Back in February – when I met President Bill Clinton in Haiti – I remember how in awe I was of his depth and intelligence.  He’s one of the smartest people I’ve met. Definitely the most worldly.  I think what makes him so unique and wise is that he’s one of the few people in history who has spent his life meeting everyone in the world.  At this point, he is a prism of all the personalities, the struggles and stories, and complex lives.  Meeting him is like conversing with a billion people at once.

And I think this is one of my favorite aspects of my job – all the people I get to meet, talk story with, share, and build.  When it comes to inspiration, is there anything more pungent and rich than human beings?  The more I learn of others, the more I gain from community, the fuller and more colorful my life’s work becomes.

Today, we hosted Chef Roy Choi at The Hundreds Los Angeles and guided him through Fairfax Village for his forthcoming CNN series.  Ben and I finely detailed Streetwear’s history, the importance of our neighborhood, and mostly, why we do The Hundreds.  The man behind the food truck explosion, Kogi BBQ, and POT, has just opened his latest, Commissary.  You can also follow his life’s journey, as it’s the basis for Jon Favreau’s film, Chef.

Roy’s show is an examination of Los Angeles culture through his lens.  From food to Streetwear to music, he’s covering the gamut of everything cool and undeniably LA.  And the common thread, of course, are the people’s pursuit of passion.

After our initial segment on Rosewood, we sat down with our Fairfax brethren, Jon and Vinny at Animal.  It’s been incredible growing alongside the chefs and entrepreneurs as their culinary careers have exploded into the mainstream with their restaurants Animal, Son of a Gun, and their latest project with Chef Ludo, Petit Trois.

While I was still on Fairfax, checked in on the corner spot, RVCA, and said hi to these salt-of-the-earthlings Sam and Tony:

Jay Worthy’s in from Vancouver.  Grimes’ brother recently had a nice lil’ write-up in VICE for his LNDN DRGS rap duo.

Downtown Los Angeles.

I can’t believe it’s been five years since we last visited Grand Central Market downtown.  In that time, the food fair’s undergone a major facelift, bringing in contemporary flavors from Eggslut, Sticky Rice, Belcampo Meat Co., and Horse Thief BBQ.

Bryan Greenberg invited Ben and I to lunch at Wexler’s Deli inside the market.  Rumor had it that this was the best deli sandwich in the city, and we had to put that to the test – especially in the face of  Langer’s.

Well, Bryan was still appeased.  My sandwich wasn’t complete without a dose of Beaver Sweet Hot Mustard.  Did it beat Langers?  Hmmm…

Close.

Jaz and Julia of AVGVSTA jewelry lampin’ at The Hundreds Homebase:

It was an honor and inspiration to have Hawaiian native Aaron Kai painting one of his wave murals down the halls of The Hundreds Homebase.  In just four days, he went from broad freehanded pencil curves to this masterpiece.  He was already one of my favorite modern artists before, but after observing his process, now I appreciate his work on a new level.

Dingo and Louie Vito take the moment for a photo op in front of Aaron’s painting.

 Pro surfer Luke Davis and his girlfriend Cailin Russo gave the staff surfing lessons in Santa Monica the other morning.

Thanks to Buscemi and the GREATS team for the most comfortable shoes I’ve worn in a while, the Bab.  Only $59.

 Chrissy Poon, coloring outside the Streetwear political lines, making grown men cry.

Checking out Mari’s new digs downtown.  This is the future home of Communal LA.

And in celebration of Mari’s birthday, a gathering of friends old and new in Malibu.

California summers.  Can’t top ’em.