A memorial service will be held for former mayor, council member, and Claremont historian, Judy Wright on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 2 pm. The service will be open to the public and will be held at the Bridges Hall of Music located at Fourth Street and College Avenue. A reception will be held at the Claremont Heritage Garner House in Memorial Park following the service.

Despite a poor economy, and unemployment rates that are once again rising, there are a number of new businesses coming soon to Claremont. All but one work/live unit are rented in the Packing House, including the 504 Boutique, which just recently left its space to pursue business solely through the internet. Z Pizza is opening soon on the boardwalk side of the Packing House (they made significant progress today!) A new boutique store called Pink is opening next door to Chico’s on Indian Hill Blvd. (replacing another boutique store.) Claremont Village Treasures is in the process of relocating to the previous location of No Sugar Added, with a tentative grand re-opening on the first of February. Finally, Vanilla Sunshine Cupcakery has been open for a few months now, and business there seems to be decent. Any other recent business news we’ve missed?

The latest addition to Claremont’s restaurant family is Union on Yale, a mid-century styled restaurant with the goal of creating a “union” amongst family and friends in the community. I recently had a chance to sit down and discuss the opening with owner and Claremontian, John Solana, who has always had a passion for food, wine, art, music, and community. John opened Union on Yale a couple weeks back with business partner, Mark, as a “union amongst friends.” The inspiration for the menu came from the traditional recipes John has discovered and come to enjoy during the course of his travels throughout Europe. “It’s essentially like having you over to my house for supper,” John said. The Union serves smaller portions (between 4 and 6 ounces) to facilitate trying different dishes and sharing as a part of the “union” that forms over sharing a meal with family and friends. They also specialize in Napoli style pizza. Union on Yale has an oven that was hand-made in Italy. John notes that there are only two in California, which adds to the truly unique food at Union on Yale. The bocce ball court, custom art by his tattoo artist, and outdoor seating around fire-pits also add to the unique aspects of Union on Yale. When asked about his hopes and goals for Union on Yale, John simply replied, “to pay the bills.” He adds that money isn’t what drives his business; rather, he hopes to keep his promises and share some of his passions with the community. “He hopes to be a fixture in town for a long time to come.” John’s recommendation for a meal at Union on Yale? Agnolotti – a very hearty, hand-made pasta with vegetables and meat that has been marinating for days, and an Italian Barolo. Have you been to Union on Yale? Check out our Directory page and leave a review!

I am pleased to announce the new, re-designed Claremontian Directory. The new directory has been seamlessly integrated with various social media services, and allows users to rate, rank, and review their favorite spots around Claremont. This will allow us to determine your favorite spots and recommend them to visitors, as well as provide a useful resource to current residents. In addition, we have also launched a “Photo Directory,” which allows users to browse businesses by appearance. We think this will add a unique experience to the directory experience. In the future we will be adding more businesses, more media (photo and video), refining current features, as well as adding new features. We also hope to reach out to and partner with local businesses to help them better promote themselves and provide awesome deals to our users (if you’re a local business owner, email richard [at] claremontian [dot] com for more information). We hope this will provide a useful and mutually beneficial resource to both the citizens and businesses of Claremont. To help us get started, browse, review, and rank your favorite spots in Claremont! Thanks for your continued support and happy holidays!

As many of you may or may not have known, I am Richard Mancuso, senior at Damien High School, and the man behind the Claremontian. As a current high school senior, the future of the Claremontian has been unsure in anticipation of my college plans next year. In an effort to maintain my community involvement, I applied Early Decision I to Claremont McKenna and was recently notified of my acceptance. I would like to announce that I will be attending Claremont McKenna next year, and will thus be able to continue to stay involved in the wonderful community that is Claremont through not only the Claremontian, but through other means as well. In honor of this, I have re-designed the Claremontian to provide a layout that is more conducive to typography, photography, and other media. I have also completely re-designed the Directory, and have launched a separate Photo Directory. The new directory is seamlessly integrated with social media and allows users to rate and review their favorite spots around Claremont. I encourage everyone to search for their favorite spots and rate and review them! It’s continuously growing, so be patient as it continues to constantly expand in both size and feature set. If you would like to help support the future of the Claremontian, you can do so by donating or purchasing a Claremontian Shirt via our re-designed store. I am ecstatic at the community response to all I have done thus far and truly appreciate your continued support. As always, community feedback is welcome and encouraged. You can email me at richard [at] claremontian [dot] com. Great things are in store for 2012 and beyond! Thanks and Happy Holidays!