AN ‘EVER-EVOLVING’ MENU

Salt & Straw, from page 4 burst,” she said. “It was a funny time.”

After the hypergrowth of the pandemic, the Valley is now experiencing a new pull-back, with Crunchbase News estimating more than 77,000 American workers have lost their tech jobs in 2023, so far.

But Malek doesn’t seem phased. She believes they’ve succeeded as well as they have by emphasizing the real over the digital.

“For me it’s all about this passion for getting to know local neighborhoods and communities,” she said, adding and improvement to human life.”

“These awards stand as a testament to the unwavering commitment we have to provide high-quality, safe care to our patients and communities,” Ryba said.

Open since 1965, Good Samaritan Hospital is recognized as a leader in neurosciences, high-risk obstetrics, comprehensive cancer services, advanced cardiology and innovative surgery techniques, according to its website.

Dr. Rich Briones, chief medical officer at Good Samaritan Hospital, told the Los Gatan he believes “patients seek an organization that they trust will deliver top-notch care” now more than ever.

“These recognitions demonstrate our continued commitment to build that trust through quality improvement across the many clinical ser- vices we provide throughout Silicon Valley and surrounding areas,” Briones said.

Joseph Simitian, Los Gatos’ representative on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, says he was pleased to see the hospital did so well in the survey.

“We keep a very careful eye here at the County on all of the folks that we call partners in health care,” he said. “We depend on the Good Sams of the world.”

He’s currently pushing for the creation of a new health clinic to serve the West Valley that would complement the care provided by the hospital.

“Almost two million people in the county depend on our network of hospitals and primary care providers,” he said. “Without the Good Sams of the world, our job gets a whole lot tougher.”

Off this national recognition, staff at Good Samaritan aren’t resting on their laurels. They will be presenting their newest surgical robot, Intuitive Surgical's DaVinci XI, on Feb. 15 from 5:30-7pm, at The Best Western Inn of Los Gatos.

Dr. Kristine Borrison, Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital, said robotic surgery offers many advantages—for patients and surgeons.

“Not only do patients have far faster recoveries than with traditional surgery, but there is minimal trauma to surrounding tissues, organs and nerves, and much less pain,” Borrison said. “Surgeons have unmatched precision through a high-definition vision system and instruments that offer more range of motion than a human wrist.” the unusual flavors give people in the famously-long lines something to chatter about. “You’ll rarely see people on their phones.”

The event is the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce’s February Networking Mixer. There is a $5 entrance fee for Chamber members. Non-members can attend for $20.

Drew Penner contributed to this report.

And wedding proposals have even occurred in the queue, she adds.

Malek is reminded of how Salt & Straw’s fourth store, just a few blocks from the ocean— on Venice’s world-famous Abbot Kinney Boulevard—became a legitimate gathering space for social media company employees, in- fluencers and service industry workers.

For Los Gatos, she promises wooden finishing and custom light fixtures—provided they can get their paperwork squared away with the Town.

“In addition to our innovation, and our ever-evolving menu, we build a really beautiful shop environment that we hope is transportive,” she said, of the bespoke nature of their operation.

“We spend lots and lots of time training our team.”