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Masters of Taste

The 2nd Annual Masters of Taste, a luxury food and beverage festival, will be held May 7, 2017, on the field of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Masters of Taste will bring together food and beverage from more than 70 restaurants and chefs, confectioners and bakers, bartenders, wineries, craft breweries, pressed juicers, coffee roasters, as well as live entertainment. The list includes:

Bone Kettle and Komodo, Chef Erwin Tjahyadi (Pasadena and Los Angeles)
CAST at the Viceroy Santa Monica, Chef Larry Monaco (Santa Monica)
Celestino, Chef Calogero Drago (Pasadena)
Church & State and Spring, Chef Tony Esnault (Downtown Los Angeles)
HACHÉ LA, Chef Michael “Mick” Schepers (Silver Lake)
Hamasaku, Chef Yoya Takahashi (Los Angeles)
Hyperion Public, Chef Paddy Aubrey (Silver Lake and Studio City)
Little Beast, Chef Jose Perez (Eagle Rock)
Magnolia House, Chef Evan Colter (Pasadena)
Mama Lion, Chef Michael Hung (Koreatown)
Mexikosher, Chef Katsuji Tanabi (Los Angeles)
Milk & Honey, Chef Lulu Cai (Hollywood)
Miro, Chef Gavin Mills (Downtown Los Angeles)
Momed, Chef Alex Sarkissian (Beverly Hills and Atwater Village)
SpireWorks, Chef Kuniko Yagi (Westwood Village and Eagle Rock)
Redbird, Chef Neal Fraser (Downtown Los Angeles)
The Raymond 1886, Chef Tim Guiltinan (Pasadena)
True Food Kitchen, Chef Phil Noresetter (Pasadena)
Venice Whaler, Chef Nick Liberato (Venice)

Masters of Taste, which is for those 21 years old and older only, will take place Sunday, May 7. A VIP Power Hour will be held from 3-4 p.m. and general admission from 4-7 p.m.

Tickets cost $105 for general admission and $185 for VIP. But use code SES17, specifically for ShopEatSleep readers, and get 15% off the ticket price. Buy tickets today!

Best of all? All proceeds from Masters of Taste will directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services. Last year, the event raised more than $435,000 for Union Station Homeless Services, and this year Masters of Taste hopes to reach  $560,000!

I haven’t paid much attention to home-delivery meals. I usually associate them with high-priced diets, neither of which I do (high-priced or diets). But then I discovered Freshly, a mail-order meal service that provides healthful food without breaking the bank.

Freshly meals are not explicitly designed for weight loss, though they are made with ingredients that produce high-protein, low-carb meals that are gluten-free to boot.

These were the meals my husband and I tried:

~ Garden Omelette: Huge breakfast for me. Lots of baked egg, but not much you can do when it has been precooked. Kept me full for hours.

Garden Omlette

~ Carnitas Bowl: Tasted just like a burrito without the tortilla. Could have used more beans, but overall it had lots of flavor.
~ Turkey Chili: Hubs added rice to this because that’s how he likes to eat chili, but at least doing so was still gluten-free, right?
~ Chicken Stir Fry: Hubs gave this two thumbs up.
~ Steak Peppercorn: Beef tasted high-quality. Carrots retained nice al dente bite.
~ Lemon Garlic Salmon: Fish and vegetables tasted fresh with bright flavors.

Lemon Garlic Salmon

Everything tasted really fresh. Between my husband and I, we enjoyed every one. These meals are also super filling! I even made two meals out of the salmon dinner. And the meals are really easy to prepare — just pop one in the microwave for a couple of minutes, and you’re ready to go.

The smallest meal plan gets you six meals for $69 per week. That’s $11.50 per meal, including shipping, which is free on the West Coast (more regions to come soon). The price goes down to $10.90 per meal if you sign up for the largest delivery of 21 meals per week, which also includes access to a meal coach. Considering the ingredients, labor and delivery, Freshly is a definite deal.

Curious? Get 50 percent off your first order of a six-pack of Freshly meals with the code SES3FREE. These Freshly meals would be great if you want to stick to a low-carb diet or even for a shorter period of time, such as if you know you’re going to have a busy week. I know I’ll be keeping Freshly in mind.

Note: These six meals were complimentary.

Emily the Strange. From SlashFilm.

Emily the Strange at Royal/T: Starting today through Nov. 11, Emily theStrange — the ever-moody black-haired cutie cartoon — will be at the center of a pop-up shop and exhibit at Culver City’s Lolita-inspired Royal/T cafe space. During the exclusive retail engagement, books, artwork and one-of-a-kind collectibles will be on sale. Proceeds from the Emily the Strange pop-up shop will support the brand’s altruistic efforts — encouraging teens to be empowered individuals. When it’s time to take a break from shopping, you can order up a Strange Brew Chocolate Pangea Tea and Emily the Strange-themed black kitty cupcakes by Hot Cakes Bakes. The official opening party will take place on Friday, Oct. 26.

Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Macy’s Shop for a Cause: On Oct. 16, donate $5 to charity online or in-store and get a shopping pass that gives you 10 percent to 20 percent off items you purchase that day. You can also use the in-store shopping pass for 25 percent off one regular, sale or clearance item in men’s, women’s or kids’ apparel or accessories (some exclusions apply). In any case, you’ll save. Sounds good to me!

Junior Drake Warehouse Sample Sale: Clutches for $40? Bags for $60? Yes, please! Head down to the South L.A. warehouse this weekend for a cornucopia of bags, wallets and even belts. Make any purchase on Friday or Saturday, and get an additional 10 percent off to spend on Sunday. You can enter a raffle to win a free handbag, and if you spend at least $150 you’ll get a free canvas tote. Munch of free hot dogs, cookies and drinks, too.

Friday, Oct. 15, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 16, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 17, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Junior Drake Warehouse
740 E. 60th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90001

If you read my post on Marie Louise cosmetics last week and were intrigued, now is your chance to get the products at a discount. Marie Louise is offering ShopEatSleep readers 10 percent off purchases made through its Web site (www.marielouisecosmetics.com). Enter code SLEEPEAT to receive the discount. The offer is good through Oct. 31.