Thousand Oaks | Ewing & Associates

Which one do you like?

By: Michele Hren

Congratulations to the passionate residents of Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, North Ranch and Westlake for making your voices heard, loud and clear, in the controversy over the many Monster Auto Mall Signs that had been proposed to replace the existing sign. With your emails, calls, blogs, letters to the Acorn and stating your opinions at council meetings, whether they were for or against the new sign proposals, are making it happen with civil conversation and compromise.

Many thanks to our council members, too, for acknowledging the public outcry against the proposed signs, withdrawing what was on the table and taking a closer look at what the residents were saying. We know you had pressure from both sides of the discussions but you seem to have found a common ground. That’s not always easy to do.

The proposed sign, and I hope the final rendering of a new sign, is “smaller in size at 18.5 feet tall,” said association president Susan Murata, “with a water feature and an electronic component just large enough to display dealer’s names, logos, websites, the time and temperature. The electronic display will not feature advertising.” Council member Gillette said, “I hope the sign the council ultimately approves is artistically unique and of high quality and, to the extent possible, meets the desires of the dealers and the expectations of residents.” Auto Mall Signs

The best contracts are those where parties can come to a compromise where everyone is happy with the outcome. That’s what the local residents and the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall Association will have accomplished, very soon. I think their close. Now it’s just a little more civil discussion.

The next council meeting is at 6p.m. Tuesday 4/12.

To vote on the sign go to the link to vote for your favorite proposed sign: http://www.theacornonline.com/topstory-automallproposal.html

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Stephanie Jaffe’s delicious Vegan recipes marinara-pea-pasta

By: Sher Hann

It began as an epiphany, became a passion and is now a multi-faceted business. Six years ago Thousand Oaks resident Stephanie Jaffe experienced a meal at Planet Raw Organic Restaurant, a Santa Monica raw foods vegan restaurant. Already a long-term vegan and used to buying foods in bulk directly from a distributor, Jaffe wondered if she could use her purchasing power and palate to re-create delicious organic raw-food vegan raw meals. The task became her raison d-être.

Today Jaffe has a vertically integrated company: She grows some of the food in her own yard, where she cultivates 65 fruit trees and a dozen herb plants. She develops recipes, prepares food and sells it from her home and online; she teaches classes and caters parties. She also sells smaller quantities of her bulk purchases (25 pounds of nuts, for example, can go a long way, even when used in a lot of preparations). Jaffe prepares all of her recipes herself in her state-of-the-art kitchen, which, coincidentally, she designed. She will even make deliveries to her local customers.

At first blush, a human diet of raw food sounds frankly, ridiculous, if not impossible. So sampling is in order. At a recent pot-luck dinner Jaffe contributed her marinara pea and green-bean pasta. “Delicious” is an understatement! To be honest, some of the foods, such as this dish, require light cooking or steaming, no more than a minute in 110-degree water for this delicate Asian pasta. Other preparations – such as the “breads,” which look like Triscuits of different colors and shapes – consist mainly of dried seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

In the works, Jaffe reveals, is a new offering: the Weekly Box, which will likely be prepared foods for a family of four, for example, consisting of four complete meals for that week, at the reasonable price of about $70.

Jaffe is exuberant as she talks about her company. Frequently she refers to her product as “my food.” Now, however, her food can also be your food at www.rawliciousliving.com. Bon appétit!