October 21, 2014

Jacobus “Jacoby” Vandervlis, 55, celebrated his first birthday last month. That’s what he calls it. Last year, on Aug. 3, Vandervlis was rushed to the hospital when flu-like symptoms developed into a full-body breakdown and mental stupor. His mother, Helena, 82, had found him on the floor of their shared house in Hermosa Beach in a pool of blood. The robust, 6-foot-7, 250-pound construction worker had fallen.

The South Bay area is full of restaurant owners who learned their trade in the traditional manner, working their way