Fried chicken and sweet potato pancakes from Nighthawk, one of the featured vendors (via Instagram)
Dozens of local chefs, mixologists, brewers and winemakers will be featured at a new festival in Pasadena this Sunday.
The inaugural Masters of Taste will debut on the field at the Rose Bowl this Sunday, April 3, offering the chance to sample delicious small plates from 40 noteworthy L.A. restaurants. You’ll also get to sip craft cocktails from some of the city’s top bartenders and bars, along with craft beer, wine, and from SoCal and beyond. Billed as a ‘luxury food and beverage festival, you’ll also get to enjoy plenty of decadent sweet treats, do a bit of shopping, and catch some live music throughout the afternoon. Plus, as an added bonus, all proceeds from the event will benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a non-profit that helps individuals and families in need across the San Gabriel Valley.
Some of the chefs featured at the festival include Brendan Collins of Birch, Neal Fraser of Redbird, Bernhard Mairinger of BierBeisl Imbiss, Tia Baker of Sol Mexican Cocina, Raymond Alvarez of Toca Madera, Yoya Takahashi of the popular sushi spot Hamasaku, and Carolos Tomazos of the recently opened Inotheke. There will also be NPR-inspired sandwiches from Wax Paper. You’ll also get to sample sweets from the likes of Copenhagen Pastry and Filipino-inspired desserts from Crème Caramel, and Sprinkles for the cupcake lovers.
The event will also feature quality cocktails from Erik Lund of Alexander’s Steakhouse in Pasadena, 1886 Bar’s head barman Peter Lloyd-Jones, and spiked breakfast cereal cocktails from the newly-opened Nighthawk. Beer will be provided by L.A. and SoCal brewers, including Iron Triangle Brewing, Indie Brewing Company, Alosta Brewing Co., Bootlegger’s Brewery, as well as Elysian Brewing and Goose Island. Featured local wineries will include Anglim Winery and Ascension Cellars of Paso Robles, and Ventura’s Four Brix Winery. There will also be plenty of non-alcoholic options like cold-pressed juice, Kyoto iced coffee, kombucha and more.
Tickets to the 21+ event are a little more than some food festivals, but include unlimited food and drinks. General Admission is $125 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. And if you want to step up your feasting game, VIP admission at $225 includes a VIP “Power Hour” from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. before the crowds arrive, as well as private lounge seating and concierge dining service, so you can save yourself from, ugh, waiting in lines.
More info can be found here and tickets can be purchased here.
The time has come to celebrate and savor the finer things in life at this year’s Masters of Taste, a new and exciting outdoor, luxury festival set to make its inaugural debut on Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on the field of the Historic Pasadena Rose Bowl.
Masters of Taste will bring L.A.’s Top Master Tastemakers together for one afternoon to celebrate all realms of taste. Approximately 2,500 influential food and beverage enthusiasts from throughout the Greater Los Angeles area are expected to attend this exciting festival. This year’s Masters of Taste will include the finest fare from 40 Culinary Masters and restaurants, an array of delectable sweets prepared by L.A.’s top Sweet Masters, signature handcrafted cocktails and tastings from over 25 Beverage Masters which will include bartenders from top cocktail bars, wineries, local craft breweries, pressed juices, hand roasted coffee, plus lifestyle activations, live entertainment and much more.
The beneficiary of Masters of Taste will be Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Headquartered in Pasadena, the agency is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families with services including street outreach, meals, shelter, housing, case management and career development. Since 1973, Union Station Homeless Services has helped thousands of people who were once homeless and without hope. 100% of the proceeds from this year’s event will directly support Union Station Homeless Services.
Some of the Masters of Taste 2016 participating Culinary Masters, Restaurants and Sweet Masters include:
Sweet Masters: A select group of L.A.’s Sweet Masters will come together for one afternoon to showcase an assortment of delectable desserts such as handcrafted buttery toffees from Alique Gourmet Toffee, creamy gourmet single-origin chocolate and vanilla ice creams from Choctál, the finest globally-procured cacao from Chocolate Stars USA and authentic Danish pastries from Copenhagen Pastry just to name a few.
Some of this year’s participating Beverage Masters include:
Brewmasters: Beverage Masters who specialize in barley and hops will be presenting top-notch ales, lagers, pilsners and more for guests to sample, sip and savor all throughout the event, including Southern California favorites Alosta Brewing Co., Bootlegger’s Brewery, Iron Triangle Brewing and Golden Road Brewing. Other fine breweries included in this year’s event are Elysian Brewing from Seattle, the famous Goose Island Beer Co. from Chicago and Northwestern favorite 10 Barrel Brewing Co., along with internationally acclaimed Brewmasters such as Shock Top, Stella Artois and Stella Cidre.
Wineries: A specially curated collection of Wine Masters will be showcasing their finest varietals including premium boutique winery Ascension Cellars, Ventura’s Four Brix Winery: who will be featuring their top internationally-inspired blends, Napa’s Jamieson Ranch Vineyards, Toluca Lake’s Spin The Bottle Wine Studio, and special selections from Ste. Michelle Estates, and more.
Bars & Spirits: Some of L.A.’s top bartenders and cocktail bars will be creating first-rate craft cocktails showcasing the finest spirits, including a premium Barrel-Aged Cocktail Bar provided by Erik Lund and Alexander’s Steakhouse, signature handcrafted cocktails from Head Barman Peter Lloyd-Jones and 1886 Bar, and Mixologist and Sommelier Adam Seger will be introducing the newly launched Balsam Luxury Vermouth, with much more to be revealed.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages: A variety of premium non-alcoholic Beverage Masters will also be on hand for those who wish to hydrate, caffeinate or regenerate, featuring the “bevolutionary” Bai who will be presenting their antioxidant juices, teas and water infusions, hand roasted, ethically-sourced coffee from the newly opened Demitasse Roastery & Kitchen, all natural, refreshing and energizing sparkling beverages from Diabolo and fresh, cold-pressed juices from Nekter Juice Bar just to name a few.
More Culinary Masters, Sweet Masters and Beverage Masters to be announced.
Masters of Taste is made possible through the generous support of its sponsors, which include HomeStreet Bank, Judith L Chiara Foundation, Western Asset Management, Capital Group, TD Investment Company, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Bank of America, The High End, Wells Fargo, Westport Construction, Kauffman Wealth Management, Massage Envy, Hahn & Hahn LLP, Arroyo Insurance Services, Morton Capital Management, Union Bank, Seright Escrow, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, California Linen Services and Pasadena Now.
Masters of Taste will take place on Sunday, April 3rd, 2016. A VIP Power Hour will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and General Admission will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets to this event are only available for guests 21+ and over. For more information on Masters of Taste or to book your tickets directly, please visit www.MastersofTasteLA.com/Tickets.
Masters of Taste will be held at The Rose Bowl (1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena).
Guests are encouraged to utilize car services – taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc. – since this event does serve alcoholic beverages. Complimentary parking will also be available at the event.
Citing a lack of housing across all income brackets along with rents that rise faster than wages, Bill Huang, Director of the Pasadena Department of Housing, delivered a challenging but hopeful report to the Pasadena City Council Monday evening.
Huang pointed out that there is a rapidly growing senior population — the baby boomers — and that 54% of them cannot afford a rental lifestyle. Along with that, there is a rapidly increasing homeless population in the County.
“Across the board, according to the State, we need to produce 584 affordable units before the year 2022,” said Huang, citing the loss over the years of state redevelopment funds, which California has used to assist cities, counties and nonprofit community housing development organizations to create and retain affordable housing, as well as federal HOME funds,. There is also a current lack of participating landlords for local rental assistance housing programs like Section 8, Huang noted.
Bill Huang, Director of the Pasadena Department of Housing
According to Huang’s report, there are currently 442 unsheltered homeless persons in Pasadena, 40% of whom are chronically homeless, unable or unwilling, for whatever reason, to find consistent housing, such as overnight shelters. By comparison, there are currently 114,000 total homeless people in California—22 percent of the nation’s homeless population—with Los Angeles holding nearly 42,000 homeless residents.
But Huang also pointed out promising new developments in the battle for housing, including an increase in LA County funds, as well as the new “No Place Like Home” program recently proposed by the California State Assembly, which would provide a $2 billion bond to construct permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons with mental illness, as well as $200 million, over 4 years, to provide supportive housing in shorter-term rent subsidies, while permanent housing is constructed or rehabilitated.
There are currently 4,011 affordable housing units in Pasadena, scattered across the city, said Huang, a number which includes rentals and properties that are part of first-time homebuyer programs.
Huang also cited a number of housing projects currently under construction or being planned, including Heritage Square, Mar Vista Union, The Groves, and Desiderio Homes. There are an additional 470 units in the construction “pipeline,” said Huang, mentioning Decker Court and Heritage Square South.
Among the efforts to increase affordable housing in Pasadena are more outreach and incentives to landlords,with increased payments as well, along with “signing bonuses” for accepting housing vouchers, Huang reported. Union Station Homeless Services also has a 24-hour landlord hotline. There is also a desire to establish a new fund that would reimburse landlords for damages incurred by a housing department tenant.
Pasadena should consider an increase of its inclusionary affordability requirements in transit-oriented districts, as well as establish a new commercial linkage impact fees, said Huang.
Huang also recommended City Council consider a new “progressive second unit ordinance” that would promote the creation of second units, as well as the city’s consideration of affordable housing possibilities when acquiring new city land.
There are currently three city-owned sites as well, that Huang believes would be suitable for new permanent supportive housing. They are the Heritage Square South with the capacity to develop about 70 units, the Kinneloa site, and the Garfield and Holly project which would be across the street from City Hall, and would create 50 micro-units, as well as city department office space.
Huang also reminded the council that Pasadena, along with Austin, Tx, had earned the 2014 Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award from Urban Land Institute, a global nonprofit education and research institute, for having the best housing policy in the nation.
Community Council: Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. They are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Since 1973, Union Station has helped rebuild the lives of thousands of people who were once homeless and without hope.
This year, UHSH is hosting a Dinner In The Park at Pasadena Central Park on Christmas Day! This incredible community event provides thousands of holiday meals and hope for all who attend, including homeless men, women, children, seniors, very low-income families, and those with no place to go during the holidays. The impact of this event in the community is huge!
As LA’s homeless population surges, how to handle panhandling
by AirTalk December 21, 05:05 PM
Tents used by the homeless line a downtown Los Angeles street with the skyline behind Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AP
While L.A.’s homeless population grows, the question looms of how to handle giving to those in need, especially during the holiday season.
According to the Los Angeles Almanac, there are over 44,000 transients living in Los Angeles County.
Rabbi Marvin Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, offered a few best practices for donating during the holidays, and during every season.
His advice?
Refrain from donating cash “Unfortunately when folks are out there asking for money, it’s hard to know what uses they are going to put it to,” Gross said.
Buy food for the hungry. Gross suggested that in lieu of donating money, take a person in need to a restaurant, or bring them some food.
Give your money to organizations. Another option Gross gave is to opt for donating to charitable organizations that work with the homeless population in Los Angeles, like Union Station Homeless Services.
Volunteer your time. Eliminating money from the equation all together, another way to be charitable is to volunteer for organizations that help the homeless. Gross said that Union Station Homeless Services has volunteers every day, and there is information about getting involved on its website, unionstationhs.org. Other organizations to volunteer with include Los Angeles Mission and Union Rescue Mission.
Guest:
Rabbi Marvin Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services
To spread holiday cheer and joy, hundreds of volunteers of all ages will gather together on Christmas Day to serve meals at Union Station Homeless Services’ 43rd annual Dinner-in-the-Park.
For more than four decades, this beloved tradition has been a staple event for the community during the holiday season.
Donned in hairnets, gloves and welcoming smiles, hundreds of volunteers will serve warm holiday meals to all who are hungry at Pasadena’s Central Park on Christmas Day.
“The event brings the community together!” said Ginger Mort, member of the Los Angeles Disney VoluntEAR Leadership Council and a Union Station Dinner-in-the-Park volunteer since 2001. “Even if it is for one day, hopefully one day leads to another and another and so on and so on!”
Union Station Homeless Services and its volunteers served more than 3,500 plates of food on Thanksgiving, and the agency expects to serve an additional 1,500 plates of food on Christmas Day.
Meal recipients will include adults and families experiencing homelessness and poverty, senior citizens, and those who are alone at the holidays or unable to afford a holiday meal.
In addition to volunteers, the event is made possible thanks to generous partners:
Tsutayo Ichioka & Satsuki Nakao Foundation, HomeStreet Bank, SuperKing Markets, Longo Toyota Scion Lexus, Pasadena Federal Credit Union, Dove Properties, Pasadena Convention Center, Norton Rose Fullbright, Paul Hastings, Centerplate, Chipotle, and Whole Foods.
“The Pasadena Convention Center and Centerplate is thrilled to support Union Station Homeless Services by preparing turkeys for Dinner-in-the-Park,” said Michael Ross, CEO, Pasadena Center Operating Company. “We applaud Union Station’s work to serve thousands of meals to the hungry and homeless during the holiday season and are pleased to participate in such a worthwhile cause.”
“Dinner-in-the-Park is truly a community event and simply would not be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers and dozens of businesses who make this event such a success,” said Marv Gross, CEO of Union Station.
All who are able to help are invited to donate their time, food items or funds to this incredible holiday outreach program.
• Union Station Homeless Services is still in need of non-perishable food donations.
• A wish list of items needed can be found on the event pageat https://unionstationhs.org/event/dinner-in-the-park-2015/.
• The community is invited to drop off these supplies in the indicated sizes at 412 S. Raymond, Pasadena.
• Please Note: Due to Health Department regulations, Union Station Homeless Services is no longer able to accept turkey or prepared food donations at the event.
About Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. Headquartered in Pasadena, we are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. We believe every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With over 40 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of nine programs throughout the San Gabriel Valley; services include street outreach, intake/assessment, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, employment development, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.
