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The California Highway Patrol reported an Audi was on fire on Highway 175 at mile marker 83 just before 9 p.m.
The driver was reported to be clear of the car and was not said to be injured, the CHP reported. The CHP did not identify the driver.
The roadway was shut down shortly before 9:30 p.m. as officials responded to the situation.
The CHP did not report in its incident log when the highway was reopened.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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CLEARLAKE – Jackson Pollock didn’t take a class on how to throw paint at a canvas. He first attended art school and then developed his signature style.
The same can be said of the food at Aromas Restaurant at Yuba Community College Clearlake Campus. The food is good gourmet food without gilding it with pretentious truffles and caviar.
Chef Robert Cabreros, who teaches at the college, is currently training the next wave of culinary artists who will affect the food trends of Lake County and beyond. He recently hosted this writer over two full days, offering the chance to watch the students prepare and serve the lunch service at the college’s restaurant.
There are currently 18 students in the class with a full waiting list to enter the program.
Why is there so much interest in the culinary program nowadays? Cabreros said he believed it was because obtaining a position in the culinary industry is being viewed as an actual career now.
He said that opinions have changed in large part because of the way that food networks and learning channels have made cooking mainstream, and how the industry as a whole is now viewed with more professionalism as opposed to how it was seen 20 years ago.
Cabreros himself is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, which is the same cooking school that trained the legendary Julia Child. For you youngsters out there, it’s the same school from which Giada De Laurentis graduated.
He said he never intended to become a teacher, but he was hand-picked by his predecessor and now says he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
The formality of some culinary schools is not required in this class. Demanding that every order be responded with the entire room yelling out “Yes Chef!” is set aside here; it’s very casual and Cabreros' students just call him “Robert.”
To watch Cabreros talk about his students is like watching a parent speak of their his child. You can see the pride in his face and hear it in his voice as he talks.
He doesn’t consider his class a springboard program so you need to go on to another school to add onto your education. His course is a complete package that gives culinary students everything they need to be successful in the industry.
Cabreros talks of his students with confidence saying, “He’ll be an executive chef within five years,” and “She’ll be a sous chef within two years.”
To look at the students of this particular class is to see the word “diversity” in its purist form: young, old, every race, sex, skill level, interest, financial background and personal style. The youngest student is 15 years old and the oldest is 60.
The restaurant itself is as “green” as it can be. Waste has been reduced 75 percent, everything that can be recycled is, and the edible waste is sent to a pig farm as feed.
Local produce is used when available, and the daily menus are even printed on half a sheet of paper. The to-go orders and “doggie boxes” are made of biodegradable bamboo.
Lake County has yet to have any rating system for how green a business is or even recognize businesses as green, but Aromas restaurant has pushed the envelope all on their own. The county could use this program as a template for rating other Lake County businesses that would like to brag about being “green.”
The sanitation and cleanliness of the restaurant is impeccable. A dirty spot or bad sanitation habit couldn’t be found. This is one of the cleanest kitchens this writer has ever seen, which is a fantastic foundation for the students coming from this program; they are learning good habits that will follow them to their next kitchen.
Even safety is top notch. “Knife!” and “Hot Pan!” are always shouted out when someone walks through the kitchen with one. On occasion a student would use poor knife practices, and Cabreros would be right there to show them the correct way to do it and remind them that scars aren’t cool.
The group of students move about the kitchen with the synchronized movement of a school of fish, but walk through the kitchen and all of a sudden the words “Excuse me,” “Pardon me,” and “Look out behind you!” were suddenly being said over and over.
Although all of the students have different skills and talentsm there are three that deserved mention.
Matt Morgan is so talented and skilled that this writer actually assumed he was part of the staff until Cabreros said otherwise. Morgan currently works with Julie Hoskins of Chic le Chef and cooks prolifically throughout the county. If you attend many public functions around the lake you’ve most likely already eaten his food. He’s also on the cover of the college’s most current class schedule.
Julie Wonderwheel also currently works in the food industry and it is evident in her incredibly precise knife skills. When she's doing cutting up onions it looks like they went through a mandolin. She works quietly in all of her tasks but her performance made her stand out.
Kacie Carson, a Tinkerbell-sized girl, has amazing creativity and an eye for detail that you rarely get to see so early in a career. When she decorated a plate with caramel and chocolate Cabreros said with excitement, “I have never seen anything like that before!” Remember her name; she’s going to be famous.
The prep work continues all morning with each individual doing a specific job on their own, with only as much supervision as they need. The individual students hustles through their particular tasks, but when the restaurant opened they seemed to transform without a word into a seamless machine working in unison to get the lunches out in quick order. It was impressive to see such teamwork, everyone knowing what needed to be done and doing it together.
The restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m. and people are seated right away. Since the restaurant has no particular theme or ethnic style they are able to make all sorts of dishes. Prices are almost freakishly inexpensive; if you have $10 you can easily eat lunch and if you have $20 you can bring a date.
Thursdays are the busiest day of the week since it is prime rib for $8 a day. Prices are perfect for a restaurant on a college campus, giving starving students a much-needed break from ramen noodles.
The timing of the meal orders is impressive. The first table’s orders were placed and the kitchen put it together, completed it and had it on the table in three minutes. The next table took two minutes. The longest wait was five minutes from order to table.
Every table gets a comment card and they get filled in; service, cleanliness, food and speed are rated from one to 10 and a remarkable amount are turned in with 10s filled in across the board.
At 12:45 p.m. the entire crew was still going at full speed but the fatigue was starting to show on their faces after four hours of non-stop work. At 1 p.m. service is completed and the crew starts to prepare their own group lunch, after which is cleanup.
A recent bond measure will be providing the culinary program the funds to enlarge its facilities and hire a larger staff, so if you have ever been interested in a career in the culinary arts now is the time to sign up.
Remember, there can be a waiting list to get into this program. The next semester starts in January and sign up to join it starts Dec. 1 or if you just want a gourmet inexpensive lunch, drop by between 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Aromas Restaurant at Yuba Community College Clearlake Campus is located at 15880 Dam Road Extension, Clearlake. The restaurant can be reached at 995-4804; for general college information call 995-7900.
Ross Christensen writes the Foodie Freak column for Lake County News.
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LAKE COUNTY – Special commemorative events are scheduled to take place around Lake County and the nation on Veterans Day, this coming Tuesday, Nov. 11.
During Veterans Day, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake calls on Americans to recognize the nation's 23.4 million living veterans and the generations before them who fought to protect freedom and democracy.
"While our foremost thoughts are with those in distant war zones today, Veterans Day is an opportunity for Americans to pay their respects to all who answered the nation's call to military service,” said Peake. “Participation in Veterans Day can be as simple as putting out the porch flag or reminding youngsters of the story of a relative who served in the military.”
As part of the national Veterans Day observance, Peake will join White House and military officials and leaders of the major veterans organizations at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery at 11 a.m.
Here in Lake County, the day's events will begin at 7 a.m., as the Avenue of the Flags is posted by volunteers at the Upper Lake, Hartley and Lower Lake cemeteries.
At 8 a.m., a flag-raising ceremony will take place at Veterans Circle at Hartley Cemetery, 2552 Hill Road East, Lakeport.
The main event of the day will begin at 11 a.m. at the Little Theater at the Lake County Fairgrounds. The county's Veterans Day Ceremony and Celebration features speakers and awards to a veteran of the year and an individual who works on behalf of veterans and their issues.
The day will be marked by a very special dedication ceremony from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Nice, where a Blue Star Memorial by-way marker will be unveiled at Triangle Park, located at Manzanita and Howard streets.
The North Lake Garden Club cordially invites the public to the dedication to honor the men and women who served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Dignitaries and participants will include Supervisor Denise Rushing; Public Services Director Kim Clymire; United Veterans Council Chaplain Capt. Woody Hughes; United Veterans Council Military Funeral Honors Team; Elijah Christopher, Navy Construction Builder, Second Class Petty Officer, BU2; California Garden Clubs Inc. President Robin Pokorski; Mendo-Lake District Director GinaBelle Smith; Karen Seydel, Ukiah Bagpipes; Betty Lindvig, Potter Valley Garden Club; Henry Bethel, president, North Lake Garden Club; Sharon Thorne, Blue Star Chairman, North Lake Garden Club; and
Kris Ruben, vice president, North Lake Garden Club.
At 4 p.m., a retreat ceremony with the lowering of the flag will take place at Veterans Circle at Hartley Cemetery.
Later that evening, Chapter 951 of Vietnam Veterans of America will hold its monthly potluck dinner and general meeting. The potluck begins at 6 p.m., with the meeting at 7 p.m.
The group meets at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish Hall, 801 N. Main St., Lakeport. All Vietnam-era veterans, veterans of all eras, their families and friends, and members of the general public are all cordially welcome.
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anniversary.
The county's primary music support group, will mark its special day on Sunday, Nov. 16, with a special concert at Clear Lake High School followed by a no-host dinner at the Little Theater building at the Lake County fairgrounds.
Clear Lake Performing Arts was founded in 1978 under the tutelage of Jean and Lucien Mitchell. They had both been members of the San Francisco Symphony and Opera orchestras, and who wanted to help provide the same sort of cultural opportunities in Lake County – the place they had chosen for retirement.
Their first task was to recruit enough musicians to form a small orchestra and in this they were successful.
The first performance of what came to be the Lake County Symphony took place at the Konocti Harbor resort. Two years later John Parkinson joined as director and conductor and has since built it into one of the largest and best small-market orchestras in California.
Since its founding CLPA also has offered substantial support for the conversion of Lakeport's Soper-Reese theater into a music venue.
For the anniversary program Parkinson has chosen music from the best works of half a dozen 19th century composers starting with the overture from Austrian Franz Schubert's "Rosamunde." Although relatively unknown during his lifetime, Schubert achieved international fame after his untimely early death at the age of 31 in 1828.
The composer of Parkinson's next selection, the overture from "The Barber of Seville," had no such problem. Gioachino Rossini was the writer of 39 operas, many of them in the buffo or comic opera style, of which Barber is perhaps the best known. He was one of the most popular composers of his day.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was another well-known composer whose opera, "Marriage of Figaro," was nearly banned when it was introduced. The symphony will play the overture from this classic tale of social inequality as its next piece. French composer Jacques Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld" will conclude the pre-intermission portion of the concert.
During intermission the ladies of the CLPA Auxiliary will serve complimentary cookies and juice, after which the 20 young people making up the CLPA Youth Orchestra will present their much-rehearsed version of "The Anniversary Waltz."
Andi Skelton, who also doubles as Symphony Concert Mistress, will then lead her Konocti Fiddle Club into a medley of favorites.
The second half of the symphony program will open with Mozart's popular "Serenade in D, K. 239 while the concluding number will highlight another Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn with his "London Symphony No. 104" – the last of his 12 so-called London Symphonies.
At the conclusion of the concert many of the musicians will join CLPA members in a no-host catered buffet dinner at the Lake County Fairgrounds Little Theater building. Members of the general public are also encouraged to participate, since it's a perfect opportunity to get personally acquainted with both CLPA members and members of the orchestra.
The menu consists of sliced barbecue tri-tips, chicken thighs, potato and green salad, beans, rolls and soft drinks. Wines will be offered for sampling by CLPA Wine Committee enthusiasts. Cost of the dinner is $25, and advance reservations are a must. They can be made by calling 263-5876.
The concert will start at 3 p.m. and end in time for all those planning to attend dinner at the fairgrounds to arrive their by the scheduled meal time of 6 p.m.
Concert tickets are $15 for CLPA members and $20 general admission. Young people under 18 are admitted free of charge.
For more information about CLPA, visit the group's Web site at www.clearlakeperformingarts.org.
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LAKE COUNTY – Four young Lake County men are starting out their new careers in the California Highway Patrol after graduating from the CHP Academy last week.
The CHP swore in new officers during graduation ceremonies at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento on Oct. 31.
Among the graduates were four Lake County residents, Ryan Erickson of Lakeport, Marc Peachey and Kiuya Brown of Kelseyville, and Ty Lewis of Clearlake.
This academy training class started on April 28 with 213 cadets, and culminated with the graduation of 145 officers following 27 weeks of intense training, according to Officer Adam Garcia of the CHP's Clear Lake area office.
The class, which is the largest since 2001, includes twin brothers who overcame extreme physical challenges due to their weight to achieve their longtime goal of earning a badge and a mother of three who, after breaking her leg twice during training, will be sworn in nearly two years and three attempts later.
Erickson will report to the Contra Costa Area Office, Peachey goes to the Redwood City Area Office, Kiuya Brown reports to the Hollister-Gilroy Area Office and Ty Lewis joins the Arrowhead Area Office, Garcia said.
When questioned about life at the academy, Garcia said the officers explained how challenging the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course was and how demanding the physical training was.
Garcia said the young men are excited about their new career with the CHP and serving the citizens of California. They were unsure if their new careers would lead them back to Lake County but they did not rule out the thought of eventually transferring to the Clear Lake Office.
The CHP has undertaken a major recruitment push due to a large number of retirements and additional positions that have been authorized by the legislature to meet the growing needs of California, said Garcia.
If anyone is interested in a career in law enforcement should go online to the CHP’s new Web site, www.chpcareers.com, or they may contact the Clear Lake Area office at 279-0103.
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LAKEPORT – Art and local artists were celebrated in Lakeport during this month's First Friday Fling.
The monthly event, hosted by the Lake County Arts Council at its Main Street Gallery in Lakeport, is a chance to put the spotlight on local artists.
This month, Rod Newsick, Ruthie Martin, Terry Rogers and Sophie Lauterborn were the featured artists in the main gallery. In the student gallery, Dan Weiss' third and fourth graders from Cobb Mountain Elementary displayed Hawaiian quilt designs, while Melanie Liotta's fifth and sixth graders, also from Cobb Mountain Elementary, show ceramics and drawings.
"We have the only student gallery in Lake County," said Shelby Posada, the arts council's executive director.
Posada said that, beginning in January, the gallery will start to rotate in juried shows for adults in with the student art shows.
The event also included an update on the Barbara LaForge Memorial, founded by LaForge's friend, Gail Salituri of Inspirations Gallery.
Earlier this year the arts council became a supporter of the effort, which they hosted in a previous First Friday Fling.
On Friday, Salituri introduced some of the latest art available in a silent auction and raffle to benefit the fund. She was joined by local businesswoman and artistic patron Kathy Fowler, a member of the board for the Lake Family Resource Center. The center's domestic violence shelter will be the recipient of the proceeds from the fund.
“I never know what I'm gonna say, so I bring Kathy Fowler with me,” Salituri joked. “She loves to talk.
Salituri introduced a special guest for the evening, LaForge's niece, Stasha Prueitt, who came to honor her aunt's memory.
“This is Barbara LaForge's favorite person in the world,” Salituri said of the young woman.
Fowler called Salituri “the lady with the big heart” for her efforts to benefit the shelter effort.
Salituri said she plans to continue the fundraising efforts into next year.
Donations can be made to the Barbara LaForge Memorial Fund at 165 Main St., Lakeport, or to any Westamerica Bank.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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