Critically Acclaimed Winemaker Raul Perez hosts wine Dinner June 15, curated by Caroline Styne, paired with End-of-Spring Menu by Suzanne Goin.
A.O.C. by Chef Suzanne Goin and Business Partner / Wine Director Caroline Styne, 3rd Street, Los Angeles, California, and Winemaker Raúl Pérez, Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez.
![A.O.C. Chef Suzanne Goin and Business Partner / Wine Director Caroline Styne](https://dailyovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-06-at-12.04.22-PM-1.png)
A.O.C. Chef Suzanne Goin and Business Partner / Wine Director Caroline Styne
A.O.C., Los Angeles’ ground-breaking small plates restaurant at the forefront of the city’s best dining since 2002, presents an extraordinary evening celebrating the wines of the revered Raúl Pérez on Thursday, June 15, 2023. The wines are curated by Caroline Styne and paired with Suzanne’s end-of-spring menu which is inspired by her love of the Pérez collection. Raúl Pérez will be in attendance to meet and greet guests.
Raúl Pérez Pereira is highly regarded as one of the world’s most visionary winemakers. He gained recognition for his winemaking skills and innovation from an early age. Born in Valtuille de Abajo, a village in the Bierzo region of Spain, Pérez comes from a family with a long history of winemaking. He produced his first vintage for his family’s winery in 1994 when he was just 22 years old, showcasing his talent and passion for the craft.
In 2005, Pérez decided to venture out on his own and established Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez, a winery that quickly became renowned within the Bierzo appellation. Bierzo, located in northwestern Spain, is known for its distinctive and high-quality wines, particularly made from the Mencía grape variety. Pérez’s wines gained critical acclaim for their unmatched quality, capturing the essence of the Bierzo terroir. Over the years, Pérez expanded his winemaking activities beyond Bierzo to other appellations in Spain. He ventured into Rías Baixas, known for its Albariño wines, Ribeira Sacra, recognized for its steep vineyards along the Sil River, and Tierra de León, an emerging wine region. Despite his expansion, Valtuille de Abajo remains close to his heart and serves as his home base.
Pérez’s winemaking approach is characterized by a deep respect for the land, a commitment to organic and sustainable practices, and a focus on expressing the unique qualities of each vineyard and grape variety. His wines are often described as terroir-driven, showing a sense of place and reflecting the distinct characteristics of the regions where the grapes are grown.
With his innovative techniques and dedication to quality, Raúl Pérez Pereira has significantly impacted the Spanish wine scene. His wines continue to be highly sought after by wine enthusiasts and collectors worldwide, cementing his reputation as a visionary winemaker.
Caroline is enthusiastic about introducing these exceptional wines to their guests. “I discovered Raul’s wines when opening Caldo Verde, and I haven’t turned back,” states Caroline. “His wines are so well made and diverse with a through-line of beautiful minerality and balance.”
Pricing for the four-course dinner with paired wines is $150 per guest, excluding tax and gratuity. Guests dining à la carte can experience a flight of three Raúl Pérez wines to pair with their dinner selections. Prepaid reservations can be secured via OpenTable Experience; limited availability for this exclusive event.
A Celebration of Raúl Pérez
June 15, 2023
kanpachi & bay scallop ceviche, stone fruit, urfa & pistachios
endive, radishes, meyer lemon cream & oil-cured olives
2021 la vizcaina, la del vivo, godello, bierzo
***
spring greens, broccoli kibbeh, avocado, favas & feta
spanish fried chicken, romesco aïoli & chili-cumin butter
2022 los arrotos del pendón, rosado, leon
***
scottish salmon, fennel-potato gratin & beet chutney
sugar snap peas, pea shoots & green butter
2020 castro candez, mencia, ribiera sacra
***
grilled hanger steak, braised leek butter & fried leeks
italian broccoli, green harissa & douro almond dukkah
2020 la vizcaina, las gundiñas, bierzo
***
bittersweet chocolate torta
pecan cookie brittle & coffee syrup
$150 per person, including wine pairing
WHEN:
Raúl Pérez Winemaker Dinner at A.O.C.
Thursday, June 15, 2023
5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Pricing for the four-course dinner with paired wines is $150 per guest, excluding tax and gratuity. Guests dining à la carte can experience a flight of three Raúl Pérez wines to pair with their dinner selections. Prepaid reservations can be secured via OpenTable Experience; limited availability for this exclusive event.
WHERE:
A.O.C. 3rd Street
8700 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048 – 310.859.9859
ABOUT RAÚL PÉREZ
In addition to numerous other accolades, Raúl was named “Winemaker of the Year” by German publication Der Feinschmecker in 2014 and “Best Winemaker in the World” in 2015 by the French publication Bettane+Desseauve. In the February 2018 Decanter, Master of Wine Pedro Ballesteros wrote, “Raúl Pérez is the archetype of the intuitive winemaking genius.” A picture of Raúl in that same article is captioned, “Is this the best winemaker in the world?” Raúl would certainly not self-apply any of these superlatives. His humility and generosity of spirit far exceed his genius, and that humility comes through in his wines. These are not “winemaker” wines so much as they are unadulterated expressions of the villages and vineyards they hail from.
ABOUT THE LUCQUES GROUP:
With the opening of Lucques, their flagship restaurant, in 1998, James Beard Foundation award-winning Chef/Author Suzanne Goin and award-winning Restaurateur Caroline Styne planted the seeds for The Lucques Group, a Los Angeles hospitality company that comprises two fine dining restaurants – A.O.C. in both Los Angeles and Brentwood. Along with these culinary enterprises, the company also owns the Larder Baking Company and oversees Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine, which curates all the food and beverage outlets at L.A.’s iconic music venue. The duo also operates two new restaurants – Caldo Verde and Cara Cara, and the new Dahlia cocktail bar at the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel. The Lucques Group is dedicated to seasonally influenced cooking and focuses on sourcing local, organic produce from which Goin creates soulful dishes that are bold in flavor, vibrant, layered and complex.
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LA Shorts: Filmmaker Erin Gavin Brings Twists, Turns and Deep Love to Video Games with “Gaming For Love” — See it July 22
LA Shorts: Filmmaker Erin Gavin explores Love and Video Games with “Gaming For Love” — See it July 22
“Gaming for Love” is a poignant narrative inspired by true events which follows the journey of Maisie, a young girl battling cancer, as she finds solace and strength in the world of online gaming.
“Gaming For Love” screens at LA Shorts Monday July 22.
Erin Gavin’s career has spanned over motion pictures, television series, theatrical
productions, print and live-action commercials.
Erin’s other film credits include “Dread”, “The Last Investigation”, “Junk,” and most recently played the Iconic star Marilyn Monroe in a hit stage production.
Erin signed with Serdica Record (Classical contemporary) label and her first song ‘I’m through with love’ has been a global success.
![Erin Gavin Filmmaker](https://dailyovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-22-at-8.39.28%E2%80%AFAM-754x1024.png)
“Gaming for Love” Filmmaker Erin Gavin
Through themes of love, sacrifice, and the power of human connection, “Gaming for Love” beautifully illustrates the profound influence of gaming in Maisie’s life and the bonds forged beyond the confines of the digital realm.
Today’s conversation with Erin Gavin from “Gaming For Love” has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger:
We are back today with Erin Gavin, the writer, producer, and director of short film Gaming for Love. Erin, thanks for joining us today.
Erin Gavin:
Thanks for having me. This is brilliant, Joe. Thank you. Appreciate it.
Joe Winger:
My pleasure. I’m looking forward to learning more about you and sharing your message with the audience today.
You direct, you produced, you wrote this; and it’s a very powerful short film Gaming for Love. What’s the most important message you want to share with our audience today?
Erin Gavin:
So for me, the reason I wanted to tell this story is because it’s loosely based on true events. I felt this wave of emotion come over me when I was reading this article and I thought, what an amazing, powerful real loving story.
I just felt compelled to tell it.
From that thought to where we are today feels absolutely incredible. So I’m very grateful.
Joe Winger:
You’ve done a lot of prolific work, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. On stage, on screen, with music.
What inspired you to choose this project next for you?
Erin Gavin:
Other filmmakers will probably relate to this. But it just felt right. There was no part of me that was hesitant not tell this story. Every part of me just said that’s it. This is the story. This is what I’m doing. It’s happening. That was really it. There was no ifs, and’s, but’s, maybe’s about it.
Joe Winger:
That’s very courageous. We often hear so much glamour about Hollywood. But behind the scenes, the production itself isn’t always so easy.
So without giving away any plots or any spoilers, what was one of the biggest challenges of your production? And how did you solve that challenge?
Erin Gavin:
One was the budget.
So in order to make a movie, as we know, we need money. So I literally I thought, I need to ask for help here, which is something I’m not very good at doing in terms of asking people to put together a GoFundMe and let’s do this.
That was a challenge for me to swallow my pride and be like I need to help.
It was amazing how many people came together and just wanted to help. It honestly made me well up and just feel so appreciative of everybody and everyone’s support.
The other challenge was to get crew together. So I was really lucky. I partnered with a company called Up Next studios.
We had a lot of help. People were just coming on board and helping, but naturally, sometimes people fall off and then you have to get somebody else in. That can be challenging in the final days, when someone drops out two days, I didn’t have too much of that, but it worked out in the end and who was meant to be on the movie was on the movie.
Joe Winger:
That’s a great way of thinking about it. Just to detail that out a little bit more, where, location-wise, where on the globe were you shooting?
Erin Gavin:
It was all shot in Scotland. I wrote it the second week in January, and we had the first cut by end of February.
So it was really rushed, really quick and really intense. We had to find locations really quick and we had to really narrow down those locations. I was in Scotland, so it made sense to just let’s roll. I was really lucky with the locations. I had friends just pull in together and be like, You can shoot here.”
So it all worked out really well.
Joe Winger:
How many days of production?
Erin Gavin:
Three days.
Joe Winger:
Three days in Scotland. You shot about a month and a half after you wrote it, is that more or less right?
Erin Gavin:
After I wrote it, I had about 3-4 weeks to pull all the crew together, locations together, everything together.
It was intense.
Then three days of shooting and then editing. Obviously the final cuts and then putting the music together.
But I’m really thankful for the team. Without the team, this would not be possible, and everybody’s support, it wouldn’t be possible.
Joe Winger:
Just going a little deeper on what you just said a second ago, two things to think about.
Number one, a lot of the people that are watching this interview right now have never been on a production set. The closest they’ve been is the movie theater.
Second thing is how many people out there, they’ve written something. But they may not have the courage or the audacity to actually get out there and shoot it, or as you brought up, to go out there and raise money because it costs money to do these things.
Do you have any advice or inspiration for someone out there who wants to be doing what you just accomplished, and they’re scared, hesitant, or nervously excited?
Erin Gavin:
I think you have to be very vulnerable. You have to put ego aside and let people read your script, polish it, get advice on it, make sure it’s as solid as it can be.
That’s hard to do when you pour your heart into this piece and you obviously this piece of paper has everything that you’ve just poured out onto it.
Then to give that [heartfelt script] to someone to be super critical is really hard, but that’s the first step and make sure it’s as good as it can be.
I would say community is key.
So perhaps maybe look at how you can narrow it down budget wise. So that’s your locations. Everything that costs money. And ask for help. Build that community. G to your local drama schools, go to your local film schools.
People want to film. People in the creative world, they want to be doing something.
So people do want to help. That’s what I would say, [at] home and in your community, ask for help, get the script solid. That would be the first two key things to be doing.
Joe Winger:
Good advice.
The title Gaming for Love, gaming is a big theme of the story.
I’d love to believe everybody in the world knows what gaming means. But just in case, can you tell us what gaming means?
What message do you hope the gaming community receives when they see the short film?
Erin Gavin:
We’re talking about computer gaming and [my short film] doesn’t shine it in a negative light.
I actually spoke to somebody last night who’s in the gaming world, for all the major companies and does computer programming in terms of the creative side of things. He said, they would love this story because it shows that this can help people in certain ways. It also has a community to it as well. Like most things in life have some negatives and some positives and everybody has their own opinion, right?
But for this shines it in a light that is true in terms of belonging to this story and how it helps someone.
Joe Winger:
That’s beautiful.
Erin Gavin:
Yeah, certainly this one has a twist at the end.
So I hope the viewers get to watch it and they’ll see exactly what I mean.
I also created a song about gaming which is also very true. A lot of gamers who have heard the song [feel] it’s so relatable.
Joe Winger:
Let’s talk about the cast. The performances are subtle and thoughtful and deep. I was surprised how much I was feeling in such a short period of time.
How did you find your cast? Any favorite moment that really stands out with you?
Erin Gavin:
I love that you felt that. We were really lucky because we just gelled and it made sense and it worked and not a lot of movies have that luck.
I reached out to a Gent who owns a theater school in Scotland. I said I need a young girl for one of the leads.
He happened to also have a Gent who teaches at the school who would’ve been the perfect, and he’d also been in like big shows like Outlander and whatnot.
So I thought, okay, he can act. I checked him out. He’s good. And she was great. And that all came from a gent called Rhys Donnelly who helped me with the casting. And also I reached out to a friend of mine who plays one of the other parts. Who I know is a great actor, Paul Donnelly, and he’s been in Outlander and a bunch of stuff.
So it, again, it was just a community aspect. It’s Oh, who knows who, and who can, how can I connect this and make this all work? And that’s how it happened.
Joe Winger:
What I love about what you just said is we are talking about the plot and the story and the gaming community earlier. You’re talking about the community behind the scenes of production.
I feel like whether it’s deliberate or not. You just found all these different communities to work together to highlight other communities, really a community effort in front of the scene, behind the scenes, in the story, all over the place.
Joe Winger:
Our audience knows we talk usually with chefs and winemakers and mixologists.
We’re talking about food and drink and travel. This topic is a little bit not what we usually talk about, but if you don’t mind, can we talk about food and flavor for a minute with you? Is that okay?
Erin Gavin:
Sure. All right.
Joe Winger:
You probably eat very healthy is my guess, but I could be wrong.
But when you’re indulgent, When you’re looking for flavor. What’s your favorite or what’s it? What’s a good guilty pleasure for you or what’s one of your favorite food and drink pairings?
Erin Gavin:
Being from Scotland, right? I was, Oh, have you tried haggis? Yeah, of course I tried haggis, but haggis is Most things in life, if it’s made well and it’s done it’s really good.
But it can also be the opposite, but I have to say, I do actually love haggis. But now I don’t really eat meat so much. But they do a really good like vegetarian option these days. So when I’m home, especially around Christmas time that would be my sort of go to but to pair with it, I’m going to be really sad here.
I like to drink milk with it. Most people like, yeah, this wine from this region. I’m like, nope, just milk. But but that’s when I go to at home. So when I’m in LA I actually, we like in LA, we have the best sushi. most extending sushi [00:13:00] restaurants. So sushi would be my go to when I’m in LA and definitely sake.
Joe Winger:
What’s the taste profile of haggis? What’s what’s it similar to?
What’s the aroma? What are we tasting? Will you take a bite?
Erin Gavin:
There’s another drink in Scotland. Sometimes I like to have Irn Bru with haggis. It sounds disgusting to a lot of people, but I like it. So it’s just like Irn Bro and haggis.
It’s an acquired taste.
Joe Winger:
Erin, what’s the best way to follow you and learn more about the short film, whether it’s a website, social media, something else, what’s the best way to follow your film festival journey and just what you’re up to with you yourself.
Erin Gavin:
Erin Gavin:
Oh, I appreciate that. On most of the social medias Erin Gavin Artist, like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok.
Gaming For Love has its own pages on Facebook and Instagram.
It’s screening 22nd of July at 1pm at LA Shorts in Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Zoe Saldana, Thomasin McKenzie: Annual Oscar-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival celebrates their 20th anniversary
Zoe Saldana, Thomasin McKenzie, Jamie Lee Curtis: Annual Oscar-Qualifying® HollyShorts Film Festival celebrates their 20th anniversary
The Oscar® Qualifying HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL returns for its much-anticipated 20th edition from August 8-18, 2024.
From over 6000 entries, over 400 films form this year’s anniversary program.
This Friday, July 12, HollyShorts will share the entire 2024 selection on YouTube.
Last year, the Academy® granted the festival their 4th OSCAR®-qualifying award for Documentary Short Film, this accolade joined their other three top awards, Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Short Animation and Best Short Live Action. The winners of these awards will be eligible for consideration for a 2025 Academy® Award.
HollyShorts has also launched an inaugural Sports category with NBA Champion, Metta World Peace as the head judge, he is also a producer of a film to be premiered on opening night called, “With Love Charlie”. The festival’s sports category is led by producer Jessica Badawi and will include work from former NBA player and champion Matt Barnes premiering his documentary “Black Mark”, an episode from the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks series “The Sound of the Seahawks”, “The Syd & TP Show” with WNBA stars Theresa Plaisance and Sydney Colson, the show is produced exclusively by TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company founded by four of the world’s greatest athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Sim, Simone Manuel and Sue Bidr. Also joining this new category will be Red Bull Media House’s “Life of Kai” featuring ESPY award winner Kai Lenny and “Race and Surf” from Selema Masakela, NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies “Marc Gasol: Memphis Made”, “ESPN 30 for 30” and two documentaries from the Italian powerhouse soccer team AC Milan including “Roots-Bennacer”.
Some of the documentary short films selected for the 20th edition include “Alok” directed by Alex Hedison and executive produced by Jodie Foster, “The Final Copy of Ilon Specht” directed by two-time Academy® Award winner Ben Proudfoot, Benjamin Alfonsi’s “Whitney Houston in Focus”, John Beder’s “How to Sue the Klan” and “XCLD: The Story of Cancel Culture” directed by Ferne Pearlstein and produced by Trevor Noah.
The star-studded live-action short film entries include “How Can I Help You” directed by Eliza Scanlen and starring Thomasin McKenzie, Marco Perego’s “Dovecote” with Zoe Saldana, “Dammi” starring Riz Ahmed and Isabelle Adjani, Ken Cheng’s “Summons” starring Jimmy O. Yang and Alexandra Shipp, “Midnight” from legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike, Louisa Connolly-Burnham’s “Sister Wives” featuring BAFTA Rising Star Award winner Mia McKenna-Bruce, “Hearts of Stone” with Noomi Rapace and Jessica Barden, “French” directed by Dylan Joseph and produced by OSCAR® nominee Kobi Mizrahi, “Vlog” starring and directed by Yvonne Strahovski in her directorial debut, “Edge of Space” directed by OSCAR® nominee Jean de Meuron, Russell Goldman’s “Burn Out” produced by Academy® Award winner Jamie Lee Curtis, “Fall Risk” featuring Victoria Pedretti, directed by Alex Martini, and produced by Bella Thorne, and Jim Cummings’ “Pretty Sad”, Yasmin Afifi’s BAFTA winning JELLYFISH AND LOBSTER and Tom Stuart’s GOOD BOY starring Ben Whishaw also join this fantastic lineup.
Among the animated short film entries are Nadia Hallgren and Jamie-James Medina’s “The Brown Dog” with voice performances by Steve Buscemi and the late Michael K. Williams, Paul Shammasian’s “An Angel on Oxford Street” narrated by Christopher Eccleston, “Play Again” directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Zen Pace, voiced by Benjamin Bratt and Eric Briche’s “Volcelest”.
Notable music videos include Shania Twain’s “Giddy Up!” and Nikki Lorenzo’s “Lista, directed by Bianca Poletti and starring Academy® Award nominee John Hawkes.
Additional noteworthy selections include Bella Thorne’s “Unsettled” featuring Chris Zylka, Eli Newman’s “Concrete” starring Ed Harris and Sophia Ali, Mackenzie Davis’ directorial debut “Woaca”, “If Not Now, When?” starring Kate Dickie, Hanna Gray Organschi’s “Merci, Poppy” with Victoria Pedretti, Danielle Baynes’ “The Dog” starring Kate Walsh, Francesca Scorsese’s “Fish Out of Water”, Richie Keen’s “The Grievance” with Rosie O’Donnell and Kevin Pollack, Mika Simmons’ “My Week with Maisy” starring Joanna Lumley, Annie Girard’s “One in the Chamber” starring Wilson Bethel, Hector Prats’ “Heaven is Nobody’s” starring Roger Guenveur Smith, Michael Perez-Lindsey’s “Will I See You Again?” featuring Richard Lawson, Blake Winston Rice’s “Tea”, co-directors Brit Crawshaw and Josh Hayward’s “Female Captive” starring Pauline Chalamet, Academy Award winner’s Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton’s Slick Films selected shorts include Rhys Chapman’s “Ryan Can’t Read” and Elizabeth Peace’s “The Golden Boy”, Benjamin Verrall’s “Shouting at the Sea” starring Harry Michell, Maia Scalia’s “His Mother”, Ethan Kuperberg’s “Paper Towels” starring Josh Brener, and “Swollen” directed by Roxy Sorkin.
HollyShorts is devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums. The festival showcases the top short films produced in 40 minutes or less.
To view the full list of official selections visit http://www.hollyshorts.com
This year’s hybrid celebration of short films will take place in person, with screenings at the world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the official festival streaming platform, BITPIX.
HollyShorts screenings will take place from August 8-18th at TCL Chinese Theatres, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., 3rd Level, Hollywood, CA, 90028, followed by the annual awards gala on August 18th.
For additional information and tickets visit https://hollyshorts2024.eventive.org/passes/buy
Secret of Caesar salad: John Robert Sutton Reveals on “Foods That Matter” Podcast
Secret of Caesar salad: John Robert Sutton Reveals on “Foods That Matter” Podcast
The Caesar salad was NOT invented in Italy!
The iconic dish, celebrating its 100th birthday this year, has roots in Tijuana, Mexico.
![Foods That Matter John Robert Sutton](https://dailyovation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-15-at-12.09.06 PM-1024x1024.png)
Foods ThatMatter John Robert Sutton
To celebrate, podcast host of CurtCo Media’s Foods That Matter and seasoned food archaeologist John Robert Sutton joined Juan José “Tana” Plascencia, the owner of Caesar’s Restaurant – home of the first Caesar salad – in person.
To eat some original recipe salad and chat about how, why, where, and by whom the dish came to be one of the most popular menu items in the US.
John and Tana’s intriguing conversation, starting with the recipe’s origins and ending with its worldwide prominence, is available on Foods That Matter on all major podcast platforms. You get a firsthand look at the backstory of Caesar salad, delving into all the rich flavors and history that made it such an important influence in the dining world.
Near or visiting Tijuana?
Join Tana at the centennial celebration at Caesar’s Restaurant on July 7, 2024. Plus, if you tell Tana that you listened to this episode of Foods That Matter – Celebrating 100 Years of Caesar Salad with the Origin Story that Starts in Tijuana, Mexico – he will give you the authentic recipe to take home!
About Foods That Matter:
Come along for a culinary thrill as Foods That Matter transports foodies to corners of the world through stories of adventure with food archeologist John Robert Sutton, also known as ‘The Indiana Jones of Food.’
John unlocks the secrets to the globe’s extraordinary cuisines, as he’s been doing throughout his travels in over 120 countries while enriching top grocery stores and Michelin-starred chefs with the finest ingredients and powering them with quality products.
The presenting sponsor of Foods That Matter is Watkins, award-winning extracts, spices & herbs, seasoning blends, grilling rubs & marinades, artificial dye-free baking decorations, and more crafted in the USA since 1868. The show is available on podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube and Goodpods.
About CurtCo Media:
CurtCo Media – with its talented producers and creative team – provides listeners with quality podcasts, featuring authoritative hosts, distinguished guests, and inspiring storytellers. The company presents many nationally-recognized series, covering topics such as scripted sci-fi (SOLAR), luxury (Cars That Matter, Travel That Matters, Wines That Matter) and others.
About the Author
Joe Wehinger (nicknamed Joe Winger) has written for over 20 years about the business of lifestyle and entertainment. Joe is an entertainment producer, media entrepreneur, public speaker, and C-level consultant who owns businesses in entertainment, lifestyle, tourism and publishing. He is an award-winning filmmaker, published author, member of the Directors Guild of America, International Food Travel Wine Authors Association, WSET Level 2 Wine student, WSET Level 2 Cocktail student, member of the LA Wine Writers. Email to: Joe@FlavRReport.comYou Might also like
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New Years Eve: Enjoy Sparkling Wine with Signature Menu at Emilia Ristorante
This New Years Eve: Enjoy Sparkling Wine with Signature Menu at Emilia Ristorante
Grab your sparklers and stroll over to Emilia Ristorante this New Year’s Eve and sip a Sparkling Wine with savoring Emilia Ristorante’s Signature Menu featuring Al Centro Tavola (Something to Share), Insalate (Salads), Paste & Risotto, I Secondi (Main Dish), I Contorni (Sides), and Desserts, where each dish inspired from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and can also be perfectly paired with a White Wine, Rosé, or Red Wine from Emilia Ristorante’s award-winning Wine List.
NEW YEAR’S DAY:
Get ready to roll out of bed and into 2023 by heading to Emilia Ristorante for Breakfast, Lunch or Brunch!
Enjoy Emilia Ristorante’s Breakfast & Lunch or Weekend Brunch Menus featuring Uova in Camicia, two organic poached eggs served over sautéed jumbo green asparagus, topped with smoked Guanciale Hollandaise sauce and sliced Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,
Focaccia da Colazione, flatbread with smoked mozzarella, sliced tomato and crispy Guanciale, topped with a sunny-side-up egg, arugula and sliced Parmigiano,
La Piadina di Mattina, an Emilia-Romagna traditional bread roll, filled with two organic scrambled eggs, Fontina cheese, Italian ham, served with side of mixed-green salad,
Quiche agli Asparagi e Provolone, traditional Italian-quiche puff pastry with Fontina cheese and asparagus, served with an organic mixed-green salad,
Toast Francese, French toast topped with mixed berries, served with organic maple syrup,
Salmone Affumicato, King salmon plate, softened cream cheese, topped with shred hard boiled eggs, diced red onion, chives, crispy capers, served with toasted sourdough bread,
Uovo alla Benedettina, two organic poached eggs, served over house-made focaccia bread, topped with Italian ham, Provolone cheese, and smoked Guanciale Hollandaise, and much more.
Toast Francese, Photo Credit: Wonho Photography
Each of these beautiful Breakfast, Lunch and Weekend Brunch dishes can be perfectly paired with an Italian Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Rosé, or Red Wine from Emilia Ristorante’s award-winning Wine List.
Emilia Ristorante will be open on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31st, 2022, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm; Emilia Ristorante will be open on New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1st, 2023, for Brunch and Lunch from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, and for Dinner from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm; 8500 Burton Way, Los Angeles, CA 90048; 424.999.4755; www.EmiliaLA.com
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The Magic of Honey (and its Health Powers) is getting Rediscovered and Darko Mandich is leading the way
The magic and power of honey is getting Rediscovered and Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich is leading the way
Honey has been a staple in my people diets for their whole. As a result, many of us take it for granted. But that’s changing thanks now.
Let’s find out in an exclusive interview with Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich.
Darko Mandich is a food entrepreneur in San Francisco. After spending almost a decade in the European honey industry as a business executive, Darko committed to reimagining the honey industry to become sustainable. Darko immigrated from Europe to California to launch Mellody, the world’s first plant-based honey brand. Darko is an advocate of saving the bees and wild pollinators.
Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich
Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko.
Why honey? Was it a personal passion or where did the interest come from for you?
Honestly, at that time, it was a great opportunity and a very interesting company that had many different divisions all related to food and agriculture.
It’s my grandma’s fault that I got into the food industry because I remember when I was a kid, my grandma and my mom and dad, they were running a tiny tavern in the Mediterranean coastline.
Seeing people gathered around the food, seeing people running around prepping the food. In my family, whenever we would have guests visiting our home, there’s always gonna be like plenty of food. And I think that subliminally inserted in my brain. Even though I pursued business and entrepreneurship, that’s something that excites me. In the background of all of that was food. I don’t mind that because I’m a foodie myself.
Honey is being Re-Discovered. Why did honey become so important to us today?
There’s so many angles to that. If you ask consumers in the US their preferred sweetener is honey. Why? Because people understand that honey has the sugar part that gives you a kick, gives you energy; but honey also has a very exciting non sugary part to it, which makes it a better for you. I would say [it’s] the best sweetener out there.
Also, there’s something about the mythology of honey.
There’s this Greek goddess of honey. Honey has been presented as a divine product across many religious books in different religious and history is telling so many interesting stories about honey.
Around 200 years ago, they unsealed Egyptian pyramids, got inside, found a bunch of things, and amongst others there was honey in a pot. And you know what? That honey was edible. And no food in the world would actually stand against that shelf life because, [of honey’s ] special combinations of sugar acidity, pH. Now I’m nerding up.
But the thing is, honey is very special. It will never go bad. There’s kind of official shelf life to honey, but honey will actually never go bad.
And I think if you connect all these things and consumers looking for better solutions, looking for something that can satisfy them, not only on a taste, but on a nutritious level, honey [has] become so popular. I had a chance to witness this across my decade old career in the US and before that in Europe.
And look, I was very excited about honey. I didn’t know much about it when I joined that [first] company, but when I started learning about it, I was like, ‘Wow, this product is really amazing.’
Is the honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?
This is the product from a direct to consumer collaboration. We just launched with three Michelin star, Eleven Madison Park in New York City.
Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey
Yeah, the honey is currently available. The Specialty Tea and Honey Box launched for the Mother’s Day collection and Earth Month.
It’s a specially curated box of artisanal teas coming from different parts of the world with honey and also amazing, shortbread cookies. All plant-based, also made with our honey. That’s available right now
Sometime very soon a standalone jar [of honey] will also be available to Eleven Madison Home.
Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey
Tell us again what’s available, how to find it; and how to follow you and support you.
Yeah, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at MellodyFoods
In terms of purchasing, head to ElevenMadisonHome.com and you can purchase it there.
Saving the bees is learning more about them. Learning more about pollinators and you can do that on our social media.
And finally, if you’re equally passionate about bees and plants as we are, ask your favorite restaurant to reach out to us to offer Mellody in your favorite restaurant. It can be a vegan restaurant on non-vegan.
We are gonna work with all the restaurants that reach out to us where people ask to see our product offered, either on the menu, either within a meal, or just if you order a cup of tea and you want a side of Mellody.
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Comic Con Legend Shares his Hosting Tips, Geek TV’s Chris Gore – See his new Doc ‘Attack of the Doc’ Available April 24
Popular Host Shares his Tips, Comic Con and Geek TV’s Chris Gore
Chris Gore is a frequent host on Comic Con and Geek Culture stages around the world, plus on dozens of TV shows.
On a weekly basis, he battles publicly to keep a panel of personalities in line, with egos and eccentricities, from world-famous filmmakers and comic book artists to eager up-and comers in pop culture.
Today I sat down with Chris Gore, the writer / director / producer of “Attack of the Doc!” to ask him all about his hosting tips.
“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore.
This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, and many more!
Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture. Available for streaming and more as of April 24, 2023.
You’re a world-class host, whether it’s in front of a camera or on a stage. What do you feel is the key to being a great host?
I want people who disagree with each other to be on a panel together, because I wanna come to some [agreement]. I want everyone to shake hands at the end. And ideally, maybe even hug, even though I’m not much of a hugger. Shake hands, walk away, have a sense of sportsmanship. You debated your point. I debated mine. The audience can decide how they feel about something.
Whenever I’m moderating a panel or doing something like that, I try to make sure everybody gets a chance to talk. And if I see somebody dominating too much, I’ll get them to pull back. I’ll say, ‘Hey, everybody, for two minutes, give me your opinion on this, and then I’ll go down the line.’
I also want people to feel welcomed, even whether I personally agree with their opinion or not, doesn’t matter. I want people to feel welcome in that space.
When it comes to doing TV, I had no TV experience when I started doing television. My first real TV job was on a show called “The X Show”, which was a show on late night on FX. It was like “The Man Show”, but kind of like “The View” with guys, and I was the movie guy.
So I had to learn, but I didn’t care about being on television, whereas everyone else I was surrounded by really wanted to be on TV. I think because I didn’t care, that helped me because I didn’t care if I got the job or not. I’m a stay-at-home dad writing a book right now about movies. I don’t have time. The TV thing is kind of interrupting my schedule. The less I cared about being on TV the more jobs I got offered.
I didn’t realize this [at first]. But truthfully, to be on television, you need to learn how to walk up to your spot, which is usually a piece of tape on the floor. So you gotta ‘meet the spot’, okay?
You’ve gotta look at the teleprompter and you read what’s on the teleprompter, but you pretend you’re not reading; you pretend you’re actually talking to a person. So you read, but act like you’re actually not reading.
And that’s pretty much it.
I just told you everything. You could go to college and learn how to be on TV. I just gave you the 30 second summary. Walk up to a piece of tape and be able to read where it sounds natural.
I was fortunate enough that some of the stuff was scripted for me, but when it came to my opinion, that was me talking off the top of my head. And I always felt like whenever I did DVDs Day on ‘Attack of the Show’ or other television that I did, I always felt like I was in a race. ‘I’ve got four minutes. I’m gonna give you as much information in four minutes as possible. We’ll come to a conclusion: buy, rent, or pass. Then, see you next week [where] I’ll be on for another four minutes.’
“Attack of the Doc!” is written, directed & produced by Chris Gore, produced & edited by Bobby Schwartz, co-produced by Walter Areas, with additional co-editing by Anthony Ray Bench and Phillip H. Eubanks, and with an original score composed by Austin Smith. This deep dive documentary features pop icons including Wil Wheaton, John Cena, Joel McHale, Peter Jackson, Kumail Nanjiani, Whitney Cummings, Danny Pudi, Eric Andre, Jerry Stiller, Joe Rogan, Jimmy Fallen, Kel Mitchell, Anne Meara, Stan Lee, Sara Jean Underwood, Carrie Keagan, Riley Steele, Tom Green, Anthony Daniels, Michael Winslow, Joey Kern, Joan Rivers, Chris Hardwick, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, Jessica Chobot, Tony Hawk, and Alison Haislip, among others as we search for the truth.
“Attack of the Show! was unique, way ahead of its time and was a milestone that had a huge impact on geek culture. Its core audience is one of the most coveted around the globe. I think viewers of the original show will be down for learning the history of the network and the show which helped usher in the age of nerd culture. Frankly, G4TV and Attack of the Show! are responsible for making it cool to be a nerd,” states Gore. “And at the end of the day, I hope the documentary entertains fans and reminds them of a time when a TV show could be dangerous and provide some laughs without fear of being canceled. Everyone who worked on the documentary is a super fan, so this movie was made by fans for fans.”
Attack of the Doc! Synopsis
Before the rise of big tech, social media and Marvel movies, Attack of the Show! chronicled nerd culture’s unlikely acceptance as mainstream. G4TV’s flagship show launched the careers of hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira and was beloved by fans – a unique celebration of geek culture before it was cool. Diving into colossal cream pies, wearing fat suits for comedy and putting internet servers where the sun don’t shine – anything could happen on an episode of Attack of the Show! It’s been years since the show went off the air and one question has lingered: what really happened to G4TV and Attack of the Show? Enter Attack Of The Doc! — the new film written and directed by Chris Gore, promises to answer one of pop culture’s longest running mysteries.
Available now and watch the trailer here.
Follow the documentary and its journey available on Video on Demand and TVOD/Digital platforms on April 24th, 2023, which is the 21st Anniversary of the launch of G4TV.
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