L.A. DOMINATES THE JAMES BEARD AWARDS SEMI-FINALS

Meet the 2017 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. Congrats to all! https://t.co/N0nOS6QpdP #jbfa pic.twitter.com/1LdS46OAH6

— Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) February 15, 2017

rd When the James Beard Award semi-finalists were announced earlier this week, L.A. came up as a major contender. Check out the lists of semi-finalists below, which include best new restaurants in the running Gwen and Shibumi (the former being Curtis Stone‘s latest and greatest) as well as Outstanding Chef in LocoL’s Daniel Patterson.

Best New Restaurant

Gwen, Los Angeles Shibumi, Los Angeles

Outstanding Baker

Alex Phaneuf and Or Amsalam, Lodge Bread Co., Los Angeles

Outstanding Bar Program

The Varnish, Los Angeles

Outstanding Chef

Daniel Patterson, LocoL, Los Angeles

Outstanding Pastry Chef

Margarita Manzke, Republique, Los Angeles Shannon Swindle, Craft, Los Angeles

Outstanding Restaurant

La Casita Mexicana, Bell, CA

Outstanding Restaurateur

Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group, Los Angeles

Outstanding Service

Marche Moderne, Costa Mesa, CA Melisse, Santa Monica, CA Providence, Los Angeles Spago, Beverly Hills, CA

Outstanding Wine Program

Studio at Montage, Laguna Beach, CA

Rising Star Chef of the Year

Miles Thompson, Michael’s, Santa Monica, CA

Best Chef: West

Wes Avila, Guerrilla Tacos, Los Angeles Josef Centeno, Orsa & Winston, Los Angeles Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica, CA Ludo Lefebvre, Trois Mec, Los Angeles Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice, CA Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles Bryant Ng, Cassia, Santa Monica, CA Carlos Salgado, Taco Maria, Costa Mesa, CA Kris Yenbamroong, Night + Market Song, Los Angeles

Photo Credit: Masterclass

FRANK GEHRY IS TEACHING A MASTERCLASS

The online education platform MasterClass announced that award-winning architect Frank Gehry will teach his first ever online class. The legendary architect is best known for his trailblazing, modern structures, and pioneering vision for what architecture can and should achieve. His designs – including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Guggenheim in New York, the Dancing House in Prague, and 8 Spruce Street in New York – have reshaped our cities’ skylines, and the imaginations of artists and designers around the world. Gehry has been awarded with several honors for his work including the Pritzker Architecture Prize and most recently the Presidential Medal of Freedom.In his first-ever MasterClass, Frank Gehry will share his unconventional philosophy on design and architecture. Students will be invited into Gehry’s never-before-seen model archive for a peek into his creative process. In the class, Gehry will use case studies, progressive models, and storytelling to illuminate the universal lessons learned during his 50+ year career as an artist and architect.

Meet our newest instructor: Frank Gehry. Learn from the man Vanity Fair named “the most important architect of our age” pic.twitter.com/aKomvCXlwb

— MasterClass (@masterclass) February 17, 2017

AG COMES TO FASHION ISLAND

Contemporary lifestyle and premium denim brand AG is opening its newest store at Orange County’s Fashion Island today. The 2,088 square foot flagship will be over 2,000 square feet and feature over 350 unique styles for men and women and will also feature our Green Label collection. The space will have the same look and feel as our Beverly Hills flagship store, with custom millwork and fixtures created and manufactured by our in house store design team at AG.

ROLLS-ROYCE OPENS IN ORANGE COUNTY

Rolls-Royce celebrates the latest development in North American retail locations as, this weekend, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Orange County plans to open the doors of its all-new home in Irvine, California. The grand opening of the state-of-the-art luxury showroom and service facility for the long-time Rolls-Royce Motor Car retailer is among the largest in North America. Southern California has perennially been among the top markets for the world’s pinnacle luxury brand and this investment will enable it to keep up with the demand of Southern California luxury lovers for years to come. The showroom, located at 9853 Research Drive in Irvine, boasts a custom designed Bespoke Atelier for owners to perfectly commission their Rolls-Royce Motor Car with hands-on access to the most exquisite materials available. To celebrate the occasion, the super-luxury maker will showcase the Rolls-Royce Wraith and Ghost Black Badge on Saturday February 18, 2017, in a grand gala evening featuring this all-new permanent Bespoke Series and a special live painting experience by world-renowned artist, Mr. Brainwash.