Celebrity – Dine, Travel & Entertainment

Wolfgang Puck Opens all-day Ospero

Located at the former House of Blues site on the Sunset Strip, Wolfgang Puck recently opened his new all-day restaurant Ospero at the new boutique hotel, Pendry West Hollywood. The entrance is at street level, looking out to the Comedy Store, and is within blocks of his first Spago restaurant that he opened in 1982.

It’s been over 10 years since Puck, one of L.A.’s most famous chefs, has opened a restaurant. Puck became a household name for his award-season dinner parties, one-of-a-kind restaurants around the world, popular airport eateries and a line of culinary delights available at grocery stores.

Sit outside in the afternoon and watch the people and cars go by on Sunset Boulevard. In the evening, if you seek a quieter spot, ask to sit at the back of the restaurant on the al fresco dining terrace. The twinkling lights of the residences at the Pendry and views of greater Los Angeles are beautiful.

At Ospero there is a long dark blue bar and an open pizza kitchen. The low, soft leather teal-colored chairs resting on the Saltillo tile floor create an Italian trattoria feel.

Step into the lobby of the Pendry Hotel in West Hollywood and push the elevator to the 3rd floor to dine at Ospero.

We sat at a table for two at one of the coveted green velvet banquette tables and opened the dinner menu on our smartphones. Ospero features some neighborhood-friendly favorites that Puck made so popular during his days at Spago. There are iconic and innovative salads, pastas and wood-burning pizzas. Ospero also offers vegan dishes, proteins, a really good burger, breakfast favorites, grab-and-go items and a full bar.

We started with Puck’s chopped Chino Farm vegetable salad that our server had the kitchen split into two bowls. It was a generous portion of chopped lettuce with a variety of crunchy cube-shaped vegetables dressed lightly with a balsamic vinaigrette and dusting of parmesan cheese shavings. The salad was very fresh, healthy-tasting and offered layers of pleasing flavors.

Other popular salads and share dishes include a grilled tuna niçoise salad with a soft-boiled egg and meatballs al forno, bathed in a tomato, garlic and basil sauce with whipped ricotta.

Puck’s signature smoked salmon pizza with dill cream and salmon pearls is on Ospero’s menu, along with five others, including a wild mushroom pizza that we ordered and enjoyed. It arrived with Puck’s famous crust, thick and perfectly browned by the wood fire. A generous sprinkling of mushrooms topped a basil pesto spread, and chopped roasted garlic, caramelized onions and melted cheese medallions finished off the pizza.

Other pizzas include a house made lamb sausage with Calabrian chiles, mushrooms and onions; a spicy chicken with melted leeks; and a squash blossom and goat cheese pizza.

There are four different pastas, including one named My Grandmother’s Cheese Ravioli, and fresh pappardelle with braised oxtail ragout and fava beans topped with pecorino cheese.

Those seeking grilled fish have a choice between Atlantic salmon served with a fresh arugula and fennel salad on top, or a tender wood oven cooked branzino served with a delicious gremolata and Tuscan kale.

The table next to us ordered the prime beef burger topped with melted white cheddar cheese, a slice of grilled red onion and garlic aioli spread on the bun which comes with fries.

Other proteins include a half Jidori chicken served with Tuscan potatoes and broccolini, and a grilled prime skirt steak served with rosemary and garlic fries.

Stay for dessert and order the creamy Basque cheesecake topped with a farmers market strawberry sauce and the pie of the day. Both are ethereal, rich and is sliced large enough for two to share.

Executive chef Mark Andelbrandt oversees the kitchen with Puck and has enjoyed an extensive culinary resume with the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. Besides being the executive chef at Spago at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, he works alongside Puck to create one-of-a-kind globally influenced fare.

Now he is managing the kitchens at both Ospero and the more exclusive Merois, which offers stellar views from the Pendry’s penthouse level, creating a fine dining menu using French techniques with an Asian spin.

The night I dined at Ospero, Merois was just opening to hotel guests and private club members. I’ll have to save that experience for another night. Puck’s son, Byron Lazaroff-Puck, oversees both of these restaurants.

Come in for breakfast at Ospero starting at 7 a.m. Lunch service begins at 11:30 a.m. The grab-and-go and pizza menus are available between lunch and dinner. Dinner is served nightly starting at 5 p.m. $$ 8430 Sunset Blvd., (323)918-3420.

This review was featured in the Beverly Press – https://beverlypress.com/2021/05/wolfgang-puck-opens-all-day-ospero/

Supermodel Beverly Johnson loves Hallstein Artesian Water

It isn’t every day that I get to chat with one of the most iconic supermodels in the world. Last week I attended a Zoom presentation with Supermodel Beverly Johnson, the new ambassador for Hallstein Artesian Water. Beverly broke barriers in the modeling industry by becoming the first African American woman to appear on the cover of American Vogue in 1974. Throughout the years she has become a New York Times best-selling author, actress, and businesswoman.

I discovered that she is active in organizations focused on Beauty, Women Rights, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and AIDS Activism. She is on the Board of Directors of the Barbara Sinatra Children Center for Abused Children and is an International spokesperson for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She lives in Rancho Mirage, California and is an active grandmother to her four grandchildren.

Here’s what else I discovered about Beverly Johnson’s past, present and future:

Modeling in the 1970s, what was it like?

BJ: In the 1970s, models thought water was fattening. Not just food, but also water. Later I have discovered that water is very important to your body, cells, and beauty. It’s all about hydration.

How did you discover Hallstein Artesian Water?

BJ: During the pandemic, a friend sent me some of the water. I’m doing intermittent fasting, and I have to drink water. Hallstein water tastes so good, I can’t stop drinking it. When you are on a diet and cleansing and detoxing, you need to take in more water, because you aren’t getting water from food. Food has a lot of water, and without food, you need to drink more water.

Why is Hallstein Artesian Water different?

BJ: I call it my ‘Miracle Water’.

Elisabeth Muhr Founder of Hallstein Water jumped in to explain how Hallstein Water was discovered. As a civil engineer, she helps build hydro-electric power plants and is a passionate advocate for global drinking and water improvement. Not only is Elizabeth an expert in hydrobiology, she graduated from Vienna’s University of Environmental Engineering and Ecology, and has been a visiting lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona teaching “Ecology Applied to Landscape Architecture.

EM: My husband was at an anti-aging seminar and told me we must eliminate sugar from our diet and drink more water. Sugar creates inflammation and can cause disease. One of her children heard this and exclaimed, “Let’s drink the best water for our body.” She searched with geologists and scientists to find pure and natural water in her home country, Austria. They discovered superior quality drinking water from a natural artesian aquifer, 700ft (214m) deep in a layer of rock beneath Obertraun, in the Hallstatt region of the Austrian Alps.

Is there a difference between pure water and purified water?

EM: Pure water is natural, while purified is an attempt to make water pure, so it is chemically treated. Perfect water has to have the right pH and high oxygen content. When they found their water source, they discovered the pH level was high at 8.3. An ideal drinking water to maintain good health has an alkaline pH level between 8 and 9.5. It’s bottled in a special process to keep it all natural.

What are the health benefits of this water?

BJ: Water cleanses your palate. If you are hungry or tired, that means your body is thirsty. Drinking water satisfies both. I like how the water is in a glass bottle. Eliminating plastic that is harmful to the environment and to our body benefits everyone. I also like how the packaging uses as little of a carbon footprint as possible. Plus the glass bottle is recyclable.

What temperature do you drink your Hallstein Artesian Water?

BJ: The best temperature for your health is room temperature. Drinking room temperature water hydrates and cleanses. We are 60% water and our brain is 90% water. We need to drink water. It’s the essence of life. We can go without food for some time, but not water. We buy so much skincare to protect ourselves from the sun, to avoid lines and wrinkles. Hydration is everything.

How much water do you drink?

BJ: I drink 4 bottles of Hallstein Water a day, due to my regime. About a gallon. You know you are drinking enough water by looking at your pee. Light color means you are drinking enough water. It should not small either.

Where can we purchase Hallstein Artesian Water?

EM: By subscription only delivered to your front door. This water is rare, and can not be mass produced and sold in stores. Go to www.hallsteinwater.com.

Top Chef Richard Blais opens Ember & Rye

Years ago I had a memorable dinner at Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, one of Executive Chef Richard Blais culinary destinations. Known as one of the most beloved television personalities of Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars, he also helped open The Crack Shack, featuring elevated chicken and egg dishes in a casual, yet whimsical setting. I met Blais in person at the opening of the Century City and Pasadena locations.

When I learned he is getting ready to open Ember & Rye, a new ‘Modern Steakhouse with a retro vibe’ at the luxury Park Hyatt Aviara, I was eager to talk to this affable chef about life during the pandemic and what’s in store for him in 2021.

This successful restaurateur and cookbook author (‘Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate” earned a James Beard Award Foundation Award nomination) gave me over one hour of his time. Together we sat outdoors on the terrace outside Ember & Rye and here is what I learned:

Chef what have you been doing during the Covid-19 pandemic?

I stopped flying on hundreds of airplanes, and stayed home and have been grilling and cooking for my family. I’ve slowed down and have been spending more time with my wife and two daughters.

What did you think when the Park Hyatt Aviara management team reached out to you about a new restaurant concept at the resort’s golf course?

I received the phone call before March 2020, and felt so honored they wanted me to create a new restaurant. We want to do a lot outside, and will have the wood-fire grill out on the terrace to appeal to guests senses. I’m proud to open a restaurant at this time together with the Park Hyatt Aviara team, because we are moving forward to be part of the community and bring something to the area and to guests of the hotel. We are bringing a dining experience that is a unique and different. This is a massive deal for my career and personal growth. I also like that headquarters is close to home.

Your new restaurant is located near the 1st and 18th hole at the Aviara Golf Club, do you play golf?

I started playing golf before the pandemic and thought about changing golf course dining. There could be a niche in elevating restaurants at golf courses. No chef has done that, and see when I put this idea out to the universe, I received the call.

How did you come up with the name Ember & Rye?

RB: Ember & Rye gets its name from the embers from a wood fired grill, and rye is for the amazing whiskey and bourbon program we will have at the bar. Plus it’s a nod to my daughters Embrey and Riley. I call them Em and Rye.

Will you be at the restaurant often once it opens in March 2021?

You bet! The entrance of the restaurant will have a Chef Station where I can greet guests and offer a drink and snack. There will be a lounge and stools to enjoy a round of drinks before dinner. It’s a Modern Clubhouse meets Retro, not your grandparent’s clubhouse or 19th hole restaurant. I miss spending time in the dining room talking and taking selfies with guests.

Can you give me a sneak peek at your menu?

As a chef, I take care of people. I prepare and cook with my hands that nourish people. It’s an organic process, preparing simple and well prepared food from 90% west coast “Triple F” – Fishermen, Farmers and Foragers. We will feature wood grilled proteins, dry-aged beef and vegetable sides with lot’s of sauces. I love making different sauces! It’s fun and easy food that I like to eat. We are working on some creative sides that are produce driven. Think creamed spinach that may have artichoke puree, corn creme brûlée and onion rings on the menu. My TikTok video making onion rings in my kitchen has over 2 million views. Besides a baked potato, I may have baked celery root or use other root vegetables.

Have you ever baked jicama? That might be interesting. You know how people like potato gratin, what about jicama gratin? That’s different, right?

Where were you yesterday when we were working on R & D? I’m going to buy a jicama and work on that tomorrow.

How about desserts?

I love liquid nitrogen. Wait until you see what Christophe Rull (Executive Pastry Chef at the Park Hyatt Aviara) is creating. He is an amazing pastry chef. The restaurant will have a throwback vibe of old and new, including our vintage-era server uniforms. They are very cool.

Will we see you on television soon?

I just finished filming Season 18 of Bravo’s Top Chef in Portland, OR, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Not one person got sick in the production bubble. It was great to see everyone and will be a fun show for fans to watch.

Ember & Rye will hopefully open by the time the state of California and San Diego County lift dining restrictions. Everyone is hopefully with the Covid- 19 vaccines that it should be open March, 2021.

Celebrity Gift Bags delivered to their door during award season

Entertainment Strategist Dubois Pelin & Associates personally assembled and delivered over 125 bags to Awards nominees during the week of the Emmys, Sept. 15-19, 2020.

For years, Nathalie Dubois, President and CEO of the firm and owner of gifting suites.com) has hand selected products for her one-of-a-kind gifting suites.

In March, when the country went into lockdown due to COVID-19, Dubois had to pause her gift suite operations, and cancel her popular Cannes gift suite in May, when the Cannes Film Festival in France cancelled its annual event.

She used this time to get creative with her concept, and instead of celebrities and nominees coming to her special gift suite, she brought bags to them to enjoy before the Emmy Awards.

Since ZOOM is so popular as a way to reach out to people, she had a ZOOM call all day on Friday 18, 2020 to discuss these products and interact with the brands represented in the gift bags.

Dubois selected a few journalists to receive a bag to spread the word about the products.

Here are 10 of my favorite items the television stars received:

BEVERAGES

Miami Cocktail Company makes handcrafted organic cocktails using only the highest quality 100% natural ingredients with no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, additives, or preservatives. This organic, bottled craft cocktail company ‎focuses on handcrafting authentic wine and spirit-based drinks. Each delivery bag had a Tiffany blue Miami Cocktail Company box filled with Sangria Spritz, Paloma Spritz, Bellini Spritx, Margarita Spritz and a can of Mimosa Spritz.

Heavensake Junmai Daiginjo is an award winning Japanese Sake by French Wine-Master Régis Camus, the longtime chef de cave at Piper Heidsieck. Winner of 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵 – 𝗜𝗪𝗖 𝗦𝗙 – leads with aromatics of ripe honeydew melon, pear and a subtle floral component. Offering a sweet and inviting nose and impeccably balanced sake on the palate that is not too light or heavy. It’s also not too acidic or savory. 16% ABV.

Pearson Brothers winery is environmentally sustainable honey wine. The winemakers only use one gallon of water per every gallon of grapeless wine made. They blend wildflower honey, Valencia oranges, and Indonesian vanilla to transform into an organic, delicious and smooth, natural white wine.

BEAUTY

Jaci Haircare helps each hair type look its best. Go to their website to receive a FREE BOTTLE with the Purchase of two bottles. Use Code: FREEBOTTLE. Also receive free shipping on orders of $50 – $5.95 Standard Rate.

Blumenes CBD products offered a fanny pack with 3.5 oz bottle of their CBD 1,000mg of Organic Full Spectrum Muscle and Joint Pain Relief Cream. The CBD is grown in the USA, sourced and developed in Los Angeles.

Mantra Mask are the only all natural CBD sheet masks made in the USA. Cleanse your face and apply one of the Mantra Masks for for Collagen, Anti-Aging, Dryness, After Sun care, tackle Blemishes, and reduce Wrinkles.

LUXIE provides makeup l with handmade, professional-quality brushes with soft synthetic bristles. Perfect for all skin types. Vegan and cruelty free. Free standard shipping on all U.S. orders of $20 or more. 30% off sale ends on 10/30/20.

Food

FlyByJing spices up anyones dish with SICHUAN CHILI CRISP providing authentic Chinese flavors to strife, dumplings and more. Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao’s meticulously researched and designed a 30+ page digital guide to Chengdu. It’s a curated look at the best of eating, drinking, and exploring in China’s most leisurely city. For $5 you can receive a digital recipe booklet full of Sichuan favorites like Mapo Tofu, Dan Dan Noodles and Twice Cooked Pork.

A San Diego family created Chipz and Salza Happen for the perfect crunchy snack while watching the awards show, to take with you on a picnic at the beach and enjoy with “Salza” or guacamole.

You can find details on DPA or the DPA virtual gift suites on

www.virtualgiftsuite.net

www.dpagroup.org

PAST ATTENDEES OF DPA GIFTING LOUNGES: Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Charlize Theron, Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Mireille Enos, Stephen Moyer, Jim Cazeviel, Angela Basset, Rachel ilson, Eva Longoria Parker, Morgan Freeman, Terrance Howard, Catherine Deneuve, Spike Lee, Vanessa Williams, Kate Walsh, Paula Abdul, Eric Roberts, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Hudson, Scarlet Johansson, Edie Falco, Vanessa Williams, Terry O’Quinn, Simon Baker, Jane Lynch, Jessica Schorz, Felicity Huffman, Adrien Brody, Colin Firth, Carey Mulligan, Viola Davis, …

*This event is not affiliated or official with the EMMY® Awards or ABC

LACC Honors Actor Morgan Freeman

Recently one of the finest American actors, Morgan Freeman stood inside the Cinema Building at Los Angeles Community College (LACC) and smiled. The last time he was on this campus was 60 years ago, and now his alma mater was rededicating a lecture hall to read The Morgan Freeman Theater.

Walking across campus with Dr. Mary Gallagher, President of Los Angeles City College and Shaena Engle, Public Relations Manager, students stopped and did a double-take as Freeman posed for photos and greeted many along the way.

Inside the Camino Theater, Engle took Freeman aside to see two decorated bulletin boards honoring this esteem actor. He was touched that someone took the time to cut out each one of the movies that he appeared in during his long and successful acting career. He pointed to “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) and said he liked working with Director Clint Eastwood. The movie won four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Freeman. Pointing to “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) he said he had a great time on this movie with actor Tim Robbins. Then he found “Bonfire of the Vanities,” and said “that was one of my least favorite.”

Journalist and Board Member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Anke Hofmann, moderated and read questions by students inquiring about Freeman’s days at LACC. They wanted to know how he became an actor, how he handles rejection in the entertainment industry, and what advice can he give to them.

Here’s what he said:

Education: Actors have a lot of reading, maybe not in the beginning, but you will have a lot to read. Looking for a job when he arrived in Hollywood after four years in the Air Force, he was hired at LACC as a transcript clerk. His plan was to make some money and take acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse. While at LACC a co-worker said, “Why would you do that? We have the best theatre program in LA and its free.” So Freeman enrolled Theatre 101, and then Theatre 102, Speech and Diction and French. He worked in the transcript office 8 hours, ate dinner, and then went to class. He was dedicated to go to school and get what he wanted. One of the most useful classes was a Speech class, where her learned about the development of the voice. “Most people speak in a voice too high, and in the class, we learned how to speak in a lower voice. Most people speak too fast, so we learned how to slow down.” He learned how his develop his commanding voice in a lower octave and enunciate each word.

Acting Technique: When asked what acting technique he uses, he replied “The Morgan Freeman technique – intuition. It’s what I get when I read a script. Life and the craft became my teachers.”

Persistence: If you want to act, do it! It’s not an easy road at all for anybody, at no time. Getting jobs is like the weather, if you run out of here and get a job and zoom up, you will zoom down. If it takes you a while to get up, it will take you a while to get back down. Don’t give up. If you want to do it, you have to stick to it!

Preparation: Yawn it will relax your vocal cords.

Work With People You Admire: All three movies he did with Clint Eastwood were extraordinary experiences. Eastwood is an efficient director, “Get it, got it, good.” When Freeman received the extraordinary script “Invictus”, and was asked who he thought should direct the film, Freeman immediately said Clint Eastwood. “It was one of the most fun productions I worked on,” Freeman said.

How he got his start: In the fall of 1960, Freeman sold his car and moved to New York. “Anyone can get a job in New York” and after five months, he moved to San Francisco and took dance classes studying ballet, jazz and tap with a goal to get on Broadway. He hoped he could be the one black person. While a member of the small repertory company, he had a life changing experience when someone told him “You aren’t a dancer, you are an actor.”

In September 1963, he went back to New York and worked on a movie. It was a night shot, and slowly actors were being told they weren’t needed anymore, until Freeman was the last man standing. At that moment, he realized that this is where he belonged.

Learn to say NO! The moment he knew he didn’t have to work to be an actor was in 1967. He was auditioning for an off Broadway play and they called him back twice to come in and audition again. The third time they called him, he said “No, I’m not coming back” and they hired him. With this role he was able to get an agent and press. Next he got a role in “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway with Pearl Bailey at the St. James Theatre. His advice to success in showbiz is to never do a show for more than 11 months. You need to move on. Even though he was making $92 a week at “Hello, Dolly!”, when he was offered a role in Cabaret for less money, $72 a week, he took it and received even more press. “What’s more important, money or publicity? Publicity!”

Advice to student actors: “Acting is a do or die profession,” said Freeman. Acting was all he wanted, and he didn’t want to have a fall back career. “All of us can make a living in the business, maybe not superstars, but you can work.” In dealing with rejection, he said, “You are going to be rejected, you will reasonably get a percentage of rejections, but you will work. When you have an audition, it’s a shot, and that is a big moment.” Work on making your videos and short stories. The movie industry is dynamic and with so much streaming going on, there is a big thrust of material.

Embarrassing moment: Freeman said the most embarrassing moment in his career was when he made a fool of himself in a production of Othello in Dallas, Texas. Wearing harem pants and a blousy shirt with a head band, someone in the audience thought he looked like Jimi Hendrix and shouted out “Play Purple Haze.”

Directing advice: When asked about his directing debut, he shared what the late Mike Nichols once said, “The Director’s job is finished once the casting is done. The most important job of directing is casting and then getting out of the way.”

Freeman always has a welcoming home at LACC, and inside the Cinema Building his name on the wall of a lecture hall gives hopes to students who desire to follow his footsteps.

Lin-Manuel Miranda & his father Luis

Sitting center stage at the Geffen Playhouse, Broadway sensation and Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and his father Luis A. Miranda Jr., enlightened the audience for 90 minutes about theatre, Puerto Rico and Lin-Manuel’s new movie role in Mary Poppins with moderator Soledad O’Brien. Together this father and son team are very entertaining.

O’Brien: You are actively supporting the relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Tell us what you are doing?

Lin-Manuel: In the way of Maria, what began as where is my family? It took five days to finally reach our family. Then became how can I help the island. I amplify what I hear on the island and navigate from there. I have no political interest, I just want the island of Puerto Rico to be proud of me. Just like they did when I brought “In the Heights” to the island. It was the most creative week in my life. Since my father is in the political world, the Governor of Puerto Rico called up my dad after he saw ‘In the Heights’ to find out who was his son. I didn’t grow up in Puerto Rico, I just spent summers on the island. While growing up in New York, I felt different than other kids in Puerto Rico, because I spoke funny. When they noticed and embraced me in ‘In the Heights’ it was a proud moment. We would do a prayer circle before every show. A cast member in the show, Pricilla Lopez who played Camilla, told me – ‘You are throwing a rock in the pool and you have no idea how the ripples will come back to you.

O’Brien: Tell us about the delay of bringing Hamilton to Puerto Rico?

Lin-Manuel: After Maria, there were no roofs on any theatres. I’ve been wanting to bring the show to Puerto Rico since 2015. We took the harder path to update and rebuild the theatre to become a state-of-the-art facility at the University of Puerto Rico. The theatre needed a ton of work, including a new roof, before we could perform our show. Puerto Rico is looking for heroes. It’s a message in Hamilton that I hope the islanders can take away from the show. We take the show to a small island, the most coveted show ever, to make the people in Puerto Rico feeI special. Their recent experience with the devastation of Hurricane Maria echos Hamilton. When I read Ron Chernow’s book Hamilton, I didn’t know that a hurricane destroyed St. Croix and people on the island raised money to send Hamilton off the island to do better things.

O’Brien: Why did you get so involved in helping Puerto Rico? How are you raising money?

LIn-Manuel: I just have a megaphone to get the island noticed. We will perform Hamilton for three weeks from Jan. 8-27, 2019, at the Teatro UPR in San Juan. Proceeds will benefit artists, musicians, and traveling theatre groups on the island. If you are running a traveling theatre group in Puerto Rico, that is hard work. You are working a job during the day, traveling and performing at night. We have their backs to do what they need to do for three years. Giving sits in my gut and doesn’t want to leave me alone. When it keeps me up at night, that’s when I act. Both my father and I went to the Mayors in all the towns of Puerto Rico to find out their needs after the hurricane. When it’s gnawing on you and you let everything in, if something affects you – injustice, something that needs love, it’s a calling for you to act on it. I started the nonprofit,The Flamboyan Arts Fund dedicated to preserving, amplifying, and sustaining the arts and youth education in Puerto Rico.

O’Brien: Tell us how people can get tickets to see Hamilton in Puerto Rico?

Lin-Manuel: There are $10 tickets in the lottery and tickets up to $5,000 to help with the arts fund. There are only a few left at $5000.

Luis: Then they will go up to $10,000 and $15,000.

Lin-Manuel: We want to raise $15 million dollars.

O’Brien: Are you ready to play Hamilton again?

Lin-Manuel: It’s been two and a half years since I played the role. My problem is that I go back to every draft in my head. When my wife and I saw a performance of the show in London, I realized lines had changed. For the first time I listened to the cast album to help get ready for my performance.

O’Brien: Luis did you always know your son would be a performer?

Luis: I wanted him to be a lawyer, because he was good with words. Lin-Manuel has one of the most incredible minds. During a filming of 60 Minutes at my house, he looked at my big vinyl collection and picked the Camelot album. He said “I will tell you where it skips.” He hadn’t played the record in 25 years, yet he remembered exactly where it skips.

Lin-Manuel: We used to listen to that record so many times as a family.

Luis: I knew he would be a writer as a child. He was making flip books, and when he visited Puerto Rico, his grandfather borrowed the bank’s video camera so Lin-Manuel could make movies.

Lin-Manuel: A teacher in 8th grade inspired me to write after I turned in an essay about Stephen King’s book “It”. My teacher wrote “You have been hibernating in my class unless the subject interests you. I hope you wake up for Spring Semester.” He encouraged me to join an on campus theatre club called Brick Prison and write for them.

O’Brien: How is Puerto Rico today?

Luis: San Juan is doing well, however as you drive farther away there is more need. The coffee growers are trying to redo from scratch. Coffee doesn’t grow back in a month, it takes up to five years.

Lin-Manuel: Puerto Rico is so proud of their coffee.
Luis: The majority of coffee on the island is from small farms, about 70% is from small farms with just several acres. The only way to grow coffee is from seeds, and the island needs seeds, so we reached out to Starbucks.

Lin-Manuel: Starbucks has millions of seeds.

Luis: Since it is against the law to bring seeds to Puerto Rico, we had to hire lobbyists to work with the Republicans to get approval, so Starbucks seeds could be planted in Puerto Rican earth. It will take 3 to 5 years to grow coffee again. If we don’t start today, it will take longer.

O’Brien: Luis are you proud of Lin-Manuel starring in Mary Poppins?

Luis: I didn’t like the first movie in 1964. I was 9 years old and loved Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, however the year it came out, Andrews was doing My Fair Lady on Broadway. Andrews robbed Debbie Reynolds of an Oscar in The Unsinkable Molly Brown and I was so upset. I was annoyed with Mary Poppins my entire life. When I heard Lin-Manuel was in Mary Poppins, I was pleased. When my kids are doing something fantastic, I approve.

O’Brien: Lin-Manuel weren’t you performing in Hamilton when you were cast in Mary Poppins?

Lin-Manuel: Yes, Rob Marshall took me across the street for a drink after seeing me in a matinee show of Hamilton and pitched me the role of Jack. I first asked who would play Mary Poppins, when Marshall said Emily Blunt, I thought that was brilliant. I had to check with my wife, because she makes the decisions. I never wanted to leave Hamilton and my home in New York, yet my wife loves to travel and wanted to live in England.

O’Brien: What was it like working with Rob Marshall?

Lin-Manuel: I loved his work turning the musical Chicago into a film. Working with Rob Marshall was like being in film school.

O’Brien: Locally in Southern California you offered acts of kindness by sponsoring a group of Cal State Channel Islands theatre students today. How did this happen?

Lin-Manuel: These college theatre students were about to put on ‘In the Heights’ and then the Malibu fires started and their show was cancelled due to evacuations. They reached out to Gil Cates Jr. at the Geffen Playhouse and my team when they learned my dad and I would be in town. We are happy to have them here today.

O’Brien: Who is in the cast for the upcoming Hamilton?

Lin-Manuel: The cast is almost all new. This is the third national tour, and we cast this with a few from Broadway, others from the national tour company and then some new performers. After three weeks in Puerto Rico, the show will go to San Francisco. It’s a mix of old and new. Some have done Broadway, some have toured and some are new. The success of Hamilton is about seeing yourself in someone else’s story. When you walk a mile in someone else shoes they don’t become an “other.”

To purchase tickets for Hamilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, go to Flamboyanartsfund.org.

Meeting Curtis Stone at SHARE

Australian Chef Curtis Stone’s is one of the most charismatic chefs I’ve ever met. His mega-watt smile, culinary talents and charm has landed him appearances on a number of top rated programs including Take Home Chef (TLC), Top Chef Masters (Bravo), and Food Network’s All-Star Academy.

Chef Stone began his cooking career in his homeland of Australia and later honed his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants in London under renowned chef Marco Pierre White. Southern California foodies embraced Stone with open arms when he opened his first solo restaurant, Maude in Beverly Hills in February 2014. The restaurant is named after his beloved paternal grandmother and first culinary mentor. Stone’s unique approach at Maude is to give a fine dining culinary experience by serving an array of multi-course dishes, showcasing the finest ingredients available each month of the year.

With its success, Stone opened his second restaurant, Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant in Hollywood in July 2016. He did all this while also becoming a New York Times bestselling author with six cookbooks – his most recent titled – Good Food, Good Life.

I learned that one night while dining at Maude, Gordon Ho the Chief Marketing Director and Head of Sales for Princess Cruises had an idea. Since Stone is in Southern California and Princess Cruises’ headquarters is in Southern California (Santa Clarita), Ho approached Stone to see if he would collaborate with Princess Cruises and have a similar restaurant concept at sea onboard the Princess fleet.

Stone embraced the idea and soon he was working in the kitchen with the Princess Cruises culinary team to create and open SHARE by Curtis Stone. It’s his third restaurant and first at sea, giving cruise passengers an exclusive opportunity to enjoy an exclusive and exquisite dining experience.

While the ship was in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro for the day, before taking a 39 day voyage to the South Pacific (Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji), I had the opportunity to meet Executive Chef Curtis Stone and many members of Princess Cruises’ culinary and marketing team. It was a special celebration lunch to debut his new menu onboard the Emerald Princess. SHARE by Curtis Stone is also a fine dining experience on the Ruby Princess and the Sun Princess.

Sitting at a table for four, I admired the elegant dining room with floor to ceiling glass windows allowing passengers oceanview dining. Inside SHARE is a private dining room with Stone’s family pictures, memorabilia and cookbooks strategically placed in bookshelves. A highlight in this room is a copy of Stone’s first recipe of Orange Cake written in crayon.

While enjoying the six-course menu, we all agreed Chef Stone has made an art out of connecting strangers and loved ones by presenting beautiful executed dishes, while using the finest ingredients, premium meats, and seafood. With each course Chef Stone came out to the dining room to tell us a little story about each dish.

Here’s a preview of the menu at SHARE by Curtis Stone on the Emerald Princess:

For a Starter we enjoyed a artistic plate with a swirl of Nduja (spicy, spreadable pork salumi from Italy) with a couple of slices of Duck Speck, green olives and two types of freshly baked breads. First I spread the Nduja on the bread and topped it with the savor thinly sliced duck.

Next we received the salad course of Kanpachi Crudo with sliced mango, a dollop of avocado puree and shredded almonds on top for a little texture to balance the smooth and fresh fish and fruit.

For the pasta dishes made fresh daily, Chef Stone and his team made a heavenly Ricotta Cavatelli with Brussels sprouts leaves, beets and sunchokes.

The fourth course was soup of the day – a rich lobster bisque with pieces of lobster and minced shallots.

The main course was tender Duroc Pork served with broccoli puree and carrots.

We finished with a decadent Toffee Cheesecake decorated with with dried apple chips to give it a nod to autumn, and grapes soaked in a red wine reduction.

Cruise passengers can experience this exact experience for a supplemental $29 per person fee when cruising onboard the Emerald Princess. Wine and cocktails are extra. To book a cruise onboard Princess Cruises, call your cruise specialist or click on this link Princess Cruises.

Alessandro Del Piero Scores a winning goal at No. 10 Restaurant

Last Saturday was the second time I’ve dined at No. 10 Restaurant in Beverly Grove. The first time was right before it opened. While contractors were standing on ladders adjusting lights, the chefs Nick Parker and Italian-born Fabio Ugoletti prepared a variety of seasonal Italian delights.

The name of the restaurant No. 10, as in, the number ten, is named after former Juventus soccer star Alessandro Del Piero. He is involved with this sexy, Spacecraft-designed club-like dining venue. It’s lively in the evening, with a weekend DJ spinning music out on the open-air dining patio and lounge. On Wednesday, they offer live jazz to enhance one’s dining experience.

Walking inside the front lounge area we admired the huge copper dome lights and wide marble bar with a peek-through to the kitchen. The dimly-lit dining room has a few deep circular booths, and tables with rich and comfortable leather chairs.

Arriving at 7 p.m., we noticed there were a few tables available inside, however by 8:30 p.m. the restaurant was running at full capacity. This restaurant tends to attract a later dining crowd. General Manager Maurizio La Rose runs the restaurant smoothly as he chats with guests, pours flutes of Prosecco, and helps whenever needed.

Sitting at an outdoor table facing W. Third Street, we looked over the cocktail and wine menu. Nearby, the flickering fireplace lounge area offers two comfy gray couches decorated with pumpkin colored pillows. It’s an ideal spot for a cocktail and charcuterie board.

Our personable server Eddie recommended we start with the Polpo, a charred thick and long Mediterranean octopus tentacle cut into three large pieces. It rested on top of perfectly cooked broccoli, white grapefruit sections, a swirl of yogurt, and delightful crispy chickpeas giving this dish a touch of crunchiness. We enjoyed this with a glass Forchir Pinot Grigio and Clementine Cotes de Provence Rose’.

Fabio Ugoletti is from the Chianti region of Tuscany and is a pioneer in the development of “new wave” Italian dishes. Working as an Executive Chef at a prestigious 1-star Michelin restaurant is one of his many accolades. As a gastronomic consultant, he helps in the success of organized culinary events all over the world.

Looking at the pizza section, Eddie recommended Chef Fabio along with Chef Parker’s Tartufata white sauce pie. It arrived piping hot with melted spheres of burrata, shavings of black truffles and decorative squash blossoms. The thin crust had crispy edges that were cut into 8 pieces. Chef Parker likes to create seasonal dishes that feature hand-picked, organically-grown vegetables and herbs. This pizza is the quintessential autumn flavored pie.

Studying the pasta section, Eddie told us his top three favorites – the Paccheri with Maine lobster; Ravioli with butternut squash; and Pappardelle with lamb ragu and shavings of white truffles. We decided on the Paccheri that was served in a bowl with large and smooth pasta tubes. They were mixed with chunks of lobster, tomatoes and onions, sautéed in olive oil and garlic, before olives and a sprinkle of oregano and basil topped this dish. It was dazzled with a splash of crustacean broth offering the essence of the sea.

Other popular entrees include Diver scallops in a caviar sauce; roasted duck breast and thigh with polenta; grilled Australian lamb chop served with eggplant caponata; and Mediterranean sea bass. We decided to order the lightest dish – the Spigola al Cartoccio Mediterranean Sea Bass that arrived in a vacuum-sealed steamed bag with sliced zucchini, potatoes, fennel, olives and herbs. Eddie cut open the bag to allow the delicate and perfectly cooked fish to cool down. The sous vide vegetables provide a healthy side dish to this protein.

We finished with two of the seven desserts, including a Mele in Gabbia that arrived on a plate with layers of sliced apples stacked with golden raisins and a pleasing scoop of cinnamon gelato on top. Chocolate lovers will enjoy the rich N10 Sphere made with three different types of chocolate and meringue into a semifreddo. When delivered to us, it looked like a chocolate and gold snowball. While Eddie held a small white pouring cup, he tipped it slowly so the luscious chocolate sauce could stream down on top of this classic semi-frozen treat that has the texture of frozen mousse.

No. 10 offers a contemporary Italian seasonal menu prepared by American and Italian chefs blending their gastronomic cultures into a creative new wave of Italian delights.

$$-$$$ Open at 6 p.m. nightly. On Saturday the restaurant opens at 5:30 p.m. Come in on Sunday at 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. 8436 W 3rd St. (310)924-2011.

This review was published in the Beverly Press

Red Carpet Beauty & Wellness Retreat

A few days before the televised 70th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che, the nominees, celebrity talent, and selected media and press were invited to attend the Red Carpet Beauty & Wellness Retreat Gifting Lounge at the InterContinental Hotel along the Avenue of the Stars.

Entering the lounge, there was a station of food and beverages provided by Wolfgang Puck and Co., Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and multiple wineries, including Youngberg Hill & Felino Estate.

Invitees received mini onsite beauty services by Toni & Guy, a multi-award winning hairdressing brand with more than 50 years of experience in education, superior client service and haircare expertise. The gifting lounge offered health and beauty touch-ups.

All approved guests receive a complimentary vacation package to one of the sponsoring Caribbean or Mexico resort. The all-inclusive St. James’s Club & Villas is located on a secluded 100-acre peninsula on the southeastern coast of Antigua. exudes a casual, club-like ambience. This exclusive hideaway caters to families, singles and couples with plenty of amenities and activities for all. The resort has a longstanding reputation for exceptional, caring service as guests enjoy a wide array of island- and water-based diversions. The. are two white-sand beaches offering complimentary non-motorized water sports such as kayaking, paddle boarding and sailing. Swim in each six distinctive swimming pools or rejuvenate with a beauty or relaxing treatments at the Spa & Salon. Active travelers can take advantage of the resort’s four tennis courts and new state-of-the-art Fitness Center, while families will appreciate the resort’s complimentary Kids Club. The resort’s four distinctive restaurants serve everything from casual to gourmet cuisine.

Some of the favorite items included the elegant Contigo THERMALOCK Couture vacuum insulated bottle. This 100 % BPA free bottle keeps beverages cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 10 hours. The full body graphics has an easy to carry handle, stainless-steel cap and wide mouth for comfortable drinking. It’s MSRP value is $19.99.

Everyone received hats, backpacks and classes from The Wall an architecturally significant and state-of-the-art fitness space that has been designed by award-winning design team De-Spec Inc. Every visual detail is an expression of their philosophy to break through and rise above both physically and mentally.

Entrepreneur Jean Criss‘ inventive idea CRISSCROSS Intimates, was created a luxury intimate apparel line for women and men. She launched it in April 2017 with an e-commerce site. As a cancer survivors she helps others regain dignity and confidence and offers comfort during post-recovery to expedite the healing process. The USPTO utility patent approved designs made for Breast Cancer Survivors and other Breast Patients, are designed for Survivors by a 10-year Breast Cancer Survivor with extensive media and high-tech experience. The apparel she sells is chic, colorful and comfortable post-op Bras, Prosthesis Pocket Bras, matching panties, leggings, accessories, men’s ompression Vests and educational products of Inspiration.

As Author of My Pain Woke Me Up Tril ogy series (1) BLISS! (2) Legal Injustice and (3) LIVE Your Dreams, Criss continues to chronicle her journey throughout her career. Her next book reveals the trials and tribulations being an entrepreneur written in short reality stories. In BLISS!, Criss reveals her colorful journey from young widowhood thru the defeat of breast cancer and the pursuit of happiness.

Guests had the opportunity to choose from a table of board games that included Oregon Trail where players place tiles to discover the trails, rivers, forts, and towns ahead of them that they will move through to this new land. Hazards along this scenic journey include disease, drowning, and rattlesnakes that plague you along the way. Until, eventually, you find yourself safe, in Willamette Valley.

This Secret Room Event Red Carpet Beauty & Wellness Retreat Gifting Lounge has no affiliation with the Television Academy Emmy Awards.

Celebrating Julia Child at Border Grill

In honor of chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger being the first women to receive the Julia Award from the distinguished Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, their downtown Los Angeles restaurant Border Grill is offering a menu inspired by the famed cooking icon until Nov. 1. I recently tried the prix-fixe menu for lunch with a friend, and the dishes, infused with a Latin twist, are something you won’t want to miss.

To start the meal, the Julia Child special menu offers a bicicleta cocktail made with crisp white wine, Campari and agua de jamaica. Proceeds from the sale of this drink help Milliken’s charity Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. It goes well with the triangular corn tortilla chips lightly dusted with salt and served with three different salsas.

The first appetizer from the prix-fixe menu, the salade niçoise, arrived featuring a handful of greens mixed with beautifully sliced seared tuna. Crispy green beans and Peruvian purple potatoes topped off this colorful salad, which also had chopped tomatoes, pickled onions, briny olives and halved eggs. Sprinkles of quinoa added a delightful crunch.

For the entrée, we ordered the tender duck leg confit sope, made with thick corn masa. Shaped in a shallow bowl, it’s fried and topped with duck confit, nutritious green purslane leaves and a sprinkling of crumbled queso fresco. A colorful succotash of sautéed summer squash, red peppers and corn complemented this succulent duck dish.

At the Julia Child prix-fixe dinner, Border Grill serves a duck duo including a seared duck breast with a flavorful jus and the duck confit sope.

The luncheon dessert is a flaming crêpes à la Julia. It’s similar to Child’s famous crêpes Suzette, yet with buttered citrus dulce de leche and whipped vanilla crema to offer a bit of Latin essence. Served very warm, it was very satisfying.

While enjoying our food, Milliken strolled over to our table to chat with us. She shared when Child visited her and Feniger’s first restaurant, City Café on Melrose, in the early 1980s and then filmed a show at Milliken’s house.

“She was an extremely hard worker, yet humble and down to earth,” Milliken said.

The same qualities can certainly be found in Feniger and Milliken as well.

In the 1990s, the pair hosted Child at City Restaurant on La Brea for a book signing of her “Cooking with Master Chefs,” which featured the “too hot tamale” chefs.

The prix-fixe, Child-inspired lunch at Border Grill is $28 and the dinner is $38. Guests may add a cocktail for $10 or enjoy a three-course wine tasting experience for an additional $15. Each dish on the menu can also be ordered à la carte. $$ 445 S. Figueroa St., (213)486-5171.

This review was featured in the Beverly Press and Park LaBrea News on Sept. 13, 2018 https://beverlypress.com/2018/09/celebrating-julia-child-at-border-grill/

Nurturing your Mind, Body & Soul

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Lady Carole Bamford, the founder of England’s forward-thinking Daylesford Organic Farm Shops. She has three shops in London, as well as a Cookery School, the Daylesford Cottages, The Wild Rabbit pub, the Haybarn Spa and the Bamford line of clothing and natural bath, body and home products.

She traveled with her husband Sir Anthony Bamford to Malibu, California to visit their daughter Alice Bamford at her mountain and ocean view One Gun Ranch for a media tour of her book Nurture: Notes and Recipes from Daylesford Farm. Alice describes her biodynamic ranch as “The Wild West Coast surrounded by nature that elevates the spirit,” I thought it was more like the West Coast Downton Abbey. A long wooden table was beautifully decorated and set for twenty guests out on a lush lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A staff of seven poured sparkling and rose’ wines from Chateau Leoube an organic vineyard in Provence, France. Others came around with big wooden bowls filled with salads made from fresh organic ingredients. While we sat under the warm sun, Alice introduced her mother.

“I grew up enjoying the fruits of the land on Daylesford Organic Farm in England (a 1500-acre estate near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds. “Mum harvested her organic garden while I was in a pram,” said Alice (who is pregnant with her second child). Growing up, Lady Bamford prepared dishes from the fresh produce harvested from her gardens. This fond memory inspired Alice to continue the tradition for her own family. Meeting celebrity realtor Ann Eysenring, the duo purchased Guns & Roses drummer Matt Sorum home with acreage. “Without healthy soil, one can’t grow healthy plants,” said Alice. So she converted the acreage into a biodynamic, sustainable farm that grows nearly 50 different crops. “All living things on the farm are reused and recycled back into the land,” said Alice.

As soon as Alice’s gardens were thriving, she wrote a book with Eysenring – “One Gun Ranch, Malibu: Biodynamic Recipes for Vibrant Living.” Alice inspired her mother to share her own beautiful story titled Nurture. Published by Penguin Random House, this beautiful 300-page guide to living and eating mindfully is filled with exquisite photos, seasonal recipes and an inspiring story of Bamford’s ideas and principles to a conscious, mindful way of life.

Forty years ago, Lady Bamford noticed her crops were thriving, but her roses were dying. When she asked one of her gardeners why? He told her he was spraying a new product named Roundup. Carole thought it might be protecting her crops, by killing weeds, yet what is it doing to our environment?”

Desiring to feed her family healthy food, Lady Bamford’s farm became one of the most sustainable farms in the UK; a model of traditional, responsible farming by following organic principles. Her willingness to take such a risk has resulted in an unexpected, yet enormously fulfilling career for Lady Bamford, with the farm leading to the growth of a brand of sustainable food. “I was looked upon as a slightly strange woman,” said Lady Bamford. “With organic, how can we afford not to do this” She explained how pesticides damage the soil, plants, animals and people. We can all make a difference. “One way is to buy organic. It may be more expensive, however, the cost of illness costs a lot more.” Another way is to eat less meat. “I have four restaurants in London, and have a No Meat Monday policy because as we know, cattle are bad for the environment,” said Lady Bamford.

Determined to change the way we think about our food and our environment, Lady Bamford reminds the readers of her book that mindfulness is the key to a happy, well-lived existence. “We all need nurturing because we all live a crazy life.” Nurture is filled with delicious seasonal tried-and-trusted recipes that were created at Daylesford. There are a spring green minestrone soup and a pannacotta with poached rhubarb, blood orange, and ginger. Try the roast salmon, peas, bacon and braised Little Gem from her summer selection. There are pickled blackberries and red cabbage with chicken liver in autumn, and the bone marrow and barley risotto created for winter.

Before leaving Lady Bamford said, “I hope my book helps empower readers to reinvent the way they eat and exercise, as well as rejuvenate their minds and bodies.”

For further information on Nurture: Notes and Recipes from Daylesford Farm by Lady Carole Bamford, visit

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1113383/nurture. Available also on Amazon Books.

This article was featured on JustLuxe on May 15, 2018 Lady Carole Bamford

Gloria Steinem Roars at LACC

I was invited to interview Gloria Steinem while she was a featured speaker at “A Conversation on DACA” at Los Angeles City College with Samantha Ramirez-Herrera. Hours before she arrived in California, this elegant 80+ year old was campaigning for Marie Newman, Congressional candidate in the city of Chicago, against Dan Lipinski who inherited his seat. Steinem tweeted out “Lipinski pretends to be a Democrat, but votes with Trump against healthcare, minimum wage, reproduction rights, and LGBTQ rights,” She urged everyone to get our and support Newman. “It’s crucial,” said Steinem.

Inside the Herb Alpert Music Center, the lecture hall was filled with students, facility and community members eager to hear the wisdom of Steinem. She started out by saying – ‘Trump is not my president. We have all the powers we had [before Trump was elected] of lobbying and pressuring and making clear that the political consequences are great. We may look up and feel powerless and think there’s nothing we can do, but it’s not true. There are things we can do at each level.”

As a writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer, this media spokesperson now in her 80s, travels around the world discussing issues about equality, sex and race, gender roles and child abuse. Through non-violent conflict resolution, she aims to teach peace and motivate others to rise up for justice.

Here’s 10 Fun Facts I learned while interviewing and listening to Ms. Steinem talk to students and faculty members at LACC:

Gloria graduated from Smith College in 1956.
As a brilliant writer, she was a political columnist and wrote feature articles for New York Magazine in the 1960s. Also during this time period, she wrote a two-part series titled A Bunny Tale, about going undercover as a bunny at the Playboy Club for Show magazine. The articles proved the injustice women receive in these Men Only Clubs.
She co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972, and remained one of its editors for fifteen years. She continues to serve as a consulting editor for Ms., and was instrumental in the magazine’s move to join and be published by the Feminist Majority Foundation.
As Steinem discussed the repercussions from the recent decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, initiated under President Barack Obama in 2012, she told the audience “People should not be bargaining chips.”
She earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree in 2013.
Steinem told her audience, she is more comfortable speaking at Los Angeles City College than Harvard or Yale. “It’s far more interesting, because we all look like the people in our country and can instruct one another.”
After marching in the second Women’s March, she voiced how there is more unification right now, than last year at the first National Women’s March. Many of these empowered women found a sense of unity and purpose in the #MeToo movement.
In the 70s, Steinem educated women by saying, “Remember I’m not crazy, the system is crazy,” reflecting how women in the 70s were made to feel crazy if they worked outside their home. They were made to feel like second class citizens. “In the 70s, if you were a feminist, you were labeled a lesbian,” said Steinem. “There were all kinds of myths that are gone now. We are the majority.”
She strongly believes black women were a huge part of the civil rights, and the heart of feminist activism. She gave examples of how black women voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election, while white women voted more for Trump. “Black women are more feminists than white women. Look at what they did for Doug Jones in Alabama,” Steinem said.
Now that Dreamers are rising up with allies and pushing forward, Steinem believes “We need Dreamers in this country. They are more motivated, hard working and have lower arrests,” Steinem said. “Don’t say what should I do today, say what can I do today. There are people all around who will listen to you and ask what can they do,” Steinem said. “I’ve been around a long time and have never seen such social activism to have a voice and make a change. The Dream Act bill shouldn’t be included with border wall funding or increasing border security. It’s not about politics, it’s about people.”

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