Salad Bar

Darleene Barrientos The main dish is salad at the religious social event of the year. Not just any salad -- this year's salad bar luncheon, hosted by the Church Women United of Glendale will feature vegetable salad, pasta salad, potato salad, chicken curry salad, even Jell-O salad with fruit. The women of 23 churches from Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta and La Canada Flintridge are preparing the huge buffet of salads, deviled eggs and dessert breads for the 27th annual event, which will be at the Salvation Army's gym, 320 W. Windsor Road.

GLENDALE ? For the 29th year, needy and homebound local residents got some much needed support on Tuesday. Church Women United, an organization that works to bring churches in the Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge and Burbank areas together, hosted the Meals on Wheels benefit salad bar and luncheon at First United Methodist Church. Members of the organization and 24 local churches donated salads ? close to 100 kinds ? to the luncheon. They ranged from fruit salads to meat and pasta salads; seemingly, no type of salad was left out. Breads and homemade cakes were also donated.

Glendale Unified School District elementary school menu for May 2-8: TODAY: Bean and cheese burrito, chicken patty, turkey and cheese bagel sandwich, chef salad, salad bar, flavored yogurt. WEDNESDAY: BBQ chicken filet on bun, turkey corndog, ham and cheese on French roll, taco salad, salad bar, flavored yogurt. THURSDAY: Chicken noodle soup and ½ turkey ham sandwich, amigos chicken nuggets, turkey and cheese submarine sandwich, chef salad, salad bar, flavored yogurt.

GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Jan. 18 to 24 Today: Waffle sticks and sausage, chicken patty on bun, turkey sandwich, or chef salad or flavored yogurt, includes salad bar with milk. Wednesday: Cheese stuffed shells, hamburger, ham and cheese on a French roll, taco salad or flavored yogurt, includes salad bar with milk. Thursday: Two tacos, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwich, chef salad or flavored yogurt, includes salad bar with milk.

GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Today: BBQ Rib on a bun, chicken patty on bun, turkey sandwich, or chef salad, flavored yogurt or French fries. Meal includes salad bar with milk. Wednesday: Chalupa beef taco boat, hamburger, ham and cheese on a French roll, taco salad or flavored yogurt. Meal includes salad bar with milk. Thursday: Gold fish pasta soup with a turkey sandwich, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwich, chef salad or flavored yogurt.

GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Today: Nacho cheese and chips, chicken patty on bun, turkey sandwich, or chef salad or flavored yogurt. Meal includes salad bar with milk. Wednesday: French bread pizza (cheese or pepperoni), hamburger, ham and cheese on a French roll, taco salad or flavored yogurt. Meal includes salad bar with milk. Thursday: Spaghetti, chicken nuggets, turkey sandwich, chef salad or flavored yogurt. Meal includes salad bar with milk.

For 33 years, members of the Church Women United of Glendale have been presenting its Meals on Wheels benefit salad bar luncheon. This year's was July 20 at the United Methodist Church. All 144 seats were filled for a mere $7 a lunch — seconds allowed. Event co-coordinators Evelyn Horigan and Karil Drake supervised about 20 volunteers from local and Glendale and Burbank churches. Among the volunteers was Judy Gorham , president of the Patrons Club of Glendale Community College.

The mere mention of hospital food elicits contorted facial expressions and conjures images of green Jello and meatloaf surprise. Depending on how sick the patients, or how sad the visitors, chances are, food is not foremost on their minds. But they want to be comforted. Hence, comfort food — flavorful, home-cooked meals that offer a nostalgic, soul-healing appeal. And because feeling better is what every hospital wants for its patients, shouldn’t the cafeterias strive to achieve this basic need?

As my Grandma used to say, it?s just ?good horse sense? to shun seafood in the desert. A more reasonable place in which to enjoy fresh fish would be any coastal community?s restaurant. Perhaps a bit myopic, Grandma?s logic precluded her from ordering chicken at a steakhouse. So if she knew I sought out churrascarias to compare salad bars, I suspect she?d gasp like the time I used a credit card to pay the rent. But now, unlike then, I got my money?s worth. The two churrascarias, Brazilian-style barbecue restaurants, in Glendale and Burbank are Gauchos Village and Picanha, respectively.

Ten Years Ago Three men armed with handguns robbed Montrose Jewelers of an undisclosed amount of jewelry during a mid-morning robbery. The suspects marched five employees into a backroom and ordered them onto the ground before returning to the showroom to smash display cases and grab merchandise. No customers were in the shop at the time the crime was being committed and no injuries were reported.   Twenty Years Ago Several residents of La Crescenta Manor, an apartment building on Montrose Avenue, were mounting a protest of what they considered a lack of maintenance of the facility.

With deejay turntables, glowing lights, 10 flavors and a unique pricing scheme, Twinkles may be the next big thing in frozen yogurt — or so its owners hope. “You can compare it to a salad bar,” said James Kang, the spokesman for the new yogurt store on Brand Boulevard that lets customers help themselves to as many yogurts and toppings as they want for 30 cents an ounce. “Imagine if you go to a salad bar and they have more options and more dressings.

Local residents shared a meal together Tuesday so neighbors in need might be able to access a meal more easily in the coming year. Patrons of the annual salad bar benefit luncheon organized by Church Women United of Glendale strolled the length of two long tables at First United Methodist Church, crafting a lunch out of dozens of salads, deviled eggs and breads. The food donations came from community members, area restaurants and members of Church Women United of Glendale.

CHURCH WOMEN RAISE FUNDS AT SALAD BAR The 31st annual Meals on Wheels benefit salad bar luncheon will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 22 at the First United Methodist Church, 130 N. Kenwood St., Glendale. Last year $1,427 was raised for the Meals on Wheels program for homebound seniors operated by the Glendale Salvation Army. Tickets will be sold at the door for $7, and all proceeds will go to the program to assist those who can?t afford the meal. Church Women United of Glendale is the sponsor and is supported with many volunteers from the local churches.

A 25-foot-long salad bar with fruits and vegetables for every letter of the alphabet greeted students as they entered the cafeteria at John Muir Elementary School on Wednesday. Children walked the length of the buffet, stopping at offerings like jicama, kiwi, turnips and navel oranges, choosing whatever items appealed to them. The giant salad bar — which went along with a free lunch of chicken, rice, sandwiches and milk — was part of a school-wide nutrition fair organized by the Food Service Department of the Glendale Unified School District.

Want something done? Ask a 90-year-old church woman to do it. Just like Iva Carrico from Glendale's Incarnation Church. Practically single-handed, Carrico was in charge of the decoration theme and its execution at the 30th annual Meals on Wheels Salad Bar Lunch on July 10 at the First United Methodist Church in Glendale. Sponsored by Glendale Church Women United, funds from the $6-a-plate salad bar will provide scholarships for the Salvation Army's Meals on Wheels program.