Seasons 52, the fresh grill and wine bar restaurant known for its seasonally inspired menu, has begun recruiting team members for its new restaurant in Arden Fair. The restaurant is expected to bring an additional 100 new jobs to the Sacramento area.

Seasons 52 will open to the public on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.

The restaurant has dozens of service team positions available for hire including bartenders, servers and hosts/hostesses, as well as, culinary positions including prep and line cooks. All job seekers must apply online at www.Seasons52.com/careers, where applicants can get more information on the various career opportunities, values and culture at Seasons 52.

“Seasons 52 is seeking the area’s most professional, upbeat and friendly team members who can share their passion for fresh, creative cuisine while delivering an outstanding dining experience for guests,” said Jeff Warren, Managing Partner of Arden Fair’s Seasons 52. “All of our team members receive the proper tools and training to be successful, and the company firmly believes in promoting from within.”

Seasons 52 offers benefits packages to their employees. New team members are eligible for medical and dental insurance on the first day of employment. Other benefits include access to vision plans, meal discounts, 401K plan and even pet insurance.

The clean, contemporary style is highlighted by soft lighting, greenery, rich colors, contemporary art, stone and warm wood accents, which present architectural. A circular piano bar featuring live music nightly, an open kitchen with a brick oven, a chef’s table and a customized, climate controlled wine chateau holding upwards of 2,000 bottles of wine round out the vibrant guest dining experience. The restaurant also will offer two private dining rooms for private and semi- ‐ private business and social events.

Seasons 52 at Arden Fair will be prominently located at the main entrance in front of Nordstrom, with convenient street- ‐side access.

About Seasons 52

Seasons 52, which debuted in 2003, is a fresh grill and wine bar that provides guests with a fresh dining experience, enabling them to celebrate living well. The menu is orchestrated by award- ‐winning Chef Clifford Pleau, and is inspired by the seasons and the fresh appeal of the farmers’ market – 52 weeks a year. The award- ‐ winning wine list created and developed by Master Sommelier George Miliotes – one of over 180 Master Sommeliers worldwide – is consistently praised for its diverse international selection of 100 wines, including more than 52 offered by the glass. Seasons 52 is recognized as a forward- ‐thinking restaurant concept that is “right for the times” and always offers guests something new to discover.

Seasons 52 currently operates 26 restaurants in 13 states across the country. For more information, please visit Seasons52.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

This Tower Records sign once hung inside the business’s north area store. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Editor’s note: This is the sixth part of a series regarding the history of the “four corners” of Watt and El Camino avenues.

For nearly 45 years, Tower Records drew music lovers to the northeast corner of Watt and El Camino avenues. And despite this popular record store’s absence, many locals will never forget their fond memories of this location of the business.
The roots of what eventually became known as Tower Records date back to 1941. It was then that Russ Solomon began selling records inside his father’s drugstore in the Tower Theatre building at the southwest corner of 16th Street and Broadway.
The Tower Records on Watt Avenue began drawing people in large numbers on a regular basis in the early 1960s and the love affair with this Tower did not end until the store’s closure in 2006.
Also attracting many people to this site were Tower Books, which also opened in the 1960s, and Tower Video, which debuted in the 1980s.
During interviews conducted at various Arden area sites last week, local residents shared their memories about this former landmark Tower, where a Goodwill Industries thrift store and a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is now located.
Mary (Parr) Harris, a 1970 graduate of Hiram Johnson High School, said that she was one of the store’s first and last customers.
“That’s where I came (record shopping) was the (Watt Avenue) Tower,” Harris said. “I probably bought The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s (Lonely Hearts Club Band) and Abbey Road albums there (in the 1960s). I was a big Beatles fan when I was a kid. And Herman’s Hermits, I loved them. And of course, then the Rolling Stones came around. It really upset me when they closed (the Watt Avenue Tower). I didn’t like that. I went in there and bought stuff on their last day. There wasn’t much left – it was pretty well picked over – but I’m a shopper, so I can always find something (to buy).”
Also sharing his memories about the north area Tower Records was Steve Nifert, a 1974 graduate of Casa Robles High School.
“I probably went to (the Watt Avenue) Tower Records for the first time in about 1962,” Nifert said. “I used to go to Tower Records all the time. I bought a lot of CDs there. They were the only one in town who had old, big band music from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. I had a lot of rock and roll (albums), but my preference was (big band music). I love the brass bands and stuff. It’s just so much coming at you than a lot of noise. And then when the 1980s came along, music quit making sense.”
Dan Blakkolb, who built a career for himself as a bass guitarist, also shopped at the Watt Avenue Tower Records during the 1960s.
“My memories of Tower Records are that’s where you bought records back in the 1960s,” said Blakkolb, who still prefers vinyl records over CDs. “I knew one girl who worked there, I think in the late 1960s, and her name was Linda Wysocki. But I think she worked at the 16th Street (Tower Records). Linda’s father (Charlie) owned Tone’s Music (House at 1009 14th St.). They carried the early Fenders (electric guitars and amplifiers) and he specialized in accordions, as well. I first came to this (Watt Avenue) Tower in 1964. I believe the first album I purchased there was ‘Surfin’ Safari’ by The Beach Boys. I also bought The Beatles stuff, Kingston Trio albums and a lot of folk albums there. I probably bought more albums than I did (45 rpm records).”
Blakkolb, who graduated from Hiram Johnson High School in 1966, said that it was during that time when he met a guitarist named Steve Samuels, who would play his guitar in front of the north area Tower Records.
“He was out in front playing Bob Dylan tunes,” recalled Blakkolb, who currently plays in the longtime, local party-dance group, the Jay Rolerz Band.

Dan Blakkolb stands in front of the approximate site of the old Watt and El Camino avenues Tower Records, where he began purchasing records in the 1960s. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Blakkolb also remembers spending many hours inside the Watt Avenue Tower Records’ listening booths.
“I remember listening to newly released 45s and albums for general enjoyment and for ideas for my band at the time,” Blakkolb said. “Whether you bought anything or not, you were never pressured to buy records or asked to leave. They were always nice at Tower. Listening to records in the listening booths was a great way to spend a day.”
J.J. Jelincic, who still owns his copy of the British band Cream’s 1969 album, “Goodbye,” which he purchased at the Watt Avenue Tower, remembers the store’s vibrant neon sign.
“(The sign) just dominated the whole place,” Jelincic said. “You could drive down the street and there was Tower Records. The fact that anything else was there, you’d never know. It was terrific.”
Terry Ray, a 1981 graduate of McClatchy High School, said that it was during the late 1970s when she purchased her first album at the north area Tower.
“The first album I bought at that Tower was Janis Joplin’s ‘Pearl,’” said Ray, who first visited the store during her childhood in about 1965.
Jerry Scott, who graduated from El Camino High School in 1985, said that during the early years of his life, he would spend many hours at the northeast corner of Watt and El Camino avenues.
“(Tower) was about a half an hour walk from my house and it was one of the first places I could get away from my parents and they wouldn’t know where I was going,” Scott said. “This was a pretty happening corner when I was growing up. When I was younger, about 12 years, I started coming up here on my own. Before that, my parents came up here bowling at least once a week and I was one of the 5 to 6-year-old rug rats running amuck all around the bowling alley. I learned how to play pinball from guys who smoked cigars and still played pool in the smoky room there (at Country Club Lanes). But when I was a little older, I came up here and Tower Books was here. I was a huge, veracious reader and I would come up here and spend hours. (Tower Books) was like an intellectual haven for me.”
Scott also remembers the Tower Posters store, which operated in the same location where Tower Video later opened.
“(Tower Posters) was my first head shop experience,” Scott said. “My parents were like, ‘We got to get out of here.’ But all I noticed was the rock and roll pins that people could buy.”
And in speaking about the Watt Avenue Tower Records, Scott said, “This record store was where I bought my very first album with my very own money. The album was ‘Fragile’ (by the English progressive rock band, Yes). It was years, of course, after the album came out (in 1971). I had learned most of my music from the radio. I would fall asleep listening to KZAP. I was very sad to see when Tower went away. That is where I discovered music.”
Among the younger people interviewed for this article was Adrian McCoy, a 2003 graduate of Mira Loma High School.
McCoy, who began shopping at both the Tower Records and Tower Books on Watt Avenue in about 1995, said that his favorite CD, which he purchased at this Tower Records location, was “Issues” by the nu metal band, Korn.
Jeremy Peckham, a 1992 graduate of El Camino High, also shared his north area Tower Records-related memories.
“The first record my mom brought home for me in a yellow (and red Tower Records) bag was Devo’s ‘Freedom of Choice’ and a few miscellaneous 45s,” Peckham said. “The next records that I got were Quiet Riot’s ‘Metal Health,’ Def Leppard’s ‘Pyromania,’ and then all these different types of Beatles records.”
Certainly, based on the recollections of the few people who shared their memories for this article, the north area Tower businesses may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.

Volunteers participated in the 11th Annual Tree Planting and Care event where they planted trees in Arden Park neighborhoods. This is one of dozens of re-greening efforts throughout the county with the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s NeighborWoods Program.
Lunch was provided.

Photo #2 Caption: The old Gottschalks store space at Country Club Plaza has been vacant since 2009. Photo by Lance Armstrong

Editor’s note: This is the fourth part in a series regarding the history of the “four corners” of Watt and El Camino avenues.

Country Club Plaza, as presented in the previous article of this series, began with a supermarket anchor in 1958 and three years later had its first department store, Weinstock’s.
Weinstocks, a very impressive structure
Carmichael resident Bill Ellis, who was the first manager of the Weinstock’s store in the plaza, described the Weinstock’s building, which took more than a year to build, as a very impressive structure.
“When Weinstock’s opened (in the plaza), it was a very unique building,” Ellis said. “It had imported marble and it had all kinds of amenities. It was something like Sacramento had never seen.”
And in describing the store’s interior, Ellis, 89, said, “We imported hardwood floors from Kentucky for certain departments and we had the people from Kentucky come and install them. We had wonderful, full-wall carpeting in certain areas and we had a fine dress department and we had a fine coat department. The showcases, which is what we did in those days, were of fine quality and cost $1,000 a foot. We had china, glass, gifts, sterling silver. It was a very high class store.”
Ellis said that he was named the store’s manager while he was working as a buyer at the Weinstock, Lubin & Co. store at 12th and K streets.
“I was told I would be manager three months before (the plaza’s Weinstock’s store) opened, roughly, and I was in on the last part of the construction (of the plaza building),” said Ellis, who altogether spent 40 years working for Weinstock’s. “I was there to learn what the store was about and what the space was allocated for and to supervise the workmen who were putting things together.”
Also associated with the plaza store were Marion Armstrong, president and general manager of Weinstock, Lubin, and the store’s assistant manager, Ray L. Byers.
As mentioned in the previous article of this series, a Penny’s department store opened at the site of the plaza’s Stop-N-Shop store in the summer of 1971.
Kathy Neutz, who grew up in Fair Oaks, said that she remembers shopping at this Penny’s store and other businesses in the plaza during the 1970s and 1980s.

Photo #3 Caption: Palms line Macy’s parking lot along El Camino Avenue. Photo by Lance Armstrong

The plaza was the place to shop
“I remember going to some of the older stores (at the plaza) like Penny’s and Weinstock’s,” Neutz said. “It was busier back then, because there weren’t as many malls. (The plaza) was one of the malls besides Sunrise Mall (in Citrus Heights) that you could go to. I would come here (to the plaza) with my mom or with friends. It wasn’t a hang out mall though, like Sunrise (Mall) and Arden (Fair Mall).”
After many years of operation at its plaza site, Penny’s was replaced by Gottschalks.
During the summer of 2009, Gottschalks closed its plaza store and the building remains vacant.
Weinstock’s closed in 1996 and was replaced by a Macy’s department store.
In 2003, under its then Scottsdale, Ariz.-based owners, Arizona Partners Retail Investment Group, LLC, the aged plaza was remodeled.
Unfortunately for the plaza, despite this remodel, many stores left the plaza and the mall was left with many empty store spaces.
Among the last businesses to exit the plaza were Subway, American Eagle Outfitters and PacSun Clothing.
Future of the plaza
While recently shopping at the plaza, Neutz said, “There definitely used to be more to (the plaza) than there is now. I just think it’s the area. It has kind of declined a bit and there are other areas that are growing and upcoming and that’s where (people) want to go. Hopefully they can rebuild this area and get it more economically stable. It’s all about the competition.”
For those concerned about the present status and future of the plaza, Peter Morgan, vice president of Laeroc Funds, the private real estate investment company for the plaza and multiple properties from San Diego to Portland, said that this shopping center’s future appears promising.
“When we bought the center in (August 2006), we were really excited about the opportunities,” Morgan said. “The mall was basically full and performing very well. It was just our timing on acquisition by 2006, right before the worst recession since the Depression, to the demise and bankruptcy of our anchor tenant, Gottschalks, in combination with the downturn in the retail market in Greater Sacramento.
“We think we’re coming out of this recession, the letter of intents (for possible new tenants) and the capital improvements that we plan to put up, we truly believe that this is the low point of the center’s life. We’re excited about the opportunities going forward to bring the mall back to its prominence.”

Photo #1 Caption: Ross Dress for Less and Bed Bath & Beyond have both signed leases to be located at Country Club Plaza through at least 2014. Photo by Lance Armstrong

The letters of intent are from Office Depot, which would take about 6,000 feet at the plaza, and a national grocery store, which would use the 92,000-square-foot space at the former Gottschalks site.
Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross Dress for Less leaving the plaza?
In regard to recent local news reports that Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross Dress for Less will be relocating to Town and Country Village, Morgan said, “At this point, both of those tenants have leases and Ross just extended their lease with us. If (the addition to) Town and Country is built, Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross are supposed to open stores in that location. But Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross could make a decision to have a store in both locations. They both have an option that they could exercise to extend their terms (at the plaza).”
Although Morgan would not reveal when these leases end, he did state that the leases are signed through at least 2014.
He also noted that the plaza’s Sports Chalet store has renewed its lease.
Morgan added that remodeling and other enhancements, including façade improvements from La Bou to the old Gottschalks building, are planned for the plaza.
“The grocery store is planning a remodel of the façade and the accompanying parking lot,” Morgan said. “We are planning concurrently an extensive improvement of our parking field in front of the mall, including landscaping, parking lot improvement and repair and a brand new entry façade to the mall.
“Once we get that completed, then we tackle the interior of the mall. It could be as quickly as six months. But we really can’t do any construction work in the mall during the holidays.”
And for those who find confusion in having two shopping centers with similar names at Watt and El Camino avenues, Morgan said that help may be on the way.
“We’re looking at renaming (Country Club Plaza) to reflect that (future) look of the center, although we don’t have a new name chosen,” Morgan said. “When we come up with some names, we’re probably going to float them by the market before we actually (change the name) to see how it’s received.”
In summarizing his feelings about the future of the plaza, Morgan said, “I’m very excited about where this center’s going. I think Sacramento is going to be delighted to see the improvement from where it’s been to where it’s going.”

lance@valcomnews.com

J.P. Leatherby, Elijah Leatherby, “Good Morning Sacramento” host Mark S. Allen, and Jake Leatherby get down and dirty in an ice cream eating contest during Leatherby's 30th Anniversary celebration in August at the Arden location. Photo courtesy Leatherby's Family Creamery.

In 1992, then Arden resident Kelly Joppa began an experience that would impact the next 20 years of her life by teaching her lessons that she would end up applying to many facets of her life, such as teamwork and generosity.
That experience was working for Leatherby’s Family Creamery in the Arden area.
Joppa recalls pursuing a job at Leatherby’s when in high school, thinking it would be a fun place to work. “I started off scooping ice cream like all of us do – back then it took two to three years to work up to being a waitress,” she says. In total, she worked about nine years at Leatherby’s including two years making ice cream, six to seven years waiting tables, and about a year in management.
Joppa fondly remembers working under her then manager Jennifer Leatherby, who she calls a mentor and friend, and Dave Leatherby, Sr. – known to most as “Daddy Dave” – and his wife, Sally. She talks about watching how generous the owners were in the community through food donations and taking part in fundraisers, and how they would hire people that sometimes other places would not to give them a chance.
“I was (around) 16 years old, seeing that and being impressed by it,” Joppa says. “I knew that not many places out there cared about the community in the way they did – they were just filled with generosity in that way.”
And it was these impressions that kept Joppa there for those nine years despite being wooed by other restaurant owners in the Sacramento area that told her she could make more money working for them. “I thought I love my job, I love the people I work with, I love the people I get to serve – it’s the happiest family-friendly environment,” she says. “The idea of making money wasn’t as attractive as knowing I had a great job with people who just enjoyed being there, and that’s what kept me around for all that time.”

Three happy ice cream makers at Leatherby's Family Creamery in the Arden area. Photo courtesy Leatherby's Family Creamery.

A Little History
That enjoyment of what they do seems to be one of the secrets to the success of Leatherby’s Family Creamery, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
According to Dave Leatherby, Jr. – who currently operates Leatherby’s with his brother, Alan – the idea for Leatherby’s started a little over 30 years ago when he, his father and grandfather decided they wanted to try forming a new business together, and so they began to look at different opportunities. “My Dad, Dave Sr., said I want to do something that is not just a business that makes money, I want it to do something that benefits the community,” Leatherby recalls.
During this time, the trio heard from one of Leatherby’s sisters about an old-fashioned ice cream parlor being run in Oakland that they should look at. “We drove down to Oakland and my father walked in and said, ‘this is it,’” Leatherby says. “He said look at this business that has been here for 70-80 years at the time. He said we can improve on this – keep what’s good and we can do this ourselves, and we did.”
From there, the Leatherby family – which at the time included 10 children – spent a year formatting their concept for the business through visiting ice cream parlors in California and developing and testing recipes, Leatherby says. Then on August 14, 1982, the first Leatherby’s Family Creamery in the Arden area opened for business.
This initial success of the Arden location found the Leatherby family inundated with requests from across the U.S. with people wanting to start their own Leatherby’s location. So Leatherby says the family decided to establish a franchise company, which resulted in the opening of 28 Leatherby’s location in six states. “At that time the family stayed here and ran the ice cream parlors, and my Dad and I started focusing our efforts on franchising,” Leatherby says.
That splitting of the family eventually resulted in the Leatherby’s selling their franchise company and concentrating their efforts closer to home. Today Leatherby’s manages stores in the Arden area, Citrus Heights – which originally started by the Executive Airport on Freeport Boulevard in 1985, and 22 years later moved to its current location – and the newest location in Elk Grove, which just opened in May.

Kelly Joppa's 2-year-old daughter, Leah, at the Leatherby's 30th Birthday party. // Photos by Corrie Pelc

I Scream, You Scream
Now 30 years later, Leatherby’s is still known mainly for its ice cream, served up in enormous sundaes, dripping with decadent toppings, and named after a Leatherby family member.
Leatherby says one of the secrets to their ice cream’s success is its freshness. Each store makes its own ice cream every day, which is frozen quickly in negative 30-degree freezers to ensure a creamy texture. Additionally, Leatherby’s only uses the highest quality ingredients they can find, including cream and milk from Foster Farms Dairy and Ghirardelli chocolate.
Each store also makes the various toppings they use in their sundaes. “We make all our caramel, chocolate, hot fudge – everything is made right here,” Leatherby says. “We have a great bit copper kettle that makes 50 gallons at a time.”
And the company even grows its own nuts. After realizing how much they were spending on purchasing almonds, walnuts and pecans, the family decided to purchase a walnut farm in Sacramento and took classes to learn how to farm. “We belong to a co-op where we turn in the walnuts that we don’t use here and we can exchange them for different kinds of nuts, so everything we use it generated from our farm,” Leatherby says.
Although Leatherby’s is known for some unique flavors, Leatherby says surprisingly their biggest seller is vanilla. At a close second is their toasted almond ice cream, which is used in the company’s number one selling dessert, Alan’s Black & Tan, which Leatherby says includes toasted almond and vanilla ice creams, caramel and chocolate sauces, and homemade whipped cream.
Today, Leatherby says about 70 percent of the stores’ sales are from ice cream and 30 percent from food from its lunch and dinner menu. “It’s very simple food that’s made to complement our ice cream,” Leatherby explains. “We don’t want people getting too full on food that they can eat our ice cream. We do have some people that come in and skip their meal and eat the ice cream for their meal – we get a lot of that.”

Two girls enjoy their Leatherby’s black and white sundaes. // Photos by Corrie Pelc

Then and Now
Over the last 30 years, there have been a few changes made to Leatherby’s Family Creamery. For example, Leatherby says the food menu has been expanded and now includes more salads. Additionally, the dessert menu now includes different size portions, as when the company first started only one size of sundae was available.
Changes have also come over the last few years with the economic downturn. To continue to make Leatherby’s budget friendly for families, the restaurant added a child’s menu and began offering meal specials at a discounted rate.
At the same time, many things about Leatherby’s have not changed, as attested to by Joppa, who during the last 10 years worked in commercial real estate, had two children, and successfully battled breast cancer. During this time Joppa also started a blog – myhonestwalk.blogspot.com – in which she talks about her fight against cancer and what she learned during her time at Leatherby’s.
Joppa returned to Leatherby’s in July as a manager at the Elk Grove location, and says everything is still done the same. “The size of our sundaes has not changed, the way they’re made has not changed – the product has stayed completely the same,” she says. “I think the value, the heart, the generosity – all of that (is still there).”
Leatherby’s also continues to do what it can to give back to the community. Leatherby says the company supports a number of charities, and also does a number of donations throughout the year, both in ice cream and certificates to the restaurant. “We believe very strongly that we have a responsibility to give back to the community in many different ways,” he adds.
Looking forward to the next 30 years, Leatherby hopes Leatherby’s Family Creamery will continue to be a wholesome gathering place for the community where every person is welcome. “They come, they feel welcome, and they find joy here,” he says. “I hope we can continue to do that in some fashion.”

corrie@valcomnews.com

In today’s world of advanced communication technology, news can still travel slowly.
For instance, many longtime Arden and Carmichael residents would have trouble guessing the obvious newsworthy answer to the question: “What do the Coral Reef, the Palomino Room, Ken’s Red Barn and Buggy Whip all have in common?”
A quick answer would be that these are names of popular restaurants that have operated at various times in the north area of the city.
Although this answer is true, the newsworthy answer is these are all north area restaurants that are no longer in operation.
Certainly many years have passed since the Coral Reef at 2795 Fulton Ave., the Palomino Room at 3405 El Camino Ave. and Ken’s Red Barn at 500 Fulton Ave. were serving their customers.
But still, there are very many residents of the area who remain unaware that Buggy Whip, at 2737 Fulton Ave., ceased operation on May 8 after more than 52 years in business.
Arden-area resident Cindy Simmons, for instance, said that she was surprised to hear that Buggy Whip closed three months ago.
“I had no idea (Buggy Whip) closed,” said Cindy, who has been an occasional patron of the restaurant since the mid-1960s. “I got married (to Doug Simmons) in 1966 and we probably went there three or four times a year and we would go with other people. We would always get the same thing – the prime rib. It was a wonderful meal with the soup and salad and the whole nine yards. You could always count on a good meal at an appropriate price. We never had a bad meal there. It was always very positive. I’m really sad that they needed to close. I hope they find a way to open again.”
Fortunately for Cindy and other locals who have enjoyed dining at Buggy Whip at various times during this eating establishment’s longtime existence, some very positive news may be on its way.

Good news?
“I am edging toward the idea of reopening the restaurant,” said Larry LeSieur, who took over ownership of the restaurant in 1980 following the death of his father, Aaron LeSieur, who opened the restaurant in 1959.
But of course, many people are still left wondering why the restaurant closed in the first place.
With a quick view inside Buggy Whip’s windows, the old eatery’s tables remain set like a place that has been closed for several hours, as opposed to the past 90 days.
On one of these windows and on a glass panel on the front door are signs, which read: “Remodeling: Closed for repairs. Thank you.”
As of the publishing of this article, no recent remodeling had occurred and the restaurant building sat awaiting its unknown future.

Setting the record straight
When presented with the opportunity to share details about his landmark restaurant with readers of this publication, Larry LeSieur, 65, was eager to set the record straight.
“What really happened was (Buggy Whip) was a union restaurant for 50 years,” he said. “I talked to the union (representative). I had to sign a new contract, and I said, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going through the toughest times.’ You can’t have a mom and pop (union) restaurant. We’re the only one left, except for The Firehouse (in Old Sacramento), in all of Sacramento. And the reason we were union is because 50 years ago, everybody was union. You can’t be in the union. So, anyway, I said, ‘I can’t pay benefits. There’s no way. You can’t have health, welfare and pay these three-week vacations. You can’t do that.’ Most (employees) were only kind of part-time, too. They wouldn’t even work 40 hours (per week). So, basically, I said, ‘I can’t sign (the contract),’ and I didn’t sign it. But I didn’t get out right.”
LeSieur said that a year and a half later, the union representative who had worked with him had left his job, and LeSieur was then approached by a different union representative who told him his contract was still valid.
Eventually, however, LeSieur was sued and the restaurant was later closed.

The lawsuit
“When you get out of a contract, you have to do certain procedures, which I didn’t do,” LeSieur said. “So, they had me red handed. So, what they do is get a judgment against you. The judgment was $60,000 or $90,000. But then they said, ‘Hey, listen, we’ll let you pay $30,000, but you’ll have to sign a new contract with us.’ I said, ‘Either way, I can’t pay the $30,000, but let’s just say I would pay the $30,000, the problem is I can’t sign a new contract going forward, because I can’t make any money.’ You can’t have health and welfare benefits for a small, little mom and pop restaurant. So, I filed and that’s how I ended up in Chapter 11. And some mistakes were made and now it’s into liquidation. Otherwise, I would still be open today.”
Regarding his financial situation with the restaurant, LeSieur said he paid off most of the IRS debt, but he still owes the state board and the Education Development Department a small amount.
“It’s a lot of money, but it’s not a lot of money,” he said. “I would have to make those whole and then go back in, but the liquidation would take care of those things.”

To reopen or not to reopen
LeSieur said that if he reopens his restaurant, it would likely reappear with a slightly different name change. He said that the place would probably become known as “The Buggy Whip” – a name so subtlety different that many people would never notice that the name had been changed.
Although he does not like the idea of keeping many of his former customers in limbo, LeSieur said that he needs some time to determine what he wants his future to be in the local restaurant industry.
“The update is I’m just not quite sure what I’m going to do,” he said.

Lance@valcomnews.com

Carmichael’s rejected governor’s mansion at 2300 California Ave. is now a private residence with no connection to state government. / Photo by Lance Armstrong

When Californians refer to the “governor’s mansion,” they are generally speaking about the Second Empire Italianate-style Victorian mansion on 16th Street, along the old Highway 40. But at times, some of these references are directed toward the historic Stanford Mansion at 800 N Street or the mansion built for this state’s governors in Carmichael.

Many people in the Sacramento area recall this latter, controversial estate overlooking the American River.

It was that very mansion at 2300 California Ave. that was to solve this state’s void of a permanent structure for its chief executive.

But this mansion was already a major issue of debate while it was still under construction in 1974, as Gov. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown, Jr., during his second term in office, refused to reside in the structure.

Despite the fact that nearly every other state in the Union has a designated, permanent governor’s residence, it has been 45 years since such a place has existed in California.
The French Second Empire/Renaissance Revival-style Stanford Mansion was once home to the state’s eighth governor, Leland Stanford, and the following two governors, Frederick F. Low and Henry H. Haight.

The mansion on the 16th Street
And the aforementioned 16th Street mansion, which was built in 1877 for Albert Gallatin of the hardware business, Huntington, Hopkins & Co., was the home of every California state governor from 1903 to 1967.

Following the 16th Street mansion’s nine decades as a residence, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan and his family became the final residents of the mansion. The Reagans moved from the mansion into a leased home in the upscale East Sacramento neighborhood, known as the Fabulous Forties.

This move occurred only four months after the Reagans moved into the 16th Street mansion.

California First Lady Nancy Reagan was dissatisfied with the structure’s living conditions and declared it a “firetrap” with a neighborhood that was unsafe for small children.

The 16th Street mansion and its property, which is known today as the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, is now recognized as one of Sacramento’s most important historic sites and is a popular destination for visitors and locals seeking to learn some history through daily, guided tours.

Carmichael Mansion construction begins
Construction on the 12,000-square-foot, concrete block Carmichael mansion began during the final stretch of Gov. Reagan’s second and last term in office. Contracts for the job were let in October 1974 and construction began shortly thereafter.

The mansion, which was completed in 1975, was built within 11.3 acres on the bluffs that were donated by friends of Gov. Reagan.

Brown criticizes construction
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1974, Brown, a then-36-year-old bachelor, was elected to replace Reagan as governor.

Brown had made it an issue in his campaign to refer to the construction of the $1.3 million, 17-room governor’s residence, which Gov. Reagan was determined to have built, as an inappropriate use of funds during a recession, in which many California residents could not afford adequate housing.

Gov. Reagan, however, stressed that the construction of the Carmichael mansion was appropriate in that it would fill the void of a permanent governor’s residence, and serve in this capacity for at least a century.

“It is not a residence for one particular governor,” Gov. Reagan told reporters in 1974. “It is a residence for governors on down through the years, a hundred years or more.”

Continuing, Reagan said, “I recognize there are some forces in Sacramento that believe the residence should not be a residence, so much as a tourist attraction downtown. I think that’s unfair to anybody who occupies this job.”

A Venus-like statue stands amidst greenery just inside the entrance to the old governor’s mansion grounds. / Photo by Lance Armstrong

Brown dubbs it “Taj Mahal”
Although Brown did not take office until Jan. 6, 1975, soon after being elected governor, he continued to publicly voice his opinion and intentions regarding the construction of the governor’s mansion, which was patterned after a Spanish villa.

In speaking to local reporters only two days after he was elected as the state’s next chief executive, Brown said, “I have not looked at (the under construction Carmichael mansion) yet. I want to take a look at the contract and see if it is legally and economically feasible to terminate it. I certainly want to, if I can.”

Brown was unable to halt the construction of the mansion, which he famously dubbed a “Taj Mahal.” However, he held true to his words that he would not live in the structure, as he instead opted to make a sparsely-furnished, two-bedroom apartment at the Dean Apartments at 1400 N St. his gubernatorial home.

Others were also critical of the Carmichael mansion, which some people referred to as having the appearance of a Safeway supermarket.

The Sacramento-born writer Joan Didion called the mansion “an enlarged version of a very common kind of California tract house.”

The mansion’s loyal caretakers
A 1979 United Press International article, however, described two couples who were very fond of the mansion.

According to the article, Lonnie and Mildred Eastmade and Jim and Ruth Bryner were at the time dividing the monthly cost of $1,600 per month to live in and take care of the estate. The couples were responsible for security of the place, various upkeep and escorting reporters and state visitors around the mansion.

The article noted that the Eastmades and Bryners did not “take kindly to putdowns of the river bluff villa – even from Gov. Brown.”

Deukmejian takes office
Unlike Brown, Gov. George Deukmejian, who served as Brown’s successor from 1983 to 1991, said on multiple occasions that he wanted to reside with his family in the Carmichael mansion.

However, Senate Democrats insisted on the sale of the mansion, and on July 15, 1983, Deukmejian changed his stance on the matter and advised lawmakers that there was no need to block the sale of the Carmichael estate.

The Deukmejian administration had rejected a $1.5 million bid to purchase the mansion in June 1983.

In its Sept. 14, 1984 edition, The Sacramento Union announced that Southern California developer Matt Franich had submitted the winning bid of $1.53 million for the Carmichael mansion.

According to the article, Franich offered Deukmejian the opportunity to reside at the mansion, but Deukmejian found the $18,000 per month minimum rent payment to be too costly.

Current owners
Today, the old Carmichael mansion that was built as a governor’s residence is the privately-owned home of a local physician and his wife.

Altogether the original, 11.3-acre property includes eight lots, four of which have houses. The lots for the non-governor’s mansion homes were sold in 2003 and 2004.

The entire property is gated in from the street. And on a brick pillar supporting the entrance gate is a plaque bearing the Spanish name, La Casa de los Gobernadores – “The House of the Governors.”

Kim Pacini-Hauch, Lyon Real Estate agent and a resident of the gated community, said that presently there is a rare opportunity for one to purchase a home within the community.

“The (available) house was built in 2007 and it’s listed for sale for $1,595,000,” said Pacini-Hauch, who grew up in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe and has resided in the Sacramento area for nearly 30 years. “It’s about 4,200 square feet on just a little under an acre and it (has) beautiful quality construction. There’s just two (homes) here overlooking the bluff in a gated community and there’s nothing like it.”

And in describing her very unique neighborhood, she added, “It’s just a beautiful (community). It’s peaceful and quiet and it’s just a lovely place to live.”

AREA ICON. Sam’s Hof Brau at 2500 Watt Ave. is the last remaining Sam Gordon-founded eatery in Sacramento. / Arden-Carmichael News photo, Lance Armstrong

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part history series about Sam’s Hof Brau and other restaurants that were founded in Sacramento by the late Sam Gordon. Read Part one

As presented in the first part of this series, local restaurateur Sam Gordon (1907-1998) established four restaurants in the Sacramento area from 1955 to 1960. And with the popularity of these eateries, he continued to open other local restaurants.
Sam’s Plaza Hof Brau
His next dining establishment, Sam’s Plaza Hof Brau at 2500 Watt Ave. at El Camino Avenue, opened in January 1962.
In its Jan. 21, 1962 edition, The Sacramento Union noted that the restaurant had “opened to the public last week.”
The announcement was accompanied by a few details regarding the then-new Sam’s Plaza Hof Brau and a photograph of Gordon standing alongside a tall, wooden American Indian statue.
The carved statue was part of the décor of the restaurant, which was mainly designed with a “Gay 1890s” theme and had 6,000 square feet of floor space.
Other decorations placed in the restaurant were old signs, paintings and stained glass from a collection in Scottsdale, Ariz. and solid brass, gas lanterns from the grand ballroom of the old Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The lanterns had since been converted for electrical use.
The restaurant also opened with its 1890 Room, a banquet room with a safe from the Western Hotel, which was located at 209-219 K St. and owned by William Land, who willed the funds for today’s William Land Park. The banquet room was built to accommodate 60 to 90 patrons and the remainder of the restaurant seated 180 guests.
More than 100 photographs and etchings of early Sacramento and nearly life-sized paintings of Lillian Russell and Diamond Jim Brady were hung on the walls.
One of the more notable decorations at the restaurant is a large painting of the 1869 “golden spike” celebration, which ceremoniously marked the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad.
But beyond its unique, inviting décor, Sam’s built its positive reputation through its entrées featuring fresh meats such as roast beef, roast turkey, prime rib, corned beef, baked ham and pastrami.
And of course, these meats can always be used to make this eatery’s signature “Sam’wiches.”
Special hof brau memories
Tom Tolley, who grew up in Carmichael and was a 1968 graduate of Del Campo High School, was one of this restaurant’s earliest diners.
“Sam’s Hof Brau was always a favorite,” Tom said. “In 1962, my folks (Walter and Norma Tolley) and I first visited Sacramento and ate at Sam’s on Watt and El Camino (avenues). I found it hard to believe that such a cool restaurant was right next door to such a fabulous bookstore and record store – the two Towers. Even Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, where I lived, couldn’t match that sort of arrangement. We moved to Sacramento two years later and my dad and I would eat there. When Sam’s celebrated their 25th anniversary, they rolled prices back to match their opening menu for about a week – a roast beef sandwich for around 65 cents – and the lines were out the door. Even though I was working at a quality restaurant – Coral Reef – I ate there almost every day during that week. Sam’s is still a destination where I have lunch with friends or when I happen to be out that way. The one thing I miss is being able to buy a new book or album before or after lunch. The changes to Sam’s have not been drastic over the years and I can still load up on free pickles.”
David Spieth, 60, who graduated from El Camino High School in 1970, also shared his memories about the Watt and El Camino avenues restaurant.
“Sam’s Hof Brau was always a neat place to eat roast beef sandwiches,” Spieth said. “And, of course, if you wanted a taste of turkey, they always had one turning in the window. It was always dark and cozy and had a lot of privacy when you ate. It was a place where you could take your girlfriend or friends and family. And it was close to the Country Club (Lanes) bowling alley, where I used to bowl. (It was) next to Tower Records, where you could always get your vinyl or tapes. (The area has) changed a lot. The bowling alley and Sam’s Hof Brau are the only original places left.”
Carmichael resident Pete Lennarz, who owned the Watt Avenue hof brau for about 16 years, said that he began leasing the Watt Avenue building from Gordon in 1991.
Lennarz added that since the Denny’s restaurant corporation owned Sam’s eateries at that time, he simply shortened his business’s name to Plaza Hof Brau to avoid any conflict with Denny’s.
In 2007, the restaurant was purchased from Lennarz by the Hof Brau Restaurant Group, which included several Mikuni restaurants partners. And since 2009, this hof brau has operated under the name, Sam’s Hof Brau.
Among the earlier events held at the restaurant under its then-new ownership was a 50th anniversary celebration on May 18, 2009.
To eliminate any confusion regarding the timing of this event, it should be recognized that upon acquiring the hof brau, these owners were incorrectly informed that this Watt Avenue business had been established in 1959.
It was not until the publication of the first part of this article series (see May 24 edition of this paper at www.valcomnews.com) that the ownership learned that the event was unfortunately held three years prior to the restaurant’s actual anniversary.
Sam’s Big Top
Less than two months following the opening of Sam’s Plaza Hof Brau, construction began on Gordon’s sixth Sacramento area restaurant – Sam’s Big Top at 1101 16th St. The business was opened to the public in October 1962.
The location was an ideal place for this circus-themed eatery, since Sacramentans had routinely dined at the popular Stan’s Drive-In at the same site.
This Sam’s restaurant, which was originally managed by Art Davis, featured 24-hour booth and counter service and seating for 100 guests.
Another Sam’s Big Top later opened at 2721 El Camino Ave. at Sandringham Road, but was operating as a Denny’s by 1970.
Sam’s expanded outside Sacto
Many Sacramentans also have fond memories of Sam’s Town entertainment center and restaurant, which operated off Highway 50 in Cameron Park from 1963 to 2000.
Additional Sam’s Hof Braus were opened outside the capital city, including in Auburn (Placer County), Oakland, Portland and Los Angeles.

A Sacramento tradition continues
Certainly the days are long gone when Sam’s restaurants could be spotted in different parts of the Sacramento area.
But fortunately the last remaining Gordon-founded eatery in the city, Sam’s Hof Brau at Watt and El Camino avenues, continues to carry forth its tradition of serving “fresh, stick-to-your-ribs food at piggy bank prices.”