Check out who Chandler Arizonan readers voted Best of Chandler 2024. I wrote short bits for 39 of the winners.
Read the entire issue.
Best of Chandler 2024
Jessica Koslow
A Running Commentary About the Arts
Author Archives: jessicakoslow
Take Me Higher: Pasadena Chorale’s middle school choir seeks singers for 2nd season
The High Notes, Pasadena Chorale’s middle school choir, is holding auditions for soprano and alto voices for its second season. Last year’s inaugural choir consisted of 30 singers from eight different middle schools in the Pasadena area.
According to choir director Jeffrey Bernstein, The High Notes offers a unique and special opportunity for students. First, the kids get to know other kids from other schools, broadening their exposure to students across town who they do not see every day but with whom they may have a lot in common. Second, this coming year, the students will range from sixth to 10th grade because they allowed the eighth graders to remain in the program (and some of those eighth graders are now 10th graders).
“The way our choir bridges the ages is unusual and fruitful,” Bernstein said, who founded Pasadena Chorale, a 90-voice community chorus in Pasadena, in 2009. . . .
Read the full article at Pasadena Weekly.
Bound by History: Pasadena Public Library celebrates 140 years with Story Collection Project
In celebration of its 140 years of serving the Pasadena public, the Pasadena Public Library (PPL) is collecting library stories from the community.
The online prompts read, “Tell us why you love the Pasadena Public Library,” and “What is your favorite memory at Pasadena Public Library?” People are asked to submit a photo with their story. It can be of the person, a drawing, a letter, or anything that relates to the story.
“We have received several outstanding stories already and are eager to receive as many as the community would like to supply us with,” Tim McDonald, library director, said. “It would be a full-circle accomplishment if we were to receive 140 stories to celebrate 140 years.” . . .
Read the full article at Pasadena Weekly.
Best of Downtown Los Angeles 2024
Check out who the DTLA News readers voted Best of DTLA 2024. I wrote short bits about each of the 106 winners.
Read the entire issue at DTLA News.
Ready Made: ‘Danny Boy’ dishes pizza history
Chef Daniel Holzman is a walking encyclopedia of pizza. On July 17, the opening day of his Westwood location (his second but first standalone), the New York native is greeting customers and slipping back into the kitchen to make sure everything is coming out just right.
A little after noon, he takes a minute to sit, relax and dish pizza history.
First, he spins the tale of how Italian immigrants supported each other in setting up pizza shops when they arrived in America at the turn of the 20th century. Because they faced xenophobia, they stuck together and taught each other how to make dough and do business. It is the reason why New York pizza is so uniform. . . .
Read the full article at The Argonaut.
Best of Glendale 2024
Check out who the Star readers voted Best of Glendale 2024. I wrote short bits about each of the 95 winners.
Read the entire issue at Glendale Star.
Delicious To-Go: Ready-made meals for Runway’s outdoor events
Playa Vista is fun for families all year round. With its outdoor play structures and parks, the summer season ushers in more activities that pair perfectly with a picnic from one of the Runway’s restaurants.
In July and August, catch a flick on the big screen at Movies Under the Stars at Runway on select Thursdays at 8 p.m., or live music every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Runway Summer Concert Series. Each week features a different genre — country, jazz, reggae and rock.
For both series, families can bring blankets and chairs. Although buttery popcorn will, of course, be available at concession stands during the films, below are a selection of to-go meals that will delight taste buds and bellies while the eyes and ears are being entertained. . . .
Read the full article at Playa Vista Magazine.
Staying Dry: Nonalcoholic beverages are having a moment
In 2022, Elizabeth Levitt was in an unusual predicament. She was a graphic designer in the alcohol industry and her husband decided to stop drinking.
“My job no longer aligned with my lifestyle,” she said.
Levitt eventually stopped drinking alcohol, too. She decided it was time for a change, which led her to develop Dri/kit. She launched the mocktail kit company online in March 2023.
“I started the online company just as I was adjusting to my personal lifestyle,” Levitt, who lives in El Segundo, said. “I was seeing these amazing non-alcoholic brands gaining popularity and the industry taking off. The non-alcoholic space is having a moment.” . . .
Read the full article at Playa Vista Magazine.
Tartine Venice Pops Up: Quality comes first at this neighborhood bakery
Last month, Tartine Bakery opened its sixth LA spot on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice. Exclusive to this location are three dishes: French toast made with Tartine’s croissant bread; a soft scramble with labneh, white cheddar, smoked trout roe, and horseradish; and a croque madame with gruyere, black forest ham, bechamel, and dijon topped with a sunny egg.
“My favorite dish on the menu is the croque madame,” Brian Bertelsen, Tartine’s culinary director, said. “I could eat it every day.”
When Bertelsen and his Venice team were developing special items for their menu, they wanted to add dishes that appealed to everyone. . . .
Read the full article at The Argonaut.
A True Maker Education: Kids encouraged to tinker at Rediscover Center
Rediscover Center’s executive director Jonathan Markowitz Bijur is a professional tinkerer. When asked to expand on this passion, the Yale University graduate explains the three areas in which he likes to tinker.
“I tinker with my sourdough pizza dough every Friday night when I make pizzas for my kids,” he started. “I tinker with the programs that I teach. I am always learning. Tinkering is part of my professional DNA, and I have helped to make it part of Rediscover’s organizational DNA. And then I tinker with stuff, like I am unafraid to take apart a piece of furniture or my KitchenAid mixer when something’s rattling. It is a satisfying experience.” . . .
Read the full article at The Argonaut.
