Holiday Entertaining 2015: Sartori’s Limited Edition Ex-Aged Goat Cheese is back for the Holidays

Sartori Cheese announced that their Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat Cheese will be returning to specialty cheese shops this holiday season. Over the years, this cheese has truly made a name for itself, becoming a now-famous Sartori original. Highly regarded for its approachable, yet authentic flavor profile, this mild, balanced goat cheese was crafted and patiently aged to satisfy all from the tentative taster to the artisan cheese enthusiast.

Sartori’s Limited Edition Ex-Aged Goat Cheese is back for the Holidays (PRNewsFoto/Sartori Company)

Sartori has been producing artisan and premium cheese for seven decades for Specialty, Retail, Ingredient, Restaurant and Food Service markets.  Based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sartori has an impressive array of award winning cheese noted for innovative approaches and consistent top quality across their entire line.

The Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat Cheese is only available during certain months of the year, being released each June and October, making it an even rarer delight. Cheese enthusiasts and mongers alike look forward to its bi-annual debut, as it is a perfect companion to items that are consumed during those times of the year.

“We always look forward to the return of our Extra-Aged Goat Cheese,” shares CMO, Chad Vincent. “It’s unique and distinct flavor certainly gives traditional holiday recipes a modern twist that everyone seems to enjoy.“

Sartori‘s Limited Edition Extra-Aged Goat cheese is available at select specialty cheese shops throughout the United States October through December. Additionally, a limited supply of wedges will be available for purchase at the Sartori online cheese shop, www.sartoricheese.com. For recipes and pairing ideas, visit Sartori’s Pairing Guide and Recipe Page.

Fifth Annual Napa Valley Film Festival Announces Film Line-Up, Special Events and Celebrity Tribute Honorees

The fifth annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is pleased to announce its program line–up, Opening Night & Gala screenings, special events and honorees for its Celebrity Tributes. The NVFF, along with this year’s presenting sponsor Lexus – the Official Automotive Luxury Sponsor, returns in full force with a five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films in 12 unique screening venues in the four postcard- perfect towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, November 11–15. Organizers also showcase Napa Valley’s finest food and wine at all special events, VIP receptions and Vintners Circle dinners, and are featuring a lively series of chef presentations and demonstrations on the Ferguson Culinary Stage presented by Traditional Home.

The Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The mission of the Napa Valley Film Festival is to celebrate the cinematic arts and enrich the community by presenting an annual world-class festival and year-round education and outreach programs. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, NVFF lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. NVFF features over100 new independent films and red carpet sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout the four walkable villages, as 400 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, an array of parties, VIP receptions, winemaker dinners and more.

NVFF Chappellet VIP Dinner (Credit: Gustavo Fernandez)

NVFF Stella Artois

NVFF Winemaker Filmmaker Dinners (Credit Bob McClenahan)

NVFF14 Mercedes-Benz, Photo by Bob McClenahan

“We’re looking forward to sharing our incredible line-up of new independent discoveries and awards season contenders with our enthusiastic and appreciative audiences,” said NVFF Co– Founder and Executive & Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “Between screenings, Q&As with all the visiting filmmakers, industry panels, culinary demos, parties, and of course, all of the food and wine-related tastings and events, each day will be jam packed with unforgettable experiences. There will indeed be something for everyone.”

_{CELEBRITY TRIBUTES}

Napa Valley Film Festival Co–Founders/Directors Brenda and Marc Lhormer are excited to announce this year’s Celebrity Tributes that will salute the highest level of cinematic achievement. They will bestow the Legendary Actor Tribute, presented by Freemark Abbey, on Bruce Dern. Actress and model Lydia Hearst and actors Evan Peters and Finn Wittrock will receive the Rising Star Tribute presented by Domaine Chandon. Multi-talented comic actor Keegan–Michael Key will receive a Trailblazer Tribute. Renowned actor John Travolta will receive the festival’s Career Achievement Tribute. The Celebrity Tributes will take place on Friday, November 13 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville and will include video highlight reels and intimate on-stage conversations with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush.

_{OPENING NIGHT, GALA & CLOSING NIGHT}

The Festival kicks off Opening Night, Wednesday, November 11, with a Red Carpet screening and world premiere of Somm: Into the Bottle, the highly anticipated sequel to the wildly successful film Somm. Expect Master Sommelier sightings and other celebrity guests on the red carpet. Following the screening, NVFF Patron Circle Members, VIP guests and a limited amount of ticket holders will enjoy an Opening Night Party at the Riverfront Promenade at the Napa River Inn.

On Thursday, November 12, the extravagant Red Carpet Festival Gala will follow an awards season screening of Spotlight, starring Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Billy Crudup and Bryan D’Arcy James. NVFF Patron Circle Members, Pass Plus and Gala ticket holders will mingle with filmmakers and celebrities at the most glamorous and energized party of the year. Guests will enjoy cuisine from more than 30 of the Valley’s local culinary stars and wines from more than 50 of Napa Valley’s esteemed vintners and wineries.

The festival will conclude on Sunday, November 15 at the Award Ceremony taking place at the Uptown Theatre in Napa. Attendees will be able to join in the excitement and anticipation as the festival reveals the winners of its Juried and Audience Awards. Each winner will be presented a large format collectible bottle of fabulous wine from one of the festival’s generous Vintner Circle members. The winners of the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature will each receive a $10,000 check courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley.

As part of the ceremony, new this year, the NVFF’s partnership with Lexus ignites with the announcement of the four winners of the 2015 Lexus Short Films series – a collaboration between Lexus and The Weinstein Company to support a new generation of emerging filmmakers. The four up-and-coming filmmakers will be on hand to share in the excitement surrounding the announcement. They will then embark on the production of four new short films on the theme of “anticipation” in partnership with The Weinstein Company. The four completed films will be shown together for the first time at a special event during the 2016 Napa Valley Film Festival.

_{OTHER FILM AND EVENT HIGHLIGHTS}

Landfillharmonic

• Landfillharmonic – Film screening followed by a performance by 24 members of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical youth group of kids that play instruments made out of recycled products from one of South America’s largest landfills. (November 11, 1:30pm, Lincoln Theater)

• Carol – Red Carpet Screening. Set in the 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman. Director Todd Haynes, and producer Christine Vachon are expected to attend. (November 12, 1:30pm, Uptown Theatre; encore screening November 15, 5:00pm, Cameo Cinema)

• Life on the Line – World Premiere Screening. A crew of men who do the high-wire work of fixing the electrical grid are hit by a sudden deadly storm. Cast member John Travolta expected to attend. (November 14, 5:00pm, Lincoln Theater)

Screen shot from Youth

• Youth – Fred, an acclaimed composer, and Mick, a famous film director, are old friends staying at an Alpine Lodge, along with Fred’s daughter Leda and Mick’s team of screenwriters working on what he imagines as his last and most important film. Meanwhile, Fred has no interest in continuing his career. (November 13, 10:00am, Cameo Cinema; November 14, 5:00pm, Cameo Cinema)

Cole Haan Reintroduces The One-Of-A-Kind, Limited-Edition Genevieve Collection For Fall 2015

Cole Haan is reintroducing the fan-favorite Genevieve Collection for Fall 2015. The limited-edition collection is emerging from the Cole Haan archives for the first time since Fall 2010.

Originally introduced in Spring 2008, Genevieve’s brilliant and patented optical weave takes its place in Cole Haan’s tradition of elegant innovation. Crafted with soft yet remarkably durable premium tanned leather, 9-carat gold-toned hardware and burnished leather straps, each bag is one of a kind. In its beautiful simplicity and enduring grace, the Genevieve Collection is a triumph of art and skill–harmonious and extraordinary blends of substance and style.

Cole Haan Fall 2015 Limited-Edition Genevieve Collection (PRNewsFoto/Cole Haan)

Genevieve Triangle Tote in Saddle (19″ x 11″ x 5″, handle 9″) $598. Available on Colehaan.com and at all Cole Haan US retail locations

Genevieve Small Triangle Tote in Saddle (15″ x 9″ x 6″, handle 8 ½”) $528. Available on Colehaan.com and at select Cole Haan US retail locations.

Genevieve Continental Zip Wallet in Saddle (7 ¾” x 5″ x 1″) $228. Available on Colehaan.com and at all Cole Haan US retail locations

“The timeless design of the Genevieve Collection lives at the intersection of craft and innovation,” said David Maddocks, Chief Marketing Officer & GM of Business Development at Cole Haan. “The Genevieve is both subtle and stunning, a gracious nod to the artisans who built Cole Haan’s legacy,” he continued.

The Genevieve Collection is available on www.Colehaan.com and Cole Haan stores.

Costume Institute’s Spring 2016 Exhibition At Metropolitan Museum To Focus On Technology’s Impact On Fashion

Costume Institute Benefit May 2 with Co-Chairs Idris Elba, Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Anna Wintour, and Honorary Chairs Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada

Exhibition Dates: May 5–August 14, 2016
Member Previews: May 3−May 4
Exhibition Locations: Robert Lehman Wing and Anna Wintour Costume Center

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that The Costume Institute’s spring 2016 exhibition will be manus x machina: fashion in an age of technology, on view from May 5 through August 14, 2016 (preceded on May 2 by The Costume Institute Benefit). Presented in the Museum’s Robert Lehman Wing and Anna Wintour Costume Center, the exhibition will explore the impact of new technology on fashion and how designers are reconciling the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear.

Ensemble, Sarah Burton (British, born 1974) for Alexander McQueen (British, founded 1992), fall/winter 2012–13. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

“Fashion and technology are inextricably connected, more so now than ever before,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Met. “It is therefore timely to examine the roles that the handmade and the machine-made have played in the creative process. Often presented as oppositional, this exhibition proposes a new view in which the hand and the machine are mutual and equal protagonists.”

manus x machina will feature more than 100 examples of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear, dating from an 1880s Worth gown to a 2015 Chanel suit. The exhibition will reflect on the founding of the haute couture in the 19th century, when the sewing machine was invented, and the emergence of a distinction between the hand (manus) and the machine (machina) at the onset of industrialization and mass production. It will explore the ongoing rhetoric of this dichotomy in which hand and machine are presented as discordant instruments in the creative process, and will question this oppositional relationship as well as the significance of the time-honored distinction between the haute couture and ready-to-wear.

Wedding dress, Karl Lagerfeld, (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), fall/winter 2014–15 haute couture, front view. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

Wedding dress, Karl Lagerfeld, (French, born Hamburg, 1938) for House of Chanel (French, founded 1913), fall/winter 2014–15 haute couture, back view. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Catwalking

The Robert Lehman Wing galleries on the Museum’s first floor and court level will present a series of pairings of handmade haute couture garments and their machine-made ready-to-wear counterparts. The galleries will be arranged enfilade (an axial arrangement of doorways connecting a suite of rooms with a vista down the whole length of the suite.), with a suite of rooms reflecting the traditional structure of a couture atelier and its constituent petites mains workshops for embroidery, feathers, pleating, knitting, lacework, leatherwork, braiding, and fringe work. These will be contrasted with ensembles incorporating new technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, thermo shaping, computer modeling, circular knitting, ultrasonic welding, and bonding and laminating.

Evening dress, Yves Saint Laurent (French, 1936-2008), 1969–70; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 1983 (1983.619.1a, b)
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dress, Silicon feather structure and moldings of bird heads on cotton base, Iris van Herpen (Dutch, born 1984), fall/winter 2013–14. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino

In a departure from previous exhibits, The Anna Wintour Costume Center galleries will present a series of “in process” workshops, including a 3D-printing workshop where visitors will witness the creation of 3D-printed garments during the course of the exhibition.

Coat, Paul Poiret, (French, 1879–1944), ca. 1919; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. David J. Colton, 1961 (C.I.61.40.4). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Designers in the exhibition will include Gilbert Adrian, Azzedine Alaïa, Christopher Bailey (Burberry), Cristobal Balenciaga, Boué Soeurs, Sarah Burton (Alexander McQueen), Pierre Cardin, Hussein Chalayan, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Giles Deacon, Christian Dior, Alber Elbaz (Lanvin), Mariano Fortuny, John Galliano (Christian Dior, Maison Margiela), Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton), Hubert de Givenchy, Madame Grès, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler, Yoshiki Hishinuma, Marc Jacobs (Louis Vuitton), Charles James, Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Helmut Lang, Mary McFadden, Issey Miyake, Miuccia Prada, Paul Poiret, Paco Rabanne, Noa Raviv, Yves Saint Laurent (Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent), Mila Schön, Raf Simons (Jil Sander, Christian Dior), Maiko Takeda, Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy), threeASFOUR, Philip Treacy, Iris van Herpen, Madeleine Vionnet, Alexander Wang, Junya Watanabe, and others.

“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made, but recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other,” said Andrew Bolton, Curator in The Costume Institute. “manus x machina will challenge the conventions of the hand/machine dichotomy, and propose a new paradigm germane to our age of digital technology.”

Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Chief Design Officer, said, “Both the automated and handcrafted process require similar amounts of thoughtfulness and expertise. There are instances where technology is optimized, but ultimately it’s the amount of care put into the craftsmanship, whether it’s machine-made or hand-made, that transforms ordinary materials into something extraordinary.” (Apple is the main sponsor of manus x machina.)

In celebration of the exhibition opening, the Museum’s Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, will take place on Monday, May 2, 2016. The evening’s co-chairs will be Idris Elba, Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Anna Wintour. Nicolas Ghesquière, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada will serve as Honorary Chairs. This event is The Costume Institute’s main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements.

manus x machina is organized by Andrew Bolton, Curator of The Costume Institute. Shohei Shigematsu, Director of OMA New York, will lead the exhibition design in collaboration with the Met’s Design Department. Raul Avila will produce the Benefit décor, which he has done since 2007. The exhibition is made possible by Apple. Additional support is provided by Condé Nast.

A publication by Andrew Bolton will accompany the exhibition. It will be published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press, and will be available in early May 2016.

A special feature on the Museum’s website, www.metmuseum.org/manusxmachina, provides information about the exhibition. (Follow on Facebook.com/metmuseum,
Instagram.com/metmuseum, and Twitter.com/metmuseum to join the conversation about the exhibition and gala benefit. Use #manusxmachina, #CostumeInstitute, and #MetGala on Instagram and Twitter.)

Leaders in the Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS Announce New Commitment to Fast-Track End of AIDS Epidemic in One of World’s Most Severely Afflicted Regions

Colin Farrell, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and STOPAIDS Host a Gathering of Top Advocates and Influencers at the Elizabeth Taylor “Grit and Glamour” Exhibit in London

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), STOPAIDS, and Actor Colin Farrell hosted an event at Getty Images Gallery on Monday to announce a unified commitment to achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goal in Malawi’s Mulanje District. In collaboration with the Elizabeth Taylor Trust and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Getty Images Gallery will produce a major photographic exhibition to mark 30 years since Ms. Taylor first began her leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A portion of the sales will benefit The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Photographs on show and on sale will include images never before seen by the public that span decades of her legendary career as an actress, and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of one of the most photographed women of all time.

The ambitious yet achievable 90-90-90 target conceived by UNAIDS calls for rapid scale-up of proven HIV interventions so that by 2020, 90% OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV ARE DIAGNOSED, 90% OF THOSE DIAGNOSED BEGIN TREATMENT, and 90% ON TREATMENT WORLDWIDE REACH VIRAL SUPPRESSION. Targeting the hardest-hit, least supported and most difficult-to-reach communities is vital to reach this goal.

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Annie Lennox and Colin Farrell at the press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

As part of the global push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic, ETAF, STOPAIDS, and allied organizations called for additional funding and services to achieve 90-90-90 in Malawi’s rural southern Mulanje District. Mulanje is a remote area with inadequate health infrastructure, extreme poverty, and an adult HIV prevalence of 17% – approximately 70,000 individuals living with HIV – making it one of the worst afflicted regions in the world.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, often to the most marginalized populations. Today, ETAF also provides funding for HIV prevention education and advocacy programs throughout the world, including existing organizations creating new and innovative techniques that help spread awareness of HIV prevention and treatment to targeted communities.

Press conference to announce a new push to fast-track the end of the AIDS epidemic in the Mulanje District of Malawi at Getty Images Gallery on October 12, 2015 in London, England. The initiative is being led by The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and STOPAIDS. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

STOPAIDS is a network of 80 UK agencies working since 1986 to secure an effective global response to HIV and AIDS. STOPAIDS achieves its impact through its membership, which works directly with more than 130 million people worldwide, and by engaging decision-makers through the development of policy, identifying best practice, lobbying and conducting public campaigns. Over three decades STOPAIDS has helped to secure high-level international commitments to universal access as well as UK government leadership in the response.

American actress Elizabeth Taylor reclining in bed. (Photo by Baron/Getty Images)

6th March 1964: Elizabeth Taylor gives her future husband Richard Burton (1925-1984) a cursory haircut. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)

The extraordinary efforts of healthcare workers and the Malawi Ministry of Health, supported by many organizations and funders working in country including ETAF and the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA), have contributed to a reduction in HIV prevalence from 20% to 17% in the Mulanje District since 2004. Now, ETAF is challenging and calling for more partners to join a coordinated new surge of mutually reinforcing strategies to achieve 90-90-90 in Mulanje District under the leadership of the District Health Office.

The new Elizabeth Taylor Grit and Glamour photo exhibit at the Getty Images Gallery served as the backdrop at the event, featuring images that spanned decades of her career as an actress and activist. Colin Farrell opened the evening welcoming guests and honoring the late Elizabeth Taylor noting, “three weeks ago marked the 30th anniversary that Dame Elizabeth began fighting the then new epidemic—AIDS.” He went on to share with guests that it was Ms. Taylor’s idea to implement a mobile health system in Mulanje, specifically because of the chronic lack of access to healthcare and the great need for HIV/AIDS testing, treatment, and prevention methods in the region.