Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 14, 2010

11

Homes & Property

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 14, 2010 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes & gardens and the people who create them Story and Photos By Chris Bertrand


E. Waldo Ward’s Ranch: Home of Sierra Madre’s Oldest Runnin Business

 Edwin Waldo Ward, Sr., founder of 
Sierra Madre’s renowned jam, jelly 
and condiment purveyor, journeyed 
to California in 1887 to recover from 
tuberculosis. Recuperating in the 
fresh air and healthy climate of La 
Manda Park, now East Pasadena, 
he and his host, a boyhood friend, 
explored the foothills area on 
horseback.

Ward planted his first ten acres of 
Navel oranges in 1891 on Sierra Madre land purchased from the 
town’s founder, Nathaniel Carter. Soon, he added another twenty 
acres to his orchard at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. 
At its height, the ranch spanned over 30 acres. His dream was 
to develop the “perfect” English style marmalade recipe from 
bittersweet oranges, and sell it across North America.

After marrying in 1900, Ward built a beautiful family home and 
barn behind it at 273 East Highland in 1902. He maintained his 
“day job” as sales representative New York luxury food importer 
from New York, James P. Smith & Co until 1915.

In the intervening years, he imported two special orange trees 
from Spain; of a particular variety Ward was sure held the keys 
to his marmalade recipe’s success. Those two trees, still thriving 
today, became grafting stock for a grove that eventually expanded 
to 600 trees. By 1918, the recipe was fine tuned, and Ward began 
his preserving business.

The business flourished, and E. Waldo Ward marmalade was 
served at the finest tables in the 
country. It was the signature jam 
served in the elite dining cars of many 
trains of the era. Richard and Jeff 
Ward, father and son, run E. Waldo 
Ward today. They are the descendants 
of the on Sierra Madre property that is 
now just 2.5 acres, amid a residential 
neighborhood built on the orchard 
land that was sold off over the years, as 
water requirements and price made it 
untenable as farm land.

Richard is still drawn to the original 
signature marmalade as his personal 
favorite eating, but Jeff prefers the 
mango and four berry preserves. Most 
of the fruit comes from the West coast, 
including berries from Oregon.

Today the company offers a wide 
range of jams, marmalades, jellies, 
condiments savory sauces and 
marinades, fruit syrups, butters and 
spreads, stuffed olives, cherries, 
pickled and brandied fruits. The fruit 
spreads are sweetened with grape juice 
instead of sugar for less calories and a 
more intense fruit taste.

The ten employees at E. Waldo Ward’s 
kitchens are cooking up 
something delicious five days a 
week, all year long. The day I visited, they were preparing 
pumpkin spread, with quince jelly, mango syrup, brandied 
cherries and Raspberry Jalapeno sauce scheduled for later 
in the week. Dozens of 38.5 pound containers of plum 
jam were ready for delivery to Overhill Farms for use in 
their production line.

As consumer’s tastes have expanded and evolved from 
sweet toward savory these days, two of their biggest sellers 
today are a cocktail sauce for seafood and barbeque sauce. 
Longtime Sierra Madre resident Kathy Coyne, says she 
always carries the cocktail sauce back East when visiting 
her family. It’s that good. A local supper club group 
agreed, too, last week, deeming it “amazing” during a 
food and wine pairing event in Monrovia.

For the foodies with a penchant for the spicy, Ward 
now offers a chipotle sauce, too. Imported queen size 
(Think enormous!) Spanish olives are with an array 
of extraordinary fillings including almonds, jalapenos 
and onions in addition to the tried and true, colorful 
pimientos.

80% of today’s production is private labeled for restaurants 
like barbecue sauce for Cattleman’s Restaurants in the 
Bay Area and retail sauce for Robbie’s barbecue sauce, 
plus specialty products for gourmet food shops and high 
end retailers like Gelson’s and Whole Foods, often with 
the purveyor’s proprietary recipes.

Even the local bears are drawn to Ward’s delectable 
products, Jeff Ward chuckled as he remembered a recent 
incident. Last year, a bear wandered into town, causing 
quite a media furor when it discovered some of the Waldo 
syrups were to its liking. Even with helicopters hovering, 
the bear escaped up a tree and later escaped, slipping into 
the night after the sweet meal.

Ward’s store walls are plastered with awards and 
recognition from publications like the LA Times and Los 
Angeles magazine. Just this month, LA magazine again touted E. 
Waldo Ward as one of their favorite foods in the jam category for 
their “Best of LA” choices.

Ward offers informal tours on Saturdays during store hours, 
including their small onsite museum. Just follow the West 
driveway behind the house at 273 E. Highland, to the store. It’s 
a delightful step back into Sierra Madre history, blended with 
the scrumptious products they offer at the factory store, in 
town at Taylor’s and Savor the Flavor, as well as online at www.
WaldoWard.com. There’s always a taste of something amazing 
waiting for customers every day!

E. Waldo 
Ward will 
offer tastes of 
their products 
at “A Taste of 
Sierra Madre” 
on September 
11 in Kersting 
Ct. For more 
information 
on the event, 
visit the 
website,

 www.
ATasteOfSierraMadre.com or purchase tickets at four locations 
in town, Savor the Flavor, Best Buy Drugs, The Bottle Shop and 
Belle’s Nest.


Chris Bertrand


If you’ve followed advice given here about sprucing up your home's exterior, well 
done! Now let’s focus attention on the next thing potential buyers will see - the 
front door and the interior. Now is the time for spring cleaning and to show off your 
home's best features.

Repaint that front door and touch up around the entry. Make it warm and welcoming 
with updated light fixtures at the entrance and foyer. Speaking of entries, check 
your windows and doors for energy efficiency. If they're not airtight, an investment 
in new windows and insulation will pay off handsomely and impress buyers.

Freshly repainted walls won’t hurt either, and you can achieve a bright, clean look 
with light yellow or cream on the walls and contrasting white woodwork. Buff up 
your wood floors, clean your area rugs or carpets, and replace any worn carpeting 
before your first showing.

Buyers look carefully at bathrooms, so be sure to remove any spots of mildew, 
replace caulking, and consider a small investment in a new sink and vanity to really 
make things sparkle.

The icing on the cake is to offer buyers a "home warranty" on the appliances in your 
house, allowing them a full year of service on anything that happens to go wrong. 
Your pride of ownership and their peace of mind should combine to produce a sale!

Luther Tsinoglou has just been named the top producing sales agent in Dickson 
Podley Realtor’s Sierra Madre office for 2009, making the top 10% at the company 
overall. Luther has been licensed and practicing real estate since 1992. He specializes 
in residential and income property in Southern California. Luther can be reached at 
his direct line (626) 695-8650 or at luther@tsinoglou.com. 

LOCAL REALTOR THANKS SANTA ANITA YMCA

 

Monrovia 
Realtor, 
Donna Baker 
selected 
the Santa 
Anita Family 
YMCA 
to be the 
beneficiary 
of a $2,000 
donation at 
her annual 
“thank you” 
party to 
current and 
past clients 
which she 
hosted at 
Café Mundial. 
Accepting 
the donation from Baker (center) is SAFYMCA Executive Director, Damon 
Colaluca, and President and Chief Volunteer Officer, Kathryn Taylor. Baker, a 
past president and chief volunteer officer of the Y, is celebrating her 9th year as a 
Realtor, currently with Dickson Podley Realtors, and her 8th year as a member of 
the Y Board of Directors.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com