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A ‘Hole in the Wall’ is a place, usually pertaining to food, which is considered to be unpopular.  These places are smaller than the average restaurant or places to eat and are not advertised on television. People pass by these places all the time, but never stop in. Not because the food is bad, but typically people are afraid to try new things. These are few of my favorite “Hole in the Wall” places that you, a consumer of food, should check out.

More Than Waffles

More Than Waffles Photo by Shant Kazandjian

(818) 789-5937
17200 Ventura Blvd.
Encino CA 91316 http://www.morethanwaffles.com/

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. Why not treat yourself to a great meal and one of the best customer services that I’ve experienced. As you can see by the name, More Than Waffles serves just that. Although a Belgian waffle is served with all the omelettes on the menu, it isn’t the restaurant’s number one seller according to Katie McCollum.

“Our Mediterranean omelet is our most popular item,” says McCollum, one of the restaurant’s employees.

If you are going to try More Than Waffles for the first time, avoid going on the weekend unless you’re ready for the big crowd.

“Sunday is our moneymaker. We have live entertainment outside. J. Michael Henderson performs every weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I think people really enjoy it, because they’re able to bring their dogs to breakfast,” says McCollum.
Customers agree that the customer service is what brings them back every week.

“Ika Taft, the owner, treats her employees like family. And because of that, we treat our customers like friends. They are more like friends that come eat here every week,” says McCollum.

Johnny Pacific

Johnny Pacific Photo by Shant Kazandjian

(818) 885-6927
7574 Winnetka Ave.
Winnetka CA 91306

http://www.johnnypacificeats.com/

“The inspiration and influences of Johnny Pacific spans from South America, The Philippines, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and everywhere in between!”
John Walquist, the man behind Johnny Pacific, has surfed all around the world and with him he has brought the recipes to different foods that he enjoyed.

“You know Johnny’s been around the world. He’s brought tastes with him that I’ve never before tasted. It’s a really cool places with really cool guys working here,” says customer Alex Garcia Jr.

With many homemade sauces to choose from, Johnny Pacific customers can create a completely different meal than the rest of their party.

Lunch Special:
2 Empanadas (over 10 to choose from)
½ order of fries or salad
and a drink = $ 6.95

More than enough to fill up the common person

Las Fuentes

Las Fuentes Photo by Shant Kazandjian

(818) 708-3344
18415 Vanowen St.
Reseda CA 91335

Aside from the food they offer, Las Fuentes is one of the most interesting places to eat. Customers will find Mexican culture coming from every direction. Either with a painting, statue, or mural painted on the walls.

It is by far my favorite place to eat Mexican food. For someone who thinks they have a big appetite, I suggest the burrito de carne asada, gringo style (which means they put melted cheese and sauce on top of the burrito), with rice and beans on the side. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.

“I’ll make the commute from Arleta just to eat here,” says Josh Arias. “One of the best places to get Mexican food. Definitely.”

Golden Hunan

Golden Hunan Photo by Shant Kazandjian

(818) 363-5511
10334 Reseda Blvd.
Northridge CA 91324

http://www.golden-hunan.com/

With a lot of Chinese food places to choose from, Golden Hunan may not be a restaurant people have eaten at. Especially because I don’t believe Northridge is the primary thought when thinking of Chinese restaurants to go to.

If you are looking for great service and low costs, you should be making plans to go to Golden Hunan. A ‘soup for two’ will fill you and a guest up without even having to order a main dish.

Servers will come by many times during the meal asking if everything is going well. A quality that many restaurants are lacking.

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CD Trader Photo by Shant Kazandjian

CD Trader
(818) 705-3544
18926 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356

While other records stores are struggling to stay open during this downward economy, the CD Trader in Tarzana seems unaffected. “Sales have stayed the same. Other record stores are closing, but we’re still going on,” says Erica Abell.

Started in Thousand Oaks, nowadays, a CD Trader can be found on Ventura Blvd. Located only six miles away from CSUN, it is considered one of the best places to get CDs in the Valley.

A step towards getting to know someone on a more personal level is knowing what kind of music they listen to. The most common thing a couple agrees on is the type of music they enjoy. What better way is there to get to know someone’s musical interest than to take them to a record store and see what kind of CDs they pick up?

Like a scene from the mid-90’s movie “Empire Records,” the three employees working behind the counter seem to be having a great time enjoying the music being played. “The music you hear in our store depends on what we’re in the mood for.”

You will find the CD Trader employees to know their product and to even suggest other music depending on your purchase. These are the types of people consumers love to find in a record store. Music lovers tend to swarm to other music lovers.

Peets Coffee and Tea Photo by Shant Kazandjian

Peet’s Coffee & Tea
(818) 401-0263
18973 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356

Places to buy coffee are definitely not hard to find nowadays. Everyone knows that if you pass one coffee shop on the street, there is probably going to be another one showing up in the next minute or so. Drinking coffee with somebody has become the typical “first date.”

Located only six miles away from CSUN and in spite of having only one store in the Valley, Peet’s is still considered the “small town coffee shop” that coffee/tea drinkers love to go to.

“I think our customers appreciate our free wi-fi, good atmosphere, and the good quality product we carry,” says Matthew Pink. “A personal favorite during the summertime is the Large Hibiscus Breeze Tea Cooler.”

When you walk in, you will notice the classical music playing on the overhead. “It is very calm in here. No one ever seems to be in a rush. It may be the music, but I find the general attitude in Peet’s to be relaxing,” says customer Frank Allen.

A customer walking up to the counter must have missed the sign saying “Fresh coffee is brewed every 30 minutes or less.” She turned to Matthew and asked, “Is the coffee fresh?”

“Fresh? Always,” says Matthew with a smile.

Laemmle Theaters Photo by Shant Kazandjian

Laemmle’s Town Center 5
(818) 981-9811
17200 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, CA 91316

The Laemmle (pronounced Lem-lee) Theatres is a nice place to take a date to see an Independent film not being shown anywhere else in the Valley. Less than seven miles away from CSUN, you won’t find anywhere closer showing films other theaters avoid playing.

You won’t always find the big summer blockbuster showing at The Laemmle. Because they have only five screens to show movies on, they must cycle through a lot of movies during the month. Which means you may find a handful of new movies you would like to watch every week.

On their Web Site, they write “A few months back when we were showing ‘The Diving Bell & The Butterfly’ and ‘Savages’ and ‘Persepolis’ we were only too happy to resist the studio siren song and skip playing films like ‘Definitely, Maybe’ and ‘Fool’s Gold’ and ‘Jumper.’ But when the art films that are in release are not as commercially viable, we do what we have to to stay afloat. “

“I usually go to Hollywood or Santa Monica to see most of my Independent movies, but I am always excited when I don’t have to drive that much. The Laemmle [in Encino] is a great place to catch up on movies,” says movie-goer Chelsea Balderas.

Tickets are on sale at The Laemmle for $7 anytime before 6:00PM on Monday-Friday and 2:00 PM Saturday and Sunday. General tickets are $10, while students can pay $8.50.

As she delicately plucks the strings on a maroon, acoustic guitar, Casey Gregg’s soft voice transcends the chirping birds at her La Crescenta home.

She smiles, even when she fumbles over a few words or chords.

Some people may mistake Gregg as the next aspiring pop starlet or folk rock queen.

But, she is a music therapy student at CSUN who is driven to help people through the power of song.

“Music is just a unique modality that you can use to work with clients that is different than other forms of therapy,” says Gregg, 21, who transferred to CSUN last year from Chapman University.

She says instead of repeating arbitrary motions, such as in physical therapy, a client can learn to play an instrument while strengthening the injured part of his or her body.

But, the physically injured aren’t the only clients who use this unique form of therapy.

“All sorts of clients benefit from music therapy,” says Gregg. “Among the most prominent are children with autism. They benefit from music therapy for speech needs, social needs and cognitive needs. It taps into a lot of issues that children with autism face.”

When she sits down to play her award-winning song, “The Wind and the Water,” she warns that she’s a little out of practice since the contest ended in March.

It’s hard to tell as her fingers move effortlessly across the strings producing a melody over which makes it difficult not to swoon.

Gregg says the song is about her transfer from Chapman University to CSUN, but it can apply to anybody dealing with uncontrollable events in their lives.

She just recently won an award for her song from the Western Region American Music Therapy Association (WRAMTA), with which she has been actively involved.

“I was very surprised that I won,” she says.

Laura Pruett, president of the Music Therapy Association of Northridge, balanced out Gregg’s modesty.

“It was very well written and had a nice guitar accompaniment,” she says.

The founder of the music therapy department at CSUN, and one of her professors, Ronald Borczon says Gregg has a bright future ahead of her in the profession. Borczon was present the night she won the award.

“She’s actually a classic overachiever,” he says. “First of all she’s going to be a really fine music therapist. But, I also think that she’s going to probably at some point get more involved in leadership roles in the profession and be more involved in the western region as far as the executive committees.”

Gregg has already served as the president of students for WRAMTA and is now president-elect of the American Music Therapy Association for students.

“She is committed and driven and very enthusiastic about the profession,” says Pruett. “She is a good advocate for it. She’s very excited to become a music therapist and to

help people.”

Gregg’s passion for music began at age 8 when she began taking piano lessons. The

piano eventually gave way to her discovery of the saxophone, drums and guitar.

“I didn’t really pick up guitar until my freshman year of college,” she says. “So now I kind of focus on drums and guitar. But, I’m still passionate about all the instruments I’ve learned.”

Gregg is in the middle of planning her wedding to another musician, and it’s apparent when walking into her house.

Frilly white wedding décor dots each room, illustrating the matrimonial chaos the occasion can wreak on a woman.

She says she’s happy to take a break from it.

She sets up her drum set that sits in the living room next to her keyboard. As she places the drums in the right place, she says she’s trying to sell it. She and her fiancée, who is also a drummer, have several drum sets between them.

The sound of the sticks hitting the snare drum echoes throughout the house while her mother goes about her business in the kitchen. After having a daughter who is a musician, she walks around as if she’s immune to the crashing drum roll in the next room.

While she plays, it is apparent Gregg has an undeniable presence, whether she’s speaking, singing or slamming the skins of her drums.

“She always has a smile on her face,” says Borczon. “She’s very positive and very optimistic. She has just a really great energy about her. I think she attracts a lot of people just by her general affect and just how positive and nice it is.”

Pruett agrees with Borczon and says this is why Gregg should continue pursuing music therapy.

“I think she’ll be very successful. She’s very organized and she has her priorities straight. She is a great musician and she’s very personable and tactful,” she says.

For now, Gregg will continue mailing out invitations and picking out flower arrangements, not to mention getting ready for her spring 2010 graduation.

After CSUN she says she plans to pursue a master’s degree in either social work or marital and family therapy.

Either way, it seems Gregg was destined to help people whether through music or traditional therapy.

“She’s pretty special to have around actually,” Borczon says.

The growling of unhappy bellies is sometimes the result of busy lives and people on the go. Some people can get so caught up with their busy schedules that they forget to eat or will just grab something that is fast and easy. And, fast food is not the only option. Supplemental bars and drinks have become popular but are they sufficient enough?

Jennifer Stoyner, a licensed dietician, says she thinks people use and like the supplemental bars and drinks because of their “marketing appeal” and they “associate those things with being healthy.”

CSUN grad student Joel Torres, 30, says his sister works at GNC (General Nutrition Center) and “She is into nutrition and has told [him] that they’re not that good for you and they’re just loaded with lots of calories.” And, Joseph Antosh, an instructor/recruiter for the reserve officer training agrees saying, “I don’t think that any of those bars are all that good and they’re high in sugar” and adds “They’re a little bit too expensive and I don’t think it’s anything better you’re going to get out of food if you shop right.”

However, Stoyner says “I do think they can actually be beneficial for some people because there’s a lot of research in the obese population for example where their results of weight loss was actually much greater” with the appropriate intake of these bars and says “I’m actually an advocate for some bars and drinks.” And, Robert Farag from Max Muscle feels it is wise for people to consume these products especially “If you don’t have time to eat.”

Joe Ireland, a 39 year-old CSUN grad student says he is “cost conscious” and does consume these bars and drinks and when choosing between them he says, “I just see what’s the most protein per dollar that I could get.” Stoyner says buyers need to “look at the saturated fat portion because certain bars tend to add a lot to it” and it can into “dangerous levels where people think they’re healthy but people then have heart disease because they have a lot more saturated fat than they think.” In choosing bars and drinks, Stoyner says people should look for bars that are “low in saturated fat with eight to 10 grams of protein but 10 if it is replacing a meal and four to five grams of fiber.”

As an alternative, Stoyner says “You can never go wrong with say whole grain cereal with low-fat milk and berries or a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat bun” and adds people just need to look for “something that has healthy protein in it like turkey or tuna, low-fat dairy products along with a healthy complex carbohydrates.”

Knowing what to look for on the label can ease people’s minds, especially those who feel like supplemental bars and drinks is the lazy way to go. For example, 22 year-old CSUN student, Jinhee Yoon says, “When I feel I need sugar and I need to eat a meal but don’t feel like cooking or going out, I just eat them” just like Ireland who shared, “It’s just laziness on my part” and sometimes “for me, it’s like milkshake or fast food?”

Besides the obvious healthy snacks and foods like fruit and crackers, people can rest assure when they look twice at these bars and drinks and know that it is okay as long as they meet the proper requirements and read the labels.

Cal State University of Northridge emphasizes on its fifty years of life changing opportunity and if opportunity is what you are looking for, the Matador Involvement Center is where you need to go.

The Matador Involvement Center is located inside of the Sol Center at the USU. Photo by, Venessa Munoz`

The front desk houses people who can help give information about clubs and other organizations on campus. Photo by, Venessa MunozThe couches and chairs at the MIC can be a quiet place for students to come to hang out and study. Photo by Venessa Munoz