Danielle Steel
A prolific writer of nearly a hundred titles, Danielle Steel is one of the best selling authors in the publishing industry. Now, the San Francisco resident is helping women break through the glass ceiling with her spot on Forbes’ list of top-earning authors. Men typically dominate the field, with authors like James Patterson and Stephen King raking in $94 million and $39 million per year, respectively. However, female authors are making headway, with Steel earning a reported $23 million, according to Forbes.
Carlos Santana
Grammy-award winning artist Carlos Santana is taking his musical prowess into new territories. The guitar legend recently unveiled “Carlos”, a line of shoes for women. While it may seem like an unusual foray for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Santana told Fox News; “You have people who want to call their shoes Maria, Maria, Smooth or Spanish Harlem Monalisa,” referring to his 2009 smash hit song.
Philip Kaufman
Famed director and San Francisco resident Philip Kaufman is being lauded for his latest project, Hemingway & Gellhorn. The film, about journalist Ernest Hemingway’s relationship with novelist Martha Gellhorn, stars Hollywood heavyweights Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen. This was a family project for Kaufman; the HBO film was produced by Walrus & Associates, the company run by Kaufman and his son, producer Peter Kaufman. The film has received wide acclaim from critics and earned a number of prestigious nominations, including those for the Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
Steve Jobs
The family of the late Apple exec Steve Jobs was recently embroiled in a highly-publicized debacle over payments on Jobs’ last passion project; a multi-million dollar yacht. Venus, the 260-foot aliminum yacht Jobs commissioned before his tragic passing in 2011, was an ode to the Apple CEO’s sleek design aesthetic. Although designer Philippe Starck had the boat impounded in the Netherlands, it has now been released following an out-of-court settlement between the designer and the Jobs family. In Walter Isaacson’s biography, Jobs said; “I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene [his wife] with a half-built boat, but I have to keep going on. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.”
Larry Page
Google CEO and leading tech entrepreneur Larry Page is predicting the future, and it looks a bit like the Jetsons. In an interview with Fortune, Page discussed his work on producing self-driven cars. A father of two, Page wants to produce a car that eliminates danger by removing human fallibility, instead relying on instruments like radar and sensors which take more than 1.5 million measurements per second to ensure a smooth ride. The executive predicts such technology will be a boon to productivity (eliminating energy wasted on the commute) and will even create energy savings (by facilitating the flow of traffic).
Charles Phan
Although it’s many thousands of miles away from his native Vietnam, celebrity chef Charles Phan has professed his love for the Napa Valley. The San Francisco resident recently penned a letter to the scenic destination for the Huffington Post. Phan, whose family moved to the area in 1977, recalls the “102 degree summers and 32 degree winters”, saying “I came to enjoy all four seasons you thrust upon the locals, which is why I built an outdoor kitchen. I enjoy being outside regardless of whether that requires putting clothes on or taking them off.” Phan, whose restaurant The Slanted Door is a local favorite, recently translated his complex Southeast Asian recipes for a laid-back Californian audience in his book Vietnamese Home Cooking.
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January 24, 2013The Finer Things In Life - Karl Wente of Wente Vineyards
