The best part of our job as planners and designers is connecting and creating with other vendors. In order to align with the best collaborators we are frequently attending meetups, mixers and tasting but the one we had last month with Chef Gary Arabia blew them all away. Our team had a private six course tasting in Beverly Hills on The Lot where Global Cuisine is tucked away like a hidden gem in the heart of a busy neighborhood.
The Lot is a historic full service studio for television, film and commercial production. The property contains seven unique sound stages that can morph into any world or location you could possibly want, office spaces for big names (we even got a glimpse at where Oprah herself has an office), a seven level parking structure and an amazing upscale dining experience.
Once the Sweet Peach Squad cleared all security checkpoints we met Shana Hasen-Klein, Special Events Assistant. She escorted us through the buzzing lot to the restaurant where we were introduced to Chef Gary. He shared his history, how he became a chef and why Los Angeles is his home. He also wanted to hear about us, our team, how we got started and where our company is going. After chatting the food began and we truly were not ready for this delicious six course lunch that his team prepared.
The first course consisted of grilled crab cakes on a bed of mango salsa. It was by far the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Next, was a colorful beet salad with goat cheese followed by Scallops on a bed of Polenta.
At this time Chef Gary's wife Jill, joined us at the table for a quick hello. He shared she was the behind the scenes wonder woman taking care of a lot of the business and being a huge support as they grew together. They are still in love after 26 years of marriage and have raised two daughters together. You can tell by the way they speak about each other there is a massive amount of respect and it's sweet to see such affection in long time couple.
Our next course was a fall asparagus and mushroom risotto, it was life changing. If you don't know risotto is an artform and takes a lot of finesse to accomplish the perfect texture, this one was a masterpiece. Following that perfection we were served an amazing sea bass on a bed of watercress with miso glaze. The final savory course was a delicious lamb loin with crispy enoki mushrooms in a red wine reduction.
Right when we thought things couldn't get better, we were reminded no lunch would be complete without a little desert, right? We had a creme brûlée and chocolate truffle that melted in our mouths, plus it was spike with Grand Marnier.
After our exquisite lunch was finished, Chef Gary took us on a tour of The Lot. We were able to see a few of the sound stages he regularly uses for company events, weddings, celebrity birthday parties and of course filming. Well known names such as Lil Wayne and Kris Jenner have used to sound stages to ring in a special milestone birthday. It's wild to see these bare bones spaces and imagine the lavish events and atmospheres that are created there.
If you’re looking for a special wow factor for your party The Lot has a seven level parking structure that is surrounded by breath taking 360 view of Los Angeles. On any given weekend you would see Ellen celebrating, race cars spinning tires or a helicopter making a special landing.
The entire day was extremely magical and something none of us will ever forget. Thank you to Chef Gary for the delicious cuisine, Shanna for the warm hospitality, the serving team for the impeccable service and his entire staff for making us feel so special, we truly enjoyed our visit!
Special thank you to Aleks of Polka Photos for joining along and capturing the day. As an experienced photographer that relocated to Los Angeles from Chicago, she has an eye for capturing beauty in the simplest item or moment in any environment. Her style of capturing raw moments and details is so refreshing and lovely. It's so kind when vendors explore and adventure together, we appreciate her capturing such an amazing day. Read more about her and check out her work at http://polkaphotos.com/ .
Find more information about Global Cuisine Events and The Lot at their website https://www.globalcuisineevents.com/ and make sure to follow them on Instagram. We can't wait to have them cater an event we are planning in the near future.
Special thanks again for the hospitality and kindness. It was out of this world. (Pun intended)