Dinner and Music is Served
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Spice levels aside, a Carmichael-based musician has turned a Thai restaurant into one of the hottest jazz spot in Sacramento.
Mentor to scores of Sacramento students, Doctor Joe Gilman will mark one-year of culinary experience next month with a weekend of live performances at his Thai food eaterie.
Hundreds of fans already applaud top singers and instrumentalists at the unexpected Folsom Boulevard venue. Gilman also hosts poetry readings and gives young talent a bash with regular ‘emerging artist’ sessions at Twin Lotus Thai.
Variety is the spice. “We just had a quartet do the music of (saxophonist) John Coltrane,” reports Gilman. “Their two shows completely sold out. Considering most people’s taste, you’d hardly think it could happen at a Folsom Boulevard Thai Restaurant. But it did.”
Voluntary donations for artists in lieu of cover charges is a crowd draw. And if Thai cuisine was new to fans, regulars now down curries like those born in Bangkok. “They’ve come to enjoy new flavors,” approves the owner. “Some are even ramping up their spice levels.”
The restaurant’s East-Meets-West fusion hatched from Gilman’s marriage to Surinipha (Kai) Manosan. The couple met and married in Thailand and their children are now part of Twin Lotus Thai’s 10-strong staff.
La Sierra High graduate Gilman has worked 30 years in the American River College Music Department; he also teaches at CSU Sacramento. Career crescendos include winning the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and the Dave Brubeck Award. He has toured the world as a Kennedy Center soloist.
In 1997, Gilman founded the non-profit Capital Jazz Project in Sacramento. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak,” he says. “My wife and I often talked about starting a family business.”
Kai is an experienced retailer whose Phuket boutique was wiped out by the 2004 tsunami before she wed Gilman. The mom of two is passionate about her native cuisine. “I’m happy when I see people eating what I’ve cooked for them,” she says. “I love to share my country’s food.”
The couple last year took over an established Thai food destination near Rancho Cordova. Adding jazz to the menu was inevitable; Gilman knew every gigging musician in Sacramento – and most of their supporters. “As an artist, I know music adds enjoyment to eating,” he says. “As an entrepreneur, I’ll explore any element that makes our business special.
“At first, weekend business was light, I invited a vocalist to share tunes with me on a Saturday night. I was elated when 80 people turned up to hear us.” Gilman’s weekend music program soon kicked into high gear, with top jazzers eagerly in line to perform.
Recent shows include husband and wife team Steve and Ann Roach, a French-style café band and a Brazilian combo. Carmichael’s Todd Morgan was a February hit. “He’s among the most impressive, multi-talented individuals I’ve encountered,” notes Gilman. “Todd’s equally impressive as a pianist, a guitarist, a singer and a songwriter. He can play anything from rock to jazz.
“We’re morphing gradually away from all-jazz. As long as music’s good and people want to hear it, I won’t stand in anyone’s way.”
Sold out shows are a near twice-weekly event at Twin Lotus. The pragmatic boss seats guests, busses tables, sweeps floors and flies between kitchen and front-of-house until music begins.
“Being so involved helps me connect with customers and staff,” says Gilman. “There’s no task I won’t do. I’d wash dishes if the staff would let me. My mind is operating in new ways, and I’m loving it. I listen to suggestions. In the past year, I’ve learned how important the happiness of customers is to running a business.”
For Twin Lotus’s one-year anniversary, more than 20 top Sacramento singers and instrumentalists will perform. Four sets will span the evenings of Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5. In gratitude for entrepreneurism that helped musicians through thin post-COVID times, artists will donate anniversary performances. “The music community is grateful for what Joe has done,” explains a singer. “He’s added new opportunities for us. If his enterprise prospers, musicians have a chance to prosper, too.”
The food industry is hard work with thin profit margins. While music satisfies Gilman’s artistic side, it also keeps accounts in the black. “Our first year has been a wonderful and surprising time,” he says. “Having diners and musicians supporting our small business is exciting for our entire Twin Lotus family.”
Twin Lotus Thai is located at 8345 #119 Folsom Boulevard, Sacramento. Opening hours are from 11 am till 8 pm; Tuesday to Sunday. Learn about music performances at www.twinlotusthai.com
Ryan Tompkins of El Camino High School is Teacher of the Month!
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - ABC10, in partnership with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and Sacramento State’s College of Education, is proud to announce Ryan Tompkins – a high school teacher for El Camino High School in the San Juan Unified School District – as Teacher of the Month for February 2023. In place for 20+ years, Teacher of the Month is one of ABC10’s signature community enrichment initiatives designed to highlight local teachers making a difference in the lives of their students and families. After being interviewed recently by ABC10’s Mark S. Allen, a seven-time Emmy Award winning member of the news team, an uplifting story about Mr. Tompkins will continue to air multiple times during the month of February.
With 16 years of teaching experience, Mr. Tompkins teaches Pre-Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Metals Technology at the high school level. His focus is on teaching skills his students can use for future employment.
When asked about what he loves about teaching, Mr. Tompkins said: “The best moments are when former students come back and tell me about the job they got, the degree they earned, or the toys and extra perks they collected by using the skills they started to learn in my classes. Knowing you were impactful and made a true positive difference in student’s lives certainly makes it worth the work.”
As part of being recognized as Teacher of the Month, Mr. Tompkins will receive $1,000 from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union plus will be eligible for the title of Esquire IMAX ABC10’s Teacher of the Year award – that includes a $5,000 prize – which will be announced at a special awards program early next year.
To nominate a local teacher in the greater Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto area for an upcoming Teacher of the Month, please visit www.abc10.com/teacherofthemonth.
To learn more about ABC10 and its mission, or to watch award-winning special reports and other exemplary news stories, please visit www.abc10.com or www.youtube.com/ABC10. In addition, ABC10 can be live streamed via the ABC10+ app on Roku and Amazon Fire.
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - St. Francis High School is excited to announce a new partnership with the Los Rios Community College District to provide select college courses to our students starting this fall. This is the first-of-its-kind partnership for private high schools in the greater Sacramento area.
“This unique program will allow our students to experience college-level courses before graduating high school,” said principal Elias Mendoza. “And they won’t have to worry about traveling to another campus in order to accomplish this. As a contract school with American River College, professors will be able to teach classes on our campus and exclusively for St. Francis students.”
The enhanced course offerings are still being determined, but Introduction to Psychology and College Success are among those being discussed. Courses will be offered to junior and senior students who will receive college credit for successfully completing these courses. “St. Francis is incredibly proud of our current academic offerings, including dozens of AP and honors courses,” said Mendoza. “But this partnership will allow our students more flexibility and more opportunities to challenge herself while growing academically. We look forward to providing these enhanced offerings for our students this fall.”
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Sacramento County faces regional hazards throughout the year including severe weather, floods and fires. If a disaster or other emergency strikes, you may only have seconds or minutes to react. In those critical moments, your focus will be on your family's safety.
Once the immediate danger has passed, having an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) ready can provide you with peace of mind and will help you recover faster.
Remember these four steps to help you organize critical financial, medical and household information before a disaster or emergency strikes.
Assess & Compile: Gather your important financial documents and contacts; Review: Review your insurance policies and financial paperwork to be sure that they are still accurate and current; Safeguard: Store paper and electronic copies of all files in safe locations; Update: Revisit and update your Emergency Financial First Aid Kit regularly. Updates are especially important when significant changes in your life occur.
Items in this kit should be kept in a secure location and can include original paper and electronic copies of your:
Homeowners, renters, auto, flood, and health insurance policies; Bank account information, and other financial records; Rental lease agreement; Will or living will.
For more information about financial resilience during a disaster and how to compile an EFFAK, visit community.fema.gov/PreparednessCommunity/s/emergency-financial-first-aid-kit. The EFFAK is available in English, Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.
For more emergency preparedness information, visit Sacramento County's Office of Emergency Services website at sacoes.org.
First Northern Adds Three Branches
DIXON, CA (MPG) - First Northern Community Bancorp, holding company for First Northern Bank announced that its acquisition of three Columbia State Bank (“Columbia Bank”) branches in Orland, Willows, and Colusa, California, has been successfully completed.
The acquired branches were divested by Columbia Bank in connection with the pending merger of Columbia Banking System, Inc., the parent company of Columbia Bank, and Umpqua Holdings Corporation. Following the acquisition, all employees of these branches were retained by First Northern Bank and the branches will remain in operation as branches of First Northern Bank. The Bank, headquartered in Solano County since 1910, now operates 14 full-service branches serving Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, Contra Costa, Glenn, Colusa, and the west slope of El Dorado County.
“Orland, Willows and Colusa are a natural fit for First Northern Bank and allow us to extend our footprint north, along the I-5 corridor,” said Jeremiah Z. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Northern Bank. “We are excited to bring our brand of authentic community banking to these new customers and communities and to further build strong customer and community relationships throughout the North Valley region.”
First Northern Community Bancorp received financial advisory services from Panoramic Capital Advisors, Inc., and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP served as legal counsel in connection with the transaction.
First Northern Bank is an independent community bank that specializes in relationship banking. The Bank, headquartered in Solano County since 1910, now serves Solano, Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, Contra Costa, Glenn, Colusa, and the west slope of El Dorado County. Experts are available in small-business, commercial, real estate and agribusiness lending, as well as mortgage loans. The Bank is an SBA Preferred Lender. Non-FDIC insured Investment and Brokerage Services are available at every branch location, including Dixon, Davis, West Sacramento, Fairfield, Vacaville, Winters, Woodland, Sacramento, Roseville, Auburn, Rancho Cordova, Colusa, Willows and Orland. The Bank also has a commercial lending office in Walnut Creek. Real estate mortgage and small-business loan officers are available by appointment in any of the Bank’s 14 branches.
First Northern is rated as a Veribanc “Blue Ribbon” Bank and a “5-Star Superior” Bank by Bauer Financial for the earnings period ended September 30, 2022 (veribanc.com) and (bauerfinancial.com).
CHP Graduates 82 New Officers
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The California Highway Patrol (CHP) welcomed 82 new officers to the CHP family, during the graduation ceremony on February 17, 2023, at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento. Less than one year ago, the CHP launched its “Join the CHP 1,000” campaign, with the goal of hiring a 1,000 new officers. These newly graduated officers bring the CHP closer to attaining its goal.
“It’s my honor to welcome these officers to the CHP and thank them for stepping up to serve our state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “With a goal of hiring 1,000 new CHP officers in the coming years, we’re investing in outreach to a diverse pool of candidates committed to protecting their fellow Californians and making a positive impact in our communities.”
“The women and men of the CHP take great pride in the level of service we provide to the community,” said Commissioner Sean Duryee. “It is imperative we bring on the next generation of exemplary officers to continue that tradition.”
For more information about the “Join the CHP 1,000” campaign, or to apply, visit www.JoinTheCHP1000.com or call the statewide Recruitment Unit at (916) 843-4300.
The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide safety, service, and security.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The County’s development process is one step closer to undergoing comprehensive systematic and customer service improvements, as the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday, February 7, to support the direction and goals of the process.
The plan includes improving the timeliness of review, ensuring a predictable and consistent process, and a concerted focus on providing outstanding customer service.
“Simply put, we want Sacramento County to be the best place to build in the region for all of our customers,” said Dave Defanti, Deputy County Executive, Community Services. “We're grateful for the Board's feedback about the Development Review Process improvements and for its support in implementing changes that will make the process more efficient and easier to navigate.
“These changes will help us to meet our goals of attracting, planning and fostering housing production and other beneficial uses in existing and new communities, and serving our customers even better than before.”
Goals include an increase in affordable housing units, helping achieve state and local goals and regulations to address climate change and air quality, providing for unparalleled environmental protection and encouraging public participation.
Defanti provided the Board with an update on improvements recently implemented/positive outcomes:
Focus on building a collaborative, positive culture and supporting staff; Sacramento County earning the state's Pro-Housing Designation, a recognition of its commitment to policies that increase housing supply; The formation of an Industry Working Group with representatives from the building industry that will vet new process improvements moving forward; Addition of two Development Process Managers, who will facilitate key projects through the County's processes; Training and review of the Accela Government Software system—the system of record for the development process—to review what's working and what can be improved; Providing customers with easy-to-follow manuals for how to do business with the County, including when and how to seek permits for construction activity.
Additional improvements in the coming months will lead to processes that:
Are timely, efficient, and carried out in a manner that recognizes “time is money” for our customers; Reduce complexity and eliminate superfluous requirements; Are consistent with industry best practices and comparable agencies' processes viewed by customers as exemplary; Include customers in problem-solving and decision-making; Ensure the level of detail requested is appropriate for any stage of development; Offer clear timelines and transparency for customers regarding the status of their permit or application; Provide routine opportunities to solicit and receive customer feedback; Empower staff to be innovative and creative to help solve problems and facilitate desirable development.
“Sacramento County is facing an unprecedented housing supply and affordability crisis, and we believe these improvements will positively affect new housing production to address these crises,” said Defanti. “This is an exciting time for the County, and we look forward to updating County residents and the Board about our progress to affect real change.”