This is the first morning all week that we haven't had multiple meetings and appointments before noon! I'm so happy to be able to sit down and share with everyone the latest updates on the restaurant.
First of all, and this is probably the greatest news EVER, we're going to be on the back cover of Westlake Magazine for their July/August Food & Wine Edition, and have a two page spread about us and Aroha. We had our interview a couple of weeks ago and on Monday, we did our photo shoot at our restaurant and the Westlake Yacht Club.
I have to say this now: I felt like a supermodel by the time our amazing hair and makeup artist, Nicola Gerboc, was done! And major props to her for getting my hair to stay like it did! My hair normally hates me when I try to style it, so the fact that she got it to not only stay, but stay for hours and through the wind, is a major attest to her talent.
For the shoot, Gwith and I brought two outfits to switch between. I, of course, brought my new dress that I bought in Milan, as well as a beautiful yellow one from Cache. Our first stop for the shoot was at the Westlake Yacht Club. In my life, I've done three photo shoots prior to this: our engagement photos, my CD cover, and our wedding photos. This, though, was the very first time I experienced a shoot like this. Our photographer, Jane Gibson, would come over to me and pose with me to instruct Gwith and I on how to pose. We were constantly being directed in how to angle our shoulders and our heads for each shot. I felt like a model for the day and truly loved it. Poor Gwith though was having trouble dealing with the sun and the reflector. He has a terrible habit of sneezing from the sun. So, I'm sure half of the photos are of him with squinty eyes! Part of me is waiting to see the cover and see his eyes closed. I'm assuming that won't happen but you never know, right?
We haven't received the photos yet from the shoot, but Nicola did take some amazing shots from her phone!
There's a possibility we'll be doing a follow up article with the magazine once the restaurant in opened. We had so much fun doing this one and are excited to build a friendship with the magazine. For more information on Westlake Magazine, visit their website. The magazine reaches approximately 40,000 readers each month throughout the Conejo Valley and surrounding cities including Westlake Village, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, West Hills, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Lake Sherwood, Hidden Valley and North Ranch Estates, Malibu, and other neighboring communities. Besides being available at multiple hotels and businesses throughout the areas, it can also be found at Gelson's, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, and various Ralph's and CVS stores within the area.
Aside from the fun photo shoot, we've been dealing with plenty of things for the restaurant as well. We met with the permit office on Tuesday and hopefully, by the end of this week, we will have our final permit done. Once that is finalized, the construction can really start moving forward and we can place an order for all of our equipment! Getting this permit will be a huge stress relief but it's also going to be a huge push towards our opening. Once we have it, there is literally nothing in our way between now and our currently planned, September opening.
Yesterday, we met with our landlord to discuss a few things, including the landscaping he will be doing outside the restaurant. Next week, we will be meeting with him and his landscaper to discuss the look of the entire outside. We are beyond honored to be included this decision. Tony is an awesome landlord and we are so lucky to have him. Currently, this is what the outside looks like:
Take a look, soak it in, because in a few months, it won't be remotely recognizable. I'm not going to spoil anything, but believe me when I say, it's going to be beautiful.
Outside of the restaurant, we somehow made time to see some friends, including our friend Ben, who we kidnapped for his 19th birthday yesterday. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!) Gwith seriously called him up and told him he had five minutes to get ready, before we picked him up, and took him to his favorite restaurant for lunch. Because he keeps thinking I'm going to post a photo of him on my blog, I thought it was time I finally did...and I've decided to post two just to make up for lost time.
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| Ben meeting Willow for the first time |
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| Lunch at Mandarin Lotus, the best Chinese Fusion restaurant on planet Earth |
In the next few days, I'll be writing Part Two of Our European Adventure, covering our time in the beautiful area of Tuscany! Here's "Our European Adventure, Part 1 - Chicago & Rome", for those of you who haven't had the chance to read it yet.
I look forward to sharing more updates about the restaurant in the upcoming weeks and be sure to pick up a copy of Westlake Magazine next month to learn more about us and Aroha!
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