Pasadena magazine - January/February 2022

PASADENA WHAT TO FEED YOUR FAMILY I HOW TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH I VALENTINE’S DAY

YO U R G U I D E T O H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S I N 2 0 2 2 I N E W S PA S T H R O U G H O U T T H E C I T Y I A N E X C L U S I V E I N T E R V I E W W I T H D R . D AV I D A G U S

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

Your Guide to Health and Wellness in 2022

JA N UA RY ⁄ F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 2

$5.95 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

RETREATS FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELLNESS

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AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. DAVID AGUS

S P ON S ORE D CO NTEN T

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CONTENTS

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

4 EDITOR’S NOTE

ART & DESIGN

6 CONTRIBUTORS

22 23 24

7 MASTHEAD 9 NEWS AND NOTES 14 MY PASADENA Moon Projects founder Mary Rahmani

16 FAMILY What to feed your kids

20 DIALOGUE ArtCenter President Lorne M. Buchman

Art Life Practice

46

“Borderlands” Ellison Institute

46 48 50

TO DO

26 28 30 32

Hollywood Where to celebrate Black History Month

Mental health Pet health

HOME DESIGN AND REAL ESTATE

Big Bear Romance in the Caribbean

HEALTH

35 36 44 45

Highlights

Introduction Retreats Cannabis Eye care

58 62 63 64

On the Market

66

Home Tour

Vacation Homes Gardening: Herbs The Expert: Pacaso’s Austin Allison

WHEELS

72 73

Range Rover ElectraMeccanica

FOOD

74 76

The Ingredient: Chocolate Trends: Dry January, chefs in cultural spaces, dining destinations

LAST LOOK

72

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80

Themed wellness weeks

ON THE COVER: Cal-A-Vie (p. 80)

Huntington: Focused on your health.

With a strong network of affiliated doctors, advanced technologies, and specialized services, we’re here to provide you with the care you need, when you need it.

HuntingtonHospital.org/Health

E DITOR ’ S NOTE

The lake at Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort (p. 36) reminds me that nature is an instant mind/body booster.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT…

R

emember when everyone began 2020 with the optimism that it was going to be the best year ever? “2020” had such a great ring to it. And, then the pandemic happened, and it was defi nitely not the best year ever.

While 2020 somehow went by as a Groundhog Day blur, when I look back through my phone at photos of 2021, I can’t believe how long this year has been. How much has happened. If 2020 was a blink, 2021 was the year we seemed to feel every moment of everything.

Looking ahead to 2022, if anything is certain, it’s that nothing is certain. And, as we bring you this issue about health and wellness, I believe one of the most powerful tools we all have to make ourselves feel instantly better is the ability to express gratitude. Instead of focusing on the voids in our lives, let’s all shift our energy to focus on the positives. Maybe this won’t be the year you finally get to take that bucket-list safari, but how lucky are we that

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we have our own wilderness retreat in the San Gabriel Mountains, right in our backyard? Perhaps our favorite businesses and restaurants aren’t open to pre-pandemic standards, but how great is it that we can go back to Houston’s on a Friday night for a cheeseburger?

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, but if there’s anything I plan on working on this year, it’s taking a moment to breathe and take stock of all that we still have right in front of us.

SAMANTHA BROOKS

Editor in Chief

Love is in the Air INVITES YOU TO

A VALENTINE'S DAY LUNCHEON

join us

FEBRUARY 8, 2022 FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LOS ANGELES AT BEVERLY HILLS

honoring

KELLI BROOKS

KPMG US National Life Sciences Industry Leader Community Impact & Advancement Honoree

MARSHALL FAULK

RenewMe Partner, Former Hall of Fame Runningback Achievement in Sports & Entertainment Honoree

SONYA ROSENFELD

, Event Chair, is CAA’s senior-most woman in their Television department. At the end of this year, Sonya will retire after 35 years at CAA. She joined CAA two days after graduating from UCLA and was promoted to agent just three years later. Sonya served on the Foundation Board of Directors for almost a decade and currently sits on our Fund Development Committee. She is an active philanthropist and community volunteer.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS, VISIT GIVE.CLASSY.ORG/LOVEISINTHEAIR2022

Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research challenges the status quo to end breast cancer and improve the lives of people impacted by it now through education and advocacy.

In 2020, the Foundation was recognized by both Charity Navigator and Medical News Today as the #1 breast cancer research organization in the U.S. These honors measure both stewardship of resources and subsequent impact. The Foundation drives collaborative, cutting-edge research with nontraditional partners, brings to light the collateral damage of treatment and seeks ways to diminish it, and interprets science to empower patients. Fast, flexible, and project-based, the Foundation actively engages the public in scientific research to ensure that it produces accurate and meaningful results.

drsusanloveresearch.org

CONTRIBUTORS On their goals for 2022…

Rebecca Aaron

Allison Agsten

Casey Cantrell

“COLOR ME MINE” PG 22

“RIGHT ON THE BORDERLANDS” PG 23

“I am excited to spend more time singing and songwriting and possibly finishing an album! With traveling making a return, I can’t wait to leave the country again but also continue road tripping throughout California.”

“One of my graduate school professors, Cornel West, said in a lecture, ‘Leave a little heaven behind.’ I love that sentiment.

After a very difficult couple of years, I plan on bringing as much kindness and care as I can to my exchanges with others.”

“THE BEST OF WHAT’S NEW IN BIG BEAR” PG 30

Rebecca Aaron is an L.A.-based singersongwriter, doing all things creative production at Cultured magazine. She is also a natural-wine connoisseur.

Allison Agsten is a curator whose work includes public policy research and writing.

During the pandemic, she proctored an ad hoc classroom for her kids and herself, earning an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School in May 2021.

Ning Chao

Maya Richard-Craven

Ramona Saviss

“HIGH NOTES” PG 44

“HOW TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH” PG 28

“HOLLYWOOD REVIVAL” PG 26

Ning Chao is a former New York City magazine editor now living in Hancock Park with her cat, husband, and two kids (in order of acquirement). She is currently trying to coax strawberries and tomatoes out of the clay soil in her backyard.

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“My goal for 2022 is to continue uplifting Black and Native communities.”

Maya Richard-Craven is a journalist from Pasadena. Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Boston Globe, and other publications.

Casey Cantrell is a journalist, editor, and podcaster based in Los Angeles. When he’s not writing articles, he dabbles in poetry.

“This year for me will be centered on finding that sweet spot of being just busy enough while taking time for the smaller pleasures in life. I’ll certainly be traveling—we already have trips planned to Mexico, Israel, and Istanbul—and celebrating life, and I plan to slow down to take it all in.”

Ramona Saviss is a Los Angeles–based writer and editor. A native Angeleno, she covers all things L.A., plus luxury, travel, food and drink, style, society, health, and beauty verticals.

ALLISON AGSTEN: PHOTOGRAPHED BY TESS BRANKER; NING CHAO: PHOTOGRAPHED BY JANE HOULE; RAMONA SAVISS: PHOTOGRAPHED BY OGRAPHR INC./STEPHANIE MCGANN

“1. Get my kids passports. 2. Get us all on a plane, preferably someplace tropical or with snow.”

“In March 2020, I was gearing up to go on an epic, solo, cross-country road trip. This year, I am hoping I can finally hit the road.”

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

Shelby J. Russell srussell@lamag.com

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Samantha Brooks samanthalbrooks@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR

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CONTRIBUTORS

Rebecca Aaron, Allison Agsten, Linda Brooks, Casey Cantrell, Ning Chao, Maya Richard-Craven, Carole Dixon, Sheean Hanlan, Irene Rawlings, Jennifer Ashton Ryan, Ramona Saviss, Shaun Tolson HOUR MEDIA CEO

Stefan Wanczyk PRESIDENT

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John Balardo

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J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

PA S A D E N A

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REAL ESTATE ALL-STARS 2021

CHELBY CRAWFORD LUXURY ESTATES AGENT

COMPASS

Chelby Crawford has successfully assisted sellers and buyers of Pasadena residential properties for nearly t o decades. ra ord represents any high profile VIPs including CFOs, CEOs, athletes, entertainers and people seeking a custom, creative and competitive edge in the sale and acquisition of unique homes and one-of-a-kind estates. Crawfords words to work by, "Only perfection will do".

Crawford received the International President's Elite Award for sales production in 2020 and leads in the top 2% of her company worldwide. Crawford also has a long history of community involvement and was the 2019 recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Pasadena Foothills Association of Realtors.

Chelby Crawford Compass 680 East Colorado Boulevard, Suite 150 Pasadena Ca 91101 626-536-2002 chelbycrawford@gmail.com DRE# 01399237

N E WS

N OTE S Queen Nadia Chung is surrounded by her court, comprised of (clockwise from top): Jeannine Briggs, Ava Feldman, Swetha Somasundaram, Abigail Griffith, McKenzie Street, and Jaeda Walden.

INTRODUCING NADIA The 2022 Rose Queen begins her royal reign.

M I C H E L L E M I S H I N A KU N Z

E

verything is coming up roses for La Cañada Flintridge resident Nadia Chung, who was crowned the 103rd Rose Queen with a radiant Mikimoto crown boasting more than 600 cultured pearls and six carats of diamonds.

After a month-long selection process, the high school senior was chosen based on a combination of qualities, including public-speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership, and community and school involvement.

Currently a journalist for the Los Angeles Times High School Insider, president of the La Cañada High School speech and debate team, president of the mock trial team, and company

member of California Contemporary Youth Ballet, Chung’s extracurriculars are solid stepping stones for the aspiring civil rights attorney, who plans to study political science and journalism in college.

Chung’s coronation had an extra special meaning as she recalls a childhood encounter with the Royal Court. “When I was four, I met the Rose Queen and Rose Princesses at the San Gabriel Ballet,” she says, calling it her “full circle moment.”

“Not only am I someone who has gone on to pursue ballet, but I am also now the Rose Queen for the Royal Court. My dreams came true on a lot of different levels!” — SA R A S M O L A

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PA S A D E N A

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NEWS + NOTES

SLEEP SOUNDLY > Pasadenans can now sleep better— and healthier. Avocado Green Mattress, maker of sustainable mattresses, opened its new Colorado Boulevard storefront in Old Pasadena. The airy, light-filled space carries the brand’s namesake organic mattresses, bedding, and furniture along with sustainable apparel from Hass and clean beauty products from Reed + Gwen.

“We are extremely excited to bring the new Avocado Experience to Pasadena,” says Brett Thornton, Avocado’s vice president of retail.

“Southern California is our home, and we are thrilled to be a part of the Old Town community. Our new showroom will offer a pressure-free space where we put the Pasadena community first.” Mattresses from $1,099; avocadogreenmattress.com —SARA SMOLA

GLOBAL TEXTILES > World-renowned textile brand Kvadrat’s new flagship U.S. showroom offers an exclusive viewing experience of its high-performance textiles, rugs, window coverings, and acoustic solutions, located in L.A.’s Arts District. In keeping with Kvadrat’s belief that longevity is at the core of sustainable design, textiles are made using only the best raw materials, designed to last and have the least possible impact on the environment.

The Erwan and Ronan Bouroullec–designed flagship thoughtfully incorporates Douglas fir wood, textiles, and glass, while shelves and hanging elements have been reimagined and carefully crafted from aluminum.

Established in Denmark in 1968, Kvadrat has deep roots in Scandinavian design, though the European-based brand is no stranger to L.A., as Kvadrat’s custom-made “Giant Leaves” textile was used for seating in the Walt Disney Concert Hall just a few miles away. kvadrat.dk — S . S .

> Modern fitness studio YogaSix brings a fresh perspective to one of the world’s oldest practices with its newly opened Pasadena location on Green Street. The boutique studio welcomes people of all ages and abilities to experience the health and wellness benefits of yoga in an inclusive, calming environment.

Owned and operated by local couple Cheri and Erich Ehrlich, YogaSix Pasadena offers a variety of yoga classes in six signature core formats—Y6 101, Y6 Restore, Y6 Slow Flow, Y6 Hot, Y6 Power, and Y6 Sculpt & Flow—that encompass everything from deep stretching and stress relief to high-intensity training. $30/ single class, memberships from $106/month; yogasix.com — S . S .

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KVADRAT: CALEB ADAMS

FIND YOUR FLOW

LITERARY MINDED

FARM TO BOTTLE

> The Pasadena Festival of Women Authors (PFWA) will return in person on March 19 with a new, larger venue at the Pasadena Convention Center. This year’s festival brings together a diverse group of authors to discuss their work, featuring appearances by Dana Spiotta, author of Wayward and Stone Arabia, along with six other acclaimed writers— Hala Alyan, Nadia Hashimi, Katherine Heiny, Torrey Peters, JoAnne Tompkins, and Monica West.

In addition to recognizing author accomplishments, PFWA promotes literacy throughout the community as past festival proceeds have been used to award more than $400,000 to local nonprofits and literary-focused programs, including Pasadena City College, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Senior Center, PEN Center Los Angeles, and WriteGirl. Tickets start at $100; pasadenaliteraryalliance.org — S . S .

> Natural wine purveyor Dry Farm Wines recently launched its new botanical-infused label, bolixir. Each bolixir infusion meets the strict criteria of organic/biodynamic farming practices, is sugar free, contains no industrial additives, and is vegan, keto, and paleo friendly.

Thoughtfully sourced from a small family farm in Austria led by grower Julie-Ann Hoch, the low-alcohol, limited first-edition collection features four pure natural wines (Dandelion White, Lavender Red, Elderflower Bubbles, and Rose Blossom Bubbles) infused with wild, functional botanicals for an unforgettable tasting experience, equally ideal for sipping solo or sharing with friends. $117/4 bottles or $162/6 bottles; bolixir.com — S . S .

SWEAT WITH STYLE > This January, fitness scion Technogym joins forces with fashion favorite Dior for a limited-edition collaboration featuring a chic, reimagined take on Technogym’s innovative home gym equipment including a treadmill, multifunction workout bench, and wellness ball. The Dior x Technogym Capsule Collection comes in a fresh snow-white colorway emblazoned with the iconic Christian Dior house signature and will be available exclusively in Dior boutiques worldwide. Price upon request; technogym.com

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PA S A D E N A

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NEWS + NOTES

FOOD NEWS

Bacetti’s FigSalad

QUICK BITES

As we usher in a new year, there are plenty of new spots to toast 2022 and celebrate President’s Day and Valentine’s Day. BY C A R O L E D I XO N

B

ig news for beer fans, Glendale’s new Paperback Brewing Co. is rereleasing its award-winning “Tucked in by Strangers” West Coast–style IPA, which received a gold medal at the California Craft Brewers Cup. The new can labels will feature a QR code that will take imbibers to a comic book that further explores the brew’s label art.

Located inside Burbank’s legendary Castaway, craft cocktail destination The Green Room is open with a new food and drink menu. It includes whimsical creations like the complimentary fountain arrival drink “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and “Summer Nights,” the Grease-inspired Grey Goose with Champagne, garnished with cotton candy.

Silver Lake’s female-centric wine shop Vinovore has opened a second location

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with a marketplace on York Ave in Eagle Rock. Owned and operated by Santa Barbara native and sommelier Coly Den Haan and Angelica Luna, new additions include sandwiches from nearby Spanish haven Otoño, sourdough donuts from Gemini Bakeshop (Silver Lake), and Canyon Coffee (found at Amara in Highland Park and Altadena).

Located in the same bow truss building as Tilda wine bar, Bacetti trattoria in Echo Park features chef Joel Stovall, formerly of Orsa & Winston, cooking Roman classics with a California twist.

Menu standouts include cinnamon roll– shaped focaccia bread with black olives, green rice fitters, and lots of interesting veggie options.

Adam Fleischman (Umami Burger) has landed in Echo Park for his latest concept—an Asian smokehouse called Slow

back patio. The menu is comprised of Asian flavors made with classic smokehouse techniques, including boba beef spicy tartare, pork belly burnt ends with Asian BBQ sauce, yuzu kosho potato salad, and teriyaki rainbow carrots.

In Hollywood, chef Evan Funke (Felix) returns with Mother Wolf in the Citizen-News building. Chef Wes Avila (Angry Egret) has a new Ka’teen venture as the flagship at the new Tommie hotel, offering fans a twist on his signature Alta California cuisine, with ceviches, tacos, seafood tostadas, and vibrant cocktails.

For an A-list taco crawl, start at Tacos 1986’s new location in Old Pasadena on Union, then head to Gogo’s Tacos in Silver Lake from chef Brittney Valles of Guerrilla Tacos (who hired a Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena chef, Christina Galtman); stop at The Line hotel in K-town for Hot Tacos from Austin, then end on Sunset at Tacos Don Manolito from Mexico City.

DTLA is experiencing major flips, starting with chef Jon Yao who moved his West L.A., Michelin-starred Taiwanese tasting menu concept, Kato, to Row DTLA in the former M. Georgina space. The Ace Hotel opened veggie-forward signature spot LOAM, featuring mushroom risotto and a plant-based burger, while Hotel Figueroa has a new coastal Italian concept, Sparrow, featuring Wagyu Alla Vodka pizza and Lamb Shank Osso Bucco. The old Firehouse space in the Arts District is now a Ryokan hotel with multiple food options by Kensho eatery in Hollywood.

Nearby, De La Nonna is a market-driven pizza spot by a few folks formerly of Tartine and Felix. And acclaimed French chef Laurent Quenioux has joined The Wolves Parisian-style bar in the historic core, which recently reopened as a destination dining spot.

Chef Roy Choi of Kogi fame has partnered with Field Roast for the first-ever vegan signature stadium “Home Run Dog,” aka the Field Roast Kogi Dog, which you can order on Goldbelly.

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M Y PA S A D E N A

Agnes

Levitt Pavillion Mary Rahmani Neon Retro Arcade

The Luggage Room

P

MARY RAHMANI

asadena resident Mary Rahmani isn’t one to shy away from hard work. A leading expert in shortform video and strategic creative partnerships across emerging platforms, Rahmani has been part of the music and entertainment industries for more than 20 years, working at notable companies like TikTok, Triller, and Capitol Records. In 2021, Rahmani launched Moon Projects (moonprojects.com), a multidisciplinary, shortform-focused creative agency and record label. Here, the musically minded tastemaker shares the Pasadena locales that make her heart sing.

I’ve been living in Pasadena for seven years. I’m from L.A., my parents moved here in the late ’70s, and we experienced neighborhoods throughout Southern California.

Over time, I felt my interests and community were mainly on the eastside of L.A. and have been here since. I’m in the South Lake neighborhood close to Caltech. There is so much diverse history within Pasadena—the architecture of Craftsman homes, the legacy of people such as Einstein and Van Halen—it’s a hub of everything. / I love going to Old Pasadena or Green Street and trying out a new restaurant 14 PA S A D E N A

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or boba shop. It’s currently all about Agnes and Twinkle Tea. / I drive down tree-lined streets to take my son to Guitar Center to play with instruments. We love going to Neon Retro Arcade, then have pizza at The Luggage Room to watch the trains go by. / There are so many fantastic coffee shops in Pasadena. Copa Vida is my go-to for meetings. I love their iced chai, and there’s generally seating to hang out or work. / When I’m craving a sandwich, it’s Porta Via all day—the Italian sub. I ask for less meat and more cheese and avocado. It’s the perfect Saturday lunch. / I will frequently listen to demos/mixes in my car and just drive. Going from the Colorado Street Bridge down to Orange Grove, it’s just so gorgeous. You get the mountains, views of downtown L.A., and historic lights on the streets. / If you love film, music, and nostalgia, you need to visit Vidéothèque in South Pasadena. / Vinyl records are treasures that we need to support consistently and Poo-Bah Records is literally from another time. / I’ve always enjoyed seeing artists perform at the Levitt Pavilion. It’s beautiful that my son is growing up in a city that offers diversity, culture, history, and an array of experiences. — S A R A S M O L A

P O R T R A I T: H Y L A H H E D G E P E T H ; N E O N R E T R O A R C A D E : DAV I D LO P E Z ; AG N E S : JA KO B N . L AY M A N

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FA M I LY

LET THEM EAT CRACKERS

I

should be working, but this New York Times headline catches my eye: “19 Recipes That Your Kids Will Actually (Maybe?) Eat.” I take the bait.

Scrolling down the web page, the article’s images—each impeccably styled— lower my expectations. It doesn’t look like this food is about the kids. Every dish is covered in garnishes. There are so many garnishes! Cilantro, dill, pepper, feta, green onion, mint leaves, and big fancy salt flakes that children would see. I may be salivating, but my kids will take it plain.

I keep reading, holding out hope that the writer knows more about the 12-and-under palate than the art department does. Then she admits that “this list of dishes includes some that my daughters have eaten and love, others that I plan to make.” So, I think, she doesn’t have the secret sauce. She’s like the rest of us, bored of cooking the same thing. “I don’t know about you, but predicting my children’s culinary tastes from day to day is a nearly impossible task,” she says. Yes, and what’s impossible at my house is giving in to how darn predictable their tastes remain and keeping my cool while dealing with this fact multiple times each day.

No one told me about the stage of life when for years I’d be cooking for some really touchy taste buds.

I read Bringing Up Bébé when I was pregnant, and it promised that I could raise diverse, vegetable-loving toddlers if I went the French route, introducing veggies before fruit and continuing to serve them regularly. When my baby started eating, I capably pureed squash with chicken,

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Then my pediatrician said with a smile, “If all they eat is crackers for a couple years, they’ll be fine.”

mushed up peas, and handed off whole green beans. My husband and I continued to eat as we always had, feeding our daughter some of this or that with a regular side of avocado. But then I started hearing things.

At a moms group, a lecturer with elementary-aged kids explained that one night a week, her family had tacos.

Tacos every week? I thought. Why can’t this woman get it together? Then my pediatrician said with a smile, “If all they eat is crackers for a couple years, they’ll be fine.” Well, that’s odd. At preschool, one of the well-read parents started talking about how toddling humans evolved to crave fat and sugar and avoid variety (i.e., the kids who didn’t ingest poisonous plants survived).

It’s not until puberty that they begin to lose the extreme sweet tooth.

So why am I reading this article?

Recipe #1: One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese. My kids, evolved as they are, would love just the mac and cheese.

When my own family crossed the threshold to the elementary school years of bland, I’d like you to know three significant details: We had a kinder student, toddler, and baby; I bought Yumboxes; I started therapy. Between preschool, half-day kinder, and car-seat naps, car rides were mealtimes. The bento-style Yumboxes feature labeled compartments with illustrations. A green snake sips milk from a straw for “dairy.” A blue monster offers up a strawberry for “fruit” and a little red guy with long arms slurps noodles for “grains.” Each morning I dutifully, correctly filled the compartments, even “veggies.”

My learning curve with three kids felt steep, and I was getting so much wrong.

COURTESY OF WRITER AND HER SUPER COOL FAMILY

In the rhythm and the strife of serving three meals a day, there’s a choice to simplify. BY J E N N I F E R A S H TO N RYA N

Except the lunch boxes. 500 points!

They were perfect. It didn’t matter that in the evening I’d dump the veggies and proteins in the trash. I’d offered it. I’d done my part. Mom high score achieved.

Four years in, I beat the game and I don’t use Yumboxes anymore. Looking back, it’s clear that the food I served kinder year was for me more than it was for the kids. Don’t read this wrong, I’m pro Yumbox. But when it comes to kids and food, I give myself a break. My bento-box year was not the one when I was the perfect mother. It was the one when I was disregulated. I yelled, blew up, withdrew—and it showed in the perfection of those boxes. They had to be perfect!

Now I throw prepackaged fruit snacks, Ritz crackers, and granola bars in a tote because it takes 15 seconds, and my kids will eat them. I no longer chop apples or wash grapes.

Around food and feeding, accounting for when and why is as crucial as counting grams of sugar and protein.

Mealtimes are a litmus test for how everyone’s doing. When they become

a battle royale or the last straw, fodder for marital strife, or too exhausting, it’s an opportunity to check foundations. Who’s in charge? Who trusts who? Who needs what? With my kids at mealtimes, I’m in charge. I trust them to eat. And I need a simple system. It’s like screen time, there’s a need for clear boundaries alongside space for kids to have what they like. I want my customer to leave satisfied, so I listen to their requests and

In childhood, food and play can be as basically fantastic as a taste afor Ritz, sno-cones, and Belgian waffles—even learning to seal the top of a drinking straw with a finger to siphon some sweet lemonade.

grievances. I honor what I can, but not everything. Children will not starve themselves and remember, if infants have 30,000 taste buds, adults have maybe 10,000. Eventually we’ll be on the same page.

In the meantime, it’s common to fall into the food traps of forcing, bargaining, or bribing kids into eating all kinds of things. It helps me to remember that there are a few foods that kids do like.

And it’s fine, while being mindful of their overall nutrition, to just feed them what they like—over and over and over.

My husband and I will get back to good food, but for now simplicity works. We have pasta at least once a week. I bake chicken in barbecue sauce, or we grill.

There’s always a starch, usually a protein, fruit for the kids, and sometimes salad for us adults. I get a sitter and go out to dinner for flavor.

If I liked cooking more, it could be fun to make inventive, flavorful meals and serve them alongside a plain-tasting side. But I’d rather be writing and editing, which reminds me to fi nish reading through the 19 recipes and get back to work.

Maybe the Potato Chip Omelet was a favorite of the author’s daughters?

It’s three crowd-pleasing ingredients: eggs, potato chips, olive oil. I’ll leave off the pepper and salt flakes in the picture. And I’ll bookmark the Mushroom Chicharrón Tacos to try (maybe) when they’re older.

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FA M I LY

HEALTHY AND WISE Set your best intentions for 2022 with these kid-friendly finds.

BY J E N N I F E R A S H TO N RYA N

INTO THE BOX > In 2022, even the simplest decisions can require significant research. For on-the-go lunches, bento boxes work so well for kids that Target aisles and Amazon ads present an endless variety. Yumbox, founded in 2013 by two moms, stands out with its dishwater-safe, two-piece design and playful illustrations. The littlest kids can open the latch, and the leakproof lid seals each food compartment from its neighbor. Even the yogurt you add to the dairy compartment won’t leak into the blueberries. The concept was inspired by the balanced meals served at the co-founder’s French preschool. Yumbox Original has six compartments, each labeled with what goes where, like grains and fruit. Yumbox Panino holds a sandwich plus two snacks and a dip or a treat. The new Yumbox Presto is the company’s first version in stainless steel. From $30; yumboxlunch.com

UNDER THE RAINBOW > When the weather turns blustery, bounce houses provide a healthy way for little kids to dispel wiggles indoors. And in the backyard sunshine, they’re just as fun. Aesthetically, they have always been a better fit for cartoon-themed birthday parties than design-driven interiors—until now.

Stuck at home with their wiggly kids in 2020, the founders of Salt Lake City–based Smol conceived the bounce house designs they wanted to buy but couldn’t find. Instead of red, blue, and yellow, they use neutral, muted tones to complement home decor. Launched in August 2021, the larger of the two bounce house designs, Rainbow Gate, measures about 11 feet wide with the slide and stands almost 8 feet tall. Without the rainbow-shaped arch, Tumble takes up the same footprint, but stands one foot shorter. Each is available in either Tadpole (three shades of teal) or Parachute (shades of peach). From $349; playsmol.com

OVER EASY > Whether you like them or not, you can learn to make green eggs and ham in a skillet thanks to a new collection of 50 kid-friendly recipes. Released in January, Cook It! The Dr. Seuss Cookbook for Kid Chefs by Daniel Gercke uses charm, humor, and rhyme to inspire young chefs. Written with beginners in mind, the book breaks down kitchen basics and details the essentials, including “Be patient, have fun, and do not sweat the spills. The kitchen’s the place to try out your new skills!” Recipes, each with a Seussified name such as “Pups in Cups,” are organized by the skills they require to foster independence and encourage parents and children as young as 7 to play in the kitchen together. $20; rhcbooks.com

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DIALOGUE

LORNE M. BUCHMAN The ArtCenter College of Design president’s newly released book, Make to Know: From Spaces of Uncertainty to Creative Discovery, focuses on the transformative nature of the creative process while guiding readers through stories of artists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and designers. Here, the international art and design education leader explores the link between creativity and mental health. BY SA R A S M O L A

What inspired your book, Make to Know?

> Throughout my life I have been aware that I come to know things through the act of making them—a process of discovery that is the premise of the book.

Many artists and designers will tell you that their creative practice has less to do with manifesting a great vision and more to do with building the conditions for invention. When I got to ArtCenter, I recognized how critical the relationship of making and knowing is to the fundamental pedagogy of the college. It’s an applied learning that is profoundly effective [and] inspired me to study the make-to-know idea further.

joy and gratification; it is essential to our well-being. The relationship of creativity to mental health has everything to do with having the courage to brave new territory. Too often we are paralyzed by the undetermined. Growth in one’s job, relationships, intellectual life, and in the painting studio itself are one and the same—we need to be creatively

What is the link between mental health and creativity?

> Creativity can be a source of great 20 PA S A D E N A

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How does having a creative outlet help with dealing with life’s emotional uncertainties?

> Uncertainty is a stressful space, but it is also a deeply creative one. It’s not so much needing a creative outlet as it is learning how the making/knowing relationship operates in all facets of our lives. Artists teach us that to become unstuck we need to keep making, writing, painting, even if the work is lacking along the way. We need to take on our uncertain emotional lives similarly and open ourselves to a process of what making itself might bring. Can you write that book? Can you enter into that relationship? Can you take on that job? Do it and you will know.

Some people think they aren’t creative because they can’t draw or paint. How would you define what it is to be creative?

> I would defi ne being creative as having the courage to enter uncertainty and to begin a process of making that will lead to discovery. Anyone can be creative, but people need to be willing to experiment, iterate, and engage in the making. There is also an everyday creativity that is pertinent to us all. In the book, I explore how we are engaged in make-to-know processes all the time.

We create everything from daily speech to our social and spiritual lives.

engaged in a making process to reach any meaningful progress. We need to embrace the unknown. And as we do, we might experience the great thrill of invention and that will hopefully contribute to our mental health.

“I would define being creative as having the courage to enter uncertainty and to begin a process of making that will lead to discovery.”

Is it ever too late for someone to pursue a creative activity? Any advice?

> It’s never too late. In fact, I would say that without creative work our lives will simply wither. Take a class through ArtCenter Extension. Build skill. Hone talent. But do so in a way that will give you greater courage to improvise, experiment, and iterate your way to something that will surprise you.

S P O N S O R E D CONT E NT

THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF CANCER Cancer doesn’t just impact the body, it affects the mind as well. City of Hope provides an array of supportive care services and programs that address the many physical, mental and emotional issues that can arise during and after cancer treatment.

When you come to City of Hope, you never have to face the challenges of cancer alone.

Sandy Shapiro, a City of Hope patient, overcame breast cancer, leukemia, graft-versus-host disease, COVID-19 and pneumonia.

City of Hope treats the whole person — not just their cancer. This method of patient care is available across its clinical network of more than 35 locations throughout Southern California, with six located right here in the San Gabriel Valley.

One cancer patient, Sandy Shapiro, calls her choice to be treated at City of Hope “the best decision I could have made.”

In less than three years, Shapiro faced a breast cancer diagnosis, a double mastectomy, the shock of developing acute myeloid leukemia, a stem cell transplant, graft-versus-host disease and, to top it off, pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Now, more than a year past her transplant, Shapiro remains in remission, and she can’t say enough about City of Hope.

“I had a real sense of comfort there. City of Hope made it so easy.”

For more information, visit CityofHope.org, or call 626-256-HOPE (4673).

City of Hope’s Golter Gate, located in the Rose Garden, is inscribed with the cancer center’s credo: “There is no profit in curing the body if, in the process, we destroy the soul.”

COLOR ME MINE Art Life Practice aims to bring out the inner child in all of us. BY R E B E CC A AA R O N

B

erry Stein, a former New Yorker workshops to other Angelenos, hopwith a passion for art education, ing to increase the practice of creative decided to convert her garage expression in her local community and into an art studio in 2017. encourage people of all ages to rediscover their She had low expectations, mainly envisioning it as a inner child. casual space for friends S t e i n ’s w o r k s h o p s to gather, eat, drink, and quickly gained popularity, make art. Before long, and before long she was it became an important hosting them in several space for connection, crespaces around Los Angeativity, and exploration. les, including the Hammer While Stein initially Museum, the Institute of had no plans to furContemporary Art, and ther develop this creother independent and ative space, an idea was corporate art spaces.

Stein was sparked when her friend With the workshops’ armed with asked, “Why don’t you newfound success, Stein a new formalize this?” struggled to transport challenge: the variety of necessary When another friend to encourage supplies from location spontaneously offered artistic to location, jokingly Stein a large space in Chiexploration referring to herself as natown, she took it as a at home. sign to begin teaching art “Berry the schlepper.” She

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researched art kits online as an attempt to scale the business, but discovered they were overpriced and overcomplicated, even for someone with vast experience in art education.

Like any good artist, mixing colors to get just the right hue, Stein gathered ideas then created the product she was looking for. She ordered wholesale supplies from Amazon and began to carefully curate her kits. Stein’s mission to encourage people of all ages and from all fields to engage in “creative playtime” was well underway when COVID hit and in-person art workshops were out of the picture. Stein was armed with a new challenge: to encourage artistic exploration at home. And with that, Art Life Practice was born.

Art Life Practice offers four kits, the Collage Kit, Painting Kit, Sketch Kit, and Embroidery Kit, each aimed at encouraging individuals to explore their artistic capabilities and embrace the therapeutic nature of creating art.

While starting a business during a pandemic brought challenges, Stein’s persistence paid off—her kits proved to be the perfect pandemic pastime. Not only are they a labor of love, but, evidently, also are well curated and created.

Stein explains that creating something, even as simple as a kinetic sculpture out of wire and beads, offers a great reward—something we all sought as we sat at home.

Now, as we eagerly step back into public lives, Stein is relaunching in-person workshops. While it is an exciting step, and one that is well earned and long awaited for, the workshops are not where her vision ends. Eventually, she hopes to create a foundation that can bring art and high-level arts education to incarcerated youth. Stein admires the Bauhaus movement and Black Mountain School—fertile ground where students and teachers alike were encouraged to be interdisciplinary and exploratory. With Stein’s talents and intentions, there’s little doubt that her own creative endeavors will foster inspiration. artlifepractice.com

TO P : T Y L E R W I L L I A M PA R K E R ; I N S E T : Q U I N N M O S S ; O P P O S I T E : J O S H UA W H I T E /J W P I C T U R E S .CO M , T H E H U N T I N GTO N L I B R A RY, A R T M U S E U M , A N D B OTA N I C A L G A R D E N S

ART & DESIGN

RIGHT ON THE BORDERLANDS The Huntington debuts a reimagining of its permanent collection.

BY A L L I S O N AG ST E N

T

he Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens’ collection of American art is now entering a new era through a reinstallation. Included in the show is a painting by Enrique Martínez Celaya that is so fresh, it was hung as soon as it was finished—just days before the permanent-collection exhibition opened to the public. The show, “Borderlands,” debuted on November 20 and is notable not only because of the inclusion of contemporary works like Martínez Celaya’s self-portrait, six years in the making, but for the way that American art has been reframed by him and other Latinx and Indigenous artists included in the exhibition.

An 8x8-foot watercolor map of Los Angeles by Sandy Rodriguez opens the exhibition and acts as the thematic anchor of the show. Made in the style of early colonial manuscripts from Mexico and replete with Native American iconography, the painting invites viewers not only to consider the history of the land they stand on, but also to bring that perspective to the galleries that follow, which include works by artists like Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, and Winslow Homer.

Contemporary artists Mercedes Dorame and Cara Romero

also contributed work to the exhibition that encourages a critical consideration of people and place. Romero’s photograph of her daughter, wearing the traditional attire of California’s coastal Indigenous people and embraced at her knees by an ocean wave, reminds the viewer that Native Americans are, in the words of Indigenous activists, “still here.”

Dorame’s photograph of a small Tongva grinding bowl embedded in a granite boulder offers a counterpoint to expansive 19th century landscape paintings by the likes of William Bradford, Thomas Cole, and Edgar Alwin Payne that line the adjacent gallery. This contrast sharpens in a wall text Dorame wrote to accompany an oil painting of the San Gabriel Valley made by Payne in 1916. Dorame notes that the imagery feels like home: “A home of longing, a home that is kept always at a distance, a home that has been dissected, privatized, and monetized, but one that I remain deeply connected to.” She continues, writing: “My hope is that we can look to the mountains and sky, inspired by their immense being and presence, and remember that we are the water, we are the air, we are the land.” huntington.org

Borderlands. Installation view with There-bound (2021) by Enrique Martínez Celaya, in the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art at The Huntington

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ART & DESIGN

THE BRIGHT DIRECTION The secret to curing cancer might just lie within collaborative design.

BY S H E E A N H A N L A N

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How does the Ellison Institute improve or aid cancer research that was already happening at USC?

> Previously, our research team was based on the USC Health Sciences Campus northeast of downtown L.A., separated from our clinic in Beverly Hills. The union of the clinic and the laboratories in the Ellison Institute has been critical, as their activities feed off of each other. We created a space where mathematicians, engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists, and others can work together on one thing: understanding and treating cancer. This new building has taken our resources, our focus, and our collaboration to new levels. We can progress at a much faster pace.

Were there any unique challenges that you’re aware of in designing the space?

> No one has built a building like this before. Research labs, clinics, pharmacies, clinical labs, educational facilities,

A R T G R AY

E

arth tones and expansive wood-paneled hallways dominate the interior design of the new Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC (eitm.org).

Completed in July 2020 by multidisciplinary design firm Rios, the interior of the 84,000-square-foot institute in West Los Angeles provides a space for holistic collaboration to flourish. To encourage transparency among scientists, doctors, and patients, most rooms are separated by glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of green plants bring the healing forces of nature inside. The ultra-contemporary institute, which was established with a $200 million donation from Oracle co-founder and former CEO Larry Ellison, opened its doors in September 2021.

We caught up with David Agus, MD, a renowned physician and the institute’s founding director and CEO, to learn more about how the facility’s design serves cancer research.

and think tanks all intersect in one space. We had the freedom to design the building of the future, the building of our dreams, and to make it something special. While it was a wonderful opportunity to craft something transformational, we had a responsibility: to make the building move the cancer research field forward.

Tell me more about the collaborative process between patients, researchers, and doctors. Where do you envision this collaboration taking place?

> We don’t have a traditional waiting room. Instead, we encourage patients to wander the building, to interact with our scientists, and to ask questions. Our patient rooms are large and comfortable. Families and team members can meet inside them. Conference rooms have glass walls so we can always stay connected. A meeting of the minds can occur anywhere with anyone in one of the institute’s indoor or outdoor public social spaces. The Hippocrates conference room (meeting rooms are named after great thinkers) shares a wall with a lab, so scientists can work side by side on different projects. We also accommodate visiting scientists from around the world in on-site residences to help us with our mission.

Each of the 12 laboratories has glass walls. What is the significance of this design element for researchers and clinicians?

> The glass walls serve two purposes. One is for education.

Students can go on tours and see scientists at work in real time without interfering with the work. We hope students will be inspired to become scientists, nurses, doctors, and laboratory technicians. Second, patients and researchers interact and learn from each other. When patients walk by and see the researchers through the walls, they see hope personified. When the researchers see the patients, they work even harder and faster for a breakthrough.

What is the vision behind the building’s Wellness Center?

> To understand peace, you must go to war. We created the

Wellness Center to practice what we have learned about wellness from the war on cancer. Beyond having their cancer treated, cancer patients need long-term wellness.

What is your favorite architectural feature of the project?

> The 8-foot tall, 3,000-pound Hope sculpture by Robert Indiana that sits right at the heart of our institute. It is the most powerful symbol of our mission: to give a glimpse of hope to people suffering from disease.

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Bar Lis

F O R T H E DAY

hollyw d revival With new happenings, hotels, and a not-tomiss lineup of restaurants, the once A-list destination is ready for its resurgence. Here, eight things not to miss. BY R A M O N A SAV I S S

> ROCK ON The new Grandmaster Recorders (GMR) features a 15,000-square-foot, multilevel space from Botanical Group (the team behind E.P. & L.P and Strings of Life). Expect coastal Italian and Australianinspired eats—pizzas, seafood, pastas—and drinks across the 150-seat restaurant, 71 Studio Bar (formerly an iconic Hollywood recording studio), and sprawling rooftop. grandmasterrecorders.com > ENJOY A SLICE OF ITALY L’antica Pizzeria da Michele is the closest to Naples you’ll get without stepping on a plane.

Order classics such as handtossed pizzas, cacio e pepe, and

Grandmaster Recorders

Nerano pastas. There’s even brunch and a “secret lounge” where curated wine-pairing events are held on a monthly basis. damicheleusa.com > WHERE THE DESERT MEETS THE JUNGLE Next door to the Thompson is the new Tommie Hollywood and the 212-room hotel brings yet another rooftop destination to Hollywood: Desert 5 Spot.

Inspired by the Mojave Desert, the open-air lounge features stunning views and a 1970s vintage Palm Springs aesthetic.

The nine-story property will also feature Ka’Teen from chef Wes Avila (Guerrilla Tacos), which draws inspiration from the jungles of the Yucatán.

Immersive Van Gogh

desertfivespotla.com > MAKE IT A HOLLYWOOD CLASSIC Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton’s (Mozza) latest hotspot, The Barish has taken over the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt’s lobby.

The elevated Italian-inspired steakhouse focuses on dryaged beef, fish, and poultry grilled over an open fire. After being closed for more than 19 months, the hotel’s bar, The Spare Room, has finally reopened with a revamped food and drink menu. thehollywoodroosevelt.com > ARTFUL EVENING Through February 6 check out Immersive Van Gogh for an exhibit of the artist’s masterpieces brought to life across 500,000 cubic feet of projections. immersivevangogh.com > PARTY LIKE A PARISIAN The new Thompson Hollywood features a French Riviera– inspired rooftop destination: Bar Lis. Head there at night for live DJ or jazz sets under the disco ball. On the lobby level,

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the French theme continues with chef Lincoln Carson’s (Bon Temps) much-awaited Mes Amis. hyatt.com > BRUNCH IT UP Where Hollywood’s legendary The Cat & Fiddle used to sit is now Superba Food + Bread. Head there for an idyllic alfresco brunch in an indoor-outdoor space with an open kitchen helmed by chef Nigel Stephens. Check out daily specials such as Duck Leg à l’Orange on Wednesdays, fish and chips on Thursdays, and fried chicken dinners on Sundays, plus, of course, the fresh bread menu. superbafoodandbread.com > EAT LIKE A ROMAN CHEF Evan Funke (Felix) is making his Hollywood return with Mother Wolf. Housed within the Citizen-News building, the over-the-top restaurant features all-indoor seating for about 230 guests and pays tribute to ancient Rome with Italian classics like wood-fired pizza, seasonal antipasti, and handmade pastas. motherwolfla.com

THE SPARE ROOM: WONHO FRANK LEE; BAR LIS: MICHAEL MUNDY

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F O R T H E DAY

how to celebrate black hi ory month

an anti-racist reading list and share it with friends.

From lectures to live events, here are five ways to honor and recognize Black History Month this February. BY M AYA R I C H A R D - C R AV E N

Eventbrite.com

1 ) VISIT A MUSEUM

The California African American Museum features exhibits about the accomplishments and culturally rich history of African Americans—such as the legacy of Black debutante culture and the history of code switching. You can also see new, monthly “Every Month Is Black History Month” exhibits. caamuseum.org

2) ATTEND A VIRTUAL EVENT Find Black History Month celebrations for this year listed on Eventbrite and Facebook.

Hop onto a virtual Black History Month event on Zoom from the comfort of your home: Attend a lecture hosted by a university or organization or take in a unique perspective on African American history through the lens of Black professionals—and encourage family and friends to tag along.

3) ENJOY A BLACK HISTORY MONTH PARADE In 2020, Pasadena’s Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department and Black History Committee hosted a

series of speakers in lieu of Pasadena’s 39th Annual Black History Month Parade and Festival in 2020, but this year’s 40th parade is planned to go on in person on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 10:00am, followed by a fun-filled family festival at the Robinson Park Recreation Center. This year’s theme is “For the Culture: Celebrating Our Excellence.”

The parade is the longestrunning Black History Month Parade in California.

4) PARTICIPATE IN A READING CHALLENGE Indulge in the acclaimed poems of Langston Hughes.

Dive deeper into Black culture through the lens of James Baldwin in books like Notes of a Native Son and Giovanni’s Room. Head to the Pasadena Public Library to explore a plethora of Black authors. Make

Perry’s Joint and The Gourmet Cobbler Factory

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3) SUPPORT BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES There are dozens of Blackowned businesses to support in Pasadena. A few of our favorites: The Smile Agency Orthodontics and Smile Design (thesmileagency.com); Head Trip Salon (headtripsalon.net); Perry’s Joint (perrysjoint.com); The Gourmet Cobbler Factory (thegourmetcobblerfactory. com); and Little Red Hen (626.791.1614).

For additional info and updates, visit cityofpasadena.net.

Perry’s Joint

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WEEKEND

the be of what’s new in big bear

The alpine paradise keeps getting better with new restaurants, activities, shopping—and a dedicated ski resort mobile app.

BY C A S E Y C A N T R E L L

food, access maps, check weather and trail conditions, track your runs—it’s a one-stop shop for getting the most out of your winter getaway. Available on the App Store and Google Play; bigbearmountainresort.com > LA PERGOLA TRATTORIA With its vaulted ceilings, rustic lamps, and dining

> BIG BEAR ALPINE ZOO Doubling as a wildlife rehabilitation facility, the 5.6-acre new and improved Big Bear Alpine Zoo gives you an up-close look at dozens of local species, including artic foxes, snow leopards, bald and golden eagles, and timber wolves. But the park’s biggest attraction (literally) is also one of the most majestic—a family of three massive grizzly bears lounging in a sprawling enclosure. bigbearzoo.org > BIG BEAR MOUNTAIN RESORT MOBILE APP It’s easier than ever to cut through the crowds and hit the slopes thanks to the new Big Bear Mountain Resort mobile app. Purchase lift tickets, order

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room festooned with vibrant houseplants, the charming La Pergola Trattoria fits right in at The Village at Big Bear Lake. You can’t go wrong with any of the pasta dishes, but the star of the show is the pizza—from the savory Carne packed with sausage, pancetta, and pepperoni, to the flavorful Funghi with ricotta and Clockwise from left: Big Bear Mountain Resort Mobile app. La Pergola Trattoria pizza. Big Bear Alpine Zoo.iviera

parmesan, prosciutto, roasted garlic, arugula, and mushrooms.

Pair your order with a glass of imported wine, or indulge in one of the cheekily named cocktails. (The Sophia Loren on a Moped, anyone?) And if you’re feeling inspired after your meal, stop by the restaurant’s cute corner pantry to pick up some Italian ingredients. lapergolabigbear.com > YOSEMITE AXE THROWING Have an axe to grind? Embrace your inner lumberjack at Yosemite Axe Throwing’s new Big Bear location, where you can spend an action-packed hour tossing axes of every shape and size at four-foot wooden targets. New to the sport? Not to worry—the facility’s professional throwers will help you master the basics in no time. yosemiteaxe.com > SANTA LAND In Big Bear, the most wonderful time of the year can be experienced all year long. With a dozen themed playrooms and thousands of likenesses of the big man himself, Santa Land is a jolly good time for the whole family, whether you’ve been naughty or nice.

APP: BIGBEARMOUNTAINRESORT.COM; PIZZZA: LAPERGOLABIGBEAR.COM; MARINA RIEVERA: JOSH CHO PHOTOGRAPHY; YOSEMITE AXE THROWINGG: MARK NOLASCO PHOTOGRAPHY

> WHERE TO STAY Big Bear boasts hundreds of lodging options—and with new cabins, condos, and vacation homes being added all the time, there’s always a new, cozy retreat to discover. If you want to stay close to the mountain resorts, your best bet is snagging one of these spots through Vrbo, Airbnb, or the online booking tool Visit Big Bear. bigbear.com

Yossemite Axe Throwing

Explore interactive exhibits, learn about Santa’s pop culture history, and write a letter to the North Pole. Feeling like a Grinch? The attraction also features playrooms and events for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and more. santalandbigbear.com > THE COOKSHAK This unassuming, outdoor seating–only grill packs a delicious punch with loaded sandwiches, slow-cooked BBQ,

Marina Riviera

and more. But what sets The Cookshak apart is something you won’t find on many menus in Big Bear: vegan options.

Order up plant-based takes on classic American fare, such as the vegan grilled cheese with three types of “cheese,” or satisfy your lunchtime cravings with Ari’s Veggie Sandwich— sprouts, tomato, cucumber, red onion, avocado, Vegenaise, and oil and vinegar on your choice of bread. You can also fuel up in the morning with a hearty selection of vegetarian breakfasts, including the veggie breakfast burrito and the mushroom-and-cheese omelet. cookshak.com > LODGE PODGE Eclectic and charming, Lodge Podge is the newest home décor shop on the block. From antiques, art, and handcrafted jewelry to clothing, candles, and kitchenware, this quaint

Santa Land

stop on the eastside of town has a little bit of everything to brighten up your home.

909.281.4647

control how fast you go down the mile-long track featuring dips, tunnels, corkscrews, and more. alpineslidebigbear.com

> MAPLES HILLS TRAILS COMPLEX, PHASE ONE The San Bernardino Mountains counts yet another addition to its extensive trail network: the Maple Hills Trails Complex.

The first of three planned trails, the High School Loop is an easy 3.2-mile hike tucked in between neighborhoods, ideal for a wintertime excursion. mountainsfoundation.org

> MOUNTAIN TRANSIT TROLLEY Spotty GPS? Concerned about snowy conditions on the road? Get around town carefree on Mountain Transit’s free Big Bear Trolley. Three convenient routes (Blue, Gold, and Red) take riders to Big Bear’s most popular destinations, including the ski resorts, Boulder Bay, The Village, supermarkets, and the local airport. mountaintransit.org

> ALPINE SLIDE AT MAGIC MOUNTAIN Every year, this small but mighty amusement park seems to add another thrill. The Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain’s latest is the Mineshaft Coaster, the first and only mountain coaster in California. Take in the alpine scenery as you go up, then

> BIG BEAR DISCOVERY CENTER After three years of renovations, the muchanticipated reopening of Big Bear Discovery Center is set for spring 2022. A favorite of locals and visitors since 1998, the nature center provides all the information you need to explore this gorgeous mountain region. The revamped facility will include fun exhibits on the geology, flora, fauna, and history of the San Bernardino National Forest. mountainsfoundation.org MARINA RIVIERA Since 1969, visitors have made the Marina Riviera their cozy home away from home. Today, the gorgeous lakefront hotel is putting the finishing touches on its longtime makeover with an expected reopening in the spring. The new look will combine vintage vibes with modern luxury—plus unbeatable views of the lake. marinariviera.com

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TO DO

EXTENDED

Rosewood Little Dix Bay

There’s no easy way to get there, but when it comes to the Caribbean, the smaller and more remote the island, the better. Two new resorts—both operated by Rosewood—offer the perfect getaways for Valentine’s Day, or anytime you need a romantic escape.

BY SA M A N T H A B R O O K S

Le Guanahani

LITTLE DIX BAY, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Once a private Rockefeller family escape, this 500-acre resort on the calm, sandy shores of Virgin Gorda is a lowkey hideaway for those who don’t want to share the beach with screaming children and a plethora of blow-up unicorn rafts. While it is family friendly, the property makes it easy to escape into your own world, as the half-mile-long stretch of sand offers more than enough

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room for every hotel guest in its 81 rooms to be on shore at once. However, with the two swimming pools, six tennis courts, expansive spa, fitness center, private dock with boats for scuba and snorkeling, paddleboards, sailboats, and on-site hiking trail, there’s always more to do than lie on the sand.

Once you’ve taken three flights and a boat to arrive at the property, you might want to stay longer than just a few

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LE GUANAHANI, ST. BARTH It’s no less challenging to get to than the British Virgin Islands (again, you’re looking at three flights, the last of which is on a tiny plane that holds fewer than 20 passengers), but the 9.3-square-mile island of St. Barth is just as stunning—albeit more vibrant in its offerings and brimming with day clubs (Nikki Beach), night clubs (Bagatelle), and fine-dining

restaurants (Bonito, Black Ginger, and L’Isola).

Newly opened after a fouryear renovation that saw it become a Rosewood resort, Le Guanahani rests on the island’s quiet northwest coast.

The 66 rooms, spa (the largest on the island), two swimming pools, and two beaches make it the perfect place to retreat for a romantic respite after spending your days exploring the island. Rent a car for the duration of your stay and discover all 22 beaches—the island has made the best ones protected sanctuaries, free of development, just raw natural beauty. Walk through the marina village of Gustavia and explore the many chic boutiques and restaurants, or hike to the natural swimming pools at Grand Fond beach. From $1,755; rosewoodhotels.com

Le Guanahani

KEN HAYDEN PHOTOGRAPHY;

love Islands

nights. Explore the 8-squaremile island on one of the resort’s Mokes; experience each of the five diverse dining venues and request a private beachfront dinner for two; venture out to The Baths, rock formations popular with tourists for snorkeling; or just do nothing on the idyllic shores. From $1,200; rosewoodhotels.com

CONNECT WITH YOURSELF

Celebrate Life MonteCedro holds a place of pride in the Pasadena area.

Our eight-acre, resort-style community, nestled in the foothills of Altadena is surrounded by the beauty and majesty of the San Gabriel Mountains, providing inspiring vistas to residents every day.

As the newest senior living community built in the greater Los Angeles area, MonteCedro weaves distinctive architectural details with open spaces to explore and connect with your interests, your neighbors, and yourself. Our stunning and welcoming apartment homes open to tranquil courtyards, gardens and sweeping mountain views. Our spacious campus is filled with state-of-the-art destinations for casual and fine dining, performing arts, artistic pursuits, relaxation and fitness.

Our commitment to life-long learning is reflected in our philosophy of Creative Living, providing a thriving environment to immerse yourself in your passions, or uncover new ones. Discover our sophisticated, vibrant community.

It’s your next step in a life well lived.

2212 El Molino Avenue I Altadena, CA 91001 Schedule a personal tour at (626) 788-4924 or online at www.MonteCedro.org Sponsored by Episcopal Communities & Services (ECS), with its nearly 100-year history of community service, financial strength and stability, MonteCedro is a nonprofit retirement community that welcomes people of all faiths. RCFE License #197-608908. COA 287

Pasadena 548 S Lake Ave Pasadena, CA 91101

Rosemead 3628 Rosemead Blvd Rosemead, CA 91770

(626) 792-8200

(626) 495-9550

ORDER ONLINE! WE DELIVER! NothingBundtCakes.com

WELL & GOOD Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts

On the following pages, please find our annual guide to all things beneficial to your mind and body—from remote retreats set within one of the world’s Blue Zones to a guide to the latest

TO P : O L I V E R P I LC H E R ; B OT TO M L E F T: N OV E M B E R ST U D I O ; B OT TO M R I G H T: N I KO L A S KO E N I G

in pet nutrition. Here’s our look at health in 2022.

Lily of the Valley

Spa at the West Hollywood Edition

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BEYOND THE SPA

At Sensei Lanai, rest and recovery are just as important as fitness and nutrition. BY SA M A N AT H A B R O O K S

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he week before I was set to leave for Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, I was racing through life at what felt like a million miles an hour, and I pulled a muscle in my back.

It wasn’t the kind of pain you get from doing too many renegade rows or reverse flies. It was the kind of lame injury that sneaks up on you and targets a difficult-to-pinpoint muscle. I was doing the cooldown part of a gym class when something just pinched in my lower back.

I couldn’t massage it out myself, and no kind of stretching seemed to help, but it hurt. This is exactly the kind of thing I’d been told Sensei could help with.

Set on 24 acres 20 minutes from the shores of Lanai, where the Four Seasons also operates a more typical Hawaiian beach resort, Sensei Lanai opened in 2019, taking over the former Four Seasons Lodge at Koele. Although it may feel strange to come to Hawaii and not be on the beach, the property’s stunning gardens are truly an escape to another world, their rich colors and surreal

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reflections over koi-filled lakes reminiscent of the sci-fi movie Avatar.

There’s also a Sensei by Nobu restaurant with a special wellness-focused menu (you can still order things like the misoglazed black cod and Yellowtail Jalapeno, but items like the Sensei Farms Tomato Taste and vegetable and tofu scramble take advantage of locally grown produce and are specific to Sensei), as well as activities like hiking, golf, sporting clays,

archery, zip lines, and 4x4 off-roading. A series of onsen soaking pools are interspersed throughout a section of the landscape and are open for 24 hours a day (soaking under the stars is encouraged).

There are also highly educated Sensei guides, who act as wellness concierges to lead guests through customized sessions and activities that promote rest, nutrition, and movement.

However, I’m most looking forward to the Thermal Body Mapping and Massage, which uses Sensei-developed thermographic technology to show areas of inflammation in the body, after which a massage therapist can work to target the specific areas—exactly what I need for this injury.

When I arrive for my treatment, I see that there is no central spa structure. Instead, the spa is comprised of 10 “hales,” each offering 1,000 square feet of private space, complete with Japanese ofuro tub, steam room, sauna, dual indoor showers, outdoor rain shower, and outdoor hot and cold plunge pools.

It’s truly stunning.

The body scanner hovers over one of the massage tables but isn’t imposing— imagine a larger version of the light that hangs over a dentist’s chair. The scan takes a few minutes and then I’m given an iPad to see the results. Areas around my neck and upper back and down my spine are lit up in dark orange, highlighting areas of inflammation likely caused by hours spent behind a desk—but there’s also a streak of green (medium inflammation) cutting through the otherwise blue (low inflammation) section of my lower right back. The massage therapist gets an image of the full state of my body and knows exactly how to create the perfect massage to target these areas.

It’s everything I had imagined and more. While I knew these areas were causing me pain, seeing them lit up is truly eye opening. While a single massage can’t cure decades of stress, it’s a reminder to treat myself better, slow down, and take time to recover. Sensei Lanai is a spectacular place to begin that process.

From $800/night; fourseasons.com

MEDITATION MEETS ADVENTURE

Through mindful movement, ancient rituals, and connecting with nature, Hacienda AltaGracia, a luxe wellness retreat, helps guests meet their health and fitness goals

BY I R E N E R AW L I N G S

H

B OT TO M : O L I V E R P I LC H E R

igh in the rugged mountains of southern Costa Rica sits Hacienda AltaGracia, the first Auberge Resort in Central America. The resort gets its wellness inspiration from the nearby Nicoya Peninsula—one of the world’s five Blue Zones, where people live the longest and healthiest lives on the planet. Remote? Yes. But only a 90-minute flight from the capital, San José, via a private plane to AltaGracia’s own airstrip or via the resort’s regularly scheduled charter from San José International Airport—or opt for a 3-to-5-hour scenic drive by private car over the mountains or along the Pacific Coast.

Fifty rustic-chic, hacienda-style casitas (many with plunge pools and each with floor-to-ceiling glass walls) dot the expansive 180-acre property. Indoor spaces flow seamlessly onto sun terraces where you can sip locally grown coffee while looking out on the San Isidro Valley and tropical rain forest. The misty Talamanca Mountains serve as a backdrop.

The Well, Manhattan’s wildly popular health-and-longevity club, was tapped to create AltaGracia’s nature-centric wellness programming. Blue Zone–inspired programs include East-meetsWest healing therapies, longevity-boosting practices, expert-led coaching, and mindful movement classes—from free-flowing botanical yoga to meditative Qigong and restorative forest bathing. Rebecca Parekh, a co-founder of The Well has said, “We’re trying to create this holistic ecosystem where we’re looking at you as a whole person, not a bunch of isolated parts.”

A day at AltaGracia’s spa starts in the Casa de Agua, a hydrotherapy center with heated tepidarium, aromatherapy steam room and sauna, crystal-infused spa, and eight tranquil treatment rooms that offer many of The Well’s signature treatments. Immersive experiences include the River Bath—a riverside meditation, followed by a 60-minute natural river bath and wild bergamot–scented massage.

The resort has five standout restaurants, each inspired by the seasons and guided by the Blue Zone philosophy of eating close to nature. Much of the produce is harvested from the chefs’ organic garden. The husband-and-wife chef team also works with local growers and incorporates their ancestral cooking techniques.

In addition, AltaGracia offers a host of active adventures— climbing to the tropical forest’s high canopy, hiking to a picnic at a hidden waterfall, exploring the property on horseback, or riding out to neighboring farms (the resort has 28 stables). Bird enthusiasts can search for the elusive, resplendent quetzal in the surrounding forest (home to more than 900 bird species).

Bonus: The resort’s dark sky reveals galaxies of stars—some seeming close enough to touch.

From $1,550; aubergeresorts.com

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PHYSICAL ATTRACTION Get into shape at a glamorous new spot on the French Riviera.

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ily of the Valley isn’t just a hotel. It’s a year-round wellness retreat, a half hour’s drive south of Place des Lices square in Saint-Tropez. Here, in a village founded in 2019 and designed by Philippe Starck, there’s a snow shower, heated semi-Olympic pool, expansive fitness room with Technogym equipment, and consultation rooms for treatments like leg massages and Indiba therapy. But what sets this gem apart from other Mediterranean

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health destinations are the weight-loss programs in the hotel’s Shape Club.

Designed by nutritionist Jacques Fricker, Shape Club’s full-day fat-loss plans are fitness to the extreme. Programs vary in length and intensity, but each offers an elite mix of personalized meal plans, daily cardio and strength workouts, and detox and slimming treatments. Guests are monitored by a team of dieticians, coaches, and osteopaths to ensure they meet their optimal weight goals. Sunset runs, yoga, aqua boxing, aqua Pilates, mountain biking—all with cinematic views of the stunning Côte d’Azur. It’s love at first sweat.

Speaking of idyllic settings, Starck wanted the hotel to mimic its natural surroundings. Inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the property’s 52 rooms and suites hide among the Riviera’s stone pines in vine-covered mineral houses. It’s easy to want to stay in these sanctuaries forever, or at least before the pre-breakfast workout. Rooms have

private terraces and beds fitted with Garnier-Thiebaut linens. Floors and accents are crafted from exotic woods, while bathrooms feature polished marble. Thatched lampshades, golden grain-colored throws, and glazed earthenware evoke a spiritual simplicity. The hotel’s 14 suites each accommodate up to three people with a bedroom, living room, and two bathrooms. Suites look out over the Shape Club, the Mediterranean Sea, or the Gigaro hills, and, for even more bliss, some open onto private pools and gardens.

A solid case can be made for spending all afternoon on the Plage de Gigaro, the long, white-sand beach below the hotel. After all, the hotel’s beach club and its two Italian restaurants, the elegant Brigantine and cozy Pépé, are down there. Led by chef Vincent Maillard, an Alain Ducasse protégé, all four of the hotel’s restaurants are stupendous. Maillard’s deep respect for food producers shows in his use of ingredients from local farms and vegetable gardens as well as his intentionally simple recipes.

From Brigante’s homage to iconic pasta dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara to Club House’s raw vegetables, feta, and olives Cretan platter, Maillard strikes a fine balance between indulgence and clean eating. Similarly, when it comes to drinks, sip on a Chocolate Sazerac at Vista or a refreshing mocktail with grape juice, mint leaves, cucumber, and soda water at Club House. From $680; lilyofthevalley.com

N OV E M B E R ST U D I O

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NATURE’S WAY Telluride’s inherent landscape is the ideal setting for Colorado’s first luxury health retreat. BY SA M A N T H A B R O O K S

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ebuting in May (with reservations being accepted now), the 15-room wellness retreat Reset will be one of the first ultra-luxury destination wellness escapes in a mountain region. Telluride’s natural topography and 10,000-foot elevation already add an element of challenge to daily activities, but the thousands of surrounding acres in the San Juan Mountains also host 15 major systems of spectacular trails for trekking, biking, and climbing, as well as activities like rock climbing, paragliding, and fly-fishing and paddleboarding in nearby streams and rivers.

Each week-long visit consists of programming around concepts of Reach, Roam, and Recharge. A customized itinerary is created for each guest, allowing an individualized kind of reset, whether it’s for health, fitness, or rest. There’s no mention of weight loss, but the daily hikes, yoga, fitness classes, and plantbased menus can cater to those looking

to shed a few pounds.

The destination retreat is the brainchild of Dylan Bates, an entrepreneur who has developed more than 1,000 physical therapy clinics across 35 states, and Holli Owen, who has two decades of responsible-recreation expertise in the region. Bates, who has been conceptualizing the idea for more than a decade, spent the last three years working with Owen to gather premier teams and programming. Reset is located within a private wing of the Auberge Resort’s Madeline Hotel & Residences, but Reset guests have their own dedicated staff, as well as access to Auberge facilities. (While wine and alcohol are not served at Reset, those looking to imbibe can easily unwind at the Madeline’s bar.)

Spa treatments are designed to soothe the mind and assist in muscle recovery, while additional programing includes activities around mindfulness, fitness, and nutrition.

For those uncertain about the increase in elevation, an oxygen-enhancement system in each room allows guests to feel as though they’re sleeping at 2,000 feet; you can also arrive a night early to acclimate.

For now, the property is open from May through October, with winter programming (including strapping on snowshoes for those hikes) in the works.

Access to Telluride from Southern California comes through connecting flights in Denver into Telluride Regional Airport or with a 75-minute drive from the Montrose-Telluride Regional Airport.

The added challenge of getting there ensures a true immersion into nature, free of crowds, lines, and congestion.

Inclusive weekly rates from $10,000; resettelluride.com

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2022

EMOTIONAL RESCUE Achieving inner peace may be easier than you think.

Sedona’s premier spiritual retreat, L’Auberge de Sedona, can guide you on the road to personal wellness.

BY SA M A N T H A B R O O K S

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ust 120 miles north of Phoenix rests Sedona, known as one of the premier destinations for hiking, mountain biking, and experiencing some of the finest metaphysical offerings in the country—and an ideal place for beginners to become initiated. Since its post-COVID reopening, L’Auberge de Sedona (lauberge.com) has been upping the ante on its metaphysical programming, launching immersive classes on crystals, sound healing, astrology, Reiki, vortexes, and more—all within the 88-room property’s 11 acres.

Here, the property’s director of guest experience, Caroline Gonzalez, breaks down how to ease into the resort’s more unique offerings.

is maybe the most skeptical place you can imagine. But between the vortexes here and the natural beauty of the setting, it’s easy to see how it is all captured in crystals. I started researching what the most entry-level experience

we could create would be. I think most people know that rose quartz is for love, but we also wanted people to channel crystal experiences for other emotions or things they were experiencing, whether that’s grieving or looking for a new path.

When guests participate in one of our Intro to Crystals classes, even if they’re not a “believer,” there’s still the hope side of it, and we’re always breaking down things for each guest’s own comfort level.

A sound bath sounds overwhelming.

What should I expect?

> It’s a complete and utter immersion into allowing yourself to calm down from head to toe and be in silence. Sound healing is an experience where you’re giving your body time to rest and indulge into the senses. A lot of the things we do on property touch on all of the senses, but here, we’re taking away the obvious one of sight—you see the beauty every day, but this is about closing your eyes and listening and smelling what’s happening around you. All you have to do is lie down and let the rest just wash over you.

Crystals are new to me. Will I be lost in a crystal lecture?

Sedona’s mountains are majestic— but also look really steep. If I’m not an avid hiker, will I be out of my element?

> Truthfully, I’m from New Jersey, which

> A lot of our guests are the standard

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person who hikes every so often for fun—they’re not all mountain climbers necessarily. A lot of our hikes are easy to moderate, and you can get all of the views without having to exert yourself too much. Also, Sedona has all of these vortexes, which are essentially intersections of the earth’s electromagnetic lines, but they’re not in a specific location where you have to be to get the feeling— you can feel their energy from a lot of the hikes that border them. A lot of the hikes we recommend are very minimal—more like scenic walks—but if you are looking for something more intense, there’s nothing like Cathedral Rock, which is the No. 1 vortex site. It’s vertical for about 1.5 miles up, which takes most people abut 45 minutes, but then there are 360-degree vista views. There’s nothing like it.

I’ve only ever done a couple of yoga classes in my life. What if I can’t keep up?

> We used to offer yoga every day, but now we’re more about providing a variety of practices. We want to show guests different kinds, so we have three to four classes per week that change from morning, afternoon, evening. Our instructors will read the room and then determine the level. There’s everything from wholebody movement to a more gentle practice that’s great for post-hike stretching.

There’s never any pressure to go outside your comfort level.

I failed at astronomy. I mean astrology.

No wait, I think I mean astronomy.

What do I have to know for stargazing?

> We are a dark-sky community, which means that, at 9 p.m., our outside lighting has to stay below a certain voltage.

We can’t have big lights on—just twinkle lights and pathway lights. The stars in Sedona are unlike anywhere else because you don’t have the blocking of

the skyscrapers or city lights all around you, and instead, you can engulf yourself in absolute beauty. We provide stargazing classes Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You can be outside with a glass of wine, looking at the sky, and it just really touches on the romance of being here.

Having my aura read sounds cool.

What is that, though?

> A lot of people visiting us don’t normally have it at their disposal, and you can get an authentic aura reading here, which is determining the color around you and what energy you’re giving off based on that. So many people in Sedona have perfected their craft and have been working toward it their entire life. We have a vendor we recommend who does portraits. She’ll take your picture and show you the light around it, then creates a portrait for you to take home.

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Surya Spa at Santa Monica Proper

WHILE WE WERE PANDEMIC-ING Unfortunate timing meant that a handful of new luxury spas across the city opened just before—or during—quarantine, lockdown, and restrictions. But now, the time is right to fully luxuriate at these wonderful new destinations, which feel a world away— even though they’re just across town. BY SA M A N T H A B R O O K S The Spa at West Hollywood Edition 2019 The 6,200-square-foot space features six treatment rooms.

AMENITIES: Men’s and women’s locker rooms each feature showers, steam room, and sauna. The subterranean lounge feels like resting in a cloud. Candlelight warms the all-white space, filled with plush sofas and private pods for reading or meditation. Allow for extra time to thoroughly enjoy the space.

TREATMENTS: Make a day of it and book the Canyon, which combines a 50-minute sculpt facial, 50-minute massage, and 50-minute detox body treatment.

A range of CBD facials and massages are also noteworthy.

PRODUCTS: Osea, Odacité, Knesko, The Lost Explorer, and Skin Authority.

ALSO ON PROPERTY: On-site yoga

classes, rooftop pool, and a plant-forward menu at Michelin-starred chef John Fraser’s restaurant Ardor. editionhotels.com

OPENING DATE: November SIZE:

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The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa OPENING DATE: February

Surya Spa at Santa Monica Proper

2021, after a renovation by Champalimaud Design.

SIZE: Four treatment rooms for body and facial therapies and one duet suite for two spread out over 2,600 square feet. There’s also a separate nail suite with two pedicure chairs and a manicure area.

AMENITIES: Luxe locker rooms with showers.

TREATMENTS: Book the Pink Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, which helps naturally soothe sore muscles. For those on the go, the 30-minute reflexology targets hands and feet, leaving your body (and hair), oil free.

PRODUCTS: Natura

Bissé, Valmont, Phia, LEEF, UMA, Skin Authority, KNESKO, Lady Suite, Kate McLeod, NCLA Beauty, DermYoung, Patchology, Vim Vigor, Dazzle Dry, and Salt by Hendrix.

ALSO ON PROPERTY: Indulge in a souffle and glass of wine at the Polo Lounge; luxuriate outside by the pool with a club sandwich at the Cabana Café; have a homemade ice cream sundae at the 1950s-style Fountain Coffee Room. dorchestercollection.com

Surya Spa at Santa Monica Proper OPENING DATE: May

2021 SIZE: The 3,000-square-foot space with six treatment rooms is fashioned as a state-of-the-art healing center using 10,000-year-old Ayurvedic practices.

AMENITIES: Meditation room, lounges, custom oil blend bar, and chic design, courtesy of Kelly Wearstler. The spa also partners with Ayurvedic Panchakarma expert, doctor, chef, and herbalist Martha Soffer.

TREATMENTS: Book a virtual or in-person consultation for Ayurveda, Fasting Culture, Dosha Yoga, or Panchakarma Wellness—or the spa’s signature Abhyanga Massage with four hands and warm herbal oils.

PRODUCTS: Surya ALSO ON PROPERTY: Ahead of its time when it comes to outdoor dining, the rooftop Calabra restaurant offers a Mediterranean-inspired menu with views of the ocean. Or duck into the lobby with your laptop and have a drink and charcuterie board while you catch up on email. properhotel.com

The Spa at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

The Spa at The Maybourne Beverly Hills January 2022 17 treatment rooms and over 20,000 square feet, it’s the largest luxury spa in the city.

AMENITIES: Co-ed mineral plunge pool rests at the center of the spa, infused with magnesium to draw out the body’s toxins. There’s also a steam room, sauna, hot tub, and relaxation lounge.

TREATMENTS: The Maybourne’s new approach to what was formerly the Montage Spa is highly customized for each guest. Massages begin with the guest’s intention and are based on how they want to feel (less stressed, energized, strong, etc.).

PRODUCTS: Ecologically responsible, vegan skincare products, including Ila, which is exclusive in the U.S. to The Spa at The Maybourne.

ALSO ON PROPERTY: An indoor/outdoor fitness center and movement studio with private training upon request; a sprawling and newly expanded Terrace café; and the new Maybourne Bar, which

pours out to Canon Drive. maybournebeverlyhills.com

OPENING DATE: SIZE: With

Spa Pendry West Hollywood OPENING DATE: April

2021 treatment rooms spread over 1,600 square feet.

AMENITIES: Nail salon, two eucalyptus-infused steam rooms, tranquility lounge, and movement studio.

TREATMENTS: The facial menu is expansive with three peel options available as add-ons. The Pendry just launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Hydration Room to offer a special menu of treatments, including the Pendry IV to help symptoms ranging from fatigue, stress, and dehydration to immune support, jet-lag revival, and hangover detox.

PRODUCTS: Priori, Unveiled, and Babor.

ALSO ON PROPERTY: Two restaurants from chef Wolfgang Puck, the cozy Bar Pendry, and the members-only Britely Social Club, complete with its own bar and lounge, as well as a 2,840-square-foot bowling alley. pendry.com SIZE: Four

Beverly Hills Hotel Spa

Spa Pendry West Hollywood

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High Notes NEW FORMULATIONS, FANCY INGREDIENTS, AND FASTER ONSET—THE LATEST INNOVATIONS ELEVATING CANNABIS EDIBLES TODAY.

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rom swoon-worthy chocolates to soluble powder spirits, cannabis innovation is thriving in Los Angeles. Pasadena cut the ribbon of its first cannabis dispensary last year, and four more shops are approved to open. When it comes to edibles, THC is the psychoactive ingredient that will get you high, and consumers are craving faster results with fewer side effects. “We’re seeing an increase in consumer appetite for fast-acting, nano-emulsified edibles,” says Maha Haq, partner at Essence on Colorado Blvd. (essencedispensary.com). “These provide a quicker onset of 15 to 20 minutes compared to conventional edibles, which can take over 90 minutes to kick in.” Colorado-based Honest Marijuana Co. (honestmarijuana.com) uses nanobidiol technology to shrink THC into nano-sized particles for faster absorption into the bloodstream. InstaMints, InstaGummy, and InstaFizzy offer fresh, fruity, dissolvable flavors that promise to work six times faster than other edibles on the market.

“Consumers are also turning to strain-specific edible products over the traditional ‘indica’ and ‘sativa’ labels,” says Haq, who explains that as the public becomes more conscious of particular cannabis strain effects and benefits, name and provenance become as important as in wine or cheese. Santa Cruz–based Crème de Canna made headlines in 2010 with award-winning, cannabis-infused ice cream in flavors like Bananabis Foster and StrawMari Cheesecake, but its high-quality extracts in distinctive, strain-specific flavors are how the company is currently making its mark (cremedecanna.com).

As cannabis consumption continues to grow, discerning palates are demanding more gourmet tastes and textures, as Crème de Canna can attest to, with more than six consistencies of its extracts, from “shatter” and “sugar” to “crumble” and “diamonds.” Launched last September, Culver City–based Cloud11’s handmade cannabis-infused chocolates look like twobite works of art and are hand delivered locally with whiteglove service (findcloud11.com). “I “ am a firm believer that local is better,” says pastry chef Manuela Sanin, Eleven Madison Park alum and Cloud11 cofounder. “For our Strawberry and Pink Peppercorn chocolate, we are using local Harry’s Berries from Oxnard. Their strawberries are naturally sweet and tart and absolutely delicious. They truly are a representation of what I believe a strawberry should be.” With what it calls “delicate dosing,” Cloud11 chocolates can be precisely customized with either 2mg THC and 2mg CBD (for relaxation) or 4mg THC and 4mg CBD (to boost creativity).

Edibles no longer even need to be chewed, thanks to Los Angeles–based Lively Spirits, which launched purejuana last May, the fi rst cannabis spirit derived from fresh, flash-frozen cannabis flower. Each zero-calorie purejuana shot packet contains only full-spectrum, THC-soluble cannabis powder. Because it’s naturally alcohol free, purejuana promises no hangover (purejuana.com). “Cannabis beverages are not allowed in some cities, including Pasadena, so infused powder and syrup mixes have gained traction as an alternative,” explains Haq.

With what it calls “delicate dosing,” Cloud11 chocolates can be precisely customized…

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DAV I D G A B R I C / U N S P L A S H ; I N S E T: F I N D C LO U D 1 1 .CO M : O P P O S I T E : G E T T Y I M AG E S

BY N I N G C H AO

Vision Quest

SET YOUR SIGHTS ON BETTER VISION WITH THE LATEST HEALTH NEWS FROM PASADENA’S BEST EYE DOCTORS. HERE ARE THE TOP 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW ABOUT EYE HEALTH.

BY N I N G C H AO

1) New Nasal Spray Treats Dry Eyes > Extra screen time translates to dry, irritated eyes. “When we look at something with a lot of visual stimulation, we do not blink as much, so our eyes gradually dry out,” says Benjamin Bert, MD, health sciences assistant professor at UCLA’s Doheny and Stein Eye Institutes.

He recommends looking away from the screen every 10 minutes and closing the eyes for 2–3 seconds. “That allows the body to sense if the surface of the eye is getting dry,” he explains. For the eyedrop averse, the recently FDA-approved Tyrvaya (varenicline solution), a nasal spray that increases tear production, can soothe dry, sandpapery eyes.

drops offer an alternative to reading glasses. “Pilocarpine, the active ingredient in the eye drop, constricts the pupil, giving a pinhole effect that allows people to read more easily without affecting distance vision,” says Bert.

3) Stem Cells Are the Future for Reversing Blindness

> Developed in Italy and approved for use in the European Union, Holoclar uses stem cells to treat corneal damage.

Scientists at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Md., are studying the use of stem cells to treat macular degeneration as well.

4) Blue Light–Blocking Glasses

2) Prescription Eye Drops Could Replace

May Be a Bust

Reading Glasses

> “They’re becoming increasingly popular, however there is no scientific evidence that these glasses improve symptoms of digital eye strain,” says Annie Nguyen,

> Presbyopia is defined as a gradual, agerelated inability to focus at close range.

FDA approved in fall 2021, Vuity eye

MD, an ophthalmologist at the USC Roski Eye Institute. But Bert notes that “limiting blue light may be helpful to maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle, especially in the later hours of the day.”

5) Ease Eye Strain with Prescription Computer Glasses > Computer screens are closer to our eyes than are cars on the road, so the same prescription you use for driving won’t work for extended computer use.

“Correcting the prescription specifically for the intermediate distance can relax the eyes’ need to focus, which can reduce some symptoms of eye strain,” says Bert.

6) Sunglasses Work Like Sunscreen on the Eyes > Sun damage doesn’t just occur on your skin. In the eyes it appears as macular degeneration, cataracts, and corneal changes, which all impact vision. “Sunglasses with UV 400 protection will block out much of the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB light rays,” says John Irvine, MD, of UCLA’s Doheny Eye Center in Pasadena. Perks like polarized lenses “improve vision by blocking out light rays that cause glare,” he adds.

7) If You’re Over 50, Get Your Eyes Checked Annually > Prevention is the only effective method to reduce permanent vision loss from glaucoma, says Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist at the USC Roski Eye Institute. “It is common for patients to develop glaucoma—a serious disease of the optic nerve—and not know until permanent vision loss has occurred,” warns Xu, who recommends yearly eye exams for anyone over 50 to screen for symptoms.

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45

HEALTH

2022

News + Notes

LU NA R W H I T E

Bacteria is the latest buzzword in skincare and there are two major camps: probiotic fans and germophobes. OG bacteriafriendly brand Mother Dirt just launched its new Prebiotic Balancing Mask ($39; motherdirt.com), which combines pre- and post-biotics with white tea, purple clay, and shea butter to reduce redness, hydrate, and detoxify skin. Use it in conjunction with the patented AO+ Restorative Mist ($69), which contains live probiotics (refrigeration is recommended) that you spritz on skin to balance the microbiome and calm inflammation and breakouts.

In the opposite corner is Fortify+, a New York– and Los Angeles–based skincare line that uses the natural volcanic mineral zeolite to kill bad bacteria on the skin (the kind that lead to acne and inflammation). Popular in Korea as a post-COVID alternative to alcoholbased sanitizers, zeolite works by trapping and suffocating toxins and is FDA approved for safety. New Fortify+ De-Puffing & Protecting Eye Cream ($25; fortifyskincare.com) uses zeolite to protect eyes from airborne illness.

— N I N G C H AO

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F R ESH DI R EC T Like a just-made jam from the Victory Park Farmers Market, fresh batches of skincare are better for your body than something that’s been sitting on a store shelf. Located close to Cal Tech, new Pasadenabased skincare company Banish

makes and directly ships every product to order, ensuring that the ingredients are the most active (and effective) you can find. Vitamin C is an especially fragile ingredient and is the backbone of Banish’s line. Prone to a natural oxidation process, like the browning of a cut apple, vitamin C is best used immediately after production. Whether it’s the Pumpkin Enzyme Masque ($39) or Vitamin C Creme ($49), nothing languishes in a dusty warehouse when you’re ordering it fresh and local. banish.com — N .C .

FO R T I F Y: C L AU D I A H E R S H N E R

CLE A N SK I N

First there were freeze-dried foods, then memory foam mattresses. Now NASA scientists have revolutionized the way we brush our teeth. Listen up, Elon Musk: Going gravity-free leaches minerals from the body. In 1970, NASA invented nano-hydroxyapatite (n-Ha)—a synthetic version of a type of calcium naturally found in the body—to remineralize astronauts’ bones, restore dental enamel, and even reverse small cavities. Japanese company Sangi acquired the patent and started making n-Ha-fortified toothpaste 10 years later. Not a space traveler? There’s no longer a need to scour Asian supermarkets for coveted tubes of Apagard from Japan. Whole Foods favorite Davids Natural Toothpaste (yes, the chic, metal-tube toothpaste also sold at Café Gratitude) just launched a Sensitive + Whitening formula ($10; davids-usa.com) that uses n-HA to reduce sensitivity and brighten teeth by repairing tooth enamel. Australian brand hismile, promoted by the Kardashians on social media, is capitalizing on hydroxyapatite for peroxidefree tooth whitening (with no sensitivity), with its 10-minute LED lightactivated kit ($129) and new whitening strips ($39). hismileteeth.com — N .C .

PA I N T ST R ESS AWAY After the holiday madness, we could all use a little calm. Enter Buddha Board, the grown-up (and far less frustrating) version of the childhood classic Etch A Sketch that offers a Zenlike painting experience for those struggling with anxiety or depression—or anyone who wants to relax.

The environmentally friendly board forgoes ink, paint, and chemicals and is designed to encourage mastering the art of letting go, drawing upon the Buddhist principles of impermanence and non-attachment. To use, simply paint your stress away with water and watch your creation come to life. As the water slowly evaporates your art will disappear, leaving you with a clean slate—and a clearer mind. $38; buddhaboard.com —S A R A S M O L A

NO PA I N, A LL GA I N Launched in Canada in 2015, Myodetox isn’t just a physical therapy clinic, it’s a holistic boutique fitness center based on the premise that prevention is the best medicine. The company’s 13th location just debuted in Studio City—other locales include Brentwood and West Hollywood—with 1,750 square feet of space chicly designed to train, recover, and prevent injury for the fitness inclined. Carefully trained staff provide myofascial treatments and corrective exercises to reduce pain and stress on the body, while still allowing clients to get the most out of their workout routines. The process begins with a full-body assessment, then additional sessions are custom designed around restoring mobility, alleviating muscle pain, and avoiding future injury. Pricing begins at $95; myodetox.com —S A M A N T H A B R O O K S

ST ICK TO I T With cold and flu season in full swing (not to mention that we’re still in a pandemic), we’re washing our hands and slathering on sanitizer like our lives depend on it. But commonly touched surfaces aren’t always cleaned soon enough to stop germs from spreading. Nanoshield adhesive tape and films keep surfaces sanitized in between cleanings using nontoxic copper technology. The company’s research found that Nanoshield can kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19, influenza, E. coli, and norovirus.

The clear plastic tape and films can be used on smooth surfaces like digital touch screens, light switches, handrails, and door handles. Just peel and stick for protection for up to 12 months.

From $10; nanoshield.co —S . S .

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47

HEALTH

2022

Positive Outlook

MENTAL WELLNESS IS TRENDING IN THE TECH INDUSTRY. HERE’S HOW STARTUPS ARE MAKING IT EASIER TO KEEP CALM, COPE, AND CARRY ON.

A

once taboo topic, mental health treatment is now more accessible than ever, thanks to tele-therapy appointments—and A-listers like Kanye West, Kristen Bell, and Kate Middleton normalizing the need for care. In February 2022, Selena Gomez, who has openly discussed her bipolar diagnosis, will launch multimedia content hub Wondermind (wondermind.com) as a co-founder, with free daily newsletters, weekly podcasts, and eventually TV and film projects focusing on mental health issues and experts. All this attention couldn’t come at a better time, as a post-pandemic mental health crisis pushes more people to seek help.

Just as telemedicine has revolutionized medical visits, teletherapy is a game-changer for mental healthcare. “Emergency rooms across the country are at capacity for patients seeking

Okay Humans

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care for mental health emergencies,” says Caroline Fenkel, LCSW, co-founder and chief clinical officer of Charlie Health (charliehealth.com), a virtual mental health clinic that caters specifically to young adults and families. “Therapists and psychiatrists are at capacity. Waitlists are a huge issue in terms of access—being virtual allows us to match patients into therapy based on their individual needs, not just their geography.”

Whether it’s job stress, marriage counseling, addiction, bipolar disorder, or burnout, websites like Therapy Den (therapyden. com) and Foresight (foresightmentalhealth.com) help patients find providers (virtual and in person) based on criteria such as area of expertise, cost, and insurance. Booking an appointment is as easy as a click of a button—but how do these new care options compare with the traditional couch experience?

“We’ve found that virtual mental health services have stronger clinical outcomes than in-person equivalents,” Fenkel says.

“We’ve seen that our patients feel safer processing and being vulnerable when in the comfort of their homes.”

For those who still prefer an in-person experience, Drybar’s founders hope to disrupt psychotherapy like they did salons. Starting on San Vicente Boulevard, just like the original Drybar, Okay Humans (okayhumans.com) is a “walk-in” therapy clinic with a booking app. Just choose your time slot and pick an available provider. Cost is $124 for the first session, $180 for follow-ups. Membership pricing (with weekly appointments) lowers the price to $124 and the office will submit insurance claims for you. Plans are in the works to eventually open Okay Humans locations across the nation, and franchise opportunities are available to those who want to cash in on the trend.

TO P : G E T T Y I M AG E S ; B OT TO M : C L A R K D U G G E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

BY N I N G C H AO

S P O N S O R E D CONT E NT

ASK THE EXPERT

VAUGHN A. STARNES, MD

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED CARDIOTHORACIC SURGEON

CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY

KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC FOUNDER, USC CARDIAC AND VASCULAR INSTITUTE, KECK MEDICINE OF USC

What’s the top piece of advice you would give a cardiac patient?

People who would never buy a toaster without researching it can be surprisingly shy about researching their doctors. If you’re trusting me with your health, look me up. Ask questions about your procedure, about my experience, and about your care before and after.

The USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute (CVI) is designed to make that research process easier. If you start your journey with a CVI physician, you know you’re working with someone whose training and experience have already been vetted for you.

You recommend “baby wellness checks” for the adult heart. What does that mean?

If you have a healthy newborn, you’re not just going to coast along and avoid the doctor until your baby is in serious pain.

As a responsible parent, you take a healthy baby in for regular check-ups to make sure she stays healthy. Give your heart that same level of care. Come in for regular check-ups even when you feel fine. You can catch potential problems earlier and make sure you stay your healthiest.

Why did you start the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute?

At too many institutions, it’s easy for care to get siloed.

Cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and vascular surgeons may never speak to each other. That means you’re not getting a full spectrum of expertise, and you may not be getting the precise care that you need. If all someone has is a hammer, everything

looks like a nail. At CVI, our doctors and surgeons communicate easily and consult with each other daily. It’s a better model that gives our patients better care.

What are the other advantages of CVI? We’re part of a major academic medical center, and that carries real benefits. It means that as a patient, you have access to the latest and best equipment, and your care is being guided by leading-edge research. We are actively involved in clinical trials and in developing and perfecting new devices. Those advantages in turn draw some of the best practitioners in the country to our institution. We have physicians here that I feel privileged to work with.

We also work with a “team of experts” model, which means that we actively seek out and hire top subspecialists. That way we make sure any patient who comes to us will be able to see someone who has a real depth of training and experience for their condition. We have the Genetic Aortic and Related Disorders Center for people with congenital disorders, we have the Valve Center, we have the Aortic Center… When you have a robust team that works together, you can really fine-tune the care you can offer. It makes a difference in outcomes, in how soon you can leave the hospital and go back to your family, and in your comfort level as you recover. All of that matters.

1520 San Pablo Street, Suite 4300 Los Angeles, CA 90033 (323) 442-5849 | cvi.keckmedicine.org

HEALTH

2022

Bow Wow

FROM MICHELIN-STARRED TREATS TO PERSONALIZED MEAL DELIVERY, NEW LUXURY DOG FOOD COMPANIES LEND A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO RUFF-ING IT.

BY N I N G C H AO

“On a day-to-day basis, dogs don’t need the kind of variety that we enjoy in our diet.”

C H R I ST I E LO N G , DVM, head of veterinary medicine for Modern Animal

Modern Animal

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Jinx Pet Food

but once they find something that is high-quality that their dog eats readily without coaxing, it’s best to continue to feed that routinely.” Sudden shifts in diet can even trigger gastrointestinal upset. Long recommends keeping your dog healthy by “feeding an appropriate amount for your dog’s size and activity level, providing plenty of exercise, and limiting treats.”

Shark Tank alum PetPlate’s personalized dog food subscription service ($1.11/day and up, petplate.com) helps simplify portion control by tailoring meals according to your pup’s breed, gender, age, allergies, and activity level.

“PetPlate helps by telling you exactly how many calories your dog needs,” explains founder Renaldo Webb, who credits health-conscious owners with the demand for higher-quality pet food, like PetPlate’s freshly cooked, veterinary nutritionist–designed, human-grade meals—delivered straight to your door.

“We find customers in Los Angeles realize the benefit of a whole-food diet, and believe the same would benefit their pets,” says Webb, who plans to expand into cat food in the next few years.

TO P : G E T T Y I M AG E S

T

he pet industry became a $100 billion business during the pandemic, with owners investing in the health of their four-legged quarantine companions. Leading the pack is Jinx (thinkjinx.com) a Hollywood-based startup dog food company that lists Will Smith, Halsey, and Nas as investors, and organic chicken, probiotics, and superfoods as ingredients. This month, Jinx continues its partnership with the Michelin-starred Angler restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Posh pups can enjoy finedining doggie bags at Angler, ordering off a secret menu for salmon or chicken treats, available exclusively to go.

Did your dog add some pandemic pounds? “The most common ailment we see associated with diet is obesity, caused by overfeeding,” says Christie Long, DVM, head of veterinary medicine for Modern Animal (modernanimal. com), which has a location on East Colorado Blvd. “On a day-to-day basis, dogs don’t need the kind of variety that we enjoy in our diet,” she adds. “I typically recommend that dog owners do a bit of experimentation with new pets,

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE WITH ITS ABUNDANT SUNSHINE AND EASY ACCESS TO ALL MANNER OF OUTDOOR RECREATION, IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT PASADENA AND ITS SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS ATTRACT STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

W

hether you are a parent looking for quality K-12 options, a rising high school senior navigating college applications, or a working professional considering an advanced degree to accelerate your career, options abound! The Pasadena school district is home to a wide range of K-12 private school options, plus renowned private colleges and universities.

With choices that range from small, intimate campuses with specialized curriculums to respected institutions with acclaimed reputations, you’re sure to find your per ect pic .

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Fast facts • There are 46 private schools serving 8,925 students in Pasadena, CA • 39% of private schools in Pasadena are religiously a liated ost are o an atholic and hristian • The average tuition cost is $20,584, which is higher than the California private school average tuition cost of $15,318 • According to Niche.com, the top-ranked private schools in Pasadena include Westridge School, High Point Academy and Sequoyah School

S PECIAL P RO MOT IO NAL SECT IO N

Source

he Private School

evie

You Want to Change the World.

But You Can’t Do It Alone.

Whether you want to transform your local community or the entire world as we know it, you need training, networks, and resources. At Fuller Seminary, meet other people committed to making a difference, and get the education you need to be an influential thought leader, an impactful therapist, or a dynamic nonprofit leader. Access Fuller’s offerings—free online content, self-paced guided lessons, or graduate degree programs— from wherever you are.

DIRECTORY PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN PASADENA A.G.B.U. Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School (MHS) 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena 626.794.0363 agbumhs.org Aria Montessori School 693 S. Euclid Ave., Pasadena 626.793.3741 ariamontessori.net Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Elementary School 2660 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena 626.793.2089 school.abvmpasadena.org Chandler School 1005 Armada Dr., Pasadena 626.795.9314 chandlerschool.org

Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori 1200 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena 626.345.9929 okkms.org

Southwestern Academy 2800 Monterey Rd., San Marino 626.799.5010 southwesternacademy.edu

Our School 1800 E. Mountain St., Pasadena 626.798.0911 ourschoolofpasadena.com

Weizmann Day School 1434 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena 626.797.0204 weizmann.net

Pacific a i dre c oo 714 W. California Blvd., Pasadena 626.529.8011 pacificoa schildrensschool.org

Westridge School for Girls 324 Madeline Dr., Pasadena 626.799.1053 westridge.org

Pasadena Christian School 1515 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena 626.791.1214 pasadenachristian.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN SAN GABRIEL

Pasadena Montessori School 280 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena 626.792.0115 pasadenamontessori.com

Excelsior School 1539 E. Howard St., Pasadena 626.576.8868 excelsiorschool.com

Polytechnic School 1030 E. California Blvd., Pasadena 626.396.6300 polytechnic.org

Frostig School 971 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena 626.791.1255 frostig.org

San Marino Montessori School 444 S. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena 626.577.8007 sanmarinomontessori.org

Harriet Tubman 36 W. Montana St., Pasadena 626.794.5620 High Point Academy 1720 Kinneloa Canyon Rd., Pasadena 626.798.8989 highpointacademy.org Hillsides Education Center 940 Avenue 64, Pasadena 323.254.2274 hillsideseducationcenter.org La Salle College Preparatory High School 3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena 626.351.8951 lasallehs.org Lake Avenue Church School 393 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena 626.844.4755 school.lakeave.org Lycée International de Los Angeles - Pasadena 30 N. Marion Ave., Pasadena 626.793.0943 lilaschool.com Maranatha High School 169 S. Saint John Ave., Pasadena 626.817.4000 maranatha-hs.org

ACA D E M I C E XC E L L E N C E

Sequoyah School 535 S. Pasadena Ave., Pasadena 626.795.4351 sequoyahschool.org Saint Andrew Catholic School 42 Chestnut St., Pasadena 626.796.7697 saspasadena.com St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian School 2215 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 626.578.1343 hovsepianschool.org St. Monica Academy 2361 Del Mar Rd. Montrose 818.369.7310 stmonicaacademy.com St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Parish & School enrollment 1363 Cordova St., Pasadena 626.795.9691 stphiliptheapostle.org Stratford School Pasadena Showroom, 959 E. Walnut, Suite #214, Pasadena 626.498.2810 stratfordschools.com

Clairbourn School 8400 Huntington Dr., San Gabriel 626.286.3108 clairbourn.org San Gabriel Christian School 117 N. Pine St., San Gabriel 626.287.0486 sangabrielchristian.org San Gabriel Mission Elementary School 416 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel 626.281.2454 sangabrielmission.org San Gabriel Mission High School 254 S. Santa Anita St., San Gabriel 626.282.3181 sgmhs.org San Gabriel Academy 8827 E. Broadway St., San Gabriel 626.292.1156 sangabrielacademy.org Saint Anthony School 1905 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel 626.280.7255 saintanthonyschoolsg.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN ALTADENA Altadena Boys & Girls Academy 2151 N. Lake Ave., Altadena 626.345.0540 altadenaboysgirlsacademy.com Fair Oaks Academy 2704 Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena 626.797.0758 fairoaksacademy.com Five Acres Therapeutic School 760 W. Mountain View St., Altadena 626.798.6793 5acres.org

Villa Esperanza Special Education School 2060 E. Villa St., Pasadena 626.449.2919 villaesperanzaservices.org

Meher Montessori School 943 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena, CA 91001; South Garfield Ave., onterey Par 323.724.0683 mehermontessori.org

ayfie d e ior c oo 500 Bellefontaine St., Pasadena 626.799.9121 ayfieldsenior.org

Walden School 74 S. San Gabriel Blvd., Pasadena 626.792.6166 waldenschool.net

Pasadena Waldorf School 209 E Mariposa St., Altadena 626.794.9564 pasadenawaldorf.org

New Horizon School Pasadena 651 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena 626.795.5186 newhorizonschool.org

The Waverly School 67 W. Bellevue Dr., Pasadena 626.792.5940 thewaverlyschool.org

Princeton Montessori Academy 922 E. Mendocino St., Altadena 626.794.2244 princetonmontessoriacademy.com

ayfie d ior c oo o e 405 S. Euclid Ave., Pasadena 626.796.2774 ayfield s.org

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id e

J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

S PECIAL P RO MOT IO NAL SECT IO N

PAVING THE WAY FOR WORLD-CHANGERS Academic Excellence Since 1920 vanguard.edu Orange County • Online Undergraduate • Accelerated Bachelor’s • Graduate • Nursing

ACA D E M I C E XC E L L E N C E Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School 2501 Maiden Ln., Altadena 626.798.5020 sahagmesrobschool.org

St. Francis High School of La Canada Flintridge 200 Foothill Blvd., La Canada 818.790.0325 sfhs.net

St. Elizabeth Parish School 1840 N. Lake Ave., Altadena 626.797.7727 saint-elizabeth.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN ALHAMBRA

Saint Mark’s School 1050 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena 626.798.8858 saint-marks.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN SAN MARINO St. Edmund’s Nursery School 1175 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Marino 626.792.7742 stedmundsnurseryschool.org Saints Felicitas and Perpetua School 2955 Huntington Dr., San Marino 626.796.8223 saintfelicitas.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE Crestview Preparatory School 140 Foothill Blvd., La Canada 818.952.0925 crestviewprep.org Flintridge Preparatory School 4543 Crown Ave., La Canada 818.790.1178 flintridgeprep.org Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 440 Saint Katherine Dr., La Canada 626.685.8300 fsha.org Foothill Progressive Montessori School and Academy 4526 Indianola Way, La Canada 818.952.0129 foothillprogressivemontessori.com Hogg’s Hollow Education Center 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada 818.790.1700 hoggshollowschool.com Hillside School and Learning Center 4331 Oak Grove Dr., La Canada 818.790.3044 hillsideforsuccess.org La Canada Preparatory School 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada 818.952.8099 thelearningcastle.com

First Presbyterian School 101 S. Atlantic Blvd., Alhambra 626.282.9939 fpsch.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN ARCADIA Arcadia Christian School 1900 S. Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia 626.574.8229 acslions.com Arcadia College Preparatory 145 E. Duarte Rd., Arcadia 626.576.8868 arcadiaprepschool.org Arroyo Pacific Academy 41 W. Santa Clara St., Arcadia 626.294.0661 arroyopacific.org Barnhart School 240 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia 626.446.5588 barnhartschool.org B’Nai Simcha Jewish Community Preschool 1434 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena 626.765.9831 bnaisimcha.org Holy Angels Elementary School 360 Campus Dr., Arcadia 626.447.6312 holyangelsarcadia.net

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN SIERRA MADRE Alverno Heights Academy 200 N. Michillinda Ave., Sierra Madre 626.355.3463 alvernoheightsacademy.org Bethany Christian School 93 N. Baldwin Ave., Suite B, Sierra Madre 626.355.3527 bcslions.org The Gooden School 192 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre 626.355.2410 goodenschool.org St. Rita Elementary 322 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre 626.355.6114 st-ritaschool.org

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN SOUTH PASADENA

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN SGV AND SURROUNDING Lycée International de Los Angeles - Burbank 1105 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank 818.900.1895 lilaschool.com Fusion Academy Pasadena 825 Colorado Blvd., Suite 118, Los Angeles 323.258.2012 fusionacademy.com

PRIVATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Advanced College 13180 Paramount Blvd., South Gate 562.408.6969 advancedcollege.edu Art Center College of Design 1700 Lida St., Pasadena 626.396.2200 artcenter.edu Brand College 529 Hahn Ave., Ste. 101 Glendale 818.550.0770 brandcollege.edu California Institute of Technology 1200 E. California Blvd.

Pasadena 626.395.6811 Caltec.edu Central State University of Business and Technology 9251 Garvey Ave. N South El Monte 626.715.8777 Fuller Seminary 135 N. Oakland Ave. Pasadena 626.584.5200 Los Angeles College of Music 300 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena 626.568.8850 Lacm.edu Platt College 1000 Fremont Ave., Bldg. A9W Alhambra 626.300.5444 plattcollege.edu Providence Christian College 464 E. Walnut St. Pasadena 626.696.4000 Providencecc.edu

The Learning Castle 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada 818.952.8008 thelearningcastle.com

The Early Education Program 1955 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena 323.341.7768 redesignlearning.org

Stanbridge University Alhambra Medical University 2215 W. Mission Rd., Alhambra 866.742.1130 stanbridge.edu

Advanced Education Academy 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Canada 818.952.1900 aeaschool.com

Oneonta Cooperative Nursery School 1515 Garfield Ave., South Pasadena 626.799.3105 oneontacoop.com

Vanguard University 55 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa 714.556.3610 vanguard.edu

St. Bede The Venerable School 4524 Crown Ave., La Canada 818.790.7884 stbedeschool.net

St. James’ Parish Day School 1325 Monterey Rd., South Pasadena 626.799.6906 stjamesparishdayschool.org

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S PECIAL P RO MOT IO NAL SECT IO N

ON THE MARKET

LOCAL PRO PE RTIE S WO RTH A LOO K

BUILT: 1905 LOT: 1.26 acres INTERIOR: 8,047 square

feet BEDS/BATHS: 6/6 AMENITIES:

An entertainer’s dream, the lower level features a built-in oak bar and media room with surround sound and three television screens, temperaturecontrolled wine room, and spacious guest suite with a tiled bath, walk-in dressing closet, and French doors that open to the rolling green lawn.

f

or anyone dreaming of an English countryside–inspired tranquil escape, this lower Arroyo Seco residence blends idyllic country living with the convenience and rich culture of Pasadena. A piece of Pasadena history, the Tudor Revival was designed by early 20th century American architect Frederick Louis Roehrig, whose past works include Castle Green and The Braun Music Center at Westridge School.

Originally commissioned in 1906 as a 23-room mansion, the property has been recently renovated to offer modern amenities while retaining the home’s signature charm.

Spanning 7,177 square feet of living space across three levels, the five-bedroom main

WHAT SETS IT APART:

Nestled behind a long, private, gated driveway and sited on over 1.25 acres on the bank of the lower Arroyo Seco, privacy and tranquility abound with unparalleled treetop and garden views displayed from every room.

INQUIRIES: $8.9

million; Rita Whitney, theagencyre.com

home’s architectural details include the generous use of oak and mahogany, two built-in bars, oversized fireplaces, and long, Frenchstyled windows.

The gourmet kitchen boasts plentiful custom cabinetry, imported tile and fixtures, a large island, commercial-grade appliances, and a large butler’s pantry that opens to a second outdoor kitchen, complete with a plethora of stainless appliances. An office, powder room, and bedroom suite round off the estate’s main floor.

A passenger elevator services the three floors of the residence, including the private third floor, featuring the primary suite with a fireplace, two custom-designed dressing rooms, and two marble baths. Each additional bedroom suite offers walk-in closets and views.

The parklike grounds serve as a private, peaceful retreat with manicured greenery, winding stone walkways, expansive patio and seating area, and pebble-coated saltwater pool with oversized spa, complemented by an 870-square-foot pool house with a vaulted cathedral ceiling. A four-car garage with an adjacent workshop completes the estate.

—SARA SMOLA

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SUSAN PICKERING PHOTOGRAPHY

1240 SOUTH GRAND AVENUE, PASADENA

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ON THE MARKET

LO C A L

1470 Virginia Road, San Marino BUILT: 2021 LOT: 1.15 acres INTERIOR: 8,183 square feet BEDS/BATHS: 6/7.5 AMENITIES: The basement features a state-of-the-art home theater, large gym, and wine-storage racks, while the exterior includes manicured grounds, covered outdoor kitchen, pool and spa, and terraced patio perfect for entertaining.

WHAT SETS IT APART: A new build by

Bowden Development and designed by Ilustracion by Jake, this private gated residence, set on an acre, and has been meticulously created with fine finishes, on-trend features, and thoughtful details— including polished marble flooring, tray ceilings, and built-in bookcases—that ensure the best in convenience and comfort.

INQUIRIES: $16.998 million; Ash Rizk,

ashrizk.com

4428 Woodleigh Lane, La Cañada Flintridge BUILT: 2011 LOT: 0.63 acres INTERIOR: 9,416 square feet BEDS/BATHS: 7/10 AMENITIES: A 24-foot-high ceiling with custom-designed circular skylight makes for a memorable entrance, followed by

1470 Virginia Road

a spacious office/library with built-in bookshelves, dining room, and family room with a backyard view. The gourmet kitchen features a large island, high-end appliances, and a separated, side working kitchen. A winding staircase leads to a primary suite with two walk-in closets, a bathtub and shower space, double-sink vanities, and private balcony with views of the backyard, pool, and fountain.

WHAT SETS IT APART: Located in the award-

winning La Cañada Unified School District, this one-of-a-kind estate’s custom-made doors and windows are imported from Europe. Other with highlights include a professional gym with double-sided glass walls and a theater with a projector, bar area, and full bathroom.

INQUIRIES: $7.8 million; Amy Chang, realestateamychang.com

4428 Woodleigh Lane

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1562 Glen Oaks Boulevard

1562 Glen Oaks Boulevard, Pasadena BUILT: 1992 LOT: 0.42 acres INTERIOR: 5,544 square feet BEDS/BATHS: 5/6 AMENITIES: The light-filled, multistory home features over 5,500 square feet of striking architectural details, cascading staircases, numerous patios and balconies, and a swimming pool overlooking the city.

WHAT SETS IT APART: This contemporary

castle makes a bold architectural statement in the hills above Pasadena, with stunning views of canyons and Los Angeles city lights. Ideal for entertaining on a grand scale or simply enjoying the

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INQUIRIES: $2.25 million; Tim Durkovic, thedurkovicgroup.com, Greg Holcomb, gregholcomb.com

975 West Avenue 37, Los Angeles BUILT: 1956 LOT: 8,480 square feet INTERIOR: 1,634 square feet

1562 GLEN OAKS BOULEVARD: CHRISTOPHER AMITRANO/CS8 PHOTO

BEDS/BATHS: 3/3 AMENITIES: Spacious bedrooms showcase garden views, creating a perfect retreat, complemented by a calming main bath with natural stone shower, clay walls, and large soaking tub with private picture window.

Outside, front steps (behind a private gate) lead to the pool and deck with views overlooking downtown Los Angeles. An outdoor bathroom and shower complete the outdoor entertaining space.

WHAT SETS IT APART: An exquisite

entertainment space amid the hills of Northeast Los Angeles, this mid-century modern home features ample natural light, idyllic privacy, and stunning views.

SO CAN YOU.

INQUIRIES: $1.35 million; Dave Knight and

Esther Clauson, daveknight.kw.com —S.S.

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VAC AT I O N H O M E S

Aspen Valley Ranch, Colorado

425 Aspen Valley Ranch Road, The Residences at Aspen Valley Ranch, Colorado DESTINATION: Located in Roaring Fork

Valley, 10 minutes from downtown Aspen, The Residences at Aspen Valley Ranch offers spectacular mountain homes in a gated community spanning over 800 acres.

RESIDENCE: Designed by Poss Architecture, the furnished five-bedroom, 5,602-squarefoot Aspen Mountain House features expansive sliding glass doors that create the ultimate in indoor/outdoor living with views of open pastures. Standout amenities include a horse barn with dedicated wrangler, horses and riding arena, gym/ pool house, toy garage, private chef, and in-home spa and salon services.

TO DO: A bounty of winter activities

includes electric snowmobiling, crosscountry skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding—and the property is just minutes away from some of the best ski slopes in the world.

studies, media room, and a separate chef’s kitchen and staff entrance. Additional exterior space includes an outdoor living room, kitchen, dining area, private pool and spa, outdoor shower, and multiple terraces.

TO DO: Residents will have access to a

60,000-square-foot fitness center and spa, infinity pool with cabanas, game room, 96-seat private theater and lounge, private two-story restaurant, lake clubhouse, and owners’ boating club.

INQUIRIES: $32 million;

lakeaustinprivateresidences.com

RU4 Dream #1713, Storylines MV Narrative DESTINATION: An innovative residential

community at sea, Storylines’ MV Narrative is set to sail in 2024 across six continents with

INQUIRIES: $18 million; avrresidences.com

Lakeview East Penthouse, Four Seasons Private Residences Austin, Texas DESTINATION: Debuting in 2025, Four

Seasons Private Residences Austin will be distinguished by modern architecture, panoramic hilltop views, private waterfront access, dedicated staff, and unmatched amenities—all exclusively available to owners and their friends and family.

RESIDENCE: Perched on a hilltop above Lake Austin, with sweeping views of the water and downtown, the five-bedroom, 6,872 square-foot Lakeview East Penthouse features a full-floor, floor-through design with a private lobby, wine room, two

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RU4 Dream #1713, Storylines MV Narrative

Austin, Texas

an epic, 1,000-day maiden voyage. A total of 547 fully furnished residences are available as outright purchases or 24-year leases.

RESIDENCE: This large home at sea includes a four-seat dining table, full bar with buffet, and generous lounge area. The master suite features a large walk-in wardrobe and double vanity with a full soaking tub in the bathroom.

TO DO: Owners will enjoy all-inclusive

experiences with world-class dining, cultural-enrichment programming, and state-of-the-art wellness and fitness facilities available 24 hours a day. The ship boasts 20 dining concepts and bars, a microbrewery, marina landing with personal watercraft, three pools with a sundeck, 10,000-book library, movie theater, art studio, and bowling alley.

INQUIRIES: $4.4. million; storylines.com —S.S.

ASPEN VALLEY RANCH, COLORADO: DRAPER WHITE; AUSTIN, TEXAS: BY DBOX FOR AUSTIN CAPITAL PARTNERS

ON THE MARKET

GARDENING

A PLANT FOR ALL REASONS Ellagance Purple Lavender

TIPS AND TRICKS > Consider the available space and the amount of each herb you use when selecting a container or location. > If space is limited, you’ll want high-

value plants that you might not see every day in the supermarket. Forgo the readily available parsley and cilantro.

> Aim to use herbs such as lavender

Herbs are becoming increasingly popular— from centuries-old apothecary cures to an essential ingredient in modern-day cocktails. BY L I N DA B R O O K S

JOHNNYSEEDS.COM

O

ur knowledge of herbs dates as far back as 400 BCE in literature written by herbalists about the role they played in healing.

One of the oldest herbs still used and studied today is tulsi, or holy basil.

Sometimes called the “queen of herbs,” tulsi has been used therapeutically to relieve mental and physical stress. Many of our pharmaceuticals come from nature. In the late 1890s, Bayer patented their formulation of acetylsalicylic acid using salicylic acid from willow bark and called it aspirin.

Herbs support our ecosystem by attracting birds and pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects, while reducing destructive diseases and pesky insects. Lemon-scented herbs contain citronella—lemon thyme, lemon balm, and lemongrass have been known to repel mosquitoes.

When it comes to creating a garden, herbs add beauty and visual interest with color, texture, and height and can soften

a hardscape, as well as add a pleasant aroma. Fragrant creeping thyme, for example, can be planted underfoot in walkways.

Herbs come in all shapes and sizes and can be left to grow naturally or can be hedged, shaped, and define a planting border. They pair well with perennials and are good companions for other edible plants. They do well in containers, rock gardens, and walkways, and can be planted vertically to conserve space.

Incorporate herbs using stacking pots or strawberry pots, create a garden bar to enhance outdoor entertaining, or convert a tea cart or your child’s old Radio Flyer wagon into a clever herb garden.

The companion website to the familiar PBS show This Old House (thisoldhouse. com) provides easy DIY instructions for herb gardens. And for those who don’t want to get down and dirty, there are indoor self-contained planters equipped with grow lights, watering systems, and plant pods—green thumb not required.

for garnish, as ornaments in your landscaping, and for complementing flower arrangements.

> Experiment with a few new varieties

like borage for a cucumber flavor that you can freeze in ice cubes for cocktails.

> Tuscan blue andw barbeque

rosemary have long stems that can be used as skewers for grilling.

> Consider planting one of the more

than 40 varieties of basil, from the classic green Genovese Italian basil we typically cook with to deep purple ruffles or amethyst used as garnish, or spicysweet Pluto, a small Greek basil that grows well in small or mixed containers.

> Refrigerate fresh herbs in damp paper

towels sealed in a plastic container.

> Herbs with robust leaves like

rosemary, sage, and thyme can be dried. — L . B .

Primed Rosemary

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R E A L E S TAT E

THE EXPERT AUSTIN ALLISON

I

n 2020, former Zillow executive Austin Allison co-founded Pacaso (pacaso.com), a modernized real estate platform designed to make the dream of second home ownership a reality for more people. While Allison is based in California, Pacaso currently offers properties in over 29 top destinations in the U.S. and beyond, including Malibu, Palm Springs, Napa-Sonoma, Aspen, West Palm Beach, Miami, Jackson Hole, and Marbella, Spain, with plans to expand.

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How does Pacaso help people achieve second home ownership?

> Pacaso makes it possible for people to own the second home of their dreams for one-eighth of the cost. We’ve replaced the decades-old practice of DIY co-ownership with fully managed LLC co-ownership, professional property management, and a smart scheduling system to make owning a second home more enjoyable and less expensive.

Co-ownership helps buyers increase their purchasing power and shop for

homes that would be otherwise out of their price range. It also empowers a sphere of buyers—those who may have been priced out of the market—to become second homeowners.

What is the difference between co-ownership of a Pacaso property and a timeshare?

> With Pacaso, you own a true real estate asset, not simply a block of time.

And because it’s a real estate asset, its value will move with the market—any equity realized is yours. Additional differences include that you can use your home year-round, the resale process is streamlined, and Pacaso limits the number of shares per home to eight, so you and just seven other owners, at most, will have access to the home, while a

TOP: DAVID PALERMO; RIGHT: CORY SHERWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

The co-founder and CEO shares his thoughts on how Pacaso’s secondary home co-ownership model creates accessibility for a larger demographic—and on what’s trending in 2022. BY SA R A S M O L A

GAURAV BOBBY KALRA ATTORNEY AT LAW

timeshare unit may be shared by 52 other people in a resort/condo.

Who might consider owning a second home?

> Many families aspire to own a second home, but few realize that dream. In fact, 3 out of 4 Americans with a household income over $150,000 aspire to own a second home. The largest barriers are second home purchase price and purchase justification—it’s hard to rationalize buying a whole home you’ll use less than six weeks a year or taking on the part-time job of managing your second home. To solve this, we created Pacaso to empower people to own a share, from one-eighth to one-half, of a second home and experience true real estate ownership.

What’s happening now with the secondary home market?

> Across the nation, second home rate

A Pacaso property in Santa Barbara.

Below: Austin Allison

locks increased throughout the pandemic, peaking in summer 2020 and again in spring 2021, but falling 26.6% this past summer. Despite this recent cooling of the pandemic-fueled second home surge, overall market share of second homes is still up from pre-pandemic levels and I suspect in 2022 second home sales will continue to outpace pre-pandemic levels given the permanent shifts in the way people live and work, and also where they choose to get away from it all.

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Any market trends you predict for 2022?

> I predict a new wave of second home markets in 2022. We saw double-digit price growth across the entire U.S. and intense interest in second homes in places like Boise, Idaho, and Eagle County up in the Colorado Rockies, in 2021. This widespread demand is creating a new wave of second home markets with more moderate median home prices but the same types of amenities and outdoor recreation options typical of their more famous counterparts.

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SCANDINAVIA IN

SILVER LAKE

This space—with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, two powder rooms, and ADU garage—is not your average barn-style house. The converted bungalow designed by Alexandra Becket has a modern Scandinavian aesthetic, giving an airy indoor-outdoor feel and making this home perfect for entertaining.

H O M E TO U R

W O R D S B Y R A M O N A S AV I S S

PHOTOGRAPHY BY V I R T U A L LY H E R E S T U D I O S

D

esigner Alexandra Becket started in the industry as an art student and textile designer. She soon pivoted with her boyfriend (now husband) to begin renovating homes, starting with his. “We were really happy with how it came out and it was fulfilling,” she says. This got them a running start, and they began renovating investment homes, about 20 since 2010. The latest home they rede-

signed is this modern Scandinavian barn house in Silver Lake.

Following the completion of the 20-month endeavor, they’re shifting gears and will rebrand ModOp Design into Alexandra Becket Design to focus on consulting with clients on interior design and renovation planning.

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:

H O M E TO U R Scandinavia in Silver Lake

● “If you’re standing in between, if you look one way and then the other way, it’s a mirror of each other,” Becket says of the large windows that face each other in the living room and kitchen, one opening to the backyard and the other to the outdoor deck. The 2,500-square-foot home (not including the garage) was an original bungalow with a bad layout. “So,

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we completely redid it, about a 90% new build,” she says. Inspired by the couple’s own home, the new layout features an intentional symmetry, the windows on the front of the house mirrored in the back so you can see the whole house through the large transom windows. They raised the ceilings to open up the view to the wooded hillside in the back and Silver Lake hills in

the front. Just above the garage sits a deck, making use of all the space and giving the formal living room an indoor-outdoor feel.

As for the exterior, they used a dark-green Sherwin-Williams paint, with the front door in an earthy dark-salmon color as an accent. “That was really the only color that I envisioned going well with that green,” Becket says.

● THIS SPREAD A B OV E : “It’s a really unique ceiling,” says Becket of the 15-foot-tall parasol ceiling in the living room and kitchen, where beams were left exposed. “It’s all open but it’s separated in two,” she adds of the home’s upper floor. “There’s a middle area with the stairs and powder room. On one side is the den, family room, and a formal living room, all open, then on the other side is the kitchen and dining room.” She continues the mirroring in the upper area with two Noguchi paper lanterns.

L E F T: Aside from the outside patio, the only dining area in the house is directly across from the kitchen, with a view of the backyard. “We carved out the backyard, which was a hillside before, so we excavated that area to create an outdoor space,” she says. We planted citrus trees and climbing rosemary and created an outdoor living room, which can also be seen from the indoor dining room.

O P P O S I T E : “I was intent on finding a set of copper and stainless-steel pots to hang there,” Becket says of the open kitchen lined with custom white oak cabinetry and copper accents.

The pendant lights are handmade by ceramicist Heather Levine and the sink is an antique hammered copper finish. “It’s not vintage but it’s hammered, and the faucet fixtures are Newport Brass copper,” she adds.

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:

H O M E TO U R Scandinavia in Silver Lake

L E F T: For all three bathrooms, located downstairs, as well as in the kitchen, Becket used handmade Moroccan zellige tiles. Many personal touches are also seen throughout the home.

B E LOW: “I painted the powder room mural, and it was inspired by an older textile design of mine,” she adds. “And then I included some of my own artwork—there’s a big orange painting in the entryway that I painted on fabric and another painting hanging in the primary bathroom.”

O P P O S I T E : “I love good bones, but when a home is open to a complete refresh, I would say my style is mid-century influenced because that’s my background,” says Becket. “Both my dad [Bruce Becket] and my late grandfather [Welton Becket] were mid-century commercial architects,” she says of the two men who continue to serve as design inspirations. “My own personal style is very earthy, warm, a lot of handmade details, and I’m really into vintage or handmade lighting.” She created the wallpaper used in the primary bedroom and used Farrow & Ball paint for specific spaces. “I love working with clients one on one,” she adds. “I kind of serve as an interior design therapist, guide them, and hold their hands to make the decisions easier.

The most fulfilling thing for me is to help other people with the design process.”

A L E XA N D R A B E C K E T D E S I G N , modopdesign.com

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WHEELS

SHOWING ITS RANGE

Jaguar Land Rover unveils the new generation of its most historic and luxurious sport utility vehicle. BY S H AU N TO L S O N

T

hey say you only get one chance to make a first impression. If that’s the case, Jaguar Land Rover has nailed it with the reveal of the next generation of its flagship SUV. The Range Rover’s clean-sheet design is defined by three characteristic lines that can be traced back through the previous four generations of the model’s history: a falling roofline, strong waistline, and rising sill line. Those three components produce an SUV that conveys strength and stability through angular geometry, and they distinguish the Range Rover from a slew of other luxury SUVs on the market, many of which feature sweeping, flowing curves from

2022 Range Rover SV

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nose to tail that do more to position those vehicles as broader, taller sports cars than as distinctive SUVs. “It is totally different to what the others do, and that’s deliberate,” Gerry McGovern, chief creative officer at Jaguar Land Rover, says of the new vehicle’s aesthetic. “It’s constantly evolving.

Design has become more and more sophisticated as consumers have become more sophisticated. And the world of luxury has changed, as well.”

McGovern acknowledges that the evolution of this new fifth-generation model’s design and its connection to past Range Rover vehicles is more perceptible when looking back at the model’s more recent predecessors. To compare this 2022

model, which starts at $104,000, to the Range Rover that debuted in 1970, on the other hand, is a study in polarity. Not only does the latest iteration bear little resemblance to that original design, but it’s also a vehicle that is rooted strongly in the present day—both for what it offers and also for how it’s constructed.

“Technology has improved massively,” McGovern says. “You could’ve never designed a car like this at that time [50 years ago]. Even if you could have envisioned it, you could’ve never built it like this with this level of precision.”

Built on a new flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture—an electric platform that the brand calls

MLA-Flex—the 2022 Range Rover boasts copious amounts of agility and impressive overall performance. As proof, the SUV’s twin turbo V8 engine churns out 523 horsepower and—when dynamic launch is activated—can propel the vehicle to 60 mph (from a standstill) in less than 4.5 seconds.

The model’s top-shelf variant, the Range Rover SV, which starts at $215,200, is hand-crafted and offers owners the chance to personalize it through numerous design themes, details, and a bevy of unique materials and finishes.

Those materials include innovative textiles and tactile Ultrafabrics produced via Jaguar Land Rover’s longstanding relationship with Kvadrat, a leading textile manufacturer in Europe.

“With more choice than ever before, our customers will be able to create a new Range Rover SV that truly reflects their personality, their dreams, their desires,” says Michael van der Sande, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations. “That is how we interpret modern luxury.” landroverusa.com

“Design has become more and more sophisticated as consumers have become more sophisticated.”

G E R RY M c G OV E R N Land Rover chief creative officer

ElectraMeccanica’s Solo

DRIVING SOLO

ElectraMeccanica—a Canadian electric-vehicle manufacturer—proves that good things can come in small packages.

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he idea of scooting around town on a bicycle—or e-bike or scooter—has its appeal for ease and accessibility. But not everyone wants to arrive at their destination slightly sweaty or impacted by unpleasant weather.

For those who need just a bit more but don’t want to make the leap to a full-size car, ElectraMeccanica’s new, three-wheeled electric vehicle (EV), the Solo, might be the answer.

Built on a lightweight aerospace chassis and powered by a 17.5 kWh battery and liquid-cooled motor, this revolutionary (albeit unconventional) vehicle can reach a top speed of 80 mph, which allows it to safely keep up with traffic on public roads. That being said, it’s not a car that sprints off the line. From a standstill, the Solo accelerates to 60 mph in 10 seconds; however, that’s as fast (or faster) than most smart cars.

It’s obvious that the Solo isn’t for everyone, but it was never intended to be.

When designers and engineers at ElectraMeccanica sat down to conceptualize a single-occupant commuter vehicle, they did so with compelling data in hand. They knew that 76% of the people who commute to work do so alone; that the average total commute for those people is 42 miles; that it costs twice as much to drive the same distance in a

traditional, internal combustion engine as it does in an EV; and that most cargo space in today’s passenger vehicles is underutilized.

Thus, the Solo was born. At just over 10 feet in length, the vehicle is four to five feet shorter than the most popular coupes on the road. It’s also about 10 inches narrower. With a projected electric range of 100 miles and five cubic feet of storage space, the vehicle is suited for most daily drives and shopping trips. It may not offer all the infotainment bells and whistles that so many modern vehicles do, but with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, heated seats, air conditioning, and a rearview backup camera, the Solo simplifies everyday driving, in more ways than one. From $18,500; electrameccanica.com — S .T.

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FOOD

THE INGREDIENT

FROM SWEET TO HEAT Whether you prefer it in an artisan bar or (gasp!) on a burrito, chocolate is never a bad idea.

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BY C A R O L E D I XO N

ormer Southern California coffee sales manager Haris Car had a life-changing moment in Peru.

“People there were so happy and fulfilled with less,” he says. He also stumbled upon a small artisanal chocolate factory, and that’s when he started plotting, experimenting, and designing packaging for his new Pasadena chocolate shop, Car Artisan Chocolate on Colorado Blvd., where he specializes in bean-to-bar confections (carartisanchocolate.com).

The shop has an atmosphere of a corner coffee shop where you want to hang out all day on your laptop with a cup of drinking chocolate (the original way chocolate was served), while the chocolate bars are created on site in the open-air kitchen. The process of roasting coffee beans and cacao is similar. “You use the same drum roaster for both,” says Car, “but you crush cocoa nibs that turn into chocolate.”

Car sources high-quality cacao beans from remote regions around the world where farmers take care of their workers and pay higher wages. Unlike most commercial bars, Car’s are not mostly milk and sugar, and he uses beans that aren’t bitter. “You are creating a profile and need to develop fruit sugars in the 74 PA S A D E N A

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roast, so the chocolate is not too acidic or has a bitter aftertaste,” he says.

The best-selling bars are lavender (with 60% dark milk,) Tanzania, Mexico, Peru, and Nicaragua. And, since cacao beans are technically a fruit, and there are reported health benefits from antioxidants when a high percentage (about 70%) is used in single-origin dark chocolate, you don’t need to feel too guilty—plus, the bars make perfect Valentine’s gifts.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the world of chocolate, take a class from chocolate expert Ruth Kennison of The Chocolate Project (who consulted on Car’s shop) and allow her to lead you through a private or group tasting with unique and exotic finds from Brazil to Vietnam (chocolate-project.com).

For a more traditional box of chocolates, Mignon, in Pasadena and Glendale, carries a best-selling dark chocolate shell filled with dark chocolate ganache as well as ginger with lime sea salt and chili pepper chocolate confections (mignonchocolate.com). For something exotic, at Royce Chocolate in Arcadia you can find white-chocolate-dipped potato chips infused with fromage blanc cheese that pair well with a bottle of Merlot (roycechocolate.com).

Mole, a beloved confection and a key ingredient in some centuries-old Mexican dishes, uses chocolate as the base of the sauce.

Mijares is the oldest Mexican restaurant in Pasadena, going back 101 years. The eponymous family carries on their grandmother’s traditional poblano mole recipe that uses two kinds of chiles, Mexican chocolate, nuts, and bananas—and takes a whole day to prepare.

Currently, chef Antonio Campos, who has worked there an impressive 35 years, infuses a bit of his Zacatecas, Mexico, hometown spin on the dish served over shredded chicken breast.

It’s a perfectly balanced rendition that will leave you craving a return visit to the ample patio dining area.

Just be warned: It’s not on the menu and only made on special occasions or by request in advance (mijaresrestaurant.com).

Other standout mole includes Oaxacan restaurant Guelaguetza in Koreatown, famous for its family recipe using over 25 ingredients (ilovemole.com). Moles la Tía in East L.A. features 16 types of mole, including mango, tamarind, hibiscus flower, and pistachio. La Casita Mexicana in Bell serves entomatadas, similar to enchiladas, smothered in mole, cotija cheese, and red onions (casitamex.com).

At CaCao Mexicatessen in Eagle Rock, you can add mole poblano to chicken street tacos or chicken burrito (cacaodeli.com). There is even a mole cheeseburger and mole fries, and a Mission fig mole over a chicken thigh.

Guelaguetza Mole Tamales

TOP: AMIRALI MIRHASHEMIAN/UNSPLASH; BELOW: GOLDBELLY.COM

MOLE MASTERS

FOOD

TRENDS

THE PARTY ISN’T OVER From nonalcoholic tipples to tea, avoiding alcohol doesn’t need to feel like a New Year’s resolution deprivation with these three fantastic spots.

Here’s where to celebrate dry January. BY C A R O L E D I XO N

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aybe it’s a backlash to pandemic binge drinking, but avoiding alcohol is de rigueur as we ring in 2022. Experiential designer and art major Jillian Barkley, owner of Soft Spirits in Echo Park, decided to take it a step further and open the first nonalcoholic bottle shop in L.A. (softspirits.club). “I stopped drinking about three years ago and had a personal vested interest,” she says. “I decided if it’s something that doesn’t exist maybe I could create it.”

Soft Spirits carries about 40 brands— many are local, and you can even sit down at a cozy bar and discuss them with Barkley. “I was really impressed with the options,” she says. One of them is the striking cut-glass decanters holding local brand Optimist Botanicals (optimistdrinks.com). “It’s full of flavor and has an interesting expression. It’s in its own category and a completely new way to think about drinking.”

“This isn’t a temporary thing, it’s The Optimist Botanicals

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Genever’s Earth Crosser

the beginning of a meaningful cultural shift to more mindful consumption,” says Lisa Farr Johnstone, co-founder of Optimist Botanicals. “This is also a nod to the trending consumption method known as ‘zebra striping.’ It’s becoming acceptable not to drink, or to have that first gin then switch to something that won’t ruin your chances of getting up early to work out.”

Three Spirits is a plant-based alternative that gives you the buzz without the

booze (threespiritdrinks.com). “It comes in three functional beverages with properties that are mood enhancing, from soothing to stimulating, while not becoming intoxicated and with no side effects,” says Barkley. Look for Saturday sidewalk samplings at Soft Spirits if you’re interested in trying out a few brands.

If you’d like a bit more zing, Brighter Tonic is a new sparkling beverage by Pasadena native Elizabeth Varnell that combines apple cider vinegar with lemon-lime, blood orange, and lemon-ginger and is available at Erewhon, Whole Foods, and Bristol Farms (brightertonic.com).

As the name suggests, Genever in Historic Filipinotown focuses on gin-based, vintage-style libations in a special occasion speakeasy atmosphere (geneverla. com). But the company, owned by three Filipino American women, makes many zero-proof versions of its complex cocktails that hearken back to Prohibition.

The fall-winter menu features the Happy Happy, Joy Joy, where Ming River gin is swapped out for Amass Riverine alcohol-free spirit and finished with passion fruit, National Bitters, and citrus. The Earth Crosser uses cold-brew coffee rather than tequila or Galliano, and is topped with coconut cream, egg, and mole bitters.

For an interesting pit stop to savor a cup of caffeine that looks more like a MOCA exhibit, Steep in Chinatown features Japanese tea—from green oolong to Old Tree black—that you can order by the artisan ceramic pot for up to four people. Add pastries or Soymilk Cold Noodles and make it an afternoon meal.

Art of Tea, which can be found at The Huntington, is debuting a Matcha Cocoa in January 2022 that you can sip while you stroll through the grounds.

Fanny’s at the Academy Museum

MUSEUM DINING HAS ARRIVED World-renowned chefs are opening new spots in world-class museums and cultural institutions across town. BY C A R O L E D I XO N

FANNY’S: WONHO FRANK LEE

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t’s a wonderful L.A. pursuit to view art from Rembrandt to Rauschenberg and even Dorothy’s iconic ruby red slippers, but you might need a Michelin-level meal after all that culture and contemplation.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino was ahead of the curve, currently undergoing a $7.5 million renovation that will expand the historic Rose Garden Tea Room (huntington.org). Set to be completed in 2022, it will include a new pavilion and outdoor patio amid the Shakespeare Garden. The institution also recently hosted a pop-up with acclaimed chef David Chang and American Express Platinum on the mansion grounds to keep patrons satiated.

Fanny’s In the Miracle Mile, the Drago Bros.

Hamachi Crudo have been serving their Italian family recipes at the Petersen Automotive Museum for the past five years and Ray’s and Stark Bar (operated by Patina Restaurant Group) remains across the street at LACMA, but the Academy Museum next door has opened Fanny’s with chef Raphael Francois (Tesse in West Hollywood and Le Cirque in New York) at the helm (academymuseum.org).

The partnership was slowly hatched with restaurateur Bill Chait (who opened Otium adjacent to The Broad) and Carl Schuster (former Wolfgang Puck catering president) after joining forces for Eli Broad’s 80th birthday at Sony Studios in 2013.

For this dream team, it was important to build a Hollywood restaurant that evokes a feeling of a special occasion, as though you’ve stepped into another era. Think the Brown

Derby, Chasen’s, and The Bistro Garden. “The big reveal when you walked in was a large part of what made those restaurants so amazing,” says Chait. Translating that to the modern world meant that it had to be chef driven as well. Chef Francois had worked at Michelin-star restaurants but was interested in crafting more approachable food. “He had the stature but also the flexibility and breadth of menu,” Chait says.

The layered rollout menu will include seafood from a woodburning grill, côte de boeuf, tableside-prepared Dover sole, and flambe crêpe suzette. A partnership with Wolfgang Puck Catering will serve larger-scale museum events.

Cocktails by Julian Cox also have retro representation and are named after film characters, and art by cartoonist Konstantin Kakanias gracing the Commune-designed interiors.

In the former Patina space occupied by acclaimed chef Joachim Splichal, chef Ray Garcia has taken over the kitchen at Walt Disney Concert Hall with operating partner Levy.

Over at UCLA’s Hammer Museum in Westwood, iconic food activist Alice Waters has opened her first L.A. restaurant, Lulu, along with chef and writer David Tanis (Chez Panisse in Berkeley) and Hammer Director Ann Philbin (hammer.ucla. edu). The courtyard eatery advocates for school-supported agriculture; former First Lady Michelle Obama has already been a guest for the rotating three-course prix fixe menu. You can also view an iconic Jorge Pardo mosaic wall while eating off plates and bowls made by ceramicist Shoshi Watanabe.

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Flamingo Resort

BEYOND PASADENA These quick-hop destinations combine food and fitness for a fun-filledromantic weekend.

BY C A R O L E D I XO N

Close to Home Driving through the front gates of The Langham Huntington (langhamhotels. com) already feels like an occasion, but you are only 10 minutes from the bustle of Old Pasadena shopping. Whether you plan to visit for a weekend or just a day, the Chuan Spa is a great place to reboot.

For well-being and relaxation, book the Chuan Balancing massage or the Calamigos Ranch and Beach Club

Chuan Harmony, designed to stimulate meridian harmony with acupressure and various relaxation massage techniques, inducing a deep sense of calm. > PRO TIP: Add hot stones, CBD oil, or aromatherapy for an enhanced experience.

Since early 2020, the hotel has had a major refresh. All public corridors on the main level were replaced with

white marble imported from Portugal and Spain to enhance the classic beauty of the property. Renovations also took place in all the dining outlets from the Lobby Lounge to The Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse and the Tap Room. Stop for lunch at The Hideaway and order the Winter Market Greens Salad, a gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free option.

The Terrace is open for breakfast and dinner with good vegan/vegetarian options, from a Greek Yogurt Bowl to Vegan Meatloaf with garlic jasmine rice and root vegetables.

If you decide to make a night or weekend of it, suite options for couples include the Huntington Suite for the views, Ford Cottage for a more private getaway, or, for a true splurge, the Tournament of Roses Suite, which offers vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains on one side and the Horseshoe Garden and San Marino on the other.

Malibu Mountain Retreat Tucked away in the mountains of Malibu Canyon, Calamigos Ranch and Beach Club (calamigos.com) is somewhat of a local secret. Known for wedding receptions on the grounds, it also houses a rustic-chic hotel, spa, and multiple restaurants. The better-known Malibu Café is where you’ll find one of the best 78 PA S A D E N A

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black Tuscan kale Caesar salads in California. For something a little fancier, head to The Ranch Club for the wildcaught Barramundi with baby root veggies and tomato broth. > PRO TIP: For a romantic retreat, book one of the double bungalows, with a deep soaking tub on a patio that is surrounded by nature. You’re also near a hiking trail on the grounds if you want to venture out.

During the day you can also enjoy yoga on the lawn or visit the spa for a treatment—including a massage among the Malibu vineyards. The property can also whisk guests down to its Beach Club for sunbathing or paddleboarding, and be sure to check out the graband-go menu of snacks, sandwiches, and salads for a picnic by the shore.

beloved dining concepts from L.A., including Wally’s, Craig’s vegan ice cream, Mulberry Street Pizza, and chef Ray Garcia’s ¡Viva!—and you can shop at Fred Segal to boot.

The hotel recently added plane-charter services as part of its new Boeing 787-8 private transportation fleet, opening up new opportunities for large groups to travel together nonstop to Sin City.

Options include a Bombardier Express XRS jet designed to comfortably accommodate 12 guests.

suites spread out over 10 acres. There is also a 20,000-square-foot, full-service health club, spa, and fitness center. Private poolside cabanas and tennis and pickleball courts are just a few of the outdoor offerings. Book outdoor yoga classes with sound baths for your next special occasion. > PRO TIP: Sunday through Thursday, 4–6 p.m., is Golden Hour, with delicious Mediterranean bites and drink specials from the signature Lazeaway Club.

When it’s time to venture out, plan a

Vegas, Baby, Vegas Las Vegas might not be the first place that comes to mind for a wellness escape, but Resorts World Las Vegas (rwlasvegas.com) has a spa that is a wellness haven, with rituals from around the globe.

Awana Spa offers the first and only Art of Aufguss treatment in the U.S. This experience features a theater-inspired heated room with aromatherapy, choreographed music, lighting, and even dancing towels. It might sound bizarre, but this avant-garde, social experience is meant to relax, invigorate, and inspire playfulness as each sauna meister curates a 30-minute themed program.

If six vitality pools are more your speed, try the Fountain of Youth, which also houses a heated crystal laconium room, tepidarium chairs, and the experiential Rain Walk. LED screens transport guests to various picturesque destinations. You can book a “passport” for a two-hour exploration. > PRO TIP: If traveling with a group, look into the Foot Spa Lounge, which can be reserved for up to 20 people.

The therapies concentrate on specific ailments, such as jet lag, sleep health, and muscle recovery.

The property has some of the most

The Langham Huntington: The Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse

The Langham Huntington: Chuan Spa VIP Suite

Resorts World Las Vegas: Awana Spa

Drink Wine in Santa Rosa Speaking of easy flights, you can go direct from Burbank airport and, in less than an hour, land in the northern Bay Area at the quaint Charles Schultz Airport in Santa Rosa. From there, it’s a short, 13-mile drive to the newly refurbished, mid-century Flamingo Resort (flamingoresort.com).

Located close to downtown, the hotel has been a cornerstone of the community for 60 years and features 170 rooms and 14 spacious poolside

visit to The Barlow outdoor artisan marketplace in Sebastopol. This is a great option if you don’t feel like traipsing to a bunch of different wineries. Region, a one-stop tasting room, showcases the best wines from 14 appellations— by the taste, glass, or bottle with more than 50 options. Opt for a full-service tasting experience from winemakers or the self-serve wine station. Or head to newly opened Abbot’s Passage Winery and Mercantile in Glen Ellen for shopping and lunch amid the vines.

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L AST LOOK

Chablé Hotels’ Maroma property. Below: Celebrity hair stylist Billy Yamaguchi.

NEW YEAR, ( RE ) NEW YOU Experiences to revitalize your well-being in 2022.

BY SA R A S M O L A

Sacred Soulmates Retreat

Yoga with Shayna Hiller

Feng Shui Style

Plant-Powered Beauty Aromatherapy

January 9–11, February 6–8, March 6–8 Join celebrity hairstylist Billy Yamaguchi (clients include Jennifer Aniston and Kate Moss) for an insightful styling session at the Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas.

Yamaguchi integrates feng shui into modern beauty techniques, using the five elements— fire, earth, metal, water, and wood—to help form an idea of the person’s personality type and lifestyle and find the best look for them. From $460; lakeaustin.com

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February 1–15 Perfect your downward-facing dog in the Mexican Pacific at Careyes, host to a rotating selection of international yoga teachers who share their unique approaches and knowledge of yoga. This winter, Alo Yoga ambassador Shayna Hiller will lead Vinyasa yoga, chakra healing dance sessions, and divine feminine-embodiment talks. $16/per class; careyes.com

Journey to Peace Retreat

January 31–February 4 At Turks and Caicos’ Amanyara, renowned Buddhist spiritual master and scholar Geshe YongDong will guide guests on a journey to spiritual enrichment and lasting inner tranquility. Over five days, guests learn skills such as breath control and Tsa Lung exercises to help find peace in everyday life. From $3,451/night; aman.com

Week, March 20–24 Certified aromatherapist Amy Galper will share how to improve skin and wellness using plant-based products at Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, just north of San Diego. Each day, Galper will host a different cleanbeauty-themed class such as reviewing product labels, customizing clean swaps of current products, and the best plant-based and botanical ingredients for skin care. From $5,050/three-night stay; cal-a-vie.com

TOP: KENNY VIESE; INSET: AUSTIN SPA RESORT

Now–March 31 Hit the reset button on your relationship to unite and connect on a deeper level with your partner. Chablé Hotels’ Yucatán and Maroma properties offer sacred healing rituals rooted in Mayan healing traditions that focus on renewing emotions, allowing couples to engage in open dialogue and create a more profound bond. From $815/ night at Chablé Yucatán and $670/night at Chablé Maroma; chablehotels.com

We’re Ready.

Are You?

Discover how Hillcrest can set in motion a renewed mind and spirit with new relationships and possibilities while living in beautiful surroundings.

Whether in person or virtually, visit Hillcrest today.

At Hillcrest you will find diverse living arrangements, set in the beautiful tree-lined streets of La Verne, California.

We’re ready!

Find us on 2705 Mountain View Drive, La Verne, CA 91750-4313 www.livingathillcrest.org

(909) 392-4111

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