Category Archives: Guest Column

Imitation of Life: Lana Turner’s Mysterious Origins

By Blake Allmendinger From the 1920s through the 1950s, Hollywood studios converted ordinary young men and women into “stars.”  Teaching them to sing and dance, giving them deportment and elocution lessons, and altering the manner in which they dressed, studios changed the names and identities of such aspiring actors as Marion Morrison (John Wayne) and Lucille […]

Burnt Basque Cheesecake

By Lisa Van De Graaff Burnt Basque cheesecake has become a family favorite for us, especially for Blas who has requested it for his birthday cake three years in a row. It is an unusual and oh-so-rewarding experience to smell the burnt top and savor the texture combination of paper thin crunchy char and thick […]