Sort by Views All Time

Incredible A. O. C. Dinner June 15! Critically Acclaimed Winemaker Raul Perez Curated by Caroline Styne, Paired with End-of-Spring Menu by Suzanne Goin

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

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.

SoCal is Curious about Plant-Based Honey Taste? Mellody’s Darko Mandich reveals the Surprise

Los Angeles is known for its adventurous foodies and curious eaters.  Plenty of people are already in line to try plant-based honey, but what does it actually taste like?

People might worry there’s a “laboratory” flavor?  Has it lost its texture? Vibrancy? Is there a “diet” feel to it?

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

Mellody Food’s Darko Mandich

 

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Darko for nearly an hour.

 

Let’s talk about the honey. What’s the taste profile?

 

There are three aspects of products that people care about. Number one by far is taste. Number two is price, and number three is nutrition.

In terms of the taste, what we’re really after is the best tasting honeys that are made by bees. 

The taste has to match rare honeys that you would find in parts of Europe; France, Italy. Very high quality Acacia honey, specifically.

If we talk about New Zealand, Australia, that’s Manuka honey; and we’re matching that.

So no compromise there.

Moving to the price, I grew up in poverty and I really want to make sure that everybody has access to this product at some point. But it’ll take us some time. So right now it’s premium quality, but it’s also premium price.

In terms of nutrition, we wanna do better than honey coming from bees. How? First and foremost, honey made by the bees contains a certain bacteria that’s called Clostridium. With our product, without the bees [there’s no Clostridium] bacteria.

I’m really proud to say that our product is allergen free; and that for people with allergies to honey and pollen, this is gonna be neutral.

Finally in terms of super ingredients or superfoods, our honey has more than what’s usually found in some of the honey types made by the bees.

The sugar profile is the same, the calorie content is the same, but the twist is there’s a little bit more of certain powerful active compounds that come from the plants.

 

That’s absolutely incredible. It’s enhanced honey. Is there a better word?

 

I like to call it a plant-based honey. And that category of plant-based honey is already elevated to the level of being enhanced compared to bee-made honey.

 

I’m really happy that Melody is starting this category. We are the world’s first plant-based honey.

There’s exactly one same sentence that we get to hear across 5,000 people that were involved in tasting this before it hit the market.

That sentence is: It’s honey.

People taste it, they’re amazed with it, and they say, “Oh my God, it’s honey.”

There are certain plant-based products that have their heart in best place in terms of mission and impact, but are just not delivering on [flavor] expectations. We just want to make sure that people across different categories of nutrition say that this is honey and that they love it.

Eleven Madison Home's The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

Eleven Madison Home’s The Specialty Tea and Honey Box featuring Mellody Honey

 

Is the honey currently available at Eleven Madison Home?

 

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

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.

 

Food’s Future is getting “Better Better”, led by WhatIf Foods and Chris Langwallner

The Future of food is getting “Better Better” thanks to WhatIf Foods and Chris Langwallner.

WhatIF Foods believes in a better better.

Tasty, delicious foods that are better for our bodies, better for our taste buds and farmer buds alike. Better for degraded lands, our eco-systems and naturally… better for cows.

Today I had the chance to have a conversation (via zoom) with WhatIF Food’s Chris Langwallner to talk about inspiration, their foods, their flavors and the science and technology making it all happen.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.  For the full conversation visit our YouTube channel.

Today we are here with Chris Langwallner from What If Foods. Thanks for joining us today.

Absolute pleasure. I cannot thank you enough. It’s fantastic to be here and letting our story get out a little bit. So thank you very much. I’m excited because it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

 

 

We’re talking about plant-based foods, we’re talking about planet based foods and for a “better-better” world. I’m hoping you’ll clarify that for us.

 

I look forward to it. Yes, it’s all about a planet based food company. It’s all about regenerating. It’s all about reconnecting to communities, restoring the greater land, and making sure that we are replenishing the nutrients we need on a day-to-day basis.

 

What inspired you to get into plant-based food?

 

To be honest with you, as a planet based company I think what really inspired me to get into a better way of doing things is actually a call out of my grandfather.

He has been always saying, leave this planet a better world than how you found it. When I was a young boy, I couldn’t understand. It was too abstract. I couldn’t really get my head around. But as I was then working in the industry for 20, 25 years you look behind the scenes, and you see how food is being manufactured on large scale and how profitability over shadows a lot of decision making.

And on the other flip side of the coin, there is a community out there, about 2.6 billion people. This planet makes a direct income or an indirect income from farming activities. And the vast majority, more than two thirds of these people are the poorest of the poor. And we are leaving them behind. And that’s not fair to them because what we have on the plates has been harvested by them.

They take care of their land. And if we leave them behind in the current state of affairs We’ll see many tears in their eyes. And it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be totally different. And hence my strife was really to look at the planetary health and its affairs as well as humanity overall.

And thinking about that must be a better way of doing things and how can we improve it, not incrementally, but really make a system change. And here we are basically inspired by my grandfather. 

On your website, you take some very science-based heavy content and you make it fun and easy.  Talk about that process.

 

It’s a team effort. Honestly, there’s a huge team behind the scenes that works tirelessly on improving our communication and our style and our tone. But the essence of it all is that we understand that Gen Zs and today’s youth are essentially those consumer groups that are on this planet.

Probably the first sort of generation that is fully educated in sustainability. And they have their ability today by one click of a button to really look behind the scenes and understand whether or not there is BS or whether or not there’s transparency, there’s honesty, and there is a different approach to things.

So that is one aspect of things. So we wanted to really make sure we are speaking to the youth on this planet. The second aspect of it all is that, You open your social media feeds today, or you open a media channel, you switch on your television and you are bombarded with bad news, after bad news.

And quite frankly, I have worked in universities and with students and I have been shocked by the fact that people, young guys, talk to me, ‘Hey, I don’t care about sustainability. I don’t care about our planet because it’s so crappy. Everything is so bad. I might as well just enjoy the time span I have on this planet.’

 

And I was shocked in contrast to what my grandfather told me. Today’s youth, some of them, not all, a fraction of them think like that. Or in other words I met this young girl and she says, I don’t know if I want to have children. Because I don’t know whether or not I would like to give birth to people that then inherit a planet that is so hot.

And all of that together was just making me restless and I wanted to really change things and and take this finite time span that I have on this planet to try as hard as I possibly can to leave it better than I found it. And that’s what I strive for. Hence we’re speaking with a fun and engaging voice.

We are speaking with colors and we are speaking with cartoons so that we basically get this heavy message across in an uplifting way and saying, Hey, you can be part of something. That actually does the opposite. It’s not grim. Yes. If we change, we can make this. We’re a better place and here we are.

Thanks for the call out. The credit goes to my team.

 

As we segue into the products themselves, what I wanna highlight is this BamNut Is that the nickname for the Bambara Groundnut?

 

Yeah, so we came up with Bamnut as a short version, as an acronym for the Bambara Ground Nut, which in reality is a legume, a legume that helps us fix nitrogen organically in soils that are essentially degraded and left behind by intensive agriculture.

The Bamnut word came about in Singapore. We actually did not quite know when we started using it. We didn’t quite know how the Americans would pronounce it. And then we found out, alright, it’s the Bamnut. So it all turned out to be so witty and entertaining and just perfect fit for a “better, better” to be honest.

 

Because that’s a main ingredient in all of your food. Let’s talk about what is a BamNut. Why is it magical and unique?

 

I was walking through the world of agro food over the past 20 years, and I’ve always been hugely concerned about the massive speed of land degradation, particularly on arid land.

And that’s getting accelerated because of climate change; and the weather is changing; and the rains and the monsoons are not hitting regularly anymore. So it becomes increasingly more difficult to plant, the planting season to make sure that you are having the seeds in the ground before the rains hit them and so on and so forth.

So it becomes really challenging for folks. So land turpitation has always been a huge concern of mine because another, on the flip side of that, we are losing about 25 soccer fields worth of arid land every minute, while at the very same minute, the same amount of primary forests have been cut down.

So if you compare and contrast these two figures, what it tells me is that in order to make way for the old food industry, we actually cut primary forest and we leave land behind. And that is the wrong thing to do. That is one aspect of things. 

The other aspect of things is I had once the fantastic opportunity to have an interview with Dr. Roy Steiner of the Rockefeller Foundation. And he gave a casual shoutout and he said, nowhere in the world do we produce and consume enough legumes. And I was thinking, why does he say that? But then it’s quite obvious if you think it through, because we are depending so much on crops that the land that basically holds the crops is deprived from organic nitrogen fixing crops like the legumes, and in the absence of nitrogen being fixed through the legumes, we throw endless amounts of synthetic fertilizers on the ground in order to make up for it.

That’s an aspect of things that also worried me.  But today the input costs have gone through the roof is it unravels all over the world and it has gotten more and more expensive to do so the degrading of land in one pocket, I was basically going through my work with that sort of lens.

Then there’s this whole water issue. We are big time irrigating crops, but what does that do? It just slows down the loss of water tables because the moment we take water out of the ground, the water tables are collapsing. I have numbers for that. I had a business in India a long time ago, and it used to be 30 meters, and today it’s probably 90 to 120 meters.

So water is basically a huge issue. There was another lens through which I looked at, and then I was at a conference in Jakarta, and I happened to run into a scientist. He said to me that he works on the Bambara groundnut. It’s a complete crop.  I thought, “Oh, that’s interesting. So what does that mean?”

And I started to really explore that much more deeper. And a complete crop turns out to be essentially a crop that has all micronutrients in the sort of right balance that we need. On top of it, it has all nine essential amino acids that we need. It has rich fatty acids, quality fatty acids, as well as car complex carbohydrates.  So fiber. 

You remember the forgotten macronutrient fibers for our microbiomes? So I got really inspired. So I looked up the amino acid profile and I saw it is rich in plutonic acid or spartic acid. So these are very cool amino acids in terms of generating nice flavors. And off I was; I organized the first couple of five kilos and the trial started, and that’s years and years ago.

In the meantime, the Bambara groundnut actually taught us a few lessons because it’s a very hearty nut and it really takes an effort to make cool products outta it.

 

It’s called a complete product, is that correct?

 

A complete food.  A complete crop or complete food crop.

 

Right now all of the products on your website are based from BamNut. I see Bam Nut milk. I see noodles with seasonings, and then there’s bundles and swag and all kinds of delicious things.

In the future, are we expanding that beyond or what’s the scope?

 

We would love to explore new categories as we build our business. There are so many occasions throughout the day where we can actually incorporate the bambara ground in exciting products, and we look forward to doing that.

Our focus right now is definitely our milk portfolio. It’s a wonderful product. I encourage everybody to have a little taste and Judge for yourself. We have a client in Los Angeles, a coffee roaster, who said ‘This is the closest thing to cow milk that I’ve ever seen in plant-based milk.’ 

We call it planet based milk. I have to say again, shout out to my team in the R&D side of things because they have established a wonderful product essentially with just three ingredients: that’s water, the bambara groundnut, not coconut oil. The rest is essentially technology behind the scenes that actually makes it foam nicely, very stable foam, small bubbles. So you can do latte art. 

Our Airy [flavor] is essentially the one that I would use for a nice drink, like a shake.

In between there is the Every Day [flavor] that goes essentially into my cereal in the morning. 

What are the flavors?

 

Today we are in the market with three different products.

The first one in a slightly black sort of packaging is the Barista. It has the richest mouthfeel. It is the creamiest. We have designed it to perform fantastic or be able to perform fantastic latte art. So it really goes into the cappuccino sort of an experience rather nicely.

I personally take it also for Boba tea. I might as well use the bambara groundnut and foam it up. 

I have my little trick with the barista. I actually froth it in the frother and I put my espresso shot into the frother with the barista together. So I froth it together. But that is just me. I just like it that way. 

Then we have the purple package, which is our Everyday. My wife uses it in baking. We do make cakes, like traditional Austria style, and we totally use only the Everyday [flavor] for that.

Friends of mine [pour] it into their cereals in the morning. It’s a little bit richer, earthy, nutty in character because we do tend to roast the nuts a little bit stronger in the process of making it.

Last but not least, we have our Airy [flavor], which is the lightest one of it all. It is the mint colored package. It is the one that people take into milkshakes and protein shakes. 

 

Let’s move on to Noodles

 

We wanted to create technologies that help us regenerate what’s broken. And today a large portion of all ramen that is being consumed on a day-to-day basis globally is deep fried in palm oil. Palm oil leaves huge banks of land degraded behind, particularly after the third cycle of palm plantations being grown.

We see the aftermath of the palm plantation industry essentially now in Southeast Asia. Therefore we were alerted when we started this project to basically say no to frying and no to deep frying and no, to essentially dehydrating instant noodles or ramen using that sort of process.

So we invented a technology that actually took that sort of challenge away. We invented an industrial scale air frying technology. Once you actually don’t fry anymore, you save about 20% of the space because 20% of palm oil is [based] in the noodle product of classic ramen.  That’s what it absorbs in the frying process. 

So if you don’t deep fry, you save 20%. Now nutrients will survive. Now colors may survive.  Then we replaced all the palm oil with the Bambara. 

We started to actually say, how can we bring color and different flavors and textures on the plates of consumers? And we created these four different products with the four different colors, which is essentially the black one, which is charcoal driven, moringa is green, pumpkin is orange and the original is yellow.

So four different options, all the same philosophy. 

The backbone of making it is the same, but then we add different nutrients to it to have fun, and then we add fancy seasonings to it, which makes just a nice flavor experience as well.

 

 

Our audience is passionate, hungry, curious, foodies. What does it actually taste like?

 

I’m extremely proud of our Noodles because even without the seasonings, you can cook them up and eat them and you will have a wonderful experience.

Try and contrast that with other ramen that you find in the market, and you will come back to our offering immediately because they’re just tasting nice. 

So our starting point of then adding the seasonings to it, like hot and spicy, or the mushrooms is an easy undertaking. It is actually an easy sort of concept to work with because if you have a neutral and nice taste to start with from the noodle base, you can build interesting flavor profiles on top.

Rather than having to use heavy flavors to mask off-flavor from a product base, or not so nice processes or even crappy raw materials. We don’t have that challenge. 

We also decided very early on to keep the salt at a minimum to stay away from any flavor enhancers. No MSG,  we’ve tried to keep it as clean as we possibly can.

We’ve tried to use as much spice as we can access.  No flavoring and stuff like that. I’ve been in that industry for over 20 years.  We thought let’s stay honest, to the product as well, to the noodles as well. And that has been a fantastic journey.

Our “Original, is a hot and sweet, hot and spicy pairing.  In Southeast Asia, it’s based on wok cooking. That’s my personal favorite. I eat it on salads with a little bit of a balsamico dressing

We have with Sesame Garlic, many kids who go for a green one. 

Pumpkin with the traditional Indian curry offer a great pairing. Watch out, it comes hot and spicy.  Typical Indian flavors. 

Last but not least is our charcoal with mushrooms. It’s fantastic for, if you go out to have a beer and come home and wanna have a bite, go for it. It’s a good one. 

How did you decide which flavors to choose? Was it a lot of trial and error?

 

There’s a lot of trial and error. There’s a lot of pairing up with our noodles.

What we have tried to do is really look into what are the best pairings for these sort of flavors.

From that point of view, we also wanted to stay with our seasonings. We wanted to stay essentially planet based.  None of our ingredients have any animal derived products in it.

You look at the charcoal, you cook it up, you eat it, you give it to a chef, let him experiment around. 

We had a Spanish chef take our charcoal and put it into a paella. All of a sudden there was a totally different sort of recipe.

The way we actually derived the final products has also a lot to do with people that actually use it day-to-day in the kitchen and learn from them.

 

What’s the future of WhatIf foods?

 

We are going to enter new categories of food and we are gonna expand our existing categories with new products. 

But I probably would love to use the opportunity to take you along on a more philosophical sort of journey for WhatIf foods and what comes hopefully in the next couple of years to come, because I think we have a better opportunity that needs doubling down now.

What I’m talking about is really the cost of the way we are making everything right from originating bambara groundnut, with partnering farming communities in all parts of Ghana. Encouraging them, making the ingredients ourselves, and then making the food applications, making the food, and then basically taking it to retail all the way through to Manhattan and other parts of the US.

So it’s that entire regenerative value chain that we have created and what that actually represents to us is an opportunity to really explore the intersection between soil health and restoring the soil that has been once degraded from intensive agriculture. 

It is that intersection of renewable energy because the Bambara groundnut now grows in a shell and hence the shell has energy in there and can be used in order to fire up essentially for power.

If you do that smartly, you generate biochar. With biochar, you then actually sequester carbon from the atmosphere into the soils permanently for hundreds, if not a thousand years to come.

 And last but not least, another intersection is wellbeing for consumers. We call them “Better Believers” as well as farming communities because we work with them directly.

We are proud of the fact that we have increased profit, not income; profit of farmers who work with us by 300%. 

At 2.5 acres, these farmers are permanently uplifted above the poverty line. That’s the intersection we really wanna double down to. Again, soil health, renewable energy, carbon sequestration.

Well-being for both the better believers as consumers, as well as the farming communities. Its possible and we’re looking forward to doing that on a large scale. If we wanna fulfill the demand that we hopefully can create, then we will probably need about 20,000 farmers to do that in the next five to ten years to come.

And then generate all the energy that we need internally to be there for carbon zero.  Even further carbon or maybe even participate in the carbon market through certificates. That’s our next challenge. That’s where we wanna go.

 

Find more about What If Foods on their website

Follow WhatIf Foods on Tik Tok, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

The Iconic Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort Hosts Angel Oak Wine Pairing Dinner April 19

The Iconic Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort Hosts Angel Oak Wine Pairing Dinner April 19.

The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara–the premier oceanfront resort along the Gaviota Coast–welcomes Babcock Winery & Vineyards to its intimate Angel Oak Wine Cellar for a four-course pairing menu in collaboration with Angel Oak chef Josh Kellim.

The special night is the second of a new monthly wine pairing dinner series to take place at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara. 


The evening’s savory menu begins with a caviar course featuring an onion creme-fraiche-topped duck fat tater tot, followed by a second course of black truffle quail eggs, then a grilled guinea hen with white asparagus and morel mushrooms.

The evening concludes with a slow cooked lamb loin and rack, paired with a smoked date puree, lemon yogurt, fresh hummus and spiced lamb jus. Each flavor presented is carefully chosen to bring forth the tasting notes of each Babcock wine poured. Babcock Winery & Vineyards is best-known for its Estate Grown versions of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chenin Blanc.. The pairing menu is matched with the moody environment of the private wine cellar room below Angel Oak–The Ritz-Carlton Bacara’s fine dining restaurant. 

The Angel Oak x Babcock Winery & Vineyards Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19th. Seats are $225 per person excluding tax and gratuity charge.

Reservations can be made online here

 

 

The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara 

 

Set against a backdrop of golden beaches and lush mountains, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara embodies the charm, beauty, and energy of the Mediterranean in the heart of Santa Barbara. The iconic Central California resort spans 78 acres and features 358 guest rooms and suites, two natural beaches, lush gardens, and a collection of amenities including: a 42,000 square-foot spa and wellness center; three salt-water infinity pools; six culinary venues including the signature Angel Oak, housing the resort’s 12,000-bottle wine collection; robust activities program for guests of all ages; and 70,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space. The property is distinctly nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, offering easy access to the region’s best vineyards, and is just minutes from the center of charming and historic Santa Barbara. 

 

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC 

 

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Bethesda, MD, part of Marriott International, Inc., currently operates more than 100 hotels in 32 countries and territories. For more information or reservations, visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com, for the latest company updates, visit news.marriott.com and to join the live conversation, use #RCMemories and follow along on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR). The Ritz-Carlton is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.

Big Hollywood Shake-Up! American Film Market 2024 Moves To Las Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort

American Film Market 2024 Relocating To Las Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort

The Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®) and its Board of Directors announce that the American Film Market (AFM®), its industry flagship event, will relocate to Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas for its 45th edition.

New Chapter for American Film Market in 2024

Scheduled for November 5 to 10, 2024, this move marks a new chapter for AFM.

Held in Los Angeles and Santa Monica for over four decades, AFM is a cornerstone event for the independent entertainment industry.

Companies Including Arclight Films, Blue Fox Entertainment, Cornerstone, Film Mode Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, HanWay Films, Lakeshore Entertainment, Millennium Media,

Myriad Pictures, NEON, Protagonist Pictures, The Exchange, WME Independent & XYZ Films

Already Committed as Exhibitors at the Palms for AFM24

American Film Market 2024 multi-City Search

The decision to move American Film Market to Las Vegas comes after a multi-city search and careful consideration of the needs of AFM’s Exhibiting Sales Companies and Buyers and reflects IFTA’s dedication to creating the optimal environment where the global film and television industry can converge, collaborate, and conduct business seamlessly.

“After extensive research, discussions with the Board and invaluable feedback from stakeholders, this move underscores our determination to evolving AFM to meet today’s industry needs,”

Clay Epstein

IFTA Chairperson and President of Film Mode Entertainment.

“The strength of the AFM lies in its ability to create community and present a sophisticated platform for all our participants’ activities in one convenient location. The Palms enables us to do all of that and beyond.”

Palms Casino Resort offers a wealth of modern facilities and conveniences, all in a single location for an enhanced market experience. Highlights include newly renovated rooms and suites for Exhibitor office space and guest rooms, the Brenden Theatres’ 14 screen state-of-the-art multiplex, and more than 170,000 square feet of dedicated conference, meeting, and event space. 

Las Vegas presents easy travel options, including domestic and international flights from over 160 locations, and its close proximity to Los Angeles, with over 35 daily flights, expands the options and allows AFM participants easy stopovers. Furthermore, Las Vegas offers a wealth of dining, sleeping, entertaining, and shopping opportunities, providing added value for AFM participants.

Epstein further added, “This move to Las Vegas is generating support and enthusiasm from colleagues around the world and we are excited to welcome everyone to AFM 2024 in November.”

Major production, finance, sales and distribution companies, including Arclight Films, Blue Fox Entertainment, Blacktop International, Cinema Management Group, Cornerstone, The Exchange, Film Mode Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, Film Seekers, HanWay Films, A Higher Standard, Lakeshore Entertainment, Millennium Media, Myriad Pictures, NEON, Protagonist Pictures, The Asylum, The Solution Entertainment Group, Vision Films, WME Independent and XYZ Films have already committed to participating in AFM24 in the new Las Vegas Palms locale, underscoring the industry’s enthusiasm for this monumental move and the importance of AFM to their businesses.

Jean Prewitt, IFTA President & CEO commented:  “AFM was created by the Independents and remains the Independents’ market.  The industry has called for a fresh look at how the market can better serve a rapidly changing business.  The Board has made a monumental decision that allows us to better serve these needs.  We look forward to introducing everyone to the new AFM venue and its offerings.”

“We’re delighted to extend a warm welcome to the American Film Market,” said Cynthia Kiser Murphey, General Manager of Palms Casino Resort. “Our team members are committed to providing the Palms signature and personalized hospitality to each and every guest. The AFM’s needs and our offerings make for a perfect match and we look forward to hosting the AFM participants this November.”

As AFM prepares to make its debut in Las Vegas this Fall, further details will be unveiled in the coming weeks and months. 

About the American Film Market® (AFM®)

The AFM is where the global film and television business comes to life every November. The only independently produced international sales market, hundreds of finance, production, sales and distribution companies and thousands of professionals from every segment of the industry, convene at AFM for six days of discovery, development, deal making, networking, marketplace discussions and world-class conferences. The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®) and serves as the annual fundraiser for the association.  

About the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®)
IFTA is the global trade association for independent film and television production, finance, distribution, and sales companies. The organization represents the independent sector before governments and international bodies and provides significant entertainment industry services to independent companies around the world.

About Palms Casino Resort

Palms Casino Resort is making history as the first resort in Las Vegas fully owned and operated by a Native American Tribe. Palms Casino Resort features two distinct towers with 766 hotel rooms and suites, a diverse mix of bars, restaurants, live entertainment venues, and immersive lifestyle experiences across a 95,000-square-foot reimagined casino. Offering free valet and self-parking, the resort also includes over 190,000 square feet of meeting, convention, and event space; the Pearl, a 2,500-seat theater; an expansive pool, The Spa & Salon at Palms; a wedding chapel; the Brenden Theatre 14-screen cinema and nearly 600 units at Palms Place condominiums.

Palms is located just west of the center of the Las Vegas Strip off I-15 on Flamingo Road. Palms Casino Resort is owned by The San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority (“SMGHA”) an affiliate of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. For more information visit http://www.palms.com/ or the Palms Press Room. Follow Palms on social media Facebook Twitter Instagram.

Oregon, Chicago, North Carolina and much more! Traveling? Discover Greatest Hotels Ever from Fifty Grande

Oregon, Chicago, North Carolina and much more! Traveling? Discover Greatest Hotels Ever from Fifty Grande

Travel magazine Fifty Grande recognized 50 hotels for its first ‘Greatest Hotels Ever’ awards, nominated by readers.

Hotels had to meet two criteria to secure a nomination; they had to be located in the United States and needed to average a rate of under $350 per night.

“This collection of hotels reflects the adventurous spirit and eclectic interests of our Fifty Grande community,”

Chris Walsh

Editor-in-Chief

The chosen hotels offer an array of interesting amenities and thoughtful guest experiences. This carefully curated selection celebrates the best in­­ affordable tourism, highlighting exceptional accommodations that redefine the travel experience without breaking the bank.

Crazy Water Hotel, Mineral Wells, Texas

Crazy Water Hotel, Mineral Wells, Texas

The Greatest Hotels Ever are:

Northeast & Mid-Atlantic

The AsburyAsbury Park, N.J.
The Dean Hotel, Providence
Hotel Zena, Washington, D.C.
The Lincoln Hotel, Biddeford, Maine
Oak Bluffs Inn, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
The Schoolhouse Hotel, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.
TWA Hotel, New York
The Verb, Boston
Woodstock Inn and Resort, Woodstock, Vt.

South

Crazy Water Hotel, Mineral Wells, Texas
Emeline, Charleston
Flophouze, Round Top, Texas
Grand Bohemian Lodge, Greenville, S.C.
Graduate NashvilleNashville
Hotel San JoseAustin
Hotel TupeloTupelo, Miss.
Kimpton Overland Hotel Atlanta Airport, Atlanta
The Pontchartrain Hotel, New Orleans
The Reserve at Hot SpringsHot Springs, Ark.
The Vendue, Charleston

Ace Hotel Palm Springs, Palm Springs

Ace Hotel Palm Springs, Palm Springs

West

Ace Hotel Palm Springs, Palm Springs
‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, Honolulu
Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, Kanab, Utah
The Eddy Taproom & Hotel, Golden, Colo.
The Edgewater Hotel, Seattle
Grouse Mountain Lodge, Whitefish
Hotel Chaco, Albuquerque
Hotel Figeroa, Los Angeles
Hotel Max, Seattle
Hotel McCoyTucson
Hotel Zetta, San Francisco
McMenamins Kennedy School, Portland, Ore.
The Pearl Hotel, San Diego
Shore Lodge, McCall, Idaho
Urban CowboyDenver
The Venetian, Las Vegas
Wyoming Inn, Jackson Hole

21c Museum Hotel, St. Louis

21c Museum Hotel, St. Louis

Midwest 

21c Museum Hotel, St. Louis
Bottleworks Hotel, Indianapolis
The Brown Hotel, Louisville
Hotel DonaldsonFargo
Hotel Millwright, Amana, Iowa
Hotel on PhillipsSioux Falls
The Junto, Columbus
Kinn Guesthouse, Milwaukee
Magnolia OmahaOmaha
Palmer HouseChicago
The Siren Hotel, Detroit
Union Station Hotel, St. Louis
Viceroy Hotel, Chicago

The survey was conducted September 4 – 25, 2023 and the results were based on 1825 respondents.

For the full story, visit www.fiftygrande.com.

Fifty Grande

Fifty Grande is a digital and print travel publication that explores the U.S.

Scroll to top