THE SWEETEST THING It was during a 2014 hiatus in their native New Zealand that Gabrielle Mirkin and Luke Harwood came up with the idea to start their manuka honey brand, Activist. They were recharging, following a hectic stint in Manhattan (where Mirkin worked as a senior designer at Vogue and Harwood ran an independent fashion label), when their beekeeper friends asked to keep hives on the couple’s land. “We began to understand the bees’ key role as environmental indicators,” says Harwood. “It gave us a vision for a business in tune with our lifestyle.” After moving to Topanga Canyon
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LOS ANGELES
CANDY Crush Justin Chao’s caramels are a revelation: Each tender cube nearly melts with the flavor of fresh butter and toasty sweetness. Now the Paris-trained pastry chef has opened Le Bon Garçon, a pretty confectionery shop in East Hollywood offering seven flavors, including lemon elderflower and yuzu sake, along with caramel waffles, coffee and breakfast dishes. And, if you really want to pour it on, there’s a caramel fountain. 5158 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., 424-272-6677; lebongarcon.com. M . B. LE BON GARÇON’s first retail space is inspired by a traditional Parisian café. Above: Handmade salted caramels.
in 2015, the husband-and-wife team saw an opportunity to bring the ingredient— renowned for its antibacterial properties—to an audience voracious for all things wellness. “It’s a transparent, natural product that people will want to integrate into their daily rituals,” says Mirkin, who is also a contributing designer at C. Launched in May, the label is named not only for the resource’s “activating” properties, but also as “a tribute to people who believe in what they do,” says Mirkin. Available at c-stateofmind.com and Cap Beauty, 8500 Sunset Blvd., W.H., 310-432-0565; activistmanuka.com. M.G .
MIRKIN AND HARWOOD PORTRAIT, ACTIVIST HONEY STILL LIFE (2): DEREK HENDERSON. ACTIVIST HONEY PRODUCT: FRED L’AMI. STONEMILL MATCHA: COURTESY OF STONEMILL MATCHA.
Clockwise from left: An image by DEREK HENDERSON from a photo essay of New Zealand commissioned by ACTIVIST. Offered in three strengths, from $32, the honey features a design by FRED L’AMI. LUKE HARWOOD, GABRIELLE MIRKIN and their son, Cisco, at home in Topanga.
Pastries curated by chef MIKIKO YUI.
SAN FRANCISCO
Meet Your Matcha The latest source of Japanese green tea-related treats? Stonemill Matcha in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood. Founder and CEO Eijiro Tsukada collaborates with pastry chef Mikiko Yui (State Bird Provisions, Coi) and the culinary minds behind Tartine Manufactory to showcase premium Kyoto-sourced green tea powder and products in a new upmarket café, sited in the former Bar Tartine space. “We combined aspects of two innately hospitality-oriented cultures: Japanese omotenashi [hospitality] and San Francisco’s approachable style of service,” Tsukada explains. 561 Valencia St., S.F.; stonemillmatcha.com. J. R .
