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Four Seasons Westlake Village Wedding | Joelle & Shawn
October 8, 2018
Please enjoy this delightful Four Seasons Westlake Village wedding featuring Joelle and Shawn. Special thanks to the wedding planner, XO Bloom for organizing this beautiful event.
Also, check out our Facebook and Instagram for updates and the latest with Lin and Jirsa, Los Angeles!
Wedding Preparation
Wedding Ceremony
Couple’s Session
Wedding Reception
More Wedding Info:
Wedding Venue: Four Seasons, Westlake Village
Wedding Planner & Florist: XO Bloom
Bridal Makeup: Beauty by Arpi
Bridal Hair: @arsineh_hairstylist
Wedding DJ: Deejay Al
Wedding Rentals: Top Quality Party Designs & Rental
Wedding Attire: Martina Liana Bridal from Lovella Bridal
About Lin and Jirsa
Creative. Clean. Different. We are a group of creatives in Orange County with a passion for storytelling. Founded in 2007, our studio has been recognized as the best wedding photographers in Los Angeles and Orange County by various publications, websites, and groups. We’d love to show you our studio in Orange County, California and walk you through our albums, canvases and other print photography products. We can also provide more information on our Wedding Videography and introduce you to our team!
As industry leaders, we also hold in person and online workshops for both aspiring and established wedding photographers. If you’re interested in attending our workshops, be sure to click the image below for more info.
Source: https://www.linandjirsablog.com/four-seasons-westlake-village-wedding-joelle-shawn/
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Angels reportedly in talks with Long Beach about new stadium
The Los Angeles Angels of Long Beach?
The Major League Baseball team is reportedly considering a move back to Los Angeles County after more than 50 years in Anaheim.
As first reported by the Long Beach Post, the Angels are in preliminary talks with the city of Long Beach about construction of a new stadium close to the city’s convention center. A deal the Angels have with the city of Anaheim to remain in the 1966-built Angel Stadium expires at the end of next year.
“We have approached the Angels to express our interest and discuss the possibilities of this opportunity,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in an emailed statement. “This is very preliminary and discussions are ongoing.”
Angels executives have made it clear in recent years that the team is considering relocating from its longtime home, and Long Beach isn’t the only city trying to lure the team away from Anaheim. In 2014, the Angels began negotiating with the city of Tustin about a potential stadium at a former Marine Corps air station there.
In Long Beach, the team is reportedly eyeing a 13-acre parking lot close to the city’s waterfront. That site is also slated for use during the 2028 Olympics, when temporary water polo and BMX arenas are slated to rise as part of a larger competition zone in the city’s downtown area.
Angels Stadium is the fourth-oldest MLB ballpark in the United States.
By Miune / Shutterstock
The Angels have played in Anaheim since the mid-1960s, but the team began its life as a Major League Baseball franchise in Los Angeles, hosting games at now-demolished Wrigley Field and later Dodger Stadium.
The city of Long Beach also pursued the team in the early 1960s, but owner Gene Autry eventually settled on Anaheim.
Source: https://la.curbed.com/2019/2/26/18241593/angels-anaheim-long-beach-baseball-stadium
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In pictures: Moschino announces capsule collection inspired by The Sims
Marjorie van Elven
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Thursday, April 11 2019
Life simulation video game The Sims is the latest source of inspiration for Moschino’s Creative Director Jeremy Scott. The fashion designer, best known for his nods to pop culture icons like Barbie and McDonald’s, is set to launch a capsule collection inspired by the game.
“I love the idea of being able to imagine, design and bring to life a world of individual personas with The Sims universe,” said Scott in a statement. “That concept emulates what I get to do for each collection at Moschino as I create a fantasy universe of spectacular storylines and characters”.
Launched nearly 20 years ago and played by over 80 million people worldwide, The Sims was developed by California-based company Electronic Arts, which is also behind other popular games such as Plants vs Zombies and Need for Speed. The Sims allows players to create virtual people called “Sims”, choosing every aspect of their appearance and lifestyle from hairstyle, skin tone and outfits to their homes, hobbies and career aspirations.
The Moschino x The Sims collection is set to include ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as a “capsule within the capsule” comprising eight limited-edition pieces. Iconic motifs from The Sims were reimagined as couture pieces such as a Plumbob bathing suit,m a Freezer Bunny cell phone cover and a Uni-Lama T-shirt. The pieces will be available from April 13 at Moschino stores worldwide as well as the brand’s e-commerce. Prices were not yet disclosed.
Photos: courtesy of Moschino
Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/in-pictures-moschino-announces-capsule-collection-inspired-by-the-sims/2019041127233
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Women’s tennis prepares to fight for more wins this fall at the ITA championships
The Bruins will send players for singles and doubles matches with an opportunity to close out the fall season with another title.
UCLA women’s tennis will send five players to compete at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday.
Freshman Elysia Bolton will be competing in singles competition along with sophomore Abi Altick, both of whom qualified through an at-large bid.
Altick will face off against Idaho’s Marianna Petrei, while Bolton will take on Princeton’s Stephanie Schrage.
Seniors Ayan Broomfield and Gabby Andrews will compete in doubles competition after claiming first at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships on Oct. 22, while Bolton and redshirt junior Jada Hart will be paired in doubles competition via an at-large bid.
Hart will not be competing in singles competition, and has said that improving her doubles games is something she has been working on.
“(Bolton and I) are going to make sure we are executing our volleys and being as aggressive as possible,” Hart said. “(We will need) to be opening up points and finishing at the net.”
The pair has what coach Stella Sampras Webster called “big weapons” – big serves and big returns that give the duo an advantage in doubles.
“When they are really executing, they can be the best in the country,” Sampras Webster said.
Hart said she is impressed with Bolton’s performance this season.
“(Bolton) has been dealing well with the expectations here,” Hart said. “I try to make sure she is going in the right path both in school and with tennis.”
Bolton said she has been working in practice this week to improve her return and establish herself inside the court.
Broomfield and Andrews returned home victorious after they won the doubles title at the Jack Kramer Club Collegiate Invitational last weekend.
Sampras Webster said the doubles success of Broomfield and Andrews is starting to come more naturally.
“They’ve played so much together now that they really have a feel for each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Sampras Webster said.
The pair’s doubles performance last weekend, Sampras Webster said, will help prepare them for their singles matchups in the spring season, particularly for Broomfield.
“Playing doubles gives her more tools for her singles play because she gets practice up in the volley position that will help her (in) coming forward,” Sampras Webster said.
UCLA will begin the round of 64 in singles and the round of 32 in doubles Wednesday.
Source: http://dailybruin.com/2018/11/07/womens-tennis-prepares-to-fight-for-more-wins-this-fall-at-the-ita-championships/
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The history of America’s favorite cheese
Cheddar aging room at Westcombe Dairy in Somerset, England. Photo by Simran Sethi.
Dunbarton Blue was a cheese that almost never existed.
Chris Roelli, fresh out of college and ready to take over the family business, looked forward to the challenge of making cheddar like his father and grandfather had. His dad knew about his cheese-making aspirations. But rather than handing over the reins, he shut down the family’s factory. Why would a multi-generation cheese maker do that to his son?
His reaction to Chris’s interest in cheddar-making can tell us a lot about the US food system, as well as about the newest chapter in the history of cheddar. Why are people eating a lot more cheese, made in fewer locations, from the milk of increasingly larger-sized herds? And why is it so hard for a small-scale cheesemaker to make a living—so hard, in fact, that Mr. Roelli felt the need to make sure his son pursued a different vocation?
Not too long ago, relatively speaking, things were quite different. Most cheddar makers in the immediate post-WWII period had made a good living selling to the large companies such as Kraft, Borden, and Armour. Those big national brands had regional producers, sometimes a lot of them, contracted to make their cheese to meet demand. Then came the “Cheddarpocalypse,” a day when somewhere between fifty and eighty small cheddar factories in the Midwest were told—with thirty days notice—that their cheese would no longer be purchased. This notice to small producers was repeated throughout the nation as national brands built large cheese factories. No longer could a family cheesemaker survive by making blocks of cheddar alone.
How did this happen? In the early 20th century, viewing the “farm as factory” was an obvious metaphor for improving the food system, designed to show that farmers needed to see the farm as an integrated system in order for it to work. In the era when “factory” did not evoke the image of ecological destruction, this made a lot more sense, and, if one can step back into those old shoes, it still does.
Cheddar production at Montgomery Cheese in Somerset, England. Photo by Simran Sethi.
But though the “farm as factory” was a metaphor at first, the “factory farm” would become a reality decades later. As every aspect of agriculture was subject to change in the name of efficiency, even the farm itself came under scrutiny. If the goal of the wedding of scientific management to farming was to lower the price of protein, that goal had been achieved. Ironically, the logic of “farm as factory” also led to the realization that farmers themselves—and the local cheesemakers—were expendable.
It’s not hard to see the economic problem that faced small cheesemakers like the Roellis. Unless they are farmstead producers, cheesemakers buy the milk they need to make cheese, but the cheese they make with it needs to age. So while the milk bill needs to get paid, the cheese sits around, costing money in utilities for refrigeration until it is mature enough to be sold. Many cheesemakers need to make young cheeses in order to get a quick return on their investment and pay off the bills that are owed. However, making a young, mild cheddar—a cheese that could be sold relatively quickly—became a volume game after the Cheddarpocalypse, when bigger, more efficient factories became the norm.
Since cheddar is traded as a commodity, producers became tied into the pricing system. If you are only making a penny or two per pound and only producing a thousand pounds of cheese a day, you are going to have a hard time feeding your family anything but cheese on that $10 or $20 a day. If, however, you are on the other end of the spectrum and producing one million pounds of cheese a day, you’ll probably be doing quite well.
Chris Roelli’s father and grandfather, not wanting to condemn Chris to a futile pursuit, made a clearly rational decision to stop producing cheese, one that many other cheesemakers had already made. There was no way to compete with the Krafts of the world, so instead of saddling his son with a business that was sure to fail, Chris’s father locked the doors. But Chris Roelli had other ideas. Slowly Roelli developed, through trial and error, one of the most original cheeses made in this country in the last century, a cheddar-blue that combines the best of those two worlds. One only made possible through the (re)discovery of the beauty of inefficiency.
The cows behind cheddar, grazing at North Cadbury Court, Somerset, England. Photo by Simran Sethi.
The Roellis use only milk from one farm for the Dunbarton Blue and pay a premium for its high quality. At large factories, the technology of today allows the process—everything from the pumping of milk to the packaging of the cheese—to be controlled by computers and button-pushers, never coming into contact with humans. But at the Roellis’ plant, they make cheese in the traditional way. As Roelli says, “Like it or not, my two hands touch every wheel.”
Dunbarton Blue is uncommon in taste but absolutely typical in the way it underscores the dramatic difference between traditionally made and factory-made cheese. On the one hand you have a family business, in the same area for 100 years, buying local high-quality milk that they use to make small batches of cheese that is then aged until deemed high enough in quality for sale. On the other hand, a large company buys milk as cheaply as possible and creates a huge volume of cheese using a pre-programmed, mechanical process that does not allow for individual input. The cheese is then sealed and sold as quickly as possible.
Of course, the cheese produced by machines and button-pushers is seen as the norm, and to most folks, spending anything more is seen as an extravagant indulgence. In a factory-food economy, many people simply do not have the choice to support people more like themselves—regular folks trying to make a living—because it would cost them money they don’t have. In a de-industrialized and de-agriculturalized nation, this irony is widening.
Still, despite his dad’s best efforts Chris Roelli has found a way to make a small-scale cheddar-style cheese in this day and age without going broke. That in itself is a remarkable feat in the 21st century.
Gordon Edgar is the author of two cheese books: Cheesemonger (2010) and Cheddar
(2015). He has worked behind a cheese counter since 1994. This excerpt is adapted
from Gordon Edgar’s book Cheddar: A Journey to the Heart of America’s Most Iconic
Cheese (Chelsea Green, 2015) and is printed with permission from the publisher.
Source: http://blogs.kcrw.com/goodfood/2018/11/the-history-of-americas-favorite-cheese/
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FYI: Elon Musk wanted to bring tunnels to New York
FYI: Elon Musk wanted to bring tunnels to New York
The Boring Co. had preliminary discussions with city officials
February 16, 2019 03:00PM
Elon Musk, New York (Credit: Getty, iStock)
In his quest to revolutionize travel, Elon Musk had big plans for New York City.
Similarly to the tunnels under construction in Los Angeles, the Boring Company was exploring the potential of building such tunnels to transport passengers from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Los Angeles Times reported.
While public transportation already exists for travelers, the commute is often a dreary endeavor that often ends up lasting longer than an hour.
New York City engineers have since knocked the Boring Co.’s proposal, citing issues with ventilation and emergency situations. There were also concerns about how building new underground tunnels could jeopardize the existing tunnels. A report on the feasibility of the tunnels was completed recently.
A spokesperson for the Boring Co. said the talks, which were initiated by New York City officials, were only preliminary and did not go further.
If approved, the tunnels would span less than 14 feet in diameter, about half the width of typical one-lane tunnels. There would also be regular emergency exits, according to its website, that would be “safer and wider” than existing comparable infrastructure.
The company is already well underway to build tunnels on the West Coast. In December, the company unveiled its first test tunnel in Hawthorne, the South Bay city where the firm has been quietly building its operations. [LAT] – Natalie Hoberman
Source: https://therealdeal.com/2019/02/16/fyi-elon-musk-wanted-to-bring-tunnels-to-new-york/
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Planning commission backs Chinatown development—if developer includes affordable housing
The city planning commission today voted to endorse developer Atlas Capital’s plans to put a large project along Spring Street in Chinatown, provided it include some affordable units.
“There’s a citywide need [for affordable housing], and we need to start solving that with every project that’s built,” said commissioner Renee Dake Wilson.
As proposed, the College Station project would include 725 market-rate units, no affordable units, almost 900 parking spaces, and retail space including a large grocery store—all directly across the street from the Chinatown Gold Line station.
College Station project has been in the works for years, undergoing some minor and major changes over time. The project already has several approvals from the city that were acquired when it was under different ownership.
Now Atlas Capital is asking for a few new approvals, including a general plan amendment that would change the site’s zoning to allow for residential uses.
Commissioners voted to approve the project’s requested approvals, including the general plan amendment, on the condition that 5 percent of the apartments at College Station be designated for very low-income households.
Supporters of College Station who spoke at the commission meeting were happy to see density close to the Gold Line station and eager to have a new large supermarket in the neighborhood. They were glad to see what is now a large, vacant transformed into shops and much-needed housing.
“We need to take every opportunity to build new housing and to build it at all levels,” Councilmember Gil Cedillo, whose district includes the project site, told the audience and commissioners. The city’s housing crisis “cannot be resolved by not building,” he said.
Housing was also on the minds of those who opposed the project. Commissioners and members of the public who spoke against College Station took issue with the total lack of on-site affordable housing the developer proposed.
Especially of concern was the effect that a large, market-rate project would have on the predominately low-income and working class neighborhood, where nearly 60 percent of residents are already paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income toward rent.
“I’m very concerned about the development of 725 market-rate units in Chinatown without any on-site affordable housing,” commissioner Dana Perlman said.
A number of residents of the area expressed the fear that by creating new units that people living in the neighborhood would not be able to afford, College Station would virtually push out existing Chinatown residents.
Atlas Capital doesn’t have a legal obligation to include affordable housing. Because College Station was approved in 2012, it is not subject to Measure JJJ. The voter-approved measure mandates that affordable housing be included in projects seeking a general plan amendments.
Project representative Jerry Neuman of DLA Piper told the commission that, in the firm’s outreach to the community, residents said they didn’t want more affordable housing, so they didn’t consider including it.
Touted as both a substitute for the on-site inclusion of affordable housing and as an instance of Atlas Capital being a “good neighbor” is an agreement that the developer entered into with councilmember Cedillo to subsidize rents at a neighboring apartment building, which it doesn’t own.
Tenants at Metro Lofts, an affordable apartment complex for seniors, were facing a rent increase that, while small on paper, would have been devastating to the residents, most of whom live on fixed incomes.
To help keep people in their homes, Cedillo stepped in to broker a deal in which Atlas Capital would cover the rent increase for the rest of 2018. The developer also agreed to cover the increase for the next 10 years, provided that College Station was approved.
A number of Chinatown organizations, including CCED, have spoken out against the deal, which they see as effectively forcing residents to support a project in order for them to maintain their housing. The agreement, reached privately between the developer and Cedillo, is not enforceable by the city; its success depends on the developer keeping its word.
Ultimately, the commissioners did not accept the Metro Lofts agreement as a stand-in for on-site affordable housing in College Station.
The planning commission’s decision still needs to go before the city’s planning and land use committee as well as the full council before it is final.
Source: https://la.curbed.com/2018/12/13/18139416/chinatown-affordable-housing-college-station-atlas-capital
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J. Crew reportedly preparing for Madewell IPO in September
Marjorie van Elven
|
Friday, July 12 2019
Madewell is looking to go public in September, right after Labor Day. Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that J. Crew Group is holding talks with investment banks to prepare for Madewell’s IPO.
Back in April, the company announced it was considering the possibility of taking its Madewell division public with the aim to return the group to profitability. J. Crew has been struggling for quite some time, with a debt of nearly 1.7 billion US dollars.
According to Reuters, J. Crew has enlisted Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Morgan Stanley as the lead underwriters for an IPO of Madewell. Representatives of all these companies declined to comment, as did J. Crew.
Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/business/j-crew-reportedly-preparing-for-madewell-ipo-in-september/2019071228926
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Beau du Bois Does the Truffle Shuffle at Corner Door
Since its opening on a quiet stretch of Washington Boulevard in June 2012, The Corner Door has become a neighborhood favorite and a destination for cocktail enthusiasts, who make the pilgrimage to Culver City for the inventive, classically driven drinks offered by Beau du Bois. The accolades for du Bois have been a constant from Day One, including being named to the Zagat 30 Under 30 in 2013, and Eater LA’s Bartender of the Year in 2014.
During a lively brunch service at Eveleigh, du Bois talked about his favorite L.A. bartenders, an unforgettable trip to Oaxaca, and his latest Corner Door menu, which was inspired by a beloved 80s summer blockbuster. “Obviously there’s always going to be a need to do seasonal, refreshing menus. From an administrative standpoint, with the popularity of cocktail programs and seasonal menus in Los Angeles, I wanted to make [the current menu] seasonally driven but also kind of put some talking points on it, so I decided to choose something that would really inspire me and also inspire people to be at tables and start chatting about it.”
“The memories of The Goonies – I think 95% of people have some sense of nostalgia towards [it] and it’s a timeless classic,” du Bois continues. “It’s such a beautiful ensemble of cast and characters and events, and it’s a great adventure story – there was plenty to pull from to build a well-balanced, versatile cocktail menu. But also have some spring, seasonal and summer influences as well, so that people can feel a transition from L.A. ‘winter’ to L.A. spring and summer.”
Truffle Shuffle at The Corner Door | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
Du Bois is pleasantly surprised that the breakout drink from the Goonies menu is the Truffle Shuffle, made with Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky, house-made hazelnut liqueur and cacao nib bitters, served with house-made trail mix. “What’s really interesting this time around is the standout cocktail is the one ultra-premium cocktail that I put on the menu,” says du Bois. “I knew it was a great cocktail [with a] beautiful presentation, but at $18 I was like, ‘We’ll see how this does,’ you know? I think it’ll sell here and there, but only for groups that are looking to celebrate or really cap out their night together and share it. It’s really encouraging and incredible to see at $18 apiece, nobody’s batting their eye.”
The hazelnut liqueur is made from a Laird’s base with some hazelnuts. “Then I make a hazelnut cordial, a few different spices that elevate the hazelnut flavor. And then I did an infused cacao nib bitters, which is a combination of some aromatic bitters that I let sit with a bunch of cocoa nibs.”
“Just stir that together, so it’s basically a Japanese whisky Old Fashioned. Japanese whisky is so delicate and subtle in itself that it even boils down to how many times the bartender can stir it, which is significantly less than an Old Fashioned.”
The Truffle Shuffle is served with a hedge of house-made trail mix that’s made exclusively for the cocktail. “I bake hazelnuts and pistachios in honey, butter, cinnamon, garlic, brown sugar and salt. It’s served with dark chocolate bits and dried mandarins. Delicious, very smooth, very approachable. The whole presentation comes out very beautiful – you have your drink and your snacks.”
Du Bois adds, “The trail mix is addictive. Oh my God. Right now… it’s only for the cocktail, that’s it. People are like, ‘Let me just buy a plate of it, PLEASE!'”
During a recent trip to Oaxaca, du Bois’ feed started blowing up. “Who is this ‘Jeff Cohen‘? I realized, that’s the actor that played Chunk. He was tweeting about the Truffle Shuffle at Corner Door! That’s all I could hope for. He’s been a very outspoken, big supporter of the fanship around Goonies. He’s a retired actor and is now a lawyer representing child actors, but he always seems like he’s had a warm spot for Goonies and the fanship around it, which is great.”
Mama Fratelli at The Corner Door | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
“The other stirred cocktail is a rye-based cocktail called the Mama Fratelli, which I think is one of my favorite cocktails I’ve ever done. It’s Rittenhouse Rye with espresso infused Carpano Antica, a little coconut liqueur, and salt. Not really an archetype there, you can kind of say it’s a Manhattan variation, but there’s so little vermouth in it – and also the coconut liqueur and the salt. It’s very rye driven but I’ve never tasted anything like it, and honestly without the salt it would be half the cocktail it is now.”
Data Plan at The Corner Door | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
Some of the shaken cocktails are doing really well, says du Bois. The Data Plan is made with strawberry infused Altos Tequila, falernum, Miracle Mile Bergamot Bitters, lime juice and Dolin Bianco Vermouth. “Light, bright, lush, jammy, refreshing, beautiful presentation. That’s a big standout for sure as well.”
Astoria Country Club at The Corner Door: green tea-infused Pisco Porton, Chareau, honey, cantaloupe, lime, prosecco | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
Rich Stuff at The Corner Door: saffron-infused bourbon, Cynar, Creme de Peche, lemon, egg white, orange bitters | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
Du Bois says, “Whenever you can do a seasonal menu like this and put a theme around it, it also demonstrates to your guests: here’s the rest of our cocktail menu, here are some of our house classics – the French 75, the Mezcallin, the Taco Truck – but this little subsection down here, this is really where we cut the cord to the brakes and get nerdy and creative without alienating anybody at the same time.”
Taco Truck at The Corner Door | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
Speaking of the Taco Truck, it remains a favorite of imbibers near and far and has continued to win new fans since its debut at Art Beyond the Glass II in 2013. “Such a great story with that cocktail,” says du Bois. “I was told that I was going to be doing a mezcal sponsor, La Niña del Mezcal. I came up with this really, really overly contrived cocktail during the week leading up to Art Beyond the Glass. I was doing all my mise en place, getting my prep together and batching the cocktail. And literally the night before, I’m like, ‘I hate this cocktail.’ I hate this drink, it’s way too heavy on the mixology, it’s way too contrived, and it’s dumb. I’m showing off way too much. So I decided, I’m just going to do a Negroni variation. I’ll infuse the Campari with flavors that complement and elevate mezcal. And that’s it.”
Du Bois continues, “It’s an event that is bartender driven, bartender attended and friends of bartenders. Such a great event. Everybody’s doing X, Y and Z, and I’m just making this Negroni, which was super easy. People were loving it, and regulars at Corner Door were there – ‘You gotta put this on the menu.’ I put it on the menu at Corner Door, took it off the menu, and there were riots in the streets. I put it back on the menu and I’ve never taken it off. gaz regan reached out to me and said it was one of the best cocktails in the world, a few other people [said it was] the best Negroni variation in the U.S., Imbibe has featured it a bunch. It’s just a perfect example of how the simple stuff, the stuff that doesn’t get overthought, sometimes tend to be the best.”
Du Bois is also rolling out the latest iteration of The Other List, his “secret” menu designed especially for regulars and cocktail enthusiasts. “This one is going to be a hyper-focused vermouth edition of The Other List. We’re going to do some vermouth based cocktails – Vermouth Panaché, Fifty-Fifties. I’m really going to try – easier said than done – to make L.A.’s best Manhattan. I want to do a nice, beautiful proprietary vermouth blend, maybe with a few infusions here and there. Have a lovely menu [with a] Fifty-Fifty, Manhattan, Vermouth Panaché and a dry vermouth Daiquiri. Feature some of the house vermouths.”
“If you hang out on the Westside and talk to any bartenders on the Westside, they will always tell you – with a smirk on their face – if I’m walking into your bar, you have to get your dry vermouth out. [laughs] That’s all I drink, is dry vermouth.”
Asked if he’s been to Moruno at The Original Farmer’s Market, du Bois enthusiastically answers, “The second I saw [info] about their vermouth program, I went straight there. Had some breakfast at [The French Crepe Co] – which is always delicious – and I tried their vermouth.”
“I had expectations as an old, bitter, cynical bartender that I was going to taste something that was really good but not great – ‘I see what you’re trying to do and I think that that’s fantastic.’ WOW, I could not have been more wrong. It was amazing. It was seamless and it was beautiful.”
“Putting it on tap is one of the most genius things you could do from an administrative standpoint,” he continues. “And as I’m drinking it, geeking out over this dry vermouth on the rocks, served with a orange wedge and olives, I look around and I’m like, ‘I’m probably the only one drinking this.’ Not the case. Once again, wrong. I look around and everybody is finishing their meals with dry vermouth or sweet vermouth. And I was like, ‘OK, so this is what heaven looks like.’ The balance of the dry vermouth was way beyond what I expected. Amazing. I can’t recommend it enough.”
El Silencio Master Mezcalier, Pedro Hernández and Beau du Bois | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
During the second year of The Corner Door, du Bois began a fruitful relationship with Mezcal El Silencio. “Marcos [Tello] and I have known each other for a long time,” says du Bois. “He’s always been such a great resource. We just got to talking. I don’t know how long they had been doing their Espadin. I tasted it, it was a great product for what we were looking for. It just made a lot of sense to fit into a place like Corner Door. I think the Corner Door brand and the Silencio brand just seem to work really well with each other. I’ve always loved the flavor of the mezcal, so the rest is history.”
“They’ve been nothing but great – it’s such a supportive, family driven, bar community based mezcal. They never cease to meet my standards by any means when it comes to my needs for support for events or anything like that.”
Mezcallins and Taco Trucks at the “Get Lost in L.A.” launch | Photo courtesy of Beau du Bois
In March 2016, El Silencio helped sponsor a media event in New York to promote the launch of the “Get Lost in L.A.” campaign for L.A. Tourism. [Full disclosure: I’m the Content Manager for Discover Los Angeles.] The event featured cocktails by du Bois, tacos by Guerrilla Tacos and a live art installation by street artist Colette Miller. “We made the Mezcallin and the Taco Truck and featured El Silencio. I think they had just activated in New York so it was perfect for them as well. The event was such a smash hit. It raised awareness for Corner Door and obviously for Los Angeles, but definitely for Silencio as well.”
“So [El Silencio] approached me, ‘Hey, we’re taking 80 people to Oaxaca to visit our palenque, see Oaxaca as a city, do a little cocktail competition and all that. We would love to have you.’ It was one of the few times where my schedule opened up and I could actually go on a trip, which was nice.”
Du Bois was talking to Alex Day two days before leaving for the event. “I really thought it was going to be a nice, relaxing trip to Oaxaca – get some sunshine, stay under the radar, sip some mezcal, lay by the pool, have some amazing Oaxacan cuisine. And then I found out Zach Patterson was going.” [laughs]
“Silencio absolutely smashed this trip out of the park,” says du Bois. “There wasn’t a minute of this trip that wasn’t planned, orchestrated and beyond fun, enriching and educational. There was a parade for us in the streets in Oaxaca. Just to go to dinner, there were 80 people in the streets with bottles of Silencio, and floats, dancers and mariachi. We’re walking in the streets and I don’t even know where we’re going. I think I’m eight shots of Silencio in. We go to dinner in this huge what feels like an army bunker of some kind. There’s fire, live music and all this stuff, great food.”
Beau du Bois and Josh Goldman at the El Silencio palenque in San Baltazar Guelavila | Photo courtesy of Mezcal El Silencio
“We painted the town red and the next day we visited the palenque and got to meet the master distiller, Pedro Hernandez, who is a ninth generation mezcal maker. And finally, the owner of Silencio, Fausto Zapata – such a lovely, charming, lively individual that it’s hard not to have a really incredible time anywhere, let alone Oaxaca, if you’re hanging out with Fausto.”
Du Bois continues, “Just getting ready to learn about the brand and the story behind it, seeing the agave fields – very family driven production behind Silencio. I think the best part of my night was after things kind of winded down, getting to meet the rest of Pedro’s family, all his daughters and his sisters. Introducing me to I think his second oldest daughter, ‘This is the next generation of mezcal makers.’ Lovely, very charming young lady who probably at this point in her very young life knows way more about mezcal than maybe all the bartenders in this room combined.”
“Getting to meet her and dance the night away with Fausto and Pedro’s family underneath the tents in the agave fields. There’s a worse way to spend your Saturday night in Mexico!”
The agave fields of Oaxaca are a long way from Ball State in Indiana, where du Bois was finishing his sophomore year in 2004. “My birthday is late in the year – May 2nd – that’s finals week, all that stuff. I was celebrating my 21st birthday that week. The Martini lounge in my college town was the fancy place. So my professors were like, ‘After you’re done with your friends, meet us at Motini’s and you’ll have a proper cocktail with us,’ which ended up being a gin Martini with Boodles. At 21 years old, I can say with great confidence I did not have the palate for it.”
“I overheard the owner talking to one of the professors, ‘If you know of any students staying over, I need bartenders.’ I had no bartending experience, so I’m useless. I’m waiting in line for the bathroom, and there are three beautiful blonde girls waiting in line as well. And I was that right amount of drunk to be that right amount of charming for that five-minute window. Apparently I made a joke that got them all laughing and giggling right as the owner walked by. He thought the girls were with me. Here’s this guy, he’s got three girls with him, we gotta hire him. So he’s like, ‘Are you staying over the summer?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Do you have any bartending experience?’
‘No, not at all.’
‘OK you start tomorrow.’ [laughs]
“Started the next day, learned everything – making Cosmos, gin Martinis, even Colorado Bulldogs if you’re old enough to remember what those were. It’s a White Russian with a splash of Coke on it. Actually, pretty good.”
“Fast forward, consulted on a few bars back in Indiana because I found this rich, American heritage to cocktail making. Just really started to get into it. Was gonna move to Chicago, decided to come to L.A. because the weather is … the weather. The L.A. cocktail scene was just starting to get the engine going. Took the better part of a year to find a job. [I was] the last bartender hired at the Hyatt in West Hollywood, which was the infamous ‘Riot Hyatt,’ just as they were getting ready to be renovated to the Andaz. Just kept studying, working, building my knowledge of classic and modern cocktail making.”
“I was reading a lot of Dale DeGroff, which was a perfect blend of approachable cocktail making, real serious classic standards and presentation focused as well. Try to imagine, nobody teaching you how to flame an orange peel, and trying to figure it out from a book. ‘I’m supposed to snap the orange wedge in half?’ Because he doesn’t look like he’s breaking it in the picture, you know? I was at home burning the shit out of my fingertips.”
Du Bois continues, “Hyatt closed and I used the in-between time – I went to New York for a little bit, and all I was doing was looking at books, memorizing how to make for instance a Vieux Carré, a Manhattan and a Gimlet. And then going and sitting in front of bartenders that I knew were established: Eric Alperin, Marcos Tello, Damian Windsor, Jason Bran. I don’t think they knew it at the time, but I would order a Vieux Carré from Eric and I would just watch him make it. I would study his technique and take notes. I would watch Marcos shake a Gimlet, watch Damian interact with guests and navigate Bartender’s Choices.”
“So there’s a handful of bartenders in this city – I don’t even know if they’re aware of this, but they’ve actually secretly sort of mentored me. I used that to become the head bartender at the Andaz and – aside from Eveleigh – doing one of the first farm-to-table cocktail programs in the city. I was way underqualified and I had to work really hard to make that work.” RH at the Andaz was du Bois’ breakthrough in the L.A. cocktail community and a harbinger of drinks to come.
After RH, du Bois helped David LeFevre open MB Post and consulted on a few other programs behind the scenes in L.A. “Then four years ago, the owners of Corner Door found me. ‘We like what you do, we just want more of it. We want it to be neighborhood driven, we want to have the same caliber of cocktails as some of the best places in the city, but we still want it to be approachable.’ The owners just wanted a place [with a] good burger, good beers and great cocktails. And that’s what we set out to do and it’s definitely been that and then some.”
Du Bois recalls meeting Julian Cox for the first time, which surprisingly didn’t happen until last fall. “Julian is one of the people that – for myself, my situation is a little different than some bartenders, not having had a mentor. And having to study these people, like Eric Alperin, Marcos Tello, Damian Windsor and Julian Cox. Reading about them as they’re building this revolution and cocktail awareness in Los Angeles.”
“One of the most heartbreaking things to me was learning that Julian was leaving the city, and he and I had never really been introduced. I went to one of his opening nights at Fiscal Agent and that was the first time we had ever met, which was incredible. He came around the bar and sat down and talked to me a little bit about his approach. I’m obviously a little buzzed, just spouting sonnets about what he was doing at Fiscal Agent – it felt like a total secret bartender paradise. Just watching somebody like him making the cocktails and explaining his creative process behind it was like fast forwarding four years of educational expertise.”
The L.A. bar community came out in force at a going away party for Cox and Kristina Howald at Petty Cash. “He was so charming at Fiscal Agent, I’m definitely going to [Petty Cash] and at least shake the dude’s hand and say ‘thank you’ for everything you’ve given to this city from a cocktail standpoint. I’ve interviewed countless bartenders who [said] ‘I took Julian Cox’s class.’ I’ve seen the difference in these people versus other candidates. You always see some kind of thematic throughline with each of the bartenders that Julian has trained, and it’s all very positive.”
“So being at Julian’s going away party, I think one of the most humbling moments for me was seeing Julian across a very packed room of some of the greatest bartenders in the city, and bar enthusiasts, writers and cocktail lovers in general. Julian makes a point to cross the room, shake my hand, and the first thing he says, ‘I can’t wait to be in Chicago and read about all the great stuff you’re going to be doing here in L.A.’ It was like a bear hug / punch right in the feels. Gave me a hug, shook my hand, we chatted a little bit. I got to meet his son, talked to Kristina and hear about all the great plans for Chicago, which is formidable. Getting to say goodbye to somebody like that, even though I know it’s not forever obviously, was probably one of my favorite Los Angeles bartending moments of my career.”
Yael Vengroff at The Spare Room | Photo by Eugene Lee, courtesy of Yael Vengroff
On the rare occasion when du Bois has a night off or has some time to go out and have cocktails (“I try to as much as I can”), who are the bartenders that he visits? “I’ve said it a thousand times, but it never loses its potency with me, sitting in front [of] or even just watching Yael Vengroff bartend is one of the most impressive things you can witness from an industry standpoint, or even a consumer standpoint. Yael is the real deal in the sense of where creativity, pedigree, speed and hospitality, all intersect.”
“Now that we’ve glamorized bartending – as it should be – we’re celebritizing the people behind these great programs, as many of those people deserve. It’s also attracted a saturated market of bartenders who are what I like to call ‘skipping steps.’ Racing, racing, racing for that title without paying their dues and learning from people like Yael.”
“Yael is a person that is – if you were to hold her hand out, it wouldn’t be a hammer, a nail, a screwdriver, a knife and a bottle opener. It would just be all knives. If each finger represented all of her skillsets, something she’s dipped her toe in at some point in her career, it’s all there. Witnessing that is obviously impressive, but it’s beyond humbling. Even for someone like myself who’s been bartending for over a decade, I still have so much to learn.”
“Ryan Wainwright is one of the hardest working bartenders in the city,” says du Bois. “He’s constantly posting cocktails from a number of the places that fall under the banner of his beverage director position. He’s just a cool guy, he’s a cocktail lover – which is great – to see somebody who actually enjoys the perspective of the consumer as they’re crafting and designing the architecture of their cocktail recipes, and seeing that is unbelievable. It’s like knowing that, whether I have $20 to spare for a cocktail – I know it’s well spent – or it’s my last one on the planet, I’m gonna have a great cocktail made by somebody who is obsessed with cocktails. And that’s Ryan Wainwright.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Gaby [Gabriella Mlynarczyk], when she was at ink, Cadet and now Birch. She’s unbelievably talented, very straightforward. All of her recipes are very academic and extremely well executed. I think that’s the short list. Obviously if I can sit down in front of Damian Windsor or Eric Alperin and have cocktails, I know that they’re going to be fantastic. But Yael, Ryan and Gaby are incredibly impressive to me.”
The Corner Door
12477 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90066
310.313.5810
www.thecornerdoorla.com
Photo of Beau du Bois courtesy of Acuna-Hansen.
Source: http://thirstyinla.com/2016/05/31/beau-du-bois-goonies-cocktail-menu/
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Boston Red Sox Players Spent $500K at LA Nightclub After World Series Win
After hometown heroes Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Boston Red Sox on October 28, with the visiting American League champions clinching the World Series in game five, the winners headed to West Hollywood’s Nightingale Plaza nightclub to celebrate their victory.
And did they celebrate in style, according to TMZ, spending over $300,000 on drinks, adding another $195,000 in tips for a final tab of half a million dollars. At least the Red Sox helped the local economy after demoralizing the Dodgers, who’ve garnered two straight World Series failures. Apparently the Red Sox players were spraying so much champagne that they destroyed the DJ’s laptop too.
Today’s TMZ article shows that the Boston Red Sox team members ordered the following:
48 bottles of Dom Perignon champagne
43 bottles of Ace of Spades Armand de Brignac champagne
60 bottles of the slightly cheaper Moet & Chandon champagne
5 bottles of the bright orange Veuve Cliquot bubbly
12 bottles of Perrier-Jouet champagne
1 bottle of Cristal (because why the hell not)
Don Julio tequila (amount unknown)
Belvedere vodka (amount unknown)
17 bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey
11 bottles of Jameson irish whiskey
The best part is, the players didn’t even have to foot the bill (or that massive tip). Someone from the team paid the tab. Even though LA’s home team lost, at least some folks in the nightclub business won last Sunday evening.
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Source: https://la.eater.com/2018/11/2/18056540/boston-red-sox-world-series-win-celebration-nightingale-plaza-nightclub-500k
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What are the odds? Rare Las Vegas Strip casino hits the market
The New York investment firm made the once-failing property one of the most successful on the Strip
Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Credit: Getty Images and Wikipedia)
The Cosmopolitan hotel and casino was one of the biggest failures of the Las Vegas Strip in the last decade. Now, five years after buying and reversing its fortunes, Blackstone Group is reportedly exploring a sale.
The New York-based investment giant has retained Deutsche Bank and PJT Partners Inc. to explore options for the property, including a sale, according to the Wall Street Journal. If sold to a casino operator, the property could be earn $4 billion or more. That’s about double the $1.7 billion Blackstone paid for it in 2014.
The 110,000-square-foot hotel with 3,000 rooms sits next to the Bellagio and will likely attract interest from other resort and casino operators, including larger local players or international operators like Malaysia’s Genting Group.
The $330 average daily room rate at the Cosmopolitan is the highest on the Las Vegas Strip and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization is around $300 million, sources told the Journal.
Those earnings are more than triple the earnings of the hotel before Blackstone bought the property from Deutsche Bank, which took over the unfinished property after the Bruce Eichner-led development group behind it defaulted on a construction loan.
The property opened in late 2010. Blackstone invested $500 million in the renovations, including converting the four then-unfinished top floors of the hotel into 21 suites meant to attract high rollers. It also built 18 new bars and restaurants at hotel and casino.
Blackstone benefited from strong tourist activity in Las Vegas during its ownership of the hotel, including an all-time peak of 43 million tourist visits to the city in 2016. [WSJ] — Dennis Lynch
Source: https://therealdeal.com/la/2019/04/17/what-are-the-odds-rare-las-vegas-strip-casino-hits-the-market/
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Streetwear designer John Elliott designs car tires for Lexus
Marjorie van Elven
|
Tuesday, February 12 2019
Lexus has partnered up with American sportswear designer John Elliott to create custom tires for its new car, the 2019 UX. The tires are inspired by Elliott’s Air Force 1 sneaker, launched in 2017 in collaboration with Nike.
“The first-ever Lexus UX was engineered and designed for the city. We wanted to push that concept even further by creating the ultimate homage to urban style: tires inspired by classic, street-style sneakers”, said Lexus’ Vice President of Marketing, Liza Materazzo, in a statement.
“We were excited to merge the streetwear narrative and design cues of our Air Force 1 with a brand like Lexus”, added Elliott. “It’s fun to partner with brands that typically live outside the fashion community because it allows us to evolve and continue to push our own boundaries”.
Named “Sole of the UX”, the tires were unveiled at Elliott’s New York Fashion Week after-party. Lexus didn’t disclose whether the tires will be commercially released anytime soon, but said they will make “additional appearances” throughout the US later this year.
Photo: courtesy of Lexus, courtesy of Nike
Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/streetwear-designer-john-elliott-designs-car-tires-for-lexus/2019021226090
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H&M launches a new collection of bridal wear
Robyn Turk
|
Thursday, April 25 2019
H&M is once again offering bridal wear for the spring, as the company announced via press release today. The fast fashion chain launched its first collection of bridal gowns in 2015 and has continued to follow suit each year.
As today's brides are increasingly looking to affordable options for their gowns H&M is not alone in offering a lower price point in the category. Asos currently offers bridal gowns priced as low as 95 dollars on sale, and Reformation carries a bridal range starting at 185 dollars.
H&M's newest bridal collection is priced between 249 and 349 dollars for a bridal gown. It also includes wedding guest items across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear. New this year, the brand has included a range of bridal lingerie.
The range is available now on the brand's website.
Photos courtesy of brand
Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/h-m-launches-a-new-collection-of-bridal-wear/2019042527452
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LVMH takes minority stake in Gabriela Hearst
Robyn Turk
|
Monday, January 14 2019
Gabriela Hearst is joining the LVMH portfolio. The investment arm of the international luxury group LVMH, called LVMH Luxury Ventures, has taken a minority stake in the New York-based fashion label.
While terms of the deal have not been announced, a press release noted that LVMH Luxury Ventures' investments usually range from 2 million to 15 million euros.
Owned by Gabriela Hearst, the wife of heir to the Hearst Magazines media empire Austin Hearst, the eponymous label first launched in Fall 2015. The brand has seen a quick but strategic climb to success. The brand didn't introduce its own brick-and-mortar retail until it opened its first flagship in New York this past November.
“I like our independence,” Hearst told Business of Fashion when discussing her brand's flagship in November. “I like having our choice and not being pressured by a stock market or a private equity return on investment. It would have to be was something strategic that we could learn from, something more.”
Hearst's careful choice in partnership is intended to help her brand grow internationally. While the label currently retails through international ecommerce site like Mytheresa and Moda Operandi, the release from LVMH shared that the new investment is intended to help bring Gabriela Hearst to a wider global scale.
The brand brought CEO Giuseppe Giovannetti, formerly of Tomas Maier and Bottega Veneta, on board in September to help fuel its international international standing.
Photo: Gabriela Hearst Facebook
Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/fashion/lvmh-takes-minority-stake-in-gabriela-hearst/2019011425578
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LeBron backs Coach K, teases Duke future for LeBron James Jr.
LeBron James never played in college, but barring a change to the NBA's rules, his sons will likely spend a year playing NCAA basketball before taking their talents to the NBA. And the Los Angeles Lakers star already has an idea of where he'd like 14-year-old LeBron James Jr. to play in 2023, at least if a recent Instagram comment is to be believed.
James, commenting on an ESPN post showing video of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski defending his vaunted freshmen players from criticism, wrote, "Love Coach K! The absolute BEST! Hope he's still at the helm when my boy comes up."
James played for Krzyzewski during the Duke coach's run as the head coach of USA Basketball, winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. LeBron James Jr. also caused a stir earlier this month when he posted a picture of himself in a Duke Basketball sweatshirt on Twitter.
If Bronny did land at Duke, he'd continue a recent trend of sons of former NBA players going to play for Coach K, following players such as Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Justise Winslow, Jabari Parker, Gary Trent Jr., and current Blue Devils Justin Robinson and Antonio Vrankovic.
Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25403704/lebron-backs-coach-k-teases-duke-future-lebron-james-jr
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Mixed-Use Development with a Whole Foods Could Break Ground Next Year in West L.A.
A three-year-old plan to redevelop the former "Ghetto Vons" property at Santa Monica Boulevard and Barrington Avenue has taken a key step forward, with the publication of the project's draft environmental impact report.
The 2.67-acre site, currently serving as surface parking, is slated for the construction of a five-story building featuring 180 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments - including 20 to be set aside for very low-income households - above a nearly 65,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market. Plans also call for a 594-car parking garage on three subterranean levels.
Landry Design Group is designing the project, with MVE + Partners serving as executive architect. The modern low-rise structure would sit behind ground-floor plazas along each building facade, with third-level courtyards used to provide open space for residents. Exterior finishes would include glass fiber reinforced concrete.
Project applicant United El Segundo, Inc. expects to build the Santa Monica - Barrington development over approximately 24 months, with site preparation beginning as soon as Fall 2019.
Similar mixed-use developments are also in the works for a number of properties nearby, including a five-story, 53-unit project slated to replace a vacant flower shop located across the Santa Monica- Barrington intersection, and a six-story, 99-unit building that may replace a shopping center to the east.
Source: https://urbanize.la/post/mixed-use-development-whole-foods-could-break-ground-next-year-west-la
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LA mortgages are the nation’s third least affordable
With nearly record-high home prices and wages that haven’t kept up with costs, Los Angeles is among the least affordable housing markets in the United States, according to a new report from Zillow.
The report examines how much income is required to make mortgage payments on a typical home in the Los Angeles metro area, which includes much of Orange County. It finds that a median-earning family in the area would need to spend 43.7 percent of their total income to afford a typical mortgage.
That’s the third-highest percentage in the country, behind only San Jose and San Francisco. It’s also well above the 30 percent threshold beyond which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households to be burdened by housing costs.
But, as many analysts have pointed out, examining only the percentage of income spent on housing can be misleading, as high-income earners can more easily afford to spend a larger share of their salaries on housing.
For that reason, Zillow also examined how much median-earning residents of the LA area would have left when buying a typical home. After mortgage payments (not including property taxes or other home-related expenses), median-earners would have $41,426 left for the year—a lower amount than in any of the country’s 50 largest urban areas.
That’s largely because Angelenos don’t typically earn as much as residents of the Bay Area. Despite the fact that a higher share of the median income is required to buy a home in San Fransisco and San Jose, residents there still have $60,039 and $62,335, respectively, to spend on things other than mortgage payments.
Nationwide, the report finds that buyers need to devote just 17.5 percent of the median income toward mortgage costs, leaving $52,231 left over for other expenses.
Source: https://la.curbed.com/2019/3/5/18252122/los-angeles-mortgage-home-prices-unaffordable
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