We Know Weho

We couldn’t agree more and Valentine’s Day is no ordinary affair here in WeHo.  Whether you celebrate that with your love, or lovers (we don’t judge), your best friends or yourself … allow us to offer up some ideas for your consideration.   This week's episode features a montage of guests whose voices you will recall as guests from previous episodes share their Valentine's Day offerings from Candle Delirium, V Wine Room and something sweet from Sweet Duet Chocolate.

We offer no more spoilers than that for this jammed-packed triple berry focused special episode for all you lovers out there!

Show Notes & Links:

This week's episode features Girl Boss, Xixi Yang, who is an award-winning entertainment  journalist and the founder of XYZ Media. She is the creator and host of  "Pop News Edition", a show aimed to give viewers an in-depth, global look at some of the biggest pop culture stories around the world. As the first and only Asian-American woman to anchor “Live From the Red Carpet” solo from the Oscars and Grammys, XiXi has  brought millions of viewers around the world live coverage through the Associated Press. She put her bilingual skills to use for a global audience by conducting interviews and delivering live hits in both English and Mandarin.  Since 2016, XiXi has been an entertainment contributor to CNN and HLN, discussing pop culture and social issues on “CNN News room”, “Morning Express”, “On the Story”, and more. She has served as a spokesperson for  various Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Verizon, Macy’s, BeautyCon, and more. XiXi has been invited as an honorary speaker at various universities and schools, including Compton High School and Yale.

XiXi shares with the We Know WeHo hosts her Re-Invest in Main Street initiative to support other women entrepreneurs affected by C-19, how she took a big leap and started her own media company in 2020, her collaboration with BH Cosmetics with her Lunar New Year Collection that just hit #1 with Ulta, the upcoming Chinese New Year and her thoughts on Bling Empire.

Show Notes & Links:

In this week’s episode, the We Know WeHo takes us back to the not so distant past of the glorious days when West Hollywood’s was the OG fitness mecca anchored by a grungy gym hub called Todd Tramp’s that was located on the corner of La Cienega and Melrose Avenue.  These are the days long before reality television, when Bob Harper was sweating away teaching insane choreography in his step classes and where the craze of indoor cycling was arguably birthed with the likes of Debbie Rocker, Andrew Lawent and Gunner Peterson sweating away on in a packed room in the dark riding to the rhythm and tapping it back - “spinning” on an indoor stationary bike.

This week’s guest, Janet Fitzgerald, was in the thick of the first wave of notable instructors who were teaching these sold-out jammed packed indoor cycling classes.  Janet was the owner of the beautiful zen Body and Soul Workout that sat above the Ramada Hotel for ten years where locals would sweat next to celebrities whilst Janet lead them on a spiritual soulful musical journey as they peered down on Santa Monica Blvd through the serene Japanese grass that lined the windows of this sweat sanctuary.

In 2010, Janet left Los Angeles for another “soul” located on the East Coast - SoulCycle.   Janet shares with Tracy an insider view of her story, but more importantly how her personal journey correlates to her role as the Senior Training Officer of the company where she has trained over 400 instructors as the big yellow wheel emerged and created the second big wave of indoor cycling that swept across the country with over 99 studios.

The fitness business has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and it seems we still have a long wait for packed indoor group classes to resume (at least here in California) as outdoor classes are being held in pop-up locations.  Janet gets real with Tracy about the impact on her and her fellow instructors and employees, and shares her optimism about the company’s future with a newly appointed CEO.  Janet relocated to Los Angeles for the winter months where she continues to teach inspiration, hope, and healing one pedal stroke at a time.

Check out Janet’s SoulyCycle classes at the Century City Mall and Santa Monica Promenade outdoor locations.  You might also want to give a listen to her podcast “Witch and Famous” that is the inspiration behind a spiritual transformation media project in the works.

SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

This week's special guest spotlight is on Lien Ta, the c0-owner of All Day Baby, a feel-good restaurant with the soul of a diner located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.  She is a founding member & committee lead of RE:Her, a charitable organization for women-owned restaurants in Los Angeles, created by women who own restaurants in Los Angeles, in response to how COVID-19 has impacted the businesses and communities. 

You will hear all about an incredible event Lien has put together, 10 Days RE:Her, an inaugural food festival launching on Jan. 21, 2021 where women-owned restaurants all over Los Angeles unite to offer unique collaborations with other female chefs, thematic menus, one-on-one conversations among female industry leaders, and much more.  You will want to join in for these 10 special days to illuminate, celebrate and uplift the sisterhood of restaurateurs in LA to save her restaurants.  We Know Weho Inside Tip:  check out the amazing chef collaborations happening that are sure to create new flavor palettes and the line up of virtual events - and our favorite a cheese tasting collaboration with four women-owned cheese shops!! 

As a small business owner affected by the pandemic, Lien was recently featured, alongside LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, in a video aired at the Democratic National Convention. She is the subject of "Becoming a Restaurateur," a Simon & Schuster publication by author Patric Kuh. She was a fellowship recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s inaugural class of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program in 2017.

Lien's first restaurant was a fun little restaurant in Koreatown called Here’s Looking At You, suffered an indefinite closure on July 12, 2020, on the eve of the restaurant's fourth anniversary, due to the impact of COVID-19.  All Day Baby was open for just three and a half months before the mandated closure on March 16, 2020 in response to the novel coronavirus. Today, with over 60 employees furloughed, it is open for takeout and delivery with a small team and limited hours.

Guest Lien Ta Show Links:

Show Notes & Links:

Health & Wellness Links:

This week's guest is Carrie Minter who is a total girl boss as the founder of Carries Pilates Plus.   She has been certified in Pilates for more than ten years, and in 2013 opened Carrie’s Pilates Plus. In addition to curating a highly qualified and caring group of instructors, Carrie’s helps clients of all ages transform their self-image and bodies via exercise and nutrition education. Carrie’s own bright, optimistic and cheery spirit can be felt throughout the studio as she aims to create a fun community of people who want to work hard.

Her classes are high-energy and leave people sweaty and sore from the high-intensity programming. She also wants to make sure it feels like a party and her instructors create a vibe that is fun, entertaining and will make your core and booty shake like nothing else.

Carrie has been a health and fitness advocate since her teens. A model at fifteen, she has worked with top designers including Valentino and Versace, and graced the covers and pages of Seventeen Magazine, FHM, Esquire, Maxim and Playboy.

Show Notes & Links:

Happy New Year WeHoans!  Yes, that term came up today during the interview with Jordan Ogron from Tesse today.  Make sure to take a listen as he unpacks how this Sunset Strip gem has managed to stay fresh and reinvent itself more than once during the pandemic.

Jordan Ogron has a very impressive history in the local hospitality scene including his GM position at Bestia DTLA.

Tesse Restaurant located at 8500 Sunset Blvd is a dream come true for Jordan Orgron who teamed up with industry veteran Bill Chait and Chef Raphael Francois to realize his dream of owning his own restaurant.

Although Chef Raphael uses the word “simple” to explain his food, and doesn’t want to do Michelin Star food anymore, the cuisine at Tesse is undoubtedly due a Michelin star (or two) in Tracy and Maxine’s opinion.  They agree with Jordan that the dish that most surprises the palette is the Bucatini with Bone Marrow, Chef Raphael’s take on a carbonara that is the number one selling dish that put Tesse on the map.

That blue neon key is the sign for Boutellier Wines  unique wine store concept from Jordan with a focus on wines you can’t find elsewhere.  Jordan drops the interesting data point on wine consumer behavior that approximately 97% on all wine sold is $15 or less a bottle.  Boutellier’s selection varies from $15 all the way up to very exclusive finds with a price tag to match.  The wine shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday 12pm - 8pm and Sundays from 12pm - 6pm.  Tesse Cafe that served as a bodega concept in the initial pivot also carries a selection of bottles from Boutellier with “focused shelves” of $20, $30 and $40 bottles of mixed sparkling, white, rose and red.

SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

Food:  Bossa Nova, The Butcher’s Daughter, Found Oyster, JAR, Katana, Mel’s Drive In, Otus Thai Kitchen, Pura Vita, Ruam Mitr, Sushi Tama, Tess, Whole Foods

Drinks: Boutellier Wine Shop, Employee’s Only

Burger Challenge:  Shake Shack

Guest Picks:  Moreno’s, Employee’s Only, Tock

Fashion:  Polka Dots & Moonbeams

Things to Do:  Regarding Her, Stranger Things Drive In

Health & Wellness:  Cedars-Sinai blood drive, Health House, Pressed Juicery, Rollbar @ La Peer rooftop

COVID Resources:  Exer Urgent Care, The Doctor

Arts:  Weho Arts

WeHoVille Best of WeHoville 2020 Winners

Welcome to the final episode of We Know WeHo for the year. Can you believe it?  What started out as Tracy’s passion project to help small businesses during COVID 19, has evolved into 37 episodes and counting. This week, Tracy welcomes both of her co-hosts, Lauren and Maxine, for a final recap of what has been a really crazy year.

As we get ready to kiss 2020 goodbye, the ladies share a love for yummy treats and bubbles. Their guest this week is Michael “Mikey” Consbruck, owner of V Wine Room West Hollywood, the City’s only bona fide wine tasting room.

Warning, this week’s episode is super juicy and clocks in at 1 hour and 25 minutes.  As we all settle into another mandatory stay-at-home order, pour yourself a glass of wine and settle into this week’s podcast.

Mikey opened up V Wine Room in February of 2013 that is a 1930’s library themed speak easy serving unique wine varietals in a historic space that Charlie Chaplin originated as an actors studio and then served as a library in the then unincorporated Los Angeles County town of  “Sherman” from 1929-1941.  (Sherman is now the fabulously incorporated city known as West Hollywood.)

Mikey’s vision was to bring boutique California wine producers who produce less than 2,500 cases of wine or less for the year to the public.  V Wine Room acts as an extension of these wineries, as many do not have their own tasting rooms and rely on their wine clubs almost exclusively for sale.  Over the past seven years, he has expanded to find unique blends and labels from different continents and the “old world”.

If you mask up and pop in, Mikey and his team of wine docents are sure to guide you into something unique based on your palette and are offering 20% off.  V Wine Room is open until 10pm on December 31st, don’t forget to pick up the makings for your own cheese board with a wide selection of cheese, meat, olives, flatbread, specialty jams and a soy candle made by Mikey’s husband.  As with many businesses, COVID has brought several layers of a business pivot for V Wine Room and you can help them into 2021 by contributing to their GoFundMe campaign.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

New Year’s Eve Plans Quarantine Style: Boa, Cavatina, Cecconi, Cobblestone Goods, Craig’s, Eveleigh, Gelson’s, Katana; Madre, Margot, Mauro’s Restaurant, Noah’s, Petrossian, Pura Vita

Cocktails & More:  WeHo Night Market by Employee’s Only, John & Pete’s, Trader Joe’s, V Wine Room (duh)

The Great Steak Off:  Carlito’s Gardel, Fresh Corn Grill, Lala’s, Boa

Burger Challenge:  Astro Burger, Belcampo, Dialog Cafe, Hi Ho Burger

Onion Rings:  Astro Burger, Connie & Ted’s

Grab & Go:  Alfred’s, La Boheme,

Sweet Tings: Fresh Corn Grill; Le Salon de The

Iced Tea:  Tess, Tocaya Organica, Alfred’s

Donating/Resell Clothing:  Out of the Closet, Poshmark, Real Real

Giving Back:  Blood Drive at Cedars Sinai

Covid Testing & Resources:  Barney’s Beanery (outdoor testing), Cedars Sinai, The Doctor, The Solution

Staying Fit:  Health House, Megaformer Studio, F45, Pealton App

This week’s episode of We Know WeHo takes a slight turn to focus on the world of “WeHomade” cottage industry entrepreneurs.  It appears that the cheeseburger and mole obsession has spilled over to now include the world of candles as the team talks to AK² Candles that are made in West Hollywood and a favorite local gift item mentioned by Rachel in the Lovely in LA episode.

Adam Krell and his partner Anthony created AK² Candles (AK Squared) after ordering a simple DIY candle making kit early in quarantine that turned into a candle-making hobby with gifting friends and family their unique creations. The candles are hand-poured in West Hollywood using custom scents and fragrances and feature names inspired by the streets of WeHo. From scents inspired by Lexington, San Vicente, La Peer, and so much more, the 100% all-natural soy candles are made from American-grown soybeans and carefully mixed with luxury scents from the Wooden Wick Co. out of Laguna Beach, California.

AK² Candles can be found on Etsy and through their Instagram (@candlesbyaksquared) and are fun gifts year-round for your friends who live in West Hollywood. You can use the code WKWH10 for 10% off in their Etsy shop(valid through 2/1/21).

HEALTH & WELLNESS

You do not want to miss Tracy’s conversation with this week’s second guest, Kiana Reeves, who is the Chief Brand Officer at Foria Wellness. Mathew Gerson launched Foria in 2013 with their first product, Pleasure, and promptly gained notoriety for what became known as the original “weed lube,” effectively creating the category for cannabis in sexual wellness. In addition to enhanced pleasure, Foria’s products can be used to alleviate symptoms of endometriosis, vaginismus, other pelvic and genital pain conditions, provide relief of menstrual and menopausal challenges, and support overall wellness through tonics, lubes, bath salts, suppositories and more.

As much as you may think you know about cannabis, cannabinoids, the body’s endocannabinoid system, and CBD you are sure to learn a thing or two as a broad scope of topics are covered by Tracy and Kiana to help demystify the stigmas around the plant and its ancient use in healing remedies. For a deep dive, head to the blog their website that is highly educational and covers all the topics their products support.

Tracy of course, ventured down to check out the very uniquely shaped “The Quickie”, Foria’s pop-up on Rose Avenue in Venice at the location where the business was founded. Foria Wellness products can be found online and are also carried by West Hollywood dispensaries including Artist Tree, Calma and MedMen. The Quickie pop-up is open Thursday – Sunday through the end of December from 3pm – 8pm.  Insider tip: the drive West is worth it as The Quickie is on the same block as American Beauty’s Win-Dow for a memorable cheeseburger to go.

SHOW NOTE LINKS:

This week the We Know Weho team is joined by arguably the King of Sunset Strip, Sol Yamini Sol is the CEO of Pink Dot and has owned and operated the company since 2004. PinkDot is a household name which has been around since 1987. PinkDot is the pioneer of grocery and liquor on demand delivery known for delivering  groceries, liquor and food in about 30 minutes all over Los Angeles with its flagship store on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.  Pink Dot is infamous for their iconic signature delivery fleet of pink and blue polka-dotted, propeller-topped Volkswagen Beetle  and has appeared in several movies and television shows, including HBO's Entourage and the location on Sunset Strip is where Jimmy Fallon and Kobe Bryant did a beer run in 1999.

Sol is very active in the community and is on the board of the sunset strip business improvement district (BID).He was also awarded 4 cannabis licences by the city of West Hollywood through their very competitive application process when they opened up the city to expand cannabis businesses after the California law went into effect for legalization in November 2016 through prop 64.  Sol serves as the Chair of the Cannabis Council formed by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and is the secretary of AURA - the Adult Use Retailers Association of West Hollywood.

Sol has a long-running partnership with Postmates that has recently entered a new phase with three adorable wheeled robots rolling down the streets of West Hollywood to deliver your Pink Dot order.  Sol is a big supporter of local businesses and carriers their items on the Pink Dot menu for delivery including Nonna's Empanadas, cupcakes from Cake & Art, Gelato Festival gelato, Zooie's Cookies, and macaroons from Chef Josette who delivers her famous fresh baked Normandie Bakery baguette's daily to Sol's team for their homemade sandwiches.

SHOW NOTE LINKS:

This week on We Know Weho we are joined by special guest Alison Martino.  Alison is a native Los Angeles-based television producer, documentarian, columnist for Los Angeles Magazine and lifelong resident of the city. Her zeal for history and lifelong penchant for collecting has resulted in one of the largest collections of restaurant memorabilia, photographs, postcards, and matchbooks.

Martino’s affection for old Hollywood and her hometown’s architecture led her to create the wildly popular Vintage Los Angeles (VLA)— an ever growing photo-centric Facebook page dedicated to highlighting L.A.’s physical transformation during the 20th Century, as well as its history as the center of the entertainment industry and community.

Martino is also an advocate for historic preservation of the architecture that makes Los Angeles and its surrounding communities like West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica unique, and for the buildings that are iconic representations of the entertainment industry. She worked to bring back the original Chasen’s Chili, has helped to preserve the original caricatures on the walls of The Palm Restaurant and save vintage signs on the Sunset Strip.

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