Los Angeles-based non-profit organization Regarding Her Food is celebrating Women’s History Month with glamor and flair for its third annual 10 Days RE:Her from Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 12.
The ten-day festival began in 2021 with special menus and events from a core group of nine founders. All nine own highly esteemed LA restaurants (Border Grill, Here’s Looking at You, and more), and all nine were searching for community to get through the pandemic. Now, RE:Her spotlights its robust network of over 500 women who work in restaurants and hospitality.
“This year the events are just bigger and better,” says Rossoblu’s Dina Samson, one of the co-founders of the organization. “Food intersects with everything: music, fashion, and entertainment. We wanted to find those connections, find women in those industries, and broaden the idea of collaborations to find all women-owned businesses.”
Among the highly anticipated pop-ups and special tasting menus, the organization has branched out into comedy, live music, creative writing, and a guest takeover at Smorgasburg ahead of the finale taping of a popular reality show.
As always, RE:Her’s food festival will raise money to jumpstart early-career chefs and business owners. Last year, with over $250,000 raised from the 10-day event, the organization was able to strengthen its grant program, which also forges mentorships with up-and-coming restaurants in its community.
Grab your planner and read on for everything you should know about the upcoming festival and where to start eating.
Smorgasburg takeover
RE:Her takes over LA’s most bustling food market on Sunday, March 5. After discovering that many of the businesses at Smorgasburg are owned by women, the collective leveraged its network to create a special day that will include a tent that serves women-owned beverages and a mini-mart that will carry women-owned food products and merchandise.
While wandering, snack on mentaiko (pollock roe) onigiri at Mama Musubi or sourdough pizza slices at Quarantine Pizza Co. With kismet timing, RE:Her will be at Smorgasburg on the very day the longstanding reality series The Great Food Truck Race will film its season finale episode, in which three of the RE:Her founders will serve as judges.
Creative collaborations
In its third year as an organization, RE:Her’s founding members created reliable avenues for culinary veterans and young businesses alike to share their diverse platforms and dream up epic collaborations:
- On Wednesday, March 1, Guerilla Tacos’s chef Crystal Espinoza and her Arts District neighbor Stephanie Izard of Girl and the Goat will kick off 10 Days with a special seven-course walking and eating experience at their restaurants and on the 6th Street Viaduct. Book now
- On Thursday, March 9, esteemed Koreatown eatery Here’s Looking At You will join forces with modern pizzeria Ronan and sake bar OTOTO, owned by Caitline Cutler and Courtney Kaplan respectively, to turn its space into a one-night-only pizza joint for diners to enjoy specialty offerings with Kaplan’s curated selection of sake. Book now
- In Chinatown on Saturday, March 11, chef Kitty Lam of Dai Pie Dong pop-up will gather with fellow women bakers from Gu Grocery, Baker’s Bench, and Laroolou to offer flakey pastries, including her savory British-Cantonese pies.
Special tasting menus
At the heart of RE:Her’s food festival lies forward-thinking culinary innovation, and the organization’s network of female chefs intend to have fun while flexing this creativity. Many participants will have special menus available:
- For the entire duration of the festival, Casa Vega owner Christy Vega will feature a rotation of four cocktails made with tequila and sparkling wine from women-founded businesses.
- RE:Her’s founding restaurants will also invite up-and-rising chefs to use their kitchens, such as Heather Spearling of Botanica, who will welcome chef Rashida Holmes of Bridgetown Roti to serve a special Sunday vegetable-focused supper on Sunday, March 12.
- For a food event rooted in family history, make brunch reservations at Guelaguetza for Sunday, March 12. Bricia Lopez will be joined by two other spots owned by sisters––Ayara Thai and Lady & Larder––who will provide a family-style fixed menu with dishes that represent each restaurant’s respective sisterly bond.
Comedy and the arts
Women’s advocacy is crucial in more than just restaurants; this year’s 10 Days includes programming that emphasizes the vibrant industries that intersect with food.
- On Friday, March 3, Californian restaurant Caldo Verde hosts an evening with recipe developer and cookbook author Molly Baz in celebration of her New York Times’s best-seller Cook This Book. Book now
- On the west side, chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken host a taco night with a musical lineup of female artists at their restaurant Socalo on Thursday, March 9.
- On Saturday, March 11, RE:Her heads to The Crow comedy club for a night of stand-up and storytelling with a lineup of female performers and a suite of snacks and beverages from RE:Her members. Book now
- If you’re looking to let loose, Detroit Vesey’s hosts Drag King brunches on Sundays, March 5 and 12, with productions by two LGBTQ-centered organizations that strive to uplift trans and queer voices through art.
Fostering rising stars
Since last year’s festival, RE:Her expanded its network to welcome in women who are in any leadership role at their respective workspaces. Rossoblu’s Samson is hopeful that the meteoric increase in membership will amplify RE:Her’s first and foremost mission as a non-profit: to generate awareness and support for women leaders in the industry.
2022’s RE:Her 10 Days raised $250,000 in funds from sales, which was used to provide a grant and a ten-week mentorship academy for ten women’s businesses including La Imperial Tortilleria, 1010 Wine and Events, and Bridgetown Roti. With this year’s 10 Days returning with jam-packed programming, Samson and her fellow co-founders cannot wait for Angeleno diners to find their new favorite restaurants in places they may not have known before.
For more information on Regarding Her Food and its RE:Her 10 Days festival, visit www.regardingherfood.com.
