“Neighborhood Dirt” is a tricky department of the magazine. I don’t make a habit of jumping fences, or peering in windows; so, the discovery of urban gardening in L.A. must come through recommendations and word of mouth. Fortunately, this season a referral brought me to Shiva’s home and garden through a local gardener. From the descriptions relayed to me, I was excited to see this supposed remarkable property in Pacific Palisades. And I was not disappointed.
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At Edible Westside, we have always toyed with the idea of covering the kitchens and gardens of notable locals, public figures, and celebrities. Here, in “Neighborhood Dirt,” we instead seek to show off our every day amazing locals—friendly neighbors with an eye for design and a commitment to homegrown edibles.

Upon meeting with Shiva and scoping out her beautiful property, I was won over in an instant. It wasn’t until the week of our deadlines when I went to write this piece, that I stumbled upon her Wikipedia page. What a surprise! Her life has been anything but every day. Shiva is a mother of two girls, Colette and Charlotte, and is both an actor and an activist. Heavily involved with human rights organizations, she has founded a local program to feed the homeless, called Resource, is a sponsor of the Violence Intervention Program, has been asked to be a spokesperson for the Refugee Program with Amnesty International and is a volunteer at CCFA, Caring for Children with AIDS.