Author: Mona Day

A California Avocado Grove Tour

Mona Day Dine, Food & Wine Events, Local Travel, Nature

Spring through summer is an exciting  time in local agriculture:  it’s the California Avocado season!   This year is even more so because at about 375 million pounds, the crop is expected to be the most robust since 2020. 

Although the season lasts only late March or early April through late summer, it is enormously important to the roughly 3,000 families who farm the land from San Diego to Monterey because after months of  work, they now gear up to pick  the fruits of their labor.  

It is also important to us consumers:  California avocados are fresh and local.  Grown close to home, they move from grove to grocer to table within days, minimizing carbon emissions  from transportation.  The avocado is a nutritional powerhouse, with 1/3 of a medium fruit providing nearly 20 vitamins minerals and phytonutrients packed in good heart healthy fat.  Not to mention, the fruit has a rare knack to transform an array of dishes from being ordinary and mundane to becoming extraordinary and gourmet.  Clearly, its time to celebrate the California season, and what better way to do so than an avocado grove tour?

Our tour met  up at our base hotel in Thousand Oaks to walk over to local resto Pearl District for an avocado forward dinner.  On the menu was  Ahi Crudo with California Avocado, Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Pickled Kumquats;  Chilled California Avocado and Shrimp Vietnamese-Style Ceviche;  Pan Roasted Halibut with California Avocado and White Miso Salsa;  Grilled Prime Filet Mignon with California Avocado and Potato Hash;  Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice with Local Veggies and California Avocado.  Dessert was a decadent California Avocado Tiramisu with Berry Coulis.

Next day  after breakfast,  we shuttled over to family owned Camlam Farms in the hills of Camarillo. With over 1,000 acres in production and 300 acres dedicated to avocados, the farm has history goes back to the 1876 Rancho Calleguas land grant. John Lamb has led operations for over 30 years and served on the California Avocado Commission board with brothers and long-time stewards Robert III and David Lamb, and  sixth-generation grower and next-gen leader Maureen Cottingham.  The family is a pioneer of high-density planting and sustainable irrigation and works with universities to host rootstock trials for continued innovation.  One such trial led to the Lamb Hass,  a premium variety gaining global recognition.

A people mover ride toured us through groves of a number of different avocado varieties including Lamb Hass, Gem and the most well-known, Hass. We learned their differences and their different needs.  We also learnt about their  irrigation and temperature control for frost prevention. And we learned about the bees and pollination.  We tried our hand at harvesting, and my big lesson was to leave a bit of the stem on the fruit to prevent it from ripening too fast.

Then there was a guacamole competition with some surprising ingredients like mango, pepitas, bacon, jam and dragon fruit. We split into teams for a showdown for prizes for various categories like most creative, most scoop-worthy, etc

By now we had worked up an appetite and were ready for lunch by the orchard’s peaceful reservoir.  Hosting farm visitors to the farm over the years, the family has become expert at grilling, so lunch featured pork ribs, tri-tip and chicken grilled onsite by the Lamb Family. The proteins were accompanied by – you guessed it – avocado forward sides.  There was Farmers’ Market Green Salad with Sliced California Avocado and Roasted Beets, Baby Gem Lettuce and California Avocado Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Goat Cheese;  Grilled California Avocado, Corn, Quinoa and Mango;  Lemon and Herb Risotto Cakes with California Avocado Crema.  Dessert was Lamb Family Lemon Tart and California Avocado Brownies. 

After lunch it was time to relax with the  multi-generation Lamb family for a Q&A and farming stories. Maureen’s young son whom we had previously met as he rode his horse now flitted in and out of the area on his bicycle. 

After a bit of rest back at the hotel, the group walked over to another local eatery Crawford’s to network and say farewell at one last avocado-forward reception.

Learn more at CaliforniaAvocado.com 

To learn more about how to select, handle, store and peel a California Avocado, visit https://californiaavocado.com/how-to  

You can use the California Avocado store locator at to find a store near  you CaliforniaAvocado.com/store-locator

#CaliforniaAvocados #CAavoseason #GroveTour2025

Grupo Corpo:  A Thrill From Brazil

Mona Day Dance, See, stage

Leading Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo will return to LA Performing Arts Center after 14 years for three performances May 2–4.The company whose name means ‘body group’ in Portuguese will present  two works 21 and Gira which blend classical ballet, folk traditions and bold choreography. 

The program opens with Pederneiras’ 1992  groundbreaking work 21, a ballet divided into three movements that weave the company’s 22 dancers into rhythmic and timbral combinations of the number 21. Featuring a score by Marco Antônio Guimarães, the choreography moves with precision with a series of mesmerizing movements that blend the energy of Brazilian folk dances with the formality of classical ballet. The 40-minute piece amplifies the unique sounds of Guimarães’ unusual instrumental composition which culminates in a colorful, dynamic finale.

 
For Gira Pederneiras immersed himself in the history and practices of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Umbanda, transforming the characteristic the powerful gestures of Umbanda and Candomblé ceremonies nto a universal human expression.  His choreography reconstructs the powerful gestures captures trance-like turning and movements as well as the raw and dizzying energy of their sacred rites. Set to eleven musical themes created specially for the company by Brazilian fusion group Metá Metá, Gira becomes a mesmerizing 40-minute piece of primal, ritualistic energy. 

Artistic director Paulo Pederneiras founded the company in 1975 recruiting his siblings who included choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras.  Grupo Corpo went on to become the resident dance company of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France from 1996–1999, and today, with over 40 works in its repertoire, the company has gained international acclaim for disciplined dancing by virtuoso dancers who seamlessly integrate disparate influences.

For more information and tickets, please visit  musiccenter.org/grupocorpo or call (213) 972-0711.

Ainadamar

Mona Day Opera, See, stage

LA Opera will present the company premiere of Ainadamar April 26 through May 18. 

The show recounts the fateful final days of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca who was executed during the Spanish Civil War at a natural spring in the hills above the Spanish city of Granada known as Aynadamar, Arabic for fountain of tears. 

Recounting the poet’s life is Margarita Xirgu, a veteran Spanish actress and Lorca’s muse who spent her career portraying Mariana Pineda in Lorca’s play.  Pineda was a 19th-century political martyr executed by the absolutist Spanish regime for sewing a revolutionary flag with the embroidered slogan “Equality, Freedom and Law.  Lorca  could see her statue from the window of his family home in Granada and grew to idolize her.  Evoking the vibrant colors and poetry of Andalusia and especially Lorca’s hometown Granada, the play was Lorca’s first theatrical success. He asked Xirgu to play the title role at its premiere in June 1927 at the Teatre Goya in Barcelona with scenic design and costumes by Salvador Dalí.

Xirgu fled Spain at the beginning of the Civil War but was unable to persuade Lorca to leave as well. His liberal beliefs and open homosexuality subsequently led to his death at the hands of the Falange, the fascist party founded by the son of former Spanish dictator General Primo de Rivera. Xirgu continued to play Mariana Pineda, keeping Lorca’s work alive.  The opera is based on Xirgu’s memories in a series of flashbacks as she prepares  to go on stage as Mariana Pineda.  

The opera opens with a group of young actresses singing the opening ballad and Xirgu remembers Lorca’s brilliance as she tells her young student Nuria of meeting Lorca for the first time in a Madrid bar where he first described his play to her. The flashback is interrupted by a broadcast over the state radio by the Falangist Ramón Ruiz Alonso that his party will stamp out the beginnings of the revolution.  With the launch of the Spanish Civil War, Xirgu pleads with Lorca to join her and her theatre company in Cuba, but he is adamant about staying on in Granada. Xirgu blames herself for not being able to persuade the idealistic Lorca to abandon Spain and save himself.  As she sings of her dreams of finding freedom in Cuba, Lorca insists that he must witness and write about his country’s suffering.

As Xirgu is dying, she performs Pineda’s story for the last time, telling Nuria that though the actor acts only for a moment, but the larger idea of freedom transcends that. A vision of Lorca interrupts her, thanking her for immortalizing his spirit on stage, in the hearts of her students, and the world. 

Led by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados, the production features a dramatic, flamenco-inspired score by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov and a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang. Staged by director Deborah Colker, the production has  won acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera and Detroit Opera.

Ana María Martínez (currently appearing as Despina in LAO’s Così fan tutte) returns to take center stage as Lorca’s muse, Margarita Xirgu. 

Since its 2003 world premiere, Ainadamar has become one of the most frequently performed operas of the 21st century, seen throughout Europe, North America and South America. Although it is an LA Opera company premiere, the opera has even been performed extensively locally in LA by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2004, Long Beach Opera in 2012 and USC Thornton Opera in 2016, and so should be familiar to local audience.

Ainadamar is sung in Spanish with both English and Spanish supertitles. 

Special Events planned around the opera include  a Celebración de las Artes hosted by LA Opera Connects and Hispanics for LA Opera after the May 4 matinee, with  music, food and fun for all on the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza.

The May 7 performance will mark Pride Night, with a special post-performance gathering for attendees. 

For more information and tickets, please visit LAOpera.org/Ainadamar.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Mona Day Dance, See, stage

Dance at The Music Center will present an impressive five-day seven-performance engagement with the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater April 2–6.  Led by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, it celebrates the legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison’s 2024 passing with LA premieres, new productions, repertory favorites and Ailey classics.

The first program (Program A) features the L.A. premieres of Sacred Songs (2024) choreographed by Los Angeles native Matthew Rushing; Many Angels (2024) choreographed by Lar Lubovitch; and a restaging of Treading (1979) choreographed by Elisa Monte. Program A will be performed on the evenings of April 2, 4 and 6 and a matinee on April 5.

The second program (Program B) includes a new production of Ailey favorites: Grace (1999) choreographed by Ronald K. Brown; Ailey Excerpts choreographed by Alvin Ailey from his Pas De Duke (1976), Masekela Langage (1969), Opus McShann (1988), Love Songs (1972) and For ‘Bird’ – With Love (1984); and Cry (1971), a tribute to Judith Jamison choreographed by Alvin Ailey. Program B will be performed on the evenings of April 3 and 5 and a matinee on April 6.

Both programs will conclude with the company’s signature masterpiece Revelations which continues to lift audiences with its grace and spiritual elation.

The L.A. premiere of Sacred Songs, created by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, features music used in the original 1960 premiere of Revelations but later omitted in its current version.  The  stirring piece resurrects the spirituals as an offering to audiences’ present need for lamentation, faith and joy. 

Many Angels features Lar Lubovitch’s lush choreography for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, inspired by the question posed by 13th century theologian St. Thomas Aquinas “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”  The question is not about factual truth, but faith. 


In Elisa Monte’s Treading, two dancers come together in fluid, intricate movements that combine with Steve Reich’s meditative music to create  mystery and sensuality.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Ronald K. Brown’s spellbinding Grace is set to Duke Ellington’s classic Come Sunday, Peven Everett’s hit Gabriel and Fela Kuti’s afro-pop music. Grace depicts individuals on a journey to the promised land, expanding from a single angel-like figure in white to the fireball intensity of 12 powerful dancers. The piece connects the  secular and sacred in a fusion of African and American dance.

The 16-minute solo Cry was an immediate sensation at its 1971 New York City Center premiere, propelling Ailey’s muse Judith Jamison to international stardom and later to become the company’s artistic director.  Here she represents the trials and tribulations of Black women’s African origins and their joyful triumph over hardships. In a tribute to Jamison, there will be performances of the finale of Cry set to the Voices of East Harlem singing Right On, Be Free.

Revelations is an intimate reflection of Mr. Ailey’s childhood memories of growing up in the South and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas and pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American community. Since its debut in 1960, it has been moving audiences with its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music evoking themes of determination, hope and transcendence as it explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition. 

CHEFS ❤️ LA

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events, Restaurants

 Photo Credit:  Nicholas Gingold | Craft Media Solutions

To honor firefighters, first responders, and community heroes for their efforts during the recent wildfires, Chefs ❤️ LA hosted a fundraiser at Lawry’s The Prime Rib Beverly Hills on Thursday, February 27, 2025.

Brad Metzger, President of Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions and Founder/Producer of LA Chef Con, and Jacqui Leanza, Managing Partner of Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions joined Tiffany Stith, COO of Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc., and Ryan Wilson, CEO of Lawry’s Restaurants to put the event together.

The line up of L.A.’s top chefs included Curtis Stone, Michael Cimarusti, Suzanne Goin, Nyesha Arrington who all volunteered their time and talent pro bono.

The evening was hosted by Somebody Feed Phil creator Phil Rosenthal, Nine-time James Beard Award-Winning journalist Ruth Reichl, Los Angeles Times food columnist Jenn Harris, Brad Metzger, Jacqui Leanza, and auctioneer Billy Harris.

The VIP Michelin Experience Hour featured eight Michelin Chef Tastings and an elegant Eight-Course Tasting Menu for 262 guests. 

It showcased seven signature dishes from culinary icons including William Bradley, Josiah Citrin, Michael Cimarusti, Jordan Kahn, Niki Nakayama & Carole Lida-Nakayama, Jon Yao, and Curtis Stone, along with Astrea Caviar, six premium wines, and three craft cocktails that included Chef Michael Voltaggio’s Marcado 28 Tequila and Chef Elizabeth Falkner’s T’MARO Amaro.

Chef Daniel Boulud and his team prepared a delicate Mushroom Consommé to substitute for their Lobster Bisque for  those with shellfish allergies, while Chef Suzanne Goin crafted an alternative to her signature salad for guests with pork or dairy restrictions. 

The all-star lineup of chefs included Daniel Boulud, Jonathan Waxman, Ludovic Lefebvre, Nyesha Arrington, Suzanne Goin, Tiffany Dela Pena, Timothy Cardenas, Burt Bakman, Jeremy Fox, Katianna & John Hong, Andreas Roller, Clemence de Lutz + Sherry Yard.

Billy Harris led the Live Auction offering unique experiences that included: New York Culinary Getaway, a luxury NYC experience with stays at 1 Hotel, exclusive dinners at Le Bernardin and Peter Luger, and an insider’s tour with Andrew Friedman, Ultimate LA Taco & Tequila Experience, a private taco crawl with Bill Esparza and Chef Michael Voltaggio, Wynn Las Vegas Luxury Package, a premier getaway with top-tier accommodations and exclusive tastings from Wynn’s celebrated chefs, Michelin-Starred San Diego Culinary Getaway, a four-night stay at the newly reimagined Lafayette Hotel with exclusive tastings at Addison, Juniper & Ivy, and more, Los Angeles Luxury Staycation with oceanfront stays at Casa del Mar and Shutters, with VIP dining experiences at Funke, Bestia, Lulu, and Majordomo.

 Los Angeles Deputy Fire Chief Jaime Moore, CAL FIRE Division Chief Anthony Jones, CAL FIRE Prevention Specialist Chloe Castillo, U.S. Army Veteran, CAL FIRE Division Chief Matthew Edmiston, and Ventura County Fire Andy Vansciver attended as Guests of Honor. 

Co-Event Producer Jacqui Leanza managed the development of the CHEFS ❤️ LA website, managed the ticketing platform, addressed dietary restrictions and allergies, and oversaw charity and sponsor relations.

All event VIP Tickets as well as Dinner Tickets sold out within fifteen minutes on Saturday, February 1st,  underscoring the public’s desire to support wildfire relief.

The evening’s Live Auction alone raised over $104,000. The evening’s final tally exceeded over $850,000. All proceeds benefited World Central Kitchen and Restaurants Care, which provides critical support to hospitality workers affected by the wildfires.

 For more information, and to donate or find ways to support World Central Kitchen or Restaurants Care, please visit www.WCK.org or www.RestaurantsCare.org 

Angels of Comedy

Mona Day Comedy show, Dine

Los Angeles magazine will present its Angels of Comedy Disaster Relief Benefit on Thursday February 13th  6:00 – 10:00pm at Engine Co. No. 28, one of the city’s oldest firehouses.  All proceeds benefit Pasadena Community Foundation’s efforts to raise funds for victims of Los Angeles wildfires – overwhelmed first responders, and displaced families and animals. More than just being a donation the event is about coming together as a community to heal, laugh, and rebuild.

The evening will kick off with a networking cocktail hour from 6 to 7:15pm featuring beef and vegan Firehouse chili, cornbread, cocktails, beer, and wine.  At 7:15, the magazine’s publisher, Chris Gialanella and evening host Sharon Fredrickson will deliver opening remarks.  

The show launches at 7:30pm with Sharon Fredrickson guiding audience through a lineup of stand-up performances by some of LA’s funniest comedians, including Aida Rodriguez, Ashley Burgess, Carla Collins, Erik Rivera, Kim McVicar, Kwame Siegel, Renee Percy, Sandy Stec, Maxi Witrak, and Peter S. Kim. 

The event will also honor Los Angeles first responders, sharing their inspiring stories and recognizing their heroism.  Additional funds will be raised with a raffle offering once-in-a-lifetime prizes. 

Generous event sponsors include Boomtown Brewery, Garrison Brothers, Gelato Festival, Golden Eagle Vodka, Hollywood Creative Alliance, KNEKT TV and Mezcal 33.

The evening is a 21+ event, and the all-inclusive ticket includes entry, Firehouse chili and cornbread, cocktails, wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and full evening of comedy. 

More than just being a donation, Angels of Comedy is about coming together as a community to heal, laugh, and rebuild, and you  can join the effort by buying a ticket for the evening and for the raffle, as well as by spreading the word.

For more information and tickets today, please visit lamag.com/events/angels

LA Art Show

Mona Day art, Design, See

LA Art Show returns to the LA Convention Center on Feb 19-23, marking its 30th anniversary with over 100 global exhibitors.  The show has sought to democratize art by offering a range of mediums and price points to ensure accessibility while also catering to established art collectors.

As LA’s largest and longest-running fair, LA Art Show has played a significant role in the City’s emergence as a global art epicenter and its ever-expanding global reach will be on full display with exhibitors from Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Canada, France, Taiwan, London, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.  Highlights include:

                  • LICHT FELD GALLERY (SWITZERLAND): Multidisciplinary artist and bestselling poet, Arch Hades – named the highest paid living poet in the world in 2021 – presents her sculpture the ‘Isle,’ a tribute to the island of San Michele in Veneto, where the entire island is a cemetery known as the ‘island of the dead’. This sculpture features poetry ‘poems are like gravestones, marking where love lies’ in Hades’ handwriting on the black, polished ‘lagoon’ plane) and the ‘graves’ of the island represented by many books forming the sculptures.

                  • SNISARENKO GALLERY (UKRAINE): “She, Unbroken” brings together Ukrainian-born female artists whose works express their war experience, resilience and strength.

                  • CORAL GALLERY (MIAMI) will showcase Roberto Vivo’s sculptural works like “The Human Tribe Totem,” a large 77 x 95 inch bronze sculpture expressing human unity and diversity.  Inviting contemplation on form, space, and harmony,  it debuted at the 2024 Venice Biennale.  

                  •  CASTERLINE|GOODMAN GALLERY (ASPEN): Young American artist, Daniel Yocum who has gained recognition for his unique approach to figurative abstract expressionism infused with hip-hop aesthetics, often incorporates imagery of cars and flowers amidst vivid colors and black marks. 

                  

                  •  ART IN DONGSAN (SOUTH KOREA):  Sculptural works from Steel Che (Youngkwan Choi) repurpose industrial materials into artistic forms. The exhibition’s centerpiece Steam Robot demonstrates his mastery of traditional craftsmanship.

                  • COLUMBIA ROAD GALLERY (LONDON, UK):  Capturing East London’s vibrant art scene, the gallery showcases up-and-coming UK artists Kate Boxer, Thomas Gosebruch, Hannah Ludnow, and Jonathan Schofield.

                  •  DANUBIANA MUSESUM (SLOVAKIA): Viktor Freso’s breathtaking 30-foot Bear sculpture  symbolizing power and resilience, will be displayed in the lobby setting the tone for the event as bigger, and more ambitious.

To amplify marginalized perspectives,the show will include a non-commercial section DIVERSEartLA curated by Marisa Caichiolo featuring 8 famed art institutions representing  diversity and inclusion in the arts.  They include Celebrating Diversity by Chiachio & Giannone curated by Gabriela Urtiaga, Chief Curator at MOLAA,  Dactiloscopia Rosa: Video Art and QUEER Constructions curated by Nestor Prieto and presented by Museo La Neomudejar (Madrid, Spain), and Carlos Martiel | Cauce/Riverbed curated By Marisa Caichiolo

For more information and tickets, please visit www.laartshow.com;  15% of proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association’s Life is Why campaign.