The Secret Behind Loving Yourself: The Orchid Book Conversation with co-authors Rocio Aquino, Angel Orengo
Rocio Aquino and Angel Orengo, co-authors of “The Orchid” are, as their website shares partners in life and spirit, wanderers who found home in each other’s hearts.
Their journey together has been filled with a myriad of cultures, beliefs, and encounters with both the ordinary and extraordinary.
The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses
The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses
The story focuses on five of these women, each wrestling with unique life challenges such as closeted sexuality, career pressures, spousal abandonment, sexual abuse, eating disorders, and manipulative behavior.
As they engage with the program’s curriculum, they peel away layers of self-deception, pain, and societal conditioning, discovering that the love and solutions they seek already reside within them.
The Orchid serves as both the setting and the metaphor for their collective journey toward self-realization and empowerment.
Today’s conversation has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, un-edited conversation, visit FlavRReport’s YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger:
We’re talking about The Orchid: The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses.
I go to a lot of book events, and a few weeks ago in Los Angeles, I went to The Orchid’s book signing. What I was amazed by was there was so much emotion in the audience. Big smiles, happy tears.
What are we missing in our lives that your book, The Orchid, helps us recognize?
Rocio Aquino:
How beautiful [of a] question. I think, to be honest, that we are perfect already. And we forgot.
Angel Orengo:
Yeah, I think we forget that at the core life doesn’t need to be that difficult. It’s not that complicated that we allow ourselves to be complicated by the things around us, by the things that we’re told, by the way we think our lives need to be, by the number of houses, clothing, shoes – everything right that we need to have.
The moment you bring it down to the basics and you’re like, yeah, life should be simple. We are okay. We’re just learning here. We’re back. We’re like in a school and the teacher wasn’t angry because we got it wrong. On the contrary, it was just like, Oh, don’t worry. I’ll teach you.
Joe Winger:
So what I’m interpreting is, people are having these emotional realizations because they’re remembering your message that they’re perfect already?
What do you think it is about that audience interaction that your book is giving?
Rocio Aquino:
I was in the front, so I was not as intimate like you and your perspective. But what resonates with me and what I see that can resonate for someone else is that they know and they understand that they are not alone on this journey.
The struggles they are feeling are real. They feel the difficulty. Everyone at some point is [feeling] who here has a difficult path? Everyone is like me. That connection is not superficial, but it’s more in a deep way when you are in a group setting after being so disconnected really to talk about the important things that matters in life has another connection.
Angel Orengo:
We’ve gotten large amounts of feedback by now. Some people are touched by the fact that someone has written a book selflessly to help them. I know there were people that were touched very much by that.
I think you understand what that means really, it was all about how do we help the reader get to a different place, right?
Go from point A to point B, right? There are people that for the first time find themselves in an environment where they can treat themselves with some kindness, where maybe they haven’t stopped to think about that before. Because we try to block it.
It’s easier to numb pain than to experience it and let it go.
Other people are [having the realization that] it’s not that complicated. I’m just so happy that I found this now. I think it’s just all of that energy.
The energy in the room that day was really powerful. When you’re in the presence of that energy and by presence, the collective – it wasn’t us. It’s we – emotions come to the surface, and that’s how we clear emotions, and that’s how we clear energy.
Thank you for sharing that because I didn’t realize that was happening.
Rocio Aquino:
We didn’t have any idea and remember, we have two teenage daughters. They bring us back to reality really quickly at our house.
Joe Winger:
Going to the actual book itself between the characters, the descriptions, their backgrounds.
What’s real? What’s fiction? And for fiction, what inspired it?
Rocio Aquino:
Everything happened, everything is real, but never happened all together.
Angel Orengo: And not to those people.
Rocio Aquino: We know that some of the places exist and all the situations exist.
The fiction is today there is not a place that you can go for free to heal in this way. But we hope that someone will open it. Let’s hope we can do it..
Angel Orengo:
Yeah, the characters, the book is absolutely real.
Every single thing that happens there has either happened to us or happened to someone we know, or we’ve read it in the news.
The story about the model and the sexual abuse that’s real, right? It’s happening in the modeling industry now where they have gone through their own “Me too” movement.
There is a scene in which “Olivia” is doing a silent walk and she has a vision of her mother near her. [to Rocio] That’s something that has happened to you, about your own mom who passed away.
There’s a scene in which “Olivia” is speaking to her father. It was a difficult relationship and her father wasn’t the best version of a father that he could have been.
That a lot of it is after my own experience with my own father, who I met three times in my life. One of which, the longest, was five hours. So we took pieces and through the help of everyone who collaborated in the book to construct these characters that brought together all these experiences.
We wanted to write the story of Rocio, who morphed into “Sophia”, and then we realized that we wanted to tell more that we needed that in order to be of service to the people who would be reading the book, we needed to tell more stories because there are so many things happening to women out there that we don’t hear about that we wanted to do justice by representing as many of them.
That’s where it all comes from.
Rocio Aquino:
The same happened to us when we were reading, not writing the book. We were crying constantly. At one point I put it down, we were crying [so much]. Then we did it first in English and after in Spanish and then we were crying in Spanish so was like, “Okay I’m continue to heal.”
The process for us was really intense
Angel Orengo:
The experience that you’re having [the audience and reader’s emotion], everyone is sharing similar things. It’s simple, but as I’m going, I find myself thinking about things that I’ve never thought about in my own life.
I need to put them down. Sometimes it takes me a little bit before I pick it up again. So it’s like peaks and valleys of intensity.
Joe Winger:
As authors, how are you feeling now knowing that so many people are having such extreme feelings and discoveries from your pages?
Rocio Aquino:
You never know how your work is going to be received, to be honest.
Even though we have a very strict culture of not judging anyone, being totally neutral, we are going to make suggestions.
Now that people are seeing the book, it’s a pleasure, it is humbling.
Angel Orengo:
There was intentionality in what we were writing. The book came after our first year of deep introspection into who we were and how we wanted to change our lives. [We studied] a lot of self help books. At the time that we started writing, it was about how do we share this with people who normally don’t have access to information
Also for people who don’t have resources to go and spend time in a retreat for a weekend or spend $5,000 or even $500. [We thought] we should do television because this is our background. But let’s own the intellectual property, the story behind it.
[We thought] we should do television [series], but let’s own the story behind it.
So when we sit down with the people who are going to help us craft the TV show, we have a say in how it’s made. Right now what ends up happening is that people don’t think that love is powerful enough to deal with the issues that you have around you.
We think that we have to combat anger with anger or force. That’s what we’ve been raised to believe. We’ve gotten to a point where love really does conquer all, but not in the way in which we were taught.
So when we approached a book, it was, “Let’s do it with a lot of love,” we said, and if we can help one person, it’ll have been worth it.
Everyone who we are connecting with is having similar reactions so it’s humbling. We’re filled with gratitude beyond belief that we were chosen, selected, inspired to write what we wrote and to put it forth.
Not just write it, but really now be the face of it and take it to as many places as we can.
Rocio Aquino:
That’s the main point. When someone says “Thank you”, because now that means I can continue to share with more people. If more people feel better about themself, that is incredible. That’s our main point to invite everyone to our party.
If more people feel better about themself, that is incredible.
And the part is really, if you are feeling better about yourself? Great! So it’s about that.
Joe Winger:
During your book event introduction, you mentioned one of your goals is to bring The Orchid to real life. Where are we today with that goal? How can the audience help you?
Angel Orengo:
Everything in your life begins with an intention. Waking up in the morning, getting off your bed, right?
Everything is intention after intention. The first and most important thing that we want is for people to truly enjoy the book because through the enjoyment of the book, there is a transformation that’s taking place.
We now understand that the way to change the world, and even though this is not the ultimate intention is the indirect intention, we can make this place a better place to be for all of us.
It begins by me feeling better about myself, and you feeling better about yourself. And it begins by all of the things that we create.
All these things these women are experiencing in The Orchid.
To your question, the first thing is for people – and it’s happening already – to say, wouldn’t it be awesome if this place really did exist and these transformations were taking place. If one person says it, it’s a big deal.
If a million people begin to think that way, or a billion people begin to think that way. Wow. It is about the power of what we have to manifest.
In terms of The Orchid as a retreat center, I think there are versions of it throughout the world already. There are many places that exist. I think those places will be inspired when they read our book to go to a different level. We can do more to expand the way we’re doing this.
There are podcasts down the line. There are television shows that we’ve mentioned. There’s a digital community that we would like to work on and develop. There is a nonprofit because there are going to be issues that will require that approach.
We’re going to continue building this community that ultimately is going to want to continue conversations as to how I deal with this.
Even though we attempted to do a very complete seven day experience at this retreat center, the truth is that the experiences can vary greatly.
There’s so much more out there.
We only depicted a number of healers. The number of healers and healing modalities out there are endless. I believe it will happen.
We have had initial conversations with certain people about it, but I would say it’s in early stages.
I would much rather encourage everybody who is already well advanced into a retreat center to look at themselves and see if there’s anything that can be learned from ours and create their own orchid so that we can help more people around the world.
Rocio Aquino:
Yes. Take the lessons, what you learn and it really is, “How I can begin to have a conversation with someone.”
Joe Winger:
As authors, can you talk a bit about what your writing process was like? What was the timeline going from idea to finished, published book?
Angel Orengo:
We began our process for the book at the end of 2021. So it took us about two and a half years.
We’ve come across a lot of people who say, ”Wow, that’s fantastic.” It took them nine years or 10 years and so on.
We were doing this 24 hours a day for two and a half years.
We relinquished everything else that we were doing and we dedicated ourselves to our growth, our personal growth and introspection, which in itself was the core of what’s at the book and to crafting putting on paper as many of the thoughts and ideas that we had.
The first step was Rocio and I basically went back and forth. We started thinking about which things worked. At first she was the guinea pig. She was experiencing things, a lot of healing practices.
Rocio Aquino:
It’s a process. Experiencing different things, and at the beginning you don’t have it very clear, but you begin, “Okay, this was my story.”
The main thing was to teach the lessons in a very original way. When you are relaxed, when you are in your house watching TV or reading.
You begin to question, is this serving me or not? The process of putting our learnings on paper.
Everyone is a creator. We can create and create.
No one is going to have our perspective. Angel was very clear [about] what he likes in life and has never spoken bad about anyone.
In my mind, I was not like that. I was speaking bad about people. But then I learned the power that [kind of speaking] represents and now I don’t want to do it.
But it’s those lessons that you begin to learn [from]. I grew up with that different paradigm, and now that I know another one, I prefer the new one.
Because it gives me more freedom, creativity, and everything.
We put everything in place. We worked hard to make this happen because our motivation was to do a book for [the younger version of] me 32 years ago when I tried to kill myself and I didn’t have the tools and I didn’t have anything.
So this is a book that I wish my mom had before she passed away 32 years ago.
The motivation was really to spread that another way of thinking was available. So we were in a hurry, like this needs to be available for those Rocio’s, for those Pepitas who were out there, who are out there and need to have something that they can grab quick, and they can begin to see a change.
Angel Orengo:
I would add, the process of writing the book was truly experiential. It wasn’t just spitting it out, we were living certain things.
There were times we stopped the book to have an exercise of releasing energy.
What we realized as we were writing, there were things inside of us that needed to be addressed.
Whether it was an experience that happened when you were a child…
I can’t tell you the times where we were crying, deeply moved by what we were writing and reading and how that was cleaning us inside and how that was changing us.
We went through different hurdles.
For example, we realized at an early stage that the book could not be judgmental about anything. if we were going to connect with readers, right?
We had no idea that we needed to ensure that the people at the Orchid, Mary and her staff. [They] never looked at anybody and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.” It’s more, “We know we’ve been there. You too can heal from that.”
And so all of those things emerged as we were writing.
There was intentionality and some clear ideas as to how we wanted to proceed. The truth is that we were experiencing and adjusting as we went.
Rocio Aquino:
With a lot of respect.
Angel Orengo:
With a lot of respect for each other, the people we were collaborating with, and the reader.
Joe Winger:
The book is called The Orchid: the Secret Code of Modern Goddesses.
The color scheme, it’s primarily female names, from a traditional or direct point of view, it’s geared more toward a female audience.
As the authors, trying to get a guy in a woman’s life to read it. What would you encourage them to say to get a guy to read it?
Rocio Aquino:
#1, I’ve been a woman and reading many books about guys, written by guys and I love it.
So maybe it’s time for a guy to be open minded. I can do this and I can read a book about women.
#2, it’s incredible to go in the deepest way of thinking of women. So try to understand how they work and what they are thinking. This is a fantastic opportunity. It has so many good sides because you want to have a better understanding of your mom, of your sister, your girlfriend, your wife, your daughters.
Then you’ll have a better way of how women relate to each other, but how do they relate to themselves, and how you can be an ally in their process.
Angel Orengo:
Recently I was writing a brief article for a fraternity that I belong to and I was very active when I was in college.
Essentially the article is to inspire them to read this book. The issues that we talk about, whether it’s sexuality, limiting beliefs, the power of forgiveness, the power of gratitude or any of the other issues that the women who are there are speaking of, they’re universal.
They’re not gender based, right?
So any opportunity that you have or that you give yourself to relate to those issues, it’s an opportunity to grow.
I think for men for far too long, we’ve defined masculinity as “the absence of emotion” or perhaps the “existence of physical strength.”
More and more we’re finding out about emotional intelligence, right?
That emotions in general and our ability to share them to be vulnerable is powerful and can only enhance the people that we are.
I would say be open minded. The issues are truly for everybody. You can learn a thing or two, not just about yourself, but about the women in your life.
It’s and it could be really powerful. Plus let’s face it, the better we communicate with one another, the better we relate to one another across genders the better our community is going to be, and we need more community in the world.
I think if anything has shown us, and this is true at any time, right?
Every person you speak to, we’re all longing for community. We need connection. We need to connect more with each other.
Rocio Acquino:
Deep connection, not superficial.
Joe Winger:
The book is called The Orchid, The Secret Code of Modern Goddesses.
Wrapping up, for people out there who want to buy the book after hearing about it, Whether it’s websites, social media, how can we follow you? How can we buy the book?
Rocio Aquino:
There are so many ways right now. We have a website: TheOrchidBook.com
You can find the book in English and Spanish.You can buy it on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, Apple, and we have the audiobook too.
And the exercise, if you want to do a book club with your friends, you can do some exercise that are on the website.
Instagram, Facebook YouTube, TikTok. All @TheOrchidBook_
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Thanksgiving in Las Vegas: the perfect stuffing bread DOES exist – and it’s… [Recipe Here]
This Thanksgiving, the perfect stuffing bread DOES exist – and it’s brioche. As in St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
No Thanksgiving spread is complete without a hearty stuffing. While add-ins are a matter of preference, choosing the right bread is crucial. One underrated choice is eggy, rich brioche – and with St Pierre Bakery, you don’t need to go to France to get it.
Thanks to its butter and egg content, St Pierre’s Brioche Loaf provides the perfect balance of crisp toastiness while remaining soft and creamy inside, while its lightly sweet flavor adds a decadent quality that can still lean savory. Attached below is an approachable recipe for stuffing allowing for all the craveable crunch for the whole family with minimal effort required.
St Pierre Brioche Thanksgiving Stuffing
By @BrandiMilloy
Ingredients
1 loaf St. Pierre Brioche Bread
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, just the leaves
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 small apple (granny smith works well), peeled and diced
Salt and pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut brioche bread into 1” cubes and bake for about 10-15 minutes until toasted.
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Meanwhile, into a pot over medium high heat add butter until melted. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until everything starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
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Into a bowl whisk together the eggs, herbs, apples, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Add your cooked vegetables and mix to combine.
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Pour mixture on top of toasted bread and stir to combine. Bake stuffing for about 45 minutes. If your stuffing starts to get too brown, cover until finished baking. Enjoy!
As America’s favorite brioche brand, St Pierre’s products are widely available via grocery stores nationwide as well as Walmart.
Vegas Crowds Find New Flavor with Dancing Wines from Cynthia Russell, Lauren Russell
Vegas Crowds Searching for New Flavor Find it with Dancing Wines from Cynthia Russell, Lauren Russell in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.
The team at Dancing Wines is developing a collection of sensory brands that celebrate life through taste, touch and aroma – inspiring you to find your inner dance and show the world what truly moves you.
Dancing Wines’ red wine trio includes Old Vine, Duo and Estate — three limited-release wines made from hand-picked grapes that showcase the full breadth of the Dancing estate.
Lauren Russell (L) and Cynthia Russell (R) from Dancing Wines Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Today’s conversation with the dynamic Mother / Daughter team Cynthia and Lauren Russell from Dancing Wines ha been edited for length and clarity.
For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Joe Winger: What is the most important message you’d like to share today?
Lauren Russell: I think one of them is dancing is art and art is life.
Another is love needs no explanation. I think really the thread between those is we’re trying to create a product and an experience that brings people together and invites them to find their inner dance, which is something we say a lot.
So we want to encourage people to find their unique rhythms. And wine is also really lovely because it is a vehicle that brings people together to enjoy a moment and diverse people together.
I think my Mom [Cynthia] can speak to this as well, but one of the things we thought about when first exploring wine was just how daunting the whole atmosphere is around the consumption of it and the buying and using all the right adjectives.
Especially for my generation I feel like there’s a bit of a learning curve. So I think one thing we really want people to take away from the brand is just like, just enjoy it. Love needs no explanation and you can’t drink wine when your mouth is full of adjectives. We’ve created a great wine just for you to be able to enjoy and to describe however you want and enjoy whenever you want.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Cynthia: Yeah, I think the measures we created we have a beautiful heritage property that the soil and the climate create this great wine. And me being of an older generation where wine was very intimidating, even though I know a lot about it.
And drinking it for a very long time. I’ve lived in France. I’ve lived in California. It’s still when you order in a restaurant, you’re scared. Do I know enough? I’m going to be embarrassed. Is this the right pairing? And what the good news is that wine making in the world has become so sophisticated that if you are buying wine from a place that is special, including all.
Sonoma or France or Italy, the wines are good, they’re really good and all you have to do is be comfortable with yourself and enjoying it. And so that’s what we’re trying to do is take a product that has thousands of years of history as being a part of our culture and make you comfortable with just having fun, enjoying it and celebrating what wine can do to bring people together.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: You have a really unique story that you restored a vineyard up in Dry Creek. Can you talk about experience and what you learned from the restoration?
Cynthia: We lucked out. It was a Covid purchase. We spent a lot of time as a family together in very small confined spaces drinking a lot of wine.
We [thought we] might end up needing a place where we have more outdoor space and can be together. So we bought this property more as a farm and then discovered that it was a unique part of the world.
Zinfandel grapes have been growing in this small region for over 150 years.
It was called America’s grape back in the time I think [the] 1850s. Okay, we have these vineyards. They’re really old.
There was one owner at this property for 60 years, an older Italian gentleman. And a lot of the area is multi generation, fourth generation Italian families who came over and cultivated this grape.
We never intended to make wine and yet we were scared to let this history and heritage die.
So we took classes and tried to figure out, can we make wine?
It’d be such a shame to let this history go in this special place.
We made a great discovery, which was that you don’t have to be an expert on wine. You just have to have great soil and a great climate.
Then we launched from there.
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Lauren: We’re always towing the line between the respective tradition and traditional winemaking and the land and all of the old vines and creating something new.
She [Mom, Cynthia] always brings a lens of respect for the older generation and ways of life and what wine has meant to her throughout her life.
I’m always pushing the other direction. We always land somewhere in the middle.
You’ll see that in the brands, it has really playful branding and packaging. But, our winemaking is a bit more traditional. We’re a sustainable vineyard but we have old vines and we respect what the land has to offer and what it’s been offering in that region for a long time.
It creates a better product and brand for us because we get to cater to both audiences.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: You have a collection of sensory brands. Can you talk about what that collection is, what inspired the idea, and what we should be looking for?
Lauren: All of the products have been and will be inspired by the backdrop of the vineyard.
When we talk about wine, we talk about this kind of multi sensory experience, whether that’s aroma or where you’re having it, who you’re enjoying it with.
We came into wine knowing that it was going to be not just about taste or smell, but about the holistic experience of what wine could do for someone.
Sort of the thread between all of our products are taste, touch and smell. Again, like finding your inner dance and allowing you to express your personality.
We’re launching a trio of fragrances, which are loosely inspired by the terroir and the vineyard.
Cynthia: We have a fresh perspective on Sonoma. Every time we arrive, we have this nose full of these incredible senses:, the smell of moss, crushed grapes, barrel, fire and oak.
Yeah. So we’re like, wow. Every time we arrive, we’re like, wow, this is really cool.
This is so distinct and unique and just elevates your experience of being there.
We are going to bring more experiences to the brand when we can, like having an artist in residence, creating visually beautiful contributions.
We have an art collection there that inspired us to bring art to the brand. It’s largely from a diverse group of artists from the West Coast who are very colorful and young and also push boundaries. So our idea with the senses is like we’re trying to This is a brand that you enter into our world and you get to experience people and life in a way that’s very unique and bold and
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: What are both of your backgrounds outside of wine?
Lauren: I was raised in Connecticut and went to Dartmouth for undergrad, was a creative non-fiction writer, so always had that storytelling bent.
After school, I worked at a lot of businesses in marketing. Uber Eats, Refinery29, right before the pandemic, I worked for AB and Bev that was my first kind of foray into alcohol.
Then during COVID, I got my MBA at Columbia. We all got this massive reset of our priorities. I come from an entrepreneurial family. This opportunity arose
Cynthia: We’re a family who really believes in experiences. I have dabbled in many different areas. I went to Scripps college. I actually was a dance major until I was not. I became an international relations major. I lived in France for a while. Then moved to New York City and worked for JP Morgan trading stock, money market securities.
I didn’t find that was my passion, so I went to Harvard Business School and I got a master’s in business. Then I worked for American Express where I started a weekend travel program. It was a little startup within the travel segment of American Express. I got my “sea legs” of starting a business.
I quit that business because I had kids, then I started my own mail order company then I decided again, that maybe I needed a little more education.
I went back and got a doctorate at Columbia in organizational leadership.
I have a consulting firm on the side where I consult leaders and organizations about how to handle complex challenges in a complex world.
So my daughter [Lauren] gets through business school and we decide to marry all these wonderful experiences together and create something really new and unique.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Joe Winger: Let’s talk about your wines.
Lauren: We launched with our rosé which is really beautiful. It’s an intentional rosé. From our Primitivo grapes and we harvested them early and intentionally for rosé.
It has this really beautiful distinct, watermelon, almost Jolly Rancher aroma, and it’s really playful and full, but also dry. And it’s been a really big hit so that was a fun debut for us.
We just launched our trio of reds, and what makes them unique goes into the story about the restoration of the vineyard.
We’re still learning our land and learning from it.
We chose to harvest from different blocks and treat the wines in a similar fashion and bottle them separately to see what personalities they expressed.
One is the Old Vine Zinfandel, which is from our oldest head trained vines which is the deepest, moodiest, richest wine. It’s really lovely.
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Then we have an estate wine, which is actually from Primitivo, a different word for Zinfandel. That one is a bit lighter.
Then we have a third, a duo which is a blend of both. And so it’s really helped us to understand. And they are quite different.
They’re obviously all Zinfandels in their expressions, but they’re all quite different.
People say Zinfandel is like a map of the land and I think that’s really true here. Which is super cool.
But we have two forthcoming sparkling wines because I think it really speaks to our ethos about being playful and to my generation.
Cynthia: It’s really fun for us because being on the East coast, Zinfandel is a really unknown varietal and we think it’s underrated. Californians know it’s been around for a long time. It has a lot of possibilities with food. And so what we’re trying to do is bring to light this really good wine and do it in a slightly different way.
We pick ours earlier, trying to have it be less jammy, juicy, heavy; lighter, less alcoholic than some of the more traditional Zinfandels that are on our street.
That’s really trying to address the changes consumer changes.
Our wines are chillable, super easy to eat with most any food, especially ethnic food, spicy food.
2022 was our first vintage. 2023 is already in barrels and we’ll be bottling that in probably in March. But it’s going to be a little different because the climate was different that year.
The rosé was just a fluke. Our winemaker wanted to try a Zinfandel rosé. Most people love it. It’s so distinct and unique.
Our 24 Rosé will come out in March. The reds will come out in the early summer. We’re going to bottle the sparkling in January, but that will be at least a year until you’ll see that. The pétillant naturel will probably be launching at about the same time as the rosé
Credit: https://instagram.com/DancingSonoma
Lauren: What’s fun about having both an early release sparkling and a [second, additional] later release [sparkling wine] one is going to be lighter, more effervescent, maybe geared towards the younger generation and the other will have that toastier champagne flavor.
Joe Winger: Do you have a favorite wine and food pairing?
Lauren: This one’s so hard. Rosé and oysters or any seafood is just awesome. Sparkling wine and a burger is one of my favorites.
In terms of red, when I think of Zinfandel, it’s Thanksgiving foods. It speaks to the hominess in our story. Bringing everyone around the table. Kind of experiential pairing.
Cynthia: Yeah, that resonates with me.
We have a lot of ethnic food, so it holds up really well to spice, to sweet and sour, salty and sweet. So it’s great with Indian food, Mexican food. Apples in your pork chops.
A burgundy is usually killed instantly by those kinds of flavors. It’s too fragile.
[Ours] is not fragile, but it still has so many nice aromas and flavors to enhance whatever you’re eating.
Lauren: It’s great with pizza. Pizza and a nice glass of Zinfandel
Source: WeAreDancing.com
Joe Winger: What’s something magical about Sonoma that you learned through this journey?
Lauren: True of both Zinfandel and Sonoma it always has this underdog energy to Napa. One of the hidden gems, we wake up really early and drive to the Redwood forest to watch the sun rise through the trees.
We eat a burrito because we have terrible burritos in New York.
There’s an amazing food community, 3 Michelin star restaurant, chefs, farm to table.
Cynthia: The distinct part of Sonoma is how important nature is to everyone there. It’s not just about wine. It’s incredible nature.
We both traveled a lot, lived in a lot of places. I’ve never seen such natural beauty in such a small area.
Lauren: That’s what the idea of our products is too. We have to bring people here in some way, differently than just having them taste the wine.
So as many dimensions as we can bring people into that realm to experience [00:29:00] that it’s like definitely the dream.
Joe Winger: Whether it’s social media, website, or other ways, what are the best ways for our audience to find and follow Dancing Wine?
Lauren: We have our website, which is wearedancing.com. We also are on Instagram, which is at DancingSonoma.
American Film Market 2024 in Vegas: AGC’s Stuart Ford & Anton’s Sébastien Raybaud to Take Stage
American Film Market 2024 in Vegas: AGC’s Stuart Ford & Anton’s Sébastien Raybaud to Take Stage
- Matt Brodlie, Upgrade Productions
- Katie Irwin, WME Independent
- Matt Mueller, Screen International
- Peter Van Steemburg, XYZ Films
- Miranda Bailey, Cold Iron Pictures
- Karin Chien, dGenerate Films, Art & Action Productions
- Phil Goldfine, Producer
- Michele Kanan, Producer, Writer and Director
- Michael Musante, Cherokee Film
- Mary Aloe, Aloe Entertainment / Partners in Kind
- Josh Harris, Peachtree Media
- Jonathon Glucksman, Wondermind
- Robert Rippberger, SIE Society
- Jarnell Stokes, Stoked Bros. Media
- Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre, SAG-AFTRA
November 7
- Jill Goldsmith, Deadline
- Jon Gosier, Film Hedge
- George Hamilton, Protagonist Pictures
- Paula Paizes, Pressman Films
- Miguel Palos, AGC Studio
- Gregory Chambet, WTFILMS
- Emily Gotto, Shudder
- Tom Malloy, Glass House Distribution
- Bob Portal, AMP
- Priscilla Ross Smith, The Coven
- Ryan Broussard, Wrapbook
- Jeffery Greenstein, A Higher Standard
- Andi Isaacs, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Formerly Summit Entertainment
- Simon Williams, Palisades Park Pictures
- Kyle Bowser, NAACP Hollywood Bureau
- Monica Kelly, CSA, Treadwell / Kelly Casting
- Jennifer K.M. Treadwell, CSA, Treadwell / Kelly Casting
- Clay Epstein, Film Mode Entertainment
- Tiffany Boyle, Ramo Law PC
- Mimi Steinbauer, Radiant Films International
- Brian O’Shea, The Exchange
- Cassian Elwes, Elevated
- Lee Jessup, leejessup.com
- Lorelle Lynch, AGC Studios
- Chris McGurk, Cineverse
- Lauren McCarthy, Cineverse
- Thomas K Arnold, Media Play News
- Paul Bales, The Asylum
- Jeff Deverett, Producer
- Efuru Flowers, Flourishing Films
- Chris Gore, Film Threat
- Max Woertendyke, Noble Gas Media
IFTA is the global trade association for independent film and television production, finance, distribution, and sales companies. The organization represents the independent sector before governments and international bodies and provides significant entertainment industry services to independent companies around the world.
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Bourbon-lover Ultimate Weekend Trip? Fredericksburg Virginia Bed & Breakfast with a Twist, Owen King from Ironclad Distillery shares Delicious Details
Love Tasting Bourbons? This Fredericksburg Virginia Bed & Breakfast Might Be Your Dream Visit, Owen King from Ironclad Distillery shares Delicious Details
Ironclad Inn is the first B & B & B – Bed & Breakfast & Bourbon Tasting Room.
Ironclad Inn is the first B & B & B – Bed & Breakfast & Bourbon Tasting Room
Today’s conversation with Distiller Owen King from Ironclad Distillery has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, un-edited conversation, visit our YouTube channel here.
Owen King, Ironclad Distillery
Joe Winger:
A lot of really cool things are happening right now. I want to jump into your tasting room, the distillery, we’ll get into bourbon tastings in a few minutes.
But first and foremost, what’s the most important thing with Ironclad right now for you?
Owen King:
The most important thing about Ironclad for me right now is the same thing it’s always been, trying to make the best bourbon we can.
The other thing is spreading the word about our bed and breakfast; and bourbon. It’s a bed and breakfast in Fredericksburg that when you’re there, you can drink bourbon.
Ironclad’s famous Old Fashioned cocktail
We make a lot of old fashions there and we always have all these leftover oranges. Now the perfect thing is in the morning you have fresh squeezed orange juice from our [leftover] old fashions.
It’s really working double duty now.
Besides that I just love the fact that we can now expand our distillery up to Fredericksburg. So we can have more people try our bourbon and enjoy our bourbon, which is the goal.
Joe Winger:
Getting to know you before you jump into Ironclad, I want to use the word “were”, you were a football player and cooking changed your life.
Tell us more about your cooking. Was there a special dish that enhanced your life?
Owen King:
I’m Italian. So obviously with the Italian genes, we share our love through food. Growing up I cooked a lot.
When I went to college [I cooked] for my teammates. I’d make dinner for everyone. So when we decided to open the bourbon distillery, I figured, I know how to cook. I think I could probably figure out how to make bourbon.
I know flavors. I know how things go well together. I think I have a pretty decent palette.
So putting all those things together to make a great bourbon was the goal.
Food is one of those things where you never stop improving. I feel the same about bourbon.
FlavRReport.com on YouTube
Joe Winger:
Is there a favorite dish?
Owen King:
Breaded chicken cutlets and spaghetti.
That is how it started. Then I was like “I really like cheese.” Maybe I could put cheese in with the breadcrumbs and then do that. Then I started expanding. Chicken Parm. Making my own sauce. Thinking I could add something here to make that better.
It’s the same way I look at bourbon.
Thinking, “I like what this person’s doing. Let me see what they’re doing. I can build off that to make it work on my own.”
Creating my own recipes, going from there, just continually tweaking little things here and there.
We’ll make a 5% difference, maybe a 10% difference.
Joe Winger:
Ironclad Distillery is in Newport News, Virginia. The bed and breakfast Ironclad Inn is in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
For most people when we think of bourbon, we don’t always think of Virginia as the first choice. What would surprise us most about coming down to Virginia for a bourbon tasting and staying the night?
Ironclad Distillery
Owen King:
If you’re coming down to Virginia, you have to remember Virginia is the birthplace of American spirits. The first place spirits were made in the new colonies, in the new world, was here in Virginia.
The first corn liquor which would eventually become bourbon, was made in Virginia.
You can also talk about Elijah Craig, who was from Fairfax County, Virginia, before he moved out to Kentucky.
On top of that, Kentucky wasn’t a state until 1793. Evan Williams was doing distillation in 1783, and at that point Kentucky was still Virginia.
The birthplace of bourbon is right here in Virginia.
I’ve been to Kentucky a lot. They talk about the birthplace of bourbon being there in Kentucky.
Maybe the territory it’s in was Kentucky, but it was still Virginia at the time.
Whenever someone comes by, I can tell them the history of actual bourbon, where you’re gonna get the whole story, not just the fantasized story that you get in Kentucky.
Joe Winger:
I’m incredibly glad you just shared that.
Let’s talk about The Ironclad Bed and Breakfast now. The bourbon tasting room, the event space.
Owen King:
We wanted to spread our bourbon out around the state. We’ve always really liked Fredericksburg. It’s a beautiful town. It’s got a ton of history to it.
Nothing goes better with bourbon than a good story.
So we can always tell our history while drinking. So with our bed and breakfast, we looked at what the bigger guys were doing. A lot of them were starting to have these places where you could stay [the night] and get an experience to go along with it.
We really wanted to spread our Ironclad experience.
We have a tasting room. It’s beautifully decorated by my sister. We’ve got a bottle shop where you can pick up pretty much every one of our bourbons that are available. We’ve got a bar so you can try it from our seasonal cocktail menus where we change it five times a year.
We have a winter, a fall, a spring, summer [menu].Then a holiday menu as well.
No matter what time of year you’re there, you’re trying something that’s going to go well seasonally.
Everyone likes seasonal drinks. You don’t want to drink in the fall, what you’d drink in the summer.
We always have an old fashioned and it’s a damn good old fashioned.
Then we also have an event space. We have weddings. We’ve had 50th birthday parties.
Ironclad Inn wedding and special events
We’ve had any event that you want to tie into with our bourbon or just if you want a beautiful event space in a building that was built in 1793 we have that as a great option.
It’s a really cool spot that you can go and see and experience.
It’s something we want to share, our love for bourbon with everyone.
Whether you’re here in Newport News or in Fredericksburg, you’ll get a King family member there to tell you our story and tell you all about our bourbon and show you around.
Ironclad Bottled-in-Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Joe Winger:
Outstanding. Let’s get to the tasty part now. You have several amazing bottles. When someone comes to your tasting room this weekend, what should they be looking forward to?
Owen King:
We do a few bottle releases that are once a year for us. One of my favorites.
A five year, three barrel blend of three 30 gallon barrels. Bottle of Bond.
The history alone is one of my favorite things to talk about. In 1897 the federal government stepped in because there was people dying from drinking bad whiskey.
They stepped in to “certify” everything in there.
“If you bottle it at four years old and at 100 proof, we will claim that this is a bottle and bond bourbon certified” by the federal government that it is safe to drink.
That story alone is one of my favorites of bourbon lore.
We just want to make sure that we do that every year that we can.
It’s absolutely one of my favorite bourbons. It’s our four grain mash bill. 70% corn 10% wheat, 10% rye, 10% malted barley.
So with the corn and the wheat, it adds a nice sweetness to it. But then the rye is there to kind of balance that whole thing out. Before it gets [to be] a very sweet bourbon, it balances out, a little baking spice, maybe even some clove, maybe a little black pepper.
It balances it out to be a nice, rounded bourbon.
Ironclad Sweeter Creations Maple Syrup Cask
Joe Winger:
Let’s move on to your Maple Syrup Cask.
Owen King:
Absolutely delicious. But this is a cast finish, not a flavored bourbon. So we’re not adding maple syrup to it. People who drink it might think it’s going to be super sweet and not going to like it. Because they don’t like maple syrup.
This is my version of drinking maple syrup responsibly and not getting diabetes.
After we empty our barrels, we give them to a maple syrup producer in upstate New York. He’ll age his maple syrup using our bourbon barrels.
By doing that through transference, there’s about a gallon of bourbon stuck in the staves of the wood. So when he puts a new liquid in there, that maple syrup is going to absorb into the wood and that bourbon is going to come back out.
Now his maple syrup is picking up that beautiful bourbon flavor and we are picking up all that maple syrup flavor into the wood.
When he brings those barrels back down to us, we put our aged bourbon back in there and we let him finish in there for about three to six months.
After we take the bourbon out, it’s now got this beautiful, mild sweetness, but it’s got that hint of maple syrup at the end.
I always say, I don’t want it to be maple syrup with a hint of bourbon. I want it to be bourbon with a hint of maple syrup, which I think it absolutely is.
Ironclad Missouri Toasted Oak Cask
Joe Winger:
The maple syrup is so subtle, almost a tertiary flavor to it.
Moving on to the Missouri Toasted Oak Cask.
Owen King:
This is a double oak bourbon. With double oaking, what you’re going to do is exactly how it sounds.
You’re going to go from one new charred oak barrel. But instead of a second new charred oak barrel, we’re going to go to a lightly toasted barrel.
So my analogy for this is you’re sitting at a campfire and you’ve got a marshmallow. You’re roasting your marshmallow over the flame and it gets burnt. It catches on fire. So now you’ve got that roasted marshmallow where you’re still gonna eat it because it’s a roasted marshmallow.
So you eat it and it’s still sweet. But it’s got that sort of maybe a bitter acrid note just cause you burnt those sugars. You haven’t toasted them.
Now you take another marshmallow. You’re a little more patient this time. You’re going to stick it down in the coals and you’ll slowly rotate it until you’ve got that perfectly golden brown marshmallow.
When you taste it, it’s now twice as sweet because you just caramelize those sugars as opposed to burning them.
It’s the same with a charred oak barrel to a toasted oak barrel. With that charring of those oaks, you’re gonna you’re still gonna have that sweetness. We’re amplifying that sweetness with the toasting of the oak.
With this one you get those softer vanilla flavors like toasted marshmallow. You get a cookie dough flavor, maybe it’s raw cookie dough without the chocolate chips.
Joe Winger:
That’s amazing. mmIs there an extra bottle when I come down there, I’m in the tasting room, another good bottle we should ask for?
Owen King:
Another one that we have right now that is a very limited run. Very small release is our blueberry mead cask finish.
We give our barrels to a meadery in Williamsburg, Virginia and they make this blueberry honey mead. So now they have this bourbon barrel aged blueberry mead. And when they’re done with them, they give them back to us.
You’re not necessarily overwhelmed with [a] heavy blueberry flavor but it opens up to this really nice fruitiness and then like a fermented honey flavor on the front end.
It’s so unique, but it’s great neat on the rocks.
Joe Winger:
If we come down for the weekend, we visit the distillery in Newport News. What’s a tour like?
Owen King:
If people aren’t the biggest bourbon drinker, I want you to walk away saying, “Okay, I found something that is made with bourbon that I like.”
We are a distillery that only makes bourbon.
I want to make sure that everyone who comes here has something they can enjoy. This isn’t an uppity bourbon bar.
I want someone to come and be able to say, I’m not the biggest bourbon fan. What kind of cocktails do you have?” We always have a cocktail on every single menu that’s open for everyone.
Everyone’s going to love it and whether you’re a big bourbon fan or not. We just really want to be accommodating. We want to be a fun place for everyone to hang out.
We want to tell our story, the history of the Ironclad ships. Go through our distillery tour, we’ll show you that. If you want to know the history of Fredericksburg, or the history of What the bed and breakfast is we’ll tell you that.
Nothing pairs better with bourbon than a good story. And we really care about spreading that word.
Joe Winger:
Whether it’s a romantic getaway, a weekend getaway, why choose your bed and breakfast instead of a hotel?
Owen King:
While we’ve only had it a short time. But we’ve been adding things here and there. You’re going to get a fresh orange juice in the morning, made with the oranges that we used for our old fashions [last night].
We have our barrel aged maple syrup for your pancakes. So you’re going to have that maple syrup with a hint of bourbon.
Ironclad Inn
We really drive home that it’s a bed breakfast and bourbon experience. Get immersed in the bourbon culture. That’s our goal.
Joe Winger:
Any favorite bourbon and food pairings?
Owen King:
Bourbon’s wonderful for food pairings.
We’ve gone from pasta pairings to pizza pairings. Anything that’s fatty is a perfect pairing. Pork belly with a cherry reduction over top of it with one of our bourbons straight
We have this bourbon cream, Buzz’s Bourbon Cream, where it’s made with our small batch bourbon that’s infused with coffee beans, cacao nibs, and vanilla beans. That one over vanilla ice cream is perfection.
You’re adding a little booze, some coffee, a little bit of chocolate.
You take a bite and all of a sudden you had three scoops and it’s gone 30 seconds later.
Joe Winger:
What’s the best way to learn more about Ironclad Distillery and Ironclad Inn?
Owen King:
We have our website at ironcladdistillery.com. All of our social media Facebook and Instagram.
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Las Vegas Promises a Fast and Fun Weekend of Festivities During the Inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix
Las Vegas Promises a Fast and Fun Weekend of Festivities During the Inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix
Las Vegas will celebrate the inaugural FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX taking place from Wednesday, Nov. 15 to Saturday, Nov. 18, with the race occurring at night on the legendary Las Vegas Strip.
Top-tier entertainment, opulent nightlife and exclusive dining experiences have surrounded the anticipated event. Here is a taste of what visitors can look forward to during the exciting weekend in the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World.
OFFICIAL FORMULA 1 VIEWING EXPERIENCES
Grandstands, club and hospitality suites offer ticket holders complimentary food, beverage and entertainment from DJs and live acts throughout the race weekend.
- Sports Illustrated’s Club SI will host an immersive, on-track experience with views of the high-speed action on Las Vegas Boulevard. The experience includes celebrity hosts Shaquille O’Neal and David Beckham, DJ sets, panels, passed hors d’oeuvres, food stations, cocktails and more.
- Club Paris features Strip-side views of the race, food stations serving Alexxa’s high-end favorites and a menu of beer, wine and cocktails on Beer Park’s trackside terrace. The experience also features a bespoke lounge at Chéri Rooftop, complete with a DJ, live entertainment and passed bites and desserts.
- The East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels Las Vegas features The Red Bull Energy Station as well as the Skybox, boasting views of along the starting grid and into the pit lane, an elevated food menu with Prohibition-era cocktails and access to the star-studded Opening Ceremony on Nov. 15 featuring all 20 F1® Drivers as well as performances by Andra Day, Bishop Briggs, J Balvin, Journey, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and will.i.am.
- Grandstands throughout the circuit offer varying viewpoints and assigned seats to ticketholders, who also enjoy complimentary water, soft drinks and food by Wolfgang Puck Catering. Grandstands are found in the East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels, West Harmon Zone by Chrome, T-Mobile Zone at Sphere and The Mirage Zone.
- Located in the Pit Building just above the team garages, the Paddock Club™ includes 360˚views of the start/finish line, all-inclusive food and beverage, concierge services, exclusive experiences and more. A private area within the Pit Building, Wynn Grid Club is a stunning private hospitality experience that includes exclusive access to locations within the Pit Building, decadent cuisine, cocktails from expert mixologists and more.
- The South Koval Zone by Caesars Rewards features views of the Koval Straightaway from Heineken House’s trackside nightlife experience complete with DJs, live entertainment, premium cocktails, interactive food stations and more.
- The T-Mobile Zone at Sphere offers race attendees views of the racing action and electrifying performances from some of today’s most recognizable acts from the T-Mobile stage including Mark Ronson, Kylie Minogue, Nile Rodgers & Chic, A Trak, Major Lazer, J Balvin and more..
FESTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND
Several venues in the destination will celebrate with special events, unique offers and more.
- Bellagio Fountain Club at Bellagio Resort & Casino offers views from the hotel’s lake from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. The experience is complete with live race coverage in Dolby Vision; live performances and driver appearances; open bar service; and culinary delights from several celebrated chefs including José Andrés, Christina Tosi, and Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. Also at the resort, Lío will take over Mayfair Supper Club from Sunday, Nov. 12 to Wednesday, Nov. 22. With the hotel’s fountains in the background, the cabaret dining experience from Ibiza offers live performances, exquisite costumes and a prix-fixe menu of Mediterranean fusion specialties.
- Stadium Swim at Circa Resort & Casino transforms the pool amphitheater space on Saturday, Nov. 18 with racing décor and a display of an RB14 Static Car for fan photo opportunities. The venue will broadcast the race on its 143-foot, high-definition screen with full audio.
- Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas presents AIOKA Race Weekend from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. With views of the Strip, the rooftop event features live DJs, signature cocktails, culinary presentations and more.
- Drai’s Beachclub & Nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas hosts VISTA Las Vegas, an experience in association with the McLaren Racing Formula 1 team from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. The rooftop club offers fantastic Strip views and a live broadcast on LED screens throughout the venue. Hosted by Mark Wahlberg, the event also features live entertainment, DJ sets and racing commentary from F1 driver David Coulthard.
- The Front Yard at Ellis Island Casino Hotel Brewery presents Turn 4 at Ellis Island from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. The beer garden will have an outdoor platform and live race feed on over 20 televisions (including an 18-foot screen). The event is complete with food, soft drinks and Ellis Island’s brewed-on-site beer.
- Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas offers packages from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18, with seating options at its glass pavilion or famed Strip-side patio. The French restaurant will have monitors displaying F1 coverage and offer a special menu with thematic elements paying homage to the European countries that host F1.
- Topgolf Las Vegas has more than 300 screens across its four levels, where guests can purchase a bay to hit the field while watching the action on television on Saturday, Nov. 18. The driving range-meets-entertainment complex also has a limited amount of tickets available for its Ferrari Champagne Bar on Level 4, which includes unlimited Ferrari Champagne from 9-10 p.m.
FOOD & BEVERAGE EXPERIENCES
Restaurants, bars and lounges are getting festive with special cocktail menus, wine lists and more.
- Culinary Kickoff Grand Prix at offers a night of culinary extravagance at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 16, as the chef lineup features renowned talents like Todd English, Aaron May and Rick Moonen. The dining event features 14 to 16 interactive food stations, paired beverages, live entertainment and legendary guests from the NFL like Emmitt Smith and Charles Woodson.
- Proper Bar at ARIA Resort & Casino will feature four cocktails themed to F1 drivers and teams from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Sunday, Nov. 19. Selections include the High Speed and Podium Paloma.
- Caesars Entertainment presents several exclusive dining events with its culinary superstars. Gordon Ramsay will curate menus and make appearances at dinners at both Ramsay’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at Harrah’s Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 16 and Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace on Friday, Nov. 17. Nobu Matsuhisa will lead sushi-making demonstrations at both Nobu at Caesars Palace on Friday, Nov. 17 and Nobu at Paris Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 18. Two special brunches are planned, as well: GIADA at The Cromwell with Giada De Laurentiis on Sunday, Nov. 19 and Vanderpump à Paris at Paris Las Vegas with Lisa Vanderpump.
- The Laundry Room at Commonwealth will feature an automotive-inspired cocktail menu from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Sunday, Nov. 19. Visitors can enjoy libations including the Need for Speed and Checkered Past at the downtown speakeasy.
- MGM Resorts International presents several exclusive dining events throughout the weekend. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten partners with Yamazaki Japanese whisky for a pairing dinner at Jean Georges Steakhouse at ARIA Resort & Casino on Friday, Nov. 17 before doing the same with Hundred Acre wines at PRIME Steakhouse at Bellagio Resort & Casino from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. Also at ARIA Resort & Casino, Marco Carbone will curate a menu at a dinner paired with LOUIS XIII Cognac and Rémy Martin cocktails at Carbone. Also, at Bellagio, Le Cirque will feature a cognac experience with fifth-generation producer Bénédicte Hardy from Friday, Nov. 17 to Saturday, Nov. 18 and a dinner curated by James Kent on Friday, Nov. 17. Masaharu Morimoto will also curate a menu for an omakase dinner at Morimoto at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
- Minus5° ICEBAR presents a Grand Prix-themed ice display and offers its GRAND PRIX ICE-P experience at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. The experience includes entry to the ice bar, cocktails, photos, souvenir items and entry to the sister location at The LINQ Promenade.
- The Still at The Mirage Hotel & Casino and Tailgate Social Sports Bar & Grill at Palace Station Hotel & Casino will feature three F1 driver-inspired cocktails from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18, including the Verstappen Martini, Hamilton Highball and Ricciardo Refresher.
- Piero’s Italian Cuisine will feature six sommelier selects of specialty wines honoring course landmarks from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18. Just off the Strip, the restaurant also will offer four cocktails themed to the participating countries, including Canada, France, Italy and the U.S.
- The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower will feature racing-themed cocktails from Thursday, Nov. 16 to Saturday, Nov. 18, including the Flat Out and Pole Position. Participating bars include 108 Drinks, PT’s Wings & Sports, REMIX Lounge and View Lounge. The resort’s Top of the World restaurant will offer a “Circuit Tour” prix fixe menu, featuring four courses pulling inspiration from countries on the 2023 F1 calendar.
- La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway at Wynn Las Vegas will feature a sommelier-select wine flight highlighting European regions along the 2023 race calendar.
- Wynn Las Vegas offers a LOUIS XIII Cognac Pop-Up Boutique now through Tuesday, Nov. 28. The shop features an extensive selection (including The Iconic Collection, THE DROP Collection and RARE CASK 42.1), the brand’s bespoke accessories, and private appointments with a LOUIS XIII Ambassador.
MOTORSPORTS ACTIVITIES
Attractions throughout the destination offer automobile enthusiasts unique experiences, including the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a real racecar.
- ARIA Resort & Casino hosts an Alfa Romeo Experience in its lobby, featuring the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale, the new Giulia and Stelvio, an Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Show Car, and a selection of racing gear available for purchase. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake will unveil a unique vehicle livery to be used during the race, with special appearances by Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
- Bellagio Resort & Casino presents a Ferrari Pop-Up Boutique from Monday, Nov. 13 to Monday, Nov. 20. The space will embody the retail concept under the creative direction of Rocco Iannone.
- Dream Racing Las Vegas offers opportunities to experience driving on the world-famous Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where countless NASCAR drivers have proven their skills. Cars offered include models from Maserati, Ferrari, Corvette and more.
- Four Seasons Las Vegas will feature the work of British artist and sculptor Paul Oz, known for traveling the globe to produce Formula 1-focused art. The exhibit runs through race weekend, featuring paintings and sculptures from his Formula 1 collection. Visitors can also experience Oz live painting in the hotel’s lobby throughout the weekend.
- Las Vegas Off Road Experience offers a thrilling experience behind the wheel and off the track. Offerings include professional race trucks, dune buggies, Polaris RZRs and more.
- Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix offers visitors a family-friendly approach to the racetrack. The go-karting attraction also features rides, slides, games and an arcade.
- Palms Casino Resort will have four Ferraris on display in its lobby and valet from Sunday, Nov. 5 to Sunday, Nov. 19. Visitors can get up-close for a first-hand look at Ferrari models in pristine condition, including a red 333SP, a red LaFerrari FXX-K, a red Enzo FXX, and a black 599XX.
- SunBuggy Fun Rentals Las Vegas offers off-roading rentals (including ATVs and dune buggies) and experiences that take visitors to locations throughout the Mojave Desert.
- SPEEDVEGAS is a 100-acre motorsports complex where visitors can drive exotic supercars around a Formula 1-inspired racetrack with 12 sweeping turns, 15-degree bank turns, 60 feet of elevation change and a half-mile straightaway. Cars offered include models from Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren and more.
- The F1 Las Vegas Hub presented by American Express is open now through Wednesday, Nov. 22 in the Waterfall Atrium at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The state-of-the-art retail store features exclusive F1® merchandise and Las Vegas Grand Prix collaborations with some of the hottest brands in fashion, including Malbon Golf and UNDEFEATED. Available items will include eight Las Vegas Grand Prix collaborations for 2023, Formula 1® team gear and much more.
- McLaren Experience Center at Wynn Las Vegas, Powered by O’Gara at Wynn Las Vegas offers an immersive brand experience for McLaren fans, enthusiasts and potential customers. The store features a rotating display of three McLaren supercars, opportunities for visitors to configure their own dream McLaren on the McLaren showroom vehicle configurator, and a racing simulator a professional driver coach.
ELECTRIFYING ENTERTAINMENT
Las Vegas always offers an impressive entertainment lineup including resident headliners, hilarious stand-up comedians and more.
- Pop rock star Rod Stewart is back for more dates of his residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and from Friday, Nov. 17 to Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Rapper Jack Harlow takes the stage at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 16.
- DJ Chris Lorenzo plays a set at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on Friday, Nov. 17.
- Stand-up comic Bill Burr brings the laughs to Dolby Live at Park MGM on Friday, Nov. 17.
- Country artist Keith Urban continues his residency at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and from Friday, Nov. 17 to Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Comedians David Spade and Nikki Glaser team up for a show at The Venetian Theatre at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 16 and Friday, Nov. 17.
- Disco and funk artist Nile Rodgers and his band Chic play two nights at Voltaire Belle de Nuit at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 17.
WHERE TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING
Some of the world’s top DJs are bringing the noise around the clock to the destination’s luxurious dayclubs and state-of-the-art nightclubs.
- Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace presents sets by Steve Aoki (Thursday, Nov. 16), Martin Garrix (Friday, Nov. 17) and Alesso (Saturday, Nov. 18).
- Marquee Dayclub Dome at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas presents a set by Martin Garrix on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas presents sets by Cedric Gervais on Friday, Nov. 17 and Mustard on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Inspire Nightclub & Lounge presents a set by Paul Oakenfold on Friday, Nov. 17.
- Hakkasan Nightclub at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino presents sets by Fat Joe on Thursday, Nov. 16, Fisher on Friday, Nov. 17 and Steve Aoki on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas presents a performance by Travis Scott on Thursday, Nov. 16, and sets by Zedd and DJ Snake on Friday, Nov. 17 and Tiësto on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- TAO Nightclub at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas presents a set by Lil Jon on Saturday, Nov. 18.
- Voltaire Belle de Nuit at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas presents Amber Lounge, an exclusive afterparty experience following the race on Saturday, Nov. 18. The pop-up features a performance by Kylie Minogue and a DJ set from Jellybean Benitez.
- Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas presents sets by Dom Dolla and Purple Disco Machine on Friday, Nov. 17; ESPN’s Official Pre-Race Party with Marshmello and special guest Tyga on Saturday, Nov. 18; and a set by The Chainsmokers on Sunday, Nov. 19.
- XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas presents sets by Marshmello on Wednesday, Nov. 15; Sports Illustrated Circuit Series with The Chainsmokers on Thursday, Nov. 16: Swedish House Mafia on Friday, Nov. 17; Calvin Harris, Diplo and Dom Dolla on Saturday, Nov. 18; and RÜFÜS DU SOL and Black Coffee on Sunday, Nov. 19.
GETTING AROUND THE DESTINATION
Offering seven stops along the Strip, the Las Vegas Monorail will operate continuously from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14 through 3 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, ensuring fans can conveniently access the race footprint. Attendees can plan ahead and find the closest station to each race zone via this easy to follow map.
Individual rides and multi-day passes can be purchased at a discounted rate here.
For more information about Las Vegas, please visit www.VisitLasVegas.com.
ABOUT THE LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide and with operating the 4.6 million square-foot Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). With more than 150,000 hotel rooms and more than 15 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space in Las Vegas alone, the LVCVA’s mission centers on attracting leisure and business visitors to the area. The LVCVA also owns the Vegas Loop at Las Vegas Convention Center, designed and operated by The Boring Company, and also owns the Las Vegas Monorail, an elevated 3.9-mile system with seven stops throughout the resort corridor. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com, www.visitlasvegas.com or www.vegasmeansbusiness.com. -
Frontier Airlines begin Burbank airport service in July, with $19 flights to Las Vegas
Frontier Airlines announces it will begin flying out of Hollywood Burbank Airport this summer to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver
To celebrate, it’s offering discount fares for several locations — including Las Vegas.
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The low-fare air carrier will offer nonstop flights to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver from Burbank starting in July.
“We welcome Frontier Airlines and the services they’re launching at BUR just as leisure travel starts to ramp up again,”
Frank R. Miller
the airport’s executive director
said in a news release. “Our customers now have more choices, adding to the convenience of Hollywood Burbank Airport.”
Through May 17, travelers will be able to purchase introductory fares from Burbank as low as $19 for Las Vegas and Phoenix, and starting at $29 to Denver, the airline said. The deal is good on valid travel dates — for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights — between July 15 and Oct 6, 2021, excluding Sep. 1 through Sept. 7.
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The schedule is available at flyfrontier.com.
Frontier already offers flights out of other Southern California airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.
“We’re excited to add Hollywood Burbank Airport to our route map ”
said Josh Flyr, the airline’s vice president of network and operational design.
“The addition of Burbank will provide an even more convenient and easy to use option for many in the region.”
Frontier reminded travelers offered a slew of healthy and safety enhancements last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including requiring all passengers and crew members wear face masks throughout the flight.
Additionally, customers have to wash or sanitize their hands prior to boarding, undergo a pre-boarding temperature screening and confirm that neither they nor anyone in their household has exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 in the two weeks before flying,
Joe,
What a privilege to have shared such a lovely conversation with you. Thank you for your time, and for wanting to share The Orchid’s message with your audience and community.
The book is touching the lives of many people, and it is mostly because it is a reminder that we are powerful. It is also the realization that there are easily accessible tools at our disposal, which can help us claim that power. We do so by being AWARE, experiencing GRATITUDE and FORGIVENESS, living in ACCEPTANCE and having a clear INTENTION.
It is a privilege for us to have connected with you and we are humbled for your connection with The Orchid.
May its message help people live kinder, more fulfilled lives.
Rocio & Angel
Kinda coincidental that this book is here in Vegas. Lots of broken souls and broken hearts here LOL