Marijuana, the miracle plant. Whether you are consuming the plant to get high, using the plant to treat an ailment, or creating merchandise with hemp, we almost all use a little Mary Jane in our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, up until recently, there was one major aspect of our lives that had been overlooked: our pets. Dogs specifically benefit from the use of CBD derived from the marijuana plant. How? It reduces pain, anxiety, seizures, inflammation, and it is known to improve skin and coat health. That’s a good, shiny boi.

Thankfully, in 2021, pet lovers have easy access to a variety of CBD products for their pets.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring component found in the flower of the marijuana plant. CBD has over a hundred phytocannabinoids, which endow the compound with holistic and therapeutic properties. CBD, when separated from the psychoactive portion of the plant (THC), provides all of the health benefits of marijuana without the high typically associated with the plant.

Seventy-two percent of dogs suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. Anxiety is displayed in dogs by unexplained barking or howling, excessive panting, shivering, cowering behavior, destructive behavior, aggression, and even self-harm. Our pets have no other way to communicate their discomfort, much like a baby crying or scratching themselves. When introduced to the body, CBD helps curb your companion’s anxiety by changing the brain’s receptor response to serotonin. One single dose of CBD is sure to lower your dog’s anxiety without the worry of intense side effects from pharmaceuticals.

Anxiety isn’t the only health issue CBD can help treat. The miracle compound has had undeniable success in treating chronic pain, diabetes, irritable bowel, cancer, and more. CBD has been known to slow the growth of cancer cells all while assisting in curbing nausea associated with typical cancer treatments.

CBD has also had success in treating and cutting back the intensity of epilepsy in dogs. CBD can reduce not only the severity of epileptic episodes but it can reduce the frequency of the episodes as well. If your poor pup is having an epileptic episode, CBD oil can help bring the episode to an end all while providing relief and comfort during their recovery. Pet owners all across the country have found more success in treating their dog’s chronic seizures with CBD alongside their vet recommended medications then without.

Say hello to Gregory Hatt. He is a marijuana enthusiast and Colorado resident. Gregory has an extensive background in marijuana and has been present in the industry for about 15 years and counting. Gregory took the time to sit down with us to give us a true insight on his experience with CBD and how it aided his beautiful Golden Retriever, Cali.

“I started using CBD before it even got big. I’m talking about when a small bottle of CBD tincture was 250 bucks, when it was hard to get. I got my first tincture from Charlotte’s Web CBD. We spent thousands of dollars on CBD treating Cali, doing everything we could do for her.” Unfortunately, Gregory’s beloved pet had cancer and was fighting hard for her life. Soon after Cali also suffered from a torn ACL and had a very hard time walking. “We were trying to fight the cancer and we were trying to provide some comfort for her leg. Before her leg would shake, and she couldn’t run around the beach like she used to.”

“What was great,” Hatt said, “was once we started using the CBD we saw an immediate improvement. Her leg wouldn’t shake, she had more energy, and she was a lot more mobile. It made her remaining days a lot more happy, and she could go back to doing some of the things she really loved.” He chuckled to himself and said, “I spent a small fortune to help her and it was worth every penny because it improved her quality of life. We definitely enjoyed giving that to her.”

Though Cali had since passed, Gregory remains thankful for the peace and comfort he was able to give Cali through the end.

These days there are new CBD companies around every store corner and waiting on your screen itching for your next scroll. It’s a challenge sorting through them all to find the right company that will work for you and for your pet. Luckily for you Yellow Scene has done the grunt work for you.

Kyoto Botanicals is a wonderful local CBD company located in Longmont and Wray, Colorado. Kyoto takes immense pride in their work and ensures that their formulaters have stuck as close to nature as possible, promising the utmost quality ingredients no matter the product.

The CBD one stop shop has an array of products for all consumers. The shop features a CBD Warm Body Balm with 400 mg of CBD, breathe face serum, a variety of CBD tinctures, CBD gummies, body oil and more.

Each item is guaranteed to be affordable for any household. Each item is within the $25 to $55, so we can all afford to treat ourselves and our pets. Kyoto isn’t just here to cater to your needs but the needs of your pet as well.

CBD Oil and CBD-Infused Gummies from Kyoto Botanicals

Kyoto celebrated National Pet Day this past April 11 by offering Colorado pet lovers a 20 percent off coupon for their new CBD infused dog treats. While that epic offer ended on April 17th, we think you love your pet enough to pop in anyways. The slobber summoning treat chews are set at a low dose of 2mg per chew or 60mg per jar. Your Fido will be sure to thank Kyoto for the bacon beef flavor chews, and believe that they’ll leave your furry friend begging for more. The best part of their CBD dog treats is the price. We’re in love with a good deal on a great product.

Don’t ignore your pets body language. Give yourself a good night’s sleep while providing your pet with the tools they need to ensure their comfort.

The peace of mind that comes from knowing what you are putting into your pet’s body tops trusting pharmaceutical companies that rarely disclose all of their products’ ingredients. If your pet needs a helping hand, talk to your vet about CBD. It may be just what your furry friend needs.

The post Blunt Talk: Kyoto For Your Fido appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Mike Thom is a 59 year old chef hailing from Buffalo, New York. He grew up in Syracuse and lived there for 26 years. When we talked, Mike reminisced on his first time cooking in a real life kitchen.

“My grandmother was 100 percent Polish and her whole deal was that she cooked all the time,” said Thom. “She didn’t have a driver’s license, she didn’t go out, she didn’t really work. My experience was going to Buffalo and getting to cook with my grandmother. We made things like pierogies, cheesecakes, cookies. My favorite thing to cook and eat growing up were pierogies. They were farmer’s cheese in a doe dumpling. You boil them to cook them and then fry them in butter until they are crispy. They were usually served with sour cream and melted butter.”

Mike’s grandfather was a culinary enthusiast himself. “My grandfather loved to go out to restaurants. He knew all the restaurant owners, and they would let me go back into the kitchens as a kid. I thought it was the coolest thing. I thought about how much I would love to work in a kitchen one day and how I wanted to cook for a hundred people if I could. The kitchen felt like magic to me. You go in, everyone’s hustle and bustle, and then you watch all this food come out of a small window. It all happens so fast, how does that happen?”

As a teenager Mike was an aspiring artist. “I wanted to be an illustrator and do airbrush art. As a teen I airbrushed people’s cars and so I knew creative arts was something I wanted to do.”

He began to work in restaurants as an older teenager, slowly working his way up the culinary ladder. “My dad wasn’t able to pay for my college so I had to work to pay for it.” It didn’t take long for Mike to begin to crave a creative outlet again. “Cooking really became my outlet, I began to try to find ways to put painting on plates. If I was at home, I would make a plate that was what I deemed aesthetically pleasing.”

Mike became a sous-chef right out of high school and by the time he was 19 he was the executive chef at a fine dining Italian restaurant. But, as genius is wont, he began to look at bigger and better things. He worked at seven different restaurants as executive chef.

“I worked in a country club and within a year of working there I had already created a menu for them. Then it just kept going to higher volume places. It felt like every year I was going to a new place with a new cuisine. Whether it was a steak place, or a fine dining seafood house, and stuff like that. As soon as I got to the point where I wrote a restaurant a new menu, I wanted to move on and try a new cuisine.”

Mike eventually earned the opportunity to do table side service. He did table side service for icons like Frank Zappa, Frank Sanatra, and the mayor of Syracuse.

Later, he moved onto working with the CraftWorks restaurant franchise as a corporate chef. For those of you who don’t know, CraftWorks owns restaurants like Old Chicago, Rock Bottom Brewery, Gordon Beirche, and Chophouse. He wrote Old Chicago’s menu and began to develop the other restaurants’ brands. He worked with the company for 29 years and eventually ended his career there as senior director of culinary.

These days Mike is the head chef at The Corner Bar and Spruce Farm & Fish in the Boulderado Hotel, a classic and majestic local locale, with incredibly high regard. He also worked with Trattoria de Boulderado. Additionally, he has two ghost kitchens serving pizza and wings. Mike displays true Libra energy, balancing his workload scale with total ease.

The post Off Menu with… Mike Thom | Spruce Farm & Fish appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Say hello to Brett Bowen, locally known for his work with Concept Restaurants’ who have the Hotel Boulderado location, Spruce Farm & Fish. Chef Brett works at Humboldt Kitchen + Bar in Denver. Bowen was born and raised just east of Atlanta, Georgia. Cooking wasn’t always his ideal occupation, he was clear, because as a teenager he really wasn’t sure what career path he wanted to take. He gave college a try for a few years and realized the traditional route just wasn’t for him. It isn’t for everyone.

“My parents pushed me to go the college route. They wanted me to do something different,” Bowen said. “My dad was in the restaurant industry, he worked in the front of the house. He constantly told me that the industry would suck me in, that I shouldn’t do it, long hours and not the best pay.”

Despite his parent’s advice Brett found himself being drawn to the restaurant industry.

“I started working around the kitchen in 1999 when I was about 14 years old, whether or not that was legal or not, I’m not too sure.” He laughed to himself and continued, “I started as a busboy and moved onto being a server; I’ve done it all. I don’t know what it was, it was something about it, it just clicked.” Brett recalls, “You know, to be perfectly honest, my parents weren’t the best cooks. I’m talking Velveeta cheese macaroni with cut up hotdogs. But now looking back at it I think it’s the fact that my parents weren’t very good cooks, so I started taking over randomly. I started cooking and that’s kind of how I found my niche. I have a pretty good pallet, even at a young age. So I started noticing the things that they weren’t doing right in the kitchen, I would figure out how to do it better.”

Every hero has an origin story.

As time went on Brett found that he was easily moving up the ranks in the culinary world. Unlike a lot of chefs in the industry Brett didn’t jump around from restaurant to restaurant; when he would find a restaurant, he tended to stay for a long period of time.

“I worked with Aspens Signature Steaks in Marietta, Georgia. I also consulted with Pure Taqueria for a while in Roswell, Georgia. Then after I moved to Colorado I worked with Square Pizza in Boulder but unfortunately they have closed since. I don’t have that long of a work history. I stay at these restaurants for a long time and put my touch on them.”

When Brett isn’t in the kitchen (and when we aren’t experiencing a seemingly never ending pandemic) he enjoys traveling outside of the country.

“I have been to quite a few places. I traveled to Thailand, the food there is just fantastic, they nail everything on the head. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy, it’s just the most perfect blend of ingredients and that really made me want to go back.”

After Thailand Brett moved onto Vietnam to experience their food and culture as well. “You know I wasn’t a big Vietnamese or Thai food person until I went there and tried the real stuff. I have drawn inspiration from their flavors as far as lemon grass, coconut, curries, and all that type of stuff. We had a banh mi on our last menu that was inspired from there.” Brett also traveled to Ireland for a period of time as well as Mexico.

These days when Brett isn’t working he is either hiking Colorado mountain trails, skiing down a green pass, or cooking Latin-inspired cuisine at home. “I lean towards Latin cuisine heavily. I could eat Latin food on a daily basis and I’d be more than happy. I love tongue tacos (lengua), tripe tacos (tripas), and strange things like that.” [Editor’s note: it’s not strange to Latin people, and numerous others. Strange is a matter of location.]

But most of all Brett spends his days thinking of new ways he can improve his menus or cooking up new specials. Be sure to keep an eye, ear, and taste out for updates to Brett’s menus. He has a lot of flavor to share.

The post Off Menu with… Brett Bowen | Concept Restaurants appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Image by De La Vaca

Cocktail Caravan: Dinner Kit Collaboration– Mobile beverage and bartending company Cocktail Caravan has recently announced their collaboration with GB Culinary, Pastificio Boulder, Oxford Gardens, and Shamane’s Bakery to create unique dinner kits for Colorado families to enjoy at home. A week’s typical kit consists of a 16 oz bottle of cocktail caravan mixers, a variety of GB Culinary hors d’oeuvres, Oxford Gardens veggies, Pastificio Boulder pasta, and pastries from Shamane’s Bakery. For each Boulder Bundle Dinner Kit sold a portion of the proceeds to the Colorado Healing Fund, to help aid the families affected by the King Soopers mass shooting. (Also check our Facebook for a photo spread.) Ruby Ru’s Opens New Store Front: Ruby Ru’s has opened the doors to their brand new storefront located in Lafayette, Co. Get a taste of their mouthwatering mac & cheese or a bite of their famous Bourbon chicken! Tip Top Savory Pies’ Boulder Location: Tip Top Savory Pies is back by popular demand and this time they have set up their storefront in the heart of Gunbarrel. Savory pies are typically filled with meats, cheeses, and delicious seasonal toppings. Due to popular demand Tip Top is looking to open more locations across Colorado. Boulder Shake Shack Opening: Shake Shack recently opened their brand new Boulder location off of 29th street. Feast on a delicious burger, crispy chick’n bites, or stringy grilled cheese and wash it all down with one of Shake Shacks sweet milkshakes. New Mexican Food Joint: My Neighbor Félix is a new mexican restaurant featuring authentic mexican food and delightful signature cocktails made by certified mixologists. My Neighbor Félix is the perfect destination for a night out with friends, for a game night, or for lunch with friends. The Waffle Lab: There is nothing better than a light and fluffy waffle. Fort Collins The Waffle Lab is expanding to Boulder! In fact the Waffle Lab has set their sites on the University of Colorado. The new location is currently under construction, but is set to open later this year. 

The post Food News | April 2021 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Kundali Kombucha is Killing It!

If millennials love one thing, they love kombucha, and one of the area’s most dedicated kombucha brewers is Kundali Kombucha. They are focused on brewing the utmost high quality kombucha with only the best ingredients.

A “Kundali” is a birth chart drawn up when a child is born to predict their life path and Kundali Kombucha was founded under the belief that each individual has innate potential within just waiting to be realized.

Ben N. LeVine is a well known herbalist who is quoted on Kundali’s website saying that Kundali Kombucha is “a balanced, not too sweet, not too acidic, kombucha. My favorite things: That you can actually taste the herbs.”

Kundali Kombucha’s authentic flavors provide a sense of enlightenment and well being from the inside out. Flagship flavors include varieties Harmonize, Awaken, and Transmute. The Harmonize contains a refreshing citrus flavor paired with an herbal body, and cereal grain. The Awaken plays with tastes of hibiscus, mint, and a slight bitter taste. Transmute is a digestion based recipe featuring a delicious rose and grapefruit flavors.

Kundali Kombucha also offers a couple options in their Artisinals and seasonal flavors, the blackberry ginger lemonade and the blood orange blueberry sage. The blackberry ginger lemonade gives off hints of fresh lemon, green tea blend, blackberries, and ginger. The blood orange blueberry sage features green tea blend, blood orange juice, blueberries, and sage.

No matter the flavor you choose, you won’t go wrong.

Boss Lady Pizza Has the Options

Boss Lady Pizza is a local female-owned pizza joint with a marvelously unique menu. The quirky restaurant has two locations: one in Superior and the other in Boulder.

Owner and menu curator Whitney Hart is clearly the boss behind Boss Lady. She created the concept after a series of realizations about the restaurant workforce and its lack of women’s presence.

After graduating from college, Whitney was working 40+ hours a week in a pizza shop and she absolutely fell in love with the fast-paced and messy nights in the kitchen. At age 26 Whitney opened the doors to her very own pizza shop dubbing it Boss Lady Pizza.

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill pizza place. Boss Lady Pizza has an incomparably unique menu.

Feast on one of Boss Lady Pizza’s red pies like the Spicy Chicken Taco Pie featuring spicy chicken, jalapeno, red onion, tomato, and sour cream. Give the Tropical Sausage Pizza Pie a try with sausage, pineapple, asiago, and bacon. Another great choice is the Ron Swanson, decked out with sausage, ham, pepperoni, seasoned ground beef, and bacon.

Not much of a red sauce fan? Not a problem! Boss Lady Pizza also has a large selection of white pies! For starters, you have a choice between the bad mother clucker with spicy breaded chicken, jalapeno, and ranch. You could also catch a taste of the Mattyterranean with garlic and olive oil, spinach, tomato, feta cheese, mozzarella.

If you’re still looking for options, give the Philly a try. It’s topped with shredded mozzarella, ground beef, green onions, and green peppers. Lastly, we recommend the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese pizza with macaroni noodles, breaded chicken, cheddar, franks hot sauce, and parsley.

There are so many more pies that weren’t mentioned, make sure to go on down to the Boss Lady Pizza shop and give them a try.

The post Kundali Kombucha & Boss Lady Pizza | #YSFoodie appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Dani Cole, Head Chef, Shine Community

Dani Cole is the chef at Boulder’s Shine Community’s Restaurant and Potion Bar. Hailing from Michigan, Dani grew up cooking with her grandmother. “My first experience in the kitchen was probably when I was about eight years old. We started with cookies and those kinds of simple things, you know, for when you’re a kid.”  Dani went on: “My father’s mother gave me the bug for cooking. She was always talking about food. She didn’t even wait for you to get to the house. She would just have a bowl of veggies ready, all cut up and ready to go,” and chuckled.

When asked when she first felt the inkling that she would go on to be a chef, Dani smirked and explained, “You know, it’s so silly, but it all started with going to BD’s Mongolian BBQ for the first time. So it’s basically a stir fry place but every Saturday was my family’s leftover day. I remember being like, ‘I don’t want to just eat this steak again’; I was getting bored. So I began to get creative, like ‘oh, I can make this steak into steak fajitas’. I began to be like, ‘what can I do with these leftovers to make something new and interesting that I actually want to eat?’”

Dani didn’t originally plan on becoming a chef. She didn’t find her culinary love until she moved to California. “I was spending a lot of time in bookstores, reading cook books all the time. I was just like, ‘You know what? I think about food all the time, I am reading all these books all the time, why don’t I just go for it, and do it?’ So that is what I did.” Dani enrolled and graduated from California’s School of Culinary Arts.

“Italian food was a big thing for me growing up and when I first began culinary school. We learned French and I absolutely fell in love with it. You just keep throwing creme and butter into everything and it’s so good!” As time went on Dani used the knowledge she gained from culinary school to fine tune her ingredient and pallet selections.

She took a moment to remember a cherished mentor from her time in school, “One of my favorite mentors, he was French Algerian, he got me to fall in love with North African food as well. It had this big bold flavor with a lot of spices paired with couscous that is so fluffy and buttery. I love it paired with preserved lemons; they’re just great. And then over the years it’s really turned into a farm-to-table, locally sourced, seasonal fare, for my personal and professional cooking, you know, the stuff that I really love.”

Dani started from the bottom of the totem pole just like everyone else. “I did all the grunt work stuff that everyone has to do; you have to really put your time in.” After a bit of gig hopping, Dani found a restaurant that would ultimately set her on the career path she is walking today. “I found a restaurant that kind of changed everything for me. It was called Food Dance in Michigan. They focus on locally sourced farm-to-table and it was where I really fell in love with that type of cooking.” Dani worked at Food Dance for five years, soaking up all the knowledge and techniques she could.

Dani set her sights on Colorado and decided to make the move. She stumbled upon Shine and set out to scope out not only the restaurant but Boulder as well. “I have been working for two years, as of September. I love it here; this restaurant has challenged me and it allows me to keep growing as a chef.”  Dani aspires to open her own modern French restaurant one day. She currently writes for her own food blog, Just Follow Food!. Make sure to visit Shine to catch a taste of Dani’s phenomenal cooking.   

The post Off Menu with… Dani Cole | Shine appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Kamala Vhim

February 9th marked the 25th anniversary for the Taj Indian Cuisine restaurant. This slightly hidden culinary jewel has been located in Boulder, right off of Baseline and Broadway, since the 1990’s. The anniversary marks a bittersweet milestone for the restaurant. Owner, creator, and menu developer Vhim Rai, passed away this past December due to COVID-19 complications. 2021 not only marks the 25th anniversary of the restaurant but the first year without Vhim at the helm. We sat down with Kamala Rai, his life partner of 27 years, and his daughter Laxmi, to look back at the origins and life of Taj Indian Cuisine, while honoring Vhim in the process.

Vhim was born in Hong Kong to a military family. He was raised in Nepal, and in a variety of other Southeastern Asian countries. Laxmi began, “My father had a dream of coming to America and eventually he did make it here, in 1981.” Vhim attended school in Tallahassee, Florida, to pursue a degree in finance. “My father came to the US with $300-400 in his pockets. My father was an incredibly hard worker. He truly struggled to success, he put himself through school, he brought both of his sisters and my grandmother from Nepal, and then supported them.” Vhim went on to become a stock broker for Dean Witter, which is now under Morgan Stanely. After visiting Boulder, Colorado, and experiencing the Rocky Mountains on one of his routine work trips, Vhim decided the mile high state was where he wanted to build a life.

Vhim moved to Boulder in 1989 and decided to open a business with some money he had saved up over the years. Ever hear of the Himalayas Restaurant? Vhim started the Himalayas and worked there for several years, later selling it to his sister.

“My father was not a cook at first; he was a finance major. One day he went down to the local Boulder library and rented a couple of cook books and he taught himself how to cook,” Laxmi recalls. Vhim took what he had learned from his research and put in his own personal spin on his favorite recipes. He poured his heritage and his love into his recipes until they were his version of perfect. Kamala smiled and said, “Once my husband put his mind to something, nothing could stop him from doing it. That is just the man he was.” After the sale of his first restaurant he decided it was time to open a new one.

Vhim returned to Nepal, in the meantime, and stumbled upon the love of his life, while abroad, at a travel agency. Serendipity, indeed. Unfortunately the pair hailed from different social castes. Despite violating a social norm, and the lack of Kamala’s family’s support, the couple’s love prevailed. “My father saw my mother in the agency and was stolen away by her beauty; he ended up chatting it up with her for over an hour and called her for three months afterwards,”  Laxmi explained. Vhim returned to Nepal from the US to take Kamala’s hand in marriage.

The couple opened Taj Indian Cuisine together in 1996. Kamala smiled and said, “We discussed a lot of things, but this was my husband’s restaurant. He was the designer of this place. There are a lot of struggle stories, a lot of beautiful stories, and a lot of hard work. I cherish this place. Boulder community’s support is what really saved us.”  Kamala has now stepped up and took her husband’s place as head chef at Taj Indian Cuisine in his absence. She is reminded of her days spent along his side inside Taj’s walls, but she honors his memory each and every day by doing what he loved most, showing love to the community with perfect dishes crafted in love.

Laxmi adds, in a perfect final statement:

“This restaurant truly is my father’s legacy. His heart and soul went into this place.  This place is my home.”   

The post Off Menu with… Taj Indian Cuisine #25th Anniversary appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Rullo Romo Antonio

Say hello to Rullo Romo Antonio, the current head chef of Dagabi Cucina in Boulder, Colorado. Antonio grew up in Toledo, Spain. “I grew up cooking with my mom and grandma in the kitchen. They were both excellent cooks but they cooked traditional Spanish food.” As Antonio looked back at his childhood he smiled and said, “I remember cooking around the holidays. We did a lot of baking. Spain is a traditional Catholic country, so for Christmas we would make certain things. With my family it was a time to make big preparations for Spanish donuts, pastries, and other desserts. That was my first experience in the kitchen, just spending time with them.”

Antonio’s family was a part of the farming community. The country’s seasonal harvest was a major part of Antonio’s childhood. “I would participate in the harvests; there were the harvests for grapes, olives, and for saffron. Around that time we would make a lot of different food that you really can only do at that time of the year. It’s all about the fresh ingredients that you’d have at that time. I learned a lot from that back then.”

“I didn’t know when I was young that I would end up working in the kitchen. I thought it would end up just being a hobby because I liked to do it.” Antonio eventually drew from the knowledge he gained in his childhood and applied it to his future. The aspiring chef moved to Madrid to attend culinary school and then, “In 2004 I moved to Boulder. I found this restaurant when it was owned by someone else, he was an Italian man. The owner taught me a lot of new traditional Italian techniques while I was in training. I learned how to make everything. Homemade ravioli, pasta, and bread.”

As the years went on Antonio mastered Italian cuisine. It was then that Antonio reinvented the restaurant’s dishes, making them his very own. “When I got here the restaurant was strictly Italian food. But as time went on it began to change bit by bit.” Antonio chuckled.

“The new owner, Noah, bought this restaurant and I got to start working with him.” Noah allowed Antonio to put a Spanish flare on his menu. “At first it was difficult to introduce people to Spanish food. This location makes us a traditional neighborhood restaurant. We had customers that had already been coming here for pizzas, pastas and other Italian dishes. We started slowly introducing Spanish food to the clientele.”  Noah eventually allowed Antonio to take the reins, and he began to introduce tapas to get people more familiar with his traditional flavors. “Eventually I began to introduce a lot of recipes from my mom and grandma. I have made their traditional brie and my grandma’s Spanish ratatouille. I try to cook a lot of traditional food but at the same time I need to take a tiny bit to make it more appealing to the American palate.”

Ingredients on the other hand, is something that Antonio is not willing to compromise on. “Quality ingredients are very important.” As Antonio’s traditional cooking became a staple part of the restaurant he began to outsource for the best ingredients. “I have my saffron rice shipped in from Spain. The rice is very important for my cooking and there really isn’t anything like it available here.” Authenticity and quality is essential to Antonio. The Dagabi Cucina restaurant holds the key to his heart’s passion.

“I am so lucky to be here, we have a nice community of Spanish and American people and they all come here for our traditional Spanish food.” Antonio has truly made Boulder his home.

Kierstin W. family of the owner chuckled and said, “We’ve been here for 18 years and Antonio came with the restaurant. He will probably always be here.” We can only hope so. 

The post Off Menu with: Rullo Romo Antonio | Dagabi Cucina appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The good folks at Bittersweet Cafe are back at it again folks. The little Louisville treasure has morphed into an 80’s-themed skier’s paradise. The APRESKE (Après Ski) Pop-Up Cocktail Bar is a 90 minute cocktail experience set in a 80’s Swiss ski lodge, if you will. Imagine chowing down on some good ol’ ski lodge food while washing it down with an epic custom cocktail in your best outrageous 80’s attire.

APRESKE is everything blinding neon, 80’s rock, and winter slopes. Enjoy 90 minutes of tasty craft cocktails and gnarly ski lodge grub. The venue is adorned in kitschy holiday decor providing a sense of nostalgia for the grown folk and a hot tub time machine trip for the younger folks.

The unusual drinking destination provides an array of unique cocktails to get you warmed up this Colorado winter. Some of the signature cocktails include the “Sex on the Snow” featuring a lavender and butterfly pea flower-infused gin, lemon, prosecco, VSOP cognac, and garnished with a candied lemon peel. Or get your taste buds on the “Double Black Diamond”, which features a charcoal-infused mezcal and solera rum. The drink processes a grey hued ice cube paired with a blackberry preserve that really plays on both the sweet and smoky tones of the pallet.

Dive right into the “Shred The Gnar” cocktail. It features a combination of Oak aged Nova Fogo Cachaca, Hell-Fire Bitters, Kaffir Leaf-infused Shoshu, and lime juice, topped with a tasty candied ginger garnish. We also recommend the “Fresh Pow” cocktail. This refreshing tropical drink is made up of Shipwreck coconut rum, silver tequila, key lime juice, agave syrup, triple sec, and a sugar coconut rim.

Not much of a drinker? Not a problem!

APRESKE has mocktails for your sipping pleasure. Some of the mocktails include concoctions like the “Ski School” which is a mixture of lemon juice, cinnamon, clove, honey, and ginger. There is also the “Like a Virgin”, which is a combination of berry puree, sour mix, and cranberry juice and “fishnet glove” fashion a la Madonna.

Once you’ve gotten your buzz on chow down on one of the many culinary creations listed on the APRESKE menu. The vegan veggie chili is a sure fire way to warm yourself up during the chilliest February evenings. Pair your pippin’ hot chili with some house-made carnitas for the perfect Dy-no-mite! duo. The giant charcuterie stuffed pretzel is an impressive foot across and is chop full of meat, cheese, spiced nuts, and fresh fruit. No matter what you choose, you definitely can’t lose.

No matter what you are munching or sipping on you are sure to leave with a warm body, a full stomach, and an enjoyable buzz. Want to experience the APRESKE Pop-Up bar for yourself? Make sure to visit the Switch Pop-Up website to book your reservation. The venue provides either greenhouse seating, outdoor seating, indoor seating, and VIP suites. Exploring downtown and want to stop by this Bittersweet Cafe special? The APRESKE bar allows walk-in guests too! Make sure to visit this step back in time before it’s too late, this is a switch pop-up bar after all.

Though Louisville is a trek from the mountain tops, the APRESKE Pop-Up bar is sure to bring you the ultimate Colorado mountain experience. With support from Ferrari Champagne and an official 80’s USA Ski Team car parked outside, you’ll be hitting the memories hard as you toss another quarter in the Ms. Pac-Man on loan from Tilt Arcade and tossing back another lovely libation.

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Via Institute for Applied Ecology

Here’s a not-so-fun fact, believe it or not: the leading global disability is depression. In fact, depression is the 10th leading cause of early death in global statistics. For subjects between the ages of fifteen and thirty, specifically, depression is the second leading cause of suicide. The United States has an 82 percent urbanization rate and it is also considered the most depressed country in the world, trailed closely behind by countries like France and Colombia. The United States currently has the highest prison and jail populations in this entire world, in the history of the world. The US incarceration population sits at a staggering 1,435,500 people as of the end of 2019. The suicide rate among US prisoners is four times as high as the general population’s national average.

Incarceration presents multiple negative long term psychological effects in the inmate population due to an array of environmental factors including inhumane facility conditions and general endangerment from fellow detainees. The psychological effects of long term incarceration include unhealthy dependency (loss of autonomy, anomie), paranoia, psychological distancing, social withdrawal, post traumatic stress disorder, and a sense of diminished self worth. These significant psychological drawbacks directly correlate with rising prison populations and general incarceration suicide rates. The most prominent set back of long term imprisonment is the difficulty of transitioning back into society, what we call institutionalization.

Introducing Moss

In 2003, renowned American ecologist Nalini Nadkarni launched her “Moss-in-Prison” project. The project was meant to share her love of mother nature with the men and women incarcerated in the United States prison system. The project allowed prisoners to participate in research and conservation efforts to combat the deteriorating effect of mass collection of wild-grown moss for the floral trade.

The moss-harvesting industry has a sizable footprint valued at $260 million annually. The daily life of a typical detainee is pretty ideal for moss related research due to the fact that they have the time available to observe moss over an extensive amount of time in order to aggregate fresh research. While we’re against the use of un- or low paid prison labor, it being an extension of the slavery industrial complex reformulated under the 13th amendment, we do support people that are incarcerated having voluntary, positive use of time to engage in projects that can help alleviate their own stress and the mundanity of being incarcerated.

The inmates involved in the project were educated in moss species identification and eventually built a greenhouse with recycled materials. After an eighteen-week process the facilitators began to see the positive effects produced in the prisoners. Inmates began to display improved social skills and interactions, a more uplifted or hopeful mindset, with accompanying requests for higher education. Nadkarni wishes to extend her project into the deepest and darkest portion of the prison system, solitary confinement.

An Oregon maximum security prison showed a set number of solitary confinement inmates nature videos in order to explore the effects. Each selected inmate could view the video in the allotted exercise room for one hour a day, three days a week. After an entire 365 days the facilitators sat down with the inmates to gauge the effects. Inmates stated they felt a lower amount of stress, lowered irritability, and some even stated they had the ability to reach a calm state. The video also lowered the amount of violent infractions the inmates typically receive by twenty six percent. The healing benefits of nature to individuals in the state of rehabilitation are quite substantial, but not everyone gets that experience.

A Personal Experience

The “incarceration experience” is quite a bit more common than most would think. Yellow Scene Magazine’s very own Editor in Chief, De La Vaca, looked back on his personal incarceration encounter. “My personal experience was terrifying. I was clearly innocent and beat the case, one of the lucky few, but it really changes your understanding of life and your relationship with freedom.” De La continued, “There’s something absolutely unnerving about being locked in a 5 by 7 cell with a guy accused of 100 + counts of attempted murder, who spends his evenings kicking the bolted down chair to our desk because he wants to be able to split people’s skulls with his shins. I was facing 25 to life without the possibility of parole and I had to familiarize myself with the possibility of never being free.”

During his time served, he recalls that detainees had essentially no control over their food, their living space, or their daily activities. “The only space outside of our cells that we saw was the homeroom which is the main room of the tank where you eat and have limited access to board games and snacks except for once, after somebody whistled at a female guard, when we were all taken to an enclosed cement gym area that was generally off limits but which we were forced into, naked, in the middle of the night, for the female guards to laugh at us as payback for the whistle. It was a monumental lesson in the deputy abuse of prisoners, and one that everyone in our tank knew never to risk again.”

De La Vaca described his living conditions. “You sleep in your cell. When you go to jail, everything is taken from you and you’re given a box that they call your house. That’s your house because it has your toiletries and everything that you’re allowed to have. You’re given a mattress when you get to your tank and a sheet, which doesn’t have fitted edges, so you have to learn to tie it around the back of your mattress, creating a very uncomfortable wonky mattress, otherwise the sheet would move and your end up with your bare face in a mattress that has been used by hundreds, even thousands of other prisoners before you. Nobody is under any illusions that these things are clean or sanitary.”

The psychological effects of incarceration still follow De La Vaca to this day. “Psychological effects of jail include lack of autonomy, lack of trust, increased danger and sense of worry in regard to the people around you, given the amount of fights that occurred and the willingness to inflict violence should a situation arise.” When asked if he still experiences PTSD symptoms from his time incarcerated, De La Vaca explained with a heavy heart, “I still experience PTSD symptoms. That doesn’t ever really leave. When somebody can, and tells you physically, that they can murder you, that’s never going to leave you.”

Peace With Plants

About a decade later De La Vaca graduated from UC Davis and was hired to work with a juvenile facility program for adolescent rehabilitation. He was able to design a garden, which was built by the facility staff and then filled with plants by his group of young people. “I was part of the supervising group from our organization and we talked about alternatives to violence, community gardening, the use of gardens for self-control and developing patience, and other things. It was an amazing undertaking.” When asked how the gardening experience made him feel De La Vaca’s tone warmed as he described his experience, “It’s amazing. Putting your hands in dirt is the best. Growing things is awesome. I was a Landscape Architect turned Community and Regional Development graduate and being able to use my love of the earth to reach kids was amazing. These were savvy kids, too. They were just knuckleheads from knucklehead neighborhoods, just like me, who needed direction. Playing with bugs, eating veggies we grew ourselves, and developing relationships was so amazing.”

“Speaking for myself,” De La Vaca says of his own time incarcerated, “a couple of bags of dirt and some growing plants would’ve been such a great way to remember that life goes on, to maintain a grasp on autonomy and soul, and to look forward to life outside of the system. When I was released, just a few months later, a guy committed suicide. He was in my same cell, in the same bed I had been sleeping in, and he killed himself. I think about that sometimes. What did he need to survive that moment, that incarceration? I can’t answer that, but I know growing life is a great way to remember life is important, my life is important.”

So then, what plants are best to possibly throw into the mix?

Best Plants for Prisons

Plants come in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and with a vast amount of differing health benefits. There is endless amounts of research that support the fact that immersing oneself in natural settings can reduce anxiety, curb depression, improve recollection, and benefit cognition. Caring for plants also brings the caretaker a sense of purpose and accomplishment, all the while raising self-esteem. Not only that but indoor plants have been a variable in increased productivity in indoor work environments and aiding in the speed and quality of recovery for hospitalized patients. There really are no drawbacks to making plants a part of one’s day to day life.

The biophilia hypothesis suggests that we as human beings crave connections with nature and other forms of life. As natural beings we have a tendency to gravitate towards other living beings that require our love, adoration, and stewardship. We emerged and evolved with mother nature, and it wasn’t until very recent centuries have we flocked to urbanized cities. To be fair, a review of the early Enclosure Acts point to a more nefarious reason for the development of city living, the need for concentrated labor as the Industrial Revolution took hold. City living means less nature. “Green isolation” is directly correlated with the dire consequences to our mental health and physical well-beings.

Biophilia design. David Lauer Photography

Plants Help at Home

Though we are primarily concerned with plant effects on the incarcerated, and even though we urge you to channel your inner Jane and Tarzan, we want you to have plants at home as well. Simply surrounding oneself with basic house plants or perhaps getting your hands dirty in a personal garden will get the positive affects job done.

The University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, found that the presence of plants (no matter the variation) can:

• Decrease aggression by 44 percent
• Decrease feelings of anxiety by 37 percent
• Reduce the presence of depression by an impressive 58 percent

If you are looking into starting your own indoor garden there are a few essential plants you’ll need in your personal indoor jungle. Aloe vera is an essentially mainstream succulent with a long list of health benefits. The miracle plant heals burns, clears acne, and helps heal mild cuts and bruises. You can also ingest aloe to improve your digestive and oral health. The best part of this useful houseplant is the fact that it is essentially the easiest house plant to care for. Place it in a sunny area in your home and water it every few weeks.

Living in a dense urban city and craving some clean air? Air purifying house plants like snake plants, spider plants, fiddle leaf fig plants, and the pony tail palm are the perfect plant solution! These low maintenance plants require very little care and will leave your home feeling light and fresh all while improving your mental health.

There are also a vast variety of indoor plants that provide medical benefits. For example, the pothos plant is one of the easiest plants to grow and it alleviates eye irritation after a long day of staring at screens. Lavender is another useful plant. The sweet smelling aroma provides stress reducing benefits. Lavender oil acts as a healing balm for cuts and burns, can alleviate headaches, and improve sleep.

The benefits of mother nature’s greatest gift, plants, are endless and everyone on this little planet deserves a connection with our roots. Plants are the key to our reconnection to the core of the human spirit. They are essential for not only maintaining physical and mental health but to help rehabilitate people in need as well. More plants for prisons, for prisoners, and for all people…including you.

The post Gardens of the Mind: Mental Health Improvements for Prisoners Found in the Earth | Home & Hood appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

We can all agree 2020 has taken quite a bit from everyone this year; our jobs, our concerts, and our peace of mind. Big Red F Restaurant Group is giving back by launching The Lasagna Project in order to help bridge the gap for the food-insecure in our community. Big Red F Restaurant Group joined forces with BRFeeds Our Community to make the project happen.

All guests that order, not only from The Lasagna Project but also from every single one of the Big Red R restaurants, have the option to make a donation. All of the donation proceeds are then allocated to prepare trays of food for people in need in our community. The project is well on it’s way to partnering with a variety of non-profit organizations along the Front Range in order to expand their helping hand to a multitude of people in need. Lasagna isn’t the only thing this innovative food project provides.

You can donate in $10, $20, and $35 amounts, with the proceeds going to feeding a family. You order yours and, if you “know someone who is at-risk, more restricted, or could just use a little something special… Grab an extra kit for them and make their day.” We know it’d make our day.

Screenshot, The Lasagna Project

The Lasagna Project allows you to order baskets of food that come with bread, a salad, a red checkered table cloth, a list of movie recommendations from a Hollywood screenwriter (and DQ’s son) Harrison Query, a Spotify playlist, and even the option to add on a bottle of wine from Denver’s very own Attimo Wine. The wine list and add-on options are extensive. Each guest can preorder by Wednesday for Friday pick up at Jax Fish House or opt for delivery through WeDeliver – a restaurant delivery service – each week!

As if that wasn’t enough, Big Red F has partnered up with Friends In Weed to provide meals that heal to people in need. Friends in Weed began a similar program to raise funds that will go directly to the restaurant industry. The funds raised during the partnership will go towards supporting BRFeeds Our Community and to providing meals for low income individuals impacted by the pandemic.

The Lasagna Project will continue to provide aid to people in need indefinitely with no end in sight. So if you or someone you know is in need, don’t fret; 2020 has brought nothing but hard times our way. There is no shame in the struggle especially in the middle of a global pandemic. Visit the Big Red F Restaurant Group website for more information. Don’t go hungry this holiday season: eat up, donate, and spread the word.

We should note that this is available at all Jax locations, both in Colorado and further out. That’s a lot of do-gooding and we salute the good folks at BigRedF for making it happen. Happy Holidays.

The post The Lasagna Project | Foodie appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Giancarlo Scalzotto

Jonathan Rodriguez

Say ciao (hello) to the owner, menu curator, and occasional co chef of the Scalzotto Italian Restaurant in Broomfield. Giancarlo is a first generation Italian family man hailing from Northern Italy. Unlike most culinary enthusiasts, Giancarlo didn’t find his love for food right away. He didn’t grow up cooking in the kitchen, he didn’t attend culinary school; he found his love for food through chance.

He smiles as he looks back at his culinary origin: “It was about the opportunity of the market honestly. Originally in Italy there wasn’t really any Mexican food. There were no concepts like that. I took the opportunity to bridge the gap, to do something different. That is exactly what I did when I came here.”

Years later Giancarlo and his family made the trek to the heart of Colorado. “I like to do Italian food as authentic as possible. It’s hard to find good authentic Italian cooking because people put a lot of extra ingredients in it… Italian food is simple but you need to use ingredients that are of good quality.”

Scalzotto’s current head chef is Jonathan Rodrigeuz. Rodriguez didn’t grow up cooking with mom in the kitchen. In fact, Jonathan didn’t find his love for food until adulthood; but as he moved up the ranks his fascination with food rose along with it. The young Colombian chef has traveled all over the United States honing his culinary skill.

“Originally I am from Bogota, Colombia. I was thirteen or fourteen when I came to the United States. I grew up in Florida, at first we were in Miami but then we moved to Vero Beach.” Rodriguez grew up eating Colombian food, but not cooking it. “Honestly growing up, my mom was the cook mainly. Her style of food was different. She cooked with what she knew and the ingredients she had in the house. Once I learned to cook I actually ended up teaching my mother how to cook.” Over time his mother would come to him asking for advice. The pride was on his face as he recalled being able to share that with his mother.

It was there in Vero Beach that Rodriguez found his passion for professional culinary arts. “My first cooking job was at a sort of country club called John’s Island. I started off working on salads at the salad station. I started working my way up. I started doing pizzas and appetizers on the line, I began working with proteins and such.”

Jonathan worked in John’s Island for eleven years, during his time there he learned about various global cuisines. “John’s Island basically covered a lot of my schooling. I got the chance to work with Italian food, French cuisine, American cuisine, Spanish, it was a little mix of everything.”

John’s Island brought his adoration of food to the fore. “Back at John’s Island I began to love going to work because every new recipe or style I would learn would excite me. It was fun! I remember almost everyday before I went to work I had little butterflies because there was always something new and unexpected.”

But Florida couldn’t hold him. “After Florida I moved to Maine. I worked at another golf club up there. Then I moved to Portland, Maine, and began to work at an Italian restaurant called Tipo.” Tipo provided him a chance to work with more refined palates and detailed flavors. After Maine Jonathan set the course for the mile high state.

“I have been here in Colorado for a little over a year now. I was taking my time to find a job, I really wanted to find something that I was comfortable with and not just for a job. I met Giancarlo here in Broomfield and we got along well. So I started working with Giancarlo here at Scalzotto and I love it.”

Jonathan has even shared his talent with his family. “I got to cook for my parents and they were pretty impressed. I sometimes get picked on by my brother because he knows that I know what I am doing. He always goes, oh here comes the chef! But every time he cooks he’s always asking for my opinion and I’m the youngest.” He smirked.

When asked his plans for the future, he paused and said, “I definitely love working with Giancarlo; we have our ups and downs but I think we have a really good relationship. Italian food is my favorite cuisine to cook. Italian food, there is a lot of flavor in it but it’s also simple. It’s the food I see myself cooking for a long time.”

The post Off Menu with Giancarlo Scalzotto & Jonathan Rodriguez | Cuisine appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Winter is here and along with it Louisville’s Christmas cheer. November 20th marked the grand opening of the recently transformed, socially distant winter wonderland meant for all ages to safely enjoy. The Louisville treasure will be located in the alley behind The Bittersweet Café, who are hosting this newest holiday phenom. Miracle on Main Street provides the ultimate Christmas pop-up bar experience.

Enjoy the covered outdoor spaces featuring heating for your comfort in the Miracle on Main Street Winter Village. Experience each of the themed greenhouses for what they have to offer. Munch on some sweets and sip on some drinks in the Gingerbread house within the comfort of your own private seating space. Hang out with the Rowdy Reindeer, experience a Hogwarts winter at the Candy Caner Lounge, relax with the family in the Candy Cane House, or enjoy the luxury of the Sparkle Suite.

Looking to leave the kiddos at home? Don’t worry, Miracle On Main Street is the perfect drinking destination for all those looking to make Santa’s naughty list. The drink menu features holiday drink hits like Jingle Bells Nog, Christmas Carol Barrel, and the Chrismapolitan. Snack on either of the festive boards while sipping on your Christmas cocktails. Each guest has the choice between a Seat Treats board containing an array of dried fruit, candied pretzels, spiced nuts, jam, blueberry cheese or more. Or feast on the Savory Bites  Board featuring an assortment of meats, cheese, fresh fruit, and gardaniere, all just for a whopping 25 dollars.

Trying to plan a holiday outing with the family? Check out the Miracle On Main Street’s Calendar located on their website, miraclecocktails.com. Join in on the 5th annual gingerbread house decorating party on the Miracle On Mainstreet grounds. Each family has the opportunity to book a reservation to provide a safe clean space to decorate gingerbread houses with icing and candy all while enjoying the food and drinks directly from the Bittersweet Café.

Concerned for your family’s Covid safety? Don’t fret: the Miracle On Mainstreet staff worked out all the kinks to ensure both you and your loved one’s safety this holiday season.  The venue has limited hours, the private greenhouses must be booked by reservation only, and the venue screens each guest before their entry. The screening process includes a contactless thermometer temperature reading, required use of provided hand sanitizer, and staggered arrival and departure times to help prevent unnecessary contact. The venue also provides a voice activated photo booth, scannable menus, and contract trace capable apps provided while you are booking your reservations.

Each private greenhouse is sanitized after each guest’s departure as well as aired out before the next guests arrival. There is also a limit of 4 to 6 guests per private greenhouse for the attendee’s safety.

No matter the occasion or who you chose to enjoy it with, Miracle On Main Street has a little something for everyone this holiday season.

Enjoy the sites, snacks and sips that Miracle on Main Street has to offer. 

The post Foodie: Miracle on Main Street appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Avanti Food & Beverage just recently made the jump from Denver to Boulder to open the doors to their second location. This curious eatery is contrived of multiple restaurant concepts placed throughout a modern building. I know, we get it, we normally just focus on one chef at a time for our Off Menu interviews, but this is special. First, I’m the new cuisine writer so I want to make a splash. Second, this food court has a bunch of chefs and we couldn’t leave anyone out. So…Dive into the hearts and minds of the six culinary treasures that are making Avanti Boulder what it is today. These chefs are the real deal.

Igor Panasewicz: Quiero Arepas

Igor Panasewicz was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and was raised in Caracas where he picked up a love for everything culinary. He met his wife, Beckie, after moving to the mile high state. After meeting the love of his life, Panasewicz began making arepas and packing them in work lunches just for her. Before they knew it Beckie’s co workers were raving over the culinary creations. The couple poured themselves into their first food truck here in Denver. Nine years later the couple’s Quiero Arepas restaurant can be found In both of the Avanti locations. “We are trying to share Igor’s experience as a child with Colorado. There were no arepas in Denver, so we brought them here, and they’ve really taken off, it’s been really amazing.” In fact, the couple’s arepas are so amazing that they hit Expedia’s Top 10 Food Truck List of the world back in 2010. Be sure to get a taste of Venezuela at Quiero Arepas.

Jerrod Rosen: Rye Society

Colorado native Jerrod Rosen has spent his life in Boulder perfecting his culinary craft. Rosen left his home town to study at NYC’s prestigious French culinary institute, which led to him obtaining a degree in culinary arts and restaurant management. After multiple feats in NYC the Colorado culinary master began to miss home and made his way back to good ol’ Co. Upon his return he was made the general manager of Colt & Gray restaurant, which was later voted Denver’s best new restaurant by 5280 Magazine.

Rosen wouldn’t stay in Colorado for long, state hopping to San Franciscoto Chicago. After years of culinary and hospitality experience he decided to establish KG Consulting, Kudan Group focused on aiding aspiring restaurateurs.

Currently Rosen is bringing a taste of New York to his home here in Colorado, with his Rye Society locations in both of the Avanti locations in both Denver and Boulder.

Chase Devitt & Charles Troup: Boychik

Chase Devitt and Charles Troup met years ago while attending summer camp in Wisconsin. The young boys found out that they were actually neighbors back home. Fast forward to 2001 and Devitt found himself in the mile high state to attend CU. Devitt began his culinary adventure at The Dark Horse in South Boulder and worked there through college. Upon graduating he realized that cooking was his true passion. After years of restaurant hopping Devitt teamed up with Troup to turn Boychik into what it is today. “Charles had been looking to get his foot in the door, so I jumped on board to help get his first concept going. He is really good at the front of the house.”

Troup had already had an eye opening experience while traveling across Israel, visiting different markets and trying all the food he could get his hands on. “I remember being like, ‘wow we really need this back home.’” Troup returned to Colorado with his eyes set on Colorado’s food hall scene. “I always know the food is going to be great when Chase is cooking. That way I can come out to the front and greet our customers. It’s pretty great.”

“For me food is like an escape. When I eat my dinner at the end of the night, I get to step away. For me food is a zen and I hope that people find our food as their zen too.”

Darren Chang & Travis Masar: Pig and Tiger

Chang is the first among his family to be born in the United States. “My mom really stressed on keeping us rooted to our heritage through food. She made sure my siblings and I learned all the family recipes so that they could be passed down.” Chang has an impressive culinary background, he worked under Carrie Baird at Brazen and Kevin Grossi at The Regional.

Colorado native Travis Masar met his Taiwanese partner-in-crime in Los Angeles. After the initial introduction the pair grew close and began to work on their first restaurant concept together. Masar has a vast culinary background going back about twenty years, a decade of which he has devoted specifically to Asian cuisine. The culinary adventurer grew up hunting game, working in a butcher shop and eventually traveling the world; Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Czech Republic, the list goes on.  “Being of fair descent [he means white], I am not trying to take over cuisine that has been there for thousands of generations,” he’s clear to point out. Masar sticks to the roots of the food and wishes to do nothing more.

These days the pair run Pig and Tiger together in the Avanti building, working together to bring authentic food from their hearts to your plate.

Nicholas Kayser: Rooted Craft Kitchen

Nicholas Kayser is a Cincinnati native that was raised in Denver, Colorado. After earning his bachelor’s degree at the International Culinary school in the Art Institute of Colorado he began apprenticing under Master Chef Bryan Nagao, of Mai Restaurant. Kayser worked with Denver’s culinary masters including Tyler Wiard, Frank Bonanno, Blair Taylor, and Goose Sorensen. “I then headed to New York back in 2005. I was there for about ten years. I worked with a multitude of restaurants, fine dining, and then I moved onto hotels. I linked up with Richard Sadoval and I ended up going out to Vegas to open a hotel out there.” From there Kayser set his culinary sights overseas; destination, Hong Kong. After years as a commercial chef, Kayser decided to return to Colorado to spend time with his family.

The world traveling chef returned to Colorado and brought the world’s flavor along with him. “A lot of the food here is inspired by my global travels.” You see his Hongkong influence in items like his Rooted Wagyu Burger.

These days Nicholas is running Rooted Craft Kitchen in the Avanti Boulder location. Though his menu is in halves between his Market Menu and Craft menu, Kayser is also cooking to raise awareness. “A year ago I started the Zero Proof Dinner Series here to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.” He has created a series of healthy alcohol free beverages for people looking to stay on the sober side of things. 

Steven Redzikowski: New Yorkese

Hailing from the Big Apple, Steven Redzikowski is the owner and chef at New Yorkese on Avanti’s roof. Redzikowski has quite the extensive cuisine background, after graduating from culinary school he began working in New York’s Le Cirque and Jean-Georges. He honed his craft towards Italian cooking while working here in Colorado at Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder.

While working at the hit restaurant Redzikowski met his future business partner Bryan Dayton. The pair connected in 2010 and opened Oak at Fourteenth, then again in 2013 to open the doors to their second restaurant concept, Acorn. In 2015 the dynamic duo joined forces once again to open their third restaurant, Brider.

2020 brought Redzikowski back to his culinary roots flipping pizzas back in New York. He opened his latest venture in the Avanti Boulder location on their rooftop bar. Trust us: the views are amazing and the pie’s good, too.

The post Off Menu With… Avanti Food & Beverage Boulder’s Chefs appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Eating. We do it 3 times a day, 21 times a week, and 84 times a month (or at least we should); and yet we never seem to know what we want to chow down on. Luckily for you, the Yellow Scene Magazine team has narrowed it down a bit. Boulder County is known for the views, the hiking, the shopping, and most importantly, the food. Dive into the best starters at our favorite eateries in BOCO.

Busaba Thai – Crab Cheese Rangoons

Busaba is a charming restaurant tucked away in the heart of Louisville, Colorado. The delightful name originated from the Thai word for “flower”, and this eatery has continued to blossom over the last decade.

This hidden gem is by far one of the best thai restaurants in Colorado. They are known for their authentic crab cheese rangoons and for their strong house made sauces. Relish the crisp and light taste of the crab rangoons partnered with a house made tangy sweet and sour sauce. The inviting, orange, sweet, and sour sauce sauce is not what you’d typically expect from your average dipping sauce. The Busaba sweet and sour sauce packs a strong kick of flavor that consumes the pallet. Make sure to arrive early, Busaba does not take reservations and their outdoor dining area does fill up fast!

Organic Sandwich company – Turkey & Brie Sandwich

The Organic Sandwich company is an adorably simple sandwich shop located on Pearl Street. A perk of this sweet spot is the fact that it has a second location in Louisville. Farm to table fresh ingredients are this shop’s real hustle.

Miller grew up in the midwest with her sister Bonnie, eating homegrown meals cooked by their mother. As they aged they came to a realization that food these days just isn’t the same these days. Their sandwiches are made with love, care, and, of course, only the freshest locally sourced ingredients.

We recommend the house favorite, Turkey & Brie Sandwich on a baguette. This delightfully unusual sandwich brings quite a bit of flavor to the table. The turkey & brie sandwich is a sweet yet savoury treat that is light on the stomach, with sliced apples, a homemade honey-mustard, brie, and carmelized onions.

Savoury Cuisines Catering – Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewer

Savoury Cuisines Catering is a customizable catering business that creates specialized menus for customers. “Let’s say we have a couple that is getting married… the wife is from Guadalajara but the husband may be from Iowa and they want food from there, too. So then I say, ‘great we will do let’s do a steak this way, or the sides another way’. We try to make our catering as custom as possible.” Bob Sargent creates food specifically catered to feed your heart.

Sargent presented the exquisite lemon pepper chicken skewer, featuring oven roasted tomatoes paired with a creamy lemon vinaigrette,  house pesto, and the house balsamic. Bite into the chicken skewer and be greeted by an eruption of flavor. Each bite brings you to a world of sweet, salty, and tangy flavors that integrate impeccably with the dish. Sargent explained, “We have been making this dish for years, and it has always done pretty well. Everyone loves it.”

Piripi – Gambas Al Ajillo and Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche

Argentinian owner and Executive Chef Hugo Meyer has come to Erie to give Coloradans a global culinary experience. Piripi is a sophisticated eatery featuring Spanish inspired Latin and Mediteranean tapas dishes. “This is a place where people can come to share little plates of food and have a lot of fun with sangria, wine, and drinks.”

The Piripi house favorite Gambas Al Ajillo is an alluring live presentation dish featuring deliciously tender shrimp, red hot chili peppers, garlic, and olive oil served in a piping hot ceramic dish. This live plate is presented while the dish is still actively boiling, delivering a slight garlic taste with a hint of smokeyness. The second house recommendation is their Scallop & Shrimp Ceviche. Unbothered by competition, Piripi may be new but they stand unrivaled when it comes to the quality and authenticity of their food.

The Boulder Dushanbe Tea House – The North African Crispy Cauliflower

Boulder is known for many breathtaking views including Flagstaff, Boulder Creek, and The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. This spectacular, eclectic building is originally from Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, where it was constructed. The building is truly a feast for the eyes, but there’s more to feast on.

The North African Crispy Cauliflower smells delectable and will have your mouth watering. This unique dish draws you in with its cinnamon scent and appealing presentation. The tender cauliflower is seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then it is lightly fried and paired with house made lemon tahini, harissa, and chermoula pistachios. The lemon tahini gives the plate an uplifting zesty bite. In fact this dish is so popular that the restaurant has had a difficult time keeping up with the demand. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a gem. Call and make a reservation, as this destination has limited seating and high demand.

Cafe Aion – Mideast Platter

There are nights where we want to go out with some friends, have a few drinks, and nights we just want to “graze” as we please. For any night out, just get in the car and head to Cafe Aion. Walk through the door, and you’re sure to be pleased as you are greeted by brick work, a rustic fireplace, a bohemian inspired bay window with seating, stunning wall art, and a robust selection of wine and cocktails. The true heart to this novel restaurant is the generous selection of ever changing small seasonal dishes.

Get your hands on the “Mideast Platter”. The roasted beet hummus, an unusual shift on hummus that gives the pallet an airy taste and gives your eyes a ravishing hue to enjoy. Pair that with the house made flatbreads and their signature goat’s milk feta cheese infused with lemon and scallions. This zesty cheese pairs seamlessly with just about anything on the menu. The chicken shawarma brought a sweet and savoury taste to the platter, the dolmas (rice wrapped in grape leaves) brought a brimey pickled flavor to the table. The entire platter creates an adventurous journey for your taste buds to enjoy.

The Dugout Bar and Grill – Gourmet Taco Sampler

The Dugout Bar and Grill is the type of restaurant that seems simple enough at first, but when it comes to the food this joint is full of surprises. The Dugout Bar and Grill menu features a wide range of meal options like burgers, wings, and hotdogs, the tacos are what this bar has hidden up their sleeve. The unusual Asparagus Taco has a modern twist, it features tender fried asparagus, fresh mango salsa, and house made teriyaki aioli. The Coors Field Taco is contrived of juicy steak, cilantro, onion, queso fresco, and a house made avocado salsa. The Gourmet Fish Tacos are filled with evenly grilled mahi-mahi, chipotle aioli, mango salsa, and fresh romaine lettuce. The Avocado Taco processes a lightly fried avocado, a smoky chipotle aioli, cabbage, and peppers. This wonderful vegan option doesn’t leave you feeling like you are missing out on the true dining experience. These tacos deliver a smokey and zesty taste that leaves you wanting more.

Arcana – Masa Hushpuppies and
Hamchi Ceviche

Arcana is this dazzling American eatery with a chic interior featuring tiffany blue booths, sky lights, metallic wallpaper, and geometric chandelier lighting. The most recent development with Arcana is their limited regional vacation series metamorphosis menu over the next 90 days. The month of September serves as “Mexico Month”, diving into an ever changing culinary adventure with Arcana.

The Masa Hushpuppies consist of a combination of peculiar ingredients including charred corn, watermelon radish, poblano, cotija cheese, lime, and chipotle aioli. The hushpuppies provide you with a smoky taste and a light and fluffy texture. The Hamachi Ceviche is made up of grapefruit, ginger, red onion, mint, cucumber, and sunflower seeds. This seemingly light dish packs a citrus filled punch that plays for and or against the taste of the fish.

Make sure to make your way to Arcana over the next several months. October will serve as “Japan Month” and November will be labeled as “Italy Month”.

Oak At 14th – Tuna Tartare and
Bread to Begin

The Oak At 14th menu was developed by none other than the Chef and Owner, Steve Redzikpwski. The abundant menu has a variety of entrees, small plates, and desserts. Not only does the restaurant specializes in fine cooking, but mixology as well!

The Ahi Tuna Tartare is a fascinating plate that passes a slightly fishy taste but is paired with a lychee- cucumber relish that delivers a vinegar like taste. The dish also contains ingredients such as basil, habanero peppers, lime and rice crisps. The Bread To Begin buns paired with nori butter is an oversimplified choice, the sesame covered buns provide an ample amount of garlic butter flavor. The nori butter pairs with the buns flawlessly. Come to Oak At 14th and enjoy the Stylized modern decor, a delicious specialty cocktail, and a captivating meal.

Mateo – Mousels Provencal

Mateo is a modern french inspired eatery run by none other than the sauve Matthew Jansen. The menu is a conglomeration of seasonal menu items, small plates, and intricate entrees. Every component of the mateo menu is house made and their ingredients are all locally sourced whenever possible.Jansen explained, “ There is a reason people continue to come back, if you cook your food the right way every time, then it works. Just do it the right way.”

The Mousels Provencal is among the most popular small plates on the Mateo menu. The shellfish dish is prepared with steamed bouchot mussels, persillade, pastis, and seasoned tomato. This unsullied dish is made up of only the freshest of ingredients and it really translates to the taste buds. 

Waterloo – Grilled Avocado Appetizer

The Waterloo has a relaxed atmosphere, but don’t let that fool you, the food at the Waterloo restaurant is fine dining quality.

The top seller for this relaxed restaurant is the popular grilled avocado appetizer. The grilled avocado dish may be the most simplistic on our top 20 list, but it most certainly is not simple when it comes to flavor . This dish delivers the pallet to a world of sweet yet tangy flavour. The flavor overwhelms the consumer in the most pleasant way. The robust flavor originates from the delectable green chili infused honey that is drizzled over the grilled avocado. The dish also features goat cheese and house cut tortilla chips.

No reservation no problem most days you can pop in and find a table at the waterloo in record time.

Be sure to visit this Louisville treasure before the outdoor seating is gone for the winter.

Tangerine – Huevos Rancheros

Tangerine is a quaint little breakfast spot. The owner Alec Schuler is eager and ready to tell us all about his unique menu. “First off everything here is made from scratch. We take breakfast up to a higher level than your typical breakfast restaurant. We take our food to a fine dining level.”

His Huevos Rancheros is the best dish to express what his eclectic restaurant is all about. The huevos rancheros dish resembled Colorado Sunshine. During the first bite you will be greeted by a rush of smokey flavor paired with the fresh zing of Tangerine’s house made pico de gallo. The lightly breaded potatoes paired with the huevos rancheros packed a salty punch. You can wash it all down with a beautifully crafted cappuccino or latte of your choice. Tangerine is by far the ultimate brunch destination.

SALT – Crispy Brussel Sprouts, Bone Marrow Platter, and Sashito Peppers With Bacon

SALT is a rustic restaurant. “We’ve been doing the farm to table “thing” since before it became a thing. Everything is house made, even down to the ketchup. We honor mother nature with the way that we cook. We celebrate all types of people and all types of eaters. For people who eat gluten free, we make almost everything on the menu gluten free. For the individuals who choose to eat a plant based diet, we celebrate them too. In fact we kick ass at it.”

The Crispy Brussel Sprouts dish includes brussel sprouts, agave, beet hummus, almonds, and lime. The fuchsia hummus plays off of the smokey taste of the brussel sprouts. The Sashito Peppers with Bacon has a spiced smoky flavor of the peppers balanced by the salty and savoury taste of perfectly cooked bacon. The Bone Marrow Platter paired with a house made balsamic and bread is a peculiar dish. The marrow creates a buttery base that plays off of the acidity of the balsamic.

Hickory & Ash – Beer Belly

Hickory & Ash is a high end meatery with a menu developed over time by Executive Chef, Ryan Taylor. The menu consists of meals derived from fresh sustainable locally sourced ingredients.

The Beer Belly is a beer braised pork belly that is cooked in a bit of ginger, soy, brussel sprout leaf, pickled raisins laid on a bed of celery root puree. The beer belly plate is a well balanced dish with a perfect hint of both savoury and tangy flavors.  The plate gives off hints of citrus tones that play well off of the smoky flavor of the brussel leaves. The plate delivers a light and airy feel to the consumer. All around this beer belly dish is sure to have a bit of everything for any meat lover.

Flavor of India – Samosa Chat and Chicken Marsala

Daman Singh started Flavor of India back in 2006, and from there Flavor of India has gained popularity with the locals.

The Chicken Marsala has a warm and inviting taste of the chicken marsala is unrivaled by contending Indian restaurants in the Colorado area. The marsala sauce draws the eyes in with it’s bright coloring while it warms the heart and soul while packing a punch of delightfully overwhelming flavor. The Samosa Chat is an appealing plate featuring stuffed potato pastries that are garnished with chickpeas.

We recommend the Flavor of India restaurant for all seasons but we have to admit with the upcoming change of the seasons on its way, this restaurant is just what you’ll need to warm up on those cool winter days.

Frasca – Stuffed Roasted Quail with Fogwa Chicken Sausage

Frasca is a superior venue inspired by Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region in Italy that is seeped in a blend of cultures and mesmerizing beauty. Frasca has continued to carry on the tradition of the farm to table cooking and has been sure to keep the authenticity of their cuisine intact.

The Roasted Stuffed Quail with Fogwa Chicken Sausage creates a robust savoury taste paired with a hint of a brimey tone. The quail itself is tender and extremely juicy while the chicken sausage delivers a hint of an acidic touch. Pair the dish with a glass of wine. We recommend the house pairing with Petrussa Friuli Colli Orientali. This wine plays off the savoury taste of the dish by countering with a full bodied pepper taste. No matter what you choose off of the Frasca menu, your inner bougie bitch is sure to emerge.

Pasta Jay’s – Garlic Knots

Jay Elowsky founded Pasta Jay’s in 1988.  This family oriented Italian restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating along with ample delivery options. You are guaranteed a quality meal cooked with the freshest ingredients and served with passion.

The garlic knots invite you to bite into a warm and fluffy knot to be greeted by delicious parmesan cheese and a full bodied garlic taste. The best part about the Garlic knots starter is the fact that you have a range of sauces to choose from. The tangy marinara, the zesty green pesto, and the creamy alfredo sauce. Each sauce provides it’s own twist when coupled with the garlic taste of Pasta Jay’s garlic knots. One thing is for sure, your table will find themselves fighting over the last garlic knot, and you just might need to order some more.

Gondolier Italian
Eatery – Spicy Fried Calamari

The Gondolier Italian Eatery was founded by Gary Kugel in 1960. Gary’s eldest son Nelson took over in 2001, he transferred to the restaurant to the infamous Boulder location, Peart Street. In 2013 Nelson saw it was best to move the eatery one more time. He explained, “We’re committed to return to a simpler time, maintaining our traditional traditional favorites. People tell me how they had their first date with their wife at the Gondo, came here with their college buddies, or came with their families growing up. That is what makes this place so special, and why I am committed to keeping the restaurant and it’s traditions moving forward.”

The Gondo menu has a variety of tasty traditional Italian dishes but above all we recommend the Spicy Fried Calamari. The spicy calamari provides a crisp and spicy start to your meal that really gets your appetite going. No matter the occasion, The Gondolier Italian Eatery is the perfect stop for your dining needs.

Sherpa’s Restaurant – Traditional Steamed
Dumplings

Sherpa’s was founded by Pemba Sherpa in order to bring the experience, adventure, and taste of the Himalayas to Boulder.  Enjoy scratch meals only made from the freshest of ingredients and derived from Sherpa’s old family recipes.

Though it may seem over simplified, the homemade traditional steamed dumplings are by far the best small plate Sherpa’s has to offer. The dumplings deliver a savoury and spiced tone to the pallet while their gorgeous dipping sauce overruns the taste buds with hints of ginger, garlic, turmeric, and other spices. It is the perfect dish to kick start your appetite before you dig into Sherpa’s Himalayan cuisine. Be sure to make a reservation, grab a cold beer, and some spectacular food.

The Empire Lounge & Restaurant – Fried Brussel Sprouts and Louisville Poutine

The Empire Lounge & Restaurant has been a staple on mainstreet since early 2008 and has continued to thrive to this day.

The Empire Lounge & Restaurant menu’s fried brussel sprouts and the Louisville poutine take the prize for best items on the menu. The brussels are lightly breaded, fried, and then topped with a dollop of ricotta cheese, walnuts, and a tangy lemon mustard vinaigrette. As for the louisville poutine, it is a traditional canadian dish with an Empire twist. This dish is contrived of russet potatoes, fried cheese curds, bacon, and a veal demi-glace. Each dish delivers a savoury yet smoky taste that would pair well with any locally brewed beer. The poutine dish would be great for a night on the town with the boys. While the brussels dish is a bit lighter but don’t get it twisted, it will fill you up by the last bite.

The post Starting with Starters: the 20 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The world has been in disarray lately, due to America’s never ending pandemic (psst, it’s our own fault). Has getting out of bed been a challenge? Is keeping up with personal hygiene, #SelfCare, a daunting task? Well, honey, you’re not alone! The Yellow Scene team sat down with Boulder’s very own drag connoisseurs, Lola and Ms. Felony Misdemeanor, to talk face. These queens opened up about how COVID-19 has affected their daily routine and how to make your personal care routine just right for you! Self care is not just about baths, facewash, or your hair anymore. Makeup has become a major part of men and women’s lives on a day to day basis. Let’s face it, some of us need professional advice on how to create a look with makeup that best suits each of our unique facial structures. Who better to give you advice then the most glamorous of all?

COVID impacts

The pair got real with us on how the world’s current state has affected each of them as individual people. Lola seemed a bit relieved, saying, “I welcomed the break with open arms. Drag is super mentally and emotionally taxing to the point that it’s easy to lose oneself to the superego that they create. This break really put things into perspective for me and my routine seemed to be centered around more emotional and spiritual self care, rather than care of the vessel. It was a chance for me to hang up my wigs and box up my costumes and just breathe.”

Ms. Felony touched not only on the novel virus but on the world’s current focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, “I am not terrible. I am trying to stay positive, and I am trying not to go crazy. But, I am exhausted. That is where I am at today. Seeing and reading the same sh*t day in and day out takes a major toll on me, and I am 100% sure on many others. It is heartbreaking to hear that people want a change but see that nothing is being done. But it is also to be expected.” She talked about how COVID has completely altered her daily life. “I am now unemployed,” she says. “I had a great job in the community at Planned Parenthood, helping people get screened for HIV and providing education and treatment if it was needed.”

Lola presented herself as somewhat of a fashion philosopher, explaining how the virus directly affected her art, mental health, and daily self care routine. “I have been forced to vacation from my art. In stepping back I have realized that performing in drag is a taxing experience. I have started asking myself where is the balance? How do I keep a balance between my boy-self and my performer self? I’ve been given the opportunity to rebrand the character, and I don’t know what the necessarily means yet, but when performing is unpaused I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

Ms. Felony adds that, “Expression is still happening. Still, lockdown has changed things. I have been a performer for 20 years… Then it was March 17th, and I was forced to take a vacation.” The glam pair is making the best of the situation. “I am thinking that maybe it is okay to keep this break going. What if it was more about quality and less about quantity from now on?”

Drag As Expression

“Drag is about self-expression; it may be the most pure form of it. It’s about body language and the levels of body communication. From painting on a face, to the way that fashion is a social statement, that is expression!” Lola’s energy and excitement began to show. “Ultimately I have no set inspiration, rather my inspiration is more of a conglomeration of different artistic methods and people. When I had to pause performing, I think that the character of Lola paused with it. Thus my inspiration for the character hasn’t changed but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped looking. I like to go beyond the art and comedy and into, let’s say, Monty Python and Dolly Parton. Drag lets you have the confidence and the medium to express yourself on a whole other level.”

Ms. Felony, on the other hand, pulls her inspiration from an entirely different wavelength. “My looks are my ideas from something as simple as a piece of fabric that I like. Now that being said, we aren’t over here reinventing the wheel. Pop artists also inspire me: Prince, Janet Jackson, Bjork. I didn’t grow up with drag in the 80’s and 90’s. It was all about the music artists back then.”

The Art of Makeup

We as human beings are infinitely unique. Makeup can be a challenge, especially if you don’t know exactly how to cater to your personal facial structure. Lola stepped up to the plate with advice like, “Makeup happens in layers and levels. If you respect the order of the layers then it can be easier to have a look hold throughout the day.”

Yes, honey, you have to layer your makeup like you would layer paint on a canvas. “Eyes go last ladies! The order is as follows, Foundation first, then highlight, contour your face, powder, then set.” After that it is time to focus on your soul’s windows, the eyes! Ms. Felony chimed in, “Keep in mind: your eyes are sisters, they are not twins. Let them go; they will not be perfect, and that is just fine.”

Lola looked back at her first experience with makeup. “I learned to do makeup from crappy YouTube tutorials in my bathroom by myself for the first 10-15 looks I did. They were rough and ultimately never seen by anyone aside from my roommates and then it would be taken off almost instantly. Only one of those 15 looks was worn to a Holiday Party. But since then I’ve had teachers and mentors help me along the way to ‘perfect’ my style of makeup. But a performer who rests on one face and doesn’t branch out to experiment with different shapes and motifs and experiences is a boring performance in my opinion. So I challenge myself to do a different makeup look every time I put a face on. As my drag mother has said “Makeup is too much fun to do the same look twice.”

Ms. Felony explained, “My best makeup tip will always be, practice. You can’t expect to get your face the way you want it the first 50 times, sometimes even more! I still have issues and I have easily painted my face over 2,000 times!” Every budding makeup enthusiast needs to hear, “GO FOR IT! The first time you do your makeup it will not be your best. Some people are prodigies but honey, that’s probably not you. Do it alone and then do it ten times. Do not be afraid to ask for help. I think every human should try drag once, though I understand that is not a popular opinion.” Lola went further and said, “No judgement is fair judgement. Please go for it, get at it, experiment with different looks. Make sure to take your time, be patient and do not forget to BLEND!”

The pandemic has put many Americans in a financial bind. This can pose a challenge for anyone trying to get their hands on new materials to experiment with in the mirror. Ms. Felony looked back, “My first makeup palate was so cheap but you have to use what you know. Quality product is key, and higher cost does not always mean higher quality. Do a brand check. We all go to Walgreens when we have a makeup emergency but get to an actual makeup store to get yourself some standard products. Graftobian is cheap but it is quality. La femme is an old Hollywood brand and girl, it lasts!” For my male makeup enthusiasts out there a big tip from the best, “Make sure to shave as close as possible. After all, Covergirl does not Cover-boy.”

Lola provided a pearl of wisdom, “Your body is a temple. Listen to it, it will tell you when you have had enough. Find a balance between the you that you show the world and the you at home on your couch. Accept life and find a way to enjoy it.”

Last Word

As for our seemingly increasing unease with the never ending pandemic do not forget to breathe. “Go out and to do things they wouldn’t normally do and try things out of their norm or comfort zone. Life is bountiful and beautiful, and experiences that expand our spiritual and emotional knowledge make us more empathetic to our fellow humans. Expand and extend your experiences and you may surprise yourself to find that there is beauty out there!” Just because we may be feeling isolated does not mean you can’t treat yourself during these hard times. Don’t forget to pamper yourself during this pandemic. Just remember to layer.

The post The World (Lately) is a Drag: Makeup Tips from Drag Stars appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

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The world has been in a state of trepidation due to the Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, over the past four months. Many of us in the United States first heard of the disease via social media as the virus began to take its toll on Wuhan, China,before spreading to over 170 other countries in a matter of months. The U.S. caught wind of their first case of the novel virus at the beginning of March, and from there anxiety and panic set in. Sports events – and even whole seasons- were cancelled as players tested positive; along with them all bars, conventions, venues, and festivals have been closed until further notice. 

Sex Workers around the globe are getting financially creative and tackling the Covid-19 pandemic head on. Sex workers, no matter the specific occupation, are almost universally, and with very few exceptions, considered independent contractors. Colorado state law prevents independent contractors (specifically exotic dancers, due to the fact their pay is solely tip based) from collecting unemployment. These workers are left in the dust without assistance from the state, so these girls got creative. We talk to sex workers in various fields to understand how they’re surviving the pandemic. 

Sexworkers: In their own words

All images shared to Yellow Scene unless otherwise noted

Meet Liz, she is a 28 year old exotic dancer and Youtube influencer residing in the mile high city. Liz has been a dancer in Denver for 4 years. “Typically the clubs I work in are really nice. We have good local clientele and we get quite a bit of business from out of town. We get a lot of our business from the Denver Convention Center, so we see a lot of businessmen. I love working in Denver.” 

In downtown Denver a professional exotic dancer could typically expect 500 to 700 dollars or more from each shift up until a couple months ago. “It was pretty consistent. I was making really good money almost every night, obviously not every night is going to be amazing but most nights were pretty damn good.” Earlier this month Liz arrived at Denver’s very own La Boheme Gentlemen’s Club for what she thought would be another typical night. “I remember coming to work on a Saturday night and it was very dead. The customers were even talking about it. People were scared to come out because of the Coronavirus. That was when I was like okay, wow, this is really going to affect us.” 

Liz glanced down, looking uneasy, “I first heard about the Coronavirus on social media but the stores are what made it real for me. When people started going out to the grocery stores and emptying the shelves that was a reality check for me.When they started shutting down conventions and the sports events I realized this was going to directly affect our customer base. They cancelled sports. This is big and it’s kinda scary.”

Just like anyone, it took some time for Liz to adjust to being under self-quarantine. “This week I have finally started to calm down and get into a routine. Last week I had anxiety from the moment I woke up until I would go to sleep. At that point my peers and family weren’t really thinking this was a big deal, but I knew better. My mental health is doing good. I have been taking the time to focus on my Youtube channel to provide some entertainment.” 

Liz reached out to her Youtube following of nearly 5K, and touched on how the Coronavirus has had an effect on Denver strip clubs and how to tackle the financial situation hands on. The up and coming influencer has created content pertaining to entertainer’s temporary employment options such as safely camming, creating an OnlyFans, and selling content to online clientele. “The biggest thing I want to say is ‘hustlers: do not panic’. We always figure it out.” 

Say hello to Kayleigh, a 22 year old exotic dancer and freelance model residing in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “I have been exotic dancing for three years but I primarily work at Denver’s Shotgun Willies and have always done modeling on the side.” Like most professional entertainers Kayleigh started dancing young, perfected her skill, and made it into her primary career. “When they closed down all the clubs I, and practically everyone I work with, were forced to think of an alternative form of work that pays just as well. Most girls are turning to selling nudes online or camming.” Kayleigh began to hear of her peer’s success and decided to try selling content for herself. 

“I heard about OnlyFans from other dancers. I had been afraid to use it. I was afraid to have my nudes out there forever online. But I have gotten more open the last couple years. I was in the process of making an account for the past couple months, but I began to drag my feet and left it under construction. When the outbreak happened, I got right on it. I finished the site, posted content, and started advertising immensely.” 

Just this week (March 25th, 2020) the Colorado governor, Jared Polis made a statewide announcement saying that the state of Colorado will be under a statewide lock down until mid April of 2020. “To my surprise, my OnlyFans took off extremely well. Everyone is home from work, sick, or under quarantine. Everyone is online. It seems like a lot of guys miss show girl clubs just as much as I miss the paycheck.” 

Kayleigh went on to give unemployed sex workers everywhere her much needed advice: “If you need money, you need to get online and start self promoting as soon as possible. I had to push myself to do so, discipline is key. It’s the best option for dancers, especially because they can advertise their sites to their clients from their club! We have no idea how long the clubs are actually going to be closed. All of our bills still need to be paid, so we have to find something that is still good money.” She points out that, “OnlyFans takes a percentage of what you make, just like most clubs do. I advertise by using all of my social media platforms and I safely advertise on Linktree.” 

Unfortunately Denver isn’t the only city suffering from Coronavirus’ social distancing, Boulder’s night clubs have taken a major blow as well. Boulder strip clubs like Nitro Nightclub were forced to close their doors. 

Allow me to introduce you to Noemi (not her real name, and she decided against a photo for anonymity). She is a 28 year old Colorado resident looking to make a difference during the ongoing pandemic. Noemi hopes to hang up her heels for a while and use her skillset as a certified nursing assistant for Colorado’s hospitals in need. “The defining moment for me deciding to go back to work at the hospital was when I saw what happened in Italy and how severely they were hit with the virus. I was shocked to see how the President was still not taking this seriously. I knew that kind of attitude was going to put a lot of people at risk, especially health care providers.”

“I know what it feels like to be understaffed and overworked at a hospital and I decided that I would help be a part of the solution that way,” Noemi went on to say., “The way that hospitals function is every individual doing their part, and doing it well so that the whole team is able to move forward together in taking care of a patient. As a CNA, a part of my job is to monitor a patient’s vital signs and report anything unusual to the nurses, who then report to a doctor. I would feel like I wasn’t doing my part if I didn’t go back to help out. I guess I feel a responsibility to go back simply because I can, so I should. I can help my former coworkers by easing the workload. I can help save a life. I just can, so I’m going to do it. I could not have a clean conscious otherwise.”

Colorado strip clubs aren’t the only ones to take a hit. Boulder Burlesque’s very own director, Crista Reid, stepped up to speak about how she and her performers are tackling obstacles brought on by the pandemic. “As a full time producer, the changes surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19 have significantly impacted not just my income, but the way I conceive of how to bring forward live art and interaction when new barriers show up.” 

Reid made the tough call to get ahead of the problem and close her doors a bit early. “When I made the call on March 13th to shut down all upcoming events, things hadn’t really intensified here in Colorado. The cancellations brought a lot of sadness due to the loss of those creative endeavors, and some crew members were disappointed. Rather than just getting stuck with the cancellations, my first thought was, Okay, how do I keep my work alive right now, maintain direction, and offer purpose to the performers I work with through all of this?” 

Reid hopped onto the phone and began to reach out to talented collaborators who were going above and beyond to support online events. “Last week, I co-hosted a workshop around how to connect with sensual touch over internet distance. We got really positive feedback, with people mentioning how grounded they felt, and excitement at the potential creative ways of connecting to each other despite not being in the same room.”

Boulder Burlesque is currently developing a full-length online burlesque titled “Shelter In Place”. The online showcase will be featured as a flow-presentation with embedded videos, featuring performances inside of each performers’ homes. For more information on “Shelter In Place” visit Boulder Burlesque’s website.

“I’m going to try to keep thinking of the shut down of live event space not as a limitation, but as a new challenging context to work within. That mindset is allowing me to stay afloat, through the best and worst of this,” Reid says. She continues to reassure her performers that they can overcome the obstacle of creating a performance at home. “It can be hard to bring together a creative idea with so many new rules in place. How do you film a dance in your living room? How can you make that look good? What can that even look like with only the tools you have at your disposal?” No matter the obstacle, Crista Reid and her performers are living by the ultimate rule of the theatre: “the show must go on!”

Portland, Oregon is setting an example for the nation with their brilliant launch of “Boober Eats”. Lucky Devil Lounge’s entertainers are now giving customers what they really want by delivering both food and boobs. The venue’s lounge takes and makes the orders and then sends their topless entertainers in pasties to deliver orders to eager customers. The Boober Eats menu includes a variety of pub food like pizza, corn dogs, steakbites, and more. Your food is delivered by two piping hot babes, the delivery fee is set at 30 dollars, and the delivery girls keep their shared tips. If only more states would follow suit and go above and beyond for their employees. 

Screenshot, Lucky Devil Eats IG: @BooberPDX

Denver’s infamous Shotgun Willie’s Show Club is picking up the slack in the same vein as the Lucky Devil to ease the financial blow on their entertainers. Earlier this month (March 22, 2020) Shotgun Willie’s launched their “Boob-Hop” drive thru service allowing customers to drive up, grab a bite, a drink, and a show. The show club has closed their doors and opened T-Bar’s parking lot for a curbside delivery service for eager customers. Boob-Hop requires all customers who seek to buy alcohol to buy a food item as well. The Boob-Hop menu provides an array of options like 5 dollar brats, a 5 dollar half pizza, 3 dollar hot dogs, and 4 dollar ham and cheese sandwich, a 4 dollar Peanut butter jelly, and lastly a 9 dollar meat and cheese plate! 

One of Shotgun Willie’s very own entertainers and temporary curbside delivery girls, Charlotte, gave us a look into a typical day working for Boob-Hop. “Working for the food delivery service reminded me of my food service days, which started very slow. A lot of people would stop and take pictures.” She said she worked from 11 to 5 and made around $100 in tips. “I have heard girls saying they’ve made anything from $10 all the way up to $200,” she tells us. “Honestly, it all depends on how many girls are working that day and if a regular of theirs comes in.” If you are in the Denver area and need a snack pull up and get a snack at the T-Bar!

Final thoughts: Solutions

In all seriousness, the Coronavirus has caused a panicked pandemic. There is currently no vaccine to prevent the virus. As of the time of this writing, the virus has produced just shy of 2.1 million cases worldwide and numbers are rapidly rising. No matter your age, ethnicity, or gender, this virus does not discriminate. COVID-19 has killed nearly 135,000 and the number is rising daily. Unfortunately, out of the reported cases, only around 500,000 people have recovered. 

There are multiple actions any independent contractor – sexworkers – can do to protect themselves financially. First and foremost each independent contractor should file for an LLC and you should pay your taxes. If you are an exotic dancer your house fees, tip outs, and costume expenses are nothing new, but did you know you can file all of them under a good ol’ tax right off? Be sure to keep a record of every expense (travel, meals, etc) and keep a log of every night. By the end of the year, you could receive a full tax return. Under the current pandemic (or future national emergencies) you’d be eligible for unemployment and other supports. The Westword wrote a very good, if technical, piece about legalities around sex work and what can be done. It’s a great resource.

As of March 27th, 2020 the United States Congress passed the “CARES” Act. (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) has been set in place to protect any and all workers, including gig workers. The temporary benefit provides nationwide eligibility. If you are an independent contractor then your weekly unemployment check would be half of your individual state’s average unemployment check, plus a bonus of $600. The benefit lasts from 26 to 36 weeks depending on what state you personally reside in. The best part of the “CARES” Act is the fact that it is available regardless of if you have filed taxes over the last four years; typically if you have a social security card you qualify for a benefit check. If you are looking for instructions on how to apply click here. 

The novel Coronavirus will more than likely keep the world in its grasp for months to come but one thing is absolute: Colorado, specifically, is set to “go back to normal” by May 1st if Governor Polis isn’t forced to extend his statewide stay-at-home law. One thing we have no doubt about is no matter the lockdown in place, hustlers nationwide will get creative, and make that dollar by the end of the day.

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The post The Sex Worker’s Struggle: #theRona v the Hustle appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

[Editor’s note: Members of the Colorado State House and Senate voted to suspend activities in the current legislative session due to public health concerns. The session is tentatively schedule to resume Monday, March 30th. While our legistlators aren’t  meeting at the statehouse, work continues in district offices and communities statewide.]

State Representative Brianna Titone is a breath of fresh air in Colorado’s political community. Titone took the Colorado government by surprise as the state’s first transgender legislator, defeating her opponent with an unbelievably narrow 50.4% of the vote to win her election with 24,957 votes out of 49,475, a margin of 439 (and they say your votes don’t really matter).

Along with shattering Colorado statehouse’s trans-glass ceiling, Titone is only one of four transgender officials nationwide; woefully inadequate representation for a very large and underrepresented community. While tirelessly working on bills that focus on Colorado residents, it is clear that Brianna Titone has her sights set on improving Colorado for future generations. We sat down and got to know the real Brianna Titone. She opened up about her history, her work, and the identity box people want to confine her to.

Baby Brianna riding George, ca. 1980

Origins

Titone spent her childhood in Hudson Valley, New York. She grew up in what she describes as a loving and attentive family; one that prioritized educating their children on the value of finance along with the value of human relationships. For college, she attended the University of New York at New Paltz, where she earned her BA in Geology, followed by studies at Stony Brook University to earn an MS in Geochemistry. From there Titone turned her sights to Western Michigan University for a Hydrogeology summer program, which led to work in Environmental Counseling.

Eventually she found herself set on moving to Colorado. Clearly Titone’s first passion wasn’t politics, but the earth. She turned to politics – another arena of stony concerns – after her move to colorful Colorado.

A brief history: in 2016 Titone was elected as a delegate at the County Assembly for then presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, giving us a view into her political leanings. She then joined the LGBTQ+ Caucus for Jefferson County in February of 2017, and was appointed Secretary/Treasurer later that year.

In November 2018 Titone was elected to serve as State Representative to Colorado’s 27th House District. The importance of that moment cannot be understated, but let’s be very clear: Brianna Titone is so much more than just a trans person. She is a daughter, a wife, and a politician. We don’t call other elected officials “straight/cis representatives”; there’s a clear issue with confining Titone to a single identity box when her work – and her – are so much more than that. 

Pushback

“Hello my name is Brianna Titone and I am a transgender person, now let’s get down to business because that is what I am here for.” 

“My identity is important to a lot of people,” Titone tells us. “I always make it a point to talk to people about it in order to inspire the next generation. If you feel like you are different and you are feeling your future will be difficult because of who you are, don’t worry about it. People like me are working to pave the way for you to be accepted and allow you to get the work you want to get done [sic].” Titone no longer feels the need to explain her identity to the individual’s stuck on the subject; actions speak loudly and her actions for the people speak for themselves. 

Colorado’s Jefferson County Republican party has set their focus on Titone’s identity, along with her liberal politics, rather than on her progress over the last year. In 2019, the Jefferson County Republican party attacked Titone’s menstrual hygiene bill on social media. Titone explained, “They attacked my menstrual hygiene bill. They are upset that I won and that I took away one of their seats. Just like anyone, if you want to win something back, you try to fight for it. They did not read the article about the bill. They started stating that the government is trying to force this bill onto everyone and that the government is going to supply everyone and give away all this free stuff,” a clear misreading – however willfully – of the proposed legislation. “Everyone began to get in an uproar about something that is not even true. So I had to come along and post on their social media post stating, ‘I am the one running the bill, let me tell you what it does, because obviously they didn’t read it.’” 

Titone had to explain even the most simplistic of points to those determined not to understand. Talk about identity politics: “It is not about me being trans. It is about me being a Democrat. Perception bias is a huge problem in politics right now… I believe in a lot of the same things that Republicans believe in. I look at the facts and data, I vote on the concept of the bill, and make sure the things we are doing are what is right for the people that we represent.”

In a more recent issue, just this past January, Denver Post licensed columnist Dan Caldara was fired for his rejection of appropriate pronoun use and his “politically incorrect” [read: unwillingness to show respect] opinions on trans rights; that is, he was fired for refusing a directive from a superior. He was dutifully corrected for his antiquated, bigoted, and scientifically illiterate pronoun antagonisms. This can’t be understated. The columnist publicly insisted, “there are only two sexes.” 

Caldara refused to use appropriate pronouns for Titone even after being told to. “When people lack empathy they cannot see that their words and actions are hurting others,” Titone lamented, after learning of the dismissal. Caldara posted an insensitive statement on Facebook to shore up his position: “To force us to use inaccurate pronouns, to force us to teach our children that there are more than two genders, to call what is clearly a man in a robe, well, not a man in a robe, violates our rights to speak.” Legally speaking there isn’t a right “to speak”; you have a constitutionally protected right to speech, safeguarding you from government interference or censorship. In no way are you free of consequence at work or in life for speech that is false, breaks company policy, or is clearly hateful. 

Speaking of hate: January 15, 2020 marked a grim day for the trans youth of Colorado. Colorado introduced the House Bill 20-1114 that is set to restrict multiple forms of medical treatment physicians are able to administer to transgender youth statewide. The LGBT+ rights organization, One Colorado, warned Colorado of the dangers of interfering with transgender youths’ medical care. Trans adolescents are five times more likely to consider suicide than their peers. Trans adolescents that have access to hormone and gender reassignment medical care have 52% less of a chance of completing suicide. Executive Director of One Colorado, Daniel Ramos, pleads with Colorado’s legislators:, the “Medical care of transgender people should be determined by health professionals, not politicians.” 

Through the pushback, Rep. Titone has pushed forward. Colorado state representatives are elected to two year terms. The second year of her term began this past January 8th when the session was called to order. In her first year’s time Titone has successfully passed multiple bills, specifically with a focus on improving all Colorado resident’s daily lives. Titone has protected Colorado renters’ interests with her Rental Application Bill, which is another effort to protect tenant rights, and also covers several areas of interest to renters. Titone also successfully passed the Tax Credit Allocation Bill, which increased the tax credit for affordable housing up until December of 2024. In fact, let’s take a deeper look at some of her more pressing – and impressive – legislative work.

Titone to the Future: Bills in Progress

Titone is working to answer the needs of her district and, in doing so, is serving all of Colorado. With eighteen bills proposed, seven of which she was the prime sponsor and eleven co-sponsored in her first year, her second year is shaping up to be another stretch of incredible achievement and great work for the community. Her second year is set to focus on protection and wellbeing for the residents in her district. Let’s take a look at what she’s working on for 2020. 

Student Menstrual Products Bill

Students at Arvada West HS at the Capitol for a National Period Day rally on Oct. 19, 2019. (Photo provided by Julia Trujillo)

.Titone has been hard at work to improve the safety and quality of life for the students in Colorado schools. She has taken the time to sit down with Colorado students Julia Trujillo and Jocelyn Gotfred to join their fight to make menstrual hygiene products available to all students in public schools. 

“When it comes to the Menstrual Hygiene Product bill, it was a perfect opportunity to allow the students to show their leadership skills and show them how the process works,” she tells us. “It was also a great way to help kids in need around the state.” Rep. Titone communicates with the students via email and monthly meetings to spitball ideas and to discuss the bill’s progress.

A Colorado high school senior, Jocelyn Gotfred explained, “I honestly couldn’t imagine running this bill with any other representative. When I first heard we were sitting down with a state representative I was honestly a little nervous. Immediately this fear went away when we met with her for the first time. Brianna made it clear from the beginning that this is our bill, and she is just running it. This has made the experience so impactful on all of us, knowing that we truly are the ones designing this bill.” 

Discussing the importance of the bill, and recognizing what students have been dealing with, historically, without access to these products, Gotfred says, “When we started this project back in January of last year (2019) I had no idea how far we would have come. After we undertook this project at our own school, I think all of us started to realize that this is a fight that no high school girls should have to put up with… That’s when the bill became all the more important to this whole project. If our bill passes,” a promising prospect in our democratic party controlled state legislature where Titone has many allies, “we would be able to not only get free and accessible products to girls all over the state, but also, in doing so, I believe we would be putting a huge dent into period stigma in high schools. The fact that you spend four years in a place that doesn’t even provide for your basic health needs is outrageous, and of course that only furthers the idea that a period is something to feel shameful about.” 

Julia Trujillo adds that, “Our club has put a tremendous amount of work into getting accessible menstrual products in our own school restrooms. From convincing our administration to fundraising to going through countless logistical constraints, the process has taken a lot of work. Through this undertaking, we realized no other students should have to fight this hard for access to a basic necessity. We wanted Colorado students, especially [the less privileged], to have the access to period products that we believe is essential to being comfortable, safe, and dignified in the learning environment. Working alongside Brianna Titone has been so incredible. She has been so down-to-earth and truly passionate about doing what is best for us and all the people she represents and we’re so grateful for her support for our dream.”

Titone explained that she is attempting to work with the hygiene product manufacturers directly to create a cost effective process. The remaining details are set to be worked out this upcoming year. 

Mental Health & Educational Resources Bill

Titone also launched a mental health and suicide prevention bill with a focus on providing mental health resources Coloradans. “We started to do these large stakeholder meetings to hear from the people about what is going on with them personally, what we are missing, and how we can do better,” she explains. “The problem is no one is taking the initiative to spread the word about what resources we have available.” That’s where her bill comes in.

The goal of the Mental Health Educational Resources bill is to have mental health services readily available to all qualifying residents. In addition to providing the mental health courses, the bill is set to ensure each resident is aware of the benefits that are available, county to county. The national suicide rate is cureently sitting at about 25 percent. Titone feels that if people have access to appropriate information and classes on coping skills to manage their mental health, that progress will directly lowering our state’s suicide rate. 

Natural Organic Reduction Bill

State Senator’s Rodriguez and Titone joined forces at a press conference this past December 2019 to announce their Natural Organic Reduction bill. What is that? Well, until recently, Colorado residents have had two options after death: burial or cremation. Pretty standard stuff, but with land being scarce and cremation being energy intensive, in addition to changes in opinion about how we deal with the dead, other options have been developed and are available around the world. Dealing with dead bodies, it turns out, is regulated by the state. 

The Natural Organic Reduction bill provides an affordable third option for Coloradans. The process involves placing the deceased into an accelerated decomposition vessel that can easily be returned to loved ones. “The process contains wood chips, straw, and alfalfa. It takes 30 days for it to break down into a dirt-like state. It is an accelerated process. It is the same exact thing that would happen if you were to die in the forest and were never found. It would take longer due to the fact that it is out in the open. We want to give people the option to do it because it’s better for the environment. The process takes one eighth of the energy used for cremation. There is a 76% cremation rate in the US. Most people do it because it is a lot cheaper than burial. The natural reduction will be a lot more affordable. Most people think cremation isn’t bad for the environment. You have to burn gas to get the fire up and it’s a lot of energy.” 

Titone says that she would prefer the natural reduction option for herself as well as her loved ones. Considering the remains are turned into a form of soil, she says, “If I were to do it I would want to become an orchid; they are beautiful and delicate plants. Orchids grow on trees. I like the idea of becoming a tree; all my flowers would be out of harm’s way.”

Right to Repair Bill

Have you ever broken your phone, gotten a virus on your computer, or had mechanical issues with essential equipment? There is a consumer protection bill in the works just for you. “Manufacturers don’t make devices fixable for the public. They don’t want you to fix it, they want you to throw it out, and then get a new one. It also affects how easily the item is recyclable. A Lot of resources go into making phones,” Titone reminds us. The cellphone you may be reading this article on is made up of multiple minerals such as gold, tin, lithium, and silver that are mined all over the world. “There are over 200 minerals that are mined world wide just to make our phones. We are going through all these resources and harming the environment in a big way. The manufacturers are putting profits over the harm of the environment and over the rights to their consumers. We need to do better.” 

The right to repair bill isn’t just for cell phones, but for all electronics and even major mechanical equipment. “Another issue is farming equipment,” Titone points out. “John Deere farming tractors, in particular. You cannot replace a part with an electrical component and restart your tractor until you call in for a code from the manufacturer. You then need to wait for the code or you need to wait for their employee to come and get your tractor started. No one has time for that; these people have things to do. Some farmers have turned to the dark web to get hacked software from places like the Ukraine just to get their tractors to work again. They are getting exposed to all sorts of hackers and viruses. It’s pretty ridiculous!”

As a State Representative, Titone is flooded with the community’s questions and concerns on a daily basis, and it is up to her to determine how she can best serve the district. “I take all requests seriously. I do research to find out what the impact of the issue is, how it is going to help, and how much it is going to cost. I welcome people to come talk to me, to tell me whether or not they like what I do, because that is how I become a better representative. It’s when I hear from people, that is what helps me solidify what people in my district really think.”

Final Thoughts

Rep. Brianna Titone has served just over one of two years in office for House District 27 and, we reminded her, re-election is just around the corner. She smiled at the subject and laid out her game plan: “We are going to keep knocking on doors. We hope to be the number one house district in door knocking this year. Last election I believe we came in third. I knocked on 8,700 doors personally,” she points out. “My team knocked on close to 50,000 doors total. We want to talk to more people. This year I have earned a track record. I have some accomplishments I can talk about. I can talk about what I want to do in the future. I want to ask the people what they want me to work on. We want to reach out to more conservative people, to see if they could [sic] see the work that I’ve done, maybe they’ll give me a shot and vote for me.” 

“This job as an elected representative is as difficult as you want to make it,” she says, firmly ensconced in her small office on the third floor of the state capitol, across the hall from Rep. Singer’s office. It’s his last year in office for House District 11, given term limits, and Titone has expectations of being here doing the people’s work just as long as Singer was. 

“I make it difficult because I want to do the most amount of work that I can with the time that I have. The problem is I can never make everyone happy. That is the nature of politics,” Titone says. “Everyone has their own opinion. I don’t want people to think that what they see on Fox News is what is happening on a state level. The state level gets stuff done. The state level is where the real work happens. When the federal government fails, we do it here. Get to know us,” she suggests. “We are real people.” 

Far beyond identity boxes and expectations, Representative Titone was the prime sponsor of 7 bills and sponsored eleven more bills in just her first year. With a second year in office to go before the election in November, working on efforts that affect all Coloradans – across identity and ideology – and with a heart firmly planted in seeing good things happen all across the state, we fully expect the people of her district to step up, once again, to support Brianna Titone. Her re-election means she can continue her work. Our work. The people’s work. 

To connect with Representative Titone you can visit her website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

All images courtesy of Rep. Titone, used with permission.

The post Rep. Brianna Titone: Building Colorado’s Future Today appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

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Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr., better known under his moniker A$AP FERG, is one of the most impressive millennials to hustle his way to the top of both the fashion and music industries. The Trap Lord made his way to the mile high city November 18th to deliver the ultimate experience to his fans at Denver’s newest venue, The Mission Ballroom. The Hood Pope was accompanied by Ski Mask The Slump God, Pouya, Murda Beatz, MADEINTYO, Danny Towers, and DJ Scheme. The Yellow Scene Magazine team arrived at the gate and were greeted by an array of enthusiastic fans. The Mission Ballroom was bumpin’ by 8pm!

Ferguson Jr. hails from humble beginnings in New York City’s Harlem, specifically in good ol’ “Hungry Ham” formally known as Hamilton Heights. The New York native spent his childhood days in his father’s clothing boutique which eventually sparked a flame in his overwhelming interest in the fashion industry. The young entrepreneur attended art school in the early 2000s and went on to launch multiple fashion lines including “Devoni Clothing”. Fast forward to 2009 and the young A$AP FERG had developed an abrasive trap flow that was unlike other talent in the industry. By 2010 Ferguson Jr. was recruited by highschool homie Rakim Mayers, otherwise known as A$AP Rocky, to collaborate in A$AP Mob. 

In 2012 Ferg branched out to release his debut single titled “Work”. From there, the young rap prodigy released his album dubbed Trap Lord. “Trapping means hustling,” Ferg explained. “I went from painting to making clothes to rapping. I always put myself into everything I do one hundred percent. It doesn’t matter what I’m working on. I want to perfect everything I do. Success is the only option. They call me ‘Trap Lord’ because my hustle game is impeccable.” 

The trap talent lived up to his word in 2016 when he released his second studio success Always Strive And Prosper. The rapper set off on a twenty three stop tour with infamous Playboi Carti that very same year.  The Harlem sensation made a return in 2017 when he dropped Still Striving. From there on out the thirty something talent switched gears and slowed his creative process down a bit. 

The Harlem born creative had reached an impasse in his career this past year. VMagazine reported in September that FERG had found himself on the verge of giving up on his music career altogether. FERG reported he felt as if he was “whoring out” in the sole interest of his music career along with his fans. Rather than throwing in the towel Ferg focused on his roots. The new album manifests Ferg’s romantic side. Floor Seats embodies the perfect end of summer trap vibe. The album is the epitome of A$AP FERG reaching the pinnacle of his career. The Trap Lord has always strived to be on a constant rise and grind. Floor Seats is the quintessential illustration of a day in the life of the ultimate hustler A$AP FERG.

On a brisk November 18th, 2019, a Monday of all days, A$AP FERG and his entourage of supporting artists arrived to The Mission Ballroom in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.  The entire audience, from the moment we entered the building to the last songs, were up on their feet. They were moshing and getting down to the openers, Dj Scheme, Danny Towers, and Murda Beatz. 

Pouya in particular, completely captivated the audience with his hilarious and constant projection of Danny Devito; literally he played the photos for the entirety of his set. The visual production was unfortunately lacking. Who’s error? We can’t be sure. With a computer screen flashing a low battery sign over the crowd and due to the fact that the visuals were continuously minimized, only to reveal the production’s blue computer screen for all the crowd to see. More than a few issues; we’d expect someone’s head to roll for the flatline. After a few tracks including his collaborative partner Ghostemane, Pouya opted to end his set a whopping thirty minutes early without explanation or comment. He just bounced. 

Luckily, Ski Mask The Slump God picked up Pouya’s slack in good time and unquestionably turned the festivity up a few notches. Ski Mask took the horror route when it came to the visuals. The music maniac displayed visuals from horror classics like Silent Hill, Chucky, Friday The 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. After a set full of heavy hitters when overly heavy bass, Ski Mask The Slump God mesmerized the crowd by taking a soft yet somber moment to commemorate the loss of XXXtentacion. He played XXXtentacion’s classics such as “Jocelyn Flores” and “SAD!”. 

Ski Mask took the crowd for a turn when he flipped the dynamic and closed the tribute with XXXtentacion’s upbeat hit “Look At Me!”. With that, at last, the moment we were all waiting for had arrived.

 A$AP FERG ran out onto the Mission Ballroom stage and was greeted by a not quite capacity room of screaming fans. FERG opened with the album title track “Floor Seats”, crossing the stage fashioned in a hunter green romper featuring unique patchwork and the words “Jet Lag” across his shoulders. The rapper was also sporting a head full hair dyed to a unique teal hue. 

The Trap Lord provided a well balanced set featuring tracks off the new album along with an array of throwbacks. The audience went absolutely mental when FERG hit the venue with the hit “Work” featuring A$AP Rocky and an array of other artists. A$AP FERG went onto ask the crowd, “Yo, who was happy to hear A$AP Rocky is free?” and the crowd replied with an ignited roar. 

Sadly all events must come to an end but A$AP FERG made this show count. The Hood Pope closed the show out with the fan favorite,“New Level”, featuring Future. A$AP FERG has an undeniable stage presence. He had the crowd screaming every lyric, movin’, groovin’  and moshin’ to his trap beats. He is a highly revered artist and performer for a damn good reason and completely exceeded all expectations.

We can expect nothing but great things from this magnetic musical talent. As stated, this is a man that strives for constant improvement. We are sure A$AP FERG will age like a wondrous whiskey, only getting better with age. FERG is set to tour across the United States for the remainder of the winter. Make sure to check out A$AP FERG’s website for more information on the Floor Seats Tour! 

Images by De La Vaca

The post The A$AP FERG Floor Seat Experience appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.