GIFTING LOUNGE: DORIS BERGMAN’S LUXURY LOUNGE AND LUNCHEON IN CELEBRATION OF THE 2022 EMMYS

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DORIS BERGMAN’S LUXURY LOUNGE AND LUNCHEON IN CELEBRATION OF THE 2022 EMMYS

My latest co-writer, Laura, had covered one other of Doris Bergman’s events with me before, but had never made it to one of her famous luncheons, so she was excited to finally attend one. She loved that, “the event was very organized and Doris was very welcoming. She was outside in front for the arrivals, greeting all of her guests. She ‘s the ultimate hostess!”

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman, as is the one at the top of this page.

Doris is always kind enough to feed her gift-loving guests, and this time, the luncheon was at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Hollywood, so I guess you can figure out the fare for yourselves. But if you cannot, it was pizza and salad, of course!  Laura described the lunch as “light, but plentiful; perfect for a warm afternoon!” She said the arugula, orange, and grapefruit salad, which was topped with shaved fennel, was “refreshing,” and the wood-fired pizzas were “delicious.” The buffet was preceded by an hour of a trio of generous passed appetizers—beef meatballs, bruschetta, and both of our fave—fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with soft cheese. Yum!

The best part of the luncheon for me was that every single server and busboy was lovely! They could not have been more willing to help!  (I did have to teach them all to bring napkins with the passed treats, and they were all happy to learn. They even thanked me for the lesson!!!)

I had been to a different eatery, the uber-romantic Café des Artistes, in this same location over a decade ago, so I could not visualize what the venue would look like now. But it was delightful. There was plenty of mostly outdoor seating, the loveliest area being a sort-of hidden garden in the back. Perhaps I’ll do a full review of it down the line for you.

Karen Salkin happily signing the celeb poster for Wednesday's Child after depositing her gifts to them. Photo by Laura Saul.

Karen Salkin happily signing the celeb poster for Wednesday’s Child after depositing her gifts to them. Photo by Laura Saul.

As always, the highlight of the day for me is being able to give back. We do that at Doris’ events by bringing gifts for teen-agers in foster care, which is a pleasure to do. The organization that coordinates it all is Wednesday’s Child. I was thrilled to see so many of the guests participate this time; Laura and I arrived relatively early, and the collection box was already filled to almost the top. We actually needed help fitting our many fun gifts in there! So, a big thank you to Doris for always asking us to donate. www.foxla.com/wednesdays-child

Here are the highlights of the items we found there:

In the lefthand corner you can see the owner's dress which matches her tea canisters! And in the righthand one you can see Karen Salkin's legs and blue shoes! Fun. Photo by Laura Saul.

In the lefthand corner you can see the owner’s dress which matches her tea canisters! And in the righthand one you can see Karen Salkin’s legs and blue shoes! Fun. Photo by Laura Saul.

The Beauty Tea Company—This was the absolute most gorgeous, classy display! Laura agreed with that assessment of mine, saying, “I was also drawn in by the gorgeous packaging–three rose gold cylinders of different teas in a beautiful high-quality box.” The beautiful owner of the company, Beatriz Cabrera, made her entire presentation even more lovely by…wearing a dress to match her containers! I so appreciate visual loveliness like that.  And she very kindly had tea tastings on site. Laura tried a cup and declared it to be “the most fragrant tea I’ve ever had.” And we both agreed that it’s the perfect hostess gift. www.thebeautyteacompany.com

Photo by Laura Saul.

Photo by Laura Saul.

Naturade—This Presenting Sponsor was gifting their vegan plant-based protein nutritional shake powder along with a vegan weight loss shake. (Was the latter a hint to moi?)  Laura tried a sample and said it was delicious, adding, “I’m now looking forward to starting that diet!” I plan to join her in that. On top of all that, she lauded an aspect of the company, in general, saying “I was impressed, but at the same time surprised, to learn that Naturade is the only black-owned business in Costco at the moment. We need more of this.” I totally agree. www.naturade.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Twisted Silver Jewelry—Jewelry designer Debra Mitchell always has soooo many choices at her table that I never know how anyone can choose among them. But the funny thing for us was that, as Laura pointed-out, “We were both immediately drawn to the same necklace!” It was a lovely selenite wand on a long silver chain.  Laura researched selenite, and discovered that it’s “known as a healing crystal, which promotes peace, calm, mental clarity, and well-being,” to which she added, “We all need a little of that in our lives right now.” I say amen to that! And I must say that I’ve always seen Debra as kind, but this event cemented the high esteem I hold her in. This is why: I noticed that one of the servers was rocking a Twisted Silver pendant. As I was admiring it, along came another guy with the same necklace! It turns-out that she gave all of them a piece of her fabulous jewelry!!! They were thrilled. Just wow. www.twisted-silver.com

Photo by Laura Saul.

Photo by Laura Saul.

Spa Girl Cocktails—Laura loved seeing the colorful display of this company’s vodka cocktails for the first time. Besides that she said their trio of flavored vodkas, (pear, their signature cucumber, and the newest one–peach,) are delicious, she was impressed with another aspect of the company that my tee-totaling self never thought of, explaining, “So many alcohols and spirits are made and marketed with men in mind. This one is for the ladies! It’s perfect for the next girl’s night out. I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging, too.” Spa Girl was also introducing their cans of hard seltzer drinks, which Laura said taste “very natural,” as opposed to the “artificial taste” of the other brands in this category. www.spagirlscocktails.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Sue Wong Couture—We noticed prolific designer Sue Wong chilling on a bench in the middle of the back garden of the venue, rocking a chic beret, which I had never seen her do before. It was like she was sitting in the middle of Paris while we mere mortals were here in LA. So I’m sure the guests were thrilled to discover that one of the gifts from her was, indeed, one of her new colorful wool berets for themselves! Laura exclaimed, “Now all everyone needs is a plane ticket to Paris and they’re all set!” www.suewong.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Milena LA—This maker of beautiful candles was introducing her newest item here. It’s a body soufflé, which Laura describes as having “such a rich deep scent that I can’t imagine it fading as other fragrances do.” And it will pair nicely with any of Milena’s creative candle aromas, so you’ll smell as lovely as your home does. www.milenala.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

My Saint, My Hero—Laura was thrilled to see these blessing bracelets in person after reading about them in this e-zine for years! This time, they were gifting a complementary pair of St. Amos Love Bracelets, one with several gold-toned icons on it and the other with just one. In talking to the owner of the company, Laura found-out that the idea behind this duo is to “wear one, share one.” As a mom, she suggests sharing the less-adorned one with an age-appropriate child. She tried one on and told me, “This woven Love Bracelet adjusts to your wrist size, and is very comfortable.” www.mysaintmyhero.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Timmy Woods—Laura enjoyed meeting this jeweled handbag designer who she told me she had been reading about for years in this e-zine. This time, Timmy gifted each guest a black cap that she had embellished with crystals in a choice of designs. Laura said, “I appreciate the workmanship it must have taken to create something so dazzling.” You know that my shiny-objects-loving self agrees. www.timmywoods.com

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Soon Hari Soju—This Korean beverage company was gifting an interesting duo: individual-sized bottles of flavored soju, with which Laura is familiar, along with perfect-for-the-car-or-bedroom-sized boxes of hand cream, which I was happier to see because I don’t imbibe. Laura speaks for both of us when she muses, “I’m not totally clear on the connection between soju and hand cream, but I always enjoy a good hand cream.” www.lottebeverageus.com/soonhari

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

The Marijuana Factory—Laura got a kick out of that this company’s rep described their products as “the devil’s lettuce.” She enjoyed learning about their diverse products, citing the “creative edible flavors, such as tamarindo covered in chile limón.” I thought it was cute that they were gifting an ashtray and lighter to go along with a packaged joint to each guest who indulges. www.themarijuanafactoryla.com

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

Susan Ortolano—This marriage and relationship coach was on-site, doling out advice to “struggling couples and single women seeking marriage,” neither of which I need since most people deem Mr. X to be “a gem.” But happily-divorced Laura quipped, “Considering I haven’t had a relationship or a marriage since 2016, I need to schedule a call with Susan as soon as possible!” Good thing she was handing out gift certificates for phone sessions with her. www.susanortolano.com

Photo by Laura Saul.

Photo by Laura Saul.

Awakening to the Fifth Dimension—The author of this book, Kimberly Meredith, who’s a “medical intuitive healer,” was on-site to sign a copy for each guest. Laura said, “I had never heard of the fifth dimension before, so now that Kimberley made me aware of it, I’m looking forward to exploring this realm.” www.thehealingtrilogy.com/prayers

Photo by Laura Saul.

Photo by Laura Saul.

Beauty Kitchen—They were gifting what Laura calls “the perfect spa-at-home kit.”  She explains, “It’s filled with all the spa essentials: a sugar scrub, a bath soak, body wash, essential oil shower, and spa spray.” So I just add, “What she said.” www.beautykitchen.net

Photo by Laura Saul.

Photo by Laura Saul.

And keeping us all hydrated all day, (which made them perhaps the most important sponsor ever, in the occasion’s 95 degrees heat,) was Saratoga Water. In addition to offering both sparkling and still, and at several spots along our way, the cobalt blue glass bottles are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. www.sswc.com

Patrick Warburton with his Beauty Tea. Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

Patrick Warburton with his Beauty Tea. Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.

On the celebrity front, I got to chat with Seinfeld and Rules of Engagement star Patrick Warburton after lunch. Mr. X and I miss the latter show, so we were very amused when we noticed him being game enough to appear on “hometowns” of this latest season of The Bachelorette season because his nephew is one of the final guys. I told him the girl should have chosen that guy just to be related to him, (Patrick,) to which he blushed a bit, and said something to the effect of, “Aw, shucks.” We also spotted Eric Roberts, (who’s actually married to a distant cousin of mine,) and perennial guest-of-Doris, Marilu Henner.

Considering everything above, a good time was definitely had by all!

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