Sunset Camping Issue 2021

SIMPLE SUMMER RECIPES

CAMP! GARDEN! GRILL!

143

inspiring ideas for outdoor living

EASY PATIO UPGRADES

EPIC ROAD TRIPS

DIY POOLSIDE CABANA

KTAI

LS

OC

C

Thrive Outside

COWBOY

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CONTENTS THE OUTDOOR LIVING ISSUE

Brothers Matt and Mike French, proprietors of Pioneertown’s revitalized Red Dog Saloon.

Food & Drink

53

Chinatown Specials Chinese-American classics from chef Brandon Jew.

58

Viva Lasita A next-level Filipino

backyard barbecue.

68 Raising the Bar Cocktails from

Pioneertown’s Red Dog Saloon.

Travel & Escapes

77

Van Life for All! The new rules of

hitting the road for campers of every

level, complete with

rad routes, top gear, and expert advice.

Voices of the West

96 The Market Mover Olympia Auset on the quest to bring fresh

produce to the food deserts of L.A.

6

Editor’s Letter Camping is communal.

9

Best of the West

Home & Garden

15

ages sleepaway

THOMAS J. STORY

Colorado’s motel

shiri’s glamp style, and more.

Backyard Summer Camp camp at home.

22

Garden Checklist What to do in your

garden, wherever you

The Kitchen Collector

44

36

View Masters How Seattle’s top

Tour a caterer’s

architecture firm,

outdoor kitchen.

the majestic Pacific

Olson Kundig, frames

eclectic, well-curated

How to set up an all-

Apps for campers, revival, Pam Sham-

26

Cabana Boys A homeowner and

her father create a multipurpose

poolside getaway.

Northwest.

50

Idea House Workbook Easy ways to upgrade your patio.

ON THE COVER

The sun rises over Joshua Tree.

Photograph by TH O MAS J. STO RY

are in the West.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

3

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Life Without Walls CHAIRMAN & PUBLISHER

It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, a lastminute road trip to a campsite a mere 30 miles from my house. I’d had my second shot, the skies were clear after a week of rain, and evening temperatures were in the delightful slumber-inducing low 50s. On the California Parks web site I found the last spot available in Malibu Creek State Park, possibly the closest cushiest campsite in the L.A. area. Here, between the coast and Calabasas—Kardashians notwithstanding—you can commune with herons, hawks, ground squirrels, and coyotes, amble through oak savanna, and wade a stream where steelhead trout swim. It was the sort of outdoor hard reset I needed.

I closed my laptop, threw a steak in the cooler, and in an hour we were eating that steak in the quiet of nature, crickets and sizzling hibachis and the laughter of families our new soundtrack. We weren’t very far from home, nor were we deep into the wild, but it was exotic and welcome and profound. We fell asleep at a preposterously early hour the way you do when camping. I never thought I’d be so happy as I was the next morning simply watching strangers brush their teeth, kids with bedhead playing fetch with the dog, folks drinking their coffee, everybody with a smile on their face, grateful to be outside again.

After a year marked by separation and isolation, being surrounded by other people going about their mundane daily routines was surprisingly powerful. Campgrounds are villages without walls and can remind us that we leave the comforts of our homes to commune with other people as much as we do with nature. Yes, we wandered those oak savannas and looked for steelhead in the stream, but what will stick with me is that morning, with the dew dotting our pop-up tent, the smell of bacon wafting over from another campsite, and the lovely site of families, car campers, and van life vagabonds, maskless in the open air, waking up to a new day.

To help you make the most of these longer, warmer days, in this issue we’ve assembled a manual for easing into the summer: we’ve got a 12-page guide to hitting the road; tips on how to set up an all-ages summer camp in your backyard; an eclectic outdoor kitchen that flips the design script (no grill!); the best grilled chicken recipe we’ve run in years; and elevated roadhouse cocktail recipes from Pioneertown’s Red Dog Saloon. We also wanted to give you that feeling of waking up to a new day. So on a cold and blustery high desert morning we barreled over washouts in an offroad-ready Land Rover in search of the perfect sunrise over Joshua Tree National Park. (We found it. It’s on the cover).

Here’s to a summer of thriving outside, together.

Michael A. Reinstein PUBLISHER

David Steinhafel

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Hugh Garvey CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Michael Wilson PHOTO EDITOR

Christine Bobbish STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Thomas J. Story

SENIOR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL INITIATIVES

Matt Gross

HOME & DESIGN EDITOR

Christine Lennon ASSISTANT EDITOR

Magdalena O’Neal DIGITAL PRODUCER

Nicole Clausing WILDLANDS EDITOR

J.D. Simkins

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Jamie Elliott

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Navpreet Sekhon Teaghan Skulszki Sales SVP, MEDIA SOLUTIONS

Mort Greenberg VP, PARTNERSHIPS

Kathleen Craven HEAD OF TRAVEL

Pamela Coffey HEAD OF OUTDOOR

Kristi Rummel

SVP, REVENUE OPERATIONS

Kelly Facer

DIRECTOR OF AD OPERATIONS

Kathleen Pratt

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Isabel Lanaux Marketing

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Stephen Kamifuji

—Hugh Garvey,

HEAD OF CUSTOM EVENTS

Tracy Seng

E D ITO R-I N - CH I E F

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6

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

VP, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & CIRCULATION

Shawn Byers

THMOAS J. STORY

Tom Griffiths, Graydon Sheinberg

JOIN THE SUNSET COMMUNITY

LIVE LIFE OUTSIDE C REATE

A WELL - DESIGNED SPACE AND CHANGE

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUTDOOR LIVING .

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BEST

OF T H E

WEST

Campsites to Behold

@WILLAWANDERS/COURTESY OF HARVEST HOSTS

Public campsites are booking up fast, but these handy apps can help travelers find private spots to pitch a tent or park for the night

Harvest Hosts makes it easy to wake up to this view at Kramer Vineyards.

With camping at National Parks having been

apps that can unlock access to private land

com) caters to overlanders looking for safe

demand will likely turn Recreation.gov’s book-

wine country, Harvest Hosts (harvesthosts.

Hip Camp (hipcamp.com) remains the go-to

prohibited for most of last year, the pent-up

ing calendar into a grid of x’d-out dates this summer. But all is not lost, thanks to these

throughout the West. For RVers rolling through com) lists bookable vineyards, some with

hookups. The Van Life App (thevanlifeapp.

private spots, site reviews, and community. for tons of reviews and photography for

scouting and booking private sites from afar.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

9

Malin+Goetz toiletries, and all-around cozy minimalism.

The new LOGE Breckenridge caters to outdoor adventurers with its in-room hammocks and bike storage. In Pagosa Springs, choose from Motel SOCO, a one-stop crash pad with a live-music venue, outdoor lounge, and barbecue truck on site, and the Nightingale Motel, with a main building built in 1898, rustic chic rooms (some with kitchenettes), and a speakeasy. In the San Luis Valley, Mellow Moon Lodge is pro-dog, anti-single-use-plastics, and has an onsite bike shop, making this the go-to booking for cyclists looking to hit the legendary Del Norte trails.

With outside entry and upgraded amenities, these cool motels have become preferred pandemic lodging

The wide-open spaces and natural grandeur of Colorado have made it a favorite destination for road-trippers easing out onto the highways this summer. Lucky for them, the state also happens to be home to some of the West’s best motels, a category of lodging that’s gained in popularity over the past year due to the simple fact that rooms open straight outside, giving guests easy access to fresh air. The Amigo Motor Lodge in Salida was one of the first movers in the motel revival and set the standard with its Tuft & Needle mattresses, subway-tiled bathrooms, and

COLORADO LOGE

Amigo

Mellow Moon Nightingale Motel SOCO

NATIONAL PERKS Drive Coffee’s newest line of blends are inspired by the West’s most iconic parks, and packaged in vintage-vibe oil cans. A portion of profits support the National Parks Foundation. FROM $60; DRIVECOFFEE.COM

10

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BRECKENRIDGE TOURISM OFFICE; MOTEL SOCO; ANTHONY BARLICH; MELLOW MOON LODGE; NIGHTINGALE MOTEL; MAP: GETTY IMAGES

Clockwise from top left: Bonus bunks abound at LOGE Breckenridge; Motel SOCO’s groovy lobby; swinging teepees at the Amigo Motor Lodge; Mellow Moon’s signage says it all; pull up a stool at the Neon Mallard’s bar in the Nightingale Motel.

Colorado’s Motel Renaissance

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PAM SHAM’S GLAMP JAM: Here’s how to recreate Pam’s signature camping experience

FOLDING CHAIRS:

LOVELY LAYERS:

“I go Snow Peak all the way,” Shamshiri says of the cult favorite Japanese camping brand, founded in Niigata Prefecture in 1958. “I have sheepskins I throw on them for extra comfort depending on the time of the trip.”

Wild At Heart

Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N

Pamela Shamshiri, the founder of Los Angeles–based Studio Shamshiri is an unlikely camper. If you’ve seen her award-winning restoration of the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, glamorous Ojai retreats, or regal estates in California wine country, you’ll be forgiven for thinking she’s not the kind of person who chooses to sleep outside very often. But the Shamshiri glampsite is a thing to behold, a rustic-luxe, casbahmeets-Orvis immersive nature experience. There are sheepskins and kilims layered over Japanese camp chairs from Snow Peak and shish-kebab feasts prepared over portable gas stoves. Word of Shamshiri’s enthusiasm for getting outside traveled to Texino, an L.A. company that outfits Mercedes Benz camper vans.

“We’re doing our first-ever custom-designed camper for Texino,” Shamshiri says of the collaboration, which will be released later this year. “It was born out of my love for camping. I can’t wait to share it.”

12

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

PINNACLE TENT:

“I use canvas African wall tents from Pinnacle,” she says. “You can really make them feel homey and decorate them like a house.

You can live for a month in them!” Pam’s tip: Put a military-grade tarp liner under the tent to keep moisture out and warmth in.

SNOW PEAK DOUBLE BURNER CAMP STOVE: “I’m telling you I’ve fed dozens of people using one of these,” she says.

“It’s the best.”

MAINE HERITAGE COTS:

“I don’t like air mattresses because they’re plastic, deflate, and get cold,” she says. “I like a nice canvasand-wood cot from Byer of Maine. I lay a sheepskin runner over the canvas for warmth and use a North Face sleeping bag.”

PERSIAN FOOD:

Shamshiri is half Italian and half Persian, and her commitment to good food is strong. “I always pack lavash, feta, good butter, and black tea,” she says. “You can eat it for every meal, and can totally take it on hikes. For dinner, I like to make shish kebab. It’s easy to feed a crowd.”

SHAMSHIRI: DEWEY NICKS; TENT: MARK A. PAULDA/GETTY IMAGES

L.A.’s glammest glamper, interior designer Pamela Shamshiri, shares her secrets to creating a chic but functional campsite

Are kilim rugs excessive for the great outdoors?

Maybe. But layers of rugs and plush sheepskin make Shamshiri’s campmates feel like they’re in a Bedouin oasis. We like this runner from Overland.

Find it all in one place.

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HOME

&

GARDEN

Backyard Summer Camp

Create a guest-ready, teen-approved backyard glampsite with sleepaway camp style that’s almost as fun as the real thing Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

15

A steel tabletop grill, the Tabl’O from Dutch brand OFYR doubles as a small, sturdy firepit for s’mores ($525, wes­tontable.com).

The California summer camp experience is just as deep and storied as its East Coast counterpart, but with a Western twist. Kids sleep on rustic open-air platforms at Jameson Ranch camp and feel the ocean breezes in the Santa Cruz mountains at Kennolyn Camps. They spend hours in the cold, clear water at Skylake in Yosemite, unplug at Farm Camp in off-grid coastal Sonoma style, or retreat to the remote woods at Bar 717 Ranch at the southern edge of the Cascade Range. When my kids returned from their first session at Farm Camp, after weeks spent feeding and caring for pigs and goats, gardening, hiking to the Pacific, and sleeping under the stars, they had acquired two distinctly Western traits: Their favorite camp meal was pozole, and they knew the lyrics to at least one John Denver song. While many summer camp plans are uncertain this year, you can conjure some of that dark-sky, play-all-day, clean-air magic in your own backyard.

2

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

1.

Did summer even happen if you didn’t grab a drink from an old-school Coleman cooler?

(54-quart steel belted cooler, about $125, coleman.com).

3.

2.

4.

Trek Light, a Colorado-based ethical and sustainable textile company, makes this Positive Vibes Blanket ($108, treklightgear.com) from clothing waste.

For a hit of practical nostalgia, throw in a wellloved, vintage Coleman Drink Dispenser (price varies, etsy.com) to keep water close at hand.

A rechargeable LED lantern from Utah brand Barebones ($45, barebonesliving. com) can stand on its own or hang from a carabiner and has a long-life battery that can last up to 200 hours.

3

4

A vintage fruitand-vegetable crate (Starting at $60, The Crate People, etsy.com) does double duty as a rustic-charming nightstand and storage.

Beckel Canvas’s Eena Miner Tent is sewn in Oregon of sturdy cotton canvas (9 x 9, $525, beckelcanvas.com)

5

7

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8

9

10

5. No power? No

problem. These Solar String Lights ($34, outdoorsolaroutlet.com) come with a detachable panel, so you can pitch a tent in a shady spot, remove the charging panel to sit in the sun for a few hours, and then attach it to the end of the cable.

6. Silly (in a good

way) fishing pole roasters ($20, uncommongoods. com) up your s’mores and hotdog roasting game.

7. The Mini Hozuki

lantern from Snow Peak ($42.95, snowpeak.com) is a pocket-size powerhouse with a magnetic fastener.

Pop it on your tent

11

pole for warm, ambient light in your tent.

up any table (Glamburg, 12 for $20, amazon.com)

8. Choose from

11. Skip the plastic

dozens of fabric patterns to customize a wooden folding stool from Society 6 (Sunrise/ Sunset pattern, $35, society6.com) for lightweight, portable, use-anywhere seating.

9. Before you stake

the tent, throw down a waterproof tarp first, then layer on a West Elm Ombré Pop indoor/ outdoor runner for something soft (and nearly indestructible) underfoot.

10. Cotton nap-

kins in sunny stripes cut down on waste and cheer

and eat outdoors on NorCal enamelware company Crow Canyon dinnerware, made from durable coated steel in the same zerowaste factory for over 40 years (16-piece dinnerware set, $148, 8-quart splatter serving bowl, $38, crowcanyonhome.com).

12

A Pro Fam ily Camping Tip:

Pack a light weig ht alum inum torti lla press ($20, mexgroc er.co m) and a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Mas a Harin a (just add wate r and salt) for fresh torti llas on the grill.

12. A Stanley

Classic Outdoor Beer Growler and cup set ($80, stanley1913.com) keeps a summery hefeweizen from your favorite tap room cold and fresh for up to 48 hours.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

19

14

13

13. Heather Taylor

Home bedding in Hunter gingham check (twin duvet cover, $275, shams, $86 for two, heathertaylorhome.com) has summer-inthe-woods vibes, minus the bears.

14. Wool pillows by Pendleton ($79.50, pendleton-usa. com) are the gold standard of classic American camp style.

15. Byer of Maine

Tri-Lite Camp Cot ($67.50, byerofmaine.com) packs into a small, light travel case, and means no one wakes up on a deflated plastic mattress.

20

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

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YOUR

GARDEN CHECKLIST

Peak gardening season is finally here!

Here's what to do wherever you are in the West.

Contributors: K ATH LE E N B RE NZ E L , SCOT T CALH O U N , L AU RE N D U N EC H OAN G,

JI M M CCAU S L AN D, JO HAN NA S I LVE R , NAN STE RMAN , AN D MARCIA TATRO E Compiled by N I CO LE CL AU S I N G

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

SAXON HOLT FROM GARDENING IN SUMMER-DRY CLIMATES

SUMMER

All Regions PLANT To extend the harvest, plant

Mountain PLANT Grow lemongrass for cooking.

seedlings and seeds of the same

Root fresh stalks in a glass of wa-

example) on the same day.

tainer at least 16 inches wide. Lem-

vegetable (broccoli or lettuce, for

M A I N TA I N Before adding plant waste to the

compost pile, chop it up—or run

over it with your power mower—to speed decomposition.

Prune deciduous fruit trees as

soon as they are done fruiting, to help keep trees smaller and fruit within reach.

When planting annuals, pinch or

prune off flowers and buds to direct all initial growth to the roots

and help avoid transplant shock.

PROTECT Spread a thick blanket of straw

between plants in vegetable gardens to help prevent weeds and slow moisture loss.

Water and turn the compost pile.

It decomposes quickly in hot weather.

Take preventive measures to

protect your home from fires: Re-

move dead limbs and leaves from trees and shrubs. Cut tall grasses

and weeds down to stubble. Clear gutters of debris.

Throw insect- and disease-

damaged plants in the trash—using them as compost or mulch

can spread the problem to the rest of your garden.

Watch for signs of heat stress in

ter, then plant outside into a conongrass prefers moist soil and monthly fertilization.

Set out seedlings of cucumbers,

eggplant, melons, peppers,

pumpkins, tomatoes, and squash.

Sow seeds of beans and sweet corn.

M A I N TA I N Thin apples to 6 inches apart

when they reach the size of large grapes.

Pinch the tips of asters, chrysan-

themums, and other fall-blooming perennials one last time at mid-month.

When perennials like coreopsis,

Shasta daisy, and yarrow sport

more leaves and stems than flowers, prune all parts down to within

a few inches of the ground, leaving any new foliage at the base of the plant. Keep the soil moist until

strong new growth appears, and many of these flowers will bloom again later in the season.

Apply extra water to brown

patches in lawns, but do so only

after making certain with a mois-

ture meter that the soil is dry. Bluegrass tends to go dormant in extreme heat, and overwatering a

dormant lawn can cause fungal infections.

PROTECT Rose curculios and rose midges

plants. Fruit trees and bush vege-

may cause everblooming roses to

eggplants) drop leaves when

To control these insect pests, reg-

tables (such as bell peppers and

stressed. To give them relief, provide even soil moisture through

more regular watering, and shade beds from afternoon sun.

H A RV E S T Harvest herbs in the morning,

before their oils dissipate.

drop their buds before they open. ularly prune off and destroy any buds that don’t unfurl properly.

Prevent corn earworms from

damaging sweet corn by applying a few drops of mineral oil onto the

silks as soon as they emerge. If you discover these caterpillars

burrowing into your peppers or tomatoes, spray

M A I N TA I N

thuringiensis (Bt); make sure it is labeled for use

yard this time of year—they are usually docile

them with a product that contains Bacillus on vegetables.

Too much water during high temperatures

fosters fungal diseases. Check the soil with a

screwdriver. If it goes into the soil easily and the

blade feels damp and cool to the touch, there is

Don’t panic if you find a swarm of bees in your

and leave after a few days. You can also call

names of beekeepers who will come and get them.

Irrigate fruit trees, citrus, and flowering trees

deeply every other week (or weekly in hot in-

H A RV E S T

butus ‘Marina,’ carob, and Chinese pistache)

Pick yellow summer squash and zucchini

salads, and stir-fries, collect squash flowers in the morning when they are fully open.

NorCal PLANT For a steady supply of basil all season, plant

seedlings every three to four weeks. Grow in full sun, water regularly, and pinch off flowers for bushier growth.

Sow cool-season crops such as broccoli,

cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower in July.

Instead of thirsty annuals, use colorful low-

water plants along a border. One of our favorite combos: powder blue Euphorbia ‘Blue Haze’, lime green Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo,’ and compact succulents.

stem—it has a flavor similar to the artichoke heart once cooked.

Northwest

your county’s Master Gardener hotline for

no need to water yet.

when they reach 5 to 6 inches long. For stuffing,

begin to spread open. Leave 1½ inches of

land climates). Water less-thirsty trees (like Arabout once a month.

Pinch back basil plants often to discourage

flowers from forming and to keep plants compact.

PROTECT Since earwigs are active at night, in the eve-

ning place moistened, rolled-up newspapers in various spots to attract them, tossing them out in the morning.

Keep leaves of cucumber, melon, and squash

dry to stave off powdery mildew.

H A RV E S T Pick beans and squash frequently to encour-

age production.

Cut artichokes when flower buds (the part

you eat) reach full size but before bracts

PLANT Sow beans directly in the garden, and set

out seedlings of corn, cucumbers, eggplant,

melons, peppers, squash, and tomatoes early in June.

For winter harvest, directly sow beets, broc-

coli, bush beans, carrots, chard, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, radishes, scallions, spinach, and turnips in July.

In July, start planting beds with fall and win-

ter vegetables such as beans, peas, and root and leaf crops (especially members of the cabbage family).

M A I N TA I N Keep a phenology journal: Track (and even-

tually connect) weather, insect and bird populations, and flowering and fruiting dates in the garden.

Weeding and watering are early summer’s

main tasks. Monitor your drip systems, hand water, and allot around 20 minutes a day to weeding for a picture-perfect garden.

Hoe weed seedlings on a dry, clear morning,

and the sun will kill their tiny roots by evening.

Water deeply before you pull mature weeds,

whose taproots come out of damp soil more

BOOK WE LOVE

easily than dry soil.

Many apple varieties are alternate bearers—

heavy one year, light the next. To balance this,

hand-thin fruits in heavy years after June drop (natural self-thinning). Thin double clusters to singles, and triples to doubles.

Summer-dry climates abound

on the west coast and the new

book Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates: Plants for a Lush Water-Conscious Landscape, by Nora Harlow and Saxon Holt

(Workman; $29.95), is an authorative guide to planting and

maintaining mostly native gardens that use minimal water,

expand biodiversity, and delight the eye. A welcome addition to

the canon of mindful gardening.

PROTECT Prevent wormy apples by treating trees

with spinosad, an organic control, available at nurseries.

Azalea lace bugs, relatively new to the

Northwest, whiten leaves of azalea, Japanese andromeda (Pieris), and rhododendron by

feeding on the leaves. Damage first appears in late May to early June and gets worse

throughout the summer. Keep plants well wa-

tered and spray with horticultural oil, neem oil, or insecticidal soap.

Check houseplants for aphids, mealybugs,

24

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

mites, and scale insects. In a shaded spot outdoors, hose off dusty leaves and treat with spray-on or systemic pesticide.

SoCal PLANT Continue planting seedlings for summer

fruits and vegetables, including cucumber, eggplant, melons, and tomatoes.

Plant summer annuals from seed or seedling:

Blanket flower (Gaillardia), calendula, marigold, Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera), and zinnia are all good picks.

In July, start one last crop of basil from seed.

In mild-climate areas, it will take you into winter.

M A I N TA I N Along the coast, water early in the day to

evergreen shrub that produces red-andwhite flowers throughout the summer.

Before summer storms arrive, sow seeds

of black-eyed peas, chilies, corn, eggplant, summer and winter squash, and tepary beans.

For showy flowers that entice you to stay

outside longer, plant a night-blooming cactus garden. Try the Andes organ pipe (Cereus hildmannianus), Arizona queen of the

night (Peniocereus greggii), or queen of the night (Harrisia bonplandii).

Early in July, set out containerized figs. If

you’re adding more, consider dark purple–skinned ‘Black Mission,’ one of the

most reliable and productive varieties for low-desert gardens.

keep leaves dry during the overcast, humid

M A I N TA I N

gal diseases like powdery mildew.

cease fertilizing most plants. Exceptions in-

days of June; wet leaves are vulnerable to fun-

Resist the urge to over-irrigate established

natives and other Mediterranean-climate

plants. They have evolved to survive long, hot dry periods.

Finish pruning citrus trees for size and shape.

Remove crossing or dead branches, cutting out entire limbs rather than making cuts at the tips, as that results in excessive new growth.

PROTECT Weave tomato branches back into their cag-

es to keep fruit from rotting on the ground, and pick off tomato hornworms as you see them.

Pinch back dahlias, fuchsias, gaillardias,

penstemons, and salvias to encourage repeat blooming. Straw mulch helps keep soil moisture consistent.

Treat powdery-mildew-affected plants by

mixing 1 tablespoon each of baking soda and horticultural oil in a gallon of water. Avoid

spraying on days when temps exceed 85°.

H A RV E S T If you’re drowning in tomatoes, rinse and dry

the extras, place them in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze them.

Southwest PLANT Lure butterflies and hummingbirds to your

garden by planting ‘Hot Lips’ sage, an

As high summer heat arrives, reduce or

clude potted plants, summer annuals,

agaves, cactus, and actively growing Bermuda lawns.

Give your houseplants a summer vacation

outdoors. Place plants such as dracaena,

Sansevieria varieties, and ficus trees under covered patios and other shaded spots.

Prune up to 25 percent of the canopies of

trees prone to wind damage, such as South American mesquite, ‘Desert Museum’ palo verde, desert willow varieties, and Texas

honey mesquite, before the onset of summer

Life’s full of adventure.

WHERE ARE YOU HEADING?

thunderstorms. Take out weak and crossing branches first, then prune for shape.

If honeybees and other pollinators are

scarce in your garden, hand-pollinate plants by using a fine-tipped paintbrush to dab

pollen from one flower and deposit it in an adjacent one.

PROTECT Check plants for spider mites, which are

common on Italian cypress as well as desert plants such as beaked yucca. Blast any fine

nets of webbing on the undersides of leaves

with a strong jet of water or apply insecticidal soap. Repeat until eradicated.

Keep birds and insects from eating ripening

grapes with a simple organic trick: Slip knee-

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high nylon stockings over clusters and fasten

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The Kitchen

Collector

Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N

HOW A CATERER WITH A DECORATOR’S EYE REIMAGINED WHAT COOKING, EATING, AND ENTERTAINING OUTSIDE CAN BE. OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

27

he outdoor kitchen at the home of caterer and event planner Kai Loebach does not have walls. That’s the only thing this cooking space has in common with just about any other outdoor kitchen out there.

Loebach relies on none of the sensible trappings of a typical backyard cooking area. He doesn’t even own a charcoal grill. Instead, he cooks on a sturdy, industrial six-burner range with a built-in grill. It’s just outside—under a roof but otherwise exposed.

“I prefer it,” Loebach says with a shrug, as if putting a stove outside is the most normal thing in the world. “I have six stoves. I like to collect things.”

Evidence of these collections is everywhere you look in his lush garden. Stepping through the gate of the home in Nichols Canyon that Loebach shares with his partner, Lee Miller, a professor of pediatrics at UCLA medical school, feels like you’ve arrived at a very chic boutique hotel in Lisbon or Mexico City. Each nook and niche is filled with beautiful ephemera: myrtle topiary, blown glass, air plants, vintage terracotta. There are multiple koi ponds, and too many plants to name. It is unique and inspiring and, yes, it is high-maintenance.

“I’m the kind of guy who will walk around the yard with a Shop-Vac,” laughs Loebach. “I spend at least an hour every day weeding and watering and painstakingly caring for the plants. I won’t let anyone else touch the myrtle. It’s a collection I’ve been working on for 30 years.”

Loebach and Miller bought the house 25 years ago when it was “an absolute linoleum-covered disaster.” Over the years, they’ve reimagined every inch of the space, inside and out. The garden exists on three tiers. The lowest, where the pool and back patio are, is where you’ll find Loebach’s kitchen. There’s a steel sink, and a large countertop for a butcher block, and metal cabinets for storage. Loebach and Miller have collected earthenware serving pieces over the years during their travels to Portugal, Morocco, Greece, and Mexico, and a small fraction of their collection is on display on the shelves.

“If I’m in a restaurant and I love a piece, I’ll ask the owners if I can buy it,” he says. “It’s one of my collecting secrets.

Most of the time the owners are so flattered that I asked and are happy to sell it to me.”

The second tier is a dining pavilion with a corrugated metal roof, rustic support beams, and two metal walls that Loebach had finished with zinc paint. They call it “the bus stop.”

28

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Loebach’s multitiered garden in the Hollywood Hills feels like a hidden oasis. A covered dining area with a corrugated metal roof (right) is lovingly referred to as “the bus stop.”

“It reminds me of a simple bus shelter you’d see in the countryside in Germany,” says Loebach, who was raisedon a farm in Wuppertal, German, where his family grew what they ate. “I’ve always loved to grow succulents and cacti.”

Instead of minimalist dining chairs, Loebach has primitive handmade benches and Belgian potato crates that have been filled with heavy stones and fashioned into stools. The table under the shelter is vintage and used to live in a school.

A metal tray filled with air plants, art glass, and votive candles rests on top of it. Spanish gothic iron candelabras stand in the middle of abundant plants, near a small fountain.

“Those aren’t really my style, but a friend of mine I work with had them and offered them to me. Cher had them made, and I guess she had extra,” he says. “I couldn’t resist.”

The top tier of the garden, which is at street level and connects to the main, indoor kitchen, is where the outdoor fireplace is, and another long custom-built teak table for dining and cocktails.

Loebach isn’t deterred by pesky things like dust and wind and spiders. It’s as if all of those things understand that this yard is too magical to be messed with. Spending an afternoon in Loebach’s world, where he squeezes juice from a massive bowl of citrus for cocktails, sears tuna to pass on perfect little croquettes, and coordinates a summery salad with thinly shaved radishes that are the precise shade of his deep-fuchsia accent pillows, makes you re-think everything. Stepping back through the portal onto the street, you might wonder if it was all dream, and puzzle over how to squeeze your own stove through the back door.

Any small collection looks more important with the patina of age—whether it’s bocce balls, ancient wooden floats from fishing nets, or glass orbs—and displayed in a vintage tray.

Myrtle topiary, shed antlers, and succulents displayed in groupings feel more like museum installations than garden décor.

Loebach is a devoted, careful gardener who grows cuttings from plants in carved stone vessels.

A few of his favorite serving pieces, vintage terracotta, and cutting boards are on display surrounding his outdoor industrial range. Loebach uses items from his own collection for catering and events.

“ I’m the kind of guy who walks around the yard with a Shop-Vac.”

From the lowest level of the garden, near the pool, you get a sense of Loebach’s heavily planted backyard protected by the shade of mature trees.

Through his experience as an event planner, Loebach knows that evenings at home feel more special when they’re staged around various parts of a garden.

Start with cocktails by the pool, serve dinner at the table, and gather for dessert around the fire.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

31

KAI’S CATERING SECRETS INCLUDE COORDINATING YOUR FOOD WITH THE DÉCOR “I went to the market and I bought anything that I could find that’s colorful, like radishes in purple and red,” he says, matching his fuchsia throw pillows with the salad very intentionally. “I roasted candy beets, blanched fresh peas, added raw baby zucchini and heirloom tomatoes. Serve with a vinaigrette of lemon, olive oil, garlic, Dijon, pepper, and smoked Maldon salt.”

32

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Sunset Cocktail

½ oz. simple syrup

Loebach spilled a bartending secret for creating a layered cocktail. The heaviest liquids always sink to the bottom, so if you’re using a thick liqueur, pour that in at the last minute after the other liquids have been mixed—then leave it alone. This drink could be made in bulk: It’s just one part simple syrup to two parts fruit juice, and roughly an ounce of spirits per serving.

Grenadine

1 oz. lime juice 1 oz. vodka

Edible flower to garnish Ice

• In a mixing glass, combine lime juice and simple syrup and mix thor-

oughly. Pour into rocks glass with plenty of ice. Add vodka and stir.

Slowly pour grenadine into glass,

letting it settle in the bottom of the glass. Garnish and serve.

Seared Ahi Tuna Croquettes With Crispy Noodles And Blueberry Coulis Loebach served the tuna sliced on crisps as a passed appetizer, but it could be adapted for a main course.

A pre-made Cajun spice mix could work in a pinch, or sub the coulis for Sriracha mayo if you want even more kick.

MAKES 1 2 –14 P I E C E S For the coulis: 1½ pints fresh blueberries

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh

lemon juice

½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the tuna:

1 ahi tuna loin,

sliced vertically in two pieces

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cayenne 1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. black pepper

For the base:

14 fried wonton skins, rice

crackers, or tortilla chip rounds

1 cup cooked

ramen noodles

1 Tbsp. canola or

other neutral oil

34

1. Make the coulis: Combine berries,

2. For the crispy noodles:

sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a

In a large pan, add oil and heat over

heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and

Add cooked ramen noodles and fry

gins to thicken. Remove from heat,

aside to cool and break into pieces.

saucepan. Bring to a boil over high

high until smoking, about 4 minutes.

simmer for 15 minutes, or until it be-

until crispy, turning as needed. Set

and strain through a sieve. Cool to

room temperature, then cover and

refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

3. For the tuna:

Combine spices in a bowl, then

transfer mixture to a plate. Roll each

tuna loin in spice mixture to coat.

Sear in a lightly oiled pan over medium-high heat, no more than 1 minute per side. Remove to a cutting

board and slice into 1-inch rounds.

4. To assemble:

Place the tuna rounds on your crisp of choice, top with a pinch of crispy

noodles, and a dab of coulis. Serve.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake Loebach has adapted this crowdpleaser to make it gluten-free by using tapioca flour. “I didn’t say it’s fat-free,” he says. Because that would be no fun.

2 lbs. cream cheese, room temperature

1½ cups sugar

6 eggs, room temperature 2 cups heavy cream ½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. vanilla paste

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 1

3

cup flour or tapioca flour

1. Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan. Crinkle

2 12-by-16-inch parchment paper

sheets into balls, flatten them, and butter them on both sides. Place

them on top of each other and be

sure they reach about 2” above the

pan, as the cake will rise in the oven.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar for

3–5 minutes in a mixer on medium

speed, scraping down the sides oc-

casionally. Once there are no lumps, add one egg at a time until fully in-

corporated. Add cream, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest, and beat until batter is very smooth. Pour batter into

the parchment-lined pan and place on a doubled sheet pan (this helps

keep the bottom from browning too

much). Bake 1 hour until cake is rather dark on top but still jiggly.

3. Chill in the refrigerator until fully set,

about 5 hours. Carefully flip over the cake onto a plate and remove the

paper. This cake is intentionally rus-

tic and will not have a perfect edge.

Keep refrigerated until 1 hour prior to consumption, then let it come to

room temperature for the flavors to bloom. Serve with fresh berries or a topping of your choice.

Cabana Boys Boy

36

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

JILL ELLIS PUTS HER FATHER AND THREE YOUNG SONS TO WORK, ENLISTING THEIR HELP IN BUILDING A PICTURE-PERFECT POOL HOUSE IN HER SUNNY SANTA BARBARA YARD. Story by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

37

P O P - U P B A R : “The awning

window at the bar was the solution to extend this small space to the outdoors,” Ellis says. After a fruitless search for premade parts, Ellis had one custom built with hydraulic lifts by J.T. Windows in Santa Barbara. A honed quartzite counter extends outside and holds up to rain and sun.

Metal stools, Target. Opposite page: Ellis uses the handmade table for meals and crafts. Landscape by Isa Bird Eaton.

Ellis is one of those multi-hyphenate creative people who is almost irritatingly excellent at many things, whether it’s designing a clever store window, organizing a perfectly art-directed craft workshop through her company, Makeshift Studios, or designing and building a small house in her backyard. When we say that she built a house, we don’t mean it in a conceptual way, like when someone says, “We built a house,” and the subject “we” is a team of hired subcontractors . When Ellis says she built a pool cabana, a hyper-efficient one with a loft bedroom, bathroom, outdoor shower, kitchen, pop-up bar, and multipurpose hangout space, she means that she and her father, Parker Anderson, a retired engineer and construction hobbyist, built the actual cabana.

“My Dad would usually join us for a cup of coffee and catch up as we shuffled kids out the door, then he’d get to work and I’d join him after drop offs,” says Ellis, who has a graphic-design degree and spent a decade in Chicago working as a corporate art director before she and her husband, Sam, moved to back to her hometown.

“Seeing my dad at 73 swinging a hammer and doing what seemed like magic to me was so wonderful. He was so great at involving the kids in the work. He’d find small projects for them to do, like help build the outdoor shower or the long outdoor dining table. He wanted them to feel a sense of pride in the cabana and understand the value of a job well done.”

Ellis sketched out her vision for the structure, then asked the designers who were constructing their backyard pool to draw up blueprints and hired an engineer to map out the more technical details, so they had a plan to submit to the city for approval.

“Working side-by-side with my dad was such a gift. We had this time together to catch up and connect about

life, but I learned so much about the building process. There were a few times I got stuck on a design decision. To shiplap the ceiling or drywall? Where to center the windows? He’d always remind me to go with my gut. Every time I look up at the chandelier I think about an epic session of troubleshooting with my dad as we tried to figure out how to install screws from atop a ladder.”

Nearly two years after its completion, the cabana wears as many proverbial hats as Ellis does. It’s a spot for sleepovers, a hub for outdoor entertaining, a location for makeshift craft parties, and a refuge from the bustle of the main house just a few steps away.

“My favorite spot in the whole house is that little kitchen,” she says. “That’s where I love to stand and look out at my people in the pool, or serve snacks and drinks to our guests, or have a conversation with a friend across the bar over a cup of coffee. It’s like a great kitchen island. It’s where people gather.”

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

39

LO F T S PAC E A N D B AT H :

There was just enough room for a 1/2-story loft, for sleepovers and guests. Twin beds, IKEA; bedding, RH Kids, Anthropologie pink pillows, Faherty blankets; sconces, Cedar and Moss.

A small bath opens to an outdoor shower. Metal jug and candlesticks, vintage.

LIVING AREA:

“I found the antique library ladder on eBay,” says Ellis. “It came from a steel factory in Youngstown, Ohio, which is where my motherin-law’s family had a steel factory. This ladder found its way to us.” Sofa and swivel chairs, RH; leather ottoman, Article; rug, Overstock; throw pillows, Parker Clay; wooden easel, vintage. The kitchen cabinets are IKEA, which Ellis had recut to fit the space, with facing by SemiHandmade. Faucet, Delta from Home Depot.

40

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

P R O B L E M C H I L D : Ellis

relished the chance to solve tricky design issues with her father, like how to install this West Elm chandelier while standing on a high ladder. Ceramic bells, The Salty Hen; side tables, Target; paint color, Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. Artwork by Jill Ellis.

Opposite page: The Ellis family with their Bernadoodle puppy, Banjo.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

43

44

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

OLSON KUNDIG, THE CELEBRATED SEATTLE-BASED ARCHITECTURE FIRM, IS KNOWN FOR PLACING INNOVATIVE DESIGN IN BREATHTAKING LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND BEYOND. WE DISCUSS GREEN BUILDING AND FITTING BIG IDEAS INTO SMALL SPACES WITH THE LEGENDARY DUO. Interview by CH RI STI N E LE N N O N

BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER

MASTERS

The Studhorse House in Winthrop, Washington, designed by Tom Kundig

The Dragonfly house in Whitefish, Montana, is a prime example of the firm’s approach—generous outdoor space, sited beautifully in nature.

46

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

THE GRASS IS GREENER

An early Olson-designed house overlooking Filucy Bay estuary near Longbranch, Washington, was a Sunset cover star noted for its layout, which maximized water views from every room.

NIC LEHOUX

ack in 1973, an angular waterfront home with a grass-covered roof and an expansive vista—designed by a young architect named James Olson (FAIA)—impressed the editors of Sunset so much that they gave it a “Western Home of the Year” award and put it on the October cover.

“The Roof is a Lawn” declared a maybe too on-the-nose cover line. In the accompanying text, they marveled at the audacity of a young talent rolling out sod where shingles should be, and speculated how parents might keep their children from falling off.

Today, Olson, who goes by Jim, and his long-time associate Tom Kundig (FAIA, RIBA) are the founding partners of Olson Kundig. The Seattle-based architecture firm has six partners, employs 200 people, has earned a list of awards as long as your arm, is the creative force behind spaces like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and the Bezos Center for Innovation at the Museum of History and Industry, and has designed breathtaking residences around the world.

Their projects, regardless of size, have a magical way of coexisting with nature and harvesting available light. Somehow, Olson Kundig houses share the spotlight with their majestic surroundings instead of becoming a distraction. Here, they discuss their vision, and why Seattle is such a hub of innovation and architecture.

Olson’s own weekend cabin on Puget Sound started as three small platforms linked by walkways.

Q. What is it about the Seattle area

that invites such innovation and forward thinking in architecture? I’m

wondering if the area’s relationship

with the tech industry has something to do with it, particularly over the last 20 years.

Jim Olson: I think the misty weather

and the rich, lush landscape here encourage introspection and deeper thinking. This has been going on a long time, from the “Northwest Mystics” of the 1930s and 1940s—artists Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson—to architects like Paul Kirk, Roland Terry, Ralph Anderson, and Canada’s great Arthur Erickson.

They were all part of the Northwest style that took modernism and made it their own, inspired from within. Also, Seattle’s relative isolation—far from New York City and other vibrant cultural centers—has led to a tradition of thinking for ourselves. I think tech people have thrived here because they’ve been able to creatively explore and develop their ideas just as artists and architects have.

Tom Kundig: Absolutely. Seattle, as a

city, is on the edge—of the country, of

the Pacific Rim. The people who come

The home has evolved over the years through four significant renovations, but it maintains a modest footprint, and has allowed the surroundings to grow around it.

here are the adventurers and the explorers, so there’s an underlying energy of creativity and innovation. People

the ways you design a home to maximize available light?

Jim Olson: Because Seattle can be

very gray and dark at certain times of

have a real entrepreneurial spirit, a

the year, people who live here natural-

willingness to try new things and see

ly become attuned to sunlight. We

what happens.

seek out and celebrate it. Harvesting

Q. Can you tell me a little bit more

about why “harvesting light” is a priority for you, and what are some of

that light within a home is a bigger consideration than placing large windows everywhere. In an urban environment, skylights or windows can be situated to let light in indirectly and protect privacy. Patterns of light create moods within a space. Soft or indirect light can have an almost spiritual quality, while translucent glass or fabrics layered over windows create a private, meditative atmosphere. Stronger rays

FROM TOP: BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER; KEVIN SCOTT

of light beamed through colored glass or reflected off colored surfaces can create dynamic projections, a sort of ephemeral “painting” or sculpture that enlivens the space.

Tom Kundig: Access to

natural light is vital to our sense of comfort and well-being as humans. We depend on the circadian rhythm of sunrise and

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

47

few people were doing it, and now at

promotes a sense of stewardship of

least 50 percent of the houses I design

your environment.

have planted roofs. I also try to incorporate passive ventilation and controlling heat and light. And I always try to conserve the site’s natural elements. Ultimately, I see our environ-

Q. Can you talk about how you don’t need to sacrifice thoughtful design for a smaller-scale home?

Jim Olson: Quality is not about size but about thoughtful design and execu-

ment as continuous and connected,

tion. With smaller projects, efficient

and architecture should fit into that

use of space is essential, everything

context; buildings should melt away

has to be very carefully worked out.

into the landscape.

That can mean small projects are

Tom Kundig: Throughout my career, I’ve sought to design buildings that

honor their context, and a big part of

more challenging, ultimately.

Tom Kundig: The firm works on a full

spectrum of project types and sizes—

that is designing sustainably to reduce

from very small huts in huge land-

the impact of the building on that

scapes to large homes with big art

context. Another component of sus-

collections. Any project is a design op-

tainable design in my work is longevity,

portunity, and often the small projects

selecting materials that are durable

are even more powerful than the larg-

and low-maintenance, and using what

er ones, because you have to consider

we need while reducing waste. I’m in-

all of the parts and pieces, and the

terested in design that expresses the

design solution is therefore more ho-

tectonics of materiality, that showcas-

listic and controlled.

es how things go together instead of covering it up. Especially for a residential project, I like to use kinetic building elements that allow people to physically move pieces of the building, like opening or closing windows, walls, and shutters. That tactile experience pro-

Q. Do your residential clients

typically come to you after they’ve found a parcel of land they want to build on? Or do they come to you with a vision first?

Jim Olson: It depends on the client.

Often they have a piece of property

sunset. When designing, it’s important

motes a kind of mindfulness about

and ask us to explore what they could

to understand the specific conditions

how you take up space, which in turn

do with it. Sometimes a client will

of a project site—where the light is coming from, how it changes throughout the day or in different seasons—so you can orient the home to capture daylight. The way rooms are arranged or the kind of materials used can help to bring that light deep into the interior. It’s just as important to balance that light, especially in very sunny places. Strategies like wide roof overhangs, trellises, and shutter systems all help to soften the impact of direct sun exposure. It’s about seeking

Kinetic building elements—doors and windows that open fully to let the outside in— are a prominent feature of Olson Kundig structures, regardless of size.

balance.

Q. Will you describe some of your earlier efforts around sustainable building practices and how that’s evolved

over time? It seems like you’ve been a part of this green building conversation for some time now.

An artist’s studio on Blakely Island, Washington, nestles into the slope of a hillside and has glass on three sides.

Jim Olson: I have always been attractis also more sustainable and in tune with nature. I have designed planted roofs throughout my whole career—my first was in 1968. Back in the 1960s, very

48

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

AARON LEITZ

ed toward a more relaxed lifestyle that

“ My whole career has been about exploring ways to bring architecture and nature closer together.”

—J I M O LSO N

Jim Olson: My whole career has been

membrane between those two; the

about exploring ways to bring archi-

push and pull between those two

their vision can be realized in that

tecture and nature closer together, to

different agendas. So the challenge

specific place.

blur the distinction of indoors and out-

is to design a living, breathing build-

doors. One approach is to create hall-

ing that opens to the natural climate,

ways that end with a view into nature,

invites daylight inside, and connects

or to arrange windows so that they

to the larger landscape—whether

frame something special—a dramatic

that’s urban or remote or some-

view or even a small glimpse into a

where in between—and the way that

garden—so your attention focuses

happens depends on the specific

there. Using natural materials consis-

conditions of the site and context.

have an idea and will ask for our input before buying a site, to ensure that

Tom Kundig: It’s always fun to work

with clients on a site that’s been special to them for a really long time. They know it well already, they know where the best views are or the best spot to watch the sunrise. We get to learn from them all the things they love about that specific place, and then work to highlight those things through the architecture.

Q: Will you share some advice for

people who are building a home from GABE BORDER

the ground up, and how they can create a home that embraces its natural surroundings—or even creates an

oasis of calm in a larger urban environment, like your city cabin does?

The Maxon House in King County, Washington, on the eastern edge of the Seattle suburbs, appears to hover in the canopy of a dense conifer forest.

tent with elements in the landscape

We do work on projects with tight

allows a home to visually flow between

budgets and often they are the most

inside and outside as one cohesive

exciting to work on. In many cases,

experience. In urban spaces where we

the constraint of a smaller budget

want quiet and privacy, we can turn

leads to a very clear, thought-out vi-

that focus inward, toward internal

sion and a focused solution. It distills

views and art pieces.

architecture down to the essential

Tom Kundig: I always say that archi-

experience of a client’s lifestyle or

tecture is the exterior context pushing

needs, the most personal and im-

against the interior context. It’s the

portant elements of shelter.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

49

2

Zone Out Investing in matching outdoor furniture and placing it in four distinct seating zones expands your living space and creates an aesthetic through line.

1

Patio Perfected

3

4

50

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

1. Terra Outdoor Living’s Costa Mesa lounge chairs are lightweight yet sturdy and are softened by Italian all-weather rope and comfy cushions. 2. The industrial lines of Terra’s Belvedere collection tie together the rest of the seating areas, from the stools in the bar area (ideal for WFH sessions!) to the outdoor living room to the poolside loungers. The charcoal colorway is both handsome and low maintenance (TERRAOUTDOOR.COM).

3. The natural materials of Serena & Lily blankets and Beachside bowl add just the right hit of softness and style. 4. Serena & Lily Tortola lanterns add organic style and provide portable mood lighting (SERENAANDLILY.COM).

THOMAS J. STORY

In the first installment of this new column, we visit the Sunset Desert Oasis Idea House to share high-impact design solutions that transform the pool area into a multi-function al fresco retreat.

WT: XXX PF: XX ZO: XX

page

78

The New Sunset Garden Collection

PHILLIPS Approx. top of flag

000000_PZ Garden Flag PZ Garden Flag approx. 12” x 17.625” The flags are PRESTITCHED by vendor and vary in size. Just the front will be sublimated. Template has 3/4” bleed on top, and the other sides have 3/8” bleed.

Line 1 Font: 50 Sailor Font Size: 102pt Characters: 8 Justification: Centered Color: Navy Hex: 2a3851 CMYK c88,m76,y44,k37 CAPS CASE Sample: HARRISON

**PRINTING...IMPORTANT!... Per Jeanie...When printing, line up on BOTTOM with 3/8” bleed. Top will have extra graphics that will overhang the flag, and will not print. **DESIGNER: Keep in mind when designing, there is 3/4” bleed on top, and 3/8” bleed on sides and bottom.

Image area (no bleed) guidelines: 1” in from side edges, and 3/4” in from top and bottom edges to allow for varience in size of the flag substrate (they vary horizontally from 11.25” to 12.5”.) It’s ok for background art to bleed off, but important items, and PZ should adhere to image area (no bleed) guidelines. See example.

HARRISON Sunset Garden Apron made from 100% organic hemp—a material that’s stronger than denim ($125).

Personalized 12” x 17” Garden Flag featuring vintage Sunset cover ($16.99). Garden Flag Stand ($14.99) .

Sunset Fisher Blacksmithing Hand Trowel ($62.99).

Our new collection of garden tools and decor bring functionality, sturdiness, and a bit of beauty to your backyard. Visit our online shop to see the ever-expanding line of unique items. shop.sunset.com

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FOOD

&

DRINK

Chinatown Specials

Spicy, crispy peanuts kick off a flavorpacked, Chinatown-inspired feast from chef Brandon Jew’s newest cookbook.

Photographs by PETE LE E

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

53

f r o m pa

5 0 M I N U T ES MAKES: 1 0 TO 1 2 S E RV I N G S SPECIAL

EQUIPMENT: D E E P - F RY THERMOMETER

53

AC T I V E T I M E :

ge

SPICY CRISPY PEANUTS

“It all began when friends from Shanghai brought

bags of Huang Fei Hong crispy anchovies, chili, and peanuts and I could not stop eating them, nobody

could. Inspired by the combination of spicy and sīn

(umami), I decided to make my own version. You can

eat this by the handful, or sprinkled on rice or wherever you want a crunchy kick. There are many peanut

snack variations across Asia, ranging from sweet and spicy to briny and green with seaweed. Our peanuts are candy-coated with numbing peppercorns and chilies (use more or less depending on your heat

preference), and go great with a cold beer. Use very small, dried whole an-

chovies (less than 1 inch in length), like the kind you find frozen in Korean grocery stores. If you forget to pick up gochugaru while you’re there, any mild

54

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

chile flake will do.”

2 cups neutral oil or unrefined peanut oil 8 to 10 dried árbol chilies

½ cup very small dried whole anchovies

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) 2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. red Sichuan peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle 2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts ½ cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. water

1. Line a large plate with paper towels.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. Pour the neutral oil into a medium saucepan and secure a deep-fry

thermometer on the side. Set over medium-high heat and warm the

oil to 325° F, being careful to maintain this temperature as you fry.

3. Carefully add the árbol chilies and fry, ladling oil over them constantly, until crisp, darkened in color,

and shiny, 20–30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chilies

to one side of the prepared plate.

Add the anchovies to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown and crispy, about

30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the other side of the plate. Set aside and let cool.

4. Pinch the stems off the chilies and then, over a medium bowl, crush the chilies with your hands into

pieces 1 3 -inch or smaller. Add the

chili flakes, salt, and peppercorns and mix to combine.

5. In a large saucepan over medium

heat, combine the peanuts, sugar, and water and cook, stirring oc-

casionally with a wooden spoon.

The water will evaporate and the

sugar will seize and become powdery and grainy, 10–12 minutes. At

that moment, turn the heat to medium-low and keep cooking, stirring every minute or so, until the

sugar melts and caramelizes to a dark blonde and the peanuts are

evenly coated, 8–10 minutes more.

If the mixture smokes at any point, take it off the heat for a few seconds and lower the heat before

continuing. Remove from the heat and stir in the chili mixture.

6. Transfer the caramelized peanuts to the prepared baking sheet,

spread into a single layer, and let cool, then break up pieces that are stuck together. Transfer the

fried anchovies and caramelized

peanuts to separate airtight con-

tainers and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Serve the peanuts with the fried anchovies on top.

THOMAS J. STORY

f all the chefs working in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Brandon Jew might be the most devoted student of the neighborhood’s foodways. Trained in high Italian cuisine, the protégé of legendary San Francisco chefs Judy Rogers of Zuni Café and Michael Tusk of Quince, Jew, a third-generation Chinese-American, pivoted hard from European traditions in 2016 when he opened his modern Chinese restaurant Mr. Jiu’s. Located in the opulent old Seven Seas banquet hall, where his family celebrated milestones, Mr. Jiu’s offered Wagyu fried rice, dumplings stained vivid shades of beet and turmeric, and other dishes that ever so gently tweaked the food Jew had grown up eating. He opened a sultry cocktail bar called the Moongate Lounge upstairs in a room where wedding banquets used to take place. Mr. Jiu’s garnered rave reviews, earned a Michelin star, and, pre-pandemic, was often packed with a mix of ChineseAmericans, tourists, and the food-obsessed of all stripes.

At his takeout joint Mamahuhu, you can get dinner combos of free-range Kung Pao chicken and crunchy cabbage salad with locally grown vegetables, rounded out with a bottle Mendocino rosé.

His new book, Mr. Jiu’s In Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food, written with Tienlon Ho, is Jew’s graduate dissertation: a codification of his version of modern Chinese American food, paying respects to the source material while making it his own.

There’s a breakdown of the new Chinese pantry, recipes for classic sauces such as XO and basic chili oil, fermentation 101, charcuterie, and exquisite recipes, including rice noodle dim sum topped with Santa Barbara sea urchin, old-school sizzling rice soup, that cross-cultural hit orange chicken, and a master class in roast duck that takes 14 days start to finish. Here we share three delicious recipes from the book that make for a perfect Chinatown-inspired meal.

“ The recipes pay homage to the source material while tweaking it just so.”

3. Fill a 5-quart or larger Dutch oven with the neutral oil and secure a deep-fry thermometer on the side.

Set over medium-high heat and warm the oil to 375° F.

4. Meanwhile, drain the eggplant and dry very well with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup water, oyster sauce, fish sauce,

TAIWANESE-STYLE EGGPLANT

and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set this sauce aside.

“For this recipe, I prefer medium Chinese eggplants,

5. Add the sliced garlic to the oil and fry until crisp and light golden brown,

AC T I V E T I M E :

the pale purple, slender ones that are 10 to 12 inches

PLAN AHEAD:

calls for oil-blanching and, because eggplant is basi-

transfer them to a paper towel to

H O U R FO R

are saturated but not bloated. During frying, the water

6. Check that the oil in the Dutch oven

MAKES:

not at all oily. Cooking is really the study of water. It

SPECIAL

amount of water that remains in an ingredient after it

D E E P - F RY

through in the pan, whether it will soften, seize, crisp, or

SPIDER

vinegars, or alcohol. You’re creating barriers to water

2 5 M I N U T ES

long, over similar-looking but more bitter varieties. This

YO U ’ L L N E E D 1

cally a sponge, brining them for an hour first until they

BRINING

turns to steam and makes the eggplant creamy and

4 S E RV I N G S

takes water to grow everything, of course, and so the

EQUIPMENT:

is harvested or butchered dictates how it will heat

THERMOMETER,

caramelize. You’re adding water when you use stocks,

with starches. How you cut ingredients and the order in which you add them to the pan is about controlling

how and when they release the water inside them. Even the shapes of cooking vessels are about releasing or retaining moisture. When cooking with a wok, changes to water happen so quickly that split-second timing is essential.”

2 medium Chinese eggplants 1 qt. plus ¼ cup water 2 Tbsp. kosher salt 2 qt. neutral oil

3 Tbsp. oyster sauce 4 tsp. fish sauce

2¼ tsp. granulated sugar

5 garlic cloves; 2 thinly sliced, 3 finely chopped

1 red Fresno chili, cut into thin rings

¼ cup packed Thai or opal basil leaves, torn in half if large

1. Trim and discard the eggplant ends, then cut into thick wedges, like steak frites—first cut crosswise into three 3-inch chunks, then halve those

lengthwise repeatedly until you have 1-inch-thick wedges.

2. In a large bowl, combine 1 qt. of the water and the salt and whisk until

about 30 seconds. Use a spider to drain. is still at 375° F. Set up for the second fry by setting a dry wok or large skillet over high heat.

7. Carefully slide all the eggplant into the oil. Stir until the eggplant has darkened and caramelized at the edges, about 1 minute. Remove the eggplant with the spider and drain well over the Dutch oven, then transfer to the screaming-hot wok.

8. Immediately add the chopped garlic and most of the chili rings (reserve a few for garnish) to the eggplant in the wok and toss everything to combine. Add the reserved sauce and

WOK SALT A NUMBING BLEND GOOD FOR FINISHING ANYTHING FRIED.

Makes 1/3–½ cup 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. red Sichuan peppercorns 2 Tbsp. black peppercorns 2 tsp. white peppercorns 1 3 cup kosher salt 1. In a wok or a frying pan (large enough to hold the ingredients spread in an even layer) over medium heat, combine the white peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns and black peppercorns and toast, tossing or stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. If you see or smell anything more than a wisp of smoke, it’s probably best to start over.

2. Add salt and smash in the mortar or grind in the spice grinder, working in batches if necessary. Leave the Wok Salt coarse, like cracked pepper. Transfer to an airtight container; store in a cool, dry place; and use within a month or two.

continue to toss until the sauce thickens to a glaze and the eggplants are browned at the edges, about 1 minute. Add most of the basil leaves and toss until wilted.

9. Transfer the contents of the wok to a

the salt is dissolved. Add the egg-

serving platter. Crumble the fried

and let sit at room temperature for

plant with the rest of the basil and

plant, making sure it is submerged,

garlic and scatter it over the egg-

1 hour.

chili rings. Serve immediately.

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55

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID AC T I V E T I M E : 4 5 M I N U T ES

P L A N A H E A D : YO U ’ L L N E E D T I M E TO M A K E W O K SA LT

M A K E S : 4 TO 6 S E RV I N G S

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: DEEPF RY T H E R M O M E T E R

“Squid might be the most consistently available and superb seafood we

have in the Bay Area, thanks to the

Monterey Bay. The squid in those waters are just a few inches long, with

purple speckled skin and elongated

bodies. Because their flesh is so thin, they don’t work well for the cool Chinese techniques of scoring to turn

them into flowers, but they do stay

tender when cooked quickly, which

makes them perfect for frying with salt and pepper. This is one of the few

dishes I ever saw in Chinatown that involved green jalapeños. Now even in China, salt-and-pepper dishes use

“the Aztec’s chili.” It’s these cross-cultural exchanges materializing on the plate that make the regional cuisine here in California so exciting to me.”

1 medium jalapeño, thinly sliced crosswise and seeds removed

¼ cup premium soy sauce ( chāu)

, tàuh

One 2-lb. squid, or 1 lb. cleaned squid bodies and tentacles

1 1 3 cups cornstarch 1½ cups club soda 2

3

cup short-grain glutinous rice flour

(such as Mochiko)

½ cup rice flour (

, jīm máih fán)

4 tsp. Wok Salt (see sidebar)

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE 1 tsp. neutral oil

1 green onion, thinly sliced crosswise 1 tsp. roasted pecan oil or other toasted nut oil

½ tsp. champagne vinegar 1½ qt. neutral oil

Wok Salt (see sidebar)

¼ cup fresh parsley leaves

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves Kosher salt

56

SUNSET

“ Cross-cultural exchanges materializing on the plate make regional cuisine in California so exciting.”

1. In a small bowl, combine the jalape-

1½ qt. neutral oil and secure a deep-

ño and soy sauce and let marinate.

fry thermometer on the side. Set

2. Separate the squid body and tenta-

over medium-high heat and warm

cles by cutting right below the eyes.

the oil to 375° F, being careful to

Squeeze out and discard the hard

maintain this temperature as you fry.

beak from the tentacles; reserve the

6. Preheat the oven to 200°F.

tentacles. Holding the body, pull out

Fit a roasting wire rack over a

and discard the head, then the guts, ink sac, and clear skeleton. Working

baking sheet.

7. Toss the squid in the plain corn-

from the cut end of the body, grasp

starch until evenly coated. Tap off

the thin speckled skin, peel toward

the excess and then drop the squid

the tip, and discard. Rinse well.

into the wet batter, making sure ev-

Quarter the bodies lengthwise, then

ery crevice is coated. Transfer to a

cut in half crosswise to get 8 pieces

colander and shake the excess bat-

from each body.

3. Put 1 cup of the cornstarch in a large

ter back into the bowl.

8. A small handful at a time, slide the

bowl. In a separate large bowl, make

squid into the oil and fry, stirring oc-

a wet batter by whisking together

casionally to break up any pieces

the club soda, glutinous rice flour,

that stick together, until light golden

rice flour, wok salt, and remaining 1/3

brown, crisp, and cooked through,

cup cornstarch.

about 2 minutes. Transfer to the pre-

4. To make the vinaigrette: Warm a

pared rack, season generously with

small frying pan over medium heat.

more wok salt, and keep warm in the

Add the 1 tsp. neutral oil and let it heat up for a few seconds. Add the

oven as you fry the rest.

9. Whisk the vinaigrette again. Add the

green onion and sauté until soft-

parsley, cilantro, and jalapeño and

ened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a

soy sauce. Season with kosher salt

large bowl, add the pecan oil and

and toss to combine. Add the squid

vinegar, and whisk to combine.

and toss again. Serve while the

Set aside.

squid is hot with additional wok salt

5. Fill a wok or a Dutch oven with the

Brandon Jew’s Shortlist 3 MUST-TRY DISHES IN SAN FRANCISCO’S CHINATOWN

THE SPOT:

Hing Lung, 1261 Stockton Street

THE ORDER: Chinese BBQ

THE SPOT:

Eastern Bakery, 720 Grant Avenue

THE ORDER: Coffee crunch cake

THE SPOT:

Hon’s Wun-Tun House, 648 Kearny Street

THE ORDER:

Beef tendon and fish ball wonton soup with noodles

on the side.

Pick up a copy of Mr. Jiu’s In Chinatown for more inspired recipes from Brandon Jew. $40, PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

57

FILIPINO BARBECUE IS YOUR SUMMER COOKOUT SAVIOR. WHETHER IT’S SUCCULENT GRILLED CHICKEN OR ROTISSERIE PORK BELLY COOKED SLOW AND LOW OVER COALS, THE FOLKS BEHIND L.A.’S BREAKOUT TAKEOUT HIT LASITA SHOW YOU HOW IT’S DONE. Page

Story by H UG H GARVEY

58

Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY

three days before the one year anniversary of the California stay-at-home order, and Nico de Leon and Chase Valencia are, for the first time in a very long time, starting, just maybe, to relax. It’s a breezy afternoon, rain clouds blowing by, palm fronds whispering overhead.

“It’s almost tropical,” someone says. “This totally could be Manila,” says Nico as he fans oak logs smoldering under a glistening pork belly rotating on a rotisserie, the fat rendering from its crackling skin. It’s not the usual whole roasted pig lechon you see at Filipino parties and backyard barbecues throughout the West, but a porkbelly slab stuffed with stalks of lemongrass and ginger and other aromatics, guaranteeing the perfect ratio of crispy skin, unctuous fat, meat, and flavor in every bite.

Mesquite charcoal sparks unThis page: A pork der annatto-hued chicken on belly stuffed with the grill. Ice settles in a big ginger, lemongalvanized tub in which botgrass, and other aromatics slowly tles of natural wine, canned turns on the rococktails, and the Filipino tisserie. Oppostandard-issue beer San site: Nico de Miguel chill down. It’s the Leon bastes spatchcocked first party Nico and Chase chicken with a have thrown in a year and boy garlicky, buttery do they deserve it. annatto glaze.

Chase and Nico are the proprietors of Lasita in downtown L.A. The restaurant is the evolution of four-year-old Lasa, which sadly closed due to the pandemic last year. Instead of sit-down dining, the smaller, outdoor-only Lasita is a takeout window; instead of an evolving menu of Filipino classics and evolutions, it’s a tightly edited menu of Filipino basics spun just so. “It’s a Filipino rotisserie and natural wine bar in Chinatown,” says Chase. “You can’t get any more L.A. than that.” Yes, there’s garlic rice, a gauntlet thrown down in front of fast-food chain Jollibee, but also chicken fat rice, flavored with lemongrass and garlic and stained turmeric yellow. Roast chicken sold in wholes and halves. Quick pickled vegetables to reset the palate.

Smashed cucumber salad draped with coconut green goddess dressing.

There’s also raw wine sold by the bottle, and it turns out the low-intervention, funky, tangy, and sometimes fizzy wines go exceptionally well with the rich and bright spectrum of flavors on the menu. And in the backyard today that stellar food and the wine is the star. Instead of pushing it

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

61

CHASE’S FAVE FILIPINO-FOODFRIENDLY NATURAL WINES 2019 CELLER TUETS, TOT BLANC “Tropical aromas with hints of citrus pith and salinity on the palate. This white has a balance of savory and aromatic with a nice mineral backbone.”

2019 A BOIRE, NE SOUS X “Fun burnt-sunset-orange hue in the glass. Light on the palate at first, then ends with a spritzy mineral finish. A complex and highenergy skin-contact wine.”

2019 JOAN RAMON ESCODA, NAS DEL GEGANT “One of my favorite producers. A mediumbodied and fresh red wine from Catalunya. On the nose, ripe red fruit and Mediterranean forest. On the palate, cola vibes with hints of earth and spices.”

2018 LA PETITE BAIGNEUSE, JUSTE CIEL “A full-bodied and energetic white wine.

Philippe’s high-altitude vineyards are located in Perpignan, 20 kilometers from the coast, resulting in a bright and fresh cuvée.”

2019 LAURENT LEBLED, LA SAUVIGNONNE. “A lively textured and aromatic carbonic skincontact wine with hints of salted citrus and apricot.”

through the takeout window, they’re settling into Monday night (the standard chef’s day off) and have gathered their friends and staff for a cookout to celebrate what’s so far been a successful restaurant opening. The staff have gotten the vaccine and are onto their second shots. You could say they’ve also got a second shot at restaurant success, thanks in large part to the lechon, and mostly to the spectacular chicken.

To put this dish in context, it must be pointed out that roast chicken, rotisserie and otherwise, is a capital-T Thing in L.A.: There’s the Japanese-Peruvian Pollo alla Brasa, roasted over

Opposite (clockwise from top left): Scott Barros, Kaylie Miraflores, Steff Barros Valencia, Nico de Leon, Chase Valencia, Vi Nguyen. This page: Natural wine and sparkling canned craft cocktails from L.A.’s Vervet; the Lasita crew tuck into dinner.

cords of wood and beloved by Nancy Silverton and residents of K Town, served with a zippy green sauce of serranos cut with lettuce, the better to stretch the sauce and barely tame the heat; the za’atar-spiked bird at Kismet; Zankou’s version served with whipped garlic sauce that adds heat and lusciousness and garlicky bite. One and all they’re beloved for their succulent meat, skin charred just so, and complex flavors that inspire bite after bite.

The chicken inasal at Lasita is all of those things and more: lemongrassimbued, annatto-stained, caramelized, and altogether glorious.

So today, Nico brushes the chicken

as it sits just to the left of the coals, the heat of the mesquite setting the glaze. The chicken has been marinated in brine spiked with the calamansi juice, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and bay leaves before being spatchcocked and splayed flat to better take the heat. Chase’s wife Steff cues up the soundtrack of reggaeton and hiphop. “This is my day-drinking playlist,” she says. Chase uncorks another bottle of funky fizzy natural wine.

Guests huddle under the tree as a sun shower blows through, giving way to blue sky. They settle at the table, hoist their fizzy wines to the sky, and toast to Lasita.

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

63

GRILLED CHICKEN INASAL “Just the right amount of salt and sweet and bright and savory flavors.

Plan ahead to let the chicken marinate fully overnight to absorb the flavors. Brushing the chicken with the aromatic butter baste gives the chicken even more flavor and the most beautiful color.”

MARINADE:

1 whole 3 ½ pound chicken 4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped and smashed

1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and smashed

4 Red Thai chilies, sliced

1 cup coconut vinegar (distilled white vinegar and rice vinegar work, too)

¼ cup calamansi or lemon juice ¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. black pepper, toasted and cracked

3 Tbsp. kosher salt BASTE:

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 stalks lemongrass, chopped and smashed

1 1-inch piece of Ginger, peeled and smashed

2 Tbsp. annatto oil *

½ tsp. turmeric powder 1 bay leaf

½ lb. unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp. calamansi or lemon juice *ANNATTO OIL:

¼ cup annatto seed, whole or ground 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola

marinate in the refrigerator over-

1. Spatchcock your chicken by cutting down the length of the spine on

night, or for at least 4 hours.

3. At least an hour before cook time,

each side with kitchen shears and

remove the chicken from the fridge

it, and apply pressure to the breast

ature. Start your grill, implementing

couple of pops which will help your

and hot spot), and let it get to rough-

remove back. Open the bird, flatten

and allow to come to room temper-

like you’re doing CPR. You’ll hear a

the two-zone method (warm spot,

bird lie flatter. Trim excess fat from

ly 350° F.

the opening of the neck and the bot-

4. Make the basting liquid by steeping

tom of the thighs, and reserve.

all aromatics in the melted butter,

in a 1-gallon Ziploc bag, then add

mansi or lemon juice after it is

then blend and strain. Add the cala-

2. Combine the marinade ingredients the chicken, squeezing out all the air before sealing it. Then give your

5. Remove chicken from marinade, pat

chicken a nice massage. Let it

64

blended. Set aside.

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

dry, and remove any and all loose

aromatics from the skin. Apply one coat of the baste with a brush to

both sides of the chicken. Then place the chicken, flesh side down, on the warm spot of the grill and close the

lid. After 15 minutes come back and baste the skin side. Repeat until the

internal temperature of the thighs hit 165° F, roughly 40–45 minutes.

6. For the last 5–10 minutes, flip the

chicken over and place it skin side down on the hot side of the grill.

Baste the flesh side a couple of

times before removing. Apply one

last sprinkle of salt. Serve alongside chicken fat rice, and enjoy!

TOYOMANSI CHICKEN FAT RICE “This recipe of chicken fat rice utilizes the bits of excess fat and skin used when preparing the meat for the marinade,” says Nico. “To collect the rendered chicken fat (a.k.a. schmaltz), place the trimmed fat from the spatchcocked chicken in a small saucepan cold, then place over low heat. The fat will begin to render, and the skin will begin to turn yellowish and wrinkly. You’ll know you’re spot on when the skin will begin to brown. EAT THOSE BROWN BITS!!! Then set aside the rendered chicken fat.”

RICE:

4 cups jasmine rice 6 cups Water SEASONING:

½ cup rendered chicken fat 1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. annatto oil 2 Tbsp. salt

1. Wash your rice at least three times, until the water runs clear. This re-

moves excess starch and guaran-

tees individual kernels of rice. Place in a lidded pot and add water until

there’s one finger knuckle between the rice and the surface of the wa-

“This condiment is an essential one for the Filipino household.

The name is derived from two words: ‘toyo,’ which means soy sauce, and ‘calamansi,’ which is our native citrus and kind of tastes like a cross between a mandarin and a lime. We eat it with nearly every grilled or fried protein alongside a massive pile of steamed rice. It offers an extra bit of salt, umami, and acid to everything you pair it with.”

½ cup soy Sauce

¼ cup

calamansi juice*

*If you do not have access to this fruit, it can be easily substituted with yuzu juice, lemon juice, or even a mix of lime and mandarin orange juices.

SMASHED CUCUMBERS WITH COCONUT GREEN GODDESS “This side dish is the best compliment to these rich and tasty proteins, especially in the summer after standing over a hot grill under the strong L.A. sun. This dish is a fun play on something familiar, but we made it Pinoy.”

CUCUMBERS:

6 Persian cucumbers, cut into thirds

and smashed with the back of a knife

½ tsp. salt

COCONUT GREEN GODDESS DRESSING ½ bunch mint

½ bunch cilantro ½ bunch parsley

ter. Put the lid on and heat over high

½ bunch Thai basil

heat as much as possible. Wait 10–

2 garlic cloves

and fluff it when it’s done.

1 cup coconut cream

rice, making sure to mix, fold, and

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra

ange. Check the seasoning and

1 Tbsp. salt

until the water boils, then lower the

½ bunch scallion greens

15 minutes until checking the rice,

2 cups yogurt

2. Add the seasoning to the fluffed

fluff till all the rice is a beautiful orkeep warm.

1. Smash the cucumbers, place into

½ cup lemon juice

a bowl, salt, and set aside.

2. Blend all the ingredients for the

green goddess. Adjust with salt if necessary.

3. Smear a nice puddle of green god-

dess at the bottom of a chilled plate or bowl, and loosely pile on the cu-

cumbers. Drizzle with EVOO and add some crunchy salt and other

crunchy things (e.g., fried shallots, fried garlic, puffed rice, toasted

breadcrumbs), maybe a squeeze of lemon—and enjoy!

for drizzling

½ tsp. ground black pepper

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

65

LECHON CEBUANO a.k.a. CEBUCHON “When sourcing your pork belly, look for whole boneless slabs with the skin on,” says Nico.

“Most Asian groceries will sell this, but you need to let them know you want the WHOLE SLAB with the SKIN ON. Some other markets and specialty butcher shops can help source it as well. And recently many wholesale meat purveyors have been offering their services to the public. Look for a good meat-to-fat ratio and an even width throughout for the best results.”

1 pork belly, skin on

the length of the belly, being care-

adding water as necessary and ro-

½ cup kosher salt

salt into the flesh, then arrange all

Remove foil. Crank the oven to

(roughly 10–12 pounds)

4 stalks lemongrass, smashed

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced lengthwise

16 garlic cloves, smashed

2 red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

5 bay leaves

1. Pat dry pork belly and place skin

side up on a large cutting board.

Using a sharp paring knife or safety pin, repeatedly stab the entirety of the skin to create hundreds of tiny

holes. This process takes time but is extremely important in getting crispy skin.

2. Flip over to the flesh side and score

deeply with a knife every inch down

ful not to puncture the skin. Rub the the aromatics in the center going lengthwise, maintaining an even distribution of ingredients.

3. Roll the pork belly crosswise into a

log, and tie up with butcher’s twine, first securing the very center, then the ends, then the gaps in be-

tween. Eventually, there should be

twine every inch or two. (It helps to have a buddy during this part!)

4. To cook in an oven: Preheat the

oven to 350° F. Wrap the lechon in foil and place on rack on a sheet tray. Place the sheet tray in the

center of the oven, and fill the tray

with water (this allows the rendered fat to collect on the water and not

burn on the tray). Cook for 2½ hours,

tating the tray every 30 minutes.

500° F, roast another 30 minutes,

paying close attention to the skin so it does not burn. Skip to step 7!

5. To cook on a rotisserie: Light your fire/coals and let burn till red hot and there are no flames. Place

your rotisserie setup at least 12 to 15

inches from the coals so the lechon doesn’t burn before it fully cooks.

6. Wrap the lechon in foil for the first

half-hour, then uncover. Let it cook for 3 hours, monitoring the last

30 minutes the most to make sure the skin isn’t burning. It should be golden and extremely crispy.

7. Very important: Let your lechon rest for at least 30 minutes before removing the twine and slicing.

MELÓN “This childhood favorite is a really easy yet a very impactful way to highlight a sweet summer staple,” says Nico.

“Simply called Melón, it’s just a mixture of cantaloupe, crushed ice, sugar, and, depending on your personal preference, milk or water. My family grew up having it with milk, so it’s my personal preference, plus the sweetness of the milk gives me cereal milk vibes, which is always nice.”

1 cup simple syrup

1 large cantaloupe, peeled and shredded 8 cups whole milk

8 cups crushed ice

1. Make simple syrup by combining 1 cup water and 1 cup

sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until sugar has fully dissolved, then pour into a heat-safe container and let cool.

2. Peel and deseed cantaloupe, then use the largest hole in a box grater to shred the cantaloupe into a large bowl.

3. Fill a rocks glass halfway with crushed ice, fill the rest with

the strips of cantaloupe, add milk to fill ¾ of the glass, then a splash of simple syrup, and give it a stir.

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AT THE FAR END OF A DUSTY STREET IN A SPAGHETTI WESTERN HIGHDESERT TOWN, A SALOON SLAKES THE THIRST OF LOCALS AND ROVING NOMADS LOOKING TO GET OUT OF DODGE. WE’VE GOT THE SKINNY ON THE JOINT AND A FEW RECIPES THAT ARE A BIG STEP UP FROM A SHOT AND A BEER. PULL UP A STOOL AND STAY AWHILE. Story by H U G H GARVEY

Photographs by TH O MAS J. STO RY

ou could swear you hear the jingle of spurs when you walk the dusty main street of Pioneertown, California, and find yourself hitting the cadence of a gunslinger’s saunter. You pass the apothecary, the potter, and the Likker Barn. Old TV fantasies of a West that never was die hard in Pioneertown, the little Roy Rogers–built cowboy town that served as a set for the Cisco Kid, Gene Autry shows, and other black-and-white Westerns. Virtually unchanged in its 75 years, Pioneertown is an easy drive from Los Angeles and checks the boxes of so many of the clichés, which goes toward explaining why there’s a 50/50 ratio of families and Echo Park hipsters on any given weekend. There’s an OK Corral, its sign and posts framing the mountains and nothing much else. Hitching posts, discarded wagon wheels, and a little church where people still come for worship.

You stomp your way up onto the porch of the Red Dog Saloon, belly up to the mobile bar (which they’ve pushed to the door to keep outdoor dining and drinking where it should be for now) and you order yourself... a barrel-aged Negroni.

Cowboys drink much better cocktails than they used to at the Red Dog. The Red Dog Saloon is the latest endeavor of Mike and Matt French, two brothers who took over Pioneertown’s neglected motel some six years ago and turned it into a just-right escape for visitors to Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley, and whoever else is searching for that ever-diminishing sense of being on the edge of nowhere, without having to travel too far. The motel became the preferred crash pad for rock climbers, European tourists searching for the real “America,” and folks checking out bands at Pappy and Harriet’s, the restaurant and bar known for its Santa Maria–style barbecue and ability to get folks like Paul McCartney,

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RIEF HISTORY A B

of the

RED DOG SALOON THEN Pioneertown was established in 1946 by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and a dozen more rebellious actors who bucked the Hollywood machine by building their own Western film sets just on the outskirts of union jurisdiction.

The Red Dog Saloon was a cornerstone for many scenes shot for Western films and episodes of the Gene Autry Show. It also became the local hangout for the cast and crew. The original owners were Don Kokx and Al Lipps.

Starting in 1948, the “offroad” Pioneertown Pass Golf Tournament was founded and is still played today.

Mike and Matt French on the steps of the Red Dog Saloon

Leon Russell, and Lucinda Williams to play a spot smaller and more remote than their usual concert venues. While travel restrictions were in place, that didn’t keep the high desert from becoming the escape for city dwellers in Southern California and nearby states. It’s got all the good stuff you want these days: fancy soaps infused with desert botanicals, Pendleton blankets, cornhole and wooden benches and firepits out back so you can look up at the stars. The brothers have a knack for reviving neglected spots with good bones. Their reboot of Captain Whidbey Inn on an island near Seattle is a case study in Wes Anderson–adjacent hospitality design. And now it has the Red Dog, which opened in the thick of the pandemic. Right about when everybody desperately needed a drink.

Just as the Pioneertown Motel upgraded the amenities and style quotient, at the Red Dog they serve drinks that are a serious step up from a shot and a beer.

The Frenches brought on bartender Eric Alperin of the pioneering (pun intended) modern speakeasy the Varnish and his brother Jean-Michel, among other heavy hitters from L.A.’s hospitality scene. The house cocktails are all prebatched, a combination of top-shelf spirits and mixers. The consistency of pours and ratios ensures a consistently delicious drink, each Manhattan as dialed in as the next. And that’s where the bells and whistles stop and the nostalgia comes back. The Red Dog is the kind of saloon they don’t make anymore, with the right kind of wrong wood paneling, vintage neon beer signs, mismatched naugahyde swivel stools, and gouged up bartop with hundreds of names carved into it—including Pappy’s and Harriet’s, who evidently would steal away for a drink here when not minding their own bar.

And so on a sunny late spring day with the world a happier place than it was the previous spring, you see more and more smiles on faces up and down the

It caught fire in 1959 but didn’t burn down and was quickly repaired.

Pioneertown and the Red Dog Saloon appeared in films such as The Valiant Hombre (1948), The Gay Amigo (1949) and Satan’s Cradle (1949).

Dazzlin’ Dallas Morley was a major presence at the Red Dog from her arrival in 1949 until she passed in 2004.

She was known to tickle the ivories and dance seductively on the bar.

The second time it burned (this time all the way to the ground) was on April 8, 1966. Although arson was suspected (another Mane Street restaurant burned down two days later), the official cause was attributed to a faulty stove. It was fully rebuilt.

In 1966–67, while living in Palm Springs, Elvis would see shows at the Cantina (now Pappy & Harriet’s) and throw back beers at the Red Dog.

In the mid ‘70s, Peggy Ellsworth, formerly Miss Michigan, hosted yoga in the day and the Hell’s Angels in the evening.

NOW After lying dormant in the ‘80s, the saloon was purchased by Ben Loescher and Jenny LaNicca, the current owners and landlords.

In 2019, Adam Weisblatt, Eric Alperin, Holly Fox, Jean Michel Alperin, Ari Kolender, Jeffery Baker, and Mike Santos joined forces with Loescher and the Frenches to reopen the Red Dog Saloon.

main street of Pioneertown, and on the porch of the Red Dog there are daytrippers, rock climbers, and families tucking into tacos and eating chips and the kind of chunky guacamole that just calls for a margarita. If you can’t make it to the Red Dog, we’ve got some of their recipes here, along with their backstory narrated by saloon partner and bartender Eric Alperin. Read on, drink up, and dream of a town and a time that never were.

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Lightning Margarita “Born of the need to serve 50,000 cocktails over a weekend musical festival known as Lightning in a Bottle, our partners Jean Michel and Jeffery have come up with a fresh and speedy spicy margarita that now lives on our Red Dog taps,” says Eric. “We batch fresh ingredients daily into a quarter keg that we blast through everyday.”

2 oz. Tepozan Blanco tequila

Method: Measure all ingre-

½ oz. spicy agave syrup (see

Add 5 ice cubes and shake

¾ oz. fresh lime juice below)

½ oz. cucumber juice 1 cucumber wheel

dients in a cocktail shaker.

for 8 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice

and garnish with a cucumber wheel.

PRO TIP

Peel and cut tips

off cucumbers before juicing them in a centrifugal juicer.

Dazzlin’ Dallas Manhattan

2 oz. Old Forester 100-proof rye

“Dazzlin’ Dallas Morley was a bawdy burlesque performer who tickled the ivories with ol’ west standards on the Red Dog piano that still exists today,” says Eric. “So in honor of her strong, spicy, and sweet personality we tweaked a Manhattan with some Mexican chocolate bitters and served it over a big rock of ice.”

2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole

HOW TO MAKE

Spicy Agave Syrup

1 oz. Carpano Antica vermouth Bitters

2 brandied cherries

1 extra-large ice cube Method: Measure all ingredients into a whiskey glass. Add a single large rock of ice and stir 7 times. Garnish with brandied cherries.

In a medium saucepan, combine ¼ cup water, 2 jalapeños (stemmed and sliced lengthwise), 1 Tbsp. navel orange zest, 3 mint leaves of mint, and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, then strain syrup into a measuring cup. Mix in twice as much light amber agave as water (probably about 6 oz.) and reserve for use.

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Michelada “We have two styles, a savory and a sweet. Our savory (pictured here) is our traditional red Michelada. Known as the Bloody Mary of beer cocktails, we use a few household ingredients balanced out with our house favorite Modelo and a rimmed glass of Tajín.”

1½ oz. Worcestershire sauce 1 oz. Valentina hot sauce 4½ oz. Zing Zang Tajín

1 oz. fresh lime juice

12 oz. can of Modelo Especial 1 lime wedge

Method: Make the Roja by combining

Worcestershire sauce, Valentina, and

Zing Zang in a small bowl. (This makes enough for 6 Micheladas.) Rim a pint glass with Tajín, then fill it with ice.

Add 1 oz. Roja, lime juice, and about

half the beer. Gently stir with a spoon.

Top with remaining beer. Garnish with lime.

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Cowboy Coffee

2 oz. Dewar’s Ilegal Scotch

“It sure can get nippy upstairs in the high desert.

We wanted a Western twist on the Irish classic, so we followed the tried-and-true recipe while swapping in rich molasses and a mezcal-cask-finished blended Scotch.”

½ oz. molasses

6 oz. drip coffee

¾ oz. whipped cream grated nutmeg

Method: In a mug, gently stir together whiskey, molasses, and coffee. Top with

whipped cream and add a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Paloma

2 oz. Rayu Espadin mezcal

“We love classics, and the dusty desert screams agave spirits. We doctored our own Paloma using mezcal over tequila and have canned it for on- and off-premise consumption.

This was a very successful COVID pivot, and now we’ve put a few other cocktails in our proprietary can.”

½ oz. fresh lime juice

1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice ½ oz. simple syrup ½ oz. soda water GARNISHES:

Grapefruit peel Sea salt

Method: Measure all ingredients (except soda and garnishes) in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake for

5 seconds. Strain into a highball glass with fresh ice, top with soda. Garnish with grapefruit peel and salt.

HOW TO MAKE

Simple Syrup

In a sealable container, mix 1 quart hot water and 750 grams superfine sugar.

Cover container and shake vigorously.

Transfer to a glass bottle for storage.

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WT: XXX PF: XX ZO: XX

page

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Inspiration Station.

From flooring to fences, faucets to furniture, finials to front doors, it’s all here inside the Sunset Idea Hub. We’re pulling inspiration from design influencers, architects and DIY pros to inspire you to create the home you can’t wait to come home to. Plus our new Idea House Workbook series reveals tips, tricks and hacks from home-renovation experts.

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4/14/21 9:39 AM

T R AV E L

&

ESCAPES

Van Life for All

KALEN THORIEN

The open road was closed for much of the past year, but with travel on the horizon we’ve gathered the routes, the recs, the gear, and the strategies for nomads of every skill level to go wild in the wide-open West. Herewith, the new rules of the road. No van required. Story by SU N S ET STAFF

Adventurer Kalen Thorien drives Cottonwood Wash Road, one of the many backroads of the Grand Staircase-Ecalante National Monument. Follow her lead and access it from Kodachrome Basin State Park .

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Secret Southern Utah

Kalen Thorien Adventurer and photographer, Salt Lake City, Utah T H E E X P E R T:

Thorien and her pup Gus at Crack Canyon, near Goblin Valley State Park.

GEAR UP

Big Agnes Tent

Trail Switchbacks. Continue to Boulder for a mandatory stop at Hell’s Backbone Grill. After you roll yourself out of the restaurant, make the quick drive to Escalante National Monument where camping and views are endless. Next stop is Kodachrome State Park, rightfully named for its stunning array of colors and rock formations, and then on to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, where pinkhued dunes collide with red rock to form an otherworldly landscape. Relax with a cold drink and a stunning sunset while you debate ever returning to real life.

A TIGHTLY CURATED KIT OF JUST THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT MEANS YOU’RE ALWAYS ROAD-READY

Not too big and not too

Mystery Ranch Mission Stuffel

Biolite Alpine Glow

Jet Boil

Leatherman Signal

right for last-minute over-

purpose-built packs for

able, dimmable lights

turn colors for an on-the-

system boils water in

sturdy Signal includes

small, bikepacks are just

night hikes, rides, or spurof-the-moment car

camping. Big Agnes’s new Tigerwall UL2 two-person bikepack tent packs up

small and is dyed with a win-win low-water, low-

carbon-footprint process that also makes it more UV-resistant.

$449.95, BIGAGNES.COM

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Mystery Ranch makes

fire jumpers and other

outdoor pros and joes.

Their new duffel bag

stuffs down into a stow-

able disk and boasts four handles, shoulder straps, and handy voluminous pockets for shoes and dirty clothes.

FROM $79.99; MYSTERYRANCH.COM

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Not only do these rechar-

go disco, they also have USB ports for charging

your devices while in the great outdoors. (Is that

cheating?) Use the hook to hang inside your tent or clip on your pack for ambient lighting on a night hike.

$70; BIOLITEENERGY.COM

The Jetboil Zip cooking about two minutes and is a tiny saving grace for

making pasta, oatmeal,

hot chocolate, or coffee in the morning. The cooking vessel also stores the

burner and fuel when not in use. Perfect for solo travelers as an extra

burner for your stove. $84.95; JETBOIL.COM

The OG multitool maker’s many a campsite-friendly tool: built-in firestarter,

beer-bottle opener, hammer for pounding stakes, a mini saw, and optional

ratchet driver. Pro tip: Get one in a bright colorway so it stands out if you

drop it into the grass or the dirt.

$120.95, LEATHERMAN.COM

THORIEN: IAN CROSSETT

RU LE #1

For me, it’s all about the dogs, good camping, and yummy food, so an easy choice is a road trip through Southern Utah that hits the national monuments and state parks often overshadowed by the surrounding national parks. From Salt Lake City, head south to Goblin Valley State Park, where you can immerse yourself in psychedelic hoodoos and excellent camping. As you head west, make a stop at Stan’s Burger Shack in Hanksville then continue on highway 24 toward Capitol Reef NP. If you’re feeling adventurous, take a left on NotomBullfrog Road to the famous Burr

T H E T IP

KALEN THORIEN

PACK RIGHT

With over 3 miles of switchbacks the Moki Dugway is Thorien’s suggested approach to southern Utah if coming from northern Arizona.

“I always bring my Backcountry All Around duffels for gear, clothes, and dog supplies.

They’re extremely rugged, have internal waterproofing, and can be carried like a backpack or slung over the shoulder.”

ONE NIGHT AND THREE MEALS LATER, I’M TOTALLY INTO CAMPING

RULE #2

DRINK UP THREE ESSENTIAL BEVERAGES TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR TRUSTY SUPPLY OF H20.

ASSISTANT EDITOR MAGDALENA O’NEAL ON THE NEWFOUND PLEASURES OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

sleep in a hippie yurt. I’d rough it in a nearby tent.

Knowing my dad would only be a scream away instilled the camping confidence Evelynn told me I would need to tap into.

She mentioned food should be kept simple, things like chili or PB&J’s. I planned a menu: Red wine would be served alongside cacio e pepe. Totally simple, I thought as I grated cheese and prepped and prepacked my ingredients like my own private chef. Breakfast would be soft-boiled eggs and oatmeal. TCHO Drinking Chocolate accompanied by a copy of Kwame Onwuachi’s memoir, “Notes from a Young Black Chef,” would be my final course.

Upon arriving at the site, I found a clearing that showed a sliver of ocean in the distance and felt myself relax in a way I hadn’t for, well, the entirety of the pandemic. Assembling my tent, I realized I’d forgotten a hammer to secure the stakes. I heard Evelynn’s voice in my head reminding me, “For some hikes, all you need is a water bottle.” I grabbed my “I [heart] SF” water bottle and used its base to pound the stakes into the ground.

Around three, I started dinner. Water was Jetboiled, pasta was added, strained, mixed with butter and cheese, a drizzle of sage oil, and a few large pinches of pepper. The combination of melting Carmody and Pepato cheeses, crisp mountain air, and view of nothing but ocean and trees and sky amplified the flavors of every bite, sharpened my senses, and made me very happy that I hadn’t just packed a can of chili and a sandwich. I sparked up the Jetboil for some cocoa, savored the brew, crawled into my sleeping bag, and dozed off in a chocolate haze.

After waking before dawn, I ate the soft eggs and oatmeal while warming my hands over the steam of my coffee. By eight the sun was high in the sky and I began to pack up my site. I considered my trip a success; I had spent the most delicious night ever alone in the wilderness. As I write this back in my favorite pink place (a.k.a. my apartment), I can close my eyes and feel the pebbles in my back as I roll off of my sleeping pad in the night, and yet I can’t wait to do it all again.

Recover 180

A long day behind the wheel or a hard day on the trails can leave you high and dry, and far from a fresh water source. Pack this electrolyte-loaded recovery

drink for an instant hard reset to recharge for another day of exploring.

DRINKRECOVER.COM

Tolago Hard Seltzer

A crew of L.A. creatives and ath-

letes collaborated on this grownup

version of what all the cool kids are drinking. Keep some chilled in the cooler to crack open

when you’ve settled in for the night.

TOLAGOHARDSELTZER.COM

Equator Instant Coffee Oakland, California–based

Equator’s instant coffee is singleorigin, Fair Trade, and organic and makes early-morning starts easy and delicious.

EQUATORCOFFEES.COM

O’NEAL: WILLIAM O’NEAL

While I never considered the outdoors to be an enemy, we’re definitely not close friends. Family trips throughout my childhood included bonfires and, as I recall so clearly, no toilets. My apartment is warm, covered in pink décor, and has a fully stocked fridge and a TV that plays ocean sounds while I sleep. It is hands-down my favorite place.

Why would I leave?

So when my boss asked me to spend a night camping for this issue, I responded with an “uuuuhhhh” and then an excited “yes!” Realizing I needed professional advice, I called Evelynn Escobar, founder of HikeClerb in Los Angeles. HikeClerb’s mission aims to equip BIPOC women with the tools, resources, and experience they need to collectively heal in nature.

Evelynn suggested I try primitive camping, but if I was going to use nature’s toilet, I would do it in the most private of forests I could find. My dad offered to accompany me to a faraway spot on land a friend owns in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He’d

RULE #3

Keep Your Cool

The Yeti Roadie 24 is our favorite road-trip cooler. It’s light but sturdy and wellinsulated, can perch in the footwell of your vehicle to keep snacks chilled and within reach, and is tall enough to accommodate bottles of wine. $199.99, YETI.COM

BRING THE KITCHEN

GOOD (AND GOOD-LOOKING) CAMP COOKING GEAR MAKES EATING ON THE ROAD MORE SATISFYING AND STYLISH THAN EVER

Grill On the Go

This handsome and lightweight portable gaspowered Kuchoma grill from Primus lets you spark it up and get straight to cooking, without having to worry about packing in and cleaning out pesky pans and skillets. $189.96, PRIMUS.US

THOMAS J. STORY

Board Certified

Prep and serve your meal with this compact kit that includes a sharp scaled-down chef’s knife, an oak board that can serve as a plate, and washable case that expands your prep area and keeps it all tidy. $69.95, PRIMUS.US

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

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Healey hits nearby Brainard Lake in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness to paddle her Oru. RULE #4

CAMP CULTURED PACK ITEMS TO STREAM, PLAY, AND READ ALONG YOUR JOURNEY

Sonos Roam

The most compact, portable, and

road-trip-ready Sonos yet: With 10 hours of playback time and a waterproof and dustproof casing, it makes nature your concert hall. $169, SONOS.COM

Fender Zuma Classic Concert Ukelele

Named after the iconic Malibu

beach and lacquered an aquatic blue, this uke is ideal for

California campfire jams. $169.99, FENDER.COM

Find Your Vista T H E E X P E R T:

The Pendleton Field Guide to Campfire Stories Tales of adventure, naturalism, and love of the great outdoors

from everyone from Henry David Thoreau to Alex Honnold. $19.95, PENDLETON-USA.COM

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

I absolutely love Dead Horse Point in southern Utah. The vista provides views of the expanse of Canyonlands National Park and is truly awe-inspiring. Moab is a must-stop on the way.

It has cell service unlike Dead Horse and Canyonlands NP. Stop at Sweet Cravings Bakery + Bistro to fuel up on tasty snacks and coffee for the trip.

T H E T IP “I always bring my Somewear Satellite Communicator with me along with lots of layers for chilly evenings, and, of course, my camera.”

IG: @CHRISTINHEALEY

Christin Healey Endurance Athlete and Photographer, Boulder, Colorado

RULE #5

RIDE RIGHT

Whether you want to buy or try, there’s a vehicle for every taste The Home Away

Book a Roving Room

CABANA Rentable vans with all the amenties of a hotel, including a subway-tiled bathroom and flat screen TV. Available in Seattle and L.A. FROM $189, CABANA.LIFE

THE LIVING VEHICLE This trailer sets the new standard for full-t ime, off-g rid, solar -powered living.

FROM $229,9 95, LIVIN GVEH ICLE.C OM

The Vintage Advantage

VINTAGE SURFARI Beach camp up the PCH in a throwback VW Vanagon or modern Eurovan from this Costa Mesa rental company. FROM $149, VWSURFARI.COM

The Rolling Office

AIRSTREAM FLYING CLOUD 30 FB OFFICE This Flying Cloud boasts a dedicated office tricked out with USB ports and room for an ergonomic chair. FROM $107,500,

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: MATT WIER; ERIC FALLECKER; THE CAMPER CARTEL; © PETER HOLCOMBE; AIRSTREAM; CABANA

AIRSTREAM.COM

The New Pop-Top

WINNEBAGO SOLIS Sleep comfortably under the stars with the rugged-luxe Solis, tricked out with offgrid-ready solar and flexible sleeping and seating.

FROM $107,821, WINNEBAGO.COM

Gram and Go

THE CAMPER CARTEL This Topanga-based company offers stylish vehicle rentals ready for the road—or your Instagram feed. FROM $175, THECAMPERCARTEL.COM

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

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IT’S OK TO BE COMFORTABLE

Individual perception of camping is prone to vary as much as the gear, clothing, or food that outdoors enthusiasts lug along. For some reason, most of my camping experience has been spent under the assumption that it should remain as inherently primitive as possible. Even when I finally accepted the concept of car camping, an activity I dived into with the purchase of a 17-year-old Nissan Xterra, I remained under the impression it should be unrefined in its nature.

So, I explored boondocking (aka parking your vehicle overnight wherever you can getaway with it), a camping method I perceived as utter luxury in comparison to frozen hands hammering tent stakes into a frigid mountainside. After all, keeping dry during a torrential downpour the first few nights of my inaugural car-camping road trip was sheer bliss.

Of course, boondocking didn’t come without its headaches—notably, the continually evolving conundrum of finding a place to park. Graduateschool-level research was often required to decipher exactly which Walmart parking lots allowed overnight parking and which did not.

Once I found a lot perceived as permissible, the “What if they just haven’t updated the listing?” paranoia would seize, a concern intensified by the slow pass of an occasional police car. And while a blue tarp draped across the windows did little to shield against the anxiety, it still felt like a step up from a tradition of self-inflicted misery. So, when a recent camping adventure through southern Utah arose courtesy of the Las Vegas–based

84

Pacific Overlander, it presented a significant adjustment.

Poring over the list of the off-road, camping-modified Toyota 4Runner’s amenities was like reading an inventory of Ariel’s human artifacts in The Little Mermaid. The Toyota had gadgets and gizmos aplenty. It had whozits and whatzits galore. Thingamabobs? It had 20. And still, it had more.

The Toyota was a Waldorf Astoria compared to my now-shameful Xterra, a vehicle that touted a suspension so comically shot that a minor bump on a highway would send the vehicle into a side-to-side lurch like a tattered canoe on rough seas.

In addition to the 4Runner’s AluCab pop-up tent, which assembled in roughly 10 seconds and came equipped with a 3.5-inch memory foam mattress, the vehicle was outfitted with myriad creature comforts that, with my primitive background, were more akin to glamping. Among them, it boasted: Camping chairs and table, an allweather awning, refrigerator-freezer combo, dual-burner stove and propane tank. A full complement of cookware, silverware, plates, coffee press, kettle, mugs, and cleaning materials. Camp lantern, solar shower bag, first-aid kit, LTE mobile WiFi hotspot. The list continues, but you get the gist.

Galivanting around Utah was a breeze in this opulent chariot. Temperatures dipping into the low-20s in the Zion National Park region, meanwhile, were a non-factor in the toasty confines of the thick-walled tent.

(Spooning helped, too. My cousin

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Shaun is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother, and our spoonthusiasm traces its roots from family camping trips and four years in the Marine Corps to—now, in our mid-30s—a diminishing tolerance for the cold.)

The combination of age and exposure to lavishness—at least compared to my conventional methods— also began to diminish my tolerance for previously held camping preferences. “Is this what I’ve been missing out on all these years?” I found myself wondering.

While I have no doubt that I’ll continue to embark on camping treks deficient of modern comforts, the aforementioned amenities on my trip through Utah did indeed yield an evolution of sorts. Camping, for me, no longer has to be primordial to consider it worthwhile.

In fact, I wouldn’t mind making this approach my new norm. If someone would just be willing to donate an off-road-modified 4Runner…

J.D. SIMKINS

AFTER YEARS OF ROUGHING IT, WILDLANDS EDITOR J.D. SIMKINS FEELS THE CALL OF THE MILD

Zion’s Virgin River winding its way towards The Watchman at sunset.

RULE #6

SOJOURN IN STYLE

Fjällräven Abisko Midsummer Jacket This packable hooded jacket is built to handle summer showers, the beating

sun, and crisp morning air. Bonus: It’s made of organic cotton and recycled polyester. $200, FJALLRAVEN.COM

THESE LIGHTWEIGHT LOOKERS PROVE TECHNICAL DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN TAME

Snowpeak Flexible Insulated Cardigan

Japanese cult camping brand’s functional and fashionable cardigan is an

outdoory classic that never goes out of style. $230, SNOWPEAK.COM

Clutch Field Liner K3 Jacket

Modeled on traditional military liners, this

handsome jacket can be layered with Port-

land-based Beyond’s other technical offer-

ings as the destination and weather call for. $150; BEYONDCLOTHING.COM

OUTDOOR LIVING 2021 • SUNSET

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Tsalani Lassiter Wildlife and Landscape Photographer, Lake Tahoe E X P E R T:

My excursions are all about the epic views, so a trip through the Pacific Northwest is ideal for me. In this corner of the country, we get to see mountain peaks, waterfalls, lakes, and forests. My first stop would be Lassen National Park, where there are endless day-hiking trails. Redwood State Park would be next on my list. The hikes are fairly easy and those gargantuan trees provide plenty of shade for escaping the summer heat. As we head north, Bend, Oregon, is

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SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

Lassiter camps at Sparks Lake, below Broken Top peak, in Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest.

always a nice pit stop. It’s a cool town with local breweries and coffee shops. There are also many scenic sites in the vicinity, such as Smith Rock State Park. Here you will find unique rock formations that draw climbers from all around. Whenever we’re in Oregon, we also make a point to see as many waterfalls as we can.

We’ll drive along the Columbia River Gorge area for a waterfall tour of Multnomah, Bridal Veil, Punch Bowl, and several others.

After seeing all the views, it’s always nice to head into town and experience Portland’s booming food scene to end our trip.

TSALANI LASSITER

Head Northwest

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Pastel Blue Multi

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Meet the balance bar, a hidden supportive bar that sits mid-foot to bring you excellent lateral support and a brilliantly secure feel.

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Never try to fit in. Except with your shoes. Walk II offers the choice of 4 width fittings from Slim to Extra Wide across whole and half sizes, so you can be sure to find the perfect fit.

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You know what you stand for, so get a sandal that stands with you. This Stability+ design benefits from a full-length balance plate to improve your posture and natural gait of your foot, helping you to walk further with more support and less fatigue.

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RULE #7

TAKE A HIKE

Get out of the van and hit the trails in superlative footwear made for wandering

Hoka Anacapa Mid GTX

These super-lightweight hikers are ideal for summer, with a cushy sole and a load-reducing design for extended forays into the wild. $170; HOKAONEONE.COM

Danner Campo Trail 2650

Inspired by the Pacific Crest Trail, the Campo Trail from Portland-based Danner is a hike-ready shoe with a well-ventilated hybrid leather upper and a grippy Vibram outsole, and it hugs your foot like a sock. $140; DANNER.COM

New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro Trail V6

The latest addition to New Balance’s Hierro line shaves an ounce off its predecessor and offers one of the comfiest soles in the business making for faster further trail runs. Plus, they just look cool. $135; NEWBALANCE.COM

Filson Merrell MQM Trail Runner Seattle-based Filson collaborated with outdoor footwear leader Merrell on this waterproof and breathable shoe that combines the best of running and hiking to provide both flexibility and support in tough terrain $160; FILSON.COM

Teva Hurricane XLT2

With the same classic webbing as the original Universal but with grippy soles ready for river crossings or light hikes, this new Teva is also festival ready (for when festivals happen again). $70; TEVA.COM

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Another one of Clearman’s scenic Route 1 pull-offs is Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

T H E T IP

T H E E X P E R T:

Chris Clearman, Founder, Matador, Boulder, Colorado It’s near impossible to compete with a road trip from San Francisco down Route 1 toward Los Angeles. The inland highway is a lot faster, but I cannot think of a drive that is more about the road than the destination. Forget where you’re headed and take a couple days to make your way down the coast

90

slowly. Endless incredibly scenic pull-offs, secret cliff enclosed beaches, and vistas that just cannot be matched.

Highlights include the Land of the Medicine Buddha in the redwood forest outside Soquel. There’s a retreat center here, but we actually came for the hiking trails. What makes this place remarkable is actually what it lacks—a single sound. If a tree falls here, I doubt anyone would hear it. It’s transformative silence. Shark Tooth Beach just beyond Davenport. You can’t see it from the road, but just past Davenport, when the road starts to head uphill, you’ll see the cars on the side of the road.

Hike the short but steep path to the most incredible hidden cove. Vertical walls enclose all sides, while a massive shark-tooth-shaped monolith stands in the ocean just beyond the crashing surf. Set up camp in the mountains of Big Sur. When you get to Big Sur, you can take just about any road headed east off Route 1 up into the mountains. A few miles of switchbacks, and you’ll find dispersed camping sites with the most incredible ocean views. Wake up above the fog in the morning and watch the ocean appear as the fog burns off in the sun.

SUNSET • OUTDOOR LIVING 2021

CHRIS CLEARMAN/MATADOR

When in Doubt, Take the 1

“We like to stop at all the fruit and pie stands as we drive and take breaks at beaches to snack. When we did this particular road trip last, we brought Matador’s packable nanodry travel towels to sit on and dry off with at our stops. We have a beach towel collaboration with Volcom coming out this spring that would have been even better. We like to pack light and multipurpose, even when we drive.”

RULE #8

YOU DON’T EVEN NEED A VAN Now editor-in-chief Hugh Garvey has no excuse not to go camping “Should we go camping this weekend?” It’s a question asked of-

tent. At half the size of its competitors, it leaves room on your ve-

swer, more often than not, has been no. Most of the time, the sor-

feel like taking on the road. We went with a rooftop cargo box and

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ry excuse is that all our camping gear is jammed into the back of the garage and we don’t feel like gambling on a rough night’s

sleep after a long week. But with last year’s cabin fever getting

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nearby mobile adventures with Thule Tepui’s new Foothill rooftop

hicle’s roof for a kayak, bikes, solar shower, or whatever else you turned it into our dedicated, prepacked “go-box,” loaded with

sleeping bags, a camp stove, slingback chairs, and folding prep table. The tent is the “upstairs” for my me and my wife, while

“downstairs,” in the back of the SUV, an air mattress turns it into a snug sleeping area for our teenage son. It’s a house on wheels ready to roll at a moment’s notice. $1695.95; THULE.COM

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The Market Mover

Meet the woman working to increase access to fresh produce by creating South Central L.A.’s first organic grocery store Olympia Auset founded SÜPRMARKT in 2016 with the goal of putting an end to food deserts across the South Central area and Los Angeles as a whole. Since then the organization has purchased the recently closed neighborhood health food store Mr. Wisdom with the goal to open South Central’s first organic grocer.

We talked with her about access to healthy food and what opening this space will do to inspire others to put an end to food inequality nationwide.

Interview by MAG DALE NA O ’ N EAL

Where did you grow up? How did your

were very moved by what I did and it

nonprofit work you got involved in

in the difference between actions

early on?

I grew up in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, from South Central to Inglewood to West L.A. I left L.A. to attend Howard University in D.C., and that is where I learned about food deserts,

was my first game-changing lesson and ideas.

When you started SÜPRMARKT, what

was your mission? How has it evolved over the last five years?

When SÜPRMARKT started, it was with

healthy staples to various low-­

urban agriculture, the food system, in-

the very simple purpose of feeding

ternational control systems, and injus-

myself, my friends, and my family af-

tice. Equipped with new understand-

fordably. I was tired of taking two-hour

ing, I dedicated my life to creating

bus trips just to get fresh food. I was

bracing healthy lifestyles and becom-

media and infrastructure which lead

tired of going to the grocery store and

ing aware of how impactful food is on

to a better world. Before starting SÜPR-

agonizing over the prices of apples

our lifespans and human potential. I

MARKT, I worked at a community farm,

and avocados. I knew that if a few folks

am extremely happy to see more

started an online publication, and vol-

came together and pitched in, we

Black, Brown, and international vegan

unteered for a consciousness-raising

could make organic produce afford-

chefs and YouTubers come to life, and

event called the Shine.

able. I was determined to make fresh

How did the Shine Movement and

your involvement there influence the work you do?

food available to the people I loved because I started to see people I cared about passing away from preventable diseases. I knew doing some-

income communities?

I am happy to see more people em-

“I’m happy to see more people embracing healthy lifestyles and becoming aware of how impactful food is on our lifespans and human potential.”

to see Black people become the fastest growing population of vegans. Entrepreneurs and residents in these areas, however, face the biggest challenges in facilitating this change. I

Winning the Shine On Challenge was

thing now would stop me from having

pivotal for me. It forced me to act on

to attend my own friend’s funerals at

my ideas on making the world better

40 and 50 years old because of the

instead of just thinking about them.

same preventable diseases. Since

The challenge gave me just $400,

then, we have provided more than

which took not having an income

70,000 pounds of organic produce to

in the hood get their legs and have the

away from the list of reasons why I

people in need across L.A. We have

infrastructure and scale they need to

couldn’t take action. Being intimately

grown from a weekly popup to a pick-

serve and rebuild their communities.

familiar with the challenges I faced as

up and delivery service, and we are in

a low-income person, I used the funds

the process of opening a

to help others in ways I wished people

brick-and-mortar.

would have helped me. I chose simple everyday ways of helping that everyone can engage in if they have space in their hearts to care. People

How have you seen the culture

around organic eating change since you started offering produce and

want to help erase the barriers to better health that exist because of food deserts and systemic racism. I want to be part of a support system that helps first-generation vegan entrepreneurs

What comes next?

Now we are raising the funds needed to finish improvements and open South Central’s first full-service organic grocery. (To learn more and donate go to suprmarkt.la.)

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COURTNEY COLL FOR SÜPRMARKT

personal background influence the

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