North County Life July 2012

PPHHOOTTOO

FFIITTNNEESSSS

2012 GRADUATESMoving up, onward

(pg. 9)

The Spin CycleLife’s good on the bike

(pg. 15)

FENOMENALSustainable treats

(pg. 12)

FOOD & WINE

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Permit 163 AMSPaso Robles, CA

Paso Robles Press

P.O. Box 427

Paso Robles, CA 93447

LifeNORTH COUNTY

Swing, batterNorth County

Indians(pg. 6)

JULY 2012

July 4th fun!Celebrations galore

(Pg. 8)

Cookie Canvas

Beating the clock at Farm Supply’s annual Extreme Quiz Jam

Photo by Jandy JonesTHEY KNOW THEIR AG – Senior Quiz Jam champions pose after being awarded the fastest time in the 14to 18 age bracket. The agriculture-based youth competition returns to the Mid-State Fair on July 22.

Competitors race through agriculture challenges for the best time

Jandy JonesJandy Jones is a fifth- generation San Luis

Obispo County native andcalls Creston home. Shehas a degree in journalism

from Cal Poly and a passion for agriculture.

Jandy enjoys exploring thecounty along with her husband and two dogs.

Jandy Jones

When it comes to Mid-State Fair time, mostpeople think of the animals, the carnival ridesand of course, fair food. For some though, the

year-long anticipation is due to Quiz Jam. Extreme QuizJam, created by Farm Supply Company employees SueTraglia and Susan Hayes, is a series of agriculture-re-lated challenges that children race through for the besttime.

“The event is fun and educational,” Farm SupplyCompany Marketing Coordinator Cara Crye said. “It’sthe perfect way to start off the fair experience for thesejunior livestock exhibitors.”

The participants, ages nine through 18, compete inteams of four against the clock. The challenge is to suc-cessfully complete five agriculture-related stations andrace across the finish line. Each age bracket has champi-

Jennifer Best

When ElizabethAdams puts herpaintbrush to work,

chances are slim she's paintingon traditional canvas. When allis said and done, she's just aslikely to eat her creations asgive them away.

Adams is an internationallyrecognized painter of cookies,a cookie baker and decorator –in modern parlance, a “cook-ier.”

"The community of thecookier is worldwide, cookiesare huge online and the chal-lenges posed there open yourmind up," she said. “There arejust so many amazing ideas outthere and it's inspiring to befriends with all these creativepeople. It's a very supportivecommunity.”

The Paso Robles stay-at-home mother of three young-sters began documenting hercookie decorating efforts in2010 after creating a particu-larly ornate, monogram-and-polka-dot design for herdaughter's 7th birthday.

In 2012, her cookie deco-rating and documentation proj-ect took off.

“I didn't know there wassuch a large community of

cookiers. I started posting formyself because when you eatyour art you kind of forgetwhat you've done. You losetrack of your creations," Adamssaid.

Today, her blog (ArtyMc-goo.blogspot.com) has morethan 5,000 followers, and she'sbeen selected as a presenter forCookieCon, an internationalcookie making, baking anddecorating convention slatedfor Salt Lake City, Utah in No-vember.

“There's always a reason tohave cookies," Adams said.

Cookie decorating involvesa long process. Once the cook-ies are cut out, baked andcooled, they receive the RoyalIcing treatment and must sit for

Jennifer BestJennifer Best is a San Luis Obispo native who recently moved to Creston with her husbandand children. She is the author of "Best Family Adventures: San Luis Obispo County" and"Best Family Adventures: Santa Barbara.” Though her great grandparents included farmers,a dairyman and builder of hand-crafted homes, Jennifer's still working out the basics ofcountry living: sawing in a straight line and raising a garden in spite of gophers and squir-rels. If you've worked out the secrets to flourishing in the country, or have a story idea,

contact her at [email protected].

Paso Robles mom Elizabeth Adamsputs her paintbrush to use –with irresistible results

COOKIE pg. 11

QUIZ JAM pg. 7

Photo by Jennifer BestFRESH FROM THE OVEN – Elizabeth Adams is aninternationally recognized painter of cookies.

page 2

LifeNORTH COUNTY

NEWSCOMMUNITYSPORTS

PUBLISHERJeremy Burke

EDITOR IN CHIEFHayley [email protected]

STAFF WRITERSJandy JonesCreig P. SherburneMeagan FribergLisa PrettyJosh PetrayJanis SwitzerHeather YoungJennifer Best

Visit us on www.facebook.com/northcountylife

Follow us on www.twitter.com/northcountylife

NORTH COUNTY LLiiffeePublished monthly by Paso Robles Press & Atascadero News

www.YourNCL.com

Paso Robles PressP.O. Box 427Paso Robles, CA 93447Ph: (805) 237-6060Fx: (805) 237-6066www.PasoRoblesPress.com

Atascadero News5660 El Camino RealAtascadero, CA 93447Ph: (805) 466-2585Fx: (805) 466-2714www.AtascaderoNews.com

LifeNORTH COUNTY

NEWS: 3

BEAUTY: 8

CALENDAR: 10

GOOD EATS: 12

COMMUNITY: 4

FITNESS: 14

PUZZLE: 11

July 2012 North County Life

Summertime fun!This year, Fourth of July eventsabound in North County.

Atascadero is putting on its firstcitywide event in many years, PasoRobles will be alive with fireworksand there’s more to see and do inthis month’s community calendar.

We hope you’ll get out there and celebratewith us – even if you just fire up the grillin your own backyard.

Hayley Thomas,Editor, North County [email protected]

North County Life July 2012 page 3

Contributed

TThe Paso Robles Children’s Museum atthe Volunteer Firehouse celebrated an-other year of growth, exuberance and

learning while remembering its founder, TomMartin. The event kicked off in June at TheRavine Water Park.

Organizers credited Ravine Water Parkowner Brett Butterfield for helping host a fun-filled day with family friendly activities. Apopular activity offered was the “Rubber DuckDerby.” Attendees were able to purchase “aduck for a buck” and proceeds went directlyto PRCM.

The ducks where then released into theLazy River, and the top ten ducks to finishtheir journey won prizes for their owners.“Tom Martin was a man with a dream for

our children. He had a vision to enhance thequality of the play experience for the childrenof our community,” said museum managerTamara Richardson. “His passion for childrenis the heart of the Museum. It’s truly evident inthe friendly experience you feel when youcome to the Firehouse.”

Richardson said she felt the same waywhen she was first introduced to Butterfield. “He also has a dream for the children and

the families of our community and it’s evidentin the passion and hard work he dedicated tothe Ravine and our community,” she said. “This was a perfect location to celebrate thelife and legacy of Tom Martin.”

The Paso Robles Children’s Museumis located at 623 13th St., Paso Robles.Visit www.pasokids.org or call 238-7432for more information.

Tom Martin Day makes a splash

File photoGrandchildren of the late Tom Martin, Riley and MaceSherlock, splash at the Ravine as the Paso Robles Children’s Museum celebrated Tom Martin Day.

Templeton Rotary Music Festraises voices, funds for high schools

Near sell-out crowd packs Templeton Performing Arts Center

By Josh Petray

Choral notes rangthrough the Tem-pleton Performing

Arts Center last month,spurring a sense of joy andsatisfaction on behalf of alocal service club who – forthe second year-in-a-row –has made it a point to helpsupport the arts and musicprograms throughoutthe entire North Countyand beyond.

The Templeton Ro-tary Club hosted its sec-ond annual TempletonRotary Club Music Fes-tival, whose proceedsbenefit music programsin the county. Celebra-tion Chorus was the au-dience favorite. The RotaryClub gave two high schoolhonorariums of $500 eachand two first-prize awardsof $500, totaling $2,000.Morro Bay took home firstplace in the high school di-vision, and the CuestaChamber singers were thejudges' choice.

For more informationon the Templeton RotaryClub, visit www.templetonrotary.com.

Photos by Josh PetrayAbove, The Cuesta

Chamber Singers performat the Templeton Perform-ing Arts Center, takinghome the top judges’

choice award for non-youthperformers. Below, tapdancers sing and shine.

Meagan Friberg

Humble. This is theword that comes tomind when talking

with Central Coast Acad-emy of Taekwondo Presi-dent and Grand MasterGlen Boyer. Executive di-rector of the Paso Roblesnonprofit martial artsschool, Boyer holds a 7thDegree Black Belt in TaeKwon Do and Hapkido.

A quiet, simple man byall accounts, one only has tospend an hour at Boyer’smartial arts school to knowthere is a bit more to thishumble man.

“We fell in love withMaster Boyer from the verybeginning,” Julie Wouterssaid.

Wouters and her family,husband, Justin and chil-dren Evie and Tristan, areall students at the academy."He introduced our familyto a whole new world."

Wouters, a Tae KwonDo champion, is currentlytaking a break from trainingduring pregnancy. She saidBoyer is very tied in withpresidents of various Taek-wondo associations and hehas introduced her family tomost of them.

"We had never donemartial arts before and myhusband wanted to try it,"Wouters said. "It is some-thing we can all do togetheras a family, and it is a goodworkout. It’s a wonderfulenvironment — it's some-thing that pushes you men-tally as well as physically."

Organizations such asthe World Tae Kwon DoFederation in Seoul, Korea,United States OlympicCommittee, California Uni-fied Tae Kwon Do Associa-tion and CCATKD’s parentorganization, the SouthWestern Association ofMartial Arts and others toovast to mention also recog-nize the school and MasterBoyer’s commitment to ex-cellence.In business on the north

end of Paso Robles for thepast three years, the CentralCoast Academy of Taek-wondo is recognized as oneof the premiere schools ofmartial art not only in PasoRobles but across Californiaand the entire nation as anoutstanding college of mar-tial arts, fitness and health.For the past two years, sev-eral CCATKD studentshave achieved Californiastate championship status.

“Our job, our motto is todevelop leaders and culti-vate champions,” Boyersaid. “It’s so easy to deflatean ego. We don’t want to dothat here. We want to buildup our students.”

• Commitment to excellence

According to Boyer, atthe academy the emphasishas always been placedupon excellence – excel-lence in personal discipline,physical achievements, aca-demics and in martial arttechnique and fighting abil-ity. In addition, students are

held to standards for a highlevel of moral and personalattitude and achievement.

“Oftentimes, studentswho come in here for onereason end up doing differ-ent things,” Boyer said.“Their grades improve, Bsbecome As because theylearn how to focus, theylearn how to concentrate,they learn to stick with atopic. We connect mind,body and spirit. That spillsover into school, work,other sports, even surfing –it works for everything. Wework on agility and dexter-ity. It is hand-eye coordina-

tion down to its finest.”Boyer grew up in San

Diego, spent six years as anAir Force Military Police-man in Korea and Vanden-berg, graduated college andworked as an IT director be-fore reconnecting with amilitary buddy who hadmoved to the Paso Roblesarea. In addition to TaeKwon Do and Hapkido, hehas also studied boxing andkickboxing, Shaolin Kenpo,Kendo, Judo, Jui-Jitsu,Muay Thai and Escrima. Heoffers instruction in TaeKwon Do, Hapkido, kick-boxing, fitness, health and

nutrition. “This is my full-time gig

now,” Boyer said. “I hadbeen doing this just for fun.I got my start as a kid at theold YMCA. I have friendswho were on the U.S. Teamand were Olympic champi-ons. That’s where I was sup-posed to go, but I decided togo into the Air Force. It wasnot in my heart to compete;my heart was to do some-thing for my country.”

P.J. Boreham, AndiaLashlee, Jonathan Bluff andJustin Wouters currently as-sist Boyer in coaching stu-

dents at the school. Many ofthe academy students serveor have served in the UnitedStates Army, Navy,Marines, Air Force or CoastGuard.

The academy boastssuccess in the area of reha-bilitation training and hasbeen called upon to providerehabilitation for individu-als injured in accidents aswell. In addition, patientsfrom a variety of medicaland clinical treatment pro-grams, as well as individu-als needing assistance withweight loss, nutrition alter-natives, building confidenceand personal self defenseare among those who havebenefited from the classesand personal attention of-fered through the school.

July 2012 North County Lifepage 4

BUSINESS FEATUREBUSINESS FEATURE

Central Coast Academy of Taekwondo – not your average fitness facilityInstilling excellence, one student at a time

Photos by Meagan Friberg

MASTER BOYER – Grand Master Glen Boyerworks with Andie Boardman, left, and TristanWouters as they train alongside fellow studentsduring a recent class.

HELPING HAND – Grand Master Boyerprovides personal instruction to hisstudents during a recent class.

Action-packed fun

� � Enjoy classes in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, kickboxing, self-defense

and fitness

� � Classes offered Mondaythrough Friday

�� Located at 2101 Vanderlip Ct.#1 in Paso Robles

� � Call 975-2281 for more information or e-mail

[email protected]


Hayley Thomas

The summer sun was-n't the only thingsizzling last month

as a record 700 visitorsflocked to Templeton Com-munity Park for the ninthannual Paso Robles Pinot& Paella Festival.

Twenty pinot noir pro-ducers and nearly just asmany chefs chefs gatheredfor the culinary celebration,which featured live musicby Incendio and plenty offresh ingredients to noshon. Each paella featured alively twist, from coconutcurry flavors to traditional Spanish flare. Savory pork,chicken and seafood com-binations simmered in

large, flat pans in the after-noon sun. Tasters were en-couraged to vote on eachdish, although choosing afavorite proved nearly im-possible for many. A re-freshing breeze kept tasterscool and ready for seconds,thirds and fourth helpings.The first Pinot & PaellaFestival began nearly adecade ago at WindwardVineyard, which producespinot noir exclusively.

The event now boaststhe best pinot noir from arange of local wineries in-cluding Le Vigne,Sculpterra and AdelaidaCellars, among others.Windward Vineyard Tast-ing Room Manager andPinot & Paella Festival or-

ganizer Anna Tognazziniwas encouraged by thisyear's support.

“We sold out far in ad-vance. The people havebeen coming from all overthe state,” Tognazzini said.“All the chefs were sure toprepare extra paella inpreparation of a sold-outevent.”

The festival raised morethan $25,000, which waspresented to the Paso Rob-les Youth Arts Foundationduring its Summer Revueevent held on Thursday,June 14.

Said Tognazzini, “Thisyear's festival has been really spectacular.”

Ninth Pinot & Paella simmers in Templeton� � A steamy $25,000 raised for Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation

Photos by Hayley Thomas

YUM – Paella mixedwith king salmon, starryflounder, lingcod, manillaclam, littleneck clam andblue mussels prepared

by Dockside.

From left, EstrellaExecutive Chef Ryan

Swarthout and Chef deCuisine Travis Borba serve

up a vibrant dish for agood cause.

TOAST TOAST –– Windward VineyardTasting Room Manager and Pinot& Paella Festival organizer AnnaTognazzini was encouraged by

this year's support.

GET IT WHILE IT’S HOT GET IT WHILE IT’S HOT –– Hundreds line up for hot portions of paella last month. The eventraised $25,000 for local youth programs. BELOW: Chef Charlie drizzles his paella with OleaFarms olive oil before serving.


Meagan Friberg

Calling the first two weekends of play "a tremendous success," North County Indians’owner and general manager Kevin Haughian said he is encouraged by the size of thecrowds showing up to cheer on Templeton’s new semi-professional baseball team.

“We had a great crowd opening night,” Haughian said. “We appreciate all of the sup-port and enthusiasm.”

The Indians arrived in style to their grand opening ceremony last month courtesy ofCentral Coast Trolley. Ladies in attendance received a red carnation provided by Temple-ton's Adelaide Floral. The Templeton High School Band as well as local favorite The FairWeather Four Barbershop Quartet performed for the crowd. Ceremonial first pitches werethrown out by Templeton Unified School District Board President Dr. Nelson Yamagata,Atascadero Mayor Bob Kelley and San Luis Obispo County’s District One SupervisorFrank Mecham.

Following opening ceremonies, the Indians took to the field in their first of a four-gameseries against Nor Cal. The Indians secured a 4-3 victory after the Longhorns left whatwould have been the tying run on third base for the final out.

“It was an exciting ball game for us,” Indians’ head coach Dan Marple said.The Indians returned the next day with added strength, beating the Longhorns by a

whopping 26-1 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.“We swung the bat very well,” Marple said. He also praised the pitching performance of Cal Poly recruit Casey Bloomquest, who

threw five solid innings. “All of the guys played a really good game.”The win set the team up for a tough night cap game according to Marple because he said

a team that scores 26 runs has a tendency to let down a bit after a seven-inning ball game.“I told the players before the second game that we were going to be in a battle,” Marple

said. That statement held true as the Indians were down 3-0 at the end of the fifth inning.

After scratching for a run in the sixth inning, the Indians managed to mount a good come-back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh to claim a 4-3 victory over the Long-horns.

The Indians suffered their first defeat of the season in the final game of the series lastmonth as they fell 7-4 to the Longhorns.

“We are off to a nice start,” Marple said. “I could not be more pleased with the make-up of this club – they hustle, they play hard and they all get along. They have blended welltogether in just two short weeks. That’s really a tough thing to do in a summer ball club be-cause we have players coming from all over California.”

Haughian agreed, saying he is very impressed with everyone in the lineup and citedthree Cal State Northridge players –Aaron Ashston, Mike Lovingston and Ryan Raslowsky— as standouts.

He also pointed to two of Cal Poly’s top recruits, catcher Brian Mundell and pitcherCasey Bloomquest as welcome additions to the lineup. According to Haughian, Mundell, a catcherfrom Valencia, was drafted this week in the fifth round by the Dodgers but decided to take a full rideto Cal Poly instead.

“It’s a good blend of local high school, junior college and four-year college ball players,” Haugh-ian said. “The community is going to see some real good baseball, some great on-field promotions,fun songs from the announcers and a few silly things, too. It’s good, affordable family fun.”

Bring the entire family out to watch the North County Indians as they continue their summer pro-gram.

“We will be here to play and we will play hard,” Marple said, adding he encourages the commu-nity to come out and support their local semi-pro team. “With the Indians, you are going to see ateam that really hustles, puts the ball in play and plays good brand of defense.”

For a full schedule and more information, visit www.northcountyindians.com and be sure to “like”them on Facebook for photos and updates.

Play ball! Templeton’s semi-pro team has arrived

Photos by Meagan FribergFormer Paso Robles BearcatBrett Wise takes his turn atbat during the Indians’ fourgame series against the Nor

Cal Longhorns.

Indians’ first basemanAaron Ashston, from CalState Northridge, at batduring the opening cere-mony game held last

month.

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ons and reserve championsthat walk away with sweat-shirts, savings bonds and giftcertificates. All competitorsget goody bags filled with hatsand other souvenirs. Someeven have coupons for freejeans or passes to The RavineWaterpark. Competitors earntheir rewards hard by facingoff with tractor tires, ropingdummies and safety gear. Butit wasn’t always this way.

“It was a contest of knowl-edge,” Susan Hayes said aboutthe Quiz Jam’s inception.

It started as a quiz of 50questions related to horses,cattle, goats, dogs, cats andmore. Each participant had toanswer 10 questions at fivestations in a set time. The topscores won prizes and eachparticipant walked away withsouvenirs. As popularity grew,Hayes and her fellow organiz-ers realized they needed tochange it up it to keep thechildren on their toes. Ex-treme Quiz Jam was born.

“We just want to get kidsexposed to different thingslike changing a tire,” Hayessaid. “Just get them morehands-on.”

It wasn’t easy though. Thechallenges had to be userfriendly and couldn’t be dan-gerous. Ideas were tossedaround and vetoed out, mainlydue to safety issues. In theend, organizers came up with

six stations: Changing a tire,vaccinating and ear-tagging afake calf, roping and brandinga fake calf, tacking up a fakehorse, moving hay bales andidentifying items.

The children are brokeninto two age divisions: Ninethrough 13 and 14 through 18.They compete in teams offour to accomplish the chal-lenges. In the past, the eventhas taken up to 50 teams.

“There was really a re-newed enthusiasm with thekids in teams having to worktogether,” Hayes said.

It has been seven yearssince Quiz Jam went “ex-treme,” and it continues togrow. Hayes said it’s not onlybecause of the youth enthusi-asm, but the sponsors as well.

The event would not bepossible without the help ofthe community. The sponsorlist tops at 25 mostly localbusinesses and friends of thejam. It’s also run by an assort-

ment of friendly volunteers.The community has al-

ways been amped about spon-soring the event; it’s easy tohelp out the children, Hayessaid.

Many loyal volunteershave been assisting with theevent since it went extremeseven years ago, and thestands are always full.

“It’s quite entertaining forthe spectators too,” Crye said.

Recently, the event haschanged some of the chal-lenges because rumors werefloating around that competi-tors were practicing in the “offseason,” Hayes said.

The event is free with fairadmission and will be held onJuly 22 at 7 p.m. in the horseshow arena at the fairgrounds.

To pick up a registrationform or for more informationvisit Farm Supply or call 238-1177.

“There was really a renewed enthusiasm with thekids in teams having to work together.” – Susan Hayes

As his team mates look on, abrave roper attempts to wrangler

the “steer” to be branded.

Competitors must eartag and vaccinate a “calf” aspart of the Extreme Quiz Jam challenge.

QUIZ JAMContinued from Pg. 1

Photos by Jandy JonesChanging a tractor tire is just one of several

challenges competitors face in Extreme Quiz Jam.

FEATURED WINERY

VINOTHERAPY’SRED SOLES WINERY

After years of want-ing to experimentwith their own

fruit, Cheryl Phillips finallyconvinced her husband,Randy, to make some wine.

Not having anyequipment, the pair crushedthat historic first barrel withtheir own feet. Following afruitful romp in that first binof grapes, the couple stum-bled upon the name RedSoles while admiring eachother's red, grape-stainedfeet. That first crush of Pe-tite Sirah and Zinfandelgrapes later became thefounding partner's premiervintage, their 2004 Kick-Off.

This uniquely success-wine-making duo happilyrun the tasting room them-selves. Each wine in theirline-up is estate-grown, andthe duo is proud of the factthat they do not source theirwine grapes from any vine-yard other than their own.

Although the winery isdefinitely a full-time busi-ness, the main focus ofRandy and Cheryl's com-pany will always be farm-ing. There is somethingextremely satisfying aboutbeing able to be part of awine grape's journey from

dust to vine and vine to bar-rel. Currently, the pair ownstwo hundred acres of winegrapes; half are on the eastside of Paso Robles and theother half are at the winerysite in the Templeton Gap.

Only a small percentageof what is grown getsturned into Red Soles wine;the rest of the grapes aresold to large wineries, mostof whom they have beendoing business with foryears.

If you want an afternoonto remember, stop by thetasting room, meet the own-ers, taste some deliciouswines and bring yourfriends on over for a relax-ing picnic on the oak andvine edged lawn.

SIP NOWEVENTS

ROBERT HALL 4TH OFJULY CELEBRATION6 - 10 p.m.

Eat, Drink and Danceunder the 4th of July Fire-works. Live Entertainmentby the Tom Nolan Band.Your ticket includes a fullmeal from Ribline withRibs, BBQ Chicken, BBQBaked Beans, Garden Saladand Brownies. $42/pp;$34/Club Members,$22/children. Call 239-1616.

JULY 7

HWY 46 BLOCK PARTYAT CASTORO CELLARS 6:30 p.m.

The Famous, FabulousHwy 46W NeighborhoodBlock Party is back. Tastewine from the 14 memberwineries and enjoy a casual'mini-wine festival' atmos-phere. Enjoy a delicious AllAmerican BBQ by PopoloRotisserie Cafe and greatlive music by Nataly Lolaand Michael Shelton.$35/pp Call 238-0725.

JULY 8

VERIS CELLARS WITH VINOITHERAPY STUDIO12 - 2 p.m.

Complimentary chairmassage with tasting pro-vided by Veris Cellars,home of JanKris, BenHogan & Nova Vitawines. Get pampered bythe vine while drinkingwine. Every second Sun-day of every month. Call434-0319.

JULY 13

FIRST CRUSH WINEMAKING EXPERIENCE 3 - 5 p.m

This seminar pro-vides guests a wonderfulintroduction to PasoRobles wine country, itswines, and how to taste

them. The presentationgives guests an overviewof how terrior influenceswine taste and learn howwine is made, along withlearning how to evaluatewines.$30/pp. Call 434-2772.

BEAUTY TIPSEYE TREATMENTS

Eyelash Perm $50Beautifully curls your

lashes, lasting up to twolush months.

Eyelash Tint $20Darkening the lashes

emphasizes the eyes with-out the use of make-up. Anexcellent option for thosewith an active lifestyle.

Eyebrow Tint $15Darkening the brows

emphasizes the eyes withoutthe use of make-up. An ex-cellent option for those withan active lifestyle.

Botox & FillersOn July 18 get half-off

pricing on Botox & fillers atVino Therapy. Call 466-8466 for an appointment.

BOOK A GIRL’S NIGHT OUT PARTY

Why go to the bar,when you candrink, eat and be

pampered? (Groups of fouror more only)

$40 Per Person:A GlassOf Wine, Wine Foot Soak &Champagne Sugar ScrubFoot Treatment, Port Infused

Truffles, Chair Massage$65 Per Person: A

Glass Of Wine, Wine FootSoak & Champagne SugarScrub Foot Treatment, PortInfused Truffles, 30 MinVino Massage or Coco-CabFacial

$85 Per Person: AGlass Of Wine, Wine FootSoak & Champagne SugarScrub Foot Treatment, PortInfused Truffles, an array ofappetizers, Vino Massage orFacial.

Then, continue with aneducational wine tasting atThe Barrel Room, whichfeatures seven different bou-tique wineries. The BarrelRoom is located next door toVino Therapy in downtownAtascadero.

page 8 July 2012 North County Life

Wine, Lips & Beauty Tips by Nena Benson

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trada Ave. in downtown Atascadero.

Heather Young

For the first time indecades, citizens ofAtascadero can stay

in town for a Fourth of Julycelebration. For manyyears, no official celebra-tion has taken place in Atas-cadero on the federal

holiday.While there will be no

fireworks this year, MayorBob Kelley said it could bediscussed in the future. Ac-cording to the city of Atas-cadero, the last yearfireworks were held in Atas-cadero was 1982. Atas-cadero City Fire

Department Chief KurtStone said that due to firerisk, the city council passedan ordinance that bannedthe use of fireworks withincity limits.

“We thought it might betoo big of a thing to jumpinto the first time,” Kelleysaid, adding that the ex-

pense was prohibitive, aswell as having to change thecity’s ordinance that bansfireworks.

Regardless of whetheror not fireworks will be apart of future events, Kelleysaid that he and the othermembers of the communitycommittee want it to be afamily day at the Atas-cadero Lake Park.

“I think it’s really goingto be great,” Kelley said.

He said that CouncilmanJerry Clay came up the ideato restart the annual cele-bration, but it was whenKelley was walking throughWinter Wonderland that hereally “got it.”

“I was just walkingthrough and caught myselfgrinning,” Kelley said. “Isaw all these families [hav-ing fun] without having topay anything.”

The day will start at 7a.m. with 10K, 5K and one-mile runs and a Lions Clubpancake breakfast. It willend at 7 p.m., giving, Kelleysaid, people who want tosee fireworks time to travelto one of the cities that do

put on firework shows.In addition to various ac-

tivities throughout the day,the Charles Paddock Zoowill offer free admission.Kelley said that donationswill be accepted throughoutthe day for those that wouldlike to make a donation tothe zoo.

The wading pool next tothe lake will also be openfor free that day.

In addition to the runssponsored by KennedyClub Fitness, K-Man Cycle& Run will sponsor a bikeride starting at 10 a.m. anda Babe Ruth baseball gamewill also start at 10 a.m. atAlvord Field.

Committee memberSteve Martin said arts andcrafts, informational booths,cotton candy, kettle cornand other vendors are beingsought. Martin said that thevendors should not competewith the main food vendors.Those interested in being avendor should contact AlFonzi at 423-5482 or [email protected].

The committee is stillseeking sponsors to add to

those it already has:Wysong Construction,Rabobank, Mission Com-munity Bank and the Atas-cadero News.

“It’s not to make anymoney, but to just have anice day at the park,” Kelleysaid.

He said that any moneyleft over from this year willbe held over for next year’sevent.

Kelley also said thecommittee is seeking volun-teers to help with the event.To volunteer, call Martin.

In the evening, whileparents enjoy music by theMartin Paris Band, a freemovie will be shown atGalaxy Theatres for chil-dren.

For more, go to vistatascadero.com.

Atascadero to gather for citywide July 4th fun

File photoA slew of events are slated for The Fourth ofJuly in Atascadero, including free zoo passes,lakeside festivities and more.

For more July 4thevents, see the

community calendaron page 10.


GO, GRADS! SENIORS TAKE CENTER STAGEAtascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles cheer on class of 2012

Photos by Hayley Thomas

Paso Robles High School Class of2012 graduates are applauded bytheir family, friends and peers.

Photo by Hayley Thomas

LEAD THE WAY – PRHS Senior classpresident Elizabeth Kerr encouragedher peers to push through challenges

on the road ahead.

Photo by Colleen GoodmanTempleton High School graduated 180

seniors in the Class of 2012 last month.

Photo by Colleen Goodman

Templeton High School graduatesrecieve their diplomas.

Photo by Creig P. SherburneAndrew Bergdorf, a Top 30 and

freshly-graduated Atascadero HighSchool student who had a specificmention in Commencement speakerKennedy Fields’ speech, heads back

to his seat, diploma in hand.

Photo by Creig P. SherburneNow graduated, 345 AHSstudents move on to thenext phase of their lives.

Photo by Creig P. SherburneHats show off the personality andpanache of AHS’s Class of 2012.


Community Calendar

TUESDAY,JULY 3

TUESDAYS AT THEPARKThe Atascadero Chamberof Commerce will hostTuesday Evenings at theLake from June 19through Aug. 28. TheAtascadero Elks barbecuecrew prepares the mealsthat are hosted by variouscommunity organizations.Barbecued chicken andsirloin with beans, bread,salad and beverage isserved from 5 to 7 p.m.,followed by the Atas-cadero Community Bandperforming free “BigBand” concerts from 7 to 8p.m. at the Lake ParkBandstand. Tickets areavailable at the event orfrom any member of an or-ganization that’s hosting abarbecue, or call theChamber office at 466-2044 for additional infor-mation. Tickets are $12each for those 12 andolder, seniors 60 and overare $10 each and children11 and under are $6. Take-out will be available. Thehosts of the July 3 eventare Quota Internationaland Community ActionPartnership of San LuisObispo County.

WEDNESDAY,JULY 4

ROBERT HALLCELEBRATIONRobert Hall Winery's An-nual 4th of July celebrationwill feature food, drinkand dance under the 4th ofJuly fireworks from 6 to 10p.m. Live entertainmentwill be provided by theTom Nolan Band. Yourticket includes a full mealfrom Ribline with Ribs.Enjoy a glass of wine andan amazing view of thefireworks. $42/person ($34Cavern Club members)and $22 a plate for chil-

dren 6-12. Blankets andlawn chairs welcome. Nooutside alcohol allowed.For more information, call239-1616.

ATASCADERO FOURTHOF JULYThe Atascadero Fourth ofJuly celebration will beheld at Atascadero LakePark on July 4 from 7 a.m.to 7 p.m. The day will startwith three fun runs — 5K,10K and one mile — and apancake breakfast by theLion’s Club. The day willinclude lunch and dinnerfor sale, old-fashionedgames, live music, free ad-mission to the zoo andwading pool and more. Formore information, go tow w w . v i s i t a t a scadero.com.

TEMPLETON FOURTHOF JULYTempleton’s annual Inde-pendence Day Parade,sponsored by the Temple-ton Kiwanis Club, will beheld on July 4 at 10 a.m.and will run along MainStreet. After the parade,there will be an awardsceremony, food, entertain-ment, music, fun andgames. Before the parade,the Templeton Fire Depart-ment will hold its annualpancake breakfast from 7to 9:30 a.m. Tickets are $4a person or $1 for childrenunder 10. For more infor-mation, call Kay Walker at237-9825.

SANTA MARGARITAFOURTH OF JULYSanta Margarita will holdits annual Fourth of Julycelebration on July 4 from9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Commu-nity members are encour-aged to decorate bikes andwagons in red, white andblue and join the paradedown H street. After theparade there will be livemusic, games, contests, artand craft faire and more atSanta Margarita Commu-nity Park. For more infor-

mation, call 438-5011 orgo to www.santamargaritacc.org.

PASO ROBLES FOURTHOF JULYThere will be a 4th of Julycelebration and fireworksdisplay at BarneySchwartz Park in PasoRobles. Parking is $10 percar and $15 for RVs andtrailers. Limited free park-ing available at the park,paid parking at adjacentChandler Ranch lot: lookfor signs. The park opensat noon. Music and foodwill be provided all day.Bounce houses open at 2p.m. Kids games begin at 3p.m. The official programgoes from 7:30 to 8 p.m.Fireworks begin at approx-imately 9:15 p.m. Formore, visit www.pasofireworks.com.

FRIDAY,JULY 6

PASO ROBLES CONCERTS IN THEPARK

Contemporary rock will beon-hand during the Con-certs in the Park series asTruth about Seafood takethe stage on Friday, July 6from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. atthe Paso Robles City ParkGazebo. A long time fa-vorite of the Central Coastwith a blend of acousticdriven rock and a classicrock sound, this banddraws a wide range offans. For more concerts inthe park, visitwww.prcity.com.

ALMOND COUNTRYQUILT GUILDPlease join the AlmondCountry Quilters Guild forits July meeting on Friday,July 6 at Trinity LutheranChurch, 940 Creston Roadin Paso Robles. Social be-gins at 6:30 p.m., and thegeneral meeting begins at7 p.m. The July agendawill include a lecture bySue Rasmussen titled "TheIns and Outs of SewingMachine Needles andThreads." For more infor-mation about the guild,please check out www.al-mondcountryquilters.org.

SATURDAY,JULY 7

ATASCADERO PARKCONCERTSThe city of Atascadero willhost its summer concert

series July 7 throughAug. 11 at AtascaderoLake Park from 6:30 to8:30 p.m. The concert isfree and open to the pub-lic. Pacific HarvestCatering will have gour-met barbecue for pur-chase. On July 7, theJammies will perform.

TUESDAY,JULY 10

STORYFESTThe Atascadero librarywill host Evening Sto-ryfest for Families willtake place on Tuesdaysfrom July 10 to 31 from6:30 to 7 p.m. Parents,grandparents, aunts anduncles are invited to bringtheir youngsters to a fun-filled evening. Each ses-sion will feature a specialguest appearance. All arewelcome to come in pj’sand to bring a stuffed cud-dly toy or “blankee.” Sto-ryfest is free to the public.

FRIDAY,JULY 13

ACOUSTIFYThe Concerts in the Parkseries presents classic popAcoustify on Friday, July13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.at the Paso Robles CityPark Gazebo. Acoustify ismade up of members ofthe bands Shades of Grayand The Rhythm Methodto make one cool, laid-back acoustic sound, per-fect for a summerevening.

SATURDAY,JULY 14

LAVENDER FESTIVALThe fourth annual CentralCoast Lavender Festivalwill held in the Down-town Paso Robles CityPark on July 14 from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. The freeevent celebrates the laven-der industry–an emerginglocal product–and fea-tures lavender producersfrom throughoutthe county, who will servetastes of lavender cuisine,sampling of lavender oils,dipping sauces, lavenderice cream, and educationon lavender, lavendergrowing, and sustain-able farming prac-tices. There will be freeseminars on distillinglavender, benefitsof lavender, and demon-

strations throughout theday in the CityPark Gazebo. Learn moreabout the Lavender Festi-val at www.centralcoast-lavenderfestival.com.

MID-STATE CRUISERSThe Mid-State Cruizerswill hold its monthlyShow & Shine gatheringat the Adobe Plaza on thesecond Saturday of themonth at 5 p.m. Bring acar or just stop by andlook at the cars. For moreinformation, call 466-3853.

WEDNESDAY,JULY 18

CALIFORNIA MID-STATE FAIRThe California Mid-StateFair will take you on “TheGreat American RoadTrip” July 18 through 29.Don’t miss all the fairfood, wild rides, livestockshows, mutton bustin andgood times. Visitwww.midstatefair,com formore details.

THURSDAY,JULY 19

PEAR VALLEY MUSICBring a picnic and yourfriends to Pear Valley Es-tate Wine at 4900 UnionRoad and listen to theGrammy Award winningmusic of Louie Ortegawhile enjoying a PasoRobles sunset as the PearValley Estate Wine Sum-mer Sunset Concert seriescontinues on ThursdayJuly 19 from 5:30 to 8:30

p.m. This is a compli-mentary event – Pear Val-ley wine will be availablefor purchase, please nooutside alcohol. Call 237-2861 for more informa-tion.

FRIDAY,JULY 20

OLD CALIFORNIOUrban cowboy music willbe on hand during theConcerts in the Park se-ries as Old Californiotakes to the stage on Fri-day, July 20 from 5:30 to7:30 p.m. at the Paso Rob-les City Park Gazebo.

THURSDAY,JULY 26

PANCAKE BREAKFASTA free pancake breakfastwill be offered from 7:30to 10:30 a.m. in theDowntown City Park.Pancakes, eggs, sausage,orange juice and coffeewill be served. Music,rides from Harris StageLines and Rawhide Ex-press Train and exotic an-imals from Zoo to Youwill also be featured.Breakfast is free, but youmust have a ticket. Ticketsare available Monday,July 11 through Wednes-day, July 28 at downtownmerchants displaying a"Free Breakfast Tickets"sign.

Get involved, see, taste and play

– MID-STATE FAIR RETURNS –The California Mid-State Fair will take you on “The GreatAmerican Road Trip” July 18 through 29. Don’t miss all thefair food, wild rides, livestock shows, mutton bustin andgood times. Visit www.midstatefair.com for more details.

www.centralcoasthospice.comP: 805-540-6020 F: 805-540-6025

Come make a Difference!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDCall today or check online about our

volunteering programs.


FARMER’SMarkets

Atascadero Farmer’s MarketWEDNESDAYS 3PM - 6PMAlbertsons parking lot

Atascadero(805) 239-6535

Paso Country Farm & Craft Market

SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM11th and Spring streets Downtown City Park

Paso Robles(805) 238-4029

Paso Robles Farmer’s MarketTUESDAYS 3PM - 6PM11th and Spring streets Downtown City Park

Paso Robles(805) 237-9254

Paso 101 Open Aire Farmer’s Market

THURSDAYS 3PM - 6PMSan Paso Truck Stop

(off HWY 101)Paso Robles(805) 286-1436

Paso Robles Farmer’s MarketFRIDAYS 4PM - 7PM

Golden Hills Plaza at Lowe’sPaso Robles(805) 610-5023

Templeton Farmer’s MarketSATURDAYS 9AM - 12:30PMCity Park at 5th and Crocker

streets, Templeton(805) 239-6535

a day to dry. Then the deco-rating can begin.

Adams bakes by day ornight, typically decoratesafter the distraction of familyhas gone to bed, takes herown photographs and writesher own blog entries whichmay include family stories,project directions or entirelyrandom missives.

"I lose time when I cre-ate. Sometimes I watch thesun come up," Adams said. "Ihave to do something cre-ative – it's a need – or I gocrazy. This is fulfilling thatneed.”

Adams said she comesrightly by both her artistictendencies and her mother-hood skills.

"I've been artistic since Icame out of the womb," saidAdams, an Atascadero nativeand daughter of Daphne andLarry Kessinger. "My dad's apainter. I've always seen himup late at night painting, andhe's always asking about mylatest creations. My mom’s

the quintessential, apron-wearing mother. My parentsare amazing supporters."

Now, she’s providinglasting memories for a newgeneration.

The younger Adams chil-dren, 8-year-old Bailey and6-year-old Denver, don't re-ally care how much work hermother puts in to creating thesweet treats. For them, it allcomes down to taste.

"They're yummy," Baileysaid. “I like the lemon onesbest.”

Perhaps, art appreciationcomes with age.

"I like it when she hastime to be with me, but it'sfun to see her paint. It's funto see her make a cookie intoa piece of art," 11-year-oldSage said.

The Adams kids all havetried their hands at the artform.

"It's good to start withfood markers to get the feelof how the icing takes thecolor," Elizabeth Adamssaid. "People put it on thickand wonder why it doesn'twork. You have to think of it

like you think of watercolor."

Adams typically paintsher toothsome canvasesusing regular, fine paint-brushes and standard fooddie. She adds water to thinthe colors, but seldom useswhite food dye.

"A lot of people plan outtheir cookies in incredibledetail, down to the layers ofpaint they're going to use. Ijust don't do that. I sit downand create whatever's in myhead," she said.

Themes vary from thenautical to matrimonial, por-traiture to literature.

Her favorite creation ofall time sits, indubitablystale, on her counter.

A “Goldilocks and theThree Bears” depiction in-cludes all the key charactersand props: a blond-haired lit-tle girl, three bears of varyingsizes and ages, three chairs,three bowls of porridge.

"It was a cookie commu-nity challenge that I particu-larly enjoyed because it let

COOKIESContinued from pg. 1

Photos by

Jennifer Best

TIME FLIES –Cookie-maker ElizabethAdams leaves the worldbehind when she getslost in her love forcookie decorating.

COOKIES pg. 13


FOOD & WINE

Photo by Lisa Pretty

POPPIN’ CHOCOLATE – Try this recipefor Pop Rock Chocolate (made withfair trade ingredients) and impress

your friends, or stop by Fenomenal inPaso Robles and pair it with a nice

glass of port.

When you buy Fair Trade chocolate,you are helping the cocoa farmers whoproduced the raw ingredients to get ahigher price for their goods and as aresult develop a sustainable frameworkfor continued production. - Lisa Pretty

Lisa PrettySPECIAL TO NORTH COUNTY LIFE

Fenomenal is mynew favorite placeto hang out in

downtown Paso Robles. Located at 835 12th

Street across from thepark, Fenomenal offers awide range of interna-tional wines and globalfusion cuisine.

They have all my fa-vorite things in one place:excellent service fromfriendly staff, an interest-ing wine list that changesfrequently and a creativemenu featuring dishes in-spired by global cuisine.

The tasty menu at

Fenomenal is somethingthat keeps drawing meback to visit.

The credit here goes toExecutive Chef ThomasDrahos. A Central Coastnative, Drahos developedhis passion for cooking atan early age. His firstteachers in the kitchenwere his mother and auntwho taught him how toprepare the food sourcedfrom their own 55-acrefarm.

Drahos continued hisculinary training by com-pleting the Cuesta Culi-nary Arts Program andsubsequently the culinaryarts program at Johnson& Wales University inDenver, CO. He alsohoned his skills whileworking in the kitchen at

the Restaurant atJUSTIN, Artisan and as apastry chef at Windowson the Water.

As a pastry chef, Dra-hos found himself using alot of chocolate to createimpressive desserts – typ-ically 13 to 14 pounds ofchocolate every week.

Due to his interest inMolecular Gastronomytechniques, Drahos beganhosting cooking demon-strations at Cal Poly,where he met TomNeuhaus.

It was Neuhaus whoeducated the chef on thefacts about chocolate pro-duction and an organiza-tion known as ProjectHope and Fairness.

More than 75% of thechocolate consumed in

the U.S. comes from600,000 cocoa farms inthe Ivory Coast where60% of the children re-ceive no education at all.

Children are sent towork at a very young ageand will work six hours toproduce the cocoa to beused in one bar of choco-late. American consumerseat half of the world’ssupply – 2.8 billionpounds of chocolate an-nually. Project Hope andFairness is a 501(c) (3)charitable organizationthat promotes sustainablecocoa farmers through di-rect assistance, educationand encouraging produc-ers to cocoa products toadopt Fair Trade policies.

When you buy FairTrade chocolate, you are

helping the cocoa farmerswho produced the raw in-gredients to get a higherprice for their goods andas a result develop a sus-tainable framework forcontinued production. InSan Luis Obispo you canfind Fair Trade at TraderJoes and other locationswhere chocolate is sold. Afew companies, includingTom Nuehaus’ companySweet Earth OrganicChocolates (www.sweetearthchocolates.com), arecommitted to using 100%Free Trade chocolate.

Thomas began as aSous Chef at Fenomenalwhen they first openedand was promoted to Ex-ecutive Chef after a shortperiod of time. He lovesworking for a business

with a family orientedfeeling surrounded bypeople truly passionateabout food and winewhere he can be creative.Still involved with ProjectHope and Fairness,Thomas purchases only100% Fair Trade choco-late products.

Thomas continues tocreate fun new chocolatedesserts on a regularbasis, all using fair tradeorganic chocolate. Try hisrecipe for Pop RockChocolate and impressyour friends, or stop byFenomenal and pair itwith a nice glass of Port.

I tried his Pop RockChocolate dessert with aglass of Cass Port and itwas – well – phenomenal.

Decadant and decent! Fair Trade chocolate delights

“

SEEING RED– Pop Rock Choclate decadenceon display. This treat is luscious, yes, but itwas also crafted responsibly with the use ofFair Trade Chocolate. RIGHT: Executive ChefThomas Drahos is busy creating creativetemptations.

[Fe-nom-e-nal]World fusion tapas - innovative cockatils - International & local beers and wines

Fenomenal is located at 835 12th Street, Suite A OnThe Park, Paso Robles. The restaurant is open Tuesdayand Wednesday 5:30 to 10 p.m., Thursday throughSaturday noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday 4:30 to 9:30p.m. Visit www.fenomenalplace.com for more.

Life


Chocolate & Pop RocksRecipe by Chef Thomas Drahos

� Chocolate Marquise

12 ounce dark chocolate (fair trade organic)8.5 ounces unsalted butter4 large eggs, separated4 large egg yolks1 1/3 cups powder sugar1/3 cup coco powder (fair trade organic)½ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream2 teaspoons granulated sugar

� Over a double boiler melt chocolate and butter. Oncemelted, place in the refrigerator to chill and to make themixture safe for the eggs. While the chocolate is cooling,whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks and reservein the refrigerator until ready to mix.

� Next, whip 4 egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks. Siftcoco powder and powder sugar together. Remove thesemi warm chocolate from the refrigerator and mix in 9egg yolks.

� Add the powder sugar mix and fold with a rubber spat-ula. Fold the egg whites half at first then the rest oncethe first half is completely mixed in.

� Then add the whip cream into the chocolate mixtureusing the same techniques as with the egg whites fromabove. Put in desired mold and chill for ten hours or untilset. Garnish with pop rock chocolate chips and fruit.

� Pop Rock Chocolate Chips

3 pop rock candy packs4 ounces chocolate (fair trade organic)

� Temper the chocolate and pour over a silicone matspread 1/8 inch thick using a spatula. Sprinkle pop rocksinto the chocolate and then pour a second coat of choco-late over them. Chill and break into desired pieces. Storeno longer than two days.

Ecluse Wines

A Lock on GoldJanis Switzer

In France, Ecluse is the name for thelocks on the canals that gentlycarve their way through the French

countryside. In Paso Robles, Ecluserefers to a different set of locks: Steveand Pam Lock, and their Lock Vine-yard on Kiler Canyon Road.

Renowned for their highly ac-claimed grapes, the Locks have pro-vided fruit to some of Paso’s bestknown wineries, including Linne Cal-ado, Chateau Margene, Four Vines,Vina Robles and RN Estates. But it isthe wine made under their own label,Ecluse, that has been their pride andjoy in recent years.

For the fifth year in a row, each ofthe Ecluse wines they submitted to theSan Francisco Chronicle Wine Com-petition received medals this year, andtwo of those medals were gold. Lastyear their Ecluse 2008 Lock VineyardCabernet took home the covetedSweepstakes Award for the Best RedWine at the event: a notable achieve-ment for a winery less than 10 yearsold.

“We view the award thing as a truevalidation of the wine,” Steve said.

They are very picky about whatcompetitions they will enter, preferringonly those with the most qualifiedjudges.

“It isn’t something we go out andchase,” said Pam, who handles mar-keting for the winery. “We just keepgoing back [to San Francisco] becausewe’ve done so well there.”

The Locks didn’t come to makingand marketing wine by any traditionalroute. Steve is a native Californian andUCLA graduate who worked in thepublishing business for 15 years. Frus-trated by the corporate world, theymoved to Washington state and startedworking in a wide range of privateventures, only to find themselvesyearning for something more.

In 1996 they came down to visit aclose friend in Paso Robles who wasstarting his own vineyard. They wereso impressed with the beauty of thearea, and so intrigued with the idea ofowning a vineyard, they started seri-ously exploring the idea of relocatinghere. Just a year later they purchased a30-acre property in the midst of therolling hills off Arbor Road and High-way 46 West.

Knowing nothing about growing

grapes or making wine, the couple en-listed the help of Robert Nadeau ofNadeau Family Vineyards. He intro-duced them to Jim Smoot, who thenhelped them plant the original 24 acresof cabernet sauvignon, syrah and zin-fandel in 1998. Other local growershelped them with everything from set-ting up their books to getting labor forharvest.

“It’s a very generous community,”Pam said.

Among the many winemakers theymet and consulted with was ScottHawley, who purchased Lock Vine-yard fruit for Summerwood Winery,and acted as their consulting wine-maker for the first few years of Ecluse.

After Hawley moved on to focuson his own label, Torrin, Steve as-sumed sole responsibility for all thewinemaking decisions, in addition toall the decisions in the vineyard.

Steve gives individual attention tothe nearly 25,000 vines that make upLock Vineyard. He uses meticulouscare in tending to their needs, and usessustainable viticulture practicesthroughout the winery and vineyard.With an annual production of about2,300 cases of wine a year, he’s smallenough to be hands-on in every aspectof winemaking, and now that he’susing most of the fruit that he growsfor his own label, he doesn’t plan toget any larger.

“I’m kind of glad to be the size weare,” Steve said.

But being a small, boutique wineryalso has its challenges, especiallywhen it comes to marketing and sell-

ing. When they won the big Sweep-stakes award last year, they realizedthey needed to do more to get theirbrand out in front of people.

“That was the beginning of realiz-ing that we needed to do somethingother than put it on a chalkboard in thetasting room and assume everyoneknows about it,” Pam said with alaugh.

They hired former PRWCA direc-tor Stacie Jacob to help them with mar-keting and brand development, andused Clever Concepts of Paso Roblesto develop a new Web site. Their goal,like many other small wineries, is tosell as much wine through their tastingroom and wine club as possible, toavoid the costs and travel associatedwith distribution. The recent medalsand recognition go a long way towardsmaking that happen.

The small winery they built threeyears ago serves as both a productionand storage facility, as well as a tast-ing room. Only open on weekends, orby appointment, either Steve or Pamare usually behind the tasting bar, shar-ing not only their wine, but their inti-mate understanding of the vineyardand their unique winemakingprocesses. The cozy, rustic room withbarrels on one side, and a wall ofmedals on the other, perfectly exem-plifies what a family-owned, boutiquewinery should look and feel like, and isa perfect place to experience authenticPaso wine country.

Visit www.eclusewines.com formore information.

Courtesy photo

Steve and Pam Lock bought the westside property in 1997, plantingthe vineyard with the help of Jim Smoot a year later.

me gather my own images,images I've collected in mymind for more than 30 years,and create my own image ofthe story," Adams said.

Her strong, steady handsare equally adept with thepiping bag, and recentlyshe's begun experimentingwith painting over piping formore depth and detail.

"There aren't a lot of fail-

ures," Adams said. "Thereare times when I'm frus-trated because it's not what Iwanted, but I work it tomake it something I want."

A canvas painting of atelephone that hangs in thefamily room provides con-stant reminder of that hard-earned lesson.

"I think a lot of art has togo through an ugly phase,and that's where most peo-ple give up. I almost gave upon that (phone) painting, butI kept working on it and it

turned into one of the bestthings I've ever painted," shesaid.

And if all else fails, "Ijust eat it if it's really thatbad. I eat a lot of cookiesand a lot of cookie dough.I'm all about quality con-trol."

Today, her baking proj-ects are limited to distribu-tion as gifts to family andfriends, thanks to stringentfood safety laws which re-quire salable foodstuffs tobe prepared in commercial

kitchens. A cottage industrybill introduced earlier in2012 may soon change that.

"I know a lot of peoplewho do cupcakes and itwould be great to be able forall of us to be legitimatebusinesses," Adams said. "Idon't think everything youenjoy has to make money,but if it's something thatcould, it's kind of nice whenit does.”

Meanwhile, Adams isconsidering other outlets forher artistic venture. Future

projects may include mone-tizing her blog, publishingbooks or even creating acookie-based televisionshow.

"I see all these realityshows where you can seepeople drink their own urineor search for Sasquatch orrandom things, but I'm inter-ested in cookies as are manypeople. I'd love to see ashow about cookies. I thinkit would be fun to do it," shesaid.

In March, she and her

husband, John Adams, tookone step toward that vision.With video camera in hand,they entered another cook-ier’s domain to create thefirst episode of "Mixing ItUp!"

"Going into other cook-iers' kitchens and document-ing their methods and stylesis a way to promote theirart," she said.

"My canvas changesnow and again. I may useactual canvas. But I lovebaking,” she said.

COOKIESContinued from pg. 11



LifeFITNESS

Creig P. Sherburne

Sometimes getting out ona bike ride means stay-ing in for a bike ride.That was the case for

Atascadero resident NatalieLong a few years ago, any-way. Long was mostly amountain biker, but betweenit being hard to get out dueto her husband’s workschedule and the fact thatwhen she did make it out tothe trail, it got boring anddangerous being by herself.

Looking for a goodworkout, safety and somecamaraderie, she headed in-doors for cycling class atKennedy Club Fitness inAtascadero.

“It was a crazy chal-lenge,” Long said. “It’s a lotof exercise in a little time.”

She said she attendedclasses on and off for fouryears. She got involvedteaching while listening tothe radio.

“I started thinking interms of, ‘what would I dowith this song in a cyclingclass?’” she said.

For that to make sense,readers have to understandhow an indoor cycling classworks. At Kennedy, there’s aroom full of stationary bicy-cles, including one up on astage for the instructor touse. The bikes employed atKennedy are fully adjustableand will accommodate al-most anybody’s height, no

matter how short or tall, andup to 350 pounds.

On a normal bike, thepedals are hooked up to therear wheel, and pedalingpushes a rider forward. On astationary bike such as thoseat Kennedy, the pedals arehooked up to a 30-pound fly-wheel with a brake that of-fers resistance. So if you’re“going up a hill,” that’s rep-resented by putting more re-sistance on the flywheel.

Attendees show up witha bottle or two of water,comfortable clothes and awillingness to work hard.The instructor turns on somemusic — we’ll come back tothat in a minute — and leadsthe class through the routine.And that routine can includeseated pedaling, standing up,intervals, sprints and imagi-nary hills.

Also of note are theterms “spin” and “spinning,”which are trademarked.Though in practice, it’squickly turning generic. No-body ever says, “I’m headedto my stationary indoorpseudo bicycling class at thegym,” after all.

Long said that stationarycycling isn’t actually awhole lot like “proper” out-door cycling on an actualbike, though.

“You’re not propellingyourself forward,” she said.“You’re not going any-where.”

But, she added, as a car-dio workout, it’s hard tobeat.

“It’s something that canpush you out of your com-fort zone,” she said. “It’sgood for endurance train-ing.”

But let’s get back tomusic. Long said music is animportant part of any spin-ning class, but it’s impossi-ble to please everybody withthe musical selection.

“Music is the key to theclass,” she said, “but it’s dif-ficult. You enter into itknowing you’re not going toplease everybody.”

Long said that musicmatters a lot. So if she hearsa song on the radio or else-

where that she thinks will begreat for a long uphill, she’lltest it out on her own first tobe sure.

She said it’s possible tobuild a playlist of, say, 100songs, show up to class, hitrandom and do your best.But Long said she prefers tohave a specific playlist witheach song prompting a spe-cific activity — more like asoundtrack to a class thanjust music playing while aclass goes on.

“It just works betterwhen I plan what I’m goingto do,” she said.

Long said that the hard-est part of being a cycling in-structor isn’t the actualinstruction or the music se-

lection — it’sstage fright.

“Certain days, yeah, it’sthe hardest part,” she said. “Ijust don’t think about it.”

But she gets up on stageand does it anyway. And, shesaid, it’s always rewarding,no matter how bad it was ini-tially stepping up in front ofpeople.

“But sometimes it’s realeasy,” she said. “People areenergetic, giving you goodfeedback.”

And she’s right about in-door cycling being a goodcardio workout. It’s more in-tense than running or goingon a normal 30-mile groupride, but it’s also hard tocompare indoor cycling toanything else. There’s noclear “road biking is to in-door cycling what thing A isto thing B” comparison.

But all types of peopleparticipate in Long’s classes.Everybody from neophytesto folks training up for 100-mile “real” bike rides andeverything in between showsup regularly, and everybodygets out of the class whatthey put into it, she said. It’salso great for serious cyclistsduring the very cold or rainyseasons.

“It’s an intense cardioworkout you just can’t get inother situations,” Long said.

“For the time you’re onthat bike, you’re burn-ing a lot of calories.”

One thing Long said shelikes a lot about cycling ingeneral is that it’s a low-im-pact workout. That meansthere’s not a lot of heavy hit-ting or stop-go-stop-go orstuff that’s hard on a per-son’s knees or hips, for in-stance.

Also, she said, newbiescan come in and participateat the level they’re able. But,she warned, it’s important topush at least a little harderthan is immediately com-fortable.

“You’re not going to getwhat you want if you don’tengage,” she said. “Intervalwork, yeah, you want to hateit. … [But] if you’re nothappy in my class, try some-one else’s instead of juststopping.”

But to be clear, Longisn’t a proponent of stoppingeverything just to do indoorcycling. She said there’s a lotof compelling reasons to doit, but it doesn’t have to bean “either/or” thing.

When Long isn’t teach-ing the cycling class, she canoften be found volunteeringat San Gabriel Road Ele-mentary School, where herdaughter, Amelia, 6, attends.Her son, Nathan, 4, isn’t inschool yet, so shuttling himfrom here to there occupiesanother large chunk of herday.

Atascadero fitness guru offers a fun cardio workout

Life in the spin cycle

“It’s an intense cardio workout youjust can’t get in other situations. Forthe time you’re on that bike, you’re

burning a lot of calories.”– Natalie Long

Atascadero resident NatalieLong and her son, Nathan,4, share a fun moment.

Creig P. SherburneCycling instructor Natalie Longand a few early arrivals warm upbefore a Tour class at KennedyClub Fitness in Atascadero.


Documents

North County Life July 2012