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Living Lean moved to Theater Square six months ago and things have been developing very positively for Orinda resident and business owner Sheena Lakhotia. "I love the esthetics of the new place," says Lakhotia, "it is very convenient, the parking structure right there, my place is very visible, and more and more vibrant businesses are moving into the Square." Lakhotia certainly adds to the new vibe of Theater Square with the hip music that starts at 5:30 am for the bravest of her clients, the laser lights and high energy that circulates there all day long. As more people come in, Lakhotia needs to think about expanding again. "I have so many clients coming from the Alamo-Danville area," says Lakhotia, "it made sense to expand in that direction." The Danville studio is scheduled to open in May and will operate on the same model as Lakhotia's second location in Montclair.
Local Kids with Great Granola Ambition
Matt Teichmann and his childhood friend and now business partner, David Miskie, grew up in Lafayette and graduated from Acalanes High School in 1999. Leveraging lessons learned in previous careers of web starts up and private equity, the two recently started San Franola Granola, offering a healthy snack that tastes good. "The recipe actually comes from Dan Miskie, David's father," says Teichmann. "Some 15 years ago I was looking to healthier food and was frustrated by the high calories, high sugar, granola that was on the market," says Dan Miskie, "so I developed my own recipe." Miskie credits his granola for the 40 lbs he lost and never put back on. Teichmann explains that most granolas are based on oats that have little natural flavor, "a lot of fat and sugar needs to be added to make it taste good," he says. Instead they base their recipe on flax seeds and almonds that have a high nutrient content and a lot of flavor, especially when roasted, which Teichmann and Miskie do in their commercial kitchen in Alameda. "We believe that the desire for a healthier life style and healthy food is a macro-trend," says Teichmann, "our San Franola Granola business will grow. We see ourselves as a start-up, not a small business." Teichmann and Miskie have big dreams and want to become a national consumer foods company. They made their Lamorinda debut on Saturday, February12 with tastings at Diablo Foods, which will carry San Franola Granola.
Tri-Chamber Meeting - Make Your Movie
Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda will hold a Tri Chamber Mixer at The New Rheem Theatre, 350 Park Ave, Moraga, on Tuesday, April 26. Since the meeting will be in a movie theater, the Chambers are asking residents to shoot a video (three minutes or less in length) or create a PowerPoint presentation or slide show about how much they love their town/city. "I thought, we are in a theater and we are all proud of our city - and hey, let's have some fun," said Lafayette Chamber Executive Director Jay Lifson. Winners from each community will be shown on the big screen and win prizes. Moraga residents should send their submissions to Mary Lloyd Coe, 216-8904, coemary@aol.com. Lafayette submissions can be sent to Karen Rose, 284-7404, Karen@lafayettechamber.org. And submission from Orinda should go to Candy Kattenburg at 254-3909, Candis333@aol.com.
Lafayette's 2011 Citizen of the Year
Nominations are being accepted for Lafayette's Citizen of the Year. The Citizen of the Year criteria include being a current Lafayette resident; someone who has given of their time, money or energy to help make Lafayette a healthy community, where people will want to live, work and shop; someone who models excellence in everything they do; someone who brings this community together and/or makes us proud to be a member of the community. Nominations should be sent by February 17 to jay@lafayettechamber.org or faxed to (925) 284-7404. Indicate who your candidate is and why they should be recognized. The winner will be honored at a special dinner held on Friday, March 25 at the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa. Cocktails will be served at 6:00pm and dinner begins at 8:00pm. "Help us celebrate the greatness we have in those around us," said Lifson. The winner will be announced by March 1st.
News from the three Chambers of Commerce
Lafayette - Entrepreneur's Club, February 17, 8:30am in the
Lafayette Library & Learning Center - Green Committee Open Meeting February 22, noon-1pm
in the Lafayette Chamber Conference Room - Business Issues/Government Affairs Committee Open Meeting,
February 25 8-9am in the Lafayette Chamber Conference Room - Big Band Dance on February 25th from 7-10pm at the Veteran's
Memorial Building in Lafayette. Dance lessons by Gail Enright
from 7-8pm and dancing with music by The Big Band of Rossmoor
from 8-10pm. Tickets are $10 and available at the Lafayette
Chamber of Commerce, 284-7404.
Moraga
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 - 6pm, the Chamber and Mechanics Bank are sponsoring the 2011 Business Person of the Year Dinner at the China Moon Restaurant, 380 Park St. All Chamber members and their guests are invited. RSVP to Kathe Nelson at kathenelson@gmail.com.
Orinda
First Annual State of the City Address and Special Recognition Awards Dinner on Thursday, February 24, 2011 at the Orinda Country Club. Cocktails: 6-6:30pm; dinner 6:30-8:15pm, 315 Camino Sobrante, Orinda. RSVP required by Feb. 22. at www.orindachamber.com, cost is $65 per person. The event will recognize as Best Small Business in Orinda, Orinda Taxi: Julian Juricevic. The State of the Town Address will be given by Mayor Victoria Smith. The Chamber will also give Special Recognition Awards to Sally Hogarty, Editor of the Orinda News and columnist Valerie Hotz.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA