Shark Pig in The Salon

Our friends over at Shark Pig, the classy little movie making team based in Atwater (see the video they did for us here), they have been talking about getting their whole crew together for a party for quite some time now. They have depots all over the country so their team is traveling constantly, and they really wanted to make an effort to collect everyone together to throw a par-tay over here in our digs. Man did they ever!

To outfit our space, of course, were our pals at Yeah Rentals. Remember the other events they styled for us here and here? For Shark Pig we naturally went with a theme of grey (shark) and pinky-peach (pig). 

Guests entered in through The Salon before they went out back to our garden. Photos of each of their team members were scattered throughout the party along with "money" and team cards and pins to wear with a sharkypig logo.

Daniel Gibson drew all the chalkboards for this event. Pigs and Sharks everywhere. There were also little "work" sheets for guests to fill out.

We called in our friend Yasmine for some simple floral elements. Here she is sprucing up The Salon for another event. Her work never ceases to take my breath away. So, so pretty. Check out her Instagram here, she's one of my favorites.

Okay, let's talk cocktails. This is a drinking crowd and they wanted a bar that satisfied everyone. We served our House Wine and beer and of course cocktails....

GREYSMOKE

Vodka, Salmuera (house smoked sea salt solution), Grapefruit Juice, HLA Citrus Bitters

GINGER EYE

Old Overholt Rye, Whiskey, Herbsaint, HLA Fresh Ginger Extract, Torani Amer, Meyer Lemon

MARGARITA ESTILO HEIRLOOM LA

Herradura Plata Tequila, HLA Sour Mix, Damiana Liqeur, HLA Toasted Chili-Agave Bitters

PASSIONFRUIT & PEACH AGUA FRESCA

Oh yes, let's eat! What do you serve for a Shark Pig Party? Shark and Pig Tacos of course. And with those came a buffet of delicious sides, featured above.

Shark and Pig Tacos were composed off of our Oaxacan Wagon. Those menus you see were designed by our one and only Glen Nakasako of Smog Design. You should check out his Instagram feed here also, it's all about bold compositions that strike him, and is another feed I always look forward to viewing.

We also put snacks on the tables. No one goes home hungry when visiting our house!

Warm Crispy Jam Donuts with Rosemary Maple Glaze made the rounds after everyone got through the Taco Bar a few times. I believe The Third Man was playing on that movie screen. Love that film, one of my all time favorites.

What's a Shark Pig Party without a Smilebooth? That's me up there with Chelsy, our Drop-Off Catering Manager (who is moving on to the kitchen, and so we're hiring!), along with her husband, Rob, who works on events with us, and me and Glen hamming over there to the right. 

Oh and that Piñata! My friend's nanny made it. Good, right? Contact me at tara@heirloomla.com if you'd like her contact info for your own customized piñata. She can do just about anything.

You want to know who took all these photos? None other than Jennifer Emerling. She's about to take a month wondering around Bulgaria and London and she will be documenting it on Instagram here. Do yourself a favor and follow her, it's like having a coffee table book of gorgeous photography on your phone.

Shark Pig... nice party.

Heirloom Garden Fiesta

It's a big turning point, 30, so we decided to throw a grand fiesta in our back parking lot garden to celebrate. Over 200 people joined us and lots of friends contributed to pulling it off into a festive extravaganza, including the custom font (!) made by Smog Design for all our menus and invitations. Could our invitations be any cuter? I will answer that question, no, no they could not. Thank you Glen and Bijan at Smog for yet another slam dunk in design for us.

You may remember another party in our parking lot garden here. That was for Glen's 40th birthday. Many of a milestone celebrations going on behind our building, that's for sure.

Photos: Jennifer Emerling of YEAH Rentals

Speaking of parking lots, can you believe this is our parking lot? I sure can't. That's how transformative the cool, modern collection of YEAH Rentals can be. They unload their wares and Presto! You now have the set-up of a cozy party that you wish was a permanent fixture, so stylish it is.

Photo: Jennifer Emerling of YEAH Rentals

We wanted to have lots of things to do rather than just eat (duh! everyone knows they'll be eating mightily at any of our parties), so one of the Cabanas we built had a Tarot Card Reader (she said the answer to my question was "ten months" but I forgot to ask a question, dang-it!), our friend Whitney set up a Smilebooth, and Handsome Coffee was there with one of their fancy machines making beautiful cups of Joe that took the chill away. Those who had never ventured downtown to their storefront marveled over how dreamy coffee can be when it's roasted and prepared to such perfection. 

Also my talented friend Heather (who just had a baby but you'd never know because she looks so smokin' hot), she played an eclectic mix of vinyl that was ambient and cheerful, and we screened The Three Amigos which was very popular among the little kids who attended.

Photos: Ellen November

Although everyone on our Heirloom Team contributed to make this party happen, it was one of our catering managers, Nicolette, who took the piñata by it's snout and led the way for our party committee. She had the idea to blow up a picture of Matt and instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, she set up a Stick the Stash on Matt! By the end of the night, everyone was mostly wearing these stashes themselves. 

Photos: Jennifer Emerling of YEAH Rentals

After a couple of trips downtown (in Piñata Town, yes there is a Pinata Town here!) to pick up $4 sombreros, multiple piñatas (and we had several custom pinatas you can get made here, one an exact replica of our Food Truck!), balloons, and tissue in the color family of our invitations, Nicolette grabbed a pair of scissors and went to work shaping colorful garlands and pom poms to pair with cacti whose vessels were aluminum cans from the makings of enchiladas that she cooked up for she and her husband and their freezer. Way to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, sister! She also collected Mexican Coke and cerveza bottles for flowers that we scattered everywhere. These ideas were not only vibrant and affordable decor, they also worked as party favors to send guests home with. 

Loop and his wife, Kara, run a company called Tact Events which manages several venues here in Los Angeles and now in San Francisco as well. Under Tact Events, there are two valet companies (Jeffrey and Dovetail) that both have impeccable reputations for quality and trust. Loop has endorsed us from our humble beginnings and it is such a pleasure to see his company grow because he is such good people. For our fiesta, Loop provided Jeffrey Valet (the good looking hipster dudes who drive your car responsibly) so that guests just waltzed right on into The Salon and out to the back for a taco.

Photos: Jennifer Emerling of YEAH Rentals

Photo: Ellen November

You must be noticing those beautiful goblets. You must! They are from our friends expansive collection over at Casa de Perrin. What do you do with these most colorful and delightful glasses that you never want to put down you ask? You put a rockin' cocktail in it that's what. 

Okay so I drank every one of the above cocktails and they all were uniquely complex and fresh, but the one I enjoyed two of was that Blue Cello. Whoaaa! Yum city. For those who keep it simple, our dear friends at Silverlake Wine provided us with plenty of Mexican beer and wine. 

Photos: Ellen November

Whatsa Birthday Party without a cake? Or two?! Our friends at Charm City Cakes surprised us with this brilliant confection designed after the invitation. It was a Dulce de Leches Cake that was as delicious as it was merry and thoughtful. And I made a Strawberry Tres Leches Cake layered with Caramel Rice Krispies and Meringue because inside out cake is the new trifle.

Photo: Elizabeth Daniels

It's a new decade for you, my life partner, my love. I know I speak for everyone when I say that it is with great anticipation that I look at these upcoming years to see what you will build and become and innovate and nurture (and cook!) as your generous spirit continues to embrace us. I'm so grateful and excited to be on this crazy, sleepless ride with you.

Here now are some favorites that friends took on Instagram from this happy night:

Cooking Outdoors

Photos:  Justine Ungaro

Cooking for Foodies

So we were thrilled when we were asked to cater an event for The Food Network at The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences where he would be speaking to an audience of 670 people who we then would feed in a variety of action stations. 


Why gush over Alton Brown? Because this is a guy who really thinks things through, considers and weighs everything he says, and we really appreciate that in a dapper fellow such as he. For example, when an audience member asked him what he would choose for his last meal if he was about to face execution he replied, "Duck confit because it takes three days to make."


Love him.

Thank you to The Food Network and Brandon Clark for providing us with these images and allowing us to have a blast!

Pasta Off Our Taco Cart

Photos:  Crystal Jean 

Max Wanger's Three Day Workshop

Last week we did lunch drop-offs for Feet First, a photography workshop with Max Wanger and Blog Shop. Our pals at Yeah Rentals and Shark Pig share an office with Max and Bri so they came out for grub too. For one of the days we served pasta off our new Taco Cart! We had choices of Fresh Raviolis and Cavatelli and Linguini and you choose the sauce, all made right there in front of everyone. It was lots of fun!


These adorable photos were from student's twitter feed: 


@crystal_jean 
@aloarowa 
@wrp3 
@whit_chamberlin 
& YEAH Rental's lovely wife @thelittlestblog