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Bakersfield’s Hidden Sushi Gem

Bakersfield provides many different options when it comes to the sushi field. Toro Sushi, behind The Marketplace and off Ming Avenue, is a hidden gem that doesn’t get half as much attention it deserves.

With so many options of places to eat in Bakersfield and many of them being big brands, a small sushi place may not be on the top of your list for places to go. Bakersfield is home to 25 sushi restaurants and Toro Sushi hidden away next to Lengthwise Brewery. With Applebee’s, Five Guys and Que Pasa all very nearby, it could be easy to forget about Toro, and go to one of the big chain restaurants, missing out on the delicious sushi that you could be indulging in.

With a menu that provides 50% off selected rolls throughout happy hour, Toro can also not hit your wallet as much as other restaurants. We ordered the rainbow roll ($6.99), 1k roll ($5.99), the three amigos roll ($6.99) and a portion of chicken teriyaki which came with rice ($13.95). We also ordered Voss sparkling water ($4.50) and a glass of Pepsi ($2.50). As we visited the restaurant during a happy hour, which runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to six, the price of the drinks was also 50% off.

The rainbow roll was a classic sushi roll, filled with delicious crab meat, avocado and cucumber and wrapped in five different types of fish. Sitting on the table was a bottle of soy sauce and through using this as a dipping sauce for my sushi, it added an extra dimension to my meal plus a different burst of flavor. As I ate my chicken teriyaki, the chicken was succulent, and it came in a perfect amount of teriyaki sauce. The food was also served with a little side plate of ginger and wasabi and this is traditional in sushi restaurants. The ginger is commonly used to cleanse the pallet in between eating different types of sushi, and the wasabi is most typically used to add some spice and flavor to your food if you wish to do so.

My partner ordered the 1k roll and the three amigos roll. All of our food came out in a random order – which is common for a typical sushi restaurant. The rolls were made to perfection and my partner was delighted with the generous amount of spicy house sauce that was added to the three amigos roll. Her 1k roll was a deep-fried roll and consisted of spicy tuna, crabmeat, avocado and cream cheese. It was a very big portion for the price and the 50% off makes it even cheaper as the roll is as packed as can be.

Through the use of silver-plated chopsticks, it gives a vibe to the restaurant that is of the upper class. The black and silver color scheme for the logo is represented within the restaurant as the walls are black and the chopsticks and inner decor are silver. One of the walls has the wallpaper of a blackboard, meaning it is able to be drawn upon. This is a great touch, especially for younger children, as they are able to write upon the walls and draw pictures with chalk provided. The vibe of the restaurant is very laid back and relaxing, adding to the overall experience.

The service also adds to the experience, with enthusiastic waiters who are eager to explain what each sushi roll contains. This small sushi restaurant is one that is growing in popularity and is a firm favorite amongst the people of Bakersfield.

A Piece of Thailand Within Bakersfield

Entering Blue Elephant Thai Cuisine on a warm, Saturday night in Bakersfield I’m greeted by glowing, bubbly staff who are eager to show me to a table. With every chair filled and there barely enough room to move – the ambiance is bouncing off the walls and there is a happy and joyous mood swimming through this small Thai restaurant in the corner of the Town and Country Village off Stockdale Highway.

Blue Elephant Thai Cuisine, Bakersfield. 1

“Every weekend it is always so busy, and that’s why I love working here,” said Natasha Gilmetti, a server who has worked at the restaurant for four years.

Gilmetti originates from Thailand herself and loves serving the food that is made at Blue Elephant to the customers, many of whom are regulars.

“We get a lot of returning customers and I have a great relationship with them all,” Natasha said, “Our restaurant has a diverse mix of food from Thailand and this is what keeps bringing people back.”

Typical dishes that sit on the menu are the infamous Chicken Pad Thai, Sweet and Sour Pork and Kung Pao Chicken. Blue Elephant also serves a range of traditional Thai soups with two of the more popular being the Tom Kah and Tom Yum Soups.

Bakersfield has 34 Thai restaurants and from these restaurants Blue Elephant has been named Bakersfield’s Best Thai Restaurant for 2019. Online, the restaurant is rated 4 stars out of 5 on Yelp and has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 on Facebook.

On this particular night I sit at a table next to the window, gazing at the sunset. The smell of the spices and the different foods being served around me is an indication of why Blue Elephant is so popular. There are numerous items on the menu, ranging from soups to curries and with many different noodle dishes. There are even vegetarian and vegan choices for most meals, with tofu featuring heavily on the menu.

Blue Elephant Thai Cuisine is a small restaurant with 15 tables for customers. There is also space for outdoor seating – but again, this is limited. A constant flow of people come in to pick up food, is a very popular way of people to enjoy the Thai food. The employees within the restaurant work tirelessly, serving customers who are eating in and helping the customers getting take-out orders. Uber Eats is also a feature that the restaurant utilizes, with drivers picking up food and taking it straight to the houses of customers.

The owner of the restaurant, Jimmy, who did not give his last name, gives off a powerful presence as he wanders throughout the restaurant. He observes his workers constantly and checks that everything is running smoothly, the way he wants it. There is a family atmosphere amongst the workers at the restaurant and they spend time together after their shifts, talking together and enjoying the Thai cuisine.

“There is such a family atmosphere amongst my workers, and this adds to the attraction of coming to my restaurant,” said Jimmy. “We have regular customers who continue to come back and this is heavily down to my staff and how hard they work.”

As I wait for my food to arrive, I cannot help but be in awe of those around me who are digging into their dinners. To the people who come in to eat here, for some it is ritual and for some it is a treat as they indulge in their fried rice and Chicken Pad Thai. Looking around me, I see some families and some people eating with friends. The one thing they all have in common is their love for the food.

Bryan Matthews is a senior citizen who comes in to eat at Blue Elephant every Saturday with his wife. He told me of his love for the food and how he enjoys the atmosphere in the restaurant just as much as the food he eats.

“I eat here every week with my wife Mary, and we have been doing that for the past two years,” said Bryan. “The buzz around the place is awesome and adding that to how good the food is, never fails to make our experience a good one.”

Natasha hands me my Drunken Noodle with chicken and the mountain of food that awaits me is a joy to my eyes – and stomach. It looks just as good as it tastes and the flavor that greets my mouth is exquisite. Being as hungry as I am, I take on the challenge of finishing my whole plate and every mouthful is one to savor. The food was definitely worth the wait and I will be definitely be returning to the restaurant to try out one of the numerous other dishes.

Academic Success of Student Athletes due to Kegley Center.

The Kegley Center for Student Success at CSU Bakersfield.

Graduation rates of CSUB student athletes has risen from 55% to 71% since the opening of the Kegley center, with student athletes saying the Kegley Center is key to their success.

The Dr. Jacquelyn Kegley Center for Student Success at California State University, Bakersfield opened in 2013. Since then, success of student athletes has improved drastically. The student athletes go to the center for their study hall hours, to have tutoring and to meet with their specific academic advisors.

The Kegley center is a 7,500 square foot facility, opening on the west side of campus after a $1,000,000 remodeling in 2013. The center was named after Jacquelyn Kegley, former chair for the Academic Senate and current professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at CSUB. It offers two computer labs for the student athletes, two study rooms, a nutrition bar for the athletes and eight offices for the support staff of student athletes.

Pedro Moura, a student athlete on the men’s soccer team at CSUB has noticed the improvement in his own academic performance since coming to CSUB last year and using the Kegley Center. He also uses it to study with his team mates, and to interact with other student athletes.

“The Kegley Center is a great facility for me and I am here all the time,” said Pedro. “I have to complete six study hours a week, but it gives me the chance to get tutoring for my classes and helps me study more for classes I am struggling in. I see others around me studying and it motivates me to do my work and try to get better academically.”

Student athletes from all 15 sports teams at CSUB use the Kegley Center, with more than 150 students using the center on a daily basis. Some regular students at CSUB feel the extra facility is unfair. Although it is open to non-student athletes too, many will not use the facility as it is very athlete centered when going into it and optimizing it. Allea Nalaine Paguia, a public relations major at CSUB, has used the Kegley Center before, despite being a non-athlete.

“I used to hang out in there all the time even though I wasn’t an athlete and it is very athlete centered,” said Paguia. “That being said it’s a great studying environment for them. Athletes live a different life to regular students with school, competing, working out and the pressure of all those things. So I think it’s a great place where athletes can focus on school work and get tutoring.”

In May this year, the CSUB volleyball team earned nationwide recognition with the awarding of the Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for finishing in the top 10% of teams in the nation, academically, within their sport. This is an award that the teams have won for three consecutive years and as their advisor, Melissa Bowen, credited this award heavily towards the Kegley Center.

“The Kegley Center has played a huge part in the earning of this award over the past three years and the girls are in here all the time, studying and doing homework. It’s a facility that we are lucky to have and is key to the success of our student athletes,” said Bowen.

Thomas Shepherd is a member of the Mens Soccer Team at CSUB.

Tom Shepherd – California State University, Bakersfield

I am an international student athlete on the Mens Soccer team at California State University, Bakersfield. My hometown is Cheshire, England. Currently I am in my junior year studying Communications, with an emphasis in Public Relations – whilst minoring in Marketing.

Soccer brought me to CSU Bakersfield and since I have arrived in California I have proceeded to study communications, selecting this as my major. Even though I am a junior at CSUB, I am only in my second year of study in Bakersfield – after spending my freshman year at West Virginia University.

Through the posts that I share, I will cover a range of topics from sports to media, whilst also sharing my view on current fairs. Some posts will be assignments from my classes, and others will be personal writing – most of which will relate to sport.

Throughout my life I have spent most of my time involved with and participating in sport, with the main sport being soccer. I have played at a very high level – playing internationally for Wales. Sport is my biggest interest and I will cover it on a local and nationwide level.

Being a student-athlete is a huge honor and something that I am thankful for every day. The experiences that I get from this, and living/studying in a country foreign to me, are also topics that I will cover throughout this page.