At the 4-Day Grand Opening Celebration held April 23-26 at Stephen’s Greek Market & Grill Gregory Kazos owner-chef, and official greeter welcomed guests and then ran back into the kitchen to prepare his wonderful dishes. They are located at 2632 E. Main, 648-4200.
Jeffrey Rosenthal, joins an elite group of 25 members, having received YPO-WPO’s highest honor and most prestigious award, The Hickok Distinguished Service Award, at the recent Global EDGE conference in Melbourne, Australia.
Jeffrey Rosenthal, Chairman and CEO of Southern California-based companies, Rose Investments, Rose Advertising, StarKart, and the NALA, was recently recognized with the highest honor from YPO-WPO, as a member who embodies YPO founder Ray Hickok’s dedication to the organization. Jeffrey Rosenthal’s passion for the last fourteen years has been the pursuit of cultivating personal relationships and connections globally, by creating a network platform within the organization to help his fellow YPO-WPO members do the same.
Initially Rosenthal’s team created sixty networks based on the common interests of their membership: twenty business, twenty personal and twenty social enterprise networks. When Jeffrey left the YPO-WPO International Board as Network’s Chair in 2009, there were network officers in seventy-five percent of all YPO chapters, and seventy percent of the members globally who had joined the network platform.
Last year, Jeffrey hosted the largest gathering of YPO-WPO members in history, serving as Host-City Chair for 3500 chief executives from around the world at the Los Angeles Global Leadership Conference “Chief executives and presidents from over 3000 companies throughout 125 countries share experiences,” said Rosenthal. “YPO-WPO’s mission is, “Better leaders through education and idea exchange,” and this is exactly what we hoped to have accomplished at our LA GLC.”
Originally, Jeffrey created concepts for local grocery store advertising over thirty years ago, and was instrumental in forging the path of the “local advertising” industry. Rosenthal has always had a unique understanding of the needs of small and medium businesses. He is the CEO of Rose Investments, which invests in private equity and the founder of StarKart and the NALA. StarKart is the largest advertising network for grocery cart advertising and the NALA, is a full-service digital marketing agency for small and medium businesses, both throughout the United States and Canada.
The NALA consults with each individual business and develops a strategy based on the business’ unique advertising and marketing needs. Clients’ campaigns focus on providing good web content which include services such as news releases, online advertising, social media, blogs, website development, and charity co-branding, among others. For more information, please visit thenala.com.
NALA is a proud advertiser in the Ventura Breeze.
Jillian Nye, Lynn Le Tourneau, Vonder Gray, Jacklyn Wells and Kari Hunt standing behind Jeanne La Rocco’s sculpture “200 Books” at the opening of their show Women in Art: Viewpoints at the WAV. Every woman has a point of view and these women tell theirs’ with an elegance and strength, a bit of darkness and a bit of joy…intriguing. Come see art and performance onMay 15th and 17th. Call 798 2479 for more information and times.
Red Brick Gallery’s Summer Celebration exhibit “A New Chapter” features a wide variety of artists exploring a fresh perspective on their art career.
Each artist’s work represent how the elements of nature impact the world around them and their art. “Walking into the gallery is like walking into our thoughts.” Old and new art friends include new works by Patty Van Dyke, Rency Punnoos, Marco Aguilar, Jen Livia, Phyllis Gubins and Debra Hintz.
Red Brick Gallery’s 67th exhibit runs May 19th through July 28th with Artist Reception as a Part of Ventura ArtWalk July 17th 12-8 and 18th 12-5. Stop in to meet the artists and watch them create. Free to the public, all are welcome.
A woman full of art and love Robyn Lynn Kelly died January of 2014, at 50 years old.
Robyn Lynn Kelly was an extraordinary artist from a very young age. From paint to charcoal to yarn, she was able to create pieces that were both simple and intricate. Her art frequently garnered her recognition at the Ventura County Fair and was also featured in national magazines.
Perhaps the only thing more beautiful than her art was her giving heart. Robyn was known for her generosity and patience. She was a free spirit, full of life and love and passion – a woman who could charm anyone with her sense of humor and sparkling eyes.
Robyn loved her family fiercely and many others as though they were family. There was selflessness in her love that drew people to her and she never turned anyone away. Her greatest dream in life was motherhood, and she found immense joy in raising her adopted daughter Desiree Sky. When Robyn was first diagnosed with terminal ovarian sarcoma, she reminded Desiree that she was her mother’s “gift to the world.” Robyn’s spirit continues to shine through her daughter, reminding her family of the woman whose unfailing grace inspired us all.
Taken too young, Robyn Lynn’s beauty lives on in the hearts of those who knew her and in the art she poured her soul into.
Susan Cook and Karin Geiger will display their art in the show “Pods” at Fox Fine Jewelry from May 14 through July 19. An artists’ reception will be Saturday, May 16, from 6 – 9pm.
Susan Cook is a professional artist and arts advocate, with an extensive list of accolades, awards and community service positions. Her work blends colors and shapes into loose figurative work that goes beyond a representation, showing emotion and intent.
Karin Geiger, a native of Germany, graduated from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich in 1987. There she taught school until she came to the U.S. in 1995.
Fox Fine Jewelry is located at 560 East Main Street, 652-1800. Hours are Monday – Thursday, 10:30 – 7p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10:30 – 10 p.m., Sunday 12:00 – 6pm.
An Evening with Susan Cook Saturday, May 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Brooks Institute Screening Room
5301 N. Ventura Ave.
Susan Cook is a contemporary fine artist whose oil paintings are inspired by nature and an interest in experimenting with figuration, color and shapes. Initially, her paintings are quickly drawn, going through many color transformations with her signature brushwork, often destroying entire passages and repainting others to give focus. Josef Woodard wrote in his Los Angeles Times article that “her brusque brushwork leans away from details and edges of things, flirting with abstraction at times”. Free to FOTM Members – $10 General public, $5 students and seniors.
AfterGLOW Fundraising Event: Join for a celebratory supper immediately following the interview at the Ojai home of Christine & Kevin Beirne. Reserve your seat early! The AfterGLOW dinner is $20 for FOTM members, $30 for non-members. Paid reservations are required prior to May 19.
Tickets available www.FocusOnTheMasters.com or call.653.2501
• I am very concerned about what Ventura will look like as a result of people not watering their lawns. I have already seen streets where there are 4-6 homes in a row whose front yards are now dirt and weeds. And shortly, it is likely these residents will be parking cars and trucks on their front lawns as well.
I know that we must save water, but properly maintained grass can be watered per Ventura’s restrictions and still look pretty good (better than dirt).
I think that there are folks who just don’t care what their houses look like and will use this as an excuse to let their landscaping die.
I’m not too sure if residents cutting back 20-30% on water use will make much of a difference anyway, as this amounts to about 3% of the water used in California.
• Hate to see Scott Miller retire (see cover article) as our Harbor Master. He did a great job and always sent us the Harbor blotter information. Look forward to working with the new Harbor Master who will be chosen from current Harbor employees. I like that we’re staying within Ventura’s ranks.
• Ventura will soon have another beer brewery doing business (becoming the brew capital of the world). Topa Topa Brewing Co. will be opening on west Thompson. Stopped in and met one of the owners. The stainless steel equipment is gorgeous. They equipment is made in Brazil and installers came from Brazil as well. After they open, it’s worth going there to just see the facility. That is what I’ll be doing because I don’t drink beer.
• The Breeze had booths at the Family Fest at the Mall, Paint Ventura and at Eco Fest (until the wind tried to blow all of the vendors out to sea). Met a lot of nice people. We will be at the Museum on May 3rd at a boutique event. Event is free and it is free admission Sunday to the Museum. So Stop by to say hi.
•From the LA Times: “The use of electronic cigarettes by high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014 a surprising boom that threatens to wipe out hard won gains in the fight against teen smoking, a new government report says.”
The good news is that 4 people stopped smoking because of e-cigarettes. If you read my column (who doesn’t?) you know that I have been opposed to them from day one (there goes our potential vape advertisers).
The City Council will be adding e-cigarettes to our smoking standards by amending Chapter 8.350 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code, “Smoking Regulations.” This will specify e-cigarettes as prohibited in all areas where smoking is not allowed, and to increase areas where
smoking is not permitted.
This should be adopted by the Council at their meeting on May 11.
• Too bad Sarah Palin isn’t running for president. Russian aircraft have been flying very close to Alaska, and she might be able to see them which would greatly expand her knowledge of U. S. foreign policy.
• Downtown Los Angeles and thirteen other Southern California cities have had their hottest March since record keeping started in 1877. We all know that this is cyclical and in 2153 March will probably be cooler.
• Who would think a species of tiny hands can change the ecology of our Santa Cruz Islands. The Argentine ants are spreading on the island and could cause damage to the natural ecology by eliminating all of the other ant species. Ways to eliminate these ants are being studied (perhaps putting ant-eaters on the Island would help, but how would they determine the good ants from the bad ants? The ones in my kitchen are always bad.
• Even before Governor Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water restrictions, the General Services Agency for the County of Ventura was dramatically reducing the amount of water used at county-maintained facilities and parks.
Less than 6% of the County’s parkland – including the three golf courses – is irrigated. Where irrigation does exist, the grounds are primarily watered with reclaimed or recycled water. This has led to a significant savings of water usage.
• As bothersome as email hackers are, I recently received a message from a dead relative – this was extremely disturbing (unless they have Wi-Fi in heaven).
•The company that recently bought Carrow’s and Coco’s restaurants has closed several of the stores including the Coco’s located on Telegraph. We will continue to place a few papers in the rack located there for the time being for those who are used to grabbing a copy there.
• To the loud applause of those attending a recent City Council meeting, the City Council has approved a long term lease, and the rezoning, for the property that will become the Ventura Botanical Gardens. Contrary to the normal protocol, Mayor Heitmann allowed the audience to go ahead and clap, (she likely couldn’t have stopped them anyway). Hiking the trail at the future site continues to be popular. Just park at the upper lot above City Hall and you’ll see the trail head.
• In another City Council action, the Council directed the finance department to come back to them with information on how much revenue would be generated with a sales tax increase of one-half cent or one-cent . Ventura voters turned down such an increase the last time it was on the ballot.
•The Ventura Unified School district’s headquarters will be renamed (does it have a name now?) in honor of retiring Superintendent Dr. Trudy Tuttle Arriaga. The building will now be the Trudy Tuttle Arriaga Education Service Center, though I’m sure will still be referred to as the school district site. She is retiring after 14-years as Superintendent.
• Before you start feeling badly about oil companies (because gas prices are low again), Royal Dutch Shell has offered to buy BG Group for $70 billion dollars.
Jim Capito, Barney Quijada, Alicia Valenzuela Tarin, Esther Hanks, Sheli Ellsworth, Carlos Chapman, Jim Martinez and Benny Arrelanez met at the Bell Arts Factory.
By Sheli Ellsworth
The Tortilla Flats district in Ventura may be relegated to the annals of history since the construction of the Highway 101 overpass, but its soul lives on in the memories of former Tortilla Flats residents. To the Tortilla Flats Committee of 8-10 people who meet every other Saturday, the area is still very much a part of their lives.
The Flats economy was dependent on the Las Palmas Chili factory. “Everyone did time peeling chilies,” according to Jim Capito who had relatives in the Flats. “They brought in gunny sacks full of chilies and dumped them on tables. They paid 1½¢ per pound for peeling and removing the stems.” Esther Hanks says the factory was one of first commercial businesses in the area. “After school, children of the workers would drop buy the factory, peel a few chilies and go outside and play. After you handle the chilies you want to be real careful where you put your hands—especially when you go to the bathroom—it’s not the kind of pain you forget!” says Benny Arrellanes.
“Life was simpler then,” says Alicia Valenzuela Tarin. “We bathed in a metal tub in the kitchen. Everyone used the same water. We girls crossed the train tracks and went to the beach for fun.” There was the Mission Theatre on Figueroa St. where Chinatown was located. If you went on Bank Night there was a lottery that awarded money and prizes. It only cost 10-12¢ and the movie always opened with a Porky Pig, Donald Duck or Woody Woodpecker cartoon. “We saw Buck Jones, Tom Mix, and Hoot Gibson. Westerns were popular. I remember seeing The Mummy’s Hand, said Benny Quijada. Unlike modern kids, Flats’ kids were easily satisfied. “We would put coins on the tracks and wait for the Steamer Daylight to turn them into arrowheads. We would get cardboard boxes and ride them down the hill on Poli street,” the members say.
Everyone had a radio. “I remember sitting in front of a Philco Radio waiting for the electric humming to turn into the Inner Sanctum, Sky King or The Shadow,” says Jim Martinez.
“Our underwear was made out of La Piña baking flour sacks. “My mom sewed them on a treadle sewing machine in 1931,” said Alicia Valenzuela Tarin. Chase Brothers delivered milk from the Willoughby Dairy along with eggs and butter. “Helm’s Bakery delivered Wonder bread, éclairs and bear claws even though almost everyone make their own tortillas,” according to Jim Martinez.
In the 1940s Victory Gardens became popular. There were a lot of small gardens where residents grew their own corn, tomatoes and green beans. Cactus pads called nopales were also popular. “Everyone shared what they had,” the members agreed. Many of the residents worked picking citrus, walnuts, apricots and strawberries. The local grocery store, Benny’s, was happy to charge groceries for local residents. No one went hungry.
A stretch of King’s Highway, eventually incorporated into the 101, was particularly slippery. The produce trucks would spill their contents there and the place became a hangout known as Salad Bowl Curve. In the 1930s a cattle truck turned over and cattle were wondering around everywhere. Even the liquor trucks were known to spill.
Everyone rode bicycles on the primitive asphalt and dirt roads. Many of the bikes were assembled from spare parts found at the city dump which was a good place to treasure hunt when residents had to empty their 55-gallon trash cans full of burned garbage. The yards were small and there were no curbs or gutters. Flats’ residents were inclined to use every inch of the properties. Cookouts and outdoor parties were common. Many guests were ranch hands who came to the area on the weekends and longshoremen who were home for a few days. Musicians like George Pacheco, Tony Flores and the Rodriguez Brothers entertained.
Look for more about Tortilla Flats in upcoming Breeze issues.
Mira Reverente has been a staff writer of the Ventura Breeze since 2009, covering the local business, sports and non-profit beats. She is also the associate editor of the Conejo Valley Happening Mag, a local all-digital mag.
“Suddenly Single Women’s Guide to Finances,” is Mira’s first book. “The material for this book came at the right moment. Post-divorce, I was running into women who were going through emotional and financial hardships like me – jugging children, bills and jobs,” said the mom of two. “Their experiences coupled with advice from financial experts inspired me to put this book together, in order to help women who are going through the same ordeal or help prevent it from happening to others.”
Mira teamed up with Tracy Marcynzsyn, a former co-worker, fellow local journalist and author of NaturalAwes.com, Firefly and Return to Paradise. Tracy also writes and edits for a variety of publications and people, helping perfect their writings for publishing. Like Mira, Tracy has also been in search of sound financial advice post-relationship break-up.
Kickstarter, the crowd-funding web site has been a popular pick among book authors, artists, inventors and techies who need that extra boost from the public to get their independent projects off the launching pad. The campaign is all-or-nothing – project creators cannot keep any of the funds raised, unless they reach 100 perfect of their funding goals.
For more info or to make a pledge before May 10th, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/suddenlysinglewomen/suddenly-single-womens-guide-to-finances
