LC Section One 03 2023

Tent dwellers on Sixth St. get housing

By John Welborne

Last month in the Miracle Mile, Mayor Karen Bass and Fifth District Councilmember Katy Young Yaroslavsky implemented a local project under the mayor‘s citywide “Inside Safe” initiative. The program was a collaboration between Council District 5, the Mayor’s Office, the Los Angeles departments of Sanitation, Transportation, and Police, LAHSA (the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority), The People Concern and Fairfax Mutual Aid.

The city arranged for approximately 40 people living in approximately 15 tents — which had been erected illegally on the Sixth Street sidewalk, just east of Fair-

See Sixth Street, p 9

Rabbi to speak on hate crimes

By Suzan Filipek

A spate of hate crimes targeting Jews is a painful reminder of the stubborn survival of antisemitism and has prompted the local Holocaust Museum LA to hold a public conversation Sun., March 12 at 10 a.m.

“We invite our friends throughout Los Angeles to join us for an important See Rabbi to speak, p 9

‘Everybody’s favorites’ are selling on the Boulevard

By Casey Russell

The Girl Scouts are satisfying cookie cravings in the neighborhood with their booth sales through Sun., March 12.  St. James’ School Troop #625 was granted a sought-after spot on Larchmont Boulevard. Troop member Hanna Koh of Sycamore Square told us she sold 150 boxes on the Boulevard during the season’s first Sunday of sales in February. “Everybody’s favorites were the Samoas and the Thin Mints. We made lots of money,” she said.

Hanna’s mom, Jenny O’Brian, told us this is her daughter Hanna’s first year

Ladies pro golf to return to Wilshire Country Club April 27

Country Club Thurs., April 27, to Sun., April 30, with the inaugural JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.

The 72-hole tournament will feature 144 golf professionals competing over for a share of the $3 million purse — one of the largest prize funds on the LPGA Tour outside of major championships. It is double the size of the purse at the LPGA tournaments at Wilshire in previous years. “Los Angeles

selling, though Phoebe, her fourth-grade daughter, has been selling for a few years.

“It’s been exciting to watch the girls set goals and reach them, and then, next year, set them higher. I think that’s a good confidence builder and a good experience,” O’Brian said.

To buy a box from Scouts selling on Larchmont Boulevard, you’ll find booths open at these locations:

Peet’s Coffee, 124 N. Larchmont: Fri., March 3, Mon., March 6, and Fri., March 10,

its move-in date, plans

By Casey Russell

Having long had their eyes on Chan Dara Restaurant’s former location on Larchmont Boulevard, famed restaurateurs and local residents, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, told us they “jumped right on it” when the spot at 310 N. Larchmont Blvd. became available.

We spoke over Zoom recently with the two Hancock Park residents, who have owned the small Cookbook Market business since 2020. They acquired the neighborhood market chain from co-founders Marta Teegan and Robert Stelzner knowing that the former owners hoped more locations would be added. “We were fans of Cookbook and loved what Marta and Robert [had done]. It was always an admired place. We didn’t want to see it go away. They thought we’d handle the place well, and we were honored to get the call,” Dotolo said. When the partners took over the locations in Echo Park and Highland Park, there was some clarity, they told us, on where things could be tightened up, and they did so. They also said, “We’re cool with a little more sugar in here.”

Ninety years of service

COOKIES ARRIVE. Troop #625 members Phoebe Koh (10) and Hannah Koh (7) sell boxes of cookies outside of The Shade Store on Larchmont Boulevard.

n Players will compete for $3 million purse

Editorial

By John Welborne

SAD NEWS

So many local residents were rightly shocked and saddened at the news of the heartless murder of Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell. Long a friend of many in our neighborhoods, the Irish priest who was born in County Cork enlivened many a local gathering.

One memorable time, Bishop O’Connell was the featured entertainment at a fundraising event, “Catholic Comedy Night,” one of whose beneficiaries was St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. As a flyer said in advance of the event, held at the Hancock Park home of Yvonne Cazier, “We have a great lineup of stars, an optional Mass with Bishop Dave O’Connell (America’s funniest Bishop) and great food, fine wine and craft beer.” See the photo at right.

Bishop O’Connell’s Vigil Mass is being held downtown at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at 7 p.m. on the day that this March issue of the Larchmont Chronicle is distributed. The Funeral Mass will be the next day, Fri., March 3, at 11 a.m., also at the Cathedral. Both will be live-streamed. Details are at: tinyurl.com/3aw36vkb.

Calendar

Wed., March 8 — Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom; maybe in person. See greaterwilshire.org for details.

Sun., March 12 — Daylight Saving Time begins. Move your clock ahead one hour at 2 a.m.

Tues., March 14 — Mid City West Neighborhood Council board meeting, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom; maybe in person. See midcitywest.org for details.

Fri., March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day.

Thurs., March 23 — First day of Ramadan.

Mon., March 27 — César

Chávez Day.

Thurs., March 30 — Delivery of the April issue of the Larchmont Chronicle

‘Have you tried any of the new stores on the Boulevard?’

That’s the question inquiring photographer Casey Russell asked locals.

Letter to the Editor

Contempo Casuals link

So interested to read your article about Contempo Casuals [Dec. 2020, “21-year-old makes fashion-forward twist for 1960s Contempo Casu-

Larchmont Chronicle

Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin Publisher and Editor

Managing Editor

Suzan Filipek

Contributing Editor

Jane Gilman

Staff Writers

Talia Abrahamson

Casey Russell

Helene Seifer

Advertising Director

Pam Rudy

Advertising Sales including Classifieds

Caroline Tracy

Art Director Tom Hofer

Circulation Manager

Nona Sue Friedman

Accounting

Jill Miyamoto

606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103 Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241

larchmontchronicle.com

als”]. I was the owner of the store fitting company (Associated Wood Products Inc.), responsible for each of the 200+ store original interior fittings, décor and furnishings and also the subsequent remodeling of the stores. My company had over 20 years working with the Friedmans and their construction head, Syd Pinoos.

I currently live in Mexico and in my ‘cantina’ I have the Mexican style furniture made for their personal office during the early Contempo years.

Chris Hall

Alamos, Mexico

“Our favorite is Clark Street. We just moved from Echo Park, and we were sad to leave [the bakery] behind. So, we were so glad to find it here! We were there on the first day. Our favorite thing to get is the cardamom bun.”

Jack

CORRECTION

Nyakio and David Grieco

The article, “Nyakio and David Grieco: a couple that was meant to be,” Feb. 2023, should have described Nyakio as a founding parent of Larchmont Charter School – Fairfax, not of Larchmont Charter School. Also, the Griecos’ son Rocco was born in 2010, not in 2008.

“I really like Midland. We are excited about the new things opening, especially Credo. And we’re looking forward to Jon and Vinny’s Cookbook.”

“I love Flannel. I’m coveting Flannel’s beautiful silk slips, but I need a good excuse to buy them.”

Susan Arena and Andrea Nevins Windsor Square

“I love Corridor. In fact, I’m wearing a shirt from there right now. Miles likes it, too, as it’s one of the many places on Larchmont that gives him a biscuit.”

Abe Greenwald and Miles Larchmont Village

Hawkins, Camilla Arfwedson and Auro La Brea-Hancock

Requiescat in pace and suaimhneas síoraí air, Bishop Dave.

BISHOP DAVID O’CONNELL visited the Hancock Park back yard of Yvonne Cazier (front) on June 21, 2018, shown here with Bill Ahmanson and Daryl Twerdahl, also of Hancock Park.

Wilshire Rotary 90th, Larchmont Charter fundraiser, teepee, more

Ninety years ago, the average cost of lunch was 75 cents and a movie ticket just 35 cents. The year 1932 also was when the Wilshire Rotary Club gained its charter and began serving our neighborhood through its charitable works and other support for our community.

Meetings took place at the Wilshire Country Club and then moved to the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, where lunches got a bit more expensive ($1 — the horror!!!). On Jan. 28, 2023, the exquisite Jonathan Club downtown played host to a jubilant 90-year luncheon celebration where 75 members enjoyed canapés and tables overflowing with cheeses, meats, breads, vegetables and other delights that quickly vanished. Some guests donned carnival glasses, silly hats and boas if they were feeling fancy enough to mug for the camera of the Snap Yourself photo booth donat-

SECTION ONE

Around the Town with Sondi Toll Sepenuk

ed by Rotary President Joyce Kleifield’s son, Adam.

Of course, this being Rotary, the event was also a fundraiser. More than $10,000 was raised through a silent auction and raffle. Although Rotary is mainly known locally for its annual Larchmont pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot (and don’t forget the Larchmont clock!), longtime member John Miron recounted the international nature of Rotary’s mission, including the Japanese student exchange program and hosting educators from Ber-

lin, doctors from Prague and Russian judges who came to see and explore Los Angeles.

Most recently, Rotary collaborated with the Bill Gates Foundation to raise funds to fight polio around the globe, and the World Health Organization tapped into Rotary’s

worldwide web of networks to help distribute COVID-19 vaccinations to the most hard-to-reach places.

In her 90th celebration toast, President Kleifield added a sentiment that echoed with all in attendance. “I’ve found a home in Rotary, and I

couldn’t ask for better friends. If there was an experience we were put on earth for, we were put on earth for Rotary.” Enjoying the 90th anniversary mid-afternoon were party organizers Amy Cuomo, Wendy Clifford and Elizabeth Watts-Russell, along with members Zabrina Schultz, Don Robertson, Elsa Gillham, John Miron, Peter Smyth, Tim Stoller and Pam Rudy. Screening fundraiser

An ultra-private screening room on the edge of Beverly Hills was the scene Feb. 2 of food, film and fundraising for Larchmont Charter School. Twenty-five guests joined the evening of laughter and connection in support of the local Pre-K-12. The event was catered by former Larchmont Charter Edible Schoolyard Program’s own Kori Bernards of Ricca Kitchen, who

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TWO

SECTION THREE

90TH ANNIVERSARY celebrants, left to right, Amy Cuomo, Joyce Kleifield, Dan Yukelson, Wendy Clifford, Janice Prior and John Miron.

Around the Town

(Continued from page 3) presented an incredible visual spread of fresh cheeses, vegetables, charcuterie, olives, cookies, mini pastries and more. Guests drank and dined surrounded by framed movie posters to get them into the movie magic mood. Windsor Square’s Danny Corwin manned the popcorn machine as guests made their way to every adult’s inner-child fantasy come true: an endless snack bar of king-sized movie candy boxes. When the lights dimmed for the screening in the ultra-plush, 30-seat private movie theater, M. Night Shyamalan’s highly anticipated “Knock at the Cabin” was the big reveal. Enjoying an evening of traditional moviegoing bliss were AJ and Julie Johnson, Zoe and Danny Corwin, Daphne Brogdon, Lisa O’Malley, Pete Sepenuk, Susan and Stephen Matloff, Kori Bernards and Tom

Eisenhauer, Jennifer Enani and Hayley and Chris Stott.

Teepee time

A private estate in Malibu, a gargantuan teepee, and several hours of meditation and reflection all added up to a much-needed afternoon of sisterhood, wellness and rejuvenation for several Larchmont women Jan. 29. Hancock Park area resident Irene Abbou, organizer and founder of

the Happiness Within Reach Coaching Program, led the afternoon of thought and reflection. Guests were welcomed into an oversized teepee where they were surrounded by warm blankets, candles, incense and crystals. Facilitator Fiona Emley led an exercise used in Eastern medicine to unblock channels on the body’s meridian system points, getting rid of negative energy and inviting healing. The women then enjoyed a sound bath of singing bowls led by Body & Soul Creek Wellness founder Brooke Burke, which uses the bowls’ restorative sounds to fill the room, inviting therapeutic wellness and relief. Enjoying the relaxing mini-escape were Lisa O’Malley, Manon Abbou and Melissa Staum.

CHLA as beneficiary

Evan Listi, a Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Junior Ambassador, partnered with Jeni’s Ice Cream to raise funds for CHLA last month.

The Beauty of Experience

Larchmont 's own Rebecca Fitzgerald MD, a board-certified derma tologic surgeon, brings extensive experience and up-to-the-minute expertise to the convenience of your own neigh borhood

Jeni’s donated 25 percent of sales on Valentine’s Day from 4 to 7 p.m. to CHLA to help the Junior Ambassadors reach their goal of raising $1 million for CHLA this year.

And, speaking of CHLA, local favorite restaurant El Cholo — celebrating its centennial in 2023 — has just announced a program to benefit that pediatric hospital and another one to our southwest, CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County). Donors of $100 can receive an El Cholo Nacho VIP Card and enjoy Carmen’s Nachos for free all this year — while helping fund El Cholo’s own $1 million pledge for funding

pediatric cancer research at the two hospitals.

Chronicle fans

People out partying saluted our local paper a couple of times in recent weeks. On Sat., Jan. 21, former residents Sally and Van Dyke Parks proudly displayed the January Larchmont Chronicle at an art opening featuring a dozen of Sally’s latest paintings. A few weeks later, the February issue got a shout-out (Please turn to page 6)

EXCITED GUESTS ready to watch “Knock at the Cabin” at Larchmont Charter School movie night fundraiser.

ATTENDEES enjoy conversation, reflection and meditation in a teepee.

CHLA FUNDRAISER at Jeni’s ice cream: Evan (12) and River (7) Listi.

MANNING the popcorn machine is Danny Corwin.

VAN DYKE PARKS and his wife, Sally, saluted their beloved former neighborhood newspaper at the recent opening of a show of her latest paintings.

Michael Christopher Kristoff and vice president and ball chairman Tyler Alexander Bibbins. Both were in Museum of Natural History security guard uniforms.

As is traditional at the annual party given by these unmarried men, not to exceed 75 in number, several gracious ladies welcomed all the guests as Patronesses of the Ball. The ladies honored as Patronesses this year were Mrs. Sam Bakhshandepour, Ms. Mari Snyder Johnson, Mrs. Charles Stuart Nelson and Mrs. Andrew Elmore Witt. As also is tradition, there was dancing until 4 a.m.

Society annual tea

A sold-out gathering of fans of local history gathered at

Around the Town

(Continued from page 4) from a leprechaun and Wilma and Fred Flintstone! Spotted at the 118th Anniversary Bachelors Ball on Fri., Feb. 10 — getting a head start on St. Patrick’s Day — was former president of The Bachelors, Alex Lynn. For dinner, he sat at the table of Michael Kezirian, temporarily back in town from Germany and Houston just for the Ball. Complementing his Fred Flintstone costume was vivacious redhead Wilma, Susanna Kise, also here from Houston for the party.

As was the case with the approximately 800 people in the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom that night, the costumes of Kezirian’s other guests ran the gamut. For the club’s first seven years preceding 1912, “The Bachelor Cotillions” were white tie. As always, since 1912, when the party evolved to “fancy dress” (costume), the decorating theme for the Ball is kept secret until the ballroom doors open. This year, guests arrived to find themselves at a “Night at the Museum.” Two Bachelors who did know the theme were current president

the Wilshire Country Club on Sun., Feb 26, for the Annual Tea arranged by the venerable Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society. As a guest speaker, photographer and author Tom Zimmerman,

who specializes in recording history with his camera, shared fascinating tales with Society members and their guests.

And now you’re in the Larchmont know!

Operation School Bell takes aim at poverty

By Suzan Filipek

Some 300 underprivileged students at Sixth Avenue Elementary School were supplied with brand-new backpacks and more through a recent partnership with Wilshire Rotary Club and the Assistance League of Los Angeles’s Oper-

ation School Bell.

Members of both groups manned stations and, from a 48-foot trailer, doled out toiletries, school supplies, shoes, jackets, games and books.

“Wilshire Rotary Club loves participating in Operation School Bell (OSB) as it directly coincides with our mission of supporting children and education. It is so rewarding to see the children’s huge smiles. They receive so much more than new items from Operation School Bell; they have a heightened sense of self-esteem, joy and hope,” said Joyce Kleifield, Wilshire Rotary president.

The partnership came about at the request of Assistance League member Karla Ahmanson, the wife of Wilshire Rotary honorary member Bill Ahmanson.

Operation School Bell is an ongoing project of the Assistance League that provides new clothes and school supplies to underprivileged children in area public schools who might not be able to afford them otherwise.

According to Kleifield, Operation School Bell understands it’s difficult to “wear your poverty,” and for many impoverished children, attending school is painful and so they drop out. Others attend irregularly, or never enroll because their parents can’t afford even the most basic necessities such as shoes and socks.

Operation School Bell helps children get to school and stay

in school, said Kleifield, adding education is the best defense against poverty, illiteracy, substance abuse and crime.

skin deep

by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald

While you might take comfort in knowing that approximately 90 percent of women have cellulite, you also still might want it gone. We are here with good news: Aveli for Cellulite is a (it’s tempting to use all caps here) long-term single visit solution to address those not so scenic hills and valleys on your thighs and rear.

Cellulite treatments have traditionally taken an outside-in approach. Aveli does the opposite with a minimally invasive handheld device to address the connective tissue responsible for your divots. Clinical study results show diminished dimpling after a month, with results lasting up to a year. What’s the catch? The most common side effects are mild discomfort for the first 24 hours after treatment and some tenderness and bruising. A small price to pay for a smooth appearance you never thought possible. Contact our office for an Aveli consultation or appointment and consider wishing no ill will to that pesky 10 percent.

is

an international Training Physician for Dermik, the makers of the injectable Sculptra. She is also among a select group of physicians chosen to teach proper injection techniques for Radiesse, the volumizing filler, around the world. Dr. Fitzgerald is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. Visit online at www.RebeccaFitzgeraldMD. com or call (323) 464-8046 to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald

a Board Certified Dermatologist located in Larchmont Village with a special focus on anti-aging technology. She is a member of the Botox Cosmetic National Education Faculty and is

STUDENTS pick out clothes and supplies with help from staff and volunteers.

WILSHIRE ROTARIANS Jane Gilman, Rob Barnes and Amy Cuomo.

BACHELORS BALL partiers at the 118th Anniversary fancy dress event at The Beverly Hilton included a leprechaun (Bachelor Alex Lynn) and Wilma and Fred Flintstone (Susanna Kise and Bachelor Michael Kezirian), evidently all fans of the Larchmont Chronicle

HISTORICAL SOCIETY TEA attracted a crowd at the Wilshire Country Club on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

This

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Loida Umipig, Registered Nurse, Mother-Baby department

JOURNALISTS VISITING the offices of the Larchmont Chronicle from Türkiye were, left to right: Kenan Sener, S. Hazal Ocak, Tulay Octen and Didem Ozel Tumer.

By John Welborne

The end of January saw international travelers visit our local Larchmont newspaper, and our paper also was represented at a major conference in Sacramento.

Neighborhood council election day is Sun., April 30

n 39 Greater Wilshire candidates are certified

By John Welborne

Every two years, local residents, workers or property owners, plus individuals who are a member of, or participate in, a community organization (such as a local business, school, or religious or other nonprofit organization) within the boundaries of our neighborhood council may help elect 21 people to serve as Directors of the Greater Wilshire Neighbor-

hood Council (GWNC) for the following two years.

The Bylaws of the GWNC provide that people who document their eligibility to vote in specific categories must vote in person at the polling place on election day. This year, that is at The Barking Lot on Larchmont Boulevard on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

At that time, voters must bring their driver licenses (or other photo ID showing birthday, address) and, if you also are voting for one of the

special interest board seats in addition to the geographic area where you live, work or own property, you also must bring some sort of evidence of your participation in that special interest constituency. Therefore, as has been the case since the initial founding of the local neighborhood council in 2001 and the official certification of GWNC in 2003, an individual voter may cast up to two votes. Although the adopted GWNC Bylaws also provide

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Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Candidates for April 30, 2023 Election

State once again sent foreign visitors to Larchmont Boulevard to learn our views on how an independent small local paper is significant to the democratic process. Each of the four journalists from

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Geographic Areas:

1 — Brookside

Owen Smith

2 — Citrus Square

Jeffry Carpenter

3 — Country Club Heights

Selene Betancourt

4 — Fremont Place

Mark McQueen

5 —Hancock Park

David Trainer

Jennifer Devore

6 — La Brea-Hancock

Sixto J Sicilia

7 — Larchmont Village

Charles D’atri

Vincent Cox

8 — Melrose

Neighborhood

Craig Au

Jesseca Harvey

Jason Wood

9 — Oakwood-Maplewood- St. Andrews Sq.

Tess Paige

Alex Nava

10 — Ridgewood-Wilton/St. Andrews Square

Patricia (Patti) Carroll

11— Sycamore Square

Conrad Starr

12 — Western-Wilton

(“We-Wil” Neighborhood)

(None)

13 — Wilshire Park

John Gresham

14 — Windsor Square

David Meister

Gary Gilbert

15 — Windsor Village

Bianca Sparks Rojas

Claire Ortiz

Julie Kim

Special Interest Categories:

At-Large

Lucy Pinkwater

Cindy Chvatal-Keane

Diran Yanikian

Business

Michael Knowles

Romi Cortier

John Winther

Education

Scott Appel

Other Nonprofit

Mark Alpers

Brian Curran

Religious

Benjamin Rosenberg

Suzana Kim

John Halbert

Renter

Lourdes Gomez

Tommy Atlee

Annah Rose Verderame

Mj Anderson

John Marchesini

NEW PROGRAM in fetal surgery launched at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

Life-saving fetal surgery program launched at CHA Medical Center

As a joint venture between USC and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the new Los Angeles Fetal Surgery Program offers minimally invasive fetal treatments to cure or reduce adverse outcomes resulting from conditions that may otherwise result in death or irreversible organ damage to the baby, said Dr. Ramen Chmait, program director. “The goal of the Los

Angeles Fetal Surgery Program at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian is to treat unborn babies with innovative treatments while providing families with emotional support,” said Dr. Chmait, who also serves as an OB-GYN with Keck Medicine of USC.

In addition, CHA HPMC was recently ranked as the second best hospital in California for coronary interventional procedures, according to Healthgrades, an online resource. And, it was recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention for 2022-2023 and as America’s Best for Spine Surgery, 20212023.

A new program to provide innovative and life-saving fetal surgery to pregnant women and their unborn babies with birth defects has been launched at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC).

DEE DEE MYERS participated in a Sacramento discussion of misinformation with investigative reporter Tony Biasotti from the Ventura County Star.

A Chronicle focus in January was on journalism, international and statewide

Sixth Street

(Continued from page 1)

fax Avenue and next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures — to move to interim housing and to embark upon the path to securing

Rabbi to speak

(Continued from page 1)

conversation addressing contemporary antisemitism,” museum officials said in a statement released following the Pico-Robertson area shootings of two Jewish men and other incidents in Los Angeles.

Rabbi Moshe Cohn will speak about antisemitism today, how

permanent housing.

Accounts of tent dwellers camping in this area go back to November. Councilmember Yaroslavsky told us that this is one of the locations her new constituents first pointed to as needing help. Working closely with the mayor and her team,

to talk about it, and tools to respond. He is head of the Jewish World Section, International Seminars and Jewish World Department of the International School for Holocaust Studies at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

“We commend the quick and steadfast support of the LAPD and our local leaders,” the

which had identified available, interim housing in a hotel in Silver Lake, council office staff and others spent two weeks approaching the tent dwellers and encouraging them to accept the offers of housing. By Feb. 18, all of the tent occupants had agreed to move to

release continued. “We will continue to work with all in our community to spread our beacon of truth, education, forebearance and dedication in seeking to root out hatred in all its ugly forms.”

Jaime Tran, 28, was charged Feb. 17 with federal hate crimes. He admitted to police he searched for a kosher market on Yelp before the shootings,

offered housing and the city Bureau of Sanitation had removed remaining debris and cleaned the area.

Temporary fences erected along both sides of the sidewalk were placed there by LACMA in anticipation of installing landscaping, Yaroslavsky said in news reports.

according to a court filings. He is being held without bail.

The two victims allegedly attacked by Tran were shot Feb. 16 leaving religious services wearing Jewish head coverings. Both men survived the shootings.

To RSVP and for more information about the March 10 event, visit holocaustmuseumla.org. Free.

Journalism

(Continued from page 8)

the Republic of Türkiye — Kenan Sener, from Ankara; Sidret Hazal Ocak, from Istanbul; Tulay Octen, from Ankara; and Didem Ozel Tumer, also from Ankara — has a very big reputation in Europe. For each of them, as a guest of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the State Dept., it was a first visit to the United States (and the Chronicle was just one of their many stops).

Four days later, the Chronicle was represented among the nearly 200 California publishers, editors and reporters who gathered in Sacramento for “CapCon,” an annual conference of the California News Publishers Association.

The Association, founded in 1888, not only represents the interests of its news media members, it also works to foster the highest ideals of a free press and the news profession. The conference in Sacramento, not held since 2019 because of the pandemic, provides an opportunity to remind lawmakers of the importance to their constituents and to the State of California of strong laws relating to open meetings, public records, court access and more.

(Please turn to page 11)

TEMPORARY FENCE held in place by sandbags replaced illegal tents on the sidewalk behind LACMA and the Academy Museum. Landscaping is said to be coming.

CITY SANITATION trucks and staff join elected leaders and their staffs in helping street dwellers on a sidewalk next to LACMA move from Sixth Street to inside housing.

Donuts’ second coming on the Boulevard

By Casey Russell

After many years without a dedicated donut shop, Larchmont Boulevard is now home to Holey Grail Donuts.

Many in the area may remember all the years that Winchell’s Donuts occupied the first-floor corner of the building at the southwest corner of Beverly and Larchmont boulevards. (That’s the

Coldwell Banker Realty office today.)

Duke Fenady, whose father

Andrew Fenady bought the building in 1968, has fond memories of the old donut store. “I remember going up and visiting my dad in his upstairs office. Between his cigar smoke and pipe smoke, you could still smell the donuts,” said Fenady. “It was definitely popular. It was the go-to place to go to after church.”

In mid-1977, Coldwell Banker took over the spot where Winchell’s once resided.  Donut-lovers had to stray further for the tasty treats until Erin McKenna Bakery opened at  236 N. Larchmont Blvd. in 2012. The vegan bakery is not dedicated solely to the halo-shaped treats, but it does carry them.

Now, a branch of Holey Grail Donuts finds itself on Larchmont Boulevard. (The store was scheduled to open Mon.,

325 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #158 Los Angeles, California 90004 windsorsquare.org

Take Care of Our Trees

Here’s a simple way to increase your home’s value: add mature trees (or take good care of the ones you already have)! Research has shown that houses on streets with healthy parkway trees — especially if they trees are of the same variety and size — can sell for as much as 20 percent more than those on less shady streets.

Trees work hard for us: they keep us cooler, absorb sound, fight pollution, provide privacy, produce oxygen, and offer beauty, among other things. In exchange, trees need proper care, and this is particularly true now, with the stresses of drought and high temperatures.

Although it has been raining recently, here are some tips for caring for your valuable trees:

1. Most important of all: do not stop or cut back on watering your street trees, even if you’ve replaced your parkway lawn with drought-tolerant plants or decomposed granite. Mature trees need more water than they will get from a drip irrigation system. The best practice is to modify your sprinkler system so that the trees have their own dedicated sprinkler valve. Second best is to run an inexpensive soaker hose under the canopy. In either case, let the trees have a deep drink every month or so (more often during hot spells). Run the soaker hose at a very slow rate for several hours, in early morning or evening.

2. Do not prune trees during hot weather. Most trees should only be pruned when they are dormant, in late fall or early winter. And don’t over-prune them. Harsh pruning can permanently damage trees, especially when they are already stressed by several years of drought. Always use certified arborists, even though they may cost a little more.

3. Don’t plant under the tree. Leave a wide area of mulch underneath it. This will help protect the tree from disease and damage from lawn mowers and weed whackers.

4. Definitely leave a wide area of mulch around your trees if you have replaced your lawn with artificial turf. Fake grass heats up the soil beneath it, kills beneficial microbes and doesn’t allow the tree to breathe.

Our trees deserve special treatment. Let lawns go brown and thirsty shrubs wilt, but protect our hard-toreplace trees. Windsor Square depends on them! For more tips on tree care, go to our website: windsorsquare.org.

The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org.

Feb. 27, after the Chronicle went to press.) The company was co-founded by siblings Nile and Hana Dreiling five years ago, starting out as a food truck in Hanalei, Hawaii.

We spoke with Nile Dreiling by telephone recently. When asked why the spot at 148 N. Larchmont Blvd. was chosen, he said, “Larchmont seems to have a demographic of individuals and families who really care about the ingre-

(Please turn to page 19)

Cookbook

(Continued from page 1)

But they didn’t want to change the original model too much. “There are many longtime fans of the market,” said Dotolo.

Larchmont

In deciding what to do with their newest location on our Boulevard, Shook said, “We try to look at it from a consumer’s perspective… A lot of people use [the market] to get food to make for dinner while also stopping to get some lunch. That’s how we use [the other Cookbooks] and we want to do that at the Larchmont location.”

Customers will be able to grab what strikes their fancy from the fresh selections at the market. Then they can enjoy a glass of wine and a meal. “It’s really like a café,” said Dotolo. The duo told us seating will predominantly be outside, but there will be some eight to 14 spots for inside dining as well. In total, 30 to 40 seats will be available.

We are told the product itself will shape the décor. “Once [items] are on the shelves, it starts to look very decorative. The produce and the flowers bring in a lot of colors,” said Shook. The team said flowers are a big seller at their other locations, and they expect the same to be true on the Boulevard.

Besides carrying produce and flowers, Larchmont’s new market will carry specialty items and a wide variety of baked goods made in-house and outsourced from different bakeries. Wine, fish, ice cream, an ever-changing assortment of prepared foods and high-quality meats will also be sold. The team plans to curate the inventory to what is selling. “I’m so curious to see what Larchmont gravitates toward and what they ask of us,” said Dotolo.

Faves

When asked what some of their favorite products are, Shook said, “My favorites change all the time… Right now, I’m really into the chickpea miso... My wife is super into the oat milk we sell…

and I love the diversity in the baked goods.”

Dotolo said, “I guess I’m kind of a normal shopper here. 70 percent of my buy is usually produce… I buy wine sometimes… I maybe grab a sandwich and a cookie, and then I fill in on what I need in my house. I’m always interested in trying the new things we’re bringing in. I love just being part of it.”

The two told us they’re hoping to open this May, but they know well that construction

in Los Angeles often faces delays.

As to the notion of opening other locations after Larchmont’s Cookbook Market is up and running, Shook said, “We’ll wait and see how this one goes and then go from there.” Dotolo added, “We’re looking to provide a service for this neighborhood and make people happy. That’s kind of always been our goal. To be able to keep doing that has been awesome.”

Visit: cookbookla.com.

*Please visit www.greaterwilshire.org for updates on the transition from Zoom to in-person

Board of Directors

Second Wednesday each month 6:30 p.m.

Land Use Committee

Fourth Tuesday each month, 6:30 p.m.

Outreach Committee

Third Tuesday each month, 6:30 p.m.

Transportation Committee

It’s Election Season! Vote by mail or inperson voting (your choice)! For info, visit: greaterwilshire.org/election

Election Day: April 30th

Third Thursday of odd-numbered months, 6:30p.m. (NEW DAY & TIME)

Environmental & Sustainability Committee

First Tuesday of even -numbered months, 6:30 p.m. (NEW TIME)

Qualit y of Life Committee

Fourth Wednesday of the 2nd month of each quarter, 5:00 p.m.

Resilience Committee

First Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m.

Ecclesia

Gnostica Gnostic Christian Church

Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller

157 N. Larchmont Boulevard

WINCHELL’S DONUT HOUSE circa 1977.

HOLEY GRAIL’S Sunrise Shack donut includes strawberries, coconut and spirulina.

OPENING in Chan Dara’s former spot is Cookbook Market.

New approach to Los Angeles homelessness

With Los Angeles welcoming a new mayor and city council this year, it’s clear that the city is ready to move in a new, more efficient and effective direction when it comes to our homelessness crisis.

Citywide, Mayor Bass has taken immediate action and responsibility for this issue. Her new Inside Safe program has already connected unhoused folks from across the city with hotel and motel rooms as they are on the pathway to permanent housing.

Here in District 13, we are also tackling this issue head-on. We now have three full-time team members dedicated to homelessness — the biggest crisis facing our city. These staff members have decades of combined experience treating homelessness and coordinating with trusted service providers.

With this structure, we will be able to tackle this crisis with the sophistication, efficiency and compassion all residents of this city deserve — instead of wasting our tax dollars by pushing folks from block to block.

Progress and hope, one street at a time

CD 13 Council Report

by Hugo Soto-Martinez

We actually have more than 30 different organizations dealing with homeless services across our district. After taking office, we found that some providers were repeating work, while other important work was not being handled at all.

Now, our homelessness team is coordinating with every service provider in CD13. We are also mapping out every single encampment in the district. We believe coordination and a comprehensive look at the scope of the problem is necessary to be able to solve this issue.

We are looking forward to bringing urgency and nuanced solutions to the biggest crisis facing our city.

To get in touch with our office, please reach out to me at councilmember.soto-martinez@lacity.org.

It’s been over a hundred years since A. W. Ross turned a stretch of farmland in the middle of the Los Angeles basin into what would become the iconic Miracle Mile. In that time, the neighborhood has become one of the most visited in the world, with renowned museums, thriving businesses and exemplary architecture. It has also been challenged by a tremendous amount of human suffering on our streets. But last month, Miracle Mile lived up to its name, as we were able to move more than 40 individuals living on Sixth Street, just east of Fairfax Avenue, into a nearby motel. There is no question that we have more work to do, but I am reminded that for many of the people that were liv-

CD 5 Council Report

by Katy Young Yaroslavsky

ing in that encampment, this was life-changing. There was a woman at the encampment who had been afraid to open her tent and talk to my team in advance of move-in day, fearful that she would lose custody of her 2-year-old child. Another woman was eight months pregnant. There was also a man living with his adult son and a brother and sister, all taking care of one another. For the first time in years, they all have real beds, a door that

locks, and a roof that doesn’t leak during winter storms. It is important in this work to stay connected to the individual lives that are impacted by homelessness. I am hopeful that we will replicate this success very soon in several more locations across Council District 5. At the same time, my team is working hard to create new interim and permanent supportive housing so that we have places for folks to go other than just motels. I will keep you updated on our progress.

Journalism

(Continued from page 9)

Rebuilding trust

The theme of this year’s conference was “Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Disinformation.” It focused on possible ways to restore the public’s faith in what the press is reporting. Joining conference presenters such as former U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and political strategist David Axelrod was Windsor Square’s own Dee Dee Myers. Currently the director of Gov. Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Myers discussed “Misinformation and State Business” with the Ventura County Star’s reporter Tony Biasotti.

LIGHTS OUT! was the word in parts of the community over the rainy Feb. 24-26 weekend. A car crash on the corner of Beverly may, or may not, have contributed.

Photo by Alan Wolovitch

Olympic sport cycling talent identification program now on!

By Casey Russell

Between now and June, the Search for Speed is on. USA Cycling is restructuring and looking locally for new talent, according to Sterling Magnell, talent identification manager for USA cycling.

“The Search for Speed is a talent identification program focused on youth (14 to 25) in Los Angeles County from traditionally underserved communities. The goal is to get 700 to 1000 kids to try out,” said the cycling representative.

Designed to develop an

interest in the sport, the program will move young people into the pipeline that’s been created to develop talent. Organizers hope to find people with an incredible amount of raw ability and then help them develop that with an eye to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “We want to develop hometown kids for the hometown games,” Magnell said.

The tryout process is relatively simple. A couple of Wattbikes, which measure the amount of watts kids create by pushing hard on the pedals, are set up. Anyone who hits a certain number will be invited to a three-day session to see the velodrome in Carson and try riding on the banked track. Those who like it and do well will be introduced to the national team and its coaches. Some will continue to work with the national team with the goal of earning a spot on the squad and representing the U.S. in international competition.

The program is free to par-

ticipants and is friendly to crossover athletes. Sprinters, hockey players, volleyball players, BMXers — people involved in compound-movement sports — can excel at this. According to Magnell, if someone is strong, he or she can be taught the science and knowledge of racing on a velodrome in a couple of years. Then it’s improving and getting nuances. The search aims to democratize bike racing by introducing it to underserved communities. With the Wattbike technology, those who have potential can be identified and the numbers can’t be argued with. Tryouts were held at the end of February at Larchmont Charter’s Lafayette Park high school. Other opportunities to try out include: Sat., March 25, at Alpha Uno Athletics in Inglewood; the first Friday of each month at the Velo Sports Center in Carson; and the second Saturday of every month at the Los Angeles Bicycle Academy in Jefferson Park.

Visit searchforspeed.com.

Big Sunday gala returns to ‘new normal’ March 23

Big Sunday’s eighth annual fundraising gala is set for Thurs., March 23, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at a new Mexican restaurant and bar, Mirate, at 1712 N. Vermont Ave.

“This year’s gala will be a wonderful way to celebrate a huge and very impactful year for Big Sunday, a new space, and a return to normal (well, the new normal), while kicking us off for the many things we plan to do in the coming year,” Big Sunday executive director and founder, Hancock Park’s David Levinson, tells us.

Honorees are Marc Canter of Canter’s Deli, actress / writers Elizabeth Higgins Clark and

ART EXHIBIT AT THE EBELL

The Power of the Female Lens

Opening Reception:

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

5-8pm X Free Admission

Exhibit ends Sunday, April 23

Viewing by appointment after March 22

Please call 323-931-1277 x131

For more information visit www.EbellofLA.org/FemaleLens

Lauren Pomerantz and entertainment company Live Nation. While all of the honorees are treasured supporters of the locally based nonprofit, “Marc and Canter’s have a very longtime connection in the neighborhood,” Levinson reminded us.

“He and the deli have been great supporters of, and help to, Big Sunday for many years. He’s hosted Bingo ‘n Bagels many times (a special event benefitting, among others, the women of Downtown Women’s Center), as well as catered countless events, including our recent Thanksgiving and MLK Day events.”

Visit gala@bigsunday.org.

Enjoy shenanigans and help local Irish Import Shop

Wear something green, and come laugh with Bill Devlin and a lineup of other comedians at the Wren Theater at the Irish Import Shop, 742 Vine St., Fri., March 10, and Sat., March 11, at 9 p.m.

All proceeds from the events will support the Irish Import Shop, which is under threat of closure after 60 years.

“The Wren Theater is becoming a favorite of comedians and audiences alike,” Devlin told us. “Several of the country’s hottest comedians have chosen the Wren to tape their live stand-up comedy specials. As an Irish American, I feel very strongly about keeping this shop open; it’s the only one of its kind left in Los Angeles.” Performance tickets are

available on Eventbrite and billdevlin.com. If you want to help the shop, its GoFundMe page is at tinyurl.com/2p88w5ew

More shenanigans will be at Bill Devlin’s Comedy and Cocktails event Fri., March 17, at the Hollywood Improv Lab, 8162 Melrose Ave. Doors open at 9:15 p.m. It’s the 19th show, Devlin tells us — the first since the pandemic, and the first to be held in the intimate room at the Lab. Tickets are available at improv.com.

BILL DEVLIN

ATHLETES participating in the Search for Speed at the Velo Sports Center in Carson.

an all-female fine art photography exhibit featuring Janna Ireland, Johanna Siegmann and Jane Szabo.

John Irving’s new book echoes his own youth as an athlete

I have read John Irving, and he has read me.

Mr. Irving has been a subscriber to Amateur Wrestling News since the early 1970s. I’ve been writing 20 years for the publication and am presently the managing editor.

“Wherever I’ve lived, Amateur Wrestling News has reached me,” he said.

Mr. Irving, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1999 for “The Cider House Rules,” has woven athletics — especially wrestling and skiing — into much of his fiction. He was raised in New Hampshire, and he grew up skiing. He also wrestled, then later coached.

Irving is back with “The Last Chairlift,” which he insists is his final long novel. The book, his 15th, is supposedly more autobiographical than any of his previous novels, though it isn’t autobiographical fiction. He has frequently populated his books with gay and transgender characters, and his latest is no exception. His life ultimately is not mirrored within the book, but many elements are more than coincidence. Even the novel’s title is a direct reference to his past.

“I’ve lived more of my life in skiing places — in New Hampshire and Vermont, and in Austria,” he said.

The first sentence of “The Last Chairlift” made me laugh outright.

“My mother named me Adam, after you know who.” I love that.

Oh, and maybe I didn’t mention; this book is funny. How could it not be, with an opening line like that!

The book chronicles Adam Brewster and his peculiar family. It begins in the 1940s and schusses almost to the present. Adam’s mother, a ski instructor who had aspirations to ski competitively on the world stage when she was younger, is secretive about Adam’s father’s identity, and this is a prominent thread throughout the story. She marries Mr. Barlow and, along with Coach Dearborn, another great character who was an All American wrestler from Illinois, wrestling becomes one of the novel’s central elements.

Coach Dearborn wasn’t very enthusiastic about lifting weights. “You want to lift, just wrestle more,” he would say.

Adam prefers wrestling, and tells Mr. Barlow:

‘“I hate skiing,’ I told him. Every ski season, it’s what my mom does instead of being my mother. She keeps trying to teach me to ski, but I refuse to learn.”

Ultimately, “The Last Chair-

Youth

Sports by Jim Kalin

lift” is not about wrestling, though it isn’t really about skiing either; it’s about the characters and their stories.

“Good storytelling is directed to an outcome, one that’s been set up,” said Irving. “A good story isn’t a haphazard journey. An athletic endeavor is similarly determined; training for a sport is specific, not random.”

Irving believes that writers and athletes have much in common, especially when it comes to the process. Writing and training must be efficient and economic, and in order

for that to happen, an objective must first be realized.

“I don’t begin a novel until I know the ending,” said Irving.

I believe we sometimes need to give up things that make us happy for things that, surprisingly, will make us happier. Many of Irving’s characters

fall under that category (at least the most interesting ones) and there are lots of them in this new novel.

Writers tell us through story something about ourselves. Irving does that well, but he also reveals an awful lot about himself. And this is probably

the closest he’ll ever come to writing about John Irving. An autobiography later? Unlikely, if he’s honest about not beginning a work until he knows the ending.

I think Mr. Irving secretly wants to write for Amateur Wrestling News.

Council election

(Continued from page 8) that there shall be no absentee voting, including but not limited to voting by mail or proxy, the city, as part of its COVID-19 regulating, has allowed vote-by-mail in neighborhood council elections. Information about that is at: tinyurl.com/5n7hevr4.

Detailed information about 2023’s GWNC election is at: greaterwilshire.org/2023elections.

Candidate registration has closed, and information about the certified candidates for the GWNC seats is at: tinyurl.com/824npp2j.

JOHN IRVING

Photo by Nina Cochran

Helping kids keep themselves safe while they’re out in the world

By Casey Russell

This month, I’ve been thinking a lot about how parents can keep kids safe. Having a child to usher through this world is an awesome gift, but it’s also a huge responsibility. And while there’s a lot that we adults do daily to ensure our kids’ safety, there are ways we can empower our children to help keep themselves safe as well.

Very young children can be taught key information to help them reconnect with you if they become lost. Make sure your child knows your full name. Most of us don’t want our kids to call us, “Martha” or “Daniel” on a regular basis, but it is important for our children to know our full names.

Kids should also be taught at least one parent’s phone number and their own address.  Make a game out of it by creating a song or shouting out your address every time you pull in the driveway for a week or two. If you have a partner, let your child dial his or her number on your phone while you say it aloud. Teach the basics in a fun way and then review them once in a while to ensure they stay fresh.

It’s important to make sure children know who they can safely go to for help if they get separated from you while out in the world. Fifty years ago, it may have been fine to advise seeking out a policeman. But, there are lots of uniformed people these days. I tell my daughter that if she ever finds herself lost, she should look for a woman with a child and ask for help from her.

Helping kids understand the importance of staying where a caretaker can see them is also important. Let your child know what boundaries to stay within when you go to a park or to a new area to play. Make sure you let him know that

Tips on Parenting by

Casey Russell

he needs to come tell you if he wants to change areas. Yes, we parents need to be vigilant in knowing where our kids are. But, children need to be taught not to wander, too.

Stranger safety

And though it can be uncomfortable to talk about strangers, it’s a good idea to teach children early about stranger safety. Kids need to know that strangers are people we don’t know well. We can teach our children that most strangers are safe, but some are not. We should talk with our kids about never going with anyone, even if we know the person, without first asking the adult taking care of the child if it is ok.

I think it’s a good idea to give kids examples of scenarios they might run into. What could these be? Someone telling a child there are puppies a little way off and offering to show him. Someone saying they have money, toys or candy. Someone saying he has been sent by the parent to take the child home. Someone saying he needs help with something, making the child feel like it’s important to help. Kids don’t like to be tricked. They should be told that a stranger asking a child for help could be trying to trick them. If that happens, the child needs to go to her caretaker. If the person really needs help, the caretaker and child can help together.

Trust their instincts

Kids should also know to trust the feeling in their tum-

mies. If they get a bad feeling in their tummies in any situation, they should trust that feeling and get out of the situation. And, kids should know that if someone tries to grab them, they should use their loudest outside voices and shout, “No! I don’t know you!” while going bananas. This means wiggling around as much as possible, trying to get away while screaming, “No, I don’t know you!!” Let your child know this would be an instance where it’s OK to stamp as hard as possible on someone’s foot, to bite and to

THIRD STREET SCHOOL

By Ren Stoppani Brown 5th Grade

To celebrate Black History

Month in February, students at Third Street School were encouraged to submit written or artistic projects. The projects were on display in the auditorium on Feb. 21 and 22. Classes and families were invited to see the exhibition.

Also, to encourage better attendance, students with perfect attendance will be recognized each month at a school assembly.

Coming up in March, the last Prospective Parents Open House and Tour of the year will take place on Fri., March. 24, at 9 a.m. Any one wishing to participate will need to RSVP at tinyurl.com/3rd-StTour. During the tour, Principal Lee will answer questions and show parents around the school.

There will be an Open House for parents and children already attending Third Street on Wed., March. 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Parents will be able to visit their students’ classrooms to see their kids’ work. Parents can also meet the teachers their children might have in the coming year.

Spring break will be from Mon., April 3, through Fri., April 7 — only one week because we got three for Winter Break.

Happy Spring!

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE

Miles Hoffman

6th Grade

Hello again!

My sixth grade class and I have been doing lots of exciting things this month. With other schools, we have been collaborating with the University of Michigan for a project called Place Out of Time (POOT.) With POOT, students portray great women and men from across the range of human history, and gather to decide the outcome of a trial that is linked to a controversial

hit hard.

This can lead into talking about the fact that each person is in charge of her own body. If anyone wants her to do something with her body that the child is uncomfortable with, she can — and should — say no. This is true whether she knows the person or not. Children need to clearly know they are the bosses of their own bodies. Kids should also be told by the parents they love that they will never get in trouble for telling a secret if it is something that is worrying them. They never

issue of our time.

I was lucky enough to be assigned Julius Erving, basketball superstar and role model of many current and past players. We researched and found out so many interesting facts. Right now, we are working on a biography for our figures, and I can’t wait to see where this project goes next.

We also visited the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple. I had never been to a temple like that before, and it was a great experience. We even witnessed a short ceremony. In the temple, there were three giant statues of Buddha, which, I learned, were all different Buddhas.

In science class, we’ve been learning about limb differences. We even learned about a company called E-nable that is using 3-D printers to make low priced, efficient prosthetic limbs. In class, we used cardboard, string and other materials to make our own prosthetic hands. Then, we tried lifting random objects to see if they worked.

We’re excited to continue learning new and interesting things such as this.

have to keep a secret that an adult has asked them to keep if it makes them uncomfortable.

It may not be fun to think about topics like these. But it is necessary to talk about them. Giving your child some tools she can use, and permission to trust her gut and say no, may give her the knowledge she needs to keep herself safe. For more parenting tips, check out my book, “The Handbook for Life With Little Ones: Information, ideas and tips for birth to age five,” on Amazon.

and lined up. After all, this was our last Jog-A-Thon, and for many, it brought back memories of years past.

The Jog-A-Thon has always been a reminder of how our community comes together — students, teachers, parents and administrators alike. It brings a smile to our faces as we see the kindergarteners standing on the side lines to give us high-fives as we jog past.

MARLBOROUGH

By Avery Gough 11th Grade

This month is a very exciting and full month for Marlborough students.

First, the Winter Athletics Recognition ceremony will be held on Wed., March 1. Student athletes in sports such as water polo, soccer and basketball will be celebrated during an evening event that parents of the athletes are invited to.

Meltzer

THE WILLOWS Simone

8th Grade

At The Willows, we celebrated a time-honored tradition Feb. 10, the annual Jog-a-thon. It has been one of our community’s most anticipated events for as long as I’ve been at the school.

A t-shirt table is set up and the annual design — this year grey fabric printed with blue Jordans — is worn proudly throughout the day. Leading up to the event, students are encouraged to call friends and family members to ask for pledges. The money is donated to the school. This year, laps were counted by rubber bracelets collected each pass. In years past, we earned stamps that left inky smiley faces covering our arms.

Grades run at staggered times throughout the day, and there was a sentimentality in the air as the 8th grade runners stretched

Furthermore, Marlborough will offer the SAT to juniors and seniors on Sat., March 11.  In arts news, Marlborough Ensemble Theatre (MET) will perform “Lord of the Flies” on the Thur., March 9, Sat., March 11, and March 16 through 18. Additionally, Yale’s improvisational troupe, Just Add Water, will put on a showcase of interactive games and an improvised musical for Marlborough students on Tues., March 21. During the first semester, Marlborough brought Brown University’s a cappella groups to our campus to perform for our students.

In the last week of March, the sophomore class will visit colleges in Northern California in order to start the college touring process early. The trip spans the first week of spring break only. The junior class also takes a weeklong college tour trip, but theirs goes to the East Coast. The juniors will tour Georgetown, NYU, Columbia, John Hopkins, Vassar, UPenn and more. These trips are such a great opportunity to bond with peers and get a good sense of a wide variety of schools.

OAKWOOD SCHOOL Scarlett Saldaña 12th Grade

This month, Oakwood’s beloved Immersion finally begins!

Two weeks before Spring Break, students are given the opportunity to venture outside of the school curriculum to explore specific interests and learn more about unfamiliar topics.

Immersion has always been a favorite time of the school year for me because I learn about subjects I never knew I’d be interested in. “Computer Animation” was my first Immersion experience. I not only learned how to use Adobe Animate, but my group was able to visit Marvel Studios to speak with animators who explained their process in creating films.

This year, I’ve been enrolled in “The Pad Project at the UN Commission.” My group will visit New York City to attend the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. We’ll study the impact of the lack of reproductive and menstrual rights in society.

Other students will participate in Immersions like “Exploring and Debunking the Myths of the Spanish Conquest,” where they’ll travel to Mexico to visit historical sites. One local Immersion is “Migrant Foodways.” Students are given the chance to study the culinary patterns in Los Angeles, as well as how culture impacts our entire community. It’s exciting to know that we have all of these opportunities.

By Casey Russell

Members of the Ebell have long valued education. More than 100 years ago, a scholarship was launched to give a helping hand to deserving undergraduates. Since the program’s inception, in excess of $6 million has been awarded. In 2022 / 2023, there have been 54 recipients who received the Ebell / Flint Scholarship.

On Feb. 11, the scholars gathered with Ebell members including Scholarship Chair

Anne Lynch to celebrate with a breakfast and discussion at the historic campus at Lucerne and Wilshire boulevards. Because the interview process took place over Zoom, the celebration was the first opportunity for organization members to meet the recipients in person. It was a welcome chance for members of The Ebell to hear firsthand about the scholars’ journeys and goals.

Undergraduates of any major who reside in and who attend private or public nonprofit colleges or universities

NEW COVENANT ACADEMY Sue Jung Pak 10th Grade

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the middle and high school student councils held fundraisers selling Valentine’s grams and themed cupcakes. All students had the opportunity to give close friends a small present.

The school’s annual winter camp also took place from Feb. 15 to 17 in the mountains of Yucapia, California. Students in middle and high school were able to spend time getting closer with each other and the teachers. This time also served as a great opportunity for younger classmen to reach out and spend time with older classmen, and others in different grades. This camp brought school members closer together and was a memorable trip for all!

Math Olympics took place for students in grades three through eight. NCA teachers were asked to select students based on the recent Math Olympics mock exam, exemplary academic student achievement, classroom conduct and personal qualities throughout the school year. The students were able to apply what they have practiced and learned and got to celebrate their accomplishments.

As the boys’ basketball season came to an end, the boys’ volleyball season started off strong! Come out and support them as they put in their hard work to play hard! Go Huskies!

Student Visionaries raise funds for cancer research

By Emily Rissier

I and Keira McLain have the honor to be Student Visionaries of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), the largest and oldest nonprofit funder of blood cancer treatment. As visionaries, we are leading a seven-week campaign to raise funds for blood cancer research through March 10. Our goal is to raise $85,000.

Keira and I have recruited 11 other local high school teens to help us with this effort as well as my godfather, Brian Gattas, and grandmother, Susan Ingram. Each team member has heartfelt connections for participating in our fight to cure cancer and advocate for cancer research.

Keira and I are so impressed by how LLS underwrites cutting-edge research that leads to breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine. This work is improving and saving the lives of patients. In just the past five years, LLS

has advanced 75 percent of FDA-approved blood cancer treatments. The organization strives to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma and improve patients’ and families’ quality of life. Keira, our team and I are working to raise as much money as possible to help achieve LLS’s mission.

We seek to reach a larger

MELROSE ELEMENTARY

By Stella Coppola 5th Grade

The exercise we’d all been waiting for finally arrived at Melrose — The Jog-AThon! We ran and ran and defined what it means to be a Melrose Star!  There was fun and fitness for all.  This year’s event was probably the best one in my four years at Melrose.

Now for the biggest news of

part of the community, and as a former School News reporter at the Larchmont Chronicle , I am aware of its audience and believe that we can make a bigger change for good by expanding our network.

To reach Team LAStrong to help in the fight to cure cancer, visit tinyurl.com/55khj8z3.

Emily Rissier is a junior at Marlborough School.

all — the 5th-grade trip to Catalina! We took a three-hour trip (think “Gilligan’s island”) on a very cool ship to the coolest island ever.  We stayed in an old-fashioned cabin near a light house. We also learned about marine life while we hunted for sand crabs, snorkeled and hung out on the beach.

Speaking of the sea, the 20222023 yearbook themed, “Under the Sea,” is coming along well! The photographers are gathering the photos that best showcase the year and the graphic designers are making the yearbook look fabulous and fishy.

in Los Angeles County are encouraged to submit applications for the 2023 / 2024 scholarships by Mon., April 3. To do so, visit ebellofla.org/ membership/philanthropy/ scholarship.

VISIONARIES TEAM members. Top row, left to right: Niko Plavoukos (New Roads), Oscar Trevino (Loyola), Ty Malloy (Loyola), Emily Rissier (Marlborough), Sophia Wegann-Gatarz (Immaculate Heart), Keira McLain (Marlborough) and Charlie Zien (Marlborough); Bottom row, left to right: Georgie Goodman (New Roads), Eloise Perfitt (Marlborough) and Delaney Paul (ESLA). Additional members not pictured are Clara Gerber (Buckley), David Miller (Loyola), Brian Gattas and Susan Ingram.

SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR Anne Lynch with scholar Alexis Mendez, a senior at Loyola Marymount majoring in mechanical engineering.

PAGE ACADEMY

Isabella Argiropoulos 7th Grade

Hello, my Larchmont neighbors! Page Academy went all out on Feb. 14 with a pancake breakfast for our families, Valentine’s Grams, a Valentine’s themed scavenger hunt. Students and staff dressed in red, pink, purple and white in celebration of Valentine’s Day! We hope that you and your loved ones were also able to celebrate.

Our students completed many informative projects for Black History Month, focusing on many outstanding Black and African Americans and their achievements. Our students also learned about the importance of healthy teeth and bright smiles for Dental Health Month (especially after all those pancakes and Valentine’s candy)!

With our winter break behind us, we look forward to the end of the third quarter in March and more educational, creative and fun activities. Students will be hard at work completing their science fair projects and their fantastic Art to Remember creations will be available for order. Pj’s and reading will be in store for Read Across America Day, and student council will have some exciting events for St. Patrick’s Day. Could green outfits along with a few shamrocks and leprechauns be springing up around the campus?

All of us at Page are looking forward to the official start of spring, longer days and warmer weather. I wish everyone a great month!

CAMPBELL HALL

Claire “Cal” Lesher 10th Grade

February

brought a plethora of activities and sweet events to our school.

First, the Vikings Robotics team went to state finals and did an amazing job. The high school Speech & Debate team competed at the Peninsula Invitational, and placed first out of 54 teams. Go teams!

Our annual Hands 4 Haiti Community Event raised money for our sister schools. We had delicious Haitian food, live performances by our students in the World Drumming Ensemble, Jazz Band and Choir and remarkable art on display in the CH Gallery.

Our Varsity Girls’ Soccer team made it to the first round of playoffs of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIFSS). Also the Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball teams made it to the CIF play offs!

The sweet Valentine Choral Concert was performed by the high school Choir. CH also celebrated Valentine’s Day by handing out donuts to everyone. Additionally, our middle school students did a live performance called, Scenes, Songs, Symphonies, Sautes, Sambas & Sketches. Rehearsals are in full swing with the musical “Into the Woods”, and our fun Gospel Choir.

Lastly, our incredible Campbell Hall School turned 79 this month! Happy Birthday! Stay tuned until next month.

GALA hosted women leaders at conference

By Casey Russell

The Girls’ Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) held its sixth annual Young Women’s Career Conference on Feb. 24. Students in grades six through 12 attended speaker panels and had a chance to connect with women leaders working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers.

The day was dedicated to helping GALA students hear from women in a variety of occupations including environmental science, criminology, architecture, aerospace, engineering, gaming and more.

Verizon, a “Top Companies for Women Technologists” award recipient, sponsored the conference. GALA, located on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles High School campus, currently is the

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from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sat., March 4, and Sat., March 11, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Shade Store, 216 N. Larchmont: Fri., March 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sat., March 4, Sun., March 5, Sat., March 11 and Sun., March 12, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

U.S. Bank, 157 N. Larchmont: Sun., March 5, and Sun., March 12, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To find more booth locations, visit girlscouts.org.

only STEM focused all-girls public school in California. For more information, visit galacademy.org.

Girls’ basketball league readies for new season

By Casey Russell Goldie’s

Youth Sports

All

Girls’ Basketball League will be starting its new season Mon., April 3. The recreational league will play through Sun., June 11, and is open to girls aged 6 through 16.

Registration is available through Sun., March 5 to players of all skill levels. Games will begin the weekend of Sat., April 15, and most

will be held at the St. Brendan School gym (238 S. Manhattan Pl.).

Team assignments, according to the website, are based on age, skill, scheduling requests and availability. The program’s fee is $265, not including the uniform, and $320 with uniform. Scholarships are available. For more, visit goldiesyouthsports.com.

Plymouth School

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AT GALA who attended the Law & Order panel heard speakers (left to right) deputy district attorney Tal Kahana, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission senior counsel Tamar Braz (standing) and Sidley lawyer Monica Candiff.

GOLDIE’S Youth Sports players (left to right) June Wilner, Marni Taylor, Viveka Patel and Alana Lurie.

Gnomes, art mingle at Giving Tree in Wilshire Park

By Casey Russell

Neighbors gathered in the yard of Felice Pappas recently to attend The Gnome Gallery’s first art opening. The gallery, located in Wilshire Park at The Giving Tree, on 5th Avenue’s parkway, presented a collection of artist Charlotte Tarantola’s fantastical oil paintings.

The opening was entitled “Go Big or Go Gnome” and, along with Tarantola’s larger art, featured some 1- to 2-inch paintings. These minute works of art were installed in a vintage wine box housed in a tree outside Felice Pappas’ yard. Inspired by Shell Silverstein’s book, the tree was dubbed “The Giving Tree” and has become a neighborhood sensation.

CHRIST

THE KING

Joshua Lo 8th Grade

Our Academic Decathlon team placed second overall in the Academic Quiz Bowl, which was held at Cathedral High School on Feb. 4. The team is now working hard to compete in the upcoming Academic Decathlon, which will take place on Sat., March 4.

All students celebrated St. Valentine’s Day and wore red, white and pink accessories. They had fun sharing singing telegrams for friendship.

Our basketball teams are practicing regularly and competing in games against other schools. The 5th and 7th grade students went on a field trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and enjoyed the exhibits.

Our Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders are looking forward to

lery version of a little free library in her tree during the pandemic. “I was feeling pretty low, and I needed some kind of creative outlet. It’s a bit like a Japanese zen garden, but kitsch,” said Pappas. “It’s

become a destination for lots of parent and child walks. It’s sort of a giving exchange and is a great way to break the ice and get to know neighbors.”

Pappas curates little gnome vignettes on and around the tree. There’s a miniature mailbox where people leave tiny toys. There have been painted light switch plates, tile paintings, portraits by professional

seeing Cinderella at the Assistance League at the end of the month.

Students celebrated Mardi Gras by wearing purple, green, and gold. Ash Wednesday marked the first day of Lent. Students will gather every Friday during the Lenten season for Stations of the Cross to recognize Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

E.S.L.A.

Isabel Viola 12th grade

The ESLA community has a lot going on as winter slowly melts away and the warmth of spring is breathed back into Los Angeles. Last week, the Community Life Council hosted the Lights Out Dance and invited upper school students to have fun with friends and classmates.

To celebrate the Valentine’s season, ESLA’s literary magazine, the Lillian, asked

artists and lots of art by children. It’s always a mystery as to what will be there.

“Sometimes I leave little miniature canvases in the

community members to leave notes of endearment to others as a way to spread love throughout our school. Following this event, they published their second issue of the year and so did the newspaper, the Bowtie Bulletin.

The theater department put on a spectacular rendition of the classic play “Clue.” The actors produced a hilarious performance that was heightened by the clever set design, stage direction and epic costumes. What made this play even more impressive was the fact that it was directed by an ESLA senior!

Basketball season has just ended with both boys’ and girls’ teams playing hard and putting in their best efforts. With the boys’ volleyball season around

mailbox so that people can be inspired.” Pappas likes to make changes to the Gnome’s community frequently and loves that passersby can see

the corner and practices starting up, everyone is excited to see what they have in store.

PILGRIM SCHOOL

By Allison Pak

9th Grade Pilgrim High School started the new semester by celebrating together. The Association of Student Body (ASB) put together a fun party with games, bouncers and a taco truck. We had a pep rally where the pom team performed fun dance routines, the winter sports teams were acknowledged and games were played.

art and be inspired by this magical place.

The first official art opening at The Giving Tree was quite a success in the eyes of both the artist and the curator. All of Tarantola’s work was sold, and many neighbors attended the Gnome-inspired event.

Pilgrim School won the soccer league championship! We also recently had Spirit Week. Kids dressed up for this Pilgrim tradition. We had Pajama Day, Superhero Day, Olympic Day, Denim Day and Share the Love Day. There was an admissions day during which applicants spent half a day at Pilgrim. We got to learn more about the applicants and the applicants and their families got to know more about Pilgrim.

On Feb. 24, the Pilgrim School community celebrated Black History Month with music, soul food, games and books. All items were from black-owned businesses. For more information about Pilgrim School, visit pilgrim-school.org.

Dentistry for Children and Young Adults

FELICE PAPPAS (curator) and Charlotte Tarantola (artist) in front of the giving tree.

ARTWORK by Charlotte Tarantola.

NEIGHBORS gathered at art opening.

LARCHMONT CHARTER HOLLYGROVE

By Yena Rhee and Alastair Ayandele 4th Grade

March is going to be a very convivial month. We have Saint Patrick’s Day, “Larch Radness,” and Cesar Chavez Day! It can’t get better!

Let’s start with Music. For St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish band known as Paddy’s Pig will play. The band includes the parents of one of our very own 4th graders! They’ll be playing bass, acoustic guitar and will use tin whistles. Of course, vocals are another thing they will be using!

There is a new student role at Larchmont. Students in the new role are called, “Kindness Ambassadors.” They wear blue vests (so you can see them) almost every day. The 4th graders who have taken on this position help solve problems for other kids in 4th grade. The Kindness Ambassadors’ goal is to be as helpful as they can be, solving common problems that come up. Turn taking, for example, is one of them. Solving conflicts that include their peers and friends is another example. And their biggest objective is to spread kindness.

We’ve mentioned Larch Radness. But, what is it you ask?

It’s a public event at Larchmont Charter’s Selma campus that

will take place on Sat., March 4. Students will try to run as many laps as they can. Teachers and parents will cheer and give highfives! Larch Radness is dedicated to feeling healthy, active, and strong.

We hope you receive kindness and the luck of the Irish in the month of March!

IMMACULATE HEART

By Kellyn Lanza 12th Grade

Our school recently honored the start of spring sports and recognized all of our senior athletes with the final pep rally of the year featuring the theme Surf’s Up. The rally celebrated spring teams in softball, track and field, swim, and our newest addition to IH Sports, beach volleyball.

Early in February, the entire school community participated in valuable discussions guided by representatives of Prevention Solutions (formerly Freedom from Chemical Dependency), who offered advice on healthy, substance-free living and answered questions. The month ended with our community-building event, the 76th Annual Spring Luncheon, as well as the Spring Kairos retreat for members of the Class of 2023.

March’s arrival means acceptances will soon be mailed, and we look forward to welcoming the newest members of our school community on campus. Current IH students are also

looking forward to the Genesian Players’ production of “Alice in Wonderland,” which will open for four performances starting on March 16!

SAINT BRENDAN

By Jack Byrne

8th Grade

Hello, Larchmont. St. Brendan celebrated its 100th school day! Students either dressed up as if they were 100 years old or attached 100 things to themselves! So many people dressed up and I saw some really funny costumes. Someone wore 100 stickers.

The 100 Day celebration was not the only time we got to dress up. It was also red, white, and pink day on Valentine’s Day. Classes dressed in those colors and got to pass out candy to each other and eat cupcakes at recess!

In sports, St. Brendan’s basketball team is getting ready for the playoffs after a great season. Finally, 2nd through 8th graders got to meet the famous author Stuart Gibbs and were able to receive a signed copy of his new book, “Whale Done.”

Thank you for reading the St. Brendan section in the Larchmont Chronicle

CATHEDRAL CHAPEL

By Olivia Sherman

6th Grade

We have been busy here at CCS. Our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are ending their first season back after a two-year hiatus. Our decathletes proud-

ly represented us at the Quiz Bowl and won first place overall! Go Direwolves! Without missing a beat, our decathletes continue to prepare diligently for the OLA Regional Decathlon taking place on Sat., March 4.

Can you believe the season of Lent is upon us? We began the season of Lent with our Ash Wednesday Mass on Feb. 22.

In March, CCS will also host its annual jog-a-thon — a fun way to exercise, show school spirit and raise funds for school programs. The 2nd graders will make their First Confessions on Sat., March 18.

Kindergarten through 8th grade kids will be participating in our annual Science Fair during the last week of March. Students will present their projects for judging. Happy Spring to all!

THE OAKS

By Amelia Goldberg

6th

Grade

For Black History Month, the 6th grade class set up a display. The display had three segments: historical and contemporary Black figures, books by Black writers about Black figures and a teacher interview about the meaning of Black History Month.

The famous Black people we highlighted were: Langston Hughes, Harriet Tubman, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou and Phillip Freelon. Each of the featured people got his or her own mini-biography with a short description of his or her triumphs and struggles.

The books we included were; “Through My Eyes,” “Ablaze

With Color,” “The Day You Begin,” “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer,” “Dream Builder,” “She Was the First!,” “The Undefeated,” “Hair Love,” “When Aiden Became a Brother,” “Each Kindness,” “Heart and Soul,” “Josephine,” “Story Painter,” “Schomburg,” “Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History” and “Boys Dance!”

I’ll admit, it’s hard to walk by the wall without wanting to take a few down and read them! We wanted to show that Black history is American history and celebrate Black contributions.

ST. JAMES’ EPISCOPAL

By Evan Listi

6th Grade

Hello! It was quite a busy February at St. James’. From field trips to author visits, we did it all. March is also filled with some very exciting events! It is Women’s History Month and, to celebrate, we will be having special speakers during Commons, as well as cultural events.

The highly anticipated Spring Dance is Fri., March 10 for students in grades four through six. It’s a really fun night benefitting the 6th Grade Graduation Fund.

On Sat., March 18, at 2:30 p.m., we will have our school production of “Honk! Jr.” at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. I’m in the musical and play the role of Ida, the Ugly Duckling’s mother.  The cast and crew have been having a blast rehearsing and we can’t wait to perform.  I encourage you to come to the theater and buy tickets on the day of show.

Our family conferences are also this month.  Parents get to check in with teachers, and students present a personal slideshow.  On Fri., March 24, we will have our annual Husky Games, which will kick off spring break!

Local kids’ theater performs ‘Newsies’ under the stars

By Caroline Tracy

During the late stages of the pandemic (think January ’22), Larchmont mom Jillian Bach was in search of outdoor activities for her family. While many businesses and classes for kids were open to the public, Bach still felt some trepidation about going indoors. Armed with her theater background, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Bach’s first order of business was to construct an outdoor theater for her children at her Beachwood Drive home. Bach’s hand-drawn renderings were transformed into a professional looking stage within days with the help of a capable friend.

With such a formidable podium in place and a babysitter who directed children’s theater, the Beachwood Backyard Theater (BBT) was born.

“Shrek Jr.,” BBT’s first official production, debuted in the spring of ’22. The show featured 10 children, all school friends of Bach’s two children.

Donuts

(Continued from page 10) dients they consume. They seem to have an appreciation for culinary artistry. And, there happens to be a farmers’ market [down the street] from our shop.”

Holey Grail Donuts draws inspiration from farmers’ markets, said Dreiling. He added that the new store will always highlight and support their Hawaiian taro farmer network but, “the goal is to make [our donuts] with local stuff. We want people to experience a seasonal local product.”

The siblings are devoted to impacting the food industry in a positive way. The donut, they believe, is the perfect vehicle to showcase their mission of creating food with a sustainable approach. In addition to striving to support local farmers with the rotating ingredients, they also use custom-made packaging — straws, cups, donut boxes — that is compostable and is mostly made from recycled paper products.

Made to order

The donuts are made to order so they come out hot and crispy on the outside while the inside is pillowy and fluffy with a little bit of chew to it. “We don’t use a ton of sugar. The rotating flavors — the garnishes — are where the flavor really comes from. We rotate these every week,” said Dreiling.

The four rotating weekly flavors also are featured in the shop’s “tasting box,” he said. “Our most popular

When it came time for the next show, “Newsies,” the babysitter-director was no longer available. Bach took on the role herself.

“I was a theater major and an actor, but I’ve never directed,” shared Bach.

“I really didn’t want to disappoint the kids, though. Everyone was so looking forward to working and playing together, so I just went for it.”

Bach had a few ideas she wanted to implement with “Newsies” — the first being that she didn’t want to operate on a strict timeline.

“We had a roundabout date, but the idea was to focus on the means instead of the ends,” Bach explained.

“What this translated into was the kids being dropped off on Saturdays for a mixture of rehearsal and play. This allowed the kids to really connect and have fun, something that can become compromised if it’s all about meeting a very specific show deadline.”

Bach was also committed to involving the kids in every aspect of the show, from de-

order is at least one tasting box with some beverages. Most of our guests want to try all the [weekly] flavors. [But] there are some that we never take off. The main one is our Reincarnated Donut. It’s a real organic maple glaze with smoked coconut and Hawaiian sea salt. Also, our hot, single donut. That’s kind of the purest donut, as it’s very simple. It’s a hot taro donut dipped in local honey and garnished with flakey sea salt.”

Drinks

Holey Grail’s beverage program is just as unique as its donuts. Homemade cashew coconut milk is made daily and is served on tap with coffee, matcha or chai tea. “It’s like the building block for our beverage menu. We kind of serve everything on draft so our nut milk comes out frothy and creamy — almost like Guinness.”

The store has an open kitchen island in the middle of the space, which allows the whole donut-making process to be showcased. “We wanted it to be a really personal experience,” said Dreiling.

The siblings also have made giving back a priority. Each month, as part of the store’s Breaking Bread program, the Dreilings collaborate with a personality or chef they admire. Together they develop a new flavor. Each month, 20 percent of the money earned from sales of that flavor goes to the charitable organization of the collaborator’s choice.

In February, the duo joined forces with skateboarding pro Tony Hawk.

signing and making their own costumes to painting sets.

“Jillian has created an amazing space for kids to im-

merse themselves in not only the craft of theater, but the joy and camaraderie of it too,” said Hancock Park parent

Claire Markus. “My daughter Alice loved the experience.”

When the musical debuted after four months of rehearsals, this writer had a chance to view the performance. It was a magical scene, with string lights set over a backyard filled with community members and families. The young thespians were both technically adept and jubilant as they lit up the night stage.

While Bach considers the next production, “likely another musical with lots of meaty roles for all levels,” at least one participant is ready to sign on again.

“This was so memorable, and I really enjoyed it and would love to do it again,” enthused 9-year-old Alice Markus.

Award-winning food writer passes away

By Helene Seifer

Acclaimed Los Angeles Times food writer Barbara Hansen died Jan. 29 at the age of 90. She lived in her childhood home in the La Brea-Hancock neighborhood. Hansen highlighted international flavors in her newspaper articles and four cookbooks, including “Mexican Cookery,” in which she revealed her great love of the rich and varied cuisine of Mexico. In it she said, “Mexican food is as exciting and colorful as its art and music, as dramatic as its history and as appealing as its lively, warm-hearted people.”

Although she retired from

the Los Angeles Times in 2006, Hansen remained an active member of the Los Angeles food scene. In November 2022 she celebrated her 90th birthday at San Antonio Winery. As recently as Jan. 13, she posted about attending a tequila pairing dinner, and her last Instagram post as @tableconversation was on Jan. 19, where she touted the healthy food in Vasudha Viswanath’s cookbook, “The Vegetarian Reset.”

Barbara Hansen, who wrote her first story for the Los Angeles Times in 1969, is admired as one of the first woman food journalists and one of the earliest writers to

focus on ethnic foods. She won a James Beard Award in 2004 for her article “Mezcal: Good Drink, Bad Rap.”

In honor of Hansen’s love of Mexican food and drink, enjoy this classic margarita recipe adapted from “Mexican Cookery,” in which she said, “Mexico is a wonderful place to be thirsty.”

For one margarita, rub the rim of a glass with a lime wedge, then swirl in salt to coat rim. Combine two ounces tequila, three-quarters ounce triple sec, one tablespoon lime juice and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake, then strain into prepared glass.

OUTDOOR THEATER constructed behind a Beachwood Drive home was the setting for “Newsies,” above.

Local theater today: the good, the bad and the indifferent

According to Yahoo News (2/15/23), California’s population dropped by 500,000 during the last two years. Yet Los Angeles is flooded with transplants in the theater. Shows that bring their directors, design teams, stars etc., from Chicago, New York or Paris fill our houses at the moment. Neither touring production nor revival, these hybrid re-mountings range from good to bad to indifferent.

First the good — very good — is the Pasadena Playhouse’s staging of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” (through March 19; pasadenaplayhouse.org or 626-356-7529). The production is a re-mounting of the 2017 New York production that starred Jake Gyllenhall and Annaleigh Ashford. The production’s director, Sarna Lapine, and design team recreate their Broadway values here, with Graham Phillips as the Post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat and Krystina Alabado as his muse. The play builds around the creation of Seurat’s late-1880s painting, “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” but the play also leaps a century ahead (in the problematic second act) to Seurat’s great-grandson, a modern artist who creates installations.

Sondheim’s theme is the power of art to connect — in life and love. I saw neither the 2017 nor 2008 revivals, having seen the original 1984 Broadway production with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Pe-

ters, which has stuck with me ever since. If this production doesn’t quite replace that one for me, it is nevertheless firstrate and not to be missed.

The bad: Coming from Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, Lee Edward Colston

II’s “The First Deep Breath” aspires to epic proportions in the vein of Ibsen, O’Neill, Miller and — more recently — August Wilson and Tracy Letts. Running at nearly four hours, Mr. Colston and his director and design team are to be commended for their chutzpah, but someone should have told the talented Mr. Colston (who plays one of the leads) to cut two hours and focus the play.

Set during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the predominantly Black neighborhood of North Philadelphia, the Jones family saga includes a prodigal son returning from prison who would rather be known as a rapist than gay; a younger brother who wants to be a dancer but is afraid to tell that to his rigid preacher father (who is having a brief affair with his wife’s sister); the wife suffering from dementia; the daughter pregnant out of wedlock; and more. The stories get laid out, and the stories get wrapped up, in language that aspires to poetic loftiness but falls flat more often than not. The play has good moments — two hours worth of them — but is not helped by the set, which in Chicago seemed suffocatingly mid-

Theater Review by Louis Fantasia

dle-class, while at the Geffen comes across as a sprawling mansion that doesn’t so much trap its residents in American Dream toxicity (Black or white) as allow them to wallow in it. (Through March 5; 310-208-2028 or geffenplayhouse.org).

Indifferent (which is worse than bad): Los Angeles Opera has announced its 2023-24 season. Included are a “Don Giovanni” from London’s Covent Garden via the Houston Grand Opera, and a “Barber of Seville” from Chicago’s Lyric Opera. Despite what appeared to be a generally engaged audience around me, I found LA Opera’s recent “Marriage of Figaro” from the Champs Elysée Theatre in Paris to be sluggishly paced, sloppily staged and underwhelmingly sung. I hurried home to find the film of the 1973 Glyndebourne production — staged by Peter Hall with Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Stade — to remind myself how sharp and sparkling Mozart (let alone dramatist Beaumarchais) can be. Let’s hope the opera transplants next season up their games.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to my colleague, the

What to watch for

April 23 is Shakespeare’s Birthday, so...

Venice’s City Garage Theatre is presenting “Cardenio,” Shakespeare’s “lost” play (he really didn’t write it, but...) Feb. 24 - Mar. 26; 310-319-9939; citygarage.org

“King Lear” plays at the Long Beach Shakespeare Company through Mar. 11; lbshakespeare.org

Much Ado About Nothing runs at A Noise Within through Mar. 12; anoisewithin.org

critic, playwright and novelist Willard Manus, who died in January. One of the most decent people I’ve ever worked with, I last saw Will and his wife Mavis at the opening of a Justin Tanner play, but for

some reason — that seemed important to me then — had to race out without saying hello… or goodbye.

The Los Angeles theater scene will be a little lesser without Will Manus.

Former Chronicle publisher, Jane Gilman, to talk on entrepreneurship at The Ebell

Jane Gilman, founder of the Larchmont Chronicle, will be interviewed at The Ebell of Los Angeles on Wed., March 8, at 3

p.m. Laura Foti Cohen  will question Gilman on the road to starting a business. Ebell members and their guests are welcome.

Women’s History Month benefit set

Look What She Did is holding a Women’s History Month benefit Sun., March 26 at 11 a.m. at The Ebell of Los Angeles. The local nonprofit’s annual fundraiser features guest speakers, awards, film premieres and conversations celebrating women past and present.

The 2023 Women’s History Month Honoree is Lilly Ledbetter (namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act of 2009). A brunch reception follows. The in-person event at The Ebell will also be livestreamed.

For information, visit lookwhatshedid.com.

Debussy April 4 at The Ebell Wilshire Theatre

The Ebell of Los Angeles is among venues participating in “Discovering Debussy,” a citywide celebration of Claude Debussy in March and April.

“Impressions of Pelléas,” an abbreviated version of Debussy’s opera “Pelléas and Mélisande,” will be performed in a salon setting on the stage at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Tues., April 4.

LA Opera Music Director James Conlon will give a pre-performance talk at 6:30 p.m. and pick up the baton for the performance at 7:30 p.m.

Artists from LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program and the Colburn School will perform. Learn more at ebellofla.org.

The citywide event honoring the French composer — considered the founder of

Impressionist music and one of the most influential composers of the 20th century — is through April 16. It features intimate conversations and performances hosted by several cultural destinations, in addition to The Ebell, including the Colburn School, The Hammer Museum, LA Opera, Norton Simon Museum and The Opera League of Los Angeles.

For a complete schedule of related events, visit colburnschool.edu/discovering-debussy/

“Discovering Debussy” is directed and curated by Conlon in time for LA Opera’s full productions of Debussy’s only opera, “Pelléas et Mélisande,” in five acts. Beginning March 25 and continuing to April 16, there will be six performances of the opera at The Music Center.

‘Discover’

Larchmont Chronicle MARCH 2023 SECTION ONE 21

Navalny (10/10): 92 minutes. R. A plane from Siberia to Moscow in August 2020 was diverted to Omsk when passenger Alexei Navalny became seriously sick. Navalny just happened to be Vladimir Putin’s worst nightmare and most voluble critic and was leader of the opposition. Navalny’s wife and virtually everyone else were certain he had been poisoned. Christo Grozev of Bellingcat, a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specializes in fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT), contacted the recovering Navalny and told him he thought he knew the men who tried to kill him. Navalny invited Christo and his team to the German town where he was recovering, and Christo recorded their investigation in real time as Navalny continued his opposition to Putin, despite the threat on his life. This is Cinéma

vérité in the truest sense of the term, a can’t-miss film of a man of enormous patriotism and courage, full of tension, better than any fictional thriller from Hollywood, and a testament to a man now in a Russian prison being brutally tortured, according to Christo in a Q&A after the screening.

Full Time (9/10): 85 minutes. NR. Laure Calamy gives a bravura performance as a single mother of two young children working as a chambermaid in a five-star Paris hotel, but still trying to get a better job and get out of debt. She commutes to Paris from a small town when a transit strike hits and the fit hits the shan. Hard as it might be to believe, this is full of tension as she juggles her life and tries to survive. One of the best films of the year. In French.

The Playboy Murders (7/10):

At the Movies with Tony Medley

six-part series. It’s all coming out now — the depravity surrounding Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, an exclusive Los Angeles enclave. A previous multi-part documentary, “Secrets of Playboy” (2022), told the tawdry truth about how the “Bunnies” were manipulated and taken advantage of. This series deals with six murders. I’ve seen the first, “Bunny Meets Bachelor.” It emphasizes the low-class people involved in Hefner’s “home.” These women who flaunted nudity and free sex were not the kind you would take home to mother,

(As an aside, I played lots of tennis with the late Keith Hefner, Hugh’s brother, and he was a soft-spoken gentleman when I was with him, but he lived in his brother’s mansion and is seen in some of these clips.)

Marlowe (6/10): 102 minutes without credits. R. A gorgeous heiress (Diane Kruger), the daughter of a big movie star (Jessica Lange), hires PI Philip Marlowe to find her former lover and, naturally, a lot of nefariousness is uncovered. Writers William Monahan and Neil Jordan (who also

directed) and actor Liam Neeson give an interpretation of Raymond Chandler’s iconic private eye as morally casuistic, of which I doubt Chandler would approve. Although the leaden story drags, I was watching something else. The eagle-eyed will notice posters in the background of some scenes for 1940 movies like “Mexican Spitfire” and “Dance, Girl, Dance” (which starred Lucille Ball) among others. Is this a roman à clef about a real studio in 1940? These were real movies, and all the posters were of films made by RKO. But in one of the final scenes set in an office, there’s a poster on the wall for a film entitled “The Black-Eyed Blonde.” There never was a movie made with that title, but it just so happens that it is the title of the book upon which this film is based. Cute.

WINTER @ THE WALLIS

The documentary “Ink & Linda” has been picked up by PBS for nationwide distribution.

Windsor Square resident Linda Lack, Ph.D., co-stars in the 2022 documentary, which chronicles the friendship between a dancer in her 70s and a 20-something urban artist, Inksap, as they make street art in Los Angeles.

The documentary premiered in Los Angeles last year on March 5, as reported in the April 2022 Larchmont Chronicle.

Lack, a movement therapist, heads The Thinking BodyThe Feeling Mind at her studio at 1637 S. La Cienega Blvd.

LPGA

(Continued from page 1)

and Wilshire Country Club have a rich history in professional golf, and we look forward to working with our partners at JM Eagle, Plastpro and the LPGA Tour in delivering a best-in-class experience for our fans, players and tournament partners,” said Tim Erensen, managing partner for Outlyr, tournament operator for the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.

JM Eagle is the world’s largest plastic pipe manufacturer and is headed by CEO Walter Wang. Plastpro, founded by Shirley Wang, is a leading manufacturer of fiberglass entry doors. Since 2018, the LPGA Tour has staged its signature Los Angeles event at Wilshire Country Club. Visit wilshirecountryclub.com/ lpga for more information.

SINGLE TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

SHANGHAI SONATAS

MAR 4

An Evening with Isaac Mizrahi

MAR 5

SUNDAY FUNDAY:

Parker Bent, Spring Groove, Dance Sunday with Debbie Allen Dance Academy: Hip Hop

MAR 9

Seth Parker Woods, Cello

MAR 16-18

Shanghai Sonatas

MAR 30

Lillias White with Seth Rudetsky HOST & PIANIST

APR 9

SUNDAY FUNDAY:

Mostly Kosher, Dance Sunday with Debbie Allen Dance Academy: Salsa

APR 13-16

Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone

APR 22-23

Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume

APR 27

Ulysses Owens, Jr. & J’nai Bridges: Notes On Hope

ACOUSTIC ROOSTER’S BARNYARD BOOGIE: STARRING INDIGO BLUME

ISAAC MIZRAHI DANCE THEATER FAMILY MUSIC THE WALLIS IS THE PROUD RECIPIENT OF GENEROUS SUPPORT AND RECOGNITION FROM:

MAR 3

The Last Sorcerer (LE DERNIER SORCIER)

but they still had the right to be respected as human beings, and they weren’t. While it’s not unexpected that these women and the men who took advantage of them, all of whom were of a low moral tone, would live such lives, it is still surprising to learn that they were killers and victims.

Dinner without an axe to grind; ambitious menu and tasty food

I would hazard a guess that not many dining establishments come with a senior axe supervisor.

I also believe that anyone contemplating a fun night out throwing axes (and who isn’t?) wouldn’t expect victuals that include $27 rainbow trout with poblano Romesco or a $13 tempura cauliflower flavor bomb with curry and fish sauce.

All are true at Mo’s House of Axe, which offers a warm, rustic, wood-paneled environment lined with bull’s-eyes, axes and tables heaped with very tasty food.

The brainchild of Monique “Mo” Caulfield, who was formerly in the film business, the entertaining restaurant opened five weeks before the pandemic shutdown and managed to survive on government small business loans.

On the Menu

by Helene Seifer

I went to Mo’s House of Axe with my husband, grown daughter, grown son and his girlfriend. None of us had tried axe throwing before, but we had an exhilarating time.

Each of the partially separated axe throwing bays has a couch, tables to hold food and drink and two identical targets. Each bay can handle groups of up to 12 people for one-and-a-quarter hour sessions, $38.32 per person or $20 per person for two hours during happy hour. After checking in and signing the requisite waiver, we were

taken to our axe bay and introduced to our axe maven, who would teach us how to throw safely, divide us into teams and lead us through a variety of axe throwing competitions.

Our expert was Mo’s senior axe supervisor, Lyndon Laveaux, and he did a fantastic job of teaching us and keeping us engaged and laughing. When my throw landed with a thud on the faux Turkish carpet, missing the target by a foot, he kept my ego intact.

I stopped throwing to concentrate on cheerleading the rest in my group and their multiple bullseyes and equally plentiful clunkers (while sipping my $14 spicy pineapple margarita). Otherwise Laveaux would have made it his mission to teach me to hit the target. Apparently, Mo’s axe experts have successfully taught blind people, a woman who had paralyzed arms and therefore used her feet to throw and numerous octogenarians.

In between throwing, we ordered food.

The two-story space recently hired a new chef and launched his ambitious menu in early February.

Executive Chef Nofal “Dave” Kahwaji experienced the food world equivalent of a “meet cute” which led to his hiring at Mo’s House of Axe. He came as a patron and complained that his chicken was raw. He left his resume, which included stints at Redbird and MessHall Kitchen. Within days, the first chef was gone and Kahwaji was hired.

Chef Kahwaji also has local ties. As a child, he was in a Boy Scout troop in the Larchmont area and remembers photographs of his troop being featured from time to time in the Larchmont Chronicle

In keeping with the general “camping-in-the-woods” theme, Kahwaji’s menu features cheeky titles such as “lumber jack mac” (a bowl of fusilli with four cheeses for $12) and “glamping greens” (an arugula salad with fennel and avocado, $15). “Mo’s magic mountain” is an $85 sampler (for four) of assorted sliders, chicken wings, fries and excellent Brussels sprouts which have been treated to a bourbon maple sriracha bath with bacon.

The choices include very good takes on expected bar food, such as $13 house-made tater tots stuffed with blue cheese. At the other end of the extensive menu, one finds a 32-ounce tomahawk chop for two with chorizo smash potatoes and parmesan roasted broccolini, $85, and a $39

‘Cinderella: The True Story’ opens March 5

Nine O’Clock Players will re-open its Assistance League Theatre with its production of “Cinderella; The True Story,” on Sun., March 5, at 2 p.m.

The 92-year old theater company, which closed during COVID-19, reopens in the newly renovated 330-seat auditorium with a new take on the classic fairy tale.

Performances continue Sundays March 12, 19 and 26 and April 2, all at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $15. Call 323-545-6153 or visit ninoclockplayers.com.

The musical production features singing, dancing,

tender and flavorful venison rack with candied carrots, whipped smoked potatoes and wild berry demi-glace that rivals the plates I’ve had at the bastion of wild game, the Saddle Peak Lodge.

The pièce de resistance, however, is do-it-yourself s’mores featuring a mini-campfire in a small fire-safe container, giant marshmallows, graham crackers and house-made chocolate squares. Chef Kahwaji says that, as a Southern California boy, he wanted to create the candy equivalent of chocolate molé and, indeed, the dark chocolate has a complex flavor and pleasant jolt of chile. Cue the memories of backyard barbecues and camping weekends. No axe to grind here. Mo’s House of Axe., 611 S. Western Ave., 213-908-0808.

IT’S ALMOST midnight in Nine O’Clock Players’ new production.

princes in disguise and a fairy godmother who doesn’t always get things right.

The Assistance League Theatre is at 1367 N. St. Andrews Place in Hollywood.

FATHER-SON BULL’S-EYES: Zach and Gary Grossman throw axes together at Mo’s House of Axe.

Still Creating MEmories

For Now 100 years

"I was first introduced to El Cholo by Jack Nicholson in 1969. He told me stories about how struggling actors would come to El Cholo and buy a bowl of Frijoles a la Hoja (beans in a pot) for 35-cents, and how the waitresses would bring a side of warm tortillas and salsa at no ex tra charge. This was how Jack survived for many years. As for me, well I've never left the place! We have celebrated every birthday of mine, as well as the birthdays of my various boyfriends and all of my children at El Cholo for half a century, including my famous 40th birthday party. Ron and I have been friends for an eternity, and I have also been close to many members of the staff. I will never find a more fun and delicious place!

Michelle Phillips, The Mamas & The Papas, 2022