Latinos in Tiki: Cultural Influence and Innovation
Sponsored by
Presented by Peggy Pineapple and Michelle Perez
An interactive panel discussion focused on Latinidad in the Tiki community. Gain new perspectives from the Latinx community and encourage a better understanding of the cultural heritage of a diverse group of people that encompasses many regions and countries including indigenous and Afro-Caribbean people.
Michelle Perez is based in Los Angeles and has over seven years of experience producing curated special events in the Tiki community, hospitality industries, and The Walt Disney Company. Michelle is also the founder of Ladies Who Tiki, a group that has created a space to celebrate and amplify the voices of women within the Tiki community.
Stephanie Avilés, AKA Peggy Pineapple, is a Puerto Rican native. She is a freelance publicist, writer, and communications professional currently working with clients in the travel, real estate, and hospitality industries. She enjoys exploring distilleries and Tiki bars globally and always brings back souvenirs for her home bar and mid-century barware collection. She is the community manager for Ladies Who Tiki.
The Opulent Grandeur of Los Angeles Architecture
Sponsored by
Presented by Domenic Priore & Daniel Konoske
There was a time when Los Angeles was being designed by idealists and Modernists as a Space Age version of Rome during the Empire. Beginning with architects John and Donald Parkinson, then Welton Becket and Associates after World War II, there seemed to be a vision for how Los Angeles was SUPPOSED to look. Great weather, Googie coffee shops, and LA's roadside vernacular inspired a new kind of city where there was far more than one center.
Domenic Priore is the author of 13 books, including Pacific Ocean Park: The Rise & Fall of Los Angeles' Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier (with Christopher Merritt). He is currently working on the booklet for the Beach Boys’ Smile box set. He has also written documentaries for AMC and the liner notes for Penelope Spheeris' The Decline of Western Civilization DVD box.
Daniel Konoske is the creator of Liquidrome, a light show and video company given a more mid-'60s Garage twist, and is partners with Farrah Lynch (and Domenic Priore) in a new promotions company called A Night at Pandora's Box.
Punch: The 1000 Cocktail Trick
Sponsors
Presented by Scott “Dr Cush” Cushman
If we really break it down, there are only seven tropical cocktails. Bartending is NOT rote memorization, it is math and substitution. Once you know this trick, you can unlock a thousand variations to create your own cocktails, figure out other people's cocktails, and improvise a cocktail with the ingredients you have. Unlock rum rhapsodies using the Punch Formula. Even with a modest, 10-bottle bar, you can make a multitude of drinks.
After leaving his job of 17 years as head of beverage for a Los Angeles-based bar company, Cush opened Dr. Cush's Exotic Drinks online talk show, where he invites the world into his bar to listen to stories, drink his drinks, and ask questions about the wide world of bartending. He has won several bartending awards and has taught mixology for more than 10 years. He also co-hosts Mix Cocktail Hour on the Hungry Channel.
Picasso Was a Polynesiac: How Tikis Inspired Modern Art
Presented by Cammo
In the early 19th century, Parisian artists influenced by Oceanic and African art created a new style called Avant-Garde. Later, this style evolved into the Mid Mod sculptural shapes of amoebas and boomerangs favored by artists such Calder and the Eames. All of these artists were Tiki collectors, from Matisse to the sculptor Barbara Hepworth, and Cammo has the photographs to prove it! Prepare to take a deep dive into the lurid stories behind these early Tiki-influenced artists. Age 18 and over is suggested.
Cammo is an author, animator, carver, and loose cannon raconteur. He is bent on rewriting the history books to place Tiki Culture at the core of all knowledge. He grew up with his missionary aunt’s African mask collection, made his first ceramic Tiki pendant in 1970, and drank Blueberry Kool-Aid from his first Skull Mug in 1973. Today, he paints mid-century modern art and spends a lot of time riding his bike.
Knott’s Berry Farmland!
Sponsored by
Presented by Charles Phoenix
A Celebration of the World’s Most Famous Farm! Start jamming the berries, frying the chicken and panning for gold. Knotts Berry Farmland is Charles Phoenix’s BIG RETRO slide show extravaganza celebrating Walter and Cordelia Knott’s landmark berry farm and chicken dinner restaurant that blossomed into Ghost Town, America’s first theme park. Experience the backstory and glory of the bountiful farm’s evolution from the berry beginnings, the worth-waiting-in-line-for fried chicken served with all the trimmings, Ghost Town’s legendary attractions, characters, curiosities, saloons, shows, shops, and the big, juicy boysenberry that inspired it all! Your Knott’s Berry Farm lovin’ spirit will soar like never before.
Mid-century pop culture expert, Charles Phoenix, is a performer, author, explorer, and collector celebrating classic and kitschy American life and style. He is known for his spirited live “slide show” performances, classic car JOYRIDE videos, colorful coffee table books, and fun “field trip” tours. He has appeared on Jay Leno’s Garage, Martha Stewart, Conan, The Queen Latifah Show, Cake Wars Christmas, Nailed It, and Storage Wars. The New York Times calls him “the King of Retro.”