Temple Grandin feels a special affinity for Silicon Valley, which she believes wouldn’t exist without the brainpower of high-functioning “Aspies,” folks who fall on some measure of the Autism Spectrum Disorder. “One of the things I’m very concerned about is that people who are very quirky and different, that nothing is being done to get them turned on to things that could be good careers, careers like those in Silicon Valley,” says Grandin, chatting over the phone in her rapid-fire matter-of-fact diction.
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He’s the laid-back yet hardworking senior engineering manager with a giving personality, and his partner is a popular yet humble brewer with a bundle of accolades to go with a quick wit. Tom Clark and Steve Donohue, respectively, joined forces in early 2012 to start Santa Clara Valley Brewing with the goal of opening their own brewery in San Jose, which would include a production facility and tap room. They hope for a late 2014 opening.
A few years ago, two brothers from New York came up with the unique business model of placing ads on toilet paper. Starting this fall, Star Toilet Paper will make its Silicon Valley debut in San Jose CIty College campus bathrooms, and the move could save the school more than $15,000 a year.
Delicious Crepes Bistro, which opened recently in Santa Clara, has a nice coffee shop feel to it. There are a few scattered tables in the two rooms, some couches, newspapers and WiFi for your laptop. You can grab a cup of coffee and just hang out if you like, but it’s the crepes that are the focus—and they are big, some of the biggest I’ve ever seen, so big they come pre-sliced into 8-10 squares, presumably to facilitate sharing.
Once an agricultural depot from the sleepy days of the valley of heart’s delight, the Farmers Union has taken on a new life in San Jose as a modern gastropub, complete with a huge central bar and massive projection TV. With its location in historic San Pedro Square not far from SAP Center, a menu of comfort food and extensive on-tap beer selection, the Farmers Union aims to be downtown San Jose’s sporting event gathering spot.
A growing number of folks are seeking out better beer by returning to their favorite spots or trying out new places, eager to enjoy a glass—or more—depending on the occasion. And in a continuing nod to the burgeoning craft beer landscape, respectable beer hubs are taking shape throughout the South Bay.
The 1975 film version of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show has proven such an enduring cultural phenomenon that, at least in the United States, it has overshadowed the original stage musical. With the film still appearing regularly at many cinemas (like the Camera 3 and Guild Theatre here in Silicon Valley), it’s easy to forget that the musical was quite a phenomenon in its own right and in some places (the U.K., for instance) can actually be easier to find than a midnight screening of the movie version. However, once you’ve seen a live production of the musical, like the one currently at City Lights Theater Company, it’s not so easy to forget.
Fashion comes and goes, but for most people the relationship between clothing and identity endures all trends. A collection of stories about women’s clothes reveals a wealth of personal and social issues in Love, Loss and What I Wore, which opens July 19 at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Karen Carpenter, who directed the original New York production, helms the Rep’s production.
Owners Dan Phan and Johnny Wang opened Original Gravity Public House in downtown San Jose last July to much fanfare among local beer fans, and rightfully so. Their 25 rotating taps and bottled beer selections have been focal points since day one, and they have done much to help raise the profile of the South Bay beer scene.
If you’ve ever wondered what traditional breakfast in Turkey is like, wonder no more. Olympus Caffe & Bakery offers several common breakfast and baked good items that are otherwise difficult to find in the Bay Area.
