Los Angeles Downtown News 10-05-20

‘The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution’ Owner of closed Preux & Proper helps struggling restaurants Page 3

‘Who Do You Want Me to Be?’ Michael Des Barres just wants to be himself

October 5, 2020 I VOL. 49 I #40

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Los Angeles Mission The Rev. Troy Vaughn named organization’s president, CEO

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

Covered NEWS California will help Chinatown’s William Mead Homes awaiting ballfield, renovations

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski he Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodgers Foundation recently celebrated the groundbreaking of two All-Star Legacy projects, the All-Star Dodgers Dreamfield and All-Star Teen Center at William Mead Homes in Chinatown.

Located less than 2 miles from Dodger Stadium, William Mead Homes is home to more than 400 low-income families.

In partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of West San Gabriel Valley and the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles, this project will renovate an unplayable ballfield into a new Dodgers Dreamfield, a safe and state-of-the-art place to play more than 200 Boys & Girls Club members and nearly 3,500 youth in the surrounding community.

“We’re so excited, honestly,” said Nichol Whiteman, chief executive officer, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.

“Obviously, in 2019, together with the Dodgers and the Major League Baseball, we started a plan for the 2020 All-Star Game being hosted at Dodger Stadium. What comes with the 2020 AllStar Game are legacy projects.”

Legacy projects are those that are invested in the community left behind after the All-Star Game. Whiteman said her organization had its eye on William Mead after youth from there participated in Dodgers RBI sports-based youth development program.

“The community is so important to us. William Mead has a Boys and Girls Club. Major League Baseball has had a national partnership with them for many years.”

The Dreamfield is No. 54, and the foundation hosted a virtual groundbreaking two weeks ago.

“I am glad we have been able to share this with the world,” Whiteman said. “This project is very important to us.

“Our Dodgers Dreamfield program is focused on building fields in underserved communities throughout the Los Angeles area and beyond. We do not write a check to an organization to make it happen. We will partner with a municipal agency, with the city of Los Angeles or the county of Los Angeles, city of Compton. We essentially handle the construction. We go through all of the appropriate permitting. They’re turning the field over to us to transform it over to something else.”

After these fields open, park usage increases, the number of volunteer coaches goes up and additional amenities are usually added, like soccer fields.

Earlier this year, Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of the 2020 All-Star Game, which was to be hosted by the Dodgers. The team will host the next available Midsummer Classic in 2022. Despite the postponement, Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Dodgers Foundation will honor their $1.7 million commitment to four All-Star Legacy projects. The William Mead Homes project is the first of the All-Star Legacy projects to be celebrated.

Renovations include a complete field makeover, installation of fencing, windscreens, a brandnew scoreboard and backstop signage. In addition to the field renovation, upgrades will also be made to the club’s outdoor area.

In addition to William Mead Homes, updates on the other All-Star Legacy projects will be shared later this year and will benefit the communities of South Los Angeles, Downtown Skid Row and Lincoln Heights.

In Downtown Skid Row, the All-Star Veterans Courtyard is a collaboration with the veteran-led organization The Mission Continues. This effort will upgrade existing outdoor gathering space facilities in the area for veterans receiving day services and those in long-term housing on-site.

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Josh Kopel was the owner of Downtown’s Preux & Proper.

Photo courtesy Josh Kopel

Owner of closed Preux & Proper pivots to helping struggling restaurants

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski he restaurant industry was one of those hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Josh Kopel of Downtown’s Preux & Proper isn’t any different.

He closed his restaurant and pivoted toward helping others in his situation. The host of the “Full Comp: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution” podcast recently launched his all-encompassing “Industry Guide to Restructuring.”

The guide, which is available for free on Kopel’s website, joshkopel.com, is the culmination of the efforts of some of the greatest minds in the restaurant industry. Strategic partners included Yelp, Oyster Sunday, Cornell University, Death & Co., and Jon Taffer, as well as countless insights provided by guests of the podcast.

“Everything I’ve done thus far since the podcast has all been a function of need,” he said. “It’s a selfish act entirely. I had looked at other guides, but what we needed was a wholistic solution.

“Through this opportunity with the podcast, I’ve been able to talk to some of the brightest minds in the industry.”

Kopel wanted to cobble together something that tackles most subject that would help restaurants “survive today and thrive tomorrow.”

“Full Comp was a selfish endeavor,” he said. “I was lost and needed guidance. I’ve used the show as a platform to reach out to the folks I’ve looked up to my entire career, hoping their wisdom could help us chart a new path forward.”

Kopel admitted some of the information in the guide may seem a little obvious at face value.

But looking at it as a whole, the guide is “incredibly valuable,” he said.

“It goes over everything from dealing with your landlord to negotiating with vendors to what to do if someone doesn’t want to wear a mask in your restaurant,” he said. “We ran the gamut. This is a multitiered problem. It’s not a money problem. This was an obliteration of an entire industry.”

Kopel said he didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. He wanted to know what the smartest folks in the industry were going to do and then he would follow suit.

“That’s why I started the podcast, but after months of doing the show, I still lacked a cohesive plan to reopen,” Kopel said. “So, I reached out to the innovators, frontrunners and the folks who were already open to determine what was working and what wasn’t. This guide is the result of those efforts.

All of the credit for this project goes to the amazing people and companies that provided this information. This is my path forward. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I’ve seen out there.”

Kopel said the book isn’t a marketing product. He doesn’t reach out after the book is downloaded. After all, he’s in the same boat.

“My restaurant is not open,” he said. “It was 6,000 square feet, two stories. I don’t know if I need that much anymore. I look at the tier of dining we were in. I don’t know if that best serves the community. We had a $21,000 lease rate. I didn’t have many options. What I wanted in this moment were options. I wanted to know how can I get in most service to the community. It’s with this guide.”

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

Skid Row Productions: the sound of poverty

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski o change the narrative on the stories told from Skid Row and the story of his life, Christopher N. bought a $25 computer from a thrift store and started making music.

“I live on low income, and I’m using a 30-day trial to make the music,” said Christopher, who wouldn’t reveal his last name. “I’m essentially doing everything to the cheapest way I possibly can to make this happen.”

Once homeless, 40-year-old Christopher now lives in the housing on Skid Row and uses his time to write and produce music under the name Skid Row Productions.

He hopes his music will help him afford to join The American Federation of Musicians Local 47, an LA-based union that provides health care and other benefits. He taught himself how to advertise his music by paying for ads on Facebook and spreading his music to as many ears as possible.

Christopher’s ultimate goal isn’t to simply make his own music career but to create an artistic space and a foundation for Skid Row’s artists. He wants to teach them the ins and outs of how to create music and advertise one’s self to help put them on the path to getting housing, health care and artistic expression.

“I want to show people how you can try to change your life, right from here, just as you are,” Christopher said.

His idea to make money from music came from an experience where he and his friend were both homeless at the same time. Both were struggling, but his friend was part of the LA musicians’ union, where he received health insurance and other benefits from his membership.

From there, Christopher said he was inspired to find a way to raise money to pay the dues required to be part of that union and help others raise money to join as well. That’s where the name Skid Row Productions comes in.

“I know pain makes beautiful art, and so there’s so much pain here,” he said about Skid Row. He doesn’t want recognition, he said; rather, he wants to encourage those on Skid Row to use art and music to create a path of success.

“A common thing that you see (on Skid Row) is people rolling by with digital cameras, and no one ever gets paid that’s on the camera,” he said. “The only people who ever get recognition are the people with the cameras. My idea is rather to tell the story of Skid Row from people that live here in Skid Row.” Christopher’s lyrics are molded by his real-life experiences as a homeless person. Originally from the Dallas area, he moved to LA and it took him a while to go to Skid Row to seek help.

“It’s very frightening if you roll past and you’re not familiar with the situation,” he said.

He talks about roaming the streets of Hollywood in his song “City of Angels,” which starts with a sample of dialogue from newscasters talking about LA’s homelessness.

The sample he used in the beginning of the song shows how many people in society are aloof toward the problems that the unhoused community faces, as the sample ends with “Blah, blah, blah, in other news…” and begins the kick to the dreamy, low-tempo song.

His high-energy dance song called “Go Outside” was made “out of frustration,” he said.

“I was using a piece of software that was on a trial, and before I could finish doing what I needed to do with the five-day trial, it expired,” Christopher said.

He used his frustration as a tool and carefully noted how the software adjusted the reverb and audio, teaching himself how to do the same with the software he does have, he explained.

As of now, Christopher said he unfortunately hasn’t made much money from his efforts.

“I’m in the hole,” he said, laughing.

On his self-designed website, he describes the movement behind his music as “The Sound of Poverty.” His home page includes a 2019 article from Visual Capitalist detailing how many streams it takes to make a significant amount of money. On Spotify, it takes 229 streams to make just $1, the article states.

He’s invested in himself and his music, paying money to get his music on popular streaming services like Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud and more. All his mixing, copyrighting and personal advertising is done from his computer in his apartment, where he has microphones and studio monitors set up.

“It’s been a lot of work, a lot more work than I would have thought, but just as much as I thought at the same time,” he said.

Christopher spent his childhood years in the foster care system. Since he turned 18, he’s struggled with homelessness, having to stay at hotels, friends’ houses or on the streets, he said.

When he was younger, his foster parents took him to piano lessons, “because I was too

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Christopher N. performs under the name Skid Row Productions.

Photo by Luis Chavez

much to deal with,” he said. The piano lessons worked, he said, adding that his piano teacher was a significant figure in his childhood.

“She was a lady who took me from a boy’s home to her family’s house on the holidays because my family wasn’t around,” he said, getting teary-eyed. “She had no ulterior motive other than she saw a child who needed help and she gave it to me.”

While much of Christopher’s music is inspired by EDM, hip-hop and trap music, he has plans to release classical compositions inspired by Mozart and other composers.

He said he empathizes with those who have grown up in the foster care system, also saying that it shaped him to be the independent person he is.

“As a kid, I always did feel like I was on my own,” he said. “I’ve always felt like you have to make your own way. That’s what I want to teach other people: You have to do it yourself; nobody is going to do it for you.”

Even though Christopher is no longer unhoused, he still goes to committee meetings to speak about issues relating to poverty and homelessness in LA. “If I don’t go down there and tell them how I feel, then I wouldn’t be doing my part,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about these issues, but they’re close to my heart.

Christopher hopes that someday if his foundation takes off and other artists work with him under Skid Row Productions, it can bring light to the issues that hinder the unhoused communities and eventually change the stigma that surrounds it.

“Too often what comes out of Skid Row is negative,” he said. “I want to make sure that I determine what my environment is.”

Skid Row Productions skidrowcompany@gmail.com skidrowproductions.com/home

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

DOWNTOWN NEWS 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Covered help LETTERSCalifornia TO THE will EDITOR

MARGULIES’ OPINION

Los Angeles still stands Editor: I happened to stray over to the Fox News network during our most recent demonstrations. Apparently, according to their political pundits, not reporters, the city of Los Angeles is on fire, all stores are shuttered and socialist thugs rule the streets. The news of the grand jury decision concerning the death of Breonna Taylor has sparked another round of protests. Many of the protesters are well meaning and well informed and some are self-styled agitators. A few are just hangers on and vandals. For the most part, the demonstrations have been noisy but peaceful, inconvenient not intolerable.

City Hall still stands, and Grand Central Market is still selling snacks and sandwiches.

I know there have been and will be incidents of sporadic violence; these are to

be deplored. I know there will be opportunists who will use this time to preach violent revolution or to pick a pocket. Since the Boston Tea Party there has always been someone looking to make a buck or settle a score off any protest action. But on the whole the protests have shown to anyone listening that there is a need for reexamination of our criminal justice institutions. The current practices and procedures encourage police overreaction and foster needless anxiety in the community. We the citizens, police and politicians can do better. So, I would say to the fear-mongering pundits, Los Angeles is not burning. It is troubled, it is worried, but it still stands. I think as a community we want to have those difficult conversations of change, not a confrontation filled with chaos.

Oliver Cutshawz

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Participation is easy. Go to downtownnews.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Letter to the Editor” link. For guest opinion proposals, please email christina@timespublications.com.

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

Michael Des Barres just wants to be himself

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski inger Michael Des Barres doesn’t see success as a trophy or an award. The Pasadena resident considers it something very different.

“What is success?” he said rhetorically. “It’s not a gold, symbolic prize. It’s not double platinum. It’s being able to love yourself enough to be loved. That’s the ultimate award.”

That’s also the takeaway from the new documentary “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?,” which is available on multiple on-demand platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play/YouTube Rentals, Comcast, Cox, Spectrum, Cablevision, iTunes, Microsoft Store and Vudu.

He’s found happiness with his third wife, Britta Hayertz, owner of LA’s Britta Morgan Pilates, and he calls his son, Nick, his confidante.

“I trust him more than I trust everybody,” said Des Barres, who was formerly married to Nick’s mother, Pamela Des Barres, reportedly one of the inspirations behind the “Almost Famous” character Penny Lane.

“I trust everybody until they become untrustworthy. You can see the disguise very quickly and then you reassemble your thoughts.

“We can tell each other what time it really is. I don’t have to boost his confidence and he with mine. One of the greatest spiritual functions is making amends. You call them up, send a pigeon, say, ‘Yeah, my bad. I love you.’”

Loving himself came with sobriety, which came in June 1981. In the mid-1980s, he co-founded Rock Against Drugs, and later did volunteer addiction counseling and worked with homeless teens.

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Parentless “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?” tells the entertainer’s story. He’s the son of a junkie aristocrat (Marquis Philip Des Barres) and a schizophrenic showgirl (Marquise Irene Des Barres), as he said. He was born and raised in Hove, Sussex, England, and attended a boarding school in Derbyshire.

“When you’re born into a world with no parents, you tend to really be very, very conscious and aware of what’s going on around you,” Des Barres said. “There’s nobody to tell you what’s going on around you or explain to you what’s happening. You discover the joy of people and the foibles of people and the animalistic side of human nature. And one learns quickly how to take care of yourself.”

A host of eyewitnesses, including Gabriel Byrne, Steve Jones (The Sex Pistols), Don Johnson, John Taylor (Duran Duran), Nigel Harrison (Blondie), Allison Anders, Ed Begley Jr., Pamela Des Barres and Steven Van Zandt all join in to corroborate Des Barres’ tale.

Director J. Elvis Weinstein, a veteran television writer/producer (“MST3K,” “Freaks and Geeks”) said, “I’d never met anyone quite like Michael, he confounded my expectations. In an age of ‘toxic narcissism,’ I found instead in Michael what I would call ‘a benevolent narcissist,’ someone who rewards your attention by reflecting his attention and enthusiasm back on you.”

Des Barres has carved a path through show business with record deals over the last 50 years and has acted in more than a hundred TV and movie appearances.

His roller coaster career began with acting in “To Sir, With Love,” with Sidney Poitier, and includes lead role in “Ghoulies” and “MacGyver.” He was signed to Led Zeppelin’s label by Jimmy Page, wrote the omnipresent hit “Obsession,” later covered by Animotion, and performed at “Live Aid,” fronting the Power Station.

He replaced the great Robert Palmer in The Power Station—which also featured Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, bassist John Taylor and drummer Tony Thompson—when the “Addicted to Love” singer preferred not to tour.

“I knew him 10 years before, when he was in Vinegar Joe,” Des Barres said. “I loved him. We were quite close, but he was in the Marvin Gaye world and I was in the Steve Marriott world.

“It was two very different things. He was very subdued and a crooner. When I was in Chequered Past, I opened for Duran Duran and Andy said he remembered me. They watched us because they loved Jonesy (Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols). When Robert said, ‘Look, I don’t think I’m comfortable singing to 60,000 topless girls,’ he recommended me. They called me to come to New York, I met John and Tony, met Andy, who had the final say as he was the leader of that pack. Boom, boom, boom, my first gig was Live Aid.” He said he wasn’t nervous at all about taking Palmer’s place after The Power Station scored hits “Some Like It Hot” and “Get It On.” “I jumped up on stage fearless,” he said. “What else are you going to do? I had big shoes to fill, but I wasn’t going to do an impersonation of Robert Palmer. ‘Some Like It Hot’ just got hotter.”

Des Barres continues to act and preach the “rock ‘n’ roll gospel” on Sirius XM on “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” to an audience of millions.

Michael Des Barre’s new documentary “Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?” is available on multiple on-demand platforms.

Submitted photo

“They’re my friends out there,” he says. “There are 5 million every day. I use the same vibe for them as I do to myself. It’s a wonderful educative, entertaining feeling. Whatever happened to me in those younger years paid off.

“I’m lucky. I get to work here in my house. I have a studio in my house. I’ve been doing a lot of music and it’s the best music I’ve ever made—but I always think like that. The song I wrote this morning is the greatest thing I’ve ever written. I’ve been writing this book of poetry for years. I love the romantic Lord Byron, Keats and Shelley.”

Des Barres has lived in Pasadena for three years, leaving “horrible” Hollywood behind.

“It’s a rat race of ambition and poison, on top of which is coated in dust,” he said. “I lived there for years. When I got this wonderful gig with Stevie, I said I was going to buy a (expletive) huge house and put a studio in it and stay right there. I’ve been lucky. I said, ‘Let’s get acreage and trees and hammocks.’ I did that.

“It was prescient because of what was going down, this dreadful fight that we’re having with both culture and division, the pain, the inequality, the injustice and the COVID. This is a double header—a punch to the stomach and the heart. The birth of Hollywood really was here. All the great stars all have houses out here. Life is what you learn from it. That’s been my credo and why I’m still here. I’m 72 years old. I’m Lestat’s brother. I’m a vampire with a heart in the right place.”

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN NEWS 7

Covered NEWS California will help

Los Angeles Mission taps the Rev. Vaughn as CEO

By Kamala Kirk he Los Angeles Mission, one of the nation’s largest service providers to the homeless, has named board member the Rev. Troy Vaughn as the organization’s new president and CEO. He will succeed Herb Smith, who is retiring after leading the mission for the past 14 years.

Vaughn has served on the board of directors for a year and was selected after an extensive nationwide search. He previously held executive roles with Shields for Families, the LAMP Community and The Weingart Center for the Homeless.

“Prior to joining the board of directors, I had been a friend of the mission for a number of years,” Vaughn said. “My family and I would come and serve meals at the annual Thanksgiving meal, participate in events and give back. I’ve always respected the work that the mission has done, and Herb and I have worked together on a lot of issues surrounding the homeless in this community.”

For more than 81 years, the mission has helped homeless and disadvantaged members of the community by providing emergency services such as shelter, food and clothing, in addition to medical and dental services. The nonprofit faith-based organization also offers long-term rehabilitation programs including education, transitional housing and counseling, and job training and placement.

“We’re a mission without walls and intend to spread our work to ensure that we’re impacting friends and neighborhoods across LA County,” Vaughn said. “One of the things I want to do is create a continuum of care for the people that we serve. While they’re living in our transitional housing, they can have hope and a future for permanent housing once they leave.”

Vaughn’s personal experience with overcoming homelessness and drug abuse many years ago enables him to connect and empathize with the members of the community the mission serves. He remains dedicated to helping others get off the streets permanently.

“It’s important that we’re able to empathize on different levels because a lot of people are just a few degrees of separation from homelessness, either directly or through someone they know,” Vaughn said.

“It was a spiritual awakening for me when I gave my life to the Lord, who led me through the process of transformation, which is why I feel like things have come full circle here at the mission. I’m hoping that

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my life can be a reflection of what’s possible for our residents, students, friends and neighbors. I intend to make sure that my life is a living testimony of what the power of love, grace and friendship can achieve.”

The mission’s faith-based approach includes residential and nonresidential Christian discipleship programs designed to offer spiritual and physical tools to help members of the community overcome addictions and abuse so that they can lead happier and healthier lives.

“We are a refuge without judgment or timelines, and unlike some organizations that place restrictions on people, we like to let them self-discover and participate in their own process of self-transformation,” Vaughn said.

“The first thing we have people do when they come to the mission is write a letter about why they’re here and what they want to get out of this experience. Whenever they start to move off the path toward their goal, we take out the letter and have them read their own words to help them get back on track.”

In addition to his role as president and CEO of the Mission, Vaughn works as the executive director and co-founder of the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership. He is also the founder, president and CEO of Christ-Centered Ministries and the senior pastor of Inglewood Community Church.

In August, Vaughn was appointed to the board of the prison industry authority by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“I’m really excited about the possibility of using the various hats I wear and the relationships I’ve developed to bridge any gaps and leverage our resources in a positive and creative way,” Vaughn said.

The LA Mission recently met with the Department of Public Health regarding its organization’s efforts to serve the community during COVID-19. As of today, the mission remains COVID-19 free and has partnered with public officials to design a process of best practices for handling COVID-19 that other similar organizations can follow.

“One of the first challenges we encountered during the pandemic was to come up with ways to continue to serve our community, while at the same time make sure that we’re following proper protocols,” Vaughn said.

“While we look forward to the day when we’re no longer restricted in movement and capacities in terms of COVID-19, we have done a really great job at keeping our friends, families, neighbors and staff safe.”

The Los Angeles Mission is a nonprofit in DTLA that helps homeless and disadvantaged members of the community by providing emergency services and more.

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Mission

Every year, the LA Mission serves a Thanksgiving meal and provides essential supplies to the homeless community.

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Mission

The Rev. Troy Vaughn is the new president and CEO of the LA Mission. He has spent multiple decades helping people get off the streets permanently.

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Mission

Every year, the LA Mission hosts numerous events, including its annual Thanksgiving celebration, where it blocks off the street and serves food to members in the community. While the event is going to look different this year as a result of the pandemic, Vaughn and his team have risen to the challenge and will provide individually boxed hot meals to go, in addition to hygiene supplies. The day before, they will provide boxed meals to families in South LA as well.

“We are thinking outside the box, and we

won’t allow COVID to stop us from being there for those that need it most,” Vaughn said.

“LA Mission’s doors are open, and we are still serving our friends and neighbors. We continue to look for ways to partner and serve those that are less fortunate. It’s our charge to make sure those people understand they’re not alone and that an organization like ours is capable and willing to serve them during this time of great need.”

Info: losangelesmission.org

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OCTOBER 5, 2020

Covered DINING California will help

Brunch-To-Go Kickstart the day at home with Manuela

By Frier McCollister runch is brunch…” according to chef Kris Tominaga at Manuela.

That is unless it comes from his kitchen and is then delivered straight to your door.

Manuela has been a Downtown star in the Arts District’s massive and rambling gallery complex at Hauser & Wirth since its opening in September 2016.

Since its inception, the operation benefits from an expansive outdoor patio that accommodates 70% of the venue’s dining capacity, particularly helpful now that outdoor hospitality is the only mandated option. Brunch has always been a part of the weekly service at Manuela, but takeout and delivery for the weekend ritual just started this month.

As Tominaga explained, the “rustic” nature of the dishes make them ideal for transport. The only item on the regular brunch menu that is not available for delivery or takeout is raw oyster. Not to worry, though; the grilled version travels just fine.

Manuela earned immediate and well-deserved accolades when it opened, originally under the direction of chef Wes Whitsell.

A native of North Texas, the menu has always been informed by a “Southern” influence. While Whitsell emphasized his Texas roots, Tominaga trends to low-country, Charleston-style takes with more focus on fresh seafood. That said, since Tominaga took over the stoves here, the real emphasis is on freshness. Those oysters? “The best oysters in California. They’re from a super-sustainable oyster farm in Morro

“B

Bay. They’re pretty magical.”

The commitment to fresh ingredients is most evident in the nine raised garden beds that are cultivated in the gallery’s courtyard by staff gardener Safa Hayes.

Twelve chickens roost on the premises as well. Most of the rest of the produce used in Manuela’s menu offerings is sourced from local farmers markets.

Tominaga, 38, grew up in the West Valley and graduated from Calabasas High.

After matriculating from the culinary and gastronomy programs at Boston University, he returned to Los Angeles for a stint in the kitchen at Joe’s Restaurant in Venice Beach, where he met Brian Dunsmoor (most recently at Hatchet Hall). The two launched a successful pop-up, which led to their restaurant The Hart & The Hunter in the Pali Hotel on Melrose in West Hollywood. After a brief tenure at the nouveau bistro Cadet in Santa Monica, he returned to run the Pali Group’s hotel hospitality division.

As he explained, he wasn’t looking for new opportunities when he was approached to replace Whitsell at Manuela in April 2018.

“I wasn’t looking for another job,” he said. “I was happy where I was, but I always thought Manuela was a magic space.

They did a great job with the kitchen. It’s a chef ’s dream kitchen. It was an opportunity to come back to cooking. It was an opportunity to get back in, get my hands dirty and touch the food a little bit more and be a little more dynamic.”

And all to the benefit and pleasure of Arts District diners.

The Archie features beet rested Loft & Bear vodka, oro blanco and lemon. It’s a takeaway cocktail that serves two to three people and is priced at $40.

Blistered snap peas with black quinoa, sesame date butter and feta.

Photo courtesy Sim Canetty-Clarke

Cream biscuits ($11) are served with Steen’s butter and strawberry pluot jam.

Photo courtesy Sim Canetty-Clarke

FAMOUS FIRE-GRILLED CHICKEN

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When the weekend looms, brunch should be planned. When asked for guidance on the menu, Tominaga quickly points to the popover benedict ($19). It’s a benedict that employs smoked “preacher ham” in place of Canadian bacon and is served on a popover; the recipe is derived from the legendary Black godmother of “Southern” cooking, Edna Lewis. Lewis’ unabashed influence should certify Tominaga’s credentials for any aficionados doubting the authenticity of his regional inspirations.

The mention of the popover recipe underscores the presence of another original menu item that is ubiquitous across all service at the restaurant: the biscuit. Served in various iterations, depending on the meal, it’s a four-ingredient recipe calibration that Tominaga continues to tweak. “I started working on that biscuit in 2005.”

Listed on the brunch menu as cream biscuits ($11) and served with Steen’s butter and strawberry pluot jam, it’s time to taste what all the fuss is about. Other brunch highlights include the aforementioned barbecued oysters ($15) in a serving of four with smoked olive butter, breadcrumbs and parmesan, and a Gulf pink shrimp bruschetta ($18) with cherry tomatoes, basil and fennel served on garlic toast. There are three salads, including blistered wax beans and nectarine salad ($15) with red-skinned peanuts and a chili vinaigrette. Besides the benedict, other entrees will tempt, like shrimp and rice grits ($24) with fresh hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, bacon and parsley, or Cherokee tomato toast ($20) served with Dungeness crab dressing, benne seeds, fresh dill and chives, all on a toasted housemade brioche. A popular and notorious denizen of Whitsell’s original menu—the ven-

Chef Kris Tominaga replaced chef Wes Whitsell at Manuela in April 2018.

La Mano de Buda is a takeaway cocktail that serves two to three people.

ison burger ($23) served on brioche with a pickled green tomato slice and fried leeks—remains a popular choice at brunch here as well.

If brunch is being delivered to your door and no driving is required, consider one of the takeaway drinks on offer. Curated by Manuela’s beverage director Niki Kotantoulas, the list encourages a diversion from the overworked, usual brunch suspects: mimosas and bloody marys. Among the options are a traditional old-fashioned using Evan Williams bourbon, as well as red or white sangria. These orders serve two and are priced at $28. More exotic brunch cocktail choices here include: the Archie featuring beet rested Loft & Bear vodka, oro blanco and lemon; the Florida man with blueberry-infused mezcal, sweet vermouth and fresh lemon; the nightshade composed of milagro blanco tequila, yellow bell pepper, heat and lemon; and a whiskey Pimm’s cup employing Monkey Shoulder scotch whiskey and housemade Pimm’s. These takeaway cocktails serve two to three people and are priced at $40.

The menu items change more or less seasonally, at Tominaga’s whim, according to what’s available at the markets and sprouting from the raised garden beds.

There are weekly “one-off ” specials, and generally there are five to six menu changes every couple of weeks. Aside from the new Brunch-To-Go program, Tominaga recently introduced a traditional Nashville-style “Meat and 3” dinner menu, rotating nightly, for takeout and delivery only.

Referring to this latest turn, Tominaga aptly sums up the spirit of his menus and culinary inspirations: “Soulful food for the people.”

With that in mind, start the weekend at home, with Manuela at your door.

Manuela 907 E. Third Street, Los Angeles 323-849-0480 manuela-la.com

Pictured are BBQ oysters. Chef Kris Tominaga said Manuela has “the best oysters in California.”

Photo courtesy Sim Canetty-Clarke

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Covered California will help BUSINESS

The Pupper Club thrives after dark time

By Andres de Ocampo he Pupper Club, a dog day care social club started and operated by partners Eileen Colavita and Garry Reynolds, remained open during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was considered essential.

Colavita said that during the COVID-19 business closures, “It was very dark and very quiet down here (in Downtown LA).

People didn’t know what was going on, so it was quiet.”

The city deemed The Pupper Club a service-oriented business, but Colavita remembers March and April being “dark and solitary.” “(People) were staying home,” she said. “A lot of people left Downtown, even if just temporarily.”

It turned out, according to Colavita, that during the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dog day care was little of what people were looking for.

Though, she said, “We are back to ‘functioning.’ We were only a year and a half old when the pandemic hit, so we were just catching our stride. We are back to functioning as a new business.”

T

Colavita and Reynolds opened their first store, on the border of the Historic Core and Fashion District in Downtown, in September 2018. The Pupper Club offers a variety of appointment-only services for dogs under 35 pounds, including packages for day care, off-site boarding and grooming.

After working in public relations and marketing for two decades, Colavita felt “burnt out in the world of marketing” and decided to pursue her passion of starting a pet business that was “human centric” and “consumer facing.” Being a dog mom, Colavita said, “I would always think of how I loved being in (a pet) environment and how I would want it to be different, for me, as a pet parent.”

Colavita said The Pupper Club’s vision involves safety.

“I really wanted an experience where safety is the most important thing, and I specifically wanted a small space in the middle of town. I didn’t want an experience where customers are driving their dog to a warehouse or farm. I wanted to create a city experience, for urban residents, where you can walk downstairs, like you’re going to

This urban retreat for dogs under 35 pounds is conveniently situated in the heart of DTLA on the border of the Historic Core and Fashion District.

Photo courtesy The Pupper Club

OCTOBER 5, 2020

Starbucks, and drop your dog off.”

When business began to slow down in March and April at the store, Colavita began a service of contactless pickup and drop-off for grooming, which makes up a majority of business for The Pupper Club. “In the height of the shutdown,” Colavita said, “we offered complimentary pickup and drop-off (of customer’s dogs) in the Downtown area. We were calling it the Pupper Lift.”

The community responded well to the new-normal business offering, Colavita said. “In this community, it made people feel a lot safer with our safety protocols.

We would wait downstairs of their building, take their dog, groom their dog’s hair, hand their dog off, and they knew it was a seamless, contactless process,” she said.

Clover, an intuitive and all-in-one, pointof-sale system for businesses, also contributed to helping The Pupper Club remain contactless. “It’s important to us, especially now, to use a hands-free system. About 80% of our customers check out using Clover.” For customers coming in to drop off their dog for grooming, Clover, as well as being an appointment-only business, has allowed Colavita to maintain business operations, within CDC safety protocol.

Rapid deposit, a feature within the Clo-

ver POS that allows funds to be transferred immediately to the business owner’s bank, has been a handy feature for Colvita during these times. “We’re ramped back up to where we were before the pandemic, business-wise,” Colvita said. “But there are times when you need as much available capital to keep business going as quickly as possible.

It’s nice to be able to access those sales immediately.”

Colavita and Reynolds have plans of opening another Pupper Club in San Diego at Park 12—The Collection, an apartment community of modern housing and retail, sometime next summer. “Pupper Club San Diego will be twice the size of this one,” Colavita said. “It will still be set up like a boutique. It is in a new construction development in San Diego, and it is where the brand is going, which will be downstairs retail, as a part of these types of apartment complexes.”

To her returning clients, along with other Downtown locals, that have shown support to The Pupper Club, Colavita said, “Thank you for staying with us. We continue to thank our local Downtown community, the people that have stuck with us (and) with Downtown. … Your dog’s happiest place is what we really want to be.”

The Pupper Club 603 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 213-310-8440 thepupperclub.com

The Pupper Club offered the “Pupper Lift,” which included complimentary pickup and drop off of customers’ dogs for grooming.

Photo courtesy The Pupper Club

OCTOBER 5, 2020

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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE

Chinatown’s ‘Womxn In Windows’ explores identity, culture

By Kamala Kirk omxn In Windows” is back for the second consecutive year to showcase a series of video works by women filmmakers and video artists. Produced and curated by Zehra Ahmed, the exhibition will present the film and video works of women artists whose work examines the intertwined relationships between culture, religion and society.

“As an immigrant and woman of color, I felt the need to share my own but also learn from other cultures, to truly understand and accept humanity for what it is,” Ahmed said. “Living in Los Angeles and having access to different cultures has led me to believe that the more we do this, the closer we get to our common goal of equality and freedom.”

The 2019 exhibition was conceived to highlight female perspectives and encourage cross-cultural dialogue. What began as an annual public exhibition of women-made art films has evolved into a mission to support global cross-cultural dialogue and a platform centered around the idea that individual differences advance societal strength.

“I wanted people who would not ordinarily visit an art gallery to stumble upon this film work in the windows and in the street, created by women artists who explore themes of identity and culture,” Ahmed said. “We all know that women are the tastemakers of culture and society. By providing a forum for diverse and underrepresented voices and their stories, ‘Womxn in Windows’ aims to inspire the next generation of thinkers and citizens.”

This year’s participating artists include Remie Akl, Ja’tovia Gary, Kilo Kish, Kya Lou, Everlane Moraes, Sylvie Weber and Christine Yuan. Moraes’ film “Aurora” will be among those on display and presents three Black Cuban women at different stages of their lives to remind us that ex-

“W

istential doubt transcends age and beliefs.

Lou’s film “Eulogy” is an edited cut of three hours of family VHS footage that considers family structures as formative to understanding how communities are informed by care, absence, belief and joy. There will also be a one-time screening of Oge Egbuonu’s feature documentary “(In)visible Portraits,” which celebrates the extraordinary heritage of exceptional Black women.

The videos will be playing 24 hours a day in more than 15 windows along Chung King Road in Chinatown. Anyone can watch the films from the street and tune in to the audio of each film by accessing a QR code on the window. The films will also be screened simultaneously in New York City storefront windows at 321 Canal Street in partnership with the Wallplay Network.

“Each experience of viewing the films is a highlight really, but if you come to the exhibit on October 17, we will have a special outdoor soundscape across Chung King Road, created for the exhibit by dublab, and gifts from some of our partners, including Reebok, Free People and Cann,” Ahmed said. “We ask that guests RSVP ahead of time so that we can all maintain social distancing guidelines.”

“Womxn in Windows 2020” runs from October 15 to November 15. The opening event is from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, October 17, and will offer 30-minute slots for groups of up to 10 people to book a walking tour with a guide to learn more about the exhibition and artists. The event is free and open to the public.

“I would really recommend trying to come to the exhibition to view the films, as it is a very enchanting experience—particularly in the evening when the films really shine in the windows,” Ahmed said.

“However, for anyone who can’t make it in person, all of the films will be available to watch on our website starting this weekend.”

“Womxn In Windows” womxninwindows.com

Remie Akl’s “Arabiyati (I Am Arab),” 2019.

Photo courtesy Womxn In Windows

Christine Yuan’s “In Limbo,” 2017.

Photo courtesy Womxn In Windows

Everlane Moraes’ “Aurora,” 2018.

Photo courtesy the artist

Sylvie Weber’s “The Prophetess,” 2018.

Photo courtesy the artists

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