Olivia Wilder Times™

Viet Pham grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area with parents who loved food and cooking. His upbringing inspired him to pursue a career in food, and he graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 2002. While attending school, Pham interned at Michelin-­starred Fifth Floor Restaurant in San Francisco, CA under award-­winning Chef Laurent Gras, then going on to cater local private events before relocating to Provo, Utah as Executive Chef at Spark Restaurant Lounge. During this time, he met his business partner, Bowman Brown, and the pair opened Forage Restaurant in Salt Lake City in July, 2009. Though a unique concept in the area restaurant scene, Forage was well ­received by the community, quickly emerging as the area's top eatery and winning Salt Lake Magazine’s Best New Restaurant in SLC in 2010, Best Restaurant in SLC in 2011, and he won Best Chef from the magazine in 2012. Pham won Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2011, after receiving a nomination from the magazine the previous year for People’s Best New Chef: Southwest. His scallop sashimi with meyer lemon confit was also featured in "Food and Wine" in "The 10 Best Restaurant Dishes" in the 2010 feature story. The James Beard Foundation nominated him as a semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2012, Pham participated in Food Network's "Extreme Chef," Where he was runner-up. He also competed in the network's marquee program, "Next Food Network Star," (currently airing), and defeated Iron Chef Bobby Flay in "Iron Chef America." Pham has appeared in "Bon Appetit," "The Wall Street Journal," "The New York Times," "San Francisco Chronicle," "Reuters," and the "Salt Lake Tribune." In Summer of 2013, Pham will open his new restaurant, "Embers and Ashes," in Park City, Utah.

"Mean girls" aren't only in high school. They're also found in the Lifetime cable reality series, "Pretty Wicked Moms." Based in Atlanta, these Southern belles have been causing a stir since "PWM" premiered in June.   From "Queen Bee" Emily, to "Alpha Mom" Nicole, "New Girl" Meredith, and "Divorcee," Marci - these Southern Socialites may be "Ladies Who Lunch." but you won't be invited to sit at their table. These "Mommy Mean Girls" all want to win the parenting popularity contest, to be the prettiest, thinnest, richest, - and their kids, the smartest. While their toddlers don't compete for tiaras, they are born little princesses, complete with all-vegan and organic diets, posh designer clothes, - even the family pets get the royal treatment.   Tonight I will be interviewing Emily ("Queen Bee") - a self-made business woman with a two year old daughter, Amzie, who serves as ring leader of this group of competitive mothers, and Nicole N., "The Doggy Mom," Emily's partner-in-crime and co-clique-conspirator whose "child" is her Shitzu dog, "Sommer.

With more than a decade of experience in fine dining and upscale French, American and Latin American restaurants, Chef Victor Albisu is combining his culinary education with his Latin American heritage to bring a unique style of cuisine to his restaurant concepts. His first full-service restaurant, "Del Campo," is an upscale South American grill in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C. "Taco Bamba," a takeout taqueria that reflects his Cuban and Peruvian roots, opened next to Plaza Latina in Falls Church, Virginia, a Latin market owned by Albisu’s mother.  Prior to independent ventures, Albisu served as executive chef of "BLT Steak" in downtown Washington, D.C. for more than four years. While there, Albisu cooked for President and Mrs. Obama and earning the restaurant several accolades, including Power Spot of the Year in 2012, as awarded by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.    A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu School in Paris, where he received basic, intermediate and superior diplomas in cuisine, pastry and wine, his professional culinary journey included Michelin three-star restaurant L’Arpege in Paris, as well as contemporary Latin American restaurant, Ceiba; Belgian-influenced, French restaurant, Marcel’s; and contemporary American bistro and bar, Ardeo and Bardeo, all in Washington, D.C. Outside the kitchen, Albisu is a member of the American Chef Corps, a network of chefs from across the United States who serve as resources to the Department of State. Albisu also serves on the Chef Council for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation annual D.C. fundraiser, and he supports The First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative to end childhood hunger and improve food quality in schools across the United States. In 2011, Albisu also appeared as a guest judge on the FOX TV Series, “Hell’s Kitchen.”

One of my favorite singers, guests, and people - Margo Rey revisits us tonight, with her just released  single, "Tempted."  "'Tempted' is a song that has always made me happy when I sing it," Rey says. "Its soul, groove and lyrical content make for a perfect combination. I'm so thankful to Squeeze for writing such a memorable classic." "Tempted" marks Rey's fourth AC entry, all since her 2011 arrival with "Let the Rain," which reached No. 17. All four titles have been released on the independent Organica label."

Born in Acapulco, she laid her professional foundation with over a decade of classical music training under the exclusive tutelage of classical voice professor Dr. Luther Stripling. At the age of 16, Rey fronted an all-female rock band "Debutante" (The Debs,) touring  the U.S. as well as overseas and also sang in a 3 piece power pop band called "the Ritual" before beginning a career in jazz. After becoming the band leader for the Latin/Jazz R&B Sextet "Miss Margo and the Lost Souls," Rey was signed to an indie label  where she recorded a Tejano/Pop Spanish album. This release boasted one top five and two top twenty singles. She soon caught the attention of actor Edward James Olmos who recommended her for a principal role in the Broadway-bound musical Selena Forever. This led to a number of theatre credits including Saturday Night Fever, Latin Heat, Like Jazz, Zorro and Canta Lunga. During this time period she began crafting and touring her own original music that she calls “Organica.”   Website: http://margorey.com/

Born and raised in New York, Long studied acting at Purchase College (SUNY) where she received her BFA. Long embarked on her illustrious theater career as she made her first theater debut at the age of 7 in the notable Broadway play, "Nowhere To Go But Up," directed by Sidney Lumet, and since then has performed in several Broadway productions: "Loose Ends," "The Bacchae," "Getting Away With Murder," and the recent revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Flower Drum Song," for which she garnered an Ovation Award. Television credits include co-starring with Valerie Bertinelli in “Café American,” playing Margaret Cho’s mother in “All American Girl”, Alicia Silverstone’s secretary in “Miss Match” and has had recurring roles on “The Cosby Show”, “Michael Hayes”, “Eli Stone” and “Law and Order: LA”. Among her most notable roles are ‘Patty’, the power lesbian” in an episode of “Sex in the City.” Long has also been featured in several films including "Beginnings," with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, "Patty Hearst," "Striking Distance," "Rollover," and "The Hot Chick."   In her rare free time, Long enjoys cooking. In addition to healthy vegetarian eating, she is a member on the Hollywood Orchard board, a non-profit organization dealing in education, sustainability and harvesting a virtual orchard in Beachwood Canyon and donating fresh food to the needy.    Currently Long is starring as ‘Ok Cha Sullivan,’ the frugal Korean immigrant mother of ‘Steve Sullivan’ (Steve Byrne) in the TBS hit comedy series, “Sullivan & Son.” Season 2 premieres June 13th, at 10/9 CT.

Launching her ONE LIFE-ONE LOVE initiative, fitness enthusiast and healthy living expert Angela Zatopek of NBC’s “Ready for Love” is using her decision to “save herself” for marriage to pave the way for a new generation of women with her message of focusing on one’s self and not sex. Angela knows the value of a healthy, active lifestyle and has made it her mission to help others learn the tools to make their well-being top priority. Along with her message of putting one’s health first, Angela has decided to put love first in her life as well by saving the ultimate intimacy for one man – her husband, and has recently teamed up with Lisa & Brittny Gastineau to design a line of jewelry that coincides with her purity pledge.   The daughter of reigning Miss United America and a former pro baseball player, Angela's family tree is rich with beauty and athleticism. Her great uncle is four-time gold medal winning Olympic legend, Emil Zatopek, who set world records in long distance running at the 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki) Games.    Well-known for her fashion forward style and beauty expertise, the avid traveler is also known for her CBS Sports sideline reporting, modeling, beauty pageant appearances and entrepreneurial skills! Angela graduated at the top of her class with dual degrees in Journalism and Corporate Communications from University of Texas-Austin.   On the June 4th series finale of "Ready For Love" on NBC.com, Ben Patton proposed to Angela, making her the winner in his quest for love.

Accomplished singer/songwriter, Sunny's story is one of incredible survival after a near fatal childhood accident which led to two decades of recovery and an extremely isolated upbringing. It was not until she first traveled to the USA in 2004 that her medical situation was finally and profoundly turned around. She is now a very healthy and beautiful young woman, fully able to undertake the live shows and touring she has longed to do for so many years. Her musical career has, in a sense, evolved backwards compared to that of most artists who normally begin with some kind of performing or socially centred musical activity. Sunny spent the best part of 20 years in solitude writing songs from childhood to this day which has been her refuge and sustaining interest throughout her life. Her catalogue of songs in extensive with the material for the next two albums ready to go. Her artistic perspective, songwriting and musical style are completely unique and deeply moving.   Sunny is currently in Australia on tour, and has recently released a new album, "Check For Wolves," which was nominated as Best Adult Contemporary Album in the Independent Music Awards. She has generously agreed to give 3 albums to live listeners who phone in.   Website:http://www.checkforwolves.com/Sunny/Sunny.html

Adam Gertler is a cook, entertainer, and full time food enthusiast who first gained national attention as a finalist on Food Network’s hit series, The Next Food Network Star. Adam developed a true passion for barbecue while in college and began experimenting with unique ideas and recipes while catering for friends and family. He soon helped bring barbecue to Philadelphia as the executive chef of The Smoked Joint. Adam recently turned his passion for sausage-making into “Gertler’s Wurst," a collection of uniquely flavored hand-crafted sausages which will be featured at Dog Haus restaurants and Costco stores on selected regions.

Adam has hosted two primetime Food Network shows, Will Work For Food, and Kid in a Candy Store and is a regular contributor on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Besides hosting Food Bites on Cooking Channel's YouTube station, he is debuting a late-night competition show on June 10th on Destination America.

TODD KLIMAN is the food and wine editor and restaurant critic of 'The Washingtonian'magazine. He is the recipient of a James Beard Award for his writing, and his work has appeared in 'The New Yorker,' 'Harper's,'' and 'National Geographic,' among others.  He is the author of "The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine.

La Toya Jackson is a globally known entertainer and businesswoman. A Grammy Award-winning recording artist, La Toya is also a best-selling author, an actor and an international television personality. Born into America's royal family of pop music – the Jacksons – La Toya was exposed to music at an early age and made her debut at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, tap dancing and singing with her brothers, The Jackson 5. Naturally, La Toya decided to make show business the focus of her life. She has performed for her fans in more than 90 countries around the world. 

As a television personality, La Toya has appeared on All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Apprentice (where she was the first competitor in Celebrity Apprentice history to be re-hired by Donald Trump), Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, Armed & Famous, and as a guest judge on America's Next Top Model and RuPaul's Drag Race. La Toya also enjoyed a guest stint as record company executive Marilyn on the CW's 90210. 

La Toya is the co-founder of Ja-Tail Enterprises, an innovative business organization focused on developing and delivering a vast array of products and services with successful ventures in music, publishing, film and television, cosmetics, branding, public relations, management, concerts and events. 

She lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Prince.

With over 30 years in the business, passionate visionary and trailblazer, Robert Townsend, transcends any medium he touches: Actor, writer, director, producer, stand-up comedy or running a television network. The Chicago native is often referred to as one of the "Godfathers of the Independent Film World."  Robert acted out scenes, impersonating famous characters as a child, eventually making his mark in his hometown, and moving on to New York's renowned comedy club, The Improvisation, initiating his career in stand-up comedy. His big break came performing on various television comedy specials, including Rodney Dangerfield's, "It's Not Easy Being Me," and others. He then landed a role opposite Denzel Washington in "A Soldier's Story," and appeared in "Streets of Fire," with Diane Lane, and "American Flyers," with Kevin Costner.   In Hollywood, he saw the difficulty black actors had and lack of good work available in the film industry, leaving a burning desire to step behind the camera, and the independent filmmaker was born. Robert wrote, directed, produced and starred in his own critically acclaimed film, "The Hollywood Shuffle."  His semi-autobiographical, "The Five Heartbeats"continues as an audience favorite, and he has gone on to be nominated for more than 30 NAACP Image Awards for film and television.   Robert's newest film, "In The Hive," was released on DVD on May 7th. It stars Loretta Devine, Vivica A. Fox and the late Michael Clark Duncan in his last role. It is a film about power of love and a gripping reminder that we can all make a difference in a child’s life, even the ones who’ve been relegated to the discarded heap for far too long.