American food culture photo shoot at Montalvo on 9/29

Love food? Community? Unique events? 

Be a part of a national photography project called My American Pantry on Saturday, September 29th at Montalvo Arts Center. Register (link at the end of this post), bring a picnic blanket and some goodies to share! Culinary artist, Andrea Blum, will position all participants in the composition she wants for the photo and a drone will fly above and capture the view! "The resulting photo will be included in an interactive digital atlas of American food and drink representing American food and entrepreneurship." 

See this as an example, taken in Marin County. Read the official release below for more information.

Photo © Kenny Blum Photography and Andrea Blum, 2013.

Official Press Release:

CALLING ALL FARMERS, GOURMET ARTISANS, AND FOOD & DRINK LOVERS: BE A PART OF THE AMERICAN PANTRY MAP!

     

National photographic project by artist Andrea Blum celebrates American food culture with photo shoot at Montalvo on Sept. 29 at 1:30pm 

SARATOGA, Calif. – At 1:30pm on September 29, 2013, culinary artist Andrea Blum invites the community to participate in her national photography project My American Pantry: a celebration of creativity, taste, community, and entrepreneurship. Taking place on the Great Lawn of the Montalvo Arts Center, the event will begin with an aerial photo shoot, followed by a community picnic with participants sharing dishes prepared from family recipes. The resulting photo will be included in an interactive digital atlas of American food and drink representing American food and entrepreneurship.
 

This will be the first time Blum has invited the general public to participate in one of her MAP photo shoots In the past, she has limited participants to professional artisan food and drink producers, including cheese makers, vintners, and farmers. “Part of the aim of my project is to celebrate the rich local traditions around the preparation and sharing of food,” she said. “Asking participants to share family recipes seemed like the natural evolution of the project.”

All participants will be asked to bring a picnic blanket of a specific color, a homemade food to share, and the recipe for the dish. Participants who are professional artisan producers will also be asked to bring products and tools of the trade of their craft. “Be prepared to relax in the grass and to share what you bring with those around you,” said Blum. “We will do the rest with the composition and with the remote control camera flying above.”


ABOUT MY AMERICAN PANTRY
Begun in 2013, the My American Pantry (MAP) project is an interactive tapestry of people, food, story, and recipes that celebrate the American table, conceived of by culinary artist Andrea Blum. Traveling around the country, Blum documents the wide array of artisans, products, and food traditions native to different geographic areas. First arranging participants and the tools of their trade in a carefully designed composition, Blum then captures the image via aerial photography by means of a remote-controlled camera. The photo shoots also provide an opportunity to gather stories from participants about their practices, products, and their craft.

The end-goal is to create an online and offline map of people, products, and stories allowing viewers and even shoppers to interact with the images and stories. Blum hopes to bring the finalized project from all 50 states to the World's Fair in Milan in 2015. More information about the MAP project is available at myamericanpantry.com.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER: ANDREA BLUM
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in California, Andrea Blum is a journalist and chef turned entrepreneur. Her passion for food ignited as a child after eating her first French meal in a famous restaurant in Philadelphia at 11 years old. That experience changed the way she thought about food. At 20 years old, she took a year to study in France learning the history, art, and cultural significance of food that would quickly become part of a lifelong fascination. Though she later returned to France and Italy to resume her studies of fresco painting and art restoration, every moment of her free time was spent exploring the cooking, farming, and culture of the French and Italian food world, with mothers, grandmothers, master cheese makers, and artisans.

In 2003, Blum traded her paintbrush for pen, graduating from Columbia University in Journalism with awards in social justice reporting. She has since worked as a reporter covering the environment in Northern California. But she has also stayed close to her passion for food, writing for newspapers and magazines such Gourmet and Saveur, and hosting tours to discover and indulge in Italian regional "food worlds" such as the Cilento and Amalfi Coast regions of Campania.

Blum’s interests have always been related to the geography of food; she seeks to discover the stories each dish can tell whether it’s from the highlands of Tibet or in remote villages in Turkey. My American Pantry (MAP) is an extension of her geographic quest to follow food back to where it’s made. Only this time, she has chosen to focus on American artisan food, its rebirth, its crafters and its terroir.

FLOURISH: ARTISTS EXPLORE WELLBEING
Blum's photo shoot is presented as part of the public programming organized around Flourish: Artists Explore Wellbeing, Montalvo’s latest multiyear programming theme, coordinated by the Lucas Artists Residency Program in collaboration with Montalvo’s Education Department. Through exhibitions, conversations, performances, and workshops, Montalvo explores the question, “How can we live meaningful, happy, and healthy lives?” For more information, please visit montalvoarts.org/flourish.

MY AMERICAN PANTRY (MAP) PICNIC AND PHOTO SHOOT
Who: Culinary artist Andrea Blum, in partnership with the Montalvo Arts Center
What: A public potluck picnic and photo shoot, organized around the My American Pantry project to celebrate American food and drink.
Where: Great Lawn of the Montalvo Arts Center, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, CA.
When: Sunday, September 29, at 1:30pm
Admission: It is free to participate, but advance registration is required. Please sign up at myamericanpantry.com/montalvo-picnic-photo.
  

Renders of KT Properties' Proposed Towers in San Pedro Square!

Below are images for the two towers that KT Properties is planning to build across the street from the San Pedro Square Market. In fact, you can even see the Market in the first three renders. The project will total 612 apartment units between both towers. One of them will be 20 stories (210 feet tall) and the other will be 22 stories (228 feet tall). In between the towers is an amenity courtyard with a pool, garden, and bocce ball court.

I love the design. I think it looks really sleek and pushes the design bar further for future high-rises. While the buildings use a similar design language, the towers themselves are different. Hopefully this will put an end to all of the identical-looking "sibling" buildings Downtown.

Oh, and did I mention it will include 13,000 SQFT of retail? This is a huge win for Downtown!

Source: SVBJ

San Jose Taiko Presents its 40th Anniversary Concert at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose on October 5

 

San José, CA --- San Jose Taiko (SJT) is presenting its 40^th Anniversary Concert on October 5 at 8 PM at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts. This is a one-night-only performance, which will culminate SJT’s 40^th season with favorite pieces that audiences have grown to love over the group’s four decades in San Jose.  This year’s annual concert will feature guest artists Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose.

 

“We are grateful to those who came before us,” said Franco Imperial, Artistic Director of San Jose Taiko. “This concert is our chance to celebrate their accomplishments and what this community has helped us create over our 40-year history.  Our collaboration with Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose is an example of this.  The relationship with this incredible Bharatanatyam group started in 1992 and has been rekindled in the past few years through our collaboration in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Working with Abhinaya inspires us in so many ways. We love sharing the stage with each other and are grateful for their involvement in our 40th anniversary celebration ”

 

SJT has endeavored to create a contemporary musical style unlike any other taiko group in the world since its formation in 1973.  This artistic philosophy has allowed the company to push the boundaries of the art form while staying true to its roots.  This year’s concert will also feature the debut of SJT's new O-hiradaiko, a drum more than five feet in diameter and the largest taiko of its style in North America.

 

“We have such a talented group of performing members who are exemplary ambassadors for the art form and our Japantown community,” adds Wisa Uemura, Executive Director of San Jose Taiko. “We know where we come from, and we are San Jose proud. For 40 years, we have carried the name of this great city to all parts of the world, representing the creativity and innovation that is synonymous with Silicon Valley. Through this concert, we hope to offer our audiences a multicultural performance that will be remembered for the next 40 years.”

  

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors if purchased in advance ($30/$25 at the door).  All seats are reserved, and group rates are available. Ticket information is available by visiting www.taiko.org or by calling 408-293-9344 or writing info@taiko.org

The Center for Performing Arts is located at 255 Almaden Blvd, in downtown San Jose, CA.

# # #

 

About San Jose Taiko:

 

San Jose Taiko, with a deep respect of cultural traditions and a commitment to artistic excellence, is dedicated to the advancement of the taiko art form through the development of its world-class Performing Ensemble and the San Jose Taiko Conservatory. Located in the heart of Japantown San Jose, the company performs more than 160 times annually, throughout the Bay Area, the United States, and abroad.

 

From its beginnings in 1973, SJT endeavored to create a contemporary musical style while respecting taiko’s Japanese roots.  Representative of the backgrounds and influences of its membership, SJT’s style joins the traditional rhythms of Japan with other world rhythms, including African, Brazilian, Filipino, Latin, and jazz. All of SJT’s performances are fully choreographed, theatrically lit extravaganzas, bridging many styles while still resonating with the Asian soul in America.

 

Enrich the human spirit. Connect people beyond cultural and demographic boundaries.

San Jose Taiko, 565 North 5^th Street, San Jose, CA 95112 408 293 9344 www.taiko.org

Saturday Stats: SJC Traffic Up 5.4% Year-Over-Year

Thing are looking up for the airport. Passenger traffic rose for the seventh consecutive month in a row. In July 813,628 passengers went through SJC, which is a substantial 5.4% increase over the same month in 2012. Overall, SJC traffic is up 4.9% year-to-date, which means growth is accelerating over time. Sure there were some extraneous factors in there like the Asiana crash and the economy, but this is a good sign for the airport. Keep in mind that the city owns the airport, and the profits (or losses) eventually flow back to San Jose.

Source: SVBJ

C2SV Technology Conference + Music Festival Announces 2nd Round of Performing Artists

Thee Oh Sees, Bosnian Rainbows, G.F.P., Stumblebunny, Among Latest Additions to Join Iggy and the Stooges and Over 70 Acts in Silicon Valley

 

Breakthrough event celebrates digital innovation explosion as tech fans and music lovers converge on Downtown San Jose Sept. 26-29, 2013

 

SAN JOSE, CA – The C2SV TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE + MUSIC FESTIVAL – Silicon Valley’s celebration of the digital culture revolution among tech fans and music lovers – is pleased to announce the next round of performing artists for this year’s breakthrough “Creative Convergence” event being held Thursday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 in Downtown San Jose.

 

New acts on board for C2SV includeThee Oh Sees, Bosnian Rainbows (featuring former members of the Mars Volta and At the Drive-In), G.F.P. (with Greg Hetson from Bad Religion and skateboarding legend Tony Alva), and Stumblebunny, led by Chris Robison (New York Dolls, John Lennon’s Elephant’s Memory). Those and many more new additions join previously announced headliners Iggy and the Stooges,‘90s alt-rock pioneers The Lemonheads, electro-pop duo The Limousines, Oakland’s The Coup, featuring Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funkstress, and modern funk pioneer Dam-Funk, among others, as the newly re-branded festival expands on the success of last year’s inaugural Silicon Valley Sound Experience to showcase more than 70 emerging and established acts in over a dozen downtown venues. 

 

Tickets, including multi-venue music passes and technology conference passes and wristbands, are on sale NOW at www.c2sv.com.

 

C2SV (Creative Convergence Silicon Valley) affords festivalgoers a rare opportunity to see bands in much more intimate settings than usual, at an affordable all-inclusive price.

 

Iggy and The Stooges guitarist James Williamson — whose intertwining careers personify the “Creative Convergence” of music and technology — will deliver the keynote music address on Saturday, Sept. 28 at noon. Later that evening, he performs with the protopunk legends at St. James Park in San Jose. Williamson’s keynote will be open to badge holders of the C2SV Technology Conference as well as VIP ticket holders for the Iggy and The Stooges concert later that day in St. James Park. The concert ticket is being sold in combination with a wristband that enables concertgoers to experience four days of music by more than 70 acts at 12 venues in Downtown San Jose.

 

THE C2SV TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE + MUSIC FESTIVAL allows Silicon Valley innovators to converge on their home turf with leading innovators in music.

 

Visit www.c2sv.com/music for the latest details on performing artists, more of whom are being added each day.

 

The complete list of performers to date is as follows:

 

Iggy and The Stooges

Thee Oh Sees  

Bosnian Rainbows

The Lemonheads

OFF! (Keith Morris from Circle Jerks and Black Flag)

The Limousines

Deafheaven

The Coup

Mondo Generator

Tera Melos

G.F.P. (Greg Hetson from Bad Religion and skateboarding legend Tony Alva)

Party Ben

DAM Funk (DJ Set)

Sleepy Sun

Black Milk

BVMO

The Revival (Julius Papp and The Selecter DJ Kirk)

Tom, Dick and Harry

Sonido Clash

The Phenomenauts

Oro 11

Deejay Theory

Picture Atlantic

Soulful Obsession

The Trims

Brother Grand

E V Kain

DLRN

Affinity DJs

The Trims

Finish Ticket

Workout DJs

Dirty Ghosts

The Jurassic

The She’s

Penthouse Penthouse

Stumblebunny

Cartoon Bar Fight

Finish Ticket

Torches

Claw Hammer

Bibles and Hand Grenades

Amonie

Haptic Synapses

The Icarus Line

Onward, Etc.

Shinobu

The Flames

Containher

Holy Child

The Albert Square

Trails and Ways

Holy Child

Talky Tina   

Fatso Jetson

The Bang

Dinners

Curious Quail

K-VON

Dirty Pillows

The New Trust

Occult Wisdom

* * *

 

The Creative Convergence Silicon Valley (C2SV) technology conference will feature three days of speakers, including many notable Silicon Valley CEOs, entrepreneurs, technologists, authors and academics.   

 

Other speakers include Internet personality Robert Scoble (Rackspace, Scobleizer); author and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel (the bestseller “Breakpoint”); and Yahoo! chairman Maynard Webb.

 

Complete information about the conference can be found at www.c2sv.com.

www.c2sv.com
@C2SVTech
@C2SVMusic
Facebook.com/C2SVFestival 

Halston Coming to Valley Fair

Valley Fair is about to get one of the very first Halston retail stores. This particular designer is known for "retro" styles based in the '60s and '70s. What makes this significant is that there are only two Halston Heritage standalone stores in existence, one in New York City and the other in Los Angeles. This would make San Jose it's third location and the only announced store for Northern California.

Valley Fair is turning into a destination for these exclusive hard-to-find brands. It's days as a typical suburban mall are numbered, especially with their future expansion that will bring many more unique brands, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, and a Santana Row-ish outdoor area.

Source: SVBJ

Reddit Conversation with Sam Liccardo

Even if you could care less about San Jose politics, I would highly recommend reading this Reddit conversation with District 3 Councilmember Sam Liccardo. Some of the topics he covers include:

• Downtown nightlife
• How to compete with other Downtown areas in the South Bay and SF
• The Homeless
• Housing costs
• BART to San Jose
• Crime
• The Gold Club
• The 49ers move
• Building codes & fees
• The A's Ballpark
• Downtown High-rises
• Population growth and density
• Office vacancies

In other words he covered almost every topic important to Downtown San Jose, and he did a pretty good job of addressing the questions directly and only dodging a couple. He even made a comment about the airport location specifically for Anthony Dominguez ;)

"It means that some locations are limited to 25 or even 20 stories, which isn't tall enough to justify the very large additional costs of steel construction (typically required on anything 10 stories or more). We also have a high water table due to the proximity of the Guadalupe, so developers have to pump water--permanently-- in order to install underground garages. So, our geography undermines our ability to build a skyline. That's why I'm proposing next week that we move the airport to Moffett Field. Just kidding." 

It's a great read, definitely worth 15min of your time! Again, here is the link.

Source: Anonymous Poster

Is There a Second New Westin Hotel Coming to Downtown San Jose???

I have one big question for tonight, what is this project below? At first I thought this was Lew Wolff's re-branding of the Sainte Claire as the Westin San Jose. Have a close look... even in the completely unlikely scenario that the City would allow a developer to dramatically face-lift a historic building, there is no way they could make it look like the render. The Sainte Claire is a six story building while the render is either 11 or 12 stories. The shape is also completely different. So again, I ask the question... what the heck is this project?

The text below reads: Ehm Architecture provided Schematic Design and Design Development Services for Starwood Hotels on this 500-room hotel in downtown San Jose. The project is in the entitlements phase.

Could this be a brand new, unannounced project in the Downtown area?  Downtown San Diego has two Westin Hotels, so it may be a possibility. If anyone has any other news, please send it in. Huge hat-tip to Franco for finding this.

Sources: Franco Rancadore, EHM Website