Looking for a volunteer sponsor for a local recreational team

Hello,

I hope your day is going well. I am contacting you or writing this in hopes that you or someone you know would be interested in sponsoring a team for $200. The teams are an adult co-ed volleyball, and one co-ed softball recreational team comprised of educators, and students from Kern County.

Currently, funding for these teams I am invloved in is limited or difficult to obtain. We know that people generally prefer to donate to children's teams and that is fine, but this is why funding is not an easy task to obtain.

If you or someone you know would be interested in donating please contact me. We will be proud to wear your company name or logo on our jerseys and give you any awards if won. Also, your donation could be tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!

CSUB honors graduates at upcoming winter commencement

California State University, Bakersfield will celebrate its fifth winter commencement in two separate ceremonies on Monday, Dec. 1, in the Icardo Center on campus. Nearly 900 students are eligible to participate.

Procession for the Humanities and Social Sciences school will start at 9:50 a.m. Doors for the ceremony for the remaining three schools will open about 1:15 and the processional will start at 2 p.m.

Degree recipients from the School of Business and Public Administration (114 bachelor’s, 35 master’s), School of Education (42 bachelor’s, 56 master’s, which may include a number of the 241 teacher credential awardees), School of Humanities and Social Sciences (307 bachelor’s, 15 master’s) and School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (61 bachelor’s, 14 master’s) will be honored during the two ceremonies.

Speaker for this fifth winter commencement is CSUB President Horace Mitchell.

Mitchell became the fourth president of CSUB in July 2004 after 36 years of experience in higher education. Under Mitchell’s leadership, the university has continued a period of rapid development, with a vision to extend the excellence and diversity of the faculty and academic programs, enhance the quality of the student experience and strengthen community engagement.

Mitchell came to his current position from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as vice chancellor, business and administrative services and affiliated professor of African American studies.

Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master of arts in education, and doctorate in counseling psychology, all from Washington University in St. Louis. He began his professional career at his alma mater in 1968, serving as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, assistant professor of education and black studies and chair of the black studies program.

Mitchell then spent 17 years at University of California, Irvine, serving in several faculty and management positions. He was associate dean for student and curricular affairs in the UCI College of Medicine from 1980-1984. During his last 11 years at UCI, he was vice chancellor-student affairs and campus life, and associate clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior.

Mitchell, also a psychology professor at CSUB, has teaching and research interests in the areas of identity construction, multicultural psychology, and psychological assessment. He continues to teach each year and he maintains his California license for private practice as a psychologist.

He is a member of the board of directors of the American Council on Education and a commissioner of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. He has been recognized widely for his many years of community service by civic, non-profit, governmental, educational and professional organizations. Currently he serves on the board of directors of the Kern Economic Development Corporation and the governing board of the United Way of Kern County.

Those planning to attend winter commencement should enter the university on Roadrunner Drive off Camino Media on the south side of campus. Parking for guests is in Lot I, south of the Icardo Center and Lot E, south of the Student Health Center. Roadrunner Drive will be closed to through traffic for short periods of time at the Icardo Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking for disabled visitors is available at the northern edge of Lot I, marked by signs. A disabled drop-off point is also at Lot I’s northern edge.

For more information, visit: www.csub.edu/commencement

Bakersfield Bobby Sox

Bakersfield Bobby Sox, a girls softball league, will be holding registration for girls ages 4-18 at Cataldo's Pizzeria on the corner of Stockdale Highway and Real Road. Sign-ups will be on Thursday, Jan.15, 2009 from 5 to 9 p.m. All girls will play — no tryouts. Cost will be $100 for the Mini Sox division and $120 for all other divisions.

Players new to Bobby Sox, please bring a copy of your birth certificate.

For more information, visit: www.bakersfieldbobbysox.com or call Kathy at 832-1271.

MAS Newsletter 11-21

Hola MAS readers! As the staple of many Bakersfield tables, tortillas can be a meal's best friend. Local tortilleria, La Bonita, is proud to offer their product — and mark a momentous year. Thanksgiving time is nearly here, and we have a couple of recipes to add to your menu.

In tortilla heaven

There is nothing quite like the scent of just made tortillas — hot and fresh, beckoning familias to sit down together for a delicious meal. La Bonita — locally owned & operated — celebrates 50 deliciosos años of bringing tortillas to your table.

Corn soup with pico de gallo

This simple soup provides a sophisticated blend of fall flavors & is sure to please your palate — a perfect Thanksgiving balance — sweet corn & a burst of spice.

Pumpkin profiteroles with pie spice sauce

These tiny bright orange profiteroles with their powdery tops line up perfectly to incite the temptation of young and old alike. So light and delicious, bet you can’t have just one!

A place to go

St. Gianna’s Maternity Home has been taking in homeless pregnant women and their children for more than a year. On Nov. 29, St. Gianna's will hold a dinner-dance to raise funds.

A place to go

It is the season of giving and one local organization is asking you to give with your heart so they can keep their doors open.

St. Gianna’s Maternity Home has been taking in homeless pregnant women and their children for more than a year now. But with a troubled economy, money has gotten tight for many charitable causes, including St. Gianna’s, a Catholic-based organization, said Amanda Fimbres-Baeza, the group’s executive director.

Of course, although donations are falling short, the needs only grow bigger.

So St. Gianna’s is taking action by presenting a dinner-dance gala Nov. 29 at the Women’s Club, 2030 18th St.

“We are having a fundraiser to keep our doors open,” Fimbres-Baeza said. “Times are tough and we work on private donations.”

The goal is to raise $50,000.

Although the local maternity home at 3811 Mt. Vernon Ave. is Catholic-based, they do not receive any church funding and must rely on the help and generosity of individuals and/or other groups, according to Fimbres-Baeza.

The group’s gala will have a no-host bar at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. There will also be music and dancing from 8 to 11 p.m. with performances by Little Ray and the Starfire Band.

“This fundraiser will benefit homeless pregnant women and their babies,” Fimbres-Baeza said.

Since Sept. 8, 2007, St. Gianna’s has served six women and their children by providing shelter, clothing, food, diapers, formula and more, she said.

And by giving women this option, their future and that of their babies can be totally changed, Fimbres-Baeza said.

“This home is vital to the community because these women who are pregnant and homeless might choose to abort their child if they have no place to go,” Fimbres-Baeza said. “It truly is a matter of life or death for these babies.”

In addition to the help the women receive with the basics — shelter, food, clothing, etc. — St. Gianna’s is there for these mothers-to-be on a spiritual level as well, she said.

“Our home is faith-based and provides women with spiritual direction so that they can have a strong foundation to rebuild their lives,” Fimbres-Baeza said.

With all of this in mind, Fimbres-Baeza urges the community to consider the importance and the good St. Gianna’s Maternity Home is doing and to help keep it available to women right here in our own community.

“Our motto is ‘One Mother, One Baby, One Family at a Time,’” Fimbres-Baeza said.

St. Gianna’s Maternity Home

• Dinner-Dance & Gala
• 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29
• Tickets: $75 donation
• Details: 872-BAB

Publisher's Note: Savoring the rich history of La Bonita’s 50 years in business

I was a young girl when my family made a trip to this small tortilleria in east Bakersfield to buy all the makings for our holiday tamales.

Years later, this factory at 1813 E. California Ave. continues to open to the public during the busy Christmas season when many Latino families prepare for their annual tamale-making tradition.

As a thank-you for buying their tamale ingredients there, customers are given free spiritual or Aztec-themed calendars (the ones many of you may remember seeing hanging in your abuela’s house).

Such is the sweet gesture of the shop’s owner at the locally-owned La Bonita, which is celebrating 50 years in existence. A great occasion to be the spotlight of our cover issue this week.

I have had the pleasure of knowing the owner, Albert Ornelas, and his wife and my good friend, Denise, for many years. Denise Ornelas, most likely La Bonita’s No. 1 fan, owns Allure Beauty Salon on 17th Street in downtown Bakersfield. (Many of our readers know her as one of MAS magazine’s beauty columnists).

Given La Bonita’s length of operation and its history, we felt it was fitting to introduce the story behind this Latino business to our readers.

Also in this week’s issue, you’ll find the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce newsletter and plenty of love shout-outs and celebrations in our Gente section. If you want to submit a dedication, go to: masbakersfield.com and post a photo and dedication, no more than 25 words. We will run it for free in a future issue.

In tortilla heaven

There is nothing quite like the scent of just made tortillas — hot and fresh, beckoning familias to sit down together for a delicious meal.

At La Bonita Brand — “Bakersfield’s tortilla factory since 1958” — the aromatic and time-honored process of making this Latino food staple, along with many other favorite culinary products, has been done for 50 years.

That’s a half century of local ownership and local employees, not to mention local loyalty to a brand built on comida buena.

Of course, it didn’t all happen right away — or very easily.

“We work like a family here and have for so many years,” said Edmundo Quezada, 72, a retired co-owner of La Bonita. “We are still here, still satisfied, still happy and still working.”

Recipe for success
Like a good recipe, a good business requires a certain mix of ingredients. And the chef/owner must be willing to re-work that formula when things aren’t right.

For La Bonita, it started in — of all places — an English class.

In 1958, Edmundo Quezada came to the U.S. from Mexico to help his Tia Maria Lopez open La Bonita in Bakersfield. Her brother, YB Quezada, actually founded the company — called La Bonita, “The Pretty One,” the nickname YB gave his daughter — in Los Angeles after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Quezada wanted to learn his new homeland’s language, so he enrolled in a night English class, where he met Juan Ornelas. The pair became friends and would one day also forge a business partnership.

During the busy Christmas season and with the tamale rush in full swing, Quezada hired Ornelas to help deliver La Bonita products in Bakersfield.

Lopez would eventually turn over the company to one of the supervisors at the time. Quezada and Ornelas later bought out that person — and in 1971, the hombres officially became business partners, incorporating their beloved La Bonita.

Not that they were movers & shakers in the corporate world quite yet. Quezada and Ornelas were the only employees, and they also used their personal vehicles for deliveries.

“We used to work hard, come home late, wake up early and go to work,” Quezada said. “It was hard times and not easy.”

Bakersfield was such a small town back in the ‘70s that the company only made about five cases of flour tortillas and 10 cases of the corn variety each day, according to Quezada.

Also in the ‘70s — and repeating recently — gas prices were unsteady and it became difficult for La Bonita to get by.

In addition, there was a cultural culinary barrier to break through as well.

“I think the only challenge was when we tried to offer our products outside the ethnic area, they kind of hesitated,” said Ornelas, 64. “They would say, ‘Tortillas? Who is going to buy tortillas? We don’t have any Mexicans coming in to buy here.’”

A significant corporate improvement came with the purchase of a used van. The $300 ride was then added to the La Bonita delivery fleet, which still included the owners’ cars.

Today, it’s a common sight to see those white La Bonita delivery vehicles around town and what used to be a small company has grown into a successful operation with 25 employees, producing 100,000 corn and flour tortillas weekly, according to Quezada.

The original factory was located on Potomac Avenue in east Bakersfield and has since moved to East California Avenue, which is open to the public for purchases. The La Bonita offices are on Easton Drive.

Many of the workers have been with La Bonita for 20 to 30 years and have seen each other’s families grow.

In 2005, Quezada and Ornelas sold their share of the company to Ornelas’ son, Albert Ornelas, 40, who has actually been with the company for 21 years.

But make no mistake — this co-owner’s son had to start from the bottom and work his way up.

On Albert Ornelas’ first day of employment with La Bonita, his father sent him out to wash company trucks.

So he gathered a hose and soap, ready to start his task — but then it began to rain.

“I went in and my dad said, ‘What are you doing?’” said Albert Ornelas. “I told my dad that it was raining and he said, ‘Just use less water.’”

It was then that Albert Ornelas knew the job was not going to be easy and that his treatment would be nothing less than that of a regular employee.

Now as an owner himself, Albert Ornelas hopes that in the future he can purchase newer equipment to produce twice as many products as they do now, he said.

“I am still trying to figure out how they (his father and Quezada) did it for so long (financially),” said Albert Ornelas. “But, they are still around guiding me in the right direction.”

The making of tortillas
At 5 p.m. each weekday, the fresh dough process starts once the delivery truck dumps raw corn into two dispensers at the factory. The kernels are then tossed into 800-pound tanks.

Each container is filled with water and heated at 180 degrees until the water boils.

The corn is cooked from 45 minutes to an hour and cools off for three hours, after which the corn and dough are placed into a grinder.

When the products are combined, it’s time to cut the mixture into 3-inch to 10-inch circles and run through the oven.

Once they’ve cooked just right, the tortillas are placed onto the cooling racks. Then they are put into La Bonita’s packages with the signature red and green logo of a smiling woman wearing her sombrero proudly, and prepared for delivery.

For flour tortillas, the process is a bit more involved.

The ingredients are placed in mixing bowls and combined until there is a consistent dough, which is rounded into dough balls.

These dough balls are set aside for a time so they will become soft for pressing. After which, they are stretched by hand in a hot plate to make round tortillas with the proper diameter.

They are then baked for a mere 20 seconds in a 450-degree oven, cooled and packaged. Flour tortillas are then frozen fresh.

Among the other La Bonita products are: spices, gorditas, masa and tostada shells.

“The customers like our products,” Quezada said. “We still have the same formula — and the stores, restaurants and the people like it.”

Holding on, holding steady
Though La Bonita has seen hard times before, today’s food product market may just be the most challenging they’ve faced.

Even though the demand for the products is still the same, it’s difficult for the company to keep up with their operating costs.

“The food has become like gas,” said Ornelas. “We use a lot of corn and the price has gone up about 100 percent in the last two to three years.”

Plastic, cartons and gasoline are all part of the distribution for La Bonita retail items.

Since gas prices are finally falling, the company’s delivery expenses have received some relief.

However, La Bonita’s higher production costs must be passed on to the consumers — at least for now. Current retail prices for La Bonita products range from about 99 cents to $5.

“They (the consumers) are not happy, but they understand,” said Albert Ornelas. “They may not buy as much.”

Since many of the restaurants, factories and other businesses that La Bonita supplies are now closing or going bankrupt, banks and lenders are restricting La Bonita from obtaining any more capital to update equipment, according to Ornelas.

As a result, sales are down 25 percent from last year, he said.

“We hope that things will get better,” said Ornelas. “Then we will start going back up again.”

And as long as the demand for the products remains strong, La Bonita will meet that demand, he said.

Albert Ornelas hopes to hire more people and increase the business size once the company is able to grow and succeed through the next few years.

“First and foremost, we need to get through these hard times,” he said. “Then hopefully — on the upswing — we would like to combine our two facilities into one and update a little on the machinery and automation.”

Happy Birthday, Gabi!

We love you!
From your family

David Leal & Robert Luna

1967 — Went through Boot Camp together, OORAH!
Saluting both of you with much love & pride,
Veterans Day 2008
Semper Fi!

Happy First Birthday!

To Lizette Zuniga,
Happy First Birthday on Nov. 13!

Love,
Mom & Dad

Happy 50th Anniversary!

¡Feliz 50 años de casados, Nacho y Chavela Pelayo!

Departe de,
Todos tus amigos de el Richard Prado Senior Center

Happy 60th Birthday!

To Robert A. Luna,
With much love & many blessings to you on your birthday!

— Your family

Happy Second Birthday!

To Julian & Juliana Gonzalez,

Love,
Mom & Dad

Pumpkin profiteroles with pie spice sauce

These tiny bright orange profiteroles with their powdery tops line up perfectly to incite the temptation of young and old alike. So light and delicious, bet you can’t have just one!

Pumpkin filling ingredients:

2 cups nonfat milk
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3 oz. cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups roasted pumpkin puree (Can be substituted with a canned pumpkin purée)

Take a small pumpkin and cut in half. Scrape out seeds and wrap in foil. Place in a 350°F oven until cooked through and tender for about 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, place milk, yolks, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon stick. Mix well and place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
When the sauce thickens, turn the heat down to very low and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, pour onto a shallow container, cover with plastic film and chill well.
Remove skin from pumpkin and purée in blender.
Remove cinnamon stick from cream, add pumpkin puree to the cream mix, then mix well until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

Pastry puff ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup nonfat milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 oz. butter
10 oz. flour
6 eggs

In a heavy sauce pan, place water, milk, salt and butter. Bring to a boil.
Whisk in flour and cook until a heavy paste forms. Cook for 2 minutes then beat in the eggs one by one.
Pipe paste using a plain tip onto a parchment lined 9x13 sheet pan, making 30 puffs the size of silver dollars.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

Pie spice sauce:

2 cups nonfat milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Place milk and spices in a pan and put over medium heat. Mix cornstarch and sugar, whisk into the milk and continue heating until milk boils.
Cook over low heat until sauce thickens.
Strain and chill well over ice.

Assembly:

Split puffs in half horizontally so you have a top and bottom.
Take a puff, pipe in pumpkin filling (about 1 oz.) and top off with puff.
Pour a generous amount of pie spice sauce on a large plate and place the pumpkin puffs on top of sauce.

Serves: 10 (30 profiteroles, 3 per serving)

Per serving (3 puffs): 197 calories; 7g fat

Corn soup with pico de gallo

This simple soup provides a sophisticated blend of fall flavors is sure to please your palate and satisfy your Thanksgiving guests!

Ingredients:

12 ears of yellow corn – shucked
1 yellow onion – diced fine
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine
2 quarts water
4 cups milk, 1 percent
4 tomatoes, whole — seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onion — chopped, white only
1 jalapeño pepper — seeded and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro — chopped
4 radishes — washed and sliced
1 lime — juiced
Salt and pepper — to taste

Serves: 10

Preparing the corn soup:

Remove husks and corn silk from corn and discard.
Place corn cobs vertically in a large bowl and cut kernels from the cob. Place water and the bald cobs in a large pot and cook over medium heat for one hour.
Strain, discard the cobs and reduce the stock by simmering until it evaporates to about 1 quart.
Place olive oil, corn kernels, onions, garlic and bay leaf in a medium-sized pot and cook over low-medium flame for 15 minutes. Remove 1 cup of corn mix and set aside.
Add white wine to the pot with corn mix and reduce by half by simmering. Add corn stock and milk and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
Turn down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from the fire and discard the bay leaf.
Using a blender, puree the corn soup until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper and keep hot.

Preparing the pico de gallo:

Place the reserved cooked corn in a bowl with the tomatoes, white part of green onion, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, radishes and lime juice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, pour the soup into soup bowls and spoon a bit of the pico de gallo in the center. You may want to garnish with some cilantro sprigs.

— Per serving: 216 calories; 8g fat

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