Benicia Magazine March 2022 Issue

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Benicia Publisher

Mary Hand

magazine Editor in Chief

Genevieve Hand

Art Director

Benicia Margaret Bowles

Website Specialist

Genevieve Hand magazine

Contributors

Patty Gavin Genevieve Hand Mary Hand Linda Hastings Darrell Mcelvane Jeannine Mendoza, Ed.D Cooper Mickelson Gethsemane Moss, Ed.D Kevin Nelson Gene Pedrotti Jean Purnell Maura Sullivan

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Social Media Specialist Bitsy Hall

Advertising Sales 707.980.1563

500 Drones recreate Benicia’s history!

On the Carquinez Straits at the Benicia Waterfront

Follows the July 3rd Torchlight Parade Celebrating 100Years!

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PUBLISHER

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March 2022

Contents Features

16 M ardi Gras and the Big Easy 18 Providing Healing, Promoting Hope: National Women's History Month

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Departments Columns

ELEBRATING 8 F rom the editor 25 Picket Fences A Benicia Mystery

26 Booktails

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

28 Dinner and a Movie

Lemongrass Bistro and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Around Town 16

FOOD AND DRINK 10 History of Whiskey –

Whiskey Tasting at Cullen’s Pub

11 B ar None – An Irish Lady COMMUNITY 12 N uts and Bolts — A Scent of the Past 13 Hidden Benicia — Here Come the Goats 22 W omen’s Liberation: Understanding the Waves of Feminism

ART SCENE 14 M arch Art Happenings 24 G olden Gate Symphony Orchestra: Celebrating Life with Requiem

BENICIA BUSINESS 20 Kaneka Aerospace – Introduction to the Community

370 First Street, Downtown Benicia • 707.745.5125 ChristinaSBenicia.com • Facebook.com Open everyday 11-4

Cover photo by Cooper Mickelson BeniciaMagazine.com • 7

Column Editor's letter FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE PUBLISHER

En avant, marche.

March Madness No not that March Madness

Pink tule, ethereal aesthetics, femininity and grace.

These forward-facing attributes of the ballet world lead many to assume it to be a female dominated realm.

But like nearly every other profession, it has long been male-dominated – with leadership roles largely maintained by a sort of boys club. In fact, the ballet world, with its proclivity for tradition and patriarchal origins, is one which has been particularly slow-moving in the march toward equity and inclusion.

Yet, however slow the march, we are beginning to see signs of change.

Over the years, we have seen the rise of some brilliant female choreographers and a tendency for women in the business to lift other women up. For instance, Smuin Ballet (whose founder was a man but which is now headed by a team of women), brought a wonderful performance featuring only women choreographers to the stage as one of their first live shows since pandemic lock-downs.

We are seeing greater strength, versatility, and depth in the female roles imagined by these choreographers.

San Francisco Ballet, the United States’ oldest ballet company, recently announced its new director would be a woman, Tamara Rojo – the first woman to lead the company in its history. Having been in the ballet world for most of my life, this is encouraging to see.

So, here’s to the small steps that march us forward – those that make history, and those that merely delight an audience for an afternoon. Happy Women’s History Month. En avant, marche (forward, march).

March is usually cold. So is February and January.

Not this year. So, when thinking about March and the usual activities and festivities, I’ve tried to imagine them in this unusual (although less and less unusual) weather.

Starting with Mardi Gras. This is a wonderful tradition that involves great food and questionable attire. At my house, this means great food and weird attire. Beads and masks are mandatory.

We like to concentrate on the Fat part of Fat Tuesday.

Gumbo, jambalaya, hush puppies and king cake. Libations of course include hurricanes and Sazerac.

Weather doesn’t matter.

And then there’s Ides of March. This is not a happy day on the calendar. It’s a good reminder that all may not be as it seems and that if anyone tells you to beware, you should definitely do so.

Stumbling on to St. Patrick's Day. This is hard to envision in warm, cloud free weather. My suggestion is to go to Cullen’s Pub. It’s the closest thing we have to an Irish pub and with Char’s adding great “pub” food that would rival most pubs in Dublin, it’s a great place to be. Settle in for a whiskey tasting and hot food on a (possibly) chilly March day.

Regarding the other March Madness, hard to choose, but I’ll go with UCLA

Genevieve

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Around Town Food and Drink

A Taste of History at Cullen’s Pub n Cooper Mickelson The history of whiskey is surprisingly long and adventurous.

Believe it or not, we can thank traveling monks for kicking it all off.

Over 1000 years ago, distillation migrated from mainland Europe into Scotland and Ireland via monks. Because of their lack of vineyards and grapes, the Scottish and Irish monasteries decided to ferment grain mash, leading to the first distillations of modern whiskey.

In the 1500s, King Henry VIII disbanded the monasteries, creating newly independent monks desperate for a new way to make a living. Distillation was it, introducing the production of whiskey to the general public.

As the European colonists made their way to America, they brought with them the practice of distilling whiskey. However, the English Malt Tax of 1725 threatened whiskey production.

The majority of Scottish distilleries reacted by heading underground and beginning production at night. This is how whiskey got its nickname, “moonshine.”

Later, to help fund the debt The majority of from the Revolutionary War, a tax on domestically produced Scottish distilleries distilled spirits was imposed.

This excise became known as reacted by heading the “Whiskey Tax.” Enter the Whiskey Rebellion! A united underground and protest gathered speed but ultimately ended when militia beginning production forces met all resistance with violence. Luckily, Thomas at night. This is Jefferson repealed the tax when he took office in 1801. how whiskey got Things moved quickly from here. As time passed, the its nickname, process of distilling whiskey continued to improve. From “moonshine.” “sour mash” to the Coffey still, manufacturers were able to produce whiskey more efficiently. In 1840, Bourbon was officially born. Then, in 1850, the first “blended whisky” came into production. In the 1920s, medicinal whiskey was popularized with the American Prohibition, when you needed a prescription to obtain whiskey through a licensed pharmacy.

10 • Benicia Magazine

Don’t panic! Prohibition is over, and we have an excellent pub located right in our downtown, where the decor is immaculate and the bartenders know their stuff. Just the other day, I made my way down to Cullen’s Pub on First Street, and my oh my, was I impressed. Here’s a little look into what I tasted to warm up on a Friday night: In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I chose to taste three Irish Whiskeys. First up was Redbreast 12. Redbreast 12 is a pot still whiskey, meaning it is made by combining malted and unmalted barley distilled in copper pot stills. Redbreast 12, specifically, is matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks. There is a complex aroma that is equally spicy and fruity, a silky smooth and balanced taste with distinct sherry and toasted notes, and a finish that leaves complex flavors lingering on the palate.

Next, I tasted Green Spot. My usual “go-to” whiskey, Green Spot is a Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey aged between seven and ten years. This whiskey is matured in a combination of new bourbon and refill bourbon casks as well as sherry casks.

The aroma is immediately fresh and full of oils and spices with orchard fruits, barley, and toasted wood. In Green Spot, you can taste cloves and sweet, green apples.

The last whiskey I tasted easily became a favorite of mine.

Teeling Single Batch Whiskey is unlike any Irish Whiskey I’ve tasted before. This whiskey has a sweet aroma full of vanilla, spice, and rum. Incredibly smooth and almost sparkly on your tongue, the taste is a perfect marriage of sweetness and spice. I’ll definitely be ordering Teeling Whiskey on my next trip to the pub.

Now that you know a bit more about where whiskey came from you can move on to some hands-on learning with a whiskey tasting at Cullen’s Pub!

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Steep the tea in a ½ cup of water for about 10 minutes.

Let cool and set to the side.

In a shaker, add a generous amount of ice, honey, lemon juice, whiskey and ginger syrup. Shake for about 1 minute and strain into a highball glass, or a large wine glass, with a large cube of ice. Choose whichever glass is more bathtub friendly.

With the remaining space in the glass, pour your tea on top and sprinkle the orange bitters.

These aromas go great with a twist of orange zest or a little lavender.

Enjoy with the sounds of “Only Time” by Enya.

— Maura

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Around Town Nuts & Bolts

BENICIA NEWS AND VIEWS

A Scent of the Past n Gene Pedrotti Last fall, wanting to expand into new categories, I began evaluating small artisan candlemakers. The adventure began on Etsy, where I discovered an unexpected scent called “Hardware Store.”

This was part of a masculine line of unique smells like French Fry, Gone Fishing, and Firefighter.

But, Hardware Store?!

Every shop has its scent, right? Florist, pet food, meat market. Think about the last time you were in a department store, no doubt before the pandemic.

At the entrance are cosmetics; the sweet, spicy odors drawing shoppers inside. But other articles carry a distinct smell, too, like cotton, or denim as well as the leathery smell of shoes and the lacquer of furnishings. Blindfolded, you could probably guess where you stood in a Macy’s solely on what your olfactory senses told you.

Hardware stores can be like that, too.

The cleaning aisle can be astringent (from cleansers and cleaners) or fragrant, thanks to the additives in soaps. A paint department can have a sweet odor from latex resins or carry a sharp scent of petroleum.

And let us not overlook gardening; fertilizers, organic or otherwise, smell awful. And steer manure or chicken poop, well, grab your nose.

However, shoppers of the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s of our Crockett store experienced something completely different. The storefront was tiny, perhaps 1000 square feet, and we did something special, fully polluting the air in the small building with an odor that lasted for months. Our secret? We oiled the hardwood floors!

12 • Benicia Magazine

In rural and small-town stores, floors were often made of wood planks. To keep the dust down, merchants routinely mopped with a light, petroleum-based oil and while it initially had an unpleasantly strong odor, it worked well; dust would get weighed down making it easy to sweep.

Twice a year, my father and uncle would return to the store after hours – keep in mind this was on top of their regular sixtyhour weeks – lace up old shoes and swab the deck with a lightweight oil out of a 5 gallon can. Simultaneously mopping and rearranging fixtures, they sent oil in every direction, hitting all the corners and ruining their shoes. And the dust? It would be encased in oil and collected nicely in a dust pan.

This was the scent of a vintage hardware store.

It had been forty years since I was last in the building and, wanting to smell the past, I ventured over to Crockett one day, dropping in to see our old neighbor, Dr. Doug Yarris. Doug took over his father’s dental practice decades ago and, now joined by his son who is also a dentist, runs the practice. Doug leases our old hardware store and was thrilled to open it so that I could take a look-see. But after

unlocking the heavy, double swinging doors, I was shocked.

Nothing looked familiar!

Remodeled and re-painted, the premises were bright, open, and airy; without fixtures, dark walls, and dim lighting, it seemed much smaller than what I had remembered as a boy. I was looking forward to seeing a floor I had swept a million times, its wood grain holding tightly together, dark from decades of late-night oil sessions. So, standing there and wishing for a bit of déjà vu, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, like the way a sommelier might with a glass of fine wine. Sucking air over my tongue and nostrils, I was expecting to taste a familiar and powerful memory of my boyhood: the scent of a hardware store!

Alas, as is often the case, the smell of youth is elusive. There was nothing. No smell, no scent, no ennui. And, frankly, no floor! Looking down, the entire premises were nothing but cheap, plywood underlayment. The hardwood floor was gone! And with it, my youth! I was stunned!

“What the hell happened?!” I whined.

Doug saw my distress and explained the unfortunate drama. Sub-leasing the storefront to two men a few years ago, he was not aware of their drug use let alone their misdemeanor background. They paid rent late, and then not at all. Then began months of eviction proceedings.

When finally forced out, the two scumbags destroyed the place. Worse, and to my dismay, they removed and sold off the entire tight-grained, oiled hardwood floor.

I left, devastated.

Weeks later, I’m still angry. But not all is lost. I reached out to the candlemaker and ordered the scent called “Hardware Store.”

Around Town Hidden Benicia

Here Come the Goats n Kevin Nelson

San Juan Capistrano has its swallows.

Pacific Grove has its monarch butterflies, and Maui its humpback whales. Here in Benicia, we have our goats.

Granted, our town’s billies and nannies do not migrate here seasonally as these other creatures do in these other places. They arrive here by truck in the winter and spring to chew down the tall grasses and reduce the fire threat to adjoining homes and neighborhoods.

They do their chomp, chomp, chomping in greenbelt open spaces around town, but where they really attract attention is in the hills around Community Park.

“Oh, look at the goats! Aren’t they cute?” an elderly woman says while stepping out of her car at the Community Park parking lot. “Do you hear them?

Baaah,” she continues, chatting not to her grandchild or another adult, but to her Chihuahua.

Goats are not nearly as romantic as fluttering butterflies or spouting humpbacks, but they do turn heads.

Children come and gawk. People get out of their cars, point in wonderment, and click pictures as if they’ve happened upon buffaloes grazing in a Yellowstone meadow.

The herd consists of 150 or so, in a variety of shades.

Black, brown, white, black and white, brown and white, black with white splotches.

They are curious animals. If you come up to the fence around their grazing area, they will step forward expecting a handout. If you instead pull out a phone to take their picture, they back warily away.

On their way to ride at the skatepark, a thirtyish couple stops to gaze. Seeing me sitting nearby, the woman asks, “Are these your goats?” I laugh. “Do I look like a goat herder?” “Yes,” she replies matter of factly, “you do.” She adds that it’s a compliment and her boyfriend agrees. “I wish people thought I looked like a goat herder,” he says.

The actual goat herder is a rakishlooking fellow in a wide brim hat and outdoorsy plaid jacket. He is as shy as the animals he tends to, who regard him as a kind of Sun King. When he walks amongst them, they follow obediently; when he runs, they all hustle to catch up.

Nearby at all times is his trusty Australian sheep dog, zealously guarding the perimeters to make sure none of his subjects get out of line.

At night the goat herder sleeps in an RV camper parked near the dog park.

After ravaging one swath of hillside the goats transport their chompers and bottomless-pit bellies to another section, penned in by a movable fence erected by their dashing Sun King. The fence is

electrified by portable generators.

It provides a sharp little blast of current to any person, dog or coyote that dares to challenge it. The goats get their water from a hose hooked to a fire hydrant along the park’s walking path.

In his down times, the goat herder can be seen relaxing on the grass, gazing at his phone. It is not known if he is active on social media, but #beniciagoats would surely attract lots of followers.

One interesting goat factoid you will find nowhere else in this magazine: Both male and female goats are born with horns, although it is a common practice to remove the horns—“de-bud” them— when they are young.

A curious little boy steps up to see the goats, his mother standing protectively behind him to make sure his fingers don’t touch the fence. His first question is a good one: Why is it electrified? Another question follows her answer, and another question after that. Meanwhile the goats just chomp on obliviously. Nature lessons don’t interest them, only stuff to eat.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 13

Around Town Art Scene

March Art Happenings n Jean Purnell

Still Friends After All these Years Locals and visitors to Benicia will enjoy a vibrant art scene this month with new exhibitions opening in several venues. Long-time Benicia artists Nikki Basch Davis and Jerrold Turner are featured at Gallery 621, in an exhibition titled “Still Friends.” Basch Davis and Turner share a love of plein air (outdoor) painting which grew into a deep friendship and mutual admiration over several decades. The exhibition features artworks that span the years of their painting together and show an evolution in both artists’ work over the years.

Formally trained at the Bezalel Art Institute in Jerusalem and the Royal College of Art in London, Basch Davis’ work includes landscapes and story-telling figurative paintings, ceramic sculpture, and prints. Turner pursued a career in structural engineering, with degrees from UC Berkeley. He is primarily self-taught in art and painted with Lundy Siegriest and Terry St. John. He turned his focus from abstract works to plein air after viewing the work of Seldon Gile, a member of the Society of Six. His works include landscapes, urban scenes, and whimsical, fantasy-like depictions of invented characters and places.

Basch Davis recalls meeting Jerry over forty years ago as a student in a painting class at the Walnut Creek recreation center. “He strolled into class and gave the ladies present the once over. I could see that his pursuit was not limited only to art,” she laughs. “It was the seventies, an exciting time for emerging artists. A new group was introduced to us, ‘The Society of Six.’ It was the first time we learned about plein air.” Basch Davis studied with Lundy Siegriest, son of Society of Six member Louis Siegriest. “The idea of painting outdoors in all seasons and every weather was a new concept. We took to it quickly.” Often painting with a group that varied in membership, Jerry and Nikki were regulars.

Their long days of driving around, exploring scenes and immortalizing them on canvas quickly evolved into a close friendship.

Turner fondly recalls those early years painting with a group of artists every Saturday, with Basch Davis a constant among the group. “When I first met Nikki she was mostly a watercolor painter, very accomplished. She started exploring with oils. We painted all over. Some of our favorite places included Crockett, the Berkeley Hills, and China Camp. She’s very versatile, and fearless. She doesn’t work her art over in her mind too much, she just goes for it.”

“Still Friends” can be viewed from March 4 to 27, from 12 to 6 pm, Thursday through Sunday. Visit gallery621.com for a reception date to be announced.

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Tap Roots

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Arts Benicia opens “Tap Roots, Ceramic Artist Educators of Northern California,” on March 12; the exhibition runs through April 10, concurrent with the 2022 conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). “Tap Roots” is a joint exhibition produced by Arts Benicia and the Epperson Gallery, in Crockett. The exhibition includes works by 28 ceramic artist-educators, including Richard Shaw, Wanxin Zhang, Peter Vandenberge, Lisa Reinertson, John Roloff and Mark Messenger.

Works are displayed at both galleries. Opening receptions are planned for March 12, at Arts Benicia from 2 to 4 pm, and at the Epperson Gallery from 4 to 6 pm. Visit artsbenicia. org/taproots/ for more information.

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There’s No Place Like Nowhere The Marilyn Citron O’Rourke Art Gallery at the Benicia Public Library has recently opened “There’s No Place Like Nowhere,” an exhibition of work by Benicia resident Michael Shannon Moore, curated by Kathryn Weller Renfrow. The opening was originally scheduled for March 2020 and canceled due to the emerging pandemic. The exhibition runs through April 3. Moore’s acrylic drawings and ink paintings are inspired by regular travels between his studios in Benicia, the Smoke Desert in Nevada, and Huerfano County in southern Colorado. After years of travels, Moore finds himself at home in these barren empty desert spaces.

Mainly landscape abstractions, his works represent his memory of a place rather than an attempt to paint the actual scene. “I quickly float washes across the canvas with horizontal brushstrokes … eventually it will begin to evoke something I remember.” As he works, the evolving painting reminds him of images he has seen, suggesting changes and additions. To learn more about Moore, visit beniciamagazine.com/further-afield/. A reception is planned for March 5, from 3 to 5 pm. Library and gallery hours are available at benicialibrary.org.

602 West K Street | Benicia, CA 94510 info@wheelsupwealthinc.com 707.400.0992

YEARS

Colorfornia The Benicia Plein Air Gallery features the work of Maria SantoStefano this month. Her show is titled “Colorfornia,’’ displaying landscapes painted on location from a variety of Northern California spots. SantoStefano is a colorist following in the Bay Area tradition of Pam Glover, Louis and Lundy Siegrist and the Society of Six. She resides in Orinda. The Benicia Plein Air Gallery is open from 11 am to 5 pm, Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit beniciapleinair.com Visitors are encouraged to check the website of each gallery for locations and updates regarding hours and events. Enjoy the art!

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Reflection, Nikki Basch Davis Two Kids on China Camp Beach, Jerrold Turner Maria SantoStefano Peter Vandenberge Michael Moore

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R D A I M G R A S

Feature

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“Laissez les bon temps rouler!”

A Cajun French phrase that is a translation of the English phrase, “Let the good times roll.”

n

Jeannine Mendoza, Ed.D

The celebration of Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, traditionally marks the last opportunity for Christians to make merry before enduring the solemn and penitential Lenten season. Mardi Gras, or Carnival (translated as “farewell to meat”), is celebrated in Catholic and Christian countries throughout the world. Latin American countries like Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia have held celebrations since the 1700s, and European countries since the 1200s.

But with the exception of New Orleans, Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States have become popular only in the past twenty years or so.

The appeal of Mardi Gras is easy to understand: this is one last opportunity to enjoy yourself before enduring fasting, Lenten sacrifice, prayer and personal reflection. Over the years, Mardi Gras has developed an air of mystery, with masked and costumed revelers parading the streets, enjoying music, dancing with strangers, eating rich foods and consuming large quantities of alcoholic beverages.

Mischief abounds as individuals expose themselves for shiny bead necklaces, and other individuals toss the beads from gaudy parade floats. Fancy king cakes are eaten, and tradition says that if you find the plastic baby in your piece of cake, you purchase next year’s king cake. Mardi Gras societies or krewes, organize elaborate balls and parades and have done so in the Mississippi Delta states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi since before statehood.

Here in Benicia we can celebrate Fat Tuesday by visiting any friendly bar down on First Street or elsewhere in Benicia. Enjoy a fruity Hurricane made with both light and dark rum or a Ramos Gin Fizz that tastes like a creamy lemon meringue pie. The

official New Orleans cocktail is the Sazerac that contains cognac, whiskey and absinthe. Dating from the mid 1800s, this powerful concoction features absinthe, an anise flavored, pale green liqueur that was banned in the United States from 1912 until 2007. Absinthe is also featured in Death in the Afternoon, a champagne and absinthe concoction made famous by the renowned writer and imbiber, Ernest Hemingway.

Although many Benician restaurants feature one or two Cajun and/or Creole menu items, one restaurant specializes in this unique and tasty cuisine. The Workshop offers a takeout lunch from 11:00-2:30 Tuesday through Friday and 8:00-2:30 on the weekends. Several tables provide outside seating, but takeout is more popular. There are three drawbacks to this restaurant, but they are easily overcome. First, no liquor is served. There is only takeout, and they close at 2:30. However, they do cater, or you can always take your food home and prepare a favorite drink. The Workshop features a special each day: Wednesday is jambalaya with fresh cornbread, and Friday is authentic and delicious gumbo. Po’Boy sandwiches are available every day and include brisket, fried shrimp or fried oysters.

The Cajun chicken pot pie has had rave reviews, and there is talk of some special crab dishes and homemade bread pudding for Mardi Gras!

Even though we might not be able to travel to New Orleans, Rio, or Venice, Italy to enjoy Mardi Gras this year, we can always celebrate here in Benicia and share a good time with friends. Let the good times roll!

BeniciaMagazine.com • 17

Feature The NWHA theme of "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope" honors women healers, and honors the ceaseless work of women caregivers in all aspects

Providing Healing, Promoting Hope. n Patty Gavin The contributions of women to United States History are celebrated every year in the month of March. This observance, to honor women's contributions in history, culture, and society, began in 1978 as a small, local celebration. It grew into a month's long event, established by a resolution in Congress, over 35 years ago. (for a more detailed account of the initiation of this observance, go to beniciamagazine.com/national-womens-history-month/).

This year, the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) has chosen the theme "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope."

Given the heroism of the pandemic's health responders, especially the contributions of women in healthcare, this is a wonderful opportunity to salute and thank these brave, hard working women.

They have demonstrated great strength, resilience, and dedication, in kinship with well known trailblazing women of the past. Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale are two women who come to mind.

Clara Barton, a hospital nurse during the American Civil War, was the founder of the American Red Cross. Clara exemplified compassion and dedication, by risking her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers, and tending to the wounded. She also established the National First Aid Association of America, an organization that brought awareness to the importance of emergency preparedness and developed first aid kits. Florence Nightingale was the founder of modern nursing. Often referred to as "the lady with the lamp" for her nighttime rounds to wounded soldiers, she changed the face of nursing from a mostly untrained profession to a highly skilled one. A caring nurse and leader, she wrote over 150 books, pamphlets, and reports, on health related issues. She is widely known for making hospitals more sanitary. In the history of healthcare there are numerous trailblazing women 18 • Benicia Magazine

doctors. In 1849, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree, paving the way for innumerable women to follow, including Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first black woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first female U.S. Army surgeon, the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor, Dr. Antonia Novello, the first woman, and the first Hispanic, to serve as surgeon general of the United States (1990), and Dr. Nancy Dickey, the first woman to be elected president of the American Medical Association (1998). There are many more, too numerous to mention, that paved the way. Their legacy lives on, as there has been a steady rise in the number of women joining the physician workforce. While men outnumber women as physicians, 91% of nurses are female.

Nurses, as members of a hospital care team, are the ones who spend the most time with patients.

Research has shown that hospital nurses are impacted to a greater degree than their physician counterparts by stress, anxiety, and depression.

Now more than ever, as a result of the pandemic, these nurses have had to work under extremely

of our communities. Mothers, grandmothers, teachers, counselors, therapists, and clerics all provide healing and hope.

challenging conditions. Besides the fear of exposure to the virus, with the possibility of bringing it home to their families, they experience heavy workloads, extended shifts, changing protocols, exhaustion, and burnout.

Caring for patients with Covid who are isolated from loved ones, or who die under their care, takes an emotional toll. This has been an unrelenting pandemic...a perfect storm, with the potential to impact physical, emotional, and psychological well being. In qualitative studies led by nursing professor Marcia Bosek at the University of Vermont Medical Center, one nurse stated, "Providing nursing care during the pandemic has been a rollercoaster you can't seem to get off and something I never thought I would experience in my nursing career." Respondents also stated that they don't "embrace a hero identity," but emphasize that nurses are always prepared to provide care because "it's what we're trained for." If asked why they do it, Mansi Patel, a nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital would tell you, "Nurses have been taking care of people forever...This is what I do. This is what I love doing." At the Johns Hopkins special Covid unit, resident chaplain Andreas Andreou notes that the unit's staff members refer to their work as "a calling."

The NWHA theme of "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope" honors women healers, and honors the ceaseless work of women caregivers in all aspects of our communities. Mothers, grandmothers, teachers, counselors, therapists, and clerics all provide healing and hope. They "listen, ease suffering, restore dignity, and make decisions for our general as well as our personal welfare." They lead the way with compassion and empathy towards physical, emotional, and mental health. And with healing, comes the gift of hope... for recovery, and for the power we need to live our dreams. We honor the thousands of ways that women throughout history have provided healing and hope, and who continue to promote these priceless gifts.

JOIN OUR AWARD-WINNING SCHOOLS BUSD New Student Enrollment Enrollment for incoming Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten and new Elementary & Secondary school students to BUSD opens in February.

For Kindergarten: Your child must turn five years old by September 1, to enroll in Kindergarten For the new Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK): BUSD is also offering Universal Transitional Kindergarten for all Benicia students who NOW turn five years old between September 2 and February 2.

These dates are firm and exceptions are not considered.

A Community Information Forum will take place on January 13 @ 5pm via zoom at https://beniciaunified-org.zoom.us/j/81036181367 All enrollment including for Transitional Kindergarten is completed at each of our Elementary Schools starting the month of February and information can be found at https://beniciaunified.org/parents/new-studentenrollment/ Open Enrollment for all Elementary students desiring to attend a school outside of their school of residence is held the month of March. The form will be opened on March 1 and can be found at https://beniciaunified.org/parents/open-enrollment-over flow/information on the BUSD website.

Please call the School directly for additional information and to schedule an appointment to complete the enrollment.

Benicia Unified School District 350 East K Street, Benicia, CA 707.747.8300 • www.beniciaunified.org

BeniciaMagazine.com • 19

Around Town Business

Kaneka Aerospace

Introduction to the Community

n

Genevieve Hand

At the outer edges of the Benicia Industrial Park is a business that is on the cutting edge of the aerospace business. Kaneka Aerospace is creating specialty solutions that address challenges and needs for the next generation of aerospace through their lightweight and durable resins, polymers, and composites. The business was established through the acquisition of the privately owned company API in 2017 and has doubled its production footprint since.

Kaneka Aerospace is a subsidiary of Kaneka Corporation, a 73-year-old company founded in Osaka, Japan, which now has a footprint in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Its legacy products are polyvinyl chloride polymers (PVC), which launched them into business fields that include synthetic fibers, electronics, renewable energy, life science and healthcare, nutrition and agriculture, and beyond.

Kaneka’s mission statement: “Kaneka is committed to our customers, employees, and social responsibility. United in our creation of products that are safer, smarter and healthier.”

“Hold in your hands To that end, Kaneka North America established the the future you have Kaneka Foundation which always dreamed regularly makes charitable contributions to socially and of. We are a highly environmentally oriented nonprofit organizations, perceptive and has developed an employee volunteer collaborative valueprogram (Kaneka KARES), creating group or, and offers employee volunteer grants, corporate as we like to say, scholarships, and grants for natural disasters. a ‘Dreamology According to the General Company.’”

Manager of Kaneka Aerospace, Dr. Ekaterina Ryjkina, the company is looking forward to becoming a good neighbor and corporate 20 • Benicia Magazine

citizen, and a well-known partner in meeting the varied needs of our community. “We are working closely with the Benicia Community Foundation (BCF) and have already started building some significant community involvement through a generous donation to BCF last year. It is important for us to have a local partner to better understand where our involvement and resources are needed most. We have had very open and productive discussions with the foundation’s Chair, David Batchelor, about what we could do together to provide financial sponsorship and our employee’s support for many of the community-need initiatives.”

Dr. Ryjkina has had an impressive international career that has taken her from native Russia to Germany, Canada, and many other countries. She has an educational background in chemistry and has since moved into management and leadership roles for global market leaders, building a reputation for “transformational turnarounds” with mindfulness toward long-term value creation. Part of her long-term strategy for Kaneka Aerospace and Benicia includes more community involvement, particularly in the area of education. Ekaterina has dreams of motivating and inspiring the young people of Benicia, especially girls, for a career in technology, engineering, and yes, aerospace. “I personally believe that a major impact we can have on our future is to invest in the education of the next generation. Kaneka employees are willing to contribute resources and personal involvement in the technical educational programs and workshops, including organized visits to our facility and internships for those who would like to learn about the remarkable world of leading-edge industries like Composites and Aerospace.”

We look forward to learning more about what Ekaterina and Kaneka Aerospace have in store for our community.

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Around Town Community

WOMEN’S LIBERATION:

Understanding t he Waves of Femini sm n Dr. Gethsemane Moss, Ed.D. Congratulations on your right to vote, your right to own property, your independence on securing economic freedom, going to the college of your choice, and your successful start to a new business. The law was written with you in mind and supported you 100%. If this had been the initial reality for women

...Sojourner Truth gave speeches to tell the story of the reality of African American women in her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?” delivered at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. and women of color, we would not have the privilege of celebrating and honoring the trailblazers who put their lives on

22 • Benicia Magazine

the line for women to experience wealth and freedom. Nor is this to say that everyone's experiences are the same.

March is women's history month and a reminder of the women who fought for a seat at the table so that women's fundamental human rights are a reality.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment enabled voting rights for women. Women were in the position of advocating and proving their value and worth to be a part of American Democracy by marching and picketing.

American history shows us the reality for women as having no human rights but being considered their husbands' property under the coverture laws. Women could not own property or have a separate identity from their husbands, making the negative stigmas associated with being a single female, and the challenges of attempting to get ahead to make a life for oneself, come as no surprise. If a woman earned money during her marriage, everything she made was her husband's property. The movement of women's rights was in motion long before the 19th Amendment. In 1912 several states had adopted suffrage legislation as a starting point.

The Federal Suffrage Amendment

VO TE

made it illegal to discriminate against gender. Still, it did not include any women of color, making it legal to exclude all women of color, such as Native American women, Asian Americans, Latinx, and African American Women. Who could vote? Only white men. Women's rights advocates like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton believed that educated women should vote even before black men, stating that the most intelligent should vote first, as claimed in 1869. Jim Crow legislation still made it impossible for African American women and other women of color to vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 45 years later. Native American women gained the right to vote under the Indian Citizenship Act. Many of the states in America implemented barriers such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and barring all those residing on a reservation from holding state residents’ rights.

Those entering into America, mainly Asian women, were considered immigrants and were excluded from voting until the passing of the Immigration Nationality Act of 1952, which allowed them to gain citizenship, about 30 years after the 19th Amendment passed. Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was instrumental during this movement. Luisa Capetillo worked to ensure that Latinx women gained voting rights. Women who spoke Spanish were given English literacy tests that kept Hispanic and other women of

color from voting. The 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Amendment protected minority language citizens’ right to vote. Zitkala-Sa was a Native American activist who fought for Indigenous women's rights. Indigenous women gained citizenship in 1924 but still were not allowed to vote.

African American women faced voter suppression tactics.

Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash were instrumental in passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. African American Women were not allowed to attend conventions like the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

The concerns during the battle for women's rights only incorporated the concerns of white women.

Women such as Women such as Sojourner Truth gave speeches to tell the story of the reality of African American women in her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?” delivered at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. Several women were known for their efforts in the women's movement: Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, and Nannie Helen Burroughs. The layers of race and gender barriers compounded the challenges that women of color faced during the women's suffrage movement.

During the mid-19th century, the first wave of feminism focused on the concerns of white middle-class women, such as political equality, instead of the complexity of the issues and challenges faced by women of color, particularly black women. During the second wave of feminism, which occurred during the mid-20th century, and the civil rights movement, women became more vocal about the oppression they faced. During this wave, different perspectives of feminism surfaced, like black feminism.

The third wave of feminism occurred during the 1990s, which focused more on the multiple challenges faced by women and their intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, religion, and class, to name a few.

The feminist movement has helped bring to light the challenges and struggles of women in the United States, first by illuminating the struggles of white Christian women, then evolving to include the nuanced and compounded challenges of gender, class, and race in an intersectional manner. Further expansion of feminist theory has examined the intersection of sexuality, gender, class, and race class.

African American women and other women of color were not heard during the first wave of the feminist movement.

African American women felt invisible because the issues that impacted them were not heard. The message about feminism was based on the experiences and values of white women privileged to a higher socioeconomic status.

The homogenous message did not allow room for the more complex experiences of African American women or other women of color.

While progress exists, women still make less money than men, and if you are a woman of color, the wage gap is even more expansive. There are many layers to peel back when assessing the disparities amongst women, such as gender, gender identity, race and ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, and educational attainment. Everyone does not seek to be alone or struggle, but learns early on how to play the cards they are dealt, and sometimes it is our personal experiences that shape our footsteps towards advocacy.

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 23

Around Town Art Scene

Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra

Celebrates Life with Requiem n Larnie Fox It’s been a rough couple of years for everyone, including arts organizations.

Many have gone under, and the ones that are still standing have needed to “pivot”. The Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (GGSOC), and its Benicia Chapter chorus are still standing,

COVID. I want to give the community an opportunity to celebrate their lives.”

The GGSOC will collect names and short reminiscences of friends and family who have passed away so that they can be remembered during the performance of the Requiem. They invite the public to send the names and reminiscences to

“For me this concert is all about celebrating the lives of people who passed away during COVID. I want to give the community an opportunity to celebrate their lives.” and thriving. They have pivoted, first with online classes and concerts, and then later using special extra-spacious “singing masks” to keep performers and audience safe during rehearsals and concerts. They wore masks to perform Handel’s Messiah in Herbst Theater in San Francisco in December. Also in December, they performed selections from the Messiah and Christmas carols outdoors at the Avant Garden, on First Street in Benicia.

GGSOC Director, Urs Leonhardt Steiner, lost his mother to COVID in 2020.

Many of us have experienced personal losses during these two years, to COVID and also to other causes. The Benicia Chapter lost soprano Carolyn Plath, and bass Desmond Rutherford. Caroline and Desmond were both multitalented people, both well known in Benicia literary circles. To mourn their losses, and to celebrate the lives of the many people we all have lost over the past couple years, the GGSOC is going to perform Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece Requiem in San Francisco on May 22, and are exploring possibilities for a Benicia performance at this writing. Maestro Steiner writes, “For me this concert is all about celebrating the lives of people who passed away during 24 • Benicia Magazine

admin@goldengatesymphony.org to be included.

The GGSOC is based in San Francisco, and is entering its third decade of presenting high quality musical performances all over the Bay Area. The GGSOC singers and instrumentalists range from beginner to accomplished professionals. They are dedicated to providing outstanding classical musical experiences to diverse and under-served audiences. The GGSOC’s Benicia Chapter chorus was created by Steiner and Benicians Bodil and Larnie Fox after a discussion in a San Francisco bar, and debuted with the full orchestra and chorus on Mother’s Day, 2019, with a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Clock Tower. Later that year, they performed Handel’s Messiah at Northgate church in Benicia.

The GGSOC and its Benicia Chapter chorus are led by Maestro Urs Leonhardt Steiner, the first Swiss citizen to perform at the White House. Steiner is originally from Chur, Switzerland

and is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has attended master classes with Andre Previn, Erich Leinsdorf, Leonhard Bernstein, and Herbert von Karajan. He has toured extensively in Europe, the USA, Central America and Mexico, and is the former Artistic Director of the Opera Arosa in Switzerland. He also serves as music adviser of the music schools Musica en Los Barrios, Chispas Musicales and the Sinfonía Campesina in Nicaragua.

Rehearsals for the Benicia Chapter chorus are starting this March, Tuesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Saint Paul's church on First Street in Benicia.

Maestro Steiner will lead the rehearsals.

Singers will also be able to start practicing by accessing online practice tracks and scores. They will require proof of vaccination and boosters, and masks to participate in person. They are a community orchestra and chorus, and all are invited to join.

Future plans include a possible trip to Scuol, Switzerland to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as a joint venture with Swiss singers and musicians, and inviting their Swiss counterparts to travel to the Bay Area to perform the majestic Ninth Symphony with the GGSOC, here.

The Benicia Chapter chorus is still recruiting singers. To find out more about singing with them, email

“Ringmaster” Susan E. Lauenstein at admin@goldengatesymphony.org. You can find much more information at www. goldengatesymphony.org.

Column A (Soap Opera) mystery

s e c n e F t e Pick Previously in Picket Fences …

The F.A.C.T. fundraiser is in full swing. Payton and Xavier have plans to leave the event early to snoop around Connie’s home in search of answers while everyone is distracted at the fundraiser. n

Darrell Mcelvane

“Well, well, well. Look at this. Who knew you two were an item?” “I don't know what you thought you saw, but you're mistaken,” Xavier says.

“I'm mistaken? So I didn't just see you looking lovingly into Payton’s eyes right now? So this is why you couldn't get rid of me fast enough… you left me at the table with your mother, the dragon woman,” Saraya says, folding her arms.

“So, here's how this is going to go,” she continues, presenting an arrangement. “From this moment on, I'm officially your girlfriend, which means I have access to all the money that you have access to.”

“You're blackmailing us?” Payton asks, shocked by the situation.

“You could call it that. I like to call it a mutual agreement; I keep your secret and you two can keep having your moments…” She pauses. “But a part of me is hoping that you’ll prove me wrong, Xavier. A part of me is hoping that you’ll let love win; go out there and tell your mother right now and void our little agreement … But we all know that isn't going to happen, right? Judging by the look on Payton's face, I think he would want you to prove me wrong too. You know… I think my dinner is getting cold. I'll see you back at the table, sweetheart,” she says, turning to leave the room.

The two young men look at each other for a second. “I’ll fix this,” Xavier says.

With the fundraiser underway, Bruce arrives dressed in a classic black tux to join Angela, as he enters the mansion, he is surveying the room to find his wife when he feels a tap on his arm. “Bruce ... Bruce Wingate?” He turns to see women he doesn’t recognize. “Hi, there, I’m sorry, do I know you?” he replies with a confused smile “I’m an old friend of your wife. I’m Connie …Connie Spalding. Angela and I go back a long way,” Connie says. Noticing the interaction, Angela makes haste to intercept the two and their conversation.

While checking on the guest count, Madalyn feels two hands on her shoulders. It's a feeling she hasn’t felt in a long while but is familiar. “Hank… you came,” she says as she looks him up and down in the tux she laid out for him. “You look beautiful ... and you did all this? ... Wow,” he says, looking at his wife like he hasn’t seen her in a long time.

“You look good, Hank,” she says. “I’m sorry I’m late I was...” She interrupts him, “No… no apologies tonight …

Let’s just dance,” she says, loving but desperately not wanting to hear the lies he was about to tell. They pause and Hank takes Madalyn’s hand. “Let’s dance.”

Payton and Xavier, having made their escape from the fundraiser, pull up to Connie’s house; the awkward silence in the car is palpable. “I will fix this,” Xavier repeats. “What exactly are you going to fix?” Payton says, staring at Xavier. “You know ...

I don’t want to talk about it,” he says looking at the house remembering the task at hand. Payton heads toward the house with Xavier not far behind. The two boys find themselves at the French doors behind the house. “Wait, how do you plan to get in without breaking the glass?” Xavier questions. Pulling a butter knife out of his pocket, Payton starts talking Xavier through the process while putting it to practice, “Well, you take the knife and slip it between the seam at the top and move the flush lock down, and at the bottom, you move the flush lock up, and the door should open.” Just as Payton describes, the door slowly swings open. Looking at the door in amazement, Xavier responds, “And just where did you learn that?”

“My mom and I got locked out of the house last summer,” Payton replies.

The two make their way through the darkened house with the light from their flashlight phone apps, eventually finding the office. Payton starts to go through the desk and Xavier looks through file cabinets.

Not finding anything in the files, he opens the armoire and is stunned by what he finds. “Payton … Payton I think you should look at this.” Payton looks up, pointing the light in Xavier’s direction. “What?” he asks. Then, the light hits the inside of the armoire and he sees it. Payton, frozen in shock, can only get out five words, “Momma, what did you do?”

Continued on Beniciamagazine.com

BeniciaMagazine.com • 25

Column Booktails

Book and Cocktail Club

The Awakening n

“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings.

It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”

26 • Benicia Magazine

Cooper Mickelson

March is kicked off with Mardi Gras and continues with Women’s History Month, so what better time to read a classic feminist novel based in New Orleans?

The Awakening by Kate Chopin was first published in 1899 when it shocked readers with its honest portrayal of female marital infidelity. Fans of late Victorian romantic fiction were astonished by Chopin’s story of a young woman, trapped in a suffocating marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside of her domestic home.

Our protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a relatively well-off married woman.

Her husband, Léonce, is a sociable businessman who often views Edna as a “valuable piece of personal property.”

The story begins in Grand Isle at the start of summer, with Edna slowly gaining awareness of the constant oppression of her seemingly ideal, yet inwardlysuffocating marriage. Triggered by

by Kate Chopin

romantic melodies, a passion for the sea, and a growing desire for a charismatic and handsome man named Robert Lebrun, Edna awakens to her sense of self.

Not unlike waking from a dream, the beginning of this journey towards selfrealization is tangled, chaotic, and often disturbing. Edna’s inward life, where she allows herself to question the reality she is forced into as a woman, starts to bleed out into her outward existence. She abandons false relationships, ideas, and other limitations as she moves towards an existence centered around following her heart.

As the story unfolds, Edna spends stretches of time in solitude while attempting to feed her hunger for liberation. She wishes to be independent, giving up the comforts she’s grown used to in exchange for freedom. Unfortunately, her two children complicate this dream.

Guilt is sprinkled throughout the narrative, often felt most when Edna has reunited with her children after time away from

them. As readers, we are kept guessing as to whether she will give up her newfound independence for the sake of her children or commit to chasing her dreams, living for herself alone.

Chopin’s feminist novel of identity and self-consciousness continues to burst with relevance more than 120 years after publication. Although not all women will share Edna’s exact experiences, every woman will be able to see a bit of herself in this convoluted character. Her unwavering resolve, knowledge of what she wants, and refusal to settle for less will inspire any woman who has felt the constraints of societal expectations.

The Awakening feels both intimate and surreal, heartbreaking and exhilarating. I strongly recommend this classic novel not only to women but all humans, as we have all experienced at least a small drop of the sea of emotion found in Edna’s mind as she navigates this enigmatic chapter of her life.

Order a copy of The Awakening from Bookshop Benicia and celebrate your beautifully complex self by mixing a New Orleans classic, the hurricane, to sip on as you read or discuss with friends. Share your opinions and favorite quotes with me @beniciabooktails on Instagram, where you can also be the first to find out the next Booktails pick!

Saturday March 12th 1 - 5 pm

The Hurricane INGREDIENTS 2 oz light rum 2 oz dark rum 3 oz passionfruit juice 3 oz orange juice 2 tbsp grenadine syrup Juice of half a lime Orange slices and maraschino cherries for garnish PREPARATION 1. F ill cocktail glass with ice then squeeze the lime over the ice.

2. Stir the remaining ingredients together in a mixing glass.

3. Pour into the cocktail glass.

4. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

Let out your Irish cheer and sample craft beers inside participating downtown businesses. Wearing green is encouraged, but not required to have fun!

Ages 21 and older. $25 advance/ $35 day of event

Hurricane Mocktail INGREDIENTS 1 (10 ounce) bottle of V8 tropical blend 1 ½ oz orange juice 1oz grenadine Lemon-lime soda Orange slice and maraschino cherry PREPARATION 1. P ut some ice in a shaker and add the tropical punch and orange juice. Shake until cold.

2. Pour into a tall glass.

3. Pour the grenadine over the drink, layering it on top of the juices.

4. Pour the soda on top of the grenadine.

5. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Tickets available at Benicia Main Street

90 First Street, or online at BeniciaMainStreet.org

707.745.9791

BeniciaMagazine.com • 27

Column Dinner and a Movie

Lemongrass Bistro and

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel The twentieth in a series of at home food and movie pairings.

n M ovie

Magic & Gourmet Gracie

It’s time to venture out to this splendid bistro in downtown Martinez, with an upbeat vibe and beauty at every turn—the food is memorable but also lovely to look at. You may be surprised to learn that downtown Martinez is only 2.1 miles and less than 15 minutes away. I know, I know—the bridge toll, ugh, but sometimes it’s worth it for a change of scene.

You’ll find the usual in Asian fusion—samosas, crispy rolls, curries and noodles. But maybe you’ll try some of Gracie’s favorites—the very fresh avocado rolls, or grilled salmon over spicy spaghetti. There’s also outstanding Pad Thai, Basil Catfish and stir fry of your choice. Your tastebuds will explode when diving into the Lemongrass fried rice made with pineapple, raisins, cashews, onions and yellow curry powder.

Wow. The salmon coconut soup is addictive, this dish alone will bring you back for another round.

Mmmm, so warm and filling.

Lemongrass Bistro has been delighting diners since 2009, when their interior was redesigned by students from the Academy of Art, San Francisco.

Two sisters got together with the recipes of their mother, Boun Pheng, implementing their vision

Lemongrass Bistro 501 Main Street Martinez, CA 94553 925 387-0388 www.lemongrass-bistro.com

28 • Benicia Magazine

and creating what they call their “American dream.” The menu is a fusion of influences from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Fresh herbs and spices provide the magic.

Did you know that lemongrass is thought to foster openness and has uplifting properties that promote a sense of joy and the release of stressful thoughts? Works for me!

“Everything will be all right in the end… if it’s not all right then it’s not yet the end.”

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

This is a movie about reinventing one’s life and “outsourcing” retirement. It explores the lives of the elderly, beyond what one would usually expect, and turns the story into a humorous and sometimes poignant, romantic comedy.

Several British retirees decide to move to Jaipur, India, after seeing ads for an “exotic” retirement home called the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Hilarity ensues during an eventful journey and the many surprises they encounter when they arrive.

Filmed in India, the photography is mostly centered in the village of Khempur, in the former palace of a tribal chieftain. Without exception, the ensemble is fantastic and includes Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, with Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. Dev Patel is the lead after having a breakthrough performance in Slumdog Millionaire and going on to win multiple awards for his stellar acting and unmistakable presence.

The scenery is full of bustling color, with captivating street scenes that show the magnificent markets, vibrant costumes, and tuk-tuks (rickshaws) of India. The plot is uplifting and heartwarming, with generous offerings of laughter and a few tears. We are supremely entertained while these characters face and conquer life’s challenges, giving us the pleasure of their lessons and triumphs.

This movie helped popularize the saying, “Everything will be all right in the end…if it’s not all right then it’s not yet the end.”

True that.

Directed by John Madden, 124 minutes, PG-13, 2012, available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Movie Magic gives this 4 out of 5 Moons.

“PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE...”

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL SERVICE 24/7 Trenchless, Water Heaters, Gas Lines, Slab leaks and ALL Plumbing Needs

(707) 368-4055 beniciaplumbing.com CA Lic. #329632

BeniciaMagazine.com • 29

Directory of Local Businesses To Advertize Call 707.980.1563

Judy Foster

Senior Sales Counselor

707.480.5970

900 First Street, Benicia jfoster@coldwellbanker.com

Personal Training Studio griffinfitness.com

CalBRE #0117856

Mexican Food

707.747.6677 Lisa McVeigh, Owner

2038 Columbus Pkwy, Benicia, CA 94510

SOLANO PACIFIC

Benicia Chamber of Commerce 2017 Business of the Year

PUPS ’N’ PURRZ Specializing in All of Your Pet’s Needs!

License #748221

Certified Personal Trainer NASM CPT, CES, PES PWR!Moves ® for Parkinson’s Disease Benicia Health and Fitness Club 1150 West 7th St. Benicia

Interior/Exterior Residential & Commercial Painting and more!

707.747.0427 • hobsonpainting@gmail.com

facebook.com/carolkemperfitness cekemper@sbcglobal.net 707. 297. 5769 exparkbenicia.com

hobsonpainting.com

See why millions trust us for Home & Auto.

Steve McClure Ins Agency Inc Steve McClure, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0I81284 Bus: 707-745-0848 steve@stevemcclure.net

1601486

640 First Street 707.746.7830

422 First Street, Benicia • 707.748.7433

pupsnpurrz.com

HOURS 11:30am-9pm Wednesday — Monday

I’m here to help life go right, by saving you time and money when you combine your home and auto insurance.

CALL ME TODAY. ™

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company State Farm General Insurance Company; Bloomington, IL

10:30-6 Mon, Thurs, Fri, 10:30-5:30 Sat. 11-4 Sunday closed Tuesday

439 First Street Benicia 707.745.0943 luccabar.com

Half Price Bottles of Wine with $15 Food Purchase

Furniture, Collectibles & Household Items

431 First Street Fri & Sat noon to 6pm Sun & Mon noon to 4pm Closed Tues-Thurs 707.999.0039

Hire My Husband Quality Painting & Home Repair

707-746-7958 • 925-969-0133 hiremyhusband.com hiremyhusband@comcast.net CA Contractor Lic. # 943231

WI NN ER ANG IE ’S L IS T SU PER SER V IC E AWA R D 9 YEAR S R U N N IN G !

30 • Benicia Magazine

from Michael Trahan • Interior Design www.michaeltrahan.com 707.748.1080

Benicia Refinery

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT Quarterly Review December 2021 – February 2022

Valero, its employees and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we live and work, fulfilling a mission that was set from the beginning. Valero sets the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities.

PARTNERS WITH THE COMMUNITY We partner with community organizations, including Benicia Teen Center, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties, and Benicia Community Action Council.

FUNDING LOCAL CHARITIES Benicia Refinery gives more than $1 million each year to local charities.

In December 2021, Valero’s Benicia Refinery distributed $500,000 to local charities. Benicia Unified School District was among the recipients.

“We’re driven to make a difference for our community,” said Josh Tulino, Vice President and General Manager of the Valero Benicia Refinery.

“We’re proud to continue supporting these agencies and all they do to improve children’s lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

VOLUNTEERING TIME Employees donate more than 4,100 hours per year to local charitable work. We are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we live and work. We share our success through volunteerism, charitable giving and the economic support of being a good employer.

Valero sets the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities.

For more information about the above events please go to www.beniciarefinery.com BeniciaMagazine.com • 31

Benicia's KI TC H E N A N D B ATH EX PE RTS

“ My husband and I had a wonderful experience working made the process fun and really quite easy! He designed our kitchen layout with a 3D drawing and we were extremely happy with the way everything came together.

He is very talented with design and visual spacing. AQC were also super accommodating helping us choose a custom color for our island. We give AQC five stars and highly recommend working with them for custom cabinets for less!”

-Kim and Mike Rogers

AFFORDABLE QUALITY Cabinets and Countertops

707-745-2100 aqchome.com • Open Mon. - Fri. 9-5 weekends & evenings by appointment • 4852 East 2nd Street, Benicia

Owners Trevor Cotarelo and Taylor Kennedy