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FOOD - DRINK - FUN

Mountain Views-News SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2025


THE TASTING ROOM


WINES MADE BY IMMIGRANTS

I’m Gustavo Lira, Tasting Room Manager and Wine 
Buyer at The Bottle Shop in Sierra Madre with another 
wine and spirits selection. 

Every Fourth of July in honor of my late father who 
came to this country from Mexico in search of a 
better life, I feature winemakers who also came to 
this country in search of a better life.

 

My father worked hard all his life, became a US citizen, 
and loved this country very much. I’m forever 
grateful for the gift of this country that he gave to 
me and my family. He met my mom in Texas, and 
they moved to Chicago. He found work with Cargill 
Grain Company and spent his entire career with 
that company. He loved the Chicago White Sox and 
I followed in his footsteps and rooted for them also. Every 4th of July he would have a bbq 
and invite friends and family over to celebrate Independence Day. He was proud of his native 
country, but he loved his new home very much. My dad was an immigrant. My dad was a U.S. 
citizen. I will always be proud of all the immigrants who came before him and after him, and 
all that they have contributed to this country of ours. 

Join me as I feature four wines made by immigrants while sharing compelling stories of their 
journeys to this country. One of the wines I will feature is Farmworker Red Wine produced by 
Hugo Maldonado and his father Jose Guadalupe – aka Lupe. Lupe came to this country from 
Michoacan, Mexico. He worked at apple farms and vineyards in northern California before 
buying his first vineyard in the 1990’s. They made their first wine in 2002 and eventually a 
Maldonado wine was served at the White House. Hard work, sweat, pride, and dignity – characteristics 
shared by many an immigrant – resulted in superbly made wines.

This is just one personal story that I will tell – stories of struggles, hard work, dedication, 
and opportunity. The wines are exceptional, but the human spirit behind the wines is even 
more exceptional. I welcome immigrants with open arms. Join me as we taste wines made by 
immigrants. 

If you would like to join me for this tasting on July 12th at 5pm, email me at glira@gratedwine.
com for more details and information. 

Until next time – Salud!


FIRST IMPRESSION: ANDY’S 
COFFEE — WHERE THE REFILL 
NEVER STOPS

Every city needs that one reliable coffee shop—the 
place that knows your name, keeps your mug topped 
up without prompting, and feels like a slice of living, 
caffeinated history. For Pasadena, that place is Andy’s 
Coffee. I’ve driven past it countless times, but it took 
my ever-curious dining wingman, Hansalicious, to 
pull me inside. One step across the threshold and 
I felt as if I’d wandered onto a classic Warner Bros. 
back-lot diner set: chrome stools, checkerboard floor, 
and walls plastered with faded reviews and snapshots 
of regulars past and present. (With any luck this review 
earns a respectable spot up there, too.)

Service & Vibe

Owned and operated by a warm crew of Latinas, Andy’s embodies puro café Americano with a 
welcome dash of Mexican soul. Our server Gloria earned a perfect 10 on the service scale—if I’m 
not around, consider her your personal ambassador. She moves like a seasoned pro, balancing 
bottomless coffee refills with genuine conversation that makes newcomers feel like weekend regulars. 
Pro tip: weekdays hum along nicely, but Saturdays and Sundays pack out fast. Arrive early or 
prepare to practice patience.

The Eats

Prices sit comfortably in diner territory—no shockers, no sticker-skip beats. Gloria steered me toward 
the tuna melt on rye (pro move: upgrade the side to tangy coleslaw). Hansalicious tackled the 
Classic Club, a skyscraper of turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomato so tall he needed a Sherpa halfway 
through. Next visit, I’m eyeing the lighter “Fitness” menu—summer waits for no waistband. Traditional 
breakfast plates dominate the griddle each morning, and the Mexican-leaning specialties are 
sleeper hits. Gloria swears by the Chilaquiles Plate; it’s firmly penciled in for round two.

Atmosphere

Andy’s feels lived-in without being tired. Locals sip dark roast while catching up with the morning 
paper; a rotating cast of neighborhood characters keeps the counter lively. Street parking is usually 
forgiving, though lunchtime can get competitive.

IN SUMMARY

Coffee: Hot, strong, and endlessly refilled—just the way the diner gods intended.

Must-Try: Tuna melt on rye; Chilaquiles Plate for your next visit.

Service: Gloria sets the gold standard—expect friendly banter and lightning-quick refills.

Price Point: Classic diner dollars; your wallet leaves unbruised.

Pro Tip: Weekends fill up fast—get in by 9 a.m. for prime seating.

Overall Vibe: A cinematic slice of Americana with a Latin heartbeat.

Rating: Solid 8.5/10—the kind of spot you’ll claim as “your” coffee shop after one visit.

See you at Andy’s—save me a counter seat and tell Gloria I sent you

1234 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena

check out my podcast and email thechefknows@yahoo.com


TOM PURCELL

LET’S RETURN TO COMFORT FOOD

My favorite summer comfort food is the fried chicken and potato salad 
dinner my mother made throughout my childhood — one I’ve spent three 
years trying to reinvent. It turns out I’m not alone.

According to a 2025 study by the Food Institute and Nestlé USA, more 
Americans — citing increased food costs, health concerns and a longing 
for emotional calm — are recreating the meatloaf, stews and other family 
meals they enjoyed as children. But they’re not just copying old recipes — 
they’re reinventing them with bold new flavors and creative techniques, a 
trend called “new-stalgia.”

Though I’ve been experimenting with my mother’s fried chicken and potato salad recipes, I’ve not 
yet come close to improving them.

She’s 88 now and no longer makes meals to feed her large clan, but I was wise enough to capture 
her recipes and techniques on video.

Her fried chicken started with a very large family pack of thighs and breasts. She mixed some eggs 
and water in a bowl for the egg wash, then poured inexpensive, store-bought Italian bread crumbs 
into another bowl for the dredge.

The Italian mix included a blend of flour, onion and garlic powder, parsley, sea salt, paprika and 
white and black pepper — all tasty stuff.

She’d brown the bread-coated chicken in our ancient cast-iron skillet, then finish it off in an oven 
pan for 45 minutes more.

Her potato salad started by cleaning and then boiling 10 large Idaho potatoes. Once they cooled, 
and my father helped peel them, she cut the potatoes into cubes.

She boiled a dozen eggs, cut up celery and onions into very small pieces, then mixed her simple 
but incredibly special dressing — a cup or so of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, a few spoonfuls of regular 
sugar, an orange juice glass of condensed milk and a touch of white vinegar.

Her sweet, vinegary, watery potato salad is a one-of-a-kind creation — just as every family’s potato 
salad is!

My greatest fried chicken and potato salad memory as a kid involves my community’s “Kennywood 
Day,” when we spent the whole day at the Kennywood Amusement Park.

My father would pack our old green cooler full of ice, then stuff in my mother’s pans filled with the 
chicken, potato salad and a six-pack of his cherished Pabst Blue Ribbon.

We’d arrive at the picnic pavilion in the morning and set our provisions at the same picnic table 
every year — every family knew which was theirs.

We kids would meet up with our friends and hit the rides and roller coasters all day.

Then we’d return to the pavilion, absolutely famished, for dinner at 5 p.m. The chicken and potato 
salad were ice cold and devouring them was — and will always be — the most satisfying gastronomic 
experience I’ve ever known.

That’s why I’m having a blast trying different approaches and flavors — add some cayenne pepper 
to the chicken dredge or maybe some brown mustard and scallions to the potato dressing? — to 
make my mother’s creations even better.

Hey, maybe a little new-stalgia can calm all of us down — because food has a special way of bringing 
us together.

By sharing our creative takes on our most cherished comfort meals — by breaking bread together 
— I’m confident we’ll realize our passions, hopes and beliefs are far more common than they are 
different.

Especially if the meal involves my mother’s incredibly delicious fried chicken and potato salad!


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