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.