METROSOURCE LA - DEC22/JAN23

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:  Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS.

Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin

 any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY

Tell your healthcare provider if you:

 Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.

 Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.

 Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:

 Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-thecounter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may a ect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side e ects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.

 Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.



Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.



Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side e ects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%). These are not all the possible side e ects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY

GET MORE INFORMATION

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2022 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0008 01/22

HOLIDAY LIGHTS

in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

– HOLIDAY LIGHTS. THROUGHOUT MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I’m starting to see the bright outline of homes when the sun goes down. As I stroll through the city at night, colorful twinkling lights illuminate the way.

Somehow people shine brighter during the season as well. As we celebrate our accomplish ments with co-workers and plan gatherings with friends and loved ones, something lights up inside us.

Our writers at Metrosource have captured some interesting celebrity insights, sourced delightful holiday gifts and useful products, as well as uncovered some entertaining activities to light up your hearts this season.

Each year around this time, I try my hand at baking. I do make a mean walnut brownie. Now if I were really adventurous with my sifter and rolling pin, I’d attempt a triple-decker ‘piecaken’ and really wow the family. But maybe I’ll leave that to the experts like Zac Young who was named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America. In this issue we’ve captured his inspiring story from the wig department at Radio City Music Hall to Top Chef on the Food Network.

After ringing in 2023 on New Year’s Eve and the holiday visitors have headed home, the remainder of the month of January is actually an ideal time for a weekend getaway. Flights and lodging are often deeply discounted and the crowds and wait times are almost non-existent.

PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

COPY EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

MARKETING DIRECTOR

FEATURE WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bent Share Entertainment, LLC Michael Westman

James Delyea

Cesar A Reyes Christopher Jackson Alexander Rodriguez

Ben Rimalower

James Delyea

Jeffrey James Keyes Mark Thompson Megan Venzin Michael Westman

NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING

Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com

Speaking of music, you’ll want to check out some of the shows and albums out this season. Our Scope section has some euphonious options such as Joss Stone’s debut Christmas album Merry Christmas, Love. Or the traveling tour Jinx & DeLa Holiday Show which promises new songs and antics that will “test the limits of stupidity” from RuPaul favorites BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon.

There are a couple of movies that top my viewing list this winter. One of them is Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, the Jim Parsons romantic drama that’s sure to be an emotional wrench. (Find out the behind-the-scenes scoop in our cover feature Jim Parsons: In a Whole New Light.) The other is the next installment of the all-star romp Knives Out which brings back Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in a whole new whodunit scenario with a fresh all-star cast including one of my favorites, Leslie Odom, Jr.,

A trip to California’s Wine Country is quite enjoyable during winter months with its mild climate, picturesque countryside and gay-welcoming establishments. Check out www.LGBTwinemap.com for ideas on where to sip, stay and eat. A must-do (and must-drink) in Sonoma County is a visit to Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery. You can find out more about their cel ebrated winemaker, Theresa Heredia, in this issue.

If you’re looking for a more active winter getaway adventure, Sin City Classic Sports Fes tival will welcome over 10,000 LGBTQ+ athletes competing in 24 different sports to Las Vegas from Jan 12-15. It’s the largest gathering of its kind on the planet.

However you choose to celebrate, please know the team at Metrosource appreciates your readership throughout the year and wishes each of you a healthy and happy season. May the ‘holi day lights’ in your hearts glow bright.

Cheers!

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Advertisers in Metrosource acknowledge that they do business in the spirit of cooperation, fairness and service, maintaining a high level of integrity and responsibility. Providers of products or services are fully and solely responsible for same as advertised. Metrosource assumes no responsibility or liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers. The appearance of any person, model, business or organization in this publication, by name, advertisement or photograph is not an indication of sexual orientation.

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WINTER IS UPON US AND THE LONGER NIGHTS OF DECEMBER AND JANUARY ALWAYS BRING ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE SEASON

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

COURTESY HENNESSY WINKLER

• NICK ADAMS

PHOTO BY BELLA MARIE ADAMS

by Jesse Dittmar

THE JINX & DELA HOLIDAY SHOW

MULTIPLE DATES AND CITIES

THESCOPE

ATTEND

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT… YOU BETTER NOT CRY… BENDELACREME AND JINKX MONSOON ARE COMING TO YOUR TOWN! The Queens of Christmas are coming back to your town with the wildly successful, internationally acclaimed Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show! Another holiday season brings another year of fabulous spectacle, whip-smart comedy, brand new songs, and annual favorites. Join the sugary DeLa and spicy Jinkx for an evening the New York Times says is “sure to lift your spirits and make you howl with laughter.”

BenDeLaCreme says, “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show is joyous, hilarious, surreal ist, communal, and heartwarming. Nothing makes me feel more connected to the good in the world than the seas of people we get to celebrate the season with night after nightlaughing, cheering, and being in our feelings together. I’m so lucky to get to experience that each year, and I hope you all will experi ence it with us.”

Jinkx Monsoon (who just won All Stars -Season 7) adds, “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show will take everything you expect from a drag queen variety show, and spin it on its side. It will test the limits of stupidity, while being unexpectedly deep and reflective. We strive for entertainment while always prov ing that the holidays are for you to celebrate however you want to.”

BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are the sole writers of their holiday shows, a major achievement for two drag artists who tour at such a large scale each year. Jinkx says, “I think it is important that the show is created BY us, so it’s decidedly FOR us, and those like us. So often, queer and drag stories are written by outsiders, and lack an authenticity that queer audiences crave. Cre ating the show ourselves, from the ground up, ensures that that authenticity is infused in every aspect of the production.”

Together, this pair is an unstoppable delight. Visit www.jinkxanddela.com for news, merchandise, tour dates and tickets.

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

DETECTIVE BENOIT BLANC (DANIEL CRAIG) IS AT IT AGAIN, WORKING TO SOLVE A MYSTERIOUS MURDER, THIS TIME ON A BEACH IN GREECE. The all-star cast includes Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. The first Knives Out followed a squabbling family, but as in many other places, Glass Onion takes a different approach. Norton plays Miles Bron, a tech billionaire who invites his coterie of friends to a private island for a murder mystery party - all larger-thanlife personalities. Smack in the middle of it is Detective Benoit Blanc and his signature accent, played by Daniel Craig.

“They’re all performing,” writer and director Rian Johnson told Netflix. “They’re all operating in an elevated way. It’s not a family in the middle of New England working their stuff out. These are people who are all making their living, whether it’s as politicians or as rock star scientists, or as fashion magnates.”

“It was a no-brainer, really, just to come and work with Rian again,” Craig added.“We had such an amazing cast in the last one and I didn’t know how we were going to top that, but we’ve equaled it. The working experience, just to come on set and make these movies, is such fun.”

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery comes to Netflix on December 23. Get ready to laugh.

JOSS STONE MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVE

enthuses.

Nearly two decades ago, Joss exploded on the music scene with her platinum-selling, breakout debut The Soul Sessions (also on S-Curve). Since then, she has won a Grammy (plus four addi tional nominations), released two platinum-certified albums, collaborated with everyone from Mick Jagger and Smokey Rob inson to Raphael Saadiq and The Roots, and many more. Joss recently won The Masked Singer UK in 2021 and celebrated the ten-year anniversary for Soul Sessions Vol. 2 this past July.

Inspired by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and Michael Buble, Merry Christmas, Love celebrates the holiday season with fifteen classic Christmas tracks including favorites such as “Let It Snow,”“Jingle Bells,”“Silent Night” and more, plus two new original songs written by Joss,“If You Believe” and “Bring on Christmas Day” - a track celebrating her lifetime love for the joyful holiday.

Joss returns to Nashville, her current hometown and the city where Merry Christmas, Love was recorded, for her debut per formance at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry on Saturday December 10th.

Download and stream at https://hollywoodrecs.lnk.to/MerryChristmasLove.

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER AND SONGWRITER JOSS STONE’S DEBUT CHRISTMAS ALBUM MERRY CHRISTMAS, LOVE REPRESENTS A LIFELONG LOVE OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC, AND A QUEST TO PRESENT THE MUSIC IN A TIMELESS BUT AUTHENTIC WAY. “It was ambitious to do this, but it was such a joy to make my dream project come true,” Joss

16TH ANNUAL SIN CITY CLASSIC SPORTS FESTIVAL

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 12-15, 2023

THE 2023 FESTIVAL, WHICH IS THE LARGEST ANNUAL LGBTQ+ SPORTING EVENT IN THE WORLD, will return to Las Vegas and include new competitions: pickleball and sand volleyball. Hosted at the Flamingo Las Vegas, the Sin City Classic now features a total of 24 sports consisting of approximately 10,000 LGBTQ+ athletes and allies from around the world.

“Now in our 16th year, the Sin City Classic continues to grow and evolve. This year we see the addition of pickleball, one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and sand volleyball, adding to the diverse lineup of competitions and events that the fes tival offers. We’re excited that the festival continues to expand and offers ways for all members of our diverse community to participate,”said GLASA Commissioner and Sin City Classic CoExecutive Director Dr. Jason Peplinski.

Greater Los Angeles Softball Association (GLASA) created the Sin City Classic in 2008 as an LGBTQ+ softball tournament meant to provide a safe and competitive atmosphere for LGBTQ+ athletes. Over the past 16 years, the tournament has grown to include 24 sports and approximately 10,000 athletes and fans. GLASA remains committed to creating the best experience pos sible for a diverse roster of dedicated athletes who participate and the fans and allies to come to enjoy the festival.

For more information about the Sin City Classic or to register your team, please visit www.sincityclassic.org.

ARMY OF LOVERS

BY K.M. SOEHNLEIN

FRANCISCO

($20.95)

A POWERFUL NOVEL BORN OUT OF THE AUTHOR’S

ACTIVISM

VIBRANT QUEER COMMUNITY OF THE ’80S AND ’90S. Army of Lovers tells the story of Paul, who after arriving in New York full of idealism discovers the queer community gathering strength in the face of government inaction and social stigma associated with HIV. As he protests, parties, and makes a new home, he finds himself pulling away from his HIV-negative boyfriend to pursue an intense bond with a passionate, HIV-positive artist. Paul’s awakening parallels ACT UP’s rise, successes, and controversies. And then everything shifts again, as he and his family find themselves thrust into their own life-and-death struggle that tests their faith and their bonds even further.

With praise from fellow authors Armistead Maupin and Andrew Sean Greer among others, Army of Lovers was released with debut readings in San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs.

“Soehnlein

—Armistead

“Sometimes, your personal history overlaps with actual history,” says Soehn lein. “For me, that was the AIDS activist movement. I wanted to write this book because I lived through something historic: the queer community saving itself from extermination.”

Applauding the fact that other writers and filmmakers have and still are docu menting the history of AIDS activism, Soehnlein’s aim with Army of Lovers is to “give readers an emotional, psychological, even spiritual experience of what it was like to live it. My generation of gay men came out into the early AIDS epidemic. There was no glorious ‘before’ time, and we weren’t sure if there was any future for us either.”

For those who did not live through the era, but especially for those who did, Army of Lovers might best be seen as a time machine conjuring up the music, media, fashion, and political arguments of 30 years ago. One that revisits the real joys and excitement of being young at a time when you could rent an apartment in New York for a couple hundred bucks a month on the one hand, yet also have to deal with the hovering specter of HIV descending on your inner circle on the other. Visit www.kmsoehnlein.com to purchase this, or the author’s other works.

SAN

AUTHOR AND LAMBDA AWARD WINNING NOVELIST K.M. SOEHNLEIN CREATES

OWN

INSIDE THE

delivers a sprawling portrait of our darkest days, capturing all the anger and heartbreak and heroic love that forged who we are today. If you want to know how it felt, read this.”

Maupin, author of Tales of the City

ZAC

YOUNG DISHING WITH A TOP CHEF

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

EVERY YEAR, VIEWERS TUNE INTO FOOD NET WORK’S HALLOWEEN BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP JUST TO SEE WHAT COSTUMES ZAC YOUNG, NAMED ONE OF THE TOP TEN PASTRY CHEFS IN AMERICA BY DESSERT PROFESSIONALS, WILL BE WEARING. From Liza to a headless bellman to Chuckie to a sassy cupcake, Zac has worn them all, giving the looks and dishing out witty cri tiques by the pound. No stranger to TV, he is a thriving entrepreneur behind the scenes as the founder of both PieCaken Bakeshop and Sprinkletown Bakeshop, providing sweets and treats nationwide with his signature style. We must admit, the PieCaken has given us more than our fair share of calories through the holi days, in between, and on the weekends.

This master chef first got interested in food as a retaliation against the most ironic of child hoods – treatless and sugarless.

I have the most amazing family ever. My mother, Sue Young, is truly the kind est, most loving, most incredible mother, except for the fact that food was not love. We ate so we didn’t die. My mother was way ahead of her time in gluten-free, veganism, and farm-to-table. I mean, we’d go shop at the food co-op which now, as an adult, actually is incredible because my relationship with food is so much better. We were eating kale and quinoa before you could pronounce it. But it was challenging growing up because no one would trade snacks with me at lunch. “I have some hummus! You guys want some hummus?” And they’d respond, “What’s that? That’s not a Dunkaroo!” So, yeah, I think baking was my final act of rebellion because honestly, nothing else worked. Crashed cars? Mom would say, “That’s fine. That’s what insurance is for.” I came out, she’s okay, “Honey, I always knew.” Then I go for, “Mom, I want to be a pastry chef.” And she retorts, “I didn’t raise you with those values.”

But my grandmother was an incredible cook. She was a Renaissance woman way ahead of her time. She owned a restaurant, owned an antique store, owned racehorses. She was a feisty, independent, slightly ornery woman but just the most amazing cook. My biggest food memories growing up were with her during the holi days, because Sue Young wasn’t cooking!

“Turkey? Not in my oven!”

Despite his petite stature and frame, Zac’s personality is bigger than life. He adds the perfect dash of humor to everything he does and the constant twinkle in his eyes lets you know his mind is always cooking up something new. His way of looking at things is deliciously unique, apparently a childhood trait.

I was the kid who no one knew what to do with. In eighth-grade biology class, the teacher came in and I was dancing with the skeleton. Who does that? I was also the kid who they had to stop sending to the principal’s office because I loved the principal. I would rather be in the prin cipal’s office than in class with my peers. I was kind of this slightly rambunctious, misfit kid. I never really related to my peers except in theater and in dance. And I was always with the adults.

Theatre was a big part of Zac’s life. He attended a performing arts high school and was singing and dancing his way through puberty. His theatrical interactions would take him from New England to New York City, not finding any passion in his college education, he left school after two years. His first professional designs were not in the kitchen, but rather for Radio City Musical Hall, by way of odd jobs.

When I was doing any form of theater, I’d always find myself in the costume shop hanging out. One day, one of them said to me, “If you’re going to hang out here, we’re going to put you to work. Here’s a seam ripper.” They started showing me how to sew and let me into their design process. I ended up spending more time in the costume shop than I did in rehearsals.

When I moved to New York, I did a couple of survival jobs. The first one, I worked coat check at Tao, in the Lindsay Lohan days. It was just crazy. I actually made more money working coat check at Tao, minute by minute, than I do now. I got a job as a busboy at Tavern on the Green. I had no clue what a busboy did, by the way, and lied my way into that job. I don’t think I ever bused a table the entire summer, which is what a busboy does. I stood there offering the tables bread. I was like, oh, this is great, I can be the bread boy and just like dole out the bread from the basket. I sold furniture, and then this opportunity came up. I knew the head of wardrobe at Radio City, she was the mother of a friend of mine, and I just ended up knocking on her door and

saying, “Hey, l would love to work here on the Christmas show.” So I ended up work ing in the wig department.

During his Radio City time, especially during the holidays, his personal hobby would start to thrive, putting the PieCaken and Food Network on the horizon.

I really wanted to make Christmas cookies, so I went to Williams-Sonoma and bought a KitchenAid (like you do when you’re interested in something) and this basic cookie cookbook. Let me teach myself how to make cookies. I became obsessed with the creativity within the confines of science just based on the cook ies. So, I would make an oatmeal raisin cookie and thought, that works really well, now what if I add blueberries? Fresh blueberries don’t work. What if I add chocolate-covered pretzels to the peanut

butter cookie? Oh, this works. I ended up waking up every morning at 5:00am before a six-show day and baking a few batches of cookies and bringing them into work and pawning them off. And then it turned into people wanting to buy them for Christmas presents. Oh, cookies for cash! Radio City was winding down for the season and Sue Young, a vegan mom of all people, said, “You’re not auditioning, you’re not talking about going onto another show in wardrobe or hair, all you’re talking about are your cookies. Why don’t you go to culinary school?” For me, that never was a thought, I didn’t even know that existed. So, I went to apply to culinary school to make cookies. Well, they didn’t have a cookie program, so I ended up with pastry.

So began his time at the Institute of Culinary

Education. He had found his place, all of the elements that he loved so much came together in one experience.

It’s funny, going into culinary school I knew nothing. But you also like to think that you know everything, right? So you learn one technique, and think “I know how to do this!” After the initial cockiness I found out that, no, there are seven ways to peel a grape, you need to fully immerse yourself in this. But what I fell in love with was the same thing I loved with cookies, which was this creativity within the structure of science. What I realized was (after years of therapy too), as a creative kid and person, the structure of rules, having that to play with and to push against and to bend a little bit - I need that. I crave that. It was art, design, science - all of these things that I was randomly good at came

together in one field.

Zac’s first big professional food gig with the esteemed Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery was a story for the books. Not a fairy tale, mind you, but a sitcom scene.

Bouchon Bakery was opening in the Time Warner Center, this was a huge opening. I was still in culinary school, and we had to do internships at the end of culinary school. So, I got a job working front of house, working the bakery counter there so I could ingratiate myself with the organization and become the first intern there. I was awful, I was so bad. I was great at the front of the house. I can sell a baked good. But again, coming out of culinary school, I had no clue how these things operated, zero clue. On my second day there, I was taking a shortcut, clearly. I needed to soften some peanut butter, so

I took the whole jar of peanut butter and popped it in the microwave. Except, when you open a jar of peanut butter, there’s a little foil ring on top. Next thing you know smoke is billowing out of the climate con trol chocolate room that probably cost half a million dollars to build out, and the fire alarm at Time Warner is going off. They didn’t fire me, which I am very grateful for! I could have also just walked out, but I was too dumb to do that. I thought, oh, well, I lived to scoop cookies another day.

That’s the attitude, gumption, and bright ness that Zac infuses into his teachings and his mentorship. What works in the kitchen also works in life. The challenges, the mishaps, the successes, all of it. He stresses to his bakers that nothing goes according to plan, and you have to pivot and adapt and finish the dish. He went to study a bit in France, worked four years as pastry chef at Alex Guarnaschelli’s Butter restau rant in midtown New York, and started a donut revolution making The New York Times Top Ten Donuts in NYC.

Talking to Zac is like talking to that bestie who can keep you chatting at happy hour for hours. And though we’ve seen him on Top Chef: Just Desserts, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Worst Cooks in America, and, of course, the Baking Championships, his personal life hasn’t been in the spotlight, it’s been his skillful creations and comedic critiques. But the more he chats about his journey, the more the jokes and quips give way to the personal Zac. His successful and col orful career did not come without its bumps and bruises. Though his career is centered on food, his relationship with eating hasn’t always been the healthiest. With body image being a big part of anyone’s life, it is even more so as a part of the gay community.

It’s something that I haven’t talked about publicly. I mean, all my friends know. My weight has been up and down my whole life. I was a chunky kid through high school. (The Bar Mitzvah album – if you dig in my Instagram, you’ll see the picture.)

During my last season at Radio City, I was just disenchanted with entertainment and what I was doing. Not necessarily Radio City, but just my life in general. I stopped eating because it was the only thing I could control. It got to the point where I think I was 107 pounds. Everyone started commenting about it and I thought I was fitting into the twink archetype. My

mother came to see the Christmas show and broke down in tears and said, “You don’t look healthy, something is very wrong here.”

Zac returned home with his mother for a few weeks, getting treatment from the family doctor.

I tell him I’m obsessing over calo ries and what I’m putting in my body because it’s the only thing I can control. Instead of going the anorexia treatment route, he went the OCD route saying, “this is where your brain is going, and this is what your focus is on.” So, once he broke that cycle and with medication and whatnot, all of a sudden, all of that obsession went away. I came around to the fact that it was the only thing I could control in my life because the rest of it wasn’t great. Then there was the ques tion of, is it really a good idea for me to go to culinary school given all of these food issues? He said, “Let’s try it and see what happens.” And so, six months later, I had gained 15 pounds, which is good, and everything worked out well for me.

Coming out of that and recognizing my relationship with food and also pulling in some of the values that my mom gave me growing up in terms of valu ing food as fuel as opposed to seeing it as - oh, isn’t this tasty. Now, I would say I have a very healthy relationship. Of course, do I overcompensate at the gym? Absolutely. Every summer I think, oh, time to break out the caftan, cut carbs and stop drinking! Those influences don’t go away. My key is obsessing over it. And when it starts to go down that spiral, it’s not worth it.

For better or for worse, food is the common denominator of our lives. That’s one of the reasons that I love what I do because it’s the universal language and it’s something we can all relate over. And when it comes to our relationship with food and our bodies, that should be the easiest of conversations. And instead, it becomes taboo. Or it becomes comparative.

From cutting it up with fellow Baking Championship judges Carla Hall and Stepha nie Boswell, selling out and shipping out his signature PieCakens to a drooling nation, fill ing national contracts with Costco, to charming us on social media, his life is full. As he nears a

YOU CAN HIDE A LOT UNDER GLITTER“

milestone birthday, he looks back and reflects on how he has changed the most.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, especially where it comes to food. Times change, food changes, right? I feel like now I am simpler than ever. I became known for over-the-top sparkles, fire, sprinkles, and glitter. Don’t worry, that is still there. But I find myself going back to these very simple roots. What I’m baking at home or on the weekend is something that is at its core, simple. And I feel like I value the simplicity of even a slice of cake. You can hide a lot under glitter.

I’ve become much more self-aware, and a lot of that is being able to celebrate myself. Being on Bravo and Top Chef, I knew I filmed a TV show, but I never realized anyone would say anything to

me about it in real life. When people start commenting, you get a little bit of an ego. I shut it off and strive to be humble. I feel like that is such a noble quality. I still have so much more to do. So why would I lead with anything that I’ve done?

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. You got a promotion at work. You started from nothing. You were the first person in your family to go to college. There are all these things to celebrate, and I feel like we should celebrate ourselves more. For me, marching into 40, I feel like I can be a little more comfortable. ■

Check out Zac’s goodies at PieCakenBakeShop.com and follow him on IG: @Zac_Young

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

during World War II, a simple love story between a cowboy and a farm girl told against the backdrop of the establishment of the state of Oklahoma was a great escape for theatergoers. Departing from the glitzy and bombastic musicals of the era, Oklahoma! was scaled down yet beautiful in its storytelling. The instant hit earned a special Pulitzer Prize, has spawned numerous revivals earning Tony and Olivier Awards on the way, a film version earning four Academy Award nominations, and too many to count high school productions. The music continues to have a major presence in musical theatre and “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” and “People Will Say We’re in Love” are at the forefront of the Rodgers and Hammerstein library. While offering an escape for wartime audiences, certain musicals of the time still snuck in socially and politically evocative themes through hit songs, dance numbers, and lush scores.

Now, for the first time in over 40 years, a FirstClass Equity production of the musical tours North America, Oklahoma! is back. Under the direction and reimagining by Daniel Fish, this is not your grandma’s musical. Those darker subjects and subtle storylines are now center stage, brightly lit. Infamously coined “Woke-lahoma,” the revival touring production throws all theatre conventions out the window. You have never seen or heard Oklahoma! like this, ever. Told in the present time, the show is stripped of fancy sets and a theatre orchestra. Without changing the script, the show is thrust into our current social malaise without apology and shoves a mirror at our current nation, bumps and all. Gone are the lyrical sopranos and well-polished baritones, these actors are singing from the heart without pomp and circumstance.

To add to the modern take, the lead charac ters that generations of theatergoers have come to know are played by multiracial, non-binary, and trans actors. Gasp! Not without controversy, the production has elicited both walkouts as well as standing ovations from brand-new audiences. Is

mainstream theatre ready? Ready or not, audi ences are seeing trailblazing actors take to the stage as the show swept across the nation. Trans actor Hennessy Winkler made waves in LGBTQ and theatre history with his portrayal of Will Parker, the love-seeking cowboy and Broadway’s every man in chaps and boots. And for the controversy regarding the show? He is ready for it.

We have a whole new generation now that loves this Rodgers and Hammerstein piece. So even if you’re upset by it, it’s getting people to love classic musical theater. It is not the same orchestrations, but it is the same music and the same story, and I think that’s important. I mean, what is the ater if not to challenge an audience, if not to have them leave with questions, if not to stir something up? And if you can take such a classic piece as this and bring it to today and let it touch people in a different kind of way, that is really giving it more life.

Not only is this production of Oklahoma! a milestone for theatre, but it is also a milestone for

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA! HIT THE BROADWAY STAGE ALMOST 80 YEARS AGO. Premiering

Winkler on his path as a trans man. This is not his first brush with the musical.

My dad was always a really big fan of Oklahoma!, it’s his favorite musical. And so, I grew up knowing it, watching it, and hearing the music. He was always captivated by how the voices were used in the elements of nature, like how the sopranos in Oklahoma! replicated the wind sweeping down the plane. I grew up as a fan of all these old musicals.

In the mid-2000s I was called back for Oklahoma! as Ado Annie, actually. So, for me to be able to play Will Parker, her love interest, basically the male Ado in the show, has really been full circle as an actor and as a transman. It has beauti fully marked my journey in all those ways. I am just so grateful to be a part of it. And to be honest, I am such a Will Parker anyway. Daniel (Fish) made it clear to all of us when we got this job that we were cast because he wanted us in these charac ters. He wanted us to wrap the characters around who we are and not necessarily become another person. So, we were able to bring ourselves to them.

Bringing Hennessy’s true self to the stage has not been a quick journey. Even as the the atre scene has always been known to push the envelope, trans actors have not been given many opportunities to find their voice on mainstream Broadway.

I came out about 10 years before I started physically transitioning. The reason I held off so long on doing that was because I was an actor. My book was filled with female songs, I was trained as a female, I danced as a female, and I did not want to start all over. I feel like even before a trans person, I am an actor. I am a storyteller. I had done well looking like a woman, I thought I was strong. I had an incredible high belt and soprano notes and was afraid to give that up. All those years and years and years and years of training.

So, that was a whole pick your battles type thing. People would “she” me all the time, but I was going out for female roles. So long as my close friends and family that knew I was a man used the correct pronouns, I was fine with that. I knew what I looked like, and I know the world I’m in. It’s been very affirming now, after having transitioned. This is my first job

ONCE I SHOW UP, I’LL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF”

since and it is the universe telling me I’m on the right track, you know? It’s like they didn’t know I was a man, but they could sense that something (and this has been my whole life) was off. It’s like they could see me even though they didn’t know.

I was never really in any closet. I don’t go around saying, “Hi! I’m trans Hennessy!” I just like to meet people as myself, and if they find out about me being trans or if I can use it to my advantage in this industry, which we’re at a point in time now where I can, I will play that card to get jobs, to get work, to talk about it. You have to take the good things that you can when you’re given a situation like this in the world. We are at a time in history now where it’s just like this weird cusp of a wave and I’m going to ride it. I’ll ride the trans wave. I’ll check your boxes in casting, whatever you want, just give me the job. Because once I show up, I’ll blow your socks off.

Being part of a trailblazing production is not without its drawbacks. While bigger cities like Los Angeles may be more open to trans actors retelling classic theatre in a progressive way, not every city is quite ready. Just look at our political division that’s going on from state to state, city to city. Marking Hennessy’s first national tour, he was completely aware of the danger, even from the stage.

We traveled with a security guard. We traveled through the South in all those states that hold this musical in the fabric of their upbringing. We had chunks of the audience leave after Act One. Good riddance to the people who left. We know why you’re leaving and we probably don’t want you here anyway. We’ve upset a lot of people with this show. It’s been wild ride. But it can also get disheartening sometimes.

We’ve spoken directly to the audience to remind them we are not avatars, but human beings, and they need to stop having a full-out, loud voice conversation in the front row - we’re working. We’ve had people screaming at us as they walked out. But that’s what I was saying about theater, if it doesn’t jostle something in you, what are we doing here? So, while all that sounds negative, I think we all collectively came to this place where it was like, yeah, okay, this is what it is and we know what we’re doing and what we’re here for. We

AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT I’M DOING OPEN UP DOORS FOR OTHER TRANS MASCULINE AND TRANS MALE ACTORS”

have a story to tell and we are gonna tell it. And if it pisses you off, then you can leave. And hopefully, ideally, you’ll question why it pissed you off so much. But, you know what? Those were also some of the most powerful places we were in because I’d have young trans guys in the middle of Alabama emailing me being to say, “Oh my God, this, this musical saved my life.” Or like, “I can’t believe that you’re up there doing this. I never thought it was something I could do,” or “I saw myself up there.”That’s worth all the walkouts, that’s worth a whole theater of walkouts.

Headlines for the show have quickly picked up and highlighted the presence of trans actors. While Hennessy is lauded for his charm, stage presence, and skill, he is often categorized as being trans first. Does he ever feel overshad owed by the use of his personal labels when it comes to his profession?

My trans advocacy and queer advocacy comes in the form of “if you ask me about it, I want to talk about it.” I decided that at the beginning of this tour. Also, for me as a trans man, trans male erasure in the indus try is a real thing. A lot of people don’t know we exist. They know that our sisters exist, and so I’ve really revelled when people do their research and find out that I’m trans and mention that, or when they ask me about it, I love it. It helps me feel seen. I’ve taken the opportunities as often as I can to talk about it. I’m proud to be a trans man. I’m on a Broadway tour and I would love to see what I’m doing open up doors for other trans masculine and trans male actors trying to do the same thing that I’m doing. If you come to see the show, you’ll see that I’m a professional actor, that I show up. But trans-masculine represen tation is something that I really hold dear to my heart. And I’m honored to be a voice of that to extent I can.

Who can say how quickly a production like this one will inspire other productions to cast trans actors in mainstream roles. Who can say how Oklahoma! will affect other classic presenta tions of shows, or even how high schools start to present the show. In the words of Oklahoma!’s hero Curly,“Country’s a-changin’, got to change with it.” ■

For more information about the show, head to OklahomaBroadway.com

Follow Hennessy on IG: @HennessyHaole

ONCE I WAS OFFICIALLY OUT IN THE PRESS, I FELT VERY HAPPY.”

THIS PAGE: JIM PARSONS

PHOTO BY KRISTIN CALLAHAN/ACE

PICTURES/SHUTTERSTOCK

IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT

Every day the show airs in constant reruns and it’s hard to imagine that the iconic show is gone. As some TV actors suffer the fate of losing their career by being typecast as the very character that earned them fame, Parson’s career continues to thrive and though he looks back affection-ately at Sheldon, his focus is on the future. This season sees the premiere of Spoiler Alert, an emotional roller coaster of a film that will no doubt garner headlines that read “Jim Parsons, Like You’ve Never Seen Him Before!” Indeed, this is Parsons at his most intimate, his most vulnerable. Sheldon is clearly a figure of the past.

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

Parsons was raised in a suburb of Houston. His dad owned a plumbing business while his mom was a teacher. Parsons’ personality devel oped early. He recounts his early childhood as being a good, sweet, and obedient kid, although not the greatest student. Even in his middleaged adulthood, he still feels the need to be that good kid.

The acting bug bit Jim early at the age of six, playing the role of the Kola-Kola bird in a school production of The Elephant’s Child. His journey to becoming a nine-time Emmy Award nomi nee (winning four), four-time Golden Globe nominee (winning for Big Bang), and one of the highest-paid actors in television, had begun. His parents would be his first fans.

They were incredibly supportive, and they loved me doing theater. They certainly weren’t stage parents. We didn’t have many audition opportunities, or we didn’t know about them. And I wasn’t even curious about them. I didn’t know myself when I first went to college I was going to really venture, full throttle into it. I thought it was an iffy career choice and obviously risky. I went to college for one year, not majoring in theater, and I was like, “nope, I think I need to try this.” My mother was rightfully worried about it and it was really my father that kind of told her, “We have to let him try. You know, why did we bother to send a kid to college if we’re gonna say, don’t do what you wanna do?” Thankfully he did that. She wasn’t unsupportive. She was just scared for me.

Parsons would go on to appear in a number of plays while getting his degree at the Uni versity of Houston and graduate school would bring him to Southern California. Classical the atre would be his muse, and he was one of seven students accepted into a special two-year course in partnership with San Diego’s Old Globe The ater. Who knew that his training in Shakespeare and the like would serve as the foundation for his success in a sitcom?

Classical text can be very dense. Having these wonderful instructors and taking their classes about how to break that down and to learn how to make it believable and just to understand it, really paid off dividends for me. With Big Bang there was some denser, or at least complicated, dialogue that sometimes referenced

FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, JIM PARSONS PORTRAYED THEORETICAL PHYSICIST SHELDON COOPER IN THE RUN AWAY HIT BIG BANG THEORY

scientific terms and things like that. Not that I played any sports, but I think of it like practicing with a heavy baseball bat. And then when you swing with a regu lar bat in your hand, it really just flies. It was like that. Once I had honed myself with this dense material, a little less dense felt comfortable.

It was also during his college years that Jim would start to consider his burgeoning sexual ity. His coming out would develop over time in his personal life, and even longer in his profes sional one.

There was this one guy in our theater department who I just had such a crush on. And I always say it was the moment of realizing that my feelings for another person, in that way, could be in full color. It wasn’t black and white. I don’t mean to imply insincerity with the affection I felt for my girlfriend - we were very close, but it was just different. There was a real rain bow connection as it were. It just felt like there was that aspect in my life that I’d never seen in color before. Then I started coming out to my friends and coworkers, but it was many years later before I came out to my family. And that was really when I met Todd, who would eventually become my husband. I was out in so many aspects of my life that the family seemed just easier to keep at bay. And I thought, who cares? Until I met somebody that I was like, “oh, I’d like them to know him. While I think of him romantically, I also think of him as family, and he should know my family.” And that’s when I took that step which was late in life, certainly later nowadays.

Jim’s success did not happen overnight. He has recounted auditioning anywhere from 15 to 30 times for pilots during the early years, and those in which he was cast somehow never came to fruition. His outlook in a sea of “noes” remained optimistic. Talking to Jim is refresh ingly positive, the optimism that got him through his early career seems to permeate how he looks at life, often from a unique perspective.

I was much more fed through the “yeses” which were fewer. I even think of very early on getting asked to do directors’ projects when I was an undergrad. I just felt like even one other student saying, “I trust you to come in here and be able to do this and help me with this

project.”Those are the kinds of things that just really added up more than the “noes” did for me. There’s somebody out there who wants to work with me! By the time I was out there auditioning I had a decent grip on the fact that I wasn’t going to be the right choice for everything.

I understood that there were a million reasons why or why not somebody gets cast. And, I also have to be honest, overall, I typically enjoyed auditioning. I really did. I enjoyed that little chance to play that role, even if only for those two minutes in the room. The only thing that scared me was just, oh God, money. I mean, of course, everybody’s afraid of not having enough money to eat or pay rent.

While reading the pilot for Big Bang Theory, Parsons was taken with the language and rhythm that was to become the signature of a character that would launch his career to stardom. Show creator Chuck Lorre was skeptical that Parsons

could recreate his first audition as it was so spot on. Needless to say, Parsons nailed his callback. In September of 2007, the nation was introduced to Sheldon, a nerdy, socially apathetic, odd man who had a penchant to insult people using sci ence. How did such a character who, on paper, seems less than likable become so beloved?

I can’t fully claim to know why any thing would click for an audience, but I do suspect that they’re not dissimilar from what clicked for me which was that there was a certain level of broken. Maybe that’s a key for every character is to kind of find what you might call broken in them, or a little off-kilter, askew. With Sheldon, it was very much that he didn’t have a great ability to communicate with other people either to express himself or to fully understand what they were expressing. Looking back, I can see that was the major head line for me of what both was the clue into who he was and also the thing I ultimately

Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Simon Helberg, Johnny Galecki & Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting at Parsons’ star ceremony (Photo by Featureflash Photo Agency)

always enjoyed most about playing him all through 12 years - that misdirect of infor mation and not quite getting it. I really do think that was it. It wasn’t science I’ll tell you that, because I didn’t know diddly squat and I left not knowing much more, but the science was a brilliant comedic hurdle is how I looked at it. And a shield -there were a million reasons why he was using science.

The show was a hit. Nerds across the nation felt cool as the show blended pop culture, comedy, and science fiction into a perfect recipe. Everyone was watching. With Big Bang in heavy syndication, does Parsons ever feel overshad owed by Sheldon?

Not as an actor and not really as a person. Although, since it’s been a few years now since doing the show, I have noticed a funny phenomenon of walking into a crowd of people who I don’t know and I can see a lot of them recognize me

from that show, and that’s been true for many years now. But what I realize has changed is that since we’re not doing the show anymore, it’s not as much at the fore front of my mind. And so, I can’t tell you exactly in words what that change means, but it feels different to me. I don’t feel like I’m carrying it quite as much with me any more. That is something with time and the chance to do other work, which I’ve been lucky enough to do, can give one perspec tive. It feels like healthy growth. We’ll see. Time will tell.

As the award nominations started to pile up, so did the media frenzy around Parsons. The media wanted to know about the man behind the character. Despite having been with his nowhusband about five years before the Big Bang success, he was still not publicly out. What was it like skirting the subject?

I was anxious about it in a way that I was anxious in any situation for the first

few years, which was just like, “how did I sound?” Suddenly you’re talking and you just look back on it and say, “Did I sound like an idiot?”I was anxious about the fact of one day I’ll be talking about my more private life in this way and I don’t know exactly how it’ll come out. I’m not exactly sure it’ll be received. Once it was addressed, not only was it a relief in the terms I was just saying it, but I felt ownership of my life experience that I hadn’t realized I was missing.

Not unlike coming out to my family when that finally happened, it was just something that didn’t seem the biggest deal to me. And then once I was officially out in the press, I felt very happy. I felt very part of a group. I felt very supported. I felt proud, not of myself, but just to be who I am and to be part of a segment of the human race that I’m part of.

Parsons came out in 2012, without pomp and circumstance, in an interview for the New York Times for a stage show that he was doing where the interviewer casually talked about his identity as a gay man.

I believe the question was something like, “did doing The Normal Heart mean more to you as a gay man?” I was never asked, “Are you gay?” I was told. I still feel very thank ful to him that he handled it that way. It felt very right because I didn’t so much feel like I was an actively hiding person. It was really the most non-newsy way to make some news I had ever been a part of.

Parson’s latest film Spoiler Alert, based on the biographical novel, is a romantic drama following the final 11-month period of photographer Kit Cowan’s life, from his diag nosis with terminal cancer to his death, through the eyes of his 14-year partner, and later spouse, MichaelAusiello.Parsons playsAusiello,joined by actors Sally Field,Bill Irwin,and BenAldridge.The film covers it all – coming out,open relationships, relationship struggles,and,ultimately,the terrify ing end to a relationship. Parsons also produced and was involved in the film a few years before Big Bang even ended. Having been absorbed in making the film, his sitcom role is far in the rear-view mirror,even though audiences and crit ics will still compare the two performances. For them it may be a surprise performance. For Jim, it all seems very natural. He is an actor first and foremost.What affected him most that made him want to do this film?

Jim Parsons at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles (Photo by Kathy Hutchins)

Number one was really that a human being, in this case, Michael, took this incredible journey, God willing once in a lifetime. It’s something that fortunately a lot of people don’t have to go through. That’s what really made me interested and what was so breathtaking to me as this journey he went through, with this person who was so important to him. On the heels of having gone through a very similar journey with his mother before that, but he was a much younger man then and didn’t have nearly the resources or the autonomy to help or do anything. I don’t know that he was making amends for his mother, but I think there must have been a part that made him feel so helpless as a child losing his mother to cancer. And I think there was definitely an aspect of like, “I am not letting them go down without a fight on my end this time.” Just the way those super tragic events like that can break open your heart and there is a gift to them, as awful as they are, you see life in a fuller and deeper way going forward and that is a reward. But it doesn’t make the journey

Jim Parsons as Michael Ausiello and Ben Aldridge as Kit Cowan in direc tor Michael Showalter’s Spoiler Alert (Photo by Giovanni Rufino/Focus Features)

Ben Aldridge as Kit Cowan, Jim Parsons as Michael Ausiello, Sally Field as Marilyn and Bill Irwin as Bob in director Michael Showalter’s Spoiler Alert

(Photo by Linda Källérus/Focus Features)

easy. So, I would say that was it. I was really super drawn to this person, fallen down a rabbit hole and just whisked one way and the other and spit out on another side with these things that I’ve learned, and these people that I’ve lost and, and this life still ahead of me, and what am I going to do with it?

I also really, really enjoyed getting the chance to explore on-screen a very intimate, and if I may say so, realistic, take on a relationship between two men - a romantic relationship in that way. Not that I haven’t been in this area in some way before, but this was just so intense. And to get to take this journey with another gay actor was very moving. It was incredibly fun and exciting. But it was very emotional much of the time. But honestly, I have to tell you, usually laced with joy, even the hard parts. I felt so grateful to have the chance to go on to mimic going on that journey to just taste a little bit of what it was like and almost steal from his harrowing experience to glean some things from myself about it.

Does Parsons think this is a gay film?

Yes, but I don’t think it’s the headline. I think it’s a secondary factor. I think it is a love story, and maybe that’s what it is more than anything. It’s just a love story. It’s a story about what it is to be a human and be vulnerable and risk having your heart broken, and can you even live a full life without having your heart broken? A lot of me believes after working on some of the answers that no, to live a full life means not only to risk getting your heart broken, but knowing it will be broken. It will be broken if you allow yourself to love and to be loved in whatever form that means to you. Then right after that, I do think it’s a story of a gay couple. We assume at the price of admission that you are completely okay, as it were, with a gay relationship. We’re not dealing with instructing or introducing you or bridging a thing. That’s the given. It’s kind of ironic to say it’s not a gay film first and foremost when that’s also the given.

The film is for sure a tearjerker and will undoubtedly join the ranks of Beaches and

Terms of Endearment. Playing this role and the emotional journey has changed Jim in his own life.

It has for sure awakened me. It has made me hungrier to explore more things. I don’t even know if I can get more specific than spending time with certain friends of mine that I have not been with in several years. It’s not a feeling I’m completely unfamiliar with, even though it’s a completely different circumstance in its own way. I lost my father when I was in my twenties. He passed away in a car accident.There was no journey like they go through here, but there was, and is, the continuing journey of once you’ve seen someone leave life early like that, it’s close to you. It changes your perspective on whatever time you’re fortunate enough to still have on earth.And that is something for me that I learned more and more about as my own years go on. ■ Spoiler Alert is now in theaters

TO LIVE A FULL LIFE MEANS NOT ONLY TO RISK GETTING YOUR HEART BROKEN, BUT KNOWING IT WILL BE BROKEN.”

Todd Spiewak and Jim Parsons attends the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes)

2022

GIFT GUIDE

FOOD &WINE

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Arte Cheese & Charcuterie Board ($239) pictured

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93 points from Wine Advocate

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•Serves 10-12

Diletto Cheese & Charcuterie ($159)

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• A box of crackers (Rosemary & Olive Oil)

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Ciccetti Cheese & Charcuterie Board ($129) pictured

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FOOD &WINE

ETUDE 2018 GRACE BENOIST RANCH ESTATE PINOT NOIR

($47 Carneros)

94 points from JamesSuckling.com

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The frozen, ready-to-bake pies are available direct to consumer via their website and in brick and mortar stores like Whole Foods. In fact, they just won the Supplier of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. For all the yummy goodness, visit www.wvpie.com.

HOLIDAY STYLE

RIEDEL VELOCE

($79 sets of two)

Brand new in 2022, Riedel Veloce looks and feels handmade, but this glass collection is, in fact, produced by machine, using state-of-theart technologies and is a true precision tool.

Wine-lovers the world over understand that Riedel wine glasses are developed in different shapes and sizes, for specific grape varieties. Only such advanced machine production can guarantee such precise glass design language, in harmony with the respective profile of the grape variety.

Recognizing the evolution of modern wines, the Riedel family has adapted the glass shapes for cabernet /merlot and for riesling, following an intensive new round of comparative tastings.

Riedel Veloce is an impressive development based on state-of-the-art technology. The glass is taller than the Riedel Extreme collection and has a thinner stem and finer bowls. A specially developed machine, at Riedel’s Weiden factory, enables stems that are the equal of those made by hand by a master glassmaker. The base, with a diameter of 100 mm, is a new standard for large glass shapes and is the maximum that can be produced by machine.

The weight of Riedel Veloce is remarkable and has been reduced considerably from that of the Extreme collection. The perfect balance and feel which suggests a handmade glass. With each varietal name etched on the base of the glass, Riedel Veloce is the perfect for those who love to entertain and are looking to expand their entertaining collection, or to gift those who fancy themselves a wine connoisseur

Maximilian Riedel selected the Italian name “Veloce”, meaning “fast”, in reference to the modern machine technology that makes it pos sible to bring a glass that is handmade, in so many aspects, onto the machine and produce it quickly and in large quantities. An homage to technology, as glassmaking by hand has become a declining craft.

Riedel Veloce is the perfect glass for wine connoisseurs. A modern glass with impressive balance and feel, appealing price and dish washer safe. And like all Riedel glasses, Veloce presents the wine at its best!

TEA FORT É

Handcrafted luxury tea blends, designdriven accessories and exquisite pack aging come together for an experience worth savoring every day. Steeped in over 35 countries, Tea Forté is proudly featured at leading hotels, restaurants, resorts and retailers.

Tea Forté works directly with growers to produce the definitive expression of every type of tea featured. Their ingre dients represent less than 1% of all the teas available worldwide.

Tea Forté’s pyramid infuser is the elegant signature of the brand. Unwrap, steep and reveal the exquisite nature of the whole leaf teas, herbs, fruits and flowers within. Each handcrafted infuser is designed to allow the blends to luxuriantly unfurl into each deliciously aromatic cup.

Tea Forté’s signature pyramid infus ers are made from lab tested, FDA approved, food grade, recyclable PET and handcrafted into pyramid shape without the use of any chemical additives, colo rants or adhesives. The pyramid infuser also complies with FDA’s safe for food contact packaging specifications and does not contain gluten or GMOs.

pouches)

• One Warming Joy Petite Tea Tree (4 pyramid infusers)

• One porcelain Café Cup with lid in Red

• One Warming Joy KATI® Steeping

HOLIDAY STYLE

HORNITOS® BLACK BARREL® TEQUILA ($29.99)

Hornitos® Black Barrel® Tequila is a super smooth, triple aged, 100% agave tequila uniquely aged to embark distinct and complex whiskey notes. The tequila starts with 100% agave Hornitos® Tequila, which is aged in traditional American oak barrels for 12 months. Once the soft, smooth, complex flavor of the añejo tequila has been achieved, the liquid is placed in deeply charred American oak barrels for four months to ensure that the tequila breathes through the caramelized layer of sugar, imparting the rich character, golden amber color and smoky notes traditionally found in whiskey.

Lastly, the tequila is aged in specially toasted American oak barrels for two months to give it a creamier, vanilla character to add depth and complexity to the final spirit. Easy to drink and unforgettably smooth, Hornitos® Black Barrel® Tequila was the most highly awarded tequila of 2016*.

Signature Cocktail - Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Hornitos® Black Barrel Tequila

1 part simple syrup

½ part amaro liqueur

2 dashes bitters

2 dashes orange bitters

Instructions:

Combine simple syrup, Hornitos® Black Barrel Tequila, amaro and bitters. Add ice and stir. Strain over fresh ice and garnish your tequila Old Fashioned with an orange peel. For more information, visit www.HornitosTequila.com.

REBELS AND OUTLAWS SACRED CEREMONY WINTER SOLSTICE CANDLE

We’ve been on the hunt for high quality queer candles and Rebels and Outlaws Sacred Ceremony creates not only candles but works of art that are the best of the best. These candles, designed with intention by makeup artist and rebel, James Vincent, and activ ist and outlaw, Jeremy Meek, are developed “to allow artists and mystics to tap into the universe and find their muse while creating an unforgettable experience.” Each candle is prepared with blessed inspiration, poured with the best intentions, under the influ ence of the moon. The Winter Solstice Candle was prepared to celebrate Yuletide and the longest night of the year. It serves as a reminder through the winter months that we must appreciate and celebrate the dark and the light. In particular, we love the crafts man and attention to detail with each of these truly special candles.

The Winter Solstice Candle features traditional winter herbs and florals of fir, pine cone, frankincense, cedar, and vanilla. The days might seem dark but allow these candles to bring you a bit of comfort this season. Other candles include Artists and Angels (an art driven and muse-oriented candle with scents of blood orange, cinnamon, neroli, and fir), Energize and Align (with a full range of crystals to bring balance to chakra energy and life), The Law of Attraction Candle (for attracting whatever you might be looking to focus on bringing into your life), and Love, Love & Love (celebrating love with scents of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, sandalwood, and patchouli to help jumpstart the libido this holiday season). Who needs mistletoe when you have the aphrodisiac in this remarkable candle? Stock up at www.rebelsandoutlawsnyc.com.

TRAVEL

EZQUEST ULTIMATEPOWER 120W CHARGING STATION

($69.99)

The UltimatePower 120W USB-C charging sta tion with GaN technology can simultaneously quick charge 2 USB-C and 1 USB-A devices for fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go up to 120 Watts. And it comes with an EU pin converter so you can use this char ger when you travel. This small (smaller than a credit card) but powerful charger has foldable US plugs and no messy cables for optimized portability, that will make it perfect for traveling worldwide with universal 100V - 240V voltage so you can charge in any country that uses a US or European plug.

flossing high-quality polyester bristles reach deep into grooves, under the gum line, and between teeth to break up plaque and brush away food residue before it gets a grip on your teeth. These high-quality adult foldable travel toothbrushes are constructed with ergonomic comfort grip handles and are made for easy packing. Grab one at www.amazon.com or other fine retailers.

STNKY BAG PRO

STNKY Bags are your number one travel companion to sort, store, carry, wash and dry everything from sweaty gym clothes, laundry when you travel, scrubs, and just about anything else that gets dirty or sweaty. STNKY Bags lock in those germs and smell from your gear while you go about your day. Then, when it’s laundry time, there’s no need to touch your dirty stuff. Just open the bottom zipper, turn the bag in side out and your STNKY Bag becomes a wash bag. Throw it in the washer and dryer, bag and all, and you’ll be ready to go again! STNKY washable bags help make your active lifestyle easier. Visit online at www.stnky.us.

BODY & MIND

MODERN NIRVANA ORACLE DECK

($24.95)

From Amenti Oracle author Jennifer Sodini, and the found ers of the spirituality and wellness platform Modern Nirva na: actress, singer, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kat Graham, four-time Emmy-winning journalist and energy healer Frank Elaridi, and master breathwork instructor Bry ant Wood - comes a deck for finding clarity around the gra dients of love, loss, levity, and each chapter of the human experience. A sensory experience inspired by avant-garde ‘80s fashion, The Modern Nirvana Oracle Deck includes a guidebook and 50 beautifully illustrated cards by renowned artist Natalee Rae Miller inside an elegant, easy-to-travel, metallic gold box with lifting ribbon and a magnetic clo sure. Each card will provide an inspiring quote, ageless wisdom for our modern lives, breathwork and meditations, and a mantra designed to further activate the intentions within the cards.

The goal of Modern Nirvana is to be a catalyst for trans formation in people’s lives, to inspire them to take control of their spiritual and physical wellbeing, by sharing both ancient practices and modern bio-hacks. Their motto is “If you are human, you have the potential to be superhuman.”

Visit Modern Nirvana at www.modernnirvana.com.

BALANCE YOUR BUZZ

($29.99 pack of 20)

Say goodbye to hangovers this holiday season with Balance Your Buzz electrolyte drink mixers. Simply add the travel-size packet to 8 oz or more of water and your choice of alcohol to replenish what alcohol depletes - for a better tomorrow. The BYB proactive formula is full of essential vitamins that keep you hydrated and your body feeling great and ready for tomor row (while you get to enjoy a tasty and refreshing cocktail).

Balance Your Buzz was developed by a naturopathic phy sician who’s created supplements for years. All flavors were developed to mix with alcohol, and include: Passion Fruit, Mixed Berry, Coconut Blood Orange, Lemon Lime, and Apple Cider. Gluten-free, low calorie, low carbs, and with no preser vatives, no sodium, and no sugar.

PETZOOP – COMPLETE PET

The Zoop Complete Pet Bundle will take care your furry friend and household with all the essentials –

• Health + Odor Grooming Towels eliminate the main cause of bad body odor and many other skin problems. One towel lasts six days.

• Health + Odor Grooming Wipes for on the go grooming.

• Stain + Odor Pro Eliminator Spray doesn’t just deodorize or mask scents – the extra-strength Enzyme-Powered Natural Stain and Odor destroyer with Zoop’s Proprietary Odor Neutralizer Technology cuts through pet urine, pet poop, pet vomit, pet diarrhea, and more, leaving you with a clean fresh home.

Zoop products are made with all natural ingredients to keep everyone safe – pets, people, and the planet! All their formulas are non-toxic and maximum strength applications with proprietary ingredients that eradicate smells, whether they are in the carpet or on your pet.

The Zoop family of pet products are available at www.zoopbrand.com.

HRC RAINBOW DOG LEASH ($19)

Show your pride with this heavy duty six-foot long pet rainbow leash featuring the HRC logo and “rainbow

100% of purchases on the www.shop.hrc.org website fuels the fight for equality. For over 40 years, the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) mission has been to inspire and engage individuals and communities, while striv ing to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people plus community members who use different language to describe identity are ensured equality and embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. Show your pride, while supporting the ongoing fight for equality. You can learn more about HRC at

PRETTYLITTER

If you are a cat lover you will know that felines are noto rious for hiding illness. Unlike traditional cat litter, Pret tyLitter keeps tabs on your cat’s health by changing color when your cat has a potential health issue, so you can get them help before it becomes an urgent medical situation. The silica (crystal) litter could save you big money on ex pensive vet bills, not to mention it could save your cat’s life. The soiled litter will show the following:

• Dark yellow/olive green indicates urine within the typi cal range.

• Orange may indicate metabolic acidosis or kidney tu bular acidosis.

• Blue may indicate certain types of urinary tract infec tions or increased risk of stone formation.

• Red may indicate bladder crystals, feline lower urinary tract disorder, or certain types of kidney disease.

PrettyLitter traps odors instantly and eliminates mois ture, so you’ll never smell your cat’s dirty business again. Easier cat care and fresh litter is just around your doorstep. No need to add baking soda for extra odor absorption. Ditch the pine pellets and upgrade to silica cat litter!

PrettyLitter also gives back to the community through donations to many organizations, including The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (supporting the Black trans community) and the Shanti Project/PAWS (supporting low-income seniors and people living with HIV in San Francisco).

Grab a bag at a retailer near you or visit www.prettylitter.com.

PHOTOS BY BELLA MARIE ADAMS

NICK ADAMS

LOVING HIS QUEER-FORWARD CAREER

BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

He’s

Astaire Award nomination for Best Dancer, and has been

Hall of Fame. He is instantly recognizable by his signature smile, powerhouse vocals, and yes, that body that held Mario Lopez to task. His theatre credits have taken him from appearing in classic Broadway hits that include Guys and Dolls, Chicago, and A Chorus Line to appearing in Wicked and the critically acclaimed North American Tour of Lincoln Center Theatre’s Broadway production of Falsettos. Film work has included a dash of everything from HBO’s The Other Two, Netflix’s Invent ing Anna, Sex and the City 2, to Hulu’s big gay summer hit, Fire Island. This fall, he took part in the world premiere of DRAG: The Musical, written by Drag Race’s Alaska, and appeared alongside New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre, drag’s Jackie Cox, and Jan Sport, sharing some scene-chewing scenes with Alaska herself.

Nick’s love affair with musical theatre started at eight years old when a touring production of A Chorus Line came to his home town of Eerie, Pennsylvania. Fifteen years later, he would join a revival of the show on Broad way. His first trip to New York City at age 15 to see his first Broadway musical, Chicago, would also prove to be fate.

The show was still very new and fresh then, so it was dangerous and electric. It was such a massive hit, and I was so excited. I love Kander and Ebb, this was just a huge weekend for me. I also saw Cabaret that weekend. I just remember sitting there thinking, how do I ever get there? It just seemed so unattainable and so lofty. And then I made my Broadway debut in Chicago.

His Broadway debut came hot on the heels of completing his studies at the presti gious Boston Conservatory. He booked his first musical and was met with a string of shows. His success was a double-edged sword, find ing his voice on stage was easy, but who was he as a person?

I didn’t even give myself another option of what to explore or do with my life, because I was just so in love with this art form since I was a kid. I was in the city for less than a week and then got Chicago. I left and was just sort of on this streak of show to show. I was so grateful to be in the right place at the right time and was prepared to meet the moment. I think that was really the key to that happening. It worked out in my favor, but I’ll tell you, after doing so many shows in New York, the hard part for me was then I felt like that was normal. And when that didn’t happen, I immediately thought who am I, what is my worth? I was so used to the routine of school, that sort of regimented structure, to then immediately joining the workforce and doing shows. That’s all I knew was just to be in a show. I didn’t know my identity as an adult in New York City without it. And so that part of my life, once I wasn’t always booking and always in a show, was hard for me to

NICK ADAMS IS AN ENTERTAINER ON MANY LEVELS. ACTING, SINGING, DANCING, FILM, STAGE, AND MORE, HE’S DONE IT ALL.

won Audience Choice Awards from Broadway.com, received an

honored by the American Theatre

THE LENS THAT WE ARE PORTRAYING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH HAS BROADENED.”

sort of navigate, but like the best life experience because I had to find who I was outside of just what I do.

Nick’s relationship with his body and the recognition of his fitness would be put into the spotlight when he appeared in A Chorus Line. The production featured a highly cam paigned appearance by Mario Lopez. Soon the focus would shift from Mario’s talents and body to Nick’s. Comparisons between the two performers’ bodies would soon become headline-grabbing.

It was wild - it was overnight. I was an ensemble dancer, and then suddenly, I’m in the National Enquirer. My mom was looking at pictures of me in the National Enquirer in underwear and my body, comparing it to people. That kind of changed things a little bit and for a period there, people that were in our industry knew what I did and what I had to offer, and that’s why I was being employed. But then I kind of felt for a minute like, oh, (my body) is all that people think that I am and that I have to offer. For a minute, I started to believe that, maybe that’s why you’re working. But then I had to get back to like, “you were doing this, you were part of this industry before there was any light shed on that.” And yeah, of course, l have been cast in certain things that require a certain aesthetic or something, but I don’t think, had I not been able to bring what I bring to the table just personally, I would’ve had any of the opportunities that I had. There is certainly pressure because it’s been this sort of inflated thing that I obviously have had some hand in con tributing to because I know how to capitalize on it in a way when I need to. It’s been a lifestyle commitment.

I try to just focus on what I’m doing, and I’ve always done that. I don’t pay attention to what seems extraneous or doesn’t relate to who I am as a human. That’s part of the way you’re taught to package yourself and be a product and sell yourself and all of that. That came from when I was in college and my teachers said I was not going to work because I was so teeny. I was just a skinny little gay thing. They said, “You can’t be gay, and you can’t be thin. You

must like look like a leading man if you want to work.” I was like, well, I’m going to do whatever it takes to do this because this is what I want. I wanted to move to New York and be as employable as possible. That’s really where my fitness came from.

In Hulu’s Fire Island, Nick plays a lessthan-likable, uber-fit “Cooper,” alongside Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho, Matt Rogers, and film writer and star Joel Kim Booster. The highly anticipated film was a hit and brought topics like body issues, classism, and racism in the LGBTQ community to light. Nick believes the future of LGBTQ filmmak ing is bright.

I think the way the movie presented it is very true to life. What’s also interesting is when I meet people now after that, even in interviews for press junkets and things, everyone would ask me, “Oh, are you very much like this character?” I’m nothing like that. Which was why it was so fun to play. We have all met that guy. We know who that guy is. And so, I had a lot to draw from, people that I’ve met.

The queer community is becom ing more and more mainstream with every film that is made. I think the lens that we are portraying the com munity through has broadened. We are no longer limited to only tragedy or over-sentimentality. We are show ing all sides of an experience that isn’t always universal and is very complex. I am thrilled at all the opportunities that continue to come and the stories we can share.

Shortly after finishing Fire Island, Nick was asked to be in the studio concept album for DRAG: The Musical. Unknowing what the future of the project was, Nick went in to record the album while recovering from a bad foot injury from shooting Fire Island. The music from the album was well received and the musical received a summer work shop and, ultimately, the world debut at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood, California.

Nick’s character, drag queen Alexis Gillmore, finds herself wrapped up in a battle between two drag bars. Even amid the flashy numbers and catty lyrics, it is really about the sense of family that exists in the drag world and the LGBTQ community. What made Nick say

yes to the project?

Originating something and being part of the process from the beginning – I think actors love to do that because you get to contribute, you get to be the help with the creation of something. It’s so much different than coming in as a replacement, which I’ve also done. It’s a little bit easier when you have a structure to follow and then bring your own flavor spice.

I think I’ve crafted, without intentionally doing it, a very queer forward career where I’ve never really had a moment of coming out and I’ve never shied away from it. So, I thought oh, a new musical that’s going to be part of our catalog. I said to myself, do I do another musical in drag? This is my fourth musical as a drag queen. But, this is what the industry is asking me to do right now. I do it well, so I’m going to do it. The last time was 12 years ago when I was in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. After that show, I was very resistant to doing anything drag related because I was afraid of being pushed into a category. But now I just figure, I’m good at acting like that, so lean into it. Enjoy it. Do it. So just say yes.

In looking back at his varied career, Nick notes the biggest change that he has gone through personally throughout his career.

My approach has changed. I’ve been centered around being in the present moment without tying any expectations to my work. There is so much freedom in that for me which has allowed me to fully be available to the work and experience the joy in real-time. I remove the need to impress or prove something and that unlocks a new level of enjoyment and artistry.

Looking forward, what is his biggest wish for his career?

I recently saw a play that shook me to my core. The Inheritance had me reeling with emotion, hanging on every word. I want to be a part of that kind of storytelling. I want to work in this industry as I age. I want to be financially secure as I do it. I want peace. ■

GROOMING

GET INTO THE HOLIDAY GROOMING GROOVE

BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US AND IF GROOMING GIFTS AREN’T ON YOUR RADAR, IT’S TIME TO MAKE YOUR LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE! WHILE THE ZOOM MEETINGS OF 2022 ARE ENDING, THE BLUE LIGHT FROM YOUR SCREEN CONTINUES AND THE AIR IS ONLY GETTING DRIER. We’ve inves tigated a wide range of kits, sets, duos, and even a variety of Advent calendars to not only get you in the groove of the holiday spirit but pamper you along the way. Regardless of whether you’re shopping for friends, family, lovers, or yourself, we’ve got you covered.

BLACK WOLF

WUSH + Charcoal Body Wash Bundle $69 www.blackwolfnation.com

Any guy can be a “Black Wolf Guy,’’ and they’re offering some great holiday bundles this season. The WUSH + Charcoal Body Wash Bundle retails at $69 and includes their Charcoal Body Wash, a manly body scrubber with 100% antibacterial silicone bristles, and a WUSH Ear Cleaner. The Ear Cleaner is a new safe and effective way to remove unwanted earwax. This limited-edition, full-sized cleansing solution bundle will give you (almost) everything you need to look and feel your best. Black Wolf uses powerful, high-quality ingredients that work as hard as you do. The bundle, a $113 value, includes their Charcoal Body Wash, Charcoal Face Wash, shampoo, conditioner, a body scrubber, and chic toiletry bag.

CHAPSTICK

12 Days Calendar $24 www.chapstick.com Pucker up, ChapStick’s 12 Days Calendar which includes twelve assorted fla vors of both classic and holiday favorites to countdown to the holiday of your choice. This lip balm Advent calendar allows you to get in the holiday season with Candy Cane, Sugar Cookie, Pumpkin Pie, Holiday Cocoa, Vanilla Latte, Clover Honey, Vanilla Mint, Cake Batter, Cotton Candy, Passion Fruit, Classic Cherry, and Classic Original. Each holiday lip balm tube is perfect for stashing in your coat pocket, backpack, desk drawer, or man purse so you have it ready whenever your lips feel dry. Tuck this fun Christmas-themed box right under the tree with a big bow or let it make a stocking pop this holiday season. Bonus: this set comes in a festive box so no need for gift wrap with this one!

CODEX BEAUTY LABS

Holiday Soaps $12 each www.codexlabscorp.com

Get fresh and clean this winter with Codex Beauty Labs’ festive scented soaps. Their colorful and fragrant holiday soaps are plant-based, cold processed and formulated to cleanse without stripping moisture. Codex Beauty Labs offer plant-based biotech skincare that’s suitable for all skin types. Soaps include up cycled scraps from other Codex Beauty Labs soaps to ensure there is no waste, and are packaged in sustainable, biodegradable materials, with the soap carton being made from renewable fresh fiber originating from forests that are sus tainably managed. Take care of your skin while also looking out for the planet.

ILLUMINATE

4-Step Radiance Regimen $110 www.imageskincare.com Looking to add some lux to the holidays? IMAGE Skincare is offering a four-step regimen with savings that will make it feel like Black Friday is lasting through the new year. Catch a holiday glow and boost your radiance to moisturize, brighten, and nourish dry skin. This set includes the MAX facial cleanser with advanced peptides and plant extracts, ILUMA intense facial illuminator to reduce the ap pearance of pigmentation and dark spots, I MASK hydrating hydrogel sheet mask featuring mineral-rich volcanic waters, and PREVENTION+ daily matte moisturizer SPF30 to keep you hydrated while protecting you from the sun.

DR. BARBARA STURM

Advent Calendar 2022 $560 www.drsturm.com

Why not dabble in excess this holiday season? Dr. Barbara Strum’s Advent Calendar 2022 features a literal beauty armoire-inspired gift box chock full of Dr. Strum’s most loved products including their cleanser, lip balm, face cream, face mask, eye cream, brightening serum, night cleanser, anti-pollution drops, balancing toner, and more. Open a gift box each day leading up to the big day! This calendar retails at $560 but contains $1,500 worth of products. If you need serum to last you through 2023, Dr. Barbara Sturm is offering a limited-edition Serum House ($470) this holiday season. This is legitimately one of the most coveted holiday sets on this list. The curated kit contains the Hyaluronic Serum, Super-Anti-Aging Serum, Night Serum, and Glow Drops in both deluxe and full sizes. Plan on hydration and the perfect glow for the new year.

We love Jack Black’s holiday gift sets and are especially pumped about this year’s Jack & Carry gift set, which includes an exclusive Jack Black Travel Bag with their high-quality Black Reserve hits including Black Reserve Body & Hair Cleanser, Hydrating Body Lotion, Body Spray, Nightmode Lip Treatment and an Exclusive Jack Black Travel Bag. This $90 value is available for just $65 this year. It’s offered exclusively at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com and it’s going to move like hotcakes. If you’re a Jack Black fanatic (we are) their Jack Black The Clean Team is also a must for under the tree. This set (just $25) includes their Turbo Washing Energizing Cleanser for Hair & Body, All-Over Wash for Face, Hair &

KIEHL’S SINCE 1851

Limited Edition Holiday Advent Calendar $105 www.kiehls.com

Kiehl’s Since 1851 is ringing in the holidays with their exclusive 2022 Holiday Advent Calendar. In keeping with their tradition of collaborating with extraor dinary international artists, this year’s collection highlights illustrations created by London and Cape Town-based animation studio MadeByRadio inspired by the message of spreading care for the loved ones in our lives. Open a door from December 1st through December 24th to reveal a small gift inside. This year’s $105 calendar is a $261 value, and includes 24 serums, cleansers, and other sur prise formulas behind each door. Their Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($79), a fan favorite, has a glorious holiday box. Give the gift of rest and relaxation with this top-rated facial oil made to replenish the skin overnight for a smooth and hydrated appearance by sunrise. For even more Midnight Recovery, check out their Midnight Must Haves set ($65), featuring the Midnight Recovery Concen trate as well as their heavenly Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream.

OFFCOURT

Deep Cleaning Body Wash Trio Pack $25.50 www.offcourt.com Deck the walls of your shower with OffCourt this season. Their Exfoliating Body Soap Trio Pack is such a joy. This soap truly does it all, and then some. We’re talking about exfoliating, hydrating, nourishing, cleansing, even the dishes (well, maybe not that). Check out their three different scents: Fresh Citron + Driftwood, Fig Leaves + White Musk, and Coconut Water + Sandalwood. Turn on the water and experience their rich-lathering, medium-grit formula to re move dead skin, bacteria, and sweat while replenishing the right nutrients to keep your skin healthy and fresh.

LA CHATELAINE

La Chatelaine Soap Supply For Men $78 www.lachatelainebeauty.com

We have literally become obsessed with La Chatelaine’s soaps. To crack open a box of these and choose your bath time adventure, paired with a little mulled wine would be sheer holiday bliss. La Chatelaine soaps are 100% pure vegeta ble-based soaps crafted in Provence with ethically sourced natural and organic ingredients. Blended with organic shea butter, organic calendula, organic argan oil, and Vitamin E, these soaps will protect and nourish the skin. Fragrances include Deep Blue Sea, Sandalwood, Citrus Zest, Moroccan Mint, Vetiver Cedar, and Bourgon Vanilla for any kind of mood. You might want to plan for two baths a day when you have La Chatelaine in the house.

PAYOT PARIS

PAYOT Advent Calendar $90 www.us.payot.com

We are suckers for French beauty products, and it’s no secret that PAYOT Paris is a favorite of ours. This year’s PAYOT Advent Calendar will awaken the spirit of the season and get you in the mood for ice skating and hot cocoa while protect ing your skin from the harsh winter elements. Open the adorable, dated doors to find 24 mini PAYOT surprises nestled inside the calendar, including a Bubble Mask for peeling, Cleansing Micellar Milk, My Payot Sleep & Glow Mask, Col lagen Eye Patches, 24 Hours Moisturizing Day Cream, and more! With over $260 worth of products for just $90 this calendar is one that moves quickly!

RAW SUGAR

Raw Men Smell Good Gift Set $10

Raw Sugar’s gift set includes four body washes packed with plant-derived in gredients and cold pressed extracts. Co-founders Ronnie Shugar and Donda Mullis created the lifestyle brand back in 2014 with a commitment to provid ing high quality, earth friendly hair and personal care products at an affordable price. Their gift set, a perfect stocking stuffer, includes four 3 fl. Oz. washes (Eucalyptus + Cedar Leaf, Charcoal + Bamboo, Black Coconut + Sea Salt, Citrus

SNOW FOX

Three-In-One Hair, Face & Body Treatment Bar $26 www.snowfoxskincare.com

While we’re on the subject of stocking stuffers, Snow Fox has an outstanding Three-In-One Hair, Face & Body Treatment Bar. This all-round nourishing concentrate of eight botanical oils, multiple Australia native botanical extracts and naturally clarifying minerals are perfectly balanced to be able to work ef fectively on skin, hair, and scalp. Ditch the bulky plastic containers and opt for a truly eco-friendly product that is perfectly good for all skin types. Channel your inner minimalist and use it to wash your face, shampoo and condition hair while cleansing your whole body. Do you really need all those shampoo and conditioner bottles when traveling? Cut through the clutter this holiday season.

VOESH

Limited Edition Peppermint Swirl Duo $10 www.voesh.com

Hopping on a plane to somewhere beachy after the 25th? Don’t forget to pamper those toes! Spread the holiday joy with the festive Voesh Peppermint Swirl Duo, which includes their Peppermint Swirl Pedi in a Box Deluxe 4 Step and matching Velvet Luxe Vegan Hand & Body Crème. Your feet will naturally be overworked from ice-skating, last-minute shopping, dancing at the office work party and that holiday pub crawl. Treat yourself to this duo, which in cludes one Peppermint Swirl Pedi in a Box Deluxe 4 Step Spa Pedicure and one Peppermint Swirl Velvet Luxe Vegan Hand & Body Creme. Cleanse, ex foliate, and moisturize your skin for silky-smooth, minty-fresh results. Sandy beach not included.

THERESA HEREDIA

BY JAMES DELYEA

THIS TALENTED LADY HAS MADE QUITE A NAME FOR HERSELF IN THE MALE-DOMINATED WINE INDUSTRY, WHERE ONLY ABOUT 10% OF ALL WINEMAKERS ARE WOMEN. Along with the team at her winery, they are proving that diversity and inclusion are just good business – along with producing world-class wines of course.

Theresa Heredia hails from the San Francisco Bay Area town of Pittsburg, just a stone’s throw from the famed Napa and Sonoma Wine Country. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and was a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry with an emphasis on enol ogy at U.C. Davis, before leaving to pursue her passion of becoming a hands-on winemaker. Her travels to Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Rhône Valley certainly furthered her love of wine. After contributing to many press accolades for

vinification accomplishments as a winemaker at Freestone Vineyards & Winery, Theresa moved to Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery in 2012 to advance her career. She was recently promoted in 2021 to director of winemaking, after a long list of honors for her creations by well-respected wine authorities including Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits, to name a few.

Now 20 years after entering the business and making her mark, Theresa is using her star power and influence to help the wine industry break

Specializing in cool-climate single vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from iconic growers in the Russian River Valley, Theresa has recently earned some high marks for Gary Farrell Wines from the internet’s most comprehensive wine buying resource, Ken’s Wine Guide, as well as these ratings from industry authority Wine Enthusiast:

2019 Chardonnay - Durell Vineyard: 95 points

2019 Chardonnay – Russian River Selection: 94 points

2018 Pinot Noir - Rochioli Vineyard: 95 points • 2018 Pinot Noir - Fort Ross Vineyard: 95 points

down barriers for others. In addition to her work and support with national organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, she has become more involved locally by contributing her talent and vision to the Sonoma County Vintners Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She has demon strated a commitment to work with others in the industry to bring about positive change. Theresa was recently honored with the North Bay Business Journal’s Pride Leadership Award which recog nizes local professionals for their contributions to the Pride movement.

The LGBTQ+ community feels a sense of inclu sion at every touchpoint at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery. From the Equality Symbol and Rainbow Flag on their website and advertising material, to the diverse models used in their advertising to the welcoming team at their breathtaking ‘tasting salon’ in picturesque Healdsburg, California, it has one envisioning a world where acceptance is the norm. We can’t wait to see what Theresa has in store for us over the next 20 years. ■

Learn more about Theresa Heredia and Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery at www.GaryFarrellWinery.com

Furthering their commitment to the community, Gary Farrell became an early supporter and member of the newly formed LGBT+ Wine Society. This group brings together wine lovers, LGBT-friendly wineries, restaurants, ho tels and retailers in Sonoma County for a welcoming community experience.

One of the key outputs from this group is the hot-off-the-press Sonoma County LGBT+ Wine Map.“What a great resource for our community,” exclaimed Gary Saperstein, local business owner of Out in the Vineyard and promoter of Gay Wine Weekend. With over 425 wineries in Sonoma County, the LGBT+ visitor can hone in on those establishments that are gay-owned, gay-operated or have demonstrated a commitment to the com munity through their support and actions. Charter Sonoma County businesses in cluded:

• Eco Terreno Wines & Vineyards

• Equality Vines

• Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery

• Iron Horse Vineyards

• Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery

• Martin Ray Vineyards & Winery

• Roadhouse Winery

• Sophie’s Cellars

• Duncans Mills House - Lodging

In West Sonoma County on the windy West side Road that meanders through the scenic Russian River Valley AVA, you’ll find Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery. Perched high on a leafy hilltop, this vintner has created a legacy of elegant wines in its rich 40-year history. Som meliers, wine critics and oenophiles alike hold their pinot noir and chardonnay offerings in the highest regard.

We think the optimal way to introduce your self to these wines is right on site in one of Gary Farrell’s tasting areas, either indoors at ‘The Salon’ or outdoors on ‘The Terrace.’You’ll expe rience an elevated tasting of pinot noirs and

chardonnays paired with artisan cheeses while enjoying the breathtaking territorial vistas.

For the out-of-towers, Gary Farrell is located between two of the most appealing gay tourist destinations in the county; gay-friendly ubercasual Guerneville with its rustic woodsy charm and the alluring Healdsburg with its bevy of upscale dining, shopping and hotel options.

To reserve a tasting experience, visit www.GaryFarrellWinery.com

• The Woods Cottages & Cabins

• Lo & Behold Bar + Kitchen

• The Spinster Sisters Restaurant

• The Girl & The Fig Restaurant

Exclusive events, discounts, and spe cial offers throughout the year are planned by the LGBT+ Wine Society. If you love wine and live in the San Francisco Bay Area, or plan to visit Sonoma and would like a complimentary wine map, indi vidual membership is currently free – just provide your name and e-mail.

Visit: www.LGBTwinesociety.com Follow on FB/IG/Twitter: @LGBTwinesociety

TRAVEL

LOOKING FOR A COOL YULE?

HEAD TO SANTA BARBARA, THE AMERICAN RIVIERA

BEFORE HOLLYWOOD BECAME HOLLYWOOD, THERE WAS SANTA BARBARA. Home to the world’s largest film studio during the silent film era, the Pacific Coast city became known as “the American Riviera” for its temperate Medi terranean climate—and its appeal to film stars and directors.

BY MARK A THOMPSON

Holiday Paddle

Photo by Blake Bronstad. Courtesy Visit Santa Barbara

Nestled between the Santa Ynez foothills and the Pacific Ocean, and less than 100 miles from LA, Santa Barbara looks the part; you can’t ignore its dramatic coastal beauty as you fly in from wherever. It’s a town ready for its close-up, the sort of place that begs for gimleteyed commentary by Eve Babitz while sipping a full-bodied California blend from one of the county’s 200 wineries. Wine is to Santa Barbara what tequila was to Babitz.

Fortunately, I was reading Babitz’s Slow Days, Fast Company as we hit the tarmac and disembarked into one of those picture-perfect California days that momentarily stuns those of us from the East. In a complement to Santa Barbara’s weather, often touted as the nation’s best, the entire city initially appears to be a film set on the backlot of Paramount Studios: an amalgam of Spanish Colonial Revival, with a smattering of Mediterranean Revival and Mission Revival. Seated in the back of a black Cadillac Escalade, it’s easy to feel as if the cameras are ready to roll as you pull up in front of Hotel Californian, one of those blocklong exemplars of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Originally built in 1925, Hotel Californian had the misfortune of opening one week before the historic earthquake of 1925 (6.8 on the Richter scale) which destroyed much of the city center. But unlike its equally majestic neighbor the Arlington Hotel (now home to the Arling ton Theatre), Hotel Californian rose from the rubble like a phoenix to become an icon of downtown Santa Barbara. A sort of stepsister to LA’s Chateau Marmont, the hotel was home to Rocky Galenti’s, a live music dive beloved by locals for its Whisky a Go Go vibe.

Following a multi-million dollar transfor mation in 2018, Hotel Californian reopened as a five-star luxury property situated at the entrance to the city’s bougie-bohemian Funk Zone. The waterfront neighborhood is nota ble for its restaurants, art galleries, cafés, surf shops—and a large segment of Santa Barbara’s renowned Urban Wine Trail. Comprised of five neighborhoods, the Urban Wine Trail is a selfguided tour of more than 30 tasting rooms, many of which are adjacent to the beach, and more than a few of which are focused on female wine producers. Bear in mind, the Santa Ynez Valley is where the protagonists of the film Side ways went off in search of the perfect pinot noir.

For those seeking to follow in the footsteps of Miles and Jack, consider a day trip into the Santa Rita Hills for a visit to Foley Estates

(above) Parade of Lights Sunse (below) Parade of Lights Boat Photo by Blake Bronstad. Courtesy Visit Santa Barbara

followed by a tasting at Firestone Vineyard. Established in 1972 as the first estate vineyard in Santa Barbara County, Firestone has become a 325-acre sustainable winery, as notable for their Bordeaux and Rhone Valley blends as for its barrel room cameo in Sideways. After an afternoon of tasting flights, it’s easy to

understand why Wine Enthusiast designated Santa Barbara as 2021’s Wine Region of the Year. Caveat emptor, in vino veritas.

Fortunately, Hotel Californian has its own grand cru tasting room on property known as The Society: State & Mason. Oenophiles and connoisseurs converge on the corner of State

TRAVEL

Street and Mason Avenue for tasting expe riences paired with culinary treats from Executive Chef Travis Watson who helms the kitchen at Blackbird.

In a nod to Santa Barbara’s cinematic history, Blackbird pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock with an avian-themed blackand-red dining room dotted with blackbird imagery. Unlike the cast in Hitchcock’s The Birds, however, patrons are gently seduced, especially by the room’s supper club vibe and Watson’s coastal California cuisine. The Michelin-listed restaurant is one of thirteen Michelin Guide restaurants in Santa Bar bara, as is the Spanish-influenced Loquita. Located a few blocks from Hotel Californian, Loquita honors its Spanish provenance with an El Bulli liquid olive served along side toothsome paella, all beautifully plated on a patio bursting with bougainvillea. The lively restaurant and youthful crowd per fectly captures the laidback vibe that defines Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.

A nightcap at Djinn and its adjacent Library Bar offers an opportunity to curl up with a signature cocktail while the Funk Zone catwalk parades along the hotel’s lushly landscaped paseo. During a full moon, the Moroccan-themed Djinn hosts its monthly Howl party, complete with lunar cocktails, board games, and a Tarot card reader.

Visitors to Santa Barbara bring in more than $1 billion in revenue at annual events such as Pacific Pride Festival in August where free same-sex weddings are offici ated along the waterfront. Equally cinematic is the Santa Barbara International Film Fes tival in January which attracts more than 50,000 cinephiles to the neighboring Arling ton Theatre, while theatre aficionados head to the Ensemble Theatre Company at the New Vic on the corner of State and Chapala.

As for holidays in the Funk Zone, few venues are more flamboyantly fabulous than the local speakeasy on Anacapa Street known as Pearl Social, which completely transforms into a six-week pop-up known as Miracle at the Funk Zone. Following in the footsteps of New York’s renowned cocktail bar Mace, the Christmas-themed pop-up serves Yuletide cocktails amidst a holiday hurricane of kitschy-clever décor— and the result is the most madcap office party of the holiday season.

Equally manic and magical are Santa Barbara’s holiday parades, a December

(above) Majorelle Spa at Hotel Californian (below) Hotel Californian Pool Photo courtesy of Hotel Californian

tradition that climaxes with an annual mari time Parade of Lights along the Santa Barbara waterfront and a New Year’s Eve Pops Concert at the Granada Theatre.

For years, surfing has been an integral part of Santa Barbara’s outdoor culture, thanks in part to local documentarian Bruce Brown whose Endless Summer films fueled interest in the sport. Founded in 1969 in a factory along the beach, Channel Island Surfboards has worked with numerous local surfing legends including Kelly Slater and Tom Curren, and today, the Funk Zone remains the nexus of surf culture with various surfing outposts.

For those seeking a more mellow form of well-being, Hotel Californian offers custom bicycles, as well as a rooftop pool with panoramic vistas of the Pacific and the sur rounding mountains. The hotel’s Majorelle Saturday Sessions group fitness class, led by instructor Victoria Popoff, provides a perfect excuse for a post-workout spa treatment at the hotel’s Majorelle spa. Named for the artist behind Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, the spa is a soothing cerulean oasis of seren ity staffed by therapists with thumbs of steel. At which point, you might begin to entertain fantasies of a Santa Barbara life—and which family jewels you need to hock to make it happen.

Early one morning, I stood on the balcony of my room at Hotel Californian. Just to be clear, the hotel’s rooms and suites are designed in full-stop mid-century glam by Martyn Lawrence Bullard (think Cher and Château Gütsch and Million Dollar Decorators), complete with custom cock tail bars stocked with full-size bottles of top-shelf spirits, as well as cocktail shakers and rocks glasses. Hardly anyone was about as the sun began to rise and I called home to the East Coast. Just then, the whistle of the train cut through the morning light and my husband heard it across the wires.“Is that the train?”he asked.

Located just a few blocks from Hotel Cali fornian, the Santa Barbara train station was built in 1902 in the Spanish Mission Revival style. Some days when walking State Street, it’s necessary to stop at the crossing as the train pulls into the station, either the Pacific Surfliner from San Diego to San Luis Obispo or the Coast Starlight which runs between Seattle and LA. Hopefuls still arriving to this day, ready for their close-up.

“Yes, dear, the train,” I responded, ice tin kling in my glass.“Just another day in paradise on the American Riviera.”

(above) Hotel Californian Aerial View (below) Blackbird at Hotel Californian courtesy of Hotel Californian Firestone Crossroads Estate Photo courtesy of Firestone

LOS ANGELES DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTING

Greg Cash TaxPlus Cash, Gregory D , EA, MST 5150 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Ste 350 Long Beach 562 597-4300 www gregcash com

ATTORNEYS

Parker | Waichman LLP

6 Harbor Park Dr Nationwide 800 JUST-CALL www yourlawyer com

BAKERIES

Cake and Art 8709 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 657-8694 www cakeandart com

BANKS

US Bank Toll Free 800 720-2265 www usbank com/checking

Wells Fargo Toll Free 800 869-3557 www wellsfargo com/lgbt

BOOKS & BOOKSTORES

Book Soup Bookstore 8818 W Sunset Blvd West Hollywood 310 659-3110

Crossroads Books 1196 E Walnut St Pasedena 626 795-8772

COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY

Lotus Place Recovery 1111 Baker St Unit A Costa Mesa 800 951-0735 www lotusplacerecovery com

EMPLOYMENT

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) 1700 Stadium Way LA 213 847-LAFD www joinlafd org

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) 700 E Temple St, B-38 LA 866 444-LAPD www joinlapd com

FRAMING

Framing Gallery 8527 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 657-6904

FITNESS/GYMS/PERSONAL TRAINERS

Body Builders Gym 2516 Hyperion Ave Silverlake 323 668-0802

Fired Up Athletics 8474 W 3rd St, Ste 208, LA 213 608-9425 www firedupathletics com

GUEST HOUSES/B&B’S

MisterBandB www misterbandb com

HAIR SALONS

Blades 801 N Larrabee St, Ste #1 West Hollywood 310 659-6693

Shorty’s Barber Shop 755 N Fairfax Ave West Hollywood 323 297-0554 www shortysbarbershop com

HOTELS

Opus Hotel Vancouver 322 Davie St Vancouver, BC Canada 604 642-6787 www opushotel com

Preferred Hotels & Resorts www preferredpride com/metrosource

Ramada Plaza West Hollywood Hotel 8585 Santa Monica Blvd 800 845-8585 www ramadaweho com

Sunset Marquis 1200 Alta Loma Rd West Hollywood 800 858-9758 www sunsetmarquis com

INSURANCE

Marc Berton Insurance LA 323 872-0482 San Fernando Valley 818 365-9449 Toll Free 800 924-4459 www marcberton com

INTRODUCTION SERVICES

Bespoke Matchmaking LA 888 422-6464 www bespokematchmaking com

LEATHER

665 Leather & Fetish Co 8722 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 854-7276

Rough Trade 3915 W Sunset Blvd, Silverlake 323 660-7956 www roughtradegear com

MARKETING SERVICES

Brand2Fly San Jose 408 763-7924 www brand2fly com GayVan com Travel Marketing www gayvan com

NUTRITION & FITNESS

Power Zone 8578 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 289-1125 www powerzoneonline com

PET SUPPLIES

Nulo Pet Foods nulo com/love

PHARMACIES/DRUGS

AHF Pharmacy 1400 S Grand Ave, Ste 801 Downtown LA 213 741-5271 1300 North Vermont Ave Hollywood 323 661-0643 www ahfpharmacy com

Cienega Pharmacy 99 N La Cienega Blvd, Ste 104 Beverly Hills 310 360-9969 www uniteddrugs com

PHYSICIANS & MEDICAL SERVICES

Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic Family Medicine & Mental Health 3324 W Sunset Blvd, LA 323 660-2400 www hsfreeclinic org

TATTOO

Body Electric Tattoo and Piercing 7274 1/2 Melrose Ave LA 323 954-0408 www bodyelectrictattoo com

THRIFT SHOPS

Berda Paradise Thrift Store 3506 W Sunset Blvd LA 323 661-8246

VIDEO Broadway Video 3401 E Broadway, Long Beach 562 433-1920

WEDDING SERVICES

Cake and Art 8709 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood 310 657-8694 www cakeandart com

ATHLETIC

ARRIBA SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB

PO Box 69611 West Hollywood, CA 90069 www.arribaski.org

CHEER LA 1223 Wilshire Blvd #1580 Santa Monica, CA 90404 www.cheerla.org

DIFFERENT SPOKES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA P.O. Box 2466 Hollywood, CA 90078 www.differentspokes.com

GOLDEN STATE GAY RODEO ASSOC - GLAC P.O Box 2407

Long Beach, CA 90801 562 498-1675 www.larodeo.com

GREATER LA GAY BOWLING www.igbo.org

LA BLADES ICE HOCKEY PO Box 4346 Laguna Beach, CA 92652 310 288-3632 www.bladeshockey.com

LA POOL LEAGUE PO Box 2227 Los Angeles, CA 90078 818 426-2171 www.lapl8ball.org

LA TENNIS ASSOC. (LATA) PO Box 481226 Los Angeles, CA 90048 www.lataweb.com

SHORELINE FRONTRUNNERS OF LONG BEACH PO Box 90774 Long Beach, CA 90809 562 252-0218 www.shorelinefrontrunners.org

SURF & SUN SOFTBALL www.surfandsunsoftball.com

WEST HOLLYWOOD AQUATICS www.wh2o.org

CULTURAL, SOCIAL

ASIAN PACIFIC AIDS INTL TEAM

6501 West Olympic Blvd Ste 610 Los Angeles, CA 90015 213 553-1830 www.apaitonline.org

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY

5001 Angel Canyon Rd Kanab, UT 84741 435 644-2001 www.bestfriends.org

BEST FRIENDS PET ADOPTION & SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES 15321 Brand Blvd Mission Hills, CA 91345 818 643-3989 www.bestfriends.org/la

CHRISTOPHER STREET WEST/GAY PRIDE 8235 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 969-8302 www.lapride.org

GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION (GLAAD)

5455 Wilshire Blvd, #1500 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 933-2240 www.glaad.org

GAY MENS CHORUS OF LA 9056 Santa Monica Blvd, #300 West Hollywood, CA 90069 800 636-7464 www.gmcla.org

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER The Village at Ed Gould Plaza 1125 N McCadden Place Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 860-7302 www.laglc.org

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER McDonald/Wright Building 1625 North Schrader Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028 323 993-7400 www.laglc.org

LA YOUTH SUPPORTIVE SERVICES 8111 Beverly Blvd #306 Los Angeles, CA 90048 877 465-2977 www.la-youth.org

LONG BEACH LESBIAN & GAY PRIDE PO Box 2050 Long Beach, CA 90802 562 987-9191 www.longbeachpride.com

OUTFEST THE LA GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL 3470 Wilshire Blvd #1022 Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 480-7088 www.outfest.org

PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION

126 East Haley, Ste A-11 Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805 963-3636 www.pacificpridefoundation.org

THE POINT FOUNDATION 5757 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 370 Los Angeles, CA 90036 866 33-Point www.pointfoundation.org

VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

18111 Nordhoff St Northridge, CA 91330 818 677-2488 818 677-3000 valleyperformingartscenter.org

WORLD HARVEST FOOD BANK

1014 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015 213-746-2228 www.worldharvestfoodbank.org

HEALTH/ COUNSELING

AID FOR AIDS AFA 8235 Santa Monica Blvd #200 West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 656-1107 www.aidforaids.net

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION/MENS WELLNESS CENTER

• 6255 W Sunset Blvd, 21st Fl Los Angeles, CA 90028 888 AIDS CARE

• 1300 N Vermont Ave, Ste 407 Los Angeles, CA 90027 866 339-2525 800 367-2437 www.inspotla.org

AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION PHARMACY 8212 Santa Monica Blvd The David Geffen Center West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 654-0907 www.ahfpharmacy.org

APLA HEALTH Client & Community Services The David Geffen Center • 611 South Kingsley Drive Los Angeles, CA 90005 213.201.1600

213 201-WALK (9255)

• 3743 S. La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016 323.329.9900

• 5901 W. Olympic Blcd. #310 Los Angeles, CA 90036

• 1043 Elm Avenue #302 Long Beach, CA 90813 562.247.7740 www.apla.org www.aidswalk.net

AIDS RESEARCH ALLIANCE 1400 S Grand Ave Ste 701 Los Angeles, CA 90015 310 358-2429 www.hopetakesaction.org www.aidsresearch.org

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY 3333 Wilshire Blvd #900 Los Angeles, CA 90010 800 227-2345 www.cancer.org

BEING ALIVE PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS ACTION COALITION 621 N San Vincente Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 289-2551 www.beingalivela.org

GAY & LESBIAN CENTER Orange County 1605 N Spurgeon St Santa Ana, CA 92701 714 953-5428 www.thecenteroc.org

HOLY FAMILY SERVICES, ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE

840 Echo Park Ave Los Angeles, CA 90026 213 202-3900 www.hfs.org

LA FREE CLINIC

• 5205 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 653-1990 – appts 323 653-8622 – admin www.lafreeclinic.org

• 6043 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028

• 8405 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048

LA PUBLIC HEALTH www.reallycheckyourself.org

OUT OF THE CLOSET THRIFT SHOPS

• 8224 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90046 323 848-9760

• 3500 East Pacific Coast Hwy Long Beach, CA 90804 562 494-0340

• 1726 East Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91106 626 440-1719

• 360 North Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 934-1956

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD 922 Vine St Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 845-1800 www.angelfood.org

THE TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845 www.thetrevorproject.org

VALLEY COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE 6801 Coldwater Canyon Ave North Hollywood, CA 91605 818 301-6314 - HIV testing 818 301-6390 - Medical Services www.smarthealthla.com

LEGAL

LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION FUND INC.

Western Regional Office 3325 Wilshire Blvd #1300 Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 382-7600 www.lambdalegal.org

NATIONAL G & L TASK FORCE 5455 Wilshire Blvd #1505 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323 954-9597 www.thetaskforce.org

LESBIANS

LESBIAN LAWYERS ASSOC OF LA PO Box 480318 Los Angeles, CA 90048 213 486-4443 www.lgla.net

POWER UP

419 North Larchmont Blvd, #283 Los Angeles, CA 90004 323 463-3154 www.power-up.net

WOMAN ON A ROLL PO Box 5112 Santa Monica, CA 90409 310 578-8888 www.womenonaroll.com

PROFESSIONAL

LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 8424 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood,CA 90069 424.209.2708 www.laglcc.org

REFERRALS/ SWITCHBOARDS

LA Gay & Lesbian center

Jeff Griffith Youth Center 7051 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038 TOLL FREE: 800 773-5540

LA GAY & LESBIAN CENTER MacDonald/Wright Bldg 1625 North Schroder Los Angeles, CA 323 933-7400 www.angelfood.org

THE TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845 www.thetrevorproject.org

THE VILLAGE AT ED GOULD PLAZA 1125 North McCadden Place Los Angeles, CA 90038 323 860-7328 prevention@laglc.org www.laglc.org

RELIGIOUS

ALL SAINTS PARISH 504 North Camden Dr West Hollywood, CA 90036 310 275-0123

BETH CHAYIM CHADASHIM 6000 West Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035 323 931-7023 www.bcc-la.org

GLORY TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN CENTER 3215 East Third St Long Beach, CA 90804 562 438-7758 www.glorytabernacle.com

OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 4101 Willow St 562 925.3533 www.open-door-ministries.org

ST. JANE FRANCES CATHOLIC CHURCH G & L OUTREACH 12930 Hamlin St North Hollywood, CA 91606 818 985-8600

WEST HOLLYWOOD CHURCH 916 North Formosa Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 323 656-2400

ATTRACTIONS

PALM SPRINGS DIRECTORY

CANNABIS

Just Fabulous

515 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 864-1300 www bjustfabulous com

760 778-1053

The Lighthouse Dispensary 760 320com

The Vault Dispensary and Lounge 760 866-

Mischief Cards & Gifts

226 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-8555 www mischiefcardsandgifts com

Peepa’s

120 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 318-3553 www peepasps com

HAIR SALONS

Cut Barber

1109 N Palm Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-2999 www cutbarber com

Daddy’s Barbershop

760 567-6852 760 322-3400 442 268-5498

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens 47900 Portola Ave Palm Desert, CA 92260 760 346-5694 www livingdesert org

Palm Springs Air Museum 745 N Gene Autry Trail Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 778-6262 www palmspringsairmuseum org

Palm Springs Art Museum 101 Museum Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-4800 www psmuseum org

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway 1 Tram Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 888 515-8726 www pstramway com

BAKERY

Over the Rainbow Deserts 1775 E Palm Canyon Road, Suite 150 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 322-2253 www romanblas com

Pastry Swan Bakery 70225 Highway 111 Suite A Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760 202-1213 www pastryswan com

Palm Springs, CA 92262 888 999-1995 www sparesortcasino com

• 32-250 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

Fantasy Springs Resort Casino 84-245 Indio Springs Dr Indio, CA 92203 760 342-5000 www fantasyspringsresort com

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa 49500 Seminole Dr Cabazon, CA 92230 800 252-4499 www morongocasinoresort com

CLOTHING

GayMart

305 E Arenas Rd #6635 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 416-6436

Revivals

• 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 760 318-6491

• 68401 Hwy 111, Cathedral City, CA 760 969-5747

FINANCIAL ADVISORS

Simon Hobbs

California Financial Partners Inc California 818 637-0180 simon@calfp com

GIFTS

Destination PSP 170 North Palm Canyon Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 354-9154 www destinationpsp com

Greetings Palm Springs 301 N Palm Canyon Dr # 102 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 322-5049 www greetingspalmsprings com

192 S Indian Canyon Dr Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 537-1311 www daddysbarbershop com

Palm Springs Fine Men’s Salon

750 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 3 Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-904-0434 www psfinemenssalon com

PET SUPPLIES

Bones-N-Scones 633 S Palm Canyon Dr Suite #26 Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 864-1133

Cold Nose Warm Heart 187 South Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 424-2006 www pspetstore com

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

DAP HEALTH

1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 323-2118 www.daphealth.org

DESERT CARE NETWORK 760 561-7373 www.desertcarenetwork.com

DESERT OASIS HEALTHCARE 275 North El Cielo Road Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 325-DOHC (3642) www.mydohc.com

EISENHOWER HEALTH 39000 Bob Hope Drive Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760 340-3911 eisenhowerhealth.org

MICHAEL’S HOUSE

1910 S Camino Real Palm Springs, CA 92262 844 768-0633 www.michaelshouse.com

PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER

4575 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, CA 92264 760 416-5718 www.psanimalshelter.org

PALM SPRINGS FRONT RUNNERS & WALKERS frontrunners.clubexpress.com

STONEWALL GARDENS 2150 N. Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 548-0970 www.stonewallgardens.com

THE LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT 1301 North Palm Canyon Dr, 3rd Floor Palm Springs, CA 92262 760 416-7790 www.thecenterps.org