Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 18, 2015

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Mountain View News Saturday, April 18, 2015 

Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side by Deanne Davis


KAREN SWISHER & THE SIERRA MADRE 
GROCERY COMPANY

Karen’s Bucket List:

1. Find strength

2. Make time for all the stuff that matters

3. Love, Love, Love

“A fresh fruit medley of Mangos, Peaches and Pineapple, combined 
with a hint of Ginger, finished off with a Jalapeno and Cayenne 
Pepper kick!” That’s Fruit N’ Fire Bruschetta Salsa. Now I ask 
you, doesn’t that sound scrumptious? You could put it on almost 
anything but oatmeal…and it might do wonders for that, too! 
Fruit N’ Fire is just one of the items created by the delightful Karen 
Swisher, President/Food Scientist, of Sierra Madre Grocery Co. 
Had a great time meeting Karen and her dog, Jack, this week to chat 
about how Sierra Madre Grocery Co. came to be. Karen casually 
offered me a bowl of pecans she had transformed from pecan bland 
to an ecstasy of chili blended spices. This bowl of pecans in front of 
me was a serious distraction as I was hearing Karen’s story of her 
walk through the world of food creation, beginning with a degree in 
Food Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, which would qualify 
her to do just about anything in the kitchen that she can imagine.

 Karen and her husband, Michael, came to Sierra Madre in 1987, 
so what else could she possibly consider naming her new company 
than Sierra Madre Grocery Co. Karen has worked with many of 
the major food companies: Del Monte where she was their Quality 
Assurance person, creating meals for airlines, “and they were good, 
too!” Karen has worked in Research & Development with various 
chefs, taking what they produced and making it airline possible. 
Karen has been with Spice Islands, Carnation, Lawry’s, and she was 
the creative force behind Jenny Craig’s first energy bar. 

 Karen and her identical twin sister, Kirsten, started Huntington 
Food Products in 1997 where they developed the pan, mix and 
process for, believe it or not, low-fat donuts! Their products were 
marketed under the Van de Kamp label along with a line of Savory 
Flavored English Muffins. Sierra Madre Grocery Co. came several 
years later, starting with Roasted Garlic & Olive Bruschetta Salsa. 
Working with another of Sierra Madre’s unique businesses, Savor 
the Flavor, Karen’s Roasted Garlic & Olive Salsa burst on the 
scene under the Savor the Flavor label. With her Salsa making 
appearances all over town (including the Pasadena Showcase House 
of Design) to an increasingly enthusiastic public, Karen realized it 
was time for her own label. Next for Sierra Madre Grocery Co. was 
Black Bean & Corn Bruschetta Salsa, then the Caramelized Onions 
& Roasted Garlic. There’s a flatbread now, a Cheese & Olive Toasted 
Crisp, and more tasty products in development.

 I’ve saved my personal favorite for last, the Sierra Seasoning Rub. 
Simply stating that I don’t think I could live without that wonderful 
stuff would not be out of line. I put Sierra Seasoning on fish, chicken, 
every kind of meat and Sierra Rub makes it incredible. In 2010 I 
was wandering through our Albertson’s (alas, poor Albertson’s, I 
knew it well – apologies to Shakespeare) and a friendly lady asked 
me if I wouldn’t like a bite of a new product. Well, yeah! So I had a 
cracker with Roasted Garlic & Olive Salsa and picked up a little tin 
of the Sierra Seasoning. I tried it on salmon and it was so good we 
had it three nights in a row! The Seasoning, btw, was developed for 
a barbeque for our very own Rotary!

 Asking Karen what’s ahead, she said to look for the Mountain 
Trail sweet and spicy snack mix. Her labels have just been re-
designed and are even more classy and eye-catching. Numerous 
demos in various locations are coming up in the next few weeks and 
this terrific local company is in more stores than you can count…
Bristol Farms … Von’s … Albertson’s … Safeway …San Antonio 
Winery…Taylor’s Meats here in town, just to name a few. Karen 
and the Sierra Madre Grocery Co. won the SOFI Award in 2012 
(Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation) and Karen’s on track to 
win another one. She’s involved with the community with Rotary, 
Foothill Unity Center and more. Delicious products, beautifully 
packaged, perfect gift items, Sierra Madre Grocery Co. and Karen 
Swisher are most definitely assets to our community.

 Check out her website: www.sierramadregroceryco.com and 
plan to take home and try everything. For instance: Black Bean & 
Corn – Salsa Madre Taco Pie – Brown ground beef, drain fat. Add 
Salsa Madre, simmer. Layer beef and Salsa Madre in a casserole 
dish. Top with shredded cheeses, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, 
sour cream and shredded lettuce. Serve with tortilla chips. Oh 
Yeah!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is available there…


THEY ARE ALL WINNERS.

Four local high school seniors participated in the Dan Stover musical 
contest hosted at LaSalle HS by Rotary of Sierra Madre and chaired 
by Juliann Gibson. 

 The great performers were Miguel Vidal who played Violin, Adrian 
Luymes played Piano, Chris Poulsen performed on Guitar and the 
winner this year to move to regional was Justin Syas on the Piano. All 
entrants went home with cash prizes. 

 We were honored to have two distinguished judges this year: Tom 
Brady of the Destination Group, and Almer Imamovic of Sierra 
Madre Music.

 The winner of each of the four regions will go to the district 
conference in Henderson, NV to perform in May. The winner of 
district will receive a $5,000 prize.

RAFFLE AT CENTRIC BIKES

Three dollars will barely get you a cup of coffee these days. From 
now till May 23, however, three dollars could win you a new bicycle 
and help save a life! As a sponsor of the upcoming Mt. Wilson Trail 
Race, Centric Bikes will raffle off a Scott Sub-Speed bicycle. You 
can check out the prize bike in the Centric storefront window, and 
purchase raffle tickets inside. Raffle tickets will also be available at 
the Centric booth in Kersting Court on race day.

 How can a raffle ticket help save a life, you ask? Because all of the 
proceeds from the bike giveaway will be donated to Sierra Madre 
Search & Rescue. The Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team is a 
group of dedicated volunteers committed to saving lives in the 
wilderness. Founded in 1951, the Team has responded to thousands 
of calls for help in the wilderness and saved countless lives. They 
also greatly assist the MWTR by providing emergency support on 
race day.

 “We are excited to be a part of this year’s Mt. Wilson Trail Race, 
and to offer people a fun way to help a vital organization like Sierra 
Madre Search & Rescue,” says Michael Hagler, co-owner of Centric 
Bikes. The Centric store, at 49 W. Sierra Madre Blvd, features 
products and services for cyclists, triathletes, and runners. “Centric 
carries a selection of top-quality nutritional products for runners,” 
notes Hagler, “and Trigger Point massage products to help them 
warm up before the race and treat their sore muscles afterward.”

 So be sure to stop by the Centric store and register to win yourself 
a great bike, and help a worthy cause at the same time!

SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER

During the week of Sunday, April 5th, to Sunday, April 12th, the Sierra 
Madre Police Department responded to approximately 330 calls for 
service.

Thursday, April 9th

At 7:18 am, Sierra Madre Police responded to the 400 Block of 
Sturtevant Drive in regards to a vehicle tampering report. The victim 
informed Officers that earlier that morning, he parked his vehicle 
near his home and at around 6 am his wife informed him that his 
vehicle had been egged. The victim also informed Officers that his 
vehicles have been egged several times this month. This case has been 
forwarded to the Detectives Bureau. 

Friday, April 10th 

At 6:30 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby 
regarding an identity theft report. The victim informed Officers that he 
attempted to file his tax return using an online program and contacted 
the company directly after he was having trouble. A representative 
from the company informed the victim that the reason he was having 
trouble was because his social security had already been used to file a 
tax return. The representative advised the victim to contact the IRS, 
FTC, and the credit bureau. 

Saturday, April 11th 

 At 12:21 pm, Sierra Madre Police responded to the station lobby 
regarding a vandalism report. The victim informed Officers that he 
provides taxi services for a company using his own personal vehicle. 
The day before, he received a request to pick a man from Los Angeles 
and bring him to Sierra Madre. Upon arrival, the driver was met with 
three men needing a ride, so he drove them to their location. While 
driving, the victim observed that the three men appeared to be under 
the influence of an unknown drug. After arriving to the location, one 
of the men needed assistance getting out of the vehicle by his two 
friends. While exiting the vehicle, the man lost his balance and fell 
backwards into the vehicle, with his elbow hitting the rear passenger 
door, causing a dent. The victim contacted the company he works 
for and they advised him to file a police report. After leaving the 
location, the victim discovered a backpack had been left in the back 
seat of his car. When he inspected it, he found marijuana and drug 
paraphernalia. The property was booked into evidence and this case 
has been forwarded to the Detectives Bureau.