Pepy’s Galley: A Mar Vista Institution

Pepy’s Galley has been in Mar Vista since 1969, which in itself is quite an accomplishment.pepys

But then you add the fact that their chilaquiles have become Mar Vista #1 son’s new fave breakfast food, and, Mister, you can take that all the way to the bank.eggs1

It’s a neighborhood joint all the way, with a regular crowd, and staff who’ve been working there — some for multiple decades.pepy

Pepy himself will greet you most mornings, happily accepting cash, and smiling all the way. He says he has customers who used to come in as kids in the 70′s  – and now when they come in they show him pictures of their grandkids.

Plus, if you ask nicely, you can sit at one of the tables that overlooks the lanes of the Mar Vista Bowl. Can’t beat that!

 

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Sunday Feature: Mar Vista Farmer’s Market

Angela Chan, today’s Market shopper, is going to make Carrot Ginger Lemon Dill soup, for a special Mother’s day dinner, in a recipe adapted from HipCooks. angela

She starts with diced onions and carrots,img_0416img_0408

and sweats them in grape seed oil for about 10 minutes. Then she adds low sodium chicken broth and simmers for another 10 minutes, then cools and blends it in batches. After it’s blended, she adds finely chopped ginger to taste,img_0415

chopped dill for good looks (and flavor)img_0422cr2

and a hearty squeeze of lemon for good measure.img_0431

Try this soup — it sounds delish!

This is an original post by Sarah Auerswald.

As usual, these gorgeous photos of the farmer’s market have been taken by Chelsea Magdaleno.

Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up

It’s strawberry season!strawberries

Today’s shopper is Yvonne Condes.Yvonne and the berries

She’s a blogger and a baker. She makes fantastic gluten-free goodies, and today, she’s going to make a gluten-free strawberry tart with an almond crust.

She makes the crust with almond meal, gluten-free flour mix, and butter. After it bakes until crispy, she fills it with a creamy layer of goodness and then some gorgeous, organic strawberries and covers them with an apricot glaze.tart

Looks yummy, huh? You can order one of your own right here!

 

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Photos courtesy of Chelsea Magdaleno.

Weekend Plans: Cinco de Mayo is May 3rd at the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market

Even though it’s of course the TRES de Mayo, you can still celebrate CINCO de Mayo at the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market next Sunday.mvfmdancers

There will be musical performances featuring the 9-piece salsa band OPA OPA and dance by Folkloriko Veracruzano. For the kids, there will be crafts and pinatas, and since it’s the first Sunday of the month, the Mar Vista Arts and Crafts Collective will be there, too. The festivities start at 9am, but be there at 11am for some “spontaneous community theater”, called JOY, and sponsored by Open Mar Vista. Can’t wait to see what that’s all about!!

Check back on Sunday for a wrap-up of the day.

 

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Sunday Feature: Mar Vista Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up

Today our shopper was Leslie Weil,img_0301_21

who was picking out sugar snap peas for Chicken Pot Pie.sugar snap peas

Her recipe comes from the Silver Palate New Basics cookbook, and involves homemade chicken stock, pearl onions, carrots, rosemary, chicken, and this amazing-sounding crust of puff pastry.

The real recipe with all the details can be found in the book, but the basic idea is you cook the veggies and the chicken, make a sauce and put it all in a ramekin and cover it with the puff pastry, which I personally would buy, because I do not have the time to make it while taking care of 2 small children. But that’s just me.

Leslie is making individual pot pies for her book club group, who are very lucky people, in my opinion. By the way, I asked, and they’re reading The Secret Scripture.

 

An original post by Sarah Auerswald.

Photos courtesy of Chelsea Magdaleno, official photographer of the Mar Vista Mom Farmer’s Market Wrap-Up.

Reminder: Mar Vista Green Garden Tour This Sunday 4/27

UPDATE:

The 2011 Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase will take place on Saturday, April 30th.

*********************************************************************************

Celebrate Earth Day this year by touring local gardens that feature drought tolerant and California native plants and highlight sustainable gardening practices. It’s this Sunday from 2-6pm.3930-keeshen-001

This free, self-guided tour can be previewed at Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, which includes 4 walking/biking tours that have been mapped out for you! Green AND convenient!

 

This is an original post by Sarah Auerswald. Photo credit: Sherri Akers.

Mar Vista Neighbors Famous For Swapping

Swapping furniture, that is! (Get your minds out of the gutter! This is not Marina del Rey, people.)

Some of your very own Mar Vista neighbors will be featured on the Oprah Winfrey show Monday, April 27th. And what are we doing? Swapping furniture! It’s a budget makeover on 4 houses in Mar Vista, so to save money, we went shopping in each other’s houses instead of at the store.

Here we are with Nate Berkus, the designer who made all our houses look so fabulous. And, for the record, he’s JUST as nice and as devastatingly handsome in person, by the way!!swap-meet-families

Mar Vista Mom was indeed one of the 4 lucky ones! (That’s me in the denim jacket.)

In fact, it’s because of this blog that we got to be on TV. The show was looking for a group of neighbors who knew each other well and would be interested in having home makeovers — and they found my previous posts about our block parties and chili cook-offs and movie nights. We are a very close-knit neighborhood!

Tune in Monday, April 27th to see it all in action! Oprah is on ABC, Check local listings for showtimes. (Gee, it just doesn’t get old saying that.)

Shopping in Mar Vista: Mechie

Looking for adorable clothes for your adorable kid? Or how about the coolest toys? Come to Mechie!mechie1

The store is stocked with the latest styles from brands like Rowdy Sprout, Bloomies, and Twirls and Twigs, in sizes ranging from newborn – 8 for girls, newborn – 7 for boys.twirls-and-twigs

It’s a great spot to pick up kid’s party gifts or baby shower gifts, like this basket of goodies any new mom would LOVE to receive!babyshower-gift

In-store events include these keepsake Precious Prints on the 4th Sunday of the month from 10:30am – 1:30pm. The next one is happening this Sunday, April 26th.precious-prints

Located at 12318 Venice Blvd, Mechie is open 7 days a week. 

Oh, and I asked: it’s pronounced Mee-Chee.