LA Life Magazine

LA Life Magazine Fall 2020 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 The WNBA in 2020 • Places to explore in LA • Finding a New Normal

LALifeMag.com Copyright 2020

Publisher’s Note

Staff: Publisher- Teia Hill President- Halo Davenport VP of Sales & Operations- Elijah “EJ” Summerour Graphic Design- Anthony Stelo

A Whirlwind is first word that comes to mind as I reflect on the time that has passed from the first issue to this second one. We’ve quickly had to find a way to “adjust” and start to etch out our New Normal.

As a print publication first, I took some time to strategize about how we move forward with the publication. Printing takes a lot of moving parts with a lot of face to face interaction. This would no longer be possible. After getting feedback from readers, advertisers and business associates, I made the decision to go digital only for the foreseeable future. The way that I see it, with so many of us either being in our homes for long periods of time, working from home, we are looking for ways to have an outlet, to do and see things differently in our world.

I’m excited about this issue. I’m excited that our world is changing. We’re committed to highlighting positive stories, interesting interviews and perspectives and meeting new people, businesses,

small business owners and entrepreneurs in our communities. I hope you enjoy it!

Teia Hill Publisher ATL | LA | Miami Life Magazines

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CONTENTS [ What's Inside ] www.LALifeMag.com

Pg 2 Publisher's Note Pg 4 WNBA 2020 Season Pg 9 Dr. Patrice HarrisAmerican Medical Association Pg 11 Petersen Automotive Museum Pg 15 The LA Sparks President Danita Johnson

Pg 17 Chef Michael Reed

Pg 22 The Pasta Sisters

Pg 24 A Local "GetAway" Hotel Intercontinental Downtown LA

For Advertising Inquiries, Content, Subscription or Story Submission Publisher@LALifeMag.com | 770-940-0606

Pg 25 The Artist Future Leads the way

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WNBA TIPS OFF 2020 SEASON Teams will play 22 regular season games Players to receive full pay and benefits in modified season WNBA 2020 season will feature bold commitment to social justice

Photo Credit - WNBA

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NEW YORK– After significant discussions with the league’s key stakeholders, including the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the WNBA announced their to return to the court for the 2020 WNBA season. The league is partnering with IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA season. The schedule is set for 22 regular-season games followed by a traditional playoff format. “We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan. And, despite the disruption caused by the global pandemic to our 2020 season, the WNBA and its Board of Governors believe strongly in supporting and valuing the elite women athletes who play in the WNBA and therefore, players will receive their full pay and benefits during the 2020 season.” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

IMG Academy will be the home for each of the league’s 12 teams and serve as a single site for training camp, games and housing. The top priority continues to be the health and safety of all players and staff. The league is working with medical specialists, public health experts, and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place. Due to the fluid situation resulting from the pandemic, the league and players will continue to review the appropriate health and safety protocols and make necessary changes to the plan prior to the start of training camp and throughout the regular season. “As home to some of the world’s leading athletes, coaches and performance experts, IMG Academy is thrilled to partner with the top basketball players in the world and the entire WNBA family,” said Tim Pernetti, Executive Vice President, IMG Events & Media. “We are truly looking forward to becoming the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA Season and working closely with the league in providing our best-in-class training and competition environment.”

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Throughout this unique season format where all players will be at the same place, at the same time, a first in the league’s history, the WNBA will build on its commitment to social justice and will support players in launching a bold social justice platform as a call to action to drive impactful, measurable and meaningful change. The WNBA 2020 season will include a devoted platform led by the players that will aim to support and strengthen both the league and teams’ reach and impact on social justice matters.

As recently announced, this began with the WNBA making donations from sales of its “Bigger Than Ball” women’s empowerment merchandise to the Equal Justice Initiative. “The WNBA opposes racism in all its forms, and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are the latest names in a list of countless others who have been subject to police brutality that stems from the systemic oppression of Black Lives in America, and it is our collective responsibility to use our platforms to enact change,” said Engelbert. “In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it's taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike.

“We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on. This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

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“As in recent CBA negotiations, the WNBPA Executive Committee worked tirelessly to represent the interests of all players as the league planned to launch a 2020 season,” said WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. “Our society has learned or perhaps has been reminded of an important lesson: women are integral to the economic stability of their families and their communities.

The league and the teams’ commitment makes a statement.”

Although the WNBA 2020 season will be played without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league will continue to build on the current momentum around the WNBA and the players, while offering fans a front row seat at home thanks to broadcast partners ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV and their ongoing commitment to women’s sports.

About the WNBA The WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s new partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers. Inaugural WNBA Changemakers include AT&T, Deloitte and Nike.

For more information, visit WNBA.com.

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Jeni Britton Bauer is an American ice cream maker and entrepreneur. As a pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement, she introduced a modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making that has been widely emulated across the world but never duplicated. Jeni opened her first ice cream shop, Scream, in 1996, then founded Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in 2002.

The Ice Creams Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is devoted to making the finest ice creams the world has ever known. Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 2002 by James Beard Awardwinning cookbook author Jeni Britton Bauer, Jeni's has emerged over the past 18 years as the new standard by which all other ice creams (and ice cream companies) are judged. Jeni's continues to make one-of-a-kind flavors with Direct and Fair Trade ingredients and milk from family dairy farms. Today, Jeni's is a Certified B Corporation for its environmental, communal and sustainable business leadership with 44 scoop shops (as of May 2020), an online shop at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country. Jeni's pioneered the Fellowship Model, based on the belief that it takes a community of people to build ice cream from the ground up: growers, makers, producers, suppliers, customers.

And the people and companies who make Jeni's ice cream possible aren't anonymous accounts; they're partners — and the company couldn't run without them.

About the Flavors Some of Jeni's top sellers include Brambleberry Crisp, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Darkest Chocolate, Gooey Butter Cake and Salty Caramel. In June and July, we'll see the return of some great seasonal flavors, including FrosĂŠ sorbet, Atlantic Beach Pie, Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam, Orange Blossom Chiffon, and Sun-Popped Corn.

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Tell me about your background, growing up in West Virginia and how you ultimately became the first African American woman to be elected President of The American Medical Association in 2019..

It’s been quite a journey, I grew up in a small town in West Virginia.

My dad worked on the railroads and my mother was a school

teacher. My parents and grandparents wanted to make sure that

we all got a good education so I had a lot of support and

Dr. Patrice Harris, MD, MA American Medical Association Immediate Past President

encouragement for the pursuit of education in my family. I learned

early on that being a physician could give me a platform to impact

the community outside of the patient / exam room. That was my

inspiration especially because I had no friends or family members

that were physicians, nor did I know of any personally. I had no idea

how to get there but I just knew I wanted to get there. I delayed my

career at the beginning because I had no outside support other

than my family on how to get there. I didn’t have much help or

guidance. I was told once that I should just go to nursing school

and be a nurse. I ultimately ended up going to medical school in

West Virginia, where I was the only African American in all four

classes at the time. I then decided that I wanted to move to Atlanta

to pursue my residency training, and was accepted into The Emory

program both residency and training. I had relatives here in Atlanta,

the weather is warmer and I’ve been here ever since. I got really

engaged in the policy and advocacy bug of organized medicine

and worked my way up through the state and national level. And

ultimately elected in 2018 as President of American Medical

Association and served my term in 2019.

In your own words, tell me how you feel COVID-19 has impacted America as a whole? As a country.

No question that our country is dealing with many issues around

Health Inequities and Health Delivery systems and the lack of

affordable health insurance for some in our country. What I think

Covid-19 has done is amplified for some and exposed for some. I do

believe there are some people that are learning for the first time

about these inequities, but for many of us, many people knew

already.

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How has COVID-19 affected and negatively impacted The African American community?

The impact on black and brown people, The African American community, The Latin community and Indigenous community, it has been disproportionate. Add to that police violence that has been exposed. A thread of structural discrimination and racism- again, it’s not new..

But to some it is. Covid-19 has even exposed inequities in broadband access, because children had to be educated from home. Suddenly it was clear again, it’s not new but not everyone in a family had either a computer or more than one computer, and not everyone had access to data plans, and not everyone had access to broadband Wifi.

What steps and measures is The American Medical Association taking to help better educate The African American and communities all over America on COVID-19?

Covid-19 has exposed these issues, but I would say it is a positive thing because you can not solve a problem or think about solutions until you begin to identify problems. There is a critical mass of folks who realize there are issues and they are looking to do something about them. The “do something” part of it is crucial. These issues are not new to The American Medical Association, but we have certainly stepped up our efforts. Pre-Covid, At The AMA, we were already looking towards the next steps, to take it to the next level. We’d hired a Chief Health Equity Officer. She’s been on board for a couple of years. Her goal is to imbed Health Equity into The DNA of all of our work at The American Medical Association. We’re doing work with our Diabetes Team, High Blood Pressure Team, Opioids Team and Task Force. We want to partner and lead the conversation on workforce diversity and education.

What can we do in your opinion to help spread more awareness about the seriousness of this virus to the public?

I would say that what you are doing is important. I would tell the public to get accurate information. There’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there- especially on social media. I would ask people to appreciate that this is a new virus and we’re learning as we’re going.

The American Medical Association is committed to being a credible source of information for the public. COVID-19 is real. It can be deadly and the risk is real. But none of us live in a bubble. There are people who are more at risk than others. But we are all at risk.

They should wear masks, not be in large gatherings, and maintain good hand hygiene.

What is your goal in your current role as Immediate Past President?

There are issues that I’ve been passionate about for years and I will continue to be passionate about. I want to do three things:

Integration of

Mental Health into overall Health; Diversity of The Physician Workforce and Health Equity; and the Third is Childhood Trauma

ama-assn.org

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PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM THE PETERSEN OPENS ITS DOORS AFTER MASSIVE REDESIGN

Photo Credit- Petersen Museum

Los Angeles, Calif. – After a 14-month total transformation that shrouded the exterior with ribbons of stainless steel and an interior packed with priceless vehicles and cutting-edge technology, the Petersen Automotive Museum at the gateway of Los Angeles’ famed Museum Row has reopened. The museum is packed with hundreds of new sights, sounds and experiences for visitors of all ages. Displays include some of history’s most breathtaking collector cars, championship winning race cars, groundbreaking art cars, famous Hollywood vehicles, seminal motorcycles and more.

“I am proud to announce that the new Petersen Automotive Museum is open with interior and exterior designs that are even more stunning than the concept renderings – and that is a rare feat in both the architecture and museum worlds,” said Executive Director Terry Karges. “Thanks to the efforts of Kohn Pedersen Fox, Matt Construction, A. Zahner Company, The Scenic Route and our incredible Petersen team, we have transformed a building that was once an old department store into one of the most groundbreaking structures in Los Angeles.

What’s inside is just as stunning, including a three-story spiral staircase that transports visitors through 25 galleries representing the history, industry and artistry of the 11 automobile.”

“The new Petersen Automotive Museum now has three full floors of content with 95,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Guests are invited to enter the museum through either the parking structure off Fairfax or the new entrance on famed Wilshire Boulevard. There they can see several display vehicles in the David and Ginny Sydorick Grand Concourse, purchase tickets, and take an elevator to the third floor, where the experience begins.

The History Floor (3) will help visitors dive into nostalgia as they explore the multi-faceted history of the automobile.

“Concept Cars as Art” in the Audrey and Martin Gruss Foundation Gallery shows what the future looked like in the 1950s and 60s, while the Hollywood Gallery includes the Batmobile, the Magnum P.I. Ferrari, several vehicles from Spectre – the latest James Bond movie, the Pontiac Aztec from Breaking Bad and other fan favorites. Also featured on the third floor is the pivotal exhibit “Southern California: A Region in Motion” in the Southland Gallery, presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California, which uses interactive video content to show how Los Angeles grew out, instead of up, like most cities.

One of the most visually stunning displays in the museum is the Precious Metal exhibit in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery presented by Rolex, a gathering of the world’s rarest and most exotic cars – all finished in silver. Just a few samples of the incredible vehicles in this gallery include a 1995 McLaren F1, the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette XP-87 Stingray designed, driven and raced by GM President of Design Bill Mitchell, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in the movie Goldfinger, a stunning 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic by Ghia, a 1967 Ferrari 625/250 Testa Rossa by Scaglietti known as one of the most winning Ferraris of its time, and a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 Streamliner driven by Juan-Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.

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The last exhibit on the top-to-bottom tour is also the first one visitors see upon entering the museum – BMW Art Cars in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery, presented by BMW of North America. The BMW Art Car program was launched by French auctioneer/racer Hervé Poulain, who commissioned Alexander Calder to design the livery of a 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL. Also on display is the 1995 BMW 850 CSi designed by highly influential British artist David Hockney, who now lives a few miles from the Petersen, as well as the 2008 BMW Z4 used by South African artist Robin Rhode for the “Expression Of Joy” project. Rhode utilized the car as an internalcombustion paint brush: He remotely activated paint sprayers directed onto the tires as the Z4 drove over a large canvas. A piece of the Expression of Joy canvas is displayed on the wall in the Hammer Foundation Gallery, as are images and information on all 17 BMW Art Cars.

12 To learn more about The Petersen, its latest exhibits, rotating galleries and special events, please visit www.Petersen.org. The Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution. For general Museum information, call 323/930-CARS or visit www.petersen.org.

Walk With Sally provides hope through their individualized mentoring and community support services to empower children experiencing trauma through a parent, guardian or siblinling’s cancer journey.

Nick Arquette is The Founder and CEO of Walk With Sally.

Pre-pandemic I sat down with Nick face to face in LA. A charming founder of a wonderful Non-Profit Charity organization. I followed up via telephone with him to get an update on how the organization has had to adjust during the health crisis with COVID-19. Here’s what he had to say: How has COVID-19 affected the Walk With Sally Organization?

Well first it’s brought our community together like never before. We already had a good level of technology put in place over the last couple years, so we were able to complete our fundraiser White Light White Night online and we managed to hit our target goals. The hard part has been figuring out our big annual event. A large component of our event revolves around a large group gathering together for a special day and cause, so you can see how that would affect things. We’ve had to give a big effort to getting much more creative in our approach with everything. *Editor's Note- "The Walk With Sally team was innovative in their pivot once COVID hit, and the live streamed virtual event for White Light White Night Safe@Home was a success for the organization considering all of the challenges of the times."

How have you had to become more creative in your approach?

A few of our staff members were previously working from home already before Coronavirus, which has helped a bit for this transition into the “New Normal”. I told everyone that we were going to become the experts at this. I love how everyone has managed to handle the challenge.. Before you would visit with the child(ren) once a month, but now you can connect your child virtually, even if you are out of town. We started thinking about if we would go ahead and implement this strategy down the road. It has definitely been a silver lining in all of this.

Have your short or long term goals for Walk With Sally changed?

I think right now you have to have a plan utilizing technology. I’m definitely thinking about our annual budget even more and how we can be more resourceful as an organization. We’re definitely looking at this as a way to get more reach in many areas across the country- Atlanta, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Albuquerque, New Mexico

To learn more, to get involved: visit walkwithsally.org

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1800 Tequila, the world's most awarded tequila line, introduces new ultra-premium expression 1800 Cristalino, a clear and complex sipping tequila that merges both the visual and the sensory. As the latest, and fastest growing, category definition within tequila, Cristalino is a smooth, deep tasting and crystal clear sipping spirit for tequila-lovers who appreciate complex aĂąejos. Starting with 1800 AĂąejo's 200-year-old recipe, 1800 Cristalinois first aged for 16 months in both new American and French oak barrels. The liquid is then married together and uniquely finished in port wine casks for an additional six months, something that no other tequila brand has done. The liquid transforms through a careful filtering process to leave a smoother, colorless and more complex tequila. The final crystalline expression is then packaged in an elegant and eye-catching, luxe glass bottle.

Photo Courtesy 1800 Tequilla

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Meet Danita Johnson, she’s The President and COO of The Los Angeles Sparks of The WNBA. I sat down briefly with Danita in between meetings to get her take on her role in the organization and what her plans are for the future.

Here’s what she had to say: Tell me about your background and how it ultimately led you to becoming The President & Chief Operating Officer of The Los Angeles Sparks.

My background is in sports and I've actually been very specific and intentional about my career objectives from the time I was in college until now. I really focused on how to develop in the sports world. I grew up playing sports and I knew what it did for me, the impact it had on my life. I wasn't a great athlete but growing up playing organized sports, it helped me to understand the purpose of the team and how to work together towards one common goal.. To win and be the best!

How have your accomplishments throughout your career prepared you for this role with The LA Sparks?

I ask myself at every level throughout my journey...

"How do I succeed? How do I remain humble but aggressive at the same time?” I think there's a combination of both that you need within the space of Sports and Athletics. I would give it my all. I think those are things that I really focused on from a growth and development phase.

How did your previous role with the LA Clippers in The NBA differ from your role as The President of the LA Angeles Sparks?

I started my career in men's basketball (NBA) and worked in men's basketball for years. Later, down the line I began working for my first women's basketball team. That wasn't my ultimate goal. However, it’s something about this piece of sports that gives me a different sense of purpose. One where I know that what I’m doing is significant for generations to come for young women, girls and boys that need to be enlightened in this capacity of accepting women in this “non-traditional” format. In men’s sports, there's no glass ceiling. For us as women, I feel like in our sports there's automatically an installation of a ceiling that is mentally placed into our minds from how we run our organizations the things that we can do to how our athletes are presented and treated. Things like the lack of access to certain areas to develop both on and off courts. To me, that really is a big difference.

The Los Angeles Sparks are very committed to giving back to the communitycan you elaborate on the goals for giving back, any recent and / or upcoming projects and events within and or for the community here in Los Angeles and beyond?

We've actually been recalibrating a little bit and built our four key platforms that we focus on when it comes to the community here in Los Angeles. We are women and girls first, we focus on health and wellness, as well as military and veterans and our first responders. In the sports world, we’re a small but mighty organization, but we want to and try to do big things! So we’ll focus on these four key areas.

These areas we are aligning ourselves with so that we can really strike a chord in one of those key boxes, it's going to help us because it gives us a definite focus.

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What types of partnerships do you look for?

From a PR perspective, we want community partners that are in line with us that want to service our communities

as well.

What are your short term and long term goals as The President of The Sparks?

For the short term and for the long term- I want to be the team that does it. I want to be the team that shows people that it’s possible. I want to be the team that people are looking to as the model organization of what can happen in women's sports.

Everyday we’re heading towards our long term goals- things like increasing our partnerships, increasing our player visibility and player profiles.

Is there anything additional that you’d like to add or let my readers know?

People aren’t knocking on our doors to put $50,000 or $150,000 into our organization, and I think that's true for many women's athletic organizations. It's very rare for that to happen, so for us we have to go out and tell our story from beginning to end, so that people will understand it.

That's the big thing I think is, some people don't get to see us play. Some can’t connect with us, and some people won't even have a conversation with us. They measure us on broadcast media impressions and the problem is that in women's sports, we're just not on television as much, only in smaller capacity. So we're not getting the media exposure, we’re not on the big networks because we’re not in everyday rotation on some of the sports networks. We are on social media and we love it! There’s a lot more conversation about us on social media from some of the biggest influencers in sports media. More people have created women sports platforms and will talk about sports.

These people are making a change in the industry. They are saying “Listen we're not getting on traditional media so we're going to use the media outlets we have from social digital platforms to create a space for people who actually know about what is happening and women sports.”

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C H E F

R E E D

Chef Michael Reed is a great family man, a great cook, with innovative dishes and a great entrepreneur in the Los Angeles area I've eaten at his restaurants and the food is amazing! I caught up with him briefly a few weeks ago to talk about how the pandemic has affected his restaurant. and business. 17

Tell me about how things have changed due to Covid and being a very popular chef in LA?

We’ve changed our service from “Dine-In” which was where most of our revenue came from, to Curbside Pick-Up and Delivery only. We changed our menu a bit and added a “pantry” section at the beginning of Covid to service the community and to provide basic essentials.

How has the restaurant scene changed in your opinion?

The restaurant scene in LA since Covid has become quite sad. About 60% of these restaurants won’t survive through Covid- which is dramatically changing some of the iconic restaurants that have been around for a long time. Poppy + Rose has been lucky enough to have been supported by the community during this time which has helped us to “stay afloat”.

How has Poppy + Rose adjusted to all the changes set forth by local and federal government? We adopted a model of slow and steady wins the race. We moved to curbside, delivery and pick ups only.

There’s a 16 page guideline with stipulations that we could follow to have dine in and patio service.

However, we didn’t feel comfortable as owners to open up the restaurant for “Dine-In” or Patio service. We’ve stuck to the plan we have in place which is delivery, curbside and pick up orders only.

Tell me about some of the amazing work that Poppy + Rose is doing in the community. We’ve been blessed to still be steady and consistent. We’ve also been able to partner with some great people in the community such as Brown Bag Lady, and have been able to donate over 2,000 meals in the last couple of months to feed the less fortunate and people who are struggling right now. We were able to feed some of the first responders and front line workers at some of the testing centers as well. It’s been nice to be able to give back, and show them our love and give them our support.

What are you doing to change or update your skills as a chef and restaurant owner during this time? My wife & I have been able to focus more and finish up our work with our Non-Profit. We’re also working on more collaborations and partnerships with other black owned businesses. We’re working with Crown & Hops and we're trying to do a Supper Club on the Roof. We’re working to collaborate with like minded people and businesses to see what we can do to join forces and become stronger.

Has the menu changed or been updated at Poppy + Rose due to Covid? At the start of Covid we shrank the menu by a little bit just to see where we were at. Recently we’ve added more healthy options and expanded our menu back to the regular menu to give our guests a better variety to choose from on a daily basis which has worked out well. We’ve added a bowl called “The Kitchen Sink” which consists of pulled pork, bacon, yams and kale which is delicious. We’ve added a few more fun and interesting dishes for a bit more variety.

Have you taken on any special projects during this time that you may not have normally been able to fit into your schedule? I’ve been able to plant a raised bed garden. I’ve gotten the opportunity to spend more time with our 2 year old daughter. We’re able to grow some vegetables at home which is something I’ve always wanted to do so that’s been a lot of fun!

What do you forecast for Poppy + Rose in the next 6-12 months ?We’re looking at building out a Food Truck or trailer where we can do “pop-up’s” where we can look at more collaborations and showcase more of our dinner menu. We’re also looking at finishing up the work on our Non-Profit as well.

Is there anything additional that you’d like my readers to know,? We’d like to say “Thank you” to all of our supporters. Be safe. Get out and vote. Continue to support each other through these difficult times. It’s going to take entire communities, groups of people out in the trenches protesting and working hard for these changes that we’re striving for. Stay strong. Stay safe. We love you. And we’re here for you!

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Vinovore

I met Coly at her store in LA ealier this year. Not only she is an awesome woman but she has an amazing knowledge and vision for Wine. You should get to know her. Here's what we talked about...

Tell me how you became the owner of Vineovore Wine....

I was really young when I started my career in the restaurant industry. I worked as a server and a bartender in a lot of places here in LA. There was an Italian restaurant that I worked at and the manager became my mentor. He mentioned to me one day that they were offering sommelier courses at the restaurant for the first time, he encouraged me to take the course and I did. I was really into bartending but was ready for the cocktail revolution that was going on around 2005- 2006. I actually had zero interest in wine. I took the course which was in a classroom setting, I sat there and listened and my mind was blown.

I quickly realized that wine really is for everyone. Wine is approachable, it's farmers, it's tradition. It's not just for people collecting it in their sellers and smoking cigars. I immediately fell in love as I was taking the course and before I knew it, I wanted to open a wine bar. I felt like I needed to open a wine bar that spreads this message that wine is not pretentious and exclusive, rather it’s inclusive. I got a business partner and we opened the first wine bar in 2008 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Where are the current trends in Wine right now?

Natural wine has been having a moment for a minute but still very much trending and reaching new customer bases every day. The main philosophy behind natural wine is minimal intervention. A lot of people don't realize there's over 70 additives and chemicals that can go into your average bottle of wine. Natural wine is basically fermented grapes, the original way of making wine. It's also what made me fall in love with wine. From the farmers' perspective- the way they care about their vines is giving back to the earth instead of depleting it. Most people find they also feel better drinking Natural wine as opposed to conventional or grocery store wines.

Even people who think they were allergic in the past find they have zero issues when making the switch. I could go on but bottom line it's a trend worth spreading.

What is your favorite wine?

I love orange wine. One way to describe it is, rosĂŠ is red grapes made like white wine (only a few hours of skin contact). Orange wine is white grapes made like red wine (days to weeks of skin contact). All the color in wine comes from the grapes' skin pigmentation. Orange wines are fantastic for food pairing; they tend to have a little more richness and structure than a white but are more versatile than a red.

What is the overall goal for Vinovore?

Women made wine world domination! My ideas on the way to get there have definitely changed during these past months though. We were focused on more locations pre-COVID which is still partly the case but what that might look like is different. We were going to focus more on wine tasting bars and retail, and now I'm loving my wine window and would love to open as many as possible everywhere I can! I love doing collaborations and partnerships with other like minded groups and brands. I think the Vinovan will be a great new way to achieve that. I'm also still focusing on our own Vinovore wine label based on our animal tasting chart to bring the fun, unique, and interactive system to other wine shops and restaurants around the country.

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Can you tell me more about Vinovore and it’s offerings?

Pre-Covid customers were able to come in and kind of make the store their own.

Beyond wine we also carry curated books and goods for you to shop for yourself or put together an awesome gift. We would also have events such as book signings and readings with women authors paired with our wines. All our wines are made by female winemakers only. Things are a lot different now. We no long allow people into the store for everyone's safety so we had to get creative in order to offer as much of our unique Vinovore experience as possible. We moved our entire inventory online and included pictures of our hand written tasting notes to help better describe the wines.

Our animal tasting chart is also incorporated into our website so you can shop by your wine spirit animal so to speak. Local delivery and contactless curbside pickup were also new additions to the shop. The most recent change we made was converting our storefront to a wine window shopping situation. We have displayed most of our wines, with hang tags of our tasting notes for customers to shop safely from the sidewalk.

Once they have chosen what wines they want, they simply ring our doorbell and we pop out of the window to give some of our legendary customer service! Next up is our Vinovan, a custom delivery van that is also outfitted for distancing events and mobile wine shopping.

Is there anything additional that you’d like to add or let my readers know?

I found it really interesting that young women are the number one consumers of wine in restaurants and retail but yet they're not catered to in any way. So I wanted to create a place that kind of felt like a little special wine haven for women. Once I had that idea, I googled it and it didn't exist, which I thought was really exciting. However, it's really hard to do anything at first, but I jumped at it. I talked to a lot of my peers about it and they all were like yeah go for it, do it, it's a different perspective that hasn't been done. I’m also looking to have my wines and store on a national level.

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Tou Ta Lou [ Goodbye Hangover!! ] www.TouTaLou.com

I spoke briefly with David- The Owner of Tou Ta Lou. He told me how excited he was to finally come up with a great formula for a long desired product to help cure the common hang over. David explained "There was a lot of trial and error if you will, to come up with a supplement that was not only healthy and organic but to also make you just feel good overall." David spoke about the many parties and social events that he and his team attended in quest to test their product.

The ingredients are simple- natural roots, berries and juices to create a "Pre-party" wellness shot to take before the party, during the party or after. David was eager to send me a sample to try for myself. I wasn't skeptical going into it because I knew that he had something special. The first thing I told him in our conversation was that there's definitely a market for a wellness shot like this. He shipped me a sample, I tried it and loved it. The taste was pleasant, but the overall feeling and assurance of knowing there wouldn't be any side affects from my glasses of wine beforehand was the best. Cheers!

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Pasta Sisters

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Chef Paola Da Re and Owners of Pasta Sisters LA // Answered by Giorgia Sinatra (Creative Director) In your words, tell me the history of Pasta Sisters Restaurant Family is at the heart and soul of Los Angeles’ Pasta Sisters.

It all started in Padova, Italy, where Pasta Sisters Chef and Owner Paola Da Re and her beloved sisters, Luisa and Patrizia, learned the skills and nuances of Italian cooking from their Mamma, Maria Giovanna, and her Mamma’s sister. Pasta Sisters are the natural evolution of hard work, passion, familial love, and treasured family recipes and techniques handed down from generation to generation. Many of the recipes served at Pasta Sisters today come from two hand-written diaries from Paola’s Mamma, that are now her most treasured possession. Pasta Sisters have brick and mortar locations on Pico Blvd and Culver City and as well as a food truck. Pasta Sisters, serves unparalleled homemade pastas and sauces made with the finest ingredients that have been in the same family for over 100 years, as well as complementary items, that taste like Italy. Paola, alongside her family and dedicated team prioritize the highest quality ingredients to bring an elevated food experience in a casual dine-in-deli setting. From their handmade fresh pastas to their legendary Eggplant Parmigiana, there is love on every plate served at Pasta Sisters.

How do you work together in harmony as a family?

When we first opened Pasta Sisters, we split all of the responsibilities based on our specific set of skills and personalities. It all happened very naturally. Paola was always meant to be the chef, Francesco (brother) has always been good with numbers which is why he is the CEO and I have always been creative, which Is why she handles the branding, design and marketing. We all work in harmony because when it comes to decision making, we rely on each other for support. All decisions are made together. We definitely have arguments, but I feel that being a family makes it easier to come to a solution that everyone is happy with.

What are some of your favorite dishes at Pasta Sisters?

Paola Da Re: Eggplant Parmigiana Francesco Sinatra (Son): Spaghetti Pesto Giorgia Sinatra (Daughter): Tagliatelle Bolognese Francesca Lico (Daughter): Gnocchi Pesto What is the overall goal for Pasta Sisters?

We are attached to the dishes we cook and serve so it is important for us to stay truly authentic. We don’t cut any corners and strive to always present authentic + quality Italian cuisine.

What makes Los Angeles so unique to you?

We were always destined to be in Los Angeles. When Paola was 17, she came to Los Angeles in the 80s after living in London for some time. Francesco was the only member of the family to be born in Los Angeles which is why he had a deeper connection before moving back to Italy at a young age. Los Angeles naturally felt like “home”, which is why we have all relocated here as a family.

Tell me how Pasta Sisters has had to make adjustments so far during COVID-19.

Sometimes we feel as though we have opened a new restaurant as our operations have completely flipped. We have different schedules, management, reduced staff, front of house operations, groceries, etc.

How has COVID-19 impacted the business and what potential plans do you have for the foreseeable future? The business was impacted a lot, we lost almost 70-80% of our regular business. I would say that Culver City was impacted more than our Pico location because that location was already a small location meanwhile our Culver location brought in a lot of dine-in revenue. As far as the potential plan for the future, we are trying to strategize a way to reopen the restaurant with the heavy regulations that are being talked about. We are hearing about potentially having to create protection between tables so that is something we are looking into. We are trying to understand the new capacity, how to manage crowds, lines, etc. Of course our main priority is to bring back all of the employees we have furloughed due to the crisis. We are working on readjusting the schedule to make sure that everyone will have a job.

Is there anything additional that you’d like to add or let my readers know?

We are trying to live day by day and do our best during this stressful situation. Because we are a family business, the stress falls right on our shoulders and I feel as though we need to support each other in order to sustain the restaurant.

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W A N T

A

" L O C A L "

GetAway?

Hotel Intercontinential Downtown LA

Photos Courtsey of Intercontinental Hotel Downtown LA

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Future Leads The Way

The Atlanta Legend inspired seven artists to tell their stories to the world while honing their unique sounds and styles. The result is 1800 Seconds Vol. 2. A powerful collaboration of rising artists hungry to make every second counts.

Our team spoke with a few of the artists and was able to go behind the scenes of rehersals and the final concert and showcase of the artists.

25 Photos Courtsey 1800 Tequilla

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