INVITE ONLY – The 15th Annual EcoLuxe Lounge, produced by Debbie Durkin, proudly returns to The Beverly Hilton Hotel with a revamped safe, and fun “Drive-Thru” luxury experience.
Truism of Life: When one of LA’s most up-and-coming rappers invites you to a 420 function, you go. That’s just how it is. And thank God I did, because Chef Sean really knows how to throw a party.
Popcorn is my favorite food. That’s the first and last bit of information on ALL my dating profiles. Okay? So when I got invited to SNAX-Sational brands’ premiere popcorn Cookie Pop and Candy Pop’s poolside soirée at the W Hollywood, it was an easy yes for me, dawg.
FIRE, a new luxury cannabis brand brought one of LA’s first Covid safe, star-studded events to life for their annual FIRE 420 celebration.
This weekend the sun was shining brightly at the beautiful Palm Beach International Boat Show.
We could spill the tea but today it’s all about the sauce, Caroline D’Amore’s Pizza Girl sauce that is!
Preheat that oven ladies and gentlemen, because we have some recipes that you are not going to want to miss.
Sbe hosted the 4th annual Taste of sbe virtually this December and oh, was it a treat! The annual culinary event featured star chefs Dani Garcia, Masaharu Morimoto, Dario Cecchini, and Jose Icardi. Each chef was paired up with a celebrity guest for an interactive at-home culinary experience.
Attendees could purchase tickets to attend the 4 evenings of virtual cooking sessions, starting at $50 for all 4 sessions, and the proceeds helped restaurants and chefs struggling financially due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Each chef shared exclusive recipes to one of their signature dishes, and attendees were able to recreate the dishes in the comfort of their own homes (and probably pajamas.)
Celebrity guests included Nick Jonas, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Giuliana Rancic and Dutch designer Marcel Wanders.
We had the opportunity to speak with three (!!!) Michelin Star awarded chef, Dani Garcia, who was paired with Nick Jonas. Are we Jealous he got to cook with Nick? Yes, yes we are.
Check out the full interview with Chef Dani Garcia below.
The Knockturnal: What are you most looking forward to about the Taste of sbe?
Chef Dani Garcia: To be able to share our passion for food as well as our Mediterranean influence partnering with this great brand that is sbe and the celebrities they have partnered with. I hope one day we can also do a chef collaboration between all chefs that sbe has partnerships with. This is a crucial time and we are so thrilled to be able to highlight the cuisine of our restaurants through this virtual event.
The Knockturnal: Is there any particular celebrity you look forward to working with?
Chef Dani Garcia: If I had to choose I would say Nick Jonas, very talented artist and hardworking individual, and of course we are paired together. We had a blast working together on this.
The Knockturnal: What is your favorite dish that you will be making? Can you please explain the dish?
Chef Dani Garcia: Whole marinated Sea Bass. This dish highlights my roots from Malaga while also introducing the influences of my travels. Fish is placed in an ¨adobo¨ or marinated with a base of acidity and paprika for at least 24 hours, then is fried and placed over its own fried bones. Something I remember seeing for the first time in one of my travels in Asia. Very flavourful dish.
The Knockturnal: When did you begin cooking? What was the “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to become a chef?
Chef Dani Garcia: I´ve always enjoyed cooking, I remember being a young kid and seeing my mother and grandmother cook, but the moment that I truly decided to focus on it as a profession was at 16 years old. I began by studying in cooking school.
The Knockturnal: Which chef is your biggest inspiration?
Chef Dani Garcia: I have three main inspirations: Ferran Adria, Nobu and Robuchon. These are three chefs that are always looking to break barriers in their own way.
The Knockturnal: What advice do you have for someone that wants to become a chef?
Chef Dani Garcia: To follow their dreams, always. It is a very hard profession and there will always be moments and situations they will have to conquer. There are always naysayers and people with opinions, but the dream is always the most important part to conquer all.
Did you miss the event and the chance to see Nick Jonas in the kitchen? Don’t worry! Sbe will be streaming the virtual event for 30 days. So go grab your apron and get ready to check out the event here.
We drove into Winter WonderLAnd expecting an elaborate holiday musical light show; and that’s exactly what we got. During these covid times, many of us are seeking comfort in different ways. Some are turning to their pets, others are turning on the television. For me, I’ve always found comfort in human connection. And on a Saturday Night during the middle of a pandemic, this was as good as it was going to get. As I drove 5 miles an hour through nearly a million lights, all time-coded to a festive array of seasonal songs, I realized this was pretty awesome.
Among the many themed, immersive vignettes and installations, a few that stood out was the “Holidays Around the Globe” display and a magical wintery forest surrounding WonderLAnd’s version of the massive Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. We also traveled around the North Pole mountains and through a 90-foot twinkling snowflake tunnel and a snow flurry vortex tunnel. There were plenty of photo- and video-worthy moments around every corner. And, yes of course, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves were there to hand out candy canes galore!
This one-of-a-kind event comes to families from Experiential Supply, the people behind this year’s tremendously popular Hauntoween LA. Experiential Supply is an award-winning company to which the Hollywood film industry turns when it comes to creating large-scale, immersive experiences for such big budget movies as IT: Chapter 2, Ready Player One, The LEGO Movie, Smallfoot, and more. Visiting WonderLAnd will be like starring in a holiday blockbuster! The first-ever WonderLAnd immersive drive-thru experience, replete with synchronized dancing lights and good cheer, will be open daily throughout the holiday season, November 30 – December 23 and December 26 – December 30, from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Pacific Time, at 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA.
Master Chocolatier Maribel Lieberman celebrated her debut on the cover of Resident Magazine’s latest issue in her iconic Soho flagship store.
One of America’s most beloved summer activities took a 2020 pause like many others.