Nutella is Love...Nutella is Life

Have a dinner party to go to? Want to impress your family this holiday season with a non-traditional dessert? Is it another Friday night with wine and Netflix and you want a little somethin' somethin' on the side? Then here's a low maintenance cheesecake recipe that will knock you on your butt.

Behold:

Unnnng

What You'll Need:

1&1/4 C graham cracker crumbs

5 Tbsp softened unsalted butter

3/4 C chopped toasted hazelnuts

1 13 Oz jar of Nutella

1 lb of Cream Cheese (or light whipped cream cheese if you don't want it as dense)

1/2 C powdered sugar (sifted)

9 inch diameter pie pan

Serves: 1 you, if you're brave enough

Calories: Ha...ha...haha....HAHAHAHAHAHA

First you're going to start with the crust. Take the graham cracker crumbs (or, use 10oz of regular honey graham crackers), butter and 3 tbsp of chopped hazelnuts to blend in a processor until you have a damp, sandy texture. Add 1 tbsp of Nutella to the mix for good measure. Next, pat the crap out of that delicious crust into your pie pan; you can use the back of a large spoon to help. Place that in the refrigerator to chill.

For the pie, place the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar. Mix with beater until combined. Add the remaining jar of Nutella and continue mixing. Note: don't worry if you see small chunks of cream cheese not mixing in with the Nutella, it will all get absorbed while it's chilling in the refrigerator overnight. 

Once you've got the pie part, dump that into your pie pan and smooth over. Sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts onto the top of the pie and leave in the fridge overnight. Annnnnnd that's it. Simple, huh? Now time to patiently wait until the next day and-SCREW IT EAT IT NOW! No...no...we're civilized here. We can do it. Just go back to your Netflix and Red Moscato and let this all blow over.

Happy baking!

Kay

Old Hats: An In Depth Review

When I was about three-years-old, Bill Irwin and David Shiner teamed up for their world premier of Full Moon. In just 25 performances, they made audiences roar with laughter at their ingenuity and sharp physical comedy. Featuring The Red Clay Ramblers, this production was filled to the brim with classic slap-stick schticks as well as some very impressive clowning and miming.

In a world where the performing arts is becoming less appreciated as a critical necessity in our socio-economic society, Bill and David set out to bring back the classics and prove that you can "teach an old dog new tricks".

On Wednesday, September 17th, I had the privilege of seeing these two perform in the opening night of Old Hats. This time around, they managed to make a potent statement about the anxieties of modern society. For example, in the act entitled "The Business Man", Bill is seen using a smartphone, ipad, and large projector to interact with a virtual David. In another act entitled "The Debate", we see Bill and David dressed as sleazy politicians doing everything and anything to get a leg-up on their competing candidate (sound familiar, voters?). These pieces paired with audience interaction and Bill in drag made for one unforgettable night.

Just look how sexy!

Assisting them, and providing musical breaks, was singer and song-writer Shaina Taub. With songs like "Make a Mess", "You Undo Me" and "The Reminder Song", Taub brought a poetic and hilarious element to the show. Her lyrics were nothing short of genius with a charismatic stage-presence to boot. Saying that Shaina had one of the most impressive voices I've ever heard is an understatement. She made an excellent impression on the show.

Bill Irwin and David Shiner are two of the most visionary clowns in this or any decade. They have withstood the test of time and made vaudeville relatable for all generations. With their combined efforts, they managed to make Old Hats magical. I laughed until I cried and then I cried some more!

Old Hats will be playing through until October 12th at the ACT in San Francisco. Performances are2 hours long with a 15 minutes intermission. For more information on the show and location, click HERE.

Stay classy, boys

Shout out to Jim Houghton, founder of Tony Award winning, Signature Theatre. It was nice to see you again!

Cheers,
Kay

Insights into the Minds of San Francisco's Best Startups

Last week I checked out NewCo. San Francisco, a two-day event that gives you behind-the-scenes access to top executives, entrepreneurs, investors and future influencers at their headquarters. After a couple of days of hustling around the bay area, I was left with some useful insight from the minds of San Francisco’s most powerful startups:

Matt Mahan, founder and CEO of Brigade, spoke about the concept of creating the perfect political-based forum. He said that the two biggest challenges when it comes to politics are the issues of educating the population and cynicism. His vision with Brigade is to be the solution to those challenges and to break down the preconceived notion that “my participation doesn’t matter” when it comes to communicating with elected officials. Six months from now, Mahan plans to launch the Brigade app on all forms of smart technology as well as on a regular desktop platform.

StumbleUpon founders Garret Camp and Geoff Smith shook the business world back in 2009 when they did the unthinkable – bought their company back from eBay after its acquisition in 2007. Since then, StumbleUpon has been a force to reckon with, making savvy investments like its recent acquisition of web video concierge 5By last year. Current CEO Mark Bartels spoke about creating the perfect user experience when it comes to original and creative content. He noted that though many people believe that content is key to reaching the user; the platform is the true key. Using Netflix as an example, he noted that you can control the audience by being a place where people can find great content. StumbleUpon hopes to achieve this sort of user reputation.

If you want to learn how to code or hear a thought-leader speak about technology, General Assembly is the place to go. General Assembly invited Rob Young, principal designer and founder of Young & Co, to speak at NewCo. He highlighted Dieter Ram’s “10 Principles of Design,” which says that good user experience must solve a problem, be as simple as possible and be delightful. He went on to say that a programmer should be curious, a good communicator and articulate with your ideas. Lastly, he said it is imperative that designers be empathetic to their users and get creative. You find out more about seminars featuring thought leaders like Rob Young by checking out General Assembly online.

Attending the NewCo. San Francisco festival was a rare learning opportunity. On top of meeting some of the start-up world’s most influential leaders, I developed an understanding of each company’s “process” that they tribute to their success. I learned the ins and outs of design, what it takes to create a need in the marketplace and the importance of credible content curation. These think leaders were not just excited about their products, but were excited about sharing their knowledge. You can find out about NewCo. Festivals near you by visiting their website online.

You can check out my original published article HERE.
Be sure to follow Press Kitchen for more insider scoops into the tech world on Twitter @PressKitchenSF

Cheers,
Kay

My Own Fairytale: An In Depth Review

John Cleese, co-founder of the genius comedy group Monty Python, breaks down the creative process into five categories: space, time, time (again), confidence, and humor. He explains how confidence is such a crucial part of opening your mind to creativity. He says, "[…] the best way to get the confidence to do that is to know that while you're being creative, nothing is wrong. There's no such thing as a mistake, and any drivel may lead to the break-through."

Since watching this seminar, I truly believed in this concept. Thomas Edison once said, "I did not fail to make the lightbulb 1,000 times. I simply found 1,000 ways how not to make a lightbulb." It is this approach that has inspired some of the greatest minds, inventors and creators the world has ever known. However, what went through my mind as I endured Leslie Noel's "My Own Fairytale" at Freight and Savage in Berkeley, California did I actually think wrong wrong wrong wrong oh my god so wrong I can't even make it stop.

"My Own Fairytale" is an autobiographical musical about a woman who has hopes of finding true love. As a girl, she is swept away by the advances of a boy she met at school. With high hopes of "happily ever after" she marries this same boy only to be met with physical and emotional domestic abuse. After surviving her first marriage, she believed to have found hope in her next relationship. Once again she is mistreated and, cruelly, raped by her lover. The play continues in this fashion; meeting new men, being taken advantage of, and making empty promises of becoming an independent, strong woman. Over time she finds value through her friends, reconciles with her estranged father, and overcomes adversity by - you guessed it - promising to be a strong, indented woman. The story ends where Leslie is now in her life: confident, single and ready to mingle.

In the event that you see this production and start to experience emotional and psychical trauma, the following are the necessary precautions I took to maintain my sanity:
1. Go fetal
2. Try not to cry
3. Cry a lot

"My Own Fairytale" quickly turned into "My Own Personal Circle of Hell". Before I go any further, I have this to say: I have the utmost respect for theatre. When I go to the theatre, I am going to church. It is my sanctuary, my home, my dojo, my safe haven from the storm. Therefore my expectations are thus: to hear a voice that needs to be heard, be taken on a journey, share in a relatable experience, be entertained, and come out of it having gained a new perspective or learned something about my own humanity. This musical didn't even come close to these expectations.

The Music

You know the song just before the end of Act 1 in "Wicked" where Elphaba lays the groundwork for a major shift in her character? Well, every single song was "Defying Gravity". And if it wasn't a rock ballad, it was 5 seconds of poorly constructed dialogue or a lament about how woeful her life is. Towards the end, one of the male characters finally came out to sing. I was thrilled that there might actually be a new character perspective. Unfortunately, the song became a quixotic fantasy featuring the men of her past who had wronged her, coming back to apologize for their misogynistic ways.

If that wasn't bad enough, copious amounts of the melodies were stolen material. Songs like Defying Gravity, Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better, and Do You Hear The People Sing were used in the show. There was even a faint similarity between one of her songs and Lady Gaga's Born this Way. The cherry on top was that each song was at least two minutes too long. If Leslie shortened the length of her music, she could at least input more dialogue to salvage what little plot line there was. Which segues into...

The Story

Through clenched teeth, I sat in my chair taking swigs of my IPA while witnessing the lack of a story arch and next to no character development. The worst crime this show made was the statement it made about women in relationships. This character was just as naive and undeveloped as she was when she was a starry-eyed child with the moon on a string. The reason I had no empathy towards this character was that she continually proclaimed independence time and time again throughout the show. She defined herself by the relationships around her which destroyed her credibility making it hard to believe her when she was being sincere. It was the same old song and dance about a girl who was the victim of her "daddy" issues. I have never in my life experience a piece of theatre that was more self-centered than this show.

The Production

The most painful thing to watch was seeing an ensemble who's strengths were clearly not being utilized. It was obvious to me that they were not respected as artists who could contribute and were instead used as puppets in Leslie's "masterpiece". And the few moments they were used, the show displayed a glimmer of life. In a nutshell, this show was clearly trying to do too much with too little. Although the dance routines had some advanced material, the ensemble simply did not have the skill or technique to pull it off. I will commend them for attempting to use the dance routines to convey a message. But sometimes, you shouldn't create art just for the sake of creating "art".

The Hope

The only saving grace of this production was the efforts of the ensemble. Their dedication to the story, enthusiasm, and vocal talent (shout out to Kirsten Torkildson, the 2nd eldest Leslie) was admirable. My absolute only and favorite number was "Pretty Boy". The young dancer - we'll call him Charlie since he is rather young and I do not want to reveal his name publicly - knew what it truly meant to portray story through dance. His technique combined with the stunning harmonies of the cast made this one moment the most bearable song of the show. I would drop $35 again just to see that number, and that number alone.

In Conclusion

I really do wish Leslie the best. If Leslie wants this musical to see any kind of commercial success, she needs to let go of perception that every idea she has is a good one. I wouldn't say that the music was terrible, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Musicals needs just as much time and attention to plot and story telling as a straight play. The music is there to heighten the story, not BE the story.

All in all, I give the show 1.5 out of 5 stars. Next time, don't make me pay $35 if you're going to waste two hours of my life.

For more information on this play, please visit the "My Own Fairytale" page on Freight & Savage. There are currently no more showings of this musical.

Cheers,

Kay

What Happens When you Tweet a CEO?

I wrote a thing! You can see the article on Press Kitchen's website by clicking HERE.

A few months ago, I became inspired by celebrity #AskMeAnything campaigns. I believed it a great way for fans to interact with their favorite music, film and celebrity personals on Twitter. I decided to take it a step further through the Hashtag #AskACEO.

As a San Francisco native, I can’t turn a corner without hearing the words “startup”, “eco-friendly”, or “innovative”. Although the Silicon Valley is known to be the breeding ground for pushing the envelope, San Francisco has seen a large boom in entrepreneurial spirit for some time now. Bay Area seasoned professionals have been setting the trends in digital technology, design and green solutions for consumers.

With all of these startups sprouting out of the fertile economic soil that is the Bay Area, is there any room for new business to grow? How can one create success out of their passion without becoming white noise? Using the hashtag #AskaCEO, I’ve been able to ask the pros for some sound advice.

The following are a few questions I’ve asked to a variety of CEOs and business experts. If you are considering starting your own business, I would pay close attention.

Founded in 2006, POPSugar is a media outlet with a mission to connect women to new entertainment, products and experiences they’re most passionate about. Their CEO, Brian Sugar, had this to say:

  

Lori J. Yokiel is a motivational speaker, recruiter for The Platform Magazine, and successful blogger. She had this to say about learning from your past:

With their recent acquisition of an eight-figure investment, Philz Coffee has high hopes of continuing their expansion outside of the Bay Area. CEO Jacob Jaber is at the helm of this coffee chain. Here’s what Jacob had to say to young entrepreneurs:

He also went on to say, “[…] live from within and be yourself…don’t let the outside world determine your mission, gotta be from within.”

There you have it. Now go forth and grow! #AskACEO

Cheers,

Kay

Mad World

It's been a while, I know. With my production of Sweeney Todd and working full-time in PR, there hasn't been a moment where I could sit on my own time and write creatively. For weeks it was work, rehearsal, sleep. And maybe - just maybe - time with friends or family.

I thought a lot about what I would write when I returned to my blog. I thought about the direction I would like to take. With my blogs getting published at my new PR job in San Francisco, I thought I might just post them here (Getting paid to blog = score). Now that I've become more involved in the Bay Area theatre community, I thought I might transition into a review/critique writer.

But…

Today is different. Today, I'd like to talk about something completely different. Over the period of three months, we've seen a hailstorm of tragic news:

• The shooting of Michael Brown and the riot in St. Louis,
• ISIS making strides to destroy any traces of Christian faith in Pakastan with the murder of innocent men, women and children; and
• Robin Williams deciding to take his life

These events, like many others before them suffocate the media airwaves with conspiracy and extremist opinions. You can see evidence of side-taking all over the internet. Your friends, colleagues, family members, and even strangers take to their keyboards to make sense of the chaos. That teacher you respected is now making racist remarks about how Brown "deserved it" for being a thug. You're favorite aunt talks about Obama being a terrorist. That friend who you were close with is now belittling you for your "incompetent" stance on what's happening in Israel.

The worst part of it all - I spent so much time going over how I might contribute to the hoopla. Will I comment on people's reactions to FOX news anchor Shepard Smith's intension when speaking about Robin Williams suicide? Will I express my outrage over the community of St. Louis and their "taking advantage" of Brown's death through their destruction and looting? Will I share my true feelings about what is taking place with ISIS or Isreal?

No. No I will not. For a few different and very personal reasons. WARNING: these are completely opinion based. I'm not telling anyone to do anything, believe anything or putting anyone down. This is simply my stance on public sharing...

1. Freedom of Speech isn't Free: Although this seems like an overzealous statement, it has an inkling of truth. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What Sir Isaac Newton didn't realize when developing the three laws of motion, was that this would also pertain to human nature. If I were to post my real thoughts and feelings about certain social injustices to the web, I would be eaten alive. People would jump at the chance to take a jab at my morality, humanity, and integrity. I see internet comments like "kill yourself" or "you're retarded if you think that", and my heart sinks. Intolerance is the exact reason there is destructive conflict and cyber bullying today. So I choose to remain silent. I flip through the Facebook statuses suppressing my urge to speak up. Sometimes, my freedom to speak is just not worth it.

2. Appearances are everything: Okay this is a bit of a "hook" bullet but it's also true. I am very conscious of how I come across on the internet. Remember that picture someone took of you at a party and now posted it to Instagram? Yeah, that's not going anywhere. And when your crush, family members or even employers are scrolling through your profile, they're going to see it too. Not only that, but your activity is practically gold to marketing data miners tracking your every move. Did you know that Facebook conducted an emotion contagion study to manipulate the type of information you received on your feed? Everything on the Internet is permanent and traceable. So I have to ask myself, "If you saw someone else post this, what would you think?" And then I don't. Instead I post pictures of my camping trip and tag my friends at the bar if anything at all. Why? Because…

3. No matter what, I will become emotionally involved: Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to write this post completely unbiased? So many moments I had a person in mind that I wanted to berate for their misogynistic outlook. So many times did I want to go off on a tangent about something I saw someone write or post. People can be so frustrating, but they are also human. They have feelings, guts, chutzpah, spunk, and a little bit of sass. They are programmed to have passions, desires, and emotions. We have this intricate system of thinking all hardwired into our DNA. It's incredible! Aren't we awesome? Aren't we awful? Yes, we're both. We have the capacity to do such wonderful things. We can start philanthropies, donate to the poor, give a homeless man our last bit of cash and change the world for the better. We can also murder and kill. We can kick, bite, scratch, and hurt. We can yell, scream and bring a person to tears. We have so much potential for so many different things. So why choose negativity? What will bashing a host on FOX News do? How will belittling someone's opinion about the Middle East help change the world. It won't. Instead it will feed the media monster. So instead, I post links to interesting articles. Instead, I read informative books (PS: "I Am Malala" is AMAZEBALLS) and research topics I don't know much about. Instead, I educate myself vs. relying on everyone's Social Media bias to educate me.  Because I know that my emotional attachment to the poster or outlet will sway me into that way of thinking instead of having an opinion of my own.

NOTE: I am not saying that the process of sharing information is "bad". The whole point of the Internet and Social Media is to share information. We, as complex creatures, need to feel connected through some medium. But, sometimes we abuse this tool for our own indulgence. We become Internet monsters, red-faced and terrifying.

So I ask: what is the point of what you are posting? Who are you trying to reach? Who will it benefit? What good will it do? What harm will it do? How will this make you a better you?

Dare to be the best you

Dare to be inspiring

Dare to be courageous

Dare to be incredible

And keep being beautiful...

But when it comes to food porn or cat pics, POST AWAY!

Cheers,

Kay

If Blue is Warm Than What is Red?

I absolutely love foreign films. My first taste of foreign films was in my high school Italian class; we watched Bicycle Thieves, aka: Ladri di Biciclette. It is a film about a man surviving the economic harshness of post WWII. He goes searching for his stolen bicycle, an item with which he will lose his job without. His desperation only increases throughout the movie when his family slips closer to homelessness due to his inability to earn a living wage. The film is like stepping into a time machine, telling a story as old as time in a uniquely heartbreaking way. SPOILER ALERT: there is no happy ending. He does not get his job back. His fate comes full circle when he attempts to steal another man's bike and is arrested on the spot.

Since that movie, I have seen films about family dynamic, young love, the evils of fame, etc. Unfortunately these films, although memorable, are nameless faces to me now; I am not so good with titles. What attracts me to them in the first place is not only their unique production style, but their message. Most foreign films I've seen capture the raw truth of the human experience while we, as audience members, can indirectly experience that truth. In the U.S., our commercial cinema is so focused on running away from reality and idealizes the "American Dream". For me, I resonate more with a film that is impactful; a film with which I can step out of my subjective perspective of life and be open minded to characters I would otherwise never sympathize with. We can, as a western society, be too focused on romanticizing the truth because it is a better truth. Although they are entertaining box-office success year after year (I mean, come on! My favorite film is She's the Man), I prefer a movie that challenges me.

That being said, today I wanted to talk about Blue is the Warmest Color (aka: La Vie d'Adèle). Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and Golden Globe Nominated for Best Foreign Film, Blue is the Warmest Color speaks to the idea of love. Most people view it as a testimony to sexuality; I see it as a statement of the basic human need for love. Adèle is a high school level student with an interest in becoming a teacher. After failed attempts at relationships both romantic and platonic, she finds comfort in the presence of Emma, a University student and studio artist. The movie narrates their lives together spanning a course of about 5 years (I assume), through which they experience jealousy, conflict of interest, as well as the pressures of being a lesbian couple and the social injustices that go with it (breath). SPOILER ALERT: In the end, their relationship comes to a close when Adèle feels neglected by Emma, forcing her into the arms of a male co-worker. Although they re-unite years later, Emma cannot bring herself to ruin the life she's built for herself to be back with Adèle. Roll credits.

Blue is the Warmest Color was difficult to watch. Even more so, it's a little difficult to write about. I could speak about the LBGT agenda or the harsh and lonely journey of adolescence. What I would like to say about this movie was that I believed Adèle's relationship with Emma was the perfect example of a beautiful lie. Adèle is in a period of life where she is discovering more about who she is, what she wants to do, and pigeonholed by the pressures of her peers and parents - a journey I am all to familiar with. Being in a relationship with Emma was more of a testament to her need to be loved/rescued than it was her ability to give love. Her relationship with Emma is so one-sided that she neglects to tell her friends, lies to her parents, and eventually abandons everything about her previous life. I believe Adèle finally realizes her inability to be comfortable about who she is in two parts of the movie. The first towards the end when she sleeps with her co-worker on a regular bases and is caught by Emma - who then in turn throws her out of the apartment. Once again at the end of the movie when Emma denies her advances and opts for a relationship that is more stable. In the end, Adèle is forced by fate to deal with being alone. In a poetic way, she accepts that she is just as naive and lost as she was when she was a hopeless teenager, despite her years with Emma and her personal "growth". It was like the movie reverted back to the beginning.

This movie was a thought provoking, age-old tale told through the eyes of two lesbian lovers. I loved the production quality, commitment, themes, and the challenge. I will probably discover more about what impacted me when I watch the movie again. If you have seen the movie already, feel free to tell me what you thought of it. If you are interested in watching the movie, it is viewable now on Netflix.

Go watch.
Go love.
Dare to be challenged.

Cheers,
Kay