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Cece Blase


Cece Blase, who often writes about real estate and home interiors for Oakland Magazine, explores five fabulous Oakland kitchens in this issue. Writing the article, she says, was an eye-opening experience, and she was amazed by the latest new gizmos and gadgets, from pot fillers to pizza ovens. "I'm a Realtor in San Francisco," she says, "And the smaller kitchens there don't have nearly the same amount of features." Now Blase dreams of living in a house where she can empty a dishwasher and put dishes away without running an obstacle course around countertops and cabinetry. When she's not selling real estate or writing articles for publication in print and online, Blase enjoys time at home in Alameda with her husband, Jim Fleischman, and her noisy cat, Otto.

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John W. Ellis IV


"I had no easy choices when I was deciding where to enroll my son in school," says Oakland Magazine freelancer John W. Ellis IV. His son, Sahaas, just started kindergarten. "I grew up in public schools but didn't want to put him into Oakland's system that is riddled with problems. And most private schools I toured are expensive and lacking in diversity." Although he chose a private school for his son, Ellis volunteers to help improve public schools. And after reporting on the changes the Oakland Unified School District for this issue, he is hopeful that public education may be turning a corner in Oakland. A regular contributor to several other magazines, Ellis, at moment, is most proud of the fact that his son can now spell dozens of words and read his own bedtime stories.
 
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Lisa Sze


Lisa Sze is a freelance photographer who lives and works in the Bay Area. Her emphasis is location photography, with her work extending into the worlds of fashion, portraiture and interior home design for various magazines and commercial clients. In this issue, she focuses her camera on five great kitchens and offers a glimpse into a few of the people who enjoy their gathering places. Sze also has a knack for children's photography, and she donates time and services nonprofit organizations benefiting children's needs. "No matter what the job is," she says, you can be sure it will be an adventure." Sze received her training and education from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.