NEWMAN’S TOP CHEF. Scott Pasco, top chef at Clayton’s Restaurant in Modesto, and long time Newman resident, competed in the “Culinary Clash Chefs Competition” last week and received rave reviews from judges and visitors alike. The winning chef came from Dewz Restaurant, but Scott put on a great cooking demonstration even when his appliances quit working.

At Scott’s station, the stove died, and he and his crew used the Doubletree Hotel kitchen, which meant he was out of sight for part of the competition. However, this probably worked to his advantage in the “PR” sense, since he and Clayton’s received a lot of chatter from the commentator Jeff Mall and others…..It was a great event, promoting food and drink in the Central Valley; and it was awesome to have a West Sider (and Newmanite) as one celebrity chef!!

NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING BAD FOR WEST SIDE. We don’t see “hit pieces” sent to us very often here, but one arrived in the mail last weekend against our county Supervisor Jim DeMartini. Among other issues, DeMartini was accused of “not telling the truth.” While Supervisor DeMartini oftentimes doesn’t filter his remarks and comes out with some comments that are “over the top” to those people who like “political correctness” rather than political reality, one can never say that our supervisor is not honest. Honesty and integrity are his trademarks, whether officials and/or developers like it or not.

And to suggest (as this hit piece did) that he has not been the champion against the West Park project, the political consultant writing this campaign flyer must have been out of touch and/or living in Washington state!!! I’d rather see a candidate tell us why we should vote for him than attack his opponent. Positive campaigns give all of us a chance to rate one candidate against another without fabrications and sensationalism. I abhor negative campaigning, particularly on the local level, and I hope it stops!

ANA MOURA AND THE NEW FADO WERE SENSATIONAL. Portuguese fado is loved and admired by Portuguese descendants in the Central Valley, and when Ana Moura, the 28-year-old fado singer came to Modesto last Saturday during her U.S. tour, Portuguese and West Siders flocked to see her sold-out shows.

She transcends her youth with a mature contralto voice, and her soulful interpretations were both heartbreaking and uplifting. Elsie Freitas and daughter Cindy Spinelli joined family members at a reception following Ana Moura’s show, and were raving about her performance and the three men accompanying her songs with guitar music.

WEST PARK ALIVE AGAIN. Millions of dollars in bond money and support from the Oakland Port were both good news to Gerry Kamilos and his West Park development project. West Siders for the most part don’t want it here, but Kamilos and his partners are pushing ahead with the powerful support of county and regional officials.

While it may turn out to be a good thing for the West Side, I’m always jaded when people living in Modesto, Stockton and Sacramento tell us what is good for us! We’ve heard it all before; they sent us the dump and the tire burner and some tried to relocate a tallow works near the foothills in Crows Landing as well.

The county board of supervisors is set to vote on the project next week; their vote only gives Kamilos the go-ahead to move forward with environmental impact reports and other stuff; opponents can still challenge the developers and our elected officials about the project’s impact. Until the county board promises West Side cities and schools some additional tax money and/or projects throughout the West Side, it’s best to argue against it!