September 19th will mark the first day of classes for adult students at midtown’s newest addition, CASA de ESPAÑOL. Part gallery, part language center for kids and adults, CASA hopes to add its own sazón (spice) to midtown’s growing Spanish and Latino flavor.   Already speckled with restaurants and galleries like Zocalo, Spanglish, Tapa the World, ArtWork 21, and La Raza Galeria Posada, midtown is beginning to boast a strong Hispanic/Latino presence. CASA de ESPAÑOL intends to contribute to their work by also bringing awareness and love for the diversity and richness within the Latino world.  

The Dude abides. Twelve years after cult classic "The Big Lebowski" starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman hit theaters, fans are still celebrating the film’s unpredictable and sometimes confusing plot, startling brute violence and hysterical, expletive-riddled dialogue, prime for quoting. Marilyn’s on K Street hosted The Big Lebowski Fiesta Friday night for these fans, and the White Russians and robes were suitably flowing. Marilyn’s deserves some party-throwing props. The costume contest brought all the favorite Big L characters to life: the White Russian won for best female costume, and The Jesus won the male competition. The cute female in the short furry white dress and high-heeled b

Chef Ryan Rose, the 28-year-old chef at the Zócalo restaurant in Sacramento, is one of the top 15 finalists in the “Next Food Network Star YouTube Challenge.” His in-it-to-win-it dish: paella. Originally on a search to apply for the Food Network’s casting call for the “Next Food Network Star,” Rose came across the YouTube challenge. Viewers can vote daily on their favorite video of national chefs demonstrating their favorite dishes in three minutes or less. The winner will fly out to New York for an audition with executive producers of the show. But Rose didn’t always want to be a chef. It wasn’t till a two-year visit to Spain where he watched his Italian roommate cook every day, that he

SACRAMENTO – More than 10,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends will descend on parks throughout the Sacramento region Saturday, May 8, to perform necessary work from clean-up and general maintenance to painting, planting trees and even construction jobs. Under the banner of Mormon Helping Hands, an international program of the Church that has provided manpower in distressed communities and organized relief efforts after natural disasters, the volunteers have chosen parks in their own communities to perform work in state, regional and city parks that have been hit hard by the recent downturn in the economy. The Sacramento effort is part of a stat