Dine

50th Annual AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival

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

AbilityFirst  will host its 50th Annual AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival on Sunday, June 9th, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, celebrating this milestone year at a new venue, The Urquhart Residence in South Pasadena.  This year’s outdoor event will honor Greg & Heba Wood for their outstanding contributions, and is expected to attract over 400 guests.

This year’s event will feature over twenty top restaurants, cocktail bars, wineries, and breweries and more.  They include Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Beard Papa’s, Bone Kettle, El Cholo Café, Gale’s Restaurant, Kensington Caterers, Lord Empanada, Marina, Mi Piace, Nothing Bundt Cake, Pocha LA, Porto’s Bakery, Stems: Cheese, Charcuterie & Catering, Tam O’Shanter, The George, We Olive & Wine Bar, and more.

Participating beverage vendors include: 1886 at The Raymond, Dulce Vida Tequila, Empress 1908 Gin, Gerlach’s, Knox & Dobson, and Old Hillside Bourbon Company; Craft Beer from Golden Road Brewing, San Gabriel’s Ogopogo Brewing, along with specially curated Wines from Caymus Vineyards, Navarro Vineyards, and Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery. Non-alcoholic Beverages provided by Celsius, and PepsiCo.

Proceeds from this year’s Festival will directly benefit AbilityFirst’s many programs. For 98 years, AbilityFirst has been providing person-centered programs to empower individuals with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, guiding them through each life transition, fostering social connections, and independence through essential employment preparation, as well as recreational activities for participants and their caregivers. 

Sponsors include Chubb, Bank of America, Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Longo Toyota-Lexus/Penske Motor Group, The Fletcher Jones Foundation, Umpqua Bank, East West Bank, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, GHJ, IMA, J’s Maids, Wendy Lees and Tom Boyle, and many more.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://one.bidpal.net/affestival24/welcome.

10th Annual Taste of South Pasadena

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events

The Rotary Club of South Pasadena will host the 10th Annual Taste of South Pasadena dubbed Eats on the Streets on Tuesday May 28, 6 – 9pm in the heart of South Pasadena on Fair Oaks Avenue and Mission Streets, with a wine tasting hour from  5:00pm – 8:00pm preceding. 

The family and dog-friendly strolling event will make for a  relaxing evening on the town exploring the city and its culinary offerings with friends and neighbors. 

The all you can eat  event lets you sample dishes from 30 restaurants. Restaurants expected to participate include: Alani Nu, ARO, Butterfly Brittles, Cafe X20, Canoe House, Charlie’s Coffee House, Communal, Cos & Pi, Griffins of Kinsale, Guayaki, Gus’s Barbecue, Heirloom, Humm, Jones Coffee Roasters, La Fiesta Grande, The Lost Parrot, Mammas Brick Oven, Mike & Annes, Oak Tree Inn, Perfect Hydration, Piccolo, Ristorante, Prime, Radhika, Shakers, Simplee Boba, STEMS, SUJA Organic, Super Coffee, TeaMorrow, Tomato Pie, Trader Joes, and Yucas.

Beverages will be provided by over 20 wineries, beers and spirit vendors, including:  Mission Wines, San Antonio Winery, Fuil and Table Wines, Scoops On Tap, Vandella, Cape Classics, Dulce Via Organic Tequila, Kobrand, XOXO Tequila, KVinters, Miner Family Winery, Empress 1908 Gin, Holden Cellars, DAOU, Trinchero Family Wines, Round Pond Estates, RNDC, Folio, and Paperback.

Live music on two stages will add to the festivities. The  Canoe House stage will present Carbe and Durand Latin guitar duo,  part of the world music group Incendio. They perform  original music as well as popular songs by other artists on two nylon string guitars, mixing Latin rhythms and romantic melodies with blues and rock.  Their fiery approach on the Spanish guitar has excited and invigorated audiences. Magic Castle magician Rich “Doc Magic” Freeman will also be on stage, handing out passes to the invitation-only Magic Castle.

The Mission/Meridian stage will feature The NextDoors Mika Larson & Russell Mark, a wife-and-husband duo from Pasadena cello-soaked Americana including their #1 song Awaken.

Last year’s Taste hosted a record 1400+ attendees, and more are expected to attend this year. All proceeds support local nonprofits, with last year’s event alone raising $38,000.

For more information about the South Pasadena Rotary Club  please visit  southpasadenarotary.org;  and for more information on event and tickets, please visit https://www.tasteofsouthpasadena.com.

Taste of Brea

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

The Brea Chamber of Commerce will kick off the Memorial Day weekend with Its family friendly event The Taste of Brea on Thursday, May 23, 5 – 9pm. The event will take place on  330 West Birch Street Brea in Downtown Brea amid a backdrop of cute boutiques, shops and eateries.

The  ticket includes all-you-can-enjoy strolling event featuring over 100 local and regional restaurants, breweries and wineries. Live music, featuring the band Cold Duck. 

This year’s restaurants include Blue Scoop Creamery, Bruxie, Brunos, California Fish Grill, Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen, Chubby Sushi & Ramen, Chunk-N-Chip, Fogo de Chao, Kristi’s Catering & Events, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Loaded Café, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Old Brea Chop House, Protein Lab, and SweetPeas.

This year’s beverage participants include Brewheim Beer Makers, Broken Timbers Brewing Company, Carbon Canyon Coffee, Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen, Falkner Winery, Lasorda Family Wines, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Polar Beverages, PRP Wine, The Tap Truck, The Bruery, and Wine Guy & Wine Gal.

Many local chamber members and businesses will also be setting up information booths. Exhibitors include Chevron, Dr. Squatch, Alex Horowitz Group, Aloha Veterinary Hospital, Advantage Care Chiropractic, Brea Dentistry, Brea Olinda Unified School District – Career Technical Education Program, Brea Diamond Direct, Brea Modern Dentistry, Brea Police Explorers, Brea Police Department- Know Your Limit, Brea Police Department SWAT Truck, City of Brea – Experience the Arts, Credit Union of Southern California, Custom Comfort Mattress, Darryl & JJ Jones, Dignity Memorial, Kaleo Marketing, Leaf Filter, Navy Federal Credit Union, Reborn Cabinets, Smile Design Advanced Dentistry and many more.

The Taste of Brea is the largest, regional food fair in Orange County;  for more information and tickets, please visit tasteofbrea.com

Masters of Taste

Mona Day Dine , , ,

The seventh annual Masters of Taste returns to the Iconic Pasadena Rose Bowl  on Sunday, April 7th, 2024.  The event is expected to bring over 3,000 food and beverage enthusiasts to sample signature dishes and handcrafted drinks, wines, craft brews, and non-alcoholic drinks  from over 100 Culinary and Beverage Masters. Live entertainment will add to the festivities. 

Participating Culinary Masters and Restaurants include Pez Cantina Village and Pez Coastal Kitchen Seafood Village, 1212, Arth Bar + Kitchen, Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Ayara Thai, BAAR BAAR, Beachy’s Food Truck, BOX Chicken,  Casa Cordoba, Celestino Ristorante, Cerda Vega Tacos,  Champion’s CURRY,  Chaaste Family Market, City Club, Armando Quiroz, Emporium Thai,  Fat Boys, Gabi James,  Georgia’s Restaurant,  Granville,  Gus’s World-Famous Fried Chicken,  Harold & Belle’s,  Italia Pasta e Pizza, La Bohéme, LAVO Ristorante,  Lunasia, MAMA M SUSHI, Marina, Mercado, Panda Inn,  Poppy + Rose, Rice Balls of Fire, Room Service Neighborhood,  Santa Monica Seafood,  Soulmate, StopBye Café, Taishi Hainan Chicken,  The Peppered Goat,  UCHI, YAKIYA, Yardbird,  and Yuca’s Restaurant. 

Sweet Masters showcasing desserts include Bachan’s Shave Ice, warm chocolate chip cookies from Bake Some Noise, Beard Papa’s, Bertha Mae’s Brownies, Faith Café, Gooey Center Bakery, Happy Ice LA, Läderach, custom cakes from Cakes By Chanté, cupcakes from Lark Cake Shop, Magpies Softserve, Marsatta Chocolate, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pops Artisanal Creamery, Pazzo Gelato, and Porto’s Bakery & Café.

Participating Beverage Masters offering fine spirits include Dead of Night Distillery, Dulce Vida Tequila, Empress 1908 Gin, Knox & Dobson, La Bay Gin, Laurel Canyon Spirits, Lunetta, Mario’s Hard Espresso, Mezcal 33, Neft Vodka, Nosotros Tequila & Mezcal, Old Hillside Bourbon Company, Smoke Lab Vodka, The Raymond 1886, Ventura Spirits and Angeleno Spritz, Vintage Distilling, and Xoloitzcuintle Tequila.

Brew Masters presenting ales, lagers, pilsners include All Season Brewing, Arrow Lodge Brewing, Arts District Brewing Company, Big Noise Beer, Boomtown Brewery, Pasadena’s Cerveceria Del Pueblo, Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Beer, Arcadia’s first Microbrewery Mt. Lowe Brewing Co., Nova Brewing Co., Over Town Brewing Co., San Fernando Brewing Co., and Tarantula Hill Brewing Co.

Wine and Sake Masters showcasing t varietals include Ascension Cellars, Bodegas de Santo Tomas, BONDLE Wines, CRŪ Winery, Golden Star Vineyards, Hitching Post Wines, LMA Wines, Moraga Canyon Vineyards, Anderson Valley’s Navarro Vineyards, NON (Non-alcoholic Wine Alternatives), Sake Akagisan, Sake High!, San Simeon Wines, Stephen Hemmert Wines, Warson Wine Company, and Wiens Cellars.

Beverage Masters Premium providing non-alcoholic drinks to  hydrate, caffeinate and regenerate include Perfect Hydration Alkaline Water, Yerba Mate from Erva Brew Co., Koe Kombucha, boba milk tea from Sunright Tea Studio and Bearology, and Unincorporated Coffee Roasters.

This year’s event is hosted by husband and wife team of Chef Bret Thompson and Lucy Thompson-Ramirez, who have made a significant impact on LA’s culinary scene. In 2015, they opened Pez Cantina, a seasonal, modern, coastal-inspired Mexican restaurant and bar in downtown Los Angeles, and in 2021 expanding with LA Burrito in Montebello. This year they will open Pez Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena featuring seasonal sea-to-table and farm-to-table California cuisine, and specializing in  cured, smoked and dry-aged meats and seafood. 

The annual culinary extravaganza benefits Union Station Homeless Services, whose mission is to create lasting solutions for homelessness through housing, support services, and community connections in 38 cities from Eagle Rock to Pomona. Its Housing First model has achieved a 97% success rate.  Masters of Taste has raised approximately $3 Million over the last six years.

Masters of Taste 2024 is a 21+ and completely outdoors; all guests will receive their  own utensils and hand sanitizer.   A VIP Power Hour from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm precedes General Admission from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. 

For more information and tickets, please visit  www.MastersofTasteLA.com.

 Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival

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

The inaugural Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival will land  on the Santa Monica Pier for three days of food and wine festivities March 1st – March 3rd during the art festival Frieze Week Los Angeles which takes place February 26th –  March 3rd.  

The festival will feature a mix of high-profile culinary and beverage talent, favorite local restaurants, and cultural initiatives with a lineup of 90 participating chefs.

Participating restaurants include award-winning Neapolitan pizza restaurant Pizzana from Daniele Uditi;  acclaimed Thai restaurant Jitlada; Holbox, recently ranked #5 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list; Chef Sathia Sun of new Italian hotspot Donna’s; Bridgetown Roti from famed Caribbean pop-up from chef Rashida Holmes; Chinese-Peruvian restaurant Chifa from Humberto Leon, founder of Opening Ceremony fashion brand, and Ricardina Leon; Bé Ù viet-street food;  Koreatown smashburger spot Love Hour; Santa Monica seafood restaurants Crudo e Nudo and Isla; Michelin-starred Camphor; Xuntos tapas bar; French bistro Pasjoli; Guerilla Tacos, the popular street-taco restaurant that originated as a food truck from Chef Wes Avila. 

Newest additions to the line up include chefs Justin Pichetrungsi of acclaimed Anajak Thai, BBQ master Adam Perry Lang, Alvin Cailan, Food Network Star Duff Goldman, award-winning Mexican-American chef Claudette Zepeda and Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat.  Each day’s session will feature over 30 chefs, and tickets include all you can eat and drink. 

The festival is dedicated to highlighting female-owned restaurants in LA.  As such, its official nonprofit partner is Regarding Her (RE:Her), a national nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the growth of women entrepreneurs and leaders in food and beverage and advocate gender parity in  restaurants.

The festival is presented by IMG, the company behind global events that include The Taste of London, Frieze, and New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

Hours are 7:30pm – 10pm on Friday and Saturday; 12:30pm-3pm on Sunday, and ticket options include daily pricing as well as packages.

For more information and tickets, please visit  lawineandfood.com and @lawinefoodfest on Instagram.

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE RELOCATES ITS WOODLAND HILLS RESTAURANT

Mona Day Dine, Restaurants

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, having earned its reputation in Los Angeles  for its fine dining experience and steaks served on 500-degree sizzling plates  for over  ten years,  has officially relocated its Woodland Hills restaurant to 5919 Canoga Avenue, just in time for the holiday celebrations.

The 10,000+ square-foot Woodland Hills space features one main dining room, one casual dining room, a luxurious bar and bar dining area, a patio with ample seating with heaters for this time of the year, as well as a board room and two private dining rooms that can be reserved for special occasions. The space is elegantly appointed and thoughtfully designed to provide signature  dining experience. 

The bar at the new location opened with two new seasonal  menu offerings – the Filet & Cabernet Pairing available at the bar for $38,  includes a 6 oz. Filet topped with three large shrimp alongside a refreshing glass of DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon, and the the Fireside Old-Fashioned Cocktail handcrafted with Elijah Craig small batch bourbon, Demerara syrup, Amaro Averna, Angostura and chocolate bitters for $17. The restaurant also boasts an unbeatable  Happy Hour of full-size appetizers, hand-crafted cocktails and wine starting at $9 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm every Sunday through Friday.   Seating is on a first come, first served basis, with no reservations needed.

Since its first restaurant opened in New Orleans in 1965, the company has perfected its broiling method and seasoning techniques to ensure each cut of USDA Prime is well marbled and hand-selected for thickness and tenderness before being cooked to perfection and served sizzling on a 500-degree plate. The restaurant also offers fresh seafood, made from scratch side dishes and desserts, along with craft cocktails and choice wines.

As part of the pre-opening celebration for the new location, Ruth’s Chris hosted a special VIP dinner with community leaders, business owners and Ruth’s Chris executives where 100% of the proceeds from the evening were donated to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

For more information, hours of operation or to make a reservation, please visit https://ruthschris.com/woodland-hills/ or call (818) 227-9505.

SO LET’S SHOP

Mona Day celebration, Dine, Food & Wine Events, PRODUCTS, See

Modern Day Wife hosted its annual luxe holiday and  gift giving soiree  So Let’s Shop 5 – 9pm Friday, December 1.  Just named the #1 Los Angeles Hotel by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, the hotel made it a double feature by hosting a VIP  pre-event party 3 – 5 pm featuring  small bites, drinks and dessert and an IT Box of swag. Partner Glamsquad jumped in on the action as well with a promo code offer for hair and makeup for the evening. For those who wanted to match the color scheme for the event, the organizers provided a mood board and color theme, declaring it ‘the year of silver’ to up the glam, glitter and style. 

Indoors there were signature panels across beauty, wellness, fashion, lifestyle, business and entrepreneurship, a  fireside celebrity chat with actress  Jennie Garth along with photo ops with the actress, a holiday beauty lounge, and Instagrammable holiday moments for personalized holiday cards. 

Outside there were brands on display:  lots of beauty experiences including hair frosting with Innersense Organic Beauty, brow fills and eye makeup touch-ups with Chella, Botox lip flips, Skinvive, Kybella and mini consults with Enhanced by Nadia, and Cassandra McClure. There was also a fashion show, a live performance by Classic Noir and Cirque de Soleil circus acts.

Anna Kara Loans welcomed you to her luxury lounge for more networking opportunities to inspire conversations about holiday, cruise wear, brands and know-how on beauty, career and fashion, and power couple tips, discuss the latest shopping trends and what’s in store for 2024,  to help you up your game professionally and personally, learn how to balance it all, along with opportunities to shop the looks of the fashion show.

Meagan & Meghan, Founders, Modern Day Wife wanted to make sure to had plenty of holiday fun, festivities and cheer to make it  the most memorable night of your holiday season.

For more information and tickets, please visit https://themoderndaywife.com/pages/so-lets-shop-dec-2023