FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA JULY 2014
PASADENA INC.
Making Pasadena Pop The Playhouse District’s Erlinda Romo
PLANET URTH Coffee Crowds on Colorado THE NOOR YOU KNOW How the Event Space Built the Buzz LOVING ESCOFFIER A Salute to the Original French Chef
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arroyo VOLUME 10 | NUMBER 7 | JULY 2014
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PASADENA INC. PHOTOS, TOP: Victor Boghossian; BOTTOM LEFT: Courtesy of Noor Ballroom; BOTTOM RIGHT: Joe Atlas
11 PLAYING FOR KEEPS Playhouse District Association Executive Director Erlinda Romo talks about revitalizing Pasadena’s cultural heart. —By Bettijane Levine
16 THE BEST STUFF ON URTH Pasadena’s thirst for organic coffee is being quenched by the latest Urth Caffé. —By Kathleen Kelleher
33 PASADENA’S UNOFFICIAL COMMUNITY CENTER Robert Shahnazarian Jr. has established Noor as the city’s prime destination for multicultural celebrations. —By Tariq Kamal
38 MAUI WOWIE Audiences are applauding the Maui Film Festival’s heavenly outdoor screenings. —By Irene Lacher
DEPARTMENTS 10
FESTIVITIES GLAZA throws a Beastly Ball and L.A. Children’s Chorus hosts Gala Bel Canto.
18
ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX
41
KITCHEN CONFESSIONS A love letter to the original French chef
43
THE LIST Independence Day at Grand Park, the Pops salutes the Gershwins, a Watermelon Festival at Santa Anita and more
ABOUT THE COVER: Photo of Erlinda Romo by Danny Liao 07.14 ARROYO | 7
EDITOR’S NOTE
FOR MANY ANGELENOS WHO RARELY VENTURE EAST OF THE 405, THE CHARming Pasadena Playhouse is all they know of the city, the one lure that persuades them to brave miles of daunting freeway. When Westsiders do come over the hill, they remember how lovely the city is and how rich its cultural offerings, as I just heard from one such recent visitor. And when the playhouse went dark for eight months in 2010, so did much of the activity in the area, like Onil Chibas’ marvelous Elements Kitchen, which didn’t survive the hiatus, despite its stunning historic space next door. Enter the Playhouse District Association, whose efforts to reverse the area’s fortunes complemented the theater’s own success in resurrecting its financial health. The Playhouse District, the star attraction of this year’s Pasadena Inc. issue, has taken on a strong identity of its own, as Arroyo Editor-at-large Bettijane Levine learned in her interview with the association’s executive director, Erlinda Romo. Levine talks to Romo about how the group of local businesses, property owners and institutions joined forces to reignite the area’s appeal. Consider the newish Playhouse District location of Urth Caffe, which has Pasadena’s organic-coffee and -tea lovers overflowing onto the sidewalk in their hunt for the perfect drink. In a competitive universe of coffee and tea purveyors, just how did Urth make its local store so hot? Kathleen Kelleher sat down with organic-coffee king Shallom Berkman to find out how he and his wife, Jilla, have managed to stand out from the pack. Another Pasadena business success story is Noor, an event space in the Paseo Colorado that has attracted so many multiculti weddings, corporate bashes and more that it’s getting a reputation as the city’s unofficial community center. Tariq Kamal talks to Noor’s Robert Shahnazarian Jr. about how inclusiveness can be a sharp business strategy. —Irene Lacher
EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Carla Cortez PRODUCTION MANAGER Richard Garcia PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Rochelle Bassarear, Tim Oliver EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Samantha Bonar, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Carole Dixon, Lynne Heffley, Noela Hueso, Tariq Kamal, Kathy Kelleher, Rebecca Kuzins, Elizabeth McMillian, Brenda Rees, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brenda Clarke, Joseluis Correa, Leslie Lamm ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bruce Haring ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker PAYROLL Linda Lam accounting Alysia Chavez, Kacie Sturek OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Weathersbee PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 07.14
arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA
SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105 ArroyoMonthly.com ©2014 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
FESTIVITIES
Terry Knowles, Peter Sellars and Marshall Rutter
Gala Bel Canto
LACC Associate Artistic Director Mandy Brigham, LACC Young Men’s Ensemble Director Steven Kronauer and LACC Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson
Luke, Sara, Kaela, Cheryl and David Scheidemantle
The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus honored three arts philanthropists at its annual Gala Bel Canto benefit, which raised $231,000 for the celebrated Pasadena-based children’s choir. Honorees at the sit-down dinner at downtown L.A.’s Vibiana on May 21 included married choral arts supporters Marshall Rutter, an L.A. Master Chorale founding board member, and Terry Knowles, the chorale’s president and CEO, who were presented with the Gala Bel Canto The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus performs
Award by prominent avant-garde stage director Peter Sellars. Also recognized
Gala Bel Canto Chair Jennifer Sliskovich, Board Chair Jennifer Terry and gala committee members Anne Sunshine and Andrea Willard
was former LACC Chair David R. Scheidemantle, who received the Rebecca Thompson Founder’s Award from former board member Rick Roberts…Nearly 800 animal lovers raised more than $1.1 million at the 44th annual Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s popular Beastly Ball on June 14. Notables cruising the cages at the after-hours event included Mayor Eric Garcetti and wife Amy Wakeland, actors Pauley Perrette, Valerie Bertinelli and GLAZA Co-Chairman Betty White. The beloved White’s live-auction donation of a backstage zoo tour Mycoskie of Toms Shoes and entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren.
Mackenzie, Katie and Sean Barker
Blake and Heather Mycoskie, Betty White and GLAZA President Connie Morgan
PHOTO: Star
Debbie and Los Angeles Zoo Director John Lewis
Megan Needleman and Jackie Winnick 10 | ARROYO | 07.14
Animal advocates Simon Stuart and Russell Mittermeier with GLAZA Trustee Richard Sneider and Pauley Perrette
Mark Armbruster and his GLAZA–Trustee wife Margot with actor Patrick Wayne
Valerie Bertinelli with Tom, Dominic and Angela Vitale
Debbie Ciani and friend
PHOTOS: Lee Salem (LA Childs Chorus Gala ); Jamie Pham (Beastly Ball)
brought in a record-breaking $55,000. Honored were animal advocate Heather
Playing for Keeps Playhouse District Association Executive Director Erlinda Romo talks about the organization’s strategy for revitalizing Pasadena’s cultural heart and ensuring its future. BY BETTIJANE LEVINE | PHOTOS BY DANNY LIAO
PEOPLE ARE WALKING AND TALKING ABOUT THE PASADENA PLAYHOUSE DISTRICT, THE CITY’S REINVIGORATED NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE HISTORY AND CULTURE COALESCE WITH A SPIRITED FUTURISTIC VIBE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE GOING UP AND NEW SHOPS AND DINING SPOTS ARE MOVING IN. NEW DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC ART AND A CONTINUUM OF FREE CULTURAL EVENTS HAVE IMBUED THE DISTRICT’S 32 BLOCKS WITH AN EXCITING SENSE OF PLACE AND A FEELING OF COMMUNITY. –continued on page 12 07.14 | ARROYO | 11
Pasadena artist Cynthia Luna designed stencils to turn crosswalks into artworks.
I’ve worked in a number of different capacities for the City of Pasadena: as an arts coordinator, as a business recruitment and retention specialist for the Pasadena downtown development office and in other assignments. I know how City Hall works and how the community works, so I can blend those two together in my current job. What exactly is the Pasadena Playhouse District Association? It’s a nonprofit corporation formed in 1995 to manage and market the district. It’s governed by an 11-member board of directors representing the district’s property owners, businesses and institutions, and it uses pooled private dollars assessed from members to fund activities and services in the district. How does it function? There are five committees consisting of community members who are property owners, residents and business owners in the district. I staff each of the committees, and with each one, I discuss possible programs, projects and budgets. Then the basic skeleton for a project is developed by the committee, and I and my staff implement the project. The committees focus on five areas: design and physical enhancement, economic enhancement, promotions and marketing, parking and organizational resources, which deals mainly with budgets and succession on the Board of Directors. Who pays your salary? I work for the Board of Directors, and I interact with the committees to help carry out their ideas and projects. Salaries for me and my staff of three are paid by the association.
–continued from page 11
How did this happen? How do you make a neighborhood “ hot”? How does an area evolve from an undefined group of blocks into a destination — a place where people want to live, work, walk, shop, dine, invest and build? How do you actually define a neighborhood, so that it becomes an “experience” that ignites the senses and stimulates the mind? An expert on that subject is Erlinda Romo, the economic development diva of Pasadena’s Playhouse District, which has the venerable and charming Pasadena Playhouse at its core. When Romo signed on as executive director of the Pasadena Playhouse District Association in 2007, its board of directors made her mandate clear: Enhance the district’s economic vitality and confirm it as Pasadena’s center for culture, commerce and community. In short: Make it hot. She had a lot of fine raw material to work with. Many historic, architecturally important buildings dot the district’s landscape, along with museums and iconic businesses, such as Vroman’s Bookstore (opened in 1894)and The Ice House comedy club (started in 1960). What was lacking when she took over? A sense of vitality, an infusion of energy and, most important, a feeling of neighborhood that would define the district and meld the modern with the historic, the cultural with the commercial. It needed an overlay to envelop those 32 blocks — roughly between Walnut Street to the north and Green Street to the south, Catalina Avenue on the east and Los Robles Avenue on the west — and mark them as a cohesive, upand-coming neighborhood where people want to live, work and invest in the future. In the seven years since Romo took on the challenge, the district has blossomed. Just a few years back, neighbors gave a street name when asked where their home or shop was located. Now they often say, “It’s in the Playhouse District” — a sure sign that a sense of place has been established, a neighborhood revitalized. Arroyo Monthly interviewed Romo to learn some secrets of her trade: Did you have previous experience doing something like this? I’ve been working in downtown development and economic revitalization since the early 1980s. I was the economic development specialist for the City of San Gabriel, and
What are some services provided for residents and businesses? One of the key things the association does is provide enhanced maintenance and security in the district, with extra security personnel seven days a week in public areas, streets and sidewalks. This is a low-crime area to begin with, but we offer additional security which has nothing to do with the City of Pasadena Police force. We also have ambassador guides who walk the district seven days a week. What do ambassador guides do? They’ve done everything from help people find their keys to suggesting restaurants, to dealing with minor graffiti situations and giving directions to those who can’t find the place they are looking for. From where you started seven years ago, there’s been an immense change in the Playhouse District, all of it positive and invigorating. Can you explain how this was accomplished? It’s been a process. In 2008, when the market was so low and we could not fi ll up shop space, we focused mostly on enhancing the brand of the Playhouse District. We’ve been doing that ever since, in a broad sphere. We work on many free events to enhance the district as a cultural location — events such as ArtWalk, Make Music Pasadena, the free community fi lms at Laemmle to bring people here during the holiday season. We’ve invigorated a series of nine free summer jazz concerts sponsored by the association in Vroman’s courtyard. We also instituted high-visibility visual enhancements, such as banners, art wraps on utility boxes and street art on crosswalks. Explain how that came about. In 2008, consultant Kennedy Smith was hired — she’s an expert who gave advice on how to use art as an economic generator. She said the district is blessed with great art institutions — museums, the Playhouse theater, the Boston Court theater. But the only way people know that the art exists is to go inside these institutions. She recommended that we put art on the outside, use art as part of our branding, so that people recognize –continued on page 14
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Freedom of speech is the theme of art-wrapped utility boxes.
ment. “It’s pretty good,” he said, “but I just wanted to let you guys know.” We’re right now installing four new utility-box artworks: three on Union and one on the corner of Walnut and Los Robles. The project is growing in size and scope. To keep the artwork fresh and clean, we used vinyl to wrap the boxes. It’s the same medium used to wrap buses and cars. That way, if people use markers on it or put stickers on it, the artwork won’t be destroyed. We can just replace a vinyl panel. Any other visual markers you’ve installed? We use large banners throughout the district to highlight art and cultural institutions, and smaller banners to promote the district, with the harlequin motif that’s on our association logo. Do you and your staff work with developers who are putting up new buildings? Yes, they come to my office and we share information with them. Our website has been redone since I started working for the association. It’s beautiful, user-friendly and there’s a tremendous amount of information for residents and visitors as well as property owners, investors and brokers on the benefits of the district. Our calendar of events is updated weekly and links directly to the business hosting that event. We utilize Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
–continued from page 12
it as symbolic of what is in the district. So we worked with the association’s design and physical enhancement committee and came up with a plan for crosswalk art. What happened next? [Pasadena-based] artist Cynthia Luna was enlisted. She uses stencils to create repetitive patterns on both large- and small-scale artworks that transform spaces. For us she designed templates for the crosswalks, stencils that interpret natural forms related to Pasadena, such as the gingko and the rose. Then we had to get those designs stenciled onto the crosswalks, and we had to be sure they would continue to look good and look fresh. The crew we hired to install the art is the same crew that makes the white and yellow signs on our streets. These people are not used to creating art, but they are experts at doing work that lasts, that won’t cause pedestrians to trip. This time they were doing attractive designs instead of straight or broken lines in white or yellow. It took a while for City Hall to approve the project. They thought it might confuse drivers, or it might make pedestrians slip and fall. Now they like the crosswalk art; they know it doesn’t cause any problems. We [encountered] the same initial reluctance when we wanted to art-wrap the utility boxes. How did that come about? The idea was to use the utility boxes as “canvases” for public artwork, as vehicles for art, instead of trying to make the boxes disappear or putting street maps on them. [L.A.] artist Susan Silton created text images of quotes that are a tribute to freedom of speech. The quotes are pretty remarkable and powerful. They’re from people like Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Eleanor Roosevelt and Frederick Douglass. And they’re very thought-provoking. The project started when the Occupy movement was in full swing, and one police officer saw writing on the box and reported it as graffiti to the public works depart14 | ARROYO | 07.14
What new buildings are planned, and what is your involvement? Playhouse Plaza is going up opposite the playhouse. It’s a five-story building with 18,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and four stories of office space above that, with subterranean parking. The developer, IDS, has been in contact with the committee, and I’ve met with a few prospective tenants, talked and met with their brokers and answered questions about the district. Three other developments are under construction as well, with commercial on the ground floor and residential up above. A medical office building will start construction next year at Colorado and Madison. What about new shops and restaurants? First, I want to emphasize that our district includes some iconic businesses that have been here a long time and give this community a sense of history, culture and class — Vroman’s and Jacob Maarse Florists, to name just two. We want to celebrate them and enhance their business as well as that of any newcomers. And new ones have been moving in. We have Roy’s, which is a micro-chain for Hawaiian fusion cuisine headed by Chef Roy Yamaguchi, Settebello Pizzeria, Tender Greens, Urth Caffé and Blaze Pizza. This is the second location for Rounds Premium Burgers, which has its only other shop in West Hollywood. A restaurant and jazz club, redwhite+bluezz, has [reopened there] and others may be in the works. With all this increased activity, isn’t parking going to be a huge problem? We’re the only area in downtown Pasadena that still has free street parking. We don’t know how long that will last. We’re working on a parking utilization study now and want to manage how space is used. If it was up to us, parking would remain free and we would build free parking structures. But we haven’t the funds for that. We are definitely working with the city on this. We advocate for those who live and work here, who are part of our community. You’ve accomplished a lot. What are you most proud of? It’s not just me — it’s the team that I work with. And whatever we’ve accomplished has been a collaborative effort. Whatever success we’ve achieved is because we’ve engaged the entire community — property owners, business owners, residents, the board and committee members and City Hall. We are all working together for a more vital Pasadena Playhouse District.||||
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Jilla and Shallom Berkman at their Urth in Beverly Hills.
The Best
Stuff on Urth
Pasadena’s thirst for coffee is being quenched by the latest Urth Caffé, one of the busiest in the already popular chain.
L
ess than a year old, the Urth Caffé in Pasadena draws sometimes ridiculous crowds that snake outside the massive doors and onto the sidewalks. Once inside, customers order at a counter with delectable-looking pastries and then await their bounty — which usually includes some form of espresso latté etched with swans, hearts, leaves or Hello Kitties. The crowds dwarf those at typical coffeehouses partly because the Pasadena venue has so much space. It is on the ground floor of a spectacular Spanish-style two-story building, the culmination of a five-year construction project by the Caffés’ owners, Shallom and Jilla Berkman, who bought the East Colorado Boulevard and Madison Avenue property in the Playhouse District in 2008. Its elegance stands out in an area already steeped in architectural beauty. On a recent late afternoon, mothers with beatific babies, high schoolers, hungry culinary students and chattering businesspeople sit beneath tiled ceilings on wraparound 16 | ARROYO | 07.14
patios dotted with a fountain and enclosed by high walls with Moorish-inspired arches. Urth Caffé’s logo, a massive green coffee cup with a central red heart, is mounted over the corner entrance. For it’s coffee, in all its forms — espressos in Spanish lattés, espressos poured atop vanilla milkshakes, espressos mixed into tiramisus, espressos iced with frothy almond milk or just straight up — that’s the transcendent drink here. “We did not expect this store to be so busy,” says Shallom Berkman, adding that the Pasadena Urth — the fifth in the Los Angeles area — is the chain’s most lavish and beautiful. “It is really a phenomenon here. The Pasadena community really embraced us as a coffee store.” Indeed, Pasadenans are buzzing about the latest Urth Caffé, where so many go to get their buzz on. The local venue sells 5,000 to 6,000 espressos a day — three times the number of espressos consumed at other Urths, says Berkman. “People are lining up for Spanish espressos and coffee beans to the point where we can’t hardly handle it. The lines are so long that a lot of people who just want a to-go order are leaving.”
PHOTO: David Sand
BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER
PHOTO: Victor Boghossian
To deal with the overflow, Urth Caffé is already planning to expand into retail space next door. With three more Italian espresso machines to come, the café will dedicate the new space to espresso drink and take-out orders, which should winnow down the long lines. Last month, Berkman was granted an expansion permit from the Pasadena City Review Authority, the first step in moving forward with growth plans. Berkman says that he and Jilla — Urth’s interior designer, who sketches patterns for all the tile (manufactured by California Pottery & Tile) and the ironwork (made of real iron) — decided to establish a Caffé in Pasadena after lobbying from many San Gabriel Valley customers who had to drive to the downtown L.A. and West Hollywood Urths for their Leaf Lattés. That demand did not go unheeded. In keeping with Urth’s business strategy, the Beverly Hills–based Berkmans and their investors bought a piece of property and molded it into a store that meshes nicely with the community. They decided the Playhouse District was ideal: “We fell in love with the Playhouse District because of all the culture and history,” says Berkman. “We want to make a Caffé that the community will be proud of and enjoy and be around for generations.” The feeling is mutual. Erlinda Romo, executive director of the Pasadena Playhouse District Association, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting economic vitality in the district, says Urth transformed the whole corner. “The brand itself is a singular draw to Pasadena,” says Romo. “When you have these singular interesting components and businesses that are a part of the district, it really enhances the district as a whole. Urth brought a lot of people into the district by creating this beautiful environment where people can congregate. It is just phenomenal.” And yet here in Pasadena, like so many other communities where Urth Caffés serve throngs of devoted customers, there are other independent coffee boutiques nearby, not to mention chains like Peet’s, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Starbucks, which blanket Arroyoland. Why is Urth Caffé the hot venue among so many? “Urth Caffé is local and independent and a lot of people want to support a local independent over a chain,” says Anthony Dukes, associate professor of marketing at USC Marshall School of Business and a downtown Urth regular, who has twice visited the Pasadena store. “There also is an open market for people who appreciate sustainability and healthy organic food. They tend to be better educated and have more money.” Artificial-chemical–free coffee and tea are highly prized by Urth’s health- and ecology-conscious consumers. All its produce is organic, sustainable, locally sourced and delivered direct to each location by the farmers themselves, Shallom says. He visits all the farms he buys from so that he has a personal relationship with the farmers. All Urth coffee beans are heirloom organic coffee, and the green teas are grown in Japan where the Berkmans travel to help with the harvest once a year. “When you have relationships with farmers, you can control the quality and purity,” says Shallom, who added that if the green tea farmers deliver is too brown, he sends it back. All the bakery goods are made at Urth’s facility in Commerce, using recipes developed by Jilla, who attended culinary school in West Hollywood in the 1990s. Customer favorites include pumpkin pie, green-tea tiramisu and bread pudding. The bakery also has low-fat and vegan desserts. The Berkmans also founded Urth’s Mountain Gorilla Coffee Program, which provides farmers in Kisoro, Uganda, with training in organic growing techniques as well as tools and equipment. Kisoro has rich volcanic soil, which produces some of the world’s best-tasting coffee. The Berkmans became interested
in Ugandan coffee after a Ugandan customer at the Beverly Hills Urth Caffé requested it. “At 9,500 feet above sea level, it is the highest-grown coffee in the world,” Shallom says, adding that it’s also one of the least acidic varieties. The program’s goal is to provide higher profits for farmers while helping protect the habitat of endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Mufumbiro Mountains, where fewer than 1,000 exist. The Berkmans bought cows for Ugandan farmers to provide much-needed compost for their coffee trees and recently installed solar panels in some of their houses that lack electricity. Those solar-powered houses are now free hubs for cellphone charging, which farmers and other villagers used to have pay for in town. Berkman believes the Uganda program isn’t the lure for most of Urth’s customers, however, because few are aware of it, and palate-appeal tends to trump conscious consumerism. And some of Urth’s customers are experts in good taste — Pasadena’s Le Cordon Bleu College of the Culinary Arts is close enough that students wander in wearing their chef whites. “I compete in triathalons,” says culinary student Oscar Guzman, sitting on the patio with fellow student Miriam Buhler, waiting for their orders. Both say eating at Urth is as much about taste as it is about health. “I am constantly making healthy choices. I want to know what I am eating and is it the best quality? I also like the infrastructure here; it is like a cathedral.” Tucking into a latté, Buhler says, “I love the detail of the swan on the lattés.” For Belle Hsu — a Pasadena resident sitting with two girlfriends, one visiting from China, the other a new mom with an 8-month-old perched on her lap — coming down to Urth is a monthly tradition. “The interior design is really nice,” she says over a latté with a swan impeccably etched in milk foam. “It is a great place for people-watching, the service is really great and the food is amazing.” Naturally, Urth Caffé’s occasional growing pains will not make everyone happy as the place adjusts to the unexpectedly high demand. But that doesn’t daunt the Berkmans, who are in it for the long haul. “It takes a certain fortitude,” Shallom says. “It took five years just to get a permit to build the Pasadena Urth. We built it from the ground up. That is how committed we are.” |||| Urth Caffe is located at 594 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 844-4644 or visit urthcaffe.com.
The Urth Caffé in Pasadena
07.14 ARROYO | 17
arroyo
™
~HOME SALES INDEX~
ALTADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. ARCADIA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. EAGLE ROCK Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. GLENDALE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. LA CAÑADA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SAN MARINO Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SIERRA MADRE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SOUTH PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. TOTAL Homes Sold Avg Price/Sq. Ft.
may ’13 43 $522,500 1424 may ’13 34 $789,500 1903 may ’13 22 $540,000 1476 may ’13 141 $500,000 1452 may ’13 25 $1,050,000 2391 may ’13 181 $587,000 1550 may ’13 15 $2,300,000 2555 may ’13 17 $749,000 1797 may ’13 20 $755,000 1546 may ’13 498 $474
HOMES SOLD
+8.02%
2014
400
AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.
2013
may
498
-19.68%
may HOMES SOLD
HOME SALES
may ’14 40 $658,000 1577 may ’14 34 $1,057,500 1939 may ’14 19 $697,000 1525 may ’14 116 $587,000 1506 may ’14 20 $1,428,750 2756 may ’14 132 $649,250 1631 may ’14 16 $1,803,000 2199 may ’14 12 $807,250 2018 may ’14 11 $727,500 1565 may ’14 400 $512
HOME SALES ABOVE RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE PASADENA WEEKLY FOOTPRINT ADDRESS CLOSE DATE ALTADENA 1893 East Mendocino Street 05/30/14 1612 Woodglen Lane 05/01/14 1898 Homewood Drive 05/12/14 2085 Glenview Terrace 05/30/14 3931 Lilac Canyon Lane 05/30/14 1154 Rubio Street 05/20/14 3043 Maiden Lane 05/08/14 1941 New York Drive 05/27/14 1530 Braeburn Road 05/29/14 2121 Sinaloa Avenue 05/29/14 1001 Concha Street 05/02/14 ARCADIA 1257 Oakhaven Road 05/08/14 1608 South 6th Avenue 05/09/14 1310 Ramona Road 05/21/14 1111 San Carlos Road 05/08/14 2221 South 2nd Avenue 05/19/14 1517 Highland Oaks Drive 05/14/14 1219 Highland Oaks Drive 05/07/14 1627 South 6th Avenue 05/23/14 1025 South 2nd Avenue 05/15/14 102 Crystal Court 05/20/14 1959 Alta Oaks Drive 05/13/14 2235 Highland Oaks Drive 05/12/14 1632 Watson Drive 05/16/14 614 East Pamela Road 05/15/14 2442 South 8th Avenue 05/07/14 1635 North Santa Anita Avenue 05/23/14 2615 Greenfield Avenue 05/01/14 1605 Mayflower Avenue 05/20/14 412 Genoa Street 05/09/14 2074 Vista Avenue 05/19/14 910 East Camino Real Avenue 05/30/14 GLENDALE 1026 Bramford Drive 05/30/14 1547 Hillcrest Avenue 05/29/14 1960 Calle Sirena 05/15/14 321 Mesa Lila Road 05/22/14 1347 J Lee Circle 05/15/14 518 East Windsor Road 05/21/14 1521 Puebla Drive 05/22/14 2550 Flintridge Drive 05/09/14 1430 Greenbriar Road 05/15/14 924 Calle Simpatico 05/05/14 1446 Thurlene Road 05/06/14 531 Monte Vista Avenue 05/14/14 2525 Risa Drive 05/06/14 1375 Greenmont Drive 06/02/14 911 South Adams Street 05/21/14 2821 Kennington Drive 06/02/14 3308 Park Vista Drive 05/21/14 LA CAÑADA 748 Greenridge Drive 05/05/14 5045 Hill Street 05/19/14 1717 La Taza Drive 05/30/14 4021 Hampstead Road 05/16/14 624 Starlight Crest Drive 05/09/14
PRICE
source: CalREsource
BDRMS.
SQ. FT.
YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
$2,045,000 $1,660,000 $1,396,000 $1,350,000 $1,325,000 $1,150,000 $1,125,500 $1,075,000 $955,000 $935,000 $920,000
5 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 2
3746 3859 2126 2320 3832 2517 2961 2126 1692 2897 1616
1940 1991 1941 1940 2001 1912 1940 1939 1958 1949 1925
$3,338,000 $3,280,000 $2,700,000 $2,545,000 $2,400,000 $2,380,000 $2,188,000 $1,780,000 $1,765,000 $1,756,000 $1,680,000 $1,352,000 $1,280,000 $1,268,000 $1,249,000 $1,200,000 $1,150,000 $965,000 $960,000 $950,000 $910,000
4 4 5 3 5 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 2 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 2
4255 1902 3534 2497 4478 5310 3780 2526 1527 3640 3292 2338 1976 2569 2447 1610 2127 2096 2310 2153 1837
$2,150,000 $1,630,000 $1,350,000 $1,349,000 $1,320,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,150,000 $1,085,000 $1,060,000 $1,010,000 $1,005,000 $1,000,000 $925,000 $903,500 $900,000 $900,000
4 3 4 4 4 5 3 6 4 4 3 4 3 3 6 3 4
$3,000,000 $2,875,000 $2,658,000 $2,080,000 $2,050,000
4 5 6 4 5
$1,385,000 $470,000 $1,179,500 $709,000
04/16/2004 09/04/1998 12/28/2004 12/22/2000
$370,000 $810,000
06/05/2000 07/02/2012
$426,000
09/06/2000
1982 1944 1938 1951 2000 1985 1950 1930 1961 2001 1952 1959 1956 1954 1958 1951 1958 1951 1999 1957 1961
$1,650,000 $790,000 $492,000 $598,000 $433,630 $885,000 $790,000 $725,000 $960,000 $1,150,000 $600,000 $949,000 $166,000 $386,000
06/28/2007 04/12/2012 07/30/1985 07/09/1998 02/01/1995 10/10/2000 05/17/2000 09/10/2003 02/13/2012 04/15/2005 04/05/1995 10/16/2009 05/03/1985 03/09/1989
$795,000 $340,000 $749,000 $770,000 $950,000
04/12/2005 10/14/1999 08/13/2010 04/15/2011 07/25/2006
2797 4667 3272 2676 2942 2475 2798 3828 2834 2618 2714 2003 3297 2375 2812 3394 2395
1980 1958 1993 1952 1965 1914 1948 1985 1968 1990 1961 1926 1982 1958 1957 1982 1977
$880,000 $1,900,000 $550,000 $1,335,500
04/01/2002 11/04/2005 10/06/1993 01/25/2006
$850,000 $560,000
04/26/2011 05/13/1998
$840,000
11/30/2010
$949,000 $590,000
04/19/2007 06/06/1991
$160,000 $787,000 $375,000
09/21/1979 04/13/2012 06/16/1997
5926 4675 4914 3062 4947
1987 1928 2000 1938 1967
$1,362,500 $1,385,000 $1,150,000 $995,000
05/31/2002 08/15/2000 05/26/1999 09/12/2000
The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2014. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.
18 | ARROYO | 07.14
ADDRESS CLOSE DATE LA CAĂ‘ADA 5218 Escalante Drive 05/30/14 1537 Descanso Drive 05/14/14 5072 Angeles Crest Highway 05/02/14 1306 Salisbury Road 05/02/14 1716 Lila Lane 05/02/14 4704 Viro Road 05/23/14 5218 Crown Avenue 05/27/14 5037 Angeles Crest Highway 05/28/14 4848 Tocaloma Lane 05/22/14 3934 Robin Hill Road 05/29/14 4125 Encinas Drive 05/09/14 PASADENA 570 Allendale Road 05/28/14 1370 Hillcrest Avenue 05/30/14 851 Fairfield Circle 05/20/14 470 Prospect Terrace 05/21/14 691 South Orange Grove Blvd. 05/13/14 760 South Hudson Avenue 05/22/14 1464 Oakdale Street 05/16/14 217 South San Rafael Avenue 05/30/14 440 La Loma Road 05/30/14 1290 Rancheros Road 05/05/14 2845 Thorndike Road 05/02/14 1645 Hastings Heights Lane 05/08/14 544 Sierra Vista Avenue 05/19/14 1759 Loma Vista Street 05/29/14 623 South Michillinda Avenue 06/02/14 1660 San Pasqual Street 05/30/14 701 Burleigh Drive 05/28/14 150 Glen Summer Road 05/20/14 990 Atchison Street 05/01/14 635 Old Mill Road 05/05/14 3238 George Circle 05/30/14 1754 Putney Road 05/21/14 610 Woodward Blvd. 05/19/14 920 Mesa Verde Road 05/09/14 1985 Kinclair Drive 05/29/14 805 South Orange Grove Blvd. 05/09/14 420 San Juan Place 05/20/14 167 North Sierra Bonita Avenue 05/21/14 653 South Lake Avenue #2 05/09/14 1790 Rose Villa Street 05/09/14 280 Anita Drive 05/08/14 1645 Pleasant Way 05/27/14 40 Arroyo Drive #201 05/06/14 885 South Orange Grove Blvd. #22 05/08/14 2008 Loma Vista Street 05/02/14 1054 North Garfield Avenue 05/27/14 975 Burleigh Drive 05/09/14 1354 Brixton Road 05/01/14 2310 Paloma Street 05/27/14 953 East Elizabeth Street 05/30/14 SAN MARINO 1270 Mesa Road 05/29/14 1220 Lorain Road 05/20/14 2260 Robles Avenue 05/28/14 1260 Adair Street 05/02/14 1393 Cambridge Road 05/28/14 921 Afton Road 05/06/14 2270 Ashbourne Drive 05/29/14 1474 Vandyke Road 05/12/14 564 South Berkeley Avenue 05/21/14 1360 Belhaven Road 05/01/14 1442 San Marino Avenue 05/06/14 1450 Westhaven Road 05/29/14 1670 Sherwood Road 05/16/14 1730 Sharon Place 05/15/14 1649 Banning Way 05/02/14 1770 South Los Robles Avenue 06/02/14 SIERRA MADRE 239 Jameson Court 05/06/14 2020 Santa Anita Avenue 05/12/14 621 Fairview Avenue 05/13/14 223 San Gabriel Court 05/06/14 SOUTH PASADENA 709 Hermosa Street 06/02/14 1833 Gillette Crest 06/02/14 304 Alta Vista Avenue 05/23/14
PRICE
BDRMS.
SQ. FT.
YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
$1,500,000 $1,432,500 $1,425,000 $1,370,000 $1,225,000 $1,225,000 $1,200,000 $1,080,000 $1,610,000 $1,550,000 $1,545,500
4 5 3 4 3 4 5 1 3 3 4
2826 3491 2124 2260 2112 2759 2189 1350 2978 2753 2953
1962 1949 1955 2006 1961 1996 1957 1956 1949 1964 1966
$1,250,000 $1,100,000 $500,000 $1,375,000
05/15/2013 03/28/2013 07/12/1996 01/23/2007
$1,650,000
06/20/2007
$183,000 $525,000 $1,850,000
06/16/1987 12/02/1996 02/16/2006
$5,700,000 $5,450,000 $3,580,000 $3,528,500 $3,350,000 $2,050,000 $1,875,000 $1,840,000 $1,739,000 $1,681,000 $1,550,000 $1,545,000 $1,505,000 $1,500,000 $1,468,000 $1,450,000 $1,445,000 $1,440,000 $1,425,000 $1,415,000 $1,400,000 $1,320,000 $1,300,000 $1,292,500 $1,185,000 $1,175,000 $1,175,000 $1,150,000 $1,130,000 $1,038,000 $1,015,000 $998,000 $990,000 $975,000 $945,000 $930,000 $930,000 $925,000 $920,000 $900,000
8 6 5 6 5 4 3 4 4 3 4 5 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 2 3 4 4 2 3 4 3 5 5 3 3 3 4 4 2 3 3 3
12711 6764 5026 4438 6649 2921 3178 2474 3316 2046 2470 4392 2363 3447 3090 1906 2635 2666 3189 2145 2014 1399 2542 2174 2785 2153 1856 2148 2319 1828 2522 1816 2230 2544 2576 3028 2066 1568 1716 2525
2006 1924 1914 1924 1925 1921 1923 1932 1902 1961 1951 1986 1928 1928 2007 1948 1962 1931 1913 1949 1948 1948 1922 1941 1958 1975 1956 1924 2006 1923 1946 1935 2007 1973 1937 2003 1950 1951 1932 1920
$1,100,000 $1,770,010
08/20/2002 04/01/1998
$3,070,000 $3,200,000 $845,000 $906,000 $1,550,000
04/22/2010 05/24/2005 11/30/2001 09/28/2006 08/26/2011
$1,100,000
10/13/2006
$828,000 $1,275,000 $1,250,000 $1,150,000
07/31/2002 08/01/2005 12/10/2008 09/26/2007
$635,000 $790,000 $1,360,000 $265,000
04/24/1998 01/12/2001 01/26/2007 11/19/1986
$1,000,000
09/15/2003
$725,000
03/30/2001
$400,000 $790,000 $865,000 $800,000 $1,000,000 $1,135,000 $980,000 $701,000 $811,000 $390,000 $1,090,000
08/13/1993 08/17/2006 11/18/2005 07/30/2009 03/07/2013 04/07/2006 03/28/2006 09/23/2010 02/28/2007 09/19/2000 05/20/2004
$780,000 $460,000
07/28/2005 08/28/2000
$3,980,000 $3,675,000 $3,000,000 $2,800,000 $2,700,000 $2,470,000 $1,999,000 $1,851,000 $1,755,000 $1,550,000 $1,550,000 $1,478,000 $1,455,000 $1,447,000 $1,440,000 $1,102,000
4 4 4 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 3
3888 3612 3564 3294 2561 3053 2059 2178 3059 1432 1885 1733 1572 1780 1530 1418
1937 1936 1949 1954 1947 1933 1940 1949 1925 1948 1942 1952 1939 1939 1937 1953
$2,950,000 $2,125,000 $2,680,000 $810,000 $94,000 $970,000 $1,300,000 $979,000 $799,000
10/11/2012 09/10/2004 11/03/2011 03/19/1996 10/28/1975 05/24/2001 09/07/2006 06/29/2004 06/28/2002
$529,000
09/18/1996
$510,000 $1,045,500
01/26/1999 04/12/2011
$1,475,000 $1,225,000 $960,000 $900,000
4 3 3 4
3532 1918 1698 2544
1989 1960 1951 1911
$925,000 $1,050,000 $870,000 $600,000
06/27/2003 11/09/2006 06/25/2004 12/28/2012
$1,410,000 $942,000 $933,000
4 6 2
1565 2257 1605
1910 1947 1949
$450,000 $305,000
08/03/2001 01/05/2001
07.14 ARROYO | 19
ARROYO
HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Pasadena designers agree that mixing interior styles is gaining popularity. BY BRUCE HARING 窶田ontinued on page 23 20 | ARROYO | 07.14
PHOTO: HartmanBaldwin / MeghanBoB Photography
THE ONLY TREND IS NO TREND AT ALL
Photo courtesy of Bonita Interiors
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
–continued from page 20 We live in a world of change. The speeded-up rhythms of life wrought by social media and the 24-hour news cycle cause trends to move faster than ever. In your home, that means the look that was “in” just a few years ago may now seem like it was designed by the people who put together the Magna Carta. If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your home – and by a while, we mean five years – it’s probably time to consider refreshing the interior. Don’t worry about having to undertake a huge and expensive remodeling to your existing interior. Getting a different and vibrant style into your home doesn’t have to chase the latest trends or cost a ton of money. In fact, a good eye, some simple rearranging, subtle lighting changes and advice from the right design people on what works within your space are all you may need. Great designers know that subtle little touches can come together to create a big statement and have high visual impact. The biggest trend in Pasadena area interior decorating seems to be the avoidance of trends. Right now, designers are advocating a mix of styles, a blending of things that really can make a space into a personal statement. Nancy De Santo of Ask Décor uses a few simple tricks to make her home interiors sizzle.“The perfect paint color, a great layout and accessories that tell you a story kind of pull it all together” is her secret to success. Updating colors is “a great way to make your home’s interior sparkle. Your layout is most important, and paint can pull all the things together.” The Pasadena area is now seeing a lot of updating activity, De Santo reports.“So many homeowners redecorated ten years ago, and the colors kind of change and the look is feeling out of date. So we’re coming in and bringing in a new color palette to them and using what they have, but with new fabrics and new paint colors.” Grey is the new neutral, adds De Santo.“Grey sometimes scares people. White paint with a tint of grey will stay neutral and light, but is much more updated.” For Angela Dickerson-Lee of Bonita Interiors, the secret to successful redecorating is “artwork. I think it makes or breaks a house. Because art is so subjective, it really can reflect the taste of the homeowner.” Just be original in your choices, Dickerson-Lee cautions.“When you buy artwork that’s mass-produced, it reflects that you don’t have point of view. I hate following trends. I really like to do what speaks to me. The days of a themed home -- as in everything being mid-century modern or French country provincial – are gone. The eclectic mix is really what the future is.” Dickerson-Lee, who has spent a lot of time overseas, looks to Spain and Australia for her inspiration.“If there’s one particular style that I think is going to be making a comeback, it’s art deco with modern. I think those are interesting juxtapositions in design.” Debbie Kowalski of Modern Lighting echoes those sentiments. She says Pasadena homeowners are now “mixing it up and we’re seeing a lot of overlapping styles.” That’s a departure from the past, Kowalski says, when you could instantly tell which era a home’s interior design came from with a glance. “Everybody did a French house or a Spanish revival or a colonial,” she says, laughing.“Now we’re keeping the warmth and integrity even if we’re changing the inside to have cooler lines. The nice thing about Pasadena is there’s a lot of attitudes.” –continued on page 26 07.14 | ARROYO | 23
Photo courtesy of LBC Lighting
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
–continued from page 23
LIGHTING AND STORAGE DESIGN FACTORS Kowalski says that updated lighting can make “even old painting look good.” She’s also a big advocate of the newer LED lighting.“You have the advantage of saving natural and personal energy,” she says.“And because it’s putting out less heat, you’re not running your air conditioning constantly.” The technology is also becoming increasingly affordable, she says.“My grandkids will wonder why anyone ever bought anything else.” Tom Anderson, a store manager with LBC Lighting, suggests “thoughtful” lighting of a home’s interior as a key toward making the space unique.“Good lighting is a combination of ambient, task and decorative lighting concepts to provide general illumination,” he says. Anderson’s recommendation is “lighting for specific tasks and lighting that will highlight specific architectural features and artwork.” In the Pasadena area, most of the customers are requesting modern lighting within the home.“Recessed lighting in kitchens is popular, but we are also seeing it used in other areas, such as the living room, dining room and bedrooms,” Anderson says. Ceiling surface and recessed fixtures are great for general illumination. “Once the general lighting is provided, one can add portable fixtures for task lighting,” Anderson says. And when considering your storage needs, the key to a fresh and less-cluttered interior is “universal design.” Lorna Ross of Shelf Genie says products that provide accessibility and functionality for everyone are trending heavily in the Pasadena area.“We are also seeing a preference for products made in the USA,” she says. A handful of custom glide-out shelves for existing cabinets and pantries are a key to preventing clutter and having full access.“For most homeowners, it is challenging to bend down and reach back into lower cabinets to get to a pot or a pan,” Ross says.
DO THE RIGHT THING If you have to choose just one piece of furniture to update a room, choose a sofa, says Sherry Grossi, owner of P.E. Deans, a consignment store.“It’s the biggest piece of furniture in your living room, den or family room,” says Grossi.“If that’s dated, everything else will look dated. So make sure your sofa is right, and then you can concentrate on chairs and accessories.” Fabrics change and the height of furniture changes, but good quality is always in style, Grossi says.“Pasadena tends to be more traditional. The younger people go for more contemporary stuff and like to see a cleaner look.” Karla Rodriguez of HartmanBaldwin Design/Build says a key to bringing an interior to life is bringing out the client’s personality.“Whether it’s art or the family keepsakes that can be integrated into the design, you always need to have the client in mind,” she says. After that consideration, lighting in a room “can change the look and feel dramatically. That’s why we joke that one can never have too many dimmers,” she says.“Smart systems now allow you to program multiple lighting schemes, so that with one touch, you can instantly change the lighting through your home’s interior and exterior.” Myranda Snapp, an interior designer with HartmanBaldwin, says she’s noticed porcelain tile that looks like wood flooring as a big trending item in the Pasadena area’s interiors.“There are hundreds to choose from, most of which are so nicely designed that
26 | ARROYO | 07.14
–continued on page 28
07.14 | ARROYO | 27
PHOTO: HartmanBaldwin / MeghanBoB Photography
—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
–continued from page 26 you can’t tell they are a tile,” she says.“Clients are basing their decision to go with a “wood” porcelain tile to help with future maintenance, a decision that is usually based off of family pets or small children. The porcelain is durable and can still warm up a space with the look of wood.” Snapp also touts leathered or brushed stone.“Polished stone countertops are fading away quickly, and the leathered stones are a more popular request from our clients. Depending on the stone, you can get gorgeous depth and texture, with the veining making it feel more natural and adding great detail to all surfaces.” No matter which redesign direction you choose, there is one rule you must follow: do it right the first time. “I think people get ahead of themselves and try to do too much and take one step forward and two steps back,” says Ask Décor’s Nancy Del Santo.“They haven’t thought it through. Let’s say they go ahead and paint the house, but haven’t thought about the architecture or lighting plan. That’s where working with a designer can really help you.” ||||
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07.14 | ARROYO | 31
Ro Robert Shahnazarian Jr. and his partners have established Noor as Pasadena’s prime destination for multicultural weddings, fundraisers, corporate parties and more.
Pasadena’s Unofficial Community Center Robert Shahnazarian
BY TARIQ KAMAL –continued on page 34 07.14 ARROYO | 33
Ella Ballroom Foyer
o expense was spared for the November 2010 grand opening of Noor, an event space in Old Pasadena’s Paseo Colorado mall. Robert Shahnazarian Jr., his wife, Maggie, and her brother, Sarkis Khatchikian, had searched the world over for the materials, decorations and equipment that would realize their vision of an upscale, mid-size event space that would cater to the needs of a multicultural city. “Our ethnicity is Armenian, but every ethnicity has their banquet hall,” Robert says. “The Chinese, the Koreans, the Jews, the Arabs, the Armenians, we all have these banquet halls. They know the food and they know the culture, but the décor might not appeal to the younger generations — they may prefer a hotel or country club. We give them the modern décor while being sensitive to their cultural needs.” Many traditional spaces also suffer from “spotty” service and limited capacity, he adds, pushing many would-be customers toward larger venues. Maggie and her brother began to sketch out their plan for Noor more than 10 years ago, when Shahnazarian was working as a music producer for Sony. In 2008, he left the company to join the executive MBA program at Pepperdine University, where he had majored in international studies as an undergraduate. He kept the Noor concept in mind as he worked toward his degree and left the program with a detailed business plan. A New York native who grew up in Palm Springs, Shahnazarian chose Pasadena for several reasons: He knew it was a diverse, business-friendly community, and he was optimistic that the city’s vast array of businesses and nonprofits could keep Noor booked throughout the week. He invited his classmates — as well as friends, local business leaders and potential clients — to the grand opening, and Maggie arranged for a reporter from Hollyscoop.com to cover the event. “In the beginning, it was all advertising,” Robert says. “There’s no word of mouth, there’s no reputation, there’s no celebrity chef. There’s nothing to hang your hat on… And now, this November will be our fourth year, and every year I’m able to spend a little bit less on
N
34 | ARROYO | 07.14
advertising because the word-of-mouth graph is going up a lot faster.” Noor (the Armenian word for pomegranate, a symbol of righteousness and abundance since ancient times) is comprised of two ballrooms — both named after Shahnazarian’s young nieces — as well as back offices and a massive kitchen. The Art Nouveau–inspired Sofia Ballroom can accommodate 330 seated guests and is accessed via a spacious foyer featuring a custom-built wood bar. A large terrace overlooks Colorado Boulevard and offers views of the City Hall dome and the San Gabriel Mountains. The more intimate Ella Ballroom has its own foyer and bar and can hold 130 seated guests. The Ella sports an Old Hollywood feel and Venetian-plaster walls; both ballrooms and foyers are decorated with chandeliers imported from Prague. The Paseo’s Garfield Promenade can seat up to 1,500 guests outdoors and serves as the site of most Noorhosted wedding ceremonies. The décor is, by design, lavish but not overwhelming, allowing guests of any background to feel at home. Shahnazarian believes Los Angeles is too often described as a “melting pot,” implying that the city’s various ethnic and religious groups have somehow coalesced, leaving behind their unique traditions. “If you really know L.A., you know it’s more of a multicultural city. You drive around and suddenly you’re in Koreatown or in Chinatown or in Little Armenia,” he says. Noor’s chefs specialize in continental and Middle Eastern cuisine but are equipped to handle most requests; some guests arrange for food to be brought in. Shahnazarian says that his international studies background helped prepare him to handle parties comprised of more than one group. “Part of my process of planning with couples of different ethnicities is making them aware of each other’s cultural sensitivities so that both sides are represented. Both sides can celebrate and not feel like they’ve been left out.” No hot spot would be complete without music, and Noor is powered by a state-of–continued on page 36
07.14 ARROYO | 35
–continued from page 34
the-art audiovisual system. Guests can choose from a long list of Shahnazarian’s playlists (including “Noor Vegas Lounge Mix,” “Noor Arabic” and “Noor U.K. Top 40,” for example) or bring their own music and movies. A recent upgrade allows Shahnazarian to stream content from guests’ laptops and mobile devices, including 3D and Ultra High Definition video. Built-in and recessed lighting can transform both ballrooms into dance clubs with the flick of a switch. In addition to family events, including weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties and bar mitzvahs, Noor hosts fundraisers for nonprofits and corporate events; the venue also books private parties for visitors with business at the nearby Pasadena Conference Center. He says Noor is able to run on “autopilot” for some of its more frequent guests, but new clients and one-time events continue to present new challenges. Weddings, for example, are a series of events that begins with setup and arrival and continues through the kiss, the cutting of the cake and the Champagne toast. An inexperienced wedding planner can further complicate the timeline, and Shahnazarian has met his fair share. “We gather enough information from the clients before their event so that, if their planner is bad, it doesn’t matter; we’re going to run it anyway,” he says. He is happy to recommend a planner for clients who ask. If they don’t wish to hire one, he asks the family to choose a point person to make decisions. “I tell the couple, ‘We’ll do all the planning together, but, for that day, my goal is for you to be in the moment, not to think about anything. Ella Ballroom in wedding garb
Sofia Ballroom
Sofia Ballroom Foyer
So either assign a family member who’s not going to get drunk, or get a planner we can talk to.’” And every detail matters. “What we’re dealing with here is everybody’s most important day. They’re going to remember those moments. I know that, as long as everyone has the same expectations going in, the food is going to be great, the service is going to be great. But if they expect the linen to be blue and they come in and it’s green, then something’s off.” The partners rely on a team of five managers and their workers to handle setup and breakdown, supervise events in progress and run the bars and kitchen. That frees Shahnazarian to focus on marketing and sales. He personally conducts site tours and follows up with every visitor, even if they don’t book with him. Many who do have been effusive in their praise. Noor’s website and office bulletin boards are decorated with four years’ worth of glowing testimonials, but Shahnazarian takes particular pride in an email he received from a client just last month. The parents of a 15-year-old girl had booked the main ballroom for her Sweet 16 party, and she was very involved in the planning. In the early stages, he says, she reminded him of the spoiled teens featured in MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 series. (“My wife would never let our boys act the way those kids act on that show!” he exclaims.) He could have been heavy-handed, but he elected to try to win her over. He asked for her input every step of the way, answered every question and ignored every slight. The party was a success, and he was preparing to follow up with the parents when he received an unexpected email from the birthday girl: “I just wanted to say that it was amazing, and your staff was amazing.” Shahnazarian was taken aback. “This from a 16-year-old girl,” he says. “Some people, no matter how much you show them and do, they don’t appreciate it, but she was able to appreciate it.” She isn’t alone. The venue’s reputation has grown, and the accolades began pouring in shortly after it opened. For the past three years, Noor has won a Best of Pasadena award in the wedding location and banquet hall category from Pasadena Weekly (Arroyo’s sister publication); Pasadena Magazine also weighed in with a Most Stylized Venue award in 2012. Shahnazarian is pleased with the recognition and happy to be part of the business community in Pasadena, a city he describes as philanthropic by nature. Noor has played host to countless fundraisers, and a comment from a recent guest stuck with him. “We were in the middle of doing this fundraiser, and I was talking to a woman who’s a doctor in this nonprofit. She said, ‘Robert, you know, Noor has really become the community center of Pasadena.’ This is a locally owned, family business. The kids go to school here and I heavily discount and donate back to the nonprofits. I do that just because that was part of our mission statement. But it was nice to hear it in those words from her.” |||| Noor is located at 260 E. Colorado Blvd., A209, Pasadena. Call (626) 793-4518 or visit noorevents.com.
36 | ARROYO | 07.14
07.14 ARROYO | 37
Maui Wowie Audiences are applauding the Maui Film Festival’s heavenly outdoor screenings. BY IRENE LACHER
The new Seaside Cinema Music Cafe & Lounge offers filmgoers drinks, dinner and live music.
3 8 | ARROYO 38 A RROYO AR RO ROY OYO | 07.14 OY 07.14 07 .14 14 1 4
os Angeles is certainly the center of the universe for all things cinematic, but for a transcendent moviegoing experience, you might want to look west to Maui. The Maui Film Festival boasts four breezy venues that fuse cinema with, well, paradise — screening independent and foreign films under the stars, in spitting distance of the ocean (not that you would). What could be better? Perhaps a lovely Cab and a picnic dinner to entertain the taste buds while the eyes are doing their thing? Look no farther than the Grand Wailea resort’s new Seaside Cinema Music Café & Sunset Lounge, which made its debut in June. Barry Rivers, festival founder and director, is a huge booster of the island’s outdoor filmgoing experience. “We all started out hearing stories outside — either outside, if that particular tribe of cavemen had the cojones to tell it outside, or inside the cave — so it’s a very deep, buried-in-the-DNA way of hearing stories,” says Rivers, a TV producer/director and longtime Maui resident who did his doctoral dissertation on the power of imagery and its impact on culture. “There’s some special magic — on some level, it’s undecipherable and best left that way.” The Los Angeles Times tried to decipher it anyway, calling the festival’s 2,500-capacity Celestial Cinema venue “a star-studded theater like no other…It’s the perfect place…to watch a movie.” The more intimate Seaside venue (capacity 400) may be even more perfect — if there is such a thing — because it offers wine, cocktails and picnic dinners for purchase, live music before screenings and a balmy outdoor lounge with tables and sofas. It’s the latest addition to the 15-year-old film festival, which has grown into an annual draw for A-list talent, including the “It” girl of the moment — newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, this year’s best supporting actress Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave, who will join the cast of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. The festival added to her growing list of honors with a 2014 Rainmaker Award at Seaside, where honorees also included Emma Roberts (We’re the Millers), Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) and Joe Mangiello (True Blood). While the Times called the festival “Maui’s answer to Sundance” where a lot of movie business is done, the tropical alternative is infinitely more casual, infused with the gentle values of Hawaii, where the concept of ohana — literally “family,” suggesting cohesion and cooperation — is huge. Those may not be the first words one associates with Hollywood, but then Rivers is unapologetic about the MFF’s particular slant. “My commitment is to presenting what I’ve come to shorthand as compassionate-vision, life-affirming storytelling,” Rivers says. “It’s the base upon which all program decisions are made for the festival.” Festival favorites included Begin Again with Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightly — Once writer/director John Carney’s warm and fuzzy musical drama about a record exec whose downward spiral is
L
reversed when he discovers a lovely singer/songwriter — which won the Narrative Feature Award; and Magic Men, about an Israeli magician who returns to Greece to thank the man who saved him from the Holocaust, a surprising charmer that won the Narrative Feature World Cinema Award. Also unlike Sundance, which consumes Park City, Utah, when the festival comes to town, daylight jaunts are a natural addition to the MFF’s schedule, because most MFF films are screened in the evening, when Mother Nature lowers the house lights (although the indoor Maui Arts & Cultural Center started weekend films at the earlier, but still civilized, hour of 1 p.m.). The festival hosts its own distractions, like the Taste of Wailea, which offered tasty bites from Maui restaurants and cocktails using local liquors, such as Pau Maui Hawaiian Vodka made from pineapples “far away from congestion, pollution and potatoes.” There was also a Taste of Chocolate event at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, which I am happy to say I can tell you nothing about. That leaves plenty of opportunity to sip tropical drinks in plastic pineapples and whoosh down swimming pool slides at your resort of choice. You might also carve out time to lounge at one of the resort spas. During a press trip last month, I dipped into the Terme Hydrotherapy Circuit at the Grand Wailea’s Grande Spa, which included a Roman tub, Swiss jet showers, a Japanese furo and, my favorite, five jewel-colored “specialty” baths, each infused with a different Hawaiian bath salt blend promising various therapeutic benefits. You can also rent a car and explore the island — but do learn from my mistake. I arranged my National Car Rental loan in a hotel lobby and was horrified to learn later that the company charges customers making reservations face-to-face almost triple the cost of reserving online. So, driver, beware. The trip doubled as a family reunion for my New York–based sister, Didi, and me, so we hit the road and visited the Iao Valley State Park, where we enjoyed an easy climb up a scenic paved path a half-mile up to see the Kuka’emoku (Iao Needle), a pointy peak that rises 1,200 feet from the valley floor. From there, we went to the Maui Tropical Plantation, which was touristy, but in a good way. We explored the grounds by tram, passing a group of intrepid zipliners on our way to groves of pineapples, macadamia nuts, orchids, coconuts and much more. We did our shopping at its huge, reasonably priced store, where I picked up locally made condiments and coffee while my sister selected Hawaiian shirts for the picky men in her family. Maui Film Festival folk are still going over last month’s event to see what they can improve when it returns in June 2015. They haven’t settled on dates yet, so keep an eye on mauifilmfestival.com for developments and check out the festival packages offered by participating resorts listed on the site. ||||
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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS
A Love Letter to Escoffier You can thank the original French chef for democratizing — and sanitizing — the art of professional cooking. BY LESLIE BILDERBACK | PHOTO BY JOE ATLAS
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. Grandma was a terrible cook, so we were always thrilled to eat out. Despite my adult obsession with all things gastronomical, I didn’t start out with a discriminating palate. A night out meant dinner at Denny’s or Bob’s Big Boy. This was exciting for me, because every minute we were out meant one less minute I had to sit and watch The Perry Como Show or Lawrence Welk. (They never let me watch The Partridge Family. Grandma couldn't stand the music.) My grandpa seemed satisfied with the culinary status quo although, upon reflection, I think he was a closet gourmand. His running gag was to ask the hostess to seat us in “The Escoffier Room.” I had no idea who Escoffier was in 1975, and I’m damn sure the hostesses didn’t either. But Grandpa did, which meant not only did he know what good food was, but he had given up hope of ever having it. When I entered culinary school a decade later, our only textbook was Georges Auguste Escoffier’s 1901 masterpiece, Le Guide Culinaire. That book scared the hell out of me. It had no quantities or recipes, just brief explanations of complicated dishes written in a culinary code I didn’t understand. But soon enough I learned the code and gained an appreciation for the book and its revolutionary effect on professional cooking. Before Escoffier’s influence took hold in the 1880s, professional cooking was gross, chaotic and thankless. Fine cookery had been regarded as an art for some time, but the work of an individual cook was not. A few chefs made names for themselves as owners and operators of restaurants, but on the whole, most cooks were resigned to grunt work. Elaborate dishes were highly garnished, often completely disguising the main ingredient. Each dish was created by separate teams, working in separate units on their own presentations, often duplicating tasks. Kitchens were hot, and cooks were allowed to smoke and drink on the job without restraint. Recognizing that his profession was in crisis, Escoffier set new rules. He eliminated filth by establishing sanitation standards. He instituted the use of hats and neckerchiefs to keep hair and sweat off the food. Drinking, smoking and swearing were out of the question, and Escoffier hired a doctor to create an alcohol-free barley drink to keep his cooks hydrated and healthy.
Escoffier was the first to pay attention to his clientele’s taste habits and adapt his menu accordingly. This resulted not only in the à la carte menu, but a new focus on flavor. He respected the natural wholesomeness of food and preserved its nutritional value through the use of seasonal ingredients and limited cooking times. Escoffier classified the Mother Sauces, which gave chefs a template from which they could experiment with endless variation and creativity. He did away with frou-frou ornamentation and emphasized the main ingredient. Haphazard kitchen organization was streamlined and station-based under Escoffier. Inspired by military management he witnessed during a stint in the army, “the brigade,” as it is still known today, altered not only the way professional kitchens functioned but raised the repute of the professional cook. While previously only chefs to the aristocracy were applauded, now even a saucier was considered respectable. While Escoffier was at the helm of The Savoy in London (which he operated with his lifelong partner, Caesar Ritz), women could enter a public dining room without men for the first time. Before this, it was assumed that a woman dining alone was issuing an inappropriate invitation. Escoffier also celebrated women in new dishes created around popular female figures of the day, including Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba (Peach Melba, Melba Toast) and actress Sarah Bernhard (Fraises à la Sarah Bernhard). Escoffier was the first chef to make his career entirely in the public realm. His forerunners made their names working for private clubs or nobility. But from his first apprenticeship to his collaboration with Ritz, Escoffier was in service to the public at –continued on page 42 07.14 | ARROYO | 41
KITCHEN CONFESSIONS
–continued from page 41
large. His culinary aesthetic was focused on sales, which vastly differed from cuisine cooked merely to flaunt one’s status. Future generations of culinary artists were influenced by the first à la carte cookbook, Le Guide Culinaire (my textbook). He also published the monthly magazine Le Carnet d’Epicure (A Gourmet’s Notebook), which brought him international fame, making him the first celebrity chef. More volumes followed, including Le Livre de Menus, L’Aide-Mémoire Culinaire, Le Riz, La Morue and Ma Cuisine. In 1985, Memories of My Life, a compilation of personal observations and philosophies, was published by his grandson. His efforts resulted in a rapid increase in new restaurants around the world, and his focus on food safety sparked a trend in sanitary décor featuring white tile floors and walls to emphasize cleanliness. The public, now familiar with culinary sanitation, was easily swayed into action when Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was published in 1906. His novel about downtrodden immigrants in Chicago’s meatpacking district was a horrifying glimpse into slaughterhouse practices. The public reaction resulted in the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Food and Drug Administration. I’m not saying that Escoffier was responsible for modern food safety — except, actually, yes I am. The public expected cleanliness because of Escoffier’s initiatives. All of these contributions were recognized by the French government when Escoffier became the first chef to be awarded the Legion of Honour. He succeeded in elevating the profession of cooking and made it more comfortable, enjoyable and creative. Apparently, none of this was lost on my grandpa. His frequent invocation of Escoffier was, in retrospect I think, a snide jab at what public dining had become by the 1970s. He was one of the few family members who never questioned my career choice, and for that, too, I can thank Escoffier. I think Grandpa was relieved that somebody was finally rejecting Hamburger Helper and taking cooking seriously. |||| Leslie Bilderback, a certified master baker, chef and author of Mug Cakes: 100 Speedy Microwave Treats to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth (St. Martin’s Press), lives in South Pasadena and teaches her techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com.
Pêche Melba à l’Escoffier Here’s the how the recipe is written in Le Guide :
Pêches Melba Poach the skinned peaches in vanilla-fl avoured syrup. When very cold, arrange them in a timbale on a bed of vanilla ice cream and coat with raspberry purée. Here’s how that perfect simplicity must be brutally corrupted for you people: INGREDIENTS 2 ripe peaches 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise and scraped of seeds 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen 1 pint vanilla ice cream
METHOD 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have at the ready a bowl of ice water. Score an “X” on the butt end (not the stem end) of each peach, and drop into the boiling water. Cook for 30 seconds, then transfer to the ice water. After a minute or two, remove the peaches and peel off the skin, which should slip off easily if the peaches are ripe. 2. Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean (pod and seeds) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Slice the peaches into uniform wedges and add to the boiling syrup. Reduce the heat and cook at a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the peaches and syrup to cool together completely. As they sit, the vanilla will further penetrate the peaches. 3. Meanwhile, pure˙e the raspberries in a blender with one-quarter cup of the vanilla syrup until very smooth. Pass the purée through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. 4. To serve, place a scoop of ice cream in a chilled serving dish. Arrange 5 or 6 peach wedges on the ice cream, and top with raspberry pure˙e. Voilà!
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A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER
THE LIST
features music by Johnny Tillotson (“Poetry
Music Rules the Summer at Descanso
in Motion”) and Bryan Hyland (“Itsy Bitsy Tee-
Descanso Gardens
18 and The Four Preps (“26 Miles”) July 26.
hosts an expanded
July 25 — An electro-acoustic perfor-
nie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”) on July
music program this summer, adding to its
mance by David Lindley combines Ameri-
popular Music on the Main jazz series at
can folk, blues and bluegrass influences
6 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 21. New this
with elements of African, Arabic, Asian,
year are World Rhythms performances
Celtic and other world music sounds.
at 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 5. Free
Levitt Pavilion Pasadena is located in
with Descanso admission of $9 for adults,
Memorial Park, at the corner of Holly Street
$6 for seniors and students and $4 for
and Raymond Avenue, Pasadena.Visit
children 5 to 12; children 4 and younger
levittpavilionpasadena.org.
are admitted free. July 1 — World Rhythms features AfroCuban music, dance and storytelling by
Summer Fun at the Autry
Omo Ache (pictured above).
The Autry National
July 3 — Music on the Main features
Center hosts family-
Mitchell Long and Café Atlantico.
friendly events that
July 8 — World Rhythms presents Masanga
are free with Autry admission of $10 for
Marimba performing traditional and popu-
adults, $6 for students and seniors and $4
performs at Music on the Main.
A FESTIVE FOURTH
July 15 — World Rhythms spotlights
July 4 — The Pasadena Senior Center hosts a family-friendly Fourth featuring bar-
Nights begin with live salsa music Thursdays
Conjunto Jardin, fusing traditional music
becue ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, salads and dessert.The Great American
through Aug. 14.The all-ages dance parties
of Veracruz, Mexico, with rock and other
Swing Band plays dance music.The event starts at noon. Cost is $10 ($8 for members).
run from 6 to 9 p.m. Food and spirits are
modern influences.
Reservations must be purchased by July 2.
available for purchase, and the museum
July 17 — Music on the Main presents
The Pasadena Senior Center is located at 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Call (626) 795-4331
stays open for guests. July 10 stars Colom-
pianist and vocalist Betty Bryan, performing
or visit pasadenaseniorcenter.org.
bian Latin Soul (pictured above), July 17
lar music of Zimbabwe and Latin America. July 10 — Bassist/vocalist Katie Thiroux
for children ages 3 to 12; free for members, veterans and children 2 and younger. July 10 — The Autry’s Sizzling Summer
features Chino Espinoza y Los Dueños del
jazz and blues. July 22 — On Ensemble with Chieko
performance by Beatles tribute band Liver-
City Hall, hosted by radio station ALT 98.7,
Son, July 24 showcases Conganas Salsa
Kojima blends traditional Japanese taiko
pool Legends. A fireworks display mounted
features alternative, indie rock by Echosmith,
and Latin-Jazz Quartet and July 31 spot-
drumming with soaring vocal melodies.
by Pyrospectaculars by Souza starts at
Brick + Mortar, Phantogram,Wild Cub and
lights Son Mayor.
July 24 — Jazz trumpeter Nolan Shaheed
9:05 p.m.Tickets cost $13 general and $25
Semi-Precious Weapons from 4 to 8 p.m. The
July 26 — The Day of the Cowboy and
returns to Music on the Main.
reserved; free for children 5 and younger.
park opens at 1 p.m. for picnicking. Fireworks
Cowgirl from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. includes
July 29 — Hula Halau ’O Lilinoe Na Pua Me
The Rose Bowl Stadium is located at 1001
happen at 9 to 10 p.m.
barbecue, a root beer saloon and various
Kealoha performs the traditional Hawaiian
Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena. Call (800) 745-
Grand Park is located at 227 N. Spring St., L.A.
Western-themed activities, such as a world-
hula dance for World Rhythms.
3000 or visit ticketmaster.com for tickets.Visit
Call (213) 972-8080 or visit grandparkla.org.
record attempt at the most trick ropers
July 31 — At Music on the Main, New West
rosebowlstadium.com for information.
participating simultaneously, leatherwork
Guitar Group performs gypsy jazz in the
crafts, a square - dance workshop with the
vein of Django Reinhardt.
A Grand 4th of July
Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Des-
July 4 — Grand
Sock Hops to “Salsoul” at the Levitt
canso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Call (818)
Park’s huge Indepen-
Levitt Pavilion hosts its
Lewis Family, scavenger hunts and screen-
949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.
dence Day celebra-
annual free concert
ings of The Gene Autry Show.The event
band Triple Chicken Foot and caller Susan Michaels, roping demonstrations by the
series Wednesdays through Sundays
runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Happy Birthday America
downtown L.A. neighborhood, between
through Aug. 23. Shows begin at 7 p.m.
The Autry National Center is located at
Temple and 2nd streets, and from Grand
Wednesdays and Sundays and at 8 p.m.
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park.
July 4 — Rose Bowl
Avenue to Main Street.That includes the
Thursdays through Saturdays.
Call (323) 667-2000 or visit theautry.org.
Stadium celebrates
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, whose rooftop
July 10 — Cecelia Noël (pictured above),
Independence Day
will be the scene of a huge fireworks display.
performs “salsoul,” a blend of salsa, soul, jazz,
with Americafest, featuring family-friendly
The free event includes live music on two
funk and Afro-Cuban grooves.
activities and a huge fireworks display.The
stages: The Soulnic Stage on Grand Park’s
July 16 — Princess and Pirate is a music per-
Unbound Productions Presents The Doll
Family Fun Zone outside the stadium opens
Performance Lawn between Grand and Hill
formance for children, invited to sing along
July 11 through 26 —
at 2 p.m. with food vendors, entertainment,
Street features DJ Tailwind Turner, live music
with their favorite princesses and pirates in
Unbound Produc-
exhibits and inflatable rides. Stadium gates
from Derrick Wize, DJ ALA and DJ Drack
a rocking interactive concert by Lythgoe
tions presents its adaptation of The Doll
open at 6 p.m., with opening ceremonies at
Muse from 4 to 9 p.m.The ALTimate Main
Family Productions.
(pictured above) by Algernon Blackwood
7 p.m., followed by motorcycle stunts and a
Stage on the park’s Event Lawn in front of
July 18 and 26 — The ’50s Sock Hop Series
tion expands into its
–continued on page 45 07.14 | ARROYO | 43
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THE LIST
–continued from page 43
as part of its Wicked Lit series. Jeff G. Rack
for adults, $9 for kids.
wrote the adaptation of the play, set in Vic-
The Colorado Street Bridge is located on
torian England, about two dutiful caretakers
West Colorado Boulevard west of Orange
in the home of a beleaguered colonel,
Grove Boulevard, Pasadena.Visit pasade-
whose quiet world is turned upside down
naheritage.org.
when a mysterious package arrives on their doorstep. The Doll is staged in and around Strub Hall at Pasadena’s Mayfield Senior
Cowboys and Copland
School. Performances are scheduled for 7, 8
July 12 — California
and 9 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
Philharmonic Maestro
July 11 through 26.Tickets cost $25.
Victor Vener (pictured
Mayfield Senior School is located at 500
above), and the orchestra salute the Wild
Bellefontaine St., Pasadena. Call (323) 332-
West at Santa Anita Park at 7:30 p.m. with
2065 or visit unboundproductions.org.
music from the big screen, including classic films like The Magnificent Seven, How
Summer Music Fills Boston Court
the West Was Won and The Good,The Bad
Boston Court Perform-
Copland’s “Billy the Kid,”“Rodeo,”“El Salón
ing Arts Center in Pasa-
México” and his patriotic masterpiece,
dena hosts a full slate
“Lincoln Portrait.” Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
and The Ugly. Also on the program are
of music this summer. Performances start at
for dining before the 7:30 p.m. concerts.
8 p.m.Tickets cost $25, $20 for seniors.
Tickets cost $20 to $88.
July 11 — In Just Born in L.A., pianist Vicki
Santa Anita Park is located at 285 W. Hun-
Ray (pictured above), performs new works
tington Dr., Arcadia. Call (626) 300-8200 or
by Steven Stuckey and Joseph Pereira.
visit calphil.com.
July 19 — Conductor Christopher Rountree leads the modern-music collective Wild Up
Bus Ride from Hell
in a concert of new compositions.
July 12 — The Fellow-
July 25 — All Strung Up features SoCal
ship for Performing Arts
harpists Ellie Choate and Paul Baker.
presents C.S. Lewis’
July 26 — Drummer and composer Matt
The Great Divorce
Slocum and his jazz quartet present Black
at Glendale’s Alex Theatre. Lewis’ quirky,
Elk’s Dream, music inspired by Native Ameri-
hopelessly flawed characters take a bus
can leader Black Elk.
ride from Hell to Paradise in a fantastical
Boston Court Performing Arts Center is lo-
morality tale about human choices.The
cated at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Call
show stars Tom Beckett, Joel Rainwater and
(626) 683-6883 or visit bostoncourt.com.
Christa Scott-Reed in performances at 4 and 8 p.m.Tickets cost $29 to $59.
A Party on the Bridge
The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand
July 12 — Pasadena
alextheatre.org.
Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-2539 or visit
Heritage hosts its annual Colorado Street Bridge Party from 6 to 11:30 p.m.
Dining on a Dime July 14 through 27 —
The historic bridge will be the scene of live
More than 30 restau-
entertainment, including rock by Snotty
rants in Pasadena
Scotty and the Hankies and by Mercy and
and Glendale will offer
the Merkettes and jazz from the Donovan/
dining deals as dineL.A.’s Restaurant Week
Muradian Quintet. Food from area restau-
returns to metro Los Angeles. Special prix-fixe
rants will be available for purchase, and
lunches range from $15 to $25 and dinners
kid-friendly activities are included. Wine,
from $25 to $45. Participating Arroyoland
beer and cocktails will also be available.
eateries include Parkway Grill, Katsuya,The
Tickets cost $16 for adults, $8 for kids ($14
Raymond,Vertical Wine Bistro and The Royce.
for adult members, $6 for their children) in
Visit discoverla.com.
advance. Admission at the door costs $18
–continued on page 46 07.14 | ARROYO | 45
THE LIST
A WATERMELON SPECTACULAR July 19 and 20 — The Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club Watermelon Festival relocates to Santa Anita Park from the Rose Bowl for a two-day celebration of all things watermelon, including the coronation of the watermelon king and queen, carving demonstrations, watermelon-eating and seed-spitting contests, greased watermelon races, local and national bands, vendors, carnival rides, arcade games, food and beverages.The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs $10, $5 for children and $8 for seniors and active duty military personnel; children under 2 are admitted free. Proceeds benefit the club’s disaster relief and health and vision programs. Santa Anita Park is located at 285 W. Huntington Dr., Arcadia. Call (800) 955-1277 or visit lionswatermelonfestival.com. –continued from page 45
Fusion Fridays Continue at USC Pacific Asia Museum
Introducing Kids to Shakespeare
July 18 — Pasadena’s
social skills and providing educational fun.
July 21 through 25 — A Noise Within’s summer theater camp introduces children ages 6 to 9 to Shakespeare, while building
USC Pacific Asia Museum hosts Fusion
The session includes acting classes, stage
Fridays with after-hours entertainment
combat, costuming and scene-making
inspired by art from Asia and the Pacific
workshops and crafts from 10 a.m. to
Islands. Look for guest DJs spinning tunes,
4 p.m. daily, with pre- and post-care starting
a cash bar featuring Angel City Brewery
at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.The cost is
beers, prizes and food trucks.This month’s
$360 for the week, including snacks and
event, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., includes
supplies.
Korean drums and gongs and a samurai
A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill
reenactment. Admission costs $15 (free for
Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3014 or
members).
email education@anoisewithin.org for
USC Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46
camp details.Visit anoisewithin.org for
N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Call (626)
company information.
449-2742 or visit pacificasiamuseum.org.
Pops Gets Down with Gershwin
Dog Days of Summer
July 19 — Pops conductor Michael Fein-
July 26 — The Pasa-
stein puts down the baton at 7:30 p.m. to
dena Animal League
sing works from the Gershwin songbook,
46 | ARROYO | 07.14
hosts the Dog Days
including “Shall We Dance,”“I’ve Got a
of Summer fundraiser at 5 p.m.The event
Crush on You,”“Nice Work If You Can Get It”
includes cocktails, dinner, an auction and
and other classics, at the L.A. County Arbo-
live music by Mac Davis, who wrote such
retum.The evening also includes a tribute
Elvis Presley hits as “In the Ghetto” and
to Fred Astaire. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for
“Memories.”Tickets cost $250 per person.
picnicking.Ticket prices start at $20.
The location will be provided with ticket
The L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic
purchase.The volunteer league supports
Garden is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave.,
the Pasadena Humane Society’s life-saving
Arcadia. Call (626) 793-7172 or visit
programs and services.
pasadenasymphony-pops.org.
Visit pasadenaanimalleague.org. ||||
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