John Arnold’s fingerprints are all across the San Gabriel Valley, most notably on the blueprints of the more than 1,000 housing units that his architecture/landscape firm, KFA, has designed.
KFA’s greater-Pasadena projects include Mayfield Senior School and the redesign of the Historic Register-listed Evanston Inn into 10 residential units. Arnold is currently leading the residential expansion of the Downtown Women’s Center, adding 97 units of supportive housing to Skid Row.
Arnold liked the Evanston Inn project so much that he recently moved into the court’s penthouse. . . .
Nina Rancel did not think she would ever step into the shoes of theatrical producer. A professional actor, she arrived to Los Angeles from Venezuela in 2019, having experienced a measure of success — “a fruitful enough career” — in Latin America.
She moved to the U.S. with the sole intent of making it in the film industry. After five months, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“The career I’ve dreamed of my whole life is currently on hold because of the current state of our industry,” Rancel said. “So, I devoted myself to doing theater. I’m on a path to build my own opportunities.” . . .
There is lots to do in Marina del Rey, but as of April 2, a new kind of entertainment has opened its doors at the Villa Marina Marketplace: Escapology, the world’s largest live escape game franchise.
Photo by: Chris Mortenson
Escapology has 115 locations around the world, and according to CEO Burton Heiss, “That makes it really special that we’re finally in Marina Del Rey.”
“It is such a vibrant community that, in some ways, maybe because of the big marina and ocean, it is lacking for entertainment options,” he explained. “Everyone wants to stay close to home, so we’re excited to bring our brand of entertainment here.” . . .
Sichuan cuisine is misunderstood, explained Zhi Min Zhu, Mountain House’s culinary director. According to Zhu, people hear “Sichuan” and think only of heat, but the cuisine is about balance and complexity.
Online sources claim the defining taste of Sichuan food is known as málà, or numbing and spicy, which is created by combining red chilies with Sichuan peppercorns. The result is a citrusy, buzzing numbing effect.
“The peppercorn creates a numbing sensation that isn’t just spice — it opens the palate,” said Zhu. “The layering of fermented, fresh and dried ingredients creates depth that takes years to learn how to execute properly.” . . .
A coastal city near San Diego, Carlsbad has become synonymous with LEGOLAND California Resort. The family theme park has been entertaining families since 1999 across 128 acres. Over the years, the park has expanded, adding new attractions—its newest is the just-launched, as of this March, LEGO Galaxy, which joins the Water Park and SEA LIFE Aquarium San Diego.
What to Do
The opening of LEGO Galaxy is a milestone that marks one of the most ambitious expansions in the park’s history. The immersive new land features the indoor family rollercoaster Galacticoaster. Visitors can design their own spacecraft at Customization Bays by digitally selecting the nose, tail, wings and a special feature—such as a disco ball or balloons—resulting in more than 625 unique spacecraft combinations. Space Cadets can see themselves “riding” in the vehicle that they designed. The experience begins with interactive pre-shows and a briefing from Biff Dipper, the Park’s first robotic minifigure, before launching into twists and turns up to 40 mph, with LEGO Space sets, cinematic storytelling, and onboard sound and lighting. . . .
Chef Chris Yang opened Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra in 2019. In 2024, he was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California. Yang knows a thing or two about a chef’s life.
“As a cook, you’re always on the fire,” he explained. “It’s always so hot, and the work is physically demanding and tiring. A lot of cooks drink coffee, energy drinks or sodas throughout the day. I just wanted a healthier alternative, and kombucha was that. It was bubbly, refreshing, tangy and it supposedly has health benefits, like probiotics. For me, that was my drink of choice for the kitchen.”
After returning from a trip to Taiwan, one of Yang’s business partners gifted him Oolong tea leaves from a region called Alishan. . . .
At any moment, architect and designer Gregg Fleishman is probably thinking about how geometry influences collectible design and inhabitable structures. One look at his work, which is on display at Sky Portal X in DTLA as part of Los Angeles Climate Week, and visitors can view his answers.
“Return of the Caterpillar” by Gregg Fleishman
ANTIDOTE, his solo exhibition, presents large-scale geometric installations and sculptural furniture. Since 1975, Fleishman has been crafting chairs. Works such as “New Wave” and “Skyrocker” demonstrate his signature interlocking “panel puzzle” system, in which precision-cut plywood components assemble without nails, screws, or glue. The furniture is lightweight and structurally resilient, crafted from Baltic and European birch plywood.
“When I started at my first studio, I was working on structures,” said Fleishman. “I added furniture in 1975 and after four years, I had 11 chair designs. After another five years or so, I had three more chair designs. European birch plywood is very strong, which allows flexibility, and the chairs can be assembled in different ways to reduce the number of different parts. The chairs were the bulk of what I showed publicly in my early efforts. I showed at functional art galleries.” . . .
On Saturday, April 11, Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles (PAC LA), based in Downtown Los Angeles, invited the LA arts community to hear about its latest initiative, PAC LA Partners, and its inaugural project with the photo department at Pasadena City College (PCC): Second Sight photography festival.
Emi Ramos’s “Penitence l”
One of speakers at the launch event was a student winner from the first contest in 2023. They told the crowd gathered on the ocean-view terrace of Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica that the prize money they had won changed their life.
They did not have health insurance, and the money they received enabled them to complete their hormone replacement therapy as a transgender person. In addition, after submitting their winning portfolio to UCLA, they were accepted into the photography program. . . .
Some entrepreneurs struggle for years and never make it. Others get it right on the first try.
Samohi sophomores and close friends Bo Okin and Davio Sokolow have hit paydirt with Mercury Denim. Okin, who designs the jeans, and Sokolow, who oversees the legal and financial side of the business, have only dropped two designs of 100 jeans each, one in September 2025 and the other in February 2026; the first sold out in under 5 minutes and the second in 7 seconds. The jeans are available exclusively through their website with no advertising and no outside backing. The third drop is scheduled for August.
“Most of the buyers, we have no idea who they are,” said Okin. “There’s been sales out of the country, a few in Japan, a few in Italy, some in Paris. Mostly how the word gets out is that I manage the social media and the promotion of our jeans. I mostly promote on TikTok and Instagram. I post every single day, and that definitely gets the word out.” . . .
Lazy Dog is not lethargic when it comes to rolling out its quarterly menus. Like clockwork, when the flowers bloom and the days grow longer, the nationwide eatery debuts its spring menu.
Branden Roelofson, general manager of the L.A. LIVE location, knows his guests are ready for some lighter bites and vibrant flavors.
“We always want to stay fresh and relevant with our menu choices,” he explained, “which go great with some of the warmer weather, like the Yuzu Skinny Margarita. We’ve been really thoughtful with our menu and making sure that it goes really well with the season.” . . .
Jessica Koslow 