A TASTE OF VENEZUELA

Venezuela A TASTE OF

AMARA BARROETA KEEPS HER CULTURE ALIVE THROUGH AREPAS AND COFFEE BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

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chicken breast simmered in a honey-tomato sauce; and roasted beef with Venezuelan cheese. They range in price from $10.15 to $12.85.

“It’s like our bread and we fill it with different things,” Barroeta says. Barroeta says she’s still mastering the art of cachapas, grilled housemade yellow corn pancakes ($9.99 to $14.99).

“They’re really simple. It’s like a yellow corn pancake. It’s really, really rich and hard to make,” she says. “The corn here is so different than in Venezuela. Corn has a different texture and taste from the ones we have in Venezuela.”

Her menu is rounded out with breakfast, entrée salads, hot plates, hot baguettes and “made in heaven”—an apropos name for desserts. The recipes are variations of those by her “two beautiful grandmothers”—one was 100% Venezuelan and the other was Spanish. They didn’t document the recipes, other than to say, “a little of this, a little of that.”

“Most of my recipes come from them,” she says. “Usually, the adults like to kick the children out of the kitchen. They didn’t. They included me in the task of peeling veggies. It’s then you understand the love you put in food. “The kitchen is the center of the house. Most of the time the women do the work. People don’t understand the importance of it and how hard it is. It gave me the value of food, values and friendship.”

Barroeta took her grandmothers’ recipes and adjusted them into weight so the recipes could be repeated by employees in a consistent manner.

“You could be an amazing cook with all of these recipes, but you have to have the right amount of spices,” she says. “Everyone thinks there’s one chef who works all the time. It’s a romantic idea. I have to have the recipes handy so anyone can make them.”

Barroeta hopes to inspire families to congregate and dine together, without electronics in the way. Barroeta’s hospitality and homemade dishes have attracted the likes of professional baseball players from Venezuela like the Arizona Diamondbacks’ David Peralta. Together, she and her Venezuelan customers share stories of the hardships in the South American country.

“I like to see the bright side of things,” she says. “We never, as Venezu- elans, went out and emigrated and did things to survive. Now we’re all over the world. We went through really difficult times and I think now people are getting to know our culture better.

“This is coming from someone who survived. Now we’re chefs, we open businesses and we offer something new. People are so detached from their families and their heritage and their culture. I feel it’s important to feel that we’re not alone in the universe. There’s something behind us who made us who we are.”

With each dish, Barroeta is celebrating her family, heritage and culture. “My grandmothers both passed,” she says. “They live through every dish. When you have a country at the verge of war, all of these things are left behind. But we’re surviving. We’re taking care of our loved ones.

“There, people don’t have access to basic groceries like they used to have before. People like myself, and other chefs and people around the world, are preserving that for a whole other generation. I want to teach my daughter arepas and churros so she can feel connected to my grandmothers. It’s really beautiful and I have this opportunity in Pasadena.”

The seasons change, and despite circumstances, the current troubles will, too By Bruce Haring SPRING LANDSCAPING TIME IS UPON US

It may seem kind of absurd to talk about landscaping when the world is on lockdown because of a disease. But let’s examine what happened just a few years ago as a lesson that this, too, shall pass.

Remember the drought? From 2011 to 2017, Southern California suffered what researchers called one of the most intense droughts in state history. The period from late 2011 through 2014 was the driest in California’s recorded history.

In that time period of low rainfall and water rationing, it was popular to rip up lawns and plants and other items that needed regular watering. Instead, many Southern Californians installed what was termed “indigenous landscaping,” consisting of native plants and stones and cactuses, all of which needed very little water.

They didn’t look as nice as what they replaced, but drought was now considered the “new normal.” Thus, those who were getting ahead of the curve felt they had done the right thing, appearances be damned.

Well, like all cycles, the drought eventually ended, and those who had panicked and installed the scrubby plants and stones were, in cases, left with buyer’s remorse.

That’s one of the lessons to take away in these dark times of disease, lockdowns and curfews. Even as we struggle with current conditions, rest assured there will come a day when a vaccine will be developed or nature will take its course, burning out the coronavirus. Things will get back to normal, and homeowners will once again be able to consider moving forward on things like landscaping.

SPRING IS FOR PLANTING

As of March 20, springtime is upon us in Southern California, which means warmer weather is just around the corner. You can now start planting your spring garden and preparing to help your landscaping thrive, providing endless hours of comfort and beauty to your property.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional to work their magic on your landscape, know that you’re making a solid investment in your home’s ultimate value.

While a landscaping project can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000, it does provide a solid return when it’s time to sell. Various experts estimate that good-looking outdoor areas can add 10% to 20% to a home’s end value. Thus, they recommend that you spend about 10% of your home’s value on keeping the landscaping looking nice. That’s not necessarily something you do in one year, but over the life of your home, it can make a difference.

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THINGS YOU CAN DO YOURSELF

For home gardeners, it’s spring training time, a moment when you can hit the dirt running and start waking up your landscape so that it’s in full flower by the prime outdoor season.

Some steps you may be taking right now: prepping soil in raised garden planters, installing nutrient-rich compost and peat moss. You should also start fertilizing your plants around the garden, as spring is when they are most receptive to nutrients. Look for fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen for healthy leaves; phosphorus for strong roots, stems and blossoms; and potassium for nutrient absorption. There are different types of fertilizers for avocado, citrus trees, fruit trees and roses, so pay attention to what you’re buying.

For vegetables and herbs, wait until the last chance of any frost has disappeared. That is the time for planting warmseason vegetable seeds like tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, onion, potatoes, spinach, turnips and corn. For herbs, look to basil, mint, oregano, parsley and rosemary.

Because it’s early, you can still plant broccoli, lettuce, cabbage and kale, which usual thrive in cooler weather. And don’t forget those hardy vegetables that are usually good to go at any point, including carrots, beets and radishes.

Now is also a good time to help your plants by trimming dead branches and leaves and cutting back on excess stems or too

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much fruit. It will allow the plant to direct its efforts toward optimum growth. You should also employ mulch around our plants to hold moisture, prevent weeds and reduce erosion.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRENDS

Given that our climate allows year-round outdoor activities, premium landscaping and yard maintenance takes on added significance in this region. Patios and porches are becoming addendums to rooms in the house, and large amounts of family and friends time is spent enjoying the space.

While landscape design trends more slowly than many other situations, it still evolves. Concrete fountains were once all the rage—now, not so much, and the glass garden gnomes are, well, something grandma once loved.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals is the trade group representing nearly 100,000 landscape industry professionals in the United States. Member companies specialize in lawn care, landscape design and installation, landscape maintenance, tree care, irrigation and water management, and interior plantscaping.

The organization puts out an annual list of top landscape design trends. For 2020, the list includes many ideas you will no doubt see when you visit your friends this spring and summer. Among their trends for 2020: 1) Intricate hardscaping – It’s not always about organic materials to bring life to your outdoor space. Stone and concrete spaces provide a nice compliment accent to the organics, and it’s not just flat surfaces. Hardscapes are now featuring waves, lattice, basket weaving patterns and chevron on retaining walls, walkways and fire features.

2) Contemporary stylings – Native plants, heat lamps and protective structures with a sleek, modern design and multiple season functions are growing in popularity.

3) Nothin’ But the Blues – It’s a color that’s not usually found in landscaping, but it’s trending in designs, as blue sculptures, water features and plants with blue blossoms are becoming popular additions.

4) The Landscape as Food Source – It’s not just good to look at, but increasingly it’s good to eat. People are creating edible gardens for herbs and that help people in the trend toward more use of organic foods.

5) Irrigation and lighting: The rise of the smart home means less water wasted, as smart sprinklers systems and outdoor lighting eliminate rainy-day watering.

One benefit of getting an early start to your landscaping plans is less obvious. Gardening and landscaping provide a mental respite from the world’s troubles, as the tasks at hand are attention-consuming in a good way. That counts for a lot in these times and is as good a reason as any to pay particular attention to your landscaping in this coming season.