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MAY/JUNE 2012
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Local Men and Women Who Inspire Us Tommy Hawkins ~ Lifelong Sportsman & Poet Music Legend ~ Todd Rundgren Hot Summer Travel Deals Best Burgers & Microbreweries
Artfully Uniting Extraordinary Properties With Extraordinary Lives
OLD WORLD EUROPEAN VILLA This stunning Mediterranean estate, sited on almost one acre behind the gates of Sherwood Country Club, offers approx. 8500 sq.ft. of luxury living. The impressive entry ushers you into the two story foyer with travertine flooring, exquisite chandeliers and an artfully designed staircase. A Creston system provides high-tec security and smart home features. A sumptuous master suite is located downstairs plus three additional upstairs bedrooms with ensuite baths. The grand dining room showcases an 800 bottle wine cellar. A gourmet kitchen with the ultimate in amenities, great room with 23 ft. ceilings, library, pub/pool room, theater/media retreat with a giant drop screen, electronic window drapes. A magnificent loggia with a massive fireplace, covered gazebo, outdoor bar, BBQ area, horseshoe pit and fire pit with seating area all overlooking the 1st fairway of the renowned Sherwood golf course. Offered at $6,650,000 s www.2658Ladbrook.com
CONTEMPORARY MASTERPIECE
This state-of-the-art contemporary, at the top of Country Club estates, is set in a gated 1.7 acre compound. Designed by Michael Chan, nearly 16,000 sq. ft. of opulence beckons the connoisseur of classic art, wine, and automobiles. Amenities include a two-story rotunda entry, fabulous European chef’s kitchen plus an extended caterer’s kitchen, music conservatory, two-story professional THX theater, computerized 1200 bottle wine cellar and tasting room, two gyms, formal library, expansive master suite, 6 extra bedrooms and 7 baths, pool and cabana, 7 car garage, and massive motor court for guest parking. Offered at $8,995,000 s www.1087VistaRidge.com
When you meet Bill Carter and Michelle Ouellette, you can feel their charismatic enthusiasm and genuine desire to deliver the type of service that has unfortunately become a thing of the past. In this “quick-fix” world we have grown accustom to just the opposite. They concentrate on providing their clients with great service, accurate information, and solid guidance. “Being associated with Sotheby’s International Realty provides us with an extensive web marketing and multi-media international network that is unparalleled within the industry.”
CHATEAU SIR FRANCIS IN SHERWOOD ESTATES - This 6000 sq. ft. residence, perched high on a hill above Lake Sherwood, offers panoramic views from all levels. Built in 2003, the unparalleled quality and old world craftsmanship provide for a lavish lifestyle in the prestigious gated community of Sherwood Country Club Estates. This European manor is reminiscent of the grand luxury villas on Lake Como. A timeless elegance is created by interior finishes of limestone, coffered ceilings, architectural moldings, columns, and marble fireplaces. There are five bedrooms, six baths, two powders, private elevator, game room with pub, gym, and executive office suites. An incredible cascading multi-tiered waterfall descends dramatically into the pebble-tec pool and spa. No HOA. This villa is a must see! Offered at $2,950,000 s www.410UpperLakeRoad.com
Their impeccable reputation in the real estate community combined with unquestionable integrity and superb negotiating skills rank them in the top 1% nationally. They love their job and it shows!!
Contact Bill and Michelle for a confidential consultation.
For Sophisticated Service in the Marketing of Luxury Properties from North Ranch to Sherwood, and Hidden Hills to the Beach...
May/June 2012
SOCIAL SCENES
ACHIEVERS
FEATURES
18 SpringtiMe in pariS
25 WeStlake Magazine annual achieverS
62 honoring the true Meaning oF Mother’S and Father’S day
By Lisa Kestenbaum
19 WeStlake Magazine Mixer By Lisa Kestenbaum
20 the BeatleS vS. the StoneS
93 the Founder’S coluMn Success is up to You By M. Dayle Thomas
By Christina DeCamp
PSYCHOLOGY 52 the healthy Marriage: eMBracing our diFFerenceS
64 Bad guyS We love to hate: davi and yargo
Dr. Richard Blackmon, Ph.D.
96 q & a With dr. Sharon norling oF WeStlake’S Mind Body Spirit center By Alisa German
By Robyn Flans
By Lisa Kestenbaum
20 taking a Bite out oF cancer By Samantha Gold
21 kitchenS and cookS, BoutiqueS and BiteS By Emily Capretta
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD! 22 neW BuSineSSeS By Kelly Wilkes
TRAVEL
TIPS & VIEWS
74 FaBulouS FaMily SuMMer eScapeS
68 Book revieWS Book Reviews: Two Very Different Stories of Survival
By Linda Lang
By Carol Karm
FOOD & WINE
97 reStaurant guide By Kelly Wilkes
DATEBOOK 94 hoMetoWn happeningS By Kari Rodems
86 hoMegroWn BreWerS & the queSt For the perFect place to drink Beer
70 parenting: then & noW By Sandy Francis
80 ditl Day in the Life
By Carol Karm
88 the Burger iS king
HEALTH & WELLNESS 72 FitneSS diarieS: healthy BodieS, healthy MindS By Niki Chopra Richardson
MONEY MATTERS 44 Saving For retireMent: hoW Much iS enough?
By Carol Karm
COVER STORIES
PROFILES 54 Magic, up cloSe and perSonal: ivan aModei By Niki Chopra Richardson
56 todd rundgren By Robyn Flans
Kelly Trevethan, CIMA, RFC
58 india de BeauFort By Robyn Flans
46
Maika Monroe Hits the A-List By Robyn Flans
50
BoeckMann FaMily overdrive: a caliFornia legacy By Lex Kumar
MAIKA MONROE: Photography Benny Haddad / Wardrobe Styling Avo Yermagyan / Makeup Gabrielle Pascua with Smashbox Cosmetics / Hair Styling Travisean Haynes Ring LONDON MANORI www.londonmanori.com / Dress NICOLE MILLER www.nicolemiller.com
6 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
Spectacular Single Story Equestrian Estate
A premier pastoral setting on 3.6 acres adjacent to Chesebro National Park & hundreds of miles of trails. Completely remodeled estate featuring an open floor plan of approx. 5,700 sq.ft with 4 ensuites, library & 2 gourmet kitchens. State of the art equestrian facility includes professional dressage area & round pen, 12 stalls with two shed rows & turnouts & exceptional accessory buildings for tack, feed & storage. A private & serene gentleman's ranch awaits you! Offered at $2,595,000 • www.6350chesebro.com
818.879.2999 www.sigiandpam.com email:sigipam@aol.com North Ranch Pavilions Center, 1155 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village, CA 91362
A E D I T H G I BR
Loca
s a H y an p m l Co
Solar univerSe a nationally recognized franchise in Westlake Village, is providing a new lease on life for home solar installation. It’s now possible to get a solar system installed in your home for free. Until recently, homeowners had to pay between $20-50,000 to get their home solarized and that was after receiving all the highly publicized government rebates. That has all changed since Solar Universe debuted its “SunCap Lease.” It allows homeowners to get an entire state-of-the-art solar system for no money up front and includes all installation, labor monitoring and maintenance costs. “In this economy, there are few no-brainers, but this one is so straightforward,” explains Mitch Katz, owner of Westlake Village’s Solar Universe. Katz’s company will install the most energy efficient solar system in your home, cutting your Edison bill down to zero. You lease the solar system from Solar Universe in conjunction with the solar panel manufacturer and that lease will cost 30-40% less than your current monthly energy bill. In other words, from the day this free solar system is installed, you immediately start saving money, and the savings only increase as energy costs rise. More importantly, the energy produced from your solar system keeps your energy usage in the bottom tiers of electric costs, virtually locking in your rates for the next 20 years. The solar equipment has a 25-year warranty, making this 20-year lease maintenance-free. The lease even transfers to the new owner if the home is sold. Homes with solar appraising sell at a higher value and new laws require that energy companies now pay homeowners for excess energy their solar system produces. With Solar Universe’s help, you could not only save money but also make some. Edison users were shocked when it was recently announced that the utility company was seeking out a 9.1% rate increase, up from the historical 6% annual increase. Finally with the help of Solar Universe, technology, industry savvy and consumer outcry have merged into something that benefits everyone, and it comes for the best price of all: Free. Log on to find out how much you could be saving every month on your electric bill. Get a FREE quote at www.solaruniverse.com.
A P R E M I ER WE S T COA S T LUXU RY P U B L I C AT I O N
A PREMIER WEST COAST LUXURY PUBLICATION PUBLISHED BY POWERHOUSE LUX MEDIA, INC. PUBLISHER Rebecca Gray Grossman EDITOR IN CHIEF Monique Reidy CREATIVE DIRECTOR Antoni (Tuan) Pham | ap@anhcreatives.com ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Kevin Foley Kevin@WestlakeMagazine.com | www.FoleyPhoto.com EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER & EDITOR IN CHIEF Lex Kumar PHOTO EDITOR Benny Haddad | www.BennyHaddad.com CHIEF CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Stephen Morales | www.MoralesPhoto.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Brereton | www.picturehealing.com Jennifer Anderson, Koury Angelo, Rob Gold, Erin Orias, Jason Richardson, Joe Riemer SOCIAL EDITOR Lisa Kestenbaum
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STYLIST & FASHION DIRECTOR Mary Lalitte | marylalitte@aol.com
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STYLIST ASSISTANT Kelsey Trevethan EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT FOR EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Contact Monique Reidy | Monique@WestlakeMagazine.com TRAVEL EDITOR Linda Lang FOR TRAVEL SUBMISSIONS Linda@WestlakeMagazine.com ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Robyn Flans FOOD & WINE EDITOR Carol Karm
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS - AT - LARGE Richard Blackmon, Ph.D, Emily Capretta, Christina DeCamp, Sandy Francis, Alisa German, Hannah Grossman, M.D., Ph.D, Lisa Kestenbaum, Lex Kumar, Niki Chopra Richardson, Kari Rodems, Kelly Trevethan, Kelly Wilkes FOUNDER M. Dayle Thomas ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Holly Correa | Dawn McCarthy | Rose Wiltshire advertising@WestlakeMagazine.com (818) 707-4416 FOR MEDIA KIT www.WestlakeMagazine.com
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©2012 Westlake Magazine, Inc. is a lifestyle magazine published bi-monthly as a community update. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Please send comments to the attention of the publisher. to our readerS: Westlake Magazine Inc. invites you to share with us your reactions to our stories. Letters are not for publication but please include your address in case we need to contact you. Mailing addreSS:
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EDITOR
Monique Reidy Editor-In-Chief Monique@westlakemagazine.com
MoSt oF uS read accountS oF people Who have accoMpliShed great FeatS during their liFetiMeS and they inSpire uS to Want to do SoMething WonderFul in our oWn liveS aS Well. Some of us have opportunities to achieve greatness but for whatever reason lack the get-up-and-go to … well, get-up and go. Others among us realize ideas and possibilities and choose to act upon them, and like heat-seeking missiles, keep their gaze locked on their target until they finally achieve their goals. These “Achievers” are the people we honor in this issue of Westlake Magazine—the ones in a breed of their own who raise the bar for the rest of us. Achievers are the first to tell us that everyone has the potential to succeed. But what often separates them from their less accomplished peers is that they are prepared to break through seemingly impenetrable barriers while those who stand on the sidelines perceive hurdles to be too taxing or time-consuming and simply abandon their goals. Achievers also possess courage and discipline; they are not afraid of failure and view defeat as a bump along the path that leads to their ultimate finish line. While this description may call to mind a sports star or celebrated hero, there are achievers all around us. I’m betting you know quite a few who run in your circle. When we set out to find a handful to feature in this, our Annual Achievers Issue, we were astounded by the quantity of people in our own backyard who have accomplished the extraordinary. So many have determined to follow their dreams at any cost and have transformed those dreams into their personal realities. The stories are impassioned and stirring and we’ve selected a few of the hundreds we’ve heard to share with you. Take some time to peruse this issue of Westlake Magazine, which we hope will motivate and energize you– these magnificent people may just be your next-door neighbors!
Keep in touch … Facebook: facebook.com/monique.reidy LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/moniquereidy Twitter: @TheSavvyGal Pinterest: pinterest.com/monique_reidy/ Blog: www.TheSavvyGal.com
~ Luc de Clapiers
12 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
All the best, all the time,
WLM ADVISORY BOARD
PUBLISHER
Rebecca Gray Grossman Publisher Rebecca@westlakemagazine.com
our achievers issue is probably one of my favorite issues of the year considering that we have the opportunity to highlight rock stars from every walk of life: people who inspire us and create transformation. Whether it is a neighbor, a family member, a friend, a boss, an acquaintance or simply someone we know about but have never met, there are those who encourage us to be more than we ever imagined … and there are others who model everything we strive not to become. The latter, at times, make us question why they exist at all; however, it is these individuals that can become our greatest teachers if we take off the blinders. Nevertheless, it has been a tradition for almost two decades to dedicate one issue annually to individuals we consider to be extraordinary. Maika Monroe, possibly the next Meryl Streep, graces our front cover and is a young woman enjoying movement in her life, as captured by our photographer Benny Haddad, and writer Robyn Flans, on page 46. Our back cover story features a local family that has created a legacy through their family, community and business relationships combined with their passion for philanthropy. Experience four generations of the Boeckman Family on page 50. We hope you enjoy reading about these remarkable folks that include music and sports legends, unsung heroes, individuals who have beat the odds … and even a couple of our favorite local villains. That said, the article I am most proud to publish in this issue, features my father-in-law, Dr. Richard Grossman, who went above and beyond the call of duty to rescue two puppies that were burned in a fire. (Get out the tissue box and see page 30) Our new Day In The Life “DITL” Departments feature the best of the best in dining, modern motoring and soon to come, style, design, realty, underground shopping and much more. It’s like running through an opulent candy store. Our last mixer took place at Wolfcreek Restaurant and Brewery (see page 19) For more information on the locations, dates and times of upcoming mixers, please visit our website or Facebook page. Our May mixer will be celebrating Mom's and Dad's Days (bring the family!).” We will also E-blast the invitation so feel free to send us your email address so we can include you in special events.
Ken Waters, Ph.D. Chair, Communication Division Professor of Journalism, Pepperdine University
Peggy Hart Insurance Broker, Thorson Insurance Services
Louis Masry Senior Settlement Consultant Millennium Settlement Consulting
Ellen Leyva ABC7 Eyewitness News Anchor, Los Angeles
Scott Harris President, Mustang Marketing
LaVerne Milazzo Studio and Set Stylist / Veteran Makeup Artist
Les Shapiro, CPA Les Shapiro CPA
Patricia Jones, MBA Senior Vice President, Home Helpers Former President, Alliance for the Arts Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Erica Miller, Ph.D. Author, Psychologist and Entrepreneur
J. Lynn Reynolds, Ph.D. Communication Research Human Communication and Mass Media
14 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE
Rosemary Allison
Premier Hidden Meadows Traditional Estate www.12728Andalusia.com
Hidden Meadows East Coast Traditional custom built residence is an estate of unparalleled craftsmanship. Over 5 acres, resort pool and spa, Viking outdoor barbecue center with granite counters and eating area, fruit orchard, spanning over 5500 square feet. 4 spacious bedrooms upstairs each with own full bath+loft + secluded guest quarters living room portion of guest quarters currently used as a huge game room. Family room w/wet bar, formal living room and conversation area, Formal dine. Large master with luxury bath, balcony and sitting room. Hardwood flooring in entry, formal dine, kitchen and family room. Gourmet island kitchen with eat-in area. Spacious office / library downstairs. Equestrian zoned; space for arena, barn with direct access to horse trail. Offered at only $1,499,000.
Traditional masterpiece is privately situated in Camelot www.11161Sumac.com
Bridlewood 2 Story Panoramic View Estate Pool Home www.3191VistaGrande.com
Classic Mediterranean exudes architectural elegance. Stunning wrought iron spiral staircase, archways and soaring volume ceilings. Resort styled yard complete with infinity edged swimming pool and spa complete with beach entry, fountain water features. In addition there is a gas firepit, outdoor pool shower and gazebo. Ideal for entertaining, the main living areas flow effortlessly from one to another with continuity of design and form. Gourmet island kitchen features gleaming granite counters and walk-in pantry. The family room is open to the kitchen area and provides the “great room” effect with ample room for entertainment with fireplace and rear yard access. Upstairs there are 3 bedrooms, including large master suite with beautifully remodeled luxurious bath featuring his and her’s sinks, whirlpool tub and huge walk in closet. Specially designed kid’s room with sleeping loft and custom crafted closets. Downstairs there is an office or 4th bedroom that would be perfect for guests as it is adjacent to full bath. Indoor laundry room with granite counter and stainless steel sink. Upgraded and replaced windows, with gorgeous sliding French doors. Gorgeous pastoral views with privacy from the main rooms of home and the very private backyard. Reduced to only $1,099,000
French Country Equestrian Estate Over 5 Acres www.13382Andalusia.com
5 bedrooms or 4 bedrooms and an office, with all the desired amenities. The grand living spaces feature volume ceilings and breathtaking expansive windows.Amenities include formal entry,spacious formal dining room.Built with details of excellence. Downstairs there is a large bedroom with generous sized closet. Upstairs there are an additional 4 bedrooms. Gorgeous master suite complete with balcony, fireplace, luxurious bath and walk-in closet. Another bedroom upstairs is large enough to be a second master suite with walk-in closet and ensuite bath. The resort styled rear yard with covered entertainment eating area with built-in barbecue, huge swimmers pool and spa. Huge yard with room for everybody to enjoy! Reduced to only $1,149,000!!
Traditional equestrian estate masterpiece is situated behind custom electric crafted gates.Built in 1998, this 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath one story home spans over 5,400 square feet. Designer upgrades throughout.Spacious family room is perfect for entertaining with a built-in entertainment center hosts a large TV,surround sound speakers, wet bar and fireplace. Regal office/library replete with a fireplace. Chef’s masterpiece island kitchen. Master located in the West Wing luxe master bath,huge walk-in closet, a sauna & sunken whirlpool bathtub.East wing of the house hosts 3 more bedroom suites,complete with their own bathrooms & walk-in closets. Large teen center/homework center has built-in bookshelves and space for a billiard table. Outdoor amenities incl well manicured landscaping,a large patio,built-in barbque,resort style pool and spa. Large 4 stall barn Four car garage. Avocado orchard!. Offered at $1,750,000
Rosemary Allison 2010
GOLDLINE
RESEARCH AWARD WINNER
2010 “Best Of Business” Award winner
by the Small Business Commerce Association
THE MOST DEPENDABLE
2010 Volunteer of the Year
Forbes magazine
“women of outstanding achievement in our business community”
Copyright © 2011 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker Residential does not guarantee or verify the accuracy of square footage, lot size, or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by the seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of that information through personal inspection and with the appropriate professionals. CA DRE Lic 00545184
SOCIAL SCENES Juniors '13: Katelyn Sullivan, Maddy Mabry, Cassidy Stroh, Mary Van Trieste, Nikki Crystal and Stephanie Larratt
Katie Potts, Katey Flanagan, McKenna Potts, Betsy Potts and Meghan Flanagan
SpringtiMe in pariS A little cold weather was no hiccup for La Reina High School as it celebrated its “Springtime in Paris” boutique and luncheon on March 18. The event, held at the school to raise funds for La Reina’s scholarship programs, attracted over 425 guests. Current students, alumnae and friends browsed the boutique of items ranging from candles and clothing to one-of-a kind gifts. One vendor, Gavin Taylor from Oak Park Candle Company, said, “It was a fantastic event and we were happy to help support such a great school.” During the luncheon, guests delighted over their new purchases and raffle items as they dined on dishes from Stone Fire Grill in Westlake Village. Given its success, the La Reina Alumnae Association and Parent Guild will make the springtime soirée an annual event. Board member and alumnae, Susan Sundae Laschi, attended the boutique with her two daughters, Marissa and Kelly, both of whom are current La Reina students. “It was a perfect afternoon for the three of us,” said Laschi. “The food was delicious; the décor beautiful and there was such a nice feeling in the air.” BY LISA KESTENBAUM Kelly, Marissa and Susan Sundae Laschi, Kathy Finneran and Dr. Shannon Gomez
Kalli & Richard Fisher
Shari Headley, Dawn McCarthy, Monique Reidy, Ruth Swissa
Tony Surkin, Solange Surkin & Robert Melcon
WeStlake Magazine Mixer
Audley “A-Force”and Raychel Harrison Olympic Heavyweight gold medal boxer and Raychel ... owner of new Calabasas Salon Nuuvo.
Those howlin’ for a good time gathered on the evening of March 28 at Wolf Creek Restaurant & Brewing Co. in Calabasas for Westlake Magazine’s monthly community mixer. Revelers enjoyed small bites and sampled seasonal brews and wines as they mingled in a private room and outdoor patio. Miss Los Angeles County Teen and Westlake Village local, Rachael Maurer, mingled with guests including newly crowned Regional Calabasas Teen, Rachel Kronish. Maurer smiled as she greeted the company, saying the mixers “are a fun way to get out in the community.” BY LISA KESTENBAUM Joe Croyle, Bob Mazza, David Sellman
SOCIAL SCENES
From left to right: Jesse Wilder ("George") and Greg Wilmot ("John")
From left to right: Pat Hennessy, John Burton, Todd Loweth, Gary Roach, Young Hutchison
the BeatleS vS. the StoneS The standing-room-only crowd at the Agoura Hills’ Canyon Club couldn’t seem to get enough of the Beatles and Rolling Stones classics played by the Westlake High School String Quartet and the tribute bands, Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash. The March 30 show culminated with fans getting the chance to live out an old fantasy: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards onstage with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, while Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts shared the drum set. The crowd went wild when Kevin Ye, Vasant Iyer, Kevin Yao and Max Jacobsen of the Westlake High School String Quartet joined each band on stage. They played with McCartney on “Yesterday,” the Stones on "As Tears Go By” and John Lennon during an encore of “Imagine.” The evening was good fun with the impersonators taking swipes at each other: "Next, the Monkees!" cried Todd Loweth, who played Jagger, while Jesse Wilder, a.k.a. George Harrison, shouted, "Keith Richards was…healthier, mixing OJ with his vodka now!" Backstage, Young Hutichison, “Keith Richards,” summed up the show, saying, “It’s as sweaty and crazy and amazing as you would imagine.” BY LISA KESTENBAUM
Charlize and Christa Winter of Simi Valley
Cupcakes for Cancer Founder, Blake Colvin, and Cupcake Angel, Sam Tevis
Veronica Currier and her Cupcake Cuties, Veronica, Karli and Jenna
taking a Bite out oF cancer The 1st Annual Cupcakes for Cancer’s “Cupcake Camp” raised $16,000 for the Wellness Community. Over 1,000 people flocked to the Westlake Village Inn for an afternoon of baking and tasting to support the Wellness Community’s programs for local cancer patients and their families. Cupcakes for Cancer, founded in 2007 by then 13-year-old Blake Colvin of Solvang, raises funds for cancer research and treatment by organizing Cupcake Camp events across the country. Ventura County’s finest professional and amateur bakers served their delectable confections to the eager crowd of cupcake enthusiasts. Bakers also competed in three cupcake categories: “Most Unique Ingredient,” “Best Decorated” and “Best Tasting.” The event culminated in a good, old-fashioned cupcake-eating contest, certifying the 1st Annual Cupcake Camp a sweet success. For more information, visit www.cupcakesforcancer.org and www.twcvv.org. BY SAMANTHA GOLD // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB GOLD
From left to right: Max Jacobsen, cello; Kevin Yao, viola; Vasant Iyer, violin; and Kevin Ye, violin.
Judge Dorothy Tong of Thousand Oaks, Winner of Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” and Creator of Cupcake and Cookie
Event Sponsors Kristi Blanson and Nicole Clardy of ParentClick.com
kitchenS and cookS, BoutiqueS and BiteS The Assistance League of Conejo Valley hosted its annual fundraiser on Sunday, April 22 featuring a spectacular home tour. The kitchen and dining area of five beautiful local homes were toured while shopping and taste testing continued at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church. The event’s proceeds help fund local philanthropic programs including “Share-A-Bear” in which local hospitals and emergency centers are supplied with teddy bears to be given to children in crisis and “ASK,” a service offering assault survivors emergency clothing and toiletries. Guests sampled food from 13 local restaurants including Good Habit, Grissini Ristorante and Leila’s all while sipping a variety of Herzog Wine Cellars’ savory blends. The promise of the fundraiser’s motto, “Stop, Shop, Eat & Relax,” was fulfilled by the 30 boutiques offering fun and unique finds. A highlight among the raffle prizes was a Catalina getaway weekend including arrival by helicopter and stay in an ocean view condo. Dole Foods, Manchester Financial, Natural Balance Pet Foods and Warehouse Discount Center sponsored the event, along with stunning floral décor by Oakbrook Florist and The Gift Garden Home. For more information about ALCV, visit www.alcv.net. BY EMILY CAPRETTA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER ANDERSON
A view from one of the houses featured in the Assistance League's luxury home tour.
By Kelly Wilkes
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD! ARE YOU TIRED OF FREQUENTING THE SAME STORES DAY AFTER DAY TO MEET YOUR NEEDS? MAYBE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A LITTLE VARIETY OR YOU JUST WANT TO SUPPORT LOCAL AND FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES. CHECK OUT THESE FOUR COMPANIES AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT HELPING YOUR OWN COMMUNITY THRIVE!
MARCALI DESIGNS
KISS IT GOOD BUY 1655 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 (805) 496-7886 kissitgoodbuyinc.com
350 East Easy Street, Suite 4 Simi Valley, CA 93065 (805) 582-7424 marcalidesigns.com
nanci insul saw a void in Thousand Oaks and took it upon herself to fill it. She is the owner of Kiss It Good Buy, a store that sells your things on eBay for you. Insul and her team will determine appropriate prices for your items. You won’t have to take the time to learn how to sell on the website, or even create an eBay account. Insul also noticed that there was a serious lack of consignment stores for people to browse through. Having recently moved her business to a larger location, she decided to add a consignment section to the front of her store. Collectors, of anything and everything including costume jewelry, teacups, glass or art, take note! It’s time to finally gather up all of the old junk piling up and pay a visit to Kiss It Good Buy.
Jennifer and david dolak got their feet wet in the design industry when they were just 16, attending Thousand Oaks High School. After taking a break to study film, the two returned to their original calling and have been happily designing custom high-end furniture under the name Marcali Designs since 2008. The Dolaks chose to base their business in Simi Valley, close to family and located conveniently between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Marcali Designs sets itself apart from other designers in the area by making all their pieces in their own workshop. From design to production, they watch over all aspects of their designs to make sure they get you your new statement piece just right.
22 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
Salonnuuvo
26777 Agoura Rd., B3 • Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 871-9441 • salonnuuvo.com
raychel harrison and her husband, Audley, have just opened a new salon in Calabasas this year, ready to rival any pampering experience you’ve had. Salon Nuuvo, which kicked off its grand opening with a killer fashion show featuring Ziah Colon from “Footloose,” successfully burst onto the scene in February. The Harrisons have made a reputation for themselves as owning the premier destination in Calabasas for quality haircuts, superior Italian hair color and impeccable customer service. Harrison has worked as a celebrity hairstylist at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, honing her craft and becoming an American Board Certified Hair Colorist. Salon Nuuvo also earns points for being -an “all-green” salon and was designed by Raychel herself.
PREFERRED AUTO CENTER
WILDFLOUR BAKERY & CAFE 29105 Canwood Street Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 597-8774 wildflourbakeryandcafe.com Wildflour Bakery & Café’s owners, lisa and greg yulish, say they “saw a need in the community for a comfortable gathering place with fresh baked goods made daily on the premises” and they decided to fill it. Featuring a menu of locally sourced produce and kosher products, Wildflour Bakery is especially known for its challah, sourdough and nine-grain breads. In addition to their team of trained bakers, Wildflour also boasts a pastry chef skilled in making tasty pies, decorative cakes, cupcakes and individual desserts such as tiramisu in a cup. They’ve also hired an executive chef who uses their freshly baked breads to create a delicious lunch menu of sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas. Visit Wildflour Bakery & Café for its official Grand Opening on Sunday, May 20.
23 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
3111 Thousand Oaks Blvd. #6 Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 373-1223 autorepairwestlakevillage.com
Mark Miller, founder and owner of Preferred Auto Center in Westlake Village, believes his customers keep coming back because of exceptional service. With an extremely customer-oriented staff, he has never had one legitimate complaint. That’s quite an accomplishment when you realize that he’s been in business since 1984. Miller chose Westlake as the location for his shop when it was still an up-and-coming city, becoming the first independent AAA-approved auto shop in the area. Preferred Auto Center specializes in servicing Japanese cars, but also services other name brands. Customers should note that when you take your car to a shop rather than the dealership, you can save up to 20 percent. Once you’re a customer of Miller’s, he promises to take great care of all your vehicle’s needs.
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They invigorate and excite us by their passion. They inspire us to follow in their footsteps and they often influence our attitudes. These are the men and women who achieve -- the ones who have dreamed dreams and have accomplished goals. Join us as we honor this year's line-up of deserving men and women we call the
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TOMMY HAWKINS
BREAKING BARRIERS, POETICALLY BY EMILY CAPRETTA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN FOLEY
“SOMETIMES THE BEAUTY OF LIFE OVERWHELMS ME,” says celebrated trailblazer, Tommy Hawkins, while we dine at Malibu’s Coogie’s Café. His jovial smile accompanies the rhyme and free verse of a poem from his newly released coffee table book, Life’s Reflections: Poetry for the People. As we talk, I can’t help but grin as his smile is infectious and his stories mesmerizing. I joke that my father would not be happy to hear that I was sitting with a Notre Dame graduate, being born into a family of Michigan Wolverines, but Hawkins’ amazing journey has fundamental roots in South Bend. The year is 1956 and Parker High School’s All American Athlete, Tommy Hawkins, is sitting in an English literature class at the prestigious Midwestern university. “I was ready to be bored to tears but my professor’s specialty was poetry and he promised he would make it live in our souls,” Hawkins recalls. That semester sparked Hawkins’ lifelong love of poetry. He began writing down his personal stories, including how he grew up without a father, his self-reflections, the 1960s and the trials and tribulations of love.
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FIGHTING MORE THAN FIRES BY EMILY CAPRETTA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENNY HADDAD
STEPHENIE GLAS GREW UP AN ONLY CHILD AND SELF-DESCRIBED TOMBOY WHO LOVED RUNNING TRACK AND SKATEBOARDING. The fact that she’s found herself in a career dominated by men comes as no surprise to her. “I picked this career knowing that I would have to spend 25 years proving myself to men,” she says. Glas, a psychology graduate from UCLA, is among the two percent of women in the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
In his first book, Hawkins provides an eclectic collection of poetic narratives filled with captivating illustrations from famed artists including Leroy Neiman and Ernie Barnes. The reader-friendly vocabulary is set in a rhyme that makes you keep turning the pages. “In it you will find your mother, father, brothers, sisters and friends,” says Hawkins, as he delves into “the windmills of the reader’s minds.” From an ode to his hero Jackie Robinson to music and life on the road, Hawkins invites you to ride along with him on his remarkable life journey. And when it comes to storytelling, Hawkins has a lot to talk about. He attended Notre Dame at a time when it was all about breaking barriers. One of two African-American students in his entire graduating class, Hawkins became the first African-American All American Athlete and ambassador for the university. “I grew up resenting the term ‘dumb jock’, that sports was all I had to offer. That’s why I went to Notre Dame. If I got through there, I was a man in a man’s world. Forget the color of my skin, segregation and discrimination, you would have to deal with me as a wellprepared man.” Hawkins was selected in the first round of the 1959 NBA Draft to the then Minneapolis Lakers, later to become the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a successful career for ten years, but many of his memories came from off the court. While traveling the country, he dined at some of the finest restaurants including Sardi’s and the Copa Cabana in New York City, the London House in Chicago and Top of the Mark in San Francisco. He was a regular on the jazz club circuit, visiting New York’s Birdland, Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago and Black Hawk in San Francisco. Along the way he befriended such jazz all-stars as Kenny Burrell, Cannonball Adderley and Freddie Hubbard. After basketball, Hawkins spent 19 years as a broadcaster on local and national radio and TV stations, becoming the first professional athlete to host a non-sports talk show in Los Angeles. Outside of sports, his love for jazz and the arts continued as he hosted jazz programs on KKGO-FM and KKZZ-FM. As a life-long student in the medium, Tommy says, “Jazz is freedom. It’s improvisation. Jazz doesn’t care where you are on the social totem pole. Jazz welcomes all competent practitioners to America’s true art form.” In his book, Hawkins pays tribute to his early life mentor, Bill McQuitter, the coach at Chicago’s Carver Elementary School, who guided his growth and development since the age of ten, teaching him the importance of discipline and tenacity in the pursuit of one’s goals. Continuing to open new doors, Hawkins became the first professional basketball player to become Vice President of Communications for the Los Angeles Dodgers, serving under owner, Peter O’Malley. Tommy Hawkins has given back to his community in spades, as a member of numerous organizations including the Los Angeles Sports Council, Children’s Burn Foundation and the Los Angeles Center Theatre Group. “Volunteering is what I do,” he says with his trademark grin. “You’ve got to bring something to the party,” he says. It’s the mantra he teaches his kids. “Get your education, be open to the plurality that you’re going to meet and prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” So what’s the secret of success for a man who has accomplished so much while breaking so many barriers? “I’m a cosmic functionary,” says Hawkins, chuckling. What’s a cosmic functionary? According to Tommy, it’s “a person functioning globally and socially regardless of race, creed, color or social circumstances.” Wherever the next journey takes Hawkins you can bet it will be filled with plenty of adventure, good music and poetic expression. In his poem, “The Traveler,” Hawkins writes, “…traveling is my way of life and I’ve got stories untold, I can hardly wait my next venture and the escapades that unfold.” We can hardly wait either. For more about Tommy Hawkins and his book, Life’s Reflections: Poetry for the People, visit his website: www.tommyhawkins.net.
Stationed at Firehouse 93 on Ventura Boulevard, her range stretches from the Harbor area, through downtown Los Angeles and into the San Fernando Valley. Glas has spent much of the past seven years proving herself in this male-dominated profession. “It’s an accepted truth of being a female on the job that you have to constantly show what you can do. When I was a rookie I had guys tell me I wouldn’t be capable of doing what a man can do, but now
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that I have had time on the job, I don’t have as many problems.” Glas says there’s also a mistaken assumption that females have an easier time getting hired. It took her six years to find a spot and females weren’t even allowed on staff until 1975. “Men are physically more muscular and stronger than women. It’s not being sexist, it’s just the facts. There are things we do that eliminate women on the job and rightfully so, as you have to be able to do difficult tasks at
STEPHENIE GLAS
ABOVE THE SKIES WITH LOCAL HERO,
BILL WILLSON
BY EMILY CAPRETTA
When We Fly the SkieS and
safely, we grab our ACHIEVERS land luggage and maybe nod a "thank you" to the flight attendants as we exit. Few of think about the person ACHIEVERuswho flies the plane. But S what if your pilot is not EVERS ISSUE WLM ANNUAL ACHI
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just a 17-year veteran of commercial piloting, but also an active duty serviceman who just returned in November from finishing his fourth tour in EVERS ISSUEAfghanistan? If you’re flyWLM ANNUAL ACHI ing United Airlines, chances are, your pilot may have been such a man. WLM ANN U
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three in the morning on little or no sleep,” explains Glas. Luckily for Glas, staying fit is something she’s accustomed to: after college, she started her own personal training company, which eventually led her into firefighting. “I had a passion for really listening to and helping people…” Years later, she still works with private clients on the side. She stays in shape with CrossFit training and by pursuing her passion for wind surfing and snowboarding, which she also teaches. Becoming part of a family in the firehouse has made the journey worth it, according to Glas. There’s much time spent
Bill Willson, a graduate of Thousand Oaks High School and California Lutheran University, caught his bug for flying early. “It was just one of those things that looked cool as kid,” says Willson plainly. hanging out, laughing and growing acHaving a father, godfather and an uncle who were countable to each other. “We’re all adrenapilots probably didn’t hurt either, as Willson started line junkies. There’s nothing like getting flying during high school. suited up, arriving on scene at a fire and While studying economics in college, Willson figuring out how to properly respond. If you E ERS ISSU worked as an airline instructor and enlisted in the EV HI AC AL NU AN LM have a don’t consider yourself familyWand military to become a pilot, a term he served as a barrier up, then in the heat of the moment, Marine in the reserve for six years. Wanting to fly everything won’t work together.” more, Willson moved into the Air Force and has Glas wants to keep pursuing her pasbeen in the guard since 1989, all while maintaining sion on the front lineWLand of M Aadmits NNUAL Aone a job in commercial flying. “Military flying is all HIEVERS her favorite parts of the job is how Cshe ISSUE about completing a mission, where commercial flystill continues to learn. For now, she offers ing, by its very nature, needs to be boring.” advice to other females interested in Though he doesn’t like to accept praise, Willson fighting fires: “You can’t hide out at an is a military hero who’s served our country many engine house and not do grunt work. You times overseas. He describes how he started to feel must be prepared.” “comfortable” in Afghanistan after his first mission.
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BILL WILLSON “It’s not much of a culture shock after the first time,” says Willson. He spent his days in meetings as a commander and flying C-130 aircrafts, delivering cargo and moving people, and his nights hoping the enemy didn’t launch missiles in the direction of his bunker. “I didn’t join the military to be a hero and I don’t think I do anything special. I joined because I wanted to fly,” says Willson, simply. He gets his satisfaction by completing the mission, whether it’s saving a house from burning down in Santa Clarita or making sure the bodies of fallen soldiers make it home safely. “It’s a little gut-wrenching and hard to swallow, but it’s the ultimate respect that can and must be given.” With a loving wife, Lisa, and an adorable 5-year-old son, Spencer, at home, Willson’s main priority is getting back home safely. Willson’s other passion is photography that like flying, was inspired by his father. He photographs for a variety of military aviation magazines and would like to one day make photography his full-time job. “I want my photos to reflect the best of the military and the best is the people that are there,” explains Willson. Willson sets an example for living selflessly. “If you’re tenacious and excited, you’ll do what you need to be successful and people will say, ‘he went out and did.’” To see Willson’s photography, visit www.billwillson.com.
Rescue and Repair of our Furry Friends
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DR.GROSSMAN &THE GREAT PUPPY RESCUE BY ALISA GERMAN
in FeBruary oF thiS year,
two little puppies were rescued from a house fire that claimed the lives of their eight brothers and sisters. The pups, badly burned and in desperate need of medical care, were picked up by Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue in Tehachapi. Then they were taken to the Thousand Oaks Pet Emergency Clinic and Specialty Hospital where the doctors immediately jumped into action to keep these little ones alive. “When the puppies arrived, my first thought was, they won’t survive… the infection was so bad and they were so sick and dehydrated and in so much pain that it was questionable,” said Dr. Bonnie Werner of the Thousand Oaks Pet Emergency Clinic. The burns covered over 65% of their small bodies and the wounds needed immediate dressing and care.
“I thought we should ask the experts in the area so we called the Grossman Burn Center to see if we could use our baby shampoo on burns…. Not 15 minutes later Dr. Grossman called the clinic to ask what was going on and when we told him, he said he would be down there after lunch with supplies and to help,” continued Werner. Dr. A. Richard Grossman of the internationally acclaimed Grossman Burn Center spent hours in surgery and personally trained each of the technicians and doctors working on the injured dogs. He showed them how to dress the wounds, care for the puppies and made weekly visits, ensuring these little fighters would continue to heal. “The nurses and the techs were incredible and they learned very rapidly, but when I saw these two puppies, my heart went out to them. They were so severely burned. Apparently they had hunkered down because most of the burns were on the back of their necks, their entire back and the backs of their tails,” added Dr. Grossman. Dr. Grossman also credits the clinic’s state-of-the-art equipment for the miraculous healing that has taken place. “The fact that the hospital had a hyperbaric chamber, much like ours, is helping those puppies heal so much more quickly. Originally I thought I would have to take some skin from their stomach, but going in the chamber and the care that they received, those wounds are closing by themselves and I don’t have to do any skin grafting.” Grossman is no stranger to working on animals. In fact, he has a long list of animals that he has personally helped over the years. “I’ve taken care of chimpanzees, dogs when we had the earthquake and horses… but I have a day job as you know,” laughed Grossman.
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Dr. Grossman’s day job has kept him extremely busy. His desire to help burn victims, human or animal, started when he was a young Chicago resident and a fire at a local parochial nursery school ended in tragedy. “We lost 91 nuns and children that day and that’s something that stays in your mind and stays in your thoughts for a long, long time.” Grossman started a burn unit out of Sherman Oaks Hospital in the early ‘70s and by the ‘80s, he had a freestanding building with the first floor dedicated to the burn unit, the second to the Intensive Care Unit and the roof to the helipad—helicopters would no longer have to land in the middle of Van Nuys Boulevard. The prognosis is good and the future is bright for the two puppies affectionately named Phoenix and Natalia. They’re playful, curious and like all puppies, love to eat and sleep. Once fully healed, they will be trained to become Burn Survivor Therapy dogs, visiting patients at the Grossman Burn Center. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years and every week I learn something new about medicine, my patients or about the community. This has just been an eye-opener— knowing that there’s that outpouring of love and concern for these puppies,” said Dr. Werner. Marley’s Mutts’ fundraising for Natalia and Phoenix, along with the absorption of cost of treatment by the veterinary clinic and Grossman Burn Center, reveal the compassion and generosity of everyone involved. And, Dr. Grossman points out, Beverly Gilmore, the CEO of West Hills Hospital, that houses the flagship of the Grossman Burn Center, donated the instruments and supplies needed for the puppies. “I check on them once a week and they’re playing with each other. It’s amazing,” said Dr. Grossman.
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Rescue and Repair of our Furry Friends
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DR.TODD HUGHES
NOANIMAL LEFT BEHIND BY ALISA GERMAN
your pet to a doctor who can talk to animals? Dr. Todd Hughes, the new owner of the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic, may not quite talk to them, but he certainly understands them. Hughes’ unique practice consists of a 13-doctor crew and a 24-hour emergency room that serves all animals -- including wildlife, all the time. “We believe animals come first and we will do what’s best for the patient. We are all able to consult each other on cases we’re working on and that allows us to treat our patients out of the box with new up-to-date procedures that are compassionate.” ever iMagine taking
Hughes has been a veterinary doctor for 13 years. When he recently took over the practice, he made sure to maintain the clinic’s tradition of “animals first.” Walking in, you would never suspect that behind the warm and cozy waiting room is a long maze of exam rooms, operating rooms and state-of-the-art computerized systems. “All of our records are computerized, we have a surgery suite and critical care unit. We also have a dental suite and a digital radiology unit so we can email X-rays to specialists, and we have ultrasound capabilities onsite as all of our doctors are ultrasound-trained.” Hughes’ passion for animals, internal medicine and surgery is well-known. He has been sought after to work on several exotic and unusual pets. “We do see a lot of exotic animals like birds and reptiles. Our clinic has been founded on working on lions and tigers back in 1958. I recently did a surgery on a pot-bellied pig. The owner was from Santa Clarita and said that I was the closest doctor that could take care of her pet. We also take care of wildlife where we will rehab wild animals and release them back into the area where they were found.” As a 24-hour practice, the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic ensures for no more scrambling in the middle of the night, wondering where you can take your pet. Hughes has made sure there’s a place where your pet’s health concerns are considered just as important after hours. “We have a doctor on the premises 24 hours a day. If our patients need emergency care, we are able to help them right away. This makes treating the patient much more efficient, cost-effective and much easier for the patient and owner,” said Dr. Hughes. Hughes’ compassion is evident. After he’s put in a long day at work, he goes home to his wife, who is also a vet, his two kids, two dogs, two cats, two tortoises and a bird. “If we practice good medicine, the rest will follow. We will always have our doctors available 24/7 to care for all of our patients.” For Dr. Hughes, animals are his first priority.
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BY KARI RODEMS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN ORIAS
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Sara SMall’S iMpreSSive credentialS make her easy to trust when it comes to getting good advice on nutrition and food science. Formerly a chef and dietitian at the California Health and Longevity Institute, Small has spent more than ten years teaching clients how to meet their diet and fitness goals. Recently, Small was awarded a grant by the Resnick Family Foundation to the St. Joseph Center in Venice, Ca. where she helps low-income families as well. Small met with these families in 6-week sessions, providing an informative, hands-on educational experience for all the participants. Small’s curriculum focused on nutrition, portion control, cooking and eating healthily on a budget, how to read nutrition labels and the impact of diet on overall health. These families were often able to stay and enjoy the deliciously healthy meals prepared in class each evening. Small was thrilled to discover that surveys indicated that the participants had statistically significant gains in nutritional knowledge after taking her course. One attendee said, “I had anemia and when I went back to the doctor and took another test, he wanted to know what I was eating because I was normal now.” A mother said, “Now I am cooking healthier…[my] 18-year-old has lost weight. People are surprised when they see her. We don’t eat any junk food anymore.” Small is excited to make a big impact in the daily lives and future health of these families. Small hopes to continue to reach out to other organizations and launch similar programs in communities throughout the valley. To learn more about Sara Small and her work, email her at sarajsmall@gmail.com.
BRITTANY BERNS A WESTLAKE GRADUATE TEACHES IN WEST AFRICA BY LISA KESTENBAUM
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Brittany Berns, a recent graduate of Westlake High, recalls nights in West Africa when she was forced to take refuge from the intense heat by sleeping outside in the cool night air, protected by a mosquito net and lulled to sleep by the sound of local clatter. A member of the Peace Corps in Benin since July 2010, Berns explains via e-mail that
“the volunteers have a saying that the Peace Corps is the hardest job that you will ever love,” and that this saying still holds true for her. “I live without running water and feeble electricity in sometimes over 100 degrees…but I love it here.” As a teacher, Berns' days begin early: first watering her garden of banana, guava and or-
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ange trees before heading off to teach at a small school housing about 1,080 students, most of whom travel several miles to study in the overcrowded 12 classrooms. The children’s motivation for learning is outstanding, explains Berns, yet the school’s lack of physical space is debilitating. Over the past year, Berns, along with a
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local contractor, has raised funds for the construction of a new building through Peace Corps website donations and the sale of African bags. Taking roughly three months to construct, it will house 720 students and provide indoor facilities for teachers, community meetings, seminars and extracurricular activities.
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BRITTANY BERNS Berns also created a scholarship program during the first six months of her service: the “Etoiles Levantes” (the Rising Stars). It provides selected girls with a $50 scholarship, school supplies, uniforms and computer and life management classes. “The hope is that this organization will fill in the gap of development in education at a grass roots level.” She shared a shining example of what one girl wrote in her scholarship essay: “Women just like men have the right to have their eyes opened.” Berns, whose work in Benin will continue until September 2012, writes, “I will always remember that.”
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THE T.H.E. EVENT BY LISA KESTENBAUM
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ACHIEVERS HELPING HABITAT FOR REBUILD HAITI ACHIEVERHUMANITY S
EVERS ISSUE WLM ANNUAL ACHI When Marc hernandez heard about the Together Helping Education Foundation (T.H.E.), he was instantly excited to get involved. “It’s about changingWthe BY KARI RODEMS LM paradigm,” NNUAtoL AC Hernandez explained. “It’s a newAway HIEVERS ISSUE bring together the community.” T.H.E. focuses on supporting the Las Virgenes Unified School District by pooling together community resources to get funds directly to schools in a time when budget cuts are extreme and California’s ranking for spending per student is alarmingly low. Hernandez believes that “public education is the cornerstone of this community.” With four children–all of whom will be in the Las Virgenes School District next year– Hernandez, the T.H.E. Foundation’s President and owner of Brent’s Deli in Westlake, was attracted to the foundation’s idea of community collaboration. On June 9, the organization will be hosting the first-ever T.H.E. Event: a fundraising extravaganza bringing together local entertainment, wineries, restaurants and businesses to raise money for the school district. ROSE MILLER of Thousand When actor, philanthropist and father of Oaks is no stranger to adventhree, Greg Grunberg, who recently wrapped ture. She’s previously hiked up a four-year run on NBC’s hit show “Hethe Inca Trail in Peru and purroes,” heard about the upcoming T.H.E. chased a tourist lodge in the event, he, like Hernandez, was anxious to jungles of the Amazon near get involved. Grunberg, who is co-hosting Manu National Park. Miller, a the event along with Hernandez, is excited single mom, had always to bring everyone together for one reason: planned to travel to Haiti, but to help the kids. “All you have to do is ask,” this adventure would be unhe said. like all her previous ones. Grunberg and his band, Band From TV, Miller longed to visit Haiti will be performing at the event. “It’s a after learning about the great chance to be rock stars for the night and to earthquake that devastated directly benefit our kids,” said Grunberg, the tiny island in 2010. who plays the drums. Other local band Knowing that people would members include James Denton of “Despercontinue to need help even ate Housewives,” Bob Guiney of “The Bachafter the media attention elor” and Jesse Spencer from “House.” waned, she waited for the The T.H.E. Event will take place at the right moment to go. Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center on June Familiar with Habitat for 9. For more information, visit the website, Humanity and its work adwww.theeventparty.org.
dressing poverty housing, she
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registered for the 2011 Carter Work Project in Haiti. Accompanied by President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, Miller discovered that the Carters “have been working with Habitat for Humanity for 25 years” and made her and the other volunteers “promise to tell our stories so others would be inspired to help too.” To become a member of the 400-person Habitat for Humanity team, Miller had to raise $5,000 to cover travel expenses, the shared tent housing for her and 14 other women, camp security, meals, and the supplies used to build the much-needed homes. Miller and her team spent five days building almost 100 homes. Miller is already planning to return to Haiti this November and encourages others to consider going: “Don’t be scared, you’d be amazed at what you can do, especially when you are doing it for someone else.” For more information, visit the website, www.habitat.org, and click the link, “Volunteer for the 2012 Carter Work Project.” When she signed up to give up her vacation time to help build homes in Haiti, she was not expecting what she would get in return.
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CHRIS BRERETON ON COMMUNITYAND BY LISA KESTENBAUM
to collaborate on each individual In a time of touch phones, tablets campaign.” The campaigns Brand everything-technology, local ereton mentions are also atypical. photographer and entrepreneur, PictureHealing targets local nonChristopher Brereton, married his profits and asks how they can passions for art and philanthropy specifically help, finding each when he created PictureHealing. charity’s “pain point” and buildThe photo-sharing app for smarting around it. phones is more than just a social Users can obtain the Picturenetworking tool. PictureHealing Healing app for free on their connects people and brands to iPhone and choose up to three charities by creating a fun, visunonprofits, in categories ranging ally stimulating way to support from animals, religion, educanonprofits. “Our focus is on comtion, health and more. Users can munity and collaboration,” exthen donate to their favorite plained Brereton. charities directly via their phone. Brereton established the comPictureHealing earns revenue for pany three years ago when he quit nonprofits by pairing them with a a suit-and-tie job to build his sobrand that facilitates an ad cial enterprise brand. The risk campaign. paid off: when Brereton, the comBrereton looks for different, pany’s CEO, talks about PictureERS ISSUE out-of-the-box projects to help Healing, you can hearWthe LM ANNUAL ACHIEV raise money. The company is curexcitement in his voice. And while rently working on a campaign for PictureHealing is one of many in the upcoming Vans Warped Tour the recent wave of social media where PictureHealing users can companies, the brand sets itself Wearn LM AaNVIP to the Tour by apart in numerous ways, one of NUAticket L ACHIEVE donating blood. which is its unique corporate RS ISSUE Distinguished as a B Corporastructure. tion, PictureHealing is “focused “We’re not top-down,” exon maximizing the impact for plained Brereton. “Instead we both our stakeholders and our have Gurus and each one handles shareholders,” said Brereton. “It one of four focuses: community, shows how what we do impacts nonprofit, technology and busithe community.” ness development. Each Guru has
JON SEYSTER’S RIDE 2 RECOVERY
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BY NIKI CHOPRA RICHARDSON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE RIEMER
laSt year, WeStlake Magazine shared an inspirational story
about a young man named Jon Seyster who did not let his cerebral palsy and severe hearing loss alter his active lifestyle. Seyster trained and participated for a grueling bike ride with the Ride 2 Recovery Organization on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The ride raised funds to help the Wounded Warriors build their cycling rehabilitation program for injured veterans. For nine days, from Sept. 10 to 19, 2011, 300 riders rode nearly 500 miles from Ground Zero in New York City to Shankersville, PA and then onto the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Along the way, they were joined by U.S. Army Three-Star General George W. Casey, Jr.; Charles Barkley, former NBA player; Debbie Burlingame, the sister of pilot Charles Burlingame of Flight 77 that struck the Pentagon; and Peggy and David Beamer, parents of Todd Beamer who led the famous “Let’s Roll” passenger revolt, taking down Flight 93 before it hit its target. Seyster was honored to lead the group with the Pledge of Allegiance at their sendoff ceremony in New York. Seyster, with his physical challenges, did half the daily mileage on the strenuous ride, still logging a total of 284 miles that included scaling a mountain with a 2,900 feet elevation gain. As a result, Jon’s cardiovascular and upper respiratory system has improved so much that his speech has since markedly improved in clarity and volume. But the biggest highlight of the trip for Jon was when, at the ceremony held at the Pentagon, U.S. Marine Four-Star General James F. Amos thanked him for supporting the troops and gifted him an honorary medal. For more on Jon Seyster and his ride, visit his website, www.just-heavenly.com.
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THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS
been a sports fan. He grew up playing baseball and went on to study Sports Information at U.S.C. Then, straight out of college, he started working for the Los Angeles Dodgers. “When I got to Dodgers Stadium, video board media had just started. So I produced the first media for the first [largescale outdoor] video screen in the world,” explained Kalil. One thing led to another and a Mitsbushi executive—Mitsubishi being the company that sold the first of these kinds of video screens—hired Kalil to produce the EVmedia ERS ISSUE for the Super Bowl. WLM ANNUAL ACHI paul kalil haS alWayS
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BY LEX KUMAR
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“I started on Super Bowl XX,” says Kalil and he’s been producing the media and halftime shows for the Super Bowl ever since. Kalil formed Big Screen Network Productions in 1996, the leader in producing video board media WLworldwide M ANNUA Lfor and entertainment and stadiums. ACHsports IEVERSvenues ISSevery UE major sporting event BSN’s list of clients includes
you’ve ever heard of—they’ve produced four out of the last five Olympic Games, the last 27 Super Bowls, all NFL events including the international ones, NCAA Championships and the FIFA World Cup. BSN also helps design the technology and programming for game operations for many top universities and NFL teams. BSN, with a corporate office in Westlake Village and a production inERaleigh, employs 20 full-timers and 250 ERS ISSU NUAL ACHIEVoffice WLM ANfreelancers. They are sent out to work in eight different countries and virtually every U.S. state. Kalil describes his favorite sporting events in terms of enthusiasm and spirit. “Nothing,” says Kalil, “matches a WLM ACup, World a World Cup in Europe. The one in NNUAespecially L ACHIEVE RS IS Germany in 2006…I was inSUthe E train station in Munich and people were coming off trains in the tens of thousands to see the match between Germany and Sweden. Two million people came to a public plaza in Munich to see this game!” But of course as an American, he can’t help but love the Super Bowl, pointing out that it’s a sporting event like no other, recognized nationally, not just by sports fans. “There’s nothing in the world like the Super Bowl: a 1-day event ACHIEVERS ISSUE ANNUAL WLM where everything is geared towards one thing. It’s an event on steroids!” In the end, it’s about more than sports and entertainment for Kalil. “Ultimately it comes down to the people you WLMwork While consistently busy with work that keep ANNUwith.” AL ACHIE V him traveling from one ERS IS SUEmajor world sports event to the next, Kalil’s formula for success remains a simple one: “I say my prayers, live a clean life and good things happen.”
ACHIEVERS ACHIEVERS ACHIEVERS ACHIEVERS
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EVERS ISSUE AUTHOR & LIFESTYLE/RELATIONSHIP WLM ANNUAL ACHI EXPERT, PRODUCER & HOST OF “COFFEYTALK” BY LEX KUMAR
THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS
LISSA COFFEY ACHIEVERS
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VICTORIA MORRIS SENIOR TALENT EXECU-
2012
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TIVE, KAZARIAN/SPENCER & ASSOCIATES BY LEX KUMAR
AS A SENIOR TALENT EXECUTIVE at Kazarian/Spencer & Associates, Victoria Morris splits her time between New York and Los Angeles. In 1995, Morris launched the Live Stage Theatre Division in Los Angeles and soon realized that to retain top clients, a New York office was essential. In June, they celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Manhattan office, one that Victoria originally secured, staffed and now keeps “well-oiled, as part of the bicoastal boutique agency model I envisioned.” As Vice President of the Theatrical Division, Victoria and her staff represent and develop actors, directors and choreographers consistently cast in TV, film and theatrical productions. Currently, Morris’ clients are in the Los Angeles productions of “Waiting for Godot,” “Mama Mia” and “American Idiot” and Broadway’s “Newsies,” “Once,” “Leap Of Faith” and “Rock of Ages.” And the BBC just hired her client, Jason Gilkison, to choreograph the new “Dancing With The Stars” Las Vegas stage production. Morris began her career as a professional dancer and then transitioned into
the business side as one of the entertainment industry’s first Dance Agents. She scouted new dance talent around the country and opened a department tailored to developing the careers of dancers and choreographers for the stage. In the spring, Morris' literary clients will get to participate with the Stephen Schwartz New Works Program at CarnegieMellon to develop a new musical. Morris has also been mentoring for years: “What I really love doing is interfacing with University Programs as a mentor from the ‘real world.’ I teach a class called ‘What's Next?’ for graduating seniors to help them bridge the gap between the safe school environment and the entertainment industry. I have a system to help them prepare for sustained and interesting careers...and how to focus on what is essential to survive the rejection and bloated marketplace. I feel strongly that if they learn how to rely on their confidence to sustain themselves, their talent will keep them healthy.” With all of Morris’ experience and success to back her up, her students are definitely listening.
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liSSa coFFey’S Work is as expansive as her spirituality, bridging disparate beliefs and careers. A Westlake local, she has brought her advice and personality to audiences throughout the country as a former “Today Show” relationship expert and the producer and host S ISSUE HIEVofERpopuAC ANNUAL WLM lar children’s TV show “Music and Magic: Positive Music Videos for Today’s Kids and Families.” Coffey has also authored the spiritual advice books “The Healthy Family Handbook” and the bestselling, “What’s Dosha, Baby: WLM ANYour NUAL ACH Discover the Vedic Way for Compatibility IEVERin S ISSUE Life and Love.” Coffey is not the type of person to sit still. When morning sickness forced her to take a break from television hosting, she created “Music and Magic” which aired nationally. Then, as a big believer in natural remedies, she penned, “The Healthy Family Handbook.” During her research, she discovered Ayurveda, a system of traditional medicine native to India. “I just loved it immediately,” says Coffey. “What’s Your Dosha Baby?” combined her knowledge of what makes a healthy relationship with the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda. The book helps readers and loved ones match their “doshas” or mind & body types. In 2000, Coffey visited India for the first time with the famed expert on Indian spirituality, Deepak Chopra. “Truly the trip of a lifetime,” it helped to bring her experience full circle. With a degree in sociology and clinical hypnotherapy, Coffey’s career moves have been diverse and yet inter-connected. Merging her love of spirituality and media, she currently produces and hosts “CoffeyTalk,” an online lifestyle magazine and web show that combines “ancient wisdom with modern style.” She also gives her time to Big Brothers Big Sisters, organizing fundraisers including the upcoming “Wise Wonderful Woman of the Year” dinner in November. The evening celebrates a female celebrity who is also “a good role model for our little sisters,” says Coffey, who is certainly one, too.
ACHIEVERS ACHIEVERS
THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS
SUE
ERIC GARDNER CEO & FOUNDER OF PANACEA
2012
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ENTERTAINMENT
S R E V IE H C A PATTY MACMILLAN ACHIEVERS EVERS ISSUE WLM ANNUAL ACHI
WLM ANN& OWNER COMPOSER AGENT UAL ACHIE VERS ISSU E OF ALLEGRO TALENT GROUP BY LEX KUMAR // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN FOLEY
BY LEX KUMAR // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENNY HADDAD
eric gardner Founded Panacea Entertainment in 1971 while still a graduate student and two years later, Panacea was already coordinating tours for major bands across 23 countries. By 1981, “I realized I was representing every one of my high school and college rock & roll heroes,” says Gardner. These heroes included members of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and KISS.
But in the 1980s, Gardner became disillusioned with the music scene, having suffered “through five years of disco.” So at the end of 1981 after meeting his wife, Janice, he moved to Los Angeles to join her. Much of Panacea’s clientele also moved: from the music scene into the world of film and television. The transition was quite smooth, Gardner explains: “When the Stones tour ended in December 1981, I was back in L.A. for Christmas and was spinning the TV dial—you know when televisions had dials—and I stumbled upon Elvira…Here was this woman dressed in a KISS outfit and I thought, I’ve got to get in touch with her. I called Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson
and it turned out she was a big Todd Rundgren fan. So I invited her to Todd’s show and then started managing her. That was my entry into TV and film.” His current clients include Todd Rundgren (featured in this issue), Paul Shaffer, Donny Osmund and Betty LaVette, whom President Obama just invited to sing for a second time at the White House. Gardner keeps Panacea small but successful, personally attending to all his clients because, as he puts it, “I can’t delegate and luckily, my clients perceive that as a great virtue.” With an eclectic list of clients, all multifaceted in their talents and all of whom he calls friends, it seems the way he works, works quite well.
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patty MacMillan loveS MovieS. Since moving from New Jersey to California over thirty years ago, Macmillan’s been working in film, from makeup to acting to casting to producing. She soon found her passion for discovering emerging talent, while time spent working in Universal’s music department turned her onto the power of the film soundtrack. Two months ago, Macmillan opened Allegro Talent Group, a talent agency supporting composers for film, television and video games. Macmillan says she deeply appreciates music’s power to take film audiences on an emotional journey, subtly adding depth to any story. With her previous experience as a talent agent and production coordinator, Macmillan hopes to grow Allegro Talent Group into a company that brings new, “out-of-the-box” film scores to upcoming films. She has clients all over the world, from Berlin to London to Chicago to Los Angeles, scoring upcoming films including Dakota Fanning’s next movie, “Now is Good.” “I started on the Paramount Lot when they were filming ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Taxi.’ I used to go to the commissary at lunchtime and John Travolta would be sitting next to me and ‘Star Trek’ would be filming. I had just moved out here from New Jersey. I loved working on a film studio lot!” Macmillan’s excitement about cinema is still palpable. Her whole family loves film too: all three of her children work in film production and her husband, David Macmillan, is a 3-time Oscar winner in sound mixing. Now, with Allegro Talent Group, she hopes to make filmmakers and audiences not only sit up and take notice with their eyes, but with their ears, too.
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“It may, perhaps, be the best amp on the planet.” —Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, July 2011
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©2012 D’AGOSTINO, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
DOCTORS WITH DISTINCTION
ACHIEVERS Acular CHIman EVEinRSa bombardiera musjacket dashes into the surgical EVERS ISSUE WLM ANNUAL ACHI
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suite at Los Robles Hospital. In Southern California he might be mistaken for someone being stylish. In reality, it is Colonel Scott Picker M.D., who began his military service in the army in 1990. By day, he's an anesthesiologist that covers trauma, cardiovascular and elective surgery on the first floor and obstetrical anesthesia on the second.
DR. PICKER
THE COLONEL DOCTOR: A DEDICATED LIFE BY DR. HANNAH GROSSMAN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENNY HADDAD
Born in New York to a teacher and a commercial real estate broker, Scott Picker lived next door to his maternal grandparents and enjoyed growing up in a close-knit family. The family was quite connected to the community and he grew up hearing tales of his dad’s prior army service. Duke University drew him to Durham for college followed by Buffalo for medical school. Science had always been his passion and he was attracted to the complexity and challenges of medicine. He completed a residency in Anesthesiology at New York Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital Center where he gained extensive experience. After another year as a Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, his training was complete. Then in 1992, he headed to U.C.L.A. as an Assistant Clinical Professor. “During residency, absent of student debt and recalling the stories of my dad’s Army service, I made a choice. I decided to return the favor to my country for being so fortunate. My country had created the opportunities for my grandparents and parents to give me so much. So, I signed with the Army,” said Dr. Picker. Commissioned as a Captain in 1990 during his residency, Colonel Picker has been mobilized to active duty three times since 2001. During the winter of 2010-2011 he served as Chief of Surgical Services for Operation New Dawn in Mosul, Iraq. The 256th Combat Support Hospital supported Army Cavalry units and civilian contractors. He was responsible for the coordination of surgical services and training Emergency Department personnel while also cross training with elements of elite operations. Afterward, Dr. Picker returned to his wife Christine and sons Joshua, Jake and Colin, who all live in the Santa Monica Mountains. He is deeply interested and involved in his community of Calabasas and plans to run for City Council the next chance he gets. He was in the process of running for a seat when he was deployed to Iraq in 2010. Currently, Picker’s service continues as Commander of the 7210th Medical Support Unit at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. This unit provides medical and dental support stateside and to mobile combat support hospitals overseas. “The Army, along with my civilian professional career, has been a wild, rewarding ride.” His jacket is the real thing.
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DOCTORS WITH DISTINCTION
DR. RANDOLPH
CAPRI
DERMATOLOGIST BY LEX KUMAR
his practice in 1982 with his partner Dr. Gary Carlson whom he trained with at UCLA. With 30 years in the area, Dermatology Associates of Westlake Village, has grown into one of the largest full service dermatology practices in southern California. dr. randolph capri opened
Dr. Capri realized he would specialize in dermatology after his first year in medical school at the University of Oregon Health Science when he conducted several months of dermatological research at the Oregon Department of Dermatology. Dr. Capri found that being able to see the problem and after treatment, see the results, kept him inspired. “I was intrigued that all the problems were visible and that all the treatments could be monitored visually,” said Dr. Capri. After moving to Westlake, Dr. Capri said that initially, the practice grew slowly but that once word of mouth took hold, the number of patients started to soar. The practice includes not only Dr. Capri and four other dermatologists but also a plastic surgeon and two physician assistants. Dr. Capri is an expert in an array of cosmetic procedures including Botox, laser and light treatments, hair transplantation, liposuction and fat transfer. “The most challenging experiences involve reconstruction of defects caused by the removal of skin cancers during Mohs surgery [a microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer],” he explains. His practice has also been chosen as a national training facility for Botox training. “Teaching is the most rewarding,” says Capri who worked as an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Dermatology Department for 13 years. He is now part of the P.A. program at Western University where students get the chance to spend one month training with him at the office. “I am constantly surprised that doing procedures or medical treatments that I consider routine mean so much to patients in changing their self image in a positive way. I did not initially expect that I would be treating generations of families as my career unfolded, which is very rewarding.” Along with teaching, Dr. Capri is passionate about his Capri MD product line. “After 30 years of practice, I’ve developed strong opinions on which ingredients will [better my patients’ hair and skin]. I’ve combined these ingredients in my products to take advantage of different pathways to improve hair and skin, making these products superior to those with only one active ingredient. The products are made locally with the help of an experienced product chemist.” As a successful dermatologist, Dr. Capri is often asked what his advice is regarding skincare. He keeps it simple: “The best advice is to eat well, exercise and protect your self from excessive sun exposure by using sunscreen and appropriate clothing.” Beyond his busy practice, his teaching and product design, Dr. Capri spends his time with his family. “I have nine children and I have found that they require and need constant supervision, love and advice.” For more information on Dr. Capri and his products, visit caprimd.com.
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DOCTORS WITH DISTINCTION
ACHIEVERS ACHIEVERS talks about plastic surgery, it’s easy to EVERS ISSUE WLM ANNUAL ACHI
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see why she’s been able to build up her practice so quickly after moving to southern California just two years ago. With offices in Beverly Hills, Encino and Agoura Hills’ Ruth Swissa Med Spa, she loves what she calls the “immediate gratification” of surgery. “And there's a technical side and an artistic side: you get to use your mind and your hand.” Sunder’s decision to specialize in plastic surgery was inspired by a childhood friend born with a cleft lip. After undergoing multiple surgeries to repair and remove the scar, Sunder witnessed their effect on her friend’s confidence. “It opened my eyes to the fact that plastic surgeons can really change lives even though they might not be addressing problems that are life-threatening.” For Dr. Sunder, it always comes back to the relationships she builds with her patients. “It seems like a simple thing—your appearance—but its something deeper than that for the patient. And being able to be a part of that transformation is really important to me.” Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Miami, Sunder attended Johns Hopkins University and then Cornell University for medical school. After completing a residency at Stanford University and a fellowship in Rochester, New York, she returned to SoCal. Sunder claims her three offices “balance each other.” Each location, with its own culture and set of needs, keeps Sunder’s surgical practice interesting. “Southern California is the mecca of plastic surgery. Everyone thought I was crazy to move here. But I've been really fortunate,” says Sunder. She points out that although the majority of patients are women, most plastic surgeons are men, helping her to stand out in the male-dominated crowd. “As a female surgeon, you pick up on certain nuances that male surgeons might not. I've worked with surgeons before where patients have complained about a scar and a male surgeon responds by saying, ‘you can cover that up with makeup.’ They assume that all women wear makeup or feel comfortable wearing makeup.” Sunder emphasizes the importance of subtlety in her work. “I think a lot of women are comfortable in their skin and are proud of who they've become. They want to bridge the disconnect between how good and lively they feel inside and what they see in the mirror.” But it’s not only women that Sunder treats. Her male clientele is rapidly increasing, being skilled in the nuances of working on the male face. A doctor, entrepreneur, mother and wife, Sunder still finds time to volunteer abroad. “In some of these countries, they believe you have no chance of going to heaven if you have this deformity or that you can't go to school. So doing this work, you know you're making this huge impact in someone's life.” Dr. Sunder reminds all her patients, “When you're picking a surgeon, it's important to see how comfortable you are with them. That's so important—the comfort level—because your gut can never steer you wrong.” For more information about Dr. Sunder, visit www.sunderplasticsurgery.com.
DR.SARMELA
SUNDER PLASTIC SURGEON BY LEX KUMAR
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MONEY MATTERS
SAVING FOR RETIREMENT: HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? BY KELLY TREVETHAN, CIMA, RFC
Today’s global economic climate is more volatile & fragile than we have seen in recent history.
the fallout of the credit crisis continues to reverberate around the globe. In the United States we still suffer from the mortgage lending fiasco that hit us particularly hard as home of Countrywide financial. The number of homeowners, underwater with zero equity or even worse, is at a record high. At last glance, 65% of homes in Nevada had negative equity, 46% in Florida and Arizona and 26% in California. Even several cities in California filed for bankruptcy due to the housing market downturn and lack of property tax funding. In light of the decline in stock market returns, 401k values and loss of home equity, my clients ask me if they’ll still be able to retire as originally planned. They want to know, “How much is enough?” let’S revieW the FactS oF the current econoMic criSiS. here’S the Financial truth: • 29% of Americans have savings of less than $1,000. • 56% have savings of less than $25,000. • 55% did not save one penny last year. • 42% live from paycheck to paycheck. • 55% spend more than their annual income. • 97% of baby boomers have not saved enough for their retirement. • Americans have $772 billion in outstanding credit card debt. • Over 2.32 million Americans applying for a mortgage were rejected. • College graduates collectively owe more than $1 trillion on student loans.
• Last year, more Americans filed for bankruptcy than filed for divorce or graduated college. • 34% of adults say they have no money saved for retirement. • 33% of retired Americans rely almost entirely on social security payments alone. • 62% will retire with less than $25,000. • Only 2% have an adequate pension or retirement account. We’ve faced big challenges before. We always survive and grow stronger. Now is no different. It’s time to take responsibility and claim financial independence. We start with “Honest Conversations” about your goals, priorities and life. We learn what’s important to you. We need to be objective and implement a clear action plan. We need to adjust along the way, take charge of our money and regularly monitor and track our progress. We need to save, invest, protect and grow, so we can succeed.
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Kelly Trevethan CIMA™ is Managing Director of United Capital of S.F., with offices in Westlake Village. He can be reached at (866) 695-0969 or at Kelly.Trevethan@Unitedcp.com. For more information, visit www.UnitedCapitalsf.com.
All information is based on sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or guarantee is made to its accuracy or completeness. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities and should not be relied on as financial advice. United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC provides advice and makes recommendations based on the specific needs and circumstances of each client. Investing in securities involves risk. Please consult your financial adviser with questions about your specific needs and circumstances. “Honest Conversation” & “Money Mind” are registered trademarks of United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC.
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Ring by LONDON MANORI www.londonmanori.com Dress by NICOLE MILLER www.nicolemiller.com
Earrings by BLUE CANDY JEWELRY www.bluecandyjewelry.com Bangle by LONDON MANORI www.londonmanori.com Dress by GYPSY JUNKIES www.gypsyjunkies.com Shoes by LUICHINY www.luichiny.com
HITS THE A-LIST 46 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
Ring by CHARLES ALBERT www.charlesalbert.com Dress by NICOLE MILLER www.nicolemiller.com
AIKA MONROE CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT IS GOING ON IN HER LIFE: SHE’S PINCHING HERSELF ON A DAILY BASIS. AT 18 YEARS OLD, SHE’S RECENTLY COMPLETED HER FIRST HUGE ROLE PLAYING ZAC EFRON’S LOVE INTEREST, CADENCE FARROW, IN THE UNTITLED RAMIN BAHRANI PROJECT SET TO RELEASE THIS FALL AND IS ABOUT TO BEGIN ANOTHER MAJOR PART PLAYING JOSH BROLIN’S ROMANTIC LEAD IN A FILM ALSO STARRING KATE WINSLET, DIRECTED BY JASON REITMAN. IN BETWEEN, SHE GETS TO ENJOY A SMALL ROLE IN A SOPHIA COPPOLA MOVIE CALLED “BLING RING”—ALL THIS WHILE THE GIRL WAS A RISING STAR IN THE PROFESSIONAL KITEBOARDING WORLD. BY ROBYN FLANS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENNY HADDAD
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@2012 Benny Haddad/MPTVimages.con Wardrobe Styling Avo Yermagyan Makeup Gabrielle Pascua with Smashbox Cosmetics Hair Styling Travisean Haynes
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In fact, she was in the middle of a 4-month kiteboarding training period in the Dominican Republic when her agents requested an audition tape for the first movie. “We filmed it in the hotel room and my mom read the other lines and filmed it with the little camera she has,” Monroe says. “We sent it in and didn’t hear anything for a month or so.” When the director wanted to see her, she flew home. After two days of meetings, she found out she had booked it while sitting in the waiting room of another audition. She took her agent’s call out in the hallway, but her loud screams of joy still met with an admonishment to be quiet. Until that moment, Monroe had wrestled with the two passions in her life—acting and kiteboarding. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, she followed in her father’s footsteps as a kiteboarder at around 12 years old. She made her international competitive debut at the final event of the 2011 PKRA World Kiteboarding Tour in Pointe Magnin, Noumea, New Caledonia, sponsored by Airbound. Airbound, an apparel company, has recently asked her to design a line of clothing which she has named Dillon (her middle name) Monroe.
Kiteboarding can be dangerous, she admits. “When I was in New Caledonia, the day before the competition, I was practicing a trick and it was super shallow. One foot came out of the board and I went head first into a rock and cut my head open. I had to get stitches.” After doing all the plays in elementary school and junior high, at about 13, Monroe asked her mother to sign her up with an agent. “My mom is my best friend,” Monroe says. “I’m close with both of my parents and I’m so lucky for how supportive they are because I have a pretty crazy life. My mom was living with me in the Dominican Republic and before that, she was driving me from Santa Barbara every day to audition in L.A.”
She landed a tv ShoW here and there and a couple oF coMMercialS, But She SayS With a laugh, “nothing Big at all, until it all JuSt caMe at once.” She acknowledges her life has changed radically: from being in high school last year— “not my thing,” she says, even though she ended up with a 4.2 G.P.A.—to “everything I ever dreamed of.” She is still active in the kiteboarding world, although, obviously has less time for it these days, and says there’s no time for a boyfriend either. She never even made it to her senior prom because she was off at kiteboarding training. So for now, she will have to remain content with the romance in her movies. “I remember growing up and seeing Zac Efron in the all the magazines and thinking he was just the cutest thing,” she says. “I was so nervous to meet him, thinking he would be so arrogant because last time I checked, every girl is obsessed with him. He is the nicest guy. We had so much fun on set and we were in the small town of Dekalb, Illinois, so there was basically nothing to do, so we had to make it fun.” And, she teases, ”He’s not attractive at all, made it so hard on me, really tough, ughhhh,” she jokes. “He’s a great kisser,” she says with a laugh. “Excellent. He’s really good.” Then about her upcoming part as Mandy, opposite Josh Brolin in “Labor Day,” she exudes,” Holy crap, that is the most amazing role. She’s a very messed up girl. I’m incredibly, incredibly excited.” Monroe is simply very incredibly excited about life these days. “It’s pretty crazy, it’s really crazy. It’s insane. My heart is palpitating all the time.” Earrings by BLUE CANDY JEWELRY www.bluecandyjewelry.com Dress by WISH www.wish.com.au
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N N A M K C E BO FAMILYOverdrive A CALIFORNIA LEGACY
BY LEX KUMAR
TORS. FAMILY IS AT THE HEART OF GALPIN MO R SERV− FAMOUS FOR ITS EXCELLENT CUSTOME LARIZ− ICE, CUSTOMIZATION WORK AND POPUGR EW ING CONSUMER CAR LEASES, GALPINA 3−CAR FROM A SMALL FORD DEALERSHIP−− LLAR SHOWROOM−−INTO A MULTIMILLION−DOHIP OF BEHEMOTH, ALL UNDER THE LEADERS BERT BOECKMANN. es st Ford retailer in the country and franchis Boeckmann’s business includes the large Nada. Hon and er Spyk da, Maz s, Jaguar, Lotu selling Lincoln, Mercury, Aston Martin, d, what really keeps Galpin’s engines runecte resp and d wne reno ally tion connection. ning smoothly is the Boeckmann family and Jane Boeckmann still seem Bert e, riag mar of s year Even after 45 . “I don't go seeking out awards ther surprised by their exceptional life toge in the community,” says Bert. He but awards come to you if you're active ds including the Horatio Alger should know, having won over 3,000 awar ando Award, which a decade Award, Nelle Reagan Award and the Fern woman ever to receive it. first later his wife also won, making her the
Even their ranch in Ramona stands out from the crowd, boasting white buffalo, one of the few places in the world that can do so. “Here’s an interesting fact for you,” notes Boeckmann, chuckling. “White buffalo are not white.” Bert Boeckmann, who started as a salesman at Galpin over 50 years ago, admits he’s in the process of “turning the reins over” to his sons. All three work with him, along with his nephew, brother, granddaughter and grandson. But not just yet—Bert and Jane can still be found at the office, meeting weekly with managers.
“We're both here every day unless we're out of town,” says Jane.
When asked how he introduced his children to the business, Bert explains, “I showed the boys where to start washing cars. Then they worked their way up.” Recently, the Boeckmanns took part in a panel on family business at Pepperdine University. “We were amazed at how many problems other families had. We turned out to be the stars because we got along so well,” says Jane, with her husband adding that he “can't remember the last time there was any tension.” The Boeckmanns maintain a youthfulness, perhaps fueled by how well they get along with their five children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. When Jane first met Bert, he came with four children of his own who loved to play pranks on their father’s new love who, he explains, took it all in stride: “I love her more now than I did when I first met her. And I loved her a lot then.” The Boeckmanns manage to shift gears easily: they show us that family and business can, in fact, go together. “I had bought Jane a brand new black car, a thunderbird. My son was seven at the time. Well, one day, he surprised her and spray-painted it gold.” As Bert and Jane Boeckmann laugh while telling these old stories, it’s clear how much they love their family business—extra emphasis on the family.
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PSYCHOLOGY
THEE MHEALTHY MARRIAGE: BRACING OUR DIFFERENCES BY RICHARD BLACKMON, PH.D
one of the hallmarks of a healthy marriage is learning to accept your mate for who they are in contrast to who you want them to be. I stumbled upon a framework for acceptance when my wife and I were discussing an upcoming talk on marriage for our church. We asked ourselves, “How can you learn to embrace your partner’s differences?” We began to wonder if there were some things about your spouse you might never accept. Was it realistic to expect that you could embrace everything about your mate? So, we made up an acceptance scale. When we married in 1979, we both disliked country music. But over the years, I’ve developed a taste for some current country music artists. My family makes fun of me but I like the stories in the songs of George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley.
Make a coMMitMent to Move up the acceptance Scale: • Embrace • Accept • Tolerate • Endure • Condemn Choose to move up the scale on those parts of your mate you struggle to accept. Don’t tolerate inappropriate behavior but commit to accepting who he or she is in contrast to who you want him or her to be.
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My wife was surprised to find two country stations programmed in my car! I would try to get her to listen to the words but she wasn’t interested. She started at condemn on the acceptance scale and recently reported (after a few years) that she had made it into the endure category. But, she tells me, the best she can do is tolerate my interest in country music. However, when asked to choose a song for the mother-son dance at our son’s wedding, she chose a country song! Ever since that day I have had a whiteboard in my office with the acceptance scale and I often use it with couples. To the right of the scale I draw an arrow pointing up and on the left, I draw an arrow pointing down. “Which direction are you moving right now with your spouse?” Make a commitment now to move up the acceptance scale, not down! Sadly, many couples are moving in the wrong direction. Temperaments, traits and beliefs they used to tolerate, they now condemn. One of the challenges of marriage is learning to love an imperfect person. Most of us are intimately aware of the ways our spouse needs to grow, but it can’t happen without acceptance. Now I have not used the word “unconditional” in talking about acceptance. There are deal-breakers that we all have, like sexual fidelity, but almost any couple can benefit by paying attention to acceptance. What is clear in all marriages is that we long to be loved and accepted for who we are, not just who our spouse would like us to be. This takes many years to accomplish and to test it out, ask yourself the following question: “Do you feel accepted by your husband (wife) for who you are in contrast to who you know he (she) would like you to be?”
Dr. Richard Blackmon is a psychologist who has practiced in Westlake Village for 20 years. He specializes in working with adults and couples and this article is adapted from a book he is writing titled, "A Marriage Counselor's Toolchest." He can be reached at drblackmon@gmail.com.
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PROFILE
MAGIC, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL:
IVAN AMODEI BY NIKI CHOPRA RICHARDSON
info
Amodei will be performing a one-night-only appearance at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village on June 2. For more information, visit www.ivanamodei.com.
a challenge was all ivan amodei needed. at the age of five, a family friend told him magic wasn’t something amodei could ever learn. That did it—Ivan was determined to become a magician. From then on, Amodei was at the magic store every day after school. The owner recognized young Ivan’s talent and passion and fueled it by giving him a book called PRESTO! Magic for the Beginner. When Amodei turned 11, he learned there was more to magic than trick boxes and gimmicks. He discovered sleight of hand: pulling coins out of ears, manipulating hands and other tricks that didn’t require props but instead, relied on pure skill. Amodei used magic to put himself through college at California Lutheran University by waiting tables at the Velvet Turtle where he performed magic and filled in for the piano player. After graduation, he discovered that the jobs he was offered paid much less than what he was making while just “fooling around” with his magic. He realized that if he took it seriously he could make a career out of it, and so he followed his passion. Amodei's career as a professional magician started with corporate events and trade shows where he would attract people to a particular company’s booth with a brand of magic that incorporated the company’s message. Pretty soon he was doing more corporate gigs, retreats and celebrity events. Many times, after a celebrity event, he would stay after most guests had left and perform for an intimate group of close friends. It was during these small gatherings that he would really get to showcase his best work. He soon decided that he needed to make these performances available to the public since most people had never experienced this personal brand of magic. He approached the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and soon they were working together to create a setting where his vision of a more intimate magic show could come to life. He envisioned creating a beautiful living room where the audience would feel like they were watching a good friend perform 90 minutes of magic, perfectly accompanied by live classical cello music. This is how his famous show, “Intimate Illusions,” was born. Amodei and his parents migrated to Brooklyn, New York from Comiso, Sicily when he was only 2-years-old. They were the first generation of his family to leave Sicily and come to America to follow their version of the American dream. Amodei is certainly living his, a dream filled literally with magic. With all his success, Amodei built a beautiful Italian villa among the lemon blossoms of Somis, California, naming it Villa Amodei, where he now resides with his wife and twins.
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PROFILE
TODD RUNDGREN
Every Todd Rundgren record company biography, and even Wikipedia, writes about this songwriter, artist, producer and innovator as if he hatched at the moment he founded and fronted The Nazz at 18.
BY ROBYN FLANS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN MORALES
always mentioned are the artists he’s produced, such as the Band, Badfinger, grand Funk railroad, hall & oates, rick derringer, the tubes, patti Smith and cheap trick. Interestingly enough, the one project he says procured him more money than anything else he’s done in his career is Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell.” What the profiles never contain is anything about Rundgren’s childhood in the suburbs of Philadelphia, how he got his first recording contract or his personal life. So that was the crux of the conversation before Rundgren gave his very special, rare greatest hits performance at our very own Canyon Club. He says some of his musical tastes came from his dad’s interest in singing along with the musicals of Howard Keel and John Raitt. His father didn’t care much for pop music, but enjoyed the more contemporary classics like Ravel and Debussy. “By the time I got to high school, I knew the entire Gilbert and Sullivan Libretto,” he says with a laugh. “My tastes were not exactly the same as my contemporaries.” When he visited his grandmother at age 5, he immediately ran to her attic to play the piano. “It may have sounded like noise, but I thought music was flowing out of my hands.” Learning an instrument began at the elementary after-school program when he took up the flute, which he says didn’t last long. “It’s a combination of developing an embouchure (shaping the lips to the mouthpiece and using your facial muscles), and the non-linear fingering was something I couldn’t figure out.” Instead, he wound up learning to play his sister’s abandoned clarinet, which pleased his father with his renditions of “‘Stranger on the Shore”’ by Acker Bilk. By the time he took guitar lessons at age 8 at one of those you-get-the-guitar-if-you-takethe-lessons places, he could already figure it out. “It got me through the obligatory two
months of lessons and then I taught myself everything after that.” Eventually at 12, he got an electric guitar for Christmas, sans amplifier, so he spent a lot of time with his best friend Randy who provided the amp. They played their first gigs at age 17, playing mostly cover songs and mostly for free, he says. “When I graduated high school, he went off to college and I had to fend for myself,” he says. The day he turned 18, it became serious business. Already adept at the guitar, he left home, went to meet a drummer friend in Ocean City, New Jersey. There, they saw a band opening for the The Byrds called Woody’s Truck Stop. “I had heard of them because the guitar player had been kicked out of school because he had grown his hair long to be in a band. A judge determined, because he was a straight A student, they had to provide class by speaker phone.” A couple of days later, Woody’s Truck Stop asked his friend and then him to join the band. They stayed nine months and Rundgren left to form The Nazz. He recalls their big break when he and the drummer for The Nazz, dressed, of course, like they were in a band, went to the Holiday Inn after The Who concert in Philadelphia. “We found Roger Daltrey in the bar. We were talking to him and a guy came up to us and asked if we were in a band. ‘Of course we are.’ Turns out, he is a publicist for the Mamas and Papas for whom The Who opened that night and he wants to move into artist management. He’s looking for a band and he’s decided we look like the band he wants. We auditioned the next day for him and his partner and they decided, ‘These guys can kinda play too and they’re all cute and they dress like they’re in a band.’” It was 1967. They were whisked away to New York, parked in a house in Long Neck,
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Long Island and within six months they had their first record deal and Rundgren began to write steadily. At this point in the conversation, Rundgren jokes that he’s filled in the blanks. He’s “fully hatched,” so topics switch to more current events, which, for him, always include an eclectic mix of events. He’s enlisted in his third Ringo All-Starr summer tour. “In some ways it’s the easiest gig you can have. Ringo gives you plenty of time to rehearse, you travel in style, you have a couple of songs of your own to worry about and the rest of the time you’re accompanying other players you have admiration for. Probably most important of all, you’re paying back your karmic debt to the Beatles, since most of us owe our musical existences to the Beatles.” Also in the summer, he will perform with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra in Rockford, Illinois and later in the year with the Metropole Orchestra in Holland. “It’s a thrill hearing your material performed by a full orchestra, especially when they play the harp,” he laughs. In the fall, he will tour with Ethel, a string quartet with whom he has toured before. When he’s not on the road, he returns to Hawaii where he has lived since the mid ‘90s. He has five children, his youngest now 20 years old. He includes Liv Tyler as one of his children since he raised her until she was 13. Her mother, Bebe Buell, his girlfriend at the time, originally told him Liv was his daughter, not Stephen Tyler’s. He has three boys of his own and became a foster father to another son. He is grateful for the longevity of his career. “I have a smaller, but committed audience,” says Rundgen. “But it has allowed me to continue to play into my 60s, and ideally, onward.”
PROFILE
Look out, Martha Stewart. Here comes India de Beaufort. The beautiful actress who plays India Jordain on “Jane by Design” has just launched her Lovely Junk Blog, found at indiadebeaufort.blogspot.com, to share her creative ideas. a SelF-proFeSSed craFt Junkie, de BeauFort loveS Flea MarketS and renovating old Furniture, Making chriStMaS cardS, cookieS and doing anything creative. The blog consists of recipes and tidbits of things she’s made. “It’s my own version of my crazy way of doing things,” she says. “I don’t know if it’s the right way, but it’s a way that is fun for me and hopefully a way that will be fun for other people.” The multitalented actress studied fashion at Esher College back in England from 2003 to 2005 as a backup plan. Passionate about design, in her spare time she sews and designs her own clothes and even wore her own designs to New York Fashion Week last year. Fashion Week was one of the most thrilling perks imaginable to de Beaufort and her “mum” even came from England to share it with her. “It was incredible and she was a dream. She couldn’t have been more supportive and helpful because we were running around town, jumping from one thing to another. I wore a couple of my own designs to things and she would walk behind me and tweak it to make sure it looked okay. She was just my best friend the whole week.” Born in Kingston upon Thames in Surrey, England to parents who were both dancers, de Beaufort got her start in the business at the age of six when she accompanied her mother to the Lulu video, “Every Woman Knows.” While her mother was dancing in the video, they asked if they could use little India in a segment beside Lulu’s niece.
BY ROBYN FLANS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENNY HADDAD
Fashion Stylist Mary Lalitte marylalitte@aol.com Champagne and white Bisette evening dress by RUBIN & CHAPELLE in mercurial silk. Available at RUBIN & CHAPELLE, Malibu & New York. Wrap bracelet-stylist's own by Chan Luu from Henri Bendel NYC.
At around age 9, de Beaufort got to live out every child’s dream: to be on the “Teletubbies.” “’Teletubbies’ were huge in England. It happened by accident. My brother, my mum and I were at a family friend’s party where a bunch of kids of parents in the business were. A producer on ‘Teletubbies’ asked if we wouldn’t mind shooting a little clip for the show and would I mind hosting it? I ended up doing a quick piece for the show that involved some dancing and silly fun. I would have done anything to be on TV at that time.” Despite all efforts to keep her daughter out of the business, as de Beaufort grew older, it became more and more apparent she would follow in her mother’s footsteps. By age 15, she had booked a regular spot on the BAFTA-nominated children’s show, “The Basil Brush Show,” continuing to shoot three seasons. Simultaneously, she had a single on the UK charts called “Boom Boom it’s Basil Brush” and performed as a solo artist and songwriter.
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“THE GREAT THING ABOUT YOUNG FANS IS THEY’RE NOT AFRAID TO SAY HOW THEY REALLY FEEL. WHEN THEY SAY ‘IT’S GREAT,’ THEY MEAN IT. AND THEY’RE SO EXCITED WHEN THEY MEET YOU.”
Black silk chiffon ARCADIUM dress with crinoline by Morgane Le Fey, available at Morgane Le Fey Malibu & Santa Monica.
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At 20, she came to Los Angeles to visit a friend, never meaning to stay very long. She ended up with work on Comedy Central’s “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which shot in Budapest. Then “One Tree Hill” came along, which sent her to Wilmington, North Carolina. “’One Tree Hill’ was a thrilling experience. It’s a great show and a great cast. I had only ever been on shows where I was starting with everybody else. To walk into an already working cast was a whole new learning curve and a fascinating thing to do. Luckily they were all very kind and made me feel very much at home.” “Jane by Design” has kept her in Los Angeles for the time being, but she still calls England home. “I don’t have an official home. I don’t own any property and I’m okay with that. I think your early 20s are a time to travel and discover where you belong, so for now I’ll be shooting ‘Jane by Design’ through the year in Los Angeles and I’ll be here. When that’s done, I don’t know.” At that time, no doubt, she’ll have to factor in her significant other. While de Beaufort has been enjoying a relationship with fellow actor, Todd Grinnell, for the past three years, she prefers to keep her romantic life private. She does say that he’s incredibly talented and he helps her constantly with her scene work. "Todd works with The Next Right Thing, a nonprofit dedicated to providing lifesaving medical care to children in developing countries. He personally travels to wherever those children are and brings them to America for care, before returning them to their families. I'm incredibly proud of him and try to support the organization in any way I can. The best way anyone reading this article can help is by making donations online at www.thenextrightthing.org, so more trips can be made and more lives can be saved.” For now, she is content where she is, living in L.A. and starring on “Jane by Design.” “The great thing about young fans is they’re not afraid to say how they really feel. When they say ‘It’s great,’ they mean it. And they’re so excited when they meet you.” One personal highlight for de Beaufort was when Teen Vogue put her and Erica Dasher, “Jane” on the show, on their Best Dressed List. “When I saw that, I nearly fell off my chair,” she said. “When you have spent so many years in love with fashion, to make it onto any Best Dressed List in a magazine with Vogue in the title is a huge deal. It was a dream come true.”
HONORING THE TRUE MEANING OF
MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S DAY BY CHRISTINA DECAMP
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ime is running out. Kids in tow, you make a mad dash for the store to find just the right flower arrangement and a greeting card with heartfelt words before that Mother’s Day brunch at the plaza. Meanwhile, your spouse calls you to remind you that your mother-in-law is also in need of a special something. At this point, the kids are tired of being schlepped from here to there and start to whine. All you can think of is how this was supposed to be your day to sleep in.
T
if you have children of your own, especially young children, you are probably painfully aware of the sponge-like intelligence of your protégés. Who hasn’t experienced the wonder of hearing the last thing on earth you wanted anyone else to hear emanating from your child’s mouth? Our children pick up on everything we do and say, from the blatant to the very subtle. Yet, we still forget that we lead by example. If you find yourself stressed out, shorttempered or just plain exhausted as you prepare for Mother’s and Father’s Days, consider what you are communicating to your children and the real message you want them to glean from your family traditions. Besides the gift-giving, consider making Mother’s and Father’s Day opportunities to reflect on your own vocation as a parent and make them days spent focusing on how you interact as a family. Even if you don’t have children, taking a moment to reflect on your parents and your upbringing can be eye-opening. Most would agree that there is nothing wrong with spending money in the name of Mom and Dad and neither would anyone discount the joy a parent experiences when they open a handmade item from their child or enjoy a carefully planned breakfast in bed. These are all ways we honor our parents. However, sometimes the material things overshadow the true meaning we are trying to convey. Here are some ideas, for you and your children, on how to celebrate the true meaning of Mother’s and Father’s Day.
Mother’s and Father’s day are days set aside to honor our mothers and fathers in a special way. discuss with your children what honor means. to honor someone is to show a high level of respect for them. help your children to understand that, on these special days, you honor your own parents because they helped bring you up and care for you. consider making a handmade
card for your parent with your child’s help. in that card, point out how grateful you are for the values they shared, and more importantly, the love they have given you. if your parent wasn’t the one who gave you these things, write a note to your aunt, uncle, mentor or friend. if your parent or grandparent is no longer living, take the time out on Mother’s or Father’s day to talk about him or her with your child. Share with your children what made that person special and endearing to you. Set aside a picture of him or her in a prominent place and share a story about your childhood and a memory of your loved one.
Besides the gift-giving, consider making Mother’s and Father’s Day opportunities to reflect on your own vocation as a parent and make them days spent focusing on how you interact as a family.
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consider those without family this Mother’s and Father’s day. While many of us will be busy honoring our parents or being honored by our children, there are those who either do not have family close by, have lost their family members or have been abandoned by their families. if you know of a neighbor, a church member or friend that can use some cheering up, take time out with your children to bring him or her something. if you have a retirement home close by, make some cards and take some time to give to others less fortunate than you. plan a game night. instead of entertainment, spend time playing games with Mom and dad, grandparents and cousins. it’s amazing how much you can learn about your families and honoring parents from those around you.
In the end, our actions speak louder than words. When we honor our mothers and fathers on their special day, we give our children the gift of respect and a way to honor the ones they love—a gift that pays dividends well into the future.
BE T W O MAY NOT E IN T N A A O CONST E RECOGNIZABLE IN G R O Y D NAMES IN AVI AN CES AR ROBERT D NAMES, BUT THEIR FA RS HAVE MADE THEIR VE MUCH LD CH, HA UL ACTO HOUSEHO AND AS SU SUCCESSF ” S H Y T U IC — O G B T. H A G AND ETHN “TOU E HEARTBE IC M S S O S A L D C N EW OD AS , DARK, HA IL FROM N L A L H TA H E T HOLLYWO R O A B WERFUL , GREEK. ON. BOTH T, MOST PO NSTANTINE IN COMM S O E P C E E D D N A E LIAN AVE TH DAVI IS ITA OF THEM H O W T E H T YORK AND . AGINABLE VOICES IM GELO KOURY AN RAPHY BY G TO O H P FLANS // BY ROBYNN MORALES E H P TE S &
s ared in such film ice, that has appe vo s . ou ys in sa om s he hi y,” ntine says efore pubert yorgo conStad already developed by age nine, “b er, who came to America from th ha fa ” d close e business. His as “die hard 4, a restauranteur an ter was most born into th He says he was al ugh NYU film school and became sis r de llet dancer, his ol lf thro Greece, put himse sese. Constantine’s mother was a ba s first play, “Mary Had a or tor. In hi friend of Martin Sc od friend was an ac y and he was the lamb. ho ild ch e os cl s hi ter played Mar an actress and rsery school, his sis a Little Lamb,” in nu aa, baaa, baaa,” he jokes. was 12, he became time Constantine e th “My lines were ba By . gh . ou ty th s tennis, ew York Ci His first passion wa was teaching lessons to adults in N e last spot in the Tisch th he , n 16 ve gi by s d he wa s acting hitting pro an class and although g ely and pursue hi tin at ac iv pr YU y N ud st an to r te af He took on so ft , he ultimately le and School of the Arts he has three kids ng tennis. career while teachi e, Pauline Durand-Ruel (with whom t and soon, Constantine he get an agen At 18, his wife-to-b her close friends s, Ca.), suggested sa ba la Ca in e telling him one of sid d en fri st be currently re r’s he actors who had call from his mot that out of the 1500 id sa e Sh received a phone . m hi d d auditione Greek kid...” was the one who ha en impressed with “some young ear-old Conbe d chio, took the 20-y Within the ac ha e M h lp Ra ed er ov auditioned, sh Pastor, who disc up with an agent. This agent, Marie in 1990, managed him and set him from the creators of “Famcom geles stantine to Los An up against George Clooney, for a sit , ed first week, he test with Pierce Brosmovie of the week TV a in rt pa l ily Ties.” al he landed a sm Two months later, his father. 10 r 1.” ably comes from nan called “Murde his outwardly tough exterior prob man,” he says. e tru real man, a a s, ita av gr ng Constantine says ro good boy.’ man with a very st ther be a good bad boy than a bad that I’m “I was raised by a ra d ce ‘I’d in y, conv on me. I always sa voice -- and they’re and integrity.” y m , es ey y “That rubbed off m -and my features in ethic, an honor People look at me s raised with a certa ows as “24,” “Vegas” and “The wa I e. tru t no ’s at such TV sh a hustler. But th ayed tough guys in ent” and “Live Free or Die Hard.” Constantine has pl em “C ,” aracter was the such as “Fast Five d” franchise, his ch ar H ie “D e tir Unit” and in films en e that out of th ft breathing. Constantine says ee or Die Willis character le e uc Br e th emiere of ‘Live Fr at pr th e th an to hm er nc th he fa ly y on e I got to bring m e “It was cool becaus ic Hall,” he says. sband of one of th us ty M aying the good hu pl is le ro xt Hard’ at Radio Ci ne e’s , Constantin Ironically enough ing TV movie by that name. m co up “Bad Girls” in an
roBert davi uses his voice to do what he loves most: sing. “When you grow up as an Italian-American kid, with grandparent immigrants from Sicily and Napoli, the two major figures in your home that you revere are the Pope and Sinatra, and not necessarily in that order,” says Davi. Music was a huge part of Davi’s young life. His grandmother sang with the San Carlo Opera Company and the standards of Sinatra were always playing, along with Caruso, in the household. In 1977, Davi’s first film was with Sinatra in “Contract on Cherry Street,” which brought Davi to California and put him under contract to Columbia Pictures. He continued to work with the biggest names in Hollywood, including Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Benicio Del Toros and Bruce Willis. Before stepping in front of a camera, he attended Hofstra University on an acting scholarship, studied with Stella Adler for three years, Lee Strasberg at the Actor’s Studio and put in over 800 performances onstage performing opera, Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Shakespeare and all the modern playwrights. “I don’t look at the bad guy as the bad guy. I prepare the character as I would any other figure with his social circumstances justifying his actions. And it’s written in a certain way that you have to work against the way it’s written so you can humanize the character and give it a dimension some writers don’t normally put on the page. The same thing with the good guy,” says Davi, who also put in 88 hours of television as hero Bailey Malone in “The Profiler.” After playing such great villainous roles as Franz Sanchez in the James Bond franchise, “License to Kill,” Al Torres in “Showgirls” and the benchmark of being accepted as the good guy in “The Profiler,” Davi wanted to direct. He undertook the project, “The Dukes” in 2007, in which he directed Chazz Palminteri and Peter Bogdanovich (and himself). The film won Best First-Time Director and Best Screenplay at the Monte Carlo Comedy Film Festival. In “The Dukes,” Davi sang the final song and was inspired to return to music. He began to study with Gary Catona, who trained such voices as Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie and Liza Minnelli, and decided to do a tribute to Sinatra. “It wasn’t only my need to express in song right now, but I also felt in this difficult economic and political climate, we needed a reminder of what pulled us together in those difficult times,” says Davi, a father of five. “Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance” recorded at Capital Records, where Sinatra had recorded on many occasions, has garnered rave reviews, as have Davi’s live shows, including a 3-day run at the Venetian in Vegas and recently in his own stomping ground at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center. He continues to enjoy both careers. In the upcoming fall release, “The Iceman,” the true story of Richard Kuklinski starring James Franco and Winona Ryder, he plays the captain of the Gambino crime family. “You know Sinatra had that edge to him, too,” says Davi.
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“IT WASN’T ONLY MY NEED TO EXPRESS IN SONG RIGHT NOW, BUT I ALSO FELT IN THIS DIFFICULT ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CLIMATE, WE NEEDED A REMINDER OF WHAT PULLED US TOGETHER IN THOSE DIFFICULT TIMES.”
Make-up Kristina Goldberg
TIPS & VIEWS
thankS For My Journey, a holocauSt Survivor’S Story oF living FearleSSly
SURVIVAL
Dr. Erica Miller
BOOK REVIEWS BY CAROL KARM
Soar into Spring with a good book! Check out these two powerful stories that are sure to inspire and motivate you.
cryStal clear Eric Le Marque
“Crystal Clear,” by Eric Le Marque, is the story of a former Boston Bruin and Olympian, who is depleted physically and mentally by his addiction to cocaine, alcohol and crystal meth. He decides to take one last run down a challenging slope at Mammoth Mountain while knowing that a winddriven whiteout monster blizzard would hit any minute. The cost of this addled decision is just about everything. He spent eight days in stripped down ski gear wandering around in waist-high snow, fleeing wolves and eating bark to fend off starvation. He searched for a place where he could snow board out but he just wandered in circles as the storm made his escape impossible. He fell in an icy river, almost going over a waterfall. After those bitter eight days, weighing only 86 pounds with feet and lower extremities black with gangrene, he was finally spotted by a helicopter and airlifted to Mammoth Hospital. Once stabilized, he was airlifted to Grossman Burn Center in Encino where Drs. Grossman, father and son both skilled in thermal injuries, amputated his legs eight inches below the knees. Le Marque spent many moments afterward wishing that he had died. The experience forced him to examine his life and find meaning outside of his addictions and his identity as an athlete. The story of his recovery, spiritual growth and his encounter with a woman who would help him reshape his life makes for compelling reading indeed.
“Thanks for My Journey, A Holocaust Survivor’s Story of Living Fearlessly,” by Dr. Erica Miller, tells the story of how the Holocaust shaped one woman’s drive and determination to live on her own terms, regardless of any collateral damage to those around her. Miller’s childhood in Romania ended in 1941 when she was just seven. Germans hunted Jews and being Jewish, Erica and her family were forced to flee and hide. Her father finally decided to agree to what he thought was deportation. Instead, they were placed on a cattle car and sent to a Romanian German concentration camp where they would spend the next four years. The family was eventually allowed to live in a small house (by collaborating with the Germans) with another Jewish mother and daughter. Erica Miller could look out the window and see the line of wagons, loaded with skeletal corpses, passing by. Death was ever-present, as were her housemates, causing her to develop claustrophobia and a lifelong emotional detachment to those around her. Miraculously, Miller’s entire family survived. Still, life was not safe as the Russians pursued her father who had been conscripted into the Russian army and fled. Miller’s 16-year-old sister, Dita, went to Palestine and the rest of the family moved to Israel in 1949. There, Miller joined the Israeli Air Force and in addition to speaking Romanian, German, Russian and Hebrew, she learned English. When her sister moved to Los Angeles, Miller decided to join her. Here, she met and married Jerry Miller and began her educational climb, finally getting a Ph.D. in psychology. With the help of her husband, she opened Miller Psychological Centers and the California Diversion Intervention Foundation. The advent of HMOs caused the Miller Psychological Centers to go bankrupt but she soon built up the business again. In 2005, the Miller house burned down and once again, she rebounded. Now, 78, she looks back at her life with wonder, satisfied at having survived and lived the life she did with such determination.
ALL BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON aMazon.coM AND AT BarneS and noBle.
68 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
TIPS & VIEWS
TWO VERY DIFFERENT STORIES OF
TIPS & VIEWS
PARENTING:
THEN & NOW A PARENT’S
BY SANDY FRANCIS
TEN
COMMANDMENTS… PLUS ONE: 1
Do for your kids, don’t over-do.
2
Be not afraid of your kid (you’re still bigger).
3
Love them, but don’t smother.
4
5
6
Scene one—then: 4-year-old Susie is in the market with her mother. She sees a Hershey Bar and of course, wants it. Her mother tells her she’s had enough sweets and won’t be getting any more that day. Susie begins to cry and it quickly turns into a fullblown tantrum. As customers stare, Susie’s mother quickly escorts Susie outside the store, firmly reprimands her and waits until her daughter is composed before returning to the market. Then, mother and daughter peacefully finish grocery shopping. Susie does not get the Hershey Bar.
Scene two—noW: 6-year-old cheyenne is shopping with her mother at Ralph’s. She doesn’t ask but demands that her mother buy her chocolate Pop-Tarts. Her mother refuses, explaining that they’re too sugary. Cheyenne stamps her feet, screaming repeatedly, “I WANT THEM!” Patiently, her mother attempts appeasing her and reminds her that she has already had one cavity. Cheyenne could care less and the tantrum continues. Trying to reason with her daughter, Cheyenne’s mother suggests that
they buy carrots instead. Cheyenne doesn’t like this suggestion. Her tantrum attracts attention. Her mother has no intention of removing her screaming daughter from the store, despite the angry glares from other shoppers. She’s not going to give up trying to reason with her unreasonable six-yearold. Finally, a solution is reached: Cheyenne wins and the Pop-Tarts are placed in the cart.
7
8
9
Scene three—then: 17-year-old Jimmy goes to his father and asks if he could help him finance his first car. The car is a used Chevy in pretty good condition and the asking price is $2,500. Jimmy has only $600 in his own account. His father offers Jimmy some menial work at his office every Saturday until he has enough to pay for the car or purchase a cheaper automobile. Two weeks later, Jimmy puts a down payment down on an old remodeled Buick, selling for $1,500. He goes to work for his father and secures another job bagging groceries to begin making payments toward the car. Within four months Jimmy has his own car. He still loves his father.
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10
11
Don’t ask, DEMAND respect (and make sure you earn it). Stick to what’s right, not what’s popular. Stop planning every minute for them: give them free time to create on their own. Cancel all television that smacks of sass to adults and to each other. Absolutely no video games or texting at the dinner table. Be reasonable until there’s no reasoning left. Don’t try to be your kid’s pal. Your kid has friends. Be the parent. And finally, for those who are financially fortunate, I suggest following Warren Buffet’s advice: “Give your children enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing.”
“
today’s parents are often scared of their own children, feeling that it’s more important to be their children’s friends than their parents.
“
Scene Four—noW: dylan turns 16 and wants a new Mini Cooper. His father feels that the car is too small and unsafe. He buys Dylan a new, safe SUV and Dylan is annoyed. After all, it’s his car and he believes he should have what he wants. (Isn’t that the way every kid should feel, particularly when he isn’t the one putting out the money?) Isn’t it remarkable how the kids of today run their parents? We shouldn’t have been surprised that “adorable” Cheyenne and “grateful” Dylan got exactly what they wanted and knew all along they would get it. They learned early on how to maneuver their parents with little difficulty. And from whom did they learn that? They learned it from whom else but their parents. Today’s parents are often scared of their own children, feeling that it’s more important to be their children’s friends than their parents. Funny, but I don’t remember my parents being afraid of me. If I threw a tantrum, within a nanosecond, I was put in my room until I calmed down. And my father never, nor did any parent I know, purchase a car for his kid just because she turned 16. Nor do I ever recall being ungrateful for any gift my parents gave me. But that was yesterday and today’s parents think differently. They overindulge their children and then wonder where their children’s sense of entitlement comes from. I don’t see kids today any happier than we were just because they are indulged more. Actually, kids seem less happy and less prepared for the difficulties of the future. And here we are, approaching yet another season of celebrating Mother’s and Father’s Day. I offer major congratulations to parents who dare to stick up for what’s right and fear not if their precious darlings will be angry with them. I applaud parents who love their kids enough to let their kids “hate” them rather than giving into their each and every whim and to parents who don’t tolerate sass and remove privileges without being blackmailed with the word “abuse.” I certainly had to deal with my share of reprimands from my parents and I like to think I turned out reasonably well. It was made very clear I needed to show respect and obey my parents. Today’s parents seem to practice the reverse. To them I say, “Start parenting!” Help your kids enter their adult lives equipped and ready for anything.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
H E A LT H Y B O D I E S , H E A LT H Y M I N D S BY NIKI CHOPRA RICHARDSON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON RICHARDSON
THE INDIVIDUALS: Carol & daughter Samantha THE CHALLENGE: Healthy Diet. Steady Exercise....Weight Loss! THE TIMELINE: One Year With Trainer/Nutritionist Stephanie Glas
Carol
Westlake Magazine caught up with carol and Samantha Magno on their healthy living journey to see how they were doing with the fitness challenge they took on last august. The mother and daughter duo were determined to turn their unhealthy lifestyle habits around and embrace a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Samantha has dropped 20 pounds and yet another dress size–from a size 20 to a size 14. She no longer has an emotional dependence on food, saying, “Food doesn’t make me happy.” Now she feels more in control of her eating habits. Taking a tip from a friend, she’s embraced the use of positive affirmations and has gone so far as to set a timer on her phone to remind her of them, especially her favorite mantra: “I am in control of my weight.” Now, she’s taken on a more realistic exercise routine of running and interval training three times a week. Her self-esteem is at an all-time high, she says excitedly, and has a new boyfriend, James. “I don’t feel like the fat third wheel anymore because I can keep up with them and do what they do.” At her healthiest, Samantha weighed 165 pounds, sitting comfortably on her five foot seven inch frame. She knows it’s only a matter of time before she will be back to that, and she can’t wait! Carol has gone through one health challenge after another since we last spoke to her in early January. She had major surgery, waylaying her for over six weeks, and then a long bout with the flu. She
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is just “coming back to the land of the living,” says Carol, and is frustrated that her weight is back to where it was when she started. She does acknowledge that she has made healthier food choices during these past few months, and eats more fruits and vegetables than ever before. Fast food is not her go-to choice for sustenance anymore. As a participant of “Thrive Across America,” a healthy workforce challenge organized by Kaiser Permanente, she is on a team called “Take a Hike” with her fellow coworkers from the Conejo Unified School District. She feels the accountability of the challenge will help her: Carol doesn’t want to let her teammates down. While the gals might not have lost the weight as fast as they would have liked, they both recognize that they now make healthier food choices and have taken control of their health by incorporating small bitesized changes. Personal trainer Stephanie Glas, who dedicated a considerable amount of time to help them understand the benefits of good nutrition and exercise, intended all along for this challenge to be less about overnight weight loss and more about a shift in lifestyle choices. It seems like Glas succeeded.
Samantha
Westlake Marina
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ElectraCraft
Six Months Slip Fees Paid by BoatWorks! This offer is available for a limited time. Westlake Lake Management has slips available for lease to Westlake Village Community residents*. This is your rare opportunity to take advantage of the special pleasures of boating on the lake in time for the summer boating season. The BoatWorks is celebrating this event by offering to pay the first six months of your slip fees with the purchase of any new ElectraCraft boat, with seven different models to choose from! ELECTRACRAFT • HOBIE KAYAKS • CATALINA YACHTS • TEI DOCKS • AMERICAN BEAUTY
phone: 805-374-9455 • 818-735-3882 fax: 805 374-9655 www.theBoatWorks.net • 2251 Townsgate Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91361 Must be a resident of Westlake Village Community, meet all qualifications and obtain liability insurance naming Westlake Lake Management Association as co-insured. Call (818)889-5377 for info.
The boatworks
TRAVEL
Escapes FABULOUS FAMILY SUMMER
BY LINDA LANG
one of today’s hottest trends is multigenerational travel – something you might want to consider for this year’s summer family vacation. Most are planned around a birthday or anniversary with family reunions running a close third. For this article, we have focused upon a variety of diverse locales for you to consider in vacationing with the kids, grandparents, cousins or close friends and their families. Awaiting you are priceless experiences and discoveries for each family member and memories for all to treasure for a lifetime.
Hayman offers several types of accommodations including exquisite beach front villas.
GREAT BARRIER REEF ADVENTURES scape and adventure have lured dreamers to this captivating tropical island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef since Captain James Cook first charted these waters in 1770. Among them is American novelist Zane Grey who, in 1936, planted the first coconut palm in its soil and used the private isle as the setting for his comedy drama, “White Death.” Hayman, the northernmost of the Whitsunday Islands off the Queensland coast, offers 726 acres of breathtaking scenery washed by the transparent emerald waters of the Coral Sea. The resort features 210 luxuriously-appointed accommodations of varying styles placed in different locales. Australia’s most awarded five-star resort and Leading Hotels of the World member, Hayman boasts four excellent dining venues – each with a child’s menu, world-class Hayman Spa and fitness facilities, swimming pool, 24-hour butler and concierge service. In addition to a myriad of activities offered daily by Hayman’s Kids Club for ages 6 weeks to 12 years, the resort offers a complete adventure menu for families and adults. Fishing is unmatched for both skilled and amateur, and a long list of diving options ranges from instruction for first-timers to Great Barrier Reef dives for the certified. Whitehaven Beach, with more than four miles of pure white silica sand on nearby Whitsunday Island, is a great place to picnic during a helicopter tour or a seaplane can double as your swimming and diving platform anywhere you choose to set down. Hayman abounds in colorful birdlife including sulfur-crested cockatoos, egrets and sea eagles. Its ponds and lagoons are populated with barramundi, swans and ducks – many of which you can observe during escorted wildlife encounters, hikes and walks along the shoreline. The resort also offers boating, kayaking, snorkeling and a full range of water sports. And, of course, there’s the awesome The resort’s pool wing is an ideal base for active families. exploration of the Great Barrier Reef, itself, by air, sea, glass-bottom boats and dives under the guidance of skilled professionals. At first glance, you can appreciate why this world’s largest, organically-created structure stretching over 133,000 square miles is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, mainly uninhabited, are home to a stunning array of marine plant and animal life including more than 400 different kinds of coral, mollusks, 1,500 species of colorful tropical fish and 200 types of birds. Inhabitants also include dolphins, rays, and some 20 types of reptiles including sea turtles and giant clams over 120 years old. You may also get a glimpse of Knuckle Reef Lagoon, one of the most spectacular Great Barrier Reef sites, is rare seahorses and migrating whales. best explored by dives or an underwater viewing chamber. Visit www.hayman.com.au. Photo by Cruise Whitsundays
E
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TRAVEL
Austin-Lehman’s Danish Isles luxury cycling tour offers families the best of each region. Photo courtesy of Austin-Lehman Adventures
Frederiksborg Slot, the former royal castle in Hillerød, is one of the many sites on Austin-Lehman’s Danish Isles cycling tour. Photo courtesy of Austin-Lehman Adventures
CYCLING IN THE LAND OF THE VIKINGS f you and your loved ones enjoy cycling, award-winning Austin-Lehman Adventures’ extensive worldwide offerings include a marvelous 8-day family cycling program in the land of the Vikings. Island hopping in the Danish Isles roundtrip from Copenhagen includes pedaling through gently-rolling countryside laced with bike paths, historic ruins, royal castles, thatch-roofed farmhouses, colorful fishing villages – all rich in Viking lore. Highlights include discovering the legend behind The Little Mermaid while visiting her statue in Copenhagen; riding the Ferris wheel aptly named “Vertigo” at Tivoli; cycling along the Riviera’s thread of quaint villages and beaches en route to Helsingør where Hamlet once roamed; an afternoon on Aerø Island pedaling along a landscape of sheer cliffs and dune-swept beaches; visiting the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde and vintage car collection at Egeskov castle; an amazing fleet of 750 bottled ships in Aeroskobing; and a castle built on 12,000 wooden poles on the island of Funen. Accommodations and all meals are carefully chosen to represent the best of each area. You’ll enjoy two nights each at the elegant Louis XVI-style Hotel Phoenix next to the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen; the elegant Hotel Marienlyst overlooking the harbor, beach and just a short stroll from the marina, Kronborg Castle and medieval center of Elsinore; and Hotel Svendborg, a modern presence in the heart of the city. The sixth night is at Hotel Faaborg by the fjord of the same name which offers its own beach,
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Denmark’s 14th century Egeskov castle, Europe's best preserved Renaissance water castle. Photo courtesy of Austin-Lehman Adventures
water sports and views from the terrace bar and restaurant. Full daily breakfast and gourmet dinners are complemented with excellent picnics carefully orchestrated by your highlyexperienced guides. Equipment features top-of-the-line adventure gear including high performance Cannondale Adventure 3 comfort cycles equipped with Rock Shox i-Ride suspension, SRAM and Shimano components, and Cannondal SuperCush saddles custom fitted to each guest. Austin-Lehman’s 38 years of experience as a luxury adventure specialist have been recognized repeatedly with top accolades from Travel + Leisure, National Geographic and many more. They offer top quality adventure programs in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. Danish Isles departures are offered June 23 and July 28. Call 1-800-575-1540 or go to www.austinlehman.com/tours/dan ish-isles-denmark-family-tour-trips-116.php.
76 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
Royal Belize offers seven acres of tranquil tropical beauty.
CARIBBEAN PRIVATE ISLAND PARADISE vailable only to one party at a time to assure the ultimate in relaxation and exclusivity, Royal Belize provides all the pampering and luxury you could possibly want for the ideal escape into tropical paradise. Located on a private, 7-acre Caribbean island just off the coast of Belize, Royal Belize is a postcard setting of unspoiled natural beauty with a choice of three splendid villas discreetly serviced by a skilled staff. While you
A
Evenings in the villas are spent relaxing and enjoying your choice of family activities.
and the family enjoy relaxing activities in spectacular scenic surroundings, gourmet meals are prepared by your personal chef while a concierge arranges spa treatments, scuba diving, sailing and other pleasures. Whenever mom and dad want some grown-up time to enjoy testing their skills on a WaveRunner, kayaking, sunset cocktails or romantic dinner aboard a luxury yacht, the resort has a full-time, certified caretaker who keeps the children entertained. Royal Belize offers a 5-night “Ultimate Family Getaway Package” with fun-filled activities for the entire family. Included are accommodations and all meals, beverages and spirits for two adults and up to six children; use of a crewed 47-ft luxury catamaran; day sails and, if you wish, sailing lessons. Options for family excursions include the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich, Belize Zoo, zip lining and cave tubing. While the adults enjoy complimentary spa treatments, there’s a river cruise for the kids. Children’s activities are rich in learning as well as fun. A troupe of local Garifunas (descendants of Carib, Arawak and West Africans) come from the mainland to share their culture through dancing, drumming and storytelling. Elder Belizeans come with wondrous tales of Mayan legends and show the kids how to weave baskets and hats. There’s a guided snorkelling trip to the reef and a fishing expedition during which they learn about the sea creatures that dwell in this pristine marine reserve. Upon return with their catches, the chef shows them how to prepare and serve the fish to the entire family. This particular package is available from June through August 2012. Additional nights and various options are also available. Contact Royal Belize at 011.501.610.1701, visit www.PrivateVacationIsland.com or email vip@royalbelize.com.
77 Casa Valentina is one of three accommodations at Royal Belize.
MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
TRAVEL
Grand Del Mar offers luxurious family getaways packed with activities for all ages.
The resort offers more than 37 miles of trails for riding, hiking and cycling.
The resort features four heated pools.
FAMILY FUN IN SAN DIEGO f you and your extended family want to escape to a closer locale, The Grand Del Mar offers a wealth of activities for all family members. Set serenely amid the majestic 4,100-acre Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, this luxury resort has its own equestrian center and features 37 miles of trails for riding, bicycling, jogging and hiking. Just five miles from the coast, a host of beach options includes yachting, sailing, motor boating, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, water and jet skiing, and hiking along trails overlooking coastal panoramas. And, great golf is offered at the private Grand Golf Club course designed by Tom Fazio. This premier resort combines old-world Mediterranean charm with every modern luxury, earning it numerous accolades including being lauded by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the "World's Best Places to Stay.” The Spa at The Grand Del Mar, one of only 20 FiveStar spas in the country, offers a complete menu of therapies and several complimentary classes including yoga and Pilates, and private trainers are available at the fully-equipped fitness center. You can also relax with your Kindle and MP3 player in a cabana by one of four heated pools after a game of tennis on the resort’s courts.
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The resort’s Explorer Club for kids offers stateof-the-art entertainment.
Highlighting six dining venues is Addison, Southern California's only Five-Star/Five Diamond restaurant featuring contemporary French cuisine by a Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef and Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list. There is also a fine Mediterranean restaurant, café, casual poolside fare and nightly entertainment. For extended families and friends, the resort’s special Grand Villa Getaway package features accommodations in a 4,500-squarefoot, exquisitely-appointed Brisa Villa. Each stands two-storied with three bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, state-of-the-art kitchen, media room, laundry room and expansive terrace with outdoor fireplace, built-in barbecue and sunken Jacuzzi. The package also includes a $500 Activity Credit toward attractions such as the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park, SeaWorld and LEGOLAND, spa treatments, tennis and equestrian lessons. There’s also unlimited golf for two. Offer is good through December 20, 2012. For kids ages five and up, Grand Del Mar’s Explorer’s Club is a state-of-the-art, interactive hub featuring the latest video and traditional board games, arts and crafts stations, foosball, ping pong, air hockey, Seewall – a floor-to-ceiling plasma mural illuminating undersea life and baby-sitting services can bearranged through the concierge. For details, call 1-877-814-8472 or visit www.thegranddelmar.com.
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Seven Seas Voyager docked in Monte Carlo.
CAREFREE CRUISING WITH KIDS AND GRANDKIDS f you are planning a family reunion, vacation with the grandparents and kids or friends and their families and want sophisticated small-ship luxury and pampering, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a series of 7- to 14-day Mediterranean cruises recommended for families June 16 – August 30. All-inclusive pricing covers roundtrip air, unlimited shore tours, a luxury hotel package, 2-for-1 fares plus additional bonus savings of up to $4,000 per suite, complimentary fine wines and premium spirits, all onboard gratuities and ground transfers. And there are special rates for kids on select sailings. The line’s luxurious 700-passenger, all-balcony suite sister ships, Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner, will call at such popular ports as Rome, Venice, Istanbul, Athens, Monte Carlo, Lisbon and more. Both offer the complimentary Club Mariner Youth Program for age groups 5 - 8, 9 - 12 and 13 - 17 which are supervised by experienced youth counselors. Activities designed for each group include games, crafts, movies and learning about the countries visited. Activities for adults include a variety of entertainment and enrichment programs with
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Seven Seas Mariner personifies exquisite style and luxury.
Casinos aboard the ships add excitement to the nightlife.
renowned experts and award-winning luminaries, casino nightlife, computer and card rooms, duty-free boutiques, and library generously stocked with books, DVDs and games. You’ll also find golf cages, shuffleboard, paddle tennis, jogging track and, of course, an expansive teak pool deck complete with a heated pool, two whirlpools and table tennis. The popular Canyon Ranch SpaClub® offers a full range of treatments plus complimentary fitness and yoga classes. Should you wish an afternoon interlude, every suite includes interactive flat screen TV with an extensive media library and complimentary movies-on-demand. Both ships have five excellent dining venues including Signatures, which offers fine French cuisine, and Prime 7, a classic steak house furnished in a rich wood and leather décor -- both of which require reservations. Continental cuisine, kosher dishes and Canyon Ranch SpaClub® specialties are served throughout the day at Compass Rose and La Veranda, both of which offer open seating. As of June, Italian á la carte specialties paired with fine Italian wines will be served nightly when La Veranda transforms into Sette Mari (Seven Seas) at La Veranda. And, of course, there are sandwiches and snacks at the pool grill. Special dinners and other celebrations aboard and ashore can be arranged for your family group. Cruising is a great way to travel if you want to sit back, be pampered and enjoy while others do the work. For more information, call 1-877-505-5370 or go to www.rssc.com. Wishing you and yours amazing summer travels and many memorable moments.
79 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
Day in the Life
2DINE4
The Sunset Room - Agoura Hills
Mastro’s Mastros, Thousand Oaks combines world-class service, highly acclaimed cuisine and live entertainment in an elegant, yet energetic atmosphere. A truly unparalleled dining experience. This Mother's Day Mastros will open for a Sunday Brunch from 11-3. $75 Includes mimosas, champagne and Bloody Mary's. $55 sans alcohol and $20 for children (children under 5 are free.) This summer come enjoy a beautifully decorated private Chef ’s dining room with full wall fireplace and floor to ceiling glass, overlooking an outdoor garden and the Civic Arts Plaza grounds. 2087 East Thousand Oaks 1-805-418-1811 I www.mastrosrestaurants.com
Enjoy Sunday Brunch Sunset Style. Sunset Room presents “Sangria Sunday Brunch” 11:00AM-3:00PM. Just in time for the Southern California’s summer sunshine! Enjoy indoor or patio dining, sip on sangria, experience innovative culinary creations and traditional brunch selections while enjoying the sweet sounds of Galo Pacheco live and his acoustic versions of tunes from the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and today. Celebrate Sunday’s with family and friends to become part of a new tradition at Sunset Room. Mother's Day Brunch and Dinner Specials Thursday-Saturday 6:00PM-2:00AM Sunday 11:00AM-8:00PM~ Live Entertainment. 29020 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills 1-818-991-4007 I www.sunset-room.com
The Palm At The Palm, our philosophy is simple: Treat guests like family, serve great food, and always exceed expectations. 9001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood 1100 S. Flower Street, Los Angeles www.thepalm.com
Marcello’s Ristorante With over 22 years in the Conejo Valley, Marcello’s, is recognized for its Authentic Italian cuisine served in an elegant and romantic setting. Chef and Co-Owner Tino Di Marcello and Coowner Pietro Rizzuti are known for providing excellent service and a fine dining experience. 140 West Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 1-805-371-4367 I www.marcelloristorante.com
Sweet Arleen’s Want Sweets for Grad Night? two time winner of Food network's cupcake Wars, Sweet Arleen’s has the answer... design your own tie-dye cupcakes for your graduation celebration! Show your school spirit by choosing your school colors or just pick your favorite 3 colors and Sweet Arleen’s will create your very own tie-die cupcakes. $4 each. Minimum order of 6 per color set. Pre-order only, 24 hours in advance. For parties of 50 or more, check out our Cupcake Mobile and reserve early. 1-805-373-7373 I www.sweetarleens.com
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Ever y note i nspi red.
When winemaker Christopher Carpenter envisions each new vintage of Cardinale, he becomes composer to our esteemed Napa Valley vineyards–each one sounding a unique note of texture and terroir. Together, the Cardinale vineyards become the perfect expression of taste in a remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon, which, like every great work, transcends the sum of its parts.
Š2012 CARDINALE WINERY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
cardinale.com
Day in the Life
MODERN MOTORING
Excelsior Yacht Group Considering building a yacht? Or perhaps you need a major refix? Look no further than the Excelsior Yacht Group, LLC. Capt. Chris Shearman, (AMS Yachtmaster, RYA/MCA) has many years experience as both an accredited marine surveyor as well as a Project Manager on many significant Motor Yacht builds. Having worked all over the world, Chris has built many projects to MCA standards. The "Karia" a 54 meter Superyacht is his latest project out of Turkey. 1-310-650-4455 I www.excelsioryachtgroup.com
Grand Touring In Style I Maserati GranTurismo MC The fastest Maserati to ever come to America is also the most exciting to drive. Called the GranTurismo MC (for Maserati Corse), the 185 mph MC is a competition-inspired variation on Maserati’s popular GranTurismo coupe. With a powerful V-8 engine mated to an easy-to-use automatic transmission, the MC blends stirring Italian performance with comfort and convenience that sets the bar for a luxury sport GT. The delights of an Italian leather interior make every moment behind the wheel of the GranTurismo MC a memorable occasion. Whether whisking through the canyon or blasting along the coast, the MC is a special car that rewards a driver’s every sense of sight, sound and excitement. www.maserati.us
Bumper 2 Bumper Bumper 2 Bumper Carzmetix is the “Go-To” Car Care Salon for tricking out and tripping out your car. Whether you want a custom treatment for a new car or a makeover to restore your old car we specialize in custom cosmetic painting, hi-end detailing, window tinting, vinyl wrapping and we also do basic wheel refinishing, dent removal and bumper repairs. 31143 Via Colinas # 503 Westlake Village across from the Four Seasons Hotel . 1-805-553-9200 I www.carzmetix.com
Bentley Beverly Hills Bentley Beverly Hills is a factory authorized new and pre-owned Bentley dealer. Located at 8833 W. Olympic Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California, we are just a few steps West of Robertson Boulevard on the North side of Olympic. We have factory-trained Bentley sales specialists and Bentley certified technicians. We have a large array of genuine Bentley parts, accessories, gifts, apparel and artwork from the Bentley Collection. 1-877-694-8877 I www.bentley.ogaracoach.com
Galpin Auto Sports From mild to wild, G.A.S. can deliver a unique custom paint job made to order! Turn your wreck around at Galpin Auto Sports. We work with our partners at Ford Auto Body to bring you the best in service and repair, or to arrange towing and car rentals, if necessary. Regardless of the make or model, Galpin Auto Sports can get you back in the driver’s seat. We can handle insurance claims or start the restoration of your classic! 1-877-go-gaS-go I www.galpinautosports.com
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A FAMILY OF WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS.
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FOOD & WINE
& THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT PLACE TO DRINK BEER BY CAROL KARM // PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN KOZICKI & CHRIS BRERETON
the Sudden proliFeration oF MicroBreWerieS in the area SeeMS to indicate a very thirSty population. each oF the FolloWing MicroBreWerieS haS carved out a diStinct path.
enegren Brewing company, located at 680 Flinn Avenue in Moorpark, was started by the Enegren brothers, Chris and Matt, and their friend, Joe Nascenzi, who met during their days studying at Loyola Marymount University. All of the partners have day jobs and brew their beer on nights and weekends, their production anchored by three distinct brews. Alt and Imperial IPA are done in a Düsseldorf style and Saison, a changing brew varying seasonally, is a Belgian farmhouse-style beer. Enegren is both a retail and wholesale business. You can find its beers in some of the better local restaurants and gastropubs. At Enegren Brewing Company, the public is invited to tour and learn about the brewing process, taste a flight of beers and bring or buy their growlers (half-gallon glass containers with screw tops) to be filled from the vats of fresh beer to take home and enjoy. In pairing the beers with food, they suggest pairing the Imperial IPA with spicy foods; the Alt, malty and full-bodied, with grilled meats and other big flavors; and the Saison, dry and highly carbonated, with spicy foods and especially delicate fish dishes. For more information about the Enegren Brewing Company, visit their website at www.enegrenbrewing.com.
86 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
ladyface ale companie alehouse and Brasserie’s proprietors Cyrene Nouzille and Dave Griffiths have introduced their enthusiastic patrons to their award-winning, Belgian-style beers and ales, produced on-site at 29281 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills. This French-accented Agoura Hills gastropub, with its cheery red and gold awnings, bentwood chairs and heavy wood tables, including a long communal table for extra conviviality, features a menu designed to compliment the many fine beers. The sensational pommes frites, Belgian-style fries with 3 choices of seasonings and a large variety of dips, are a must. The small plates allow diners to mix, match and share from such choices as a duck confit salad, moules frites, a variety of flatbreads, a croque monsieur or madame sandwich or some of the daily blackboard specials. There are consistently seven core beers on tap and the rest rotate seasonally at the 16-tap bar. Ladyface’s brewmaster, Griffiths, mentioned that they do mostly retail sales with a small amount of their production sold wholesale to select locations. He noted, “We have formed relationships with several wineries and age some of our beers in their empty wine barrels, giving them a unique flavor.” Families and those interested in the brewing process can take a tour of the brewery with Dave Griffiths on the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.lady faceale.com.
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the lab Brewing company, 30105 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills, is a gastropub and brewery. The partnership of Roger Bott, brewmaster, and Moez Megji, chef, has created a special destination for local residents who want a fun, casual place to hang out and enjoy great food, beverage and entertainment, all in one place. Roger Bott brews on-site and is always willing to take interested patrons into the brewing area and explain the process. “I have a lot of recipes for new brews,� says the enthusiastic Bott, “and I’m planning to roll them out in future months.� Bott considers his beers west coast craft beers and The Lab always has four core brews on tap, with additional brews rotating seasonally. In addition to the house beers, the menu lists many other craft beers. Patrons can order individual beers or flights, and, from time to time, the gastropub hosts beer and food pairing events. The menu, geared to enhance the brews, features many temptations on their small plates, such as barbequed duck quesadillas with mole sauce, candied bacon, mussels, a three-cheese fondue, salads, pizzas and, as Megji points out, the most popular choice of all, the award-winning Lab burger. This winner is made of house ground Wagyu Kobe and sirloin beef, caramelized onions, bacon, arugula and blue and gruyere cheeses. The unique feature of the Lab is the entertainment component. Live bands perform on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. To accommodate the late crowd, the kitchen stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. For additional information about the The Lab, visit www.labbrewingco.com.
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FOOD & WINE
THE
BURGER IS
KING
BY CAROL KARM
88 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
hoW Many BurgerS could one perSon eat to JuStiFy all the Burger placeS that exiSt? A daunting question but with the variety of different burgers, from a simple patty on a bun to the gargantuan garbage burgers, you have plenty of choices. In 1900, Louis Lassen ground some beef, and after a touch of flame, put it between two slices of toast as a new dish for his diner in New Haven, Connecticut. In rapid succession followed White Castle in 1921, McDonald’s and Burger King in 1954, Carl’s Jr. in 1956 and Wendy’s in 1969 – and there was no turning back. We’ve asked several area residents to tell us whose burgers put their appetites into high gear. Jason Richardson of Camarillo lists: Stella’s gourmet restaurant, 2385 Michael Drive, Newbury Park; Five guys, 487 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks and Mediterraneo, 32037 Agoura Road, Westlake Village. Szilan Fodor of Dos Vientos says his favorite is the counter, 30990 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village. Then follows red robin, 1555 Simi Town Center Way, Simi Valley; the habit, 29145 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills and in-n-out, 1550 Newbury Road, Newbury Park.
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Kelly Wilkes of Westlake Village mentions that she, “… is way into burgers,” and recommends the counter and Five guys. She’s also looking forward to Umami Burger which will open in the near future in the Nate ‘n Al’s location at The Lakes in Thousand Oaks. Emily Capretta of Westlake sets a higher standard for burgers. She mentions the Widow Maker Burger at the claim Jumper, 2150 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. It comes with smoked bacon, battered onion rings, avocado, double-thick cheddar, mayo and red relish. Her father-in-law likes the Westlake Burger at the Four Seasons, 2 Dole Drive in Westlake. This burger is trimmed with applewood smoked bacon, guacamole and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun. M café at the Calamigos Ranch, 327 Latigo Canyon Road in Malibu, features the Ranch Burger with a half pound of dry aged beef, green chilies, melted pepper jack cheese, butter lettuce, tomato and red onion. the counter has its standard Market Selection Burgers or Bowls and Signature Burgers or Bowls, both with a staggering variety of cheeses, toppings, sauces and bun choices. Burgers can be beef, chicken, turkey or vegan/veggie. And then the sky and your imagination are the only limits at the Custom Built Burger Bar. Emily mentioned the edge Burger, found at The Edge Grill, 30970 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village. Unfortunately this burger will no longer be available as the restaurant closed in April. However it can easily be said that The Edge Grill offered what might have been the most over-the-top, death-defying burger of all: The Show Stopper. It came with eight ounces of Angus Beef, six slices of bacon, American cheese and a fried egg, all stuffed between two grilled American cheese sandwiches. One thing’s for sure: you would need a few more hinges on your jaw to gobble this bad boy. And now for the definitive opinion on burgers! Who would be a better judge of the perfect burger than a hungry eighth grader? Teacher extraordinaire, Shannon Adams, polled 120 eighth graders at Lindero Canyon Middle School and here are the results: The number one choice was the habit, number two in-n-out Burger, number three the ranch Westlake, 30843 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village, number four the counter and number five went appropriately to Five guys.
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Motivational experts, book jackets and media proclaim in concert that life is a journey. It sounds eloquent and wise. It tells you that to attain success you must continue to work unending hours to reach the first plateau. Just a moment, and that is not enough since you are on an on-going journey. After you reach the first plateau, you must not let up because you are now on your way to the second. (Now I can relax?) No, No, No. You must continue sweating and agonizing until you get to the next and the next and the next. We live in a hurry-up world where people have so many projects, meetings and errands that simply can not be handled. They are scurrying frantically from place to place trying to stay ahead or to just catch up. Remember when setting your goal, if it forces you to work day after day so long and hard that you have no time for yourself or those you love, you have created a life sentence rather than a goal - no matter how much wealth and success you attained. Sadly those you chose to impress to get their approval were so caught up in their own whirlwind, they didn't even notice that you passed by. Hmmm! Tolstoy, a brilliant Russian novelist left us a powerful allegory of how mankind had failed at goals that have little to do with enjoying the brief time we have on this earth. As the story goes.... A peasant named Pakhom, is certain that he will become a great success when he has as much land as the most elite Russian nobleman. The day arrived when he received a most generous offer - he will be awarded, at no cost, as much land as he himself can encircle by running from sunrise to sunset. Pakhom sells all his possessions and moves to the distant place where the offer was made. When he arrived he decided to begin the next day. At dawn he begins his run at breakneck speed. As he dashes into the bright morning sun, his goal fixed before his eyes, he races along in blistering heat, looking neither to the left or the right. All day he continues his swift pace not stopping for food, water or rest. In his mind he sees his estate growing larger with each stride. As the evening sun disappears and darkness envelops, Pakhom staggers to the finish line. His goal of success has been achieved! Then, on his final step, Pakhom drops dead of exhaustion. Now all the land he needs is six feet of earth. Success is not a journey after all. This day and all others are gifts from God. It can be such a relief to you to drop the facade and get in favor with your creator who lifts the many demands you put on yourself. Who is this God? God is love and asks you to be giving to those in need. God is peace and asks you to be happy. He is not interested in your catalog of mistakes for his love covers all your mistakes. His love endure forever and forever. He promises that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will walk before you and show you the way. That is His promise and He never breaks His promise to us. Now, that's an offer we can count on! Don't forget to do good and share what you have with those in need. In doing this you are very pleasing to God. At least, "that's the way I see it"
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dateBook MAY now through May 18 The exhibition “Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon” at the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum features life-size figures of Washington developed through a cutting-edge forensic investigation, engaging videos, original artifacts, intricate 3-dimensional architectural models and interactive displays. The Reagan Library is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets are $15, $12 for seniors, $9 for children ages 11-17 and free for children 11 and under. www.reaganfoundation.org May 3 — 12 This year’s Ventura Music Festival, taking place in venues throughout the city, features performances by talented vocalists and string quartets, a “rising stars” competition and more. In addition to the music, each year a group of local artists is selected by the Festival to create works for display. This year twelve women produced “Visions on Screen,” a collection conceived in the elegant form of the folding screen. www.venturamusicfestival.org May 5 2:00 — 4:00 p.m. Celebrate mothers with Hope Gardens Family Center (HFGC), part of the Union Rescue Mission, which provides housing and supportive services to homeless women and children. Share tea with the mothers that live at the facility at this free event, supporting our community and ladies of hope, at 12249 Lopez Canyon Road, Sylmar, CA 91342. Hats, gloves and boas are encouraged! May 5 5:00 p.m. All are invited to attend Ventura Teen Challenge’s Annual Spring Auction, featuring live and silent auctions, a raffle, entertainment and refreshments. Doors open at 5 p.m. at the First Neighborhood Community Center, 31830 Village Center Road, Westlake Village. All proceeds support our local Teen Challenge—a 12month residential program designed to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals struggling with life-controlling addictions. www.vtcevents.com May 6 2:00 p.m. California Lutheran University string students and faculty will perform two monumental works at the Samuelson Chapel: Mendelssohn’s “Octet” and Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto” featuring senior music major and oboist Sarah Ashley. The “Octet” ensemble is under the direction of CLU faculty members Melissa Phelps, violin, and Joyce Geeting, cello. The CLU Chamber Orchestra conducted by Daniel Geeting will accompany the Marcello concerto. Donations accepted. www.callutheran.edu/music
hoMetoWn happeningS May 6 2:00 p.m. The 50-member University Wind Ensemble will perform “An American Celebration” of popular works by American composers. The program includes a tribute to those who make this community a great place—honoring firefighters, police, military officers, teachers, employees at nonprofits and others serving our community. Admission is free, sponsored by the CLU Music Department and the Community Leaders Association. Lawn seating only—bring blankets or lawn chairs for your comfort to Conejo Community Park, also known as Dover and Hendrix Park, located at 1175 Hendrix Ave., Thousand Oaks. www.callutheran.edu/music May 10 9:00 a.m. Take part in Keller Williams Realty’s RED Day (“Renew, Energize and Donate”) Event by joining with the KW Calabasas office to help rebuild and rehabilitate The Salvation Army Camp for Underprivileged Children. KW Calabasas will be sending out 60 Agents along with local high school students and volunteers, all using supplies from local vendors. www.kw.com/kw/redday.html May 10 9:30 a.m. & May 11 11:00 a.m. Presented by the New West Symphony League, “Meet the Artist” features personal interviews with conductor, Andreas Delfs and pianist, Anton Kuerti, at the Scherr Forum at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on May 10 and at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 5654 Ralston Street, Ventura, on May 11. Admission is free and complimentary refreshments will be served. No reservations needed. www.newwestsymphony.org May 12 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Join 20,000 others at the Simi Valley’s Annual Street Fair featuring a “Kids Korner & Crafts,” emergency preparedness expo, over 300 booths selling arts, crafts, food and other items and, new this year, a beer garden. The Street Fair will take place on Cochran Street, between Galena and Sequoia. www.simivalley chamber.org/StreetFair.aspx May 12 6:00 p.m. The 22nd Annual Gold Dust Gala benefits the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation, dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer for women in Ventura County. Held at the Serra Center in Camarillo, doors open at 5 p.m. for VIP and 6 p.m. for general admission. Tickets are $110 each and dress is “Cocktail Casual.” www.golddustgala.org
May/June2012
May 19 8:30 a.m. – 5k 9:15 a.m. – 1-mile family run The “flattest, fastest 5K in the West” takes off from the Ventura County Government Center. There will be $2,000 in total prizes for raffle winners, along with T-shirts and food for all. Proceeds benefit the Ventura County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Services Program. www.lawday5k.com May 20 11:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. The Moorpark Women's Fortnightly Club’s 2012 Spring Luncheon & Fashion Show fundraiser, “I’ll Stand By You,” will benefit CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Ventura County. Held at the Moorpark Country Club, tickets are $35 per person. www.mpfortnightly.com/news.php May 20 4:00 p.m. — 9:30 p.m. Kiwanis Club of Thousand Oaks Charitable Foundation hosts the 4th Annual “No Limit Texas Hold-Em Poker and Casino Night.” Also benefitting the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, it will be held at the Canyon Club, Agoura Hills and includes buffet dinner, live and silent auctions and casino prizes. Registration and Poker Tournament Buy-In is $140 ($145 at Door), Registration only is $40 ($45 at Door) and includes buffet dinner and casino play. www.ToKiwanis.org May 20 9:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. Don’t miss the 52nd Annual Topanga Banjo-Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival at Paramount Movie Ranch in Agoura Hills. The festival features a main stage with over 100 instrumental and singing contestants competing for cash and gift awards. It also features many professional bands, a dance barn with square dancing, clogging and other dancing to live music, jam sessions (bring your instruments), children’s area, folk art and wares and great food. Buy tickets in advance as they cost more on the day of the event. www.topangabanjofiddle.org May 23 10:00 a.m. — 2:30 p.m. My Stuff Bags Foundation for abused and neglected children will hold its 3rd Annual Chic Stuff Boutique and Luncheon at the beautiful Westlake Village Inn. Guests will enjoy shopping and great food in a gorgeous setting all while helping a very worthy cause. Tickets are $50 each. Space is limited so reservations are required. mystuffbags.org/chicstuff/index.htm May – June On stage at The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills: JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE – May 3, $24.50 / TRAPT — May 4, $20 / ERIC SARDINAS — May 10, $18 Adv, $20 At the Door / ENGLISH BEAT —
94 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
May 11, $20 / THE STARS OF BEATLEMANIA — May 13 (Mother’s Day), $26 / TOAD THE WET SPROCKET — May 25, $28 Adv, $44 At the Door / DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS—ENGLISH BEAT — May 31, $50 Gen. Admission, $100 VIP / MARSHALL TUCKER BAND — June 1, $35 / QUEENSRYCHE’S GEOFF TATE — June 7, $25 / DAVE JANSSEN’S SCHOOL OF MUSIC — June 10, $15 Adv, $20 At the Door / DONOVAN FRANKENREITER – June 14, $26 & $31 / KENNY LOGGINS – June 15, $79 / WHICH ONE’S PINK — June 16, $19.50 / TOM GREEN & HARLAND WILLIAMS – June 22, $35 www.canyonclub.net
JUNE Starting in June New West Symphony League’s exciting series of summer fundraisers includes “The Pleasure of Your Company.” Organized, paid for and hosted by League members in their homes or other interesting local venues, this unique series recently won the Volunteer Council of the League of American Orchestras’ Award of Excellence. All events are open to the public and all proceeds benefit the Symphony and its educational programs. For further information, call Sandee Kane, 805.492.9535. June 1 & 2 8:00 p.m. The Village Voices Chorale presents "California Connections" at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza’s Scherr Forum Theatre. Come and enjoy an array of music that features songs about our great state and music by composers who have lived in California. You'll relish favorites like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “California Dreaming,” as well as beautiful classical songs by Aaron Copland, Morten Lauridsen and Eric Whitacre. Call 818.889.7150 for tickets ($20). villagevoices.org June 2 — 3 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. ArtWalk '12 is a 2-day juried fine arts and designer crafts outdoor exhibition presented by the Conejo Valley Art Museum with the assistance of the Conejo Recreation and Park District. Starting at the Bank of America Building at Hillcrest and Wilbur Streets in Thousand Oaks, over 150 artists will have their work on display and for sale with proceeds going to the building and endowment funds. Admission and parking are free, along with food and beverages for sale, live music and art activities for children. cvam.us/events.html June 3 1:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. Voted the best cultural event in Ventura County the last four years in a row, the 19th Annual Casa Pacifica Angels Wine and Food Festival benefits Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families which
dateBook provides help to abused and neglected children and families in the area. The Festival will include food from 75 of Ventura County’s top restaurants, beverages from over 100 wineries and breweries, a large silent auction and continuous live entertainment. www.cpwineandfoodfestival.com June 3 6:00 a.m. O2O, the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon, kicks off in beautiful Ojai. The course begins 700 feet above sea level and gradually descends to the finish line near the historic Ventura pier. The course is a fast, USA Track and Field-sanctioned Boston Marathon Qualifier. ojai2oceanmarathon.com June 10 1:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. Come soak in the beauty of Lake Casitas at the Rotary Club of Ojai-West's 26th annual Ojai Wine Festival. From its humble beginning in 1987, the Ojai Wine Festival has grown into a leading regional event attracting over 5,000 people from the Central Coast and Southern California. Over sixty wineries attend the festival, which also offers a variety of twenty specialty beers, culinary delights from local restaurants, arts and crafts vendors, musical entertainment and free boat rides on the Rotary boat. www.ojaiwinefestival.com June 15 — 17 The Live Oak Music Festival, a 3-day concert and camping event in Santa Ynez Valley, offers a way to spend fabulous Father’s Day weekend that’s fun for the entire family. Enjoy everything from an “open family jam” to sushi rolling classes, special teen-only dance concerts, craft and music workshops, nature walks, outdoor education programs, a “toddler oasis,” climbing wall, juggling and more. Adult full-festival 3-day passes are $122, $77 for teens and $37 for children ages 4-12. Day passes are also available: $42 for adults and teens, $17 for children ages 4-12. Festival proceeds support KCBX Central Coast Public Radio. www.liveoakfest.org June 16 7:00 a.m. The half-marathon and 5K support City Impact, Inc., an outreach organization for at-risk youth and families in Ventura County. The races begin at the Ventura Pier and offer irresistible ocean views throughout. www.cityimpact.com June 16 Now in its 4th year, A Tribute to the Music of Johnny Cash at the Ventura County Fairgrounds is the ultimate way to celebrate the legacy of the Man in Black. With 2012 marking the 80th anniversary of Cash’s birthday, the festival means even more to dedicated fans, featuring bands playing their own hits along with Cash covers, a display of vintage cars and motorcycles, priceless
hoMetoWn happeningS memorabilia, a juried pin-up contest and plenty of food and drinks. www.roadshowrevival.com
May/June2012
Sundays from June 24 — labor day Sunday, September 2 1:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. At the Summer Sounds Concert Series, visitors soak up the sun while listening to an eclectic mix of music—jazz, pop, rock, reggae and more—at the Ventura Harbor Village Carousel Stage. www.venturaharborvillage.com
June 23 1:00 p.m. Sue Stonehouse and Pam MacCallum present their 3rd Annual Rolling for Pink fundraising event with proceeds benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Registration will open on May 16th and is limited to 300 participants. Taking place outside in Santa Rosa Valley, rain or shine, the event includes three rounds of Bunko. The Grand Prize winner gets a cash prize. There will also be a silent auction, raffle, appetizers and drinks, including margaritas provided by The Margarita Man. www.rollingforpink.org
June 29 — July 1, July 6 — 8 and July 13 — 15 8:00 p.m. Attend a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing,” one of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies, at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival, presented by the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events. Admission is $15 for adults and free for those under 18. Festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for preshow picnicking and entertainment. kingsmenshakespeare.org
June – September Summer is the perfect time to go Blue & Humpback Whale Watching. Seasonal feeding patterns offer views of these extraordinary mammals in the Santa Barbara Channel. Island Packers, Ventura County’s official concessionaire to the Channel Islands National Park, has special all-day whale watching excursions to Santa Rosa Island with a visit to Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Islands’ north shore. www.islandpackers.com
Fireworks start at 9 p.m. Call the Conejo Recreation and Park District for more information at 805.381.1247. 8:00 a.m. The 9th Annual Channel Islands 4th of July 5K & 10K benefits the Channel Islands Harbor Foundation. This classic flat and fast run takes place in the Channel Islands Harbor and Oxnard Shores beach community. The starting line is on west side of Channel Islands Harbor, just north of the Whales Tail Restaurant, 3950 Bluefin Circle, Oxnard. Races start at 8 a.m. with the 4th of July Parade following at 11 a.m. www.harborrun.com 10:00 a.m. — Independence Day Parade, Downtown Ojai 5:00 – 9:30 p.m. — Fireworks & Concert, Nordhoff High School, Ojai
June 23 10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. The Ojai Valley Lavender Festival’s 9th annual Mediterranean Marketplace takes place at Libbey Park in the heart of historic downtown Ojai. Sip on lavender-infused lemonade as you meander through the tree-lined aisles of artisanal wares. From essential oils and lotions, to plants, art, jewelry, gourmet treats, entertainment and hands-on demonstrations, there is something for everyone at this must-attend event of the summer. www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org June 24 “Lavender Sunday” takes place at various times and locations throughout the Ojai Valley. A special day of lavender-related classes—from art and cooking to tips on growing drought-resistant plants (like lavender)—all in your own backyard. Visit www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org to register for classes.
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS
10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. The 4th of July Street Fair, Ventura’s 37year-old traditional Independence Day celebration, stretches nine blocks along downtown’s Main Street. It features more than 250 participating artisans, entertainment on six stages and plenty of food choices. Kids' attractions include pony and train rides, rock climbing and a Pushem-Pullem parade. www.venturastreetfair.com
June 24 11:00 a.m. — 9:00 p.m. The Vans Warped Tour 2012, this touring concert and extreme sports event, has been a favorite among multigenerational punk rockers since 1995. Taking place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, this year’s tour features performances by Of Mice and Men, Man Overboard and New Found Glory and many others. vanswarpedtour.com/bands
9:00 p.m. The 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, coordinated by Conejo Recreation and Park District with the City of Thousand Oaks and other local sponsors, takes place on the hill behind the Hillcrest Center of the Arts in Thousand Oaks.
95 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
10:00 a.m. 4th of July Parade and Fireworks — Westlake’s annual 4th of July parade begins at Westlake High School and proceeds east on Hilliard Boulevard to Clague Park. Right after the parade, a variety of activities will take place at Crocker Park while evening festivities including food, drink and musical performances will be held in Clague Park, and of course, fireworks begin at dusk, weather permitting.
to include your event in our
datebook email:
kari@
WestlakeMagazine.com
TIPS & VIEWS
Q&A
WITH DR. SHARON NORLING OF WESTLAKE’S
MIND BODY SPIRIT CENTER BY ALISA GERMAN
are you tired of feeling sick and tired? if so, you’re not alone. Westlake Magazine sat down with Dr. Sharon Norling of the Mind Body Spirit Center in Westlake Village to talk about an imbalance that many of us suffer from without even knowing. Dr. Norling is nationally board-certified in OB/GYN, Integrative Medicine and Medical Acupuncture and is passionate about educating her patients and the community on how to live their best life.. 1. What iS the MoSt coMMon iSSue you See? I see many symptoms and illnesses but the most predominant issue that comes into my office is a wide range of neurotransmitter imbalances. Individuals will come in and feel anxious and depressed. If they have low levels of serotonin they will also have trouble sleeping, 70% will have joint pain, will crave carbohydrates and they will lack motivation. Individuals may have mood disorders, fatigue, low libido, lack of focus, blood sugar imbalances, headaches, hot flashes, hyperactivity or constipation. 2. What cauSeS neurotranSMitter iMBalance? Neurotransmitter imbalances can be caused by stress, nutrient deficiencies, hormone levels, drugs and medications, inflammations and genes. These imbalances can then exacerbate mood disorders and the inability to sleep. A physician who is trained in this lab test can treat these imbalances using specific, targeted effective nutrient therapies without side effects. 3. iS neurotranSMitter iMBalance only in our Brain? We used to think the neurotransmitters were produced just in the brain. We now know that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has as many brain cells as the brain. The GI
tract is important for digestion, absorption of nutrients, and for detoxification. It also contains 80% of our immune system. The GI tract produces 95% of serotonin and if we don’t have a healthy GI tract we can take all the medications and vitamins we want but we’re not going to get as much benefit. 4. What iS adrenal Fatigue? Neurotransmitter imbalances can create or exacerbate adrenal fatigue and vice versa. Adrenal fatigue has a broad spectrum of non-specific yet often debilitating symptoms including feeling physically run down and emotionally spent. The onset of this disease is caused by relatively low cortisol levels and is often slow and insidious. People may have trouble getting up in the morning even if they have slept eight or nine hours. They might crave salt or be sensitive to loud noises. They might get daytime sleepiness or get a second wind at night. Individuals will experience more inflammation, allergies and fatigue. 5. hoW eaSy iS thiS to Fix? There is a solution and it’s easy to test, using blood and saliva. Everyone probably has some imbalance or knows someone who does. You can be balanced; you can feel better and live your best life without the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. You can and deserve to live a healthy, happy life for you and your family.
96 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
>> italian Boccaccio’s 32123 Lindero Canyon Rd # 104 Westlake Village, CA 91362 (818) 889-8300 www.boccacciosonthelake.com Bellini osteria 951 S. Westlake Blvd. Westlake Village, CA 91361 (805) 497-8482 www.belliniosteria.com >> pizza Fresh Brothers 180 Promenade Way Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 777-8448 www.freshbrothers.com >> deli Brent’s delicatessen & restaurant 2799 Townsgate Rd Westlake Village, CA 91359 (805) 557-1882 www.brentsdeli.com
>> catering Monrose catering 31117 Via Colinas Westlake Village, CA 91361 (818) 707-7307 www.monrosecatering.com >> SeaFood Fins 982 S. Westlake Blvd., Ste. 8 Westlake Village, CA 91361 (805) 494-6494 www.finsinc.com
Malibu >> caliFornian geoffrey’s Malibu 27400 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, CA 90265 (310) 457-1519 www.geoffreysmalibu.com
Agoura Hills >> aMerican
>> aMerican
the hideaway 5719 Lake Lindero Dr Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 735-3530 www.hideawayrestaurant.net
the grill 120 E Promenade Way Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 (805) 418-1760 www.thegrill.com/westlake.html
Wood ranch 5050 Cornell Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 597-8900 www.woodranch.com/loc_agoura.html
lazy dog café 172 W. Hillcrest Dr. Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (805) 449-5206 www.lazydogcafe.com
Sunset room 29020 Agoura Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 991-4007 www.sunset-room.com
Mastro's Steakhouse 2087 East Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, Ca. 91362 805-418-1811 www.mastrosrestaurants.com
the lab Brewing co. 30105 Agoura Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91302 (818) 735-0091 www.labbrewingco.com
>> italian
Mediterraneo 32037 Agoura Road Westlake Village, CA 91361 (818) 889-9105 www.med-rest.com
Thousand Oaks
>> aMerican zin Bistro americana 32131 Lindero Canyon Rd Suite 111 Westlake Village, CA 91361 (818) 865-0095 www.zinbistroamericana.com napa tavern 101 S Westlake Blvd Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 497-4911 www.thenapatavern.com Mediterraneo 32037 Agoura Road Westlake Village, CA 91361 (818) 889-9105 www.med-rest.com
vitello’s trattoria 3316 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, CA 91361 (805) 496-3333 www.vitellostrattoria.com Marcello's italian ristorante 140 West Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 (805) 371-4367 www.marcelloristorante.com
97 MAY/JUNE2012 I WeStlake Magazine
if you would like to be included in our restaurant guide, please contact holly correa at holly@westlakemagazine.com
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