In total, Americans have an estimated amount of 1.5 billion pairs of shoes in their closets. This is good news for Haiti. A nonprofit organization that’s collecting new and slightly used shoes to people in need, Soles4Souls, is asking people to donate their unwanted shoes at any Crunch Fitness location, with the goal of providing one million pairs of shoes for Haiti relief efforts. Shoes are a basic necessity, and believe it or not, Haitians are walking around bare foot on broken glass, metal, and sewage. There’s got to be a pair of unloved shoes in there somewhere. It’s for a good cause, so get to it, people.
Crunch L.A. is located at 8000 Sunset Blvd.,West Hollywood, (323) 654-4550.
It seems as though there’s somebody new in the neighborhood. George Stephanopoulos, the new Good Morning America host and former Clinton adviser, is moving from Washington D.C. to New York in style.
Stephanopoulos has purchased a $3.5 million, five-bedroom home in East Hampton as part of the relocation process. He scored quite a deal, too: the ABC employee purchased the house from two local restaurateurs at seven percent off the asking price.
The beautiful East Hampton home sits on a one-acre lot and has three fireplaces, a pool, outdoor shower, and a guest cottage. John Glicking of Sotheby’s International Realty represented Stephanopoulos and his wife, actress Alexandra Wentworth, in the sale. Lori Barbaria of Prudential Douglas Elliman had the listing.
Applied DNA Sciences has signed a supply agreement with an international luxury brand (we don’t know which one yet) to provide signature DNA makings for its products. What this does is that it uses DNA from plants to mark the products, making it impossible to pass off a copy as an original. This is a huge step forward for preventing fakes, because the authentication can be easily done with a hand held device. The process guarantees not to impact the quality or affect the manufacturing of the products. In exchange for the exclusivity of this service, the secret luxury brand has committed to a minimum number of purchases for each year of the five-year agreement. We can only wonder which brand this could be.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson is broadening her horizons, tapping into the fashion industry. You might have seen her face in recent Burberry ads and walking the red carpet, but now she has decided to collaborate with People Tree, a UK-based fashionable Fair Trade company. This retailer works with Fair Trade to produce ecologically sound designs. Now, Emma is adding her style and fair by designing a collection of casual and comfortable clothes for both men and women, including T-shirts, dresses, woven skirts, shorts, knits, and trousers. The pieces are embellished with phrases like, “I’m not toxic,” and “Please don’t panic. I’m organic.”
“I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the humanitarian issues surrounding fast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren’t many options out there,” said Watson. Her collection will also include hand-crafted and recycled accessories, as well as some home décor pieces. Her collection will be available through People Tree and ASOS next month.
Coming soon to Los Angeles: prime Italian flavor. Valentino Restaurant Group has chosen Nichola Chessa as head chef of their flagship Italian restaurant in Santa Monica.
Valentino was founded in 1972 by Piero Salvaggio, who is considered to be the father of Italian cuisine in America. It has other flagship locations in Las Vegas and Houston.
Chessa, who is a native of Sardinia, was the former executive chef at Giorgio Ristorante at the Shoppes at Mandalay Place in Las Vegas. He is replacing Tomasso Tarantino, who has been moved to the company’s restaurant in Houston, Valentino Vinbar.
Valentino’s is already considered to be the finest Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, but with Chessa in the picture, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep up its fine reputation. You know what that means: grab a seat A.S.A.P.!
Ever wondered how a bathroom could look extra modern? Take a look at this innovative egg-shaped shower, soon to be the latest trend among bath designs. The Roca Cocoon shower invites you to step into luxury, and its construction is strong enough to be used as a shower, bathtub, and a hydro massage machine all-in-one. This Egg Shower concept also comes with a customizable lighting system to give you the full relaxing session in the bath that you need. Don’t you want to tear down your bathroom and have one installed right now?
The long-awaited day of eating at the Loteria Grill III has finally arrived. The highly-anticipated restaurant is now accepting reservations on February 2 for its third outpost in the Valley.
Though windows are still papered up and one last inspection needs to be made, eager diners can grab their seats a week from today, though they won’t soft open until February 8, with a full-on debut on February 11. The Mexican eatery that started off as a stand at the Farmer’s Market on Fairfax has blossomed into LA’s own mini chain with a Hollywood outpost and now one in Studio City.
According to a manager at Loteria in Hollywood, OpenTable made a mistake and listed the restaurant prematurely. Our advice is to make a restaurant for February 8 and after.
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So much to eat, so little time. In this world of Tony Roma’s and Olive Gardens, it’s hard to know which world-class eateries are worth a shot. Fear no more, the next time the task of choosing where to fine dine while traveling proves daunting, refer to this mini-guide of sorts. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
First on the list: El Bulli Ristorante in Cala Montjol, Roses (for those who don’t know, it’s in Spain). With “the Salvador Dali of cooking,” a.k.a. Ferran Adria in the kitchen, conventions in cooking are thrown out the window. Adria has a cult-like following of foodie adventurers (some two million would-be diners to be exact) who cry for a reservation at El Bulli, which is only open half the year; for the other half, Adrià retreats to a workshop to perfect dishes like the “red mullet mummy.” Bring it on, Ferran.
The next restaurant on our list is The Fat Duck in the English Village of Bray. The Michelin three-starred resto is run by Heston Blumenthal, who subverts traditional notions of taste and texture with ingenious dishes like smoked bacon-and-egg ice cream and cauliflower risotto accented with chocolate jelly. Deep down, we know the Brits come up with the most delectable cuisine.
Pierre Gagnaire in the Hôtel Balzac in Paris is like the Holy Land to top chefs around the world. Perhaps that is why said top chefs make pilgrimages every year to the eponymous resto, to experience his daring and technically dazzling takes on French classics, like braised veal with raspberry and sorrel. That is definitely why it is number three on the list.
Number four on the list: Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. The most esteemed chef in America is worshipped for his whimsically refined dishes at the Napa Valley resto. Among his most heralded dishes is the luxurious Oysters and Pearls: oysters and white sturgeon caviar laid on a bed of tapioca pearls and sabayon.
Last but definitely not least, we have our friends from the East who have so graciously provided us with Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo. Head chef Seiji Yamamoto’s blend of traditional kaiseki with the avant-garde is so innovative, its had superstar chefs like Ferran Adria travel east to sample the delicious cuisine. To make his signature hamo eel soup, Yamamoto studied the eel’s anatomy on a CT scan before carving the fish’s flesh into delicate flowers.
Everywhere you go, there’s a quality restaurant calling, waiting to be at your culinary beck and call. So what are you waiting for?
The Dubai World Cup is the world’s richest horse race, and is all set to begin. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has confirmed March 27 as the official grand opening of the new $2 billion Meydan Grandstand and Race Track, where the World Cup will take place. But yesterday, venue organizers said the Race Track was ready to open tonight and begin making sports history. The 21,981,627 square-foot space promises to provide goers the ultimate horse racing experience with unmatched luxury and racing technology. It will contain two race tracks, a massive IMAX theatre, a sun-bathed pool deck, and 10 world-class restaurants. There is also a 290-room five-star hotel, with 95 percent of the rooms offering amazing views. The car park area is also really innovative, as it is built in the shape of a falcon.
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum even has a special route built just for him to access the venue, which is made up of a long canal that links the course and the Dubai creek, all in order for the ruler to avoid traffic.
Audemars Piguet chose to go the entertainment route when choosing their newest ambassador. Quincy Jones has been selected as the Swiss watchmaker’s new face, and a limited edition timepiece has been launched in the entertainment legend’s honor.
Francois-Henry Bennahmias, President and CEO of Audemars Piguet North America, hosted an evening celebrating Quincy Jones this Tuesday, and has contributed $1 million to The Quincy Jones Foundation in recognition of the new collaboration. Bennahmias also announced the US launch of the Audemars Piguet Millenary Quincy Jones timepiece, a limited edition collection of 500 pieces now available at Audemars Piguet boutiques worldwide.
No evening with Quincy Jones is complete without a musical tribute. Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodrìguez gave an awe-inspiring performance of “Crossing the Border,” the first song he wrote upon arrival in the United States last year. The evening also included a special preview of never-before heard songs for the VIP, invitation-only crowd from Jones’s newest album, Soul Bossa Nostra, due Spring 2010. Many of Quincy’s most famous songs have been remade by some of today’s hottest music talent including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Akon, Ludacris, and Jennifer Hudson to name a few.
In another collaboration effort, Piguet and Jones have been developing Project Q, an initiative aimed at raising awareness among politicians as well as people in general regarding young people’s need for self-expression and the means to help them fulfill their potential. Part of Project Q includes the Q Prize, an international award presented by Audemars Piguet, honoring a public figure or social organization that has played a central role on behalf of children.
Photos by: Startrackphoto
Francois-Henry Bennahmias( President and CEO of Audemars Piguet) and Quincy Jones
Alfredo Rodriguez, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
For more exclusive photos, please visit our events page.
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Dec/Jan 2012
