We celebrate Independence Day to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which sought to give the American colonies freedom from Great Britain. I love the U.S. and Great Britain, and I love the freedoms we have to live our lives as we see fit. The Declaration of Independence proclaims that we are all endowed by our... Read more →

WILSHIRE BLVD — As a beer connoisseur and amateur brewer (here’s a shout out to my brew club Pacific Gravity), when I got wind of the FIG restaurant’s plan to flip the script on brunch with their new “Kegs & Eggs” menu, there was no way I could resist. And here’s why. For just $37, one can down as many... Read more →

TV was my friend as a child. Then it was just me and my mom and when she had to work, I occupied myself watching “I Love Lucy,” “Abbott & Costello” and “The Smurfs.” I studied it in college and got a degree in TV production. I even made my living for several years as a TV producer. Simply, I love... Read more →

MALIBU — It’s rare to see Daria Kobayashi-Ritch leave her house without her camera and the 17-year-old is known among her friends because of it. “If I don’t have my camera, I have my phone,” she said. “My friends know it too. If we’re going somewhere they never bring cameras because it’s... Read more →

Each of us grieves in our own way. We all need time. We also need an outlet for our grief. Some hold it in, others talk it out. Still others journalize. This is the style of writing this book takes. Grieving is a natural life process we have been told. We all will face it at one point or other in our life when we lose someone near and dear to... Read more →

We have a big national holiday approaching. Like so many other holidays, there will be food and festivities. But before we celebrate the Fourth of July, lets see what other holidays just passed us by without so much as a mention. The third week of June was Fruit and Veggie Week, a dietitian’s dream. International Splurge Day was June... Read more →

Shauna Aminzadeh is one of the several public relations people that helped organize the “Culinary College” in Santa Monica, where aspiring chefs had the opportunity to learn cooking techniques and food and wine parings from culinary experts like Patrick Healy, executive chef and co-owner of The Buffalo Club. Shauna was nice enough... Read more →

I had one of the best Japanese meals of my life last week at a small space in Brentwood at 11656 San Vicente Blvd. named Takao. This unassuming restaurant opened in 1996 by the former head chef at Matsuhisa, Takao Izumida. We were lucky enough to have what is titled omakase — meaning chef’s choice. This means the chef chooses some... Read more →

It’s not unusual to see children from as young as 18 months old with cavities. Troubling, yes. Uncommon, hardly. Cavities continue to be a huge problem among kids. In fact, tooth decay is more common than asthma or hay fever. When left untreated, dental problems like tooth decay can lead to difficulty speaking and chewing and... Read more →

SM PIER — There’s an old photo of a folk singer in a recently published book about the Santa Monica Pier’s history, showing a young woman leaning back in a chair, her ankles crossed mid-air, her face slightly tilted upward, clearly amused. The picture of the then 29-year-old Joan Baez, published in “Santa Monica... Read more →