Taste of the Town: Cheesecake Factory
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Janene McDonald
Summer is here, and with it, those HOT days that we experience this time of year. HOT days are toasty in the middle of the day but generally our mornings and evenings are gorgeous. July 19th was one of those typical days weather-wise and it was the third Thursday of the month, so you know what that means…no cooking at our house tonight! It’s time to join Corvette friends for an evening of socializing amd exploring another menu for something delicious that won’t blow the calorie and carb counts off the chart.
Taste-of-the-Town for July had us gathering at the Cheesecake Factory in the Valencia Mall for our monthly social. The location dictates the focus on the meeting is more food and cameraderie, not Corvettes since we all park where we can find a spot and most choose to drive the metal car instead of the fiberglass one to keep the Vette for nice!
It was another great turn-out with 40 in attendance. We are all on equal footing at the Cheesecake factory where everyone gathers and we are all seated together. Even when I arrive on-time, I don’t feel like I’m late!
Cheesecake Factory started out way over the hill in the 310 area in 1978 as a small salad-and-sandwich restaurant in Beverly Hills that sold 10 varieties of cheesecakes on a one-page menu. Next came a second restaurant in Marina del Rey and a third, larger location in Redondo Beach. It took quite a while for the 192 restaurant chain to make it to Awesometown, but we are glad it is here. You know right from the start that you aren’t at In-N-Out when they hand you a three pound menu with over 250 items listed. The choices are many but there is something for everybody!
August will take us to Mama’s Kitchen for our next TOT, so mark your calendar for a great time of visiting and bring your Corvette too for another fine event put together by our Activities Committee.
Once we were rolling sometime after 9 AM, we all witnessed an exceptional welcome and cheering as we passed the tremendous number of spectators assembled along the route. Reports are that this year’s attendance surpassed previous attendance and was well over 26,000.
This year’s parade theme was “It’s a Grand Old Flag” and our club took the theme to heart with the grand showing of flags decorating our Corvettes. The parade route was the same as in years past, beginning on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, then on Lyons Avenue and onto Orchard Village and 16th Street to the finish.
John and Sandra Macik of Santa Paula Chevrolet joined us for the event as Vette people enjoying time with other enthusiasts. It was a good opportunity to get to know John and Sandra in this casual surrounding. The Maciks previously introduced us to the BBQ served by Laird’s Butcher Shop in Santa Paula and our planners called upon their cooking skills to once again serve us an excellent picnic BBQ meal. Great call by all involved in putting together our grub and beverages!
But wait, there was more. Our band, “Drop Zone”, rocked. SCVCC’s own Chet Morse even joined the band with a great blues number! I can attest to the great selection of tunes by the band and was posed this question by member “M.C.”, “this is from your era, right?” How could I not appreciate the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”? All of us in our earlier days heard that Stones song and probably only wished we or owned a Corvette then, but looking at the parking lot, we have certainly all gotten a lot of “what we want”!
All in all, the picnic was fun, delicious and a success. We all convey our thanks and appreciation to our Activities people and their set-up crew for putting it all together and a pat on the back to all of us as well, since without each of us there would be no club. Job well done!
Pizza can be a very balanced meal choice and Toppers is a terrific place to eat, so what is the attraction of our Taste-of-the-Town events?
Can I say more about Taste-of-the-Town? Why, yes I can. Besides the already mentioned positives, TOT is a gathering where we sometimes witness surprises. There have been plenty of times when old friends have dropped in for a visit and even times when one of us rolled in with a new Corvette. Our Jun 21st social was indeed one of those times, but maybe a step-up from those other times.
As we arrived, we found the Fort Tejon visitor lot empty and ready to accommodate all of our Corvettes. It was beautiful to behold.
So, about now you are asking, what’s that got to do with the Monterey Run? Here goes then. A long, long time ago, when some of you were in diapers and others were looking for deferments from the draft, some had a short 8-week visit at Ft Ord for Basic Training. Uncle Sam sent me to the Monterey Peninsula in 1968 as a new 2nd Lieutenant on another mission of sorts. I was accepted into Language School at the Defense Language Institute on the Presidio of Monterey for a one-year Vietnamese language course. So, while you may have been listening to Joan Baez, I was appreciating Cannery Row, the Monterey Folk Festival, Big Sur, Laguna Seca and 17-Mile Drive, listening to California Saga and The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face from Play Misty for Me. I was hooked on Monterey never miss an opportunity to go back for visits as often as possible.
When our club began attending the Monterey Coast Corvette Caravan in the infancy of the event I always marked my calendar to make sure not to miss the run. As the years passes, the annual Monterey event became an every-two-year thing, alternating with the Lake Tahoe Corvette Club show each June.
(If you haven’t traveled CA-46 recently, it is now a great route with most of the hour ride from Lost Hills to Paso Robles now a 4-lane highway.) Then it was off to our destination at the Embassy Suites in Monterey for the next three nights.
The planned events for the weekend included: Monterey Zoo Tour, Monterey Wharf Treasure Hunt, Red Nines Tournament, “Car Races” in the hospitality suite, Show N Shine, Poker Run, an incredible raffle display, 50/50 Reverse Drawing, and a Mystery Gift Drawing, concluding with banquet dinner and awards presentation.
Now is the time for the synopsis of the weekend. The Bachmuras took home one of Chuck August’s great hand-built trophies for their well-shined Stingray, Brian de Avila left some cash at the “car race” table which greatly boosted the other players’ winnings, the Turkheimers were great hosts, and the Woodings were first to sign up for the event for the second consecutive time.
was one of the highlights. Everyone loves trains, and young or old all love the museum. The trains on display are wonderful examples of the history of rail travel. 
The museum is a part the state park system, telling of the role of the “iron horse” in connecting California to the rest of the nation.
The trip offered some great dining which included Frank Fat’s, a Sacramento landmark since 1939. Started by an immigrant dishwasher, Frank Fat’s single-handedly created a downtown political scene, along with a tradition of legendary modern Chinese cuisine and unparalleled service. This is why the oldest family-owned restaurant in Sacramento has been thriving for over seventy-five years.
Something definitely was up, as we were told to turn LEFT on Newhall Ranch Road as we exited instead of the usual outbound right. Being good caravanners, we followed instructions and the Corvette ahead, eastbound, giving our community a great parade of Corvettes to enjoy early on Sunday morning.
We reached Bouquet Canyon and proceeded right to Cinema Drive for another right and then into the lot of Mama’s Table at 23340 Cinema Drive. Our hosts at Mama’s were waiting as we descended on the location and filled the place, with big appetites from our 3.6-mile drive.
Some of us waited a while to be served, but some were generally pleased at how quickly their orders came. Ask the Websters, they will tell you why they choose Mama’s Table over a particular restaurant in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
There was an added bonus as we waited and visited and ate. The Indianapolis 500 was televised on the nearby widescreen! We witnessed Chevrolet’s latest Corvette set the pace for this year’s race. The new 2019 Corvette ZR1 is the most powerful Corvette to ever set the race’s pace, and it’s the most powerful pace car to ever run at Indy with its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 sending 755 hp to the rear wheels.
Located in the popular Promenade Town Center, parking can prove to be a challenge at times and only about half of our attendees dared drive their Corvettes to the social. One of our own did however find a terrific end-spot located right where he could keep his eye on his Vette all through dinner.
Thanks to the wonderful staff at Olive Garden for handling our group with all of our varied needs and desires. Your restaurant is one of our favorites and surely on we will return to, even between events with your offering of unlimited pasta and salad. Hard to keep it at 600 calories though!
Route 66 hosts six Classic Car Shows throughout the summer, featuring 1975 and older cars.
Great job people!