ALONG COMES MARY

Whether we’re ready or not, December & the Holidays are right around the corner. If that makes you want to jump for for or run & hide, LA Weekly has you covered with their second annual Sips & Sweets event! Curated by the L.A. Weekly’s own food critics, Besha Rodell and Roxana Jullapat, this eating, drinking and shopping extravaganza is one not to be missed.

Happening at Magic Box @ The Reef, this year’s pastry chef and baker lineup features sweets from Shannon Swindle of Craft LA, Clemence Gosset of The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories, Mariah Swan of bld Restaurant and ICDC, Ledlow, Luis Ayala of Broken Spanish, Paige Russell of Hatchet Hall, Elizabeth Belkind of Cake Monkey Bakery, Megan Potthoff of WP24, Sherry Yard of Helm’s Bakery, Courtney Reed of Belcampo Meat Co., Zenai Leal of Salt’s Cure, Monica May of Nickel Diner, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams and more to come.

If your head is spinning from the craziness that can accompany this time of year, chill out with hand-made cocktails prepared by Mikki Kristola of The Varnish, Robin Chopra of Corazon Y Miel, Karen Grill of Sassafras Saloon, Ryan Wainwright of Terrine, Darwin Manahan of Osso and Cliff’s Edge, Ben Scott of Alexander’s Steakhouse, Avery Underhill of Butchers & Barbers, Christiaan Rollich of the Lucques Group, Josh Goldman of the Soigné Group, Michael Lay of Broken Spanish and B.S. Taqueria, John Kelly O’Hare of Sonny’s Hideaway, Gabriella Mlynarczyk of Birch and The Loving Cup, Jesus Gomez of 1886 Bar, Edwin Osegueda of Faith and Flower and Adam Nystrom of EP + LP, with more to be confirmed!

All pastry chefs will offer tasty samples of their famous sweet and savory treats, while each bartender will present sips of their signature holiday drinks.

Tickets are on sale NOW at http://ticketf.ly/1MLJ5M9.

General Admission tickets include: entry into the event, unlimited food samples from over 20 LA pastry chefs, beer, wine and artisanal cocktail samples and access to our handcrafted vendor village with 20+ vendors. VIP Admission ticket includes: all of the General Admission perks plus 1 hour early entry into the event and a special VIP gift bag. A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to Food Forward. Food Forward rescues fresh local produce that would otherwise go to waste, connecting this abundance with people in need, and inspiring others to do the same.

While you’re waiting for Sips & Sweets, check out their Brunch at the Races happening Sunday, October 17th, & follow the article link below to ENTER for a chance to win a pair of tickets from me! 😉

With so many awesome events happening thanks to LA Weekly, make sure to follow them on Facebook (facebook.com/LAWeekly), Twitter (@laweeklystreet), Instagram (@LAWeekly) & Foursquare for updates as they unfold!

(*Disclosure: I work on occasion with LA Weekly. All opinions are my own.)