Past Forward

Today Chef Daniella Malfitano connects with David Fuñe. This episode was recorded live on October 24 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, CA.

David Fuñe serves as Corporate Executive for Salt Creek Grille, a bi-coastal, premium casual dining concept with five iconic restaurants in California and New Jersey, and Pickled Monk, a new, contemporary gastropub experience in Downtown Fullerton. Fuñe was at the forefront of the gourmet food truck trend when he owned and operated Vizzi, which was featured on The Cooking Channel’s “Food Truck Revolution.” He has also been featured in several broadcast cooking demonstrations, food documentaries, instructional videos, and shows, including “Chopped” on The Food Network.

Chef Daniella Malfitano is an integrative nutrition health coach, author of nine cookbooks, host of the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, and creator of the new YouTube channel My Choice Kitchen. With over fifteen years experience in restaurants and culinary media, Chef Daniella is passionate about spreading joy by teaching kids and adults how to make healthy choices in the kitchen.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Chef Daniella Malfitano
Guest: David Fuñe
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

For The Love Of Food is a culinary focused conversation with local restauranteurs from Orange County hosted by Chef Daniella Malfitano, Author, Integrative Nutrition Coach and creator of the YouTube series My Choice Kitchen. This program is an in-depth conversation about history, inspiration, and community, and how these elements relate to cooking and serving hungry people in this busy industry.

Today Jonelle Strickland connects with Dr. Kristine Dennehy and Dr. Ester E. Hernàndez. This episode was recorded live on October 24 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, CA.

Dr. Kristine Dennehy is a history professor at California State University Fullerton, with a specialization in Japanese and Korean history. A Connecticut native, Dr. Dennehy majored in Japanese language at Georgetown University, completed her M.A. in Asian Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo, and received her Ph.D. in history at UCLA (2002) with a dissertation entitled “Memories of Colonial Korea in Postwar Japan.” In 2008-09, Dr. Dennehy served Historical Adviser for an oral history project interviewing over 80 Japanese-American veterans who had served in the Military Intelligence Service during the Allied Occupation of Japan (1945-1952) as interpreters and translators.

Dr, Ester E. Hernàndez earned her Ph.D. in Social Science at UC Irvine and is a professor Chicana/o Latina/o Studies at CalStateLA. She has published on Salvadoran migration and remittances in social science journals such as the Journal of American Ethnic History and Economy & Society. Born in El Salvador, she serves on the board of directors of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and is the co-editor of the anthology U.S. Central Americans: Reconstructing Memories, Struggles and Communities of Resistance (University of Arizona Press) about 1.5 and second generation Centroamericanas/os and U.S. Central Americans.

Jonelle Strickland teaches research writing and first-year composition in the School of Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach and in the English department at Santiago Canyon College, respectively. She is proud to be a Dreamer Ally and an advocate for all of her students.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Jonelle Strickland
Guest: Dr. Kristine Dennehy and Dr. Ester E. Hernàndez
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

This project was made possible with support from Chapman University, The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit chapman.edu, library.ca.gov and calhum.org.

Today we connect with Harlis Sweetwater. This episode was recorded live on October 6 at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, CA.

Harlis Sweetwater is a national touring artist. His music appeared on Itunes Top 200 Best Selling Blues Albums with songs charting in the Top 200 Blues charts in the U.S., Sweden, Ireland and New Zealand. In 2018 his band was voted “Best Rock Band” in OC Weekly’s Readers Choice issue. Now moving into an exciting, new and fresh direction, Harlis crosses over, mixing multi genres like alternative rock, latin beats/vibes, soul and rock, all while keeping the gritty, soulful vocals and searing guitar playing he is known for.

Producer: Heritage Future
Guest: Harlis Sweetwater
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

The Sounds, The Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. This program is filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived as a free educational podcast. Produced in collaboration with our partners at Brew Sessions Live.

Today Chef Daniella Malfitano connects with Chef Shachi Mehra. This episode was recorded live on October 6 at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, CA.

Chef Shachi Mehra blends Western and Indian cultures to create artful dishes that successfully marry tradition with modernity. An ardent supporter of local farmers and sustainable practices, she takes great care in sourcing her ingredients. Born in India, her early family experiences helped to develop and shape her love of food and appreciation for balance, in flavors and in life. She served as Sous Chef at the award-winning Bombay Club in Washington, D.C.; opening Sous Chef at Bocanova in Jack London Square in Oakland, CA; and Executive Sous Chef at Junnoon in Palo Alto, where Chef Shachi was named one of five ‘Rising Stars’ by Gentry Magazine.

Chef Daniella Malfitano is an integrative nutrition health coach, author of nine cookbooks, host of the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, and creator of the new YouTube channel My Choice Kitchen. With over fifteen years experience in restaurants and culinary media, Chef Daniella is passionate about spreading joy by teaching kids and adults how to make healthy choices in the kitchen.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Chef Daniella Malfitano
Guest: Chef Shachi Mehra
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

For The Love Of Food is a culinary focused conversation with local restauranteurs from Orange County hosted by Chef Daniella Malfitano, Author, Integrative Nutrition Coach and creator of the YouTube series My Choice Kitchen. This program is an in-depth conversation about history, inspiration, and community, and how these elements relate to cooking and serving hungry people in this busy industry.

Today Jonelle Strickland connects with Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa and Patti Hirahara. This episode was recorded live on October 6 at the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, CA.

Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa is an Associate Professor of Sociology. Her research interests focus on issues of representation in film, mass media, art, performance, and cultural display. She is a founding member of the curatorial collective Ethnographic Terminalia. Her dissertation Visualizing Japanese-America: the Japanese American National Museum and the Construction of Identity examined the role of the Japanese American National Museum in the construction and dissemination of a Japanese-American identity.

Patti Hirahara is an advocate in preserving the Japanese American legacy in the United States. She spoke at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum about the Japanese American incarceration and her family’s 2,000+ photographs taken and processed in a secret underground darkroom in a Wyoming Japanese incarceration camp during WWII. She has helped create and research information on the Anaheim Japanese pioneers, before and after WWII, for the current Muzeo exhibition “I AM AN AMERICAN: Japanese Incarceration in a Time of Fear” and her family is highlighted in the exhibition.

Jonelle Strickland teaches research writing and first-year composition in the School of Criminal Justice at California State University Long Beach and in the English department at Santiago Canyon College, respectively. She is proud to be a Dreamer Ally and an advocate for all of her students.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Jonelle Strickland
Guest: Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa and Patti Hirahara
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Creative + Cultural Podcast music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

This project was made possible with support from Chapman University, The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, a state-funded grant project of the California State Library and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit chapman.edu, library.ca.gov and calhum.org.

Today Trevor Allred connects with Grace Talusan in collaboration with UCI and the Illuminations initiative.

Grace Talusan was born in the Philippines and raised in New England. A graduate of Tufts University and the MFA Program in Writing at UC Irvine, she is the recipient of a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship to the Philippines and an Artist Fellowship Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Talusan teaches the Essay Incubator at GrubStreet and at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts. She is the Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University. The Body Papers, winner of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing, is her first book.

Building on UCI’s demonstrated excellence in the creative arts and cultural programming, Illuminations aims to ensure that all of our students, regardless of major, have serious and meaningful exposure to the creative arts. In addition, we seek to strengthen the connections between UCI and our regional arts and culture centers and institutions.

Producer: Heritage Future and UCI Illuminations
Host: Trevor Allred
Guest: Grace Talusan
Music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

A special live podcast featuring four of skateboarding’s brightest trailblazers: Jennifer Charlene, Briana King, Hilary Shanks and Victoria Taylor—four young women who are the essence of skateboarding’s DIY ethos, redefining what it means to be a skateboarder, and changing the landscape for future generations of women in skateboarding. Moderated by Robert Brink.

This episode was recorded live on February 16 at the 1888 Center located in the Historic District of Old Towne Orange, CA.

While growing up in Southern California, Jennifer Charlene trained in ballet & modern dance. In middle school, skateboarding naturally caught her attention. After completing the Royal Academy of dance curriculum, skating soon became a lifestyle for Jennifer, which she now spends most of her time doing.

Briana King is a skateboarder, actress, and model born in East Los Angeles and has spent time working between Australia, LA, New York, and New Zealand, appearing in two feature films and a host of ads and editorials for the likes of Apple, Jordan brand, Converse, DKNY, Gap, I-D, Nike, Puma, Teen Vogue, Uniqlo, Vans, and more. Much of Briana’s work focuses on inspiring confidence in young women. She often organizes and hosts girls-only meet-ups on both coasts to provide a comfortable and judgment-free skating environment.

Hilary Shanks is a model and skateboarder from Missouri, living in Los Angeles. She loves traveling and connecting with other female skateboarders. Outside of skating she is pursuing a degree in business.

Victoria Taylor (Skatemosss), is a 22-year-old fashion major and skateboarder. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to pursue her career in fashion and met all of her best friends through skating. She now runs her own business has designed and launched Grizzly Grip tape’s first ever woman’s line. Victoria plans to continue pursuing her love of fashion, have her own brand in the future, and travel the world to skate.

A skateboarder since the age of 12, Robert Brink began his career as a writer in 1999 while attending grad school in his native New Jersey, contributing to dozens of magazines and websites over the years, including Thrasher, ESPN and Playboy, Robert has also interviewed celebrities, worked as a food and travel writer and written for films. Robert is most known for hosting and co-producing the popular skateboarding talk show, Weekend Buzz, on Tony Hawk’s Ride Channel, He resides in Laguna Beach, writing and operating his candle brand, The Hundredth Acre.

Producer: Heritage Future with Robert Brink
Host: Robert Brink
Guest: Jennifer Charlene, Briana King, Hilary Shanks and Victoria Taylor
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Music composed and performed by Dan Reckard
Photo: Josh Friedberg

Erin Murphy is a fresh face in the music industry with a natural and sweet tone that goes hand-in-hand with her alternative pop singer/songwriter background. Her songs can be recognized by their subtle yet signature bluesy style which perfectly compliments Erin’s pop foundation. Getting involved in the music industry at a young age has boosted her career, writing and releasing her own single at the age of 15. Since then, Erin has released a second single while working alongside other artists, and last year independently released her debut EP titled "Real Life," which is a collection of songs based on her personal journey. Erin continues to work on new projects and collaborations.

Sounds + Stories is an eclectic music series featuring live performances and entertaining discussions with emerging and established artists. Produced in collaboration with Brew Sessions Live. Special episodes are filmed and edited into a short documentary compilation with the audio from each episode recorded and archived for podcast.

Guest: Erin Murphy
Produced by Past Forward in partnership with Brew Sessions Live.

Sam Mihara is a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born and raised in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, the United States government forced Sam, age 9, and his family to move to the Heart Mountain, Wyoming camp. After the war ended, the family returned home to San Francisco.

Sam attended UC Berkeley undergraduate and UCLA graduate schools, where he earned engineering degrees. He became a rocket scientist and joined the Boeing Company where he became an executive on space programs. Following retirement, Sam changed careers and is now a regular visiting lecturer at the University of California and is a national speaker on the topic of mass imprisonment in the U.S. He has visited many federal prisons including those for undocumented immigrants. Sam helped in the preservation of the Heart Mountain historic prison site in Northwest Wyoming and is now a board member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, the non-profit organization that oversees the National Historic Landmark site.

Sam speaks to educators, schools, colleges, libraries, museums, government attorneys, law schools, law firms and other interested organizations about his wartime experience. Sam has had repeat performances at National Council of History Educators, U.C. Berkeley, UCLA and the U.S. Department of Justice. He has spoken to over 50,000 teachers and students in the last few years and usually ends his presentations with a discussion of the lessons learned from this injustice and how the lessons apply to today’s problems such as immigration and racial or religious issues.

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Chapters is supported by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program administered by the California State Library. This episode was recorded live on November 18 at the 1888 Center located in the Historic District of Old Towne Orange, CA.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Trevor Allred
Guest: Sam Mihara
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Music composed and performed by Dan Reckard

Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa is an Associate Professor of Sociology. Her research interests focus on issues of representation in film, mass media, art, performance, and cultural display. She is a founding member of the curatorial collective Ethnographic Terminalia. Her dissertation Visualizing Japanese-America: the Japanese American National Museum and the Construction of Identity examined the role of the Japanese American National Museum in the construction and dissemination of a Japanese-American identity. She is currently president of the Society for Visual Anthropology (2015-2017) a subsection of the American Anthropological Association. B.A., University of Southern California; M.A., Ph.D., Temple University.

Patti Hirahara has been an advocate in preserving the Japanese American legacy in the United States and was a featured speaker at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, last October, in Hyde Park, New York talking about the Japanese American incarceration and her family’s over 2,000 photographs processed in a secret underground darkroom and taken in a Wyoming Japanese incarceration camp during WWII.

The Hirahara Family came to the State of Washington in 1907, from Japan, and she has helped to preserve the history of the Japanese in the Pacific Northwest. This year Patti has received several honors for her work in this field by being named an Honorary Alumna of Washington State University by the Washington State University Alumni Association which is the most prestigious award a non-alumnus can receive from WSU. She is the first Japanese American to receive this award since its inception in 1966.

She was part of a panel highlighting the 76th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 in her family’s home of Yakima, Washington at the Yakima Valley Museum last February and was named Grand Marshall of the Washington State Pioneer Power Show this summer. This was the same honor her grandfather George Hirahara received in 1987.

Patti has also been active here at home receiving a proclamation from the Anaheim City Council on June 12th for her work in telling the Anaheim Japanese Pioneer story. She will be working with the Anaheim Public Library’s Heritage Center to help create an exhibit about the Anaheim Japanese community before and after WWII in 2019. The Anaheim Public Library just received a National Park Service Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Award to create an exhibit at the Anaheim MUZEO next year. Patti is excited to talk about the project and reach out to families who may want to participate.

Chapters is a five-part Creative + Cultural Podcast series dedicated to stories surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese-Americans. The program also parallels a narrative thread through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Chapters is supported by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program administered by the California State Library. This episode was recorded live on October 21 at the 1888 Center located in the Historic District of Old Towne Orange, CA.

Producer: Heritage Future
Host: Trevor Allred
Guest: Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa and Patti Hirahara
Audio: Brew Sessions Live
Music composed and performed by Dan Reckard