Cafe Bustelo's Pop-Up Cafe is Bringing the NY Bodega NY/Latin Fusion with Sofia Reyes and The Knocks for 4 Days Til Sunday.

By Laura Medina

Café Bustelo Studios (Pop-Up)

2736 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

The supermarket stand-by Cuban coffee brand, Café Bustelo has been doing pop-up café bars for quite some time, as a way to introduce and rate new products.

Now, they're sponsoring music artists, from emerging Mexican pop star, Sofia Reyes to prominent electronic dance duo, The Knocks.

Café Bustelo introduced them into remixing Sofia Reyes' "1-2-3" with that extra beat.

They debuted last night at Café Bustelo's Santa Monica pop-up café on 2736 Main St., a few blocks away from Venice's Gold Gym and Abbot Kinney.

Café Bustelo^® Coffee is bringing together Latin pop star Sofia Reyes and electronic music duo The Knocks to create a remix version of the hit song “1,2,3” inspired by a fusion of their musical backgrounds. The two will perform a live version of the remix at the Café Bustelo Studios on Thursday, Aug. 23 giving attendees a sneak-peek before the song is officially released to the public. 

Unlike most straight-up coffee cafes, Café Bustelo is doing it's best to present current, contemporary Latin culture by doing it a bodega way, a little bit of the best of everything, one-stop shop.

Café Bustelo is a champion of passions including music and education and sought to bring together Latino and non-Latino artists for a creative music collaboration celebrating the blending between cultures and music genres – all over a cup of coffee. Café Bustelo Studios is a four-day pop up experience in the Los Angeles area Aug. 23-26, giving consumers a chance to sample Latino coffee favorites including: (Cafecito, Cortadito and Café Con Leche), take part in a collaborative make-your-own music tracks activity, as well as capture fun moments in an interactive photo booth. 

James "JPatt" Patterson of The Knocks is the best brand ambassador for Café Bustelo.

Café Bustelo Studios will blend Latin culture and music into an interactive experience, open to the public for free. Visitors will receive free, Latino coffee, and enjoy live performances by artists, all for the love of collaborating over coffee.

Decorated from ceiling to floor in Café Bustelo's merchandise, historical to contemporary...

Café Bustelo pop-up café is open and free to the public to lounge and relax away from the Summer heat.

Free iced cold and sweet Café Bustelo coffee and yes, still hot and sweet....

The Knocks' James waiting for his coffee...

America's Next Top Model, Jaslene Gonzalez, is now Café Bustelo's official brand ambassador also...

Café Bustelo Baristas making the perfect Cafecito 

Proving they're bring the best of contemporary Latin culture to everyone, they have music and dance performances...

The performance loft...

The Knocks listening to their own music at Café Bustelo's listening studio lounge with coffee...

Consumers sampling coffee and taking part in a make-your-own-music tracks activity

The upstairs Performance Loft is where all the action happens...

James from The Knocks, even had a local Venice elder resident get his groove on...

The Knocks warmed up for up and coming Mexican pop singer, Sofia Reyes...

Towards the end, The Knocks and Sofia Reyes, together, released their remix collaboration on her hit, "1-2-3."

Last night was the real debut that's going to be launch on Spotify this day.

Maria Menounos for Jaclyn Jones' Most Comfortable Pumps; FabFitFun Summer House Conference; & Teen Choice Awards Gifting Suite.

By Laura Medina

You know that Fall is fast-approaching, despite Summer's lingering heat wave.

New clothes and shoes are bursting out.

Maria Menounos showed up, supporting her own favorite show designer, Jaclyn Jones, the new haute couture shoe designer.

For the engraved, enameled flared high heels, that widely distribute a body's weight away from your toes and the balls of the feet, down into the ground for grounded support. 

To what really matters, comfort.  Long term comfort with a 4 millimeter thick bedding of foam.

Having Maria Menounos calling Jaclyn Jones, the most comfortable high heels in the world.

Women designing for women's feet.

Maria Menounos attended the Jaclyn Jones USA pop-up shop at Platt Jewelry Boutique and The Kit Vintage! The Emmy award winning journalist looked chic in a jean dress paired with Jaclyn Jones USA's Jasmine  heels in navy ($1250; www.jaclynjonesusa.com).  Actress Rebecca Budig of General Hospital was also spotted among the crowd.  Guests enjoyed drinks from Jardesca, food from Crateful, and a 30% discount on Jaclyn Jones USA footwear.  The pop up will be open from August 21-25th, 11 am -6 pm daily.  

Maria wore https://jaclynjonesusa.com/collections/heels/products/jasmine-navy …

Jaclyn Jones showed https://jaclynjonesusa.com/collections/heels/products/dahlia-distressed-tan

Yes, the tail end of Summer is the start of long and slow Awards season, just in time for Back to School, the Teens Choice Awards...and the yummy gifting lounge.  The best stuff for teens and tweens.

Teen Choice Award nominees stocked up on all-natural Beauty Kitchen by Heather Marianna spa and skincare products at GBK Productions' 2018 Teen Choice Awards Gifting Suite at Dave & Buster's in Los Angeles on Saturday, Aug. 11.

Award nominees including "Supernatural" TV stars, Georgia Dolenz and Ruth Connell (Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show), social media sensation, Noah Schnacky ("Choice Music Web Star) and "I Feel Pretty" movie star, Adrian Martinez (Choice Comedy Movie) were treated to an array of Beauty Kitchen whimsical sugar scrubs, after-sun aloe spray and cupcake bath bombs.

With it being the weekend before "back-to-school", other Young Hollywood attendees who wanted to keep their selfie game strong with glowing skin including Daytime Emmy Award nominee, Hudson West ("Grey's Anatomy"), model, Kailand Morris (son to Stevie Wonder), actresses Chelsea Alden and Caitlin Carmichael,  who all walked away with Beauty Kitchen's popular It Girl Kit for Chaotic Skin featuring a handful of products geared at balancing hormonal teen and young adult skin. 

Also stopping by the Beauty Kitchen booth for products was "Shameless" star, Shanola Hampton and The Clement Twins, Ava Marie and Lea Rose, coined "the most beautiful twins in the world" after being discovered on social media several years ago. 

FitFabFun is growing in influence with their Summer House lifestyle conference with guest speakers who invented all those goodies in their goody boxes.

Celebrity Week is warming up as Summer cools down.

Gretchen Christine Rossi Hosted Aesthetic Everything Beauty Expo With Colton Underwood and Ali Levine.

By Laura Medina

This is the world's largest gathering of aesthetic professionals and Aesthetic Everything. Aesthetic Everything Beauty Expo 2018 is thrilled to have had a sold-out show with a record attendance this year, with over 2,000 participants that were eager to learn from more than 50 award-winning physician, over 100 exhibitors, and countless opportunities for networking and professional growth. Aesthetic Everything featured a star-studded speaker lineup covering trending topics like anti-aging, beauty, and cosmetic surgery. The event featured a red carpet awards ceremony honoring a few top professionals in the field with the first ever, "Inaugural Aesthetic Industry Awards Red Carpet Event," including: Gretchen Christine Rossi for 'Celebrity Host,' Kevin Frazier Host on Entertainment Tonight 'Onsite media correspondent', Dr. Paul Nassif for 'Industry Influencer,' Merz for 'Market Leadership,' Dr. Doris Day for 'Media Expert,' Dr. Sheila Nazarian for 'Social Media Authority,' Inmode for 'Innovative Device,' and Dr. Steven Dayan for 'Educational Excellence', Zimmer for 'Greatest Utility in an Aesthetic Device Award', Eclipse for 'Outstanding Regenerative Medicine Award', Lightwave Therapy for 'Industry Leader in Light Therapy',Theresienol MD for 'Revolutionary Skin Serum', and Elaine Sterling Skincare for 'Aesthetic Industry Skincare Visionary'. Founder and CEO Vanessa Julia created a top-tier Expo and went above and beyond with success this year. Vanessa Julia says, "The whole point of the beauty expo is to educate practitioners within the industry so that patients do not end up getting botched. And that's why we were so excited to have Dr Paul Nassif at the event because he has a whole show about patients getting injured due to bad procedures. And our show provides the education and the information so that people can learn before their practice on a patient." The industry is buzzing and looking forward to next year!

LA Food & Wine 2018 with Curtis Stone and Tiffani Thiessen with Special Guest DJ Questlove

By Laura Medina

https://lafw.com/

Each and every year,  Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival sets the bar for all other food festivals to live up to.

Since it's in the heart of Downtown LA, it's a crossroad where A-list celebrity chefs, foodie stars, and foodie Grammy-winning musicians meet together.

For this Saturday, it's when Chef Curtis Stone meets up with that night's host, Tiffani Thiessen with a concert by DJ Questlove.

That's the bang for this week's Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival, starting with Wednesday's Dinner series then continue with Power Lunch Series.  Accumulating with 

Saturday's grand and chic block party, Saturday LIVE on Grand Ave with Curtis Stone and Tiffani Thiessen with Special Guest DJ Questlove.

Presented by founding partners FOOD & WINE and Lexus, Los Angeles Food & Wine returns August 22-26, 2018 with its 8^th annual all-star chef lineup and exclusive programming. Featuring a dynamic blend of nationally-acclaimed star chefs as well as Los Angeles’ most-celebrated restaurants, the festivities include tasting events hosted by culinary luminaries along Downtown’s Grand Avenue, afternoons at the Lexus Grand Tasting at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, as well as an exclusive Kick-Off Dinner and Power Lunch series, bringing some of the country’s top talent to the city of angels. Voted Southern California’s #1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event for the past six years by BizBash, Los Angeles Food & Wine is this summer’s highly anticipated, can’t-miss food festival.

Featuring four nights and five days of unparalleled tastings, lunches, dinners, cooking demonstrations, and more; some of the festival’s marquee events and talent this year include:

§  Wednesday, August 22 - A brand-new Kick-Off Dinner Series begins the festivities this year, taking place at two beloved Los Angeles restaurants, including:

o    Lasa – FOOD & WINE’S “Best New Chef” Jon Yao (Kato Restaurant) joins chef Chad Valencia at his highly touted “Best New Restaurant” winning spot

o    Big Boi – Widely loved for her desserts, Barb Batiste (B Sweet Dessert Bar) teams up with Alvin Cailan at her new fast-casual Fillipino concept on the Westside

§  Thursday, August 23 - The first downtown marquee event of the festival is Ultimate Bites of L.A. Hosted by Alvin Cailan & Antonia Lofaso, the event brings together an abundance of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, battling for the title of Los Angeles’ “Ultimate Bite”

§  Friday, August 24 - The returning Power Lunch Series presents exceptional cross-country chef collaborations:

o    Named Eater L.A.’s “Most Exciting New Restaurant and Lounge,” the highly-anticipated DAMA at City Market South in Downtown’s fashion district hosts Antonia Lofaso (Black Market Liquor Bar, Scopa Italian Roots) as she teams up with New Orleans’ Aarón Sánchez for a four-course lunch.

o    Enjoy an exclusive luncheon hosted by James Beard-nominated chef Casey Lane at Breva’s Gran Sala, alongside the creative and talented Joey Elenterio of Paligroup and King of Caviar Michael Passmore of Passmore Ranch.

o    At local hangout and can’t-miss tourist hot spot Rose Café in Venice, chef Jason Neroni keeps to what the community knows and loves. He’s excited to welcome FOOD & WINE’S Best New Chef Jon Yao of Kato and Seattle’s James Beard Award-winning Brady Williams for a laid-back afternoon on the patio and good vibes, great food, and a perfect summer playlist from Neroni himself.

o    Indulge at one of the city’s top Italian dining destinations, Rossoblu, where chef Steve Samson creates a memorable lunch inspired by summers spent in Bologna, Italy. Samson joins James Beard Award winner for Best Chef Southwest, Denver’s Alex Seidel, who is soon to open a new fast-casual rotisserie chicken concept, CHOOK.

o    Chef Michael Reed, helming from Osteria Mozza and Michelin-starred Sona, teams up with Food Network’s Robert Irvine for a quintessential, breezy-beachy lunch at the adored Viviane in the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills. With these two power-house chefs, there’s no limit to what kind of magic this dynamic duo will whip up in the kitchen.

§  Friday, August 24 - Replacing the traditional Night Market in Downtown Los Angeles is an all-new Heat on the Street on Grand Avenue, hosted by Robert Irvine, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, and Aarón Sánchez. This “Friday Fiesta” brings all the nuanced flavors of Latin cuisines to the plate, serving ceviche, tacos, carne asada, nopalitos, and more, with perfectly paired cervezas, tequila, and delectable wine.

§  Saturday, August 25 - Hosted by Curtis Stone & Tiffani Thiessen, the marquee tasting event features a lineup of can’t-miss star chefs, stellar wines, craft beers and cocktails, and more, along with music spun by DJ Questlove, known for his Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, as well as his role on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

§  The Lexus Grand Tasting at The Barker Hangar on Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26 afternoons is a Westside strolling event featuring more than 25 celebrity chefs and 200 wines. In addition to endless bites and sips, guests have access to book signings and photo opportunities with some of the weekend’s biggest celebrity chefs, including Curtis Stone, Lexus Culinary Master Michelle Bernstein, and Alex Seidel.

Please continue to visit LAFW.com for updates and details on full programming of events, chefs, wineries, sommeliers, and mixologists participating at the 8th Annual Los Angeles Food & Wine festival.

Wednesday, August 22 through Sunday, August 26, 2018

Headquartered in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, with main events taking place directly in front of the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad museum (with closures along Grand Avenue, between 1^st and 3^rd street), the 8^th annual Los Angeles Food & Wine festival features tastings, dinners, lunches, seminars, cooking demonstrations, and special events located across parts of greater Los Angeles, including Downtown, Venice, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and more

On sale now, tickets for individual events range from $125-225, with additional package and VIP options, and are available to purchase by visiting LAFW.com or by calling 855-433-LAFW (5239)