Making dough in the pizza business

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Red Boy Pizza family owners with Oakland Citycouncilwoman Libby Schaaf

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: May 20, 2011

If you want to make dough in the pizza business, it helps to have a hook. For the Oakland hills family who owns the Red Boy Pizza franchise, it begins with the sourdough crust.

“The mother dough was started in Italy in 1942,” says Farid Radwan, an Egyptian-born restaurateur who goes by the name “Fred.” He came to this country in the mid-1970s and fell in love with his Italian wife, Antoinette, when they were going to Cal State Hayward. They married, had children and bought Bordenave’s Bakery in San Rafael in 1996. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: All’s just ducky in Eugene, Oregon

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HILLS NEWSPAPERS: May 13, 2011

I’m not one to live in the past, but when the phone rang outside an ice-cream parlor at the University of Oregon, I immediately slipped into college mode. I ran to the booth and picked up the receiver.

“Hey baby,” said a deep, breathless voice on the other end, “are you a player?” Before I could answer, I heard giggling and the line went dead. Continue reading →

One thief down – countless others to go

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MONTCLARION: May 13, 2011

There’s finally some good news in the fight against crime in the hills. Police have arrested a career criminal they caught red-handed in an abandoned home he was illegally occupying. Jewelry, electronics — in fact, two van-loads of stolen property — have been recovered. All this can be returned now to the rightful owners.

The question remains “… how many crooks are still out there looking for easy targets? Two friends in one week had their homes burglarized recently.

The sickening feeling of coming home and finding your sanctuary has been violated is just part of the problem. The other is the slow police response time. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Remembering the Alamo

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HILLS NEWSPAPERS: April 28, 2011

It’s time for some travel trivia as we head toward summer. What Texas icon is having a big birthday this year? No, it’s not T. Boone Pickens or George W. Bush.

Remember the Alamo? This year marks the 175th anniversary of the most famous fight in Texas history — the 13-day Battle of the Alamo. One hundred eighty-nine people lost their lives in this epic encounter, including heroes such as Davey Crockett and James Bowie. When the smoke cleared, Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican army had won. Continue reading →

Pennies from …Heaven?

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MONTCLARION: April 28, 2011

I don’t know what to make of it, but I’ve been finding a lot of pennies lately. Sure, a cent here and there doesn’t buy much, but there’s still something magical about the little copper coins.

Take my experience at the airport in Phoenix last week. My family and I were trying to get home from a wedding — on standby passes.

We’d seen several flights come and go when suddenly a trail of pennies appeared in our path.We each picked one up and, remarkably, found room on the very next flight.Was it a coincidence or is it true what they say about pennies from heaven? Continue reading →

The Six Questions

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OAKLAND MAGAZINE: May/June 2011

Who:  Greg Raifman, 51, of Piedmont

What: He’s a husband, father and an avid cyclist who, along with his friend and business partner Thierry Attias, owns one of the world’s top professional cycling teams – UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. Continue reading →

Wanted: Volunteers for Big Acting Role

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MONTCLARION: April 22, 2011

Wanted: Volunteer victims to act out the role of folks injured in a major earthquake. It’s not Shakespeare, but it could lead to the performance of a lifetime.

On April 30, CORE (Communities of Oakland Respond to Emergencies) is holding its sixth annual citywide drill. The purpose is to practice neighborhood evacuations and communication techniques in the event of a “big one.”

The recent disasters in Japan have shown us that most victims are saved, not by first responders, but by neighbors helping neighbors.

Does your neighborhood have an emergency plan in place? CORE training can help get you ready. See what it’s all about by volunteering to be part of the disaster drill next weekend. Kaity Booth is the CORE coordinator and can be reached at core@oaklandnet.com. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Montana Goes Cowboy Chic

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HILLS NEWSPAPERS: April 15, 2011

Everything I’ve ever known about Montana can be summed up in three words — college, cowboys and the Crystal Bar.

The Crystal, mind you, is not just any old watering hole. In my days at Montana State University, it was a beer-chugging, chaw-spittin,’ country dive bar where the jukebox blasted from sunup till last call.

I was the “Queen of the Crystalizers,” a title immortalized on a brass plaque bolted to the brick wall near the pool cues. That plaque was my birthday present back in 1976, when my friends thought I needed something to show my children some day. Continue reading →

Hammers and Happy Hour putting Woodminster on the Map

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MONTCLARION: April 14, 2011

Woodminster is springing to life, and it’s not even summer theater season. Yes, the sleepy little business district is getting a boost from a new hardware store and the growing popularity of Monaghan’s on the Hill.

You may have heard by now that Montclair Village Hardware has opened in Woodminster after 64 years of doing business in the Village.

Owner Erik Hoffmann says it’s a bittersweet move, but he’s saving plenty in rent and has added a whole extra aisle of merchandise in his bigger location at 5048 Woodminster Lane. Continue reading →