Bread

It's always exciting to meet people who have bravely given up "real jobs" to fulfill their passions after years of thinking and planning. John Bennett and Hans-Erich Vogel are two such people. They recently opened Vin Goat, the cleverly-dubbed wine and cheese boutique on East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. Their shop features artisanal products from small suppliers worldwide: cheeses, charcuterie, gourmet pantry items and wine (as soon as their license comes through). And what is cheese without bread?

Tiffany and Raffi Sepetjian are serious foodies who love to travel, particularly to France where they have family. Even though Raffi has a large independent cigar business in California and Tiffany owned a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise, their true passion revolved around a dream to open an authentic French boulangerie, similar to the ones they had often enjoyed on the streets of Paris. That vision became a plan five years ago. They named it Pandor, an abbreviation of the French words "pain d'or," meaning golden bread.

Employees from 11 Huntington Beach restaurants put their table setting and bread tossing skills to the test Saturday. About 100 spectators witnessed events such as a waiter/waitress relay, clean water relay and a long board sand surfing race while sampling 20 different chowders as part of the third annual Huntington Beach Restaurant Olympics. Teams from Fred's Mexican Cafe and Cantina took first place in the table setting for the time and perfection contest, with BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse taking second and Duke's trailing in third.

Bryce Alderton Monday marked the beginning of a period of reflection for the Jewish community. Rosh Hashana, the start of the Jewish new year, began at sunset Monday and ended at sunset Wednesday across Huntington Beach and the world. It is a time when Jews celebrate a new year with family and friends. The 10-day reflection period will end with the conclusion of Yom Kippur on Sept. 27. Yom Kippur, known as the "Day of Atonement," is considered the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar, when Jews are to atone for any sins of the past year.

-- Story by Angelique Flores HE IS Brewing and baking BREAD-Y TO GO Midden runs BrewBakers, a shop in Huntington Beach where anyone can come in to brew beer and soda or buy a loaf of freshly baked bread. "It started with a dream to tie beer and bread together," the 47-year-old man said. "It's a celebration of yeast." Baking bread is second nature to Midden, who grew up in the baking business. "I'm a baker first and a brewer second," he said.

Laurette Bistro, snug in the corner of the Ralph's and Sav-On strip mall on Beach Boulevard and Garfield Avenue in Huntington Beach, is like a bit of Paris -- the kind of place you'll treasure for your morning latte' or noontime croque monsieur. It's the dream come true for co-owner Laurette Turgemon and partner Simon Tourein, who had a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The warm, sunny colors welcome you with a display case at the entrance that is full of patisseries, fruit tarts and cakes.

A LOOK BACK Recently, I met up with former City Councilman Ralph Bauer and his wife Charlene on Main Street and was reminded by them that the 100th anniversary of the Huntington Beach City School District was coming up shortly. So this week I though I would again write about the person whose name graces its entrance. When it came to making bread John Howard Eader sure knew how to make it. John and his bakery made the breads and pastries for Huntington Beach for 56 years.

Why not give Thanksgiving a French accent this holiday season and take the family and friends to Mimi's Cafe, a French-style restaurant on Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley? Mimi's welcomes you with a smile and wink and its glossy menu where o7 pain perduf7 doesn't mean a lost sauce pan, but wonderful French toast. You can begin the day with this selection ($6.10), a great dish with two eggs, bacon or sausage and French toast stuffed with cream cheese and orange marmalade.

Tiffany and Raffi Sepetjian are serious foodies who love to travel, particularly to France where they have family. Even though Raffi has a large independent cigar business in California and Tiffany owned a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchise, their true passion revolved around a dream to open an authentic French boulangerie, similar to the ones they had often enjoyed on the streets of Paris. That vision became a plan five years ago. They named it Pandor, an abbreviation of the French words "pain d'or," meaning golden bread.

It's always exciting to meet people who have bravely given up "real jobs" to fulfill their passions after years of thinking and planning. John Bennett and Hans-Erich Vogel are two such people. They recently opened Vin Goat, the cleverly-dubbed wine and cheese boutique on East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. Their shop features artisanal products from small suppliers worldwide: cheeses, charcuterie, gourmet pantry items and wine (as soon as their license comes through). And what is cheese without bread?

In these days of fusions and foam, fire pits and TV sets, it's nice to know that one can still enjoy a classic dining experience with white tablecloths and traditional French cuisine in a quiet atmosphere. Pascal Olhats changed the name of his original Newport Beach eatery to Tradition by Pascal to emphasize his commitment to French fine dining. Large bouquets of roses adorn each of the three dining areas and single roses decorate the tables. Gentle light from the hanging fixtures suffuses each table and creates a sense of warmth and privacy.

One of the few saving graces of going back to school for some kids is getting brand-new supplies, so one local organization helped low-income parents send their children back to school right. Project Self Sufficiency hosted a back to school event Monday at the Edison Community Center, where families ate chicken and potato salad before they lined up to get personalized backpacks stuffed with new school supplies. "I think it's important that children have nice and new things to help them have a positive image of going back to school," said Brigette Beisner, the Project Self Sufficiency program coordinator.

Handsome and refined but not stuffy, Pinot Provence is the South Coast outpost of Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group, along with Leatherby’s Café Rouge. This famous Los Angeles chef is slowly building an empire of attractive restaurants with consistently good food. Authentic Provençal French food is the star here, with classics like escargots, soupe a l’oignon, moules frites and magret de canard. The high-ceiling dining room looks like the great hall of a chateau in Avignon.

dining reviewIt's the holiday season and most people are thinking of gifts they're going to buy for family and friends, but there's nothing wrong with pausing for a moment to give yourself the gift of a meal that you don't have to cook or clean up after. A great place to take a slightly decadent break from the kitchen is Baci Italian Restaurant, a boxy and unassuming building on Beach Boulevard that is home to a dimly lighted haven of gustatory satisfaction. The restaurant is about 15 years old -- one of the oldest Italian eateries in Huntington Beach, owner Angelo Juliano says.

Last week I spent an evocative two-hour lunch talking shop with the pastors of four local mainstream churches. All this came about because I had called Dennis Short -- pastor of the Harbor Christian Church and chairman of Costa Mesa's now defunct Human Relations Committee -- to ask a favor. I wanted to talk to him about what I perceived as the redefining of Christianity by the fast-growing fundamentalist Christian churches and the passivity among the mainstream churches in allowing that to happen.

Lolita Harper Do not walk into the Bread Crumb with your nose in the air. Do not walk into the Bread Crumb if you are not hungry. Do not walk into the Bread Crumb if you don't like killer whales. Do visit the Bread Crumb if you are in the mood for a real, family atmosphere. Do visit the Bread Crumb if you like big, friendly smiles. And do visit the Bread Crumb if you are a die-hard breakfast-eater. I strolled in on a sunny Sunday morning, with a rumbling tummy and sleepy gaze, and was met with the sultry smells of real breakfast.

A LOOK BACK Recently, I met up with former City Councilman Ralph Bauer and his wife Charlene on Main Street and was reminded by them that the 100th anniversary of the Huntington Beach City School District was coming up shortly. So this week I though I would again write about the person whose name graces its entrance. When it came to making bread John Howard Eader sure knew how to make it. John and his bakery made the breads and pastries for Huntington Beach for 56 years.

Jenny Marder His fellow employees call him The Great White Hope. Cody Requejo, rolls sushi at Tuna Town, one of the seven restaurants that took part in the fourth annual Huntington Beach Restaurant Olympics, a boisterous event with a hearty turnout. Requejo, who won first place for the second year in a row in the bread toss event at the eatery Olympics, jokes that he slept with a loaf of sourdough bread under his pillow the night before the race for inspiration.