February 2021 | Dining
Fine living in the greater Pasadena area
Curbside CARSHOP TWOHEYS PUTS A NEW SPIN ON A CLASSIC TRADITION
+ VALENTINE'S DAY ROUNDUP
Dining Issue
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arroyo
VOLUME 17 | NUMBER 2 | FEBRUARY 2020
16 06 CURBSIDE CARHOP
Twoheys puts a new spin on a classic tradition —By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
10 SWEET AND SAVORY
Area eateries pivot to takeout for Valentine’s Day —By Olivia Dow
16 THE QUEEN OF GEMS
Chef Dean Yasharian of Perle perseveres with a French twist —By Frier McCollister
22 YES MEN
The Smith Brothers won’t let guests down at their eateries —By Frier McCollister
24 PASTRIES WITH PURPOSE
Michelin star pastry chef Monique Chan is fundraising for Black Lives Matter organizations —By Kamala Kirk
26 A HUNDRED YEARS IN THE MAKING
This turn-of-the-century house in South Pasadena is a family treasure —By Kamala Kirk
28 VIRTUAL HAPPENINGS —By Rohit Lakshman
30 ‘UPLIFTING AND HOPEFUL’
Emily Anderson set to celebrate new song with livestream —By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
31 COLLECTING FOR A CAUSE
Union Station’s grants writer wants to end homelessness —By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
DEPARTMENTS
32 CULINARY CUPBOARD Sophisticated (Almost) Blueberry Pie
arroyo
fine living in the greater pasadena area
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Christina Fuoco -Karasinski ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres CONTRIBUTORS Olivia Dow, Emily Chavez, Kamala Kirk, Frier McCollister, Rohit Lakshman PHOTOGRAPHERS Luis Chavez ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase, Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb OFFICE MANAGER Ann Turrietta
ON THE COVER: Tanya Christos and Athena Serban Photo by Luis Chavez
TIMES MEDIA GROUP PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine V.P. OF OPERATIONS Michael Hiatt ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Zac Reynolds CONTACT US EDITORIAL christina@timespublications.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1349, South Pasadena, CA 91031 ArroyoMonthly.com ©2021 Times Media Group All rights reserved.
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DINING
CURBSIDE
Carhop TWOHEYS PUTS A NEW SPIN ON A CLASSIC TRADITION BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Carhops deliver takeout orders to guests at Twoheys. The rollerskating outdoor servers were popular at the legendary restaurant from the 1950s to the mid1970s.
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Photos courtesy Twoheys
W
ith the tagline of “Making memories since 1943,” Twoheys has added a touch of fun to an already miserable 2021. The South Pasadena eatery has resurrected carhops, the rollerskating outdoor servers who were popular at the legendary restaurant from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. “A lot of loyal patrons who are elderly remember the carhop back in the day,” says Tanya Christos, one of the co-owners. “During this time of unprecedented way of doing business, we had to come up with ways of not only just pivoting the business but coming up with creative and interesting marketing ideas.” General Manager Bill Hamel asked about reintroducing the carhop and found the original carhop trays online. “We are proud to reintroduce the carhop dining concept that was introduced by the Twohey family decades ago,” Christos says. “We believe that bringing back this tradition allows diners to visit more often, while enjoying our old-time favorite/new menu items and practicing safety protocols from the safe haven of their own cars.” To coincide with the carhop service, the restaurant’s executive chefs, Gerardo Talamantes Sr. and Enrique Elias, created three menus that reflect classic American fare from the original menu and the new items: • Breakfast to go: classic buttermilk or old-fashioned pancakes, French toast, Belgian malted waffle and handcrafted corned beef hash. • Lunch to go: classic original Stink-O Burger, Twoheys’ original onion rings, Heckels prime rib dip sandwich, and fish and chips. • Dinner to go: handcrafted meatloaf, house-roasted turkey dinner and Southern fried chicken. • Cocktails to go: Meridian, Snake Trail, Seco Washout and Raymond Old-Fashioned. Customers can order breakfast, lunch and dinner from Twoheys’ to-go menus and reserve one of six designated parking spots by calling 626-284-7387, ext. 1, 30 minutes in advance. Upon arrival, patrons call the restaurant and share the reserved parking spot number. The restaurant will bring the to-go food to each car on a classic carhop tray that clips to the vehicle’s window for a contact-free dining experience. To add to the fun, Christos and her team created a Twoheys playlist on Spotify. When customers pull into their reserved space, they can log on to the music streaming service and hear curated tunes from the 1950s to 1970s. “We’re trying to do what we can to hang in there, just as all small businesses are,” Christos says. The neighborhood restaurant is known for its soda fountain, which serves Twoheys’ award-winning bittersweet, milk chocolate and caramel sundaes. The well-known eatery has added a new twist on the American diner experience with seven hand-crafted specialty cocktails, such as its signature cocktail, the Stink-o-Tini.
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Pasadena, Ca. 02.21 | ARROYO | 7
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Twoheys 424 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena 626-284-7387, twoheys.com info@twoheys.com @Twoheys_Restaurant on social media 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Mondays 8 | ARROYO | 02.21
Photos courtesy Twoheys
A family affair The award-winning Twoheys Restaurant opened October 10 in South Pasadena. Twoheys launched in 1943 when owner Jack Twohey opened his first restaurant on Arroyo Boulevard in Pasadena. At that time, the restaurant had 37 seats and quickly became known as the premier hamburger place. The Little Stink-O, clothes pin and tear drop logo was trademarked by Twohey in 1943. It originated when he overheard a woman patron of the restaurant exclaim, “Oh-Stink-O,” when a gentleman next to her was served a hamburger generously garnished with onions and pickles. Since it was founded, Twoheys has welcomed celebrities including actors Cary Grant, Mickey Rooney and Bill Murray; painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell; and author/screenwriter Ray Bradbury. Christos does her best to make guests feel like family. After all, it worked for Christos, a longtime patron. When she and her family heard the longtime owners wanted to retire, they bought the restaurant. “We have been patrons of Twoheys for a long time,” she says. “Growing up, my family lived close by. It was a family hangout. We went there for family meals after sporting events and birthdays. We were already involved in the restaurant business. We knew the children taken over the restaurant from their parents. “They were getting up there in years, and they asked us if we were interested in purchasing Twoheys.” The family hadn’t been involved in a full breakfast, lunch and dinner concept. However, guests were so loyal that Christos and her family couldn’t turn it down. “We were able to open in the middle of the crisis in October, but the response was overwhelming,” she says. “People were telling us thank you for coming back and being here for them. They wanted normalcy back in their lives. We’re really grateful for the legacy Twoheys has created.” Recently, Christos developed family meal packs to allow individuals an ease in ordering and value. The Twoheys staff also bought back the lobster and rib feasts. They’re promoting their feasts and family meals on social media. In addition, Twoheys Restaurant offers its food truck with a choice of three menu packages or a custom menu from any of Twoheys’ favorite menu items. As part of the package, Twoheys provides a state-of-the-art sound system offering music for those who wish to hold socially responsible distanced events. In South Pasadena, the new 5,200-square-foot restaurant’s interior was designed by Zoumas Design of South Pasadena and constructed by Peter Koulos Construction. It brings together classic elements in a contemporary design, combining the nostalgia of a diner with a lunch counter and old-time soda fountain in a refined, open and bright space. The original Stink-o logo and signage has been updated for the 21st century with a youthful and whimsical design. “We didn’t do any advertising when we opened our doors,” Christos says. “We just wanted it to be organic. We wanted to get our feet wet and to understand this environment. “We had an overwhelming response, and we’re grateful for that. We were open about two months before we had to close down again. We still haven’t opened our dining room yet. We did have to expand our patios. We have two patios that we had to expand to incorporate additional seating. For the most part, people love the outdoor seating. It’s definitely here to say.”
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DINING The Raymond 1886’s raspberries and yogurt is served with litchi panna cotta.
Sweet
AND SAVORY AREA EATERIES PIVOT TO TAKEOUT FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
pending quality time together over a nice meal is a great way to spend Valentine’s Day. These spreads will spread the love between you and your partner for this day of love.
Arroyo Chop House The Valentine’s Day special is available to go from Friday, February 12, to Sunday, February 14. For appetizers, Arroyo Chop House is offering clam chowder soup with roasted brioche croutons ($13), crab cake and lobster cake with bearnaise and mango relish ($23) and an heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese, micro balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil ($18). For the main course, the Valentine’s surf and turf ($150) for two people is prime cowboy and lobster tail (12 ounces). As a side, you can order Lyonnaise fingerling potatoes with bacon and onion ($13). To finish off the course, enjoy a chocolate hazelnut mousse cake ($14). 536 S. Arroyo Parkway, 626-577-7463, arroyochophouse.com Bistro 45 This special is only available on Sunday, February 14, for curbside pickup between 4:30 and 7 p.m. Guests have the choice of Petaluma duck foie gras mousse or composed heirloom beet salad with farmstead goat 10 | ARROYO | 02.21
cheese and crispy artichoke. Choose between Maine lobster bisque or organic butternut squash soup for two. The meal has two pan-roasted ora king salmon with green curry sauce and scallion with basmati rice; two 4-ounce Creekstone filet chateau with fingerlings, roasted cauliflower and port demi; butterscotch pot au crème and chocolate blackberry terrine with eggnog ice cream. Includes two Pinnacle vodka and passion fruit cosmo kiss cocktails. The special is $125 per person (minimum of two people ordering). 45 S. Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, 626-759-2478, bistro45.com Black Angus Steakhouse Get the exclusive Valentine’s Day to-go offer from Friday, February 12, to Sunday, February 14, from Black Angus Steakhouse. The $99 special includes two 6-ounce filet mignon, two lobster tails, an appetizer to share, four classic sidekicks, one shareable dessert with molasses bread, and two prosecco splits. Black Angus is also offering half-price bottle of wine with the purchase of an entrée. Info: blackangus.com (to order takeout and curbside pickup). Check website for locations. continued on page 12
Photo courtesy The Raymond 1886
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BY OLIVIA DOW
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Photo courtesy Celestino Ristorante
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The ossobuco is among the options for Valentine’s Day at chef Calogero Drago’s Celestino Ristorante.
Celestino Ristorante Executive chef Calogero Drago prepared a takeout or delivery meal with special Valentine’s Day selections to celebrate the spirit of love. Selections include ravioli de san valentine ($19.50), a heart-shaped ravioli stuffed with buffalo ricotta, burrata and spinach in a goat cheese sauce. The full classic Celestino Ristorante’s mushroom souffle, a ravioli filled with duck, mushrooms and porcino blueberry sauce; tortellini stuffed with pumpkin cream, butter and sage; risotto with red beets and goat cheese; ossobuco, Bistecca and homemade authentic family-style lasagna that can be preordered 24 hours in advance. For dessert share a tiramisu, panna cotta (vanilla custard with strawberries) or flourless chocolate cake. Order takeout or curbside pickup by phone 3 to 8 p.m. Monday to Sunday. 141 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena, 626-795-4006, celestinopasadena.com The Crack Shack The Crack Shack is encouraging “Nugs Not Hugs” this Valentine’s Day, with the launch of the fire Nug Combo ($12). The combo includes six Jidori chicken nuggets tossed in its fan-favorite fire sauce, Schmaltz fries with housemade buttermilk ranch. So, send your loved ones some nugs because you can’t give them a hug! 30 W. Green Street, Pasadena, 424-910-0077, crackshack.com
Photo courtesy The Crack Shack
Mi Piace Couples can celebrate with an Italian dinner with dishes, drinks and desserts from Mi Piace. Executive chef Gil Saulnier is preparing a special meal for takeout, delivery and curbside pickup. Get your meal started with a charcuterie and cheese with bresaola, San Daniele prosciutto, spicy calabrese, saucisson, copa salami, chef cheese selection, fig marmalade, cornichons and extra virgin olive oil crostini or lobster truffle mac and cheese with shaved black truffles. For entrées, try Mi Piace’s lasagna di carne made with handmade pasta, layered with beef, pancetta, fresh herbs, ricotta and mozzarella topped off with San Marzano marinara sauce. Or try a prime 22-day aged bone-in ribeye with a truffle pecorino twice-baked potato; Filetto di Salmone with a pan-seared salmon filet, fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes and lemon caper sauce; ravioli con salsiccia with sautéed mild Italian sausage, broccolini, sundried tomatoes, sliced garlic and pecorino cheese finished with white wine; grilled double lamb chops with a port wine demi-glace and roasted Yukon potatoes; spaghetti aragosta comprised of sautéed diced lobster tail tossed with spaghetti in a San Marzano smokey chipotle cream sauce. Looking for desserts? Try the Midnight Fantasy, chocolate cake with Swiss bittersweet chocolate fudge and raspberry purée, New York cheesecake or tiramisu. Finish the meal with cocktails like Purple Rain, with Empress 1908 gin, Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic, grapefruit peel, juniper berries, pink peppercorn and rosé. Open for takeout and delivery from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Valentine’s Day. 25 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, 626-795-3131, mipiace.com
Encouraging “Nugs Not Hugs,” The Crack Shack is celebrating Valentine’s Day with six Jidori chicken nuggets tossed in its fan-favorite fire sauce, Schmaltz fries with housemade buttermilk ranch. 12 | ARROYO | 02.21
Parkway Grill For Valentine’s Day weekend (Friday, February 12, to Sunday, February 14), Parkway Grill is offering a spread. For the first course, try panfried diver scallops with green apple and citrus apple salad ($20); lobster bisque and crème fraiche ($14) or burrata and blood orange salad ($18). Second-course options include butter poached Maine lobster tail with fresh tagliatelle, crème fraiche, arugula and lemon ($36); pan-roasted Chilean seabass with heirloom carrots, watercress risotto and black truffle beurre blanc ($48); roasted kurobuta pork chop with rosemary apples, purple potatoes and whiskey cream sauce ($38). Finally, the third course is a tiramisu with mascarpone, espresso, cocoa and maraschino cherries ($14). 510 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, 626-795-1001, theparkwaygrill.com continued on page 14
February 21, 2021 Auccon 10 a.m. PST Preview by appointment Featuring property from The Estate of Audrey Steele Burnand, Newport Beach The Estate of Valerie Franklin, Los Angeles The Eva and Loran Whitelock Estate to benefit the Loran and Eva Whitelock Fund for Cycad Cullvaaon, Conservaaon, and Research at The Hunnngton Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens Painnng: William Wendt “California Landscape”; background: Chinese coromanel & stone-inlaid screen
Abell Auccon Co. | 2613 Yates Avenue, Los Angeles, CA | (310) 858-3073 | www.abell.com |
@abellaucconco
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Smitty’s Grill Enjoy a meal and beverage from Smitty’s Grill this Valentine’s Day. Its Smitty’s Love Potion ($17) is its take on a Cosmopolitan. Or take advantage of the Love Dove Cocktail special, which is two cocktails of your choice for $30. Other cocktail choices include barrel-aged old fashioned ($17) and a barrel-aged Manhattan ($17). Smitty’s is also offering Manhattan clam chowder in a cup ($9) or bowl ($11); spicy tequila shrimp of parmesan risotto ($22); pan-roasted Chilean seabass with beet risotto, baby carrots and lemon tarragon beurre blanc (market price); bone-in Kansas City steak (15 ounces) with a twice-baked potato. Looking for wine? Smitty’s Grill is offering a bottle of Francois Montand Brut Blanc de Blanc ($12). And for dessert try a white chocolate raspberry mousse cake ($11). 110 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena, 626-792-9999, smittysgrill.com The Raymond 1886 Preorder executive chef Jonathan Quintana’s four-course prix fixe Valentine’s Day dinner for two ($125 for two guests) by Friday, February 12, for takeout and curbside pickup on Valentine’s Day Sunday, February 14. The first course begins with spiced yogurt and pickled vegetables with bread and butter. The second course includes Quintana’s peas and carrots made with spring fava beans, heirloom tomatoes, carrots, pea tendrils, guajillo couscous and pecorino romano cheese. The main course is a choice of beef Wellington with turbo onions and cognac peppercorn jus or snapper served with spring radishes, Bloomsdale spinach and pickled cipollini onions. For dessert, the options are raspberries and yogurt served with litchi panna cotta, vanilla chiffon and raspberry jus or chocolate and honey made of dark chocolate fondant, honey caramel, crème fraiche and chocolate honeycomb. Add drinks to your meal with 1886’s head barman Jesus Gomez’s passionate whisky barrel punch for two created with Eagle Rare bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, grenadine syrup, angostura bitters, champagne and maraschino cherries as garnish ($32 for two) or the long goodbye for
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Photo courtesy Twoheys
continued from page 12
Cupid “Stink-o” surf and turf with grilled prime Angus ribeye, Maine lobster tail, drawn butter, mashed potatoes and vegetables. two made with white rum, lemon juice, Curacao syrup, hibiscus syrup, orange bitters, Ting grapefruit soda and halfmoon grapefruit garnish ($30 for two). 1250 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, 626-441-3136, theraymond.com Twoheys Enjoy a $90 meal for two starting with the crab tower valentino with lump crab meat, arugula, mango, avocado, mint citrus vinaigrette and grilled sourdough. The salad is a classic Caesar. Entrees include lobster truffle mac and cheese with Maine lobster meat, white truffle essence, Parmesan and seasoned breadcrumbs or the cupid “Stink-o” surf and turf with grilled prime Angus ribeye, Maine lobster tail, drawn butter, mashed potatoes and vegetables. For dessert is a flourless chocolate cake with pink chocolate covered stream strawberry. Finally, a bottle of champagne. 424 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena, 626-375-7510, twoheys.com
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DINING
The Queen OF GEMS
CHEF DEAN YASHARIAN OF PERLE PERSEVERES WITH A FRENCH TWIST BY FRIER MCCOLLISTER
Dean Yasharian, the chef and owner behind Perle, has weathered hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A cote de boeuf, 40-ounce tomahawk ribeye chop with bouquet garni with caramelized garlic, thyme and tarragon, accompanied by pomme frites. 16 | ARROYO | 02.21
continued on page 21
Photos by Luis Chavez
L
ast year’s arrival of chef Dean Yasharian in Pasadena and the launch of his first solo venture — the upscale French restaurant Perle on Union Street — were eagerly anticipated by foodies and should have made a big splash in the relatively small, local fine dining pond. Unfortunately, Perle’s soft opening was the second week of March — the same day of the initial pandemic lockdown. “We couldn’t have timed it worse in March,” Yasharian says. Nonetheless, despite the pandemic’s whirligig of restrictive vicissitudes, Yasharian and his impressive team can still serve their French-influenced cuisine. Just not at a table. For now. Yasharian brings an unusually refined pedigree to his work at Perle, despite growing up on a rural upstate New York beef and dairy farm. He finished high school and started cooking in rural Pennsylvania after his father moved closer to family. “The parents of a friend of mine had a restaurant in town that was Italian, Greek and Mediterranean,” Yasharian says. “It was a little more than your neighborhood pizza place. Then, like any kid, I had to decide what I wanted to do for college. Cooking was what I was doing at the time and enjoying it. I went to Penn College for a four-year culinary program.” Yasharian temporarily moved to England to take an apprenticeship and slept on his sister’s couch. “I did a year abroad at Midsummer House in Cambridge,” he says. “At the time, they were one-star Michelin. Still probably the hardest job I ever had. Very intense learning. 8 a.m. to midnight, usually no breaks. I did that for a year.” Visa issues brought him back to the United States and New York City, where another sister lived. “That’s where I stumbled on Daniel Boulud,” he says of the legendary French chef. He hired Yasharian as a junior sous chef at his flagship restaurant, Daniel, which had three Michelin stars. “I did three years there, touring all the stations.” Yasharian then decamped for a year to work with Gordon Ramsay, who opened his namesake restaurant Gordon Ramsay at Manhattan’s The London in 2006. Ramsay’s New York venture garnered two Michelin stars in the first year of its opening, with Yasharian in the kitchen. “Personally, I liked working with Daniel Boulud and his entire company,” Yasharian says. “They offered me (the opportunity) to open Bar Boulud, which is really where I fell in love with the cooking that I’m doing now.” He worked as chef de cuisine for the first two years after Bar Boulud’s opening on Manhattan’s upper west side in 2008. “Then we opened the second Bar Boulud in London, where I was executive chef opening in the Mandarin Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. It was a big success. I did that for five years.” The restaurant’s series of international accolades attest to Yasharian’s work in London during that time. “At that point, it was time for me to come home,” Yasharian explains. “I wanted to come back to the States. I wanted something different.” He became executive chef at West Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, with the assignment of revamping the entire food and beverage program, renovating the kitchens and streamlining operating costs. Arriving in Los Angeles was a bit of a homecoming, as his wife is from South Pasadena. Yasharian met Pauline Zee in New York, and the couple wed just prior to moving to London, where they started a family with three children. Zee graduated from Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, where her sister now lives. Her brother still resides in South Pasadena, and her parents live in Arcadia. Meanwhile, the Yasharian family landed in Altadena after arriving from London. Zee is a co-owner of Perle and serves as the restaurant’s communica
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bly, the standard menu of bistro classics joins vegetarian and vegan alternatives. “I’ve seen the trend,” he says. “I wanted to offer something a little more creative for vegetarians. We can do these classic dishes with plant-based substitutions.” However, since the most recent ban on outdoor dining, Yasharian has been offering preordered, multicourse family meals. With optional add-ons like caviar and truffles, the scheme was successful over the holidays. “We sold over 20 pounds of truffles,” he notes. The focus is similar, with weekly family meal menus available for preorder, fashioned on specific regional cuisines of France. In mid-January, Bordeaux was the menu theme. Offering six courses at $70 per person, the menu included yellowtail tartare; warm goat cheese salad; porcini mushroom soup with roasted hazelnut pesto; lingcod a la Bordelaise; braised beef cheeks; pears poached in red wine; and petit four. Add-ons included everything from a fresh baguette and salted butter ($5) and French onion soup ($13) to escargots ($17) and black truffle pasta for two ($45). A corresponding six-course vegetarian menu for $60 per person was offered and featured included avocado tartare, mushrooms braised in red wine and chickpea panisse as substitutions for animal protein. Daniels’ wine pairings and Sullivan’s custom wine-based cocktails are also available. The menus are offered Thursday to Sunday and change weekly. Check the Perle website for the latest regional French twists. Finally, as an exclusive bonus to Arroyo readers, Yasharian gives up his prized recipe for béarnaise sauce. Already have one? Take it from a chef who knows. “It’s one of those things a lot of people get wrong,” Yasharian says. Perle 43 E. Union Street, Pasadena 626-460-8819, perlerestaurant.com
BÉARNAISE SAUCE INGREDIENTS
tions and social media director. Despite his impressive experience with hotel operations, Yasharian always intended to open his own restaurant. “The Chateau was my foot in the door to LA,” he says. Having visited Zee’s family many times over the years, he was very familiar with this part of town. “I’m familiar with the restaurant scene in Pasadena and how it’s evolved and changed in the last 15 or 20 years. It feels like a good time to be here,” Yasharian says. It’s a good time to be here, except for the pandemic. The unfortunate March opening of Perle was determined by escrow and construction delays. Having hired and trained 20 staff members to open, Yasharian scheduled his dry-run, friends and family service the day the initial lockdown was announced. “We had to lay off everybody,” Yasharian says. He pivoted briefly to straight takeout. Indoor dining entailed more expense, followed by the reprieve to outdoor dining in barricaded lanes created by the city. “It’s been a rocky rollercoaster from the beginning,” he says. Without a record of payrolls, Perle was not eligible for most available loans. “Because of our newness, we got screwed on government relief,” Yasharian explains. Still, he has persisted with his talented core team intact. His general manager, Roderick Daniels, stocks the wine cellar. He’s the former sommelier at Gwen and ran the wine program at Farmshop in Brentwood. Daniels was service director at the acclaimed and now-shuttered Auburn just prior to joining Perle. Anthony Lopez is the pastry chef, and the talented barman/mixologist Scott Sullivan helps as expediter. “He’s been a very solid team member,” Yasharian notes. At Perle, the original menu was comprised of the classics he liked. Most nota-
5 EGG YOLKS 1/2 TEASPOON WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS 12 OUNCES UNSALTED BUTTER (1 1/2 STICKS) SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
METHOD 1. COMBINE THE VINEGAR, WINE, HERB STEMS, SHALLOTS AND PEPPERCORNS IN A SAUCEPAN AND BRING TO GENTLE SIMMER OVER MEDIUM HEAT. SIMMER FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES, UNTIL THE LIQUID IS REDUCED TO 3 TABLESPOONS. STRAIN LIQUID INTO A STEEL MIXING BOWL. 2. ADD EGG YOLKS AND A PINCH OF SALT TO THE VINEGAR/WINE REDUCTION. 3. CLARIFY THE BUTTER IN A SAUCE PAN OVER MEDIUM HEAT, SKIMMING THE MILK FOAM FROM THE SURFACE AS IT FORMS. 4. PLACE THE BOWL WITH THE EGG YOLKS OVER A SIMMERING POT OF WATER. WHISK YOLKS VIGOROUSLY UNTIL SOFT PEAKS FORM. REMOVE AND REPLACE THE BOWL OVER THE WATER, WHILE WHISKING TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE, ABOUT 10 MINUTES. THE MIXTURE SHOULD BE VERY SMOOTH AND THICK. REMOVE FROM BOILER AND RESERVE. (CHEF YASHARIAN’S NOTE: “THIS IS A KEY STEP TO A FOOL-PROOF BÉARNAISE. DON’T BE AFRAID TO COOK THE EGGS. THE THICKER THE BETTER.”) 5. WHISK THE CLARIFIED BUTTER INTO THE EGG MIXTURE BY SLOWLY DRIZZLING THE BUTTER IN A STEADY STREAM, WORKING QUICKLY TO RETAIN HEAT. 6. FOLD IN CHOPPED TARRAGON AND PARSLEY AND ADJUST SEASONING, AS NEEDED. SERVE IMMEDIATELY OR RETAIN COVERED IN A WARM PLACE FOR UP TO TWO HOURS. 7. “ENJOY YOUR BÉARNAISE WITH YOUR FAVORITE STEAK AND FRENCH FRIES!”
Photo by Luis Chavez
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1/2 CUP WHITE VINEGAR 1 CUP DRY WHITE WINE 6 SPRIGS TARRAGON, FINELY CHOPPED, STEMS RESERVED 3 SPRIGS PARSLEY, FINELY CHOPPED, STEMS RESERVED 1 SMALL SHALLOT, ROUGHLY SLICED
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R E A L E S TAT E
Yes Men Bob and Gregg Smith helm Smith Brothers Restaurants.
THE SMITH BROTHERS WON’T LET GUESTS DOWN AT THEIR EATERIES
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the old Chef’s Inn, which had been there forever. It was a block from my house, and here we had been looking all over Southern California. It was a Friday night. I looked at the parking lot; it didn’t look very full. I parked my car and walked in and boy, it was ghastly.” The owner was looking to sell the place, and a deal was quickly struck. After a few months of renovation, Reflections opened. “It was an instant success,” Gregg says. “Thank God. It was a steakhouse. We also had in those days the famous salad bar. A full (liquor) bar. Live music in the lounge seven nights a week. It was the place to be in La Cañada, by far.” This successful activity was a prelude to the brothers’ triumphant campaign in Pasadena. “I moved to Pasadena in 1976. We were very involved in the community. Why go anywhere else?” Gregg muses. “We said, ‘Let’s stick right here in Pasadena.’ We can visit all three restaurants every night if we want to, every day if we want to. We can smell it. We can taste it. We can keep our fingers on it.” Ten years later, in 1984, they opened Parkway Grill in Pasadena. “That was huge,” Gregg says. “I hired the sous chef and the assistant pastry chef from (Wolfgang Puck’s) Spago in Hollywood.” Aptly, over the years, the Parkway has been referred to as “the Spago of Pasadena” because of its high
quality of the food and its role as a society hub where local tastemakers and celebrities mingle. The venerable institution has never lost its edge. “It’s been around for 37 years,” Gregg says. “In restaurant years, like dog years, by now it should have been five different restaurants. Our business is very strong there. We take great pride in that.” The chefs, Servando Campos and Martin Salinas, have been dedicated to the restaurant for decades. With the opening success of Parkway Grill, the brothers scouted the South Lake Avenue business district to open a more accessible venue, Crocodile Café, in 1987. “Parkway Grill was so popular. We said, ‘Let’s open a more casual café with the wood-burning pizzas and a great hamburger,’” he says. It proved to be another immediately popular attraction. “There were some weekends in that small, tiny little restaurant, we would do 1,000 meals a day,” Smith recalls. The café’s success attracted an investor with bigger ambitions, and the Smith brothers expanded the operation into 16 restaurants in five states. Smith says the venture was a logistical nightmare. “That’s when we thought, ‘No one knows us in Colorado, no one knows us in Arizona or Nevada or Washington State. Let’s just stick to Pasadena. Why
Photo by Dana P. Bouton
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arkway Grill. Arroyo Chophouse. Smitty’s Grill. These three restaurants are iconic, but not everyone knows or understands that they are products of the ingenuity, imagination, hard work and persistence of Gregg and Bob Smith, otherwise known as the Smith brothers. They are sons of the Arroyo and have quietly built their impressive empire in Pasadena over four decades. In an extended chat with Gregg Smith, the whole — largely untold story — began to unfold, and with it in comes the history of fine dining in the area. Born in Los Angeles, the Smith brothers — Bob, 78, and Gregg, 73 — were raised in La Cañada, where their architect father moved the family in 1950. Bob pursued a career in dentistry, while it was Gregg who was drawn to hospitality and the restaurant business. Gregg recalls the circumstances surrounding the 1974 opening of their first venture, Reflections in La Cañada. “My brother, at the time, was a dentist,” Gregg says. “I was the restaurant guy. My brother was mostly on the finance end and also the operations, but he had his office in the high desert. I was boots on the ground.” They were determined to open a restaurant, but finding an appropriate location was challenging. “I was traveling with my father all over Southern California trying to find a location, and one night I was going to see my parents in La Cañada and I drove by
BY FRIER MCCOLLISTER
Photos courtesy Parkway Grill and Arroyo Chop House
make this so complicated?’” he says. The chain was sold “for a nice little sum of money” and the brothers brought their focus back home. They opened the Arroyo Chop House in 1997 next door to Parkway Grill. Arroyo Chop House has stood the test of time, proving to be one of Southern California’s finest independent steakhouses. “We never compromise. We serve 100% exclusively USDA prime on every single cut,” Gregg says. “It comes from a single-source supplier in Nebraska, and that even includes the tenderloins, which is fairly rare in steakhouses. About 2% of all beef in the country is graded USDA prime. We’ve stuck with that. It’s the best that money can buy.” Chefs Jorge Avila and Macario Valladares ensure that consistent quality as the meat comes off the grill. While the present pandemic circumstances for all restaurants have required “pivots,” the Smith brothers already have some practice. In 2000, they opened Ducz on South Lake. An ambitious Asian-fusion fine dining concept, Ducz was helmed by another Wolfgang Puck alum, chef Fred Iwasaki. “I think it was one of our best efforts ever,” Gregg says. “The food was extraordinary. It was very sophisticated. It was quite expensive, and it was executed extremely well.” Unfortunately, it was slow to take off. “If it had opened six or seven years later it probably would have done better,” Gregg says. “It broke our hearts. We just loved that place. Our guests did, too. There just wasn’t enough of them.” The brothers were making other plans for Ducz on September 11, 2001. “It dawned on us, maybe with all the turmoil and all of the tragic events, maybe people are going to want more comfort,” Gregg says. “This is probably the time for comfort food.” They had also been saving the name Smitty’s for just such a moment. They closed Ducz and, in “probably about a week,” reopened as Smitty’s, an elegant club room with a menu focused on sophisticated renditions of comforting classics. “The change in the environment and the change in the menu was like night and day. You go from Asian fusion to chicken pot pie?” The result? “Huge success,” Smith replies. That’s thanks to chefs Miguel Mendez and Edgardo Menjivar. Because of their ongoing success and the depth of their experience, the Smith brothers are occasionally tapped for consultation. Notably, when musician Herb Alpert was looking to open his live music bistro, Vibrato in Beverly Glen, he called on the Smiths. “Herb called us, and we met with him. Great guy,” Gregg says. “We were more of an operating consultant to Herb. We were involved with that for four years or so.” The secret to their success, besides consistently great food, is its homey environment. “What we’ve always aimed to do is position our restaurants so when our guests come through the front door or even drive up to the valet, it’s like, quote, ‘coming home,’” Gregg says. “Some of our guests will actually say that (to me) and I try not to tear up, because that’s exactly what we wanted. So, I think we have succeeded in that. Our team members are very committed to it. We talk to them about it all the time.” Among the staff, the Smith brothers’ venues are collectively known as “The House of Yes.” “What we mean by that is, we will try to accommodate any of our guests’ requests, if humanly possible,” Gregg says. “It’s easy to say ‘no,’ but if you go beyond and exceed the guest’s expectations by saying ‘yes,’ then I think we’ve got a leg up. It’s the House of Yes. If we can do it, we’ll do it.” The pandemic lockdown killed table service for now. Gregg says he and his staff were stunned to be out of business for the first time since 1974. Like other fine dining establishments, the Smiths’ venues were not immediately positioned nor equipped for the pivot to takeout and delivery. They did renovate their dining rooms in anticipation of the brief window when indoor service was allowed. They also successfully embraced the provision for outdoor dining. “When we were open for outside dining, I was at the restaurants every single night,” Gregg says. “Sometimes I would make the rounds of all three. During the first month of this, table after table after table, probably 90% of the people I talked to said, ‘You should do this all year long. This is fantastic. This is beautiful. We much prefer to eat outdoors.’” Long active in the community, the Smith brothers participate in an informal
One of Parkway Grill’s signature dishes is whole ginger fried catfish with yuzu ponzu, caraway rice and cucumber-mint relish.
The surf and turf at Arroyo Chop House is plated with USDA prime ribeye and Australian lobster tail. collective of independent restaurant operators. They have been working closely with the city throughout the uncertain twists of the pandemic and the state and county’s subsequent dining restrictions. “I’ve got to say, the city could not have performed better,” Gregg says. “It would have been impossible.” Smith says the Pasadena health department “stuck their necks out” for them. “We would ask for an outdoor dining permit, there would be someone there that day,” Gregg says. “You couldn’t have asked for a better response. Once we were open, the health department was also there to enforce the protocols. They were tough, but they were tough in a good way. They had our backs, and we wanted to have their backs.” That sense of care, attention, mutual respect and social responsibility seems to inform everything the Smith brothers have worked to do. Their evident success speaks to it, and the community continues to benefit from it. For now, for 47 years, the Smith brothers have been quietly answering the call with one simple word, “Yes.”
Parkway Grill 510 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena 626-795-1001, theparkwaygrill.com Arroyo Chop House 536 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena 626-577-7463, arroyochophouse.com Smitty’s Grill 110 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena 626-792-9999, smittysgrill.com 02.21 | ARROYO | 23
DINING
Purpose PASTRIES WITH
MICHELIN STAR PASTRY CHEF MONIQUE CHAN IS FUNDRAISING FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER ORGANIZATIONS
San Marino resident Monique Chan is a Michelin star pastry chef who has trained and worked at top restaurants in Paris and California.
On Monique Chan’s Chez Momo Instagram account and YouTube channel, she shares tutorials and behind-the-scenes footage of baked goods and wedding cakes that she makes. 24 | ARROYO | 02.21
ust a few days after Monique Chan arrived in Australia last February, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic and the country’s borders closed. She was there on a work visa and planned to spend the next few months working as a pastry chef at Rollers Bakehouse, a popular bakery in northern Sydney. “I had been following Rollers Bakehouse since they opened and reached out to them about a working holiday,” Chan says. “I was there for about four months, and the experience was truly singular. At Rollers, we were incredibly blessed in the sense that the pandemic caused business to boom. In response to dine-in restrictions, people were suddenly looking for a snack that could be eaten on the go or transported as easily to the beach as to home. Soon we were selling out of croissants daily, even though we had more than doubled the amount of croissants we were producing. I’m really happy to have contributed to a historic period of time for the bakehouse; we were setting records for revenue almost every weekend. The other team members and I definitely forged a unique bond and made some unforgettable memories together during that time.” This wasn’t Chan’s first stint abroad, however. The San Marino native spent her junior year of college in Rome, where she had a three-month internship at a local bakery. In 2013, she moved to Paris and attended École Grégoire-Ferrandi Pastry School, where she was valedictorian of her graduating class. After graduating, Chan worked under chef Yann Couvreur at Prince de Galles, a five-star hotel in Paris, and renowned pastry chef Laurent Jeannin at Le Bristol Paris, a palace hotel rated higher than five stars. She has also worked at The French Laundry, a three Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley, as well as with Cronut creator Dominique Ansel at his bakery in LA. In 2018, Chan moved to Hong Kong, where she worked as executive pastry chef at Écriture, a French fine dining restaurant that received two Michelin stars within seven months. When she returned to LA the following year, Chan launched her Chez Momo Instagram account and YouTube channel, where she regularly shares tutorials and behind-the-scenes footage of baked goods that she makes for private events and special occasions. “I had spent the majority of my career in fine dining, always yearning to innovate, to create something different and cutting edge,” Chan points out. “After the onset of the pandemic, I found myself gravitating towards baking homier things, like cookies, cinnamon rolls and carrot cake, a return to the comforts of childhood nostalgia. Talking to people in my social media communities, I realized others felt similarly, and I wanted to continue providing recipes for them to make at home while being mindful of their energy levels and changing circumstances. I geared my tutorials to be much simpler than they were in the past. After working at home all day and possibly managing other family members’ at-home school and work lives, no one is in the mood to make a 30step dessert.” While she was in Australia, Chan became inspired by Bakers Against Racism, a movement that united bakers across the world in a massive bake sale last summer to raise funds for Black Lives Matter. As soon as she returned home, Chan launched her Chez Momo wedding cake line and started donating a percentage of her proceeds to BLM organizations. “The pandemic’s disruption of the wedding industry has certainly made it an interesting time to be a wedding cake designer,” Chan says. “Some weddings have been postponed multiple times, while other microweddings have popped up in response to restrictions. I had been making donations from wedding cake sales prior, but my official fundraiser began in December after stay-at-home restrictions canceled or postponed some of the weddings I had been booked to make cakes for.” Chan is fundraising for BLM organizations with a bake-at-home cinnamon roll kit. It costs $42 and comes with frozen rolls, cream cheese frosting and an assortment of glittery sprinkles. A portion of the proceeds from cinnamon roll kit sales will be donated. The sale will go through at least the summer, although Chan is hoping to keep the fundraiser running for as long as possible. In March, she plans to change the product to a lighter pastry for the spring season. “Though I was fortunate as an Asian American to be raised in a diverse city such as
Photos courtesy of Monique Chan
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BY KAMALA KIRK
Inspired by Bakers Against Racism, Monique Chan began offering a bakeat-home cinnamon roll kit for $42 to raise funds for Black Lives Matter organizations.
Los Angeles, I grew up cognizant of racial inequality nonetheless and realized in my adult years living and working abroad in different countries that discrimination is sadly one of the few universal constants,” Chan says. “If age has taught me anything, it’s the danger in not sharing your voice and not acting when you have the opportunity to make the world better. I wanted to make sure I was speaking up and seizing the opportunity to contribute everything I could.” Aside from cinnamon rolls, Chan’s signature pastries include her swirled fruit tarts and rosette apple tarts. These days she has been experimenting in the kitchen with different types of cakes, such as carrot and coffee, as well as monkey bread, pies and croissants. She also enjoys putting her own unique spin on pastries she makes, such as Funfetti croissants and purple sweet potato pie. “What I love most is giving someone a dessert and seeing their face light up,” Chan shares. “That happiness is like rocket fuel to me; bringing others joy through food is what gives me purpose and is where I find my ultimate joy. Baking has provided me with communities that have been second families and a home away from home; I’ve found lifelong friends in professional kitchens. I consider pastry to be a form of art, and art has always been therapeutic for me. I put on music and use that time to process my thoughts while rolling out dough or decorating a cake.” Chan recently finished submitting her applications for several MBA programs at top schools across the country. She hopes to develop and refine her business skills in order to open a physical location for her Chez Momo business, which she plans to do after graduation. “I absolutely love the culinary industry, but it is notoriously difficult,” Chan says. “Many of my peers question a sustainable future in physically demanding kitchens that do not compensate commensurately, and being a female chef in a historically male-dominated field comes with its own set of challenges. Pure passion enabled me to push through the less glamorous aspects for time, but I inevitably grew incensed to change the industry for good.” Chan’s mission is to establish a business model that relentlessly promotes the well-being of its employees, empowers underrepresented groups and contributes to the community. Her goal is to run a bakery that offers above-industry pay, advocates for women and minorities in leadership roles and is grounded in social impact, providing training for disadvantaged individuals and repurposing excess food into meals that minimize waste and target food insecurity. “In the long term, I hope that this bakery will set a new paradigm for the culinary industry, driving progress in kitchen culture, working conditions, and gender and race equality,” Chan says. “Though I may be the first Asian American female to reach certain markers of achievement in the industry, I certainly don’t plan on being the last.” For more information, visit therealchezmomo.com and follow @therealchezmomo on Instagram. 02.21 | ARROYO | 25
R E A L E S TAT E
A HUNDRED YEARS IN THE
Making THIS TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY HOUSE IN SOUTH PASADENA IS A FAMILY TREASURE BY KAMALA KIRK
The Saetas often enjoy outdoor entertaining in their spacious backyard, which includes a swimming pool. 26 | ARROYO | 02.21
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n 1989, David and Leslie Saeta relocated from the Westside to his hometown of South Pasadena. Over the years, the couple moved two more times within the area, and eventually lived five blocks away from David’s parents’ house. As their family grew, the Saetas decided it was time to move into a larger house with a bigger yard. One day, out of the blue, David’s parents called with an unusual proposition. “They suggested that we buy their house,” Leslie says. “In return, they would buy ours. We couldn’t believe it, we thought they were going to live there forever. We loved the idea of keeping the house in the family and raising our three boys in the same home my husband grew up in. Moving day was confusing, though, because all of our boxes had the same last name on them. Since we moved in, we’ve made updates to the home over the years, and it’s been a dream.” David’s parents bought the house in 1969, and he lived there for most of his life. Leslie recalls a funny thing that happened a month after they purchased the home from his parents in 1998. “At the time, David was the mayor of South Pasadena and was returning home late from a city council meeting,” Leslie shares. “I heard him come up the stairs and pause, then he laughed before coming into our bedroom. When I asked him what was so funny, he said that he was about to go into his old room.” The house was built in 1915 as a wedding gift by a family that lived in South Pasadena. Over the years, the Saetas have updated and remodeled the home while maintaining its original character and charm. In 2000, they did a major remodel that included the kitchen, family room, two downstairs baths and the outdoor patio. The farmhouse-inspired kitchen is the heart of the home and features a large island and white cabinets. While many kitchens had dark cupboards with dark granite at the time, Leslie opted for all white to achieve a classic and timeless look. The windows are original, and the cabinets and island were custom made. There are two sinks, and the large farmhouse sink is located on the back wall overlooking the backyard. The honed marble countertops are 2 inches higher than standard to accommodate the couple and their three sons, who are all over 6 feet tall.
Photos by Luis Chavez
Leslie and David Saeta bought his childhood home in South Pasadena from his parents in 1998.
Photos by Luis Chavez
In 2000, the Saetas did a major remodel that included the addition of an outdoor patio.
“When all our kids are over, we love doing fun things like having family cooking competitions,” Leslie says. “My husband and sons all played Division 1 sports, so we’re naturally kind of competitive. It’s a wonderful space to be in.” David spends a lot of time in his home office, which is painted cardinal red, inspired by his alma mater, Stanford University. Leslie is frequently in her craft room. Previously, the room had dark paneling and was her office for 20 years. One day, she was inspired to paint everything white. Leslie loves vintage shopping and frequents the Rose Bowl Flea Market, where she buys items for the house, including her craft room’s tall work table that she sanded and painted. “For the past 20 years, I was at the Rose Bowl Flea Market every single month,” Leslie says. “I love to collect old dinner plates and other items. I would describe our décor as comfortable vintage. My favorite piece in the entire house is an old general store counter that’s in the living room; it has so much character. It’s pieces like those that I love more than anything.” For the next big home project, the Saetas added a swimming pool, converted the paddle tennis court to a sand volleyball court, and remodeled their master bedroom, two upstairs baths and the third-floor attic, which was transformed into a spacious guest suite. Because they needed a larger bathroom and walk-in closet, they made the master bedroom smaller when doing the upstairs remodel. The last major remodel added an outdoor kitchen with an island and bar. They also updated the carriage house. “It’s called the carriage house because back in the day, people would come through on a horse-drawn carriage,” Leslie says. “We love the back of our house; it’s great for entertaining. We love doing family dinners in the backyard and bringing the outdoors in.” Two years after the home turned 100, Leslie launched “My 100-YearOld Home,” a blog and Instagram account where she posts daily about home remodeling and décor, crafts, recipes and entertaining. Since its inception in 2017, the blog has found success and Leslie has partnered and collaborated with major brands including HomeGoods and Bed Bath & Beyond. “I’m excited to share something every day that will inspire and motivate others to do something fun and creative at home, especially during these current times,” Leslie shares. While the Saetas’ home looks like it belongs on the pages of a magazine, it’s also comfortable and welcoming. “It’s a home, not a house,” Leslie says. “It’s not perfect, but I don’t want it to be perfect. Every piece of furniture is slip covered so that if somebody spills something, it’s not a big deal. It’s very comfortable, and we love it here. We’re hoping that it stays in the family forever.” For more information, visit my100yearoldhome.com.
An avid cook, Leslie Saeta spends a lot of her time in the farmhouseinspired kitchen with a large island and all white cabinets.
Leslie Saeta has slip covers over most of the furniture, adding to the comfortable, low-maintenance style of their home.
02.21 | ARROYO | 27
VIRTUAL EVENTS
Virtual HAPPENINGS BY ROHIT LAKSHMAN
Pasadena Digital History Ongoing as of February Free | pasadenadigitalhistory.com Pasadena Digital History may be a website to explore, as it is a fascinating deep dive into the city and contains many high-quality photos of the city’s past. Established in 2010, Pasadena Digital History seeks to bring alive the not-so-distant past of Pasadena, all over a virtual screen. Arcadia Contemporary: “Flower + Power” Virtual Exhibition Ongoing as of February Free | arcadiacontemporary.com Arcadia Contemporary offers a stunning collection of oil paintings with one central element: flowers. This virtual exhibition contains works from a multitude of talented artists, and with a seamless online service, “Flower + Power” is a great way of getting out of the house without leaving. Gamble House Virtual Tour Ongoing as of February gamblehouse.org/virtual-tour Built in 1908, the Gamble House was the home of David B. Gamble of Gamble and Proctor fame. Known for its natural flourishes, the Gamble House is the epitome of the American Craftsman style — and even under virtual circumstances, the Gamble House is still a wonderful home wander. The attention to detail that the virtual tour gives is astounding. Old Pasadena Virtual Tour 10 a.m. Saturday, February 6 $12 to $15 | eventbrite.com Due to the complications of touring Old Pasadena in person during the pandemic, the Old Pasadena Walking Tours were suspended. However, starting in February, virtual tours will begin. Tours will take place every other month, and each will focus on a different theme. The first tour will celebrate Black History Month, looking at the African American influences in the first commercial district. The tours are given over Zoom with trained docents who will lead guests on a visual presentation through the history district and reveal its unusual architectural details, alleyways and historic signs. Andromeda Romano-Lax and Gayle Brandeis 6 p.m. Thursday, February 11 Online | Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/bqz5fige Vroman’s Bookstore presents Andromeda Romano-Lax in conversation with Gayle Brandeis, discussing “Annie and the Wolves.” Ruth McClintock is obsessed with Annie Oakley. For nearly a decade, she has been studying the legendary sharpshooter, convinced that a scarring childhood event was the impetus for her crusade to arm every woman in America. This search has cost Ruth her doctorate, a book deal and her fiancé — but finally it has borne fruit. She has managed to hunt down what may be a journal of Oakley’s midlife struggles, including secret visits to a psychoanalyst and the desire for vengeance against the “wolves,” or those who have wronged her. 28 | ARROYO | 02.21
Valentine’s Day REC-tivity Bags Noon Friday, February 12 Free | register at bit.ly/3iFbaIw The South Pasadena Recreation Division is offering a Valentine’s Day REC-tivity — a lovable monster craft that residents can make at home. Space is limited. Katherine Seligman and Hillary Jordan 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 16 Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/10cqtgvm Vroman’s Bookstore and Friends in Deed present Katherine Seligman in conversation with Hillary Jordan, discussing “At the Edge of Haight.” Maddy Donaldo, homeless at age 20, has made a family in the dangerous spaces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. When she unwittingly witnesses the murder of a young homeless boy and is seen by the perpetrator, her relatively stable life is upended. Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi 6 p.m. Thursday, February 18 Free | register at crowdcast.io/e/5e31r18m Vroman’s Bookstore hosts Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi discussing “Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found.” Magic has all but disappeared in Brooklyn, but one tenacious young magician is determined to bring it back in this exciting middle-grade mystery. Nicole LaPorte and Jeff Selingo 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 24 Free | register at bit.ly/3a09EN9 Vroman’s presents Nicole LaPort and Jeff Selingo discussing “Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors and Phonies Behind the College Cheating Scandal.” The book weaves the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country’s wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition. Ioan Grillo 6 p.m. Friday, February 26 Free | register at bit.ly/3sWt3Ya Vroman’s Bookstore presents Ioan Grillo, who discusses “Blood Gun Monday: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels.” The gun control debate is revived with every mass shooting. But far more people die from gun deaths on the street corners of inner-city America and across the border as Mexico’s powerful cartels battle to control the drug trade.
02.21 | ARROYO | 29
A R T S A N D C U LT U R E
Hopeful’ ‘UPLIFTING AND
EMILY ANDERSON SET TO CELEBRATE NEW SONG WITH LIVESTREAM BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
E
mily Anderson was in Alaska, sitting in her parents’ basement, when she recalled the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pasadena resident made her way to her birthplace to work as a guest artist at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. What came out of it was the song “Hugs.” It’s scheduled to drop Friday, February 5, and she’s scheduled a livestream for 8 p.m. Saturday, February 6. “It was one of those songs that came out complete,” Anderson says. “It was honest, and although it’s a pandemic song, it was uplifting and hopeful. I feel like a lot of people are writ30 | ARROYO | 02.21
ing songs about quarantining and isolation. “I also did that, but I wanted it to still have a sense of optimism.” Anderson’s music has been described as “pure and could serve as the soundtrack to awaken one’s spirit,” channeling influences such as Carole King, Regina Spektor and Suzanne Vega. “Hugs” is a collaboration between friends across the continent — Alaska, Colorado, California and Canada. Its chorus sets to music the common sentiment, “I can’t wait to hug all my friends again.” “Hugs” was piecemealed together by engineer Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties. It features violinist Pamela Lord, drummer Travis Burrows, bassist Chris Rolontz and guitarist Tudzin. The background vocals are courtesy of Tristan Hovest, Pamela Lord, Jordan King, Mike Adams, Rob Ballantine, Christi Bailey and Kat Kennedy. Each of these parts were recorded separately so the singers could remain quarantined. “I feel like that’s what makes the nostalgia so palpable,” Anderson says. “We sound like we’re singing around a campfire, but in reality we were all just singing in our closets in our own little corners of the world. When I first heard us all together, I couldn’t help but cry. It feels so good to sing with friends, even virtually.” After COVID-19 disrupted plans to record a new fulllength album, Anderson threw herself into her songwriting, composing songs for video games, pitching songs for film and television, and securing a placement of her song, “Gold,” in a national ad campaign for Miller Lite. “I had my heart set on recording a new album in 2020, but the pandemic has turned life upside down for all of us,” Anderson says. “‘Hugs’ is one of many, many songs that I wrote during quarantine, and I knew it was too honest not to release.” As for the Miller Lite ad, Anderson says it was “surreal but amazing.” “Right when the lockdown was really happening is when I learned the song was going to be used in a Miller Lite campaign,” she says. “It was a tip jar campaign for restaurant and bar workers. People could donate to those who had their livelihoods severely affected by the pandemic. “It felt cool that something I made could be affiliated with something so positive and that they are trying to help. They weren’t just selling beer.” Anderson says she has an “ambitious” amount of music planned for this year. In February, she will finish recording the album. Anderson is also hoping for a seven-song, strippeddown EP. Anderson has most of these songs in the can. She as yet another project in the works with fellow Alaskan Naessie. Anderson calls it electric and psychedelic with Disney princess energy. “Hugs” will be released on all digital streaming platforms, and the video features the quirky and charming animation of LA visual artist Kat Bing. The livestream details will be on her Facebook page. “It will be a mix of new songs and old songs,” she says. “I’ve written so much new material that it’s hard to plan a concert. “I’m excited about all the new songs.” Emily Anderson Livestream 8 p.m. Saturday, February 6 Facebook or Instagram @emilyandersonak Website: emilyandersonak.com
BUSINESS
Cause
COLLECTING FOR A
UNION STATION’S GRANTS WRITER WANTS TO END HOMELESSNESS BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Photo courtesy Union Station Homeless Services
I
n Dana Bean’s 15 years with Union Station Homeless Services, she has seen the homeless outreach program grow exponentially. She, too, has grown. Bean has been with the development and communications department during her entire tenure with the company. Now she’s the chief development and communications officer. In this new role, she will continue to expand the work of her eightperson DevCom team in leading the organization’s diverse fundraising and communications efforts, including foundation and government grants, major gifts, corporate partnerships, direct mail, special events, public relations and brand management. “I’m thrilled,” she says. “When I joined the agency, we were just 41 people and a budget of $3 million. We have grown exponentially year over year. As the agency has grown, my scope of responsibility has grown.” The Pasadena-based nonprofit Union Station Homeless Services provides permanent solutions to end homelessness and rebuild lives. Union Station is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Founded 50 years ago, Union Station Homelessness Services is the lead county agency for SPA 3, coordinating homeless services in 32 communities, with a combined population of over 1.5 million across the San Gabriel Valley. “Pasadena has a significant homeless problem,” Bean says. “Just over 500 people on any given night are unhoused. We’ve expanded our services beyond the borders (of Pasadena). We reach the whole San Gabriel Valley.” Besides overseeing the department, she will have executive functions like guiding the agency and helping with its strategic plan. “I absolutely love my job,” Bean says. “I didn’t expect to still be with the agency almost 15 years later. We keep launching new projects and programs that I’m proud of.” One of those programs is “Changing the Narrative,” which was launched in mid-2020. It is a series of quarterly webinars with a pandel of experts. “Just being able to meet people who have really shaped homeless sector policy is amazing,” she says. Bean’s story began in Denver, where she was born. From South Africa, her mom moved to Denver when she was seven months pregnant with Bean. After giving birth to Bean and her brother, their mom and the rest of the family returned to South Africa. Bean has been in Southern California since she was 10. “South Africa is wonderful,” she says. “I love it. I have a sister there and dozens of cousins.” Bean earned a bachelor’s from UCLA and a Master of Public Administration with a certificate in nonprofit sector management from California State University Northridge. She is a credentialed grant professional with a certificate from Grant Professionals Certification Institute and is completing a certification in strategic public relations and brand management at UCLA.
Born in Colorado, Dana Bean spent her formative years in South Africa. She applied to Union Station and landed a job as a full-time grant writer. She doubled the grant dollars in her first year. “Dana Bean has been with Union Station for over 14 years, and during that time she has been instrumental in helping sustain our organization by building our resources and advancing our mission-driven strategy and communications,” says CEO Anne Miskey. “She is an integral part of our senior executive team and brings not only her skills but great passion and heart to the job.” With that, Bean hopes to help Union Station continue to grow. “I think my hard work has definitely contributed to the growth of the agency,” she says. “It has a budget of $24 million. I have definitely seen a lot of growth in the 15 years I’ve been there. “I want to continue to help people in who are in the homeless sector. We’ve expanded our focus in the community to help people understand their role in helping people stop homelessness and the inflow of people losing their housing.” Union Station Homeless Services unionstationhs.org 02.21 | ARROYO | 31
CULINARY CUPBOARD
SOPHISTICATED (ALMOST)
BY EMILY CHAVEZ
U
pdate your tried-and-true blueberry pie this winter with few simple changes for a galette that looks as good as it tastes. The vibrant and earthy flavors of creamy goat cheese pair beautifully with tart and light blueberries. Luscious honey, as the primary sweetener, provides a familiar warm note that is kept fresh with the addition of mint leaves. Whether you enjoy this right out of the oven for an after-dinner dessert or warm up a slice to enjoy with coffee or tea on a crisp morning, this galette will satisfy your craving for an indulgent pastry with complex flavors. HONEY BLUEBERRY GALETTE YIELD: 6 SERVINGS | ACTIVE TIME: 25 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR, 10 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS 2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR 1 TEASPOON SALT 3/4 CUP COLD UNSALTED BUTTER, CUBED 10 OUNCES COLD GOAT CHEESE 1 TABLESPOON APPLE CIDER VINEGAR 2 TABLESPOON ICE WATER 3 TABLESPOONS HONEY 32 | ARROYO | 02.21
1 1/2 TABLESPOON PACKED DARK BROWN SUGAR 1/4 TEASPOON NUTMEG 2 CUPS BLUEBERRIES 1 EGG 1 TABLESPOON WATER 1 TABLESPOON SUGAR GARNISH: HONEY AND FRESH MINT
INSTRUCTIONS 1. USING A FOOD PROCESSOR, PULSE TOGETHER FLOUR AND SALT UNTIL COMBINED. ADD BUTTER AND 4 OUNCES OF GOAT CHEESE, PULSING UNTIL MIXTURE IS CRUMBLY. ADD VINEGAR AND PULSE TO INCORPORATE. ADD ICE WATER, 1 TABLESPOON AT A TIME, JUST UNTIL DOUGH COMES TOGETHER. TURN OUT AND SHAPE DOUGH INTO A DISK. WRAP IN PLASTIC WRAP. REFRIGERATE DOUGH FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. 2. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425 DEGREES F AND LINE A BAKING SHEET WITH PARCHMENT PAPER. 3. IN A BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER THE REMAINING 6 OUNCES OF GOAT CHEESE AND HONEY UNTIL SMOOTH. ADD BROWN SUGAR AND NUTMEG AND WHISK TO INCORPORATE THROUGHOUT. STORE IN THE REFRIGERATOR. 4. ON A LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE, ROLL DOUGH INTO A 12INCH CIRCLE, ABOUT 1/4-INCH THICK. TRANSFER THE BAKING SHEET TO ASSEMBLE. 5. SPREAD HONEY GOAT CHEESE FILLING MIXTURE ONTO THE DOUGH, LEAVING A 2-INCH GAP FROM THE BORDER ALL THE WAY AROUND. 6. PLACE BLUEBERRIES ON TOP FILLING. FOLD EDGES OF DOUGH OVER. 7. IN A SMALL BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER EGG AND 1 TABLESPOON OF WATER. BRUSH EGG WASH ONTO DOUGH, AND SPRINKLE WITH GRANULATED SUGAR. 8. BAKE UNTIL THE CRUST IS GOLDEN, AND BOTTOM IS BROWNED, 30 TO 35 MINUTES. LET COOL ON THE PAN FOR 10 MINUTES. 9. SERVE WARM OR AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND GARNISHED WITH HONEY AND FRESH MINT.
Photos by Luis Chavez
Blueberry Pie
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PA I D A DV E R T I S E M E N T
5 REASONS TO NEVER TOP YOUR TREES Do you ever wonder why a tree didn’t grow well, looked deformed, fell over, or entirely died? There are certainly combinations of reasons for this happening, but according to many horticulturalists, one of the top reasons is improper pruning. Specifically, a damaging practice called “Topping”. Topping involves cutting away a large section of the top of a tree’s crown, or all the leafing branches across the top half of the tree. This is often justified by the need to reduce the overall size of a tree. The leader (or the vertical stem) and the upper primary limbs (known as scaffold branches) on a mature tree are often cut back to a level height- This can prove damaging or fatal to many trees, or severely decrease their longevity. Why not to Top a tree: 1. Weak, unhealthy shoots and mini limbs without a central leader will sprout as a response to the trauma. The tree becomes weak, top heavy and inevitably the wrong shoots or stems will dominate the tree. The limbs will be weakened both aesthetically and structurally. Eventually, a tree trimmer will need to come back and remove most of the shoots costing more time and expense than doing it right the first time. 2. Shock, Trauma and starvation can occur as the leaves that provide food and shade to the rest of the tree are removed the recovery process is slowed. Without protective leaves, the tree lacks nutrition and often the new growth and bark are scalded by the sun. The tree’s energy goes into recovery, self-protection, and producing unnatural new growth while branching. 3. Large wounds create a magnet for insects and disease. The shock and starvation that occurs reduces the trees natural ability to fend off insects, disease and decay. 34 | ARROYO | 02.21
Once decay hits a tree, there is no way of stopping it. 4. Weak Limbs and a weak tree can be dangerous. The meeting point of the limbs and trunk is called a “crotch”. Crotches growing at wrong angles and with competing branches create weak forks and brittle wood that breaks easily. Unhealthy trees and limbs are much more likely to fall down in times of stress or inclement weather 5. Increased cost, increased liability and lost aesthetic value. Though it may be tempting to take that low cost of the simple large cut, certainly more money will be invested in repair of the tree, removal of dead or broken limbs ,and damages caused by the inopportune falling of limbs and trees on items of value. The value a beautiful tree can add to a property cannot be taken for granted, and the cost of replacing a tree of size may be impossible if not very expensive. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, as some trees that are often used as hedges respond well to topping if we want to keep them as hedges. If a tree is to be kept like a large shrub at a limited size, topping is actually necessary, but if the tree is to grow into its natural state as a tree, then the above rules apply. So, what is the alternative when the tree is too large? Crown reduction is the preferred pruning method, because it conserves natural appearance, decreases need for extensive pruning, and limits stress. Read next month’s article on crown reduction. - Mark Meahl
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