![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/i-mt3TFZj-2750x1728.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
Doris is always kind enough to feed her gift-loving guests, and this time, the luncheon was at L\u2019Antica 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!\u00a0 Laura described the\u00a0lunch as \u201clight, but plentiful; perfect for a warm afternoon!\u201d She said the arugula, orange, and grapefruit salad, which was topped with shaved fennel, was \u201crefreshing,\u201d and the wood-fired pizzas were \u201cdelicious.\u201d The buffet was preceded by an hour of a trio of generous passed appetizers\u2014beef meatballs, bruschetta, and both of our fave\u2014fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with soft cheese. Yum!<\/p>\n
The best<\/em> part of the luncheon for me was that every single server and busboy was lovely! They could not have been more willing to help!\u00a0 (I did<\/em> 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!!!)<\/p>\n I had been to a different<\/em> eatery, the uber-romantic\u00a0Caf\u00e9 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\u2019ll do a full review of it down the line for you.<\/p>\n Karen Salkin happily signing the celeb poster for Wednesday’s Child after depositing her gifts to them. Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n 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\u2019s Child<\/strong>. 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<\/a><\/p>\n Here are the highlights of the items we found there:<\/p>\n 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.<\/p><\/div>\n The Beauty Tea Company<\/strong>\u2014This was the absolute most gorgeous, classy display! Laura agreed with that assessment of mine, saying, \u201cI was also drawn in by the gorgeous packaging–three rose gold cylinders of different teas in a beautiful high-quality box.\u201d The beautiful owner of the company, Beatriz Cabrera, made her entire presentation even more lovely by\u2026wearing a dress to match her containers! I so appreciate visual loveliness like that.\u00a0 And she very kindly had tea tastings on site. Laura tried a cup and declared it to be\u00a0\u201cthe most fragrant tea I’ve ever had.\u201d And we both agreed that it\u2019s the perfect hostess gift. www.thebeautyteacompany.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Naturade<\/strong>\u2014This 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<\/em>?)\u00a0 Laura tried a sample and said it was delicious, adding, \u201cI\u2019m now looking forward to starting that diet!\u201d I plan to join her in that. On top of all that, she lauded an aspect of the company, in general, saying \u201cI 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.\u201d I totally agree. www.naturade.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Twisted Silver Jewelry<\/strong>\u2014Jewelry 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, \u201cWe were both immediately drawn to the same necklace!\u201d It was a lovely\u00a0selenite wand on a long silver chain.\u00a0 Laura researched\u00a0selenite, and discovered that it\u2019s \u201cknown as a healing crystal, which promotes peace, calm, mental clarity, and well-being,\u201d\u00a0to which she added, \u201cWe all need a little of that in our lives right now.\u201d I say amen to that! And I must say that I\u2019ve always<\/em> seen Debra as kind, but this event cemented the high esteem I hold\u00a0her 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\u00a0all<\/em>\u00a0of them a piece of her fabulous jewelry!!! They were thrilled. Just wow. www.twisted-silver.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Spa Girl Cocktails<\/strong>\u2014Laura loved seeing the colorful display of this company\u2019s 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<\/em> tee-totaling self never thought of, explaining, \u201cSo many alcohols and spirits are made and marketed with men<\/em> in mind. This one is for the ladies<\/em>! It’s perfect for the next girl’s night out. I\u2019m a sucker for beautiful packaging, too.\u201d Spa Girl was also introducing their cans of hard seltzer drinks, which Laura said taste \u201cvery natural,\u201d as opposed to the \u201cartificial taste\u201d of the other brands in this category. www.spagirlscocktails.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Sue Wong Couture<\/strong>\u2014We 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\u2019m 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, \u201cNow\u00a0all everyone needs is a plane ticket to Paris and they\u2019re all set!\u201d www.suewong.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Milena LA<\/strong>\u2014This maker of beautiful candles was introducing her newest item here. It\u2019s a body souffl\u00e9, which Laura describes as having \u201csuch a rich deep scent that I can’t imagine it fading as other fragrances do.\u201d\u00a0And it will pair nicely with any of Milena\u2019s creative candle aromas, so you\u2019ll smell as lovely as your home does.\u00a0www.milenala.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n My Saint, My Hero<\/strong>\u2014Laura 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\u00a0gold-toned icons on it\u00a0and the other with just one. In talking to the owner of the company, Laura found-out that the idea behind this duo is to \u201cwear one, share one.\u201d As a mom, she suggests sharing the\u00a0less-adorned\u00a0one with an age-appropriate child. She tried one on and told me, \u201cThis woven Love Bracelet adjusts to your wrist size, and is very comfortable.\u201d www.mysaintmyhero.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Timmy Woods<\/strong>\u2014Laura 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\u00a0a black cap that she had embellished with crystals in a choice of designs. Laura said, \u201cI appreciate the workmanship it must have taken to create something so dazzling.\u201d You know that my shiny-objects-loving self agrees. www.timmywoods.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Soon Hari Soju<\/strong>\u2014This 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\u00a0hand cream, which I<\/em> was happier to see because I don\u2019t imbibe. Laura speaks for both of us when she muses, \u201cI\u2019m not totally clear on the connection between soju and hand cream, but I always enjoy a good hand cream.\u201d www.lottebeverageus.com\/soonhari<\/a><\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.<\/p><\/div>\n The Marijuana Factory<\/strong>\u2014Laura got a kick out of that this company\u2019s rep described their products as \u201cthe devil’s lettuce.\u201d She enjoyed learning about their diverse products, citing the \u201ccreative edible flavors, such as tamarindo covered in chile lim\u00f3n.\u201d 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<\/a><\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Doris Bergman.<\/p><\/div>\n Susan Ortolano<\/strong>\u2014This marriage and relationship coach was on-site, doling out advice to \u201cstruggling couples and single women seeking marriage,\u201d neither of which I need since most people deem Mr. X to be \u201ca gem.\u201d But happily-divorced Laura quipped, \u201cConsidering I haven’t had a relationship or a marriage since 2016, I need to schedule a call with Susan as soon as possible!\u201d Good thing she was handing out gift certificates for phone sessions with her. www.susanortolano.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Awakening to the Fifth Dimension<\/em><\/strong>\u2014The author of this book, Kimberly Meredith, who\u2019s a \u201cmedical intuitive healer,\u201d was on-site to sign a copy for each guest. Laura said, \u201cI had never heard of the fifth dimension before, so now that Kimberley made me aware of it, I\u2019m looking forward to exploring this realm.\u201d www.thehealingtrilogy.com\/prayers<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Beauty Kitchen<\/strong>\u2014They were gifting what Laura calls \u201cthe perfect spa-at-home kit.\u201d\u00a0 She explains, \u201cIt\u2019s filled with all the spa essentials: a sugar scrub, a bath soak, body wash, essential oil shower, and spa spray.\u201d So I just add, \u201cWhat she<\/em> said.\u201d www.beautykitchen.net<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n And keeping us all hydrated all day, (which made them perhaps the most important sponsor ever<\/em>, in the occasion’s 95 degrees heat,) was Saratoga Water<\/strong>. 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\u2019ve ever seen. www.sswc.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>