Eating Healthy in the New Year at True Food
Plus: LVTC Board President interview, LV News Briefs, Francis Parker School Construction, New SDUSD Board Trustee, Book Reviews, and Jaywalking Commentary
Hard to believe it’s 2023. Of course, you know what that means—New Year’s resolutions! What is the most common resolution? I don’t know for sure, but I would think that eating healthy and losing weight are right up there. So, when I suggested we review the Cheesecake Factory for this issue of the Update, it was met with a resounding “NO!” “But it’s so close,” I said. “ Just down the hill, don’t have to get wet in the rain.” Well, Steve finally agreed to review a place right down the hill, and assured me it would be as good as the Cheesecake Factory. How could I say no? So off we went to the Fashion Valley Mall and a restaurant called True Food Kitchen, located, in fact, right next to the Cheesecake Factory. Steve was wearing his Mr. Peabody’s Bar and Grill sweatshirt, a Christmas gift, and looking pretty spiffy.
Let me tell you this, there is nothing about True Food Kitchen that remotely resembles the Cheesecake Factory, except that it is in the same shopping center. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. The tables are nicely spaced. They had the heaters on outside, but since it was raining, we opted for inside dining. We did not have to wait at all for a table and as soon as I saw the menu, I understood why Steve brought me here. Everything on the menu looks healthy and designed with a sense of passion for wellness. Even our waiter, who was excellent, had a shirt on that said “Honest.” I was going to be forced to eat something healthy. It remained to be seen if I would enjoy it.
One good thing was that many of the items on the menu were vegetarian, vegan, and/or gluten free. This was a menu that included, starters, pizza, salads and bowls, burgers, entrees and dessert. There was also, of course, drinks of all kinds (except soda as Steve found out when he tried to order a Diet Pepsi). However, the unsweetened green tea was delicious.
I opted for the Charred Cauliflower from the “Starters” section of the menu, and Steve ordered the Korean Noodle bowl. Since our Carnivore Sidekick is now working, he was unable to join us, which I must say after looking over the prices, saved us a ton of money. My dish included, (besides the cauliflower), pistachios, dates, harissa, and mint. It was tasty. Steve’s noodle bowl contained sweet potato glass noodles, pickled shitake, organic spinach, carrot, bean sprouts and toasted sesame. Steve enjoyed it and although I found it too spicy for my taste, he did not.
I read that Oprah has invested in this restaurant chain. Their website says that they are based on science which ensures all of its craveable dishes and drinks work to increase the longevity of our people and planet. That’s a good thing and probably something the Cheesecake Factory cannot guarantee (or Mr. Peabody’s for that matter.)
So my verdict is that although I found the prices a tad high, the food was interesting, the restaurant very spacious, our server “honest” very attentive and efficient, and now I’m going to live longer. What a good deal! So I’m glad I gave the place a try, and so should you.
Next stop, the Cheesecake Factory.
New LVTC Board President Ready to Serve
Linda Vista resident Victor Tocco was recently elected by Linda Vista Town Council (LVTC) members to serve a one-year term as president of the organization’s board of directors. The LVTC is a long standing civic organization made up entirely of volunteers; its mission is to “promote the civic, commercial, educational, cultural interests, and general welfare of the community of Linda Vista.”
With its first monthly meeting of the year scheduled for Wednesday January 18, we thought it was an appropriate time to talk to Mr. Tocco and learn a little about him and what he envisions for the organization and its role in the Linda Vista community. Here is what he had to say:
—Can you tell us what role you want the LVTC to play in the Linda Vista community during the next year or two?
Simply put, I’d like LVTC to actively seek out problems within the community, and produce results. It’s about tapping into the immense potential within Linda Vista, and doing so in accordance with the will of the residents.
—What motivated you to run for president of the LVTC?
I honestly had no intention of doing so at first. I came to a LVTC general meeting because – as a father of two boys – I was concerned about people speeding down my street. After that, a few members of LVTC asked me to run for the board, and then as president. I decided to do so because of my family: I want them to live somewhere safe, and with plenty to do. To be honest, I don’t think Linda Vista is entirely there yet. I’m seeing more graffiti from gangs, and watching homeless take up residence at the local parks. Lately, I’m seeing cars stop at stop lights, look both ways, and then go through the red light. I grew up on the outskirts of Detroit, and this is what people did in neighborhoods that they didn’t feel safe in. Sadly, I’m watching this happen more often here. With that being said, I see an immense amount of untapped potential within this community. I can either complain and do nothing, or I can step up and try to make that vision a reality.
—Why should a Linda Vista resident want to become a member of the LVTC?
If you would change something about Linda Vista, then start here. It won’t even be that much work. The LVTC board is comprised of volunteers – these people have their careers and lives outside of LVTC. All I ask of them is 1-2 hours a week to make a difference. For general members of LVTC, I ask for even less than that. This may sound like not much will get done; however, this can’t be further from the truth. When we organize our goals the right way – and disseminate the tasks to get there – what you’ll see is minimal individual input with maximum community gain.
—Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Above all, I’m a husband and a father. I have to give a substantial amount of credit to my wife: she’s given us two healthy and handsome boys, and has helped shape our lives into something I would have never even dreamed of. We moved to Linda Vista in May, 2018. At that time, I was serving in the Navy as a Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman, or SWCC. I was honorably discharged Sep 30, 2022, and have since been working toward a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. I am also applying for a master’s programs in psychology.
—What do you and the LVTC board members have planned for your first monthly meeting on January 18?
We’re giving the floor to the residents of Linda Vista. The January meeting is going to be all about the issues within Linda Vista that the people want fixed. This will lead into the February meeting, which will be heavily focused on what they would like the solutions to look like. From there, the LVTC board members are going to get to work. In addition, San Diego Councilmember Raul Campillo will be in attendance. I cannot stress enough that now is the time for things to happen here in Linda Vista.
—Do you have to be a LVTC member to attend this meeting?
Not at all. I would ask that as many Linda Vista residents as possible attend this meeting. Even if you’re not a Linda Vista resident, but have ties to Linda Vista (whether you work or go to school here), this would be a great meeting to attend.
—What do you especially enjoy about living in Linda Vista?
What first came to mind is that Linda Vista is so central. I realized however, that the enjoyment came from my proximity to other places, rather than from within Linda Vista. For those that didn’t know, linda vista is Spanish for “beautiful view.” It essentially implies that when you stand here and look out, you have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas. That shouldn’t be the case anymore. Linda Vista should be the place to be, rather than the place to look at everything else from.
—Do you have a favorite restaurant or two in the Linda Vista area?
Zab Linda is phenomenal. I need to explore their menu more, but it is difficult to pull myself away from their Pad Thai. Sushi Yorimichi really surprised me as well. I’m usually cautious when it comes to the hole-in-the-wall sushi joints, but they knocked it out of the park. Funny enough, their Linda Vista roll is one of my favorites. Finally, Cocobomb! The deserts are spectacular, especially their coconut sundae. It’s my favorite place to take my 2-year-old son for ice cream, and I can’t recommend it enough! Seriously, check all of these places out and support them. The more business booms in Linda Vista, the better our community will thrive.
—You have a free afternoon to spend in Linda Vista…how would you spend that time?
I’m picking a Thursday to go to the Linda Vista Farmers Market, and I’m getting something from every food vendor there. The pizza joint that was there a few weeks ago was great; they kept their pizzas simple, and they did it right. The Filipino stand, however, is a family favorite; when they’re there, that’s what’s for dinner in the Tocco house.
—Is there anything else you would like to say to our LV Update readers?
If you want more out of your community, start at LVTC. The LVTC Board is going to be working hard for you all this year. With that being said, more will be accomplished – and it will be accomplished sooner – if we all do something.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Victor Tocco for taking the time to answer our questions!
We encourage everyone to attend the LVTC’s January general meeting, which will be held Wednesday January 18 at the Baha’i Center, located at 6545 Alcala Knolls Dr.. Social time begins at 6:00 pm with the official part of the meeting agenda commencing at 6:30 pm. Come to the meeting and hear what people have to say, meet your fellow residents, and provide your own input regarding the LV community.
LV News Briefs
—Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market: The Farmers Market will be open today (January12) from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. Come and get your fresh fruits and vegetables. A popular new vendor—Cucina Carnevale—offers delicious Neapolitan style pizza with a weekly rotating selection of toppings!
—Bayside Community Center: Bayside’s “90 in 90” fundraising campaign successfully ended with the successful amount of $101, 638. 49. This fundraising campaign, launched in November with a goal of $90,000.00, was held in conjunction with the organization’s 90th anniversary celebration.
—Linda Vista Real Estate Transaction: As noted in a recent Times of San Diego article, a half acre lot on 6655 Linda Vista Road was recently sold for 3.96 million dollars. The lot currently hosts Presidio Auto Center. The article mentions that the site could yield approximately 75 units of new housing,
—Old Town Trolley Tour: San Diego County residents are eligible for a free ride on the Old Town Trolley Tour through January 31st. Free admission extends as well to the Ghosts and Gravestones Frightseeing Tour and the historic Whaley House Day Tour. Guests must show proof of San Diego County residency with a driver’s license, voter’s registration, utility bill or lease. You can check out further details by clicking here on the Old Town Trolley Tour web site.
Francis Parker School Begins Construction Project
Francis Parker School is proud to announce Parker Forward, a construction project that will bring much-needed spaces to support student health and wellness. The project is part of the School's Linda Vista Campus Master Plan, approved by the City of San Diego in 2017. High-quality physical education and athletic programs are integral components of a well-rounded educational experience from which students benefit mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Head of School Kevin Yaley, Ph.D., remarks, "As a school, our fundamental responsibility is to help students develop the critical skills necessary to thrive academically, physically, and mentally. These spaces will allow students to gather, celebrate, play, and compete.”
The Parker Forward project is part of a two-decades-long capital improvement program. It includes the completion of three spaces on the School's Linda Vista Campus:
The Douglas Aquatic Center, including Parker's first on-site, multi-purpose 7,350 square-foot heated pool, nestled behind the School's current Student Life Center and Field House.
The Silberman Student Life Center, replacing the former two-court gymnasium which was demolished in 2017 to build the School's on-site underground parking structure.
The Vassiliadis Athletic Center, which will elevate the game day experience and bring a new level of pride and purpose to all events hosted on campus
Project pre-construction is currently underway, with construction activities scheduled to begin this month. The 18-month project is estimated to be completed in 2024.
Local residents who want to keep up with the school’s activities and receive Parker Forward project updates can subscribe to the Francis Parker School Neighbor Connection newsletter by clicking here.
You can also click here to read the Parker Forward project FAQs page.
New School Board Trustee Holds Office Hours
Shana Hazan was recently elected as a board trustee for the San Diego Unified School District. She is the trustee for sub-district B, which includes Linda Vista’s Carson Elementary and nearby schools Fletcher Elementary (Birdland) and Nipaquay Elementary (Civita).
She provided the Linda Vista Update with information regarding her upcoming Office Hours, which will begin January 20. Pleas read her instruction below on how to sign up for this event.
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As your new trustee on the San Diego Unified School Board, I wanted to personally let you know that I am deeply committed to being responsive to the needs of our students and families. As a district mom myself, I know at times it can be challenging to share your ideas and feedback with district leaders. That’s why, beginning January 20, I’ll be holding monthly office hours that are open to the public so that we can talk about what’s on your mind.
Each month, students, families, educators, and community partners can sign up to meet with me – in person or on Zoom – to tell me about the issues that matter most to you. We will provide translation services to ensure these meetings are accessible to all.
Please click here [insert this link: bit.ly/HazanOfficeHours] to sign up for a meeting during my January office hours.
Winter Time Book Reviews
Our recent rainy weather has also made for some great reading weather. Who doesn’t like to stay warm inside the house with a captivating book when the weather is cold and wet? Let’s hope the rain continues to fall in the next month or two—if it does, we hope you plan on having a few good books standing by to pass the time. To help guide you in your winter reading pleasure, we asked our two favorite intellectuals—Marla M. and Martha B.—to make some book suggestions. What we got was an interesting combination of new and classic literature. Check out the suggestions below.
From Martha B….
I have a small tattered collection of books that I can’t bear to get rid of and which I have re-read, sometimes numerous times, over the years. When one re-reads a book one first read at 20 when one is 35 years old, the extra life experience can add extraordinary depth to the book, but also, sometimes the book is no longer interesting or relevant. Now at 65, I have a few books and authors that I have never tired of.
When I first read The Great Gatsby it was required reading for a class nearly half a century ago. I had to write a paper on it. I wasn’t terribly impressed. I can’t remember what caused me to re-read it, but over the years I have found more and more in it to appreciate. Maybe some of us, especially immature teenagers such as I was, shouldn’t be required to read books considered to be among the best ever written when we have never even earned a living or fallen in love.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby nearly 100 years ago during the roaring 20’s, a time of excess, lawlessness, and flamboyance between the First World War and the Great Depression. The characters in the novel are all wealthy, or aspiring to wealth, well educated, incredibly flawed and recognizable still today. Reviewers note the similarities between parts of the novel and Fitzgerald’s own life. Fitzgerald himself was catapulted from a middle class existence to literary stardom, wealth and fame, to a storied and desperately sad romance with the beautiful debutante Zelda, who was later institutionalized and diagnosed as schizophrenic, to bouts of over the top partying with the glitterati of the time, and finally to struggles with alcoholism and an early death at the age of 44.
The themes of The Great Gatsby resonate today. Aspirations to wealth and elusive love, the sometimes empty and despicable lives of people with wealth and power, and the tragedy of a life without real connection, are some of the ideas Fitzgerald grapples with. Some of the sentences from The Great Gatsby have become famous in their own right. This one in particular has resonated over years: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their… vast carelessness… and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” I have known these people and perhaps you have too. I recommend that you read or re-read this book, and if you do, I hope that you appreciate it as much as I do.
From Marla M…
Throughout raising six children, Constance and Preston Whittier managed to maintain the spark and romance in their marriage. While providing a happy and secure life for their children, they remained committed to their annual solo ski getaway affectionately dubbed the “ Wintermoon.” The four adult children are now living on their own, experiencing successes and challenges in their lives. Benji, with special needs and younger sister Annabelle, remain at home.
This year‘s Wintermoon ends in tragedy, forcing the four older siblings to put aside their lives as they have come to know them, and move back into the family home absent their parents. They must deal with their collective grief and make decisions regarding the home they grew up in and the future of their younger siblings.
In The Whittiers, Danielle Steel eloquently and effectively captures the impenetrable bond that exists amongst siblings.
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A Linda Vista Update “Thank you” to our two outstanding book reviewers.
Commentary
Crosswalks and Jaywalking in LV
It’s sad, but my days as an outlaw have come to a close. There will be no more flaunting of my now former desperado lifestyle. And I have the City of San Diego and the state of California to blame for this unusual predicament.
Before going any further, let me make one thing clear—I usually strive to be a law abiding citizen. I have a clean record, and a respect for laws, the police, and our judicial system. Nevertheless, in spite of my seemingly innocent lifestyle, I still have the occasional fantasy of being an outlaw. We all do, right? Don’t we all, at some time or another, dream of breaking the law (without hurting anyone, of course) and getting away with it? Haven’t we all fantasized about being a member of George Clooney’s (or Frank Sinatra’s) Ocean’s 11 and conducting a big time heist of Las Vegas casinos, or being like the daring stick-up man Omar Little in HBO’s The Wire who robs drug dealers, or maybe like good old fashioned Robin Hood who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor?
Now, let me go further and make a self-incriminating statement—I have actually dared to live out my particular outlaw fantasy from time to time in Linda Vista. Please don’t get me wrong. My outlaw fantasy doesn’t involve robbing anyone. I’m not that kind of an outlaw. My outlaw activity is conducted at a much more “pedestrian” level, so to speak; it strictly involves jaywalking across Ulric Street near the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. For the longest time, there has just been something about Ulric Street that seemed to invite jaywalking. Probably the absence of crosswalks in the right places—it always seemed too far to go to the next stoplight, and there are important places to visit in-between.
I know it’s wrong, but all I have to admit that when I have gone jogging or walking along Ulric Street and dared to jaywalk, I have felt somewhat liberated, as if temporarily set free from the normal hum-drum strictures of day-to-day society. “HA,” I have often said to myself as I strode illegally across Ulric, “Crosswalks and stop lights are for chumps. Not me the outlaw! ” Once I even jaywalked while a police car was approaching. The policeman gave me an intimidating stare, but I kept crossing. It was all very dramatic at the time. Later that day, however, after careful reflection, I started thinking that maybe his stare wasn’t meant to be intimidating—maybe it was saying something more like…”What’s with everybody in Linda Vista jaywalking across Ulric Street? It’s practically a community tradition, and if I had to repeatedly stop and cite knuckleheads like you for jaywalking across Ulric Street, I would have no time to take care of serious crime.”
In any event, thrill-seeking moments like these are now officially over for me, and here’s why. First of all, as you may have heard, the state of California passed a law that became effective on January 1, 2023 that says jaywalking will no longer be prosecuted as a crime. If jaywalking is decriminalized, I certainly can’t call myself an outlaw any longer, right? Furthermore, the City of San Diego has recently painted a couple new crosswalks across Ulric Street. A crosswalk was installed at a common jaywalking route that goes from near the Linda Vista Library parking lot across the street to La Tiendita de Linda Vista. That used to be one of my favorite places to jaywalk, it’s long been a favorite for many other local residents, as well. And then, to make matters worse, the City installed an extra bonus crosswalk further north that goes from the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center to the apartment complexes across the street. I daringly broke jaywalking laws several times in the past at this very location. So did many others. But it seems the city has studied pedestrian data and responded with installing strategically placed crosswalks. Pretty cool, uh? Well, duh, not if you have dreams of being an outlaw.
Now that jaywalking is no longer a crime, I guess the only outlaw option left for me remains the illegal sharing of my Netflix password. But that’s a subject for another article.
Happy New Year, everyone, especially to all of my fellow former jaywalker scofflaws…I mean, outlaws.
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BRAVO !! Your BEST Update ever! From LVTC to Parker & in-between. Thanks.
Loved this issue - especially LOL about jaywalking! And thank you for including the interview with the new President of the Town Council. Will try to get to the meeting and suggest they have Zoom so people who can't attend in person can at least be able to watch. Plus, will try to try eating at a new healthy place - Keep up the good work!