motorcycle Club in front of Redlick’s c.1913

Photo courtery of Kern County Museum

Bakersfield Motorcycle Riders Legacy

Armi Lynn Walker, M.D. Cary Shakespeare, M.D. • Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility • Pregnancy Testing • Personalized Prenatal Care and Delivery • Complete Gynecological Care, Contraception, Menopausal Issues • Minimally Invasive Surgery • Urinary Incontinence Testing • Comfortable, Relaxing Atmosphere 2021 22nd Street

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B

akersfield is undeniably reft with a rich past in a myriad of areas, but who would have guessed that we have over a century’s worth of motorcycle history under our wheels? Two residents know this very well, and they are revving up to create a motorcycle community for the ages.

Jamie Palmer and Colby Peck are both avid motorcycle riders, and a chance look at a historical picture of the Bakersfield Motorcycle Club standing with their bikes in front of Redlick’s circa 1913 started something that neither of them could have imagined at the time. “When we saw the picture of the Bakersfield Motorcycle Club, we really wanted a copy, and were able to get one from the Kern County Museum,” Palmer began. “It made us more aware of how there’s a lack of community for motorcycle enthusiasts in Bakersfield, so we decided to start trying to build one.”

The pair created a Facebook page called Bakersfield Motorcycle Riders, and they’ve since been scouring Bakersfield for other riders, particularly older members of the community who may have images bearing a local historical significance. “Our goal is to create a website where each rider will have their own bio, along with their photo. We’d like to make it into a book someday, as well.” In honor of the motorcycle riders who came before them, Palmer and Peck staged a recreation of the picture that started it all in front of the Kern County Museum, 100 years later.

The future seems bright for this group, and they hope to make it a nonprofit which can hold fundraisers to raise awareness for ailments afflicting those in our community. To be a part of this awesome group, you can contact them on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ bakersfieldmotorcycleriders.

Photo courtery of Marielle Chuam

Special Delivery!

Bringing Goods to the Citizens of Bakersfield in an Environmentally Friendly Way

B

Ma Bakersfield

gazine.net

akersfield certainly has its unique amenities, and a 24-hour, all-bicycle courier service may be one of the latest. Run by Zach Davis, Deft Courier has been bringing goods to the citizens of Bakersfield in an environmentally friendly way since April of this year. Concentrating mostly on downtown businesses, this service can bring you everything from sandwiches to bottles of wine. Davis said, “We can pick up dry cleaning, small packages and goods, and while we rarely get late-night calls, if someone really wants something, we will try to make it happen.”

Looking to expand more into residential areas, they could very well be the perfect solution to helping alleviate extra holiday stress. If you happen to run out of that special holiday ingredient that will make or break a meal and can’t get to the store on your own, or are out of wrapping paper, as well as time, then Davis and his crew are looking to ride to your rescue. You can find out about rates and contact information at deftcourier.com.

30 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

istock/Dmytro Kozlov/thinkstock

e v i h c r a

Skilled Hands

Why would anyone make a fine musical instrument by hand?

Because it makes a difference It may be considered one of the most difficult instruments to learn and play, but, for one Bakersfield man, they aren’t nearly as difficult to build. Emilio Wagner has been playing the violin for two years now, which might not seem like that long, but when you take into consideration that he’s actually been crafting them with his own two hands just as long, his talents are more impressive. With no actual in-person training, and relying only on YouTube tutorials and books to guide him, this precise

into beautiful, functional pieces.

Wagner begins with a template, and uses tonewood in its raw form.

“I have to construct the top plate, back plate, the neck, and the sides are roughly cut, but they need to be trimmed and scraped to fit the size of the violin,” Wagner said.

The two plates are fashioned in the shape of the violin and will be used as the top and bottom pieces of the body. He cuts the forms out with a handsaw, then scrapes and shapes the plates until they’re the desired form. After doing the same to the side pieces, which are made

Emilio Wagner “Luthier”

His favorite part of violin making is when he puts on the varnish, because the violin “comes alive.”

luthier (one who makes violins) has turned pieces of wood into beautiful music, fine tuning his technique along the way.

“I have always been interested in the violin,” Wagner began.

“When I started playing, I also started to research how to make one. I became inspired, and decided that I’d try my hand at it.” And though it was a slow process, he did produce a violin—the first of many, in fact. With no specific reason as to why he decided to continue making the stringed instruments, he did have some prior skills that made the work come natural. “My father was a contractor and also owned a cabinet shop,” Wagner revealed, and he worked with his father throughout his youth. In other words, he’s no stranger to turning slabs of wood

out of maple, he wets them and runs them along a bender heater so that he can shape them to the elegant curve of a violin. The sides are then glued to the body and allowed to dry for up to three hours.

Much of the work is done with the handsaw to ensure precise

include purfling (a narrow decorative edge inlaid into the top plate and often the back plate of a stringed instrument), as well as carving out the f holes. And the neck is another beast entirely. “It starts out as just a tapered piece of wood,” Wagner said. Using a handsaw and chisel, the form is carefully carved, and then holes are drilled for the peg box. He

shape and definition of the pieces and he even gets down to “microplanes” to make sure the fit is perfect. Of course, he’s sure to

continues to shape and smooth until he’s satisfied with the outcome. Assembly is a delicate and slow-going process, but one

that brings Wagner a lot of joy.

Once the body has been pieced together and coat after coat of varnish has been applied (about six coats—one per day), the violin cures for two days. Before the violin is ready to be played, however, Wagner adds the tail piece, neckboard, and end pins, and then shapes the bridge and feet and makes the notches for the strings.

All of Wagner’s violins are playable, and he gets better with every attempt. (He’s even made one out of solid, 100-year-old oak for his father.) While citing that his favorite part of violin making is when he puts on the varnish, because the violin “comes alive,” it’s hard for this clever craftsman to nail down what makes his endeavors so exciting. “I love making them,” he concluded.

“If I could make a living off of selling them, I would.” Luckily, the work speaks (or, in this case, performs) for itself.

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 31

CITIZEN KERN

Name: Robin Bramlett Age: 39 Birthplace: Bakersfield, CA Occupation: Bassist/Recording Artist

hitting the low notes

How she got started: Bramlett started playing piano at the age of seven. Her parents immediately recognized her passion for music and bought her a guitar, bass guitar, and drum set. Bramlett explained, “The bass frequency spoke to my heart” in a way that the other instruments didn’t, so she took a few lessons down at Front Porch Music with musicians Ernie Lewis and Phil Hernandez. “I continued to practice and work on my chops while most kids were outside playing,” she joked. But it paid off! She’s currently promoting her debut CD, This Is My Life.

Career Highlights: While putting together her CD [released in April of this year], Bramlett had the pleasure of working with some amazing musicians including Darren Gholston and violin virtuoso Karen Briggs. She’s also recently shared the stage with soul singers Miki Howard, Shanice Wilson, and smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz.

‘‘

Bramlett My favorite part of the music industry is working hard at doing something that I love.

Her Heroes: Bramlett admits that she would not be the musician she is today were it not for her parents, William and Lillie, and her aunt, Frances Chandler. As far as musical heroes go, she lists that keyboardists Donald Factory and Patrice Rushen and bassists Mark Adams and Marcus Miller as the reason for her growth as a well-rounded musician.

32 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

‘‘

Her favorite part of the industry: “My favorite part of the music industry is working hard at doing something that I love,” she added, which is not always the case with most careers. As a perfect example of that, she’s currently touring (which can be difficult) with the all-female jazz ensemble Jazz in Pink (which she enjoys immensely).

meet

Robin

photos COURTESY OF ROBIN BRAMLETT (CD), JAZZ IN PINK (logo), MOTOWN RECORDS(SHANICE WILSON), National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMYS), & SMOOTH-JAZZ.DE (MARCUS MILLER)

!

What she’d still like to accomplish: With an album for sale on iTunes and Amazon, you’d think she’d have few goals left. But Bramlett would still love to not only tour to promote her own album more, but be a part of the bands that perform for awards shows like the Grammys, BET Awards, and others. We know she’s got the skills for it!

Is t o

ck/ Dar um

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ock

! t o n r o t i e v e Beli V E R O S O UF RN KE

Fox Mulder is a dirty, rotten liar. The truth isn’t out there.

Sure, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has given us a lot to be suspicious about over the years. And recently, those dark-suited, sunglasses-wearin’ secret agents have pulled a Disney and opened up their secret vault of files documenting unexplained phenomenon.

But instead of helping us solve the riddles about Roswell, UFOs, and creepy bright lights in the night sky, these documents have only raised more questions. One of those being: what exactly happened out at Muroc Air Force Base (now Edwards) in the summer of 1947? >> www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 33

First Lt. Joseph C. McHenry, Sgt. Joseph Ruvolo, Sgt. Gerald E. Nauman, and one Miss Jannette Marie Scotte reported seeing two “saucer or disc-shaped objects” both silver and apparently metallic, fly northwest towards Mojave in a wide, circular pattern at about 7,500-8,000 feet, going approximately 400 miles per hour.

According to these witnesses, and as documented with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena “before the first two objects disappeared a third similar disc or spherical silver object reflecting sunlight was seen.” There were an additional five people who saw this supposed “third disc” which flew through the air for three to four minutes, providing no sound or contrails. Sgt. Nauman went on to swear in an affidavit that, “This object—to my knowledge of aircraft—could not have been an airplane because of the very tight maneuver it was undergoing. I have been flying in and have been around all type of aircraft since 1943 and never in my life have I seen anything such as this.”

Now, had that been the only incident, perhaps these military men could have written off the experience. But not even two hours later, a little before noon, “experimental test pilot Capt. John Paul Strapp, Mr. Lenz from Wright Field, and two others in an observation truck at Area 3 of Rogers Dry Lake for a P-82 ejection seat test saw a round silver or aluminumwhite object [about 25 feet wide] at first thought to be a parachute.”

But it wasn’t.

“It appeared to have an oval outline with two thick fins or knobs on the upper surface which seemed to rotate or oscillate, no propellers, slowly disappearing below the mountain tops in the distance after ninety seconds.”

And then?

Noon. “Other witnesses, independently, including Muroc CO Col. Signa A. Gilkey and engineer Major Richard R. Shoop and his wife saw, from a different location about five miles away, the same falling object—a thin metallic aluminum colored object…reflecting sunlight and oscillating, descend to ground level, then rise again” before moving off into the distance.

Forty miles from Muroc Army Air Field,

Spooky.

The months and years following these incidents brought with them a long, exhaustive documenting process, including confidential affidavits from those involved, by the U.S. Government and the FBI. While these documents, many of which are signed by J. Edgar Hoover, never sparked their own X Files episode, they were made up of eyewitness accounts and attempting to rationalize what had been seen by most people, even though everyone who recounted their experience swore that these objects couldn’t possibly be hallucinations, or, as Mr. Lenz from Wright Field said in his affidavit, “a fancies of a sense.” Gotta love ‘40s lingo.

None of these documents attempted to prove or deny the existence of these UFOs. But that sunny day in July of ‘47 was not the only time Kern County’s skies were the scene of unexplained phenomena.

In ‘74 (which, for all you conspiracy theory buffs, is just ‘47 in reverse), Ronald Reagan, who was just wrapping up his second term as California’s governor, was soaring in the skies near Bakersfield.

The plane, piloted by Air Force Colonel Bill Paynter, was just about to start its descent into our fair city when Reagan noticed a strange light coming from behind the plane.

According to Paynter, who detailed the story later to numerous people, Reagan wanted to follow the light (probably because he’d had a similar experience years earlier while flying to a party and wanted to investigate). Paynter said, “it appeared to be several hundred yards away [and it was] a fairly steady light until it [began] to accelerate.

Then it appeared to elongate. Then the light took off. It went up a forty-five degree angle at a high rate of speed…”

Reagan himself later told Norman Miller, the Washington Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal that, “We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light. We followed it to Bakersfield and all of a sudden to our utter amazement it went straight up into the heavens.”

Paynter tried to rationalize it, but found

34 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

he couldn’t explain what they had seen.

“The UFO went from normal speed…to a fantastic speed instantly. If you give an airplane power, it will accelerate, but not like a ‘hot rod,’ and that’s what this was like. Governor Reagan expressed amazement. I told the others I didn’t know what it was.”

Everyone involved admitted later that they never filed a report on the object because of the scrutiny involved with admitting to seeing a UFO. Or, as Paynter said, “they considered you a nut.”

Reagan, in his discussion of the sighting with Miller, explained that he told his wife, Nancy, about the UFO, and the couple began researching UFOs extensively.

When Miller concluded that Reagan’s animated storytelling and attention to detail meant our future president actually believed in UFOs, he asked, “Governor, are you telling me that you saw a UFO?” At that moment, according to Miller, Reagan realized that he was talking to a reporter.

And he quickly clammed up and purportedly said, “Let’s just say that I’m an agnostic.”

While Reagan would later bring up his experiences in a speech and in a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, he never spoke with reporters about the incident after that.

Maybe because he began to question what he saw. Or maybe it was because he didn’t want to face further judgment from UFO naysayers, which, let’s face it, is most people. Or perhaps he was visited by a few “men in black.”

Even though the FBI documents are hardly conclusive, and most include a number of military men trying to be as impartial as they could, there’s still a shred of doubt expressed by all the witnesses of the events on July 8, 1947, and by the pilot of Reagan’s Cessna. So were these actual alien space crafts or simple unexplained, unregistered aircraft? Optical illusions?

Cloud reflections? There are people who vehemently deny the existence of aliens, but our Commander in Chief wasn’t one of them. And those trained pilots out at Muroc certainly weren’t crackpots out in the woods who tried garnering attention with their tales of abduction. But will we ever learn if the events in Independence Day could actually happen? What kind of proof will we need?

Even though Mulder is sure the truth will eventually be revealed, we’re not holding our breath.

Istock/thinkstock (all art)

The day? July 8.

The time? About 9:45 a.m.

the pilot of an F-51 was flying at around 20,000 feet when he spotted a “flat object of a light reflecting nature,” whatever that means.

Also, this object was lacking the vertical fins of one of the previously spotted “discs.” The pilot tried to climb up to the object but his F-51 would not climb high enough! He contacted all the air bases in the area but none reported having any aircraft in the vicinity.

Sources: www.nicap.org/murocdir.htm; www.project1947.com/fig/muroc47.htm; presidentialufo.com; vault.fbi.gov/UFO

UFOs Over Kern

RISKTAKERS

A new era has begun in the agricultural industry, and it’s being ushered in by one of the largest fruit-breeding operations in the world.

T

By Tracie Grimes

hese days, the grapes on your table are just as likely to taste like a sweet treat you’d find at the Kern County Fair as they are to taste like the grapes you ate while growing up. Gone are the days when you could find only one or two varieties available, and only during certain times of the year. A new era has begun in the agricultural industry, and it’s being ushered in by one of the largest fruit-breeding operations in the world—Kern County’s own International Fruit Genetics.

Started in 2001 as collaboration between Jack Pandol, Jr. and the Stoller family (owners of Sunridge Nurseries), IFG has turned into a global entity that has grown more than 75,000 grape seedlings and has many cherry selections being evaluated, according to Dr. David Cain, general manager of IFG. “From those seedlings we’ve been able to create new colors and

innovation

new tastes

flavors of seedless grapes, and have over fifty cherry selections [both traditional dark red types and new blush types] we are testing. We’ve submitted patents on around fifteen grape varieties and have several more we’re working on patenting.”

Sweet Surrender®, Sweet Sunshine®, Sweet Celebration®, Sweet Romance®, Sweet Jubilee®, Sweet Sapphire®, Cotton Candy®, Sweet Enchantment®, and Jack’s Salute® are currently bringing “exotic black grapes with Muscat flavors; crisp white grapes that burst like sweet liquid sunshine in your mouth” along with “new excitement to the industry,” as stated on IFG’s website. One in particular has been getting a lot of notice lately.

“Our new Cotton Candy® grape has been getting a lot of attention lately. It’s been a phenomenal success not only here in the U.S., but in Spain as well,” Dr. Cain said, adding that other IFG creations, the Sweet Jubilee® and Funny Fingers®, are gaining popularity. “The Sweet Jubilee® is becoming quite popular in Asian countries, and Funny Fingers® [which are shaped like the end of your little finger], are fun and popular with kids.”

As successful as the Cotton Candy® and Sweet Jubilee® have been, the risks in developing them and the other selections

were pretty high. Financially, the backers of IFG took a huge risk just because of the fact that it would take years for the company to turn a profit. Breeding a new variety takes anywhere from seven to 12 years before it’s ready to be introduced.

“The good news is that makes it difficult for competitors to jump in to the market,” Dr. Cain explained, going on to say that IFG has only recently started to make a profit.

“Jack Pandol and the Stoller family knew that it would be a long time before we would make any profits, but they were committed to creating new, world-class varieties of table grapes and stone fruits.”

Pandol and the Stollers saw an opportunity when they realized they could fill a specialized niche by offering consumers new and different colors and flavors of fruits. But it wouldn’t be just a matter of creating varieties with vibrant colors and exotic tastes, they would have to go beyond colors and flavors to create varieties that were highly productive, easier to grow, and less labor-intensive. The even greater challenge was finding a way to control overproduction so profitability wouldn’t suffer. They decided they were ready to take on the challenges of creating a new private breeding program and worked together to financially back IFG. >>

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 35

Risktakers­

As risky as the financial end of IFG has been, marketing their products is no easy undertaking, either. Introducing new varieties to growers around the world, showing them that growing these varieties is highly profitable, and developing longterm relationships with them as licensees is a big challenge.

“The toughest thing is to change the mindset of growers,” Dr. Cain explained.

“Traditionally, breeding programs have taken place within public entities such as the USDA or in a university, enabling the growers’ access to different varieties for little or no cost. We have to convince them that investing in a licensing agreement with us makes good business sense.”

One way to show growers they have an advantage when entering into license agreements with IFG is to limit the number of licenses given to growers and marketers. “We’re very careful about limiting the number of acres our varieties are grown on because we want to control overplanting. Without limits, varieties can become quickly over-planted, which floods the market and reduces the price. Limiting planting not only maintains the quality of the fruit, it keeps supply and demand in balance so our growers will have high profit margins.”

Because IFG is only successful if their growers are successful, plenty of support is available to their growers, Dr. Cain pointed out. As part of their licensing agreement, clients are kept apprised of new and developing varieties and have access to IFG’s fields and facilities. And because the risk of patent infringement is always a possibility, IFG has created a legal team to protect both them and their licensees.

“We also understand that each agricultural market has its own set of challenges and offer our growers access to our technology, tools, and expertise,” Dr. Cain emphasized, adding that some of the country’s IFG has licensees in include Chile, South Africa, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, and Australia.

“We’ve been able to overcome a lot of the risks by making sure our licensees are happy. We started slowly, only licensing to two or three organizations in each country, then began expanding our business in a thoughtful, organized manner. We look for a niche in a market, create a variety to fill the niche, and then license that variety to a limited number of licensees [growers].”

Since breeding different varieties of fruits is a technologically-driven undertaking, sophisticated equipment and methods are keys to IFG’s success. Located near Delano, IFG boasts state-of-the-art laboratories and greenhouses, as well as over 80 acres of test fields and vineyards.

“We actually make crosses in the fields when the flowers are very small,” Dr. Cain said, as he discussed the process he pioneered. Known as “embryo rescue,” this highly specialized technique involves pollinating an emasculated flower then placing the immature seed in a test tube with special growing media.

“Each one has the potential for a new variety. We look at the fruit very carefully to see if there is any potential. We take into consideration characteristics like firmness,

to offer consumers new seedless grapes.

These varieties are larger, crunchier, and combined with a wide range of flavors.”

In filling a niche in the cherry market, IFG relies on the same principles of creating world-class varieties and carefully controlled production to the world's growing market. One way they’ve revolutionized the cherry-growing industry has been by expanding opportunities for growers in warmer climates such as in South America, European countries, and South Africa.

IFG has developed varieties of “low chill” cherries that require fewer hours of cold temperatures for proper development, Dr. Cain added. “Usually, a lot of winter frost is required in the cherry growing process.

Most cherry trees require eight hundred to one thousand hours of temperatures rang-

Dr. David Cain, general manager at IFG, oversees the creation of new colors and flavors of grapes and cherries.

whether or not the fruit has a small seed, what the skin is like, and whether or not there is a good cluster attachment.”

But it’s not all about good clusters and firmness when it comes to growing a unique table grape, Dr. Cain adds. For a grape variety to appeal to growers, it has to grow well in their climate and soil, and it must be profitable. “We’ve spent a lot of time developing varieties that have unusual flavors, a firm, crisp texture, are weather and disease tolerant, are highly productive and less labor-intensive to produce.”

IFG has over 100 grape selections being tested and is working with the University of Arkansas on breeding some pretty unique varieties of grapes. “Because we are hybridizing many of our best selections with those from the University of Arkansas— which has a completely different climate; there is a lot of rain in the summer, its cold in the winter, and there are a lot of wild spices growing in the soil—we will be able

36 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

ing from thirty-five degrees to forty-two degrees Fahrenheit. With our ‘low chill’ cherries, we’ve been able to breed varieties that need less than half that much, and have a couple of varieties that we are in the process of patenting. We’re planning to release them next year.”

IFG varieties are changing the way consumers are looking at the table grape and cherry industries, Dr. Cain noted.

“Grapes like the Cotton Candy® grape are changing consumers’ expectations of what a table grape should taste like. Table grapes are becoming more like apples. Look in the produce section at any grocery store and you’ll see about fifteen different varieties of apples, each with a different color, flavor, and size. That’s what we hope to do with table grapes; offer consumers a wide variety of colors and flavors.”

Who knows; maybe the next big thing to hit the grape industry will be the cinnamon bun grape. v

3 0 - s e c o n d B U S I NESS B R I E F

3 0 - s e c o n d B U S I NESS B R I E F

Mike Bowles

A Royal Palace Reception Hall

W

hen planning some of your most important life events, there aren’t many venues that can truly provide everything needed. But when you go to A Royal Palace Reception Hall, you can be certain that nearly every need you have will not only be met, but exceeded. As owners, Harold and Becky Raymond, stated, “As soon as people walk into the door, they’re sold.”

And who wouldn’t be, with such an elegant ambience and top-notch amenities? Featuring a full-service bar, a dj booth, a dance floor (laser beams included!), the most modern LED lighting to suit any mood, and a beautiful comfort room that is the perfect spot for brides as well as tired children who just need to rest. A Royal Palace has thought of everything.

There’s also a full showroom where people can go to pick out colors and linens, if needed. “It really is a one-stop shop,” the Raymonds continued. “You can plan everything from a wedding, quinceañera, or even a birthday party or anniversary. We can also provide a dj or catering, if needed.”

There is also seating for up to 350 people, ample parking, and since they aren’t near a residential area, they have no noise issues that would cause your party to end before 1 a.m.

Your milestones should be celebrated with class, so come and experience this incredible spot. After all, “A Royal Palace is not just a hall... It is an atmosphere to be remembered.”

Bowles Financial Group

B

owles Financial Group, Inc. (BFG) grew into existence in early 2001. “After being in the financial industry since 1985 and working for various firms, I decided to follow my gut instinct,” explained Mike Bowles, CFP. And just what was that instinct? “I knew that I could better serve my clients and the public by establishing my own company; a company that would strive to help its clients in simplifying their financial lives.”

With a company motto of: “Invest Sensibly. Live Completely,” the entire staff at BFG take pleasure in assisting clients in the process of achieving financial goals, including financial planning and wealth management for local individuals and businesses.

For Bowles, the best part of his job (though he doesn’t consider it a job), is assisting someone in planning for their future. “I love helping someone organize finances for their retirement and then seeing that money provide that client with the lifestyle they wanted. It’s a real joy to see a person ‘quit their job’ and enjoy the rest of their life doing what they want without worrying about money.”

Every staff member at BFG takes their motto to heart, Bowles explained. “I believe that if a person is constantly worried about their finances, they miss out on life, their families, and the joy this world has to offer.”

6720 District Blvd.

Bakersfield, CA 93313 info@aRoyalPalace.com www.aRoyalPalace.com

200 New Stine, Suite 150 Bakersfield, CA 93309 661-835-8189 www.bowlesfinancial.com

CURRICULUM VITAE

CURRICULUM VITAE

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 37

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HUMAN RESOURCES ❖

Preventing Negativity in the Workplace

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When I am asked to pro• Have a mission, vision, and goals for your workplace vide a motivational speech that lets employees know to a group of employees they are part of something because of their negativbigger than themselves. ity, I often suggest that the • Let employees know that employees don’t need the their contribution is valued. speech—the employer and Says Heathfield, “The powthe supervisors do, because er of appropriate rewards they are often the cause of and recognition for a posithe negativity. tive workplace is remarkFor example, if your emable. Suffice to say, reward ployees grumble that no one and recognition is one of the asks for their input or cares

By Robin Paggi most powerful tools an orabout what they have to say, you might be the cause of the negativ- ganization can use to buoy staff morale.”

Zane Smith, Executive Director of the ity. If employees complain that things aren’t fair, you might be the cause of Boys and Girls Club of Kern County, the negativity. If employees remark that says that his primary way of preventing they don’t feel appreciated or valued, negativity in the workplace is to pick up you might be the cause of the negativity. his pompoms. Says Smith, “I’m the last In her article “Tips for Minimizing person to ever think they would belong to Workplace Negativity,” human resourc- a cheerleading team. However, that is exes expert Susan M. Heathfield says that actly the roles we play as part of our Boys “the best way to combat workplace & Girls Club culture. We cheer on our negativity is to keep it from occurring kids, our stakeholders, our community, in the first place” and provides employ- and our staff team. To prevent negativity ers and supervisors with these tips for in the workplace with 400-plus employdoing so: ees, we are extremely proactive in estab• Allow employees to make decisions lishing lines of communication through about their own job. Says Heathfield, our chain of command, customer service “The single most frequent cause of strategies for addressing complaints, opworkplace negativity I encounter is portunities to vent with a supervisor in a traceable to a manager or the organi- non-punitive environment, and we celezation making a decision about a per- brate even the smallest of successes. With son’s work without her input. Almost so many pompoms being raised in support any decision that excludes the input of of children in our community, there isn’t the person doing the work is perceived much room for the negative!” as negative.”

So, employers and supervisors want• Provide opportunities for employees ing to prevent negativity in the workto express their opinions about work- place should first look in the mirror place policies and procedures. Not do- and ask themselves if they are doing ing so makes them feel unheard and un- something to contribute to it. Then they cared for. should talk to employees to determine • Be consistent in applying policies and the source of the negativity. Next, they procedures and remember the phrase need to address the issue. Do policies “Inconsistency breeds contempt.” need to be better clarified? Do decisions • In regards to policies, don’t over- need to be better explained? Does apwhelm employees with them, as that preciation need to be better expressed? makes them feel like children. “Treat Whatever the cause, negative feelings people as adults; they will usually live need to be addressed because, as Heathup to your expectations, and their own field says, “Like a seemingly dormant expectations,” says Heathfield. volcano, they will boil beneath the sur• Help people feel included. One way to face, and periodically bubble up and do so is to keep everyone informed about overflow to cause fresh damage.” what’s going on and why.

• Allow employees the opportunity to Robin Paggi is the Training Coordinator at grow and develop as not doing so makes Worklogic HR Legal Solutions and can be reached at rpaggi@worklogiclegal.com or (661) 695-5168. them feel stifled and confined.

38 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

ck

sto hink dv/ t

t h e e r g o n t o l w l A isto ck/m aya1 3/th inkst ock

In the world of fundraising, there are countless ways to reach a goal. Some may host elaborate events complete with auctions and fashion shows while others may do something as simple as a car wash. However, Forbes relayed that, according to the Crowdfunding Industry Report, crowdfunding—the act of fundraising via the internet to support a number of causes—accounted for a whopping $2.7 billion in funds raised last year. It is no real surprise, then, that plenty of savvy locals have started to utilize different sites to make their dreams a reality. The best part? People

all throughout our community are stepping up to help fund exciting projects that will make Kern County an even better spot to be. From nonprofits to individuals, our neighbors have been jumping on this dream-realizing bandwagon, and many are succeeding at reaching—and even exceeding— their goals.

Recently, the Arts Council of Kern started working on a project with Story Lab (an interesting blend comprised of filmmakers who bear developmental differences, social scientists, community leaders, and teaching artists whom >>

According to the Crowdfunding Industry Report, “crowdfunding” —the act of fundraising via the internet to support a number of causes—

accounted for a whopping $2.7 billion in funds raised last year. www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 39

represent a wealth of different genres) to create a 30 minute film titled Include Me: the Democracy of Inclusion.

For six months, those involved surveyed residents of Kern County from all types of social backgrounds in regards to their “perception of disability and inclusion.” The results of this research are going to be presented in a unique and sensory-stimulating manner through the film, blending an assortment of media, like animation and acting, with their

‘‘

We’ve already received the approval to present at the ToyFest West Coast Toy Trade Show in Las Vegas in March of 2014, but our goal is to make Plaliens the top Christmas toy for next year.”

—Melanie Cruz

findings. But when it came to funding the film, they fell $7,000 short of their $10,000 goal. That is when they decided to turn to Kickstarter to reach out to those who believed in their project and wanted to help make it a reality.

The Director of Special Projects for the Arts Council of Kern, Jill Egland, helped to organize the campaign, which ended up exceeding its goal by $125.

“Raising money is hard, no matter what,” Egland began. “You have to be clear about why your project is important—not only to you, but to the people you’re trying to engage.” As far as utilizing Kickstarter, there were some pros and cons that definitely played a role in the overall process. While Egland noted that it was, “cool” and that “you get to create a compelling narrative,” she also said that it’s “hard to calculate the dollar value of an emotional response. Five dollars? Five hundred dollars? It’s pretty much a crap shoot. So, you have to cast a wide net, and what goes viral on any given day seems pretty random to me.” Fortunately, the film was able to

PHOTO BY ROBERT PEREZ

all together now

(L-R) Beth Morse, Karyn Borsotti, Melanie Cruz, & Danae Lasater with some “Plaliens.”

be funded and is set to premiere all over Kern County in December.

Another group that decided to try Kickstarter is hoping to reach a goal of making their posable, plush, and utterly lovable intergalactic space travelers the top toy for 2014. This trio of mother, Beth Morse, and her daughters, Melanie Cruz and Danae Lasater, are the brilliant minds behind Dream Innovators. They already have helped to bring the successful baby hair accessories known as Bebe Doos Perfect Ponies to the mainstream, and they currently have their phasers set to stun... the masses, that is.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that it is very expensive to launch a product,” Morse said, when asked why they decided to give crowdfunding a shot. “People may assume that it will only take a few thousand dollars, but the reality is that it takes more like thirtyfive to fifty thousand dollars. Just one mold for our toys will cost around ten thousand dollars.” Cruz intimated, “We decided to go with Kickstarter because it is well-known so we would have a better chance of reaching our goal and getting the word out this way.”

The toys they’re seeking to launch are called Plaliens, and they are very soft, bright, and fun alien plush toys (from the planet Plalien, naturally) that can be bent and shaped into a variety of poses. Some have antennae while others have tails, and the best part is that

40 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

they come stuffed into plastic “space capsules,” so you won’t know which Plalien you have until you release it.

“We’ve already received the approval to present the Planiens at the ToyFest West Coast Toy Trade Show in Las Vegas in March of 2014,” Cruz confirmed, “but our goal is to make Plaliens the top Christmas toy for next year.” Lasater made it clear that their goals are high and that these inventors are determined to excel at what they do. “We are doing this because we want to make a lot of money. We want to be financially set, and we also want to bring something new and fun to children.” Morse agreed, “If this doesn’t work out, we will be sure to find another way to success. We do know that our children absolutely love Plaliens, though. They’re the first toys they go for when they go to play.” The Plalien campaign is set to relaunch this December, so keep your eyes on the stars and consider taking part in bringing the next greatest toy to the global market.

‘‘

Raising money is hard, no matter what. You have to be clear about why your project is important—not only to you, but to the people you’re trying to engage.”

—Jill Egland

PHOTO BY ROBERT PEREZ

‘‘

I never had a Twitter account before this, but I have obtained a wealth of information and have immediate connections.

I was able to reach out to people like the Saints and Emeril Lagasse to help spread the word.”

After noticing the growing food truck trend, Chris Stanifer decided to get on board.

—Chris Stanifer

PHOTO BY ROBERT PEREZ

It seems as though the people who are truly delving into the crowdfunding are also very savvy on other trends, as well. Chris Stanifer has had a passion for Cajun and Creole food for years, and he was a chef at the local restaurant Gumbeaux’s when it was rocking Bakersfield with its spicy, one-of-akind dining experience. “One thing my business partner, Heath Bates, and I realized when we were at Gumbeaux’s is that this community loves gumbo and spicy food,” he said.

He also noticed that people, all over, seem to love food trucks. As this phenomena has been sweeping different parts of our country, Bakersfield seems to be lacking in the availability and variety thereof. Knowing a good

Jill Egland successfully funded a film set to premiere all over Kern County.

thing when he sees one, Stanifer decided to take the passion that he, Bates, and their business manager, Cynthia Clark, have for food and fuse it with the food truck trend so that they might be able to bring gourmet Cajun and Creole food to several parts of Bakersfield on any given day. (The business being Acadienne Cajun Cuisine.)

“The cost of starting up a food truck business is a tenth of what you would have to front for an actual brick and mortar restaurant. Plus you have the mobility factor, so you don’t have to worry about location so much. You can easily travel to the best places,” he elaborated.

After doing countless hours of research, he opted to run his campaign through gofundme.com, which seemed to best match his aims. Since then, Stanifer has been hitting social media hard every day, and has said that he has learned a tremendous amount through his journey. “I never had a Twitter account before this, but I have obtained a wealth of information and have immediate connections,” he disclosed. “I was able to reach out to people like the Saints and Emeril Lagasse to help spread the word.” Their first campaign didn’t make the goal, but that just means that these Cajun crusaders’ next venture will be bigger in terms of outreach.

You can follow the details as they unfold online at www.facebook.com/ rollingcajun.

Times are definitely changing, and those who are seeking to launch businesses or special projects have to keep up with the changes if they want to thrive. These local entrepreneurs are doing just that by utilizing the internet and the exceptional number of options available through this avenue to help launch their ideas to the top. They’re determined to succeed and they also have a great faith in our local community to help assist them. Even if their initial campaigns don’t work out, they can always start another because, as Stanifer so rightly put it, “No matter what happens, this is our dream. We v aren’t going to give up on it.” www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 41

42 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

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www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 43

Chalet Basque

d them? ws, gathered But how did we fin ther menus, scoured the web for revie mmenda-

toge rs for reco Simple! We pulled our staff and edito d ke as s, er ad re our suggestions from the test. own taste buds to r ide scoop on deliou t pu tions, and giving you the ins ’re we , st pa e th ne in o included great Just as we’ve do is year, we’ve als th s nu bo a as nd der $10 (a s than $35)*. cious dishes for un nion can eat for les pa m co a d an u places where yo

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Bob’s Big Boy

(3939 Ming Ave.) If you’re in the mood to bypass the burgers at this place (though they are delish), grab your fork and try one of their pastas. We especially love the Chicken Broccoli Pasta, a heaping plate of chicken breast, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes tossed with corkscrew pasta and a creamy sauce, and topped with parmesan cheese. Plus, you get a slice of garlic bread and, for dessert, a slice of pie for $9.99.

Chalet Basque

(200 Oak St.) Classic Basque flavors on a dime…we’ll, maybe a hundred dimes. The set-up is always a good choice here at Chalet Basque, but if you want a quick and tasty lunch for not a lot of scratch, try the Butter Garlic Chicken ($9.50).

A large chicken breast sautéed in a buttery garlic sauce (yum!) is your main attraction here, but it comes with a fresh, crisp salad and French fries.

Bob’s Big Boy

Brookside Deli

Cataldo’s

Hot & Smokin’ BBQ

Asia Market

(4700 Coffee Rd.) This place has so many choices at such great values, you might want to examine the menu beforehand so you don’t hold up the line. We kid, of course. For a tasty, inexpensive meal, order the Country Skillet. It’s a steal at $4.99, because it’s loaded with potatoes, eggs, cheese, onions, and your choice of meat (like sausage or bacon). And since you’ve only used $5, you can add in a half order of Biscuits & Gravy for $2.99 and keep your bill under $10.

(2231 R St.) Taco Salad is a Bakersfield favorite. Anywhere you go you can find one on the menu. But here at Hot & Smokin’ BBQ, this dish has an edge: the tender, well-seasoned meats at this joint are extraordinarily delicious and they elevate their Taco Salad ($8.58), a big fried tortilla shell filled with the meat of your choice (pit beef, chicken, or pork), shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, and green onions. (Pictured with a side of Cheesy Potatoes, $1.50.)

44 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

(13001 Stockdale Hwy.) With a menu chock full of pizzas, calzones, salads, pastas, and more, this place requires a big appetite. But you won’t have to bring a lot of dough (get it, dough?) when you dine. Order the Lasagna for just $7.50 and you’ll find yourself digging into an overflowing plate of layered lasagna noodles, a rich and savory meat sauce, spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, and topped with grated parmesan. If that wasn’t enough, it comes with a slice of crispy Garlic Bread.

(7701 White Ln.) We constantly hear rave reviews from readers who’ve tasted what Asia Market has to offer. Their prices are so reasonable, you can feed a family of four for less than $20. And you can definitely feed yourself for less than $10. Be sure to order the Shrimp Chow Mein at least once. It’s a total bargain at $3.50, because you get a large serving of noodles tossed in a light but flavorful teriyaki sauce, cabbage, carrots, and bamboo shoots, plus a sizeable handful of seasoned shrimp.

(1809 Potomac Ave.) There are a number of combination plates here for under $10, including traditional enchiladas, tostadas, and more. But one of the big favorites at this cozy restaurant is the Huevos Rancheros: seasoned scrambled eggs mixed with a slightly spicy chile salsa. The portions are great, but even so, save room for the side of crispy, fried potatoes and refried beans. And you get all that for only $9.75.

Wine Me Up

(3900 Coffee Rd.) Yes, this is a wine bar, but they’ve also got great appetizers and cheese platters to accompany their vast selection of wine. For a quick (flavorful) bite to eat, you can’t go wrong with the Garlic and Brie plate for just $6. You’re served up toasty

vory, try the Ginger stir-fry with your choice of chicken, beef, tofu, or veggie for just $9. The protein you select is sautéed with fresh ginger, mushrooms, bell peppers, green onions, carrots, zucchini, and onions in a light brown sauce.

You get a side of either jasmine or brown rice and also salad and spring rolls.

Little Italy

(8200 Stockdale Hwy., Ste. M-6) Soup might not seem like that hearty of a meal, but when it’s a bowl of Minestrone at Little Italy, you’ll find yourself full when you get to the bottom. This local favorite has been dishing out pastas and other Italian classics for years, but a mainstay is this soup.

It’s a savory medley of fresh vegetables, white beans, and pasta

Brookside Deli

Local dining choices are varied and abundant. Try something new with the family tonight!

garbanzo beans, herbs, and spices, fried in canola oil, served in pocket bread, and topped with Tahini sauce and salad. It comes with a heaping pile of freshly-cut French fries, too!

The Fusion

(1823 Chester Ave.) You might wonder why this place is called The Fusion…until you walk through the door. Your senses will be bombarded with the smell of traditional Thai, delicious sandwiches, and southern Louisiana favorites. But if you’re dining for the first time, you have to try the HHC—the Hawaiian Hammy and Cheese Waffle Sandwich—for just $7. Crispy waffles hold grilled ham, pineapple, onion, jalapeño, gruyere cheese, and spicy mustard. It’s a unique treat.

Joseph’s

slices of fresh baguette bread, warm slices of brie cheese, and roasted garlic cloves. It’s filling and complements many of the wines offered at tastings. Cheers!

Blue Elephant

Pita House

(1530 Norris Rd.) Locals go on and on about this place and there’s a good reason for that. The menu is loaded with amazing fare with a homecooked flair. And everything has a clever name and story behind it. If you’re in the mood for something that will leave you stuffed and satisfied, get your hands on Lacy’s Lavish Barnyard Sandwich, a yummy grilled chicken breast topped with ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, plus a deep fried onion ring. It’s all piled on grilled sourdough for just $8.25!

Obviously, there are tons of amazing items out there. If you want to suggest a dish for next year’s Cheap Eats, drop us a line at comments@ bakersfieldmagazine.net with “Cheap Eats” in the subject line. tM

Che a p

eals $10 Less

(3825 Ming Ave.) You’ve eaten falafel before, right?

It’s a great, low-fat, low-cal option for those searching for healthy, flavorful food. At Pita House, you’ve got plenty of options. One of those is the Falafel Sandwich ($9.95), a “vegetarian burger” made from

Cope’s Knotty Pine Café

or

(8200 Stockdale Hwy., Ste. M-1) With a variety of curries and other Thai dishes to choose from, you can get easily overwhelmed here.

If you want something light but sa-

cooked in a wonderfully seasoned vegetable stock for only $5.50.

(3013 F St.) It’s calzone time! Yes, Joseph’s is known for great pizzas and pastas, too, but there’s nothing like a fresh-from-the-oven calzone stuffed full of cheese and your favorite “toppings.” We recommend the Joseph’s Special for any and all palates. You’ll cut into that crisp, hand-tossed dough and discover loads of cheese, pepperoni, salami, olives, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Your mouth will be happy and so will your wallet, because this calzone is just $8.95.

Hot & Smokin’ BBQ

Gre a

La Colonia

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13

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 45

will be packed with tender chicken breast that’s been infused with rich garlic flavor and cooked to perfection. The dish comes with sides of rice, black beans, and some delectable fried plantains which round out the meal perfectly.

Sinaloa

Kan Pai

Kan Pai

(9500 Brimhall Rd.) Looking for something beyond traditional fare? Hit up Kan Pai for a variety of authentic Japanese cuisine.

We recommend trying the Black Cod Miso Yaki. It’s a lot of name for a lot of flavor for not a lot of price. The dish is comprised of tender black cod marinated in a flavorful miso broth

and served on a piece of butter lettuce with a lotus chip and a balsamic reduction. Not to mention, the cod comes with deep fried filo for just $8.

Lorene’s

(1531 23rd St.; 6401 Ming Ave.) If you’re like us, you like to indulge in breakfast for lunch or dinner on occasion. Make today that occasion and order up the Strawberry Waffle Combo for $8.99. You’ll get a crisp, golden waffle topped with fresh strawberries and a ring of sweet whipped cream.

If the waffle isn’t enough for you, the combo also comes with two eggs and your choice of bacon or sausage.

Cuban Café/Rincon Cubano

(1907 S Chester Ave.) Anyone for Cuban? If you haven’t discovered the authentic flavors at this relatively new restaurant, we think you should start with the Pollo al Ajillo for $7.99. Your plate

(910 20th St.) A Mexican favorite steeped in tons of local history, Sinaloa serves up tasty traditional dishes in a great atmosphere. If you want to load up without unloading your wallet, tell your server you want the Merchant’s Special ($9.95), a plate of food overflowing with Mexican favorites including a perfectly seasoned enchilada, a taco, rice, beans, plus French bread and butter. Olé!

House of Wings & Boba Drinks

(3541 Panama Ln., Ste. 140) We’ve never met a chicken wing

El Portal

Lorene’s Bargains & breakfast... sounds like an award-winning combination to us!

46 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

we didn’t like, and that is especially true at this casual joint.

And while the atmosphere might be relaxed, the flavors are not! If you fork over $8.99, you will be rewarded with a hefty pile (10, to be exact) of chicken wings, a side of fries, and a drink. And you can choose from a long list of sauces for those wings including honey mustard, BBQ, and teriyaki. And for the adventurous

palates out there, you can order them “spicy.”

Rocket Shop Café

(2000 S Union Ave.) While the atmosphere at Rocket Shop Caf é might exude a “sports bar/NASCAR” vibe, the food here is a cut above your average sports bar fare. If you’re looking for something besides a burger—something that will send your taste buds screaming over the finish line—feast on the Chicken Pot Pie. At just

Luigi’s

(725 E 19th St.) It seems silly to tell you to hit up this favorite lunch spot since it’s always packed, but we’re going to do it anyways. Plus, their prices are great. There are a number of Italian-style sandwiches (both hot and cold) that we love, but if you haven’t tried the Hot Pastrami Sandwich ($7.95), you’re missing out. Tender pastrami piled high on a soft Pyrenees sourdough roll.

Get it with a side of carrots and peppers for just $1.50 more.

Sinaloa

wire at $9.99. This gyro comes with layered beef and lamb seasoned with Greek spices wrapped up in a white or wheat pita and topped with tomatoes, onions, and tzatkiki. The gyro is served with green salad and your choice of rice pilaf or patates lemonates (Greek lemon potatoes).

El Portal

(6641 Ming Ave.; 1100 Calloway Dr., Ste. 300)

Cuban Café

If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you’ve probably been to one of El Portal’s two locations for lunch or dinner. But have you tried the Enchiladas del Mar? If not, what are you waiting for? Seasoned, perfectly grilled shrimp, mushrooms, and pico de gallo wrapped in a tortilla and topped with avocado might sound too good to be true (because it also comes with rice and beans), but it’s

Luigi’s

The Flame Broiler

(2501 White Ln., Ste. D) You don’t have to travel to the Far East to taste its flavors. At this eatery, you can select from two different menus because they offer both Chinese classics and Vietnamese specialties. If you happen to select a bowl of Pho Do Bien, a wonderfully seasoned seafood noodle soup loaded with shrimp, mussels, fish, and squid, you’ll be filling up without paying a lot.

After all, a large bowl is only $8.95.

Athena’s Greek Café

Across town or right next door, you just can’t miss with these sensational dining favorites.

Are we there yet?

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Che a p

eals $10 Less

(9612 Flushing Quail Rd.) Greek’s the name of the game here, with traditional favorites like souvlaki, spanakopita, and tiropita (feta cheese-filled pastry). But they’ve also got a great selection of gyros.

One of our favorites is the Chicago Style Gyro, which slides under the

or

(3505 Coffee Rd., Ste. B) This relatively new kid on the block is serving up healthy options for lunch and dinner. If you’re looking to fill up, we suggest ordering “The Works” bowl or plate ($5.89 for bowl and $7.49 for plate). The dish comes with your choice of white or brown rice, topped with tender veggies including broccoli and carrots, and sautéed chicken and Angus beef! If you’re really hungry, we suggest going for the plate size since it comes with fifty percent more meat, a side salad, and half an orange.

Far East Café

Gre a

$8.99, you’ll dine like a king on a freshly-baked flaky crust filled with roasted chicken and a creamy sauce loaded with mixed vegetables.

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13

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 47

Mi Peru

not. What’s also not too good to be true is the price: just $9.95.

Taco Pronto

(4800 White Ln.) If you want tacos and want them fast, here’s your cue. And everything is priced so reasonably, you’ll think about making it a weekly lunch spot. There are a number of options and so the best thing to go for is a combination plate, where you pick two items from their Ala Carte menu and get a side of rice, beans, and salsa for $9. The Suizas Enchilada and the Chile Relleno are delicious, and will leave you savoring their traditional Mexican flavors.

City Sandwich

(2697 Mount Vernon Ave.) In the mood for something light and healthy but packed with flavor? City Sandwich offers yummy, freshly prepared sandwiches for a variety of palates. Take a bit out of the Alfalfa Sprouts, Cheese, and Avocado Sandwich. A soft sandwich roll is stuffed full of sprouts, cheese, avocado, onions, cabbage, tomato, and olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Add chips and a small drink and it comes to $7.40 (you can even ask for it hot for just 20 more cents).

cheap. At Chat ‘N’ Chew, you’ll find amazing southern favorites like grits, collard greens, black eyed peas, and chicken and waffles.

But everything is cooked with lots of flavor and lots of love. We think you should sample the Chicken Fried Steak, prepared in a light, crispy batter. At a cost of $9.95, the entrée comes with your choice of two sides, including corn, mac and cheese, or even fried okra.

Coconut Joe’s

(4158 California Ave.) Pineapples, coconuts, and other sweet Island flavors abound here.

While the entrées are all worthy of your taste buds and your dollar bills, we think you should scan down to the soup category and order up a steaming hot bowl of Mr. Ray’s Clam Chowder! You get a hefty portion of thick, spicy, real clam chowder served in a fresh-baked bread bowl, plus a crispy green side salad for just $7.99 .

Mi Peru

(731 California Ave.) This is a great place to fill up for not a lot of cash. The spices used in their creations are out of this world and the portions are sizeable. If you lay

Chat ‘N’ Chew

(5141 Ming Ave.) Southern fried goodness on the

The Village

48 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

down $8.25, you can gorge on the Lomo Saltado: seasoned steak strips sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and yes, even French fries. It’s a unique addition but just wait until you taste it. The entrée is served with a side of steamed rice, too.

Saigon

(3113 Chester Ln.) Vietnamese cooking is full of amazing spices and seasonings—

and we’re talkin’ all their dishes. So when you step inside this eatery, you’ll have a lot of options for lunch or dinner. We’re here to help, of course, so we suggest you try the Special Beef Noodle Combination (a small is just $6.89 and large is $7.89). The bowl of broth is loaded with rice noodles and sliced beef, tripe, and tendon and comes with fresh basil, bean sprouts, chilies, and limes or lemons.

The Village Sports Bar and Grill

(4837 Panama Ln.) Fresh, flavorful choices line the menu here. While they have typical bar and grill type food, like burgers and sandwiches, you should really taste the Chicken Wrap (just $8.95). Served in a large flour tortilla, it’s seasoned grilled strips of chicken, slices of avocado, tomato, romaine lettuce, cheese, crispy tortilla strips, and chipotle ranch dressing. The wrap comes with your choice of side: salad, onion rings, homestyle fries, or homestyle potato chips.

(4701 White Ln., Ste. E) Billed as the only Persian food in Bakersfield, Kabob House will have you experiencing spices and flavors from distant lands. And the savory smells from the food will have you ready to order one of everything on the menu. Before you get too excited, try the Cornish

Salty’s BBQ

(9425 Rosedale Hwy.) We’ve only got two words for you: The Pig. It’s a sandwich for the pork lover in all of us and even though every item offered up by Salty’s is so choice, we think this sandwich should have a spotlight on it. Tender,

Istock/Vanda Grigorovic/thinkstock

Kabob House

dining for two $ 35 or less Yes, a night out on the town with a loved one is just what the doctor ordered.

You know what’s not what the doctor ordered? A crazy-high bill landing on your table after a shared dessert. No one wants that, least of all us. So we wanted to add a wrinkle to this year’s Cheap Eats and tell you about amazing local restaurants where you can dine for two for $35 or less, because sometimes the most satisfying meal is the one you don’t prepare yourself!

Brimstone at the Padre

Saigon

Sequoia Sandwiches

Spencer’s

(7800 McNair Ln.) Ten bucks will get you a lot of food at Spencer’s; hearty breakfasts and filling lunches to sate any appetite. At $8.99, the Steak Skillet is one of those items. It comes with a heap of country potatoes mixed with peppers and onions served in a skillet and topped with cheddar and jack cheese and, wait for it, layered with cuts of grilled sirloin and sautéed mushrooms! Plus, you get a side of garlic toast, too!

Brimstone at the Padre (1702 18th St.) If you’re looking to enjoy an early dinner or very late lunch in an energetic and classy setting, head down to Brimstone. The menu is bursting with burgers, sandwiches, and other great options for a dinner for two, but we think you should travel off the beaten path and order the Meat & Cheese Board ($13) which includes assorted cured meats and a variety of cheeses in addition to pickles, mustard, pickled shallots, and crisp toast. As a second choice, why not indulge in the Steamed Maor two... $3 nila Clams for just $12. The clams rf are served in a spicy tomatofennel broth with garlic-herb butter and a side of Che a p E at s 20 grilled baguette bread.

13 r less 5o

(Multiple locations) Here’s another place with an extensive menu. But we think most people will really enjoy the Southwestern Chicken Sandwich for only $6.95. It’s a soft onion roll filled with marinated, charbroiled chicken breast, pepperjack cheese, honey mustard sauce, red onion, lettuce, and tomato.

Add a Broccoli and Raisin Salad (chopped broccoli florets in a tangy dressing with golden raisins, red onions, and slivered almonds) for just $1.25 and you’ll still ring up for less than $10.

seasoned pork is topped with creamy coleslaw on a fresh Pyrenees roll for $8. And the meal includes one side (pick from potato salad, green beans, chili beans, or even rice pilaf).

dinn e

Hen Kabob ($8.50) a marinated half Cornish hen cooked over an open flame and served with flavorful rice and salad.

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h

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 49

RJ’s

Hungry Hunter

(3580 Rosedale Hwy.) Two steak dinners for $35.99?

You betcha. Hungry Hunter is a prime spot for a relaxing dinner for your duo, and speaking of prime, one of the entrée options happens to be a half-pound prime rib! But the other options are just as impressive for the price. Swordfish, salmon, a New York steak, or even a full rack of baby back ribs!

On top of your entrée, you get a salad, bread, and two sides from a long list of tasty choices (like garlic red skin mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and crispy onion-battered green beans). To top it off—you can share a slice of decadent mud pie.

of this world Braised Wild Boar Pasta. Savor this hefty portion of tender handkerchief pasta with wild boar Bolognese sauce and fluffed parmesan that’s just $17.

Where else are you going to find wild boar in Bakersfield?

Frugatti’s

(600 Coffee Rd.) We are aware that you’re not always in the mood to gorge yourself; there are times when a few bites and a glass of wine will suffice. But just because you want to eat small doesn’t mean you should eat just anywhere. Not when Frugatti’s is firing up a savory Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Pizza in their wood burning oven.

The Nines at the Bakersfield Marriott

(9440 Hageman Rd.) Blackened Chicken Tortellini, anyone? RJ’s does it right! Tender blackened chicken, seasoned wonderfully, and pasta—this is an item many of the servers recommend, not only for the flavors but for the price (just $16.99 for a sizeable portion). The menu is full of choices, but your fellow diner might choose to enjoy the Chicken Cordon Bleu (at $13.99), which is a juicy chicken breast wrapped around a slice of ham and melty cheese, baked to perfection…and it comes with a seasoned vegetable medley and a choice of pilaf or rosemary red potatoes!

Steak & Grape

(4420 Coffee Rd.) Known for tender, flavorful steaks and a variety of traditional and unique options alike, Steak & Grape is a great spot for a night out. We recommend at least one of you orders the Chicken Florentine—a 9-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast topped with spinach, garlic, shallots, and whipped cream cheese—which comes with your choice of wild rice pilaf, French fries, baked potato, or even basil tomato pasta for only $16.95. Then there’s the überyummy Bolognese: a delicious basil tomato sauce with sautéed beef and mushrooms ($13.95).

The Nines at the Bakersfield Marriott

Wiki’s Wine Dive & Grill

(11350 Ming Ave, #260) A new, casual dining experience, this is a wonderful place for a refreshing dinner for two. You should definitely try their Chicken Alexander (a delicious plate of grilled chicken breast topped with corn salsa and pepperjack cheese served with fried plantains!) for only $15. Then there’s the out

Sink your teeth into a crispy crust topped with diced chicken, sun dried tomatoes, green onions, mozzarella cheese, and a roasted red pepper pesto sauce that is truly amore. The two of you can eat off this for $18.99. Plus, you just have to try their new Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake for only $6.79. It’s rich, creamy, and the perfect level of sweetness to top off your meal.

50 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

(801 Truxtun Ave.) Elegant and relaxing, The Nines serves up heavenly entrées with flair and flavor. Their seared salmon is tremendous but we think a great dinner combo would be the Skirt Steak Dip, served with grilled Portobello mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and a French jus dipping sauce (not to mention crispy fries) that clocks in at $13; and then the Cioppino, a spicy tomato broth loaded with shrimp, calamari, white fish, and scallops for just

$19. You and your date can fight over which one you get to enjoy.

KC Steakhouse

(2515 F St.) The early bird gets the worm at this longstanding restaurant! Their Early Bird Special is an amazing deal for diners who visit before 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For only $13.50 a person, you and your guest have a choice of homestyle pot roast with a delectable pan gravy, a 6-ounce filet, or even tender baby beef liver served with caramelized onions. Plus, each entrée comes with soup, salad, your choice of potato, or rice with fresh veggies. It’s a deal that will really get you dancin’…which is perfect considering KC’s rockin’ dance floor and live music.

Uricchio’s

(1400 17th St.) Classic, home-cooked Italian is what you get here. With a casual but soothing atmosphere and convenient downtown location, Uricchio’s is a great choice. Don’t fill up on the bread and butter on your table, though, because we recommend the Chicken and Sausage alla Nick! For $15.95, you get perfectly seasoned sausage and chicken with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, all sautéed in a flavorful brown sauce. Another gem on this menu is the Seafood Caesar Salad, which comes with tender shrimp and seared bay scallops on top of a bed of crisp romaine hearts, crunchy croutons, parmesan cheese, with a light but savory Caesar dressing for just $14.95.

Café Med (4809 Stockdale Hwy.) The menu at this Mediterranean favorite is expansive, so there’s a lot to consider when dining here.

However, we feel we have selected some entrées that will fill you up without setting you back too much. Café Med’s Meatloaf is su-

perb, made of seasoned ground beef, tender mushrooms, caramelized onions, and topped with a sweet and tangy ketchup-brown sugar glaze. It’s only $17.95. For a second option, you’ve just got to order the Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad (a heaping pile of crispy mixed greens covered in a strawberry vinaigrette, fresh strawberry slices, candied pecans, and gorgonzola cheese) for just $14.95.

TL Maxwell’s

The Mark

(1623 19th St.) A cozy, romantic dinner for two is what you’ll find at this downtown hotspot—as well as rich flavors in all their dinner options.

For an elegant twist on a classic dish, you just have to order the Chicken Pot Pie. For $16.95, you’ll be able to savor tender, perfectly seasoned chicken breast and roasted vegetables in a sherry herb cream sauce that’s been topped with a flaky layer of puff pastry crust. Or you could order the tempting Porcini Ravioli, stuffed with mushrooms, asparagus, and artichokes in a sundried tomato cream sauce v for the same price.

r two... $35 fo

less or

dinne r

(1421 17th Pl.) This longstanding local favorite has been serving up rich, tasty dishes for years. If you decide to join them with a guest, there are a few things that we’d recommend if you want to keep your tab under $35. A crisp Caesar Salad with Shrimp ($15.95) is just the ticket for the diner looking for something lighter. The dressing is seasoned to Caesar’s standards himself and, along with the parmesan cheese, the

shrimp adds more depth to this entrée. Then there’s the spicy Thai Pasta for $18.95. You get a heaping plate of linguini tossed with fresh sautéed veggies and a sauce encapsulating the best Thai spices.

Cheap E ats 2013 hhh

Uricchio’s

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 51

52 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

...a closer look To create an excellent healthcare environment, all it takes is a dedicated community of medical professionals and people advocating for their own well-being. Thankfully for us here in Kern County, we’ve already got state-of-the-art facilities, highly trained physicians and nurses, and cutting edge treatments.

With our annual KernHealth section, we’re bringing you important updates from local hospitals and cancer centers, as well as stories that encourage you to take a good look at your own health. That way you can be informed about not only your own well-being, but the community’s, too.

Presented By

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 53

2013 KERNHEALTH presenter

Serving the

Bakersfield Community

istock/kzenon/thinkstock

for over 33 years

When you hear the phrase “health reform,” what do you think of? If you’re like most people, campaigning politicians, 800-page documents, and talk show roundtables filled with sensational jargon might immediately come to mind. But here at San Joaquin Community Hospital, health reform isn’t a new or complicated concept. Nearly 150 years ago, the first hospital operated by the Seventhday Adventist Church opened in Battle Creek, Mich. The early Adventist pioneers had a vision to radically change the way people thought about health care. For people like John Harvey Kellogg, health reform was centered on revolutionary concepts like eating healthy, getting plenty of exercise, and being part of a faith community.

Today, San Joaquin Community Hospital is proud to

Specializing in: • Artificial Limbs • • Orthopedic Braces • • Diabetic Shoes and Inserts • • Mastectomy Products • • Cranial Remolding Helmets •

(661)323-5944 2624 F Street • Bakersfield, CA

AchillesPO.com

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54 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

continue carrying on the mission of Adventist Health by inspiring our community to live healthier by getting back to the basics. Fortunately, if you or a loved one does get sick, Kern County is home to a wide variety of specialists, hospitals, and care facilities that will provide top-notch care for your family.

San Joaquin Community Hospital is proud to bring you this year’s edition of Bakersfield Magazine’s KernHealth.

We invite you to take a few minutes to get caught up on the changes and developments affecting the local health care scene. But remember: real reform starts with you.

(front L-R)

Gabriele Martin, Patricia Marquez, & Danay Jones (back L-R)

Photo by Robert Perez

Biviana Salas, Nadia Mendoza, Eddie Nevarez, Maria Rubio, Sydney Romero, & Rubi Garcia

Homegrown Healthcare Rarely has there been a time when nurses and medical support staff haven’t been needed. But with an aging baby boomer population and a growing population in general, Kern County is feeling the pinch.

Thankfully, the excellent nursing programs offered through CSUB and BC encourage many students to venture into the medical field so that future generations of Bakersfieldians are cared for. Of course, it’s not always a matter of quantity, but quality.

“The Alliance of Medical Professionals [AMP] was our plan to develop the local workforce for the medical field and ‘grow our own’ future professionals,” explained Patricia Marquez, program manager and foundation liaison for the Kern Economic Development Corporation’s Foundation (Kern Economic Development Foundation ). While the Kern EDC has spent the last two decades promoting Kern County’s economic potential to big-name companies, it’s also tried to make sure that our county puts its best foot forward in all aspects of business. And the medical field just happens to be one of those areas.

“We heard time and time again that many potential hires and new employees lacked the soft skills needed to be the best employee they could,” Marquez continued. “From the lack of punctuality to the casual dress to the work-inappropriate social media posts, the new hires were struggling to put their best profes-

sional foot forward. We especially heard about these challenges from the healthcare field. In addition, the healthcare industry often spoke about the fact that it was difficult to recruit medical professionals from out of town and out of state.”

And since the Kern EDC and its Foundation was already in the market of mentoring, the decision was made last year to include a program for mentoring students interested in the medical field. Naturally, the response has been great and the program has grown in its second year.

The goal is to not only encourage students already interested in medicine, but to ensure that they come out with a professional attitude and work ethic and, just as importantly, want to stay in Kern County.

Currently, the program consists of students from East Bakersfield High School’s Health Careers Academy. As of now, there are 55 junior students with 16 junior mentors and 62 sophomore students with 22 sophomore mentors.

“The mentors represent private industry, public organizations, non-profits, educators, doctors, nurses, members of administration, and more,” Marquez added. “It was important to us that the students see their mentors as proof that there are a broad range of careers in the healthcare field, and that these people care about them and want to help them join the industry.”

Mentors are then paired with their students (at a ratio of about one mentor to every three students) >>

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 55

Homegrown Healthcare

Photo by Robert Perez

Danay Jones discusses college and finances with Sydney Romero.

“Kern County is an underserved area of California as far as healthcare is concerned, and I think it’s important to encourage students who are already interested in this field to continue their education and stay in our community.” —Gabriele Martin it can be very encouraging for kids who sometimes don’t feel like studying.

“I talk with them about their studies and make sure they are in appropriate classes. We focus on the courses they need to take to get into the college of their choice,” Martin said. “I hope this program will continue to attract the type of people who want to play positive roles in the healthcare work force in Kern County.”

Danay Jones, marketing and communication coordinator for San Joaquin Community Hospital, feels the same way in her experience as a mentor.

Photo by Robert Perez

and meet with him throughout their final three years of high school, even beyond.

And the schedule doesn’t need to be that rigorous to get a positive effect. Meetings are once a month for about an hour.

As Marquez detailed, the AMP uses a specific curriculum that the Kern Economic Development Foundation developed with local businesses in mind.

“It [the curriculum] focuses on helping the students become successful academically, professionally, and as a well-balanced individual,” she added.

“Most importantly, mentors encourage the kids to choose professions within Kern County in hopes of serving our healthcare needs. Since Kern County is both a Medically-Underserved Area and a Healthcare Professionals Shortage Area [according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services], these kids could really fulfill a need for higher quality—and a higher quantity of—healthcare. While we recognize that not all of their medical education needs can necessarily be met locally, we want them to know that they have advocates in Kern and that there are great opportunities should they leave for school and return looking for a job.”

The program is certainly a benefit to the students themselves, but a wonderful added bonus is that the mentors are essentially preparing future employees for their organizations.

“And they are growing the pool of qualified medical professionals who will one day provide healthcare to Kern County,” Marquez said.

Of course, the work is also personally fulfilling.

“I want to instill in these students the importance of making high school count,” added Gabriele Martin, an AMP mentor and professor of nursing at BC. “Kern County is an underserved area of California as far as healthcare is concerned, and I think it’s important to encourage students who are already interested in this field to continue their education and stay in our community.”

Martin’s experience has been very positive and she chalks a lot of that up to the fact that the students really respond to the mentors recounting their own experiences and backgrounds. Knowing that someone else out there has been through

KERN HEALTH

Patricia Marquez, KEDC Foundation program manager.

56 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

“Our monthly meetings include lively discussion about college, finances, and sometimes just the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. I truly love being involved as a mentor. Being an additional support system—or in some cases, their only support system—for my group of students is important to me.”

According to Jones, “there are so many opportunities for young people in the medical profession. These opportunities are not only on the clinical side of healthcare. There are careers in social work, nutrition/dietitians, engineering, accounting, and marketing.”

And because of that, the program has so much potential. “The AMP program will not only provide our community with students who strive to become successful college graduates but who will then return to our community as business professionals and give back and continue to help us grow in a positive direction.”

For Marquez, it’s really the efforts of the volunteers that have made this fairly new program such a success right from the get-go.

“It’s only our second year and already the mentors are beginning to go above and beyond the call, adding value to this program, to the kids’ life experiences, and to our entire medical community.”

There’s no way to know what life might hand you. This is especially true when

photo by ashly layne photography

it comes to medical issues. One moment you or a loved one could be in fine health, and then something completely unexpected may occur to turn your life around. All over the world, those who are afflicted with extreme medical conditions have discovered a new way of handling the difficult journey that has been handed to them by utilizing the internet as a form of outreach.

Through websites, blogs, and social media, scores of people who feel that their lives have been

A few days after he was born, Brayden Eidenshink stopped eating and began turning blue.

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Electronic Lifelines

tock

All over the world, those who are afflicted with extreme medical conditions have discovered a new way of handling the difficult journey that has been handed to them by utilizing the internet as a form of outreach.

turned upside down have found different venues for coping with the stress and difficulty that comes with their ailments. Whether it is for fundraising to help find a cure or just to get to speak to someone who understands where they’re coming from, the internet is becoming an extremely useful tool for those who need to connect with others for important reasons. Amongst others, there are three

families in Bakersfield whose children have been afflicted with such life-altering conditions, and through the internet, they have found a way of making a very hard situation that much more bearable.

A few days after he was born, Brayden Eidenshink stopped eating and began turning blue. Tests were run, and they showed that he would need heart surgery, as his aorta was not opening fully, and it was restricting his blood flow. Just before his second birthday, his parents were informed that he would need yet another surgery—a Ross Procedure—which was performed a few months later. Though the surgery was successful, it was a day that forever changed the family.

A surgery that should have taken three hours, at the most, turned into a five-hour procedure. When he was taken off of the bypass machine, his lungs simply couldn’t handle the way his heart was performing. They lost Brayden for eight minutes, and the three-year-old was placed on life support. He was losing 7,000 cc of blood over the course of a 20 hour period and had to be taken off of life support and rushed to the OR. After an hour had passed, they lost Brayden once more. The family started a blood drive, as he had drained the blood bank, and family, friends, and strangers donated blood to help keep the child alive. Another surgery was able to keep him off of life support, but for weeks, Brayden couldn’t even so much as move his fingers. He has been diagnosed with heart and lung disease and is currently waiting for a heart transplant, but the five-year-old has come a long way since his turbulent beginning.

“When he had his first open heart surgery, we had tons of family members and friends wanting to know the details, and texting had started to become a pain,” Brayden’s mother, Brenda Eidenshink, said. “We would either forget to include someone, or some people wouldn’t receive the messages. That is when someone suggested that we join Facebook. At the time, we >>

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 57

Electronic Lifelines

At just two years old, Carter David Stiles was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (or EoE). He was breastfed through his infancy, but when he started

Thanks to the internet, Carter’s Walk 4 CURED has gained much attention and support.

to consume table foods, he began vomiting upwards of 15 times a day. After being misdiagnosed with asthma and acid reflux, Carter still wasn’t responding to treatment. A bronchoscopy revealed that he had polyps on his vocal cords, and his esophagus was swollen shut. When a special diet failed to stop the issues he was having—and he started to vomit blood—doctors put him on an aminoacid based formula via Gtube, which is a feeding tube that goes into his stomach.

The brave four-year-old currently lives without eating any food, whatsoever.

Carter’s mother, Brandy Stiles, took to the internet for a number of reasons, but the main one was simply for support and solace. “I created a Facebook page for my son, Carter’s Walk 4 CURED,” she began (she also runs a website under the same name). “There are also different groups on Facebook that I joined, and I’m able to talk privately and openly about his condition. As opposed to a status update, you can vent about being upset with doctors or when your child is so sick that you just feel like throwing in the towel. These groups have been extremely helpful for those who have children with a chronic illness.”

Facebook has brought more than just new avenues to help get her family through the hardships. After organizing her own walk to help raise awareness as well as funds for research in hopes of a cure, Stiles started to get the word out— and word spread fast and far. “I was able to reach people I wouldn’t have been

58 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

photo by Laurel revok photography

Carter David Stiles photo by ashly layne photography

were just on Myspace, but I figured it was worth a shot. I started my own personal page to keep my loved ones in the loop. We eventually decided to start a page for him, Brayden’s Brave Heart, just for the prayers, because we were told his prognosis wasn’t good. It started with just fifty people, and now we have over twelve hundred family, friends, and strangers praying for him.”

Drawing her support from home, Eidenshink relayed that she doesn’t participate in support groups online, but uses the internet more to see other people going through what she has and it reassures her that she isn’t alone. Some connections have been motivating, such as hearing stories about children who have recovered well from heart surgeries, while others are more sobering. “I met a woman who lost her daughter to a similar disease, and that’s just the reality of it. Dealing with death and grieving is a huge part of what we’re faced with, and at least, this way, I know that I’m not the only one who faces such possibilities.”

She also uses CarePages, which is another free site for those dealing with medical conditions. This is a much more personal site, and you have to have a passcode to be able to view the pages.

“I feel this is much safer than Facebook because you get to view who logs in, so you know exactly who is seeing the information that you post.” Eidenshink expressed that some things on Facebook have made her a little wary, because she has no way of knowing who may be seeing what she posts, but that it has been helpful overall.

Regardless, the family stays strong and uses humor to make the hard times easier. “A lot of people don’t know this, but Viagra was originally made to help with heart conditions, so Brayden is currently on that as one of his prescriptions.

It is a bit of a running joke on our page.

People have been able to laugh with us about that one! Overall, it has been a wonderful tool, and Brayden has a very strong support group.”

able to reach in terms of raising money, because I can set up an event and invite everyone, and they can also invite others. Last year, we had five hundred people show up to the walk. In the three years we’ve done this, we have raised over seventy-five thousand dollars, and every year it gets bigger and bigger.”

Stiles has also used CaringBridge, which is a nonprofit that provides free websites to those who are going through such a medical struggle. Functioning much like a blog, family and friends are able to view her updates regarding Carter. “I am able to send out links to people who are close to me so that they can be posted on the details of his condition,” she said. “It helps, but I don’t know what I would do without the Facebook support groups, especially for the bad days or for when I need advice for certain situations. I can reach out to people and get almost instant feedback.”

Just last year, Kylee Cross underwent hip surgery, and while she was laid up, the now 13-year-old experienced a growth spurt. This was to be expected, but what wasn’t expected was her spine growing in at a 45 degree angle. “She kept talking about her back hurting, and we figured it was just due to her healing,” her mother, Nikki, recalled. “But then, she kept complaining about how her clothes wouldn’t fit her. I started to notice that she was slouching, and I figured it was just due to how she was sitting. One day we were shopping for new bras and I had gone into the dressing room to help her figure out why things weren’t fitting. That is when I noticed a significant difference between the levels

KERN HEALTH

photo courtesy of Nikki cross

Before and after Kylee’s back surgery.

Kylee Cross

met a girl her age who went through the same ordeal she had just months prior to her surgery, and now the two are good friends and will be attending the same high school. “She helped prepare me for my surgery so much,” Kylee recollected.

“She was able to tell me everything I needed to hear [to face it].”

Fortunately, Kylee is doing remarkably well, and just six months after her surgery, she is taking care of her 50+ animals and is back on the swim team. She is even taking great strides to help raise awareness, herself. “I am in the works of creating my own nonprofit called Scoliosis Strong,” Kylee said. “I have already held a few blood drives at Houchin Blood Bank to help raise awareness.”

Her nonprofit will serve as a support group for other young women who are dealing with scoliosis. She plans on meeting once a month and engaging in fun activities—such as a meeting at Color Me Mine—where the girls can talk about their condition and help one another. They will also make care packages for those who are undergoing surgery, photo courtesy of Nikki cross

of her shoulders. We got in to see her doctor and, after an x-ray that was performed on New Years Eve, we received the diagnosis of scoliosis. As it turned out, she didn’t have the muscular support to help her spine grow normally.”

Kylee needed spinal fusion surgery, so the family turned to Cedards-Sinai and Dr. Robert M. Bernstein for treatment, and her surgery was a success. It was also during this period of time when both mother and daughter turned to the internet—and Facebook, in particular— in order to find support. “I felt different when I was diagnosed,” Kylee revealed.

“I felt alone. I didn’t know of anyone who had scoliosis and there wasn’t any type of support group in town.”

Fortunately, some searches on Facebook got the family connected with different online support communities. “I found one called Curvy Girls,” Nikki said. “Their main focus is on support for young girls with scoliosis.” They decided to form their own private group on Facebook for people they knew who wanted to keep up with what Kylee was going through. They named it Kylee’s Scoliosis Journey, and they have members from as far away as Australia who check in to see how the young lady is fairing. She even

which they will deliver to hospitals.

“I don’t want anyone to feel the way that I felt when I went through everything: like they’re alone,” Kylee said.

While the old adage to “expect the unexpected” can help prepare you for a lot in life, sometimes situations arise that you just can’t be fully ready to take on, and there are times where you may feel lost at sea. It’s good to bear in mind that, no matter how bleak things may seem, life may also throw you a life preserver.

These days, we truly are fortunate to have connections to people all around the globe at our fingertips, and an understanding soul who is just a few mouse clicks away.

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60 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Whether it’s with the common cold, a sports injury, or a more drastic and possibly life-long illness, we all know what it feels like to be sick. Including doctors.

istock/maridav/thin kstock

When Docs Get Sick

By Travis Anglim

Lawyers, construction workers, farmers, administrative assistants— everyone has dealt with one form of sickness or another.

While everyday people go to the doctor to find out if something is seriously wrong with them or if it’s just a minor bug that they need to wait out, it’s a bit of a mystery what process doctors follow for themselves.

Do they deal with the sickness on their own? Do they get a second and more objective perspective by going to their usual physician? Do they follow personal advice and prescribe their own medicines to take throughout the illness?

It turns out that doctors around the Bakersfield community choose different ways of healing and getting better, but they all share unified consensus.

Early in the morning on any given Sunday, Dr. Jorge E. Montes can be found in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hospital. Dr. Montes has been practicing pediatric medicine for a number of years and knows firsthand the importance of heading to the doctor immediately when dealing with an injury or illness. Sometime after obtaining his medical degree and starting his own family, Dr. Montes went

out for a mountain biking trip, one of his enjoyed hobbies, which resulted in an accident that injured his left shoulder. Having more than a minimal understanding of medical procedure, Dr. Montes decided to follow his own advice for recovery from that incident. “I took pain relievers, used ice packs, and decided to wait it out, letting the pain dissipate on its own,” he explained. However, two weeks after the injury, the pain had still not receded and was in fact getting worse due to constantly carrying his infant child around in a shoulder-strap device. Like any regular person realizing that their pain is only getting worse, Dr. Montes decided to set his self-care aside and go see another doctor.

It turned out that some portions of his shoulder had actually been damaged beyond the level of minor bruises and surface scratching and would require surgery to attempt to repair all of the underlying impairments. After some discussions with his physician, Dr. Montes went into surgery to get the damaged portions of his shoulder repaired, only to find out afterward that while much of it was put back in proper place, his left arm bicep was irreparably damaged and remains unhealed to this day.

Admitting that he had not acted the part of a good patient, he stated, “I didn’t go to the doctor immediately, and I regret that, because my shoulder >>

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 61

photo by robert perez

When Docs Get Sick

Dr. Jorge E. Montes

“I didn’t go to the doctor immediately, and I regret that, because my shoulder is still injured because of it.”

discomfort in his heart and decided to go to another doctor immediately upon discovering that it was heart arrhythmia. Dr. Montes said his brother acted the role of a model patient: rather than applying self-care, he went to a separate physician, had his heart checked, and proceeded to undergo surgery for a dangerous excess space in his heart. His brother is now healthy, but Dr. Montes used his story compared to that of his brother’s to show that, even as a trained medical doctor, everyone should always see another physician for their personal care and checkup for an objective opinion.

Dr. Rocky Chavez, a physician at the Sendas Northwest Urgent Care centers, agreed that patients, even doctors, should get in to see a physician as soon as possible for unusual symptoms. In the case of normal flu and cold symptoms, however, Dr. Chavez advised the usual treatment: lots of fluids and rest. Relating a time he had with the flu a little over two years ago, he explained, “I had a lot of body fatigue and a sore throat, so I made sure to stay hydrated and rest, then I went back to work when it was over.” Waiting it out, he suggested, is sometimes all a person can do. While he advised what is sensible to most people, he did mention “Tamiflu,” a prescription flu medicine, which he added, “if taken in the first forty-eight

hours, won’t remove the symptoms, but it will greatly reduce the severity of them.” For recovery, he simply followed his own medical training and waited for the symptoms to subside.

Noting that his recovery time was only a couple days, Dr. Chavez said that, “anyone who has symptoms for longer than a week needs to go to the doctor immediately,” as the flu doesn’t typically last so long, and the duration could be indicative of something worse.

Dr. Fernando Fan at the Kaiser East Hills clinic shared this sentiment of calling on another doctor’s objective opinion as soon as possible. Some time ago, Dr. Fan experienced an extreme and ongoing shortness of breath and other symptoms that he thought were signs of a heart attack, despite the fact that he is relatively young for such an ordeal. After attempting a flight of stairs one day, he found himself completely out of breath and unable to complete the journey. Calling a personal contact to take him to the doctor immediately, he said, “the other doctors initially told me it was pneumonia, though they chose to run a test for Valley Fever as well.” While the first test’s result was negative, a second test taken a few days later revealed the truth of Dr. Fan’s symptoms: he did indeed have Valley Fever.

Despite having his own thoughts on what treatment and care he should

—Dr. Jorge Montes is still injured because of it.” As a patient in recovery, Dr. Montes claimed he did a much better job, proudly remarking, “I had my arm in a sling for two weeks, didn’t use it at all, and did the physical therapy religiously for six weeks!” And then the “doctor” portion of his brain started kicking in a bit, as he started doing the therapy for it at home, rather than with the therapist.

Overall, Dr. Montes said that taking his own advice and applying self-care, even for a mere two weeks, made the difference in his situation. He openly shared an account of his brother, yet another doctor in the family. Drinking coffee one day, his brother felt an unusual

62 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Dr. Rocky Chavez

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receive, Dr. Fan acted the role of a good patient during his time under external doctoral care. He explained that, after diagnosis, “I stayed on top of taking the medicine, and prepared for the likely onset of weight loss by eating a lot more food, especially protein, and taking multi-vitamins.” Dr. Fan was not required to stay in the hospital for any length of time and therefore decided to continue working. Looking

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Dr. Fernando Fan back on it, though, he thinks that was probably not the best idea, claiming, “I tried going back to work, but couldn’t really do it—I had to take some days off, and I felt terrible about canceling appointments with my patients.”

Dedicated yet ill, the doctor ended up having to take three weeks off to rest and recover. Taking his own advice, as well as that supplied by other professionals, Dr. Fan said, “I knew I should rest, but didn’t do quite as much of that as should have been done.” But by staying ahead of game through his extra food intake and numerous vitamin supplements, Dr. Fan is doing much better today.

Knowing well the many facets of being ill, his personal recommendation remains unchanged: a patient, medically trained or not, should always go to his or her doctor at the first sign of issue. “And,” he said, “be sure to ask questions. Even though we’re doctors, we don’t think of everything, so if a patient has a concern not addressed at first, bring it up sometime during the visit.” www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 63

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PHOTO COURTESY SAN JOAQUIN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

The medical world is constantly changing, and that is especially true here in Kern County as our facilities grow and expand their programs.

San Joaquin Community Hospital

Hospitals:

What’s New?

imaging equipment and will be right next to the AIS Center. This will help to better serve women who are getting mammograms or other diagnostic tests to check for cancers while remaining close to the hospital. However, it can be said that the biggest change will be the addition of their new president and CEO, Doug Duffield, who has come all the way from Florida to help introduce his vision of how to better serve our community. As president and CEO at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills in North Tampa, Duffield drastically raised the consumer and physicians satisfaction scores and reduced expenses every year while raising the overall quality of patient care and safety. He’s brought that tenacity with him to support the physicians and staff at SJCH as they continue to grow and expand access to care for all residents in Kern County.

The medical world is constantly changing, and that is especially true here in Kern County as our facilities grow and expand their programs. But with new technology, advanced treatment options, and a bevy of skilled physicians coming to our area every year, it’s sometimes hard to keep all that information straight. That’s why we’re once again including an annual Hospital Update so that you’re as informed as you can be when it comes to the services offered at each of our Bakersfield hospitals. And as you can see, we’ve had another amazing year of advances.

n Bakersfield Memorial Hospital n Vice President of Strategy & Business Development Gary Frazier revealed that many exciting changes have occurred recently at Memorial. “Dignity Health teamed >> PHOTO COURTESY BAKERSFIELD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

n San Joaquin Community Hospital n Jimmy Phillips, director of marketing for SJCH, reported that this past year, the hospital has been able to bring some significant increase in the level of care to local residents. “The biggest thing has been the opening of the AIS Cancer Center, which opened its doors in May of this year,” he said. Located across the street from the hospital, it boasts 60,000 sq. ft. and has medical and radial oncology available. It also contains a floor dedicated to outpatient surgery, so patients don’t have to worry about going through the hospital to receive these services. (For more, please see the Cancer Update in this issue.)

“We just opened up a clinic lab, which serves as a hub for all the labs within the hospital for inpatient care as well as draw centers located throughout the community,” he said.

“This is the first lab with such a high level of automation, as it tracks everything through a computer system and delivers results electronically to several locations in our area.” What does this mean for patients? A more streamlined experience when it comes to getting important lab work done, along with a huge increase in accessibility to records and results.

In the near future, SJCH will finish building the structure for Quest 2, which will feature the latest in diagnostic

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 65

What’s New?

up with Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center to help add to their already successful cancer programs, including pediatric oncology specialists. We are hoping to broaden the scope of cancer care in our community.” (More on this in our Cancer Update.) He said that they have experienced another new partnership with Kern Valley Healthcare District, and they serve as the hub between them and Mercy Hospital in Sacramento for their stroke patients.

There was also a ribbon cutting ceremony for their Sarvanand Heart & Stroke Center, which contains a Bi-plane Interventional Radiology Suite. The Center includes a Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which performs more than 40,000 procedures per year, a cardiac rehabilitation department, a Nationally Certified Stroke Center, a cardiac rehabilitation department, and a EnSite Velocity™ Electrophysiology Lab. This will bring a new level of muchneeded technology to our community.

This December, they will be submitting their plans for an emergency pediatrics department, and they have also been designing their state-approved pediatrics unit expansion. The Millennium Surgery Center will be relocating to their campus, and is set to be open in roughly a year.

Not only that, but they have also expanded their stroke telehealth network to assist ED staff as well as other neurologists in the community throughout the state. This means that professionals they’re connected with in Sacramento can “beam in” within three to five minutes to give advice regarding neurology. This has helped the hospital to drop the stroke-related mortality rate down to zero percent, and it has been as such since 2010. n Bakersfield Heart Hospital n Michelle Oxford, vice president of business development, and Randy Rolfe, president, of Bakersfield Heart Hospital, intimated that their recently expanded services have been received very well, and are helping them to reach parts of the community which may be significantly underserved.

“Our Women’s Heart Center, which is only one of fifty in the entire nation, is geared toward prevention and includes screenings, support groups, and a team of cardiologists on the panel,” Oxford began. “It has been highly successful. The patients love the nurses, we have screened hundreds of patients, and we don’t even have to worry about having to get the word out, ourselves, as most of our referrals are from word-of-mouth.”

66 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

They were even able to send Beverly Thompson, a local heart disease survivor, to the Mayo Clinic for training so that she would be prepared to head their support group. They are in the works of sending another survivor, Nicolette Cross, to the Clinic, as well, so that we will now have two trained individuals in our community helping women cope with heart disease.

The program has led to much positive recognition for the hospital. In 2012 they received the Women’s Choice Award from WomensCertified® which recognized them as one of the 2013 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience in Heart Care. This led Rolfe to be included in USA Today’s coverage of this distinct honor. Additionally, they ranked very high in a plethora of categories for the CareChex 2014 Quality Awards and Eligibility Requirements, where they ranked number one in the market for things like overall hospital care and major cardiac surgery, and landed in the top 10 percent of the nation in categories that ranged from interventional coronary care and cardiac care.

Thanks to Dr. Brij Bhambi, BHH was able to introduce new technology to heart patients in Kern County earlier this year. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a cutting-edge way to view arteries in formerly unprecedented detail, which will enable the doctors to be extremely precise when performing certain crucial operations, such as stint placement in the heart. In addition, they

Mercy Hospital

PHOTO COURTESY of Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield

Bakersfield Heart Hospital

PHOTO COURTESY BAKERSFIELD HEART HOSPITAL

Hospitals:

now offer patients the Pocket EKG card, which lists an accurate and current digest of their patients’ medical conditions and any cardiac risk factors that may be present, as well as baseline EKG information. This will help to avoid unnecessary procedures and could potentially save lives.

The hospital looks forward to providing continued groundbreaking care to local heart patients. They have even been chosen to participate in the Worksite Wellness Program through the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, where they will implement special programs with their employees, encouraging a healthier and more productive workforce through special classes, programs, healthier food options in vending machines, and weight loss counseling.

“We are initiating a new diabetic education and prevention service building which will be located across the street from us,” Rolfe revealed. “We have very high statistics of diabetics in Bakersfield, so we are trying to move towards providing more help for doctors as well as patients.” This is slated to be open in 2014, as is their wound care clinic.

KERN HEALTH

Mercy Southwest Hospital

Covered California. This grant enables them to work in partnership with KMC and Garden Pathways to help better serve the community by providing counselors, educators, and coordinators where needed.

“Our Orthopedic, Spine & Hand Center has grown to two locations,” Scott Thygerson, vice president of business development, said. “We now have three hand surgeons at our Stockdale location, and four surgeons at our southwest campus.” These centers have been wonderful vehicles for bringing new physicians into the community—and they are trained at places like Harvard. “These are well-trained, highly skilled professionals who bring a tremendous amount to the community,” he stated. n HealthSouth Bakersfield Rehabilitation Hospital n Sandra Hegland, CEO, reported that the past year has been a very positive one at HealthSouth, and that wonderful changes are still on the horizon. “We opened six new beds recently, and this has been great because we are often full, and without these new beds, we may have had to turn certain patients away.”

They were able to add a physiatrist to their staff, Dr. Denise Starley. “New doctors bring a sense of excitement, because they have different experiences and knowledge, so things never have the chance to stagnate.” In this same vein, roughly half of their leadership team is new, and while it was a challenge to fill the necessary spaces, the new team is passionate and is the strongest to date.

HealthSouth also boasts the distinction of being the only hospital around that received certification from the Joint Commission for Disease-Specific Care in pulmonary rehabilitation, and ranked in the top 10 percent of 791 inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation database for 2012. Additionally, 80 percent of their patients return home and only 7 percent have to go to a long-term care facility. “This is way below the benchmark for similar facilities,” Hegland stated.

This upcoming year is going to see greater expansion in a number of areas. Their gym is going to be expanded and feature brand new equipment. Currently in the final stages of receiving approval for their new wing—which will hold 20 new beds in private rooms, including a 5-bed lock unit for brain injured patients who are a flight risk—they anticipate to break ground in January. There will also be a therapeutic courtyard added that will have different textures for patients to walk on as they rehabilitate. “This will help our patients to practice moving in different climates, like on gravel or uneven terrain,” Hegland disclosed. n Kern Medical Center n While this hospital has been going strong for countless years and is responsible for training a great majority of the physicians that we do have in our community, there have been some challenges that it has faced in the recent past which have called for an advent of new leadership. Luckily, they found the man for the job: current President of Mercy Hospital for nine years, Russell Judd.

Interestingly enough, he started his profession in the medical administrative field at KMC as an intern. After nine months, he was hired on as an associate administrator from 1991 to 1996, and even received his Masters from CSUB after getting his bachelor’s at Brigham Young University. Over the years, he has accumulated a wealth of expertise from working at for- and not-for-profit hospitals in Arizona, California, and Pennsylvania, and it is this very experience that will be bringing a fresh perspective to the everimportant county hospital.

“KMC is highly valuable in the community, and we need it to thrive,” Judd said. “It has the only trauma center in the >> PHOTO COURTESY HEALTHSOUTH BAKERSFIELD REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

PHOTO COURTESY of Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield

n Mercy Hospital and Mercy Southwest Hospital n Beginning in January, these hospitals, also a part of Dignity Health, partnered up with Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center to help enhance the services that they provide to cancer patients. They’ve since improved radiation and infusion services, implementing new technology that makes for more precise beams and a better experience for their patients, overall.

The downtown campus is in the process of remodeling the areas of II West Unit and the Cancer Unit (for more details on this, see the Cancer Update). They are also remodeling the chapel and lobby. Changes are all set to be finished in early 2014. As for current projects, they’re using telemedicine more than ever, and are utilizing this as part of outreach to facilities and patients in remote sites of the Central Valley.

In the southwest, remodeling of the NICU has been happening so that, in addition to expanded space, it is more comfortable for the families who have to stay there. They are also creating a fixedsite MRI, as the current machine is housed in a trailer on the campus. This is projected to be finished by mid-January of 2014. The San Dimas Medical Group also erected a building on this campus, and that has brought even more comprehensive care to the area.

Both campuses received a $500,000 grant from The California Endowment to help assist with their outreach and enrollment for

HealthSouth Bakersfield Rehabilitation Hospital

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 67

What’s New?

And speaking of assets to our county, outlying hospitals continue to provide critical care and treatments to residents outside Bakersfield. A first this year, we’ve included a handful of regional hospitals so that we can shine a light on these smaller—but no less important—facilities.

Delano Regional Medical Center

percent and also their A1C numbers by 1.6 percent. “We were only seeing Kern Family patients the first year, but we have since opened it up to the community and have even hosted a walk through the American Diabetic Association’s Step Out Walk to Help Stop Diabetes.” She also stated that their wound care clinic has continued to thrive. Being around for only three years, this provides a service that Delano residents need, as they used to have to travel to Bakersfield to receive care.

Director of Marketing Kathie Wright spoke about their bariatric program.

“This is a very vital program because

PHOTO COURTESY DELANO REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

n Delano Regional Medical Center n Diabetes is a debilitating disease with a very high presence in Kern County. The folks out at the Delano Regional Medical

PHOTO COURTESY KERN MEDICAL CENTER

Southern San Joaquin Valley and the only physicians training program in the Southern San Joaquin Valley, as well.”

KMC has been and still remains a vital part of our community, especially for highrisk pregnancies and other critical care needs in East Bakersfield, and continuing support is essential. “I have the greatest confidence in the physicians and the entire staff. This hospital is an undeniably important asset, and it will take all of us pulling together and working toward making the right changes to take it to the top of its class,” Judd concluded.

Kern Medical Center

PHOTO COURTESY Kern Valley Healthcare District

Hospitals:

Kern Valley Hospital Center have made strides to try to eliminate this problem as much as possible, and the program has been a huge success.

Chief Nursing Officer Sherri Johnson detailed that, “Our outpatient diabetic clinic is a nurse-run clinic to help treat diabetic patients in the community. It is pretty innovative, and unlike any other program within the community. We partnered with Kern Families to pilot the program a year ago, and it has been so successful that we’ve continued it on to its second year.”

They were able to facilitate a remarkable decrease in patient’s BMI’s by 6.77

we now have a center of excellence—a distinctive honor—and this past year we added a new surgeon, so the patients have more of a selection. We also offer four different types of surgery, whereas we were previously limited to one. We have physicians from both Bakersfield and Glendale to help serve our patients.”

Just on the horizon will be the implementation of a new patient portal, so whether the patient wants to schedule an appointment or just needs to view lab results, they will be able to do it all online.

“We will also be celebrating our fortieth

68 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

birthday in January,” Wright said. “This is wonderful for us. We put a lot of hard work into being a strong part of the community, as well as being a small but profitable stand-alone hospital. That isn’t the easiest thing to do in this day and age.” n Kern Valley Healthcare District n For care in the Lake Isabella area, Kern Valley Healthcare District is the place to go. “As a rural hospital, our population simply isn’t large enough to support bringing specialists here,” CEO Tim McGlew explained. “Our patients primarily see family practice doctors and pediatricians.

To fill this gap, we have tried to enhance people’s use of specialists with telemedicine. This began two-and-a-half-years ago with psychiatry and we used it as a means to connect people to psychiatrists, social workers, and the like. We’ve seen a steady growth in patients utilizing this service and it has gone remarkably well.”

They aim to continue expansion of this service because of that, as they have added dermatology and pain management to the docket, and are currently working with an endocrinologist. KVHD is also linked with both UC Davis and Irvine, and have received grant monies from these institutions to help provide equipment when a specialty referral is needed. “We have even been able to send patients to UC Davis for orthopedic surgery due to this,” he said. It is their goal to add to this service in the future.

Just this year, they established an affiliation with Memorial Hospital to include a potentially life-saving “stroke robot” which is linked to the neurology group at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento. With this special device, if they ever have a patient come in who may be having a stroke, they can call Mercy and within four to five minutes have a neurologist talking to the patient and observing them via telemedicine.

KERN HEALTH “All of our nurses have been trained in conducting the reviews, and this has made a huge difference in response to patients having a stroke.” Right in line with this increased technology, they have implemented an electronic medical records system, so patients can access their health record, email doctors, review lab results, and schedule appointments via the internet.

KVHD is currently in the process of adding a new rural health clinic in the Lake Isabella area, which has the biggest population of those that they serve. n Ridgecrest Regional Hospital n This desert hospital has been experiencing rapid growth as of late. “One thing we realized is that there was a lack of mental health services in our community,” Rural Health Director Michelle Whalley began, in reference to the clinic. “We recruited a clinical psychiatrist as well as one for the school district, so we are very pleased with that. We also do telepsychiatry.”

They’ve developed both the clinic Whalley works at, as well as the Southern Sierra Medical Clinic, which has three ob/gyns,

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Wall’s Hearing Aid Center

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital

PHOTO COURTESY RIDGECREST REGIONAL HOSPITAL

“It’s Never too early to hear better”

Kenneth V. Wall

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4800 Easton Drive, Suite #108, Bakersfield, CA 93309 a general surgeon, and three pediatricians.

The clinic has also formed a partnership with Dr. Bhambi at Central Cardiology Medical Group, and they are very excited at the programs they will be offering in the future based on this. “We may be just two hours away from a number of different cities, but we want to bring as much as we can to the people here so they don’t have to travel,” Whalley explained.

One of the greatest additions to their clinic, however, has been the installation of the new MRI machine. Charles Pietrangelo, manager of radiology for the >>

Central Valley Physical Therapy

At Central Valley Physical Therapy our mission is simple: to provide the best care to our community. We are an award winning private practice physical therapy clinic. We boast doctoral educated & specialty certified practitioners.

We love what we do. We love helping people.

We love providing Movement for Life ®.

Annual Holiday Open House! • 12/12/2013 6-9pm

(661) 827-8959

8200 Stockdale Highway # B1, Bakersfield, CA 93311 www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 69

Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry Same Day Emergency Treatment • Open Evenings • Easy Payment Plans • Digital X-Ray • Easy 3D CT Scan (Reduces Radiation Exposure)

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3400 Calloway Drive, Suite 303 • Bakersfield

www.ExcelDentalinc.com

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70 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Hospitals:

What’s New?

hospital, intimated that these new devices, while incredible, are just a part of an overall effort to bring optimal service for people who are undergoing such testing. “The number one problem that we faced with people needing an MRI is the anxiety they experienced when going to get the test performed.” The new suite is much larger, features relaxing LED lighting, and you can even watch a show or listen to music while the test is being performed.

A top-of-the-line CT scanner has also been purchased, and will provide cardiac scanning amongst other things, but they are currently in the approval stages, so patients can expect for that to be available in the future.

As for the actual hospital, with Dr. Earl Ferguson and new CEO Jim Suver at the helm, they have now joined the National Rural ACO and are joining with other rural hospitals across the nation to give rural hospitals a greater voice. They are also now doing pediatric echocardiograms, which is something new to the hospital. “We feel we are ahead of a lot of other rural hospitals as Dr. Ferguson and Jim Suver are highly passionate about taking us to the top of our class,” Whalley said. n Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District n This Critical Access Hospital—with three rural health clinics in California City, Mojave, and Tehachapi—has been instrumental in serving the residents of Tehachapi and communities in eastern Kern County for more than 75 years.

The Hospital has provided a number of services, from emergency medicine to x-rays, ultrasounds, and other imaging services. In most recent news, though, they re-opened the surgery department in order to provide procedures “under moderate sedation” as part of their surgery services.

CEO Christine Sherrill relayed that on March 28, 2013, TVHD broke ground on a new 25-bed facility in Tehachapi on land donated by the Broome Family.

Tehachapi Hospital They plan to have everything completed in the spring of 2016. “The new facility will have expanded services such as an intensive care unit, expanded surgery services, and eventually obstetrics,” she said.

On the ever-expanding horizon are telemedicine renal consultations and renal dialysis services beginning in 2014.

PHOTO BY Bill Kinsella

Creating Beautiful Smiles

Clearly, 2013 was a great year for the medical community in Kern. As you discovered, much of that has to do with dedicated doctors, nurses, and support staff, as well as the new treatments and technologies being brought in in order to expand patient services. While 2014 is just around the corner and will undoubtedly bring with it even more advances, we can, for now, take solace in the fact that we are living in an area with amazing medical care within arm’s reach.

Photo courtesy of San Joaquin Community Hospital

The AIS Cancer Center is a four-story, 60,000-square foot facility which opened this year on the San Joaquin Community Hospital campus.

More Good News While Bakersfield has been home to great cancer care, the past year has seen huge advances in a number of areas, namely the availability of treatments locally.

As you’ll soon discover, the development of San Joaquin Community Hospital’s AIS Cancer Center and the partnership between the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center and Dignity Hospitals of Bakersfield (Mercy and Memorial) will provide even more programs, services, treatments, and clinical trials to patients in Kern County—giving us a leg up when it comes to fighting cancer.

The AIS Cancer Center, a four-story, 60,000-square foot facility, opened this year on the San Joaquin Community Hospital campus and the response has been wonderful.

“We have been so happy and excited to have the doors open,” explained Lori Muir, the director of the AIS Cancer Center. “Putting our services and our top-quality people to work, helping local cancer patients right here in our community…it’s made all the preparation worthwhile.”

But just because the building is constructed doesn’t mean they will be slowing down.

“We continue to plan for more milestones, including special screening programs, bringing in additional experts, and fostering our academic affiliation with UC Davis,” Muir added.

“Under the leadership of Dr. Amir Berjis and Dr. Jonathon Perry, we are well underway in implementing a lung cancer screening program using low dose CT scanning,” she continued.

With all cancers, early detection leads to the best patient outcomes, so the AIS Cancer Center will be offering lung nodule screening, consultations with thoracic oncologist Dr. Berjis, smoking cessation, and treatment including surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation, as needed.

“Another goal for our first year is to open a breast care center in our new Quest Imaging downtown building

[located right next to the AIS Cancer Center] that will include a dedicated, fellowship-trained radiologist and fellowship-trained surgeons that will work together to ensure patients have comprehensive evaluation of any breast issues,” Muir said.

Being brand new, the AIS Cancer Center is home to the latest technology on the market.

“There have been dramatic advances in Linear Accelerators, the machines that deliver radiation to the patient,” Muir explained. “These newer machines can deliver radiation with pinpoint accuracy, which benefits patients by decreasing damage to healthy tissue surrounding a tumor. In

“These newer machines can deliver radiation with pinpoint accuracy, which benefits patients by decreasing damage to healthy tissue surrounding a tumor.”

—Lori Muir some cases, treatment can be delivered up to fifty percent faster using Rapid Arc technology.”

And this is in conjunction with the fact that the AIS Cancer Center has oncology-trained surgeons as part of their physician leadership, helping to make decisions on technology, surgical options, and other treatments.

“In 2013, we added three new board certified physicians, two of which are fellowship trained in oncology: a urologist, thoracic surgeon, and breast surgeon. They each bring the latest techniques in their respective discipline, which adds expertise to our already high caliber team at the AIS Cancer Center.”

At the heart of the matter is patient care and resources. >>

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 71

More Good News So they’ve appointed Dr. Francesca Hoehne as head of their Breast Steering Committee. As such, she’s lead the team toward achieving accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. “This journey has given us focus on achieving the highest standards in breast care, for both benign breast disease as well as breast cancer. This accreditation holds all members of the team from mammography technologists, nurses, social work and physicians to the highest standard, meaning our patients will receive high quality, consistent care.”

“Our patients and their families tell us they are so pleased with our staff, our doctors, and the whole center. We get positive feedback on the center’s gift gallery and wig boutique on our second floor, which offers products they need as part of their diagnosis.

People also appreciate the other little touches, such as the ability to check out an iPad while they are here, and they are grateful for the volunteers who offer handmade blankets or a snack.”

So the opening of the AIS Cancer Center has been a tremendous success and the leadership team has so many more goals for the coming future—but that’s for a later update.

Across town, at Mercy Hospital on Truxtun Avenue, the team is in the process of constructing a special cancer unit as part of Dignity Health’s (encompassing Mercy Southwest, Mercy on Truxtun, and Bakersfield Memorial Hospital) partnership with

Gone are the days of going to Los Angeles or Fresno for treatment. With new partnerships, expanded treatment options, and improved patient services, it’s clear that quality, cutting-edge cancer care is available here. the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC). It’s slated to be opened sometime in 2014.

At the CBCC’s facility on Truxtun Extension, patients can receive a number of treatments and services, but as Dr. Ravi Patel, founder and managing partner at CBCC, explained, there was one thing that wasn’t accounted for.

“With a dedicated cancer unit, there will be tremendous benefit to cancer patients. For one, doctors, treatments, testing equipment, and more, will all be in the same location. For another, cancer patients don’t need to go through the emergency room or be admitted to the hospital for a treatment—they go right to the cancer unit and be cared for.”

The staffing in this unit will all be specially trained to help patients with cancer, as well.

As Robin Mangarin-Scott, the director of strategic marketing for Dignity Health, explains, “There were two things that were important to us in our cancer services line. First, we wanted to be able to provide state-of-the-art care for cancer patients here in Kern County at home. Second, we were focused on a high standard of care, which has always been important to our organization along with a dedication and commitment to the community.”

And as Mangarin-Scott elaborated, the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center has a longstanding reputation in our community for all those things.

“Their mission lined up with Dignity Health’s mission and

72 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

KERN HEALTH

Over at Mercy Hospital on Truxtun, cancer patients of the Florence R. Wheeler Cancer Center will benefit from the hospital’s partnership with CBCC.

was a key factor in our partnership,” she said. “Another factor, of course, was the opportunity to expand cancer care for children in our community.”

A specialized pediatric cancer care unit—located at Memorial—is something that hasn’t been seen before in our community and is a large focus of the partnership (helped also by CBCC’s longtime partnership with UCLA).

“For years, pediatric cancer patients have had to travel out of town,” Dr. Patel said. “It’s been very hard on these kids and their families.”

Though CBCC has partnered with the UCLA Department of Pediatrics-Division of Hematology and Oncology for years, they are now focused on operating a Children’s oncology outpatient clinic.

As part of the program, which began on November 20, UCLA will provide physicians to perform on-site evaluations of pediatric oncology patients, follow-up visits, telephone consultations with Center physicians, and access to pediatric clinical trials.

“What’s great about the unit at Mercy [Truxtun] is that the separate wing will allow families to stay with patients while they are undergoing care,” Mangarin-Scott explained.

And with the children’s oncology unit at Memorial, “we’ll be taking care of children and their families here in town,” she said.

“For years, we’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars helping patients seek treatment out of town, and now they can stay here.” Also, those funds will be used to expand the programs and treatments available here.

Speaking of what’s available here, Dr. Patel elaborated on a few new cancer treatments.

“We began providing an innovative kind of treatment never before done in Kern specifically for prostate cancer,” he said. “One common belief in this field is that the reason cancer can progress is because the body’s immune system doesn’t recognize cancer.

So we take a patient’s cells—immune cells—from their body, and reengineer them to recognize and attack cancer cells in the body.”

Additionally, the CBCC has been working with flow cytometry, a technology that allows oncologists to detect specific kids of blood cancers in cells by collecting blood samples and testing them against a variety of markers for detection.

And that’s only the start for all our cancer centers. Gone are the days of going to Los Angeles or Fresno for treatment. With new partnerships, expanded treatment options, and improved patient services, it’s clear that quality, cuttingedge cancer care is available here.

a closer Look

There’s something very special about this pilot.

Wings & Prayers At 18, an age when many high school students first earn their driver’s license, Kern County civil engineer Bob Downs took to the skies. But that’s not what makes him special.

By Jessica Shillings • Photo by Juli Feller “Flying has always been a passion,” Downs said.

“It’s freedom. You’re not bound by a road. You see the world from a different perspective.” So he started learning how to fly at 17 and made sure to clock in the 700 hours required to earn his pilot’s license at 18.

And he never looked back...or should we say down.

But there’s something special about this pilot.

Downs now uses his skills as a pilot to make life easier for others in our area by volunteering his time, skills, and his airplane (a Cessna 172)

to benefit the individuals and families served by Angel Flight West.

Angel Flight West, a regional organization based in southern California, arranges free transportation in response to the medical needs of locals looking for treatment. Downs said he was originally inspired to learn more about Angel Flight after hearing about it from a friend, another pilot who was already volunteering with the organization. In 2009 he joined Angel Flight himself. >>

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 73

74 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Wings & Prayers Photo provided by Angel Flight West

Atul Aggarwal MD Cardiology Clinic

We as a staff strive to provide cardiovascular care with humility, compassion & dignity

Our clinic is located in Southwest Bakersfield, in the Riverwalk Medical Plaza

9330 Stockdale Highway, Suite 600 Bakersfield, CA 93311

Tel: 661-664-0100 • Fax: 661-664-0111 Pilot Bill McVay, Amelia and Yadira Ornelas in 2011.

Downs has flown 26 missions since he joined Angel Flight in August 2009, roughly six per year. Most of these flights originate from or are destined for Santa Monica, though he has also flown to Palo Alto.

And since some of these flights take place in the middle of the day, Downs sometimes finds himself taking time off work.

But, he added that his employer, Kern County’s Engineering, Surveying, and Permit Services, has been very support-

“If something is bothering you, you just take off and those things go away.”

—Bob Downs

This is a perspective he definitely shares with the families and individuals utilizing the services of Angel Flight, who need to take their minds off more serious things. ive of his work with Angel Flight, allowing him to schedule flights during work hours when necessary.

For Downs, working with Angel Flight combines his love of flying with the joys of helping others. Flying provides a great outlet for him.

“If something is bothering you, you just take off and those things go away,” he explained. This is a perspective he definitely shares with the families and individuals utilizing the services of Angel Flight, who need to take their minds off more serious things. >>

www.aggarwalclinic.com

East Hills Chiropractic & Sports Injury Clinic “No matter what life you lead... you can do without the pain” —Bradley A. Dodenhoff

Dr. Brad Dodenhoff will explain the science behind how chiropractic care works, and give you a full evaluation to see if chiropractic care is right for you.

We can develop a plan of chiropractic care that is specific to your condition and health goals.

Since 1985, we have treated over 20,000 area residents with 2001 19th Street state-of-the-art, cuttingedge Chiropractic care.

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www.easthillschiro.com www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 75

Photo provided by Angel Flight West

Wings & Prayers

Yadira’s specialized leukemia treatments made flying to Los Angeles with her mom, Amelia, a frequent experience.

Amelia Ornelas of Bakersfield and her 20-year-old daughter, Yadira, were passengers on Down’s plane on several occasions between October 2008 and February 2012.

Yadira, who had been diagnosed with Leukemia, needed specialized treatment available at UCLA. This meant that she needed to make countless trips to see specialists in Los Angeles.

However, trips between Bakersfield and Los Angeles would have been a barrier, Ornelas said, had Angel Flight not provided an alternative.

The reason? She didn’t have a car. The other reason? Even if she had a car, she didn’t drive. Downs, and other Angel Flight pilots, allowed mother and daughter to make the trip free of charge. This afforded Ornelas the opportunity to be with her daughter every step of the way during out-oftown treatments without fretting over the logistics of transportation.

“[The Angel Flight] service was so amazingly good for us,” Ornelas explained. “[They] made it so much easier for us. Because of Angel Flight, I was able to get treatment for my daughter.”

Unfortunately Yadira passed away in February at the age of 23, but Ameila said her medical treatment and her journey would have been even more challenging and painful had it not been for Downs and Angel Flight.

“It was such an easy process, especially for her,” added Ornelas.

Over the years Amelia and Yadira also forged close relationships with Angel Flight staff, she said. In fact, several of the staff members even attended Yadira’s funeral to honor her memory.

“Everybody always treated us so well,” Ornelas said. “I was very grateful that at the last moment they were able to be there.”

Angel Flight West Associate Executive Director Cheri Cimmarrusti said

Angel Flight pilots, allowed mother and daughter to make the trip free of charge. This afforded Amelia the opportunity to be with her daughter, Yadira, every step of the way during out-of-town treatments without fretting over the logistics of transportation.

76 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

she and other staff members in the office saw Yadira and Amelia many times during the four years they relied on the organization’s services.

They soon got to know both mother and daughter very well and became quite attached.

According to Cimmarrusti, the flights that took Amelia and her daughter to Los Angeles were only a few of the 4,000 Angel Flights that were coordinated through the southern California office in 2012. Through stories like Yadira’s, however, “It just becomes so personal.” Cimmarrusti said.

And this is one of the challenges that Bob Downs says is hardest to take: how personally attached you get to those you fly. “But a lot of the memories are good,” Downs said.

“It is a good feeling giving back,” he added. “They [passengers] don’t really have a way to get to their appointments...and this is that way.”

According to Downs, Angel Flight provides him a great outlet to, “Meet new people, be a part of their lives, cheer them up, and just fly.”

Generally his Angel Flight passengers are fairly ambulatory, Downs said.

Some passengers want to strike up a conversation while others are reserved and spend the journey thinking.

More difficult memories for Downs include recollections of the two passengers that he served who passed away from their illnesses. One even seemed to be getting better, Downs said, and then went downhill quickly.

“That was difficult,” he said of the experience.

Another experience that helped Downs understand the importance of what he does happened recently.

He was diagnosed with prostate

s to

c k/ noma dsoul1/thinkstock

KERN HEALTH cancer and successfully battled back.

While that journey is “hopefully over now,” the Alameda native said that the experience helped him to understand the perspective of the

According to Downs, Angel Flight provides him a great outlet to, “Meet new people, be a part of their lives, cheer them up, and just fly.” post-treatment patients he flies in a new way.

“I can really sympathize with passengers,” especially those who are quiet and contemplative, he added.

Downs said he has never experienced a medical emergency on board, largely because Angel Flight requires that passengers are medically stable to fly when using their service. As a pilot, however, he has encountered inclement weather that has forced him to land as well as other technical problems with the plane.

According to Cimmarrusti, the majority of clients are referred to Angel Flight’s services through social workers or through their physician.

Because passengers are required to be medically stable, doctors must sign off on their suitability for flight as well, she added. So that reduces the chance of a traumatic flight.

On the pilot side of things, Angel Flight uses several recruitment tools to add new pilots to the ranks, Cimmarrusti said. These include word of mouth, displays at airports, speaking to aviation groups, presenting at aviation conferences, and air shows.

For local pilot Bob Downs, it truly is an amazing thing to do. And when you see the impact these pilots are making to the families that need them, especially those needing lifesaving treatments, it’s hard not to run out to the airfield and learn to fly yourself in hopes that you, too, can help change someone’s life.

To find out more about Angel Flight, visit angelflight.org.

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Advanced Spinal Health, LLC

Specializing in Instrument Adjustive Techniques Gregory Heyart, DC • Steven Salyers, DC Nicholas Braaten, DC Serving Bakersfield and the surrounding communities.

Our chiropractors and the rest of the friendly team at Advanced Spinal Health, LLC, are dedicated to chiropractic solutions to target your unique needs, whether you are suffering from back pain, neck pain, headaches, or even just plain old muscular tightness and tension.

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| 1001 Tower Way, Suite 130, Bakersfield, CA 93309 www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 77

78 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Photo by Robert Perez

True, nursing is not an uncommon profession in Bakersfield. And it’s also not entirely uncommon for a son or daughter to follow in a parent’s footsteps into a particular field of study or work. But what are the chances that an entire family would decide that nursing was the job for them?

All in the Family

By Eman Shurbaji

Turns out that despite the odds, our town is home to just that: the Condrens, a family of nurses who’ve worked at Bakersfield Heart Hospital together for years.

Yes, for the Condrens, going to work is truly a family affair. Currently dad, mom, and daughter work at the hospital, but it wasn’t long ago that aunt and son were there, too!

“We all have different bosses and work in different departments, so there’s no favoritism,” said Cheri Condren with a smile.

Cheri and her husband, Ken, and their daughter, Kendra Laurence, work night shifts and weekends at the hospital. Cheri’s sister, Jamie Barnett, is also

(L-R) Kendra Lawrence, Shantel Reyna, Jamie Barnett, Cheri & Ken Condren

a registered nurse who works at the heart clinic across from the hospital. Each and every one of the registered nurses in the family attended Bakersfield College for their studies, and the tradition continues (but we’ll get to that in a minute).

Cheri and Ken are both Bakersfield natives, with Ken’s family coming from Arkansas during the Dustbowl. They married young—at age 17—and focused on rearing their children for a spell. They both chose to enroll in Bakersfield College after their daughter started working in nursing in 2003.

“Kendra was going to be an astronaut, until eighth grade; then she changed her mind and got into nursing,” said Cheri added with a laugh.

Cheri decided to attended school after her daughter, and then Ken, not to be left out, followed suit.

“Some of Cheri’s classes were at Taft College, and I was driving her to school. Then I started >>

a closer Look www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 79

All in the Family

KERN HEALTH

“Dad is amazing, he is so calm and collected in the ICU. And Mom’s specialty is that people love her, and she connects so well with everyone. Together we make a perfect team and, being a small hospital, we build higher bonds.” —Kendra Lawrence them. “Having experienced chemo, I would really like to work in oncology at some point,” she said emphatically.

Jamie, too, experienced a bout with cancer at the age of four. It was from those moments, being treated for kidney cancer, that she vowed to enter the medical field, and later devoted her life to nursing. She did this despite being a mother of three young children.

Jamie was at the Heart Hospital when it first opened. She was among the first nurses in the ICU and even helped with the second heart procedure ever done in the hospital.

Today, Jamie works as an administrator in IV therapy at the pulmonary office of Dr. Syed Alam.

It’s safe to say that when Kendra, who has worked for the past nine years in the ER, decided to follow in the footsteps of her aunt she was unknowingly helping to create a family legacy.

A mother of two, she now has her eyes set on a nurse practitioner degree. And of course, she speaks highly of her fellow nurses who also happen to be her parents.

“Dad is amazing, he is so calm and collected in the ICU,” Kendra said. “And Mom’s specialty is that people love her, and she connects so well with everyone. She’s the ‘hospital mom’ and is adopted by everybody. Together we make a perfect team and, being a small hospital, we build higher bonds.”

Cheri spoke highly of her husband, as well. “Ken just

80 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Photo by Robert Perez

taking classes because I had all these books,” joked Ken. Ken’s job placement at the hospital also has a serendipitous beginning. “I was casually walking through the hospital, bringing my wife lunch, and then Cheri suggested that I go talk to education and see if they are hiring,” he explained.

And they were, so that was that.

Ken has spent almost two years in the ICU—a feat in itself since it’s a rarity for new grads to be placed immediately in the ICU. As for Cheri, she knew nursing was for her from the beginning. “I’m a people person, and I like interaction with patients,” she said. But it wasn’t an easy road.

Cheri finished her last semester at BC while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, so her efforts were especially put to the test during that period.

“My instructors were phenomenal about making it happen,” Cheri explained, recounting how she walked across her graduation stage with three drains, but she was nonetheless proud of her achievement. Cheri also said that in addition to donning red and black scrubs for graduation, fellow students wore pink socks in her honor.

Cheri hopes that she’ll one day be able to help patients battling cancer so she can use her experience to support

Ken & Cheri Condren wants to continue to learn and be proficient at everything,” she said with a smile.

The couple also spoke highly of their son, Chad, a respiratory therapist, who works as an instructor at San Joaquin Valley College. But from April 2006 to November 2008, Chad was a respiratory therapist at the Heart Hospital.

And believe it or not, but Chad’s wife, Tiffany Condren, is also a registered nurse who graduated from BC. She works in labor and delivery at Mercy Southwest.

“It feels like I’m a nurse by proxy, just because I know so much about what they do,” Chad said with a laugh. “I imagine that as the kids in the family get older, they’ll be attracted to nursing as well.”

And there’s proof to that statement. Recently, Cheri’s niece, Shantel Reyna, has been accepted into the BC nursing program!

“Every decade BC [nursing] has a Condren,” Cheri said with pride.

Yet the family’s dedication to their work isn’t without reward. They are avid travelers and are planning a trip to London in March. Ken collects pocket knives and works with wood. Cheri and Kendra both love to scrapbook. And Aunt Jamie enjoys racquetball and spending quality time with her family.

One can only imagine a family of nurses to be caring and compassionate. For the Condrens and Jamie Barnett, this is evidenced through their service to the community as well as their love for the job and each other.

Achilles Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc.

Thurman Orthodontics

Comprehensive Cardiology

Optimal Hospice

Southern California Cardiac Electrophysiology

Dr. Stephen Ratty

ApneCare Sleep Lab

Interim HealthCare

Southern California Orthopedic Institute

Atul Aggarwal MD Cardiology Clinic

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KernHealth Profiles

The KernHealth Profiles section serves as an important resource for our community. First and foremost, it gives local medical professionals the chance to share information about their specialty and training. Second, it introduces readers to some of Bakersfield’s and Kern County’s most reputable doctors and medical facilities. This special Achievers Series presentation promotes excellence in our healthcare community.

THE

SERIES

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 81

Achilles Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc. Serving the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast Since 1978

Kim Davis; Daniel J. Newton C.P.; Nathan Whiting; Sheri Newton, M.F.; Logan M. Newton, B.O.C.O.

Family-owned and operated with a decades-long

edge technology such as microprocessor controlled

presence in Bakersfield, Santa Maria, and San Luis

prosthetics, which utilize bionics for movement. “The

Obispo, Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics has been

computers inside of the limbs analyze how a person

serving our community longer than any other local

walks and adjust to the changes in movement instan-

provider of artificial limbs and orthopedic braces.

taneously. This makes the patient’s gait more natural

The caring and dedicated staff is comprised of five

and the prosthetics safer to use,” Logan said.

certified practitioners to serve three locations includ-

On the orthotics end, they have a comprehensive

ing owner Daniel J. Newton, C.P. and brother Donald

line of custom and off-the-shelf braces to support the

F. Newton, C.P.O. With a close focus on patient satis-

back, legs, or any number of other areas. They also

faction and quality products, it truly is no wonder that

specialize in cranial remolding helmets for babies

Achilles has been a hometown favorite since 1978.

affected by plagiocephaly and torticollis. There are

Whether you have orthotic, prosthetic, or mastec-

even two certified mastectomy fitters between their

tomy-related needs, you can be sure that any and

three locations to serve patients affected by breast

all concerns can be handled at Achilles. Logan New-

cancer. Boasting both ABC and BOC accreditation,

ton, B.O.C.O. and second-generation lead, relayed

you can be sure you’ll receive the best treatment

that the process is as streamlined as possible to make

possible at any Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics

for the smoothest experience. They offer cutting-

location.

2624 F Street x Bakersfield x 661-323-5944 www.achillespo.com

KernHealth Profiles THE

82 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

SERIES

Thurman ORTHODONTICS World-Class Orthodontic Care for Children and Adults

Dr. Thurman and his orthodontic ”Dream Team”

“We feel everyone deserves the benefits of a beauti-

They are serious about smiles, but what really sets this

ful, healthy smile!” says Dr. Thurman. Straight teeth and

practice apart is the office environment, where the

a healthy bite are important at any age, and both will

genuine friendliness and dedication to patients is strik-

ensure a lifetime of excellent dental health. However,

ingly obvious. You can feel the love Dr. T and his team

what Dr. Thurman and his dream team love most about

have for each other, and the respect, kindness, and

creating smiles is seeing how a great looking smile can

compassion they show their patients the moment you

change patients’ lives for the better! “We feel very

walk through their front door. “We love what we do.

strongly that the smiles we create help to improve self-

We have fun in the office and every one of us takes

esteem, and we love seeing our patients leave our of-

pride in making each patient feel special. Every pa-

fice a more confident person with a truly amazing smile

tient is cared for as if they were part of our own family,

they can show off proudly!”

period. We truly believe we provide a higher standard

At Dr. Thurman’s office, they offer braces, clear brac-

of patient service to the Bakersfield community,” says

es, Invisalign, and Invisalign Teen, while upholding the

Dr. T. They offer affordable monthly payment plans and

highest standards of clinical care. These things com-

interest free financing, which makes their treatments

bined allow the team to create the gorgeous smiles

affordable for any budget. Check out their website

that Dr. T’s office has become known for throughout

and Facebook page to learn more about this amazing

the Bakersfield community.

practice!

1851 Oak Street, Suite B x Bakersfield x 661-395-0698 www.ThurmanOrthodontics.com

KernHealth Profiles THE

SERIES

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 83

Comprehensive Cardiology Leading the Fight Against Heart Disease

(l-r) Dr. Viral Mehta, Dr. Supratim Banerjee, Dr. Nasser Khan, Kiersten Young-Melendez, PA-C; Dr. Leopoldo Puga, Dr. Moksedul Habib

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Medical Group is leading the fight against heart disease. What started

ditional information about cardiovascular disease can visit our patient education portal at www.ccvmg.com

out as a solo cardiology office in 1995 has grown into

In January 2014, Comprehensive Cardiovascular will

a full-service single specialty cardiovascular practice

be opening up an additional office location in Bakers-

with five physicians and two mid-level providers prac-

field at 9330 Stockdale Highway, Suite 500. In addition,

ticing at five office locations throughout Kern County.

the practice has added a new Cardiologist and a

Not only does the group treat cardiovascular disease,

Nurse Practitioner. “We have been very fortunate that

but in recent years their efforts have been focused on

so many patients have put their trust in our staff of high-

preventing the disease. ”Heart disease is the leading

ly trained and skilled cardiologists for the past 18 years,”

cause of death in women and has often been referred

said Dr. Mehta.

to as the silent killer,” said Dr. Mehta. If we can focus

As health care continues to change, one thing will

our efforts on educating our patients to eat right, main-

remain constant and that is Comprehensive Cardio-

tain a healthy weight, and live an active lifestyle, then

vascular’s commitment to providing high quality cardi-

the risk of cardiovascular disease in our community will

ac care to Bakersfield and the surrounding communi-

decrease.

ties now and well into the future. Trust Comprehensive

Our new and improved website now has a robust patient education module. People that are seeking ad-

Cardiovascular and their trained staff to care for your heart.

5945 Truxtun Avenue x Bakersfield x 661-323-4278 www.ccvmg.com

KernHealth Profiles THE

84 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

SERIES

OPTIMAL HOSPICE Caring Support When it Matters the Most!

Ally Mendoza, RN, MSW; Susan Hill, RN-BC, CHPN; Carolyn Ashlock, RN Optimal Hospice, in an effort to meet every possible need

to call Optimal Hospice and talk one-on-one with a nurse.

of their patients, has once again created a program de-

Carolyn Ashlock, R.N., is one of those nurses. As a triage

signed to enhance the “comfort care” provided to hospice

and weekend on-call nurse, Ashlock has spoken with many

patients and their families when they need it most. “More

families during crises. “Often, it’s just reminding people that

and more, we see people coming to hospice with very

they aren’t alone in this,” she explained. “It’s talking them

complex issues: out of control pain or other physical symp-

through the situation and reminding them of treatment and

toms, or maybe unresolved social or spiritual issues that may

pain management options. Also, I can dispatch a nurse if

make it difficult for a person to remain in their home where

needed. It’s such a relief for people to know that help is on

they want to be,” explained Susan Hill, R.N., clinical man-

the way.”

ager of Optimal’s Crisis Prevention Program.

“It’s very empowering for caregivers to know they can

As part of the program, Optimal developed a list of symp-

take care of their loved one,” added Ally Mendoza, R.N.,

toms and patient dynamics which, if not resolved quickly

who visits families that have called for guidance. “I try to

and effectively, would likely result in an undesired hospital

make sure that I am educating the family and the patients

admission. The program has been successful in reducing

so that they can better handle any situation.”

hospitalizations and provides patients with the support and

“And that’s the whole reason for the program,” Hill add-

education they need to help them meet their goal of re-

ed. “It allows us to provide the best possible care to our pa-

maining at home. Patients or caregivers are encouraged

tients while helping them stay in the comfort of their home.”

1675 Chester Avenue, #401 x Bakersfield x 661-716-4000 www.optimalcares.com

KernHealth Profiles THE

SERIES

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 85

Southern California Cardiac Electrophysiology Rhythm Management When it comes to heart health and

diology, and cardiac electrophysi-

wellness, you can’t beat the exper-

ology, and his staff can help. Com-

tise at Southern California Cardiac

prehensive cardiology evaluations,

Electrophysiology. With cardiology

stress tests, echocardiograms, and

training at UCLA and electrophysiol-

telemetry monitoring can all be

ogy training at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Jar-

done in-office.

ed M. Salvo has brought world-class

cedures performed, however, is the

heart care to Bakersfield.

Jared M. Salvo, DO, MS, FACC 5343 Truxtun Avenue 661-861-7938 www.socalcardiac.com

One of the most important pro-

“I have been practicing for five

ablation of atrial fibrillation. This is ex-

years as a heart rhythm specialist,

tremely important because it means

dealing mostly with the electrical con-

that a service that many people

ductive system of the heart and the

used to have to travel out of town to

disturbances thereof,” Dr. Salvo said.

have performed can be done here.

heartbeat?

Dr. Salvo and his team at Southern

Have fainting episodes? Dr. Salvo,

California Cardiac Electrophysiolo-

who is board certified in internal

gy are here to make sure that every

medicine, cardiology, nuclear car-

heart in Kern County is tended to.

Have

an

irregular

KernHealth Profiles

THE

SERIES

Dr. Stephen Ratty Quality Care With A Personal Touch Offering personalized eye care

class eye care. “We are equipped

in a friendly environment, Stephen

with the latest technologies to ensure

Ratty, O.D., Fred Narzisi, O.D., and

that we are administering excellent

their staff are here to help your en-

and accurate exams,” he added.

tire family see better.

In addition to personalized service

Both Drs. Ratty and Narzisi gradu-

from experienced technicians that

ated from Pacific University, College

have been working with Dr. Ratty

of Optometry in 1982 and Dr. Ratty

for decades and a large selection

started his practice in 1983. In 1994,

of eyewear and lens options to fit

he was joined by Dr. Narzisi at the

everyone’s budget, Drs. Ratty and

current office.

Narzisi are certified to treat glauco-

“Our goal is to provide a reliable

ma and regularly attend seminars

service and experience that will en-

throughout the year to keep updat-

courage every patient to return to our

ed with current medical changes. All

office year after year,” explained Dr.

this considered, it’s easy to see why

Ratty. But it’s not just the environment

this practice has been voted a Best

that brings patients back—it’s the first-

of Bakersfield eye provider for years!

86 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Stephen Ratty, O.D. 2222 E Street, Suite 1 661-327-2681 www.stephenrattyod.com

ApneCare Sleep Lab Lighting The Way To Better Rest

1200 21st Street, Suite A 661-631-8328

There is so much to be said about

Because the entire staff loves

the value of a good night’s rest and

empowering their patients, this

the impact that it has on your health.

isn’t your ordinary sleep lab. Not

Luckily for Bakersfield residents, the

only are they one of the few Medi-

experienced staff members at Apne-

care licensed facilities in town, but

Care Sleep Lab not only understand

they will work with doctors, DME

this well, but they’re also deeply pas-

suppliers, and insurance compa-

sionate about bringing the best pos-

nies to ensure that the experience

sible rest to all of their patients.

goes as smoothly as possible. Their

Having been in business since 1995,

three-room facility is set up to pro-

and founded by M. Kent Cravens, this

vide the most comfortable experi-

family-oriented facility is now headed

ence possible.

by Cravens’ daughter and her hus-

You don’t have to be left in the

band, Kendra (C.O.O.) and Tim George

dark when it comes to sleep studies:

(C.A.O.). As she’s worked with her fa-

you can trust the experts at Apne-

ther since 1999, Kendra has a clear un-

Care Sleep Lab to light the way to

derstanding of all parts of the business.

better rest.

KernHealth Profiles

THE

SERIES

Interim HealthCare Exceeding Expectations When you need assistance for

a loved one needs assistance or is

a loved one, call the only RN and

released from the hospital and re-

family-owned and operated full-

quires follow-up care.

service provider in Kern County.

If you have aging parents who

Interim HealthCare has the ser-

you are concerned about liv-

vice, knowledge, and compassion

ing alone, they have information

to help fulfill your needs. When it

about 80+ levels of care available

matters most you can count on

locally, and will work with your bud-

them.

get and desires for Mom or Dad to

Celebrating its 20th year in Janu-

determine the best fit. Children with

ary, founder Darlyn Baker, RN, said,

special needs are also sure to thrive

“We have a wide variety of servic-

in their daycare and preschool for

es. We want to solve problems for

medically fragile children, Caring

people.” And they do that well. Per-

Corner.

sonal care or medical care are

Interim HealthCare not only lives

within their scope of service and

up to high expectations, it exceeds

can provide peace of mind when

them.

Darlyn Baker, RN 4801 Truxtun Avenue 661-395-1700 www.mybakersfieldhealthcare.com www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 87

Southern California Orthopedic Institute SCOI

Maxim Moradian, MD 2400 Bahamas Drive, Suite 200 661-328-5565 www.scoi.com

For Dr. Maxim Moradian, Physical

medical school at the Pennsylvania

Medicine & Rehabilitation was a

State University, College of Medicine.

natural fit.

His residency in Physical Medicine &

“I felt that physiatrists were very

Rehabilitation at Louisiana State Uni-

successful at treating the entire

versity Health Sciences Center pre-

neurological and musculoskeletal

ceded a fellowship in interventional

system. In PM&R, the goal is always

pain management and sports medi-

twofold; to improve the patient’s

cine at Orthopaedic & Spine Spe-

functional deficits and, ultimately,

cialists in York, PA. With his extensive

enhance the patient’s quality of

training, Dr. Moradian is able to treat

life,” he explained.

patients with a variety of conditions

And that’s exactly what Dr. Mora-

that affect the musculoskeletal and

dian does for his patients at South-

neurological systems. “My goal is to

ern California Orthopedic Institute.

make sure all my patients are living

After receiving his bachelor’s in

a mobile, pain-free life. I always treat

Biochemistry from Occidental Col-

each patient individually as if they

lege in L.A., Dr. Moradian attended

are my family member or friend.”

KernHealth Profiles

THE

SERIES

Atul Aggarwal MD Cardiology Clinic State-of-the-Art, Evidence-Based Cardiovascular Care If you’re looking for superior cardio-

heart rhythm monitors, and outpatient

vascular care in Kern County, then look

treatment options for varicose veins,

no further than Atul Aggarwal MD Car-

little is outside of the Clinic’s scope of

diology Clinic. Passionate and com-

care. And while the Clinic’s primary

mitted to the community which they

focus is on outpatient care, Dr. Ag-

serve, the doctor and his friendly staff

garwal is also on-call for local hospi-

can provide you with same-day con-

tals’ emergency rooms in Bakersfield

sultation and full spectrum of non inva-

to help aid with heart attack patients.

sive cardiac and vascular imaging, all

“We aim to open up a clogged artery

within the same warm and caring en-

expeditiously and safely within min-

vironment. This combination of world-

utes of being called to the emergen-

class care coupled with cutting-edge

cy room,” he asserted.

technology has catapulted this prac-

For the best in personalized care

tice to being the most sought after car-

and technology, Dr. Aggarwal and

diac clinic within just over a year since

his staff are here to help, standing by

opening its doors to our community.

their motto, “If you don’t open your

From stress testing, cutting-edge

heart with love, we will do it for you.”

88 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Dr. Atul Aggarwal 9330 Stockdale Hwy., Suite 600 661-664-0100 www.AggarwalClinic.com

r t e h v e o is

By

n Lyn

Pitts

Oh. Plants that were once contained in their appropriate space have now gradually spread, smothering less robust plants under their wings, like an overstuffed turkey.

Therefore, Mrs. P has decided to list some tips for you to chew on while sitting by the fire inside as the winter fog blankets our valley.

ink th k/ oc ist

If you look up “Tips for the Winter Garden” in books or on the Internet, they almost all tell you that these are good months to clean your tools.

I have to wonder why the tools weren’t clean when they st oc k were put away in the first place. I think the tipsters just want to fill out the January list. The best tip I found for a winter garden is that you shouldn’t walk around on a wet, frozen, or soggy garden.

Hey, this suits me just fine. I can live with staying inside on a miserable day. While I love hardy plants, I am not a hardy planter. Trust me; I am the kind of wuss who loses my will to live below 50 degrees.

This is why places like Hawaii and Palm Springs were invented.

When I do, on accasion, venture outside and gaze at my garden, it’s hard to believe it will transform again into a profuse, billowing, fragrant collection of plants. Fortunately, a Bakersfield winter is short. In a matter of weeks after Christmas, everything will begin to change. It’s only a small change but it has big implications. The snowdrops and crocuses will begin blooming. My common white snowdrops are the earliest flowers to stretch and yawn. The violas, pansies, and primroses add dashes of color in pots. They love the chilly weather. The paperwhites are peeking up. In our central valley, gardens are light sleepers and wake up early. Some might say they never get into a truly deep slumber and are

l hil

oh n THE Y o...

AR D

G A RDENING W ITH M RS . P

just dozers. But even Sleeping Beauty had to eventually wake up, smell the coffee, and check herself out in the mirror. I read somewhere that a garden reaches its peak after roughly ten years. It makes sense. The premise is that after a decade, large plants mature and, in the natural order of things, a garden loses some of its definition. This is not unlike humans hitting the Big Five-

How can you tell if your own garden has reached its peak and gone a bit over the hill?

Here are seven signs:

If you squint and look out at your garden, it has transitioned from looking like an Impressionistic painting resembling green mashed potatoes.

Objects that used to be focal points are now obscured by greenery. Didn’t there used to be gazing ball out there?

istock/thinkstock

Places that once were in sun are in shade thanks to spreading trees and shrubs. Plants in these spaces are leggy and leaning toward the sun like reality TV stars seeking the limelight.

Other areas, formerly shady, are now sunny thanks to the loss of a tree.

Plants in these spaces turn crispy by early summer and leafy greens like ferns turn into wilted salad. >>

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 89

Gardening with Mrs. P 5. It’s difficult to navigate paths be-

where’s the

cause they have become too narrow as encroaching plants reach across to shake fronds with each other. In fact, the paths have disappeared. Stepping stones are nowhere to be seen anymore.

food?

where to

6. Those famous “bones” of the garden, that is, the floor plan, no longer suggest any sense of structure. They have gone the way of the lost cities of the jungle.

shop?

plants, you think something like, “Didn’t I once have some cannas over there?”

fun? zoonar/thinkstock

where’s the

7. As you look at a mass of spreading

So what to do about it?

Pay attention to areas that have become newly shady or sunny, and replant with light-appropriate plants.

Check out one of the most commonly overgrown areas, the shrubs surrounding your home’s foundation. If you can’t see out, it’s time to limb up or replace your shrubs with smaller plants. I once let a laurel hedge get out of hand against the house and after having it removed, discovered termite damage. It was, thankfully, minor and quickly fixed, but a wake-up call that foundation plants shouldn’t hide the house.

If a planting area is overgrown or simply not working, lift every plant out on an overcast day, work in extra compost and replant with about two-thirds of what you took out. You have no idea how this renovation will improve things.

I’ve done this twice, once years ago to the back border and just last fall to a front bed, removing most of the daylilies (gifted to my gardener’s mother). I’ve never lost a single plant following this plan.

Now for the most important suggestion: Don’t do what I did next. I spent early spring filling in what I thought

Here are seven suggestions:

see page #127

up?

What’s

We’re where You are!

v

BakersfieldMagazine.net

Move or eliminate overgrown shrubs, but resist hacking them down. They’ll just lose their girlish figures and grow back anyway. Look for smaller shrubs to replace them, if you’re sure any holes will still be there later on.

Limb up trees and large shrubs if you can do so while retaining an artful shape. Camellias, for example, look great as single or multi-stemmed trees. Oh, this reminds me of a unique fertilizer I learned about at a cheese making class I took this past fall. While we were making our chèvre (goat’s milk), mascarpone, queso fresco, and lemon ricotta, our instructor told us to save the whey (the liquid separated from the curds) and spread it around acid-loving plants like camellias and azaleas. Who knew?

90 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

istock/thinkstock

Divide perennials, but don’t find a place to put half of them. Instead, find a gardener who would love new plants.

Subscribe Today!

were bare spaces left from the previous fall’s renovation. Had I just waited and followed my prior advice, everything would have fluffed out on its own. But oh no, not Mrs. Precipitous. She had to race out and buy carloads of new plants like someone possessed. Now I am back to square one with an overstuffed garden.

Some of us are very slow learners.

My sister, Holly, says that even years are best, so let’s hear it for 2014! v

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

home & Garden

HOME l SWEET Safe HOME

Home is where the heart is, but it can also be where the dangers are!

Mold, poison, sharp objects, fire!

Have we scared you yet? Sure, we might be exhibiting a slight flair for the dramatic here (so unlike us!), but we wanted to get your attention. Did you know that, across the county, thousands of unintentional injuries occur in the home every year? These include falls, fires, drownings, poisonings, and even illnesses born from unhygienic conditions.

While some accidents seem unpreventable, there are a lot of ways you can keep your house a safe haven for your family.

These are tips for making sure your four walls are safe and sound.

NOWHERE TO GROW (Keep your house dry and well-ventilated) Leaks in roofing systems or poor drainage in piping can cause water to pool and then grow mold or other bacteria. Mold can become airborne at which point it’s inhaled. Young people, the elderly, and those with lung conditions can develop serious health problems. In addition, ventilation helps to keep potentially hazardous fumes from being inhaled as well as providing fresh air. According to the CDCP, “poor indoor air quality (pollution) can bother your eyes, nose, and throat. It can also lead to chronic heart and lung problems and cancer. Air pollution in the home can come from wood and tobacco smoke, gas burning furnaces and other appliances, radon gas, mold, and other allergens. And typical home air pollution can be made worse by poor ventilation, high heat, and high humidity.” >>

polkadot/jupiterimages/thinkstock

Dust & clutter (Both are recipes for health concerns) How can clutter be dangerous, you ask? Well, trips, falls, and slips can be serious health risks, especially to the elderly. So keep floors cleared of unnecessary detritus like clothes, toys, and household products. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) also suggests everyone install grab bars in showers and tubs, install stair rails, make sure you have good lighting, keep stairs in good condition, and use safety gates with small kids.

And dust, bacteria, and mildew can cause skin and eye irritations, not to mention the effect on people’s lungs. When you want to clean up particulates, use a wet-cleaning method (meaning you use soap and/or water to help collect the dust rather than blow it around with a vacuum).

Trips, falls, and slips can be serious health risks, especially to the elderly.

Keep floors cleared of clothes, toys, and household products.

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 91

home & Garden resources

So in places where harmful chemicals are used, like garages, make sure there are plenty of vents and windows. The CDCP also recommends you vacuum carpets often to remove allergens that trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions.

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Burns & household fires (Fires and related injuries are very preventable) Good advice for everyone in the house is to keep flammable objects away from the stovetop (oven mitts, dish towels, paper towels, etc.) and don’t cook with loose sleeves. Additional tips from the CDCP are to make sure that every bedroom has two exits in case of fire (door and window), that your family has a solid fire escape plan, and that you install smoke alarms on every single floor of your house, including basements, and change the batteries at least once a year.

To prevent fires, keep electrical outlets clear of flammable materials (like curtains) and don’t overload the sockets. Make sure to check the wiring on major appliances regularly, too!

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Hidden dangers (Radon, carbon dioxide, and lead paint can all cause health problems for you and your family) You can reduce lead-related hazards in pre-1978 homes by fixing deteriorated paint, and keeping floors and window areas clean. Test your home for radon, a naturally occurring dangerous gas that enters homes through soil, crawlspaces, and foundation cracks. You can even install a radon removal system if levels above the EPA action-level are detected. Also, install carbon dioxide detectors in hallways and near bedrooms…and check the batteries every six months (try doing it every time you switch all the clocks for daylight savings time).

These are just some things to consider when making your home a safer place for you and your loved ones. And if you need advice on how to make sure your home is as safe as it can be, whether it be air quality and ventilation or electrical issues, please consult a professional. After all, a healthy house equals a healthy family. n

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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

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94 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

G R E AT

G E TAWAY S

Story and photos by Cheryl L. Dieter t the first whirl of the bagpipes, the heads of hidden deer shoot straight up out of the thicket. A rabbit scampers quickly away. A nearby dog howls. But the seals; they are a different breed. They gyrate into the ocean silently. Then their heads pop out of the water as they lie on their backs and listen to this nightly ritual as the bagpiper plays on. You are at Sea Ranch, where it is all about forgetting the fast lane and communing with the unexpected delights that mother nature has to offer…like seals quietly listening to “Amazing Grace” as the sun slowly slides below the horizon, awaking a brilliant purple and hot pink sunset that stretches before you.

This is living.

Sea Ranch is located less than three hours north of San Francisco. Conceptualized in 1962, it is an eco-community meant to preserve the wild beauty of the area while enhancing the lives of those who live there through amazing architecture, fitness, and an increased sense of community connectedness. You won’t find bright red houses here. Instead, all the buildings/houses are designed to blend into the earth, while maximizing the stunning views. Some of the world’s most renowned architects have designed here, including Charles Willard Moore, Donlyn Lyndon, and Joseph Esherick. And the genius of landscape architect Lawrence Halprin is evident everywhere you roam.

Getting to this remote and scenic place is the stuff car commercials are made of. Towering cliffs, hairpin turns, waves crashing into the rocks with such force that the spray climbs thirty feet into the air. With charming tourist towns like Bodega Bay and Jenner along the way, you can’t help but be drawn into a slower, happier pace of life.

One of the best attractions is Fort Ross State Park. Located halfway between Jenner and Sea Ranch on Hwy 1, it features period dress, buildings, and artifacts from Russia’s southernmost settlement in the Americas beginning in 1812. It’s a good two-hour stop and a picnic is a must. Across the street, over in the orchard, you can see where the big earthquake of 1906 permanently scarred and altered the land.

Just a few miles further is the iconic Timber Cove Lodge.

With breathtaking views, this cliff top hotel is a treat for the senses. Ansel Adams took the photo that was used for the original brochure. The bar is incredible here too and > www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 95

Great Getaways

weekends often find a good jazz band or two. Recently, the lodge has undergone some way overdue renovations and it appears that the new owners are attempting to put some class back into this very special property…time will tell.

You know you have reached the Sea Ranch boundaries by the telltale weathered gray fencing along the side of Hwy 1.

A few miles later you arrive at the Sea Ranch Lodge, gift shop, and restaurant.

This is the place to stretch your legs—there are no bad views here. Whether it is sitting in the restaurant enjoying endless vistas of the craggy coast or hiking the trail down to Black Point Beach, this place is a colorful feast for the eyes. And with hiking trails throughout the entire community you are never at a loss for something to do. Rooms start at $239 per night at the Lodge but most savvy travelers book the architecturally stunning homes in the area for their stay.

Guests then have access to their choice of

it’s important to consult the website to take full advantage of its unique offerings while you’re visiting (www.gualalaarts.org).

For the sports inclined, Adventure Outfitters rents canoes and kayaks to traverse the Gualala River, which is flanked by mighty redwood trees. Last, but not least, during the summer, on Saturdays from nine to noon there is the local Farmers’ Market. Here you can find organic produce and fresh baked goodies that will make you slobber like a big dog. Yum.

three warm-water swimming pools, tennis courts, and the Sea Ranch Golf Links golf course. There are also several rental agencies in the nearby town of Gualala or you can look online for reputable rental sites.

Just a few more miles down the road— crossing into Mendocino County—lies the scenic coastal town of Gualala (waLA-la). Here you will find two grocery stores along with several quaint seaside shops. One of the tourists’ favorites is The Four-Eyed Frog bookstore that features local writers’ works. For the art lover, the Dolphin Gallery is a breath of fresh air. Every month the gallery exhibits several regional artists’ works and also sells pieces on consignment. But one of the hidden gems in the area is the Gualala Arts Center, offering art classes, art fairs, and musical/theatrical performances. But

Speaking of YUM, Gualala and the nearby area offers some interesting food options.

Trinks, in downtown Gualala, serves up festive breakfasts and lunches while their coffee is to die for. Down the street, located behind the True Value Hardware, is Antonio’s Tacos and their 99 cent Taco Tuesdays. It’s authentic Mexican at its best.

On the Sea Ranch property, you’ll find the Twofish Baking Company and their incredible sticky buns. But by far the best place for eats lies just outside Gualala at St. Orres. It’s a magical place with an onion-domed roof reminiscent of Russia’s St. Basil’s Cathedral. If you are a martini drinker, you must try the Basil. Smooth and sophisticated, it glides down your throat like a skater on slick ice. The menu is fresh and diverse with just-plucked from the ocean seafood dishes and exotic choices

96 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

like wild boar. A tip…save room for some of the best desserts available on the Mendo Coast and try the bread pudding.

Whether you’re visiting for a few days or just want to plan out a few day trips, be sure to head north up the coast on Hwy 1 for about twenty miles until you arrive at the Point Arena Lighthouse. It’s the tallest of the Pacific Coast lighthouses. The view from the top of the lighthouse is dizzying, as is the view of the tectonic plates thrusting upward along the coast. Pay the money and take the tour. It’s worth it.

Of course, one cannot imagine the rugged Northern Coast and its famous lighthouse without thinking about its most famous sea creature, the California Gray Whale. Usually spotted from December through April, you can often observe the whales spy-hopping and breaching from the lighthouse.

Another favorite day trip in the area is the Annapolis Winery. Family-owned and operated, it’s a great place to sit outside and enjoy a picnic while sipping a light and fruity gewürztraminer or an inky, peppery zinfandel. Open daily, noon to 5 p.m. Just follow Annapolis Road from Hwy 1 in Sea Ranch about 10 miles.

When dusk falls in the area, you might just see a bobcat stand on his tippy toes while watching a soon-to-be dinner of jackrabbit, who is much too busy munching away to notice his worthy opponent.

The clouds undoubtedly will begin to slide over each other as they race towards the shore. Another incredible vacation in paradise is coming to a close. You sigh, wishing you could stay here forever but your memories will just have to sustain you until the next time. Because Sea Ranch is one of those magical places where one visit is never enough; and like Mother Nature’s cycle of life itself, it is a place where the sea beckons you to return again and again… and you know that there is no doubt that you will. v

Let’s Eat

Whether you’re a culinary virtuoso or a beginning

cook, we’re here to do all the prep work for you when it comes to your weekly menu.

Packed with savory recipes from local chefs, reviews of the best Bakersfield restaurants, and tips on how to throw your own festive dinner parties, not to mention our extensive Dining Guide, our always-growing, alwaysfabulous Food Section will fill you up with ideas before you fill up on scrumptious food.

So when you’re ready to explore a world of new flavors, just scroll through these pages

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for a little inspiration.

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 97

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98 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital www.HungryHunterSteakHouse.com

What’s Cookin’

Decidedly Decadent

By Mike Stepanovich • Photos by Eric James

T

The Mark has definitely hit the mark. he downtown restaurant, at 1623 19th Street, has boosted Bakersfield’s dining scene like no other restaurant since Uricchio’s opened in 1995, and the late great Blue Note before that.

The restaurant is part of the downtown renaissance that began with the reopening a few years ago of The Padre Hotel a block away. The building was formerly the home of Goose Loonies (reincarnated several blocks to the east). Art galleries and the Spot-

light Theatre grace the neighborhood, along with trendy shops.

There’s a good feel to downtown now, and The Mark adds considerably to that feeling.

And make no mistake: an evening at The Mark is a fine dining experience. The servers are professional, the atmosphere is exceptional, and the food is splendid. Add it all up and you have three great reasons to make a reservation at The Mark. >> www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 99

What’s Cookin’ Let’s start with the atmosphere. If you’re still reluctant to dine downtown because you think the parking situation will be difficult, The Mark has that problem solved for you: valet parking.

Pull up in front of the restaurant, hand your keys to the valet, and worry no more. Your car will be brought quickly back to you when you’re ready to leave. And the cost? Nothing. It’s a free service. Of course you might want to offer a gratuity to the attendant, but that’s your call.

The restaurant’s décor is vintage 1920s. If it crosses your mind that perhaps this was a Prohibition-era speakeasy, who knows? You may not be far off. The interior is dark, with red brick

Crab louie salad with iceberg lettuce, eggs, & asparagus.

walls and dark wood, and an art deco theme.

Chandeliers and soft lighting highlight period paintings depicting life nearly a century ago. I’m not sure when that building was constructed, but it’s been there for the better part of a century, if not older. The dining room can only be described as elegant.

I need to veer off for a minute regarding the bar.

It’s a raucous bar next to an elegant dining room, so it’s a bit of a contradiction. If you are looking for a quiet place for dinner, The Mark may not be your best bet. There’s no problem early in the week, but come Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a live band is often playing in the bar adjacent to the dining room, and you can hear it very clearly. Of course, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll love this place.

I suggest that if you are, in fact, planning a romantic dinner at The Mark, inquire when you make your reservation if a band is playing that night.

If a band is not playing, you can expect a soothing experience, much like the one I enjoyed recently. My dinner companion and I were so impressed

Oysters Fernandez

Baked on the half-shell with chorizo, peppers, fresh lime, cilantro, & saffron butter.

with the classic décor that we decided to begin the evening with classic cocktails: a Tom Collins for her, a Manhattan for me. Both were expertly prepared, and helped set the tone for the evening.

When I made my reservations, I requested to be seated in J.R. Gonzales’ section. J.R. is a professional waiter whom I have known for years. He’s simply one of the best in the business. Wherever he works, he knows the menu and is able to make expert recommendations.

So when we asked about the crab cakes ($12.95), and he recommended them highly, we knew we were in for a treat. My companion chose those, while I opted for another of J.R.’s suggestions— and a house specialty—the Oysters Fernandez ($13.95). I figured you couldn’t go wrong with a dish named after the chef and owner, Ro Fernandez.

The crab cakes were exquisite. Little binding was used so you got a cake that was mostly sweet crab.

It was sitting on a pool of marinara with a dollop of aioli on top. It was a perfect way to start the dinner.

My Oysters Fernandez were scrumptious! They were baked on the half-shell with chorizo, diced red and green peppers, fresh lime, cilantro, and

100 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

saffron butter. Its hint of spiciness announced the complex flavors. I loved it!

The bread brought to our table deserves mentioning as well. It was sourdough and actually tasted like sourdough bread. It’s a nice touch.

We shared a cup of the soup of the day ($4.95; $6.95 for a bowl), which on the evening we visited was beef and barley soup. It featured a rich beef stock, chunks of beef, carrots, and with perfectly cooked barley—firm but not crunchy.

We also decided to split a side salad, and chose The Mark chopped salad ($5.95), again theorizing that a dish named for the place would likely be good. It was! The salad has iceberg and Romaine lettuces, tomatoes, red onions, Gorgonzola, chopped avocado, chopped egg, and smoked bacon, dressed with roasted tomato balsamic vinaigrette. It had complex flavors, and the Gorgonzola was just the right complement. I loved the salad!

My companion selected the grilled chicken fettuccine in a creamy Alfredo sauce ($14.95) for her entrée. The presentation was beautiful: a bed of al dente pasta with a sliced grilled chicken breast on top, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The chicken breast was cooked to perfection, moist and tender. Too often chicken breasts are dry and unappealing, but that was not the case here. My companion loved it. “It’s superb,” she said.

At J.R.’s recommendation I chose one of the day’s specials, a beef tenderloin in a mushroom brandy peppercorn sauce ($36.95). The steak was a perfect—for me—medium rare, and the sauce was simply divine—incredibly complementary to the meat. The green beans were perfect as well, steamed but not overcooked. The potatoes were also good.

After appetizers, soup, salad. and entrées, you would assume we were stuffed. We thought so, too. But somehow J.R. convinced us that we had

beef tendereloin with mushroom brandy peppercorn sauce.

to try dessert. So we left it to him. He brought us a chocolate pound cake with vanilla bean, caramel, and raspberry sauces. All I can say is: unbelievable!

It was a chocolate lover’s delight. And after all, who’s not a chocolate lover? Dessert was a stunning creation. I was not aware I had another cubic inch of space in my stomach, but somehow managed to eat a fair amount of dessert, it was just so good.

In fact, we both agreed that everything was outstanding, just a perfect evening.

I have also enjoyed lunch at The Mark. I recommend the crab Louie salad ($17.95), with iceberg lettuce, boiled eggs, and asparagus to complement the crab in a classic Louie dressing.

I can also recommend the bacon-wrapped meatloaf ($14.95). It’s hearty and flavorful.

So if a fine dining experience is on your agenda, call The Mark at (661) 322-7665 for reservations.

You’ll be right on “the mark.”

The Mark is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday 4 p.m. to midnight.

It’s closed Sundays.

LET’S EAT

The Mark’s décor is vintage 1920s. If it crosses your mind that perhaps this was a Prohibition-era speakeasy, who knows? You may not be far off. The interior is dark, with red brick walls and dark wood, and an art deco theme.

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 101

the Wow Factor

Bottoms Up

T

Muertos Year Established: 2012 Quick Facts Located: 1514 Wall Street

he Bakersfield dining scene has always been a step above the rest, but lately it has become even more exciting with an increasing amount of unique offerings. Bringing an extra dose of diversity with its opening last year, Muertos Kitchen and Lounge has quickly become a local favorite spot to not only get some of the most delicious food in town, but also freshly made and locally created drinks.

Shawna Haddad Byers, owner, dished out how she came up with the restaurant’s intriguing name.

“I named it Muertos not just to honor the past and those who have gone before us, but also as a way to celebrate life.” And what better way to celebrate than in her “simple, laid back atmosphere that offers flavorful food”? You’d be hard pressed to find what this place is offering elsewhere: beautiful brick walls, a covered outdoor dining area with both heating and cooling options, and a spot to enjoy fabulous menu items like Basque lamb tacos, all Muertos

Pineapple Serrano Margarita Fresh Pineapple • Serrano Chilis • Soju Fresh Lime Juice • Agave Nectar • Chili Salt

while under the gaze of the well-dressed statues of skeletons that are overlooking the restaurant.

The charm doesn’t end with the décor, though.

All of their sauces, dressings, and even their flavored salts are made from scratch, utilizing the freshest ingredients. The mixed drinks also fall well within these parameters, and were all concocted by server Sarah Kirschner. (These are, of course, aside from their huge selection of beers and wines.)

The drink Muertos chose to share with us is one of their most popular ones, and is Kirschner’s own invention: the Pineapple Serrano Margarita. The blend is complex and utterly satiating, with a variety of flavors to punch up the wow factor considerably.

The pineapple is sweet while the lime brings in some sour flavors, offset by the spice of the peppers and the hint of salt from the rim. The soju packs a small kick at the end. One thing is for certain: there’s no doubting you’re alive once you take a sip! LET’S EAT Place chili salt on a small plate and wet the rim of a pint glass. Dip the rim into the salt. Muddle all of the rest of the ingredients with ice and pour into the glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge on the rim, and lime and serrano chili slices on the top, plus a small sprig of cilantro. To life!

The charm doesn’t end with the décor at Muertos Kitchen and Lounge. All of their sauces, dressings, and even their flavored salts are made from scratch, utilizing the freshest ingredients.

102 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Entertaining the Bakersfield Way

I

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

t’s difficult to imagine our lives without gatherings with family and friends. At least for me it is. These are the moments when we enhance our relationships, we start new friendships, and we try new foods prepared with care. In my opinion, the effort of entertaining is repaid many times.

When I entertain, I feel happy, because I love food and I love good company. Of course, I have made entertaining errors in the past. They happen to the best of us!

Once, we invited friends for a dinner and I decided to make rice pudding with raisins for dessert. I was using a recipe, which asked for two cups cooked arborio rice or other short-grain rice. I didn’t read the recipe carefully, so I used two cups uncooked rice instead. Therefore, the ratio of rice to liquid was not the perfect one and I ended up with a very hard rice pudding. No wonder they didn’t finish their portions. It was dry and a huge failure, but I learned a lesson from it: always read the recipe carefully before you start cooking. And I have made many more blunders in the past, but they all made me a better entertainer and a better host. So, if you are hosting a gathering during this time of the year, here is a small guide to entertaining that will help you feel like a pro and get you all ready for a wonderful get-together.

Yana’s List of Things to Avoid:

1. Don’t try new recipes the day of your

Story and photos by Yana Todorova

Cinnamon-Chocolate Cookies

party. Stick with what you know. If you have never made roasted chicken before, don’t try to impress your guests with it. Instead, make a dish that you have already mastered. I keep a list of dishes that I always prepare for guests.

These are foolproof recipes that I can count on.

2. Don’t cook everything in the last moment.

Many dishes can be prepared in advance. You can steam vegetables, freeze pie crusts, bake dinner rolls, and then reheat them. Assemble lasagnas or other casseroles and bake them just before guests arrive.

3. Don’t ignore the presentation and the details. Place a centerpiece on the table. But it doesn’t have to be expensive flowers. Fruits and vegetables are beautiful and you can still eat them later. Unscented candles are also great, especially for dinner parties. Garnish your meals with fresh herbs, serve with colorful berries, and choose nice tablecloths.

4. Don’t serve only one kind of food. Select harmonious flavor combinations and different types of drinks. Serve appetizers like a cheese plate, olives, nuts, and crudités with dips. Then, if you are serving buffet-style, make sure to offer vegetarian dishes, as well as meat, fish, and poultry dishes.

Round the dessert table with the all-time favorites (fresh fruits, ice cream, and cookies). >>

When I entertain, I feel happy, because I love food and I love good company.

Of course, I have made entertaining errors in the past. They happen to the best of us! www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 103

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ents in a smart way. So, if baking from scratch is not your favorite activity, then buy good brands of chocolates and ice cream. If making fresh pasta is too time-consuming for you, then find a great refrigerated fresh pasta package and use it instead.

6. Don’t worry if your glasses are not matching. You can mix and match your cocktail and drink glasses and make the party even nicer. The same rule applies for the plates. If it is a huge gathering and you don’t have enough plates of the same kind, use different colors and designs.

7. Don’t serve only alcoholic drinks. Offer a variety of drinks, including water, iced tea, coffee, lemonade, and juices. Some people are designated drivers and they will not consume alcohol at all. But also, make sure you have plenty of beer, wine, vodka, and other alcoholic beverages to keep the party going.

8. Don’t serve everything in the same area. If you are hosting a big party, place the appetizers in the living room. Then, set up a buffet-style table in the dining room. Place the desserts on a small coffee table. And finally, keep the beverages separately, say, in the bar area. This way, you will avoid traffic-jams around the table and you will keep the spirit of the party.

9. Don’t keep it quiet. Put on some nice music. Start with something calm at the beginning of the party, so people can talk easily. After a good amount of food and drinks, people start to relax and they want something more dynamic. So, choose accordingly (jazz, pop, or salsa, maybe).

10. Don’t stress. Make a list of all the ingredients you need one or two weeks before the get-together. Send written invitations or emails two or three weeks ahead of time. Make an easy-to-follow plan of action and enjoy the cooking.

I have also included recipes for savory and sweet appetizers that are easy to make that can easily be prepared in advance.

Cinnamon-Chocolate Cookies 5 oz. 60% chocolate, such as Ghirardelli baking bar, chopped 3 ½ oz. whole wheat pastry flour • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon • 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt • 1 cup sugar • 4 tbsp. butter, room temperature 1 large egg, room temperature • 1 tsp. vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with the silicon baking mats (if you have them). Melt chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave oven (about 40 sec.). Combine butter and sugar in the bowl and beat until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat until well mixed. Add chocolate.

Mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add them to the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined (do not overbeat). Divide mixture into 30 cookies and place them onto the silicon mats. Bake for 8-9 minutes (rotating the sheets halfway). Cool in pans 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea (or even a glass of dessert wine)!

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs 6 large eggs • 2 oz. Greek non-fat yogurt (such as Fage) • 2 ¾ cup cream cheese 3 oz. homemade gravlax or store-brought smoked salmon, diced 30-40 capers, drained • Fresh parsley (optional) Boil eggs for 12 minutes. Place in a bowl filled with iced water to cool. Peel eggs, cut in halves, and separate the yolks from the whites. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, cream cheese, egg yolks, and diced salmon. Fill the egg white halves with the creamy mixture. Top with 3-4 capers. Garnish with parsley and serve at room temperature. LET’S EAT For more tasty recipes, check out our website! www.bakersfieldmagazine.net/home-a-garden

104 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

istock/fujji/thinkstock

Life is a Cabernet

Our Time For Wine

S

by Mike Stepanovich

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEINBECK vineyards

teinbeck Vineyards & Winery tasting room tells you about all you back, she started giving vineyard tours. For a nominal fee, she’d meet need to know about the Steinbeck family. The wood-sided you at a barn amidst the vineyards and explain exactly how grapes building is rustic, yet complex. On the outside, its wood sid- were grown and wine was made. ing looks weather-beaten, as does the corrugated steel roof. Together I took several groups from the classes I teach at Bakersfield College they give the impression of a place that’s withstood the elements. on the tour, and each time people were astonished at how much effort The inside is clean and modern, with the family’s history on display. went into producing a glass of wine.

Depth and breadth. It reflects the Steinbeck family perfectly, a family “I began doing the vineyard tours on the property believing the bethat has been farming in the Paso Robles area for seven generations. hind-the-scenes tour was critical to consumers understanding the wine,” The same can be said of their wines: depth and breadth. Those she said. “The soil, the sunshine, the climate. That began ten years ago.” wines are the product of people of the land, folks who understand the Her frustration occurred when customers wanted examples of beauty of the soil and the grapevines that grow in it, and what their what she was discussing. “As we gained a customer base, people asked, ‘Where can we drink your partnership with nature can create. wine?’ I’d send them to Eberle [WinIt should come as no surprise that ery, which has had Steinbeck Vinethese longtime winegrowers, whose yard-designated wines for years]. fruit is among the most highly reBut I agonized that I couldn’t share garded in the Paso Robles region, our own product with them. should produce a top tier wine of “Fast forward a bit. I felt that their own. The surprise is they only there was a perception in the wine started making it in 2006.

The decision to begin producing industry that what our grapes basiwines stemmed from Cindy Steincally produced was a $20 bottle of beck’s frustration with her inability cabernet, or even a $10 bottle of cab. My heart was aching to say, ‘But to show off her family’s grape-growwait, that’s not my dad. He’s one of ing efforts. the best growers in the area.’The only Cindy loves to share the Steinbeck family’s story, and offers a great proway we could show that was to hire gram that educates people about Rosie and Frank Ernst purchased what is now Steinbeck Vineyards an excellent winemaker and focus how wine is made. So some years in 1921. The blacksmith shop in back is the tasting room today. on best portion of our vineyard. >> www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 105

Life is a Cabernet So in 2005 we started discussions with folks, and by 2006 Steve Glossner was on board.”

Glossner brought top credentials with him. A Fresno State University graduate, he had previous winemaking stints at Justin Vineyard & Winery and at Adelaida Cellars, both on Paso Robles’ west side, among others.

Glossner’s task was to take the best of what Steinbeck Vineyards produced each year and make wine out of it. And it was the very best fruit the Steinbecks had to offer.

Steinbeck grows some 500 acres of grapes, but uses only a fraction of that for their own wines. “We only use about one percent of what we produce,” Cindy said. “Our total wine production is only twelve hundred cases or so.”

In other words, of their total acreage, only about five acres generates fruit for the Steinbeck label. The rest is sold to other wineries.

THE

On April 11, 1956, a B-26 crashed just a few hundred yards away from the historic family ranch home (now Cindy Steinbeck’s home).

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEINBECK vineyards

The plane came down so hard that it actually torpedoed its way 13 feet into the ground of the field.

George and Hazel Steinbeck watched the plane hit the ground and exploded. They saw parachutes coming down so they ran to rescue any men that survived. The Captain was brought into the family home and kept alive until medics could attend to him.

Four out of five men survived “The Crash” on that stormy day in April.

It prompted the Steinbeck family to commemorate that experience with a blend known as The Crash.

Since naming the wine, they scoured the internet and found that two crash survivors, Lt. Nilsson and Sgt. Fazio, who are still living. This

Hazel Steinbeck, the matriarch of the family, is flanked by Howie & Bev on the left and Cindy, Caitlin & Ryan on the right in a photo taken in 2007.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEINBECK vineyards

“We’re on such a little scale,” Cindy said. “Our biggest buyers are J. Lohr, Justin, and San Antonio,” wineries that produce tens of thousands of cases.

Being able to show the vineyard’s quality in a bottle has been huge. “The fact is that now when someone wants to purchase fruit from Steinbeck, I can hand them a bottle of the best of the best from our vineyard. That’s truly elevated our profile in the community; that was my goal and that’s what we wanted.”

What should you try when you visit Steinbeck? The cabernet, of course, is one. Rich and full-bodied, it nonetheless doesn’t have the high alcohol that has dominated the industry for the past five years or so. “We’re trying to produce something more supple, more elegant,” she said.

Cindy Steinbeck moved back home in 1997 after a successful career in family life ministry to help with the family’s growing vineyard business.

CRASH

wine reunited the two men who had not spoken in 53 years (each went their own way in military service after the event on the Steinbeck’s property). The Steinbecks visited each family, the Nilssons in Utah and the Fazio family in Massachusetts. During those meetings, the men gave firsthand accounts of the day’s events, recalling how thankful they were to see the green fields of Paso Robles beneath them as they broke through the fierce snow and hail storm.

If you take a journey to the Steinbeck tasting room, you can take a look at pieces of the B-26 that broke apart during the crash. They are on display along with more historic details of the event.

The wine that I think is their best is viognier. Glossner has an incredible feel for viognier, and I think this is one of the best expressions of it there is.

While there’s little doubt that having their own label has helped elevate their vineyards’ image, the Steinbecks’ unique history has garnered attention as well. Howie and Bev Steinbeck have been farming the land virtually since they were born. Bev was Howie’s high school sweetheart, and together they’ve developed the property into one of the top vineyards on the Central Coast. Their daughter Cindy has returned to help in that effort.

Then in 1956, a World War II-vintage B-26 bomber crashed on the Steinbeck’s property. One member of the crew was killed. The family has developed a relationship with survivors of the crash, has dubbed one of their wines “The Crash” [a blended red], and even calls their vineyard tour the “Crash Course.”

Whether you call it a crash course or simply a vineyard tour, the tour is one aspect that sets Steinbeck apart from most other wineries.

“I mentioned that my wine idea got its start from our vineyard tours,” Cindy said. “I think now that the vineyard tours are what set us apart from the industry because of the hospitality aspect of it. Consumers have more than one choice. These crash courses blossomed in popularity. We have a super amazing Yelp presence because we have good wines and a great Steinbeck experience. That’s helping a lot.

“I knew tours were a fantastic idea, but we were missing something without the wine. Now we have both going on, and that was really my vision. Other growers treat things differently, but at Steinbeck, the wine is true to the vineyard.” LET’S EAT

106 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

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Sweet Diversion

Quick Bites

Valentien Restaurant & Wine Bar

Pomegranate Fennel Salad (serves 8-10):

1 bunch spinach 2 cups pomegranate seeds 2 tbsp. apple cider or champagne vinegar ¼ cup pomegranate juice 4 tsp. honey 2 tsp. dijon mustard ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. white pepper 5 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil Fennel bulb • Lemon juice Fresh parsley 1 cup quinoa (cooked) Herbs (your favorites)

Photo by juli feller

pomegranate by istock/Valentyn Volkov/thinkstock

While taking a break from creating decadent entrées and savory sauces for Valentien Restaurant & Wine Bar diners, Jennifer Sanders, co-owner and “official recipe creator,” made a dish just for readers of Bakersfield Magazine!

With all the rich, heavy meals that have invaded your dinner plates as of late, Sanders has come up with the perfect complement (or antidote, depending on how much you like holiday food). Something light, but rich in flavors; something elegant, but simple: The Pomegranate Fennel Salad. The salad is citrusy, sweet, and tangy—we know you’ll love it.

Start by shaving the fennel bulb paper thin and placing strips in a bowl with lemon juice, chopped parsley, and a little bit of olive oil. Then, cook quinoa according to package directions and toss with your favorite fresh herbs and then chill.

Next, remove as much of the stems from the spinach leaves as desired and then chiffonade (which, as Sanders explained, means to roll them up lengthwise, and cut into thin, 1/8-inch strips).

In a small bowl, combine the honey, salt, white pepper, mustard, pomegranate juice, and vinegar. Drizzle in the five tablespoons of olive oil while stirring to emulsify.

Then you’re ready to assemble. Toss your spinach and quinoa with the dressing and then top with a layer of the shaved fennel. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Then it’s time to serve. We recommend preparing it with a seasoned steak and LET’S EAT a glass of wine.

With all the rich, heavy meals that have invaded your dinner plates as of late, Sanders has come up with the perfect complement. Something light, but rich in flavors; something elegant, but simple.

108 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

The Village Sports Bar & Grill

Come see what’s becoming Bakersfield’s most popular locally owned and operated sports bar and grill! This is one dining experience you won’t soon forget, featuring: management with over 24 years of experience, full bar, spacious dining area, outdoor patio, catering, food made fresh (everything is made from scratch; nothing is brought in frozen), pool table area, and nine screens to watch sports on. Thank you, Bakersfield, for your continued support and for helping us grow into what we’ve become today! Karaoke on Thursdays 8pm-1am. Opens at 11am daily.

Kitchen closes at 10pm Sun-Wed, and at 11pm Thu-Sat. 4837 Panama Ln. (661) 282-8990

Bob’s Big Boy

What started out with the purchase of a small hamburger stand in 1936 by Bob Wian has turned into a regular legend—one that has found a home in Bakersfield! Bob’s Big Boy has been serving up some of the most delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for over 75 years, and their menu continues to delight customers of all ages.

Try some of their classic favorites, like Bob’s world famous Big Boy Double Deck Cheeseburger, salads, chili size, chili spaghetti, famous hand-dipped ice cream shakes, fresh strawberry pie, and hot fudge ice cream cake! Come out any day of the week and experience what a true legend tastes like. Open Daily 7:30am-9:30pm.

3939 Ming Ave. (661) 833-0780

Lorene’s Ranch House Coffee Shop

Where Everything’s Homemade! If you’re in the mood for an early morning breakfast, lunch, or a casual evening dinner, stop by Lorene’s for a hearty meal you won’t forget. Our extensive menu includes traditional breakfast skillets, country fresh eggs and omelettes, and a large selection of pancakes and waffles. For lunch or dinner try our South-of-the-Border section or one of our charbroiled burgers. We also serve great steaks and numerous seafood entrées. Stop by today for family-friendly dining. Hours: 6am-9pm daily, Visa, MC, AE, DC, accepted. Two locations to serve you: 1531 23rd & Eye St. (661) 322-6887 and 6401 Ming Ave. (661) 831-9250

Asia Market - Teriyaki Bowl

Asia Market & Teriyaki Bowl carries a wide selection of all Asian foods, including Chinese and Japanese favorites! The best part about our store is that after you have chosen your favorite item, you can either take it home and prepare a meal for yourself, or you can come into our restaurant and have us prepare a delicious meal for you using your selection! We have a full-service store and restaurant, so you can come in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Join us today for excellent food provided by a friendly staff in a great atmosphere! Hours: 9am-9pm daily. 7701 White Lane. (661) 837-0982 Teriyaki Bowl at 3699 Ming Ave. (661) 832-6392

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The Dining Guide

Luigi’s Restaurant & Italian Delicatessen

Enjoy an old world Italian delicatessen since 1910 with over 200 wines to complement your lunch. From sandwiches to Pasta Bolognese, you’re sure to find flavorful choices to make everyone happy! Don’t forget to shop the gourmet delicatessen for unique gift ideas, wine and authentic foods. Restaurant Hours: Tue-Sat 11am-2:30pm, Deli Hours: Tue-Sat 8am-4pm. 725 East 19th Street. shopluigis.com (661) 322-0926

Sinaloa Mexican Restaurant

Serving traditional Mexican cuisine to Bakersfield residents since 1948. Perfectly situated downtown, just west of Mill Creek Park. Open Tue-Thu 11:15am-8pm, Fri-Sat 11:15am-9pm, and Sunday 11:15am-8pm. Closed on Mondays. Sinaloa is located at 910 20th Street. (661) 327-5231

La Colonia Mexican Restaurant

The Dining Guide

When you’re craving some of the most delicious Mexican food in town, look no further than La Colonia. Serving up authentic breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to locals for years, there’s truly something satisfying on the menu for everyone, regardless of your preference. Come out and try some of the Burritos de La Colonia, delicious combination plates, or mariscos dishes and see why they have guests who dine there every single week. Pick up a gift card for a wonderful, unique present for the people you know who enjoy the best things in life! Available for dine-in and carry out. Open Mon-Thu 10:30am-8pm, Fri 10:30am-9pm, Sat 9am-9pm, and Sun 8:30am-2pm.

1809 Potomac Ave. (661) 323-3855

Café Med

Café Med has been a Bakersfield tradition for over 20 years. Their diverse menu includes Mediterranean and American cuisine, along with an extensive wine list. This year Café Med will will be offering Christmas Dinner to go. Pick-ups available 12pm5pm, December 23rd & 24th. Call for more information. Café Med is open 11am to close 7 days a week. Visa, MC, AE, DC. Located at 4809 Stockdale Hwy., in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza. Like us on Facebook, or go to Cafemedrestaurant.com (661) 834-4433

Belvedere Room in the Padre Hotel

The Chefs at the Belvedere Room offer a distinctive experience that marries oldworld style with modern tastes. From ranch raised beef to seafood delicacies, each dish is thoughtfully prepared for your culinary delight. Explore our innovative wine list or allow us to find you the perfect pairing. Call or visit the website for reservations. Open for dinner nightly. 1702 18th Street. www.thepadrehotel.com (661) 427-4900

Brookside Riverlakes Market & Deli

We welcome you to come enjoy our signature salads, sandwiches, and burgers at your local Brookside Market & Deli. Stop by and try our homemade Fish & Chips with our savory clam chowder every Friday. We also BBQ our own Tri-Tip sandwiches daily! Brookside carries a wide variety of fine wines & market products you may need, including Smith’s Bakery goodies to satisfy your sweet tooth! In addition to our Brookside breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, we also offer a catering menu that will help you celebrate any occasion with ease. Deli hours: Mon-Sat 5am-8pm, Sun 6:30am-4pm. 4700 Coffee Rd. Store: (661) 588-1338, Deli: (661) 588-2329

Valentien Restaurant and Wine Bar

French Cuisine Fused With California Freshness Seafood, Poultry, Beef, Exotic Game, Vegetarian. A welcoming environment in the tradition of a neighborhood bistro. Extensive Wine List and Craft Beer Selection. Coffee Program Featuring Siphon Brewers and Sustainable Sourced Beans. We believe in preparing food from scratch with the freshest ingredients available. We source locally and organically as often as possible. Enjoy the bounty of Kern County’s Agriculture! A daily “Afternoon Epicure” $25 prix fixe menu from 4:30pm-5:30pm. Dinner reservations Mon-Sat, 4:30pm-8:30pm. Lunch reservations Friday ONLY 11:30am-2:00pm. All major credit cards are accepted. Reservations recommended but not required. 3310 Truxtun Ave., Ste. 160, 93301 www.valentienrestaurant.com (661) 864-0397

110 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Saigon Restaurant

We invite you to try the best place in town for fresh and traditional Vietnamese cuisine! Since 1998, we have served the absolute healthiest dining options to the people of Bakersfield. From unique appetizers, soups, salads, and vermicelli dishes to Boba drinks and Vietnamese beer, we have everything you crave for a true culinary experience. Our pho, noodle soups, vegetarian dishes, and a la carte items featuring seafood, pork, beef, and chicken will satisfy your craving for traditional Vietnamese food. Lunch Specials from 11am-3pm. Individual Dinner Specials after 4pm. Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm. Closed Sunday. 3113 Chester Ln. www.saigonbakersfield.com (661) 327-8810

Uricchio’s Trattoria

Now Offering Curb-side To-go Service and free validated parking for lunch guests! Nestled in the heart of Downtown in the historical Haberfelde Building.

Steaks, chops, seafood, and classic Italian dishes, complemented by an extensive wine list, have made Uricchio’s a mainstay for over a decade. Uricchio’s San Francisco style setting is family owned and operated, and the perfect spot for a business lunch, or a romantic dining experience. After your meal save room for the fabulous desserts from LaMousse of Beverly Hills. Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-2pm, Dinner Mon-Thu 5-9pm, Friday & Saturday 5-10pm. Reservations recommended.

Visit us on Facebook! www.uricchios-trattoria.com. 1400 17th St. Downtown.

(661) 326-8870

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Locations!

El Portal Mexican Restaurant

We invite you to enjoy both of our Mexican Grill and Cantinas, El Portal Ming and El Portal West. We offer a great selection of appetizers, soups & salads, seafood, and our specialties are chicken, steak, and shrimp fajitas. Happy Hour for Ming Ave. Mon-Fri 4-7pm (bar only) and at West location 3-7pm (bar only), lunch specials every day, 11am-2pm. Fabulous Sunday Brunch, 10am3pm, reservations accepted. Two locations to serve you. El Portal Mexican Restaurant located at 6641 Ming Ave. (661) 834-2629, and El Portal West, located at 1100 Calloway Dr. (661) 829-2737

Frugatti’s Italian Wood-Fired Oven

Real Italian by Real Italians! Whether dining in or al fresco on our patio, come in and enjoy our new menu that’s bursting with flavor for lunch, dinner or just dessert. You’ll love our steaks. We use only the highest quality Certified Angus Brand® Beef. You’ll also love our chicken, seafood and pizzas cooked in our imported Italian wood-burning oven. We also offer a wide selection of pasta dishes and other Italian favorites. For dessert try our homemade New York cheesecakes or Tiramisu. Come experience our friendly atmosphere. Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-9:30pm, Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 11:30am-10pm, Sunday 11:30am-9pm. All major credit cards accepted. 600 Coffee Rd., corner of Truxtun and Coffee. frugattis.com (661) 836-2000

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The Dining Guide

Cataldo’s Pizzeria Riverwalk

Fresh New York Style Pizza! Come experience the flavors of the traditional handtossed New York style pizza. Our pizzas and calzones are made to order in brick ovens from the freshest ingredients with homemade pizza sauces and doughs.

We use the best of natural cheeses, like mozzarella, feta, and parmesan. Try our pizza by the slice or as a whole pie. Slices are taken from our 30” pizza, and are prepared with our Italian-style marinara pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice. Lunch slices come with a free drink (Mon-Fri). We serve pastas, wings, fried chicken, and potato logs, salads, and dressings. Beer & wine available. Family-style dine in, carry out, or delivery. Open Sun-Thu from 11am-9pm and Fri-Sat 11am10pm. 13011 Stockdale Hwy. (& Allen Rd.) cataldospizza.com (661) 587-7888

favorites

Local Heirloom

Chalet Basque

The Dining Guide

The number one low price leader Basque restaurant in Bakersfield! Lunch starter $7.50. Dinner starter $12. Full bar with $4 well drinks, $3.50 beers, and weekend drinks. Three banquet rooms that accommodate 10-170 people, $8.95 starter. Perfect for wedding parties, anniversaries, and retirement dinners. If you’re looking for a spacious banquet room with delectable options, they will match any competitor’s price. Open all day from 11am-9:30pm. 200 Oak Street. (661) 327-2915

Izumo Japanese Restaurant & Sushi

Variety and style is what you can expect at Izumo. Experience our casual atmosphere where you have your choice of dining experiences. Visit us to enjoy the teppan-yaki, sample the sushi bar, or our more conventional order-off-the-menu setting. The teppan-yaki comes one dish at a time as the chef prepares it in front of you - they will amaze and impress with their skill and expertise. Our relaxed dining gives customers a chance to really enjoy our food and friendly service. Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Mon-Sun 5:30-10pm. Reservations accepted. Visa, MC, AE. 4412 Ming Ave. (661) 398-0608

Wine Me Up! Wine Bar & Tapas Lounge

Wine Me Up!, in the heart of the northwest, is your new alternative for gatherings with friends or business. Our intimate lounge and patio is the perfect place to enjoy over 30 wines by the glass, craft beers, and savory tapas selections. We also offer live music on Friday nights, daily mixers from 5-7pm for beer and wine, and a knowledgeable staff to assist you with the perfect bottle to enjoy at home. Hours: Mon-Fri, 2pm to Close. Sat, 3:30pm to Close. 3900 Coffee Rd #2, Bakersfield, CA 93308. (661) 588-8556

112 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

winter can bring a wealth of wonderful opportunities to get crafty in the kitchen, and it can also be a great time to revisit family traditions. Brigit Ayers, a local kitchen guru, utilizes the assortment of winter vegetables available at our farmers’ markets to honor the memory of her greatgrandmother. “As a child, my great-grandmother would make a large Italian dinner every Sunday. She also grew vegetables in her garden,” Ayers recalled. “Her only problem would be that the stove top would be full of boiling pots and pans, so she would have to use the oven to roast the veggies.” The dish soon became a family favorite, and a seasonal delight that Ayers wanted to share. Just remember, as her Nonna would say, “If your stove top is full, there’s always the oven!”

Winter Vegetables

Bella Nonna

4 Sweet potatoes • 3 Parsn ips • 4 Beets 3 each orange/red/white medium or small carrot s 1 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts • 4 W hite onions 1 1/2 cups cranberries • 4 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 3/4 Tbsp. fine sea salt • 2 3/4 Tbsp. black pepper Two ba king sheets lightl y greased Preheat oven to 440 degree s. Peel sweet potatoes, par snips, beets, and carrots. Halve the sweet potatoes, parsni ps, and beets lengthwise and cut int o 1 1/2 inch thick pieces. Bru ssels sprouts and white onions can be halved or left whole . Sprinkle 3 Tbsp. olive oil over veg etables. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. fine sea salt and black pep per over vegetables.

Toss to ensure an even coating of olive oil and seasoning. Lay veg etables on the lightly greased baking sheet and roast for 40 to 45 minutes , turning over once during cookin g. In the last 10 minutes add cra nberries.

Be sure to serve these veg gies with Nonna’s balsamic glaze (re cipe can be found at bakersfieldmaga zine.net).

Everyone will love the dis h...and you might even hear a “molt o bene” or two!

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community partners

community partners Bakersfield Magazine is proud to support each of the

worthy charities you discover in the following pages.

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NONPROFIT

community partners

We all need help sometimes, and we all certainly need mentors in our lives. Garden Pathways, a local, grassroots nonprofit, has expanded and elevated a culture of mentorship in Kern County through its programs and services.

Founded in 1997 by Dr. David Goh, brother of former Fifth District Supervisor Karen Goh, Garden Pathways began as a humble service group associated with Garden Community Church. Originally at 900 22nd Street, Garden Pathways moved its admin office to Union Avenue over a year ago, and now runs services out of three other locations.

“Our goal is to transform lives from the inside out through loving, mentoring relationships, and to enable children, youth, and adults to build productive lives,” said Karen Goh, president and CEO. The nonprofit has a variety of mentoring and educational programs that lead families to educational advancement, employment, family stability, self-sufficiency, healthy living, and improved quality of life.

As Goh explained, “Garden Pathways has helped many people in our community including families transitioning from welfare to work and child protective services; youth and families impacted by gang violence and abuse; emancipated foster youth; ex-offenders; and other at-risk individuals.”

Essentially, these mentoring programs help people deal with issues of the heart and help them find hope and motivation to move forward with their lives. This is when individuals, then families, and, finally, communities are changed.

For example, one of the services offered is training ex-offenders and those with criminal backgrounds to be better mothers and fathers on their route to self-sufficiency, so when children go back to their parents (after they are released), the focus can be on rebuilding the life of the entire family.

This is a huge goal for Goh, who had a revelatory moment a decade ago.

“I’ve spent most of my career in New York in the educational publishing industry.

I witnessed September 11th from my office window and realized the brevity of life,” she said. “I chose to invest in the lives of people.”

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Karen Goh, president and CEO of Garden Pathways.

So the organization wants to help a wide variety of people. Garden Pathways’ Downtown Education Center provides quality childcare, education, and enrichment for infants and preschool children. Hope Village and Southeast Ministry Center offer life skills training, WESTEC safety certification, employment preparation training, and other supportive services. Among the diverse services is the Arts Mentoring program, which guides youth toward artistic

But those kinds of changes can only be faced with the help of a community. Thankfully, mentors are stepping up to the plate.

Today, there are over 100 volunteers mentoring and assisting in programs.

Mentors spend time—about an hour a week—working with an individual. The one-on-one relationship, coupled with a caring environment, gives mentees an opportunity to share in healing and committing to a new life.

“Irrespective of the mentoring program setting or type, it is the quality of the relationships that are forged and the degree to which they inspire hope that are at the heart of change.” —National Mentoring Partnership and personal growth. This program also includes a singing camp.

Garden Pathways’ philosophy is that challenges that face at-risk populations need to be dealt with at a root level. It’s not about dealing with the symptoms, but with finding a solution to the problem.

“We need to face underlying challenges like abuse, fear, and generational cycles,” said Goh.

Juan Avila, Dyann Barrientos, Shannon Vernon, Karen Goh, & Sean Battle help transform lives­­—one person at a time.

114 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

“To be a mentor, volunteers contact us, and we have core training, monthly orientations, and ongoing training,” Goh explained.

“And the mentees learn communication skills, healthy relationships, and how to control their anger, so when they get a job, they can hold it,” she added.

The nonprofit leverages its resources by partnering with local agencies in referring people to programs. For example, enrollment occurs through word of mouth, the Department of Human Services, probation department, and other community agencies.

“People have learned to trust us because we consistently exceed our performance measures, and we believe we must be accountable and operate with excellence.”

For more information, to mentor, or to inquire about a program or event, visit gardenpathways.org or call (661) 633-9133. n

Photo by Robert Perez

Imagine not being able to read a job application well enough to fill it out.

Fundamentals

Photo by Robert Perez

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Ray Mars works with Ruth Gresham, a successful student in the program.

gram as well as a Family Literacy Program. This program was created to not only help parents achieve English literacy but help them become more involved in their children’s education.” After all, it’s hard to help your child with their spelling when you are struggling yourself.

“This program also provides excellent modeling behavior for the children since they are watching their parents study and learn,” Nickell added. “We really are in a significant growth pattern.”

And that growth includes expanding programs to ensure all corners of Kern County are being serviced. “One of the programs we’re working on is a partnership with the City of Delano, the Delano Unified School District, and the Delano

Nearly 14 percent of Kern County adults lack the basic literacy skills to perform daily job functions (including reading work orders or emails).

—2010 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey Gabriela Gamboa, Executive Director Jeff Nickell, & Alejandra Garcia.

providing free tutoring in a variety of subjects. The group saw a need to teaching individuals to read, write, and speak the English language so they could be more productive members of our community.

As the county grew, so did the Literacy Council and its services.

“We have evolved over the years to offer new programs that fit the changing needs of the community,” explained Jeff Nickell, the Kern Adult Literacy Council’s executive director.

“For example, in addition to the Adult Basic Education Program, we now offer an English as a Second Language Pro-

Unified High School District. The program would have high school students tutoring both younger students and adults.

We would also have adult tutors. And similar programs are in the planning stages for Lamont and Arvin [the Literacy Council already has a presence in Tehachapi, Wasco, and Shafter].”

Naturally, as more and more people sought assistance, the Literacy Council shifted from one-on-one tutoring sessions to group sessions and classes so that more can be helped.

“Illiteracy and students falling through the cracks are huge problems in Kern County,” Nickell explained. “The Literacy Council offers adults, both young and old, the opportunity >> www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 115

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Imagine not being able to understand a letter written from a child’s teacher. These aren’t just hyperbolic situations designed to tug at your heartstrings—they’re real moments in people’s lives. Local people’s lives.

There is still a large population of adults in Kern County that can’t read or write well enough to function in daily life.

This is not about overlooking a typo in an email to a colleague once in a while, or about forgetting if certain words break the “i before e” rule—this is a much bigger problem.

A 2010 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey indicated that nearly 14 percent of Kern County adults lack the basic literacy skills to perform daily job functions (including reading work orders or emails).

That figure would be even worse were it not for the efforts of the Kern Adult Literacy Council. Founded in 1966 (and officially declared a nonprofit organization in 1973) by a group of concerned citizens, the Council began with a mission of improving literacy and adult education in the community by

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Bowling to Raise Awareness About

Sudden Cardiac Arrest In Youth

Saturday, January 18, 2014 11am-7pm

to receive free tutoring in reading, writing, and even arithmetic. These skills allow them the opportunity to get a job, or a better job. Literacy is about so much more than reading. It gives people confidence.”

Since reading and writing are such large parts of every business (even construction—you have to be able to read proposals and write budgets), you can imagine just how much of an impact tutoring can have on someone who’s always struggled with these skills.

According to Gabriela Gamboa, the administrative assistant with the Literacy Council, the success stories at this nonprofit are plentiful.

“For example, we had a wonderful lady in her late 30s come in for tutoring help so she could pass her GED. She had tried more than five times to pass the reading and writing portion, but was still struggling,” Gamboa said.

“She came in and we found her a tutor who worked with her for about a year. This woman worked the night shift

Community support, whether it be through donations or volunteering, is so important… you’re helping fellow human beings understand the power of written word.

AMF Southwest Lanes 3610 Wible Road

A Day of Bowling and Family Fun Arcade Games • Raffle for Prizes Refreshments Available at Mossman’s Diner

$20 Per Person • $70 Family 4-Pack (Includes 2 hours of bowling & shoe rental)

10,000

children DIE each year of Sudden Cardiac Arrest from undiagnosed heart defects.

Help us change the statistics!

Learn about SCA and how we’re putting a STOP to preventable death in our children.

Olivia Hoff 1989-2004

Our mission is to provide the community with knowledge about the issues, obstacles, and benefits of SCA prevention, resuscitation and early treatment in children and young adults through Community Heart Screenings, education and increased accessibility to life saving Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors:

www.OliviasHeartProject.org 661-331-9157

Olivia’s Heart Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community based organization whose mission is to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth. A portion of all ticket sales benefits Olivia’s Heart Project, and helps support their mission to keep young hearts beating.

—Jeff Nickell

and was very dedicated to learning. She’d come in before her shift, work hard, and then go right to work. Our tutor helped her learn how to write an essay, which is something you have to do for the GED, and also helped her with reading comprehension.”

The woman passed on her next attempt. “These are the moments that mean so much to us,” Gamboa added. “It’s hard not to cry when you see how happy they are. It makes all the struggles worth it.”

Nickell agreed. “The number of people who come through our program passing their GED tests really makes our staff proud of the students, as well as the job our volunteers are doing. Without our volunteers, who average over a thousand hours of tutoring per month, we would not be able to be the organization we are.”

But the Literacy Council is also around today thanks to support from the community. Locals come out in droves to Literacy Council events including the Read for Life Gala, the Festival of Books, and the Read for Success Breakfast.

“These events are so important because they provide the bulk of the funding that allows us to offer the services we do,” said Nickell. “Kern County is such a giving community. It’s really one of the things that make this such a wonderful place to call home.”

But really, the bottom line is that the county’s illiteracy problem needs to be faced and not ignored.

“There are a myriad of outcomes related to illiteracy,” he explained. “One of which is health. Officials have long lamented the gaps in literacy that plague many patients,

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Continued from page 116

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particularly the poor or poorly educated. Study after study has found that the inabilities to read or understand basic terms, such as ‘elevate’ or ‘take on an empty stomach,’ places patients at high risk for complications and rehospitalization.”

But the ramifications of illiteracy impact more than health—it can affect one’s employability.

“Good paying jobs start with being able to read and write, as well as have a high school diploma or General Education Development certificate,” Nickell added. If someone is unable to understand how to fill out a job application,

“Good paying jobs start with being able to read and write. If someone is unable to understand how to fill out a job application, though they may have the necessary skills to perform the job, they’ll never even be considered for the position.”

—Jeff Nickell

though they may have the necessary skills to perform the job, they’ll never even be considered for the position.

As Nickell explained, the two main things the Literacy Council needs to keep going are funds and volunteers. And community support, whether it be through donations or via volunteering, is so important…you’re helping fellow human beings understand the power of written word.

But it’s not just about being able to read the new Stephen King book, what the Literacy Council and their group of volunteers does is give locals the chance to lead better, fuller lives.

If you’d like more information or would like to volunteer with the Kern Adult Literacy Council, visit kernalc.org or call (661) 324-3213. v 118 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

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community partners

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Shari & Heidi

Sugardaddy’s

Ladies Apparel • Shoes • Accessories

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120 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Handmade by Carin

Now offering Infinity Sun Custom Airbrush $ Spray Tans for 35

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• Canine, Feline, & other small animal boarding • Grooming • Shuttle • Pets with special needs Donna Miller-Owner

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A Cappella Quartet

Bring some Harmony to your Holiday!

• Furniture Repair • Upholstery • Auto / Marine / RV • Residential • Commercial MON-FRI 8:30am - 5:30pm SAT 9:30am - 1pm Closed SUNDAY

• Commercial • Auto Service • Residential • 24 Hr Service

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Waxing • Facials • Makeup • Oxygen Therapy Microdermabrasion • Eyelash Extensions Permanent Makeup • Color Specialists • Perms Hair Extensions • Manicures and Acrylics Pedicure Spa Chair • Massage Therapy

www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 121

Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Welsh (Hillary Bergin) October 19th, 2013 JEH Ranch Juli Feller Photography

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Suhovy (Lisa Mateo) July 27th, 2013 Cambria, CA Ashley dePencier Photography

All Bridals & Diamond Jewelry

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Mr. & Mrs. Josh Marantos (Rachel Rios)

Bakersfield’s best-kept secret!

The perfect venue to host your special day.

122 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

June 22nd, 2013 Bakersfield Museum of Art Artisan Photography

With Roco’s Jewelry, it’s easy to say I do

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Mr. & Mrs. Joe Pena (Velda Long) June 22nd, 2013 El Tango Reception Hall Abby’s Photography

Everafters...

E-mail your wedding photography and information to: weddings@bakersfieldmagazine.net

J. Andrew Photography

Jerry Gamez Clothing Expert

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3900 Coffee Road, Suite 14 www.FinosCollection.com www.bakersfieldmagazine.net / Health 2013 123

BAKERSFIELD MAGAZINE

Party

CHATTER

For more photos from these parties visit bakersfieldmagazine.net

Susan Gharibeh, Earla & Isaac Diaz

Linda McClellan, Lisa Castro, & Veena Sharma

Heart & Stroke Walk

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Supporters of those who have, or currently are, struggling with heart disease or stroke strapped on their walking shoes and headed out to CSUB to participate in the annual American Heart Association’s Heart & Stroke Walk. Informative booths lined the area and live demonstrations for several types of dance and fitness routines were performed.

R IT Y PA

Jessica Trevino

Aubrey Ayon & Vivika Guevara

Reyna Carrillo, Karla Aparicio, Abigail Vanegas, & Cindy Estrada

Kooper & Kathleen Thomas

Sheila & Leanne Bogel

Hilary Bellue & Morgan Montoya

Tom Moran & Pam Davis

Sue & Norm Vaughn

Dr. G.B. & Nima Ha’eri

Centennial Gala

Rahman & Cherry Morris

Bakersfield’s premier junior college recently turned 100 years old, and in honor of this great milestone, the College decided to host a gala in the Gil Bishop Sports Center. Set one day before the Homecoming football game, those who went were treated to an hors d’oeuvres and champagne reception, dinner made exclusively from their own culinary arts program, dancing, a live auction, live music, and more.

Paula Parks & Dr. Bradford Anderson

Keith & Cathy Drewry

Lisa Rodriguez & Julie Hatridge

Jose & Laura Salas

Camilla Anderson & Nancy Perkins

Jessica & Michael Korcok

124 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

BAKERSFIELD MAGAZINE

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Rose Rangel & Stefanie Brizuela

Penny Fulton & Sandy Foster

Gary & Debbie Moles

Rockin’ the Night Away Sock Hop

A very unique dinner to raise funds for the Breakfast Rotary’s endeavors was hosted again this year. Patrons put on their best vintage ‘50s garb and headed to the Kern Agricultural Pavilion for a wild night. Classic ‘50s tunes set the mood as people danced, bowled, participated in a silent auction, and ate a spectacular dinner provided by BC’s Culinary Department.

John & Jessica Stahler

Stan & Susan Ferguson

Marlene Heise

Kym & David Plivelich

Terry Oxley, Jennifer Gilli, & Cindy Castro

Donna Hollingsworth & Kimberly Baniewicz

Steve Shayer & Jennifer Yamauchi

Stockdale Christian School • Preschool through 8th Grade • Credentialed Faculty • Science and Computer Labs • Special Education • Athletic and Music Programs • Independent Study Programs • Extended Daycare

Educating for Eternity

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Happy Holidays from

Dennis Fox Tracey Reynolds & Vince Fong

Donna Rogers, Wayne Wood, & Jackie Peck

Kate Eucce

ADAKC Event with Michael Reagan

Christy Swatzell & Peggy Darling

Assemblywoman Shannon Grove delighted our community by bringing Michael Reagan, adopted son to former President Reagan and past radio host, to town to help benefit the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County. People were later able to hear the touching stories from both Grove and Reagan about their parents’ struggles with the disease.

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Justin Janssen

Jeff & Erica Leggio, Chris Ennis

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BAKERSFIELD MAGAZINE

Jean Laborde

“Experience, Integrity, Professionalism” Ranch, Farm, & Commercial Properties Sales Mineral Rights, Desert Land, & Listing Specialist

“May I Have Your Business Please?”

Helped Clients Make Millions

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James Thomas, Jennifer Dinwoodie, & Leslie Lane

Alan Wilson

David Upton & Nicole Thomas

BARC Annual Dinner

As a fabulous way of expressing gratitude to the many people who work hard year-round to make their programs and clients a great success, BARC hosted their annual dinner. Set in the cozy Moorea Banquet Centre, a delicious meal was served and multiple awards were presented throughout the evening, including the Dr. Michal Clark Developmental Disabilities Service Excellence Award.

Carolyn Tucker & Joyce Myers

Iger Photography

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Benjamin Stark & Doug Miller

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Corina Jones, Gabriel Gonzales, & Tomeka Powell

Michelle Garland & Patrice Black

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Nicole Barriente & Roxanna Martinez

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Trish Reed, Cori Kitchen, & Teresa Henry

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Go Red Girlfriends

Lorena Delgado

Dr. Brij Bhambi

Bev Thompson

Julie Liebel

As part of the American Heart Association, and in conjunction with Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Go Red Girlfriends hosted a fun and informative evening called Stress Reduction and Your Heart Health. With almost everyone donning their red, the women in attendance indulged in wine, appetizers, and heart-healthy dark chocolate desserts.

Cathy Butler & Cheryl Bauer

Melanie Farmer & Marcia Hunsaker

Residential • Commercial

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Denise Newton, Nancy Reynolds, Stephanie Marina, & Leslie Symm

126 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

Robin Fleming & Abby Auffant

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Ben Everard, John Goyenetche, & Patrick Wade

Jonathan & Charity Redman

John Fordham

Distinguished Speakers Series

Bringing individuals to the community who bear a distinguished impact on a national or international level, CSUB welcomed CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX and Telsa Motors, Elon Musk, to their very first Distinguished Speakers Series affair.

This sold-out event was held at the campus’ Doré Theatre, and those who were lucky enough to attend listened to Musk’s fascinating stories of his ventures in science.

Mark & Cathy Abernathy

Weddings | Anniversaries Birthdays full stage|dance floor|dj booth

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Dan & Nancy Marble

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The Golden Empire Gleaners celebrated the fall season with their annual Harvest Festival. Live music by Fiddlin’ Pete Watercott and Neil Gelvin played as those who were present took in the fun atmosphere. Countless gift baskets lined the tables for their silent auction and drinks and hors d’oeuvres were enjoyed in the moments before it was all rounded off with a delectable dinner.

Lisa & Jason Hentges

Tamara Georgenton & Brandi Hanson

Sarah Beck, Wendie Nielsen & Vicki Williams

Pam Fiorini & Lori Caratan

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Jade Fierros, Misty Toney, & Danielle Skidmore

Esther Rodriguez & Angela Aceves

Elizabeth Moss

Light the Night Walk

White, red, and gold balloons illuminated the Park at Riverwalk for an evening of camaraderie and support. Participants in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk walked the two mile trail to show their support and honor loved ones who are currently struggling with the diseases or have passed. All funds raised at the walk help locals fight these blood cancers by funding research.

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Navi Kaur, Mirka Sanchez, & Parmeet Sindhu

Melissa Cossel & Tamara Rhine

Hema & VJ Patel, Kamal Bhakta, & Julissa Perez

Korina Mendoza & Bethanie Mills

Stephanie Salazar & Corinne Martinez

Justin & Terra Gaines, Robert Lundberg, & Jerry Randall

Macallan Dinner

Rebecca Wegman & Janet Millar

Patricia Watkins & Tina Nguyen

Barbara Person & Tim Name Anson

Imbibe Wine teamed up with Chef Robert of the Petroleum Club to bring a very rare and exciting event to Bakersfield. Featuring the Macallan Single Malt, those who went to taste what makes this incredibly selective drink superior to the rest had their options of four different pairings. The Malts varied in age and brought a smile to all of the scotch lovers who attended.

Todd Janssen & Sean McNally

Jose Pereyra & Fredda Carpenter

128 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

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Scary For Charity

2819 N. Chester Avenue

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Ghouls and goblins ran amok at this year’s Scary for Charity! Benefitting the Kern Partnership for Children and Families, this annual spooky event was a total scream. With haunted hors d’oeuvres, creepy-themed cocktails, a costume contest, and a jam-packed dance floor, guests had nothing to fear…well, except for Dracula!

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Irmie Lancaster

Erica Bain

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Links for Life Fashion Show

Cindy Talhelm & Jan Sessions

It’s no secret: our local Links for Life certainly knows how to throw a party!

Held at the DoubleTree Hotel, vendors were present, selling wares like jewelry and clothes at this fashionable affair. A delightful lunch was served to those who attended, and they were able to watch a fashion show as they dined. The best part? The runway models were local cancer survivors.

For The Laceedon Adame

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bakersfield’s sound

View of the north side of the Southern Pacific Depot in its golden years.

PHOTO COURTESY of Chris Brewer

southern pacific depot c.1880s

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We Need More Old Photos!

Have an old photo with back story from Bakersfield’s past?

We want your suggestions for future Bakersfield’s Sounds.

Submit any ideas to editorial@ bakersfieldmagazine.net. If we use your submission, we’ll give you a $50 gift card to a fabulous local restaurant.

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any of us are familiar with what was the Southern Pacific Railroad depot at Sumner and Baker streets. This is the very building that local historian Chris Brewer told the Bakersfield Californian was possibly, at some point, the oldest standing structure in our midst. However, this once-bustling nucleus that connected people and experiences as well as precious cargo had a more hidden and controversial beginning. The reasoning behind the controversy? Well, that all depends on who you ask...

In a Californian article by Susan Towers, the most common tale opens with the local residents being excited over the arrival of the new railway line. Excitement soon waned, however, when they realized that this vital new addition to the land was actually set to bypass Bakersfield, altogether, and land at the Sumner Depot a whole one and a half miles east. Named for Massachusetts U.S. Senator Sumner, an entire community was established because of this one change in 1874. There was even speculation that the name of Bakersfield should be changed, as well, though it was ultimately decided that it was the station, itself, that needed changing.

This is where things get a little more interesting. Records have shown that the bypass was due to a disagreement with land allowances around the track in a well-known dispute between Southern Pacific Railroad and city leaders. A much different account was given

by Southern Pacific historian John R. Signor in his book Southern Pacific – Santa Fe Tehachapi. John C. Teves detailed in another article (titled “Forgotten Past”) that Signor attributed this decision to a train engineer: a Mr. William Hood. As Hood was in charge of guiding construction for the railway, he noticed “large trunks of trees and other debris” peppering the land as they approached Bakersfield. Figuring this as being a result of floods from the Kern River, he found it necessary to secure the trains from any chance of washouts. The fact that the area had been submerged in several feet of water during that year, alone, made his case even stronger.

Even if Signor’s tale is truly what had happened, the Sumner Depot didn’t last. In fact, Sumner, itself, didn’t last, being incorporated and having its name changed to Kern the very year it had been established. A temporary depot was erected in Bakersfield and, after the railroad decided to make the location its headquarters, construction for the permanent buildings occurred between the years of 1888-1889. It was even still in use until the arrival of Amtrak, almost a full century later, and stood all the while as a testament to hard work and community in our fair city.

the story of bakersfield is all around us, you just have to look — and listen.

130 Bakersfield Magazine / Presented By: San Joaquin Community Hospital

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