Ventura Blvd November 2019

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Stanley Kubrick. Rosemary Williams, Show Girl. 1949. Museum of the City of New York. The Look Collection.

Used with permission of Museum of the City of New York and SK Film Archives.

EXHIBITION ON VIEW AT THE SKIRBALL October 17, 2019–March 8, 2020

THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS:

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Marvel at rarely exhibited photographs that reveal the makings of one of cinema’s greatest visual storytellers.

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Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs was organized by the Museum of the City of New York in collaboration with the SK Film Archives LLC.

The exhibition and its related educational programs at the Skirball Cultural Center are made possible by generous support from the following donors:

Dave and Suzanne Larky Fund Sauvage Family Foundation

Media sponsors:

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ENTER TO WIN! This fall Ventura Blvd is keeping you fit and fabulous with our brand new Beauty & Wellness Passport contest! One lucky winner will receive an all-access pass to the Valley’s top beauty & wellness services, from facials and fillers to fitness classes. You don’t want to miss your chance to win big!

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After 13 amazing years, our Woodland Hills locations have moved! We are now located

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NOVEMBER 2019

where we live 30 WHEN TRIPLE NEGATIVE

TURNS POSITIVE Breast Cancer Survivor Jenn Greenhut

78 SEEN Faces Spotted Around Town 80 Q&A Testing Cannabis with Encore Labs in Pasadena

features 22 PARTY OF FOUR The story of how a pair of empty nesters filled their home again with two boys from West Africa..

34 HARDENING YOUR HOME Learn what local fire prevention experts recommend for wildfire precautions.

40 THE IN-CROWD OUTSIDER Meet Greg Jenkins, who is making waves in the art world as a talented 20-something who is paying it back.

58 A TRIUMPH OF TRADITION Get a peek inside a French Country home in Toluca Lake that is a testament to old-world craftsmanship.

68 THE LONG GAME A deep dive into the 40-year career of Pebble Beach caddie Casey Boyns.

74 WAILEA? HERE’S WHY Escape to Maui’s idyllic south coast with a stay at two popular oceanfront resorts.

46 40 the sauce 46 VEGAN & BEYOND 5 Eateries for Plant-Inspired Dining 50 SPICE FOR LIFE Spice Spice Baby Blogger Kanchan Koya 52 HOW DO YOU SAY BURGER? Four Recipes for Blow-YourMind Patties

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84 PROFILES Beauty & Wellness Professionals 92 REAL ESTATE Spectacular Local Listings

COVER Abu and Issa Leon Photographed by Lauren Pressey

114 LAST WORD Bless This Mess

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Named one of the nation’s

BEST

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Since opening in 1973, Providence Tarzana Medical Center has been committed to providing quality health care to our community. That commitment recently was recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades® ranking us among the nation’s top hospitals: • Healthgrades® America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™ • Healthgrades® Patient Safety Excellence Award™ • Best Regional Hospitals – Ranked #11 in Los Angeles by US News & World Report With a commitment to meeting the future healthcare needs of our communities, Providence Tarzana is undergoing a major redesign of the medical center campus.

Providence Tarzana is investing more than $500 million to build a state-of-the-art patient wing featuring all private rooms and a new Emergency Department.

At Providence Tarzana, we’re dedicated to quality, compassionate care and have been recognized time and time again by rating and accreditation organizations nationwide. Congratulations to all our caregivers on these distinguished awards. We thank you for the care you provide to our patients.

Together, we’re creating healthier communities.

For more information visit us online at providence.org/tarzana or call us at 1-888-HEALING (432-5464).

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PUBLISHER

Linda Grasso

Robin Sanders 424-220-6340 | robin@goldenstate.is

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Michelle Villas

ADVERTISING Senior Media Solutions Manager | Sue Williams

EDITORIAL

818-625-3515 | sue@goldenstate.is

Editorial Director | Darren Elms Digital Community Manager | Jenni Aceret Copy Editors | Bob Howells, Laura Watts

424-220-6341 | jenni@goldenstate.is

Graphic Designers

Marketing Manager | Kimberly Caltagirone

Yasmine Kahsai, Nikki Smith

424-203-1291 | kimberly@goldenstate.is

VB’s The Sauce eNewsletter Editor

GROUP PUBLISHER

Karen Young

Jared Sayers

CONTRIBUTORS Lissa Kapstrom, Joshua Lurie, Hadley Hall Meares, Kara Mickelson, Anne M. Russell, Shaun Tolson PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Cooke, Shane O’Donnell, Monica Orozco, Lauren Pressey

VENTURA BLVD IS A DIVISION OF THE GOLDEN STATE COMPANY

MANAGING PARTNERS Charlie Koones

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MARKETING & OPERATIONS Partner/Brand Publisher | Emily Stewart Partner/Managing Director, Media & Analytics | Warren Schaffer Director of Digital | Charles Simmons Director of Film & Video | Bryce Lowe-White Operations Director | Allison Jeackjuntra Community Manager | Natalie Long Director of Events | Danielle Price Accounting | Janet De La Cruz, Ljay Farris To learn more about us, visit thegoldenstatecompany.com No part of this periodical may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent from The Golden State Company LLC. Any and all submissions to this or any of The Golden State Company LLC publications become the property of The Golden State Company LLC and may be used in any media. We reserve the right to edit.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: info@goldenstate.is or phone: 310-376-7800. Subscriptions are $29 per year.

TO OUR READERS Ventura Blvd welcomes your feedback.

Please send letters to: Reader Response Department, Ventura Blvd at address below.

Include your name, address and email. Edited letters may be published.

200 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 110, El Segundo, CA 90245 Tel 310-376-7800 | Fax 310-376-0200 | goldenstate.is | venturablvd.goldenstate.is

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editor’s letter | LINDA GRASSO

I’ve always been in awe of people who raise kids, send them off into the world, and then have the energy to do it all over again. So when contributing writer Karen Young told me about longtime Studio City restaurateur Frank Leon and his wife having adopted two boys from West Africa, I longed to hear more. Frank and Margarita, who have two grown daughters, lead busy lives. He owns and operates La Loggia, The Village, and Ceremony; she is an immigration attorney. They weren’t exactly looking to create a new family. But in a serendipitous twist, as recounted in Karen’s feature (page 22), Margarita met one of the boys, fell in love, and the wheels started turning. It’s a truly heartwarming story about how a pair of immigrant parents are giving back by providing a better future for two very energetic boys—and having a ball in the process.

Who can forget the terror we all felt this time last year as the Woolsey Fire ripped through LA and Ventura Counties? After igniting on November 8, the wildfire burned 96,949 acres of land, destroying 1,643 structures and killing three people. Malibu is still in the throes of recovery. Because dry conditions and seasonal winds inevitably return, the opinions of fire prevention experts are worth heeding. Contributing writer Anne M. Russell interviewed a number of them, and their insights into fire behavior—and their precautionary advice—may surprise you (page 34).

It seems like everyone these days is trying to eat less meat, including yours truly. Happily, our piece in this issue highlighting five vegan eateries (page 46) wiped out my preconceived notion of salads dotted with tasteless tofu and rubbery imitation cheese. Restaurants include one that serves Cajun-style comfort food, one that’s Vietnamese, and one, O’cado, that doesn’t say anywhere in its menus or signage that it’s vegan. “We just want people to enjoy what they are eating and kind of be surprised,” O’cado owner Erin Monsour shared. “Like, ‘Hey, I didn’t even know this was vegan!’”

Also in the category of pleasant surprises: the weather cooled on time this year. Enjoy, and happy fall everyone!

Linda Grasso Editor-in-Chief

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

Follow me on Instagram @linda.grasso and my podcast @she_sez

YOUR CHILD’S FUTURE IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. QUITE LITERALLY. With four bus routes throughout the San Fernando Valley, getting here is easier than ever! Come to an Open House and learn about our robust academics, nurturing community, and state-of-the-art campus.

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APRIL 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

Party of Four How two empty nesters, Frank Leon and Margarita Manduley-Leon, filled their Toluca Lake home in a way they never imagined: by adopting two boys from West Africa.

WRITTEN BY KAREN YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHED BY LAUREN PRESSEY

Frank Leon clearly revels in fatherhood the second time around.

Take this story that he shares about his sons, 9-year-old Issa and 6-year-old Abu, hanging out at La Loggia, one of his three Studio City restaurants.

“They were walking around filling water glasses when a woman asked Issa who they are. Issa gave this big, confident grin, pointed to Abu, and said, ‘We are the owners.’”

Just a few years ago, Issa and Abu were living in dilapidated concrete homes with dirt floors, in two separate towns in Sierra Leone. Located on the western coast of Africa, it is among the world’s poorest nations and has an average life expectancy of 50.

About half of the deaths are due to poor sanitation and hygiene, food insecurity and lack of safe drinking water. Both boys’ fathers are deceased.

After a series of serendipitous events that led them to West Africa, Frank and his wife, Margarita Manduley-Leon, adopted the boys and brought them to Los Angeles in 2017. Immigrants themselves, they raised two daughters in Los Angeles—Erika, 28, who lives in Barcelona; and Camila, 20, a junior at George Washington University.

Sitting in the living room of their Spanish-style home in Toluca Lake, where Margarita’s 90-year-old mother also resides, the couple reflects on where their lives began—recalling the unexpected journey that fills them with gratitude and wonder.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The two met nearly 40 years ago at a party in what is now known as Koreatown, when Frank overheard Margarita speaking Spanish.

“These days you’ll hear many people speaking Spanish, but back then it wasn’t the case,” states Frank.

A native of Costa Rica, Frank immigrated to the U.S. at 17 with only a sixth-grade education (although he eventually earned a GED), and was not fluent in English when they met. At the time he was working in the kitchen of the long-gone Rex il Ristorante.

Margarita was a journalism student at USC. She had immigrated to the U.S. at age 12 from Cuba with her parents, settling in Echo Park among a small Cuban community. Speaking only Spanish, she was placed in ESL classes.

Both had experienced tragic loss.

Frank’s parents both passed away before he reached adolescence—he lived with his uncle until making a solo move to the United States. Margarita was separated from older siblings during the 1960s covert operations in Cuba. She lost her father at 14, leaving her mother to work an 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. factory shift to support them.

Frank and Margarita solidified a friendship, but it wasn’t until almost a decade later that they would forge a life together. Frank started working at La Loggia in Studio City nearly 35 years ago, eventually buying the restaurant and the building, which also houses his bar/eatery, Ceremony. He also owns The Village, a mile west on Ventura Boulevard.

In their early years together, Margarita worked as a court interpreter, but during her second pregnancy decided to study law, ultimately graduating from Loyola Law School. She went on to partner in Manduley & Camisassa, specializing in immigration law.

Abu and Issa in their backyard

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

LIFE INTERRUPTED Their lives pivoted when daughter Camila was diagnosed with scoliosis in elementary school. By age 14 the disease had rapidly

“Our adoption is very different because we didn’t go through the orphanage system.

Issa and Abu’s families are our family—we promised to always keep the boys in their lives… and bring them back to see their culture.” progressed, and they were told she needed to undergo spinal surgery. The family flew to New York to consult with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, who they heard was among the best in the country. He confirmed that surgery was the only option.

Ultimately, Camila underwent a successful operation at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

While meeting with the physician, they also learned about his groundbreaking work at FOCOS Orthopedic Hospital in his native country, Ghana, which specializes in complex spine and joint-replacement surgeries on patients in developing countries.

“We were so excited to hear about FOCOS’ efforts that we humbly told him we wanted to hold a fundraiser,” shares Frank. “To our surprise, he showed up unannounced at the event.” That was 2014, and to date, the Leons have raised nearly $400,000 for FOCOS. An Evening of Hope, which the surgeon also plans on attending, will be held on October 27 at The Village in Studio City.

FOCOS is among the Leons’ many philanthropic efforts—they’ve donated and hosted fundraisers for local schools, the Los Angeles Fire Department as well as Friends of Caritas Cubanas for hurricane assistance. The couple also helps with expenses for several children in Sierra Leone.

Wanting to learn more about FOCOS, Margarita and Camila flew to Ghana to volunteer—“playing games, reading, and doing arts and crafts.”

Among the first children they met was Issa, who was 5 at the

NEW BEGINNINGS After a two-year adoption process, Frank and Margarita returned to the boys’ villages in summer of 2017 to fly them to LA. Top photo: The locals came out to participate in a farewell celebration for Issa.

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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time, and the trio bonded immediately. He had been found in a remote village in Sierra Leone by the nonprofit African Surgery and flown to FOCOS, where he was being treated for kyphosis (a malformation of the spine). “If it hadn’t been for the treatment by Dr. Boachie and FOCOS, he would be dead or in a wheelchair,” states Margarita.

They texted Frank a photo of the three of them: “We’re in love.”

Issa had lived at FOCOS for two years due to the Ebola epidemic, as travel to and from Sierra Leone was forbidden. Once back in the States, the family couldn’t get the little boy off their minds. They helped with Issa’s living costs, and kept in touch via phone calls.

The following year, Margarita and Camila returned to volunteer at FOCOS. By that time, Ebola restrictions had been lifted, flights to Sierra Leone had resumed, and Issa was back in his village. Mother and daughter set off to visit him—a trip that would include taking two planes, a speedboat journey in the middle of the night, and being tested for Ebola.

Margarita recounts their trek: “As the only two people who exited the plane, we walked toward this building where we were the only foreigners. Everyone had to wash hands and have temperatures taken. And at the time, I just thought ‘What kind of mother am I putting my daughter in this situation?’”

Camila, who would soon start college, was the first to float the idea of adopting Issa, who at the time was in temporary foster care with a peace worker. She also suggested he should have a sibling from Sierra Leone.

Margarita laughs when she remembers her youngest daughter’s words: “Mom, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you two old Latino parents to adopt an African boy to grow up alone in Toluca Lake.”

FAMILY MATTERS Undaunted, Margarita took Frank back to Sierra Leone to meet Issa. Meanwhile, they heard about Abu, who was 3 at the time and lived in a nearby town. The couple discovered the town did not have a working well, so they raised money to build a new one—“because women and girls had to walk 30 minutes in dangerous conditions to bring back fresh water,” explains Margarita.

After spending time with Issa and Abu and their families, the mothers each told the Leons that they wanted better lives for their sons. The mothers wanted the Leons to adopt them.

While Margarita and Frank don’t

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

consider themselves to be particularly religious, they do believe that the children came into their lives for a purpose. As Margarita puts it, “It was like the universe was telling us something.”

Frank explains that throughout the nearly two-year adoption process, he and Margarita kept asking the mothers if they were certain that they wanted to give up their parental rights. “It’s so complicated … we wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing.”

Margarita reminisces about the farewell celebration in Issa’s town, which she describes as “joyous singing,” upon their departure.

“Our adoption is very different because we didn’t go through the orphanage system,” explains Margarita. “Issa and Abu’s families are our family—we promised to always keep the boys in their lives … and bring them back to see their culture.”

Photos of their families hang above the boys’ beds, and they speak to their mothers a few times a month.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE Bringing two boys from Africa to Los Angeles is not without significant challenges, and for the Leons’ community, it was giveback time.

“Neighbors and friends have been amazing—supplying clothes, toys, books, bikes, sports equipment … strangers donated beds,” shares Margarita, still overwhelmed by the generosity. “I went to get the boys myself and had been gone two weeks. We returned to find that my best friends got the key from Frank, painted and completely furnished the room.”

Issa and Abu attend Rio Vista Elementary in North Hollywood. Having been raised speaking Krio (English mixed with French-Creole), both are now fluent in English. They are friendly and polite, clever and curious, and fiercely protective of each other—“even if they fight and bicker,” as siblings do, notes Margarita.

Both are naturally athletic. They learned to swim after a couple of lessons and rode bikes without training wheels. Issa loves to dance, plays basketball, and just joined Toluca Baseball. Abu is partial to gymnastics. They name Steph Curry and LeBron James as their favorite basketball players, and are Dodgers fans. Both are fascinated by electronics, especially the Kindle Fire, but can also be found playing an old-school game of Connect Four.

The Leons say they are indebted to the parents they’ve met at school, and coaches at Beeman and North Weddington parks.

“Rio Vista is about 20% black. Many of these dads have embraced our boys as role models because they know they need them,” explains Margarita. “As immigrants ourselves, we can relate somewhat to what they are experiencing, but we’ll never be able to teach them what it is like to be a black person in America, and the fact that they are from Africa adds more layers of complexity.”

For the past two summers, Margarita

has taken the boys to PACT, a family camp in Atlanta, Georgia, where they are surrounded by children being raised by nonbiological parents and who are also different races. “It helps to reinforce their identity and combat racism,” through discussions with adults and children.

Together, Frank and Margarita coordinate morning duties, school pickup times, and manage play dates and extracurricular

activities—and are vigilant about making sure the boys’ psychological and educational needs are met. And of course, Issa and Abu have become regular fixtures at Frank’s restaurants.

Margarita shares that their daughters, who are very close to Issa and Abu, have discussed a plan to take care of the boys should anything happen to Frank and Margarita.

“When we think about whether we did

the right thing at our age, we know in our hearts we have,” says Frank. “We both came into this country with nothing. Margarita has something to offer with a career where she assists and helps immigrants, and having a bit of success in business myself, we said to ourselves—somebody gave us a hand at one time, and now it’s our turn. We always encourage them that one day it is going to be their turn.” ■

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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66 acres of pure inspira

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OPEN HOUSES

October 20, 2019 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

April 26, 2020 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

©2019 Westmark School. All Rights Reserved.

RSVP: westmarkschool.org/ openhouse

©2019 Westmark School.

All Rights Reserved.

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

THE DIFFERENCE IS BRILLIANT

5461 Louise Avenue, Encino, CA 91316 818-986-5045 | www.westmarkschool.org

Interactive Open House Event Calendar Live Now

Ventura Blvd is hosting a comprehensive calendar of the finest Open House events for schools in our area.

Live Now at VenturaBlvd.GoldenState.is/OpenHouses

Plan your visits using this easy guide.

Want to include your events? Find out how by contacting Robin Sanders at robin@goldenstate.is

Our only power in healing our disease is to embrace it, and believe it is happening for a reason.”

When Triple Negative Turns Positive In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we share a survivor’s mission to spread messages about the power of positivity and the importance of ultrasounds.

In 2016 Jennifer Greenhut was at a low point in her life. Despite three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), she’d failed to get pregnant.

“I met my husband on the later side of life and I desperately wanted children. With each failed round of IVF, I got more and more depressed, thinking the universe was punishing me for some reason,” Jenn, as she prefers to be called, reflects.

Then things got even more bleak. She discovered a lump under her arm. Although she’d recently had a mammogram and a manual exam by her ob-gyn, everything appeared to be normal. “If you’ve ever wanted proof that women should be getting yearly ultrasounds, here is it,” says Jenn, who is a yoga teacher and singer/songwriter.

Jenn’s doctor told her she had stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

aggressive forms of the disease. It turns out those failed IVFs saved her life.

“My doctor said that if I had gotten pregnant, the pregnancy would have killed me.”

And then, a life-changing epiphany: “In that moment, I realized that everything might be happening to me for a reason—a much bigger reason that I didn’t know about.”

Jenn says the initial terror she felt gave way to gratitude. “I was grateful for everything I had, and everything I was about to go through—chemo and all!”

From the moment Jenn picked her team of doctors at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, she wanted to help raise money for its research foundation.

With help from a friend, Jenn created a line of bags under the label Zero Negative (shopzeronegative.com). Her signature item is a

spacious white leather tote that has artfully designed cutouts creating the word “love.”

Another bag is designed for women going through breast cancer surgery. It is a crossbody bag (which women can’t wear in the post-surgery months) that can be adjusted to become a fanny pack.

Cancer-free for two years now, Jenn views disease as a wake-up call. “It teaches us something, helps us evolve in some way, and so our only power in healing our disease is to embrace it, and believe it is happening for a reason. Fear is only going to cause stress, and a negative mindset. If we can get past our negative thoughts, we can really help heal our bodies.” ■ For more on Jenn’s battle with cancer, check out the SheSez with Linda Grasso podcast at shesez.com.

OPEN HOUSES THIS FALL

A K–12 School

RSVP at www.buckley.org/openhouse

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

Why do some houses burn to ash and others stand untouched when wildfire rages?

As we learned a year ago during the Woolsey fire, it’s not just luck. Here some experts share critical strategies to preserve your home during the next big burn.

WRITTEN BY ANNE M. RUSSELL ILLUSTRATED BY YASMINE KAHSAI

T

he Woolsey fire that swept through the western end of the Valley one year ago was either a triumph or a tragedy, depending on how you measure it.

In terms of saving lives, emergency responders did a remarkable job. More than 250,000 people were evacuated as the fire spread rapidly toward the Pacific from the Santa Susana Pass area. Three lives were lost.

Compare that to Northern California’s Camp Fire that broke out the same day, November 8, where 89 people died.

But when you look at the toll the Woolsey Fire took on property, the story becomes more bleak. The fire incinerated 1,648 buildings, for a shocking total of $6 billion in damage. It scorched 96,949 acres, including more than 80% of the National Park Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains, and killed P-64, one of the mountain lions who lived there. In some neighborhoods, the fire claimed every home; in others, it seemed capricious, burning only one or two houses out of dozens on a block.

Most of the Valley falls within CAL FIRE’s designated Extreme Fire Hazard Zone. CoreLogic, a property-data-analysis company, states in its 2019 Wildlife Risk Report that it considers 121,589 Los Angeles residences to be at extreme to high risk for destruction by wildfire, ranking LA as the number-one risk area in the nation. “It’s no surprise that California tops the list of the most homes at high-to-extreme wildfire risk, given the state’s size and population density, as well as the popularity of residential expansion into the wildland-urban interface,” says Tom Jeffery, senior hazard scientist at CoreLogic. So the question of whether there will be another large, destructive wildfire is not if but when.

LA County Fire Captain Tony Imbrenda notes that this year the period of highest fire

danger has been delayed somewhat by last winter’s generous rains. “There have been five or six brush fire starts so far,” he says, “but we’ve been able to knock them down and stop them from getting big.” He adds, however, that the number of days when the fire-spreading Santa Ana winds blow has increased over time and that his department now plans for 10 to 15 wind events lasting up to a week at a time.

Although wildfire’s behavior may look arbitrary or even willfully vicious, fire scientists say that’s an illusion and in reality there’s a lot you can—and should—do to make sure your home doesn’t burn. To begin, change your perspective: Look at your property the way fire does: as fuel, pure and simple. “A house is the most flammable thing in any given area,” says Captain Imbrenda.

HARDEN YOUR YARD “Hardening” tactics can stop wildfire from getting a toehold. Complying with mandatory brush-clearance regulations is just the beginning.

“Your opportunity to save your home is huge,” says CAL FIRE Southern Operations Battalion Chief Lucas Spelman. “Being diligent with maintenance is the number one thing: Keep cleaning up leaf litter, keep things watered. Minimize fuel against the house.”

In other words, plantings surrounding your house should be low-growing. Trees, tall shrubs and vines can create a “fire ladder” that allows flames to climb upward to the roof.

“The most important thing you can do is examine the zero to 5 feet around your house,” advises Marti Witter, fire ecologist for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Make sure there’s nothing that can transmit flame to the structure.”

Fire experts’ rule of thumb: If something is attached to the house, it’s part of the house.

You may think of a storage shed, carport or

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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barbecue area as separate, but fire doesn’t, and if those structures are highly flammable fire will use them to reach the house.

While it may seem like fire descends on neighborhoods as massive walls of flame, what in fact sets individual homes ablaze is more likely a wind-driven firebrand, an ember smaller than a pinky finger. The embercast that rains down as much as a mile ahead of a wildfire contains thousands of tiny fragments of burning matter that lodge in and ignite things like patio furniture cushions, stacks of firewood, and dry leaves. “It’s the ember storm that causes the most homes to be lost,” says Witter.

If your property backs up into open space, make sure your landscaping isn’t structured so that it creates a path that leads fire to your house—an evergreen hedge along a walkway to the back door, for example. Break up your landscape vertically and horizontally by interrupting plantings with nonflammable features like concrete, decomposed granite or stone paths.

Certain trees are more flammable than others or grow in patterns likely to spread fire to the roof. Conifers—including pines, firs, junipers and cypress—catch fire relatively easily because of their high resin content.

Cypresses especially, because of their lowgrowing branches, spread fire upward. All trees should be pruned frequently to remove dead branches as well as branches in the lower third of the tree to prevent the fireladder effect. Shrubs also need to be pruned and cleared of dead material.

Witter cautions, however, about going to extremes. “When you remove all barriers to airflow it may actually make the situation worse,” she notes. “It gives fire an unobstructed path for the ember load.” Instead, you want trees to be spaced apart from each other and away from the house. Clean up fallen leaves, needles, twigs, fronds and other dry debris. “A rake is more effective than a chainsaw,” Witter notes.

When an emergency strikes, firefighters, just like medical workers, go into triage mode, looking for homes with well-manicured, wellwatered yards that have lots of clearance around the house. “As a firefighter, I’m going to choose the house that I know I can save,” says Jim Prabhu, a veteran firefighter and cofounder of Fire Defense Service.

PROTECT YOUR HOUSE Making your house more fire resistant may require a larger investment, especially if you still have a wood or wood-shingle roof. But

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replacing a wood roof with tile, metal or fiberglass composition is worth every penny, according to Chief Spelman. “There’s just no way to stop a fire with a wood roof. It’s like a catcher’s mitt for embers.”

The roof is also vulnerable to fire starting in debris-clogged gutters or in the vents under the roof’s edges—that is, the eaves. Both of these problems can be addressed by adding fine metal screen covers to prevent debris from accumulating or embers from entering through the house’s external vents. The underside of your decking needs the same precautions: Decking should be protected with screening underneath. Watch where leaf debris tends to accumulate—that’s a clue as to where embers will pile up.

You also want to keep embers out of the garage where some of the most flammable materials tend to be stored (gasoline, propane, leftover paint, etc.), so make sure the garage door’s weather stripping is in good condition and doesn’t allow wind to carry embers in underneath it.

The other major investment to consider is double-pane windows to fight the threat of thermal radiation (i.e., heat) to your home’s interior. The effect of intense heat can cause flammable materials to ignite as the fire approaches. Furnishings, especially lightweight curtains against the windows, can start to burn from the extremely hot, dry air pushing ahead of the flames. When fire threatens, move everything away from the windows before you evacuate.

And, of course, in red-flag fire weather you want to make sure your car is parked in the driveway facing toward the exit with a full tank of gas and that you have your “go bag” of essentials (food, water, flashlight, batteries, masks, first aid, cash, ID) packed and ready.

When you leave, open your security gates and leave your home’s entrances unlocked so firefighters don’t have to break your door down.

GET PROFESSIONAL HELP You can download CAL FIRE’s Ready for Wildfire app for a DIY safety checklist. There also are professionals who can do a fire-risk assessment for you and help you implement firefighting strategies.

Brothers John, Jim, and Michael Prabhu, who grew up in Malibu, founded Fire Defense Service a year ago with their cousin Danny Cortazzo, a retired fire captain, after experiencing the Woolsey Fire firsthand. Jim, who has spent 20 years as a firefighter with Los Angeles City Fire, says, “The Woolsey Fire was very personal to us. We saw a lot of homes

burn that could have been saved because they had a pool. It was pretty frustrating.”

Their Fire Defense Service (FDS) starts with a risk assessment. “When we do an initial assessment, it lets homeowners look through my eyes as a firefighter,” says Jim Prabhu. “I walk the property and fill out a site assessment report with recommendations as to what they can do to make their house more firesafe.”

But the Prabhus’ primary service is leasing and maintaining pumps and hoses that capitalize on home swimming pools as a water source. Their patent-pending systems use fire department-compatible components to tap into home swimming pools—typically 16,000 to 50,000 gallons—to defend property. (By contrast, fire trucks usually carry only 500 gallons of water.)

Although they train homeowners in how to use their system, the idea is that firefighters will see the FDS sign at the property entrance and know that the property has been fire hardened and that there are resources available to them—an obvious asset to the property owner. FDS is currently working with a local insurance broker to educate insurers about their service—and hopefully get their clients a break on homeowner’s coverage and premiums.

Although wildfire has always been a fact of life in California, fire is now different. “There has been a change to a longer and more aggressive fire season,” says Captain Imbrenda. “We’re seeing more intense fire behaviors.” ■

“What in fact sets individual homes ablaze is more likely a wind-driven firebrand, an ember smaller than a pinky finger.”

THE INSURANCE BURN Even if you didn’t lose property in the Woolsey Fire, you may have received increased homeowner’s insurance premiums or even a policy nonrenewal. Here we offer some guidance.

Sue Williams, whose Sylmar area home was threatened but undamaged by December 2017’s Creek Fire (and who works for VB), learned that her 20-year-old homeowner’s policy had been canceled via a letter from her insurer. “Although you know people are having problems with insurance, it’s still a shock when it happens to you,” she says. Williams says that in her two decades of paying premiums, she never made a fire-related claim.

Many Southern Californians were already facing onerous premium increases before the Woolsey Fire, but after the fire, more insurers decided not to offer insurance at any price.

According to a report from the California Department of Insurance, the number of homeowners in fire-prone areas who lost coverage increased 10% between 2017 and 2018—again, before the Woolsey Fire.

If you find yourself suddenly uninsured, your best bet may be a California FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) plan. This state-sponsored coverage is less comprehensive than traditional insurance, but does provide fire coverage, even in high-risk areas.

At the same time, work with your insurance broker to appeal your current insurer’s decision, if possible, and buy additional private insurance to fill in FAIR’s gaps.

EMERGENCY KIT A list of fire-related items to have on hand— and know how to use in an emergency.

• Fire extinguishers • Particulate respirators (i.e., a tightfitting mask rated N95 or P100 by NIOSH, not a dust mask) • Water hoses that can reach all areas of your property • A self-closing fire locker for flammable materials in the garage • Fire-fighting tools like a McLeod, Rogue hoe, Pulaski axe, rake and shovel • A swimming pool fire-pump system • Fire-retardant gel or foam

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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

The In-Crowd Outsider Greg Jenkins is making waves in the art community as a selftaught artist who has overcome struggles and is giving back.

WRITTEN BY HADLEY HALL MEARES

g

|

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MONICA OROZCO

rowing up in Washington, D.C., Greg Jenkins was always an overachiever.

He was an elite ice hockey player and as an elementary school student sang in the National Cathedral Choir.

After graduating from the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, he attended Tufts University. Later he became a professional hockey player in France.

Now at 28, he is making a name for himself as a talented, self-taught artist who counts Kanye West among those who have purchased his paintings. Greg’s work grapples with issues of distance, excess and obsession through large-scale painted works and collage videos.

Living with mental illness, he is also the founder of The New Arts Foundation, a

nonprofit based in Burbank, which raises funds and awareness for mental health initiatives.

From the exterior, Greg’s nondescript home in West Hollywood (where he recently moved from North Hollywood), seems like any other 20-something guy’s apartment.

But step inside and it is exceptional. Vibrant, large-scale canvases cover the living room, which doubles as his studio. With his towering good looks, dressed in a colorful jacket and jeans, Greg is shy and boyish, with a sharp intellect and vision.

“I was in the National Cathedral Choir, when I was 11,” the artist says. “And that was when 9/11 happened, and so we sang in the National Cathedral for that … service after 9/11, with thousands of people—presidents

and stuff. That was one of my first run-ins with how art can affect people.”

However, Greg chose to stay on the elite athlete track. While playing professional hockey near Paris, he found himself drawn to the museums and art galleries that make the city so magical. “My family loves museums, so they were always dragging me to museums, and as a little kid, I never wanted to be there,” he says. “But in Paris I had time, which I had never had in school usually. I finally had time to go exploring myself.”

But it was not until his sports career had ended that Greg truly discovered his passion for artistic expression. “I studied international relations in London after that for a year. I had so much time on my hands,” he says. “I found myself very stressed. And I found I was having mental health issues myself. So I found art, not only as a way to decompress, but also as a way to figure out what’s happening with myself.”

Greg realized that since he was a child, he had been using hockey as a way to channel and ease his mental health issues. But once he was no longer on a team, he had to find a new way to cope with his emotions. “I actually went to a hardware store and they had these huge rolls of paper that I think you put down when you’re painting or something. So I bought those. Rolled them out and painted on that.”

After completing his studies at the London School of Economics and receiving a master’s degree, he moved to LA to work at the talent agency ICM. He also bought his first canvases. Stressed by the long hours and intense atmosphere at the agency, he would come home and paint. He cites as his influences Cy Twombly, Wassily Kandinsky and the filmmaker Harmony Korine.

However, Greg kept his budding passion private. It wasn’t until friends visiting his apartment saw his work that he began to realize he had real talent. In May 2018, he launched his first solo show in downtown LA. “That was a huge success,” he says, eyes sparkling. “People had a great response to that.” He quit his job a month later and pursued art full-time.

For someone without any formal training, his raw, unrefined work is remarkably varied, with elements of abstract expressionism, futurism and pop art aesthetics. “Someone recently told me one of my paintings was like being inside of a mind,” he says. “They said something about chaos and serenity. I really like those words, ‘chaos’ and ‘serenity.’”

He has long felt a kinship with other selftaught artists. Known within the industry

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as “outsider artists,” these creators often face mental health struggles—and in some cases ostracism—and have channeled their challenges through art. In early 2019, Greg started The New Arts Foundation to celebrate outsider art while raising funds for mental health programs.

“I created New Arts to encourage people to express themselves in a way that feels good to them—to embrace their “outsider,’” he explains. “And to host events and build community around that expression. It’s a way of being open with yourself. You start to discover some cool things about people when they’re free to go beneath the surface, to maybe where they’re uncomfortable. And I think it bridges itself naturally to conversations about mental health, or really anything.

It’s easier to figure out who you are when you’re being you.”

This past summer, New Arts hosted Greg’s solo show “rememberforget,” in Koreatown, with a portion of proceeds donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles. “LA has a creative openness about it that I love. I think that comes from the city being the center of entertainment,” he says. “There’s always a need for more and better entertainment, so taking creative risks—subversion ... experimentation—is sort of encouraged. I think that’s why New Arts fits so well here. We provide a platform for outsider artists to be seen and taken seriously, and they will be.”

One of the people taking Greg’s mission seriously is Kanye West, who has been open about his own struggles with mental illness and who Greg initially met at an art fair. “We talked a lot about the roots of creativity,” Greg says. “I think my art affects people in

different ways, so I can’t tell you how it spoke to him. As with any collector, I’m grateful he had an appreciation for it.”

Always the overachiever, Greg hopes to grow New Arts into an organization that brings outsider art to the masses, while encouraging and funding therapeutic artistic expression.

“I have a goal sheet … because I’m an athlete, and I’ve done it since I was 7. And since I was in high school, I’ve thought ‘represent an idea that you believe in,’” He says.

“I think a lot of people, especially me before I started painting, think that art is like this magic, mystical thing. Doing events like this, I want to encourage people to know it’s not magical. You just work at it and you do it. It’s like practice.” ■

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the sauce

PUFFED UP

Plant-based eating has never been more popular. For some of our fave vegan spots, turn the page.

the sauce

MOTHER EARTH From left: Vinh Loi Tofu; SunCafe Organic; Krimsey’s Kitchen

Vegan And Beyond

From pizza to po’boys, 5 great places to eat a plant-based, dairy-free diet— and not miss a thing.

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA LURIE

DOUGH GIRL PIZZA Getting pizza right is a challenge; getting vegan pizza right is even more of a rarity— and something Mar Diego seems to have mastered with her hip-hop-fueled eatery tucked in the central Valley. The chef’s story as a young ex-con who turned her life around and now mentors at-risk teens just ups the cool factor.

At Dough Girl, pies are made with the root vegetable cassava, arrowroot starch and shredded Daiya cheese, which melts like mozzarella and melds seamlessly with an array of toppings, including the fiery Hottie featuring sriracha sauce, jalapeños, cherry peppers, banana peppers and chili flakes.

Blow-Your-Mind Dish: Shroomz pizza sports three types of meaty mushrooms crisped to perfection: button, cremini and portobello. Zesty tomato sauce, molten Daiya cheese, and oregano complement the crispy, cracker-like crust.

KRIMSEY’S CAJUN KITCHEN Louisiana native Kristen “Krimsey” Ramsey specializes in Cajun comfort food at her North Hollywood restaurant, which incorporates Mardi Gras beads, Café du Monde coffee cans and a voodoo doll into the design. Kristen transforms classics like jambalaya, gumbo, and étouffée into vegan-style Southern masterpieces.

It’s all done with a sense of humor that leans into vegan stereotypes. She describes a plate of raw shredded carrots on the menu as “rabbit food … in case you came here expecting to eat only this.”

Blow-Your-Mind Dish: A New Orleans po’boy typically stars fried seafood and roast beef. Here the city’s iconic sandwich takes a new direction. The hearts-of-palm po’boy features tangy chunks with crisp, peppery coats on a soft toasted roll, plant-based mayo, shredded lettuce, tomato, punchy dill pickles and creamy Krimsey’s spicy veganaise sauce.

16851 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys; doughgirl.pizza 12900 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood; krimseys.com

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O’CADO RESTAURANT Taking a fusion approach, this attractive eatery applies flavorful twists to Mediterranean and Latin dishes including textbook falafel and fried cauliflower slathered in spicy Buffalo sauce. Their most popular entrée: a dress-up of the Impossible Burger with house “bacon,” smoked gouda “cheese” and carmelized onions.

O’Cado is also a terrific place to experience some of the Boulevard’s most creative toasts, which go way beyond namesake avocado; consider butternut squash with fluffy “ricotta,” caramelized onions, tangy apple cider glaze and crunchy pepitas.

Blow-Your-Mind Dish: Chef Erin Mansour riffs on Baja fish tacos with her avocado versions, which feature creamy fried avocado strips that sport thin batter coats and achieve impressive crunch-on-crunch with onion-poppyseed coleslaw. Taco trios come on soft corn tortillas with cooling cilantro lime créma.

14568 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; ocadola.com

SUNCAFE ORGANIC SunCafe Organic was one of the Valley’s first vegan restaurants, and owners Rebecca Smith and Ron Russell (who’s also the chef) still thrive with their successful spins on multicultural cooking.

The freewheeling lunch and dinner menu draws a health-conscious industry crowd for hearty plates like mac and cheese served in a cast-iron skillet and grilled cheese sandwiches that pack “provolone,” pico de gallo, mushrooms and tempeh bacon. SunCafe is also popular for brunch, thanks to riffs like bagels with house cream cheese, tomatoes, capers, dill, and smoked carrots subbing for lox.

Blow-Your-Mind Dish: Jack Cakes with Lemon Basil Pasta features crispy jackfruit “crab cakes” folded with corn and red pepper.

Three cakes grace a heaping pile of brownrice pasta strands sautéed with lemon-garlic butter (made with emulsified coconut), cremini mushrooms and basil. Tangy capers, chives and cascading sour cream crafted with coconut and cashew round out the bowl.

VINH LOI TOFU Personable chef Kevin Tran’s soybean-fueled eatery dates to 2002 and remains a neighborhood favorite thanks to his potent plantbased Vietnamese food and house-made tofu products.

The glass-fronted space features lime green and orange walls lined with accolades and a counter full of savory and sweet Vietnamese snacks, but most people come for invigorating noodle dishes.

Blow-Your-Mind Dish: Ask for Kevin’s off-menu TKO Special, which packs serious punch. A craveworthy peanut and curry broth flavored with coconut milk and “all the meat” comes loaded with rice vermicelli, tofu versions of fried “ham,” chicken, and beef, plus seitan duck, puffy fried tofu cubes, broccoli, earthy shiitake mushrooms and mild enoki mushrooms. His chicken and ham tofu tear almost like meat; the beef and duck versions are firmer and share a remarkable resemblance to their namesakes. Sizable bowls come showered with crushed peanuts, scallions, onions, cilantro and sesame seeds.

10820 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; suncafe.com 18625 Sherman Way, Reseda; vinhloitofu.com

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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the sauce

Spice for Life

Spice Spice Baby founder Kanchan Koya on how to use Indian spices in everyday dishes—from breakfast to dessert.

Kanchan Koya, founder of the blog Spice Spice Baby and a featured chef on Buzzfeed Tasty’s popular cooking videos, is a lifelong fan of Indian spices—and not just because they’re delicious. “Spices have amazing healing properties—not just for adults but for children as well,” shares Kanchan. The mom of two advocates using spices in baby food instead of serving infants traditional, bland-food diets.

Here, in her own words, Kanchan shares the how-to on some of her favorite spices, elaborating on how they can be used for everything from fighting depression to alleviating indigestion.

TURMERIC Fresh turmeric has a peppery, vibrant flavor. Most turmeric, however, is consumed in dried, powdered form, which has warm, sweet, bitter notes.

BREAKFAST: Sprinkle on spiced scrambled eggs, overnight oats or chia pudding. Make a turmeric latte with ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.

DINNER: Use with chicken or fish curries, stews, soups, garlicky green beans, ovenroasted cauliflower, sautéed cabbage, okra, and lentils.

Snack: Put in warmed coconut oil, drizzled over popcorn.

Benefits: Turmeric is brain health boosting, gut healing; helps to fight inflammation, cancer, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Note: Some turmeric may be laced with lead chromate to brighten the color, so buy from a reputable source.

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CUMIN Peppery, warm, earthy and slightly funky.

BREAKFAST: Sprinkle on a sunny-side up egg, oven-roasted potatoes, carrots and peas, spinach and beets. Great as a base in lamb and chicken curries or grilled meats.

Great in tagines, chili, lentil soups, rice and vegetable dishes (pulao), raitas (savory yogurt and veggie dips) and vegetable fritters (pakoras).

Benefits: Cumin is digestion boosting, immunity strengthening, antimicrobial, ironrich, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-obesity.

CARDAMOM Floral, peppery, citrusy, minty.

BREAKFAST: Grind some fresh cardamom seeds and sprinkle on oatmeal or infuse into pancakes. Great in mango smoothies, muffins, banana bread, spiced chai, matcha latte and coffee.

DINNER: Sprinkle on rice, quinoa and millet, on lamb and chicken stews, and rice pudding (kheer).

DESSERT: Delicious in chocolate cookies.

Benefits: Cardamom is good for boosting digestion, fighting cancer, bacteria and nausea; cardio protective.

CORIANDER Woodsy, peppery, citrusy, sweetish.

DINNER: SautĂŠe with cabbage or cauliflower; sprinkle on eggplant, shrimp curry, roast chicken, lamb chops.

Benefits: Coriander is anti-diabetes, cholesterol-balancing, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antibacterial.

CAYENNE (AND OTHER RED CHILI PEPPERS) Spicy, sour, sweet.

SNACK: Try it on mango with salt and lime; terrific on a mango salsa and in hot chocolate.

DINNER: Sprinkle on roasted corn, chicken tikka masala, Thai red curry, and tomato chutney.

Benefits: Cayenne helps fight inflammation, obesity, cancer; aids in digestion.

SAFFRON Floral, sweet, luxurious.

BREAKFAST: Sprinkle on frittatas, pumpkin pancakes, mango muffins, chai.

DINNER: Paella, chicken or lamb biryani, kulfi, rice pudding.

Benefits: Saffron helps fight cancer, depression, anxiety, OCD and PMS and is also an antioxidant.

FENNEL Sweet, herbaceous, with licorice notes.

SNACK: Slice some figs and serve with goat cheese and drizzled balsamic. Sprinkle fennel on the top.

LUNCH/DINNER: Use in potato cakes, Greek salad, fried okra, in a spice rub on chicken or lamb.

Benefits: Fennel is gut-healing, anti-cancer, antibacterial, and an antidepressant.

For more on Kanchan and her pivot from Harvard-educated molecular biologist to food blogger, check out the SheSez with Linda Grasso podcast at shesez.com.

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How Do You Say Burger??

Three international spins on an American classic that have us lining up for seconds.

WRITTEN, STYLED & PRODUCED

BY KARA MICKELSON

PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANE O’DONNELL

Santorini Burger Go all in for this stunning burger drizzled with a lemon herb dressing and adorned with fire-roasted red pepper, cucumber and feta.

Makes 2 to 4 burgers LAMB BURGERS 1½ pounds ground lamb ½ teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon white pepper, ground 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground 1 teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 teaspoons garlic powder ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves ¼ small red onion, diced 2 tablespoons dried mint 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, stemmed and finely chopped 2 tablespoons ketchup 3 cloves minced garlic zest of one lemon 2 to 4 brioche buns Greek Dressing (see recipe) Thoroughly mix all burger ingredients through lemon zest. Form into patties.

Lightly season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook patties on the upper level of a grill on medium heat until rare.

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Move to the lower portion of the grill and finish cooking until the burgers are fully cooked. Remove and top each burger with a teaspoon of Greek Dressing.

Brush buns with Greek Dressing and place on grill until lightly marked. Add tapenade, lettuce, cooked burger, feta cheese, roasted red pepper slice, red onion and Cucumber Quick Pickles.

Mix mint, oregano and dill with a small amount of Greek Dressing and top each burger.

GREEK DRESSING ¼ cup olive oil zest of one lemon 1 lemon, juiced and seeded 1 clove minced garlic ½ teaspoon fresh oregano ½ teaspoon fresh mint ½ teaspoon fresh dill 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon water Combine all ingredients.

Adjust seasoning as desired.

TOPPINGS olive tapenade lettuce leaves, trimmed, washed and dried feta cheese, sliced or crumbled roasted red pepper, jarred, drained red onion, thinly sliced mint, oregano, dill, cleaned and stemmed CUCUMBER QUICK PICKLES ½ teaspoon granulated sugar ¼ cup white vinegar ½ teaspoon fresh dill fronds ¼ teaspoon mustard seed 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, peeled, minced 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced Dissolve sugar in vinegar. Add herbs, spices and cucumber. Mix completely.

Chill, covered, for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.

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Indian Autumn Burger This burger twist is inspired by our favorite curry, served with delicious naan and toppings.

Makes 2 to 4 burgers TAMARIND KETCHUP 1 tablespoon tamarind paste*, unsweetened ¼ cup prepared ketchup pinch of salt

Drizzle spinach with a small amount of oil and gently rub into the leaves. Lay on a sheet tray and cook in a 325º oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Leaves should be crisp but not brown. Sprinkle with salt. Reserve.

YOGURT SAUCE 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, thinned with 1 to 2 teaspoons water

TOPPINGS mango chutney* mini naan bread (trim to size if smaller sizes aren’t available) butter lettuce leaves fresh cilantro 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, unsalted crispy fried onions*

CURRY BURGER 1 pound ground chicken 1 teaspoon ground curry spice blend ½ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper ¼ teaspoon serrano chili, seeded and minced ¼ medium white onion, finely diced or grated ¼ medium Fuji apple, grated and juice drained 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced ¼ teaspoon onion powder 1½ tablespoon plain, unsweetened, thick 5% Greek yogurt white pepper, ground oil, for cooking

ROASTED SPINACH CHIPS 1 tablespoon vegetable oil ¼ cup spinach leaves, cleaned, dried and stemmed 1/8 teaspoon salt

Make Tamarind Ketchup and Yogurt Sauce. Can be made 5 days before use.

Reserve and refrigerate.

Thoroughly mix all burger ingredients except oil. Form into patties. Lightly season with salt. Add a small amount of oil to a saute pan and cook patties until lightly brown on each side but not completely cooked. Finish cooking on a hot grill. Add a teaspoon of mango chutney to the top of each burger.

Lightly grill naan bread just before serving. Add lettuce, curry burger and extra toppings and condiments/sauces.

Serve with Roasted Spinach Chips. *Found at Indian markets and most specialty markets, or order online.

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K-Pop Burger Enjoy this multi-note meal with just the right amount of heat from gochujang and ginger.

Makes 2 to 4 burgers BEEF BURGERS 1½ pounds of 80/20 ground beef (80% lean, 20% fat) salt and pepper 4 sesame seed buns vegetable oil lightly sautéed shishito peppers BULGOGI MARINADE 1 medium yellow onion, grated (squeeze out excess juice) 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon mirin ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce 1 teaspoon gochujang*

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Mix all marinade ingredients together.

Reserve one teaspoon per burger as a finishing sauce. Mix remaining marinade with meat and form into burger patties. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook patties on the upper level of a grill on medium heat until rare. Move to the lower portion of the grill and finish cooking until the burgers are fully cooked with beautiful grill marks.

Remove and top each burger with a teaspoon of marinade.

Brush buns with vegetable oil and place on grill until lightly marked. Add Kimchee Secret Sauce to the bottom bun and top with a cooked burger, Kimchee Slaw and the top bun. Serve with cooked shishito peppers and extra kimchee on the side.

KIMCHEE SECRET SAUCE ¼ cup good-quality mayonnaise 4 tablespoons kimchee, drained and finely chopped 1 teaspoon kimchee paste*

2 cloves minced garlic salt and white pepper, to taste Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate. Can be made 1 day before serving.

KIMCHEE SLAW ½ cup napa cabbage, shredded 2 tablespoons kimchee, minced and drained 1 tablespoon kimchee juice ½ teaspoon kimchee paste 1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced or grated 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 1 bunch cilantro leaves salt and white pepper, to taste Prep all ingredients the day before service. Combine ingredients up to one hour before serving. *Found at Asian or specialty markets, or order online.

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A Triumph of Tradition Amid the wave of New England-style homes that have popped up all over the Valley, a traditional French Country home stands proud—a Toluca Lake couple’s loving ode to old-world charm and exquisite craftsmanship.

WRITTEN BY LINDA GRASSO PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANE O’DONNELL

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hen Lew and Carolyn Goldstein got married in 1996 in Santa Barbara, they became enchanted with the local architecture, especially the classic Spanish Colonial Revival style that is so prevalent in Montecito. “I just love the striations in all the hardwood planks, the Handelman fixtures, all the archways—so much charm,” shares Lew, a longtime entertainment marketing executive, who helped launch both Fox and The WB networks. The couple also gravitated toward the warmth of French Country style.

Soon after the wedding, they started talking about a hybrid house that would blend those two styles for casual living. “We aren’t formal people; we just wanted something that felt intimate.”

In 2000, the couple bought a property on a rectangular corner lot on a secluded, tree-lined street in Toluca Lake.

Architect Marsha Scully, known for her work designing French Country homes, was hired to transform it.

Throughout the 4,700-square-foot residence are polished pecan floors with planks of varying lengths, handhewn distressed beams and custom molding. The ceilings are a demonstration of craftsmanship and artistry. Each one is distinct, and all are at least 10 feet high.

Keeping with a classic design, the living and dining rooms front the house on either side of the entryway. The living room features a coffered wood ceiling and large fireplace with a thick-beamed mantel and Santa Barbara stone. The living room has a built-in wet bar and French doors leading to the backyard.

Also on the first floor are a guest suite and French doors that open to a secluded sitting area surrounded by mature fruit trees.

The kitchen is a focal point, particularly with its built-in seating and large table. Standout features include a high vaulted ceiling with trusses, Brazilian granite countertops, and cabinetry with handblown glass fronts.

The backyard offers three distinct areas for relaxing and entertaining. In addition to the sitting area by the guest room is a central space with an outdoor woodburning/gas fireplace. There’s also a bar with a barbecue.

On any given day you can see the couple’s two kids, 12-year-old Aubrey and 11-year-old Brayden, splashing in

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“We aren’t formal people; we just wanted something that felt intimate.” the saltwater pool with the family’s two Australian shepherds. “We spend more time out there with the kids and the dogs than just about anywhere,” shares Carolyn, a salesperson for the clothing line Etcetera. The surrounding landscape of morning glories, hibiscus, roses and hydrangeas gives the space a tropical vibe.

On the second floor are three bedrooms, Carolyn’s office and Lew’s office/den. The Goldsteins put a lot of thought into creating their master suite, making it relaxed and comfortable with elements like a cozy window seat and a fireplace. But the architectural details continue, including hand-hewn beams and an eyebrow window over the bed.

An arched entryway leads to Carolyn’s office. It has twin skylights and windows that overlook the kitchen. “I asked the architect to put in those lookout windows (no glass).

That way I could be up there working and look down and see what was going on with the kids!” she laughs.

Lew’s office/den, has a 350-bottle wine cellar as well as built-in cabinetry filled with baseball memorabilia.

“I’m from New Jersey and so I’m a lifelong New York Yankees fan,” shares Lew.

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Back when the couple bought the property, Toluca Lake was a different place. There were a just smattering of famous residents and the main drag, Riverside Drive, was filled with ho-hum retailers and longtime tenants like Bob’s Big Boy. But in recent years, Riverside has attracted trendy eateries and upscale shops, and more celebrities have put down roots. Steve Carey, Viola Davis, and This is Us creator Dan Fogelman all live nearby, and the Australian singer Sia is building a large home up the street. Still, the couple feels the neighborhood has retained its tranquility.

“It still feels very private. Despite all the development going on around here, it is still quiet enough to go out there and read a book,” states Carolyn.

Both Carolyn and Lew have elderly parents who live in the West Valley. Feeling the tug to be closer to them, they recently listed their home with SRM Real Estate Group.

The listing comes with mixed feelings, admits Carolyn with a hint of wistfulness. “It is a magical place.” ■

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A SEASIDE CELEBRATION OF HOLIDAY TRADITIONS As the holiday season approaches, Terranea Resort gets into the spirit with a calendar full of fun and festivity to round out its 10th anniversary year-long celebration.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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ince 2009, Terranea Resort has provided a “home away from home” for residents all over Southern California—especially during the holiday season. During their annual celebration this year, things are looking especially merry and bright at the Palos Verdes destination with an itinerary of special events from November to January.

The season of traditions kicks off for early risers on Thanksgiving morning with the annual Turkey Shoot Out at The Links.

This nine-hole, five-person team scramble starts on the course and finishes with lunch, awards and prizes.

The celebration continues at the Thanksgiving Ballroom Buffet. With numerous seating times throughout the afternoon, this multi-station dining experience, accompanied by live entertainment, will have a cornucopia of delicious options, including Champagne, seasonal cider and a dessert bar. Want to enjoy the tastes of Terranea at home or in the comfort of your villa or casita? sea beans will offer a Turkey Take-Out, including all the fixings to host a feast of your own.

You know the holiday season has officially started when Terranea lights its beautiful Christmas tree. This popular tradition on Sunday, December 8, will also present festive music from local entertainers and holiday crafts for all ages. Share your holiday spirit with an unwrapped gift to donate to Toys for Tots.

Keep the magic going with a lavish buffet dinner at catalina kitchen and savor the tastes of the season—including well-crafted cocktails, a diverse list of beer and wine and a “build your own old-fashioned” bar.

Also that evening, Mrs. Claus will be making a very special appearance at sea beans with popcorn, holiday cookie decoration and collecting letters for Santa.

Your children will certainly have an appetite for Breakfast with Santa on Sunday, December 15. Taking time from his busy schedule, the North Pole’s most famous

resident will listen to wish lists and take photographs after a delicious buffet of baked goods, waffles and other breakfast favorites.

If you’re looking for a unique gift to give to a loved one this year, the resort will hold several craft-making classes for guests throughout the season. Get a head start on Holiday Card Crafting—a family activity sure to bring smiles to the mailbox— on Sunday, November 24, and Sunday, December 22.

On Monday, November 30, a CandleMaking Workshop guides you to making your own custom-scented, coconut wax-blend candles plus your own custom label. Choose from scents inspired by Terranea and the California coast.

Reflect upon this past year with Mandala Ornament Decorating on Sunday, December 1 and 15. Guided by a wellness coach, you will learn the art of mandala while enjoying a seasonal cocktail or mocktail, chips and salsa, and your very own ornament to take home.

The Gingerbread House Workshops on Saturday, December 7, 14, and 21, delight with individual, edible houses and all the frosting, candies and materials to make your own tasty masterpiece.

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, make a reservation at one of the resort’s wonderful eateries or bring the bounty to your home with Christmas To-Go from sea beans. Place your order by Thursday, December 19, and enjoy prime rib, countrystyle mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, acorn squash and pink peppercorn jus.

Finish the meal with your choice of pumpkin or pecan pie.

Continue the party until the stroke of midnight 2020 with dinner and dancing at three unique Terranea New Year’s events.

All ages will enjoy a New Year’s Eve Winter Wonderland Family Dinner with three courses served in an enchanting setting.

Then send the kids off to their very own party at the Tide Pool Kids Club.

A Night in New Orleans at mar’sel

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delights with a four-course tasting menu during which Chef Andrew Vaughan pays tribute to his culinary roots of New Orleans. Beverage director and certified sommelier Alicia Ajolo will open specialty wines from the cellar (offered by the glass) alongside suggested wine pairings for the tasting menu. The evening will also be accompanied by a live jazz band and parting gifts.

Don’t miss the official countdown at the New Year’s Eve Underwater Extravaganza with an open bar, food stations from Terranea’s culinary team and live DJ music to dance the night away. Welcome the new year the next morning with a catalina kitchen New Year’s Day buffet.

For a full list of holiday events, call 877-217-8919 or visit terranea.com.

100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes

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as seen in

The Long Game For almost 40 years, Casey Boyns has hefted players’ golf bags onto his back while guiding them around one of the world’s most hallowed courses. His experiences at Pebble Beach encapsulate the legendary appeal of the course—now celebrating its 100th anniversary, and still worthy of the spotlight.

Ventura Blvd is part of the Golden State network, a family of digital, social and print media brands celebrating the people, pursuits, lifestyles and ideas of California.

In every issue, we are sharing one story across our network that explores topics beyond the limits of the Valley. These California stories speak to the meaningful impact our state and its residents are making on the global stage. To learn more about Golden State and discover more stories like this, visit goldenstate.is.

WRITTEN BY SHAUN TOLSON | PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHANE O’DONNELL

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A

s early morning rays of sunlight stream across the perennial ryegrass fairways and poa annua greens of Pebble Beach Golf Links, Casey Boyns makes his familiar walk from the resort’s caddie shack to his group of golfers waiting near the first tee. “It’s time for another Oscar-winning performance,” he says, casting a grin toward the caddie master.

The comment isn’t meant to suggest that Casey simply puts on a good face each time he shoulders a guest’s golf bag, nor does it mean that his enthusiasm for the course and his daily role as a caddie is disingenuous.

Rather, it’s an acknowledgement that after more than three decades at Pebble Beach, Casey Boyns knows the talking points for each hole by heart. The 63-year-old ranks second in seniority among Pebble’s 287 caddies, and is himself an accomplished amateur golfer.

“It’s like a monologue out there,” he explains. “Every hole has its own script that you follow. It’s so ingrained in me. I could do it with my eyes closed. It’s the same script every time.”

For example, Casey will tell his golfers as they select a club for their tee shot on the second hole, “You can hit anything you want here. Just hit it straight.”

On the eighth fairway, he’ll make sure his clients know that while their shots to the green may look downhill, they’ll still play the full yardage. He’ll manage their expectations on the next hole—the longest par 4 on the course—reminding them that they should approach the hole as if it were a par 5 and be happy with a bogey.

And on the 17th, a 208-yard par 3 famously immortalized by a Jack Nicklaus tee shot that struck the pin during the 1972 U.S. Open (more on this later), Casey makes sure his golfers know that the prevailing wind is crossing more than it is at their backs.

As for Pebble Beach’s other famous par 3, the seventh hole—which plays only 109 yards from the championship tee boxes and is pitched precipitously downhill to a less-thanexpansive green that juts out over Carmel Bay—Casey eases the anxiety of first-time players. “It’s only 90 yards, but they don’t know how easy to hit it,” he explains. “I say, ‘Don’t be long, left, right, or short.’”

If the key to a successful golf swing is tempo and rhythm, then the key to a masterful caddie performance—according to Casey— is comedic timing. “Every now and then I’ll get a guy who will ask, ‘What’s the best place to putt from?’ And I’ll say, ‘The green.’”

“The whole thing about Pebble is the short

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game,” he explains. “The course has some of the smallest greens on the tour. People say it all the time: ‘These greens are small.’ And they are. Even the big greens are small, and there’s so much slope that even the chips are hard.”

It’s clear that Casey has accrued almost a lifetime’s worth of perspective when it comes to assessing and appreciating one of the world’s most famous golf courses. What initially attracted him to Pebble Beach Golf Links—and influenced his three decades of loyalty—is the course’s history. After all, Pebble Beach is celebrating its centennial this year—a milestone that brought the U.S. Open back to the Monterey Peninsula for the sixth time last June.

For Casey, however, it’s the course’s legacy of hosting prominent amateur champion-

“I can still work in the mornings and go play with buddies in the afternoon.

That’s a real good day.” ships that better distinguishes it from so many others. On that topic, Pebble Beach and Casey Boyns are intimately linked.

COMPETITIVE DRIVES Pebble Beach Golf Links was built in 1919 by the Pacific Improvement Company to solicit interest in the greater Monterey Peninsula area. It was also built specifically for the California State Amateur golf championship, which was first conducted in 1912 at nearby Del Monte Golf Course. It moved to Pebble Beach seven years later, once those revered fairways overlooking Carmel Bay had grown in. In fact, Pebble Beach Golf Links hosted the California State Amateur matches uninterrupted for more than eight decades, finally relinquishing host duties following the 2006 season.

For avid, competitive amateur golfers across the country, winning a state championship is considered a pinnacle achievement. Such is certainly the case for Casey,

who has competed in the California State Amateur about 25 times—earning his entry through qualifying tournaments about twothirds of the time. On two occasions—1989 and 1993—Casey won the tournament and hoisted the championship’s ultimate prize: the Edward B. Tufts trophy.

The year prior to claiming his first state amateur title, Casey actually caddied for the winner, and he credits that up-close-andpersonal experience as a key factor in his own victory the following year. “Caddying for this guy in the final match, I saw what it took,” he says. “If you see it, you get the gist of it. You realize that it’s doable.”

Of equal importance at the time was Casey’s eight years of full-time caddie experience at Pebble Beach. “It’s a home field advantage, no doubt,” he says. “I knew exactly what clubs to hit every time, where the other guys might be guessing a little bit.”

But Casey will be the first to tell you that the knowledge of what shot to hit will only get you so far. “You can know everything about the course, but you still have to hit the shots,” he says. “If you’re confident that you have the right club and know how it’s going to react, it makes hitting the shots easier—but you still have to hit ’em.”

Reflecting on those two pinnacle victories, Casey remembers his putter being the critical club in 1989. “I made every putt from 5 feet or less; I didn’t miss one,” he says, still somewhat amazed by the accomplishment.

“It was incredible.” In 1993, as he recalls, it was his ball striking that set him apart from the competition.

Was one victory sweeter than the other?

Absolutely. “Winning the second time,” Casey says, “was validation.”

LESSONS OF LOOPING Since his first Pebble Beach caddying job— as a kid, he shouldered a golf bag during the 1967 Bing Crosby “Clambake” (now the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am)—the sport of golf has evolved tremendously. So too has the art of caddying.

“People nowadays, they want to be entertained,” Casey explains. “It’s a show.

It’s a little bit of [being] a tour guide. They want it all.”

When Casey was a rookie—that is, during his first year caddying full time back in 1981—he learned a lot from listening and observing. He took note of which landmarks the more experienced caddies used to determine distances. Like his unofficial mentors, he advised his own clients to

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“If you’re conf ident that you have the right club and know how it’s going to react, it makes hitting the shots easier­—but you still have to hit ’em.”

simply aim for the middle of the green.

(This remains a prudent strategy.) However, being a caddie decades ago was more about assisting and enhancing a round of golf in relative silence.

“The best stuff was, ‘Don’t say too much,’” Casey says of the advice he received during those early years. “The older caddies didn’t talk much. It was show up, shut up and keep up.”

As one of the longest-tenured caddies at the resort, Casey gets to choose his own schedule, which means he’s typically out on the course with one of the first groups of the day. He prefers that slot not because it allows him time for another loop on the course—caddies who do that are called “loopers”—but because it frees up his afternoons. He can run errands, pick up his granddaughter from school or squeeze in a round of golf with his friends at the Pasadera Club, where he is a member.

“I can still work in the mornings and go play with buddies in the afternoon,” he says. “That’s a real good day.”

One drawback to being out on the course early: Those first groups are held to a very efficient pace. By 8:30 a.m., groups teeing off on the first hole are mostly going to play without marshals or rangers keeping too close an eye on their progress. By that time, the course is busy enough that

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occasional delays are inevitable.

But as one of the first groups off before 7 a.m., Casey and his golfers are expected to keep it moving. For club members who play the course regularly, this isn’t a problem. For guests who want to soak in the experience of playing Pebble Beach, the pressure to keep moving can mar an otherwise memorable experience.

SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND EXCEPTIONAL SHOTS Dating back to the early 1970s, when Casey and his friends from Pacific Grove High School would sneak out onto the course for late-afternoon rounds, the veteran caddie has played Pebble Beach more than 200 times. Given that he typically caddies close to that many rounds in a single year, it stands to reason that Casey has witnessed his fair share of remarkable shots on the bucket-list course.

In 1972, for example, Casey was working as a forecaddie on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open. Jack Nicklaus— Casey’s hero at the time—was playing in the final group. Once Nicklaus and his finalround partner, Bruce Crampton, finished the 14th, Casey was free to follow the group for the final four holes.

As luck would have it, Casey managed a great seat on the 17th hole and watched

as Nicklaus pulled a 1-iron from his bag and hit a piercing tee shot that secured him the championship. Nicklaus already enjoyed a three-shot lead, but when his ball hit the flagstick after one bounce and landed only a few inches from the hole, the Golden Bear’s victory was all but assured.

“I was directly behind the tee box, about four rows back,” Casey recalls. “The lip of the front bunker hides the pin. We could see it [the ball] going at the hole, but we couldn’t see it land. I don’t remember if I saw it [the flagstick] move, but everybody was going nuts, so I knew it was close.”

As a caddie, Casey has watched his golfers hit equally remarkable shots. During the 2010 U.S. Open, for example, Casey was Jason Allred’s caddie, and he watched the PGA Tour pro hit a recovery shot out of the left fairway bunker with a 6-iron, landing his ball on the green. It remains one of the best shots Casey has seen hit on the course.

“I’ve seen holes-in-one, so don’t get me wrong,” he says. “But this was in the U.S. Open, and he was in this fairway bunker where most people are laying up. But he hit this 6-iron on the green and made the birdie putt. Under the circumstances of the U.S. Open, it was one of the best shots ever.”

As for his own best shot at Pebble Beach, Casey wastes little time pondering the answer. “In the State Amateur finals in 1993,

on the ninth hole, I hit a cut 5-iron to a front pin position right over the bunker,” he recalls.

“You just can’t get at that pin, but I got it to about 15 feet and made the putt for birdie.

It was the opportune moment to hit a good shot. The momentum had really shifted [in the match], and that really helped. That’s one of the best shots I ever hit.”

MEANINGFUL MOTIVATION Although most enthusiasts rightfully consider Pebble Beach to be golf Valhalla, for Casey the luster shines a little less brightly than it did 30 years ago. “Like a lot of things, when you do it a lot, the pizzazz wears off,” he says. “It used to be a lot of fun, but it’s more like a job than it used to be.”

The very nature of the job—an occupation that is tip-driven—also influences Casey’s lack of sentimentality. “I can be bought!” he says with a laugh. “I’ll go with the worst golfers for the most money.” The statement also suggests that Casey can be lured away from his early morning tee time if the price is right.

More often than not, however, Casey is reminded on a daily basis just how special Pebble Beach is. Sometimes those reminders are delivered through his golfers’ reactions as they soak in the wonder of the course and the joy that comes from playing there. Other times Casey arrives at that mindset through his own observations.

“The course itself—the views of the ocean along the cliff—it’s just so damn pretty,” he says. “There are days when I get out there and I find myself staring at the ocean and not watching my player hit.”

Casey, of course, recognizes that on most days, the golfers who are entrusted into his care are checking off a prominent box on their bucket lists. If anything, he acknowledges, that makes his job that much more special.

“They’re really excited, and you have to be excited with them and for them,” he says. “It motivates me to go the extra mile. You want them to have the best possible experience.” ■

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ALOHA, INDEED Clockwise from top: the dramatic entry at the Andaz; the cascading pools; the lobby

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Wailea?

Here’s Why For those who want to vacation with everything at their fingertips, Wailea on Maui beckons.

WRITTEN BY LINDA GRASSO

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ailea, along Maui’s southwestern coastline, attracts visitors who like “one-stop shopping” at hotels with full amenities, and families who want a place where kids and adults can dive into an array of activities. It’s such a self-contained world that most visitors never care to leave.

Wailea is also known for its pretty, softsand beaches free of rock and coral, and stunning views of the islands of Kaho’olawe and Lanai as well as the West Maui Mountains. Its five resorts are connected by a lushly landscaped, 1.6-mile oceanfront walkway, one of my favorite things about Wailea.

It’s awesome for a brisk morning walk or jog, and ideal for an after-dinner stroll.

During our stay, we chose the Andaz and the Fairmont Kea Lani, which offer completely different experiences.

ANDAZ From the moment a fragrant lei is placed around your neck and you walk by the lily pond to the open-air reception at the Andaz (andazmaui.com), employees make it crystal clear at check-in that they aim to please.

If you’re into modern, minimalist design, the Andaz, which is LEED Silver-certified, will strike a chord. Linens are high-end; everything feels crisp and new. Three infinity pools cascade down toward the ocean. One “tranquility” pool is adults-only, while a lagoon pool is great for kids.

The Ka’ana Kitchen restaurant, which features a lanai overlooking the water, offers a ridiculously impressive breakfast buffet including an array of exotic, perfectly ripe fruits. In a stroke of brilliance, a sheer scrim at

the balcony’s edge keeps wild birds away.

Helmed by an award-winning native chef, Ka’ana is an especially attractive, bright space with plenty of ocean-view tables. I also enjoyed dinner there—melt-in-your-mouth seared scallops atop creamy risotto and a perfectly cooked New York strip steak.

Rounding out the dining options are Morimoto Maui, helmed by chef Maraharu Morimoto, known from the TV show Iron Chef; the more casual Lehua Lounge; a grab-and-go market and a beachfront bar with elegant eats.

HIGHS • The Apothecary Blending Experience add-on at the spa in which you get to custom blend your botanical massage oil and take it home after your treatment.

• The décor, which avoids stereotypical Hawaiian kitsch. It is chic and updated, incorporating an authentic vibe.

• The daily pop-up artisan shops set up in the lobby and throughout the hotel.

NOT SO MUCH • The combo bathroom/closet area feels cramped; open doors block walkways.

One person getting dressed while another is showering isn’t exactly seamless.

• Rooms on the lower floors can be noisy. Workers start prepping the pool area at dawn and guests toss towels on lounge chairs shortly thereafter (to “save” them). Advice: Request a room on an upper floor.

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FAIRMONT KEA LANI Located at the south end of the Wailea coastline, the Fairmont Kea Lani (fairmont.com/kealani-maui) has a more secluded vibe. The white structure is Moorish in design, with Polynesianinspired art and garden atriums. Although the Fairmont is a large, full-service resort (owned

by Hyatt), they do a nice job of maintaining a relaxed, tropical vibe.

We signed up for the Inspire Your Energy package, which comes with an 860-square foot “wellness” suite that is decadently spacious and basically circular, creating a great floor plan for families. The foyer features a bar area and living room with a long curved sofa that folds out into a bed. The living room and bedroom both open to a generous balcony.

Beds have “sleep-enhancing” linens, a term I initially chuckled at, but the beds were crazy comfortable. As part of the package, you also get an array of full-sized skin care and aromatherapy products from

the spa, a $250 resort credit, daily breakfast, and two treatments at the Willow Stream Spa, which does a nice job of blending locally sourced products, ancient Hawaiian traditions and state-of-the art technology.

The spa package is a great option for those who are self-motivated. Fitness class offerings are slim on weekends.

For eats, we enjoyed Kō, which offers a fusion of Hawaiian, Pan Asian, Korean and Filipino cuisine. The local fish was among the freshest I’ve ever tasted. We also enjoyed the mahi-mahi that arrives with a hot stone used to sear your own fish. The Fairmont also has upscale seafood and casual poolside restaurants as well as a shop/bakery/deli.

The adults-only pool is in the resort’s center; a gigantic main pool has a waterslide and a shallow splash pool for the younger set. Guests can borrow or rent various pool toys, and sign up for scuba lessons and the like—as well as the popular outrigger canoeing experience. ■

HIGHS • Spacious suites allow you to really spread out. I could have hosted a luncheon in the bathroom, which includes a soaking tub, walk-in shower, dual pedestal sinks and a separate toilet closet.

• The balcony has sliding screens so you can sleep with the sound of the waves and the cool ocean breeze. It also has a table and lounge chairs—great for morning coffee or a sunset glass of wine.

NOT SO MUCH • Breakfast at Kea Lani Restaurant—mobs of people in long lines and wild birds feasting on unattended plates.

• Not all the pool chairs have cushioned coverings—just plain mesh.

MOORISH BY DESIGN Clockwise from upper right: the adults-only pool at the Fairmont; sear-it-yourself mahi-mahi entrée at Kō; Gold Course; the main structure.

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TEE TIME Wailea has three championship golf courses (waileagolf.com). My husband, an avid, 10-handicap golfer, played the Gold Course and reported that it was challenging. In classic golfspeak, he described it as “undulating, and the holes are fairly long.” Interspersed with patches of lava rock and with impressive views, the Gold Course delivered an aesthetically pleasing experience—despite his shooting an 87.

DAY TRIPPING Rent a car (Enterprise outpost at the Andaz) and drive 45 minutes north to Pā’ia. The lowkey town with its hippie-chic vibe offers a real sense of island culture. Have lunch at Flat Bread or Café des Amis and then drive a few miles north to watch the showstopping athletes at Ho‘okipa, one of the most renowned windsurfing/kiteboarding sites in the world.

Back in Wailea, hit the casual eatery Monkeypod, where you’ll find families as well as 20-somethings enjoying live music. Don’t expect “off-campus” prices, though; our grilled fish entrées were priced at almost 50 bucks apiece.

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seen

Flashback Affair

The Tarzana Community & Cultural Center celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzana ranch at its fall gala. TCCC President Amaris Bryer, as well as members of the Edgar Rice Burroughs family, were honored in a video tribute by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Sara Deters, Andrea Datzman, Christina Cannarella

Lisa Gomez, Jason Belcher, Kristie Stevens Gillespie

Gary Hendrickson

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Susanne and Michael Belcher

Jason Belcher, Kristie Stevens Gillespie, David Gomez

Claire Bloom and Jane Lief

Anne Osman and Sidney Wilkinson Whitehead

seen

Curtain Call

The City of Angels Women’s Film Festival was held at Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. The festival included screenings of socially conscious films and panels of accomplished filmmakers addressing important themes such as overcoming sexism, gender discrimination and creating more opportunities for women in the industry.

Elisabet Ronaldsdottir and Lisa K. Crosato

Director Mitch del Monico, winner of Best Comedy Feature

Director Michelle Muldoon, winner of Best Short Film

Laugh Fest

weSPARK Cancer Support Center’s May Contain Nuts!

A Night of Comedy attracted more than 400 people to the Skirball Cultural Center.

Proceeds benefit weSPARK Cancer Support Center, which helps cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones through its free programs and services.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID SOBEL, ALAN BRAUS AND MICHAEL S. SCHWARTZ

Donna and Carlyle Sole, Sheri Creger, Catherine Curry-Williams, Scott Williams, Susan Anton, Marlene McGuirt, Sam Painter, Georgiana Kelman, Marci Moran, Cathy Painter

The evenings’s honorees, DeAnn Heline and Bruce Bolkin, with weSPARK’S Nancy Allen

Ed Begley Jr. and Howie Mandel

Charlene Sperber and Alonzo Bodden

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Smoke Screen

Going in-depth with an expert at Encore Labs in Pasadena, on how to ensure safety—and watch for the red flags—associated with cannabis use.

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Mary Beth Smith is a laboratory analyst at Encore Labs in Pasadena, one of the first licensed cannabis compliance labs in California, and in recent years an increasingly busy hub. Here she shares with VB editor Linda Grasso the meticulous process cannabis products must go through before they can be sold at dispensaries in the state (the CBD industry does not have the same regulations) and addresses recent health concerns about vape pens.

Share a bit about Encore Labs.

Most of our clients are cannabis distributors— licensed companies who purchase cannabis from cultivators and manufacturers and then package and sell their products to dispensaries. California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) requires that cannabis products sold in a licensed dispensary be tested for cannabinoid potency, heavy metals, microbial impurities, moisture content and water activity, mycotoxins, residual pesticides, residual solvents and processing chemicals, foreign materials and, optionally, terpenes (organic compounds produced by a variety of plants).

How do California’s regulations compare with those in other states?

Each state with legalized cannabis use has their own compliance regulations. I know California’s are stricter than some. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy legal products from other states. When we reach the level of national legalization, there may be one unified set of standards similar to those set by the FDA for food and pharmaceuticals.

What are the most critical tests for cannabis products?

The most important tests are for pesticides, metals, solvents and potency. Pesticide failures are not uncommon in this industry, and

not just for flower but for vape cartridges and other concentrates too. When manufacturers strip cannabis flower to make concentrated THC products, they can also be extracting high levels of pesticides and heavy metals (e.g., lead and mercury). Metals can leech into cannabis from ground water, soil and even the cartridge itself if a manufacturer isn’t careful with their wholesale purchases. Solvents like butane and isopropyl alcohol are necessary in these extraction processes, so we test for them in the finished products. The BCC sets very low limits for the most harmful, carcinogenic pesticides and solvents, so it’s important for us to be able to detect them. With potency, people need to know how strong the products are that they are using. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to eat what you thought was a 10-milligram gummy when it was actually 100 milligrams.

When you test for quality, what are you looking for?

I believe anything that passes BCC regulations in an ISO-accredited lab like ours is a quality cannabis product. Sure, some have higher potency levels than others and some may have a bit of residual solvents present, but these regulations are relatively strict. I’ve heard manufacturers of edibles have trouble finding things like fruits and flavorings that pass these tests. That’s how tough it is to get a product into a licensed dispensary.

What does testing for potency entail?

We test for 10 different cannabinoids including three forms of THC and two forms of CBD. Each has an acid precursor that exists as potential THC or CBD that must be heated or otherwise converted into its active form.

That’s why users must smoke and vape these products. We also test for less common cannabinoids like CBN and CBG that are still being studied for their therapeutic effects in conjunction with a strain’s THC, CBD, and terpenes. There’s some evidence to suggest all these compounds work together to form one “entourage effect” on users—hence the preference for one strain or another based on the experience.

What are the risks of buying unregulated cannabis?

Labs like ours exist to protect consumers.

In the same way a drug dealer might cut a batch of cocaine with something else to stretch the product, one can expect black market cannabis dealers to bend the rules as well. In the short term, one might

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experience chest pains or other respiratory issues, and in the long term there is a cancer risk associated with being exposed to some of the most harmful pesticides and solvents, not to mention lead poisoning.

It’s certainly something to consider when it comes to legalization.

What else should consumers do to ensure safety?

First and foremost, check that your favorite dispensary has a license. The BCC has a site to search all cannabis license holders: capotcheck.com. Illegal dispensaries are not uncommon, and their products are as unpredictable as buying off the street. A lot of cannabis products feature a QR code on the packaging that links to the certificate of analysis the distributor got from a testing lab.

I’d encourage users to pull up the certificate for products they purchase to compare the results and even track how certain products affect them.

Why is there no organic cannabis?

For a product to be certified organic, it must

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be produced in certified organic facilities, and there are no certified organic cannabis production facilities yet. I’m sure it’s in the works.

With regard to the cannabis that Encore tests—what products is it mostly used for?

We test a lot of flower that’s sold as flower or sold to manufacturers, but we mostly test things in their final form before they are stocked on shelves. We’ve tested everything from toothpaste to CBD dog treats to nasal sprays to suppositories to mascara. The most common things we test outside of flower and pre-rolled joints are cartridges, edibles like chocolates and gummies, and high-potency concentrates like rosin, shatter and badder.

I’m assuming your job is pretty busy these days.

Yes, we have stayed very busy this year (especially around weed-related holidays like 4/20 and 7/10). There are a lot of labs still working on their accreditation and licensing to keep up with distributors who need to get testing done, so it’s nice to be a bit ahead of the game. Our clients want

to get their finished products onto shelves ASAP, and we are the last barrier to that.

So it’s important for us to do our jobs both efficiently and accurately.

What are your thoughts on the news about the vape pens that have caused some people to get sick?

I think the biggest culprits in the vape-related illnesses are from black market products.

I’ve seen early conclusions that the worst cases have been linked to Vitamin E, which was being used to cut THC oil in cartridges without losing the desired thickness. Some labs in California are implementing Vitamin E testing, and our lab is considering it as well.

I don’t think it’s a common problem in the California market, but the best advice I can give to vape users is do not buy black market or off-brand vape cartridges, for cannabis or otherwise. Vitamin E seems healthy, but it was never meant to be vaporized into your lungs. Prohibiting the sale of vapes would lead to even more unregulated products, so I hope this instead leads to an emphasis on safe, legal options across the country. ■

C R E AT I N G V I D E O F O R YO U R L I S T I N G S I S O N LY E X P E N S I V E I F N O O N E I S WAT C H I N G .

H o m e F i l m s i s t h e o n l y f u l l y i n t e g r a t e d , r e a l e s t a t e v i d e o p ro d u c t i o n a n d d i g i t a l distribution package. Our talented filmmaking team artistically tells the story of w h a t m a k e s yo u r l i s t i n g u n i q u e . A n d o u r t a r g e t e d d i g i t a l d i s t r i b u t i o n e n s u r e s t h a t t h e r i g h t p o t e n t i a l b u y e r s a r e s e e i n g yo u r p ro p e r t y i n t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l l i g h t .

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beauty &

Wellness We all know what it takes to feel our very best and get the most out of life.

We need to eat healthy, work out and pay attention to our bodies. But when life gets busy, it can be a challenge to make those things a priority. And that’s where our Beauty & Wellness section comes in. On these pages, you’ll meet some of the top Valley professionals in the industry. Read on to learn how they can inspire, beautify and renew you.

WRITTEN BY LAURA WATTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATTHEW COOKE

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

beauty & Wellness

Ayurvedic practitioner Ellie Afshar and client Raii Chowdhury

TULSI SPA AYURVEDA WELLNESS CENTER

T

ulsi Spa Ayurveda is a full-service, holistic wellness center founded by Lissa Coffey and Robert Sherman this April. Since 1997, Lissa has written 17 books and several e-courses on Ayurveda and Vedic sciences. Robert has extensive experience in the hospitality business and wanted to include an Ayurvedic spa in the El Royale Gardens Hotel’s offerings for guests. The two met when Robert saw Lissa’s “Ayurveda” license plate, and the rest is history!

Tulsi Spa has three Ayurvedic practitioners as well as Ayurvedic wellness consultants and energy workers who offer a range of Ayurvedic services, consultations, treatments and add-on therapies.

life’ from India. Ayurveda is a sister-science with yoga and meditation, and it is known as the art of living in harmony with nature. It’s a very holistic practice that focuses on all areas of life, body, mind and spirit.”

FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T FAMILIAR, WHAT IS AYURVEDA? “Ayurveda is the 5,000-year old ‘science of

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CALM STRESSED NERVES? “Abhyanga is a warm, herbalized oil massage

WHAT COMMON CONDITIONS DO YOU TREAT? “We have an amazing program for autism spectrum disorders. It’s holistic and realistic, and our practitioners have seen great results with their clients. We treat pain, headaches, digestive disorders, cellulite—pretty much any condition can be helped with Ayurveda.

Tulsi also has an Ayurvedic esthetician on staff to provide luxurious, anti-aging Ayurvedic facials!”

that soothes the nervous system and helps the skin release toxins. When we pair that with Shirodhara, our signature treatment where oil is streamed over the forehead, stress just melts away. Customers always leave with a smile, floating just a little bit. It’s a favorite bliss therapy!”

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS LOCATION FOR YOUR BUSINESS? “Tulsi Spa Ayurveda is located inside the El Royale Gardens Hotel on Ventura Boulevard.

The hotel has been beautifully remodeled and upgraded. We love that customers can stay over and have a retreat experience when they need one. Each treatment room has its own bathroom with shower—you have a lot of privacy. You don’t need to go all the way to India to experience authentic Ayurveda.

It’s all right here in Studio City!”

THE EL ROYALE GARDENS HOTEL, 11117 VENTURA BLVD., STUDIO CITY | 323-829-1882 | TULSISPA.COM

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beauty & Wellness

ANNA D. GUANCHE, MD, FAAD OWNER/FOUNDER, BELLA SKIN INSTITUTE

B

ella Skin Institute is a full-service dermatology and aesthetic surgery practice directed by Dr. Anna Guanche—a board-certified dermatologist with more than 15 years of experience. The Bella Skin team cares for all types of skin conditions but places special emphasis on the areas of cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery.

WHAT DO YOUR PATIENTS LIKE BEST ABOUT YOU? “We love our patients and treat them as friends and family.

Patients love us because we are consumers of our own offerings, and so we clearly believe in what we are doing.”

WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF SPECIALTY? “We offer a full range of cosmetic procedures and devices to enhance the appearance of the skin and reverse signs of aging. We best serve our patients by giving them optimal, specific treatment, rather than trying to recommend the same treatment for everyone.”

WHAT CONCERN DO YOU FREQUENTLY HEAR FROM YOUR PATIENTS? “That they look natural after their aesthetic treatment. Our practice provides treatments that are well-planned and administered in the safest, most conservative way to ensure a natural look and minimal downtime. At the intersection of proper evaluation and counseling, pretreatment care and an artistic eye is where optimal results are achieved.”

TELL US ABOUT YOUR STAFF. “Our staff has been nicknamed the ‘derm dream team’ for good reason. Our estheticians have more than 30 years of experience collectively. The medical assistants are caring and experienced and understand patient needs. Physician assistant Ananda Fidani, PA-C, has around 10 years of experience in dermatology, and our patients love her.”

HOW DO YOU GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY? “Bella Skin Institute is a proud presenting sponsor of the Melanoma Research Foundation Miles for Melanoma 5K, happening on November 16.”

TELL US ABOUT RECENT HAPPENINGS AT BELLA SKIN. “My new book, Seven Days to Sexy, Insider Secrets from a Celebrity Beauty Doctor, was released a few weeks ago.

This ‘beauty bible’ divulges secrets of the red carpet—how celebrities look stunning and ageless, and tips to elevate your own look and transform into the sexiest, most gorgeous version of yourself you want and deserve to be!”

23622 CALABASAS ROAD, SUITE 339, CALABASAS | 818-225-0117 | BELLASKININSTITUTE.COM

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beauty & Wellness

MICHAEL A. PERSKY, MD, & ARI HYMAN, MD

M

ichael A. Persky, MD, and Ari Hyman, MD, offer patients the full spectrum of surgical and nonsurgical facial plastic surgery. They are specialists in rhinoplasty, face and neck lifting, eyelid lifts, surgery for prominent ears, injectables, laser resurfacing, and noninvasive facial and body rejuvenation. Dr. Persky is board-certified in facial plastic surgery. Dr. Hyman completed a fellowship in facial plastic surgery and is boardcertified in head and neck surgery.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF WORKING IN THE BEAUTY AND WELLNESS INDUSTRY? “Changing the belief that aesthetic procedures lead to ‘done’ or unnatural results. We pride ourselves in having a natural aesthetic and specialize in techniques that produce natural-looking results.”

IS THERE A COMMON CONCERN YOU OFTEN HEAR? “We hear ‘I hate my neck’ from both from men and women. As one ages, there is a loss of youthful facial volume, skin thinning and overall laxity, leading to fine and deep wrinkles, deep facial folds, and loss of a defined jawline and neck that many patients wish to regain.”

HOW DO YOU STAY ON TOP OF CURRENT RESEARCH? “Dr. Hyman is the editorial fellow of The Journal of the American Medical Association of Facial Plastic Surgery and has published extensively on the topic of aging-face surgery and rhinoplasty. Both doctors teach at and attend specialty conferences at least twice a year.”

WHAT DISTINGUISHES YOUR PRACTICE FROM OTHERS? “Our practice combines the safest and most cutting-edge techniques balancing patients’ desires with their needs to collaboratively develop a realistic and effective treatment plan in a caring fashion. We are privileged to help our patients achieve and maintain their aesthetic goals.”

WHAT IS THE LATEST NEW TECHNOLOGY YOU OFFER? “We offer the most advanced resurfacing and facial rejuvenating technologies available to treat the skin down to the deeper layers of the face and neck. This includes laser, ultrasound and microneedle radio-frequency devices that are safe and effective. We also utilize 2-D and 3-D image morphing technology that helps plan surgery and also allows patients to understand how rhinoplasty and aging-face surgery can improve their appearance and well-being.”

16311 VENTURA BLVD., SUITE 600, ENCINO | 818-501-FACE (3223) | DRPERSKY.COM | ARIHYMANMD.COM

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beauty & Wellness

ELLIOT M. HIRSCH, MD, INC. DR. ELLIOT HIRSCH, PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON

B

oard-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Elliot Hirsch, MD, specializes in breast surgery including reconstruction after mastectomies, breast lifts and augmentations, and breast implant removals or replacements. His office also offers nonsurgical facial rejuvenation procedures such as Botox and other fillers, chemical peels and facial treatments, lasers and PRP. He grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Hirsch is an active researcher in the field of plastic surgery and has co-authored more than 40 manuscripts and book chapters. He is the chair of plastic surgery for Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW SKIN CARE LINE. “We recently launched a medical-grade skin care line to meet the needs of our patients looking to hydrate, soothe, protect and rebalance their skin. It is called ORÁ RX and is available in our office, on our website, on Amazon and at orarxskin.com. We designed our HA Calming Balm to soothe and heal post-surgical and post-procedure skin. It is the only product on the market used specifically for this purpose and can be used for both adults and kids.”

HOW DO YOU BALANCE HOME LIFE AND WORK LIFE? “It is very important to me that I have work-life balance. I am an avid surfer on weekends, and I play water polo on a team once a week. I love taking my kids and Maltese on walks and bike rides every evening, and my son and I play catch most nights. We love to cook together, and we are teaching our kids healthy eating habits.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING FOOD? “I take cooking the turkey pretty seriously. I brine it overnight and then soak it in buttermilk for a few hours before I roast it in a roasting bag. My wife is in charge of our sides and makes amazing potato rolls and sweet potato soufflé.”

WHO ARE YOU MOST GRATEFUL FOR? “I am grateful for my wife. She is not only my office manager, but she is a sounding board and support for whatever business decisions we make. She also manages our household and the kids, which is a huge job on its own.”

4955 VAN NUYS BLVD., SUITE 715 | SHERMAN OAKS | 818-825-8131 | HIRSCHPLASTICSURGERY.COM

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Creating Happy Healthy Lifestyles.

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14539 VENTURA BLVD. SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91423

OVER $1/4 BILLION IN REAL ESTATE SALES

NEWLY LISTED 3527 Stonehill Place Sherman Oaks

JUST SOLD 5534 Bevis Avenue Sherman Oaks

JUST SOLD 3242 Berry Drive Studio City

FOR SALE 2747 Claray Drive Los Angeles

JUST SOLD 3605 Alta Mesa Drive Studio City

We’ve helped

JUST SOLD 22518 Liberty Bell Road Calabasas

more than 250 buyers & sellers!

Alan Taylor | 818.650.1603 | info@alantaylorrealestate.com Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01866771.

All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description.

All measurements and square footage are approximate. DRE 01369255.

real estate

THE CURATED OAK

3904 Valley Meadow Road, Encino Offered at $13,995,555 10 Bed, 14 Bath, 15,000 SqFt, 38,768 SqFt Lot www.3904valleymeadow.com Dennis Chernov info@chernovteam.com www.chernovteam.com 818.432.1524 CalDre Lic#01850113

NOVEMBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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VENTURA BLVD | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD

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2019 Sold Properties ADDRESS

CITY

SALE PRICE

11951 Crest

Beverly Hills Post Office

$21,650,000

17100 Rancho

Encino

$20,000,000

16144 High Valley

Encino

$10,800,000

4701 Balboa

Encino

$8,995,000

4267 Valley Meadow

Encino

$5,175,000

15715 Woodvale

Encino

$4,933,000

4717 Encino

Encino

$4,885,000

26715 Mulholland Highway

Calabasas

$4,350,000

13416 Valley Vista

Sherman Oaks

Off Market/Price not Disclosed

4448 Harper Way

Encino

$3,950,000

4420 Harper Way

Encino

$3,800,000

19532 Shirley

Tarzana

$3,655,000

17625 Hidden Oaks

Encino

$3,395,000

5063 Gaynor

Encino

$2,900,000

930 Westholme

Westwood

$2,813,000

3540 Longridge

Sherman Oaks

$2,577,000

14160 Valley Vista

Sherman Oaks

$2,365,000

14324 Roblar

Sherman Oaks

$2,300,000

4955 Casa

Tarzana

$2,200,000

4138 Royal Crest

Encino

$1,935,000

2019 Active Properties

16801 OAK VIEW

7 Beds | 8.5 Baths | 10,400 Sq. Ft. | 22,000 Sq. Ft. Lot $9,999,000

3931 OESTE

4161 HIGH VALLEY

3846 SHERWOOD

5153 AMESTOY

12757 VALLEYHEART

3641 GLENRIDGE

7 Beds | 11 Baths | 10,015 Sq. Ft. | 46,005 Sq. Ft. Lot $6,495,000

4 Beds | 6 Baths | 6,207 Sq. Ft. | 49,270 Sq. Ft. Lot $4,995,000

5 Beds | 6 Baths | 5,059 Sq. Ft. | 11,853 Sq. Ft. Lot $3,495,000

CRAIG KNIZEK

5 Beds | 6 Baths | 5,396 Sq. Ft. | 36,989 Sq. Ft. Lot $5,395,000

4 Beds | 6 Baths | 4,905 Sq. Ft. | 33,171 Sq. Ft. Lot $3,750,000

3 Beds | 2 Baths | 2,178 Sq. Ft. | 24,582 Sq. Ft. Lot $2,000,000

| cknizek@theagencyre.com | 818.618.100 | LIC #01377932

ng Co

ratulations

MATTEPSTEIN.COM SOMATT@AOL.COM 818-789-7408

to

Matt Epstein #1 #2 #5

Agent San Fernando Valley Agent Los Angeles Agent Nationwide for

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Top one-half of 1 percent of more than 1,250,000 REALTORS® nationwide

Follow me on Facebook: MattEpsteinRealty Follow me on Twitter: @SoMattEpstein Follow me on Instagram: @MattEpsteinRealEstate

CalBRE# 01121162

With proven results from the market leader, why call anybody else?

3835 Alomar Dr. – SO - $2,950,000 4Br + 4.5 Ba in 4,000 SqFt on a 16,641 SqFt Lot - Contemporary modern home with amazing views is located in the highly exclusive Longridge Estates and designed by the famed Southern California architects, Buff & Hensman. This two-story modernist custom-built home features a chef’s kitchen, wine room, and much more. The backyard has a grassy area and a sitting area.

#KeepingItRealEstate

3716 Alomar Dr. – SO - $3,995,000 5Br + 6.5Ba in 4,742 SqFt on a 43,763 SqFt Lot - Spectacular Longridge Estates gated property w/ 180-degree views from every room. Enter the foyer into a beautiful open floor plan & views of the mountains, canyons & city lights.

In addition to the main house, there is a detached guest house, a detached gym, and a pool.

3461 Loadstone Dr. – SO $1,750,000 4Br + 4 Ba in 3,450 SqFt on a 13,388 SqFt Lot – This stunning dramatic home is located in the hills of Sherman Oaks with backyard privacy and a rustic canyon view.

Features french limestone flooring, high ceilings, gourmet chef’s kitchen, and two master suites. The backyard has a sparkling pool and a lush backyard.

13243 Valleyheart Dr. - SO $1,385,000 3Br +2 Ba in 1,823 SqFt on a 6,329 SqFt Lot - Charming 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with ultimate privacy and a pool. It features two fireplaces, a living room with a wall of french doors, a separate art studio/ office, an outdoor patio, and a rear backyard.

3997 Witzel Dr. – SO-$1,499,000 4Br+4 Ba in 2,505 SqFt on a 10,394 SqFt Lot - Modern, chic, edgy, south of the Blvd. home in Sherman Oaks built in 2017. It features an open floor plan with great flow, concrete and wood flooring, high ceilings, and a rooftop deck. The backyard has a pool, grassy area, and outdoor cabana

Call for your FREE market analysis! © 2019 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

$1,799,000 | 25174 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas | 4BD/4BA Stephanie Payab | 818.269.2796 Lic # 01394407

$1,595,000 | www.4926Alhama.com, Woodland Hills | 5BD/5BA Rudy C’Dealva / Laura Kotal | 818.469.0800 / 818.825.9712 Lic # 01162943 / 01371989

$1,575,000 | 3912 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Encino | 3BD/3BA Gil & Marilyn Spiegel | 818.388.6565 Lic # 01351635 / 01369282

$1,400,000 | www.22254Dumetz.com, Woodland Hills | 5BD/4BA Rudy C’Dealva / Laura Kotal | 818.469.0800 / 818.825.9712 Lic # 01162943 / 01371989

JUST SOLD

$1,249,000 | www.4556Poe.com, Woodland Hills | 4BD/2½BA Rudy C’Dealva / Laura Kotal | 818.469.0800 / 818.825.9712 Lic # 01162943 / 01371989

JUST SOLD

JUST SOLD

$819,000 | Wonderful View Home, Woodland Hills | 3BD/3BA Stephanie Payab | 818.269.2796 Lic # 01394407

©2019 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property.

Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Sellers will entertain and respond to all offers within this range. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

BURBANK

3601 Viewcrest Dr $4,750,000

Craig Strong 818.930.4050 DRE 01450987 Sensational Burbank North Estate. Breathtaking views! Remodeled/Rebuilt. Modern elegance, Viking appliances, Lutron Lighting.

SHERMAN OAKS

13280 Valley Vista Blvd $4,550,000

STUDIO CITY

Joan Duffy 310.995.0900 DRE 00525687

3876 Carpenter Ave $2,799,000

Gina Covello 310.251.8280 DRE 01323543

SHERMAN OAKS

5050 Varna Ave $1,720,000 STUDIO CITY

11237 Acama St $2,695,000

SHERMAN OAKS

Craig Strong 818.930.4050 DRE 01450987

14806 Hesby St $2,399,000

Arman Grigoryan 818.444.7700 DRE 01711745

5536 Tyrone Avenue $1,295,000

SHERMAN OAKS

5814 Mammoth Ave $1,295,000

Beatrice Stambulski 818.480.0776 DRE 01335053

Kristin Neithercut 323.397.0800 DRE 02003278

Gorgeous turn key Modern smart home in prime Sherman Oaks neighborhood.

Patty Ray 818.406.1853 DRE 01162851

4433 Stern Ave $1,149,000

SHERMAN OAKS

SHERMAN OAKS

Rose Fahey 818.262.3532 DRE 01910670

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice.

No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate.

3601 VIEWCREST DRIVE

3768 BERRY DRIVE

BURBANK

STUDIO CITY

OFFERED AT $4,750,000

OFFERED AT $4,199,000

5 Bd | 4.5 Ba | 5,383 ± sf | 9,983 ± sf lot

4 Bd | 6 Ba | 5,598 ± sf | 15,898 ± sf lot

4352 FORMAN AVENUE

706 N. PRISCILLA LANE

11237 ACAMA STREET

TOLUCA LAKE

TOLUCA WOODS / BURBANK

STUDIO CITY

OFFERED AT $1,499,000

OFFERED AT $2,695,000

3 Bd | 3.5 Ba | 2,048 ± sf | 5,721 ± sf lot

OFFERED AT $4,999,000 5 Bd | 6 Ba | 6,425 ± sf | 19,493 ± sf lot

5 Bd | 6 Ba | 4,059 ± sf | 7,500 ± sf lot

10441 SARAH STREET

3274 BERRY DRIVE

TOLUCA LAKE

STUDIO CITY

OFFERED AT $1,945,000

OFFERED AT $1,639,000

5 Bd | 5 Ba | 3,952 ± sf | 10,489 ± sf lot

3 Bd | 4 Ba | 3,106 ± sf | 10,196 ± sf lot

CRAIG STRONG Vice President, Luxury Home Sales Top 1% Nationwide Sold Over $125 Million in 2018 StrongRealtor.com #1 Individual Agent Companywide

Compass does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size, or other information concerning the condition or features of the property provided by the seller or obtained from public records and other sources and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information. CalBRE 01450987 | 818.930.4050

MICHAEL BERGIN |

LUXURY ESTATES DIRECTOR

POCKET LISTING

AVAILABLE OFF MARKET IN COLFAX MEADOWS, STUDIO CITY 5 BEDS | 6 BATHS | 5,500± SQFT | 11,000± SQFT LOT | MEDIA ROOM | GYM | POOL & SPA | COLFAX MEADOWS | OFFERED AT $4,500,000

FOR SALE

4370 Beck Avenue, Studio City $1,658,000 5 Beds 4 Baths 2,600± Sqft 500± Sqft Guest House Completely Remodeled

FOR LEASE

16226 Dickens Street, Encino $8,000 / Month 5 Beds 5 Baths 4,300± Sqft Lanai Road Elementary Solar Media Room

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

JUST SOLD

JUST SOLD

7887 Willow Glen Road, Los Angeles For Sale: $2,250,000 For Lease: $9,995 / Month 5 Beds 4 Baths 3,135± Sqft Amazing Views

4707 Cedros Avenue, Sherman Oaks $1,965,000 5 Beds 4.5 Baths 3,622± Sqft Represented Buyer

6014 Greenbush Avenue, Valley Glen $1,499,000 5 Beds 6 Baths 4,200± Sqft Guest House Pool

4254 Irvine Avenue, Studio City $2,680,000 Colfax Meadows Pool Represented Buyer

Michael Bergin Luxury Estates Director 310.600.0715 BerginHomes@gmail.com DRE 01845572

102

Michael is giving back to the community, call and ask how!

VENTURA BLVD | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of an architect or engineer. This is not intended to solicit property already listed.

Nobody does it better...

sold

16036 Valley Meadow Pl., Encino $4,799,000 Royal Oaks Colony

sold

3623 Green Vista Dr., Encino $1,999,000 Encino Hills Mid-Century w/View

active

sold

sold

4670 Encino Ave., Encino $3,999,000 Rancho Estates

17515 Embassy Dr., Encino $2,349,000 Amestoy Tennis Estate

sold

10430 Wilshire Blvd., #904, Los Angeles $1,800,000 The Mirabella - Wilshire Corridor

sold

17137 Rancho St., Encino $1,800,000 Rancho Estates

sold

3937 Vista Linda Dr., Encino $1,999,000 English Manor View Estate

in escrow

4734 White Oak Ave., Encino $1,799,000 Rancho Estates

sold

15712 Sutton St., Encino $1,535,000 Encino Cul-de-Sac

3965 Sapphire Dr., Encino $1,499,000 Encino Hills

in escrow

sold

4212 Grimes Pl., Encino $1,399,000 Lake Encino

17348 Quesan Pl., Encino $1,399,000 Encino Hills

818.285.3688 www.CarolWolfe.com sold

18353 Lake Encino Dr., Encino $1,399,000

Lake Encino w/Panoramic View

TOP 200

Most Influential Business Leaders in the San Fernando Valley - 2019 San Fernando Valley Business Journal

sold

16839 Adlon Rd., Encino $1,199,000 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 | VENTURA BLVD 103 Encino Development Opportunity

Exclusive Luxury Listings

NEW LISTING

2800 WHITE STALLION ROAD WESTLAKE VILLAGE

EMIL HARTOONIAN

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$9,990,000 7 BEDS 10 BATHS 12,656 SQ. FT. 1,022,788 SQ. FT. LOT

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GUY AZAR

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$9,990,000 7 BEDS 8.5 BATHS 10,400 SQ. FT. 22,000 SQ. FT. LOT

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TOLUCA LAKE

ANDREW MORTAZA

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$8,495,000 5 BEDS 7 BATHS 6,500 SQ. FT. 16,122 SQ. FT. LOT

NEW LISTING

3931 OESTE AVENUE STUDIO CITY

ANDRÉ WARREN

310.429.9600 | LIC. # 02053004

$6,495,000 7 BEDS 11 BATHS 10,015 SQ. FT. 46,005 SQ. FT. LOT

17173 STRAWBERRY DRIVE ENCINO

DANIELLE PERETZ

818.644.1477 | LIC. # 01897529

ENCINO

CRAIG KNIZEK

424.230.3718 | LIC. # 01377932

$5,395,000 5 BEDS 6 BATHS 5,396 SQ. FT. 36,989 SQ. FT. LOT

OFF-MARKET LISTING

2222 TRIUNFO PLACE MALIBOU LAKE

EMIL HARTOONIAN

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25002 PRADO DE LOS PAJAROS CALABASAS

GINA MICHELLE

818.850.1458 | LIC. # 01503003

your move.

$4,499,000 4 BEDS 5 BATHS 4,302 SQ. FT. 11,252 SQ. FT. LOT

5153 AMESTOY AVENUE

PRICE UPON REQUEST 4 BEDS 6 BATHS 4,905 SQ. FT. BRANDON IMANI 33,171 SQ. FT. LOT 310.913.2002 | LIC. # 02002242

12757 VALLEYHEART DRIVE

$3,599,000 6 BEDS 8 BATHS 6,132 SQ. FT. 18,635 SQ. FT. LOT

3008 MOUNTAIN PARK DRIVE

14550 GREENLEAF DRIVE

ENCINO

CALABASAS

EMIL HARTOONIAN

818.924.2806 | LIC. # 01796925

$3,199,000 7 BEDS 7 BATHS 5,680 SQ. FT. 46,834 SQ. FT. LOT

STUDIO CITY

CRAIG KNIZEK

424.230.3718 | LIC. # 01377932

SHERMAN OAKS

NATASHA BARRETT

424.400.5942 | LIC. # 01982402

$3,495,000 5 BEDS 6 BATHS 5,059 SQ. FT. 11,853 SQ. FT. LOT

$2,995,000 5 BEDS 4 BATHS 4,251 SQ. FT. 17,005 SQ. FT. LOT

in the San Fernando Valley

3142 BROOKDALE ROAD STUDIO CITY

MICHELLE SCHWARTZ

424.230.3716 | LIC. # 01889141

51 COOLWATER ROAD BELL CANYON

JOHN TASHTCHIAN

818.968.2822 | LIC. # 01453364

3631 OAKFIELD DRIVE SHERMAN OAKS

MICHELLE SCHWARTZ

424.230.3716 | LIC. # 01889141

15234 MORRISON STREET SHERMAN OAKS

ABIGAIL HERMAN & MELISSA STRAUSS 818.379.7119 | LIC. # 01970938

$2,450,000 4 BEDS 3 BATHS 2,816 SQ. FT. 14,374 SQ. FT. LOT

4006 HARBOR ISLAND LANE

$1,688,000 6 BEDS 5 BATHS 4,413 SQ. FT. 149,411 SQ. FT. LOT

24718 HERMOSILLA COURT

$1,325,000 2 BEDS 2 BATHS 1,655 SQ. FT. 34,572 SQ. FT. LOT

$849,000 3 BEDS 2 BATHS 1,748 SQ. FT. 4,951 SQ. FT. LOT

SHERMAN OAKS

KEVIN NGUYEN

818.449.0170 | LIC. # 01908534

CALABASAS

HOLLY HATCH

818.306.7901 | LIC. # 01244574

1664 CROMWELL PLACE WESTLAKE VILLAGE

KEVIN NGUYEN

818.449.0170 | LIC. # 01908534

19502 CARDIN PLACE NORTHRIDGE

DAN WEISER

424.285.1958 | LIC. # 01757150

$2,198,000 4 BEDS 4 BATHS 3,574 SQ. FT. 6,000 SQ. FT. LOT

5001 GAVIOTA AVENUE

$1,675,000 4 BEDS 4 BATHS 2,871 SQ. FT. 6,734 SQ. FT. LOT

4233 ALLOTT AVENUE

$1,298,000 4 BEDS 3 BATHS 2,490 SQ. FT. 6,513 SQ. FT. LOT

3865 BRIAR RIDGE

$689,000 4 BEDS 3.5 BATH 1,814 SQ. FT. 25,084 SQ. FT. LOT

$1,995,000 4 BEDS 6 BATHS 4,987 SQ. FT. 13,572 SQ. FT. LOT

ENCINO

MAYA LIBRUSH

818.379.7702 | LIC. # 01932610

$1,379,000 5 BEDS 4 BATHS 4,000 SQ. FT.

SHERMAN OAKS

LINDSAY HECKER

818.379.7117 | LIC. # 02050425

$1,029,000 5 BEDS 4 BATHS 3,850 SQ. FT. 6,588 SQ. FT. LOT

NEWBURY PARK

KEVIN NGUYEN

818.449.0170 | LIC. # 01908534

18550 HATTERAS STREET UNIT 51 TARZANA

EMIL HARTOONIAN

818.924.2806 | LIC. # 01796925

$449,000 2 BEDS 3 BATHS 1,203 SQ. FT. 172,000 SQ. FT. LOT

THEAGENCYRE.COM

Exclusive Luxury Listings

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1. 18001 KAREN DRIVE

2. 11723 GOSHEN AVENUE #301

3. 5120 STANSBURY AVENUE

ENCINO | $2,499,000

BRENT WOOD | $2,099,000

SHERMAN OAKS | $1,299,000

GEORGE OUZOUNIAN GEORGE.OZ@THE AGENCYRE.COM 818.900.4259 LIC. #01948763

An international associate of Savills

3

THE AGENCYRE.COM

1

1

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12403 Landale Street, Studio City

1.

17173 Strawberry Drive

2.

501 N. Poinsettia

3.

813 N. Spaulding Avenue

4.

4004 Rogen Drive

ENCINO | $5,750,000 | COMING SOON

WEST HOLLY WOOD | $4,299,000 | NE W LISTING

MIR ACLE MILE | $4,400,000 | COMING SOON

ENCINO | $2,899,000 | AC TIVE

Danielle Peretz | Danielle.Peretz@theagencyre.com | 818.644.1477 | Lic. # 01897529 LU X U R Y R E A L E S TAT E AT T H E A G E N C Y R E .C O M

FEATURED PROPERTY FEATURED PROPERTY

10 BED | 14 BATH

15,000 SFT | 38,768 LOT

3904 Valley Meadow Road, Encino

COMING SOON

11560 Dilling Street, Encino ACTIVE

17401 Rancho Street, Encino IN ESCROW

12020 Guerin Street #305, Studio City JUST SOLD

4452 Conchita Way, Tarzana

#1 Team in the Valley #6 in Los Angeles #16 in California #60 in the U.S.

ACTIVE

18938 Wells Drive, Tarzana ACTIVE

11608 Canton Place, Studio City SOLD OFF MARKET

3882 Green Vista Drive, Encino JUST SOLD

10439 Valley Spring Lane, Toluca Lake

ACTIVE

2949 Deep Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills ACTIVE

13520 Hesby Street, Sherman Oaks JUST SOLD

11442 Dona Cecilia Drive, Studio City JUST SOLD

3643 Terrace View Drive, Encino

ACTIVE

16146 Morrison Street, Encino IN ESCROW

12403 Landale Street, Studio City JUST SOLD

19532 Shirley Court, Tarzana JUST SOLD

26020 Alizia Canyon Drive #A, Calabasas

Contact us today! info@chernovteam.com www.chernovteam.com

818.432.1524

CalDre Lic#01850113

Each office is independently owned and operated. If your property is listed with another broker, this is not a solicitation. Keller Williams Realty does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size, or other information concerning the condition or features of the property provided by the seller or obtained from public records or other sources and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection with appropriate licensed professionals.

h 14916 Round Valley Drive Sherman Oaks Offered at $3,195,000 •5 Bedrooms •5.5 Bathrooms • Pool • Spa •Home Theater • Elevator

www.14916RoundValley.com

∂

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

3635 Sheridge Dr., Sherman Oaks | $1,725,000

3800 Hilton Head Way, Tarzana | $2,250,000

4232 Allott Ave., Sherman Oaks | $1,349,000

AVAILABLE

LEASED

LEASED

15033 Rayneta Dr., Sherman Oaks | $2,549,000

3433 Shernoll Pl., Sherman Oaks | $7,500

3667 Meadville Dr., Sherman Oaks | $6,500

BARRY DANTAGNAN 818.426.8677

barrydantagnan@gmail.com

COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE

© 2019 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Broker does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals. If your property is currently listed for sale, this is not intended as a solicitation. Cal RE #01020477

Oren David Mordkowitz ESTATES DIRECTOR | REALTOR ® CalDRE License #01246402 818-933-5866 oren@orenestates.com

17437OakCreekCourt.com

4338BergamoDrive.com

4230ValleyMeadowRoad.com

17437 Oak Creek Ct. | Encino | $2,245,000 4338 Bergamo Dr. | Encino | $2,499,000 4230 Valley Meadow Rd. | Encino | $7,495,000

IN ESCROW

16720BajioRoad.com 16720 Bajio Rd. | Encino | $4,899,000

IN ESCROW

16725OakViewDrive.com

16725 Oak View Dr. | Encino | $1,239,000 5334 Overing Dr. | Woodland Hills | $1,149,000

IN ESCROW

SOLD

17809 Twilight Ln. | Encino | $2,799,000 4150 Bakman Ave. | Studio City | $1,749,000 16821 Ivyside Pl. | Encino | $1,899,000

SOLD

3325 Alginet Dr. | Encino | $1,749,000

SOLD IN 1 DAY

SOLD IN 3 DAYS

4570 Gable Dr. | Encino | $1,599,000 3747 Hayvenhurst Ave. | Encino | $1,389,000

Curious what your home is worth?

Contact Oren for a complimentary home analysis!

OrenEstates.com

A home that exceeds expectations deserves a mortgage to match.

• Up to 89.99% financing on a primary residence may be available on loan sizes up to $2 million1 • 80% financing on loan sizes up to $3 million-loan sizes up to $8 million available to well-qualified buyers who meet Citi’s High Net Worth2 requirements • Dedicated support every step of the way

Let’s find a mortgage that fits your needs. Call me today.

John Musso Home Lending Officer 818-518-1008 john.musso@citi.com citi.com/johnmusso NMLS# 448606 Terms, conditions and fees for accounts, programs, products and services are subject to change. This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to credit and property approval. Certain restrictions may apply on all programs. Offer cannot be combined with any other mortgage offer. This offer contains information about U.S. domestic financial services provided by Citibank, N.A. and is intended for use domestically in the U.S. A minimum FICO score of 740 required. Must be primary residence. 1-unit properties only including condos, co-ops and PUDs. Borrowers must have a minimum of 12 months reserves. Mortgage insurance required. The property must be located in a stable market. Refinances are limited to rate/term refinances of an existing CitiMortgage loan. Refinances can result in cash back to the borrower. Properties in any MSA depreciating 5.01% or more per the Citi seriously declining market list or information found on the appraisal are not eligible. A Citibank deposit account is required for this action. A minimum of $50,000 in eligible post-close balances must be in place no later than 10 days prior to your scheduled closing loan. The anticipated post-close Citi eligible balances are based upon the balances you are anticipated to have following the closing of the mortgage loan and taking into account any down payment and/or closing costs you will be paying out of pocket at closing. Citi eligible balances include your personal account balance in your Citibank deposits accounts (checking, savings, certificate of deposit and money market). Balances from Citibank N.A. business accounts and retirement accounts other than IRAs and Keoughs (except Keough Plans with participants other than the account owner and spouses, or partners and their spouses) are excluded. Conforming loans are loans that are up to $484,350 or up to $726,525 in certain high cost markets. Jumbo loans are loans that exceed those conforming loan amounts. A Citibank Mortgage Representative can inform you what the conforming loan amount is in the area where your property is located.

1

A minimum FICO score of 720 required. Available for clients with a minimum of $500,000 or more in investable post-close assets, and at least $50,000 in traditional assets must be on deposit with Citi at least 10 days prior to closing. This amount may be part of the $500,000 eligibility requirement. Real estate, loan proceeds, stock options, restricted stock and personal property will not be counted as part of the $500,000 or more investable post-close assets or the $50,000 in traditional assets. Net cash value of life insurance can be counted as part of the $500,000 but not part of the traditional assets. Investable assets are defined as deposit accounts (checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit), unrestricted stocks, non-vested stock and restricted stock, bonds and retirement accounts held by the individual who is personally liable on the loan. These asset types held in revocable trust may be used provided the trust document meets the Trust Policy. 100% of the face value of all assets, except non-vested stock and restricted stock, may be used to calculate the amount of funds available to meet the eligibility criteria. For non-vested stock and restricted stock, the borrower must be 100% vested within 1 year of closing and a maximum of 70% of value may be used to calculate qualifying equity. Additional conditions apply.

2

©2019 Citibank, N.A. NMLS# 412915. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. Citi, Citi and Arc Design and other marks used herein are service marks of Citigroup Inc. or its affiliates, used and registered throughout the world.

last word

Bless This Mess

At holiday gatherings, family dynamics often come out in full force, leading to heated conversations, and, in this writer’s case, the need to yell “blueberries.”

WRITTEN BY LISSA KAPSTROM | ILLUSTRATED BY YASMINE KAHSAI

Whether you’ve chosen yours, were born into it, or they chose you, families come with built-in dynamics. And this time of year, like an elaborately set holiday dinner table, those dynamics are on full display. In my family, things eventually get messy—and occasionally a few dishes are broken.

I have a big immediate family: one husband, one son, two parents, three sisters, one brother, three in-laws, six nieces and nephews (two now have significant others)—and counting. There will be 20 of us at Thanksgiving this year. That’s a lot of personalities. And by the way: We’re loud.

Since 2016, we’ve learned the hard way that discussing politics is verboten. We created a safe word, “blueberries,” if anyone veers in that direction. You can hear “blueberries” being shouted from different rooms throughout the night, especially between Team California and Team Missouri. Luckily, my sister’s “assignments” keep us distracted.

She’s a kindergarten teacher and treats our brood accordingly. As soon as we cross the threshold, we’re instructed to sign up for various setup and cleanup duties, and write our names on a plastic cup with a Sharpie so we won’t misplace our drinks. We do anyway.

114

VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2019

Then we’re informed of the night’s activity.

Unfortunately, it’s never to recline on the couch and sip wine like I hope. Last year, we taped paper to our backs and everyone had to write one word to describe each other. We were to look at the results at the end of the night. Politics seemed tame by comparison.

Would we need a new safe word?

The evening continues with everyone’s food issues. My brother-in-law is a vegan. My son is off carbs to get “cut.” My other sister is on another fad diet she claims is “the one this time.” My niece only eats white-colored food.

My brother won’t eat anything with mushrooms. My dad won’t eat anything without pickles. And every year, my husband proudly makes his creamed spinach that nobody eats.

Inevitably, my divorced sister excitedly tells me about a new man she’s dating. When the obvious red flags appear, like his declaring that he wants her to be his retirement plan— causing me to have a less-than-enthusiastic reaction—she tells me I don’t understand what it’s like to be single and storms off. That’s when I pick up the cup next to me, regardless of whose name is on it, and down its contents.

Little skirmishes continue to break out during the night. How could my brother

take his six-year-old to a Kiss concert? Why would my niece drop out of college when she only had a quarter left before graduation? Is it smart for my other niece to move in with her boyfriend just to save rent? Why won’t my dad walk more instead of sitting on his computer all day looking at the website Old Jews Telling Jokes? And the decibel level continues to rise.

Then right before dinner, my teacher sister announces one more activity. We are to stand in a circle, hold hands, and one by one say what we’re thankful for. There’s some initial eye rolling. But it turns out, the number one thing on everyone’s list is … family. For the first time, the room grows quiet. Tears begin to flow. Slights are forgotten. And we all raise our cups with the wrong names and loudly make a toast, “To our family!” During the hugs, I suddenly feel someone write something on the paper taped to my back and realize the night is still young. ■ Lissa Kapstrom is a TV writer and producer.

She lives in Sherman Oaks with her husband; their son is in college.

The Spitz | Cameron Group Selling A Lifestyle S P E C TA C U L A R E N C I N O V I E W H O M E S SU GO N RG SE T EO V US IE W S

V EX A LL PL EY OS I V VE IE W S

17925 Medley Dr, Encino $4,295,000

3949 Vista Linda Dr, Encino $2,600,000 - $2,950,876

J E PA T N LI O N RA ER M V IC IE W S

3919 Westfall Dr. Encino $4,699,000

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DRE#924610 Realtor®

DRE#675971 Realtor®

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818-817-4284

818-380-2151

818-517-1411

©2019 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS. Buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information.

DRE #01317331

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