Los Angeles Food and Wine festival

Los Angeles Food & Wine
Los Angeles Food & Wine

Los Angeles is busy, busy, busy this week! Three A-list events are hitting Tinseltown this weekend: the Emmy Awards, the fourth annual Los Angeles Food and Wine festival and MTV’s Video Music Awards. Here’s everything you missed—and what’s still to come—this week in the City of Angels.

L.A. FOOD AND WINE FEST KICKS OFF DOWNTOWN

Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival 2014
Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival 2014

The fourth annual Los Angeles Food & Wine festival is going to be a doozy. This four-day fest, which kicked off on August 21st, is a four-day epicurean event showcasing the finest in food and drink culture throughout Los Angeles, and culinary personalities from throughout the country. With a home base on downtown’s Grand Avenue, the event spans the city and offers guests the chance to sample the cuisines and products from some of the most prominent epicurean influencers, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the entertainment industry’s brightest talents. The star-studded lineup has included celebrated chefs such as Curtis Stone, Michael Chiarello, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Thomas Keller, Guy Fieri, Robert Irvine, and local favorites such as Rory Herrmann, Michael Voltaggio, Matsuhisa Nobu, and Sang Yoon. James Beard winner Nancy Silverton will also be honored this year at the Coast Luxury Management-produced fest. See the full list of events HERE. 

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY ANNOUNCED AS NEW FACE OF LINCOLN

Matthew McConaughey for Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey for Lincoln

Photo Credit: Lincoln Motor Company

Alright, alright, alright! It was announced on August 21st that True Detective star Matthew McConaughey had signed a multi-year deal to become the new “face” of Lincoln Motor Company. His official role will be to act as a “storyteller” for the company’s ad campaigns; he started with an ad for the company’s 2015 MKC. Haute!

2013 BAFTA tea
2013 BAFTA tea

Photo Credit: Getty Images for BAFTA

It’s the weekend before the Emmy Awards, and Los Angeles is alight with parties and revelry! Highlights include the annual BAFTA tea, shindigs from Audi, Showtime and AMC, the Governors Ball, of course, and HBO, the hands-down best party of awards season. Check out our list of the parties you just can’t miss HERE. 

IFONLY LAUNCHES FASHION EXPERIENCES

IfOnly Fashion Week Experience
IfOnly Fashion Week Experience

Trevor Traina‘s bespoke and charitable company, IfOnly, has announced partnerships with fashion icons including Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, and Prabal Gurung, as well as the leading talent in the style and beauty industries including Rachel Zoe, Lori Goldstein, Katey Denno, and Jen Atkin. The opportunity to meet these luminaries on their own-turf—be it on the runway, or in the studio, is now available to fashion and style enthusiasts on both coasts.  LA experiences include a lunch with Rachel Zoe and a private tour of her fashion headquarters and an original handmade sketch from Prabal Gurung.

PASCAL MOUAWAD HOSTS DANCE PARTY WITH JAMES JEANS & NEW BALANCE AT HOME

 Kelly Oxford, Joe Manganiello and Busy Phillips attend a dance party with New Balance and James Jeans powered by ISKO.

Kelly Oxford, Joe Manganiello and Busy Phillips attend a dance party with New Balance and James Jeans powered by ISKO.

Photo Credit: Wireimage/Stephanie Keenan

Pascal Mouawad‘s Bel-Air home was the backdrop for a great soiree on Tuesday night, as stars like Joe Manganiello, Rashida Jones, Minka Kelly, Mandy Moore, Dania Ramirez and Angela Lindvall turned up for a dance party powered by New Balance, James Jeans and ISKO™. The evening focused on the new contributions from New Balance—its men’s and women’s 574 Elite Edition Collection— and James Jeans’  second-skin fit “The James Twiggy Dancer” denim.

Dr McCoy Moretz and Jo Hilton
Dr McCoy Moretz and Jo Hilton

Dr McCoy Moretz and Jo Hilton partnered with Lashfully in Beverly Hills to host a cocktail reception benefiting the Mending Kids charity on Thursday. Mending Kids is a non-profit that provides life-changing surgical care to children worldwide. Over the year, thousands of children have received corrective, transformational surgeries that have given them a chance at longer, healthier and happier lives. Guests in attendance including Brad and Tina Hillstrom and producer Bethany Jones enjoyed gourmet pizzas from Lucifers pizza and italian beers from Peroni Nastro Azzurro. The evening included raffle item give-aways and lash enhancements with proceeds going directly to Mending Kids.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Chef Christopher Kostow
Chef Christopher Kostow

Photo Credit: Andreas Branch

Three-Michelin starred chef Christopher Kostow of Napa’s The Restaurant at Meadowood flew to L.A. to preview his new book, “A New Napa Cuisine” prior to his appearance at Los Angeles Food & Wine…Julian Cox’s new speakeasy-style cocktail bar, Brilliantshine, opened its doors in Santa Monica…expect to see Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Sam Smith this weekend at the VMAs on August 24th.