Los Angeles Downtown News 03-22-21

‘THE LAND OF WE’ March 22, 2021 I VOL. 50 I #12

Artist shares hope, harmony on LA billboards

Boxing in Self-Defense Class benefits women’s shelter Page 4

Nick + Stef’s

Steakhouse opens its patio Page 8

THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN LA SINCE 1972

DT

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

2 DOWNTOWN NEWS

Covered California will help OPINION

MARCH 22, 2021

OPINION

Assessing Andrew Cuomo: Total jerks hiding in plain sight

By Ellen Snortland ad died in 1998. I’ll never forget the man who came up to me at the funeral and said, “I am a janitor at Prairie States Life. I’m here because your dad always had a kind word for me and knew my name. Yes, he was the president and a big shot, but I never felt like a poor man around him.” Compare and contrast with the A-Hole of Albany. I’m guessing that the janitorial staff working the Capitol of New York won’t show up at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s funeral.

Not that anything other than his reputation is dying — or, more appropriately, being unearthed — in the past few weeks. However, it looks like his public legacy is now damaged beyond repair.

The more revealed via eyewitness accounts about behind-the-scenes Andrew Cuomo, the more offensive he becomes.

And he’s an equal-opportunity offender to females and males alike: yelling, screaming, belittling, threatening, retaliating. In other words, a colossal expletive that rhymes with “sickhead.”

Behaving this way is not a crime, nor is it a tort. A short review of a “tort”: Neither a dessert nor a sandwich, a tort is behavior or negligence that creates measurable damage. If being a total jerk was a capital offense, it could be argued that we could have a new and effective means of creating a more civilized society. Alas, there are both good and bad a-holes, and they are not all men. Interestingly, it does seem to be a male-dominated field, although I suspect the cultural dictates for women to always be “nice” will keep them in the “A-hole Closet” a bit longer. Unless, of course, they are given full rein to manifest their foulness, as several women around powerful men are some-

D

times granted. All dominating groups have collaborators in the victimized group — all of them.

The crazy-making part is acknowledging the long line of jerks who have gotten into positions of power and continue to do so.

It would seem that we sometimes make it a necessary condition for leadership in our society. Could it be that we reward appalling behavior with money, influence and power?

I am mature enough to realize that we need nuance more than we need simple solutions, as there are many gray areas.

What’s not gray is that bad governance is more straightforward to prove than gross gender behavior. For example, the intentional underreporting of the number of dead individuals in a pandemic, rather than a “he said, she said” situation. When considering Cuomo, what stings for me is the incidents involving former Sen. Al Franken. He invited and welcomed — then begged for — an investigation yet never got one. Cuomo also asked for an independent investigation and is about to get one: an impeachment investigation, with law enforcement fully cooperating. I still cringe when I think of the intellect and wit we wasted by ousting Franken, thereby attempting to “prove” Democratic integrity. Censure the guy if you have to; don’t get rid of him “on principle.”

But wait! Is this yet another “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” situation? Case in point. As a journalist and actor, sexism and ageism dictated that I be turned out to pasture after 35. I could actually see producers who had found me attractive in my late 20s and early 30s turn off as I walked in for an audition. In my mid-30s, I was pushing the “breedability quotient” boundary.

And when women’s power is dependent

Los Angeles Downtown News PO Box 1349 South Pasadena, CA 91031

S I N C E 19 7 2 facebook: L.A. Downtown News

twitter: DowntownNews

instagram: @ladowntownnews

on their BQ, the dominant white male cis culture turns away. They remove the women who don’t fit anymore to make room for the new batch of Hot Gals.

And do women exploit that? You bet they do, and as much as it irks me, I don’t blame them. People use whatever clout they have, because their attractiveness to the men in power is their Golden Ticket.

The irony is this: The best and only time female-identified women can impact ageism is when they are not old. Yep. If women don’t address ageism when they are young, their capital and influence go steadily down as they get older. Ugh. Just try combating ageism when you’re old when people don’t even know they’ve stopped listening to you. It’s fun to watch!

Not. All this begs the question: What do we do with the a-holes? Part of their despicable nature is to insist on being right and staying put — to hibernate until the controversy blows over.

So, what do we do? Reintroduce the Scarlet Letter for men’s foreheads who have been “outed”? Put them in stocks and pillories? Sounds better than what we do now: give them platforms and accolades.

I know many people thought my dad was a pushover and that he wasn’t ambitious or greedy enough. Well, maybe. But he made his janitor cry when he passed away, and that is a legacy I am proud to have.

Ellen Snortland is a columnist and writing coach. Reach her at ellen@authorbitebybite. com.

Hey you! Speak up!

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Andres De Ocampo, Julia Shapero CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sara Edwards, Kamala Kirk Downtown News wants to hear from people in the community. If you ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres like or dislike a story, let Luis us Chavez know, or weigh in on something you feel is STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Myriam Santos important to the community.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski STAFF WRITER: Olivia Dow CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Andrew Checchia, Frier McCollister, Christopher Nyerges, Bridgette M. Redman, Ellen Snortland STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Luis Chavez ART DIRECTORS: Arman Olivares, Stephanie Torres ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Michael Lamb FOUNDER EMERITUS: Sue Laris

1620 W. FOUNTAINHEAD PARKWAY, SUITE 219 TEMPE, ARIZONA 85282 PRESIDENT: Steve T. Strickbine VICE PRESIDENT: Michael Hiatt

©2021 Times Media Group. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Times Media Group. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed bi-weekly throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Downtown News has been adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation in Court Judgement No. C362899. One copy per person.

MARCH 22, 2021

DOWNTOWN NEWS 3

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Welcome to the Wild World of Online Dating!

A “tough love” book that gives empowered females the tools to quickly screen out the wrong guys…and pave the way for the right guys. Here’s your personal online “dating mentor” to help navigate this crazy process. Read the incredible stories from Katie’s adventures with scamsters and schemers, filled with tips and tactics to move Mr. Wrong

WELCOME TO THE WILD WORLD OF ONLINE DATING! …thinking about dipping that toe into the online dating pool? …need an online “dating detox?” …want to filter out the men who waste your precious time?

HE SAID WHAT?!

Secrets to Navigating Online Dating

A

t last, a “tough love” book that gives empowered women the tools to quickly screen out the wrong guys…and pave the way for the right guys.

Here’s your personal online “dating mentor” to navigate this crazy process. Read the incredible stories from Katie’s adventures with scamsters and schemers, filled with tips and tactics to move Mr. Wrong out of your orbit quickly.

Learn what it means to be cushioned, submarined, stashed, breadcrumbed, orbited, zombied or kittenfished, and identify the red flags when smitten by that cute guy who attempts to manipulate your emotions and trust!

There are marvelous men out there; this book streamlines the search to help find the one for you. You only need one... so let's get started! $14.99 ISBN 978-1-7355561-0-9

TIPS TO FILTER OUT THE MIXED SIGNALS, SCAMSTERS AND SCHEMERS TO FIND MR. RIGHT.

51499>

9 781735 556109

out of your orbit quickly. Learn what it means to be cushioned, submarined, stashed, breadcrumbed, orbited, zombied or kittenfished. This book will empower women to quickly recognize and purge those men who are looking for money, a hook-up, a green-card or something other than love. Here’s to independent women pursuing their love dreams and clearing the field for a fantastic man and relationship they so richly deserve!

On Amazon for purchase

DT

4 DOWNTOWN NEWS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

MARCH 22, 2021

Covered NEWS California will help

The Women’s Self-Defense Boxing Class hosted by Sanabul and accomplished Rumble Boxing instructor Courtney Watts will be socially distanced at Hotel Figueroa’s outdoor Terrazza space.

Photo courtesy of Courtney Watts

Self-defense class benefits women’s shelter

By Olivia Dow he Hotel Figueroa is celebrating Women’s History Month with a boxing and self-defense class for DTLA women.

The class is from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, on the hotel’s rooftop Terrazza space. Women’s Self-Defense Boxing Class is hosted by Sanabul and accomplished Rumble Boxing instructor Courtney Watts.

“I think there’s such an important mind-body connection. When you feel your body feels strong, your mind is strong as well,” said Connie Wang, the hotel’s managing director. “And I’m just really excited about brining that to our Downtown LA community, just going into 2021 and having that positive attitude for the future.”

The hotel wants to engage the supportive Downtown and encourage residents to take the class.

The class will teach self-defense skills in a cardio-style workout, while all proceeds go toward the Downtown Women’s Center, which provide services for homeless women, youth and victims of abuse.

“The Downtown Women’s Center has been a longtime partner of the hotel for many years,” Wang said.

“This year, more than ever, it’s very important, I think, for all of us to help homeless women in need. They’ve been disproportionately impacted by all the effects of the pandemic, and our donations and our support is more important than ever.”

Wang said the hotel is looking forward to having guests in the building again — for the event and the program.

“We’re really looking forward to starting off 2021 with some rejuvenation and certainly a focus on health and wellness,” Wang said. “And just boxing, the self-defense boxing class, really I think fit in well with that. Sanabul is also great. We’re

T

really excited to partner with them on this class.”

Every person who registers for the event will receive a pair of Sanabul boxing gloves to keep.

Watts, a Rumble Boxing instructor, is looking forward to teaching the class at the Hotel Figuroa.

“I’m really excited for this event, obviously highlighting Women’s History Month, and I think overseeing the whole message behind celebrating and empowering women,” Watts said.

“I think just boxing in general really parallels with that, too. Women in the local area together can have a good time and learn some self-defense tactics while moving our bodies and having a good time.”

Sweet and sassy is how Watts describes her teaching style, she said, especially for the Hotel Figueroa class. She wants to motivate and empower the women who participate.

“I hope people walk out of my class feeling confident and empowered. Boxing definitely builds your confidence in yourself and abilities. The self-defense boxing helps you build that confidence in your physical and mental health and strength,” Watts said.

“I think confidence is probably a really big takeaway from class and good cardio.”

The Hotel Figueroa has deep roots in women’s history. It was the first hotel in LA to be built for women by women in partnership with the YWCA. Wang said they wanted to honor the roots of the hotel with a series of events for Women’s History Month.

“The hotel opened in 1926 as really one of the first places where single, women, business travelers could check into a hotel without a chaperone,” Wang said. “And at the time it has very progressive roots from back in the beginning, and so we wanted to make sure that we continue to bring the history and the legacy of the hotel to life in the modern day.”

The hotel has remained open through the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a place for essential workers to stay and even a workspace for people, Wang said.

“It’s been obviously a tough year for everybody, and over the last many, many months we’ve kept the hotel open, as it always has been kind of a safe haven for those in the community; and throughout the pandemic we were open to first responders and are really excited about bringing our guests back to the hotel,” Wang said.

The class costs $40. Register is through eventbrite.com.

California Hospital gives $159K to 3 nonprofits

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski ignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center recently granted $159,000 to three nonprofit organizations that are making a difference for the local underserved communities by addressing homelessness, mental health and domestic abuse.

The first recipient, the Salvation Army California South Division, received the grant to support the Zahn Memorial Center & Lily’s Place for Homeless Families, which provides assistance in locating and securing permanent housing solutions.

The second recipient, the Downtown Women’s Center, was awarded the grant for its Mental and Physical Health Support, which aims to help women with histories of homelessness in Los Angeles. The final recipient, Amanecer Community Counseling Services, will utilize its grant to provide healing for domestic abuse victims to create a healthier, more self-sufficient community.

“Through our annual Community Health Grant Program, we are better able to partner with organizations that help meet the critical needs of our community,” said Alina Moran, CHMC’s hospital president.

“This year’s decision for our community grant partners was harder than ever, as Dignity Health realizes how many meaningful organizations are struggling through the pandemic, especially in hard-hit DTLA. We are grateful to be partnering with Salvation Army, Downtown Women’s Center and Amanecer Services to support the work around homelessness, mental health and domestic abuse.”

Since 1991, Dignity Health has awarded $80 million to 3,600 community-based health improvement projects through its Community Grants Program.

D

MARCH 22, 2021

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN NEWS 5

DCBID launches virtual tour program

By Andrew Checchia s Downtown’s real estate leaders work through a pandemic that’s forced them online, community, business and technology experts at the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) launched a platform for virtual development tours.

This online program — which features 360-degree high-definition panoramic photography, drone footages, architectural renderings and in-depth data — offers a replacement for the DCBID’s quarterly development tours.

“Tours have always been a big deal for us. It’s kind of a core thing,” said Nick Griffin, DCBID’s executive director.

“We realized we’re not going to be putting 50 people on a bus anytime soon.

At first, it was really done as a response to the crisis, (but) almost immediately, we saw that in that challenge was a huge opportunity. It was an opportunity to create an innovative platform.”

Griffin helped model the program after DCBID’s tours, which, pre-COVID-19, would bring interested developers to the most important projects around Downtown.

It gave developers a chance to connect with a space so they could understand the context of the neighborhood — like its proximity to offices, grocery stores and performance venues or just the actual look and feel of the block. These tours were conducted around the release of the DCBID’s Quarterly Market Reports.

“The investors want the numbers, but they can get the numbers from our market report. What they really want is that context,” Griffin said. “They want to understand beyond the numbers. They want to get a feeling for, ‘Well, what’s on that block?’”

The virtual platform features four development sites: Second and Grand, First and Broadway, Pershing Square, and Eighth and Figueroa. Each of these locations has multiple development projects that can be explored by pictures, narrative, data and renderings. They provide a view into the future of Downtown’s high-profile projects.

“Version 1.0 was based on the development tour. The next version will add existing residential, office, retail and hospitality,” said Griffin about the platform’s future. “It adds all of the existing properties. When we have all of those in there, we can do a residential housing tour. That will be targeted to prospective residents.”

Right now, the website also has plans to expand its tour offerings to residential, office and retail spaces. The DCBID also helped set up in-person residential tours, so these will replace and enhance the previous showings for potential new tenants. With the residential tours in particular, DCBID plans to link its platform with the robust virtual tours already offered by apartment buildings, providing a kind of “door-to-door” tour platform for anyone looking to live Downtown.

Once expanded, the platform will catalogue properties all over the Downtown Core, making it an exciting new resource where the potential residents, investors, developers or anyone interested can access data once limited to those dense industry reports. With the visual aid, it lets the public intuitively engage with the most impactful projects shaping Downtown’s future.

“It’ll be all the significant properties, all the significant office, residential, hotel, retail properties. We already have all of that in our database,” Griffin said.

A

And according to Griffin and the DCBID, that future looks bright. Griffin sees the bounce back of Downtown’s economy once pandemic restrictions loosen as a potential renaissance for the neighborhood, similar in scale to the robust period of dynamic innovation in New York’s urban cores post-9/11.

“There’s been a lot of negative narrative about the future of cities and dense urban centers. I don’t subscribe to that. I think the economy is going to boom coming out of this,” Griffin said.

“The reason that New York was able to recover from (9/11) so successfully is because they tapped into the great assets they have, the creative assets, the arts and culture, the engaged civic community they had. These are all things that Downtown has in spades.”

With Griffin’s firm optimistic and the burgeoning possibilities of a vaccinated world, Downtown looks ready to get back onto its path of rapid growth. While obviously impacted by the difficulties of isolation and lockdown, the 80,000 residents and thousands more workers in LA’s urban core helped buoy the struggling local businesses. Now the neighborhood and the DCBID are looking ahead to bringing everyone forward safely and successfully into a post-pandemic world.

“All of the stuff that Downtown has to offer are the things that people have so desperately missed for a year,” said Griffin on the future. “I actually think that they’re going to come flooding back into Downtown, that we’re going to see a whole new renaissance of the city, because it’s what people want. I think we’re going to see really exciting growth as the spring opens up.”

Info: downtownla.com/virtual-tour

6 DOWNTOWN NEWS

DT

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

MARCH 22, 2021

Covered California will help BUSINESS

Julio Toruno doesn’t like to talk while he’s sharpening knives. He prefers to concentrate.

Photo by Christopher Nyerges

Julio Toruno keeps a sharp eye on knives

By Christopher Nyerges ulio Toruno is intimately involved with knives every day. But he’s not a survivalist, a knife collector, nor a cutlery dealer. Toruno is a quiet man who’s found his peace through the art of knife sharpening.

He’s a peripatetic knife sharpener; “have stone, will sharpen” seems to be his motto.

“I got started with knife sharpening because of my background in cooking,” he explained. “I worked as a prep cook and as a cook at a private school. I knew that a sharp knife was a necessity in getting the job done. Most of the methods I utilize come from the long Japanese tradition of knife making and sharpening.”

He adds that his father had a wood shop in Nicaragua where he made chairs,

J

furniture and anything wood that the customer wanted. “I saw that my father had to have sharp knives and tools to get the job done,” Toruno recalled.

For the last five years, Toruno has been a peripatetic knife sharpener, driving to various locations where he sets up shop and does his trade. Until the pandemic hit, he was a regular fixture at the Altadena and Highland Park Farmers Market as well as other venues.

At a recent local venue, two men were quietly watching Toruno do his thing.

Toruno was quiet and focused with a large kitchen knife. When he stopped, he looked up and stated he was counting his strokes. His concentration was completely on each stroke of the knife on his wet stone. He evenly stroked the knife back and forth, and occasionally he put water onto the stone.

After he wiped the knife clean and set it to the side, Toruno said, “I made this system where the sharpening stones are mounted in this vice, atop this large stainless steel rectangular pan filled with water. This makes a very neat system, especially for me on the go, so that the water that I continually add to the stone drips right into the pan.”

Toruno explained his sharpening procedure.

“First, I mount the coarsest wet stone onto my vice, which has a grit of 120 — the smaller the number, the coarser the grit of the stone,” he explained with a smile.

“I examine the knife to see how many strokes it needs and to see if there are any particularly bad spots on the knife,” he explained. “OK, so I have five stages of sharpening. I first lay the knife onto the wet stone, matching the angle the cutting edge to the stone. I then give it about 70 even strokes. The number of strokes changes as I move from stone to stone and depending on the knife. The further along the process, I use less strokes, but on average it’s about 160 strokes total per side, from the coarse to the fine stone.”

Toruno looked carefully at the knife he’d just sharpened, and then, holding a single sheet of paper in his other hand, he sliced through a piece of glossy paper like it was butter.

“Ah,” Toruno said. “That’s what I like to see.

“I apply pressure in the forward and backward motion, just like Japanese knife sharpeners do.”

He used to apply pressure in only one direction but found that the Japanese way is more efficient. He doesn’t concern himself with the degree of angle of the knife, per se; he simply matches the knife to the stone and does his work.

“I look at the knife and I sharpen it based on how it was made,” Toruno said. “I simply lay the cutting edge onto my stone and sharpen it based on however it was manufactured in the first place.”

He pointed out that, in some circumstances, he might make some variation to this rule if the knife edge was damaged or if a slightly different angle would improve the knife. “I have to evaluate each knife individually.”

He explained that during his 70 or so strokes per stone, he works the blade section by section, and he makes a point to be certain to sharpen the upper part of the knife, because that can sometimes be missed.

“That’s why I don’t talk when I work,” Toruno said.

“I don’t know about the other systems of knife sharpening that other people use. I just know how to get a sharp knife using my method. I’m old school, and perhaps I’m overly complicated by taking each knife through five stages of sharpening. Yes, sometimes you can get away with three stages, but perhaps I’m a perfectionist, so I usually prefer all five stages.”

In terms of stainless vs. carbon steel knife (a carbon steel knife is often thought of as “old fashioned,” whose metal can turn gray), Toruno said, “A carbon steel blade definitely holds and keeps its edge better than a stainless knife.” But he quickly added that he’s mostly dealing with stainless steel knives, which dominate the culinary world.

Where to buy supplies In the Los Angeles area, Toruno buys his supplies at a Japanese restaurant supply company called Mutual Trading Company. You can purchase from it online or do as Toruno does and buy at its shop in Downtown LA’s Skid Row district. There is also sharpenerssupply.com in Wisconsin.

MARCH 22, 2021

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN NEWS 7

Get Up To $8,000 Back On Your Taxes & Golden State Stimulus Payment $600 or $1,200 The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit for eligible workers and families with low to moderate-income. Those who qualify for EITC and/or Cal EITC and claim the credits could pay less in taxes or even get a tax refund up to $8,000. There are Federal EITC (EITC) and California EITC (Cal EITC).

If you qualify for Cal EITC and have a child under the age of 6 as of the end of the tax year, you may qualify for an additional $1,000 through Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC).

Great News! The eligibility of Cal EITC and YCTC extend to all qualified non-residents who file 2020 taxes with an ITIN or SSN. California provides the Golden State Stimulus Payment of $600 or $1,200 to all taxpayers who receive Cal EITC and/or file taxes with an ITIN on the 2020 tax return.

PACE and Los Angeles Public Library are hosting an EITC Live-Streaming Webinar in March. Register Now at rebrand.ly/ladnew331

Questions? Contact wtsang@pacela.org for a Free Consultation or Learn More at rebrand.ly/ladneitce21.

DT

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

8 DOWNTOWN NEWS

MARCH 22, 2021

Covered DININGCalifornia will help

Executive chef Megan Logan said she’s looking forward to having guests return to the dining room.

The New York strip, shown here with Brussels sprouts, is one of the specialties of the house.

Photos courtesy of Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse

Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse: Patio is open

By Frier McCollister ine dining restaurants across Los Angeles faced particularly difficult challenges during the last year. Rather than attempt to adapt their menus and preparations to a takeout and delivery format, many quickly folded in the early months of the lockdown.

Others chose to close temporarily, attempting to wait out the odd wave of restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining as the virus surged locally in the last few months.

Downtown Los Angeles proved to be an unusually difficult locale, with offices empty through the week and theaters, museums and concert halls all dark on the weekends.

Chef Joachim Splichal and his Patina Group’s impressive portfolio of restaurants — many of them located in or near cultural institutions shuttered by the pandemic — struggled predictably with a number of tough choices, including the closure of its Patina location at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Happily, for Downtown steak lovers, Splichal’s Nick + Stef’s Steakhouse seems to have weathered the storm. The elegant shrine to luxurious bovine bounty had been closed entirely for on-site guests since the last cessation of outdoor dining in late November. On March 11, Nick + Stef’s reopened its expansive patio to outdoor diners, just a week before LA County managed to enter the Red Tier of state-mandated pandemic restrictions, which now allows restaurants to welcome guests indoors, though at only 25% of their legal capacity.

For Nick + Stef’s, the return to indoor seat-

F

ing will be gradual and mindfully careful.

“The safety of our guests and employees is the priority,” said executive chef Megan Logan.

“That said, given the time and attention the restaurant has given to the design and adaptation of their lovely patio seating area, who needs to go inside?”

The patio’s reopening coincided with a spate of colder weather and a bit of rain, but rest assured, the charming dining tent is entirely cozy, heated and weather-proof.

“It allows a guest the top-tier experience, an authentic Nick + Stef’s experience, rain or shine,” Logan said.

A native of Thousand Oaks, Logan attended the Cordon Bleu culinary program in Pasadena, following high school, after which she joined Splichal’s Patina Group. She’s been there since.

Logan has been running the show at Nick + Stef’s for the last 10 years.

“My entire culinary career has been with the Patina Group,” Logan said. “I was at the Patina restaurant at the (Walt Disney) Concert Hall for four or five years. I did a little bit of catering, the Hollywood Bowl and a couple of the other fine dining restaurants, but most of my career has been here at Nick + Stef’s.”

Logan reflected on her experience with the storied restaurant group.

“So many of the great chefs in LA started with Patina. That’s what I think is so great about the company as well: There’s so much opportunity throughout the company for growth and for learning aspects of the business because of all the different formats it

has. For me, working under and being close enough to Joachim Splichal, I was given those opportunities and chances to prove myself.”

Ultimately the move to the steakhouse was natural.

“I always worked a lot with the meat. I’ve always worked more on the meat station and the butchering. I’ve always been more drawn to that aspect of the kitchen. Start to finish, butchering to cooking.”

The prime-cut steaks at Nick + Stef’s are dryaged on premises for 28 days and no longer.

“We found it to be the ideal amount of days for our dry-aged flavor. If you go longer, there’s less yield,” Logan said.

One of the pandemic pivots at Nick + Stef’s was offering its prime cuts for sale on its website as an online butcher shop.

“Especially at the beginning (of the lockdown), it was very popular,” she said.

The butcher shop is “on pause,” but it may return. For now, Logan and her team are focused on the reboot of the patio for outdoor diners.

Of course the steaks form the core of the classic menu being offered on the patio. The dry-aged prime options include the 16-ounce New York ($68); a 16-ounce ribeye ($72); the 26-ounce bone-in rib chop ($96); and the indulgent 48-ounce tomahawk, which feeds

two to three hungry carnivores ($175). There is a Japanese wagyu New York cut ($89) as well as an American wagyu ribeye from Snake River Farms in Idaho ($79).

Classic accompaniments include the jumbo lump Maryland crab cake with whole-grain mustard sauce and scallion puree ($25), the Caesar salad ($15) or the iceberg wedge with bacon and pickled onions ($14).

Signature custom cocktails include a pomegranate martini, a classic side car, and the ambrosia mule featuring ambrosia aperitivo with vodka and ginger beer and lime juice.

By the way, there’s also an Easter dinner package at Nick + Stef’s, available for preorder and pickup only. Order by March 30 for pickup on April 2. The Easter package serves a full dinner for four people, with a choice of herb-roasted prime rib or leg of lamb. Caesar salad, tri-color peewee potatoes, asparagus with lemon zest and spiced baby carrots round out the dinner, with a key lime tart for dessert. Here’s a scoop: Get your order in by March 24 and receive a complimentary bottle of cabernet sauvignon.

“We’re looking forward to having some life come back into this area, seeing people get back to work,” Logan said. “We’re excited for that. Overall, we’re excited to welcome the Bunker Hill community back.”

Nick + Stef ’s Steakhouse 330 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles 213-680-0330, patinagroup.com

DT

MARCH 22, 2021

DOWNTOWN NEWS 9

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Covered DINING California will help

Come Home: Glen Ishii & JiST Cafe

By Andrew Checchia alking into JiST Cafe on an early Wednesday morning, nothing necessarily betrays the deep history running through the restaurant and its chef/owner Glen Ishii. At first glance, the tightly packed but trendy space just looks full of furniture, ingredients and supplies for its current to-go-only setup. The only immediate sensory draw might be the pots bubbling in the kitchen at the back of the shotgun-space, each one poured over by Ishii and his small team. But while sitting down with Ishii — or anyone who’s spent years in Little Tokyo — the space will spill out its decades of stories.

“I just want to have fun cooking,” Ishii said. “I just feel really lucky.”

Ishii, a third-generation chef in a line of Little Tokyo locals, has run JiST Cafe for around 10 years. He started the restaurant alongside Caroline Shin, who recently left JiST to focus on her family life. His journey through Little Tokyo’s culinary landscape and the restaurant world started long before that.

Raised in the neighborhood, he followed his family as they ran a few different successful businesses, moving repeatedly over the course of his childhood to new locations around Little Tokyo. His grandmother, mother and father all worked in the restaurants at each place perfecting local favorites and twists on Japanese cuisine. And later, his uncle opened Tokyo Cafe, a restaurant that formerly occupied JiST’s current space on Judge John Aiso Street.

“When I was younger, I wanted nothing to do with this place,” Ishii said. “(But) it felt good coming back here.”

Ishii knew he wanted to get involved in restaurants for a long time but was reluctant to join the family business. He studied restaurant management at Cal Poly Pomona to break into fine dining. He found success in that world after graduation, ultimately heading up the kitchen at Noe in the Omni Hotel. While that position gave him freedom to choose the highest-quality ingredients and experiment with complex dishes, he soon became frustrated with the corporate environment.

“I’m a very straightforward person,” Ishii said about his general attitude, which clashed with the corporate kitchen. “Ego and pride are not good business decisions. Instead of following the politics, we’ll make our own politics.”

So, Ishii set off on his own, taking a risk by establishing JiST and continuing his family’s local history. “(It’s about) bringing back family history to a new generation — trying to incorporate different things together,” Ishii said of keeping with his culinary legacy.

That legacy also runs through the food itself. JiST serves a chashu hash, a dish that uses the same secret marinate for its namesake pork that Ishii’s grandmother first made over 70 years ago. The same batch has been built on and given a deeper flavor over three generations of Ishii chefs.

“Food back when I started cooking and food now are totally different things,” Ishii said of the changes he’s seen in restaurants since growing up.

Ishii’s grandmother first made the recipe famous with her chashu dumplings. For many years, Ishii didn’t cook them, instead focusing on his own creations, like the hash and a signature crème brûlée batter brioche French toast. But during the pandemic, new opportunities made Ishii look back on his history.

Even that afternoon, those bubbling pots were actually cooking for seniors in need.

Throughout the pandemic, the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) has coordinated with a few local restaurants to feed seniors while also supporting local business. Ishii jumped at the opportunity, having known a few of the seniors from his childhood in the family restaurants. To add to the seniors’ variety, Ishii decided to bring back his grandmother’s classic dumplings using the original recipe.

So, Ishii is comfortable with the current state of affairs, even with the difficulty of the pandemic. He feels connected to the neighborhood and the local community, still serving regulars who have come to JiST and his family’s restaurants for years. But, saying “health is (his) biggest concern,” keeping the in-person dining closed has limited typical community engagement.

Looking ahead, Ishii hopes to renovate JiST’s spacious outdoor patio, which shares a courtyard with a church turned performance venue that normally hosts the East West Players. After some improvements, he aims to reopen outdoor dining by the summer, allowing the community to once again eat together.

“You have to be a little masochistic and sadistic to do this job,” Ishii said. “(But) I’m having the most fun in the restaurant business I’ve had in a long time.”

W

Chashu Hash is pork belly chashu, with two sous vide eggs and breakfast potatoes.

Photo by Luis Chavez

Porky Omurice is classic ketchup fried omelet rice with hickory ham, peas and demi-glace sauce.

Photo by Luis Chavez

Glen Ishii is the chef and owner of JiST Cafe.

Photo by Luis Chavez

JiST Cafe 116 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles jistcafe.com

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

10 DOWNTOWN NEWS

DT

MARCH 22, 2021

Covered California will help ARTS AND CULTURE

Artist shares hope and harmony on LA billboards

By Bridgette M. Redman rin Yoshi dreams of a world in which people can live in harmony with nature. A world that respects divergent cultures. A world where people are not afraid of violence or exploitation.

That world is captured on LA billboards through March 28. They invite everyone to visit that world and think about how we might make it flourish in our own world.

Yoshi, a painter, muralist and social activist, has created “The Land of We,” an ongoing project that she has exhibited in different forms over the past few years. In this land, ecology and culture thrive — at least until it is infected with a virus called “I” that affects foresight.

“Those who caught it could no longer see the ripples and waves that echoed from their actions,” Yoshi said. “This moment marked the beginning of the decline.”

E

Committed to environmental justice In the 10 billboards that will dot the Los Angeles area, Yoshi tells stories of the “Land of We,” along with the state of the world and how we may be in decline. There is hope in education, action and visibility, however.

Yoshi has studied climate change intensely at the university as a research assistant and while working for a firm that specialized in socially responsible investment. She learned the dangers of carbon emissions and the blanket that is surrounding our planet and causing it to heat up.

“I consider myself an environmental justice organizer,” Yoshi said. “I used to work in that field and always had a connection to doing that work. As a woman of color, we talked a lot about culture oppression growing up and doing solidarity work. It has always been a part of my ethos.”

A billboard for our time On March 10, Yoshi published the stories behind each billboard along with a map on her website, erinyoshi.com. LA residents are encouraged to drive to each one, experiencing the stories in any order.

Yoshi came up with the idea while trying to figure out a way to showcase her work in a safe and accessible manner, especially to families.

“I’m a new mom, so I like to think of ways art can be intergenerational,” Yoshi said. “It’s an activity people can do that is safe and family friendly. It can be a scavenger hunt, something that is fun and out of the box.”

Like other artists, she held virtual galleries and exhibitions, but she didn’t feel they were successful. So, she turned instead to this outdoor medium.

Telling stories with the art

Erin Yoshi created 10 billboards around LA as part of her ongoing project “The Land of We.” Photos courtesy of Erin Yoshi

Each piece was originally painted with acrylic and water-based spray paint on canvas or wood.

The pieces were magnified for the billboard, but they were already quite large when painted. Many of them are 3 feet by 6 feet, Yoshi said. Each image has a story, which is explained on her website.

“One of the images is actually dedicated to the folks we have lost due to COVID,” Yoshi said.

“That wasn’t originally in my thinking, but it is something we are all facing. It connects our community. Everyone knows someone who has had a scare or lost a loved one.”

She said she wants her art to communicate events in her community and how she feels about them. She pulls other stories from history or cultural knowledge. She looks for things that speak about current times or offer solutions to problems.

For example, “Free Diving” tells the story of the Haenyeo, Korean women who harvest mollusks, fish and seaweed from the ocean. They fish by hand.

MARCH 22, 2021

+ 5 CLASSIC WINGS

DOWNTOWN NEWS 11

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

LARGE PIZZA

DOWNLOAD THE APP SIGN UP TODAY!

foronly

$10

RACK UP POINTS FOR THE THINGS YOU BUY EVERY DAY. REDEEM THOSE POINTS FOR FREE REWARDS. PLUS, GET A FREE DRINK OR SNACK WHEN YOU REGISTER.

EARN

Extending the artwork Yoshi will continue to tell the story of the “Land of We” even after the billboards come down.

She recently painted a mural in Koreatown reflecting the white-naped crane. It has become a symbol of peace for Koreans. Once in danger of extinction, they have found a new habitat in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas.

“It’s a really beautiful story,” Yoshi said. “People on both sides are working in harmony with the cranes.”

After public input, Yoshi painted the cranes flying in a V formation on walls.

“Out of these workshops with the community, I find the theme and whittle something down that the community would be proud to have as well as highlighting an environmental or cultural story,” Yoshi said.

Bringing the art home Yoshi has made her “Land of We” art available in three forms — the originals, prints and on merchandise.

A portion of all her artwork sales is donated to LA food pantries. A second-generation artist, Yoshi has been making a living with art since her 20s.

She recognizes the opportunities for women in the arts are small, and she encourages young women to learn how to organize and promote themselves.

“Nobody is ever going to discover you,” Yoshi said. “If you wait, you’ll always be waiting. Go out there and make it happen.”

If they do, they may someday, like Yoshi, get to create art aimed at changing the world around them.

“This project has been a dream,” Yoshi said.

SCORE

bonus offers to get rewards even faster

1800 E. OLYMPIC BLVD. (AT OLYMPIC & ALAMEDA ST.) Se Habla Español • ALWAYS OPEN • 213-627-5008 AL A VE

7 TH S

T

©

ATM

PROPANE (REFILL), GAS & DIESEL 24 HOURS / 7 DAYS A WEEK

Amazon Lockers at our Location: DTLA “Chalus”

ST

OL YM

PI

C

BL VD

S ALAMEDA

“It is a beautiful solution to net fishing, where you can still fish, people can live off it, but it is done in a way that works in harmony with the planet rather than slaughtering fish on a mass scale,” Yoshi said.

Many of these women learned the trade when they were very young, and now they are in their 60s to 80s and still diving. The Haenyeo, which translates as “female divers,” were early feminists, most of them becoming heads of their household. It was something that created a semi-matriarchal society in the Jeju province of Korea. Women worked; men did the shopping and took care of children. Men paid dowries to the brides’ families, reversing the mainland custom.

The diving tradition was introduced in 434 A.D., but it wasn’t until the 17th century that women were mentioned as doing it. By the 18th century, they outnumbered male divers. In the 20th century, they became primary wage earners and were hired on the mainland.

“That role helped change dynamics for women’s empowerment,” Yoshi said. “They also understand the ocean. They’ve been in the ocean since they were in their teens and seen its transition. They’ve created a doctrine of how they fish. They don’t collect ones that are too small; they leave a certain amount so there are fish for the next generation. They fish in a way that is harmonious to the planet.”

“The Mighty Blue” honors the blue whale and its role as a climate warrior.

“They actually stir the ocean from bottom to top,” Yoshi said. “They dive so deep. They actually help the ocean to absorb more carbon. I like to highlight stories like that. We are all interconnected. Everything plays a role.”

your points for FREE food & drink

NTR

Photo courtesy of Erin Yoshi

REDEEM

+Tax

S CE

Erin Yoshi published the stories behind each billboard along with a map on her website, erinyoshi.com.

points for every $1 you spend

0 0 .

H

12 DOWNTOWN NEWS

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

MARCH 22, 2021