Brunch Diaries: Keltie Knight from The LadyGang

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Podcasts have seriously become a major obsession of mine lately, and my favorite podcast is none other than The LadyGang. Which is why I’m super excited to share my interview with the lovely Keltie Knight. Keltie is 1/3 of The Lady Gang and you can catch her on all the major red carpets interviewing all the hottest celebs. Keltie is serious GOAL ya’ll and I’m excited for you to get to know here more below!

CAREER LIFE:

What made you get involved with the LadyGang?
I think all of us just wanted to create something of our own, and I certainly was given the gift of gab. When we started I thought this might be a fun little side project and now it has turned into a full blown empire with our podcast, blog, and quarterly LADYBOX!

What has been your favorite career moment?
I will never get sick of getting all dressed up and going to the super fun red carpets of Hollywood, it’s so neat to see the gowns and gals you see in the magazines up close. Of course, meeting Oprah was major for me. I got the MOST star stuck over Paula Abdul though.

What has been the hardest part?

The rejection and constant criticism.

Who inspires you?
Sounds weird but I inspire myself, I constantly make to do lists, and sometimes I look in the mirror, or even watch back a major interview and I don’t even realize it’s ME looking back. It’s like I am two people. Keltie and then “Keltie.”

You seem to have it all, what’s your advice to girls who want to be successful like you?
I do not have it all. But, I will say that for a very long time in my life I lived what I thought was going to make everyone else like me, and helped many, many people without ever focusing on myself. To have your dream life, you legit have to work at all areas of your life constantly. I work out daily and I hate working out, I wake up very early and work very hard to make the right career decisions to put me in a place to succeed. I am very careful of what I spend my hours doing. I married the guy who was really nice to me, so now it appears as if I have the perfect marriage, I don’t, but it’s pretty close. I think you have to set yourself up for success and many people SAY they want it all, but are not willing to do the things to get them in that position.

 

SOCIAL LIFE:

Where is your favorite place to brunch?
Real Food Daily in LA. They have the BEST almond flour waffles ever.

Dress up, or dress down?
If I am not at work I am deep in that sweatpants life.

Favorite place to go for a night out?
I hate going out. I am a total homebody. Please, do not make me leave my house.

Favorite cocktail?
Diet Coke.

If you’re throwing a dinner party, what is your go-to meal?
I would never throw a dinner party because I legit just love to be by myself reading if I have a night off, but my good friends do invite us over to play cards and eat sometimes and they make the most delicious food I’ve ever tasted.

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FASHION AND BEAUTY LIFE:

Current favorite item in your closet?
My black MOTHER denim jeans.

If you could only bring 3 items to a deserted island, what would they be?
A kindle, Weleda Skin Food, and a big cooler of Diet Coke.

How would you describe your style?
Everygirl.

Best beauty hack?
I put purple shampoo on my hair with a shower cap and leave it for 30 mins to revive my blonde!

What is your go-to workout routine?
I am obsessed with the Sweat With Kayla App.

REAL LIFE

Favorite cause/charity?
TWLOHA and The Beagle Freedom Project

Top 3 people we should be following on Instagram?
Duh. @theladygang @theladygang @theladygang

What’s the one thing you cannot live without?
To do lists.

Where is one place you would love to travel to?
Toyko

What’s next?
The LADYGANG just launched it’s second LADYBOX and we are currently working on those, I’m heading to the swanky Vanity Fair Oscars Party, and VACATION!!!!

 

Be sure to follow Keltie on Instagram @keltieknight and @theladygang, also be sure to check out new episodes of The LadyGang every Tuesday!

Keltie Knight

 

Brunch Diaries: Jackson Kalb from Bottlefish

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Hey hey hey! I’m back!! It seems like it’s been forever, and it has been. Sorry I’ve been MIA but I was on the east coast enjoying the holidays with family and friends and then I got super sick so time just escaped me. Can you believe it’s already 2017?! Like what?? I wanted to kick off 2017 with a brand new Brunch Diaries! Ladies and gents I introduce you to my friend Jackson Kalb. I’ve known Jackson since moving out to LA and he’s a bomb chef and is currently the executive chef at Bottlefish. Bottlefish is a new restaurant that just opened over in Brentwood, here in Los Angeles. Created by the same owners as California Pizza Kitchen, Bottlefish is a hip new upscale seafood restaurant. I had the pleasure of going to Bottlefish’s friends and family preview night, and let me tell you…the food was BOMB thanks to my friend Jackson! Get to know Jackson a little more below.

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CAREER LIFE:

What is your occupation?
I’m the executive chef at Bottlefish.

How did you get involved with Bottlefish?
Total coincidence. My friend Danny was playing a pickup game of soccer with the GM, Arthur, before the restaurant had a chef. Arthur and Danny started talking and Arthur mentioned that he was looking for a chef. It turns out we all went to the same high school, so we had that rapport immediately.

What has been the hardest part about opening a new restaurant?
Pretty much everything. There are so many moving variables. Between staffing, training, HR, operations management, and everything in between, it’s all done by management and we’re all doing our part to get it done. Luckily, our founders are some of the most successful, experienced restaurateurs on the planet, so it goes without saying that we’re in good hands.

What is your favorite dish on the new menu?
My personal favorite is the scallop crudo. It’s so simple, but not easy. When you clutter a plate with garnishes and sauce, it’s easy to hide behind B-grade ingredients or improper execution. With our scallop crudo, everything has to be executed perfectly, because it’s only five ingredients.

We’re really showing off the intensely sweet flavor of the Nantucket bay scallops in this dish. It also shows off the natural product itself, which is the true star of the show. Often chefs take credit for the dish, but if the ingredients aren’t top quality, it doesn’t matter how much manipulation a chef does to it.

What advice would you give to future chefs?
Don’t watch TV and think you want to be a chef. Do it only if you are passionate about it. TV has glorified the occupation. There’s nothing wrong with glorifying it, as long as you know the reality of the job. If you’re spending more time on your hair then you are learning the fundamentals of cooking, you are in it for the wrong reason and will never be satisfied.

I’m all about showcasing chef’s capabilities on TV and hope to do something in front of the camera myself one day soon. Just don’t consider yourself a chef after going into massive amounts of debt to graduate from culinary school. If you want to learn culinary skills, go to a restaurant (or come work for me) and learn the trade. You’ll actually get paid to learn, and if you’re hungry, the shitty pay in the interim will pay off dozens of times over.

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SOCIAL LIFE:

Where is your favorite place to brunch?
I don’t really eat out during brunch in LA. We’re working on a brunch menu at Bottlefish which will hopefully be happening in Spring 2017, so let’s just say Bottlefish will be my future favorite spot.

Favorite restaurant to take out of town visitors?
Sotto for a nice sit-down spot. Leo’s taco truck (which is also the best restaurant in LA) for pastor tacos.

Favorite cocktail?
I’m classic for cocktails. Negroni or a Hendrick’s martini, sub cucumber for olives.

If you’re throwing a dinner party, what is your go-to meal?
I don’t think I’ve ever made the same dish twice at a dinner party. Most people know that they’re my guinea pigs during dinner parties. **cough cough Jackson, where’s my invite??!**

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REAL LIFE:

Who inspires you?
Josiah Citrin. He made me who I am today. As distant as we’ve become over the years, I still owe most of my culinary capabilities, and all the opportunities and personal drive that came from it, to him.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Be kind.

What’s the one thing you cannot live without?
Friends and family. Material objects don’t carry the same value. If you don’t believe me, try being alone (no human interaction, no social media) for a week. You’ll go crazy, I promise.

Where is one place you would love to travel to?
Japan. Such a huge cultural difference, as most parts of the world are. I’m just very interested in visiting there right now.

What’s next?
If this pans out long-term, we plan on growing Bottlefish to multiple locations. When we reach our limit, we have a few other concepts in the works. I’m also helping with a small startup downtown and planning a wedding, so I’m extremely busy and couldn’t be happier about it.

Thanks Jackson for the interview! If you guys are ever in the Los Angeles area, definitely go check out Bottlefish and say hi to Jackson!

Brunch Diaries: Annie Spano from Style Collective

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Hi loves! I’ve decided to start a new series on the blog called “Brunch Diaries”. The Brunch Diaries will consist of a Q&A with influential and inspiring individuals. We’re going to be talking to them about everything, from career, social life and you guessed it… brunch. As I was thinking about who I wanted to interview for this new series, Annie Spano immediately popped into mind. Annie is not only a childhood friend (she used to babysit me, and is my best friend Catherine’s big sis) but she’s also a major #girlboss. In the past year alone, she has started two companies; The Lovely Girl and Style Collective. If you don’t believe me, just keep reading.

CAREER LIFE:

What made you start The Lovely Girl and Style Collective?
Style Collective was formed as a reaction to an experience that should never happen to other women. In late 2015, I left my corporate job after being bullied and harassed by another woman in the workplace. The experience had left me feeling defeated and emotionally drained. I really wished that there was a better way for women to work together and help each other achieve success.

During this time, I had started The Lovely Girl as a creative outlet and became friendly with other female influencers. I started a chat group with my new friends to share ideas and support each other with the intent of promoting community over competition. The result was amazing – not only did everyone eagerly share their blogging tips and tricks to help each other grow, but also we formed friendships that added a meaningful dimension to what we already loved doing. Our small group quickly grew into a large influencer network that was officially incorporated as Style Collective LLC in early 2016. It’s been a wild ride for sure!

What has been the hardest thing about starting your own company?
The hardest thing about starting my own company has been wearing ALL of the hats and doing everything. There is literally not enough time in the day to do it all, so you have to prioritize and be smart with the money that’s coming in. I’m lucky enough that I’ve been able to save up so that I can now delegate and reinvest for some big projects that I’m working on for this fall. Balancing a personal life with a startup is my other struggle. When Cat came to visit, I was on the phone with AmEx for an hour trying to get setup as a merchant because AmEx transactions were getting declined. My payment processor never told me that I needed to setup a whole separate account for that. It’s these little things that drag you down and you have to fix immediately, that’s stressful and hard to manage at times. You have to work whenever you can fit it in.

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
In business school my strategy professor talked about this quote in class. It’s so good and really give you good perspective! “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson

Who inspires you?
I love Ivanka Trump because she built a fashion and lifestyle brand that is founded on empowering the multifaceted working woman. She wants success for other women just as much as she wants it for herself. Her articles are relevant, inspiring and just really refreshing. She understands driven, goal-oriented millennial women and strives to empower them through her brand. I just love that.

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SOCIAL LIFE:

Where is your favorite place to brunch?
There is this AMAZING hipster place in Portsmouth, NH called The Friendly Toast. It’s crazy inside and they have the best brunch food. Huge portions and really chill. I love going there when people come visit.

Dress up, or dress down?
Dress up.

Favorite place to go for a night out?
Netflix and chill. JK. I just found out what that means last week LOL. I love going to Blue Moon Evolution for dinner and drinks. I’m over 30 now so that’s what I call a night out LOL.

Favorite cocktail?
Vodka soda with a splash of cranberry and lime.

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FASHION AND BEAUTY LIFE: 

Favorite item in your makeup bag?
I literally just bought this new Tarte gel foundation and it is life changing. It has taken me 31 years to find my holy grail foundation.

If you could only bring 3 items to a deserted island, what would they be?
Coffee, phone and my hubby for company.

How would you describe your style?
Classic/Preppy.

Best beauty hack?
I learned about baking my makeup this past June! This is my favorite tutorial.

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REAL LIFE:

Favorite cause/charity?
Foundation for Women’s Cancer. I ran a fundraiser last month so that I could donate in memory of my Mom.

What’s the one thing you cannot live without?
Coffee. 

Where is one place you would love to travel to?
Europe! Italy and Paris are high on my list.

What’s next?
Everything! The sky is the limit and I want to do it all.

Be sure to check out Annie’s blog The Lovely Girl, and her company Style Collective. Also be sure to follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!