I recently had the pleasure of venturing out all the way to Newport Beach just to attend the Newport Beach Festival. The Pacific Sales Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Jaguar Land Rover, one of Southern California’s most intimate and highly-acclaimed food and wine events, wrapped its fifth annual extravaganza on Sunday, October 7, 2018. The four-day epicurean event drew over 6,000 guests who enjoyed tastings from over 40 of Southern California’s best restaurants and more than 250 varieties of wine, as well as access to their favorite celebrity chefs. This year’s festival attracted top talent from the culinary world, including Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina, Food Network and Bravo stars Duff Goldman, Richard Blais, and Jet Tila, as well as contestants from Bravo’s Top Chef television series.

An Evening With The Mayor is an annual event hosted by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. Held at the iconic Greystone Mansion, it was definitely an evening of elegance that one often only gets to experience in a movie.

We were first picked up by Starline Tours, the official shuttle service of the evening. Then greeted by two luxury vehicles provided by O’Gara. Upon entry, you come across the first photo opportunity of the evening, on the staircase overlooking the entire terrace. However, it’s the soft melody from a harp that invites you in. The live music was provided by Kirschner Creative Artists’ Sasha Boldachev.