This is a first for Hungry Ones, a video interview!
Andrew in his own words:
Hi, I’m Andrew Warner. In my 20s, I used credit cards and ingenuity to create a $30+ mil / year (in sales) internet business with my younger brother. I created Mixergy to help ambitious people who love business as much as I do learn from a mix of experienced mentors. I do that by inviting speakers to live events and online interviews.
1. Who are you what do you do?
My name is Sean Armenta, I’m a beauty and fashion photographer in Los Angeles and a judge on Top Model Philippines.
2. Where’s you favorite place for lunch?
One of my favorite places for lunch is Taco Asylum in Costa Mesa. I usually have the Pork Belly, Short Rib, and BBQ Beef Tongue tacos. Another fave is Baja Fish Tacos (not to be confused with Baja Fresh) in Santa Ana, and is one of OC’s best kept secrets. Their rice is hands down, the best rice you will ever have. I’m pretty sure it’s made with unicorn tears cause it’s magically delicious.
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner?
I don’t know if I can nail down a favorite place for dinner. One of the best places I’ve had dinner was in Solvang, at the Ballard Inn their menu changes seasonally, but anything you order will be perfection. I also love Eva’s Caribbean Kitchen in Laguna Beach. The Pork Loin she makes is hands down the best you will ever have.
4. Drink of choices
I’m not a huge drinker, but I normally order a Jamison and ginger beer, or a Tom Collins. Coffee-wise, I’m addicted to White Chocolate Mochas at Starbucks.
5. Last meal would be?
My last meal would involve the poke bowl from Tommy’s Sushi in Tustin as an appetizer, some form of rack of lamb as an entrée, and a magnificently huge ice cream sundae, preferably with Talenti gelatos. The best thing to do is to take their Salted Caramel and even it out with their Vanilla Bean.
1. Who are you what do you do? Craig Thornton aka… Wolvesmouth… I live in l.a. and am known for my “dinner parties” and private dining experiences in my space aptly named Wolvesden… we set dates. people who sign up on our mailing list rsvp and we put the names in a lottery to choose who gets to make it out… we have 12-16 seats available at each dinner… whats it like? checkwolvesmouth.com which will help really explain what it is we do… as far as clientele I keep it mum as I want clients to know they can have their privacy when they come to my spot…
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? Its constantly changing right now I am hitting up daily dose and fat spoon quite a bit…I am a stickler for ingredients so I like going to places where I know the quality of the meat/produce etc is on point… daily dose does sandwiches quiches etc… very good quality ingredients local organic the whole deal plus I like the outside seating in the courtyard, reminds me of being in europe… Fat Spoon I have been getting the little mini Kurobuta corn dogs, the beef curry, the pork cutlet curry (with a ton of pickled radishes), and a salad or grilled veg to balance it all out… I keep hoping they have curry pan but every time I go they are out…
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? My favorite dinner spot this is another constantly changing deal.. I hit up Mexicali and Forage frequently… I usually cook at home a lot, mostly vegetarian in style… if I am going out with a group of friends I am probably headed to a place like Animal or Son of a Gun really dig what Jon and Vinny do… I hit up Red Medicine cause I cant escape their legume dish very light and refreshing…
4. Drink of choices Drink of choice for me is mainly water, then juices and a nice root beer. really good micro-brewed root beer. right now I am into tower root beer out of boston and this root beer from bills tavern I had in Cannon beach, they make it in-house and don’t sell it outside the restaurant (bummer). Sprechers was at my top for a while but I don’t know what happened to their recipe its way to sweet now… I don’t drink too much alcohol, I think I have maybe had the equivalent of 2-3 glasses of wine in the last year.
5. Last meal would be? My last meal well its changing a bit, I always stick with the bowl of white beans cooked with ham hock and really good bread with good butter, but I have since added a few other things to this meal, there are these kimchi pancakes @ Olivejina christine Choi-fang makes that are so fucking good it would definitely be in there and maybe some well made pasta with pesto and an heirloom tomato with salt on the side (if I were dying in summer) and of course wash it all down with a nice root beer or depending on how I am dying (if by firing squad I would elect to drink absinthe or something pretty heavy to get me loose and ready to eat lead) (if by dying in sleep I would elect for the root beer) (maybe a mixed drink for death by anything else in between).
1. Who are you what do you do? Helene Traasavik, model and yoga teacher, former Miss Norway and Red Cross ambassador. everything from catalogues to car commercials. I dream of becoming a bond girl without having to act, haha
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? My moms, when i’m home in norway, she makes the most AH-MAZING Thai food. Fav dish is Miang Kham.
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? I could never pick just one… hm. Melisse I Santa Monica, Tango in Stavanger, Breeze at Le Bua in Bangkok…..but these are fancy places to eat for special occasions, I mostly get my dinner at the Wholefoods salad bar. favorite dishes? so many, i love french food.
4. Drink of choices Depends on whats for dinner, water w lemon, pinot grigio or green tea
5. Last meal would be? My favorite meal of the day is BREAKFAST! poached eggs on toast, or eggs benedict, no bacon please. I’m a vegetarian.
1. Who are you what do you do? My name is Ashton Hirota but most people know me as Ashton Michael (my company name). i am a celebrity designer based in Hollywood CA and the founder of the Ashton Michael Label. i have been running my own one of kind fashion line since i was 19 years old. 10 years later i am proud to say that i have had my clothes on celebrities ranging from Chris Brown, The Black Eyed Peas, Nicki Minaj, Pit Bull, john legend, Keri Hilson, Regina Spektor, P Diddy, and the list goes on and on. as any artist my style and esthetic has changed and evolved from spikes and over embellishments to leather and lace to pop harajuk but alas years later for me to have found that ideal niche that is the face of Ashton Michael . i love making upscale stage apparel that can be worn of stage as well as off. smart detailing with tasteful application. in this case i will say less is more and a much stronger statement. i love taking what a client “thinks” they want and translate it to something press worthy. every job, client, personality is different so my life is constantly full of new adventures. blessed!
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? I want to talk about brunch rather than lunch because i rarely eat lunch. Brunch hands down is my boyfriends restaurant . it is called KTCHN 105. Located off the grid in the produce district in downtown LA this hidden gem has the good eats and fresh juices that make all sundays feel like your not in LA, rather NY. the outside patio is hidden in orange trees and herb gardens. It has rapidly become the “spot” for the kids in the industry. My favorite dish he makes is what he labels ” the best part about a fried egg” . Egg whites fried so thin it is crispy, on top of whole , laid over puff pastry and home fries dripping hollandaise and toped with micro greens. (see attached pic)
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? One of my favorite placed for dinner is called “ hot pot hot pot” in alhambra. its hands down the best shabu shabu style restaurant ive ever been too. the flavor, the spice, the freshness of the nearly hundred components you can put in it is unreal. its a true vegetarian delight. on a typical night at Hot Pot Hot Pot i would have them make the broth a level 5 (hottest) , which will set your mouth on fire. the broth is filled with cardamon, chilis, and more herbs and roots that im even aware of. now what goes in it? I typically get bamboo shoots, tofu, fresh oysters, pumpkin, hand made noodles, mushrooms, and baby corn. (see attached image)
4. Drink of choices 18 years scotch, neat with one cube.
5. Last meal would be? Spam . i know it sounds gross but its what i grew up with ( my father is from hawaii) and there is something sinfully delicious about that gelatin covered canned meat i would want to go out the same way i came in!
1. Who are you what do you do? My name is Chris Alfaro (Santa Ana, CA). I am part owner of The Crosby Restaurant and full time producer/ musician /DJ also known as ‘Free the Robots’
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? Anepalco’s Cafe, it’s pretty much a, pick anything and you’ll be happy, kind of menu, but Chef Danny’s signature Chilaquiles slightly tips the scale.
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? For the most part, I only eat dinner at The Crosby. Chef Aron and the Kitchen staff are always working on new menu ideas, and I am always eating those ideas for dinner. Get the Lobster Taco plate, highly recommend.
4. Drink of choices Simple sipper… Bushmills on the rocks
5. Last meal would be? At least 5 orders of ‘Xiao long bao’ from Din Tai Fung
1. Who are you what do you do? I’m Ninh Nguyen, the Creative Director for the upcoming Menswear brand NINH Collection, base in New York City. The NINH label is for the modest, confident man, the intellectual and cultured, the passionate and open-minded – a modern-day Renaissance man.
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? I can literally eat Pho’ every day. But there aren’t any good pho’ places around NYC, except for BEP in Williamsburg, but it’s a little far for me to go during my lunch hours. My office is located in Little Italy, so when I’m in a rush, I usually go to Paris Sandwich for a quick bite of Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and their delicious Pâté Chaud (pastry with ground pork inside). I love this place because they have a special recipe for their bread and everything is home-made with fresh ingredients.
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? Usually I would be cooking at home, but every Fridays our group gathers at Boka in East Village for some drunk fun. Did I say drunk? Oops, I meant hella drunk. They are known for their mouth-watering BonChon chicken (spicy wings and thighs). You can’t have hot wings without beer! And since this place is a Korean restaurant, you know there will be shots of Soju involved. Another one of my favorite dishes is the spicy Galby Jjim (braised short-ribs), in which its tender meat melts in your mouth.
4. Drink of choice? I’m probably one of the few people that loves Absinthe. As long as I don’t end up cutting my ear, I’m good! Second choice would be Rémy Martin, no rocks please. Gotta drink like a real European man! Oh I was born and raised in Paris, France, did I mention that yet? Last but not least, would be my Apple Martini; a Fashionisto can’t go wrong with that!
1. Who are you what do you do? Stephanie Lin, makeup artist/hair stylist living in Australia. Clients include Uno, L’officel, Viva Report Magazine, and Katy Steele for Lil Birdy.
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? Parkdale beach cafe kiosk on beach rd right in front of my house (steak sandwich and salmon eggs benedict)
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? Shoya japanese restaurant ( sushi and sashimi, sea urchin, duck liver sushi)
4. Drink of choices Der raum bar in richmond ( Baxbeet pinot & Big in Japan)
1. Who are you what do you do? My name is Catzie Vilayphonh, I am a writer, poet, and artist. I am 1/2 of the spoken word duo Yellow Rage, whom were the first Asian American females on Def Poetry Jam and 1/3 of the trio Laos in the House collective who are a group of, you guessed it, Lao writers who happen to be stupidly talented (one of us is an NEA Fellows). I also run a blog with my girlfriends called gluttonsluts.com which all about foods and dudes.
2. Wheres you favorite place for lunch? For lunch, it’s two choices for two reasons. One for long lunch, the other for quick lunch. You know exactly what I’m talkin’ bout. For long lunch I go to Pho Xe Lua aka Choo Choo, I don’t know how this started but I always get three things: raw beef carpaccio, fried soft shell crab and Tom Yum soup. The carpaccio is flavored with the nuoc cham and comes with crushed peanut and fried shallots, which I don’t understand because I usually hate peanuts in anything. It’s a bitch trying to pick up beef slices with chopstick but so worth it when you taste all the shit togethr. The soft shell crab I usually throw in my Tom Yum because I like how the fried fattiness gets cuts by the sour, but really I just like having crunchy things in my soup. For short lunch, I like Pizzeria Stella. Doesn’t matter what pizza you get it will come out in 10 minutes because the brick oven stove is that fuckin’ hot. My usual picks are the tartufo because I’m a sucker for anything with oozy egg yolk especially when it comes with truffle, but I also get the Sausage because I love pork and because I’m Lao and it’s in our genetic disposition to eat anything containing hot chilli peppers.
3. Where’s your favorite place for dinner? For dinner I used to like going to Amada, but then my ex stopped working there so no more hook ups on caramelized foie gras over filet mignons. My new boo is Amis which is supposed to be Roman cuisine and owned by Marc Vetri who pretty much got the Italian fine dining thing going on. All the hand made pastas here are amazing, evening the kids’ tomato and linguine is the shit (yes i was that person who ate off of a toddler’s plate), but I always get the specials pasta for some adventure. The swordfish meatballs got me whipped, as does the honey-baked pecorino, but I as stuffed as I get, I never can say no to the vanilla semifreddo and espresso – if this were available to-go I would die of a heart attack and overconsumption.
4. Drink of choice? A Dirty Hoe or Kir Royale. Apparently I’m a fancy bitch who like berries in my drink. For those of you who don’t know, a Dirty Hoe is Framboise and Hoegaarden mixed together — if there’s no Hoegaarden use Blue Moon, then you’ll get a Dirty Moon. When I don’t give a fuck, I get Jameson on the rocks.
5. Last meal would be? The late great Ell Bulli. Anything, all of it.
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There's nothing more inspiring than finding out the people you respect, enjoy the very same things as you do.
