The Hidden Cafe, the only restaurant located in the upper Highlands, closed its doors to the general public on December 31, after a difficult financial year. ‘It’s all a bit of a shock,’ said owner Mary Autera in an emotional interview at the cafe last week. ‘I loved being here. It’s the nicest people and the nicest community. Everyone is so genuine.’ The restaurant, located at 1515 Palisades Dr., opened in April 2002 and was successful from the beginning. Customers liked the menu and the hearty portions. In addition, Autera hosted various artistic endeavors like jazz night and displayed the work of local artists. She also started a catering business. By 2005 the restaurant was well established, with a large Highlands clientele and a catering business that was popular all over the Westside. ‘We were booming,’ said Autera, who employed 18 people at one point. ‘I had four or five [catering] parties going out at once.’ In November 2005, Autera carried a large box up three flights of stairs at a party she was working. ‘I blew out four discs,’ she said, though she managed to finish the job. At the next one, however, she collapsed and had to go to the hospital. She not only had a back injury, but also a constricted bowel and bladder, conditions that placed her in the hospital and in recovery for most of 2006. ‘I was in bed for nine months,’ she said. Autera was not married and didn’t have a business partner at the restaurant. ‘It was arrogant on my part to think it could run itself,’ she admitted. She tried to keep up the bookwork, and when she finally went back to work, she concentrated on the baking. But in the meantime, restaurant service had gone downhill and Autera was losing customers. Later she found out that her employees were closing the restaurant whenever they felt like it and often didn’t open on time. When Autera returned full-time to the restaurant in mid-2007, her catering business was gone (representing 25 percent of her revenue) and she knew that the restaurant was in trouble. In an effort to woo customers back, she allowed The Hidden Cafe to be part of a reality-show pilot in July that pitted two restaurants against each other. In two days’ time, experts had changed the d’cor and downsized the menu from 76 entrees to 14. Autera had to sign a contract that she would make no changes for six months. Unfortunately, the pilot never aired, and Autera regrets ever participating in the venture. ‘Since I was out of touch, I didn’t trust my own instincts,’ she said. The large portions and the comfort foods associated with the cafe had been taken away by the ‘experts.’ Instead of bringing customers back, which was her hope with the new menu, business grew worse. In December, when the reality-show contract expired, Autera brought her old menu back, but by then it was too late. ‘We were sunk. We had taken on too much water and we were buried in bills. It was a matter of just six months. You can buckle in that amount of time. I was really banking on the renovation and the show, and the whole thing flopped.’ In the process, Autera lost her Santa Monica home and her 401(k). Her fianc’e, Mark Stimson, is now fighting liver disease. But she tries to stay upbeat. ‘I have strong faith. I know it will come out all right,’ she said. ‘ It’s so sad. I’m preventing myself from saying it’s unfair.’ Now that The Hidden Cafe is closed, Autera plans to work as a private chef for families and senior citizens. She will prepare meals three or four times a week (‘I’ll make it interesting’) and either deliver the food or come to a customer’s house to cook. Clients can choose from a list of foods (noting allergies, likes and dislikes) and she will work within their budget. ‘It will be like getting restaurant food the way you like it,’ said Autera, who also plans to coach cooking and teach cooking classes. She lives in Santa Monica. Tears came as Autera remembered the Valentine’s Days and the Mother’s Days when the restaurant was packed, and how residents would come down to borrow milk or sugar. ‘The people here are the reason I want to do this business,’ she said. ‘I want to stay in the community. It isn’t the competition that is the challenge. It’s serving the community and being there for them. It’s the challenge of meeting the needs of the community and feeling the pulse of what that is.’ To reach Autera for a private party or as a private chef, call (310) 319-9504.

CalNational Bank, located on the corner of Swarthmore and Sunset will be moving to a temporary location this spring while its aging building undergoes a complete remodeling. ‘Based on the experiences at our other branches, we estimate that our remodel will take eight to ten months from start to finish,’ said Palisades branch manager Zara Guivi. She is looking for short-term space in the business district, within walking distance of the bank, so that Palisades customers are not inconvenienced. ‘Negotiations are in place,’ Guivi said, ‘but I do not have the exact location nor a timetable.’ The new CalNational building will remain one-story high, based on several factors. ‘Building a new two-story building with the intention of renting upstairs offices would require more parking,’ Guivi said, ‘and going underground is way too costly when you do not own the land. Also, there must be elevator access for the handicapped, which again is another cost.’ She said the bank tried to buy the land when it acquired People’s Bank of California in 2004, ‘but the owners wouldn’t sell.’   Architect Randy Jepson of the Peters Jepson Partnership firm in Tustin told the Palisadian-Post that ‘the intent of this rehabilitation is to improve the function of CalNational’s operations while creating a clean, contemporary environment for its customer base.’ CalNational has 69 branches in Southern California. Jepson continued, ‘In addition to the completely redesigned exterior, a new interior of equally dramatic improvement will be introduced. Floor area of the new building will be approximately 3,500 square feet. This is similar in size to the original building, but will reflect a redistribution of floor area to best accommodate new customer amenities.’ These amenities will include semi-private offices instead of one large lobby, for more customer privacy, and a conference room for private meetings. The drive-through ATM, adjacent to Ogden’s Cleaners, will be lost to expansion of the building, and will be relocated adjacent to the primary entrance. The new entrance will be more prominent with a tower-like structure. ‘The old wood-siding exterior will be replaced with stucco/plaster and a considerable application of ledgestone rock veneer,’ Jepson said, ‘and prefinished metal accent panels will complete the transformation. ‘The style of architecture is undefined, but frequently referred to as ‘California Contemporary.”

By ANN BELL Special to the Palisadian-Post Rabbi Shloime Zacks and his wife Moriel have joined the staff at the Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades. They will head two important departments: Adult Education and Community Outreach. Rabbi Zacks is from London and received his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey. Following his marriage to Moriel, he spent two years in New York attending college. He also lectured on various subjects (including law, Kabbalah, and character refinement) at two Jewish centers for adult education. ‘Growing up the way I did brought me into contact with the full spectrum of Jewish affiliation,’ says Rabbi Zacks. ‘I learned to befriend, love and respect all people for who they are.’ Whether on the soccer field, at the Sunday farmers market, in synagogue, or just around town, he truly enjoys making new friends here in the Palisades.   This month, as head of the adult education department, Zacks is teaching a crash course in reading Hebrew. On February 6 he begins the winter Jewish Learning Institute course, ‘Beyond Belief: Reflections on Jewish Faith.’ ‘It is a great pleasure to teach in the Palisades,’ Zacks says. ‘I find that people here are bright and very insightful and from so many diverse backgrounds!’ The rabbi teaches the Talmud on Sunday mornings following a lox and bagels breakfast at the Chabad. He also lectures on contemporary issues. Moriel Zacks was born and raised in the Palisades by her parents, Shimon Waysman, O.B.M., and Dr. Dalia Goldfarb-Hecht. She attended Bais Channah in Los Angeles, finished her high school education in New Haven, Connecticut, and continued her higher education in Israel. After their marriage, the Zackses settled in New York, where Moriel worked with children with special needs and teenage volunteers in a program called The Friendship Circle. After seeing how successfully the program worked within several communities, Moriel is eager to implement and direct the same outreach program at Chabad in the Palisades. ‘The Friendship Circle is enjoying great success in many communities worldwide,’ Moriel says. ‘The aim is to bring smiles and friendship to children with special needs, and peace of mind to their parents. The program also fosters the values of volunteerism and compassion among youth.’ Rabbi Zushe Cunin is director of Chabad in the Palisades. For more information, visit www.chabadpalisades.org or write to info@chabadpalisades.org.

After a heated debate at a November 27 LAUSD board meeting, a honors music festival was reinstated. At the end of September, music instructors at Paul Revere Charter Middle School received word that the prestigious event, which cost the Los Angeles Unified School District $150,000, was discontinued due to district-wide cuts. Teachers and parents mounted a telephone and e-mail campaign to restore the festival, which prompted a hearing before the school board. During the debate it became apparent that board members and Superintendent David L. Brewer III supported the program. Richard Burrows, LAUSD’s director of arts education, was blamed for the cancellation. ‘Why did you cut it?’ Board member Marlene Canter asked. ‘We liked the program, we believed in it,’ said Burrows who was asked to trim $1.2 million from his department, which was 25 percent of his budget. Burrows cut professional development days, Web development, conference attendance and two staff positions in his office before cancelling the festival.’ ‘Do you have any type of advisory committee that recommended the budget cuts from your office?’ Board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte asked. When Burrows said he didn’t, she asked, ‘So it was a unilateral decision?’ Deputy Superintendent Ronni Ephraim stepped in to defend Burrows by saying she had reviewed the budget, but that the bottom line had been to ensure that no cuts affected the schools. LaMotte commented ‘One hundred and fifty thousand dollars for some of these art philanthropists out here is no money at all, so I’m going to throw that out there and some of you in the audience might know some people who would step forward with a couple hundred thousand and say, ‘restore the programs.” A discussion followed about whether there was carry over from last year’s art education budget, but no one knew if there was and what that amount might be. ‘I want the kids to have the honors program, but I don’t want to be sitting here next week with another group of people saying you didn’t tell me you were going to take away money from my program,’ Canter said. ‘So I’m not willing to vote one way or another until I know where the money is coming from.’ Board member Juiie Korenstein thought there might be money that could be used from the $4 million left in the innovation division, but it was subsequently determined that it was $3 million instead, and it was unclear how much had already been committed. ‘The bottom line is if the board is going to pass that [resolution to fund the festival], then that’s fine we have go forward, but I’m going to be very clear, at some point there is that one drop that tips the whole glass of water,’ Brewer said. ””””’The resolution that passed reads: ‘the superintendent is to immediately restore the orchestra, chorus and band honors programs. It leaves it to the superintendent’s discretion to identify the use of funding.’ ‘The funding is still pending, but the events are calendared on the book for the spring,’ LAUSD’s Communication Director Susan Cox told the Palisadian-Post last week. The elementary festival will be held Sunday April 27 at the Luckman Auditorium at Cal State L.A. The middle school festival is set for Sunday, May 4 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. ‘I am very pleased that the tradition is continuing, and that our students will again have this opportunity to meet and work with other wonderful music students and teachers from our district,’ said Lara Jacques, who is Paul Revere Charter Middle School’s orchestra director. ‘I hope it becomes a permanent part of LAUSD’s music program.’

The Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee approved a package of 14 proposals last Wednesday that will guide future access, development and uses in the city park that one day will be built below the Palisades Recreation Center. Voting 14-0, with one abstention, the PCCAC adopted a four-page document, with only a few minor modifications, that will now be sent to the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks for future action. But before that happens, the city must first complete the 20-year infill and slope stabilization project in Potrero Canyon (from the Rec Center down to Pacific Coast Highway) and sell city-owned property in order to fund this work. PCCAC Chairman George Wolfberg, after a meeting with city officials in November, estimated that serious new discussions about the park in Potrero are four or five years away. At advisory committee meetings since the group’s formation in 2004, two groups have continuously presented strenuous objections to some, if not most, park proposals. Last Wednesday’s meeting was no different, as Huntington Palisades and neighbors along the canyon’s west rim (Friends and DePauw) spoke out about various concerns. The committee’s number one proposal was a pedestrian bridge that would connect Potrero Canyon to the Will Rogers State Beach parking lot, ensuring a safe crossing for bikers and walkers across PCH. This would also save people having to make a half-mile walk from Potrero up to Temescal Canyon Road to cross at the signal. A speaker from the Huntington Palisades asked that the bridge proposal be reconsidered because she was worried that this would make it easier for homeless people and interlopers from other areas of Los Angeles to make their way up the canyon into her neighborhood. Duncan Thomas, president of the resurrected Potrero Canyon Association, which represents many who live on the west rim, was not in favor of a bridge because he said a large majority of Palisades people opposed it and that it would cost the city too much money. Committee member David Card reminded him that at a Potrero Community Workshop, which was open to the public, the majority voted that they wanted safe access across PCH via a bridge. And fellow member Rob Weber noted that two people had been killed crossing the highway at that location during the past year. Pat Ramsey, representing the Huntington Palisades Property Owners Corporation, reminded the committee that he had presented a letter signed by 700 residents, asking that Frontera Drive into the park be closed (where the tennis courts are located) and that there be no bridge. ‘We need facts,’ he said. ‘The committee hasn’t done an investigation of the facts”specifically, a full environmental impact report and complete traffic study ‘before the PCCAC’s attempt to make any decisions on parking or entrances to the planned park.’ Wolfberg responded, ‘All of these proposals will be subject to CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] and city laws pertaining to the park. We are not funded to do these studies. All we can do is give advice.’   Before the vote, audience member Richard Cohen, vice chair of the Palisades Community Council, said: ‘This document in its entirety pleases no one, but it is a reasonable compromise. You [the committee] are to be commended.’ The document adopted by the committee can be read on-line at www.potrero.info. After the vote, a resident asked Wolfberg, ‘Is the committee’s work complete?’ ‘We will discuss this with the Councilman’s office [Bill Rosendahl] and come up with a timeline,’ Wolfberg said. ‘If there’s not enough work for the other two subcommittees, I don’t see any reason to meet.’ This week, Wolfberg provided an update. ‘I do not anticipate the whole committee meeting the next few months,’ he said ‘but that is subject to City progress on matters that may require our attention. When Rec and Parks starts designing Phase III, input from our Landscape subcommittee (chaired by Carl Mellinger) will be required.   When property sales are scheduled, our Land and Finance subcommittee (chaired by Rob Weber) will provide input.’

The eucalyptus grove at Rustic Canyon Park, still redolent with the pungency of silver-gray leaves after the rain, belies the stresses that have decimated an estimated third of the towering trees and galvanized local residents to address the crisis. Concerned about the disappearing forest, canyon residents will meet with city officials on Monday, January 28 at 7 p.m. in the Gallery Room at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center. The public is invited. Known as the historic eucalyptus grove, the impressive stand of eucalypts and other exotic trees were part of Abbott Kinney’s Forestry Experimental Station eucalyptus project, planted in 1887. The developer/dreamer was convinced that the fast-growing Australian gum tree could do everything from providing wood for framing houses to killing moths. But it couldn’t’eucalyptus beams crack and warp, and the oil smells nice but has no special medicinal properties. Kinney received six acres from the federal government and set up the country’s very first Forestry Experimental Station in the canyon’s center, planting hundreds of eucalyptus species side by side as a test. A few acres of that station remain, in the grove south of Rustic Canyon Park. Over time, residential pressures threatened the grove, so in 1954 the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association, with assistance from the city of Los Angeles, created a preserve for the grove. It was granted official state historic landmark status in 1971. The health of the grove began suffering during the drought in the mid-1970s, when neighbors carried water to the trees in order to try and save those most endangered. From 1980 to 1984, the park system began to mulch the trees with composted litter from other parks, which resulted in an infestation that further weakened the trees. The ensuing years have been characterized by residents calling for a systematic watering system and offering to raise the money for such a system. ‘When the city did install an irrigation line a few years ago, it was shredded by the city’s subsequent weed-clearance program,’ say neighbors Russell Minchinton and Elizabeth Zaillian, who are actively involved in the saving the trees. Now the Grove Committee, a subcommittee of the SMCCA, under the leadership of Beverly Eyre and Rand Plewak, has once again jump-started the campaign to save the grove. In August 2007, Eyre and Plewak contacted City Park Maintenance Manager Patrick Kennedy, who suggested a higher level of maintenance. He recommended continued hand watering by park maintenance staff, repairing the ‘quick couplers’ water line that was broken and selective pruning and removal of dead trees. Patrick expressed a willingness to champion a plan that would provide for the needs of the grove. While suggestions vary as to the health of the soil, the best replacement tree and costs, Rustic Canyon residents all agree that they want a grove in the canyon.

More than a dozen fire engines raced up Palisades Drive to the Highlands on Thursday night to put out a fire in a row of townhouses on Michael Lane. The fire started in the garage at 1684 Michael Lane, where the owner had parked his car that was smoking. When the man went inside to call for help, the car caught fire. The garage was filled with stacks of combustibles on the floor and against the walls, leaving only room for the car, and when it caught fire, the stacks rapidly went up into flames, too, according to Fire Station 23 Captain James Varney. Fire Station 23 (located at Sunset Boulevard and Los Liones Drive) responded to an 8:20 p.m. call and had to contend with a ‘hot, messy, dirty fire,’ said Captain Varney. The townhouses share a common attic and the fire spread into the attic and the walls of the adjoining units. ‘The men had to break the roof tiles in order to cut the ceiling to get to the fire,’ Varney said. ‘It was a major emergency because it was difficult to fight.’ The warm, windy weather, coupled with the townhouses’ close proximity to the hillside brush, all added to the possible dire consequences that faced firefighters In addition to Station 23, Stations 69, 19, 59 63, 37 and companies from downtown responded to the alarm. Station 23 was on site until after midnight and several other fire crews were there until 2 and 3 a.m. ‘It was an expensive firefighting operation,’ Varney said. ‘Crews had to chainsaw walls and the ceiling to get to the seat of the fire.’ The three townhouse units had extensive heat, smoke and water damage. Varney estimated that about 50 percent of the damage was water. He warned homeowners, ‘Don’t store combustibles on the floor or near a water heater.’ And, if a car is smoking, don’t pull it into a garage. ‘It would have been one thing to put out a car fire,’ Varney said, ‘but this left three families without a place to stay.’