Diary of a Dog: Callie

I’m a four-year-old poodle mix, and I used to be called Dollie because of how much I look like a stuffed animal. Before I came to the Silicon Valley Pet Project I was in a shelter in San Jose. The organization hears about dogs like me, who are found without a collar or a chip, and takes them out of local shelters so they can be matched with new owners. I had a good time with Melissa, who fostered me after I was rescued, but after a month or so I was ready find my new home.

My owners, Gem and Steve, had lived with a rescue dog when they were in Washington, D.C., and so they knew they wanted another pet once they got settled back on the Peninsula. They both grew up here, and after they moved back in May, getting a dog was one of their first priorities. They saw my picture on a pet-finding website and the week after that I was home with them in Redwood City.

Gem works full-time at home so we have plenty of time to hang out. My favorite thing to do is cuddle with my owners when they’re on the couch, and I like to follow them around the apartment to make sure that they don’t get lost. Even though I’m not a puppy, I’m taking a training class at Love of Dogs Training in Redwood City where most of the other students are younger than me. I’m having a good time working on crate training and other skills, and the puppies in class don’t bother me too much. If you’re like my owners and looking to add a rescue dog to make your home complete, visit svpetproject.org to see dogs and cats who are adoptable right now.

Perfect Shot: 280 Light Show

Photographer Tom Wagenbrenner left his camera’s shutter open for 30 seconds to create the “light trail” effect seen in the traffic lanes, highlighting the vibrant energy (and possible frustration) of evening rush hour. He captured this long-exposure shot from the Mora Drive overpass above 280 in Los Altos Hills. Even long-time Peninsula residents might not realize that the interstate highway runs just inside the eastern rim of the valley of the San Andreas Fault for almost all of its 57-mile length.

Image courtesy of Tom Wagenbrenner Photography / gruvimages.com

Green Thumb: Master Gardener

Cindy Burgdorf can teach you all about the birds and the bees—and about butterflies and backyard chickens, too. Not to mention growing the biggest and best tomatoes and peppers. When it comes to gardening and local wildlife, you can ask Cindy anything, and if she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out for you. That’s the job of a Master Gardener.

Technically, Cindy is a UC Master Gardener, and she’s one of nearly 200 in San Mateo and San Francisco counties. The UC Davis Farm Extension program initially launched here in 2006, and Cindy joined up in 2008. “The UC Davis professors work with commercial farmers and then we take some of that information and we use it to teach backyard gardeners how to grow fruit trees or how to grow strawberries or vegetables or how to prune their roses,” she explains. “We use actual scientific information—not ‘my grandma said this is the best way to do it’ or ‘I heard this works really well.’”

Being a Master Gardener is a second career for Cindy. She spent 30 years working in the finance field, and in her final capstone position as CFO of SanDisk, she took the flash memory manufacturer public in 1995. When she retired in 2000, Cindy began to ramp up her gardening hobby in her Atherton backyard, motivated by memories of helping out on her grandparents’ ranch in Monterey County. “Once we moved here, my husband built vegetable garden boxes for me, and then some more, and then some more,” she recalls. “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing.”

Cindy also enjoyed teaching at various stages in her career, so becoming a Master Gardener seemed like a natural extension—a way to further expand her knowledge and contribute to the community. She signed up for the program, committing to once-a-week classes taught locally over a quarter, getting a “basic grounding in the kinds of things you need to know.” As a Master Gardener, Cindy is also required to put in continuing education hours each year—along with volunteer time (50 hours the first year, 25 hours after that) answering questions, teaching workshops, leading clinics or speaking on a variety of gardening subjects. “We have lots of people who are new to the area and they say, ‘Gosh, I don’t recognize the things I see in a nursery or know how to grow them’, so they come to classes to learn how to do that,” she says. “Other people are maybe buying their first home, and they might say, ‘Whoa! What do I do with this yard? I’ve always wanted to have a vegetable garden, and here’s my chance, but I don’t know a thing about it. How do I get started?’”

Calling Cindy’s own backyard an inspiration is a significant understatement. Starting with that first vegetable garden box, what Cindy has accomplished is difficult to fully comprehend. On her 1.5-acre property, she has year-round vegetable gardens, gardens devoted to bees and butterflies, a half-dozen varieties of fruit trees, five beehives, six chickens, a worm bin and six compost bins. Her yard is also a Monarch Waystation (Monarch Watch), a certified Butterfly Garden (NABA), certified WildLife Habitat (NWF) and certified Bee-Friendly Garden (Pollinator Partnership).

All of that knowledge is bundled up and ready to assist local gardeners with aspirations of nurturing their own green thumbs. And that’s just Cindy. Every Master Gardener has their own expertise, bringing different interests and knowledge. “The Putnam sisters always teach about fruit trees and pruning and planting, and Stu Dalton loves roses and teaches people how to prune them,” Cindy cites as examples. Keep in mind, all of these resources are readily accessible—whether it’s free classes, online gardening tips (look for month-by-month hints) and even free public service helplines, including locations in Redwood City and Half Moon Bay, where you can email, call or walk in for help. To learn more, check out smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu. And, if gardening is on your “must-do” list for 2019, below is some advice from Cindy to get you started.

VEGETABLE GARDENS

Everything tastes so much better when you grow it yourself, pick it yourself and then eat it right out of the garden. And hands-down, you can’t beat homegrown tomatoes. You can start with a container on your back porch, so you don’t have to have a big plot of land. If you want to grow tomatoes and peppers and things like that, you need six to eight hours of sun every day, so you need to pick the sunniest place in your yard. January is a good time to prune your roses, and it’s also a good time to plant your fruit trees. It’s also a good time to start thinking about what you want to plant where and to order your seeds.

BUTTERFLY GARDENS

There are about 150 species of butterflies in the Bay Area, and a large number of them are endangered. In fact, the Bay Area has the highest number of endangered butterflies in the United States and it’s because of loss of habitat and loss of their native host plants. Every butterfly has a host plant on which they lay their eggs, and those are the only plants that they lay their eggs on. So, for example, monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, so if there’s no milkweed, there are no monarchs. For any species of butterfly, you have to have the host plant for them to lay their eggs on and then you have to have nectar plants to feed the adults. You have to have both.

BACKYARD CHICKENS

I’ve had chickens for about 10 years now. It was one of the things I wanted to do after I retired, and I’m now on my third flock. Fresh eggs taste so much better, and the yolks are so much richer. You need a secure coop because we have racoons, opossums, hawks and other things that are happy to feast on your chickens. You could have a coop with three chickens, and you’d get three eggs a day, and for most families, that adds up pretty fast. Six chickens for my family is a lot, so I give away a lot of eggs to friends. I have a feeder and water I can fill up so I can go away for a while, and I have an automatic door that lets them in and out, so from that standpoint, they can be easy to take care of. If you raise them from chicks, it takes about five months before they start laying eggs.

BEEHIVES

I think it makes it better for my whole garden if I have bees in the yard because they’re pollinating everything. It makes it much easier to grow my vegetables because I’ve always got somebody working for me. It’s expensive to start a hive, and the last couple of years, we usually lose one or sometimes two over the winter. This has been a problem for beekeepers in this area because people use pesticides in their yards, and the bees collect for you from a mile and a half all the way around. Usually about August is when you harvest the honey. You want to leave enough time in the fall for them to replace enough honey to live through the winter.

WORM/COMPOST BINS

I think it’s really important to be able to recycle everything I can. The good news is that it helps me because I create all this compost that I can put into my vegetable gardens. Worms give off a really, really rich poop and liquid you can use to pour onto your plants. What I also do is I usually take a shovel of that and put it into my compost bin as I’m starting the compost, so the worms and everything all work together. One of my gardeners once told me, ‘I tell everybody Cindy’s garden is the best because she’s got this great compost.’ The compost really makes my tomatoes grow.

helpline & drop-in

Mondays and Thursdays

9AM-4PM

650.276.7430

Veteran Memorial Senior Center

1455 Madison Avenue

Redwood City

Elkus Ranch Conference Center

1500 Purisima Creek Road

Half Moon Bay

Take to the Skies

words by Silas Valentino

The sky was shrouded in a smoky haze with the sun hovering like an apricot in the east across the San Francisco Bay, the only visible marker seen from a Palo Alto perspective. The air traffic controller’s weather report for Wednesday, November 14, described hazardous conditions, a hindrance for Mark Baker, a pilot in training. It meant he couldn’t get up in the air that day.

Smoke caused by the Camp Fire, a few hours northeast of the Palo Alto Airport, had merged with typical Bay Area smog to create a one-statute mile of visibility, hardly clear enough to jet up a few thousand feet in the air and practice today’s lesson of short-range radio coordination.

Acknowledging that the wildfire was a far greater tragedy than the present impedance to his schooling, Mark greeted Kelly O’Dea, his instructor, and followed her to a small room inside the West Valley Flying Club’s Palo Alto location. Since they wouldn’t be able to physically fly today, they turned to the virtual cockpit of a Cirrus II, a flight console simulator that imitates the mechanical process of flying but with none of the finesse.

Mark is more at home managing his family’s real estate portfolio, but at 49, he’s embracing this new challenge. “I was never very good at video games,” Mark admits, as he grabs control of his digital aircraft. “Last time I tried to take off and couldn’t because there’s an emergency brake on this thing!”

They map out their flight plan for their virtual tour, lining up the VOR coordinates they’ll fly over. In pilot jargon, VOR, or Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range, is a ground-based navigation system that uses short-range radio signals to determine a plane’s position. These radio beacons transmit frequencies that keep pilots on course, and there are several scattered throughout the Bay Area—the Peninsula’s central VOR is in Woodside.

“Sometimes I wish I was learning how to fly in Oklahoma,” Mark jokes as he reviews his aeronautical chart of the Bay Area. “Here, we have airports in Oakland, Hayward, San Francisco, San Carlos, Palo Alto and San Jose—you can’t fly here without being in somebody’s airspace within a matter of minutes.”

The Bay Area—and the Peninsula in particular—contains a bevy of flight schools offering to turn dreams of flying into a reality for anyone who can dedicate the time and meet the price tag. If you can budget roughly $15,000 and commit to the necessary schooling, you can be up in the air on your own in less than six months (averaging three days a week of training)—although many stretch it out longer, especially if they’re juggling busy schedules.

Of the half-dozen flight schools on the Peninsula, West Valley Flying Club is the elder statesman of the group, with 46 years in business. Kelly has been teaching with the club since 2015 and currently instructs about a dozen students, ranging from beginners to pilots learning specialties such as instrument flying.

Kelly is a resident of Belmont and piloting was her second career as well as a passion that grew with each flight she watched take off from the nearby San Carlos Airport. She began her pilot’s training at age 35 and advocates that it’s never too late to learn to fly.

“Visually, it’s a banquet,” she says. “You can fly 15 minutes and be on the coast or fly 30 minutes northeast and end up in the Napa Valley. This time of year is stunning; then the spring brings the green or on occasion we see snow on the mountaintops. You’d think living in the Bay Area that you can’t see the seasons, but you do when you’re in the air.”

Kelly describes Mark as a star student who exemplifies the dedication needed for aviation education. His first lesson was in August and, after coming in three times a week, he completed his first solo flight on November 1.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires 40 hours of in-flight practice to earn your private pilot certificate. Mark has 55 hours logged and his education has included both in-flight and virtual training, an online course offered through MzeroA.com and two FAA-mandated textbooks: the “Airport Flying Handbook” and the “Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.”

“Kelly told me when we started that it would be like drinking water out of a fire hose—we’re three months into it and I still feel like that,” Mark says, but he’s quick to add that the information overload is digestible. “I wasn’t nervous at all for my first solo flight and I credit Kelly with how much time we spent to make sure I was ready,” he says. “She didn’t kick me out of the nest; when the time came, I felt very ready to do it. When you’re flying by yourself, you’re only as good as the training you’ve received.”

Roughly 10 miles north of the Palo Alto Airport sits the San Carlos Airport, home to another West Valley Flight Club location as well as the San Carlos Flight Center. Dan Dyer, the Flight Center’s owner, devised an education program that’s tied to a clear structure. On top of the required textbooks, he’s developed two additional workbooks that focus on each component of the education process to allow a student to discover their strengths and weaknesses in learning how to fly. The most typical hurdle for students tends to be aerodynamics—unless you come from an engineering background, which is fairly common on the Peninsula.

On a morning with less hazardous conditions last November, San Carlos Flight Center pilot instructor Mari Baratto provided a demo on how a first lesson in the air would play out. She selects a Cessna 172, the most popular single-engine aircraft in the world, and begins by checking off dozens of pre-flight rituals like ensuring that the plane’s gasoline is pure (indicated by faint baby-blue coloring).

Inside the cozy cockpit, she flips the ignition and follows the yellow-striped road out to the tarmac, her hands throttling the w-shaped control wheel called a yoke. She lifts off and even though she’s logged over 700 hours in the air, the excitement of flight is far from fading. “It’s so beautiful,” she says. “I don’t know how you could ever get sick of it.”

Soaring above Half Moon Bay, 3,000 feet in the air, the Peninsula is sectioned into checkered land patterns that offer a comprehensive perspective of the area—agricultural squares, segmented housing developments and a strip of blond, sandy beach. Rising over the Miramontes Ridge, hiking trails mimic the contour lines on a topographic map while the unnatural pocket of the Pilarcitos Quarry exposes a tucked-away disintegration of the land.

On the ground, the Peninsula appears so established and conquered with barely an acre left undiscovered. However, when in flight, the liberated skies become a new frontier filled with intangible and infinite exploration.

Interested in scheduling a flight school demo?

Here’s a sampling of local flight schools that welcome prospective students year-round:

San Carlos Flight Center 650.946.1700

West Valley Flying Club 650.856.2030   

Advantage Aviation 650.494.7248

Fly Bay Area 650.631.2927

JATO Aviation 650.654.5286

capturing flight

Before he was even legal to drive a car, Michael Mainiero earned his student pilot certificate license out of San Carlos Airport. By the time he turned 16, the Menlo-Atherton High School student had already been taking flying lessons for three months—and had been regularly going up in the air since he was 12. Now a corporate pilot with Advantage Aviation Charter based out of Hayward Executive Airport, the 21-year-old from Menlo Park spends as much time as he can embedded in the piloting community, either by flying (he now has 3,200 hours) or indulging in his side passion: aviation photography. Michael captures everything from airshows to air-to-air photo shoots, where he soars side-by-side in formation with his subject; sometimes he dons a full-body harness and bypasses window glare by removing the aft cargo doors on his friend’s Beechcraft A36 Bonanza. Michael is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of pilots and volunteers with the Young Eagles education program each month at the San Carlos Airport. “Interest in aviation has been lost,” he says. “There isn’t really a push in school to tell you that you too could be a pilot or mechanic or aviation photographer.” To view more of Michael’s aviation photography, visit MichaelMainieroPhoto.com

The Last Lap

When I first got domesticated in my mid-twenties with a wife and then children, I found that after spending eight to ten hours in an office every day, I needed exercise. Because I didn’t have much time or money, it had to be fast, efficient and without a check to write. And I wanted a way to stay in shape without having to overexert myself.

But as much as I wanted to get my body moving, I hated exercising. I can’t stand those people who wake up at five in the morning seven days a week to go on a long run or to a crack-of-dawn boot camp. At five in the morning I am still settling in for some good sleep. So, after giving it some thought, I realized that the quickest way to get some exercise was to walk out my front door and start running.

I do not have the body of a runner and I detest doing it; I started running because it met my criteria. That and doing a hundred push-ups and sit-ups each day. Mind you, my idea of running is not yours. I would run about a mile or so—about 20 minutes of laborious breathing—and then head home, where I would do my calisthenics. While modest by most standards, it was enough to keep me feeling fit. Every other day, I reluctantly put on my shorts and shoes and hit the streets, running a consistent pattern around my neighborhood. I realized that if I did more than what I did, I would hate it so much that I wouldn’t do anything at all.

One of my ridiculous traits is the extreme guilt I feel if I miss something in my own routine, whether it is flossing my teeth or having the same snack at the same time every night or getting my exercise done. I can tell you that this is among my most annoying qualities. No one cares if I don’t floss my teeth one night but it’s like the world will end to me if I don’t do it. Another absurd trait is my anathema for change.  I have the same thing for lunch every day and I eat the same thing for dinner every night. I have had the same toast and jam for Saturday morning breakfasts since I was 20. Ridiculous.

Combine these two idiosyncrasies and it means that for several decades I followed my same standard exercise program. One day I added up the distance of all my short runs and realized that I had effectively run from here to New York and back again. Kind of the tortoise and the hare situation in an endless loop.

Several years ago, however, I noticed that my knees were starting to feel the brunt of pounding the streets for all that time, so in the summer I stopped running and started swimming in our small backyard pool. But if there was anything that I was worse at than running, it was swimming. My dad “taught” me to swim by throwing me into a local pool and then walking away. I was the third child, but still. Over time I taught myself how to swim but was never much good at it.

However, the benefit of being such a lousy swimmer was that I had to extend more effort to get across the pool and thus got more exercise. At the end of the summer—when it was time to shut off the heater in our pool—I would go back to running. But last November, when I relaced my running shoes and hit the streets, my knees said, “No more.” They were shot. I grasped on what else to do, since not following my routine, as you can imagine, caused me considerable anxiety. Fortunately, I discovered that minutes from my home was a wonderful swimming facility, and so I joined up and hit the pool.

I still hate exercising, but I like swimming more than running. I have found things to think about while I am swimming to get through the laps (of course, I always think about the same things). I looked up some YouTube videos and have slowly improved my swimming stroke, though swimmers next to me regularly lap me. And I still do my sit-ups and push-ups. I figure if I ever stop, I’ll never be able to start them up again. This relatively low amount of exercise has done okay for me. I weigh the same as I did in college and most of my vital organs are still working.

Last night I sat down and figured that if I continue at this rate of swimming and live to be 100, I’ll have made it halfway to Hawaii. If you’re on a cruise headed that way and you hear me call out, please send a boat.

Landmark: IT’S-IT Sign

Although the company’s headquarters next to 101 in Burlingame is our landmark this month, the IT’S-IT brand ice cream sandwich is a Peninsula pillar in its own right. The confection has been a local favorite since its invention in 1928, although the IT’S-IT’s birthplace is a few miles up the coast. The story goes that George Whitney, operator of the legendary San Francisco theme park Playland, invented the treat at his beachside park. Placing a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two large oatmeal cookies, and then dipping the result into dark chocolate, Whitney is said to have exclaimed, “It’s it!” when he beheld his new creation.

Playland closed down in the ‘70s, but its signature frozen treat has lived on. Since the company relocated to a larger facility in 1976, the Burlingame warehouse with its ten-foot-high sign visible from the freeway has been the IT’S-IT world headquarters. Although the factory doesn’t offer tours, it’s still worth pulling over to check out the factory’s retail shop. The store offers all IT’S-IT products (which recently expanded to include a chocolate chip cookie sandwich), along with hard-to-find flavors, as well as other exclusive frozen treats and IT’S-IT memorabilia. For true fans, IT’S-IT delivers custom orders to seven different counties throughout the Bay Area, so it might be the perfect treat for your next company social, wedding, holiday party, birthday or picnic. And for any expats living outside of IT’S-IT’s delivery territory, don’t rub it in by sending a picture next time you pass the sign. Instead, send them a frosty care package from the IT’S-IT website for a true taste of the Peninsula.

To learn more, visit itsiticecream.com

Jesse Cool’s Rebellious Streak

words by Sheri Baer

In  Palo Alto’s College Terrace neighborhood, pass through a wooden gate, under an archway of greenery, up a brick staircase and into a charming 1920s-era home with a classic red-tiled roof. You’re entering a no-shoe zone, so unlace and leave your boots at the door. Cross through the kitchen, with its colorful mix of cooking pots hanging over the center island (this is where magic happens), and make a quick pit stop—briefly (and happily) noting the comfy Japanese heated toilet seat and the copy of The World According to Mr. Rogers beckoning to be read. No time to linger though, a chair at the dining room table and a conversation with Jesse Cool awaits.

Where to begin when you’re talking with the chef-restaurateur (some might say Peninsula culinary icon) who championed local, organic, sustainable food long before there was any awareness to do so? A look out the back window offers enticing glimpses of seedlings taking root (begging the question, “What’s in Jesse’s garden?”), but before diving into the present, let alone the future, it makes sense to look back at the past.

More a self-described love child than a hippie, Jesse caught a ride to California in the early ‘70s, a three-month cross-country journey in a rainbow-painted Volkswagen van. She came from small-town western Pennsylvania stock. With a lineage of grocers, butchers and Old-World food people, she was a single mom who knew how to cook. But when she arrived on the Peninsula, “high-fat, big, cheap food” dominated the menus and that just didn’t jive with Jesse Cool.

Dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine for more than four decades now, Jesse is widely-recognized for leading the movement that introduced fresh, organic and locally-sourced ingredients into Peninsula food culture. But Jesse doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer. If anything, she thinks she pulled values backwards—back to a village mentality. “I actually think I’m very old-fashioned. I don’t think I’m an innovator. I’m not a pioneer. A pioneer invents things,” she says. “My family taught me this connection of where the food comes from. In a village, you would want the bread baker to survive, you would want the person raising chickens to survive; I would call it ethical. I was brought up that way, and when I got here, I didn’t know how else to do it.” 

Jesse first encountered the Peninsula—the once orchard-laden “Valley of Heart’s Delight” on the brink of evolving into tech-centric Silicon Valley—in a time of transition. Heartened by the sight of apricot and cherry farms still spotting Santa Clara County, Jesse was shocked by the scarcity of local produce. “It was all shipped out. There was no market. It was like being in the middle of Idaho,” she recalls. San Francisco and Berkeley got their share, but, “None of it came down here. It took decades to happen here.”

After working as a waitress in Palo Alto’s Good Earth Restaurant, Jesse became a restaurant owner in 1976. With an investment of under $5,000, she partnered with her then-husband Bob Cool to open Late for the Train in Menlo Park. “I thought it looked European but it was all from the thrift store. I think if people would describe it they would say it was a hodge-podge of mismatch,” she says. “We just opened the door and the lines started because the food was good, clean, chemical-free. We couldn’t say it was organic because people would mock us and make fun of us.”

Sourcing organic food was cumbersome, but Jesse refused to compromise. “I think I was the only one buying it, and I’d go get it. I had an old pick-up truck, and I would go to the Palo Alto market and I’d drive over to Pescadero to buy organic beans from Phipps Ranch,” she reflects. “In one of my many nearly-going- bankrupt moments, I remember my mom saying, ‘You’re going to go out of business. Nobody cares if the onions are organic. Nobody cares.’ But I said, ‘Mom, you and dad taught me that.’ I think it was this gut, soulful connection to my whole community that if I did something that wasn’t ethical or respectful, I couldn’t live with it.”

Jesse carried that unwavering commitment through the founding of five restaurants and the decades that followed, leading the march to bring farm to the Peninsula table, while expanding her touchpoints as a restauranteur, writer, spokesperson, educator and consultant for eco-conscious food service. Even as the tech boom spawned countless VC and corporate partnerships, Jesse developed her own local connections to include 40-plus farmers, vintners, fishermen and ranchers—with names like The Rabbit Lady, Full Belly Farm, Pasture Chick Ranch, Michal the Milkman and Harley Farms Goat Dairy.

In 1980, she launched Flea Street Cafe on Alameda de Las Pulgas (“Street of the Fleas”) in Menlo Park, now considered legendary for its achievements in sustainable cuisine. Along with Flea Street, Jesse continues to operate Cool Cafe at Stanford Cantor Arts Center. She also sits on three boards, lectures for Stanford’s Department of Education and created Farm Fresh at Stanford Hospital, an organic, local menu option for critically ill patients. Jesse’s CV reads like a book, and to that end, “Somebody at the bar said ‘You need to write a book,’ and I said, ‘I’ve written seven,’” she recounts. No wonder it’s such a challenge to effectively boil down (or reduce) her rich, complex and ever-evolving life and career to the essential ingredients. Plus, there’s still the future to talk about. With two grandchildren, and a milestone birthday not too far off, what’s on the agenda for Jesse Cool version 2019? Even as the now-signature purplish streak in her blonde hair catches the light, her response comes easy: ’I want to be a badass elder.”

While there’s still evidence of the ‘70s love child in her, Jesse is clearly eager to embrace the role of badass elder. A top priority—getting more hospitals to make the shift to serving organic, local food: “We need to have clean food in healing environments,“ she says.

On the restaurant front, foodie fans will be happy to hear that Jesse recently signed new ten-year leases for both Flea Street and Cool Cafe, guaranteeing the continuity of her gloriously simple, ingredient-driven fare on the Peninsula. “What I hear from people is they can eat bountifully, but they don’t leave with a food hangover, and I think that’s because they’re not being tricked with salt, fat or chemicals,” she says. In even more momentous news, Jesse shares that she finally found a Flea Street business partner. Starting in January, Michael Biesemeyer is officially co-owner of Flea Street, handling operations, while Jesse continues to advise and work with the staff on food and production. “I wouldn’t bring a partner on if I didn’t trust that he loved everything about our core values,” she says. And, as if to emphasize that she’s not going anywhere, “I plan to sit at the bar and drink a martini every night as I always do.”

Jesse is also keeping fairness and social justice on her plate, which explains why you won’t see prices coming down. “If food seems to be expensive, I hope people understand what it takes to produce our food here and that there’s a cost to it. We have to pay the farmers, the fishermen and the ranchers and service staff who take care of us. Please do not complain about the cost of service because these people can barely afford to live here,” she says. In that same regard, Jesse hopes that those who can afford it will respectfully donate to the broader community. “We have to make sure if we have abundance, that we share it,” she says. “It’s terrible to think that only the wealthy can eat well. Clean, healthy food should not be just for the elite.”

With only so much time, topics quickly get whittled down. What’s in her backyard garden? It’s actually a mini-farm on Stanford Open Space property, officially approved by former President John Hennessy and used as a model classroom for Stanford students. “They drew the farm into their plan, so it can be there forever,” she says. Along with a chicken coop, greenhouse and compost bin, the crops change with the season. With winter, “You’ll see root vegetables, carrots, turnips, radishes, cauliflower, broccoli, artichokes and potatoes,” she says.

Does the badass elder ever loosen up? That’s where Jesse’s 80/20 rule comes in. Her personal philosophy is to be truly conscious and conscientious 80% of the time. For the other 20%, she says, pick your poisons: “For example, I love to eat. I want a hot dog at the ballpark or some delicious pasta carbonara with lots of egg yolks and bacon in it, but then the next day, I’m gonna eat salad and soup because if I do it all the time, I wouldn’t be well.”

And just getting in under the wire, the last question that begs to be asked—what’s the story behind the purplish streak in her hair? First off, it’s actually two colors—rose and fuchsia—and it’s a signature style that dates back to the early ‘80s, when, rebelling against being in the suburbs, Jesse asked herself, “What can I do that’s different?” Every time she tried to take the streak out, her kids would complain, and now, “I feel naked without it,” she says. In fact, badass elder Jesse recently rebelled a little bit more. Look closely, and you’ll see a faint glimmer of green in her tresses. “This young woman who did my hair a couple of weeks ago said, ‘Can I put one more color in there?’ and after 36 or 37 years, I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ And I love it!”

Lots of changes in four decades, but Jesse’s priorities haven’t shifted since her arrival in that rainbow-painted VW van. “Peace, freedom, feeding others, community,” she summarizes. The same way she championed local, organic food, these are the core values she’ll keep fighting to make mainstream.

Defining Peninsula Design

Back in 1988, Catharine Garber was one year into launching her own architectural design firm, specializing in single-family homes. Living with her husband, Daniel, in a tiny 700-square-foot coach house in Chicago, she frequently worked with their infant son tucked into a file drawer or up on the drawing table. “At least the first half-year, they don’t move around too much,” she recalls, with a laugh. “My maiden name was Fergus and I called myself the Fergus Garber Group to make my company sound as big as possible, but it was just one person.”

In the 32 years since its founding, Catharine’s firm evolved from Fergus Garber in Chicago to Fergus Garber Young (FGY) Architects in Palo Alto—and from Catharine, solo practitioner, into one of the Peninsula’s leading design firms with a staff of 25. Although Daniel started his professional life doing institutional and corporate projects, and later real estate consulting, he returned to architecture in 2002, joining Catharine’s firm to help build the residential practice. “I realized Catharine was having a lot more fun than I was and working for clients who were far more appreciative,” Daniel says. Catharine and Daniel added a third partner in 2011, Heather Young, to head up FGY’s commercial, mixed-use and multi-family practice.

With a continually full schedule of projects, Catharine and Daniel have found little time to look back, but the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently honored FGY with its prestigious Firm Award, recognizing “a firm that has consistently produced distinguished architectural design for a period of at least 20 years,” including a record of community service, mentorship, innovative research and business practices. It’s the kind of industry acknowledgment that merits reflection, both through a personal lens and from a broader design perspective.

Catharine and Daniel first came to Palo Alto in 1996 in what was deemed a temporary move at the time, prompted by Daniel’s work. They officially decided to stay two years later. As Daniel recollects, “We did move with the intention of going back in a year, but then your kids are running around in t-shirts and with their shoes off in February, and you’re listening to your relatives back in Chicago weather the latest snow storm, and you’re wondering why you’d go back.”

Coming from the Midwest, the pair appreciated the notable local architectural precedents, and they eagerly soaked up California’s unique Spanish Colonial and Arts & Crafts style influences. As Catharine tells it, “For a couple who enjoys designing in different styles, we were very interested in learning more about those.” The pair drew direct inspiration from these movements, including emphasizing a home’s relationship to the outdoors and creating rich detailing that embraces the innate quality of materials—be it exposed wood, roughed stone or wrought iron.

In their years of practice, Catharine and Daniel have now designed over 120 homes around the country—the vast majority of their work is in Palo Alto, radiating out to surrounding communities including Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills, Woodside and Saratoga. “The firm’s goal from its inception was foremost to provide excellent service to the client,” Daniel says, “to ask important questions, to be a good listener and to be sympathetic to the client’s goals and aesthetics.” The purpose of the style is “really to support the creation of an environment that will enrich the client’s lives.” Style, for Daniel and Catherine, is determined by what is meaningful to a particular client: “A style may resonate with a client because it reminds them of the house they grew up in or a house that embodies what they aspire to be.”

Catharine and Daniel point to a number of trends currently influencing their work. “The desire to have separate functioning spaces has become less and less popular, and you end up with far fewer formal dining rooms or formal living rooms, which are sort of separated off from everything else,” Daniel observes. Clients want flexible family gathering spaces, and bedrooms have become smaller to optimize this communal space. “People want to live all at once together, and they want that ‘all at once’ to be immediately connected to the outside.” In recent years, the opening up of the home to the outside has become an essential consideration, with living spaces extending to exterior patios or courtyards, and sun protection, such as a trellis, enabling year-round enjoyment.

The AIA Firm Award also recognized FGY’s long history of sustainable design advocacy, dating back to the early 2000s, when FGY designed one of Palo Alto’s first LEED Platinum single-family homes. “Now most houses we do are close to net-zero energy, meaning the total energy consumed is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site,” Catharine explains. As a measure of this trend, over the past ten years, the firm has seen a 90% decrease in net energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in their residential projects.

Embracing versatility, FGY designs in a variety of styles—from very modern to historic. Relying on a comprehensive and extended design process, what ties FGY projects together are strong, well-proportioned and well-thought-out plans paired with careful architectural detailing. And while AIA’s acknowledgement felt like a gratifying achievement, the partners find satisfaction in everyday feedback: “We’ve received calls saying, ‘I went to your website and I realized you’ve designed all the houses I like in Palo Alto. I recognize those houses. They’re beautiful.’ People recognize, somehow, the strength of character in our homes.”

Out of all the homes they’ve designed, Dan says “fewer than five clients have moved out, and fewer than ten have made minor modifications to the design of the house. This is the measure of the success of our efforts.”

Net-Zero Modern Farmhouse

New residence and yoga studio

Location: Palo Alto

Area: 4,500-square-foot house, 230-square-foot yoga studio

This net-zero, single-family residence in Palo Alto is a reinterpretation of the modern home and earned AIA Silicon Valley’s merit award in the 2018 Design Awards residential category. It is the result of close collaboration between Ferber Garber Young Architects and two highly-creative technology executives. Its iconic domestic shape, with a simple rectangular volume and pitched gable, is reminiscent of residences in America’s Northeast, where the husband spent several years. This contemporary farmhouse nestles in seamlessly with the eclectic architecture found in the Evergreen Park neighborhood of Palo Alto. The husband’s desire for a simple and iconic exterior shape worked in concert with the design of an interior that emphasized length and flow, two essential ingredients of the wife’s Vinyasa yoga practice. The home includes three bedrooms, a home office, library and a full basement with a large music room and guest room. The unifying palette was kept deliberately minimal with three main interior materials: walnut, white-painted millwork and white marble.Expansive runs of fenestration and a glazed stair atrium connect the house across three floors and pull patterns of light into the home throughout the day. The open kitchen, dining and family room area is placed directly off the stair atrium. The central, open kitchen, surrounded by light on all sides, leads to more communal cooking and family meals.

Spanish Colonial Passive House

New residence, studio and garage

Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Area: 7,700-square-foot house

The owners’ mission for this house was to create an extremely energy-efficient and healthy house—with no aesthetic compromises. Although they wanted the house to have an iconic design, they also wanted it to fit well within their neighborhood and reflect the regional history. With its thin massing and stucco walls with deep-set openings, the home utilizes the Spanish Colonial style’s more austere exterior characteristics to drive the owner’s energy and design goals while framing their more modern interior design choices. The thinness of the home encourages cross-breezes, for example. This certified Passive House and LEED Platinum home demonstrates that building a custom home sustainably can cost less (about 20 to 30%) and can be built faster (about 30%) than other custom homes in the area. Furthermore, the home can be designed in a style that is meaningful to the owners and the neighborhood without compromising its sustainable agenda. The design is anchored by a central courtyard, providing a protected outdoor area for entertaining large groups and holding conferences on passive house design. FGY custom-designed iron stair handrails and decorative window elements for the home. Exposed wood beams add warmth and tradition to the more contemporary interiors. In the kitchen, a stainless steel stove is set against a smooth gray stone full-wall backsplash with walnut cabinetry and black granite countertops. The landscape utilizes low-water native planting, including the California poppy.

French Contemporary

New residence and outbuildings

Location: Woodside

Area: 4,900-square-foot house,

400-square-foot studio,

1,000-square-foot guest house

As a technology design executive, he wanted something very minimalist and contemporary; she was European and desired something that reminded her of the French countryside. For a husband and wife with differing design aesthetics, this French farmhouse is an ideal blend of rustic, traditional style and contemporary detailing and programming. The kitchen, living and dining rooms, set up as one casual space, serve as the heart of the house. Garage and master bedroom wings on two sides help to create an intimate courtyard, which houses a dining trellis and vegetable and fruit garden protected from the local deer populating the site. On the second floor, the children’s bedrooms are accessed off of a family gathering space with a lounge and study. Siting and organization with respect to sunlight and view corridors were important design considerations. The interior family spaces are flooded with light from morning until afternoon and the setting sun warms the courtyard as evening approaches. Sitting near the top of the sloping lot affords grand views down to the pool, pool house, and playing field—as well as out to the valley beyond. The house is defined by a warm palette of waxed white oak elements, painted mahogany windows, Dalle de France limestone and antique tiles from France. The showcase kitchen has primarily open cabinetry, while more practical elements such as the pantry and refrigeration are tucked around the corner.

Woodside Modern

New residence and pool house

Location: Woodside

Area: 5,805-square-foot house, 1,100-square-foot pool house

This design for a new main house and pool house evokes the beauty of the land and contributes to its endurance using traditional passive strategies and producing more electricity than it uses. Locating the main house tight to the base of a forested hill reduces the perceived height of the house’s two-story volume and shades it from late summer sun. The T-plan residence has a two-story east-west core with single-story wings on the north and south sides, tethering the structure to the earth and choreographing easy movement between the inside and outside. The earthen-toned concrete spine that separates public and private zones, as well as the floor-to-ceiling windows, are nods to Frank Lloyd Wright’s mid-century designs. With copious use of glass visually connecting the interiors to the landscape, the house is firmly connected to the land on which it rests. The public areas, such as living, dining and kitchen, have large glass walls broken by an asymmetrical grid of mullions and clerestory windows for cross-ventilation. The ground-floor family room is adjacent to an ipe deck that looks out onto the woods, guest rooms open to a completely private gravel courtyard abutting the hillside, a petite upstairs master suite is expanded by a private sleeping porch and the home office has a door leading directly across a bridge to hiking trails.

The Beat On Your Eats

Babka by Ayelét

Palo Alto

You might know babka best as a punchline from an episode of Seinfeld, but the rich filled bread is hard to find in many U.S. bakeries outside of New York. So when Ayelét Nuchi moved to the Peninsula from Tel Aviv in the early 2000s, she fell in love with local cuisine but also wanted to bring Middle Eastern favorites to her new home. Nuchi honed her pastry skills at the Michelin-starred restaurant Spago and in her own catering firm, but now she’s ready to bring babka to the masses at her shop in Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. On the menu are sweet treats like a classic chocolate babka, as well as variations swirled with raspberries, apples and halva (sesame candy). Although sweet babkas make a great dessert or breakfast, Babka by Ayelét also serves savory versions filled with ingredients like butternut squash and tomato and mozzarella.

855 El Camino Real #21, open Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 7PM and Sunday  from 11AM to 5PM.

Ghostwood Brewery

Redwood City

Although breweries are a common sight on the Peninsula, few fit the definition of “microbrewery” as well as Redwood City’s newest beer spot Ghostwood. Started by two local beer fans, the drinks on tap are made in a nearby warehouse and available to quaff either at their downtown location or poured into growlers to take home. Ghostwood doesn’t serve food, so if you’d like something to eat along with one of their pale ales or stouts, feel free to grab tacos, a sandwich or even a delivery pizza from a neighboring restaurant and enjoy it inside the taproom. The space is also open to kids and dogs, to further the laid-back vibe.

965 Brewster Avenue, open Monday through Thursday from 4PM to 9PM; Friday from 4PM to 10PM; Saturday from 12PM to 10PM and Sunday from 12PM to 5PM.

Saltyard

Burlingame

Located across from the Burlingame train station, this casual wine bar just had their grand opening late last year. The menu at Saltyard is mainly small plates and lighter fare like flatbreads, sliders, charcuterie plates and salads, with a few larger entrees including duck pappardelle ($25.95) and seafood kare-kare ($38.65). On the drinks side, they have a large selection of wines by the glass and different wine flights for those who are interested in tasting something new.

322 Lorton Avenue, open Monday through Saturday from 11:30AM to 2:30PM and 4:30PM to 10PM; Sunday from 4:30PM to 9:30PM.

New Drinks for the New Year

Protégé bills itself as a casual fine dining restaurant, which sounds like an oxymoron but is actually an apt description. Led by Master Sommelier Dennis Kelly (The French Laundry) and Chef Anthony Secviar (Akalare, El Bulli and The French Laundry), this California Avenue spot is doing its best to strike a balance between high-quality, meticulously prepared food and a laid-back atmosphere that fits our area. At the bar, the staff is also walking a tightrope—creating cocktails that echo the familiar classics people are used to drinking but made with fine-dining techniques that elevate them to the next level. That includes devising a syrup with gum Arabic (a bag is just a few dollars on Amazon) and vanilla to make their version of maybe the most classic of drinks, an Old Fashioned. Another secret is seasoning the drink with just a hint of salt, which sounds strange but you’ll just have to trust them. To make a 20 percent saline solution, mix 20 grams of salt with 80 milliliters of water, then shake it up in a closed container until it’s clear. Store in an eyedropper or other bottle that will allow you to measure out a tiny amount; the goal is to make a balanced cocktail rather than a salty one.

make it

VANILLA OLD FASHIONED

Gum Arabic Syrup

  • 120 grams water
  • 20 grams gum Arabic

Bring water to a boil and slowly whisk in gum Arabic (it will still look lumpy). Pull from heat, bring down to room temp then seal in an airtight container. Over the next 24-48 hours, the gum will homogenize in color.

Vanilla Demerara Syrup

  • 250 grams Demerara sugar (also sold as Sugar in the Raw)
  • 250 grams water
  • 1 fresh vanilla bean

Split vanilla bean in half and scrape the interior. Combine vanilla, sugar and water and bring to a simmer. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and let cool to room temperature. Strain out vanilla bean. Add 50 grams of Arabic syrup to Demerara syrup and whisk to combine.

FINAL COCKTAIL

  • 2¼ oz Rittenhouse Rye
  • ½ oz Demerara syrup
  • 1 dash 20% saline solution
  • 1 dash Reagan’s Orange Bitters
  • 1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, stir until cold and then strain over a large cube. Peel a strip of orange zest and express oils over the cocktail, and serve.

Eating Out: From Malaysia to Menlo Park

Kay Kim might have grown up in Kuala Lumpur, but it’d be hard to find someone more enthusiastic about the Peninsula. When discussing how she sources the herbs and spices for her Menlo Park restaurant, Black Pepper, she recalls how amazed she was to learn that she could grow curry leaves right in her own backyard. Although Malaysian cuisine might not be as popular as Japanese or Korean food, Kay found that the long history of Asian immigrants in the Bay Area meant that all the building blocks for the dishes she grew up with were waiting for her in her new home.

Kay immigrated with a high school friend who had family in the Bay Area and lived in the city while attending San Francisco City College and San Francisco State. Kay worked at restaurants and bars while pursuing her degrees, eventually working her way up to a job as a waitress. Her career took a turn towards business (she worked at a computer firm in Fremont for over 15 years) and her life shifted to the South Bay when she moved in with her older sister in San Jose after college. Her husband, David Yim, is an engineer by trade but also a skilled home cook, and the couple’s plan to open a restaurant has existed almost as long as their marriage. The couple celebrated their 21st anniversary this year, and their first restaurant, Banana Leaf, also turned 19 years old.

Although Banana Leaf became a staple in Milpitas, David and Kay heard frequently from customers who wished they didn’t have to drive so far south to enjoy Malaysian food. Once they found a space in Menlo Park that Kay felt echoed the feeling of their existing restaurant, they embarked on their Peninsula expansion. The couple shares the duties of head chef, but you can also often find Kay in the dining room, seating parties and chatting with customers.

Even in the melting pot of the Bay Area, Malaysian restaurants are few and far between. Kay says that she often finds herself introducing the cuisine to diners. A quick look at Black Pepper’s menu illuminates why some customers assume the restaurant is some kind of generic “Asian fusion” spot. A dish like roti prata, for instance, isn’t just copied and pasted from the offerings at the nearest Indian restaurant. The roti served at Black Pepper traces its roots back to the generations of Indian immigrants in Malaysia, where the locals transformed the flatbread into something uniquely their own. That’s a constant theme in Malaysian cooking, and in the food at Black Pepper—Malaysia’s history has led it to absorb the best cuisine from its neighbors into its own food culture. A good parallel is how far Italian-American cuisine in the United States has evolved from its original European roots.

Kay talks about the Ying Yong noodles, a dish with Chinese origins, when explaining how she’s been surprised by her new Peninsula customers. She assumed they’d be put off by the thick, egg-based sauce since it’s unusual in Asian-American restaurants, but instead it’s a local hit. Generally, being a business owner on the Peninsula hasn’t presented too many new challenges for Kay and David. From their home in Saratoga, the commute to Menlo Park is even about the same length as the trip to Milpitas. They did make one big change before they moved north though—deciding to find a new name. As a seasoning, black pepper is fundamental to Malaysian cooking, and black pepper crab was always a popular dish at their existing restaurant. But the crab dish, which hails from Singapore, is also a bit messy and time-consuming to eat on a quick lunch break. So the Kims started using the signature sauce on chicken and beef, which might not be traditional but fits in perfectly with the Malaysian spirit of fusion. And after all, what’s got more staying power than something in classic black? 

Black Pepper

1029 El Camino Real

Menlo Park

650.485.2345

blackpepper-usa.com

The Puzzle Maker

words by Silas Valentino

Erin Hanson’s 2016 painting “Crystal Grove” is reimagined as a 367-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle. Admiring the image from afar, it’s a work of beauty. Swirls of purple and blue coalesce to reflect a small forest grove washed by the light of dawn. In a way, it’s the daytime counterpoint to Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.”

But the beast is revealed the closer you peer into the puzzle, and it’s easy to see why this is the most difficult jigsaw puzzle in the entire Artifact Puzzles catalogue.

The puzzle’s edge is comprised of pointed, ninja star-shaped pieces that rebuff the traditional design of your perpendicular, childhood jigsaw puzzle. The middle consists of several pieces called “whimsies” that are shaped like recognizable objects to correlate with the image; mini owls, dragonflies and butterflies cut with precision from a laser complement the scenery of a blissful copse. It’s 367 pieces of colorful swirls connected by brushstrokes. To complete this puzzle is no small feat.

“I can tell you it’s the hardest puzzle I have not completed,” Maya Gupta says. And she’s the founder and CEO of Artifact Puzzles. “I probably spent eight hours doing it and only got 30 pieces!”

“Crystal Grove” is one of about 300 designs developed thus far by Artifact Puzzles, an independent and artisanal puzzle company. Founded in Seattle in 2009, the puzzle manufacturer relocated to Menlo Park in 2014 and set up shop near Facebook’s headquarters. Now marking its ten-year anniversary, the company is preparing to relocate to a larger commercial building in the spring, signaling positive growth for a boutique business that promotes a timeless pensive pastime.

While working as an associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, Maya conceived Artifact Puzzles to expand the borders of traditional jigsaw puzzle making. Envisioning puzzles with better images connected by a satisfying challenge, she began creating puzzles with the help of a friend. As demand grew, so did the company. Artifact Puzzles is now a ten-person operation with a reputation for innovation. Although its puzzles are found in a few local toy stores and museum gift shops, Maya explains that it doesn’t pay to use a brick-and-mortar method of distribution, so they’re almost exclusively sold through Amazon.

The puzzles are made from laser-cut, 1/4”-thick, formaldehyde-free maple plywood sourced from a distributor in Oregon. “It took me five years to get that wood,” Maya says. “I have to get custom-made wood that cuts efficiently and doesn’t have knots that need ironing out.” And the process of laser cutting remains a mystery: “Manufacturing secrets!” she jokes.

A puzzle begins with the selection of an image. Maya started by sourcing fair use art created before 1923 and currently in the public domain. She seeks bright colors, sharp lines, an interesting story or “something that will look good when you spread it on a table,” she says. “Because not everything looks good when you cut it into pieces.”

Classical artwork such as “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and “The Hunt of the Unicorn” have been made into puzzles but the company loves to showcase contemporary artists including Erin Hanson and Bruce Riley, whose “Stem Cell” puzzle is the company’s current top seller. Bay Area artists include Sausalito-based Daniel Merriam and San Francisco’s “robot painter extraordinaire” Eric Joyner.

Fans of Artifact Puzzles often submit requests for new puzzle designs, and Maya says they rely heavily on customer input; sometimes they’ll issue a survey with several images for fans to choose from to create the next design. Puzzles will range from about 60 to close to 600 pieces and typically cost between $25 to $120.

Thinking back to her childhood, Maya recalls deriving a sense of satisfaction from completing puzzles. This love of problem-solving is a continuous echo in her career. She earned both an MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University before teaching at the University of Washington. She returned to the Peninsula in 2014 on a sabbatical to research with Google. She now leads the Glassbox Machine Learning R&D team at Google, a program that is teaching machines how to be better at learning.

Ten years into her pet puzzle project, which has garnered national appreciation and fanfare, Maya admits it’s been a labor of unanticipated longevity. “We thought we’d run out of ideas after 30 puzzles, but we just keep coming up with new ideas for how to make puzzles cool,” she says.

Landmark: Ralston Hall Mansion

Located on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Ralston Hall Mansion is a National and California registered Historic Landmark and a reflection of the wealth and extravagance of the Gilded Age. Built as a “country house” for William Chapman Ralston, founder of the Bank of California and a financial backer of the Comstock Lode, Ralston Hall Mansion was completed in 1868 and played a central role in Peninsula and California history.

A steadfast promoter of San Francisco and the state of California, Ralston hosted elaborate social events where he entertained notables including President Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Admiral David Farragut, Mark Hopkins and Leland Stanford. Architecturally, Ralston Hall reflects a blend of Victorian, Italianate and Steamboat Gothic styles. With 55,000 square feet, four stories and a large basement, it features an opera box entry modeled after the Opera Garnier in Paris, 20 custom designed French crystal chandeliers and a mirrored ballroom inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.

Starting in 1885, Ralston Hall Mansion served as Radcliffe Hall, a girls’ finishing school, and the Garner Sanitarium, before being purchased in 1923 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who relocated their college from San Jose. For 92 years, the building housed administrative and faculty offices and served as a venue for a variety of university events. However, in 2012, due to safety concerns about the building’s ability to withstand another major earthquake, Ralston Hall Mansion was closed. Notre Dame de Namur University then launched the Campaign to Save Ralston Hall, which continues to fundraise for the necessary seismic retrofitting and renovations.

To learn more visit ralstonhall.com

Farm to Table to Art

John Vars, Mike Irving and Teresa Kurtak met through the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden program and bonded over their shared interest in sustainable agriculture. The connection was obviously a strong one—resulting in marriage for two of them (Mike and Teresa) and a partnership for all three of them that became Fifth Crow Farm in Pescadero.

Founded on a shoestring budget in 2008, Fifth Crow Farm started with 10 acres, expanding over time to 80 acres, including 30 acres of row crops, a 35-variety apple orchard and a pastured egg operation with about 700 hens. If the name sounds familiar, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Fifth Crow’s produce at local farmers markets—or on the menu in over a dozen Bay Area restaurants, including Pasta Moon in Half Moon Bay as well as Liholiho Yacht Club, Del Popolo and Quince in San Francisco.

But Fifth Crow Farm isn’t just a market farm. It also has a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which means local customers invest in the farm by committing to buy a weekly box of produce over a season. “Our goal is to make people feel like they’re as close to the farm as possible,” Teresa says. “We want our CSA to be what we would want to experience.” Fifth Crow started with a May to November regular season CSA, which now has 200 members. In 2017, the farm added a January to April winter season, limited to 120 members. “We are a single-farm CSA,” Teresa emphasizes. “We are unique in that we grow 100% of the food in every share.” That’s an especially striking claim during the winter season. With fewer crops, it can be challenging to provide enough variety, so most farms opt out of winter CSA.

During the winter season, Fifth Crow Farm delivers boxes to hosted neighborhood sites, and customers swing by to pick up their produce, typically a mix of six to eight items. With a steady rotation through winter crops, a sample delivery might include baby head lettuce, beets, rainbow swiss chard, spinach, cauliflower, winter squash and fresh oregano, along with a once-monthly one-pound bag of heirloom dry beans. Fifth Crow will often include specialty items—like rhubarb and dandelion greens—planted just for CSA customers. As Teresa tells it, “If we were just in the wholesale market, it wouldn’t feel nearly as gratifying as the experience of getting to know the people who are eating the food that we grow.”

One of those people is PUNCH magazine’s director of photography Paulette Phlipot, a Fifth Crow Farm CSA member since January 2017. Paulette says she was exposed to a lot of flavors and food experiences growing up, and she continues to cook everything from scratch for her family. She joined her first CSA in 2000 while attending photography school in Victoria, B.C. After moving to Half Moon Bay from Sun Valley, Idaho, she was shocked to see Fifth Crow Farm’s year-round offerings: “Before I moved to California, the words ‘Winter CSA’ would have seemed like an oxymoron. Who would have known you could have so much variety in the middle of winter all from one local farm?”

With an artist’s eye and an appreciation for fresh, organic food, Paulette took immense joy in opening her weekly winter CSA box of “gorgeous greens, plump purple kohlrabi and crisp broccoli.” Although she had been photographing farm boxes for years, she discovered that she had a compulsive reaction to seeing this particular produce: “I just couldn’t put the vegetables straight onto a cutting board. I was so moved by the colors, the textures and the shapes that I started arranging them in a circle pattern—reflecting their relationship of being grown on the same farm and ripening at the same time.” When Paulette captured her displays with her camera, she realized what she had created. “I did what naturally happened. I wasn’t planning to do a mandala, or a circular pattern, but after I looked at it, I realized that’s what kept drawing me back,” she says.

Deriving from Sanskrit for “circle,” the mandala is a balance of visual elements, symbolizing peace, unity and harmony. For Paulette, it’s also the perfect photographic expression of her CSA passion: “It captures the happiness I feel when first seeing the fruits and vegetables, and the wellness they provide to me and my family.” 

Paulette’s Mandala series is currently being featured at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, and PUNCH presents samples from her collection here. The full series can be viewed on her fine art website, p3images.com

If you’re interested in becoming a Fifth Crow Farm CSA member, spaces fill up quickly, so check fifthcrowfarm.com/csa for availability.

10 Inspired Ways to Give Back

The holiday season is all about giving. Whether it’s giving gifts, money or time, the mindset is thinking about others. From Thanksgiving through December, the opportunities are more obvious—many of us write checks, collect cans for food drives or serve meals to the homeless. Helping out during the holidays is always meaningful, but it’s good to remember that support is needed throughout the year. And, here on the Peninsula, there are countless ways to volunteer, ranging from one-time events to ongoing commitments. Even better, depending on your skills and interests, all it takes is a little research to find a worthy cause that lets you truly give of yourself. Here’s just a sampling of the many different ways we can give back in our community.

1. JUMP IN A POOL

If a swimming pool is a happy place for you, the Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP) could use your help. SNAP gets children with a variety of special abilities and challenges into the water to exercise, play, make friends, socialize and get fit. Many of the children in SNAP use the water as their primary source of physical activity and show signs of growing independence through this fun and beneficial program. SNAP helpers work directly with swimmers—holding and encouraging them, creating activities, singing and, of course, having fun together. You must be a good swimmer, have a playful side and enjoy working with children. On the Peninsula, SNAP classes are held on Fridays from 4:15-6PM at the Palo Alto YMCA at 3412 Ross Road. SNAP volunteers are asked to commit to a seven-week/quarter session, although five-week mini-sessions are available during the summer. Enrollment is continuous with training provided on an ongoing basis—you’ll see all ages helping out in the pool, from teens to retired folks. If you have an interest in photography or videography, SNAP could use your skills too. For new helper registration information, visit snapkids.org/volunteers

2. HARVEST LOCAL FRUIT

Village Harvest is always looking for help with both parts of their mission—you can either let them know that you’ve got an overloaded fruit tree whose bounty you’d be willing to donate, or you can sign up to help the organization pick and transport fruit from someone else in the community. The organization estimates that there are tens of millions of pounds of fresh fruit going to waste (and creating a mess!) in Peninsula backyards, and last year they were able to provide 600,000 servings of fresh food to those in need. Currently, Village Harvest serves both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and everyone 14 and older is welcome at their community harvest events. (Depending on the type of fruit and trees, there are also some opportunities for children aged 7-13.) Volunteers are told where to meet in a given neighborhood a few days beforehand and generally visit four to five homes over the course of a morning. In only a few hours, your volunteering can make a difference to hundreds, even thousands of people. View Village Harvest’s calendar and sign up for their next event at villageharvest.org

3. GET AN (EMAIL) PENPAL

Dialog to Learn connects low-income elementary school students with local professionals to improve their reading and writing skills. Just sign up with your email address, and the group matches you to a fourth- or fifth-grade student in a local low-income elementary school. For each session, which lasts eight to ten weeks, volunteers take an average of ten to twenty minutes a week to exchange a few emails with their student. The program offers schools a way to tap into dialogue journaling, a tested learner-centered method for improving students’ reading, writing and comprehension skills while engaging them in a fun, authentic learning experience. The subject for each email is student-led; volunteers are simply asked to be engaged and ask questions. At the end of each cycle, there are optional events where ‘Digital Buddies’ can meet in person. To sign up, visit dialogtolearn.org

4. BUILD A NEST

If you think volunteering is “for the birds,” then helping out at Pandemonium Aviaries in Los Altos Hills is the perfect opportunity. Founded in 1996 after a chance encounter with an injured bird, Pandemonium Aviaries evolved into a last-chance bird sanctuary for exotic birds that were being discarded by breeders. Residents include Tico, a Blue and Gold macaw considered too aggressive to be placed in a home, and Amigo, a 45-year-old Mexican red-headed Amazon abandoned by his owner. Although committed to providing lifelong support for the rescue birds it initially took in, Pandemonium now focuses on protecting at-risk bird species with some of the world’s largest captive flocks, helping them thrive and reproduce until they can be returned to the wild. If you have carpenter/handyman skills, your help is needed with various projects around the sanctuary—ranging from repairing outdoor aviaries to building and hanging nest boxes. Projects can be challenging or as simple as painting. If you’re not handy with tools, Pandemonium Aviaries offers plenty of ways for bird lovers to get involved. Current needs include aviary assistants and drivers who can pick up donated fruit every Friday to help feed the Pandemonium flock. Providing specialized diets, roomy aviaries, enrichment programs and vet care is costly, so donations are always welcome too. If you have time to lend a wing… or a hand, visit pandemoniumaviaries.org

5. GET CRAFTY

If you’re happiest when your hands are busy, then put them to good work on behalf of patients and their families at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Hearts and Hands volunteers create handmade items like christening gowns, knit hats, baby blankets and quilts, cough pillows, colorful flannel pillowcases and stuffed pocket pals, including elephants, owls and penguins. If you’ve got the skills, it’s easy to get started, whether you want to be a one-time donor or make multiple items on a regular basis. Anyone interested in making something special is welcome to download patterns from the Hearts and Hands collection. You’ll also find clear instructions for how to package, label and deliver your creations—either by mail or by drop-off in Palo Alto. Any donation you make will be acknowledged with a thank you, along with a tax receipt for any expenses you incur for the materials you use. You’ll find all the details you need along with a donor information sheet at bit.ly/PUNCHhearts or contact heartsandhandsaffiliate@lpfch.org

6. SHARE YOUR DECORATING FLAIR

In San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, many local homeless families and individuals are hidden from the public eye—living in garages, basements, cars or in apartments doubled up with other families. LifeMoves is a local nonprofit with programs to help local homeless families and individuals break the cycle of homelessness. By providing safe housing, food and basic necessities along with comprehensive services like one-on-one counseling, childcare and children’s programs, LifeMoves is a critical first step back to stable housing and long-term self-sufficiency. In order to help new residents feel at home, LifeMoves relies on volunteers to decorate and stage transitional apartments. By cleaning and painting or finding just the right place and space for donated household items, volunteers make the difference in providing a warm welcome for residents. If you’re the kind of person who loves to pick out paint colors and rearrange furniture, this is a perfect way to give back to the community. View other volunteer opportunities and sign up to stage apartments at lifemoves.org

7. PUT EDIBLE FOOD TO GOOD USE

In Silicon Valley, one in four adults and one in three children are food insecure or at risk of hunger. As part of Santa Clara County’s efforts to reduce edible food waste and feed people living with daily food insecurity in the region, the county has partnered with Joint Venture Silicon Valley to create A La Carte, a fleet of trucks rescuing edible surplus food from corporate and university campuses and providing it to those struggling to feed themselves and their families, always free of cost. While the initiative uses salaried drivers, volunteers are needed to package and label food and accompany drivers on food deliveries. Additionally, A La Carte is always looking for new partners, so you can also help if you know of a company or school that sends excess edible food to landfills and would be willing to work with the organization. Sign up to volunteer, donate or make suggestions at jointventure.org

8. HOST A CAREER DAY

Peninsula Bridge directs its efforts at high-achieving students living in low-income communities, providing academic and personal support during middle school years through college graduation. With the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and greatly increasing each student’s chance for success in school, life and career, Peninsula Bridge counts on local volunteers and close partnerships to help achieve its mission. Motivation is a vital component. One easy, but meaningful way to get involved is to host a career day for students at your company or visit a classroom to share your career story. Other Peninsula Bridge opportunities include mentoring a student in a long-term one-on-one relationship, inspiring students to learn through weekly STEM and language arts tutoring, teaching a class like coding or entrepreneurship or providing support with independent school applications. Students join the Peninsula Bridge program as rising 5th graders and participate in ongoing support through college graduation. To get involved, visit peninsulabridge.org

9. PLANT TREES IN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS

Canopy needs help in getting us closer to the day when every Peninsula resident can step outside to walk, play and thrive under the shade of healthy trees. The organization works on maintaining young and mature trees, as well as planting thousands of new saplings. Canopy’s volunteer opportunities include everything from attending a session of their five-month Community Forestry School to joining the group’s monthly tree walks to learn more about the trees that grow here on the Peninsula and how to take care of them. Currently, the group is in the midst of planting trees in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Mountain View, but Canopy also wants to teach Peninsula residents about the importance of trees and empower them to advocate for trees on their own block. Canopy already has events scheduled well into 2019, so learn more about their mission and get involved at canopy.org

10. GO SHOPPING FOR KIDS

Founded in 1974, Samaritan House brings hope, dignity and empowerment to people living in poverty in San Mateo County, helping them meet their immediate needs as they move toward self-reliance. With the tagline, “Neighbor Helping Neighbor,” services include the largest food distribution agency in the county, shelter and housing assistance, medical and dental clinics, personalized case management and clothing for children–all provided free of charge to help defray vital costs of living. Samaritan House has a wide range of volunteer opportunities, but here’s where the shopping comes in. The Kid’s Closet at Samaritan House provides more than 4,500 items of free children’s clothing and shoes to clients each month. Set in a bright, boutique environment, with clothing displayed on racks, parents and children enjoy the experience of shopping together. If you have a knack for finding the right fashion and fit, join a weekly three-hour shift helping clients make their selections, along with accepting and sorting donations from the community and merchandising them effectively. At the Kid’s Closet, children not only get the clothing they need, they also receive a brand-new pair of shoes, a new backpack filled with supplies at the start of the school year, Halloween costumes, free books and even bikes, bike helmets and safety training. As you might imagine, a steady supply is critical to the success of this program, so, if you’re cleaning out your own closets, your donations of nearly new children’s clothing are always welcome, especially clothing for young boys and teens to age 17. To see how you can help out, go to volunteer.samaritanhousesanmateo.org and check out the many volunteering options.

Making Traditional Transitional

Kim Palmer had a calling for design. About 20 years ago, she got a phone call asking if she would do a room for the Dickens House Showcase, a long-established fundraiser for St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School in San Mateo. The annual effort brought together designers to transform one single house, usually in Hillsborough or Burlingame, which was then displayed to the public. “I wasn’t a decorator at that time, but somebody had just seen my house and liked my design aesthetic,” she recalls. “And that just started my career.” 

Stemming from that first room in the Dickens House, Kim began to get more calls. Soon, she had a steady flow of clients and has been working by word-of-mouth referrals ever since. And her own home in San Mateo still reflects her approach to design. Given that her home is more than 100 years old, with all its original molding, traditional style plays a strong role—but Kim also likes to bring in a contemporary edge: “The big word out there in design is ‘transitional’ because you don’t want to get stuck in one genre. If you can go either way, and it can be a little bit of both, it’ll last a lot longer. I like to use contemporary materials but in a more traditional setting.”

After moving into her San Mateo house in 1999, Kim undertook a major remodel in 2003. That’s a while ago now in design years, but by making subtle shifts along the way, her home remains a source of timeless pleasure. “Not everyone can afford to change out houses every 10 to 15 years—not only the expense of it, but also the hassle of it,” she says. “Traditional will be with us forever. If you can make it an interesting traditional, you can transcend the trends.” 

As an example, Kim points to her living room, originally designed in 2003, capturing both traditional and contemporary elements. Although the sofa dates back to 1999, it has clean, contemporary lines—and it’s not going anywhere. As Kim says, “I’ve had it forever but still love it to this day.” Other established pieces include Chinese foo dog lamps and antique stools by the fireplace, along with a cocktail ottoman.

However, a few years back, Kim started switching other things up. Out went the piano and a couple of basic chairs, and she brought in more contemporary wingback chairs. The antique couch pillows went away, and new ones were introduced—more subtle for the already colorful yellow sofa and “with a little pop” for the toned-down wingback chairs. For the mantle, Kim moved out more traditional pieces and introduced a contemporary starburst mirror and chinoiserie vases. Kim also pulled over two wingback chairs to create a little side vignette, accented by another new contemporary piece, a Bunny Williams table.

“You don’t have to redo an entire room. I really think by just changing out a few things you can really change the overall feel of it,” she emphasizes. “So many people think they have to start fresh. Little things can make a difference, especially accessories, light fixtures, pillows and those sorts of things.”

Kim’s breakfast room provides more examples of mixing traditional and contemporary. She went with upholstered chairs because they’re “just more comfortable than wood chairs.” The focal point of the room is an antique—a Portuguese refectory table, with widely-scrolled legs, likely previously at home in a church. Although Kim acknowledges that she isn’t using antiques as much as she did in the past, she says, “I do like to see an antique in a room. It tends to give a room some depth and history.” In contrast, the room’s light fixture has simple, clean lines, creating that transitional mix that keeps a look timeless.

Many of Kim’s clients live in Hillsborough and tend toward the traditional, although she does get the occasional contemporary emphasis. One such client moved here from Southern California, and Kim describes her style as less formal and more fun. The kitchen features Calcutta marble and woven bar stools from Made Goods, along with brass fixtures and faucets to add a pop of interest. For the powder room, Kim went with a traditional-style pedestal sink with no cabinetry, just open shelving. That’s intentional. She left it to the Schumacher wallpaper to really light up the room. In the master bath, Kim used a bluish-gray glass tile for the wainscoting: “That’s another great example of using a more contemporary material in a traditional way.”

And it’s that approach that makes traditional transitional.

Peninsula Museums Uncovered

With holiday breaks ahead—if you have kids out of school, relatives in town or just some spare time—that means planning. Especially if you’re looking for hands-on learning, exploring or a little culture. But before you automatically default to the Exploratorium or SFMOMA, keep in mind that the Peninsula has its own vibrant mix of museums. Whether you’re looking for artsy, brainy or just plain quirky, here’s a sampling of what’s on display close to home.

Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia 

Clearly in the category of quirky, this is a museum dedicated to the history of PEZ candy—featuring every type of PEZ dispenser ever sold, adding up to a little over 1,100 unique characters on display. So, what’s the deal with PEZ? Originally introduced in small tins in the 1920s, PEZ got its start in Austria—the name PEZ is an abbreviation of Pfefferminz (German for peppermint), which was the very first flavor of candy. PEZ started U.S. operations in 1950, with the famous PEZ dispenser making its debut in 1958, eventually becoming an iconic symbol of American pop culture with billions of PEZ candies consumed every year.

Which brings us to Gary Doss, who began collecting PEZ dispensers as a hobby about 25 years ago, while running a small computer store in Burlingame. “I started collecting PEZ because I thought they were a really silly thing to collect,” he recalls. “And I was right.” Gary started bringing them into the store, and well, “they took over.” Gary conceded defeat, and 23 years ago, Burlingame became the official home of the world’s only PEZ museum. Gary is the museum’s owner and curator, or as he likes to tell visitors, “This is all my fault.”

Greeting visitors at the front of the store is the world’s largest PEZ dispenser, a giant Snowman character measuring 7 feet 10 inches tall. And then there are a whole lot of little ones—every character imaginable, from Batman and Robin to Hans Solo and Chewbacca to the Grinch and Cindy Lou to Shaggy and Scooby Doo. Plus, new PEZ are arriving all the time, with an average of four new dispensers each month. The latest ones? Poop emojis, of course, in both regular and rainbow colors.

And Gary didn’t stop with PEZ—he also hosts the Classic Toy and Banned Toy Museums. On the classic side, you can check out beloved, timeless toys like the original Barbie doll, Lincoln Logs, View-Masters, and Mr. Potato Head (which originally required a real potato!). The Banned Toy Museum presents a very different take—everything here was pulled off the market for being offensive or hazardous. High (or low) lights include the Snacktime Kid Cabbage Patch Doll (with chewing features that preyed on a child’s hair and fingers), lawn darts (large metal pointed darts launched into the air) and an atomic energy laboratory (with real radioactive material!). Admission includes all three museums and a 10-minute tour.

214 California Drive

Burlingame

10:30AM-5:30PM

Tuesday-Saturday

650.347.2301

burlingamepezmuseum.com

Museum of American Heritage

A modest-looking standard vacuum sweeper started it all. In the early 1970s, accountant Frank Livermore discovered the sweeper in a local junk shop and became instantly intrigued by its mechanical workings. In his Menlo Park home, he started collecting an eclectic mix of antique mechanical and electrical devices. With Frank’s collection as its base, the Museum of American Heritage (MOAH) opened its doors in 1990, eventually moving to the historic Williams House in Palo Alto in 1997.

Today MOAH is a wonderland of historic objects and inventions that illustrate the evolution of American innovation. With over 6,000 mechanical and electrical artifacts, mostly from the 1850s to the 1950s, museum exhibits include an early 20th-century kitchen, along with a 1920s general store, print shop and working car garage.

The Marshall Matthews Garage, a replica of a 1920s-1940s auto repair shop, houses a 1915 Ford Model T touring car and vintage automotive items. Over in the print shop, you’ll see functioning intertype machines and several printing presses. Stop by on a weekend and you might catch volunteer Jack Jolly demonstrating how the machines still work.

And here’s one more incentive to swing by MOAH soon. Running through February 17, MOAH’s new “Vintage Toys: It’s Child’s Play!” exhibit features antique toys that captured and sparked imaginations—from pedal cars and toy trains to building sets and a mechanical pony.

351 Homer Avenue

Palo Alto

11AM-4PM

Friday-Sunday

650.321.1004

moah.org

Moffett Field Museum

You’ve seen the iconic Hangar One from 101. Now it’s time to get up close. Located near the southwest corner of Hangar One, the Moffett Field Museum captures the storied military history of Moffett Field, from lighter than air to faster than sound to outer space. With a series of rooms showcasing artifacts, memorabilia, photographs and model aircraft, the museum offers a blend of historic displays and hands-on fun. You’ll learn about Moffett Field’s earliest days and how Hangar One was built to house the Navy zeppelin USS Macon, which crashed into the Pacific in 1935. Exhibits range from a WWII and Blimps collection—tracing the vital role of aircraft, blimps and balloons—to anti-submarine warfare equipment used during the Cold War and NASA’s space flight simulation and wind tunnel experiments. The Moffett Field Museum also features an Air Park with numerous vintage aircraft, including P-2 and P-3 Navy patrol planes, a U-2 spy plane and a Cobra Helicopter.

500 Severyns Avenue, Building 126, Mountain View

10AM-2PM

Wednesday-Saturday

650.964.4024

moffettfieldmuseum.org

San Mateo County History Museum

Summer concerts are always a big draw at Redwood City’s Courthouse Square, but the old 1910 County Courthouse is actually a year-round attraction in its own right. The 108-year-old structure houses the San Mateo County History Museum—tracing the county’s rich and colorful history from the original Native American inhabitants to today’s Silicon Valley innovators.

Featuring interactive experiences, the long-term exhibits here explore the many facets of Peninsula life. For example, transportation transformed San Mateo County from a frontier into one of the premier suburban areas of the West Coast. To get “hands on” with that history, visitors can ride in a stagecoach, weigh gold for the journey, send a telegram and “drive” a streetcar. And, in a new addition to the museum’s permanent exhibits, “Honoring Steve Jobs,” you can see an original 1988 NeXT computer, dating from the company Jobs founded in Redwood City during a break from Apple.

The museum also includes entry to Courtroom A. When it opened in 1910, it was the only Superior Court in San Mateo County. Today, the room offers views of the restored stained glass dome, the largest on the West Coast, and the chance to take a seat at the judge’s bench, witness stand or jury box. If it all looks familiar, maybe it’s because the courtroom scenes for the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire were also filmed here.

One last tip, the museum offers “Free First Fridays,” which means admission is free on December 7, including special programming for adults and children.

2200 Broadway

Redwood City

10AM-4PM

Tuesday-Sunday 

650.299.0104

historysmc.org

Peninsula Museum of Art

What the Peninsula Museum of Art (PMA) offers is a rarity—the chance to meet and engage with the artists whose work is on display. With five museum exhibit galleries, PMA focuses on art created by living artists from the Peninsula and San Francisco area. Exhibits running through January 6 include Jerry Emanuel’s “Soul Scrolls,” completed over the last three years. As Emanuel describes his work, “I tried to expand a single visual statement through a variety of different images. When viewed together, they evolve as one.” Also on exhibit, George Rivera’s exploration of the complexities of contemporary life in dark figurative oil paintings.

Housed in the Twin Pines Art Center in Burlingame, the nonprofit visual arts complex is also home to the Museum Studios, 30 artist studios where visual artists work and exhibit their creations in painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, jewelry, fiber art and millinery.

1777 California Drive

Burlingame

11AM-5PM

Wednesday-Sunday

650.692.2102

peninsulamuseum.org

Computer History Museum 

It makes sense that a museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of computing is located right here. In the heart of tech campuses in Silicon Valley, you’ll find the Computer History Museum and all the fascinating artifacts and stories of the Information Age. It doesn’t matter if you’re left-brained or right-brained, you’re guaranteed to find something interesting—play a game of Pong or Spacewar, sit in a Waymo self-driving car, fly through World of Warcraft’s fantastic world of Azeroth or try your hand at coding. “Revolution: The First 2,000 Years of Computing” chronicles the history of computers on a global scale, featuring 19 galleries and 1,100 objects, ranging from the abacus to the smartphone. It’s the chance to explore one-of-a-kind objects, devices and software, while hearing first-hand accounts from the computer pioneers who flipped it all into motion.

1401 North Shoreline Blvd Mountain View

10AM-5PM Wednesday-Thursday, Saturday-Sunday and 10AM-9PM Friday

650.810.1010

computerhistory.org

The Beat On Your Eats

Shake Shack

Palo Alto

There’s a new trend of national and international brands opening their first Bay Area locations not in San Francisco or San Jose, but right here on the Peninsula. The most recent example is the arrival of the beloved New York burger chain Shake Shack to the Stanford Shopping Center. The shop’s signature burgers, smashed flat on a griddle for maximum crispiness, will finally be available for locals who’ve experienced the Shake Shack on their travels and East Coast locals longing for a taste of home. The company has already inserted themselves into the local restaurant scene, creating collaborative menu items like one of their signature “concretes” (very thick milkshakes) with chunks of Manresa Bread’s chocolate chip cookies mixed in. Since the Palo Alto Shake Shack is the only one in all of Northern California, expect quite a crowd when it opens this month.   950 Stanford Shopping Center, open weekdays from 10AM to 9PM, Saturday from 10AM to 7PM and Sunday from 11AM to 6PM. 

Woodside Deli

Redwood City

For almost a year, loyal customers of Woodside Deli in Redwood City have been waiting for the 60-year-old institution to reopen. The deli’s new owner, Kyle Vogel, has been patiently documenting the process of refreshing the space and getting the building up to code on the business’ Facebook page. While Vogel is an East Coast transplant and not a Peninsula native, he’s hoping to carry on the tradition of Woodside Deli’s founder Dan Galinetti, who retired and sold the business last year. The store finally opened again late last month, with a nearly identical menu of hearty sandwiches, paninis and other Italian specialties. Though the deli case dominates most of the small space, be sure to browse the shelves in back to see the shop’s eclectic selection of imported pastas and other dry groceries, along with gelato and various prepared foods in the freezer case. 1453 Woodside Road, open daily from 8AM to 6PM

Poke to the Max

San Bruno

Although it seems like poke shops are as common as cupcake bakeries these days, San Bruno’s newest Hawaiian restaurant comes with an unusual pedigree. Poke to the Max is run by James Beard Award-winning chef Sam Choy, and the so-called “Godfather of Poke” is taking his lifelong quest to champion authentic Hawaiian cuisine to the Peninsula. If you’ve only had poke on the mainland, be prepared for a new experience. Unlike the salad bar-style chains that have popped up in recent years, traditional poke is mixed and seasoned before it hits your bowl, so don’t expect to mix and match your own toppings. The menu features eight different poke flavors, available by the pound (the most authentic option), on a plate with rice, on a salad or in a wrap or taco. The menu includes other Hawaiian favorites besides poke, including classic “plate lunches,” made with rice, macaroni salad and your choice of protein and topped with gravy, grilled onions and a fried egg. 629 San Mateo Avenue, open Tuesday through Saturday 11AM to 7PM and Sunday from 11AM to 6PM; closed Monday.

PUNCH Tips: Batch Drinks

Considering the title of this magazine, it seems especially appropriate to discuss punches and other big-batch drinks this holiday season. Although punches started out in Europe as five-ingredient drinks—one part each of something sweet, sour, strong, weak and spicy—the formulas grew to 12, even 15  ingredients, getting more and more extravagant with fruit juices, multiple spices, wines and different types of distilled spirits. When punches crossed over to the New World, Americans scaled down the recipes, resulting in the single-serving drinks that became the cocktails modern drinkers are more familiar with. But punch’s origin was in group drinking, and for good reason. Instead of making individual drinks for your guests, you can simply put out a bowl or pitcher and have them help themselves. Although punch comes in all sorts of varieties (eggnog, sangria and mulled wine could all be considered punches), here are a few general rules to guide your drink mixing this time of year.

If you have a favorite cocktail you’d like to scale up to a crowd, many classic recipes can be converted into a punch. The easiest recipes to “batch” (bartender-speak for creating a large-format drink) are stirred cocktails. Get out a calculator and multiply the ounces listed in the recipe by the number of drinks you wish to make. You can also scale up with this method: Wherever you see “ounces” in a recipe, change it to “cups.” This increases your yield from one serving to eight servings. Instead of stirring or shaking your cocktail, simply add 25 percent of the batch’s total volume in water and chill in the refrigerator before serving. The water will dilute the drink approximately as much as stirring it with ice would. Some cocktail purists believe this method does not get the drink cold enough, and if your refrigerator isn’t at the right temperature, they could be right. Be sure to chill the vessel that you are serving the drink in to avoid a warm cocktail.

While these tips can help you create a traditional iced punch, don’t forget that warm drinks are also perfect to make in big batches. Warm apple cider, mulled wine and a hot toddy are all perfect holiday fare. Make sure that you don’t keep them too hot (boiling will evaporate some of the alcohol in the punch) and trade your punch bowl for an insulated pitcher or heavy pot. If you don’t mind the aesthetics, a slow cooker is the absolute best way to make sure your concoction stays at the perfect temperature all night long.  

ingredients we never batch

Always add these ingredients at the last minute, right before serving the cocktail:

BITTERS: Bitters tend to intensify when added to a batch of cocktails, making them overly bitter.

BUBBLES: Soda water, tonic, and sparkling wine are best saved until the final moment; if you add them too early, they
will go flat.

when you’re ready to serve

The biggest advantage of batching is that you can do it ahead of your event, creating a major time save while you’re entertaining. If you’ve premixed your batch and let it sit for more than 30 minutes, make sure to give it a good stir before you serve it or add individual portions to your shaker; sugar is heavier than citrus juice and booze and will sink to the bottom of the mixture, making your last few cocktails overly sweet.

a final note about batching in advance

Some ingredients, especially liqueurs and bitter spirits, will expand and intensify in flavor when left to sit in a batch. If a recipe calls for maraschino liqueur, Campari, absinthe or Chartreuse, for example, add less than the recipe calls for at the time of preparation. When you’re ready to serve, you can adjust and add more if you’d like.

 

Festive Eats

The holiday season is packed with traditions—places we go, things we do, people we see and special foods we eat. Whether you’re looking for seasonal items to serve at your table or tasty treats for gifts, we have plenty of delicious Peninsula offerings this time of year. Keep in mind, it’s always a good idea to order ahead to guarantee your favorites. Here are a few of ours:

Preston’s Candy & Ice Cream

Very few candy stores still make their own candy, which is why family-owned Preston’s Candy & Ice Cream is a real gem of a find. Whether it’s honeycomb, peanut brittle or rocky road (down to the marshmallow), everything is made by scratch. Especially festive and decadent, Preston’s rocky road chocolate yule logs are big sellers this time of year, along with assorted boxes of handcrafted seasonal cookies and sweets.

1170 Broadway, Burlingame 650.344.3254

prestonscandy.com

Hobee’s

With six restaurants in Silicon Valley, including locations in Redwood Shores, Palo Alto and Mountain View, Hobee’s has been a local institution since 1974. Known for its classic mouthwatering blueberry coffee cake, Hobee’s also offers a seasonal crumbling cranberry version from Thanksgiving through December. With different sizes for holiday gatherings, you can choose between coffee cake platters (12 or 24 pieces) or tins (serving 6-8 people). To make it even easier, you can order online 24 hours in advance for pick-up at any Hobee’s location.

4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto 650.856.6124

1101 Shoreway Road, Belmont 650.596.0400

2312 Central Expressway, Mountain View 650.968.6050

hobees.com

Manresa Bread

With retail locations in Los Altos and Los Gatos, Manresa Bread sees itself as a village bakery, offering seasonal selections of handmade breads and pastries. For the holidays, specialty items include Breton-style kouign amann (a flakey caramelized pastry), chocolate babka (laminated brioche studded with chocolate and walnuts) and triple chocolate orange panettone (a traditional Italian holiday bread). Holiday items are available in-store (and quickly sell out) so pre-order three days in advance so you don’t miss out.

271 State Street, Los Altos 650.946.2293

manresabread.com

La Biscotteria

Augustine Buonocore was born in Redwood City and grew up baking family recipes from the province of Sorrento, just south of Naples. Lucky for the Peninsula, he’s been sharing his traditional Italian treats in this wholesale and retail bakery since 2003. Holiday-only specialty items include chocolate chip panettone, decadent artisan snowball pastries and struffoli, a crunchy, light Neapolitan dish made of deep-fried balls of dough mixed with honey and other sweet ingredients. Offering festive metallic gift wraps and ribbons, La Biscotteria is always a favorite stop for holiday gifts and treats. It’s first-come, first-served in the store, so order and pre-pay in advance as a guarantee.

2747 El Camino Real, Redwood City 650.366.4888

labiscotteria.com

Sugar Butter Flour

The tradition of eating deep-fried jelly donuts at Hanukkah goes back centuries. Like potato latkes, they’re symbolically tied to the holiday’s miracle of oil. You can find jelly donuts year-round at Peninsula donut shops, but for true Israeli-style sufganiyot, it’s worth a trip to Sugar Butter Flour in Sunnyvale. Offered only during Hanukkah (December 2-10 this year), it’s a good idea to order in advance. Other Sugar Butter Flour seasonal items include pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin loaves and gingerbread cookies.

669 South Bernardo Avenue, Sunnyvale 408.732.8597

sugarbutterflour.com

Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe

With 40 years on Burlingame Avenue, Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe is a time-honored stop for holiday-themed treats. Whether it’s Christmas tree-shaped coffee cake, holiday Stollen (traditional German Christmas bread), gingerbread houses or festive cookies and cupcakes, Copenhagen prides itself on its wide selection of seasonal sweets. For a preview, you can check out Christmas bakery items on Copenhagen’s website. It’s always a good idea to pre-order online or call ahead before pick-up.

1216 Burlingame Avenue, Burlingame 650.342.1357

copenhagenbakery.com

Estrellita Mexican Bistro and Cantina

In Mexican-American culture, there’s no better treat than tamales at Christmas. Following Oaxaca and Chiapas tradition, Estrellita specializes in the southern Mexican style, making tamales with handcrafted mole poblano sauce (with over 30 ingredients), shredded chicken, hard-boiled egg, almonds, olives, raisins and pitted prunes enveloped in homemade corn masa and wrapped in a banana leaf, rather than cornhusks. Offered only in late December, Estrellita’s Chiapas tamales are served with rice and refried beans in the restaurant or you can reserve by the dozen for your holiday dinner. Order 48 hours in advance for pick-up December 23.

971 North San Antonio Road, Los Altos 650.948.9865

estrellitarestaurant.com

Perfect Pairings: Seasonal Flavors

Pape Meat Co. is the oldest continually operating business in Millbrae, and it’s easy to see why the butcher shop has survived for so long. Although Pape has only shared its space with Bacchus Wine & Spirits by Quinton Jay since 2014, the two businesses make a lot of sense together. The wine shop occupies an area that previously held a small grocer, but longtime customers seem fine with the narrower scope of options. “Who knew that you didn’t need groceries and all you needed was wine?” jokes Pape butcher Ryan Lawson. The holidays are the busiest time of year for both shops, but Ryan and Bacchus owner Quinton Jay were able to spare some time and take us behind the scenes for a peek into how they provide everything you need to celebrate the season.

At Pape, the holidays mean prime rib. Serious meat lovers will actually have picked out their prime rib before the weather turns cold, since Pape has two enormous dry-aging rooms where the beef can develop deep, savory flavors before it even hits the roasting pan. The shop will sell over 10,000 pounds of prime rib between December 15 and New Year’s Eve, and there’s hardly a more impressive holiday centerpiece out there. However, if cooking and carving a huge bone-in roast sounds more like a nightmare than a celebration, Ryan recommends one of the shop’s beef tenderloin roasts. Seasoned with Dijon mustard, garlic and rosemary and wrapped in pancetta, a tenderloin is a snap to cook and easy to slice. Both tenderloins and prime ribs are sizeable cuts, so Ryan steers people cooking for a smaller crowd to the shop’s lamb racks. Although lamb is in the butcher case all season long, Pape’s special seasoning (a mix of herbs and sesame seeds) makes it special enough for a holiday meal. If you call in advance, the Pape team is also happy to tie two racks together and create a crown of lamb, because what’s more festive than a crown?

On the other side of the store, Quinton is quick to point out the Bacchus’ labeled wine racks. These are decorated with outlines of a pig, a cow and a crab to indicate which kind of main course the wines below them would taste best alongside. “These are for human,” Quinton explains. But if you’re willing to engage in a little conversation, Quinton and the rest of the staff at Bacchus are ready to help you find the perfect bottle for any occasion. Generally, they’ll start with a few questions: what you’re serving, how much you’d like to spend and what kinds of wine you’ve enjoyed in the past. But what if you’re not responsible for hosting yourself, and instead will be a guest this season? Quinton uses a five-foot-long refrigerated case to stock his absolute favorite meats, cheeses and other wine-friendly products that make perfect gifts. Grab a jar of local small-batch jam, a wheel of Cowgirl Creamery Cheese and some truffle-infused salami, and you can show up to your next holiday event with the makings of a perfect appetizer.

Although the stores might not be an obvious visit as you’re checking off your holiday gift list, both Ryan and Quinton have customers who come in looking for presents. Most of the gifts at Pape come from the section of the butcher case that houses Japanese beef. Pape is the only licensed retailer of authentic Kobe beef on the West Coast, with a gold plaque and hand-lettered Japanese sign hanging on the wall to prove it. True Kobe beef is only raised in Japan’s Hyōgo Prefecture and comes from only one select breed of cattle, and the beef’s rarity means that it can command hair-raising prices (think up to $200 a pound). But if you’d like to surprise someone with a truly spectacular meal, a Pape Kobe steak might be the perfect gift. Although there’s no shiny wrapping paper or tinsel behind the butcher counter, the butchers can help you package a present. The staff at Pape is happy to vacuum-seal anything you purchase, and the heavy-duty plastic can go straight into a hot-water bath if you’re planning to cook sous-vide. Have a secret family recipe for your holiday dinner? Ryan will even add a customer’s own herbs and spices to the package before he seals it up.

On Quinton’s side of the shop, all the gifts are helpfully pre-packaged in glass and topped with a cork. Although the shop primarily sells wine, it also features local craft beers and ciders in the cold case, and stocks a small selection of hard liquor. Whiskey is the best-represented spirit on the shelves, both because it’s a favorite of Quinton’s and because it’s become an increasingly trendy beverage in the last few years. With limited space, Bacchus is really a way for Quinton to showcase his favorite bottles, and he’s more than happy to steer you towards a spirit the recipient is sure to love or something they’ve never tried before. A combination wine shop and butcher store might not sound like the most obvious place to celebrate the season, but Pape Meat Co. and Bacchus Wine & Spirits by Quinton Jay are certain to become an essential part of your holiday traditions.

25 Hillcrest Boulevard, Millbrae

Bacchus Wine & Spirits by Quinton Jay • 650.697.9463

Pape Meat Co. • 650.697.2232

Yogarok Star

It’s Sunday morning, and Studio Rincon owner, Kathy Petrin, is miked up and leading a 9AM class in Menlo Park. The heat is cranked to 82 degrees, and the sound system is pumping—an eclectic playlist that jumps around from Post Malone to AC/DC to Lenny Kravitz to Ariana Grande. Bodies move in rhythm, sweat dripping, as Kathy’s voice guides the way: “Reverse warrior. Big inhale. Windmill it all the way down. Exhale. Flow it forward to plank. Stay with your breath.” It sounds like yoga, but ocean waves and tinkling bells won’t come until the final resting pose. What’s happening here answers to a different name. This is Yogarok.

“Yogarok was coined from being a little rebel,” Kathy explains. “Yoga is very traditional, and it doesn’t mean that we don’t stem from all the traditional aspects of yoga, but we’re a little bit edgy, we’re a little bit of a rebel.” That rebel quality also helps explain Kathy’s twisting and turning journey that brought her here. Clearly, she’s okay with pushing boundaries and stretching limits.

Born in Palo Alto, Kathy grew up in Mountain View and studied finance at UC Santa Barbara. She supported herself through college working in restaurants, and instead of taking a corporate job after graduation, she stayed in the restaurant business, working her way up from server to bartender to manager to overseeing six restaurants at one time, before finally owning her own restaurant. Along the way, she met her husband, Bill Petrin, a software engineer, and they recognized a shared trait that would serve them well in the years ahead. “We’re each kind of a jack-of-all-trades,” Kathy says. With three boys soon in tow, life got even busier. Always committed to fitness, Kathy wasn’t happy with the local offerings she squeezed into her packed schedule, and as the boys got older, she struggled to find classes that worked for them. “I searched high and low for great dance classes for boys, and I ended up driving all the way down to Campbell and Santa Clara,” she recalls. “I thought ‘There has to be a better solution!’”

Kathy and Bill conceptualized a fitness environment that had something for everyone—men, women and children—and in 2010, they opened Studio Rincon on Alameda de las Pulgas. Bill, who also attended UC Santa Barbara (although he and Kathy didn’t meet there), came up with the name Rincon, Spanish for “corner” or “nook,” inspired by Santa Barbara’s Rincon Point. “We kind of looked at it like this could be a cute little nook,” Kathy says. “Plus, it was neutral. It wasn’t all yoga. It wasn’t all kids. It wasn’t one gender.” Bill put his software career on hold to manage the business, and the couple accomplished what they set out to do—offer a range of yoga, dance and fitness classes—more than 50 weekly options including boot camp, youth dance, zumba, yin/restorative yoga, cardio kickboxing and of course, Yogarok, a name they trademarked when they launched the studio to describe athletic vinyasa yoga flowing to a mix of pop, rock and hip-hop.

When Studio Rincon opened, Kathy was fairly new to yoga. She began to drop into classes to offset the stress of owning a restaurant and raising three boys. “It started off in the physical realm and then I noticed a whole change in my outlook,” she says. “Things were just better in life. I would walk out of the studio and the sky looked bluer.” That mental shift inspired Kathy to sign up for yoga teacher training on the weekends, where she started studying the yoga sutras. “It was mind-blowing,” she says. “What do you mean, ‘All we need, we already have’? Being in this culture of go, go, go, bigger house, bigger car, whatever it is, you really come to terms with what’s important and what isn’t.” After putting in the hours to become a registered yoga instructor, Kathy began to fill in for the occasional class at Studio Rincon and discovered that she had a knack for it. “I would take over a small class and it would go from two to ten people almost instantaneously, and now some of them are up to 45,” she says. “I think it’s because we make it an ego-less place. Just being here is 99% of it—not whether you do every chaturanga or have the biggest back bend. It’s about how people feel during and after.”

As her boys grew up, Kathy continued to run the restaurant and teach a handful of yoga classes. In his “spare” time (outside of Studio Rincon and doing software contract work), Bill bootstrapped a startup called Namafit, as a way to connect businesses and fitness instructors. With a manager on board at Studio Rincon, the couple decided Bill had “more capacity,” leading them to execute the next part of their vision. In July 2017, they opened an active and loungewear retail store with a name that came easily to them: Yogarok Living. “Yogarok Living captures the music and the fun factor and a fitness lifestyle. It’s living a little bit without rules or limits, so being able to be limitless,” Kathy explains. “So you can wear a yoga top to coffee or you can throw on a little something and wear it to dinner.”

Walking down Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park, the first thing that catches the eye is the sign outside: “Fresh Kombucha on Tap.” Step inside Yogarok Living and you’ll see big, white comfy couches and colorful racks and displays of activewear, accessories and gift items—ranging from Spiritual Gangster t-shirts and Ultracor leggings to Himalayan wooden candle trays and surfboard-friendly waterproof speakers. And, as promised, you’ll also find Kombucha on tap, along with CBD beverages, in flavors like cucumber mint lime and cranberry blood orange. Trending hot and touted for digestion, anti-inflammation and pain relief, the drinks have turned into a big draw. “Most people who beeline in here, that’s what they’re looking for,” Kathy acknowledges. Customers also aim for the back of the store, where there’s a small dedicated space for yoga classes, including 45-minute lunch break sessions.

All of this brings Kathy’s journey to its current chapter. At the beginning of 2018, the couple switched it up again, making yet another “life turn,” as Kathy calls it. Bill is back at work as a full-time software engineer, and Kathy let her restaurant business go and took over operations of Studio Rincon and Yogarok Living. With the boys now 18, 14 and 11, the homefront is as turbo-charged as ever, although Kathy keeps finding room to stretch a little more. She’s starting up a yoga teacher training program in January. “I’ve always trained with the best teachers I could find,” she says. “And I’m so excited to share the teachings and work closely with those on the same path.”

While preparing for her next class (a glance at her playlist reveals Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” Prince’s “Delirious” and Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect”), Kathy ponders a request for a few reflections as the year winds down. “Take time to turn in. That act of turning in can create such bliss,” she says. And yes, always be a bit of a rebel. “Do something that makes you a little nervous,” she encourages. “That’s where life begins.”

Keeping Vigil with the Fox Guy

Twice a day, you’ll see a white Lexus pulled up at the end of Embarcadero Way in Palo Alto. The car’s license plate reads FOX GUY, which also explains why the driver parks there. Bill Leikam is the guy, and the Peninsula’s gray foxes are his fixation—and the motivation for his repetitive routine. Every afternoon, Bill makes a series of stops to set up eight field cameras in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve between San Francisquito Creek and Adobe Creek. And early every morning, he swings back to pull out camera SD cards and tuck all the gear back away. Each round takes up to 90 minutes, and he’s not slacking off in the time in between. Bill also spends at least two hours a day reviewing and logging all the footage from the night before—his highly-trained eyes are honed to catch any activity, any sign, of a gray fox ambling by.

Growing up in Watsonville, Bill encountered his first gray foxes by a creek near his home. Although instantly enthralled, he didn’t think much about them as he moved on with his life, heading off to college, getting married, raising children and teaching English for 38 years at Cupertino High School. Shortly after retiring, he became an avid birder, a hobby which regularly drew him to the Baylands Nature Preserve.

In 2009, en route to a favorite eucalyptus tree to watch for Bullock’s Orioles, “I came around the corner on this old dirt road, and there ahead of me on the other side of the gate was a gray fox,” he remembers. Bill got close enough to take a photo, and then the fox “stood up and walked back into the brush nonchalantly.” The fox’s surprisingly calm demeanor piqued Bill’s interest, and he returned again, and then two more times, in hopes of another sighting. His fourth attempt paid off. In the same area of brush, he once again spotted the fox, only this time, three little fox pups came out as well. Curiosity took over. “I was hooked,” Bill says. “I stopped birding and started going there to jot down what the foxes were doing and that led to where I am today.”

Having logged nine years of intense field study since that first sighting, along with founding the Urban Wildlife Research Project (UWRP), Bill is widely recognized for his unprecedented research on the behavior of the gray fox. However, he scoffs at being called an expert. “The wildlife are my teachers, and I’m their student,” he says. “Those foxes have a lot to teach me yet.”

As Bill talks about gray foxes, it’s easy to understand his fascination. Part of the Canidae family that includes domestic dogs, coyotes, wolves and jackals, the gray fox is the oldest canine in the world, with a lineage dating back 10 million years. Sized like a cat, gray foxes hook their claws into bark to scamper up trees, a rare ability shared by only two other canines, the Southeast Asian raccoon dog and the African bat-eared fox. Above all, the gray fox is adaptable, an especially keen trait given the need to adjust to increasingly urban environments.

On the Peninsula, the gray fox hasn’t just adapted—it has actually made itself indispensable. “It’s what you call a keystone predator,” Bill explains. “That means they have a larger impact on the environment than one would expect from such a small animal. They are critical to keeping the region’s wildlife in balance.” And that’s where Bill’s current research comes into play. In late 2016, the gray fox population he was tracking in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve got hit by canine distemper, a disease that wiped out more than two dozen gray foxes in a six-acre area. In their absence, other species have exploded within that geography—including rodents, lizards and jackrabbits, which are having a field day at the nearby Palo Alto Airport. The issue is, gray foxes can’t just be transplanted back into the area. They are adamant about choosing their own turf—a process that starts with a litter in April, culminating in December, when the young foxes leave mom and dad, dispersing to find their own mates and territory.

So, Bill keeps vigil. Whereas before, he would log observations on gray fox parenting and territorial behavior, now he watches for any sign of the gray foxes coming back. He also keeps up his work with UWRP, and gray fox followers in other areas regularly report sightings to him—checking in from East Palo Alto, Redwood City, Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, the East Bay and even Gilroy and Marin. He’s happy there are healthy populations nearby, but the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve remains his focus. “I need to continue monitoring that area because when young foxes do come in and have their own pups, we’re going to put GPS-tracking collars on all of them,” he explains. According to Bill, the learning from that will be invaluable, showing which corridors and pathways are open and flagging the pinch points that impede wildlife from moving through, endangering both animals and the area’s environmental balance.

Last year’s watch came up empty, but with December here again, Bill has reason to feel more encouraged. Along with the nightly parade of raccoons, in late October, he started spotting a single gray fox passing through, injecting a renewed sense of purpose into his steadfast routine. But even better than seeing one, will be seeing two. “If we get a pair out here, that means they’re going to stay.”

the fantastic facebook foxes

Back in 2013, when Facebook discovered a family of foxes on their original Menlo Park (MPK) campus, the company called Bill Leikam asking what to do. His advice? Leave them be. Facebook did more than that. As CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted at the time, “The Facebook foxes that live on our campus are pretty amazing. It makes me happy that we got our campus certified as an official wildlife habitat so these guys could stick around.” As part of the official welcome, the foxes even got their own Facebook account, FB Fox, which set the guidelines for Facebook’s staff: “Share your celebrity sightings here! Please honor the foxes. No chasing or feeding—just mutual respect.” Over the years, Facebook’s foxes have gotten plenty of likes and comments, with more than 100,000 followers now tracking updates as they hang outside conference rooms, perch on outdoor furniture and cross campus paths. In the ultimate compliment to their hosts, when Facebook expanded its headquarters and opened buildings MPK 20 and MPK 21 at 1 Facebook Way, a new family of gray foxes moved right in, making themselves at home in the acres of lush rooftop gardens with hundreds of trees. Visit facebook.com/MPKFOX to check out their latest antics.

How do you tell if you’re seeing a gray fox?

Red foxes are also common in the Bay Area. The tell-tale tip is the fox’s tail. The tip of a red fox’s tail is white, and the tip of a gray fox’s tail is black.

Visit urbanwildliferesearchproject.com for updates and to support Bill’s efforts.

Passing Time in Paso Robles

Jump on 101 and it’s a one-tank (or one-charge) trip down to Paso Robles, about 160 miles south of San Jose. As you pass through Monterey and Salinas, you’ll see flat, expansive views of the fields where America’s salad greens are grown, and then you’ll start glimpsing hills off in the distance. Before long, the road narrows, and you’re climbing and winding your way up through oak tree-laden hill country until you’ve reached the southernmost point in the Salinas Valley. When 101 meets Highway 46, you’ve arrived at your destination: Paso Robles, or “PASS-oh,” to the locals.

The number-one draw to Paso Robles is the wine. Grapes have flourished here since the 1800s, turning this area into one of California’s leading wine-producing regions. This is the heart of Central California’s wine country, with more than 250 wineries within easy reach. Most visitors flock to Paso Robles in early or late summer, or during the grape harvest in October, keeping hotels and tasting rooms busy. What many don’t realize is that a visit in December, during the shoulder season, can be just as rewarding.

This time of year, Paso is just coming off the harvest, so everything slows down a notch. When you visit a winery, there’s a good chance you’ll run into the winemaker. Come January and February, the vines will be cut back to prepare for the spring, but for now, the vineyards are still ablaze with color, canopies bursting with vibrant shades of yellow, red and orange. If this is sounding pretty sweet, get ready for an end-of-year road trip to Paso Robles.

The Paso Vibe

Think wine culture in cowboy country. To be clear, wine is taken extremely seriously here, but it’s kind of like the starch has been knocked out of it. The vibe here is friendly, not snobby. Paso’s town square is at the center of it all, a sprawling green lawn complete with a red-brick Carnegie Library, massive pine trees and a small-town gazebo (home to summer concerts in the park). In Paso’s historic downtown, you’ll find restaurants, shops, art galleries and a slew of tasting rooms, along with an Amtrak station, making for easy access by train. With so much in walking distance, leaving the car behind is definitely an option.

Go for Grapes

Again, there are more than 250 wineries in the Central Coast wine region, and Paso makes for a perfect hub. Unlike Napa and Sonoma, the wineries here are more or less centralized to one mountainous region. That adds up to stunning hillside vineyard views—and significantly less driving around. You really can’t go wrong. Just pick up a map and head east or west along winery-studded Highway 46, but make sure to pace yourself. Better yet, freely indulge by booking from a range of local transportation offerings, including private drivers, limos and organized wine tasting tours. Rhone varieties, such as Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, as well as Zinfandel, dominate local wine production, but Paso is also a hotbed for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. You’ll also find a good range of whites including Chardonnay, Viognier and Grenache Blanc. Don’t know where to start? Just off 101 at the southern edge of town, Tin City is a hip wine tasting destination featuring young, cutting-edge wineries like Desparada, ONX and Levo. Or, if you’re looking for some stalwart selections, set a course for Halter Ranch, Tablas Creek, Zenaida, Thacher and Eberle. Tastings fees run $10 to $15 but generally get waived with a purchase. And keep in mind, there are close to a dozen tasting rooms around the downtown square, so you can also sip your way through Paso on foot.

The Other Stuff

While Paso Robles is known for wine, the area also has a budding craft brew, hard cider and distilled spirits scene. (In fact, they’re touting their own tagline: Paso Robles… It’s not just for wine anymore.) And it’s really not. In a land full of grapes, there’s a bounty of saignée (French for second pressed juice), which is used to make brandy, gin, vodka and grappa. When you’re ready for a break from wine, you can choose from 12 stops on the Paso Robles Distillery Trail. Look for a mix of handcrafted spirits including vodkas and whiskies at RE:FIND, barrel-aged gin and rye whiskey at KROBĀR and burned orange peel and turkish fig brandies from Wine Shine. And you’ll find a booming craft beer culture here too, including the venerable Firestone Walker Brewery, famous for hoppy ales, IPAs and lagers since 1996, along with a whole generation of new breweries like Silva Brewing and Earth & Fire Brewing in the downtown area.

Eat and Drink

Just think about it. Paso Robles is an agricultural community with two farmers markets in town. With ranches close by, you know the beef is fresh. And being 30 minutes from the coast, so is the fish. Restaurants practicing farm to fork and vine to glass include La Cosecha, a mashup of Spanish and Salvadorian cuisine serving variations of paellas and empanadas. Jeffry’s Wine Country BBQ is the newest venture by Chef Jeffry Wiesinger. It just opened this past summer, and menu favorites include Smoked Tri-Tip with Zinfandel BBQ Sauce and Truffle Potato Chips. Also new in 2018, Eleven Twenty-Two is Paso’s speakeasy-style mixology mecca. You’ll need to ring a bell to gain entrance to this intimate 30-seat cocktail lounge. And if you didn’t overdo the grape during the day, Taste in the Alley is considered one of the country’s top 20 wine bars. If you see a bottle you want to try, they’ll pour anything by the glass.

Where to Stay

Paso Robles offers a wide mix of accommodations including the downtown boutique luxury Hotel Cheval and the four-star Mediterranean-inspired Allegretto Vineyard Resort. If you really want to get close with the grapes, Paso has numerous variations on that theme. At Alta Colina’s secluded 130-acre vineyard estate, you can stay in refurbished luxury retro trailers and sip your morning coffee looking out at the vines. Or try the SummerWood Winery & Inn (located within its own estate vineyard) for B&B style lodging, including a private wine reception and farm fresh breakfast.

In the Hood

If you can build in a little more time, catch Route 46 out of Paso and head for the coast. You’ll be rewarded with eye-popping views as you wind your way down to the Pacific. In about 40 minutes, take your pick of sandy beaches like Cayucos, Cambria and Morro Bay—or add in a visit to Hearst Castle, just up Highway 1 in San Simeon.

For more information, visit travelpaso.com

Getting Under the Hoof

If you’re not a horse person, you might not know that horses need new shoes every six weeks, and that making those shoes and attaching them to the horse’s hooves is both an art and a craft. It’s tough work that requires skill, training and strength. As such, being a farrier is not typically considered a female profession, but it’s one that Margie Lee has been plying for the past three decades. “Being a farrier means I get to be around horses and get to be creative, seeing things that need fixing,” says Margie.

Margie’s been around horses her entire life. She grew up riding on her grandfather’s ranch in Portola Valley and showed competitively, initially in eventing—comprised of dressage, cross country and show jumping—and more recently in dressage only, riding her Dutch Warmblood Allure (aka Al). Another of her horses is retired in Pescadero, and the third, Kit, is semi-retired. “A young lady leases him, and he teaches her about riding,” Margie explains. “He’s resisted retirement—he prefers to stay in the action!”

Margie’s path to becoming a farrier started 30-plus years ago, when one of her horses turned up lame. Caught in a disagreement between her vet and her farrier, she started trimming the horse’s hoof herself. That led to her apprenticing with two notable farriers, Dick Threlfall and Margo Jolly. During Margie’s first six months as an apprentice, she focused on equine anatomy and physiology, gaining a better understanding of the biomechanics of a horse in motion. From there, she graduated to working with specific horses and their individual needs. As Margie sums it up, “Learning the horse shoeing trade was both physically and mentally challenging.”

Margie explains that horses’ hooves grow ¼ to 3/8 of an inch over a six-week period, and they’ve been getting shod for 2,000 years. The earliest shoes were more like leather sandals.

“Following that model, steel horse shoes were initially tied on,“ says Margie. “Then someone got brave and started nailing the shoes on. With a wild horse, the hoof capsule is in contact with the environment and stays trim. And indeed, some domesticated horses don’t need shoes, but most do.” Horses are also shod therapeutically. “We shoe to improve performance, to help horses rehabilitate from injuries, and to help horses with conformation faults,” Margie says. “Our goal is to help them continue the job they do and to stay sound.”

The human body is in an awkward position when shoeing a horse. “You’re taking little hits all the time,” she says. “The horse is leaning on you or pushing you or dropping extra weight on you. Cumulatively it takes a toll on your body.” To compensate, Margie takes Pilates classes and goes to the gym. She also limits the number of horses she shoes a day, typically four if she’s out solo, a couple more if she’s with colleagues.

Given that women farriers are few in number—about 15% in California and from five to seven percent nationwide—Margie has tried to take a leadership role over the years. She’s the only woman to serve as president of the American Farrier Association, and she’s been on its board as a regional director. She also volunteers her services at the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy in Woodside. “Margie makes a huge contribution to this organization, shoeing 15 horses every six weeks,” says NCEFT Executive Director Gari Merendino. “Her in-kind contribution saves us thousands of dollars.”

Margie says she’s learned a lot about shoeing over the years. “Every new horse makes you better. You learn to be efficient, to apply your skill in distinct ways,” she reflects. “Being a farrier has been a great journey for me. I wouldn’t trade it for any other job. I love horses, and I’ve been able to do a job where I get to spend every day with them.”

Perfect Shot: Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir

Looking out over Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir, the usual shroud of evening fog is visible up on Skyline Boulevard.
The reservoir actually covers what was once the small town of Crystal Springs, located just northwest of Crystal Springs Dam. This Perfect Shot was captured by photographer Anthony Obester off of Cañada Road, just across the street from the Ralston Avenue Bike Bridge, which crosses over 280.

Image courtesy of Anthony Obester / anthonyobesterphotography.com

Diary of a Dog: Luna

It’s hard to believe this month marks five years since my life took a completely unexpected turn. I don’t remember my parents. I’ve been told I was discovered as an abandoned puppy in Todos Santos, a small town in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Thankfully, I was dropped off at El Tecolote Bookstore, where the owner, Kate, kept a little enclosure for stray dogs like me. Kate was Todos Santos’ version of the Humane Society, and she kept an eye out for tourists who might want to adopt a dog. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. When I was about eight weeks old, a mother and daughter, Carol and Meredith, came into the store. They were heading out on a kayaking trip and Carol wanted a copy of John Steinbeck’s The Sea of Cortez. Meredith, who was a few years out of college, took one look at my floppy little ears and decided they needed me instead. I think Meredith’s exact words to her mom were, “She’ll be my dog, but she’ll live with you.” To my good fortune, Carol agreed. Kate got me all cleared for take-off, and the next thing I knew, I was flying to my new home in Menlo Park.

I have to say my life here is pretty sweet. I get to go on long walks with my dog buddies during the day, and on the weekends, Carol always takes me hiking. We go to the Arastradero Preserve a lot, and we recently went to Tahoe. Oh boy, did I have fun! Since we were on Forest Service lands, Carol let me off leash, and I ran back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Just out of curiosity, Carol put a Fitbit on me, and by the time we were done with our hike, she had walked six miles and I had logged 15!

I also like to visit the nice folks in assisted living at Palo Alto Commons. They always pet me and let me lick their hands and faces. I like them a lot, but I’m really looking for crumbs. In fact, I love food, and I will eat pretty much anything I can find. Oh, one last thing. Kate first called me Luna, and Carol and Meredith agreed it was a good choice. However, Carol has all kinds of funny nicknames for me like “Luna Tuna,” “Looney Tunes” and, if I’m being a little naughty, “Luna-tic.”

to keep up with me:

Follow me on Instagram at IamLunaDog

The Last Peninsula Booksellers

On this particular day, the door at Feldman’s Books in Menlo Park keeps opening and closing, as Andy Miller carries in armfuls of books to set down on the counter. Although no question has been asked, he gestures defensively at the growing pile. “There’s an illness called bibliofilia,” he explains. “Collecting books is a gentle madness.”

It turns out that Andy is a former used bookseller. After closing down his Mountain View shop, he’s gradually selling off what’s left in storage. He’s here to see if Jack Feldman, whose business is still chugging away on El Camino, wants to buy any of his titles. While Jack glances at spines, and sifts through the choices, the two reminisce about Menlo Park and Palo Alto’s once-flourishing used bookstore trade, not surprising given the academic and literary influences of nearby Stanford. “Know Knew Books, The Book Rack, William P. Wreden, Megabooks,” Andy ticks off. “Wessex, Renaissance, Chimera, Minerva’s,” Jack chimes in. As the morbid exercise continues, they account for nearly a dozen local businesses that have come and gone.

The cause of death? Hiked-up rents. Amazon. The invasion of Kindles and ebooks. “There’s no place in the Bay Area more wired than the Peninsula and Silicon Valley,” Andy notes. “I think rent definitely knocked a lot of people out,” says Jack. “Who can afford it? You have to sell a lot of books each month just to continue on.”

Specializing in used, rare and out-of-print books, Jack opened Feldman’s Books in 1996, in one of Menlo Park’s oldest buildings, actually two structures, connected by an open-air patio that invites contemplation and lingering. Reflecting back on his original motivation, “There are two things that I knew anything about. One was birds and one was books,” he says. “No one was going to give me a job studying birds.”

Originally partnered with his brother, Steve, who still works at the store, Jack started with an “open sign, a cash register and a few books.” Over the last 22 years, his stock has grown to 50,000 titles, categorized by a subject index and map at the store’s entrance—American History to Zen—with everything from fishing to physics in between.

“I try to pick out things that are interesting to people, a lot of academic-type things or literary or just weird or unusual,” Jack says. On the nostalgia side, in a pile by the front desk, a MAD magazine issue from April 1971 (originally 35 cents and still cheap at $3.00) shows a sign over the White House eerily proclaiming, “This Country is Out of Order.” Starting at $1.50, most used books in the store average $7 to $10 with rare and first editions ranging up to $1,000.

The door opens again, and this time, Martin Tapay wanders in. Martin drove up from San Jose for a doctor’s appointment—making sure to build a Feldman’s stop into his schedule. Anytime he enters a used bookstore, Martin says he makes it a practice to buy at least one book. He is clearly helping keep stores in business. Today, he buys close to 20, a selection of titles that match his interests, including California history (The Battle of Santa Clara) and space exploration (Carrying the Fire). “It’s a long way to come, but he’s got a lot of good books,” Martin says.

Less than two miles away, Bell’s Books is holding down the fort in downtown Palo Alto. Providing new, used and rare books since 1935, Bell’s is a true brick-and-mortar bookstore beacon of hope, with 350,000 volumes in 500 subject categories, housed in an historic two-story storefront. Founded during the Great Depression by Herbert Bell, the family-owned store moved four times before permanently settling in on Emerson Street. Herbert’s daughter, Faith Bell, is the current owner. “Thank goodness this building came up for sale in the early ‘50s,” Faith recounts. “My dad was ornery and wouldn’t withstand any increase in rents, and so he would pack up all the thousands of books, tear down all the shelves and move to another location.”

Walking into the store, eyes are drawn every which way—bookshelf-lined walls soar up to a 24-foot ceiling, stacks and stacks, title after title, along with table displays and more precious volumes in locked antique cabinets. Assessing the breadth and depth of Bell’s constantly updated stock, Faith justifiably beams with pride, “There are so many treasures tucked away here. We are always saying, ‘Oh, look what we have!’” Just the collection of first and early editions boggles the mind—starting at $7 and ranging up to $5,000—rare gems like H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, including a handwritten postcard by the author, Poems by Emily Dickinson and a signed T.S. Eliot to more current Kurt Vonnegut novels and even George R. R. Martin’s signature in a first-edition Game of Thrones.

Three to four times a day, bookstore staff, including Faith’s husband, Christopher Storer, hike up ladder rungs to reach the highest shelves and corners, fingers tracing across the backs of spines, before plucking out a particular request. Faith says Bell’s quality collection draws Stanford professors, bishops, senators, Nobel Laureates and even a world-renowned symphony conductor. But she emphasizes that Bell’s has great reads for everyone: “Lots of the tech people are coming in now. We have people who are excited about building their own private libraries or want their children and grandchildren to have the love of books that they had. We have regulars who are eight years old and we have regulars who are in their 90s.”

Today, Tim Scott of Portola Valley comes into the store, with a very specific agenda in mind. He pauses to quickly confer with Christopher, who gestures up the stairs to the Classics section deep in back. “I was looking for a particular dialog of Plato, and he instantly directed me to precisely the place where I might find it,” Tim recaps. “It’s a terrific bookstore. There used to be a lot more in Palo Alto, and this is one of the last ones.”

Recalling the many local stores that have fallen by the wayside, Faith doesn’t mince words putting Amazon to blame: “They did it without making any profit for a very long time and deliberately set about slaying the independent book industry.” As to the secret to Bell’s longevity, “It has a lot to do with having a passionate and hard-working staff and really loving putting the right book into the right hands,” she says. “You have to find your pleasure in that because you won’t get rich doing this. Your riches are in the connections that you make with people and literature.”

Faith is encouraged by a shifting perception back to the book as an object, “to the actual joy of holding a printed volume in your hand.” Jack agrees, saying, “You just can’t get the same experience from a screen.”

Still, Jack acknowledges his situation is tenuous. Renting on a month-to-month basis, Feldman’s Books occupies a building that was sold a few years back. “It’s a little up in the air right now, so it’s hard to say what’s going to happen,” he admits. Reflecting back on his two original passions, it’s clear he hopes to stick with his books. “I’ll keep doing it unless I can get a job being an ornithologist,” he says, with a wry smile.

Bell’s Books sits more secure—owning the building means it owns its own destiny. However, there’s still the question of how long a family-run business can carry on. “I have a grandson who’s 13 who comes for holidays from Oregon, and he won’t go to Great America because he wants to work with Grandma in the bookstore,” Faith happily shares. “So I have hopes.”

bell’s books

Holiday Shopping Tips

+ Share your own love of a book and what you think is fascinating.

+ Look over somebody’s bookshelf to get a sense for what they like.

+ In the case of collectors, always buy the best copy you can afford.

+ When shopping for children, it’s better to buy above their reading level than to insult their intelligence.

+ For professional interests, steer clear of contemporary, books, which they probably already have. Look for older or historic books they’re not as likely to come across.

+ Take advantage of free gift wrapping services and personalized shopping upon request.

+ Ask a bookseller’s advice. And remember, customers are always welcome to exchange gifts for other selections.

where to buy used books

B Street Books

301 South B Street

San Mateo

650.343.2800

Encore Books

2200 Broadway

Redwood City

650.299.0104

Ink Spell Books

500 Purisima Street

Half Moon Bay

650.726.6571

Feldman’s Books

1170 El Camino Real

Menlo Park

650.326.5300

Bell’s Books

536 Emerson Street

Palo Alto

650.323.7822

A Christmas Carol

Around 300 kids went to Wolflin Elementary School in Amarillo, Texas, in first through sixth grades, with up to 30 children per classroom and two classrooms per grade. Of those children, there were 299 Christians (mostly Baptists) and one Jew, me. But looking back—and I have great admiration for this—I never felt an ounce of anti-Semitism. I was just one of the gang, welcomed into my friends’ homes, having girlfriends with whom I exchanged St. Christopher medals (that was a thing then) and generally being treated the same as any other good Baptist kid.

Christmas was a special time at our school. The whole place was transformed with room decorating contests, holiday card making and, most important of all, the annual carol singing event. For weeks, each class would work on perfecting one or two Christmas carols and then, in the days preceding our vacation, the individual classes would take turns going from classroom to classroom singing their carols.

I enjoyed all this festivity as much as the next kid. What did I know? My family was not religious, though we attended our small synagogue where I went to religious school.

Each year, I helped decorate our room, made handmade Christmas cards and learned the songs. The holiday songs were uplifting and cheerful, and so I enjoyed learning them and then going around the school and belting out our selections of that year.

But in fourth grade, approaching my tenth birthday, I was finally old enough to understand the carols’ meanings, and so I realized that they weren’t exactly talking about my team. At our synagogue we were learning the Hanukkah story of how the tough-guy Maccabees booted the Romans out of the Temple. This captured my imagination and filled me with pride. So, after we started practicing the Christmas songs that year, something just didn’t feel right.

After school one day, I walked up to Mrs. Duncan, my fourth-grade homeroom teacher, and stood next to her while she applied the bright red lipstick that she always wore. I waited patiently until she looked at me.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Duncan,” I said rather meekly.

“Yes, Sloane. What is it?” she said, turning away from me to put on her coat.

I waited until she was done, and then I said, “You know I’m Jewish, right?”

“Well, no I didn’t, as a matter of fact,” she answered back.

“Well, yeah, I am. We’re Jewish, the whole family. You know we don’t really celebrate Christmas, right?”

“I thought everyone celebrated Christmas,” she responded, surprised.

“Mrs. Duncan,” I said, looking straight up at her and speaking earnestly. “Would it be okay if I didn’t do the Christmas caroling this year? It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.”

To her credit, Mrs. Duncan took a minute, sat back down in her teacher’s chair and looked straight at me.

“It must be hard on you, being a Jew here. Are there other Jewish children at Wolflin?” she asked.

“No,” I said simply. “Just me.”

“Well, Sloane,” she said rather softly. “You’re a wonderful student, just like your sister and brother before you. We’re lucky to have you here, and if you don’t want to sing those songs then that’s fine with me.”

I started to well up then and did everything I could not to cry. I never would have received such empathy at home, so this touched me, her listening to me and respecting my thoughts.

“You can just go into the alcove or the library and read while we’re singing and then join us afterward. How does that sound?” she asked.

“That’s fine,” I answered. She stood up then and placed her hand on my head, gently stroking my hair.

“We’ll see you tomorrow then, okay?” she said. I nodded and walked from the classroom.

So, from then on at Christmas time at Wolflin—while my classmates sang their holiday music—I would go to the library and read the various magazines lying on the side table while enjoying the Christmas music resonating throughout the school. I was content being a part of the Christian world in which I lived, but also having my own space.

I love and appreciate the wonderful Christmas spirit on the Peninsula, including all the music. Like appreciating a great Indian meal, I don’t understand how it all works and it isn’t mine, but it sure is delicious. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

The Beat On Your Eats

Oak + Violet

Menlo Park

A welcome addition to Menlo Park’s restaurant offerings, Oak + Violet touts “farm-to-fork” cuisine and every item on the menu is locally sourced. The premier restaurant of the recently opened Park James Hotel, the eatery is anchored by an open kitchen and the O + V Courtyard, an outdoor lounge serving casual, tapas-style dishes, with Irish throw blankets to keep diners toasty warm. Courtyard menu highlights range from mini lobster tacos and butcher steak tartare to chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in Benton country bacon with a piquillo pepper purée. The Oak + Violet dinner menu features a selection of sharable items and entrées including toasted farro risotto and stuffed whole branzino romesco with roasted fennel, artichokes, olives and peppers.

Chef Mike Gadd relies on the freshest, hand-picked ingredients, and if you’re lucky enough to snag a seat at the Experience Dining Bar, you can enjoy his daily culinary off-the-menu creations.

1400 El Camino Real, open daily from 7AM;

O + V Bar & Courtyard menu served until 11PM

Tre Monti

Los Altos

The space on Main Street that most recently was home to the frozen yogurt shop Miyo is currently undergoing a transformation. This month, the address will host the opening of Tre Monti, an Italian restaurant and wine bar. The restaurant is the collaborative effort of three men, all of whom hail from the southern Italian region of Calabria: restaurateur Mattia Galiano, manager and sommelier Giovanni Messina and contractor Mario Nucci. Expect classic dishes like lasagna to make an appearance on the menu, as well as pizza made with a custom blend of Italian flours. While the team plans to import some ingredients, like buffalo mozzarella made near Naples, they’ll be incorporating local flavors too. The Larson Family Winery in Sonoma is producing Tre Monti’s house wine and will even be growing a special grape for the blend. 270 Main Street, hours TBD

Gelatio

San Carlos

Slick ice cream purveyor Gelatio has expanded from their original location in Palo Alto. Now, north Peninsula residents can get their fix of gelato on Laurel Street in San Carlos. Gelatio distinguishes their ice cream from what you can buy in the freezer section of your grocery store by using ingredients that are as fresh and local as possible, even going so far as to pasteurize their own milk. Pistachio gelato gets its subtle flavor and tan color from house-made pistachio paste, and the revolving selection of sorbettos highlight the best in seasonal fruit. Enjoy your gelato in a homemade cone and topped with chocolate from one of the shop’s continually running fountains. Slightly less messy, although just as delicious, are Gelatio’s bars, dipped in either milk or dark chocolate and then frozen solid for an easier eating experience. 644 Laurel Street, open weekdays noon to 9:30PM, weekends until 10PM

Strong Drink for a Cold Day

Cool evenings make the prospect of stepping into a cozy, welcoming bar feel like the perfect fall pastime. And now that we’ve moved past the season where a cocktail’s most important characteristic is “cold,” we checked in with bartenders on the Peninsula who are pouring stiff drinks. The staff at Barrelhouse is certainly on that list; the Burlingame spot has been serving craft cocktails since 2001. The bar does serve beer and wine, along with a few small plates, but the carefully designed cocktail menu is the real draw. It usually includes about 20 drinks, which change at least every few months. That means that customers have had to wait for more than half a year for the return of one of the bar’s most popular libations. “Our Pear Martini is a crowd favorite on our fall menu,” says Juan Loredo, one of Barrelhouse’s proprietors. While Juan and his partner, Jose Natividad, also own the Vinyl Room, a lounge with a dress code and bottle service, the vibe at Barrelhouse is considerably more laid-back. Guests are there for the cocktails, and the bar staff uses a number of syrups and other house-made ingredients to get the flavor of each drink just right. The cinnamon-anise syrup from this recipe can be used in all sorts of other autumnal cocktails, or to sweeten hot tea and apple cider. To make it, mix ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Toss in two cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces, then increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once the syrup is boiling, remove from heat and add four star anise pods. Let the syrup sit for one to two hours, then strain into a glass jar. The syrup will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

make it

Pear Martini

Ingredients

  • 1½ oz. pear vodka
  • 1 oz. pear purée
  • ½ oz. cinnamon-anise syrup
  • ¾ oz.  lime juice

To garnish:

  • 1 slice dried pear
  • 1 wheel of lime, about ¼ inch thick
  • 1 Tbl superfine sugar
  • 1 Tbl ground cinnamon

For the sugar rim:

1. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a shallow bowl or plate.

2. Cut the wheel of lime in half. Take a martini glass, turn it upside-down and swipe the cut side of the lime slice around the rim of the glass.

3. Place the lime-rimmed glass in the sugar mixture and swirl around to coat the outside edge of the glass, then flip the glass upright.

To mix the drink:

Combine the vodka, pear purée, cinnamon-anise syrup and lime juice in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds, then pour through a strainer into the prepared glass. Cut a small notch into the dried pear slice and hang it on the rim of the glass before serving.

A Different Kind of Bird

Let’s not talk turkey. With Thanksgiving coming around again, that was the challenge we presented to Benjamin Robert, owner of Gambrel & Co., a craft butchery in Redwood City. It’s time to start thinking: Who’s hosting? How many will be at the table? What’s on the menu? And while the default holiday main course is traditionally turkey, it doesn’t have to be.

In fact, historians can’t definitively tell us what was served at that first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. While there’s mention of a turkey hunting trip before the famous Plymouth meal, it’s just as likely that the Pilgrims and Native Americans feasted on venison and waterfowl, along with squash, pumpkin and berries. In our own Peninsula tradition of thinking outside the box, why not ponder other types of poultry?

Calling himself a butcher who works from the ground up, Ben prides himself on his unique ability to answer just these kinds of questions. Coming from a background in ecological agriculture and with culinary expertise gleaned as an executive chef, Ben opened Gambrel & Co. (named for the hooks used to hang animals up after harvesting) in February 2015. Inside his artisanal shop on Main Street, you’ll either find him at the front counter, wrapping up orders and sharing cooking tips, or catch sight of him behind a glass window, breaking down sustainably-raised meat he sources from local farmers.

Maybe you’re tired of the turkey routine. Perhaps your headcount is smaller this year. If you’re up for a twist on Thanksgiving tradition, here’s Gambrel and Co.’s official take on birds of a different feather.

duck

Let’s start with duck. As Ben points out, it kind of looks like a turkey, so it has bird appeal. Since duck is so rich, you don’t need a huge bird, especially if you’re serving all the usual side dishes. Duck fat is very decadent, so it enhances the perception of the meal being special. Roast duck is the more traditional offering, but Ben makes a good case for purchasing a Sous Vide (“under vacuum” in French), a device that cooks vacuum-sealed food in a temperature-controlled water bath, delivering moist, mouth-watering results. Previously priced in the domain of professional chefs, this cooking technique has become an affordable addition to home kitchens. Here’s the other big selling point: “You set it, and you forget it.” When the duck is cooked, all it takes is a quick blast in the oven to get the fat and skin nice and crispy. Gambrel’s ducks come from 38 North in Petaluma. How much to order? Ben says a pound of duck per person, so Gambrel’s four- to five-pounders will serve four to five people. Price: $8 per pound

game hens

Gambrel’s game hens come from Marin Sun Farms in Point Reyes, and Ben says they are super flavorful since they are organically pasture-raised. Game hens are slow-growing birds with a more variable diet, so some people find them tastier than turkey. True game hens weigh one to two pounds, which makes them well suited for smaller groups. For big parties, Ben suggests running a rotisserie with six or seven hens. You can roll them on a spit all day before bringing them out in a festive display to the table. Other options are Sous Vide or just treating them like a turkey—roast them in the oven but in about a quarter of the time. Expect a two-pound game hen to serve two people. Price: $6 per pound

quail

Quail are abundant in California, so they’re a natural fit with celebrating a bountiful Thanksgiving. Also from 38 North, Gambrel’s quail come semi-boneless, with only wing and leg bones, so they don’t look very appealing. That’s why Gambrel sells them stuffed, and customers can pre-order variations that include Ben’s own sausage, risotto or traditional stuffing. (Customers rave about Ben’s stuffed quail, so we convinced him to share his recipe.) Ben’s favorite way to prepare quail is to wrap the stuffed quails in prosciutto and then roast them in the oven. The prosciutto becomes infused with the skin of the quail, and you can crack off delicious, crispy pieces tasting like “salty, porky goodness.” You can also save the drippings to make a gravy or sauce. Serving size is one quail per person. Plate a group of them together for a dramatic presentation at the table. The best part? The cooking time of a stuffed quail is about 15 to 20 minutes, so no agonizing over whether the turkey is done. Price: $9 per quail

chicken porchetta

The chickens sold at Gambrel aren’t your standard birds—Marin Sun Farms crosses them with Cornish game hens, which gives the chicken stronger flavor because of the more variable diet. They’re available whole or in quarters or breasts. For a more festive approach to a bird that may seem too ordinary, Ben suggests trying a classic Italian preparation like Chicken Porchetta. For the version he makes in the shop, he removes the bones from a four- to five-pound chicken, seasons and pounds out the meat and then rolls it around in a mix of sage, ginger, garlic and white pepper pork sausage. A half chicken will serve two people; a whole chicken will satisfy four. And if you have leftovers, Ben says Chicken Porchetta makes delicious sandwiches for a next-day meal. Price: $15 per pound

still feeling loyal to turkey?

If a frozen bird from the grocery store is your fall-back approach, consider buying a whole fresh turkey instead. Ben says fresh turkeys retain more moisture, so even a small shift in tradition can add flavor at your table. Gambrel’s turkeys come from Diestel Turkey Ranch in Sonora. Price: $4.50 per pound

ben’s final advice

If you’re planning to shop at a specialty store, make sure to order ahead to guarantee the Thanksgiving bird of your choice.

Location: 810 Main Street, Redwood City

Phone: 650.260.2622

make it

GAMBREL’S MUSHROOM RISOTTO STUFFED QUAIL WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO

Serves 2

RISOTTO STUFFING

  • 1 cup risotto rice
  • ¼ cup diced onion
  • ¼ cup sliced oyster mushrooms
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbl fresh chopped thyme
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 beaten egg

QUAIL

  • 2 semi-boneless quail
  • 2 slices prosciutto
  • 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

MUSHROOM SAUCE

  • 2 Tbl minced shallot
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ cup sliced oyster mushrooms
  • 1 tsp minced thyme
  • ¼ cup red wine

PREPARE THE STUFFING

• Warm extra virgin olive oil in
small saucepan.

• Saute onion until translucent, add mushroom and garlic and cook until soft (~2 minutes).

• Stir in risotto rice, making sure all of the rice gets exposed to oils in the pan.

• Add half the chicken stock and reduce heat to a low simmer. Stir occasionally until liquid is just about evaporated, then add remaining stock and reduce until creamy.

• Turn off the heat and spread risotto out on a tray to cool. Once cooled, fold in cheese and egg and set aside.

PREPARE THE QUAIL

• Preheat oven to 400F.

• Open up the cavity between the legs of the quail and insert about ¼  cup of stuffing at a time until the quail is fat and plump but not overflowing.

• Season outside of quail with salt and pepper.

• Lay prosciutto slices out on work surface and place quail breast-side down in the middle of the slice. Fold prosciutto over the back side of the quail, overlapping to create a seam.

• Warm extra virgin olive oil in cast iron pan over medium-high heat until just about to smoke. Add quail breast-side down and sear for 30 seconds.

• Place in oven for 6 minutes, then flip and cook for another 6 minutes.

• Remove quail from pan and let rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

• Reserve the cast iron pan, along with any juice from the birds that might be inside.

PREPARE THE MUSHROOM SAUCE AND SERVE

• While the quails rest, return the cast iron pan to the stove, and place over medium heat.

• Add shallot, garlic and mushroom. Saute until tender.

• Add the thyme and then the wine. Reduce to desired thickness. (Ben usually lets the sauce reduce by about half.)

• Serve over quail, preferably on
a deep plate.

Perfecting Performance

Sparta Science calls it the Training Ground—and what happens here is changing the way athletes train, condition and stay healthy. On any given day, in this 9,000-square-foot facility in Menlo Park, you’ll see college and pro athletes (and occasional high school players) laser-focused on optimizing performance and preventing injuries.

Founded in 2008, Sparta Science started as a rehab and training center, expanding over time to include a secret ingredient software business. Now working with nearly 90 different organizations—ranging from professional teams like the San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Earthquakes to the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres, and including 32 collegiate teams like UC Berkeley and USF—Sparta Science provides a data-driven protocol based on validated assessments and evidence-based prescriptions. In other words, they’ve set a goal of applying hard numbers to what has traditionally been an educated or even hopeful guess.

Talking in terms of making “massive strides,” Sparta Science CEO and founder Phil Wagner is the driver behind the company’s advancements and growing momentum. Whether you’re an NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, college sports or even Super Rugby fan,  there’s a good chance Sparta Science is already impacting the athletes you’re watching—or will in the future.

What inspired you to start Sparta Science?

I was an athlete in high school and college and was injured quite a bit. As a result, I wanted to find a way to help others avoid that path. I’m a big math person, so it was confusing to me that the equation didn’t add up. I would get a rehab program, I did it diligently, and the same thing kept happening. It wasn’t very logical, so I became a strength and conditioning coach and found that everybody was approaching things rather illogically. I went to medical school and became a physician and founded Sparta as a way to start gathering data and building a database that could help predict and reduce injuries.

Talk us through the technology behind Sparta Science.

We put athletes through force plate assessments. The force plate measures ground reaction force, and that signal is looking at how you interact with the ground from three different axes.There are six different jumps that the individual will do separately—one at a time or they will balance for about 20 seconds. We refer to the force plate itself as a dumb device because it’s just gathering raw data, and they’ve been around for decades. What’s new is how we efficiently collect the information and immediately provide the insights of what to do next—where the risk or performance opportunities lie. We’ve also collected age, ethnicity, sport, position and injury history, so alongside the force data, this other data helps provide context and meaning. The real value is in the software because the database has over 700,000 trials now.

Describe what happens on the Training Ground.

It really depends on which individuals are here. Probably about a third of the space is a turf field area, a third of the space is for medicine balls and jumping and a third of the space has lifting. Really whatever the individual needs is where they spend the majority of their time. If you came in during a session where it’s mostly baseball pitchers, you might see a lot of lifting because there’s a certain force variable they tend to lack, which requires a lot more of the lifting stimulus. If you came in and saw a lot of football players training, they might be doing more flexibility work because that’s a variable that they lack. It’s mostly professional athletes, so we’ll see a mix depending on the time of year. Right now, we’re seeing a lot of baseball pitchers starting to come in.

How is Sparta Science impacting professional sports?

We are addressing the system to be more efficient and resilient—what helps athletes perform better also reduces their injury risk. Teams use it to decide how much rest players should get, when they should rest and how much longer they should rest. There is a lot of science behind those decisions that are made for college and professional teams, and a lot of times we are the wizard behind the curtain. Looking at the amount of injuries that are affected and looking at their salaries and what time lost was saved, we’re able to calculate the savings off payroll for teams. For example, we saved the Colorado Rockies $11.9 million last year, and there are a lot of reasons why they think we’ve done that.

Why is the Peninsula the right setting for what you’re doing?

The only way to be able to help globally like we’re doing is to have software, and this area is obviously renowned for technology. I think the surprising part for me has been the level of mentorship and help that’s available on the Peninsula. I couldn’t have found more of a supportive environment for that. I have zero tech background, zero technology training, and I’ve really been educated by individuals in this area. Stanford Business School, especially, has been incredibly supportive. It couldn’t have been done in any other area. There’s no way it would have been possible.

Work It Off: Four Thanksgiving Hikes

As you ready yourself for the Thanksgiving holiday and feast, here’s a sobering note: According to the Calorie Control Council, the average person will consume 3,000 calories when sitting down for the traditional turkey dinner. And that doesn’t count drinks, appetizers and dessert!

But don’t despair. Here are four Peninsula hikes (including one good, long walk) that can make your holiday feasting almost guilt-free. Start moving now, and you’ll have a calorie deficit by the time the big day comes in late November!

Windy Hill in Portola Valley

8 miles

Thought by many to be the jewel of Midpeninsula Open Space District preserves, Windy Hill features almost everything the Coast Range has to offer—grasslands, oak woodlands and fir and redwood forests. You ascend on a series of switchbacks, a climb of just under 2,000 feet, to reach Skyline Boulevard. Spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the mid-Peninsula and the San Francisco Bay to the east are the payoffs. Shortly after leaving the parking lot, you’ll come to a fork with the Spring Ridge Trail on the left and the Betsy Crowder Trail straight ahead. We prefer the latter, which passes through shady oak woodlands interspersed with some grassy areas. In a little over a half-mile, you’ll join Spring Ridge Trail on your right, which will take you all the way to the top. While there are some serious butt-kicking pulls, there are also brief flat stretches that provide catch-your-breath opportunities. When you hit Skyline Boulevard, take the Anniversary Trail on your left. Before looping around to the picnic area—also on Skyline—you can ascend one of Windy Hill’s peaks to take in the 360-degree views. From the picnic area, the Lost Trail runs parallel to Skyline before reaching Hamms Gulch Trail, which winds back down on the other side of the canyon from Spring Ridge Trail. It eventually rejoins Spring Ridge, which will take you back to the parking lot.

good to know

+ Parking lot is on Portola Road next to the Sequoias retirement complex; overflow parking is at Portola Town Center

+ Terrain is dirt; steep both ascending and descending

+ Open to walkers, cyclists, equestrians and leashed dogs

+ Porta-potty at Portola Road and at the picnic area
on Skyline Boulevard

+ Find more information and a trail map at
openspace.org/preserves/windy-hill

Photograph courtesy of Kathy Korbholz.

Edgewood County Park & Natural Preserve in Redwood City

5 miles

Unlike Windy Hill, which basically has one trail up and another down (with some variations along the bottom), Edgewood provides multiple loop options of varying distances within its 467 acres. It shares with Windy a too-small parking lot on popular days. Edgewood’s mix of woodlands and grasslands translates to a lot of wide-open spaces, perfect for crisper fall and winter days. The route we enjoy most is leaving the parking lot, walking up by the restroom/picnic area and then picking up the Sylvan Trail, which climbs steadily before joining the Serpentine Trail and then the Sunset Trail. From this trail, you get expansive views of the Coast Range to the west. After a half-mile on the Sunset Trail, Ridgeview Trail appears on the right. You’ll ascend again, sheltered by woodlands. Pick up Franciscan Trail and then Edgewood Trail back to the parking lot.

good to know

+ Parking lots is at 10 Old Stage Coach Road

+ Terrain is dirt; good pulls in places

+ Open to hikers and equestrians; no dogs or bikes

+ Restroom in the picnic area near parking lot

+ Find more information and a trail map at parks.smcgov.org/edgewood-park-natural-preserve

Photograph courtesy of Linda Hubbard.

Mavericks/Pillar Point Bluff/Moss Beach

3.25 miles

It’s the location that makes this post-holiday feasting hike ideal. With fall (and extending into winter) come clear skies and less wind along the ocean. You can be shivering in the low 40s on the Peninsula while it’s 20 degrees warmer at the coast. Of note, the famed Mavericks surfing area is a half-mile or so offshore and can be viewed from the bluff top. You can also spot porpoises, dolphins and a variety of whales depending on the season; humpbacks are most predominant in November. There are various trails that run parallel to the coastline, rolling slightly up and down. Some swerve inland for a bit before rejoining Jean Lauer Trail located almost smack-dab on the middle of the bluff. We stay coast-side going north, taking the Ross Cove Trail and Frenchman’s Reef before turning back on the Pillar Point Bluff Trail with views of the Half Moon Bay Airport. This trail joins the Jean Lauer Trail briefly, and a cutover trail rejoins the Ross Cove Trail back to the parking lot. It’s near impossible to get lost with the ocean always on your right or left.

good to know

+ Parking lot is located off Airport Street
about one mile off Cypress Avenue

+ Terrain is packed dirt; rolls up and down

+ Open to hikers, cyclists and dogs on leash

+ Porta-potties adjacent to parking lot

+ Find more information and a trail map at
parks.smcgov.org/pillar-point-bluff

The Bay Trail/Millbrae & Burlingame Segment

4.65 miles

Recognizing that not everyone desires a butt-kicking hike, we offer this flat, stroller-friendly walk with a respectable distance. The bonus is spotting vastly different kinds of birds: the big aluminum ones that take off from SFO and a variety of shorebirds that hang out on the Bay. When complete, the Bay Trail will cross 47 cities and nine counties over a distance of 500 miles. Today there are 350 miles, including this segment that begins at Bayfront Park just south of SFO where there is a lot with two-hour free parking. After starting out, you’ll pass the Burlingame Bird and Plant Sanctuary, at which point you’ll need to walk along Old Bayshore Highway for a short distance. We turned right at Bayside Park/Fields and then walked along the east side of landfill before encountering the Burlingame Recreation Lagoon, a bit of a hidden wonderland, given nearby Highway 101. There’s another stretch along Old Bayshore before turning bay-side once again, returning with Anza Lagoon on the left and the Bay on the right.

good to know

+ Parking lot near intersection of Millbrae Boulevard
and Old Bayshore Highway

+ Terrain is flat and paved

+ Open to walkers, cyclists and dogs on leash

+ Bring binoculars for better plane and bird spotting

+ Restrooms at Bayside Park

+ Find more information and a trail map at baytrail.org

Worlds (But Only Miles) Away Escapes

With a nod to James Taylor, if the final hectic dash to December feels like a steamroller, baby, bound to roll all over you, stepping away from it all might be just what’s needed to recharge during the busy weeks ahead. Here’s the beauty of the Peninsula: Even if you don’t have much time, all it takes is a short drive in any direction to completely switch up the scenery. Whether you’re setting a course north, south, east or west, here are a few enticing nearby destinations waiting to transport you to a different place and pace.

Cavallo Point Lodge

Heading north, just across the iconic span of the Golden Gate Bridge, veer off at Alexander Avenue and wind your way down to Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito, once the site of the Fort Baker military base. Set in a cove surrounded by fragrant eucalyptus trees at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, Cavallo Point Lodge provides magical views and vistas from nearly every point on the property. The two room categories are a century apart in character and style—meticulously restored turn-of-the-century officer’s quarters or newly constructed contemporary rooms and suites. Cavallo Point’s unique location lets guests indulge in San Francisco’s activities and nightlife, while enjoying all the outdoor adventures of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Complimentary perks include morning yoga and hikes and walks throughout the property grounds, around the Marin Headlands and under the Golden Gate Bridge. Guests can relax and rejuvenate at the Healing Arts Center & Spa and finish the day with Northern California cuisine at Murray Circle, Cavallo Point’s Michelin-rated restaurant. Dogs are welcome too, with romping especially good on nearby trails and Fort Baker’s 10-acre parade ground. Rates start at around $400 per night plus tax and fees. cavallopoint.com

Rosewood CordeValle

Driving south from the Peninsula, you’ll encounter Rosewood CordeValle in a secluded 1,700-acre sanctuary in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Just 30 minutes beyond San Jose in San Martin, Rosewood CordeValle is a hidden gem set against a backdrop of tree-covered hills, deep-set canyons and sprawling meadows. At the intimate 45-room resort, guests can choose from spacious bungalows, fairway homes and villa suites. Golf lovers, especially, take note. The property boasts a championship 18-hole golf course and the world’s first “golf butler” amenity, providing guests with a “stress-free way to personalize their experience on and off the course.” After a round of play, the resort’s Sense Spa features a “19th Hole” menu designed specifically for golfers, with treatments focusing on relieving tension in the neck, shoulders and feet. Rosewood CordeValle also offers swimming and fitness areas, an award-winning restaurant selection and an on-site vineyard and Tuscan-style winery. Rates start at around $400 per night plus tax and fees. rosewoodhotels.com/en/cordevalle-northern-california

Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa

Tucked into the heart of the East Bay, a 30-minute drive from San Francisco, Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa blends European charm with California grace. Inspired by the French countryside that was home to Marquis de Lafayette, the property is reminiscent of a sophisticated European chateau, surrounded by historic oak trees, rolling hills and charming courtyards. The hotel’s 138 guestrooms and 12 suites are accented with custom upholstered furnishings and deep crown moldings. The Spa at the Park is the perfect setting to rest and recharge or retreat to the nearby pool area, an inviting enclave that includes an outdoor fireplace and fitness center. From the hotel’s home base in Lamorinda, scenic hiking trails are minutes away, and you can conveniently explore the East Bay’s thriving art, shopping, wine and culinary scene. Channeling the charm of a romantic French farmhouse, the Park Bistro & Bar offers rustic farm-to-table California cuisine. Rates start at $289 per night plus tax and fees. lafayetteparkhotel.com

Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay

Turning to the west, set course for the coast to discover the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, a timeless oceanfront property inspired by the grand seaside lodges of the 19th century. Perched on a scenic bluff overlooking the rugged Pacific, the 261-room spa and golf resort offers a blend of relaxation and refinement, whether you’re jogging down a coastal path, collecting shells on a secluded beach or enjoying a good read by a fire pit on the outdoor patio. With two 18-hole championship golf courses, six tennis courts and easy access to activities like horseback riding, sea kayaking and sailing, it’s easy to make it an active getaway. The resort’s 16,000-square-foot spa includes a co-ed whirlpool for unwinding together at the end of the day. If you’re visiting Monday through Thursday, ask about the “Bay Area Resident Special” for a 15% discount on spa treatments. Before dinner at Navio, with floor-to-ceiling ocean views, or the Conservatory, serving homegrown rustic California fare, drift away from your cares listening to a traditional Scottish bagpiper serenading guests during the sunset hour. Rates start at $869 per night plus tax and fees. ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/half-moon-bay

Perfect Shot: Salt Marshes

What looks to be an otherworldly landscape is actually the drying mud flats of Ravenswood Slough, sitting between Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters and the Dumbarton Bridge. Formerly Cargill Salt industrial salt ponds, this area is now part of the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. This Perfect Shot was captured by Tom Wagenbrenner from the perspective of a single-engined Cessna 172 piloted by Stein Laxo.

Image courtesy of Tom Wagenbrenner Photography/gruvimages.com

Diary of a Dog: Merlin

I’m a three-year-old Husky mix, and I’ve lived on the Peninsula for almost two and a half years. My humans adopted me from the San Francisco SPCA last spring, after the SPCA found me in the Central Valley. I was pretty skinny when I first arrived at the shelter, and I even had kennel cough. Though I didn’t look great, my new family still saw something in me. They say that when I   jumped on them and gave them a hug, that’s when they knew I was the right pup for them. Now, I live in San Carlos with them and their first pet, a kitty. She’s almost 20 years old though, so she’s not exactly interested in playing. We still get along ok; I just stay out of her space. Even though I’m a big dog, I’d rather be friends than pick a fight. I know that my size might scare people, and that’s why my humans didn’t go with their first instinct to give me a tough name, like “Blade.” Instead, they named me after Merlin the wizard, since my gold eyes are pretty magical. Also, I have big ears that stick out, just like the actor who played Merlin on the BBC show.

My favorite thing to do is hang out outside, so I love it when my humans take me to places like Poplar Beach in Half Moon Bay and Big Canyon Park near our house in San Carlos. I also like it when they go out to try new restaurants, since a lot of places around here are ok with dogs coming along. My humans like coffee and gelato, but my favorite things to eat are cheese and liver treats. I also like the taste of toothpaste, which is a good thing because I have to keep my smile bright for all my photos. My humans help me put the photos on Instagram, and sometimes I even let my other dog buddies into the picture too. It’s great because one of my other favorite activities is “borrowing” toys that might belong to another dog. My life isn’t always easy though—I never know when my humans will start up that scary vacuum cleaner, or when I’ll have to get my nails clipped. I’m always up for visiting new places on the Peninsula, especially if it’s somewhere with squirrels I can chase. You can follow along with all my adventures on Instagram: @wizarddogmerlin

Stanford Style: Getting Your Tailgate On

Under the dappled shadows of eucalyptus trees in Stanford’s Toyon Grove, Mike Yurochko is manning the barbecue. Ask him what’s on the grill at his family tailgate and the answer is a bit startling: “We eat our opponents.” On this particular day, Stanford is playing the USC Trojans. Mike admits that they draw the line at cooking humans, so sometimes a little creative interpretation is needed. Instead, he’s serving up “Trojan horse ribs,” which are big beef spare ribs that Mike has slathered with a dozen different kinds of peppers, garlic, jalapeños, onions and wild boar bacon. Other (directly consumable) mascots go straight to the chopping block—be it duck served four different ways (against Oregon) or bear chili and steaks (against UCLA and Cal.) As a former Stanford football player, Mike seems to get particular satisfaction out of his tailgate theme, but chowing down on the opposing mascot is just one example of the all-out, pre-game passion that characterizes the Stanford tailgating tradition.

Stanford has the distinction of being the only Division 1 college football team on the Peninsula, and for any given home game, up to 50,000 fans cheer on the Cardinal in Stanford Stadium. On game day in Palo Alto, El Camino Real backs up with the slow crawl of cars coming in from all parts of the Bay and beyond. Locals decked in Nerd Nation and “Fear the Tree” t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys pedal through city streets, with clear, stadium-approved bags slung over their handlebars. Even Caltrain does its part by making special pre- and post-game stops at Stanford Stadium. Like a Cardinal red wave, fans surge onto campus, game tickets tucked safely away. Upon arrival, priority number one is tailgating.

Here’s how it works. All designated football parking lots around the stadium are fair game, and they open five hours prior to kickoff or noon—whichever is earlier. Between the general parking lots, season ticket lots, reserved group areas and an overnight lot for out-of-towners, motivated tailgaters are ready to pounce (as early as 6AM for some games), staking out places to party, whether they’re popping up a tent or popping open a back hatch. In any direction, you’ll see Stanford students, parents, alumni, various organizations, opposing team fans and countless local die-hards, swapping stories, stoking up grills, tossing footballs and tapping kegs, as they load up plates with potato chips, deli meats, charcoal-grilled burgers and Tomahawk steaks.

For 15 years now, Tim Robertson has kept a close eye on the clock, driving down from Redwood City in time to snag a prime spot in the shady groves of Parking Lot 10. His tailgating group (including close friends from Castro Valley and Rancho Mirage) started with a modest set-up and just kept evolving. Now they’ve got a 34-foot RV, big-screen TV, barbecue, fully-set dining room table, well-stocked bar and fresh-cut red roses. With grilled steak and mushrooms on the menu, Tim’s buddy, Scott Newton, admits it’s hard to break away sometimes. “You come for the tailgate, and the game is extra, right?”

Heading over toward the stadium, the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band is winding its way past Fan Fest, Stanford’s free pregame tailgate. As the Stanford Tree whirls wildly in circles, Stanford’s anthem “All Right Now,” notches up the tailgate fervor even higher. A few steps away is Chuck Taylor Grove, where you’ll find alumni families with generations of tailgating history. At one end of the grove, Mark Solomon of Los Altos Hills is placing huge cuts of tri-tip steak on the barbecue, assisted by two grilling pals clad in matching custom Stanford chef’s aprons. Mark estimates that he and his tailgate partner and fellow Stanford grad, Bob Burmeister, have been doing this for 25 to 30 years. “I can remember growing up as a kid, seeing the people in here doing it, then you’re a student, then you’re the person putting the party on and then you have your own kids come and go,” he says. As many as 200 come out on any given weekend, a Stanford extended family that’s grown to include “friends of cousins, and cousins of friends.” Mark acknowledges, “They wouldn’t know what to do if we weren’t here to feed them.”

At a tailgate bookending the other side of Chuck Taylor Grove, you’ll find Mark’s brother, Jed Solomon, of Menlo Park. Jed and Mark’s father, Herbert Solomon, was a Stanford PhD and long-time faculty member, and the Solomon family now counts six Stanford degrees spanning three generations. Jed co-hosts his tailgate with two Stanford alumni and former football players, Chuck Evans and Duker Dapper. The three former national chairs of Stanford’s Buck Cardinal Club share a commitment to perpetuating the spirit of Stanford football and athletics—and enjoy catching up with friends, whether it’s at every home game or even just once over a season. Even as neighboring tailgates hang chandeliers and roast whole pigs on a spit, Jed says the Solomon brothers have forged their own Chuck Taylor Grove tradition. “Mark will usually come down to mine for a little bit, and I’ll go over to his, and the kids will go back and forth.” As for the winning formula for a successful tailgate? After 35 years of hosting, Jed breaks it down into three essential ingredients: food, booze and a television.

It’s the TV that’s created the ultimate dilemma. Inside fan or outside fan? Locking up his RV back in Parking Lot 10, Tim Robertson says they always go to the game. With a nod to some fully entrenched tailgaters, Mark Solomon admits, “We don’t close.” When it’s game day at Stanford, everyone’s got their own Cardinal style.

pro tips

Sameer Dholakia, Menlo Park

Met wife, Laura, as Stanford undergrads

on the menu: Most importantly, chips and queso and margaritas. We also have fruit and veggie trays that no one eats and cookies that get a lot more attention.

don’t forget: A tent is really helpful for hot days and keeps the sun off the food. We have these spinny “ShooAway” things to keep the flies away. And try to get as close to the walkway as possible.

Cindy Howell, Scottsdale, Arizona

Met husband, Kevin, as Stanford undergrads

on the menu: Inexpensive platters from Costco.

don’t forget: We are not local, but we still have season tickets. We have a storage unit in San Jose by the airport. We rent a car and pick everything up. We stay somewhere with a kitchenette, so we can wash everything up and then fly home after the game.

Ryan Peattie, San Francisco

Stanford undergrad and MD degrees; former football player

on the menu: Ribs. Put that down twice.

don’t forget: It’s dusty, so with little kids, laying down some astroturf works well. We got a bounce house on Amazon. We also got a trailer this year so one person can bring all the stuff, and the rest can just show up. Of course, it sucks for the one person.

Musician At Heart

Jeff Pollock inherited a lot from his dad, Jim, but his dad’s passion for music is probably what he talks about the most. Jim is known in local musical circles as the “banjo guy,” although his professional titles include President and CEO of Portola Valley-based Pollock Financial Group as well as Pollock Realty Corporation. Jeff’s instrument of choice is the piano, and his love of music is both a hobby and something he shares with others.

While Jim has performed for six presidents, Jeff shares his music through the nonprofit Hearts of Silicon Valley (HOSV), which he helped found in 2002. The group’s goal is “bringing people together through music in warm venues,” Jeff says. Heart of Silicon Valley produces concerts in small venues-—usually homes—around the Peninsula. Each concert raises money for a different charitable organization. Not being tied to a particular organization allows the group to bring attention to little-known causes through their concerts, which Jeff says was one of the Heart of Silicon Valley’s founding principles. In many cases, it also means that the host of each event and sometimes even the performers have a personal tie to the cause. Daryl Hall, for example, worked with HOSV to put on a concert benefiting Lyme disease, which Hall himself has struggled with. Heart of Silicon Valley has raised more than two million dollars to date for local charities. Jeff, along with other HOSV organizers Yvonne Wolters and Sheri Sobrato, are already in the midst of planning next year’s marquee concert. The event will  benefit the Parkinson’s Institute in Mountain View. The organization has become close to the Pollock family as Jim has sought treatment for Parkinson’s at the center in recent years.

The concert isn’t Jeff’s only recent tribute to his dad. The pair’s most recent project is the newly-opened Park James hotel in Menlo Park.  Everything from the hotel’s restaurant, named after the city tree and city flower of Menlo Park, is something of a personal reference. The hotel’s name is both a tribute to the city’s Irish history, as Dennis “James” Oliver was one of the town’s original resident, but also calls out Jim, whose full name is James Moore Pollock.

Jeff sees the Park James as a chance to give back to his hometown of Menlo Park, and his constant presence on the work site and then at the newly opened hotel testifies to his excitement about the project. It seems to have turned out even betten than he expected. During a recent tour, he pointed out the silhouette of two figures arm wrestling, painted on a wall near the check-in desk. The artwork is another reference to his dad, a champion arm wrestler, but this one was a surprise for Jeff, courtesy of the Park Jame’s design team.

In keeping with the Pollock’s musical talents, there are plans in the works to have weekend live music performances, with an emphasis on local musicians, in the hotel. The hope is that the Park James will become the epicenter of live music in Menlo Park. Both Pollocks belong to a men’s club that counts a number of prominent muscians as members, so they expect to have no problem booking local talent. Ideally, it will even play host to a Heart of Silicon Valley event.

In his spare time, Jeff works with musicians beyond the Peninsula, writing songs that are recorded by artists in places like Sweden and Australia. Although he is technically a professional songwriter, Jeff seems to see this aspect of his music as just another way to practice a lifelong hobby. Jeff isn’t ready to discuss his next project yet. We’ll just make a safe guess that somehow, he’ll find a way to make sure that music is involved.

Night Sky of My Father

It’s the anniversary of my father’s death. I acknowledge it each year by lighting a yahrzeit candle and by saying some specific prayers. Yet, I think of my father every day. I make a point of it, really. Enough time has passed so that he is not in my subconscious every day, and if I neglected to take the time, I am sure that days would pass without my recalling him. So I make a point of it, like practicing an instrument regularly so as not to lose the feel for it.

Both of my parents have died, so that makes me an orphan of sorts, and like for any orphan, especially those in movies, the loss of my parents plays heavily on my present. And though I enjoyed the lives of my parents for a good long time, there is no changing the effect of that kind of loss whenever it hits you in life.

If nature holds course, and God is good to us, we lose our parents before they lose us. I can imagine nothing more difficult, nothing sadder than when a parent loses a child. So I’m glad that my parents have left the earth and that my sister, brother, and I remain.

Every evening before I go to bed, I walk outside to search the dark skies for a heavenly body, whether a star, a planet, or the moon. Staring up into the deep night sky I feel as though I am seeing into the infinity of life, the star dust from whence we come and one day return. Focusing on one celestial object brings me a sense of permanence, so that eternity and certainty are imposed upon me. Looking skyward and seeing that object in the sky—that object that has been there before me and will be there after me—I take a moment to think of my parents. I take a moment and think of a time we have shared or a moment together. I try to dig back deep into my existence, but sometimes, honestly, I can only think of the last few times that we shared before they died. And that bothers me. Why can’t I remember all those years of being together?

I want to remember the times when I first had my children and shared that joy with them. I want to remember when I was eight years old and they were there for me. But sometimes all I can think of is when I was 11 years old and they weren’t there for me. It was a horrible time—my parents divorcing, my mother moving away, my father marrying a woman I detested. And yet, they were my parents. And in time you come to understand exactly what that means. Parents. You get one set and their imprint on you is greater than anything in life.

Contrary studies aside, I believe that no two people have a stronger, more profound, everlasting imprint on your life than your parents. It’s just the way that we are configured and nothing in changing society norms can alter that fact. Like the lottery of life, for good or for bad, we have our parents and our DNA craves acknowledgement and love from them.

And so I return to my father, the very flawed Ralph Citron. My poor father. His mother died when he was a child in Berlin and he was subjected to Nazi barbarism before escaping. He was a quiet man with a temper and it wasn’t until he was in his seventies that he told me he loved me. But he really didn’t have to utter the words. I knew it from his actions, and I knew that I was lucky to have him despite his iniquities.

As I look up into the black night sky for support on this anniversary of my father’s death, finding the planet Mars to latch onto, I stare at this twinkling body in the darkness of night and think especially long and hard of him. He was my father. We had our times together, both good and bad. But they were ours alone, and I am lucky for them. He was my father. And when I am lost in the infinity of time and space, I think of him there, a part of the universe always, and a part of my life forever, with great love and a tear in my eye.

Landmark: Hoover Tower

It’s hard to imagine Stanford University without its iconic Hoover Tower, but the stately 258-foot structure didn’t become a campus focal point until 1941, in honor of the University’s 50th anniversary. Now a Peninsula architectural landmark (and a favorite sighting from Dish hikes or local airport descents), Hoover Tower is a blend of Byzantine and Romanesque styles, inspired by the cathedral towers of Salamanca and Mexico City. Designed by architect Arthur Brown, Jr., Hoover Tower is the namesake of Herbert Hoover, the Stanford 1895 grad who went on to become the 31st president of the United States. The tower houses the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford’s famous research center and think tank, and the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, including Hoover’s personal collection of early 20th-century documents and books. For perspective on the materials stored here, consider that a 1941 TIME magazine article described the Library and Archives as “the world’s greatest collection of incendiary literature” and “a storehouse of most of the social and political dynamite of our times.”

Visitors are welcome to tour Hoover Tower. In the lobby, you’ll find the Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover exhibits, featuring memorabilia from the careers and lives of Hoover and his wife, who was also a Stanford alum. The tower’s first nine floors are library stacks followed by three floors of offices. For a small fee, catch the elevator to the observation platform on the 14th floor, and you’ll be rewarded with sweeping views of the Stanford campus, the surrounding foothills and even the San Francisco skyline on a clear day. At the top, you’ll also find Hoover Tower’s carillon—48 tower bells played using a keyboard. The original 35 bells were cast for the Belgian Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair and were given to Stanford in 1940, with the largest bell inscribed “Uno Pro Pace Sono” or “For peace alone do I ring.” With the addition of 13 bells in 2002, the carillon now has a four-octave range, creating the memorable music that marks special university events. Hoover Tower is open seven days a week from 10AM to 4PM; the tower closes during academic breaks and finals.

Feasting in the Forest with Erin Gleeson

Laura Ingalls Wilder found literary inspiration in a little house on a prairie. For Erin Gleeson, it was a little cabin in Woodside that led her down an unexpected creative path. Just seven years ago, Erin was living the life of a hustling freelance artist in New York, shooting for cookbooks, magazines, top chefs and restaurants, along with teaching photography. But then her fiance, a native New Yorker, accepted a job as a rabbi in Los Altos Hills, prompting a move to California. “I was really scared to leave New York,” Erin recalls. “I felt like I would be leaving my career behind me.”

Originally thinking they would live in downtown Palo Alto or Mountain View, instead the couple was drawn to a small house off of Skyline, right near Alice’s Restaurant. “It’s kind of perched in the trees, so it almost feels like you’re in a treehouse,” Erin says. “We spend a lot of time on our deck, and I sometimes say we have more space outdoors than inside.” With expansive windows and natural light, the cabin also delivered the perfect photographic assist: coastal fog, lots of it, especially in the mornings and evenings. “It’s just like a big softbox in the sky and makes all the shadows really soft, and it means I can shoot easily outside without any lights.”

After her husband headed out to his new job each morning, Erin found herself alone in the little cabin looking out at acres of redwood trees. Forced to take pause, she began to think about new ideas and making art. Hoping to specialize in food photography for cookbooks, she started a blog, The Forest Feast, as a vehicle for showing editors her work. With ingredients pulled from a weekly farm box delivery, she began to play with original recipes—simple, produce-based and colorful—drawing from a childhood of vegetarian family cooking and traditions. As Erin puts it, “I like to say they’re easy enough for a weeknight but festive enough to make for a dinner party or when you’re having people over.”

In an effort to display recipes visually, without just typing them out, she used Photoshop to create what she calls “photographic recipe illustrations,” a layered blend of hand lettering, photographs of recipe ingredients and watercolor doodles and artistic flairs. “I think showing both the finished dish and a very visual recipe description was something different at that time, and the blog started to get picked up,” Erin says. Just six months (and a whole lot of shares, reposts and Pinterest pins) later, a literary agent reached out to Erin about doing a cookbook. Not somebody else’s. Her own.

Published in 2014, Erin’s first cookbook, The Forest Feast, became a New York Times bestseller, followed by The Forest Feast for Kids and The Forest Feast Gatherings in 2016. She’s currently working on her fourth book, The Forest Feast Travels, with Mediterranean-inspired recipes, which will be released in fall 2019. It’s quite a whirlwind turn of events, with a career-altering outcome she’s still trying to process. “Living in New York, you feel like you’re in the center of it, and I never felt like leaving would actually be an asset,” she reflects. “Getting myself in a new environment was very inspiring. This is not what I envisioned, but I like it better than what I envisioned.”

Erin always tries to cook in season, using ingredients available at farmers markets. Looking over her collection of Forest Feast recipes, we asked her to select a few favorites appropriate for Thanksgiving or another festive gathering. Her lush recipe illustrations from The Forest Feast Gatherings fall dinner menu follow but here are some additional insights from Erin:

Kale Salad: It’s always nice to round out a hearty meal with a fresh green salad and this one has nicely balanced textures. Crisp baby kale, crunchy pears and hazelnuts and creamy cheese. The pomegranate seeds add a juicy burst of color and seasonality.

Za’atar Roasted Carrots: These roasted carrots are so simple and look so pretty when presented whole on a platter. Za’atar is a widely available spice blend that adds an unexpected flavor to the dish.

Pear-Thyme Galettes: This is an easy alternative to a pie and accompanies other desserts nicely with its savory punch of blue cheese and thyme. I buy puff pastry, which gives it a flakier crust.

You can find more inspiration for holiday main dishes, sides and beverages on Erin Gleeson’s The Forest Feast blog at theforestfeast.com

The Peninsula’s Hidden WWI History

The question “why here” comes up a lot when looking at the history of the Peninsula. Why did one of California’s richest men establish a school here, 3,000 miles away from all of the other prestigious universities of the era? How did this one tiny area become the world’s center of innovation?  A hundred years ago, this area was also chosen to be the site for something unique and impactful—an Army training camp.

Although the Second World War tends to overshadow the first in terms of American knowledge and imagination, for the Peninsula, the First World War was a remarkably influential time. When the United States became involved in the war, it was immediately clear that the American military was in no shape to ship over to Europe. That meant that the Army needed to mobilize troops as fast as it could, which required building places to train the troops before they shipped overseas. Bases began to pop up all across the country, but the biggest one west of the Mississippi was here. Camp Fremont extended from San Carlos to Los Altos, centered in what is today Menlo Park. If you’re a longtime Peninsula resident and the name “Camp Fremont” doesn’t ring a bell it’s not surprising, since the camp existed only for 18 months and once the war was over it disappeared almost as fast as it had sprung up in the countryside of Menlo Park. The short, strange life of Camp Fremont is not just an entertaining piece of local history, but also one of the many small pieces that begins to explain why so many fascinating things happened here.

Another reason Americans might pay less attention to the history of World War I is that the conflict was largely absent from many Americans’ lives. For three years after the war broke out in Europe, the country was conflicted about the idea of entering a global conflict that seemed so far away. But after the sinking of the submarine Lusitania in 1915, and the death of American civilians who were on board, America gradually drew closer to involvement, officially entering the war on April 6, 1917. War made it to Menlo Park a few months later, as ground was broken for Camp Fremont on July 12 of that same year. Menlo Park had all of the qualities the Army was looking for in a training camp: warm mild, weather (they hoped to save money by quartering most troops in tents rather than permanent buildings), easy access to the railways and countryside that was similar to the French hills where the troops expected to be fighting.

At its peak nearly 27,000 personnel occupied the base, and 43,000 soldiers passed through Camp Fremont before the war was over. For context, Menlo Park was home to only 2,300 people the year before. Besides both ground and mounted troops,  Camp Fremont was home to more 10,000 horses and mules. Before the hills rang out with sounds of artillery practice, there was a symphony of hammers. Anyone with carpentry skills on Peninsula was drafted into the effort, and by the end of the project it took 700 men to break 100 railroad cars into lumber for temporary buildings.

Barracks consisted of wooden floors and side walls, topped with tent-like canvas. In order to facilitate movement between the camp and other Army bases like San Francisco’s Presidio, Southern Pacific workers laid additional track from the main rail line to the middle of camp. El Camino Real was paved to accommodate the increased traffic, and Menlo Park gained a reputation as one of the worst traffic bottlenecks on the Peninsula.

Suddenly every available storefront in Menlo Park was occupied by merchants from throughout the Bay Area. A movie theater, post office, church and library all sprung up around the camp. Beltramo’s Winery and every tavern within five miles of the base were declared dry by order of the army and the county. Sequoia High School opened a branch on the base offering classes in English, arithmetic, shorthand, typing and accounting.

Shortly after the building started, the war department halted the effort for three months, largely due to disagreements with landowners about infrastructure the Army had planned to include as part of the camp. The original troops who had expected to live at Camp Fremont were moved east at one point, but then the 8th Division, Regular Army was transferred in and remained until the dismantling. The troops that had trained in Menlo Park to join the war efforts in France never did reach Europe. Some 5,000, however, did serve time in Siberia. Yes, Siberia. Although it’s mostly forgotten, one of the last elements of World War I was the launching of the American Expeditionary Force to Russia at the end of the Russian civil war. President Woodrow Wilson sent the troops there in a failed attempt to protect supply routes and keep an eye on the new Bolshevik regime, and a number of Camp Fremont men were caught up in the ill-fated mission.

Before it was ordered closed in December 1918, just one month after the armistice was signed, 43,000 men had been trained. So, just 18 months after it was erected, Camp Fremont was abandoned and the land reverted to its previous owners. Since so many of Camp Fremont’s buildings were designed to be temporary, very few of them are left. The building that used to house the Oasis Beer Garden on El Camino is one example. MacArthur Park in Palo Alto is located in a former Camp Fremont building, the YMCA Hostess House. The building was designed by Julia Morgan, who would go on to be the architect for Hearst Castle. The Hostess House was moved the year after the camp closed from its original location in Menlo Park to its current home near the Palo Alto train station. Before becoming a restaurant in 1981, the building was also one of the first municipally-owned community centers in the country.

The rest of Camp Fremont’s legacy is harder to see. Due to the efforts of the 8th Army Corp of Engineers, the once rustic town of Menlo Park had paved roads, water and gas services by the time the camp closed. The engineers also left a legacy of tunnels in the Stanford foothills, used for artillery practice and to prepare men for the trenches they planned to fight from on the Western Front. Some longtime Peninsula residents recall playing in the tunnels before Stanford sealed them in the 1940s, and they’ve also occasionally made a sudden appearance during rainstorms when they become sinkholes.

Local construction workers certainly can’t forget that the area once was home to an army camp, since they keep finding artillery shells buried underground. Combing through local newspapers, it’s clear that this is a story that repeats itself every few years: a strange metal object turns up in the foundation of a new home or in a park, and then someone does a bit of historical research. Residents seem to be continually surprised that an unexploded bomb could have survived for over a hundred years, but the experts who are called out to deal with the explosives (usually the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office bomb-disposal team, sometimes with the help of military experts from Travis Air Force Base) must be used to it by now.

There are also some intriguing ways in which Camp Fremont echoes the Peninsula of today. Many of the American troops quartered in Menlo Park had in fact been born in another country. Just as talented people from all over the world move here to work in high tech or venture capital, thousands of recent emigres ended up at Camp Fremont in the service of their new home. After the war, many of those soldiers took advantage of the fact that Congress passed legislation allowing for the expedited naturalization of foreign-born members of the military. In all, nearly 3,200 men became United States citizens before the base closed.

Though Menlo Park will probably never become a tourist destination for military history buffs, there’s a small but strong group of Peninsula residents who are determined to tell the story of Camp Fremont. Chief among them is Menlo Park local historian Barbara Wilcox. She’s the author of the authoritative book on Camp Fremont, World War I Army Training by the San Francisco Bay. The book was awarded the Stanford Historical Society Prize for Excellence in Historical Writing and is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about Camp Fremont. Local historical societies, particularly the Menlo Park Historical Society, are using the centennial of the war’s end as a way to drum up interest among local residents. This month, the society will be holding a ceremony in Fremont Park on the corner of Santa Cruz Avenue and University. The event will hopefully feature some of the society’s original World War I artifacts, including a full-dress uniform. At the very least, this November 11 is a good time to look back and try to imagine the Peninsula of 1918. The area would be bustling, with people from all walks of life trying to work amongst each other without stepping on too many toes. The landscape would be dotted with tents and lean-tos rather than VC firms and tech offices, but the hills and coastline would still look breathtaking. Chiefly, there would be the same feeling in the air that exists in today’s Peninsula—the knowledge that something special is happening here.

Award-winning Documentary Duo

It seems appropriate that documentary filmmakers Michael Schwarz and Kiki Kapany had the equivalent of a Hollywood “cute meet” beginning. The date was May 7, 1989. Kiki was a partner in a Marin County law firm, and Michael was director of productions at KQED-TV. While at a club listening to African musician Kanda Bongo Man, Kiki noticed a guy looking at her from across the bar. She says an instant sense of recognition washed over her: “That’s the guy I’m going to be with for the rest of my life.” The two talked briefly that night but came away from the evening realizing they didn’t know how to contact each other. In a romcom-worthy plot development, the universe didn’t wait long to bring them together again. Just three days later, Kiki walked into Julie’s Supper Club in San Francisco. “The place was packed,” she recalls. “And there was Michael.” This time, Michael got Kiki’s number, and as the saying goes, “That was it.”

Marriage soon followed, along with two daughters, and in June 1996, Michael exited KQED to develop In Search of Law and Order, a three-part project exploring the juvenile justice system. With that production, Kikim (a blend of Kiki and Michael) Media was born, along with an enduring husband and wife professional partnership. Coming from a legal background, Kiki says that documentary filmmaking felt like an easy transition to make: “With litigation, you’re collecting your evidence and creating a story to present to a jury or a judge. And with documentary, it’s a similar thing. You’re collecting your evidence and you’re creating a story to present to the broadcast audience.” To further seal the deal, “I was affecting more lives with broadcast,” she says. “And I really loved that.”

Job responsibilities fell into natural roles—Michael as filmmaker and Kiki running the business side of things as CEO and producer. Since Kikim’s founding, they’ve produced dozens of award-winning programs for broadcast television and web distribution spanning a wide and eclectic range of topics. And while many of the Bay Area’s nonfiction filmmakers tend to congregate in creative hubs like San Francisco and Berkeley, Michael and Kiki put their stakes down on the Peninsula, to better balance work and family life. After starting their business in San Carlos, in 2003, they moved Kikim Media to a second-floor office space on Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park, minutes from their home and their daughters’ schools. Through some very hectic years, that proximity is what made the balancing act of parenting possible—whether it was Michael stepping away to coach a soccer game or Kiki jumping out to drive a carpool. In the meantime, they built up their full-time staff and found top freelance talent willing to make the commute for the chance to work with them.

The mission statement they wrote 22 years ago still guides their production values: “A true story, honestly told, can change lives.” If anything, they say that mission resonates even more strongly today. “It’s really about facts and truth,” Kiki says. “We think the most powerful stories really can have a big impact,” Michael adds. Their most recent project to air, Silicon Valley: The Untold Story, examines the evolution of Silicon Valley into the dynamo of innovation that has altered nearly every aspect of human life. The three-part series hit especially close to home for Kiki, given that it featured her father, Narinder Singh Kapany, also the father of fiber optics. Their 2015 PBS documentary, In Defense of Food, based on the best-selling book by Michael Pollan, cut through dietary myths and misconceptions to answer the question: What should I eat to be healthy? In Defense of Food is also a good example of the outreach component Kikim creates with every production—providing free curriculum and modules, which facilitate viewing and discussions at middle schools, high schools, adult continuing education programs and in local communities. “It’s a great source of satisfaction to us to see the depth of reach,” Kiki says.

Most recently, Kikim completed Ornament of the World, a project that speaks to the long-term game and precarious funding conditions of documentary film production. Kikim first optioned the book on which the film is based back in 2003, drawn to the relevance of the 800-year period in medieval Spain during which Muslims, Jews and Christians forged a shared culture of tolerance. Backed by four different National Endowment for the Humanities grants and individual philanthropists, the two-hour film is scheduled to air on PBS in 2019, marking the culmination of an exhaustive but ultimately satisfying journey from the project’s genesis. While the timing of concept to completion ranges project to project, for nonfiction filmmakers, fundraising is the constant challenge. With once dependable national funding agencies under threat, Kiki and Michael say private money needs to play a bigger role. “It’s a bit of a paradox being here in Silicon Valley where there’s enormous wealth everywhere, but a lot of the money is looking for return on investment,” Michael acknowledges. “The return on investment we can promise is a social return. It’s educating people and doing something that makes a difference. It’s trying to make the world a better place.”

Next on the Kikim agenda, a NOVA project on self-driving cars and trying to secure funding for Science Bytes, an education initiative with the National Science Teachers Association to provide vital tools for teaching science. “Science drives the economy,” Michael says. “If we want to be competitive, we need to educate our children better.”

With both daughters now out of college and living on their own, the documentary team is running at full Kikim rhythm. “A lot of couples will say to us, ‘I don’t know how you guys can work together’ and I think, ‘I don’t know how you couldn’t?’” Kiki reflects. “We love what we do, and whenever a production comes out, it’s like, ‘We did this!’”

And the Award Goes to…Kikim Media

+ Three national News & Documentary Emmy Awards

+ Two George Foster Peabody Awards

+ The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award for Investigative Journalism

+ The Investigative Reporters and Editors Award

+ Red and Blue Ribbons from the American Film Festival

+ The Grand Prize in the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards for Coverage of the Disadvantaged

+ Numerous Ciné Golden Eagles and local Emmys

See You Next Bloom!

It’s Tuesday morning, and Sara Jorgensen is full of anticipation. After pulling into the Webb Ranch lot in Menlo Park and continuing up a steep driveway, she parks outside the greenhouses of Brookside Orchids. She steps inside and minutes later   she’s walking back out again, holding a brilliant magenta and burnt-orange flowering potted orchid plant in her arms. “This one is from the Raymond Burr collection, so we call him Raymond,” she says. “When I pick him up, it’s like seeing an old friend.”

Being introduced to a plant is a little unexpected, but it’s understandable when you consider it’s a reunion that’s happening. A few times a month, Sara makes the short trip over from Woodside to drop off orchids from her collection that have gone out of bloom and pick up orchids coming back into flower. “I always have an orchid or two in the house because I love the color and fragrance,” she says, estimating that she has maybe 30 orchids in all. “They’re just very tasteful and really beautiful to have on hand.”

Sara discovered orchid boarding 25 years ago, starting with a regular drive up to the Rod McLellan nursery in South San Francisco. In fact, she originally purchased “Raymond” back in 1993, as part of a special sale following Raymond Burr’s death. (Burr, of Perry Mason and Ironside fame, was also a skilled orchid grower.) When McLellan shuttered its doors in 2000, Brookside Orchids jumped into the boarding business to fill the void, offering complete care including watering, fertilizing, repotting and dividing as needed. Brookside now has seven greenhouses in Menlo Park, home to retail, wholesale, boarding and production, and another three greenhouses dedicated just to boarding in Pacifica.

Today, Brookside has about 400 boarding customers. The cost is $5.50 per square foot with a minimum of 10 square feet—so about as many plants as can fit on a standard card table for $55 per month. Brookside Orchids manager, Mark Pendleton, says there are two kinds of orchid boarders: avid collectors (no room for a greenhouse, some using up to 300 square feet) and, taking a page from Harry Potter, “orchid muggles,” enthusiasts who appreciate the beauty but don’t have the magic touch or interest to care for them. Looking beyond Brookside’s spectacular wholesale and retail displays with every splash of color imaginable, it’s easy to delineate where the boarding happens. Pots of every size, with owner name tags attached, sit on tables, arranged in row after row of green. Lots of plain, kind of monotonous, green. When it’s out of bloom, the glorious orchid is essentially reduced to some leaves, strange-looking roots and a pot of bark or Sphagnum moss.

And that’s exactly why boarding happens. Most orchids typically stay in bloom six to eight weeks a year, with only a few varieties flowering twice a year. The rest of the time they look, well, a bit naked and awkward. “The biggest problem is that people lose interest because they become a sort of ‘ehh’ kind of thing,” Mark says. It takes considerable patience and commitment to bring orchids back into flower—a six-ingredient formula you have to get just right: air, light, water, growing medium (like bark or moss), fertilizer and temperature. And the conditions vary for any particular orchid. As Mark puts it, “The only rule of thumb is that there is no rule of thumb.” Do the math on all of that, and it’s no wonder an estimated 80% of orchids that get bought end up in the trash.

This next part may shock you. According to Mark, that’s actually okay. Once reserved for kings and the nobility, orchids have gone mainstream. Thanks to advancements in cloning, orchids are now the number-one potted plant in the U.S., and they’re being sold everywhere—from Costco and Trader Joe’s to Amazon and eBay. So if that white Phalaenopsis you received as a hostess gift has outlasted its welcome, go ahead and toss it. “Don’t go on a guilt trip,” Mark says. “Orchids are now consumables.”

If you do have a sincere passion for orchids or even one particular hybrid, it’s worth considering buying from an orchid specialist. Not only will you find a wider selection—be it Vanda, Oncidium, Dendrobium or Cymbidium—you’ll also get personalized help selecting a healthy plant, along with specific tips for orchid care in your home. With 100 different varieties of flowering orchids, Brookside sells from Menlo Park, its website and five Bay Area farmers markets, along with supplying orchids to local nurseries like Sloat Garden Center and SummerWinds. Prices for blooming plants range from $10 to about $75, with the median around $25-$30. How much you spend (or how much you love a particular flower) may influence the post-bloom orchid dilemma. Mark says they’re happy to guide customers on proper care, but even then, “I tell people to consign themselves to killing a few to learn how to grow the rest.”

Now back out at her car, Sara Jorgenson is making sure Raymond is secure for the ride home. She loves the simplicity of boarding and is happy to have found a solution that works for her: “I love having orchids in the house because they’re so beautiful and last so much longer than cut flowers. You do almost nothing for them and bring them back here and they do everything for them.”

orchid buying tips

+ Beyond the flowers, look for healthy foliage and root system (roots should feel like al dente pasta)

+ Avoid droopy leaves; foliage should be shiny with a natural luster

+ Buy with half to three-quarters of the flowers open

+ Avoid too many small buds, which are frail and more sensitive

+ Inquire about suitability in specific home or office conditions

Restoring Peninsula Eichlers

You’d expect an interior designer to have a beautiful home, but it would be hard to find someone with a deeper connection between where she lives and what she does than Lucile Glessner. When the French-born designer moved to the Peninsula in 1988, she fell in love with one of the Bay Area’s unique architectural features—Eichler homes. Though you’ve likely driven past dozens of them, many people don’t know the whole story behind these striking, Modernist buildings.

Joseph Eichler built over 11,000 homes around California in the 1950s and ‘60s, and while Eichler himself was a developer rather than an architect or a designer, he had a specific vision for the neighborhoods he was creating. Working with forward-thinking architecture firms like Anshen & Allen and Jones & Emmons, both based in San Francisco, Eichler brought Modernist design concepts embraced by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright to affordable, single-family tract homes.

As soon as Lucile saw the Sunnyvale Eichler where she still lives, she knew it was the house for her. “I thought it was perfect,” she says, and with two children, her family was exactly the type that Eichler had in mind when building these homes. Although Lucile had no formal arts training at the time, she eventually left her tech job and earned an A.S. in Interior Design from West Valley College. Though her first design clients were friends of friends, now her company has developed a specialty—decorating Eichler-designed homes.

Lucile speaks about Eichler as if he were a colleague, and in some ways her work is a continuation of his vision. Eichler homes were built to blend with the environment and blur the line between indoors and outdoors, and Lucile uses as many natural design elements as possible to emphasize those traits. Mid-century furniture, or at least pieces that aren’t too heavy, keeps the relatively small homes from feeling cluttered. “You want to look for things that are simple, organic, light,” Lucile says. “And then you mix things.”

Recently, Lucile was part of a team that brought a unique Eichler back to life. The X-100 was an experimental home built in 1956 in San Mateo, and it’s remarkable for being constructed out of steel rather than wood. Lucile went back and found the original paint shades to add splashes of color, but she also chose new pieces like an updated fireplace during the restoration. With planters sunk into the concrete floors and huge windows looking out over the Santa Cruz Mountains, the X-100 truly achieves Eichler’s dream of breaking down the barriers between a home and its environment.

Luckily for those of us who don’t live in an Eichler or even have a particular affinity for mid-century Modernism, many of Lucile’s design concepts can transfer over to any space. She’s a proponent of biophilic design, which means that she tries to bring as many organic elements indoors as possible. Some of the best examples of this are her use of plants, like the artwork made of moss on Lucile’s kitchen walls. These plants act as artwork, along with improving the air inside a space and brightening the mood of the people who live and work there. And as a final bonus, the piece is made of moss that doesn’t even need to be watered! How’s that for accessible design?

more?

LUCILE GLESSNER

lucileglessnerdesign.com

Carmel for the Holidays

Even on the greyest day, Carmel-by-the-Sea has a storybook charm. That feeling intensifies during the holidays, and while the coastal village won’t be awash in snow or ice in the next few months, it’s a surprisingly perfect place for a yuletide getaway. We know this time of year can be busy, so we’re hoping we can give PUNCH readers enough notice to plan ahead for a fun escape. Few places in our area have retained their timeless quality like Carmel, so to capture the essence of holiday traditions, we’ve rounded up the best things to do, places to go and events to attend through the New Year.

The season officially kicks off with the 48th Annual Homecrafters Marketplace, always held the week before Thanksgiving. Perfect for people who don’t want to wait until Black Friday to start their holiday shopping, the marketplace features nearly 100 vendors from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties selling their own handmade crafts and artwork. Each has been subjected to a jury panel for selection, ensuring high-quality goods and a wide range of unique offerings. Last year’s vendors sold everything from fine jewelry to homemade candy, so you should be able to find a gift for at least a few people on your list. The marketplace will be held on November 17 from 9AM to 3PM in the north lot of the Sunset Center located on 8th Avenue between San Carlos and Mission Streets. Find more information at ci.carmel.ca.us

Next on the calendar is the Carmel Heritage Society’s 20th Annual Inns of Distinction Tour, which highlights some of the village’s most beautiful inns and hotels, all decked out in their holiday finery. As you walk through town and learn about each site’s history, you can enjoy light bites and wine tastings provided by local restaurants and wineries. If you’ve only ever spent the day in Carmel, this tour is the perfect way to experience all of the historic hotels downtown, without having to book a room yourself. The event takes place on December 8 this year; to get tickets, call the Heritage Society at 831.624.4447 or email info@carmelheritage.org

Carmel’s history stretches back to the late 19th century, when artists followed the lead of Jules Tavernier, the San Francisco Art Association and Bohemian Club member who had established a studio and home on the Monterey Peninsula. Eventually, Frank Devendorf and Frank Powers formed the art colony that became Carmel-by-the-Sea, and by 1910, census records indicate that over half the homes in Carmel were owned by someone pursuing a career in the arts. Three years ago, a group of local artists spearheaded by Joaquin Turner decided to highlight this bit of history with an event that showcases artists still living and working in Carmel. The Carmel Art Walk, which will be held on November 17 and again on December 8, includes over 15 artist-owned galleries. Starting at 4PM, visitors and locals alike gather on Dolores Street between 5th and 6th Avenues to start the walk, but since each gallery has brochures that feature a map, you can feel free to split off and explore on your own. You can learn more about the walk and each of the participating galleries at carmelartwalk.com

Perfect Shot: Andreotti Family Farms

These sunflowers were grown at Andreotti Family Farms, which has been located in Half Moon Bay for more than 90 years. The organic pick-your-own sunflowers will be transitioning into pumpkins and a corn maze this month, so stop by on your next drive to the coast at 800 Cabrillo Highway North. This Perfect Shot was captured by PUNCH’s Photography Director Paulette Phlipot, but we want to see what snapshots our readers can take. Send your Perfect Shot to hello@punchmonthly.com, and your photo could be featured in our next issue!

Relaxing at Reposado

When the term “reposado” appears on a bottle of tequila, it refers to the time that the spirit has spent “resting” in oak barrels to develop flavor. But the word can also mean “relaxed,” which is why restauranteur Rob Fischer, chef Arnulfo Hernandez and manager Eric Beamesderfer chose it when they opened a Mexican restaurant in 2009. Originally, the plan was to open a small place, but when a building came up for rent directly across from the group’s other restaurant, the Peninsula Creamery, ideas shifted. Today, Reposado’s expansive dining room is graced with high ceilings, vibrant Mexican art and garage-style windows that bring in downtown Palo Alto’s vibrant atmosphere.

The menu hews as closely as possible to the home cooking that Hernandez grew up with in the costal Mexican state of Nayarit. He travels south of the border a few times a year to gain inspiration and keep up with the ever-changing restaurant scene. Hernandez also uses these trips to source the few ingredients he has trouble finding locally, including Tepin chilies, which are barely the size of a marble and pack a smoky, fiery punch. Luckily, most of the other items in Hernandez’s kitchen are available at the Peninsula’s many Mexican grocery stores. Although the team at Reposado is always ready to welcome guests to the restaurant, whether for a quick drink or a celebratory meal at the chef’s table, they were also willing to share some recipes with PUNCH. Below, you can learn how to make Yucatán-style salmon, which is served at the restaurant over a farro salad with fresh tomatoes. The fish and its dipping sauce are so delicious, we’re betting that your guests won’t even remember what you serve alongside it.

make it

Salmon Yucatán & Sikil Pák Sauce

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless salmon filet,
    cut into 6 portions
  • Kosher salt to taste

Achiote Marinade

  • 5 oz Achiote paste (Available in
    Latin grocery stores)
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • ½ cup yellow onion, small diced
  • ½ cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • ½ cup grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 Tbl lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp cumin, whole
  • 1 tsp black pepper, whole
  • ⅛ tsp cloves

Sikil Pák Sauce

This sauce is an adaptation on a Yucatán dipping sauce, which is usually thicker than what they prepare at Reposado.

  • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into ½- inch slices
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 habanero chile
  • 5 large ripe tomatoes, washed with the stem core removed
  • 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
  • canola or other neutral cooking oil
  • 1 Tbl kosher salt

Pickled Onions

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 3 cloves
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf

Prepare the Achiote Marinade

• Place the aromatics, the bay leaf, cumin, black pepper and cloves in a spice grinder and pulse to a fine to medium grind.

• Combine the ground spices along with the achiote paste, minced garlic, onion and citrus juices and mix well to a thick, saucy consistency. (Any unused marinade can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days, or frozen for future use.  If freezing, place 1½ cups in a quart-size freezer bag and freeze flat.  The marinade will thaw overnight in the refrigerator and be ready to use.)

Marinate the Salmon

• Sprinkle the salmon with kosher salt and take 4 Tbl of the marinade and rub over the salmon to evenly coat.

• Place in a non-reactive pan, cover and refrigerate ideally overnight, at least 4 hours. (The marinade can be prepared a day in advance.)

Prepare the Sikil Pák Sauce

• Preheat the oven to 425F.

• Lightly oil the sliced onion, garlic, chili and tomatoes.

• Place two slices of onion, chili and garlic on a baking sheet and the tomatoes on a separate sheet. The tomatoes will take longer to roast than the onions.

• Place in the preheated oven and roast, stirring once or twice until caramelized brown.

• Place roasted vegetables and all the remaining sauce ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the onions and tomatoes are coarsely chopped, about the consistency of a tomato purèe.

• Heat a large sauce pan enough to hold the pureed tomato mixture and add 1 tbl of oil.

• Add the tomato mixture and “fry” over high heat for 2 minutes to bloom the flavors, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.

• Reduce the heat and continue stirring until the sauce comes to a boil in the center.

• Season with salt to taste. (The sauce can be made up to 24 hours ahead and reheated before serving.)

Prepare the pickled onions

• Combine the cider vinegar, water, brown sugar and spices in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.

• Remove pot from the stove, add the sliced red onion and rest at least one hour before using. (These can be prepared ahead and will keep refrigerated for up to two weeks.)

Preparing the salmon

• Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.

• Place the salmon on an oiled grill grate over moderate heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

• Turn the fish over using a metal spatula and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 2 to 6 minutes more.

• While the salmon is cooking, prepare your serving platter by spreading it with a layer of Sikil Pák sauce.

• Place the cooked salmon on the platter on top of the sauce and sprinkle with pickled onions.

 

Diary of a Dog: Maui Jay

I don’t remember much of my life before I was seven months old, when I was found by a police officer in Brisbane. Since I was hurt, the police officer brought me to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA shelter in San Mateo. The humans there saw that there was a problem with my back left leg, something about “multiple fractures.” The PHS/SPCA sets aside money for hurt pets like me with their Hope Program, so they were able to do surgery and remove the broken leg. It took me a little while to get used to jumping and chasing balls with just three legs, but now I’ve got it all figured it out. Once I was better, I moved to the Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion in Burlingame to get ready to be adopted. The people at the PHS/SPCA had started calling me “Jay,” and when they wrote on their website telling people to come adopt me, they also called me the “tripod puppy.” On the same day that they put my picture online, my new dad Joe was taking a break from work (He takes care of robots!) and saw the post. He called my new mom, Amanda, and they agreed that I was the right dog for them. Joe came and got me right away, and now I live with him, Amanda, their kids Colby and Ryan and their Chiweenie Buster. The boys think I look like a character in their favorite movie, Moana, so they call me Maui Jay. If you want to see other pets who were rescued by the PHS/SPCA, you can find them at peninsulahumanesociety.org/adopt

If you’d like to receive invitations and announcements from PUNCH, please add your email: