24 San Diego Uptown News | December 10–23, 2010 Uptown Games Uptown’s


WHAT’S UP FROM PAGE 19 GRINCH


Van Treuren is wonderful as the older pooch, it’s Logan Lipton’s charm, enthusiasm and doggy-like mannerisms that are the heart of this show. This is Lipton’s third year in the role and already his performance is aged to perfection.


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One delightful moment is when the two sing a duet, “This Time of Year,” and harmonize with canine cuteness. To make the story flow as the Grinch tries to steal Christmas from the ever-upbeat Whos, there are a few theatri- cal tricks employed. Puppets sometimes play characters seen from a distance and a wonder- ful scene of the Grinch and Max riding over the mountains gets a little stage magic as well. Many familiar faces are back in the Whoville cast, including San Diego favorites Steve Gunderson, Melinda Gilb and Eileen Bowman. Sharing the role of cuteness-personified as Cindy-Lou Who are new- comer Remy Margaret Corbin and veteran Shea Starrs Siben. First grader Corbin tackled the part opening night and while Siben (who played the part opening night last year) has a stronger voice, Corbin is beyond charming and acts the stuffing out of this non-turkey of a role.


As mentioned before, Skow-


ron’s Grinch has a lot more humor this year. That doesn’t mean that the Grinch has lost his bite, oh no. But we also giggle with him here and there, which gives the show much more holiday spirit. Director James Vasquez,


in recreating Jack O’Brien’s original staging, imbues the whole show with a rousing Christmas carol soul. Throw in snow in several scenes and you have a holly, jolly good time that’s worth revisiting year after year.u


FROM PAGE 22 COOKBOOK


with whom Rossman deals with regularly lost his entire butternut squash crop during a recent freeze. The result: prices go up.


“People have to understand that


chefs and restaurateurs who support the local farmers have to charge a little bit more money because of that,” Ross- man said. “A lot of times we pay just as much for the produce as we do for the


The obstacles are many, however. For one, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides schools with commodity products that aren’t al- ways wholesome rather than funds to buy local produce. Government reimbursement depends on par- ticipation numbers, which forces schools to resort to unhealthy but popular foods such as pizza and French fries.


Another


Jeff Rossman at Central Elementary School in City Heights. (Photo by Paul Body)


fish or the chicken or the beef.” But for people who understand the issues and are willing to pay the price, the payoff is worth it. “Local produce is fresh. It usu- ally comes out of the ground that day,” he said. “Tomatoes, carrots, beets, chard and lettuces are usu- ally picked that morning. They’re going to be healthier and tastier because they don’t have to be transported so far.”


Rossman said people are also less likely to have allergies to produce grown in their own environment. And there’s a bigger picture to consider as well. As Rossman noted, buying locally is a gentler option for the environment because it leaves a much smaller carbon footprint.


Another issue covered in the cookbook is his work with local childhood obesity initiatives and school-lunch programs. It’s a passion of Rossman’s that began several years ago with school gar- dens project and ensuing salad bar at Central Elementary School in City Heights. Today he is working with other chefs, restaurateurs and educators to make changes that will hopefully result in healthier students, which could translate to improved school performance.


problem is that schools don’t have the staff and equipment to make foods from scratch. That’s where the chef’s task force comes in.


“It’s a catering job,” Rossman


said. “We know how to make ranch dressing or homemade hummus or whole wheat pizza crust without all of the preservatives. We can develop recipes and evaluate processes. We can show the staff how to take commodities, such as frozen chicken and marinate it and roast it so the kids have a nice healthy chicken lunch.” Rossman and other chefs put on assemblies at schools, have after-school “Iron Chef” competi- tions and set up food stations at lunchtime to educate students on healthy alternatives, such as fish tacos and hamburgers.


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“Kids get excited when chefs are involved,” he said. “There’s a differ- ent kind of energy on campus.” Unfortunately, busy chefs don’t have much time to donate. One of the projects Rossman’s group is working on is finding funds to compensate chefs so they can spend the time it will take to affect real change. They’re working on establishing a nonprofit that would accept donations and serve as a clearinghouse for questions and ideas about all aspects of school and community gardening. Not only does his cookbook advocate healthy eating, it also encourages healthy buying. Ross- man uses his cookbook to guide cooks who are used to starting with a recipe and finding groceries to accommodate it to instead buy whatever fresh produce is available and then look for or create a recipe. “It really opens up your mind and your thought process to think the other way and find different applications,” he said. To illustrate his point, at a recent


farmers market demonstration he sautéed joy choi, red onions, garlic, spinach, sweet peppers and summer squash in freshly pressed olive oil with salt and pepper and served them over grits. Asked what he would do with an abundance of kale, he responded that he’d sauté it with olive oil or blanch the leaves like cabbage and stuff them. “You can do anything with veg- etables,” he said. “It just depends on what kinds of spices and oils and vinegars you have in your pantry. Make a nice risotto or pasta with vegetables—really good and really healthy.” “From Terra’s Table” is avail-


No Wrinkles Answer key, page 27


able from the restaurant’s web- site, terrasd.com; the publisher’s website, chefspress.com; all major bookstores; and amazon.com. Rossman would also like to invite interested parties who want to become involved with his school lunch crusade to e-mail him at jeff@terrasd.com.u


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