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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Friday three students of Yuba College Clear Lake Campus culinary program will compete in a statewide competition in Downey.
The California Community College annual Culinary Arts and Hospitality Competition is challenging community college students with this year's theme, “Celebrating the Cuisine of Northern Africa.”
Advanced baking students Katrina Carrillo and Logan Curtis, who are competing as a team, and culinary arts student Andy Vieiro are participating in the challenge after spending the past several weeks perfecting their respective entries in the Aroma's kitchen at the Clear Lake Campus.
Culinary instructor Robert Cabreros chose the competitors – all of whom are second-semester culinary students – for participation in the competition based on their performance in class.
He recognized Carrillo’s and Curtis' ability to work as a team and commended the dedication of Vieiro, who he said has never been late to class and boasts a record of perfect attendance.
“I'm very excited to see them compete on this level. This is a community college level and there is some stiff competition,” Cabreros said. “I'm proud of them all and excited for them to have this opportunity.”
Cabreros said such opportunities are important to the growth of the students, helping them to hone their kitchen skills, from organization to timing and their attention to details.
“It also lets them network with others chefs and puts them in front of one another. It adds pressure and there can be a lot of intense pressure in the culinary industry,” he said.
For their entry in the baking competition, Carrillo and Curtis were assigned the task of creating a two-level, tiered cake with chocolate mousse and a jungle theme.
“The theme is Northern Africa so we had to incorporate that into our design. We incorporated spices from Northern Africa into our recipe as well,” Carrillo said, adding her confidence with the entry. “(Curtis and I) work together well and I think we can handle the pressure.”
Curtis said the theme seemed a bit challenging, but the main task at hand, he said, is flavor.
“Everything has to taste right and there has to be consistency,” Curtis said. “We made practice cake the other day and it turned out pretty well. We need to work on our chocolate mousse a little bit, and I think we'll have it.”
Vieiro, who is competing in the hot food division, was given the opportunity to create an entry of his choice consisting of protein, starch and vegetable.
His dish features chicken, couscous and a vegetable medley. He said he researched the cuisine of Northern Africa to determine his dish.
“It was hard to find a meal from Northern Africa that wasn't a stew and I wanted a dish I could plate well because that is a big aspect of the judging,” Vieiro said.
“This challenge has given me a chance to work with a lot of ingredients that I haven't work with before,” Vieiro added. “The dish has a little bit of a spice to it, but the flavors blend well and the couscous has a nice local blood orange olive oil that gives it a nice twist.”
Students at the event, which is being held at the Energy Resource Center in Downey, also will have the opportunity to participate in a job fair and symposium.
Email Denise Rockenstein at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This year's Lake County Wine Auction will be a fun-filled evening under the stars at Cache Creek Vineyard and Winery, and artist John Clarke celebrates the occasion in his latest signature poster.
“In this year's poster we see a group of musicians performing in a vineyard setting,” said Clarke. “The background is a typical Lake County landscape.”
Clarke's art has been featured on Lake County Wine Auction posters for the past 16 years.
He calls his work for the Wine Alliance a labor of love. “I really like doing this even though it gets more and more challenging to think of something new. Still, every year something comes to me.”
Over the years, Clarke has captured the essence of the event's various venues and the color of the local wine industry with his unique style of watercolor on silk painting.
People seem to respond to the brightness of his work, which often brings in the highest bids.
Last year, Clarke's painting of a woman on horseback riding through a vineyard brought in $6,000.
In the coming weeks, this year's poster, featuring Clarke's new painting will go on sale at venues around the county and Clarke will be available to sign copies of the poster at the auction.
This year's poster may be purchased for $20, with proceeds going to the beneficiary organizations and programs associated with the Lake County Wine Alliance.
The painting itself may be viewed at the Saw Shop Bistro in Kelseyville.
The Lake County Wine Auction will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Cache Creek Vineyards, with Don and Margie Van Pelt named the event's honorary co-chairs.
This is the 16th year that the Lake County Wine Alliance has sponsored this major fundraising event in support of the arts, health and community in Lake County.
In that time, $1,177,802 has been raised for local programs.
Tickets for the Wine Auction, at $150 per person, are available by calling the Wine Alliance at 866-279-WINE or online at www.winealliance.org . See the Web site for more details and reservations.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Westside Community Park has a new equipment storage building, located on the Jane Barnes Field.
This building will allow for the storage of equipment by the sports leagues utilizing the athletic fields.
It also provides a secure location for storage of maintenance equipment belonging to the Westside Community Park Committee.
The Jane Barnes Field is used by the Konocti Youth Soccer League from August through late November and by the Westshore Little League from March through early June.
Hundreds of children and their families utilize the park each year.
“This new building is only possible because of the donation of labor, materials and money received from the community,” said Dennis Rollins, chairman of the Westside Community Park Committee.
Merritt Construction, the Kiwanis Club of Lakeport, members of the Westside Community Park Committee and the Little League Board turned out on several Saturdays to provide the labor.
Clear Lake Redi-Mix and RB Peters teamed up to pour the foundation. Davis Fabrication & Ornamental Design and Economy Heating & Cooling donated all of the metal work.
Dewey & Sons Painting and Plaza Paints came together to see that the building was painted.
For security, Lake County Lock & Safe, donated nonduplicable keys.
“Lumber and construction materials were provided to the Committee by Mendo Mill & Lumber Co. at a huge discount. Mendo Mill has been providing this type of support for years,” Rollins said.
“The funding for this project was raised at the annual Grillin’ on the Green BBQ Cook-off,” Rollins added.
The Jane Barnes Field and adjacent space is being developed and operated by the Westside Community Park Committee, a registered nonprofit corporation, under a lease agreement with the city of Lakeport.
Visit the park online at www.westsidecommunitypark.org/ .
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Lakeport man died early Thursday when the vehicle he was driving hit a power pole and overturned.
The California Highway Patrol did not release the name of the 24-year-old man Thursday pending notification of family.
The crash occurred at 1 a.m. on Highway 20 at Schindler Street in Clearlake Oaks, the CHP said.
The man was driving a 1997 Ford Explorer westbound on Highway 20 at a high rate of speed when, for an unknown reason, he allowed the vehicle to drift off the north roadway edge and onto the dirt shoulder, where it hit a posted speed limit sign, according to the CHP.
The CHP said the Explorer continued in a northwesterly direction and the driver's side door struck a power pole, shearing the pole off at the base.
The Explorer overturned, hit a chain link fence and came to rest on its roof, according to the CHP report.
Firefighters responded to the scene and began to immediately provide aid to the driver, who was trapped in the Explorer, the CHP said.
The CHP said the man died at the scene.
The driver was not wearing his seat belt, and at this time the CHP said it isn't known if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
The crash knocked out power to more than 2,000 Clearlake Oaks residents, with power restored later in the morning, according to the Pacific Gas and Electric online outage center.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A crash involving a vehicle that rolled over and hit a utility pole early Thursday morning led to one fatality.
The single-vehicle crash occurred at around 1 a.m. on Highway 20 near Schindler Street in Clearlake Oaks.
Reports from the scene indicated that the crash occurred right in front of the Caltrans maintenance yard.
Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded.
The vehicle – a description of which not immediately available – rolled over and crashed into the pole, shearing it off, according to firefighters arriving at the scene.
The vehicle's driver was trapped and unconscious when emergency personnel arrived, according to radio reports.
Initially, firefighters didn't see lines down, but live wires going to underground power utilities later were found to be on the ground, radio reports indicated. Pacific Gas and Electric was asked to respond to repair the pole and lines.
As firefighters worked at the scene, a crowd – described as large and rowdy – gathered, with firefighters requesting law enforcement over the radio to deal with the gathering.
Firefighters requested an air ambulance, with REACH 6 responding to land at the nearby Orchard Shores Homeowners Association, radio reports indicated.
However, a short time after landing, the air ambulance was released at the scene, with incident command reporting over the air that the vehicle's occupant had died.
Radio reports stated that firefighters needed PG&E on scene to remove the lines so the recovery process could move forward.
PG&E's online outage center said the wreck was responsible for knocking out power to approximately 2,129 customers.
At around 3 a.m. PGE estimated power was to be restored by 4:30 a.m.
Just before 3:30 a.m., incident command reported that the vehicle had been removed from the roadway, with the extrication of the victim continuing.
At that point incident command reported turning traffic control at the crash scene over to the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
AccuWeather reports that this summer, warmth and dryness will build in the West, worsening the historical drought conditions that have plagued California for four straight years.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast will have an abundance of moisture, raising concerns for flooding at times.
In the nation's midsection, severe weather is forecast to continue into summer, with the overall tornado count increasing from last year.
In the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, above-normal temperatures will mark a noticeable difference from the cooler-than-average summer of 2014.
More 90-degree days than last year forecast for Northeast, Mid-Atlantic
Warmth from central Canada and the northern Plains will flow into the Northeast this summer, leading to above-normal temperatures and drier conditions for much of the region.
“I'm not expecting extreme heat, but periods of warmer-than-normal temperatures will come and go during the course of the summer,” AccuWeather.com Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.
After a cooler-than-normal summer of 2014, the East overall is forecast to be hit by more 90-plus degree days this summer.
In Philadelphia and New York City, there may be as many as 10 more than last summer.
For much of the summer, the central and southern mid-Atlantic will come alive with showers and thunderstorms.
Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia will be in the line of fire.
Wet, buggy season ahead for Southeast, Central Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley
From the Southeast to the Gulf Coast and Tennessee Valley, the summer of 2015 will bring very wet conditions as result of warm water temperatures in the northern Gulf and a building El Niño. Flash flooding could be a concern at times.
“I would consider stocking up on the bug spray this year down across the Tennessee Valley and the Gulf Coast because it looks very wet,” Pastelok said.
Extreme heat should be kept at bay, but high humidity and muggy conditions will plague the region.
As for tropical activity, the northern Gulf states could be affected as early as June.
“Water temperatures are running much warmer than last year,” Pastelok said. “It may not take much to spawn a weak tropical system to enhance the rainfall on the Gulf Coast this year.”
Rainy weather in store for Southern Plains, Lower to Mid-Mississippi Valley
Rainy weather will also spread across parts of Texas for much of the summer, focusing in on the lower Rio Grande Valley and southwestern portion of the state.
Into the start of June, showers and storms will improve the drought conditions across northern and northwestern Texas, but the region could dry out again as rain falls mainly west of these areas during midsummer.
As the monsoon picks up, storms will drench the Four Corners region, delivering above-normal moisture to the region.
Overall, the southern Plains and lower to mid-Mississippi Valley will see fewer 90- and 100-degree F days than in recent years.
“It's not as dry going into this summer season across the entire southern Plains, and I think that will have an impact on how high and how consistently we'll hit above 90 this year,” Pastelok said.
Severe risk to continue for Midwest, Northern and Central Plains
The northern and central Plains and much of the Midwest will face drier and warmer conditions this summer compared to last summer.
“Drier-than-normal conditions in the winter and for the most part this spring will lead to a drier soil and hotter temperatures. This can put stress on crops for this region,” Pastelok said.
Southeastern Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, eastern Kansas and Oklahoma may have a shot at dodging this extreme heat with more possibilities for rain.
Spotty areas of thunderstorms, some of which can be severe, may break out in June, increasing the potential for tornadoes.
The middle of the summer will feel hot across the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.
“They will be dry, and the heat will just build as we go into the summer months, especially June and July,” Pastelok said.
Severe drought to worsen in California, expand northward at full force
The drought in California will continue to worsen this summer, after the heart of the winter season brought little snowfall to the Sierra.
Without rain in the forecast, there are indications that the fire season, typically occurring June through October, could be one for the record books.
“The wildfire season has already kicked off a little early,” Pastelok said. “I think the frequency will really pick up later in the summer and early fall.”
Drought conditions are forecast to expand northward at full force into the Pacific Northwest, especially east of the Cascades.
“It looks to me like they'll continue to get drier and drier, and by June and July, it'll have reflection on temperatures as well,” Pastelok said. “It should get hotter across those areas.”