By Emily G. Peters Pasadena is full of experiences worth waiting for. Take Union Street Sandwich Company, for instance: slinging stellar sandwiches since 2015 under the careful guidance of owner Stacy Ober. Yet even with Ober’s 30-plus years of culinary experience, she took her time to ensure the shop would succeed. “It was never my…
By Emily G. Peters The key to becoming a great dancer? Mastering the moves, of course. But the first step in that direction might happen even before setting foot on the dance floor. “Look the part,” said Sarah Gallegos, who took over as owner of Enchanted Dancewear about a year ago. “You could literally take…
By Emily G. Peters Gymnastics made headlines this week in the form of Simone Biles, making history once again by clinching medals in every event at the World Gymnastics Championship. She’s undoubtedly inspired plenty of kids to explore the sport—but to Brian Smith of GymnastiKids and TNT Dunk Squad, it’s not all about the gold….
By Emily G. Peters For many of us West Coasters, exposure to Cuban cuisine is limited at best. Particularly in the San Gabriel Valley, only a handful of restaurants and cafes are serving up old school arroz con pollo, leaving plenty of Cubans and Cuban-food fans strapped for options —something The Lost Cuban Kitchen is…
By Emily G. Peters 88 Keys Music Academy operates on a simple premise: it’s never too early (or late) to bring music into your life. “Music should be available to everybody. Our youngest student is three and a half and extremely mature for her age—she can recite the 50 states!” says Annie Chen, owner and…
By Emily G. Peters Americans are getting better at what they put into their bodies. Though not new, the organic food movement has picked up speed in the last few generations, taking plenty of processed and genetically modified foods with it. Still, notwithstanding manifold media attempts to encourage this shift in U.S. eating habits, many…
By Emily G. Peters It looks a bit like the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but Der Wolf is not make-believe. In a city of bars where adequate space, affordability and ambiance tend to come at a premium, this German-themed beer hall has managed to combine all three. “Der Wolf (formerly known as ‘Der Wolfskopf’ or…
By Emily G. Peters You’ve likely driven by MEOWMEOWZ! Retro Rock Shop a hundred times without knowing it. For a (relatively) inconspicuous shop dotting Pasadena’s main thoroughfare, this small thrift shop showcases a veritable riot of new, retro and vintage clothing, accessories and music for the 1980s rock-goth-punk in your life. Unsurprisingly, John Hughes is…