🚀 Pasta, Coffee, and Dogs

Welcome to your weekly San Fernando Valley update: April 9–April 15, 2026.

In this week’s NoHo Nick:

• ☕️ Coffee

• 🍝 Pasta

• 🛍️ Markets

• 🌶️ Chili

Last week, ~200 people shared their favorite SFV coffee shops.

Here are your top recommendations:

1. Black Heart Coffee (Van Nuys) - 11 votes

2. Republic of Pie (North Hollywood) - 8 votes

3. The Ugly Mug (Burbank) - 7 votes

4. RE Coffee (Northridge) - 7 votes

5. Groundwork Coffee (North Hollywood) - 6 votes

6. House Roots Coffee (Granada Hills) - 6 votes

7. Moby's Coffee & Tea (North Hollywood) - 6 votes

8. Yala Coffee (Studio City) - 6 votes

9. Valley Grounds Coffee (Sherman Oaks) - 5 votes

10. La Rochelle Bakery (North Hollywood) - 5 votes

11. Steve's Coffee Roasters (Sherman Oaks) - 5 votes

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Pasta Sisters.

🍝 Local scratch-made pasta and sauces at Gelson’s.

Pasta Sisters, a family-owned Italian restaurant in LA, is bringing its scratch-made pasta and sauces to all Gelson's locations in SoCal.

Founded in 2015 by the Da Re-Sinatra family, Pasta Sisters cooks with generational Northern Italian recipes, imported Italian flour, and slow-simmered sauces. Made from scratch daily.

Spaghetti, tagliatelle, tortellini, meat lasagna, or bolognese sauce ($9.95–$14.95). Delicious and ready in minutes.

Pick up in-store at Gelson’s or order via their mobile app (iOS / Android).

Or, dine in at Pasta Sisters (Culver City, Central LA).

Ongoing

🎤 Live Band Karaoke (Canoga Park): A karaoke night backed by a full live band. Free. Every Wednesday from 7:30 to 10:30 PM at 8one8 Brewing (8953 De Soto Ave.).

📝 Open Mic Poetry Night (Studio City): A new monthly open mic for poets launching at Barnes & Noble Studio City. All experience levels welcome. Free. Every second Wednesday starting April 8, at 6:30 PM at Barnes & Noble (12136 Ventura Blvd.).

🧘 Senior Meditation (Burbank): A weekly guided meditation session focused on relaxation and self-exploration at Joslyn Adult Center. 55+. Free. Wednesdays at Joslyn Adult Center (1301 W. Olive Ave.).

Thursday, April 9

🌮 Pacoima Business Crawl (Pacoima): The first business crawl in the Planting Roots series. Spotlighting Antonio's Tacos and The Family Bakery. Food provided. Registration required. Free. Thursday, April 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM (13520 Van Nuys Blvd.).

🎬 ‘Casting By’ Film Screening + Industry Talkback (North Hollywood): A screening of the documentary Casting By, followed by a panel with the director and casting directors. The film helped pave the way for the inaugural Academy Award for Best Casting. $20. Thursday, April 9, from 7 to 9 PM (11031 Camarillo St.).

Friday, April 10

🌙 Midnight Market (San Fernando): A late-night vendor market featuring local artists, jewelry, vintage, and DJ sets across the front and back rooms. Free. Friday, April 10, from 7 PM to 12 AM at The Midnight Hour Records (1101 San Fernando Rd.).

🎨 Oil Painting Exhibition Opening Reception (Valley Village): The opening reception for a solo exhibition of expressive paintings exploring identity and communication by Taia Akulova. Complimentary wine. Free. Friday, April 10, from 6 to 10 PM at The Magnolia Art Space (12445 Magnolia Blvd.).

🎤 Dark Joke Comedy (North Hollywood): A standup comedy show featuring dark humor from LA comedians. 18+. Free. Friday, April 10, starting at 8 PM at HaHa Comedy Club (4712 Lankershim Blvd.).

Saturday, April 11

🧹 NoHo Neighborhood Clean Up (North Hollywood): A community clean-up at the corner of Magnolia and Cleon. Tools and refreshments provided. Free. Saturday, April 11, from 8 to 10 AM (10900 Magnolia Blvd.).

📚 Library Book Sale (Sherman Oaks): A monthly book sale featuring books, CDs, DVDs, and LPs. Most items are $1 or less. Free. Saturday, April 11, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Sherman Oaks Library (14245 Moorpark St.).

🔥 Campfire Workshop (North Hollywood): A hands-on fire starter workshop. Make eco-friendly fire starters from recycled materials. Free. Saturday, April 11, starting at 12 PM at Refill Bodega (5153 Strohm Ave.).

🌙 Celestial Moon Market (Glendale): A daytime witchy market with makers, healers, and readers offering handcrafted goods, crystals, ritual tools, and apothecary items. Free. Saturday, April 11, from 1 to 6 PM at UNEARTHED (1728 Victory Blvd.).

🧘 Small Group Meditation (Canoga Park): A small-group meditation session. Begins with coloring and ice breakers. Donation-based. Saturday, April 11, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM at Artfully Made Artisans Mall (21526 Sherman Way).

🐶 Dog Adoption Event (Chatsworth): Local rescues and free pet care supplies. Free. Saturday, April 11, from 1 to 4 PM (10824 Topanga Canyon Blvd.).

🌷 Neighborhood Crawl (San Fernando): A spring-themed merchant crawl. Mimosa flights, leather bracelet making, a cookie class, vintage shopping, and a beer release across five stops. Free. Saturday, April 11, from 2 to 8 PM at Shadow Grove Brewing (1116 2nd St.).

Sunday, April 12

🛍️ Spring Market (Pacoima): Outdoor pop-up with local food vendors. Sweet and Spicy Bar, Bonita Bites, Cafe Es Vida, Hernandez Smash Joint, and The Cheesecake Empori-YUM. Free. Sunday, April 12, from 11 AM to 5 PM (13057 Kagel Canyon St.).

🚶‍♀️ Porter Ranch Farmers Market Walk (Porter Ranch): An easy-paced Sunday morning walk and market browse with SFV Girls Who Walk. Free. Sunday, April 12, from 9:30 to 10:30 AM at Porter Ranch Farmers Market (20000 Rinaldi St.).

🌿 Urban Foraging Walk (Granada Hills): A 1.5-mile urban foraging walk identifying edible fruits, vegetables, and herbs along the route. Learn foraging safety, laws, and ethics. $20. Sunday, April 12, from 9 to 11 AM.

🛍️ NoHo Market (North Hollywood): A flea-style vendor market at NoHo Plaza with vintage clothing, tarot, handmade art, books, SFX, ceramics, and a resident DJ. Free. Sunday, April 12, from 2 to 7 PM at NoHo Plaza (5223 Lankershim Blvd.).

Happening Soon

🎭 The Owl and the Pussycat (North Hollywood): Bill Manhoff's two-character comedy revival at the Rosalie Theatre. A street-smart neighbor and an uptight writer are thrown together by fate and a noise complaint. $35. Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19, at 8 PM at Theatre 68 Arts Complex, Rosalie Theatre (5112 Lankershim Blvd.).

🎙️ Voice Actor Workshop (North Hollywood): A two-night voiceover workshop at Wisteria Theater covering home studio setup, finding auditions, building demos, and working with agents. $60–$135. Tuesday, April 14, and Wednesday, April 15, from 7 to 9 PM at Wisteria Theater (7061 Vineland Ave.).

🎨 Knight Shift Figure Drawing (Burbank): A Renaissance-themed figure drawing session at Geeky Teas featuring Ren Faire model Mornyng Knight, with timed poses and a themed playlist. $15–$25. Thursday, April 16, from 7:30 to 9:30 PM at Geeky Teas (900 W. Alameda Ave.).

📚 Encino-Tarzana Library Used Book Sale (Tarzana): A spring used book sale at the Encino-Tarzana Library with gently used books, DVDs, and CDs. Friday, April 17, from 10:30 AM to 4 PM at Encino-Tarzana Library (18231 Ventura Blvd.).

🥙 New York Chicken & Gyro Grand Opening (North Hollywood): A family-run halal spot from three brothers. Gyros, falafel, and their signature white sauce. Giveaways include a $250 gas card, AirPods, and a year of free food. Free. Saturday, April 11, starting at 12 PM (5200 Lankershim Blvd.).

🍔 Patty Stop Grand Opening (Burbank): Parking lot takeover for The Patty Stop, powered by The Patty Wagon, with a live DJ, raffles, giveaways, and painting. Free. Sunday, April 12, from 1 to 5 PM at The Patty Stop (916 W. Burbank Blvd.).

🌶️ 4th Annual Chili Cookoff (North Hollywood): The annual Hop Merchants chili cookoff returns with ten contestants vying for the Chili Champ title. The ticket includes tastes of all ten chilis. $15. Sunday, April 12, from 3 to 6 PM at Hop Merchants Bottleshop & Taproom (5013 Lankershim Blvd.).

📊 Quick Poll: How are you feeling about money right now?

I want to hear how other Angelenos feel about their finances—both the stresses and the optimism.

75+ people have weighed in on my poll so far.

I’ll share the results by age, neighborhood, and income next week.

2-min anonymous survey →

❓️ Gelson’s Markets was founded in 1951 in Los Angeles. Where was the first Gelson’s located?

Last week’s question: What’s older? The San Fernando Valley or the San Gabriel Valley?

Answer: The San Gabriel Valley, in terms of European settlement. Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded in 1771; Mission San Fernando Rey de España in 1797. Both areas were home to the Tongva for thousands of years before.

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

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