Big Conversations Headline LA’s 10-Day ‘Regarding Her’ Event Series

Regarding Her, the non-profit organization founded to “illuminate, celebrate, and uplift the sisterhood of restaurateurs in LA,” is launching a 10-day event series starting January 21. On the docket are 50 virtual and in-person events ranging from exclusive menu collaborations to industry-driven conversations — all featuring LA’s dynamic female chefs and restauranteurs. Below are a few highlights to bookmark in advance; see here for the complete list of happenings.

• January 21: “Women and Restaurants: Where We Were, Where We Are, Where We’re Going” — a conversation with Ruth Reichl and Evan Kleiman featuring the female restaurateurs of Woodspoon, Sage Vegan Bistro, Porridge and Puffs, Union, Tsubaki, and Just What I Kneaded.
• January 21-30: Nickel Diner, in collaboration with Meals By Genet, is transforming into a soup kitchen to provide meals to the unhoused and food-insecure living on the streets of Downtown. A $13 contribution provides a meal to someone in need and supports employment at Nickel Diner.
• January 24-25: Chef Roxana Jullapat is baking chorizo and potato empanadas at Friends and Family using Guelaguetza’s scratch-made chorizo.
• January 28: “The Next Generation and Rewriting our Family Legacy” with female restaurateurs running their family restaurants including Christy Vega (Casa Vega), Vanda Asapahu (Ayara Thai), Maria Lopez (Candela La Brea), Sylvie Gabriele (Love and Salt), and moderated by Bricia Lopez (Guelaguetza).
• January 29: “Stories Lived and Told Through African-American Food” with Toni Tipton-Martin, editor of “Cook’s Country” and author of The Jemina Code and Jubilee, Kimberly Prince (Hotville Chicken), Celia Ward-Wallace (South LA Cafe), and Marilyn Cole (Chef Marilyn’s, Queen of Down Home Southern Goodies). The panel will be moderated by Thrillist’s LA editor Danielle Dorsey.

In other news:

• Customers at Playa Provisions are paying it forward one meal at a time. After the restaurant shared on social media how a customer donated a meal to a staffer in need, dozens more donations rolled in from both locals and Top Chef fans in far-flung locations. Now those meals are feeding staff, those in need, and front line workers.

• LAist takes a look at how local small businesses have fared and pivoted during the pandemic, including Wanderlust Creamery who attributes 30 percent of its current sales to online orders.
• Simply Wholesome, “a small Black utopia of wellness,” gets a closer look on LA Taco.
• With COVID-19 surging throughout Los Angeles, local restaurants are reeling from sporadic closures, staff infections, and the financial burdens of testing, according to the LA Times.
• For those planning ahead for Valentine’s Day, local legend Compartés Chocolatier released half-a-dozen new chocolate bars for the occasion including ones featuring strawberry and champagne.
• Flaco in East Hollywood is offering three-egg breakfast burritos on flour tortillas and coffee-laced horchata during the day. Carnitas, of course, is also available for those who need an extra breakfast pick-me-up.