THE WEITZBUCH FAMILY

By Lori Berezin

Photography by Marvin Steindler

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Interior designer Amanda Weitzbuch and her husband, dermatologist Hal Weitzbuch, recently returned to Calabasas where they both grew up. They relish the fact that three generations, including their parents, siblings, and children, continue to work and reside in this family-friendly community.

“Our story is rather comical,” notes Amanda. “Hal and I both grew up side-by-side, attending the same schools in the same city. Our families even knew each other. Yet, we never actually met until 2008, 10 years after he graduated Calabasas High School.” It took a chance meeting at a Labor Day pool party at the Westwood W Hotel to plant the seeds that would eventually grow into marriage, family, and a whole new generation of Calabasas residents.

Hal spent 12 years in Chicago pursuing an undergraduate engineering degree at Northwestern, followed by Chicago Medical School and a three-year dermatology residency at Cook County Hospital. When he could choose any hospital in the country for his first-year internship, he came home to Los Angeles. It was clearly a great choice since he met the love of his life, Amanda, that same year. When Hal had to return to the windy city to fulfill his residency, he and Amanda weren’t sure they would stay together. Fortunately, one of Amanda’s sisters started grad school in Chicago, so she ended up spending a lot of time there; and the rest is kismet! The couple eventually got engaged at the top of Mammoth Mountain in January 2012 and married at Amanda’s parents’ lovely Calabasas estate the following Labor Day weekend, exactly four years from the day they first met.

Amanda currently runs an interior design studio; Amanda Ché Interiors, LLC, amandacheinteriors.com, creating beautiful environments for people’s homes throughout Calabasas and beyond. She previously attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles for business and design. Amanda’s passion for design was initially ignited while working in her family’s lingerie and swimwear business. She subsequently founded a swimwear company called A.Ché Swimwear, jet-setting to exotic locales like China and Thailand and other hip spots like France, Miami, and Las Vegas.

Amanda’s focus shifted when she became a mom. “Even though I loved traveling and designing, once I had children, I didn’t want to travel the world or work around the clock anymore. I desired more time with my kids while they were little and feel very lucky to have had the choice to stay home.” Amanda channeled her creativity into a luxury birthday and wedding invitations company continued on page 58