Doughbot Donuts, a business originally run from home, provides both innovative donut recipes and healthy vegan options. Bryan Widener, 25, and wife Dannah O’Donnell, 26, had their grand opening in their new building at 5 a.m. on Sept. 3 located in midtown at 2226 10th St., selling 700 donuts opening day, and 1,000 the next. “People were waiting here at 5 a.m., and there was no downtime until probably like 8 a.m.,” O'Donnell said. “We sold out.” Opening in a hip small shop downtown has been quite the life change for Widener and O'Donnell, who made most of their donuts solely for family and friends from their home since May 2010. To see how it all got started click here. “Right now, I can

October was officially declared as National Arts and Humanities Month by President Obama back in 2009. Artober is a month-long event starting Oct. 1 that highlights the talents and art resources in Sacramento and celebrates the meaning of the month. It will include local artists, businesses, art walks, festivals, workshops and other special events in Old Sacramento and the downtown area. Last year, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that the For Arts’ Sake Coalition would be introducing a new action plan for the Sacramento area. A team of 20 artists and art enthusiasts worked to bring resources together such as getting organizations and businesses involved in the process of making the public a

Looking for an excuse to go out with the girls, or a new spin on a date? Check out these unique brunch specials in Sacramento that are sure to make your mouth water. Tower Cafe Located on 1518 Broadway. Brunch hours are from 8 -11 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 – 11 a.m. Friday and 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tower Cafe takes pride in its “Madame Cristo.” It is a new version of French toast, loaded with swiss cheese and ham. “French toast is our most popular dish, and people love it so much that our chef decided to make another version,” Manager Ruben Reveles said. Breakfast cocktails are also served during brunch hours. “La Frida” is Tower Cafe's version of a Mimosa, whic

It’s getting harder and harder for students to find, apply for and pay for good education. One student named Irvis Orozco, 23, is attending his final year at UC Davis and is currently involved in many community outreach programs such as interning for the UCLA Labor Center at Asian Resources, the Building Healthy Communities Project and Dream Act Advocacy at the Capitol and in the Sacramento region with 100 other students throughout the nation. Being completely integrated into his community, one would never guess he was not born in the United States as a citizen but came when he was seven months old. Undocumented students like Orozco are hopeful that more educational doors will be opened f

The Sacramento area is constantly unveiling local art and talent and Beatnik Studios is one of its largest event spaces that is dedicated to bringing that talent to light. “For Love Of Woman,” will be local 60-year-old artist Robert Sanders’ first show in his career. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday (and art will stay on display through Sept. 28) at Beatnik Studios, which is located at 2421 17th St. “I truly believe that from women all things appear, and I hold them in my highest esteem and appreciation,” Sandars said. His show includes 36 pieces spotlighting the beauty and inspiring stories of modern women. The proceeds from the reception and auction will go to the National Ovarian Cance

Mayor Kevin Johnson introduced Ben Burton, the first executive director of Sacramento Steps Forward, Tuesday at the weekly press conference held at City Hall. Burton and Johnson spoke about future plans for Sacramento Steps Forward, which is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to ending homelessness and building a supportive community. According to Johnson, Sacramento Steps Forward was launched in 2009 as a response to the Oprah Winfrey show that highlighted issues in Sacramento. “We wanted to lay out 2,400 permanent housing units in a three-year period, and we are well on our way to achieve that goal,” Johnson said. According to Johnson, Sacramento Steps Forward was officially c

William Land Park’s amphitheater, located at 3800 West Land Park Dr., was filled with cultural dance on Saturday morning as 12 groups auditioned for the opportunity to participate in the fourth annual Sacramento World Music and Dance Festival. “This is like painting with people, and this festival is like a giant color pallet,” co-producer and local artist Brett Freeman said. “What I try to do is make it as colorful as possible and make sure all those colors are represented.” The audition process had several judges, including local artist and stage manager Mark Angeles, former Sacramento Ballet dancer Margie Francis and local dance teacher Roxana Reyes. Flow Crew is from Sacramento and p

Local writers look no further. Roan Press is a two-year-old, non profit, small Sacramento publisher run by husband and wife Bradley Buchanan and Kate Washington. The couple wants to foster the local literary community so they choose books that would not normally be published by bigger companies. They publish one to two books per year, so far falling under the categories of poetry, anthology and memoir. They are currently on their fourth paperback book: “Peach Farmer’s Daughter” by Brenda Nakamoto. “‘Peach Farmer’s Daughter’ appealed to me because Brenda tells a story of growing up on a peach farm in Gridley, and I'm from Chico, just half an hour up the road – my dad is an almond grower,

Age is nothing but a number. Nine-year-old Claire Elizabeth, “A Place Called Sacramento” film festival script winner, is living proof of that. The premiere of her film, “The Chozen” will be at 1 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. There will be a $10 fundraising charge for Access Sacramento the night of the premiere only, and after that, all films will be up on the site where people can view them for free. “In 2000, Access Sacramento, (a nonprofit company) started training folks on how to use digital equipment because most independent small films were using video production instead of film,” said Access Sacramento Executive Director, Ron Cooper. “The idea was to create a loca

Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) isn’t going anywhere, just moving to a new location. The Hart Senior Center, where NAG has been meeting regularly, began charging an hourly fee of $50 to rent rooms after 5 p.m. which caused some NAG members to wonder if this would be their last meeting altogether. “NAG is not a city group, they enjoy their independence. They do, however, like the city to work with them,” said Derrick Lim, manager of the city’s Neighborhood Services Department and special events. “The items and agenda is all decided by NAG, they take their own positions.” Monday’s meeting was held at the Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St., and the Aug. 15 meeting will be held there, too,

Residents know all about the perks of living in the capital city: easy access to the river, a lively downtown nightlife and great family-friendly attractions. They can also tell you the best place to watch a sunset. The Sacramento Press asked people where the best place to watch a sunset is in the Sacramento area and this is what they said. Ike Johnson, 59, Elk Grove resident and Hewlett Packard employee, said, “The best place to watch a sunset is overlooking the river. Right off Freeport Boulevard you can just drive down there and there is a good area where you can watch the boats pass by and then watch the sunset.” Chalena Alston, 22, a caregiver and recent college graduate living

Walking through a museum there is an expectation of seeing art, ancient artifacts and other historical memorabilia. The California Museum is switching up the idea of what a typical museum holds by introducing California to an important part of its history with a story that is not often told. Behold the colors, wheels, art, big names, shapes and sizes. Riding Concrete: Skateboarding In California, is the new exhibit showing from July 2 through March 24, giving an up-close look at the California-created sport. Located on 1020 O St. downtown, the exhibit is curated by the legendary skateboarder and surfer Nathan Pratt, who also co-stared in the “Dogtown and Z-Boys” documentary back in 2002

Everyone has had encounters with either really great or really awful service no matter where they live, and the people of Sacramento are no exception. The Sacramento Press hit the streets recently and asked people where they had received the best or worst service in the area. Quoc Nguyen, 27, a store manager living in downtown Sacramento, gave examples of two places he'd received the worst and best service. “The best service I've had was at a coffee shop called Chocolate Fish, because they are very knowledgeable about their products and I like the 'Great White',” Nguyen said. “I'm Vietnamese, so I can say this: I receive the worst service at Vietnamese restaurants. I don't usually tip

The River Cats made the first and last run at Friday's game against the Fresno Grizzlies, giving them a close win (6-5) in the first game of the four-game homestand. The smell of hot dogs, beer and popcorn filled the air. What better way to spend a Friday night than in the summer sun cheering on your favorite baseball team? This was the first time the River Cats have hosted the Grizzlies this season at Raley Field, and 12,211 fans were present. Having recently lost 5-1 to the Grizzlies, made this win that much sweeter. The River Cats got the ball rolling with center fielder Jai Miller's home run, the first score of the game. However, in the fourth inning, the Grizzlies took the lead in

“One more song! One more song!” chanted Jack's Mannequin fans at Ace of Spades on Wednesday night, that quickly turned into “Three more songs! Three more songs!” Talk about an encore. Talk about a show. “You feelin' sexy Sacramento?” yelled Andrew McMahon, 28, lead vocalist and pianist of Jack's Mannequin. He may be a security guard’s nightmare with all his crowd surfing and climbing on equipment such as, speakers and his piano; but he is also a ticket-buyer’s dream because he is quite the entertainer. The show started at 7 p.m. with more than 800 people in attendance. Lady Danville, an indie pop band from the Bay Area was up first, and Steel Train, an indie rock band from New Jersey, f

If you are thinking about seeing B Street Theatre’s “Collapse” this summer, have high expectations. Within the first 10 minutes on opening night Sunday, the audience was already in an uproar of laughter. The play takes place around February 2009 and opens with an extremely comical scene between Hannah and David, a married couple trying to have their first child. Though Hannah is the one who is lying over her husband’s lap about to have a hormone shot injected into her left butt cheek, she is the one pep-talking an uneasy and uptight David. Their relationship becomes more and more strained and hilarious as Hannah's off-the-wall sister, Susan, unexpectedly stops in for a long-term stay wit

What’s better than a summer afternoon filled with sunshine, great music, and tons of Italian food? Mama mia, it’s Hot Lunch Concert Series in the park. The Hot Lunch Concert Series is back for its third year serving Tuscan-inspired pizzas every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. from now until Sept. 1 at Fremont Park, 16th and P streets. A brilliant collaboration of free music and lunch, which includes a pizza and drink for just $10 (including tax) from Hot Italian, located on 16th and Q streets in Midtown. “Hot Lunch is a standout event because it showcases musicians in the city that really have a presence,” said Roshaun Davis, spokesman for Unseen Heroes, a promotion company working wi

Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Maybe you feel you have gifts and talents that have not been used yet; or are interested in making new friends and being a part of a family. Touchstone Christian Fellowship is a new church located in Carmichael, off Auburn Boulevard, a few exits past the Arden Fair Mall. Just six years into their journey, and they have already made a huge impact on the community. From their Sunday morning family services, to kids puppet shows at the California State Fair, and new Saturday night college student-focused worship services; they are reaching the Sacramento area in a whole new way. Last Thursday, Touchstone had one of their smaller board meetings involvi

The holiday season is full of tons of sales, tons more traffic, heavy amounts of stress, unending joy and most importantly, coffee. The greatest thing about coffee is that you can buy it as a gift, you can buy it in between buying gifts, you can buy it while you are talking about buying gifts and you can buy it when you are finally finished buying gifts. Shoppers everywhere thank Starbucks in particular for their availability, popularity and new product choices every year, especially around this time. Starbucks has become a culture all on its own from the ordering lingo, to the quality of service, down to the family friendly vibe. “I don't even like coffee, but I like the atmosphere here