Owners of The Dairy breathe new life into old Alta Dena stand
For Foothills residents the drive-through Alta Dena Dairy is an iconic local landmark, a place where cigarettes, cartons of milk and other items can be purchased on the fly without customers having to leave the comfort of their car seats.
But entrepreneurs and La Cañada High School graduates Kyle Bilowitz (class of ‘94) and Travis Emi (class of ’00) — who took over the Alta Dena Dairy stand on the northeast corner of Foothill and Ocean View boulevards last October — hope to turn the classic delivery model on its head by appealing to a wider and decidedly different customer base.
While cigarettes, lottery tickets and Alta Dena Dairy-brand milk products are still available, the team has introduced a fresh crop of locally produced items that focus a bit more on health, sustainability and strengthening community ties.
Now patrons of the Dairy are just as likely to swing by for a bottle of cold brew coffee, CBD bath bombs and a box of fresh fruit as for lottery tickets, soda and chips.
“Growing up in the area, we always knew about the Dairy and would go there for snacks or to grab milk on the way home,” Bilowitz said. “What we’re trying to do is go back to what it used to be — almost a new version of a farmers market.”
Cashier and La Crescenta resident Arlet Aladadyan is working hard to memorize the first names of a growing list of regulars, many of whom live nearby and make the Dairy an almost daily haunt.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. It’s way different now,” Aladadyan said. “I think the feel they’re going for is Silver Lake meets Monrovia, very small town, very locally focused and not some mass-produced thing.”
Newly implemented Food Truck Fridays, which convey global cuisine weekly from 5 to 9 p.m., bring even more options to customers of the tiny stand. The feature has become a destination for locals who live nearby and, like La Cañada residents Darrel and Sandy Rinder, meet up with friends for dinner.
“For the last five weeks we’ve been here,” Sandy Rinder said on a recent Friday, when Vietnamese-inspired Mandoline Grille was serving up bhan mi sandwiches and five-spice fries. “We’re waiting for another couple now.”
Neighbors Chris and Dana Griffis walked down with sons Oliver, 4, and 2-year-old Declan for what’s become a new Friday night tradition.
“We used to come here and get milk and stuff when I was a kid,” said Dana Griffis, a dietitian for Kaiser Permanente. “Then the food trucks brought us here, and I saw all the healthier options. Now this is what we do every Friday.”
Bilowitz, who also co-owns Glassell Park’s Verdugo Bar, began making plans for the stand alongside Emi, the bar’s manager. The pair teamed up with partner and investor Anand Sharma to revamp the La Cañada stand and have worked there almost every day since.
Their plan is to offer more grab-and-go gift boxes and packages and consider pursuing a license that would allow them to sell craft beers (the previous owner let a beer and wine license lapse).
And, of course, they will keep the food trucks coming. This Friday, Chef Sharkie’s Up in Smoke will serve smoked tri-tip and pulled pork sandwiches.
“Our basis for doing it was to create a sense of community and have these amazing food options locals might not otherwise try,” Emi said. “It’s important to keep those local roots.”
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