It’s a big week for delicious local history! In addition to several opportunities to learn about some great culinary traditions of Los Angeles, you can also learn about the history of Larchmont itself. While food’s not directly involved in that event, I don’t think anyone would be mad at you for picking up some takeout from Larchmont to enjoy while you watch.
Arts & Culture
From now through November 15th, the 4th Annual Groundlings Diversity Festival is online. Take part in panels, workshops and performances exploring diversity and inclusion in entertainment, featuring participants like Groundlings alumni and special guests like Alexandra Billings, Jordan Black, Chloe Fineman, Will Forte, Daniele Gaither, Courtney Gilmour, Lyric Lewis, Roxana Ortega, Randall Park, Julia Sweeney and Danny Woodburn.
The 2nd annual Hollywood Foreign Press Associaton Foreign-Language Film Series starts Sunday, November 15th. You can request your free screeners of Beginning, The Best Years, Dear Comrades!, and New Order, four foreign language films that were submitted for consideration for Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film. In addition to being able to watch the movies, there will also be live Q&A’s with the filmmakers behind them. RSVP here by Monday, November 16th at 5:00 p.m. to access the whole series.
Another film screening you can attend is Sound of Metal, about an “itinerant punk-metal drummer [who] begins to unravel when he suddenly loses his hearing, and with it, his identity” with LACMA on Saturday, November 14th at 7:30 p.m. After the screening, hear a discussion with the film’s star Riz Ahmed and director Darius Marder.
If you’re more in the mood for classics, on Sunday, November 15th, head to the Hollywood Legion Theater Drive-In for a special tribute to Sean Connery with screenings of From Russia with Love 5:00 p.m. and Goldfinger at 7:50 p.m. Ticket includes unlimited popcorn, one soda and one candy for each passenger.
For a non-cinematic window into another world, head to Japan House Los Angeles’s newest exhibition, Windowology: New Architectural Views from Japan which “examines the role of windows as cultural objects and the ways in which they frame our vision and give unique perspectives on the world.” It’s a virtual / online experience “with a navigable 3D virtual tour and exclusive video content about the exhibition from director Igarashi Tarō.” The exhibit will be open to the public to view IRL once the gallery reopens.
As always, make sure to check the book events at Chevalier’s, which this week include a discussion of A Handful Of Earth, A Handful Of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler on Monday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. with author Lynell George, Aphasia, a novel by Mauro Javier Cárdenas on Tuesday, November 17th at 6:00 p.m., and Phillip Lopate the editor of the new anthology The Glorious American Essay on Thursday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m.
Community & History
On Wednesday, November 18th at 7:00 p.m. you can watch The Larchmont Buzz’s own co-publisher Patricia Lombard, author of Larchmont, who also serves as the President of The Ebell and member of the Fremont Place Association Board, present a history of Larchmont Boulevard with the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society! The event will include new photos and information not shared in the book previously, and if you buy the book through this event, it will be “hand-delivered by elves directly to your door with your desired personalized greeting in it.”
For even more local history, join The Art Deco Society on Sunday, November 15th at 4:00 p.m. for a screening and conversation with filmmakers Marc Chevalier and Seth M. Schulman about their documentary, The Oviatt Building. The film tells the “untold story of downtown Los Angeles’ first Art Deco jewel: the 1928 Oviatt Building and its opulent penthouse.” Tickets are $10 for members, $12 for the general public.
The Barnsdall Art Center’s annual Art & Craft Fair has also moved online this year. It opens Sunday, November 15th and runs through the end of the year. All sales will directly benefit the artists who are Barnsdall students and faculty.
Even though the Autry is closed, the 30th Annual American Indian Arts Marketplace is still taking place virtually on Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th. Purchase art, jewelry, and more online and hear “prerecorded artist and keynote talks, film programming from Indigenous directors.”
To learn even more about indigenous cultures, on Saturday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m. join the California Botanic Garden for Taste Wild II: Savor the Fall. Pick up a box of delicious savory food items prepared with native plants and then join the Garden virtually and taste along as you “learn about the culinary uses, cultural legacies and health benefits of the remarkable plants used in each recipe.”
Another delicious virtual event to attend is a live baking demonstration on Empanadas de Manzana (apple empanadas) on Saturday, November 14th at 2:00 p.m. with LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. You can also learn how to make Toasted Coconut Horchata on Monday, November 16th at 3:00 p.m. with Esteban Castillo, author of the award-winning food blog and cookbook Chicano Eats.
And finally on the food theme, on Saturday, November 14th at 10:30 a.m., catch the Culinary Historians of Southern California present “a free Zoom class on the history and culture of kimchi with master food preserver Hae Jung Cho, who will discuss and demonstrate how to make kimchi, the national food of Korea.”
Local Government
On Thursday, November 19th at 10:00 a.m., join Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Economic Development to celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day to help “inspire, empower, and catalyze diverse, yet like-minded individuals, agencies, and organizations to help women-owned businesses realize their full potential in Los Angeles and throughout the world.” Wednesday’s event will include “remarks from successful and emerging local women entrepreneurs, breakout sessions with leading experts, a financial resource expo, and networking opportunities with other women entrepreneurs and organizations.”
The Los Angeles County Development Authority normally offers an in-person annual Community Meeting and Resource Fair for Los Angeles County residents, but this year it’s moved online on Saturday, November 14th at 1:00 p.m. and will feature “speakers from the Housing Rights Center, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and LACDA and provide information on housing, homelessness, and economic development that may be affecting your community.” Register for the event here.
The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s General Board Meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 18th at 7:00 p.m. Find the meeting agenda and board documents here.
