In Conversation: Antonio Sessa & Giana Barone
“Made in Italy Bistro feels like home.”
This is one of the first things I told Giana Barone and Antonio Sessa as we sat down for our interview. The unassuming eatery is humbly tucked into the North Ranch Shopping Center, one of many strip malls lining the major roadways in Conejo Valley. However, Westlake Village’s hidden gem is wildly popular with long dinner time waits most Thursdays through Saturdays. No reservations taken.
In Conversation: Julie Markovitz
Julie Markovitz is a jamavist; otherwise known as a jam maker for the cause. She donates the proceeds of each jar sold to organizations like NAACP and Planned Parenthood, aptly following the current events in our world. The trees in her backyard bear the sweet fruit of what is eventually filled into each glass jar. However, being a jamavist is only Julie’s most recent endeavor.
In Conversation: Isaiah Seay
Isaiah Seay needs no introduction. His infectious personality bursts through the door of Ma Dukes, greeting his cooks as they file out for lunch. I first met Isaiah in summer of 2020 when the world seemingly fell apart. My family and I got takeout here nearly every week when the pandemic sent all of us into athleisure wear and hand-stitched masks. Two years later, he still remembers the first time my mom and I came in to pick up dinner. The restaurant was the perfect pitstop on our daily walkabout through the neighborhood, when it felt like walks were the only thing holding families together during that long spring and then summer.
In Conversation: Esther & Ali Alinejad
Clay Studio + Gallery Inc. located in Old Thousand Oaks, sits amongst many cottage businesses that line Paige Lane. This tight-knit, residential community is how I first came to discover the works of Ali and Esther Alinejad over five years ago. Tall, ceramic structures carefully constructed on steel rods glisten along the two-lane road leading to the studio. My best friend from high school lives just next door. Colorful words and phrases of varying languages are spelled out vertically, one glazed letter stacked on top of the next, standing eight to twelve feet in height. The pieces in scale alone force those just passing through to slow down to get a better look.