AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CELEBRATES 25th ANNIVERSARY

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AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC CELEBRATES 25th ANNIVERSARY

Southern California is home to ocean treasures that rival those anywhere in the world, and the Aquarium Of the Pacific in Long Beach is celebrating  its 25th anniversary this year with a new Southern California Gallery to be completed later this year.

The Southern California Gallery will feature over ten exhibits and more than three dozen species.  It will showcase underwater habitats like  towering kelp forests, colorful hydrocorals, swaying seagrass, and artificial and rocky reefs and abundance of sea life a like the California two-spot octopus, sharks, scorpionfish, eels and pipefish.

In related programming, visitors can take in a new short film projected in the Aquarium’s Great Hall next to a life-sized model of a blue whale throughout  the anniversary year. The film highlights  the Aquarium’s work in saving local species and habitats.

The Aquarium’s second floor will showcase the work of the top ten winners of the Aquarium’s 25th Anniversary photo contest celebrating people’s connections to nature.  The first guest daily to find an octopus figurine hidden in a different exhibit will win a limited-edition commemorative pin. 

During the summer, the Aquarium’s First Wednesdays guest speaker series  will focus on the theme of connecting to nature and include music and a cocktail/social hour.

Finally, the Aquarium will launch its new podcast series and carry  new  commemorative anniversary merchandise in its gift store.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://www.aquariumofpacific.org

Taste of the Nation

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One of the country’s premier culinary events, No Kid Hungry Taste of the Nation, will return to Culver City’s Media Park on June 11.  It will bring  LA’s top tastemakers, celebrated chefs and mixologists creating their signature dishes, curated drinks and surprise desserts for No Kid Hungry’s efforts to end childhood hunger in California and across the country.

Featured local chefs include Jackson Kalb (Ospi | Jemma | Jame,   Season 19 Top Chef),  Shirley Chung (Ms Chi Cafe,  Runner-up Season 14 Top Chef, Food Network’s Tournament of Champions), Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat Los Angeles, Cabra Los Angeles,  Food Network Iron Chef, (Winner, Season 4 Top Chef) and Jazz Singsanong (Jitlada, LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2019).

Participating restaurants include: Ospi | Jemma | Jame, B Sweet, Big Big Boi, Jitlada, The Original Southern Thai Cuisine Hanchic, Angelini Osteria + Alimentari, Gasolina cafe, market and wine bar, Ms. Chi Cafe, Theía, Kali Restaurant, Qusqo Bistro & Gallery, Beachside Restaurant, Poppy + Rose, Guerrilla Tacos, Moo’s Craft Barbecue, The Attic, SALT, and more.

Also featured will be curated sips by celebrated local mixologists, winemakers, brewers and more. Live music, raffles and brand experiences round out the fun.

100% of event proceeds help Taste of The Nation fight childhood hunger in California and across the US by raising awareness and developing programs to give all kids healthy food to thrive. 1 in 8 kids in the U.S. lives with hunger, and No Kid Hungry has provided more than 1 BILLION meals to kids in need. 

No Kid Hungry is supported by national co-presenting sponsors Citi and Sysco, national partners Food Network and KIA as well as local sponsors  Breakthru Beverage, CoolHaus, Kerrygold, MacRostie, Ting, Topo Chico and Galdones Photography.


For more information and tickets, please visit https://events.nokidhungry.org/events/los-angeles-taste-nation/

IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH

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IMMERSIVE VAN GOGH

Immersive Van Gogh is an experiential celebration of the renowned post impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh at Lighthouse Artspace in the former Amoeba Music Building on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. 

The production uses approximately 65 state-of-the-art projectors to produce 500,000+ cubic feet of projections in 119,000 video to re-create the painter’s masterpieces.  The immersive  art, light, music evokes the painter’s emotional and chaotic inner consciousness, letting the audience literally step inside artist’s colors and  brushstrokes for a totally immersive experience of his iconic works, seeing them through an entirely new, magical perspective. 

Highlights of the hour-long walk-through installation include:

● Neon Starry Night Ceiling unifies the lobby and bar space.  Inspired by one of Van Gogh’s most beloved paintings, The Starry Night, it pays homage to the exterior of the iconic Amoeba

Music Building with intricate designs of neon lights for an electric rock vibe.

● Sunflower Bar, wrapped with thousands of sun flowers, provides an array of refreshments. It evokes one of Van Gogh’s most prominent subjects –  sunflowers – which he loved for their beauty, as well as his ability to get them them easily and inexpensively. 

● Absinthe Nook, exploring Van Gogh’s complicated and seductive relationship with

“the green fairy,” lets visitors step inside a fever dream based on the legend and lore of absinthe.

● The Letters from Vincent activation is an artificial intelligence program created

from the digital scans of over 1,000 letters Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo.

Guests can ask Vincent a question and have him respond with a custom letter answer.

● Oversize Portrait, a reproduction of his famous self-portrait, lets you look deeper into his eyes,  and well as appreciate the nuances for a greater understanding of his exquisite brushstrokes. 

Since its North American premiere in July 2020, the exhibit has sold over 4.5 million tickets, making it one of the most popular attractions on the continent.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://www.vangoghla.com

MASTERS OF TASTE

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<strong>MASTERS OF TASTE</strong>

One of LA’s top outdoor, luxury food and wine festivals, the sixth annual Masters of Taste will return to Pasadena Rose Bowl’s iconic field on Sunday, April 2, 3:00 pm. 

A sold-out event last year, the event is expected to bring over 3,000 food and beverage enthusiasts to sip, savor and celebrate from over a hundred establishments – signature restaurant tastings from Culinary Masters, sweets from the Sweet Masters, while top Beverage Masters handcraft cocktail tastings from over 25 spirit brands and top cocktail bars, wineries, local craft breweries,  cold-pressed juices, and cold brew coffee.  Live entertainment  and other fun round out the afternoon.

A VIP Power Hour will be held from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm before  General Admission 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The 21+ event is completely outdoors, and as additional safety protocol, all guests will receive their own utensils and hand sanitizer throughout the event.

Hosting the event are Chef Michael Reed and his wife Kwini Reed. A classically trained chef and restaurateur, Chef Reed brings over 19 years experience at restaurants on both coasts.  He is Executive Chef and co-owner of two Los Angeles restaurants, Poppy + Rose in Downtown Los Angeles, and Poppy & Seed in Anaheim. He and his wife Kwini Reed also operate an upscale catering company, Root of All Food. 

All event proceeds directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a non-profit organization celebrating 50 years of providing homeless services. Committed to providing permanent solutions to end homelessness and rebuild lives, Union Station works with unsheltered and low-income adults and families across the San Gabriel Valley, recently expanding  to El Sereno and Eagle Rock. In the last five years Masters of Taste has raised over $2.7 Million in support of Union Station Homeless Services life-saving programs.

For more information and tickets, Masters of Taste 2023, please visit www.MastersofTasteLA.com.

Pelléas et Mélisande

Mona Day Entertainment, Opera, stage

LA Opera continues its 2022/23 season with Claude Debussy’s enigmatic masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande, conducted by Music Director James Conlon. 

The opera tells the story of a prince lost in the forest, encountering an ethereal beauty with a mysterious past. After he brings her home to his family as his bride, she begins to grow increasingly close to his handsome younger brother. Debussy’s sensual, exquisitely nuanced score casts a hypnotic spell, capturing an enigmatic dream world where forbidden love blossoms.

Last presented by LA Opera in 1995, Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s president and CEO calls it “one of the most rapturously beautiful operas in the entire repertory … one of my, and James Conlon’s, favorite operas” that they’ve been planning to offer for several years now.

Although Debussy received international recognition for its genius immediately after the premiere of Pelléas, 

the opera did not take immediate root in opera houses because they were dominated by the Italian or German traditions. By the composer’s choice, there were none of the conventional props that audience had long come to expect and seek from opera:   vocal acrobatics, bombastic overtures, choruses, and even no ballet, a virtual requirement in France.  Rather, the demands on the audience are more similar to those on a concert-going audience. 

Most surprisingly, there are even no arias that could be excerpted and popularized.   As Conlon explains, “Self-revelation is the dynamic of the solo operatic aria, and the characters in Pelléas, especially Melisande, do everything but reveal themselves.”

The typical operatic diva or divo has little interest in a work that does not show off the voice, and specially one in which there is no interruption for applause.  Most notably, even the quiet, sad and intimate final act discourages any noisy or prolonged applause, making the opera hardly attractive for serious, success-seeking singers and conductors. But this is exactly what makes the opera different – requiring instead sustained concentration on detail – for greater clarity, tonal color, and expression. 

Says Conlon, “Pelléas belongs to a group of works that should be constantly performed, studied and revisited.” Like Parsifal, Tristan und Isolde, Boris Godunov and Wozzeck, Pelléas is unique and does not belong to any tradition or genre.

James Conlon conducts a production created by director David McVicar for Scottish Opera in 2017 Production new to Los Angeles. The cast is led by baritone Will Liverman and soprano Sydney Mancasola as the titular lovers, both of them making their company debuts. 

With an estimated running time of three hours and five minutes which includes one intermission, the opera will be performed in French with English supertitles.  Six performances March 25 through April 16 will take place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Although masks are encouraged, they are no longer required indoors at the theater.

For tickets and more information is available at LAOpera.org/Pelleas.

 LOS ANGELES TIMES FOOD BOWL RETURNS

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The Los Angeles Times’ month long Food Bowl returns this year September 1 – 30.   The festival celebrates Southern California’s dynamic food scene featuring the best of local eateries and notable chefs in a series of over 30 pop-up dining events across the city, while also highlighting issues of food access, sustainability and waste reduction.

The festival takes over the Paramount Pictures Studios’ backlot with Food Bowl’s Night Market tasting events for three days,  Sept. 23, 24 and 25. 

Food Bowl highlights will include: 

  • Food Bowl Opening Night at Grandmasters Recorders, Sept. 1

The launch party  Sept. 1 features guest chefs, food and drinks, live DJs and the presentation of The Times’ 2022 Restaurant of the Year and Gold Award.  The Times’ Restaurant of the Year will go to Anajak Thai and the Gold Award to Meals by Genet. 

  • Restaurant of the Year Dining Series with Anajak Thai, Sept. 2 & 3

Food Bowl will present two dining events in celebration of the Restaurant of the Year, Anajak Thai, chosen by Times Restaurant Critic Bill Addison. Chef Justin Pichetrungsi will serve up one-of-a-kind omakase dinners featuring 8-10 specially selected courses for 20 guests at a time. Tickets for both sessions are available now.

  • Gold Award Dinners with Meals by Genet, Sept. 9 & 10

In honor of this year’s Gold Award honoree, Meals by Genet, selected by Times Food General Manager Laurie Ochoa, Food Bowl will present two multi-course dinner sessions. Semi-retired chef Genet Agonafer will open her restaurant’s doors in Little Ethiopia once again to host all-inclusive family style dinners featuring her menu’s most popular dishes. 

  • Night Market at Paramount Pictures Studios, Sept. 23, 24 & 25

Food Bowl’s Night Market will take over the Paramount Pictures Studios backlot for three-days of outdoor food and drink tastings from more than 40 restaurants along with live cooking demonstrations, DJs and more. The all-inclusive events include Smoked Soirée, which will spotlight a themed street featuring BBQ and burger specialties from restaurants including Moo’s Craft BBQ, Heavy Handed Burgers and San Juan Capistrano’s Heritage Barbecue.  Saturday Night Flavor will highlight some of the city’s best international cuisine from Lunasia Dim Sum House, Tacos 1986 and Flavors from Afar among others.  Backlot Brunch will feature bites from L.A. icons like Jitlada, Ditroit, The Brothers Sushi and others. 

L.A. Times Food Bowl is presented by City National Bank and L.A. Regional Food Bank is the charity partner.  It also supports The L.A. Times Community Fund, which helps community nonprofits addressing hunger and food insecurity.  They include Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Project Angel Food, World Central Kitchen, No Us Without You, and others.Tickets are available at a discounted early bird price for a limited time. For tickets and  more additional information, including the festival’s public health and safety protocols, visit lafoodbowl.com. Connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @LAfoodbowl (#LAfoodbowl).

FOOD BOWL LAUNCH PARTY

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The Los Angeles Times will host a Launch Party to kick off the Food Bowl – its month of celebration of the Los Angele food scene  at the Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood on Thursday, September 1, 7PM – 10.

The night will feature special tastings from noteworthy chefs like Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai,  John Yao of Kato,   Natalia Pereira of Woodspoon, and   pastry chef Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour.   Cocktails, beer, wine, and a live DJ set from Francesca Harding (KCRW) round out the festivities.

The highlight of evening L.A. Times Food team General Manager Laurie Ochoa will present the Restaurant of the Year and Gold Awards.

Created by and named after former L.A. Times Food critic and editor, Jonathan Gold, the  2022 Gold Award will go to Chef Genet Agonafer of Meals by Genet. She is known for her vegetarian combination platter a color, a wheel of collards,  lentils,  split peas, cabbage and carrots, tomato salad and beets. Her doro wat chicken simmered with sharp, earthy berbere spices for two days. Although her Little Ethiopia restaurant these days offers only takeout, Genet will open her doors once again to all-inclusive family-style dinners on September 9th & 10th in celebration of the Gold Award. 

The Los Angeles Times 2022 Restaurant of the Year award will go to chef Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai.  His menu at Anajak Thai includes curries like his custardy haw mok steamed with dry-aged branzino and egg, stir-fries and grilled pork with fiery chile dipping sauce and sticky rice. Also popular is his Thai Taco Tuesdays set up in the alley behind the restaurant. Anajak Thai will host special dinners on September 2nd & 3rd in honor of the award.


For more information and to buy tickets to the Food Bowl Launch Party, please visit https://lafoodbowl.com. Tickets can also be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/la-times-food-bowl-2022-launch-party-tickets-361086598737