Winston Pies Opens in Studio City—just in Time for the Holidays

Wisteria and Livelle are lively new options where prospective residents can lock in an attractive deal prior to their opening. But the Valley is also home to The Variel, a flourishing senior community at Warner Center that operates on a rental basis. It opened in 2022 and is running at full capacity. And the concept of resortlike ambience is spilling over into assisted living/memory care facilities as well: to wit, The Variel’s sister property, The Vered, under construction on Ventura Boulevard in Encino (next to Encino Hospital) and Belmont Village in Calabasas. The Vered will offer 123 apartments with upscale decor of which 107 are equipped for assisted living residents; 16 are located within its memory care area.

“Our memory care will feature large floor-to-ceiling windows in common areas maximizing natural light,” shares Cassandra Moan, staff gerontologist at The Vered. “Studies have demonstrated that abundant natural light can significantly enhance the well-being of individuals living with dementia.” The Vered will also offer hybrid sensing technology that detects and analyzes critical events (such as falls) while residents are inside their apartments and notifies the staff to respond.

A word to the wise for careful life planners: The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) reports high demand for Life Plan Communities. NIC states that 90% of them nationwide are reporting an 80% or higher occupancy rate. To underscore that, Wisteria is still a year and a half from opening and has already sold 202 of its 486 units. The silver tsunami is calling for innovative living options. Fortunately, innovative developers here in the Valley are answering that call.

Brianna’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• Moravian cookie crust (recipe below)
• 6 eggs, whisked and strained through a sieve
• 2⅔ cups heavy cream
• 2⅔ cups milk
• 2 27-ounce cans pumpkin puree
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cardamom
• 1 teaspoon clove
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°. Take Moravian cookie dough, press into a disc, and roll into a circle. Gently press dough into the pie dish. Trim edges of the dough and form a decorative crimp or smooth edge. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Bake cookie crust for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine sugar, salt, spices and pumpkin puree. Mix eggs, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the egg and milk mixture to the pumpkin mixture.

Pour filling into cooled cookie crust. Bake at 300° for 35 minutes until it starts to set on the edges (the first 2 inches around the edge) and the center has a 3- to 4-inch diameter center that is still loose. The pie continues to bake once removed from oven, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look totally baked. Let cool for at least 1 hour before placing in refrigerator.

Spiced Candied Pepitas

• ½ cup raw pumpklin seeds
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1½ tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

Preheat oven to 325°. Place pepitas on parchment-lined pan and toast for 10 minutes.

Place sugar in small saucepan over medium heat and melt it. Cook until sugar is golden brown: about 5 minutes. Be careful to not overcook or burn. Add in butter, salt and cayenne. Once butter is melted, add in toasted pepitas. Once mixed in, remove from heat and spread pepita mixture onto an oiled or lined sheet tray  to cool.

Once cooled, scatter on top of pie or whipped cream.

Moravian Cookie Crust

• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice

Mix butter, brown sugar and molasses together until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix baking soda, baking powder, spices, salt and flour. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the sugar and egg mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in fridge until you are ready to form and bake pie crust.