Color Me Mine Ceramics Studio Coming Soon to Thousand Oaks

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Color Me Mine is a ceramic painting studio where you drop by anytime and select from over 400 ceramic pieces to design and paint. . For the price of a studio fee and the item you choose to paint, you can paint all day using 60+ colors and supplies! They glaze and fire your work in a kiln and your work of art will be available in 5 to 7 days.

A Thousand Oaks Color Me Mine is coming to the Paseo Market Square in Thousand Oaks at 3707 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard this Fall. It will be located near Al Mulino Eatalia and The Melting Pot.

More information at thousandoaks.colormemine.com.

BLVD BRGR Company Opened in Old Town Camarillo in April

BLVD BRGR Company (pronounced Boulevard Burger Company) opened in the former home of Sabores Peruvian Cafe at 2145 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo in mid-April. They offer "craft" burgers, beers, shakes, salads and more.

Their craft burger selection includes Justa Brgr, Bacn Avo Brgr, Aloha Brgr, Scrpion Brgr, Svage Brgr, Napa Brgr, They Mayan (roasted pulled chicken), Veg the Pineapple (vegetarian), Veggie and BBBQ Brgr.  Learn more at blvdbrgr.com.

Boney Mountain Tavern Premieres at Former Magoo's Sports Grill Location in Newbury Park

The new sign came up last night - Boney Mountain Tavern is premiering at the former Magoo's Sports Grill, 722 N. Wendy Drive, Newbury Park. Featuring 32 beers on tap, a full bar and a full menu. Grand opening specials September 1-9, including drink specials, raffles, giveaways, games and more.

Visit www.facebook.com/BoneyMountainTavern or call 805.498.6511 for more information.

On a historical note, before Magoo’s, this was formerly a Pizza Hut location.

Ventura County Office of Education Opens New Career Education Center in Moorpark

The former site of Community High School in Moorpark, 5700 Condor Drive, is reborn as a second campus of the Ventura County Office of Education’s (VCOE) Career Education Center.

The new facility is the result of a partnership between VCOE and the Moorpark Unified School District. VCOE will lease the facility from the district for one dollar per year for the next five years, allowing the district to host additional programs and services for local students.

Fall programming will include classes in cybersecurity, game design, engineering and medical science. 

More information about the VCOE Career Education Center is available at www.vcoe.org/cec

CSU Channel Islands (CI) Welcomes New President, Erika D. Beck, Ph.D.

Erika D. Beck was appointed by the CSU Board of Trustees on March 9, 2016 as the second president of California State University Channel Islands (CI). She started her new job this week and I had a chance to meet her.

There's a positive energy to Dr. Beck, who relocated here from Henderson, Nevada, where she served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Nevada State College (NSC) for six years.

As a mother of two young, active boys, she was excited to learn more about the abundance of fun things to do here in the Ventura County area. But in the meantime, she will be quite busy getting up to speed at CI.

During her tenure at NSC, Dr. Beck had the unique opportunity to build a campus from the ground up and help establish the first middle tier, public institution in the state of Nevada. Prior to her role as Provost, Dr. Beck served as the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a psychology faculty member, and the founding Faculty Senate Chair.

Through her leadership, NSC opened in 2002 with 177 students and rapidly expanded to more than 3,500 students 13 years later. A leader committed to inclusivity, NSC became a Minority Serving Institution, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution during her tenure as Provost.

A native Californian, President Beck holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, a M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego where she also served as a faculty fellow. A former Research Associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, she has conducted research in the areas of developmental psychopathology and cognitive neuroscience. In addition to her formal education, she is actively engaged in the national dialogue regarding inclusive excellence and the use of data to improve student learning outcomes.

About California State University Channel Islands
CI is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Learn more about the university at www.csuci.edu.

Update on Parker, the Newest Masai Giraffe at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Here's the latest on "Parker," born this past Saturday to doting mother Betty Lou at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Parker is a boy and he measured in at 6'8" and 171 lbs. Not quite NBA material at that weight but watch him grow! Parker is the 6th calf born at the zoo since arrival of his sire, Michael, on the scene. Giraffes are the tallest land mammal, and the Masai is the largest subspecies, growing up to 17 feet tall and weighing 2,700 pounds. Parker will on view to the public at a data TBA.

More on the zoo at THIS LINK.

Santa Barbara Zoo Announces Birth of Another Masai Giraffe Named Parker

The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Masai giraffe Betty Lou gave birth to a calf today, August 6th at 9:38am in the Zoo’s Giraffe Barn after 45 minutes of labor. The calf has been named “Parker” by donors, the Hutton Parker Foundation.  The sex of the calf will be determined at a veterinary exam tomorrow morning, August 7th.

NOTE: The calf is not currently available for viewing. Viewing date will be announced via SB Zoo social media.

This is Betty Lou’s third pregnancy. Giraffe calves are born after a gestation of roughly 14.5 months and are typically 125 to 150 pounds and six feet tall at birth. Parker should grow approximately three feet during the calf’s first year of life. 

The calf stood 50 minutes after being born and was nursing 30 minutes after standing up.  The Santa Barbara Zoo animal care team remarked that Betty Lou is a very attentive mother.

The Zoo’s giraffe herd is part of the population of 120 Masai giraffes that live at 28 North American zoos accredited by the AZA. Michael, the calf’s sire, is considered the most genetically valuable male Masai giraffe in captivity because he has few relatives in zoos other than his offspring born here in Santa Barbara, which now numbers six. He arrived at the Santa Barbara Zoo in January 2012.

The SB Zoo’s herd now consists of Michael, females Audrey and Betty Lou, Audrey’s calves Chad (born March 26, 2016) and Buttercup (born November 13, 2014), and now Betty Lou’s calf Parker.

There are an estimated 37,000 Masai giraffes in Kenya and Tanzania, but a more thorough census is required. They are at risk due to poaching and habitat loss and environmental degradation. Giraffes are the tallest land mammal, and the Masai is the largest subspecies, growing up to 17 feet tall and weighing 2,700 pounds.

Iconic Species Fights for Survival 

According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there are nine recognized subspecies of giraffes with some subspecies numbering only a few thousand such as Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffe camelopardalis rothschildi), a few hundred to under 100.  Overall giraffe populations have plummeted 40% in just 15 years in the plains and forests of Africa.

Stick Your Neck Out for Giraffes!

The public can support the SBZ herd and welcome this long-necked arrival by becoming a Foster Feeder sponsor of the giraffe calf.  A donation of $50 helps with the cost of feeding the growing giraffe family. New giraffe Foster Feeders receive a baby photo of the calf along with a certificate, giraffe fact sheet, and recognition on the Zoo’s Foster Feeder board. For information, visit www.sbzoo.org.

About the Santa Barbara Zoo

Known as one of the world’s most beautiful zoos, the Santa Barbara Zoo is located on 30 acres of botanic gardens and is home to nearly 500 individual animals in open, naturalistic habitats. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), representing the highest level of animal care, and participates in AZA endangered species programs for Asian elephant, California condor, Channel Island fox, and Western lowland gorilla, among others.

A private nonprofit corporation, the Santa Barbara Zoo depends on community support, not tax dollars, for operations and improvements. 

The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; general admission is $17 for adults, $13 for seniors aged 65+, $10 for children 2-12, and children under 2 are free. Parking is $7. Visit www.sbzoo.org.

Love Phò Cafe Now Open in Newbury Park

Update 8/5/16: Love Phò Cafe is now open at 2140 Newbury Road, Newbury Park. 805.262.1881

Pho sure it is.

Pho sure it is.

Posted 6/13/16: Sossy's BBQ at 2140 Newbury Road in Newbury Park closed last month and I'd heard a few weeks ago that a new Pho place would be opening, but it wasn't until today that I discovered, thanks to a tip from Erika E. via the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page that the "coming soon" sign for the new place is up. I'm quite pleased to announce that the new eatery is called the Love Pho Cafe and appears to be connected to one of my favorite Pho places in Ventura County, Love Phò N' Mor in Camarillo.

Great news! Stay tuned...

One of my personal favorite pho places in Ventura County at Love Pho and More in Camarillo

A photo posted by Conejo Valley Guide (@conejovalleyguide) on

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in July 2016

The County of Ventura Environmental Health Division (EHD) protects public health and the environment by ensuring conformance with State laws and County ordinances pertaining to food protection, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, individual sewage disposal systems, land use, medical waste, ocean water quality monitoring, recreational health, solid waste, underground fuel tanks and vector control.

The EHD publishes food facility closures at www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/community-services/consumer-food/closures.html.

The following facility closures were noted in July 2016. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Rice Thai Cuisine, 387 E. Main Street, Ventura;

Inoperable plumbing, no water available at facility;

Date closed - 07/27/16; No reopen date

Enzo's Italian Restaurant, 134 Mill Street, Santa Paula;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/26/16; Date reopened - 07/27/16

Caffe Verona, 650 W. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula;

No permit to operate, inoperable refrigeration;

Date closed - 07/22/16; Date reopened - 07/27/16

Grapes & Hops, 454 E. Main Street, Ventura;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/20/16; Date reopened - 07/22/16

Saloon BBQ Co., 456 E. Main Street, Ventura;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/20/16; Date reopened - 07/22/16

New Panda, 9284 Telephone Road, Ventura;

Inoperable toilet facilities;

Date closed - 07/19/16; Date reopened - 07/19/16

Roma Italian Deli, 2247 Michael Drive, #51, Newbury Park;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/11/16; Date reopened - 07/14/16

Mi Pueblito Meat Market, 148 S. Ojai Street, Santa Paula;

Cockroach infestation, rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions, failure to adhere to a compliance agreement;

Date closed - 07/11/16; Date reopened - 07/13/16

Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 2902 Tapo Canyon Road,#B, Simi Valley;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/11/16; Date reopened - 07/13/16

La Cabana Restaurant, 1259 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 07/06/16; Date reopened - 07/08/16

Cold Stone Creamery, 2950 Johnson Drive, #115, Ventura

Serious and repeated violations;

Date closed - 07/01/16; Date reopened - 07/01/1