Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2009)
4 Clackamas Print Cui turd Wednesday, May 13, 2009 Elvis has entered the classroo Abigail Neat Arts & Culture Editor About 10 years ago a coworker bet Ray Herrera that if he shaved off his mustache he would remind people of Elvis. It turns out she was right. “Best $101 ever lost,” Herrera explained. Herrera was not always aware of his connection with the infamous rock god. He lived much of his life not impersonating the celebrity. It all started with the bet. After being told he reminded people of Elvis, he began to do his homework and found many simi larities between the two. “I identi fied with him,” said Herrera. Herrera had done karaoke as well as gospel music in church as a young child but had no vocal instruc tion until coming to Clackamas, where he began to understand tech niques. He is currently in LeaAnne DenBeste’s Music 116-01 class. “I’d highly recommend it. LeaAnne is a very excellent teach er,” Herrera remarked. DenBeste also thinks many love Michelle Newby Clackamas Print Ray Herrera, also known as Rayvis, the campus’ own Elvis impersonator, hangs out in Niemeyer after singing to his teacher LeaAnne Denbeste after class last week. ly things about the Elvis imperson ator, whose stage name is Rayvis. “He’s got such a gorgeous voice,” Denbeste said. She went on to say that he is fun to teach because he is so committed to what he is doing and even said she would open her home to him. “He is so real.” Herrera has a Bachelor of Arts in communication and has worked for the state depart ment, but now his full-time job is being Rayvis. He wouldn’t say how much money singing bluesy love songs to diehard fans last year, doing six shod movies. This year will be a ferent with one of the movi an Elvis feature film. The sH in different parks in Porta usually on Fridays at dusk i ————. “He ’s got such a gorgeous voice, ” com and sno are given ad “He is im| popular. He H lowing. He whole lot to I gram,” Jeff Portland pJ Recreation I makes, but he did say Services I he was able to buy a brand new truck with said of Hens cash. Being El LeaAnne vides lots ! Herrera attributes Denbeste memories I much of his success choir teacher Herrera red to the classes he has of his favorij taken at CCC and ries after a I Said, “For those who think school doesn’t pay off it the groom’s grandmothl him for a picture and I does.” Being Rayvis includes but is not limited to: meet and greets, concerts for businesses or private parties and even singing telegrams. The Elvis impersonator has big plans for the summer. The city of Portland Parks and Recreation Department hired Herrera to be the official Elvis for the free summer movies in the parks. Herrera.was the official Elvis he obliged. After the pl explained, she got this lol eye and looked up at him I “I’ve always loved you Hi He finds his job to be I sonally fulfilling and claim! like work at all. Of course when the il was over Rayvis said,! you, thank you very much! Memphis way. Tiny establishment big on taste and affordabili Nick Kornafel I Feature Editor Thai food - that’s like Chi nese food right? No, it’s way better. Although Thai food, like Chinese food, is also Asian cuisine and at first glance may look similar, its unique, exotic flavor puts it in a category of its own. This fact is made evi dent at “Thai Fresh.” Thai Fresh opened on Nov. 1, and since then they have been doing great business, re fact, that’s great for an appe tizer. Bring on the main course. Sampled dishes included the lemongrass chicken, drunken noodles with squid, black pep per and garlic tofu and mixed vegetables all served with sides of either rice or rice noodles. Each dish blended sweet and savoryJflavors to create a meal snow-peas and mango for a hint of sweetness. When it came to dessert, all they had to offer was sampled. They of course had unique flavors of fresh homemade ice cream such as mango and coconut, but they also offer two seem ingly bizarre rice deserts. These included sweet man go over coconut rice topped with “I coconut milk and purple toped with that was out of this world, For those who are bolder than oth- ers, customers lying mostly on word of mouth can choose the coconut custard. to attract customers and so level of spici Although both far it has worked as it states ness without any were very good on their Web site “Our menu worry of mask and worth a try, keeps customers coming back ing the flavor. the fresh ice and bringing their friends.” cream was my The drunken And, come back is what noodles are wide favorite. the customers do. The chefs rice Because the res noodles Kemphone and Thongbay pre taurant is so small cooked with pare all the food fresh to order vegetables and the ingredients and using ingredients from local stirred in chili are local, custom markets. They have food to paste, All dishes ers can have a full accommodate any diet or food allow course meal with- custom- allergy, none of which con- ers to choose a tofu, veggies, out breaking their budget. ' tains MSG. Starters range from about $3 beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, Starting with appetizers, squid or seafood combo. Squid to $6 and can be shared with the vegetarian salad rolls and was chosen for this dish, and others, the main courses are chicken sauté were samplèd. on average about $7 or $8 and although chewy and rubbery The salad rolls contained rice in texture, it tasted great and desert is about $5 and can also noodles, bean sprouts, carrots went perfectly with the dish.- be shared or customers can get and cilantro wrapped in rice The lemongrass chicken is * ice cream for $1.75 for a small paper and served with a plum marinated in lemongrass sea or share a large for $2.50. sauce that put all other restau soning and toped with peanut The atmosphere of the res rant’s plum sauce to shame. sauce. The. chicken was deli taurant enhances the dining ex The chicken sauté, served on cious and the peanut sauce perience with its exotic decor. wood skewers, was cooked complemented it perfectly. Even the bathroom is worth perfectly and served with ai> The mixed vegetables came visiting. And, the foreign easy excellent peanut sauce; that’s stir-fried in light soy sauce and listening Thai music is a relax not bad for an appetizer. In contained mushrooms, carrots, ing background filler. Each dish blended sweet and savory flavors,,. The tiny Thai Fresh, 8409 S.E. Division St. in Portlar leaves a big impression on those willing to give it a The restaurant, located on S.E. Division Street, is tiny and very easy to miss. It shares a building with a cafe on the left and the Xotic Tan on the right. They can only seat about 38 people so you are sure to have good ser vice knowing that the wait ers are never in some other section of the restaurant. Thai Fresh serves up a meal that is high in fla vor, low in price and very healthy with friendly ser vice and an overall great dining experience. For more information visit their Web site at www.thaifreshpdx. com or call them at 503 774 2186. It is located on 8409 S.E. Division St. Suite D in Portland. Don’t blink or you might miss it.
