March 29, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

LA Women Restaurateurs Create a Virtual Food Festival

90+ Women-owned restaurants unite for 10 Days RE:Her

By Staff Writer

Women restaurateurs from across Los Angeles have created a new charitable organization featuring 10 days of unique collaborations, thematic menus, and one-on-one conversations between female industry leaders

Its debut initiative, a food festival called 10 Days RE:Herwill feature 10 days of unique collaborations, thematic menus, and one-on-one conversations between female industry leaders. 10 Days RE:Her kicks off on January 21, the anniversary of the groundbreaking Women’s March of 2017, and runs through January 30, with scheduled programming to be finalized by early January. Pending local dining restrictions, aspects of the festival will likely take place virtually and remotely.

RE:Her was conceptualized by a cohort of women restaurateurs in LA–Lien Ta (All Day Baby), Sandra Cordero (Gasolina Cafe), Sylvie Gabriele (Love & Salt), Bricia Lopez (Guelaguetza), Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill, Socalo), Kimberly Prince (Hotville Chicken), Dina Samson (Rossoblu, Superfine Pizza), Heather Sperling (Botanica), and Brittney Valles (Guerrilla Tacos)–in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on communities and small businesses, especially independent restaurants. RE:Her aims to eventually provide grants, mentorship, and resources to female-identifying restaurant owners throughout Los Angeles, and beyond.

“Over the last 9+ months, we’ve witnessed the total inaction on the part of national leadership to provide meaningful support for independent restaurants, coupled with the outsized negative impact that COVID-19 has had on women in the workforce,” says Lien Ta, RE:Her’s Committee Lead. “We created RE:Her to not only drive business for participating restaurants during a historically slow period, but also to funnel cash, via a grant program, directly to women operators across town who are struggling to keep their businesses afloat.”

OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations, has signed on as a founding sponsor, lending support to takeout opportunities and collaborations during 10 Days RE:Her. OpenTable’s sponsorship has enabled the launch of RE:Her’s grant program, which will distribute cash grants to women-owned restaurants in Los Angeles County impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants can be used by the recipient to sustain their business however they see fit: past-due rent, bills owed to vendors, winterizing the outdoor patio, payroll costs, or any of the myriad costs required to operate a restaurant during these challenging times. With a fundraising goal of $500,000, RE:Her continues to actively seek sponsorships and donations to distribute as grants to support participating restaurants.

“With recent closures and government mandates, Los Angeles restaurants are suffering tremendously. We’re proud to join forces with the RE:Her team and help women-owned restaurants,” said Susan Lee, SVP of Growth. “OpenTable will continue to do everything we can to support our partners and all restaurants as they navigate this extraordinarily difficult operating environment.”

“PPP funding was an imperfect and short-lived band-aid for those who received it (and so few independent restaurants did). State and local support has been woefully negligible, at best. So we’re taking matters into our own hands and doing whatever we can generate some relief for the hard-working, indispensable women who make LA’s restaurant scene so vibrant,” says RE:Her board member Heather Sperling.

RE:Her is an affiliate of Let’s Talk, an industry group founded and led by Rohini Dey and supported by the James Beard Foundation. Let’s Talk unites over 250 women restaurateurs across 10 cities; the LA chapter is hosted by Mary Sue Milliken and Dina Samson. During monthly Zoom meetings, Let’s Talk members discussed various ways that women-owned restaurants have been banding together to drum up business (and generally survive) in cities across the country. The idea for RE:Her was born of out these discussions and ways to take further action to support the industry in Los Angeles.

RE:Her’s board is comprised of Lien Ta (All Day Baby), Sandra Cordero (Gasolina Cafe), Sylvie Gabriele (Love & Salt), Bricia Lopez (Guelaguetza), Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill, Socalo), Kimberly Prince (Hotville Chicken), Dina Samson (Rossoblu, Superfine Pizza), Heather Sperling (Botanica), and Brittney Valles (Guerrilla Tacos). Lien (’17), Sandra (’18), and Dina (’20) are alumni of JBF’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Headshots of each board member can be found here.

RE:Her merch is available for purchase online here, with all proceeds benefitting the organization.

For more information, visit regardingherfood.com. Follow on Instagram @RegardingHerFood.

Related Posts

Foreign Currency in International Business Expansion

January 2, 2024

January 2, 2024

Business has transformed into a whole different dimension. The interconnectedness across countries is increasing the feasibility of business expansions. It...

How to Select Quality Solar Panels and Installation in California

January 2, 2024

January 2, 2024

As solar energy becomes more affordable and popular, many homeowners in California are considering installing solar panels. However, not all...

Celebrating Christmas in Las Vegas: A Winter Wonderland of Fun and Festivity

November 15, 2023

November 15, 2023

As the festive season approaches, Las Vegas transforms into a glittering winter wonderland, offering a unique and magical Christmas experience....

Navigating Oxnard’s Public Transportation System: A Driver’s Guide

November 2, 2023

November 2, 2023

Whether you live in Oxnard or want to visit, it’s useful to know how to get around this coastal city....

15 Tips For Keeping Burglars Out Of Your Business

October 16, 2023

October 16, 2023

In the ever-evolving realm of business security, the persistent threat of burglary perpetually looms overhead like a dark cloud. The...

US Gambling Laws

July 12, 2023

July 12, 2023

Whilst casino gaming is a significant part of the American culture, US gambling laws are ever-changing. Prior to the Unlawful...

Reasonable Renting in The City of Angels

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

What would it be like to wake up in a bustling metropolis filled with endless possibilities, set against rows of...

BEST BITCOINS CASINO 2023: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023

Bitcoins casino and cryptocurrency casinos are in full swing, and they will increase users exponentially in the coming years. However,...

Messi Drives Up Ticket Prices Up for this MLS Season.

May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

Lionel Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer (MLS) is already causing a stir, and the profound effect it is having...

Don’t Miss Your Last Chance to Experience CORTEO by Cirque du Soleil!

April 25, 2023

April 25, 2023

The Show’s Run At The Microsoft Theater Ends On April 30  Time is running out for fans of CORTEO by...

Enforcement of LA’s Home Sharing Ordinance for Short-Term Rentals Falls Significantly in 2022

April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023

Better Neighbors LA report highlights the inadequacies of enforcement measures for short-term rentals in Los Angeles, calling for increased regulation...

Tragic Fire Claims Lives of Elderly Couple and Their Cat in Mar Vista

February 9, 2023

February 9, 2023

Doris Bergman and Albert Sassoe Jr. victims in Wednesday morning fire By Sam Catanzaro An elderly couple and their cat...

4 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job

January 2, 2023

January 2, 2023

New graduates have fresh skill sets and they are driven by a desire to succeed. Hampering this desire, however, is...

Cancer Cartel Provides Financial Help To Cancer Patients

November 16, 2022

November 16, 2022

Cancer Cartel is helping cancer patients focus on their treatment, not the financial stress of living with a diagnosis. Learn...

Column: Tenant Support Could Tip the Political Scales in CD-11 Council Race

October 29, 2022

October 29, 2022

Darling pushes advocacy of renter’s rights over Park in tightly contested battle to succeed Mike Bonin! By Nick Antonicello In...