Crustacean Beverly Hills AAPI Month Party
May was full of philanthropic galas, celebrity brand releases and culinary extravaganzas. See below for an inside look.
On May 2, Jhpiego’s Laughter is the Best Medicine Gala took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to honor Ciara and president of Amazon MGM Studios Jennifer Salke and her husband, producer Bert Salke. The evening came together to raise awareness for global women’s health advocacy and honor those who have demonstrated commitment to women’s empowerment and healthcare equality. Attendees included Molly Sims, Iliza Shlesinger, Kelly Rowland and Rumer Willis.
Honoring Ann Philbin and her 25 years of leadership at the Hammer, the 19th Annual Hammer Museum Gala in the Garden took place on May 4. The evening raised $3.6 million to benefit the museum and welcomed the likes of Jodie Foster, Keanu Reeves, Jane Fonda, Owen Wilson, Ava DuVernay and Steven Spielberg, among others. Additionally, Will Ferrell, Hilton Als, Kara Walker, and Darren Walker hit the stage for speeches and there were performances by k.d. lang and DJ D-Nice.
Hotel Bel-Air was a tranquil playground for Lil Jon’s Manifest Abundance Album Retreat presented by Natural Vitality on May 8. The event took place in the esteemed hotel’s ballroom foyer and courtyard where invited guests were treated to a guided meditation led by Lil Jon, an album showcase and a fireside discussion between Lil Jon and mental health expert, Chicago School of Professional Psychology adjunct professor Dr. Patrice Le Goy. Natural Vitality also announced a partnership with Open Paths Counseling Center, a Los Angeles-based community mental health center with a mission to eliminate financial, geographic and cultural barriers to mental health support for the city’s underserved, under-resourced and marginalized communities.
On May 10, the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation threw its 27th annual Taste for a Cure at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the fundraising gala honored Stephen A. Smith with the 2024 Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award and Seal and Roy Wood Jr., performed. VIP attendees include actress Yara Shahidi and the cast of General Hospital, including Fionla Hughes, Alley Mills, Katelyn Mac Mullen, Laura Wright, Tanisha Harper, Cameron Mathison and Robert Gossett.
Over at the Fairmont Century Plaza, the Race to Erase MS Gala was held on May 10 and raised $1.5 million to benefit the eponymous organization founded by Nancy Davis and its Center Without Walls program. Hosted by Caroline Rhea, the evening featured a fashion show by L’agence, performances by Natasha Bedingfield and A Great Big World and guests like Amanda Kloots, AnnaLynne McCord, Ashley Benson, Bershan Shaw, Bijou Phillips, Brandon Davis, Carmen Electra, David Arquette, Diane Warren, Emma Slater, Gigi Gorgeous, Harry Jowsey, Heather and Terry Dubrow, Kathy and Rick Hilton, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Gibson, Lauren Kettering, Lorenzo Antonucci, Montana Tucker, Natasha Graziano, Olivia Sanabia, Rachel Lindsay, Scheana Shay and more. The live auction included prizes like a VIP dining experience for eight at Steak 48 in Beverly Hills; a pre-Oscar celebrity experience for a day; a four-night stay at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea with first-class airfare on Alaska Airlines and tickets for Taylor Swift’s sold out The Eras Tour concert in Miami, plus a three-night stay at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
On May 16, Sza and beloved eyewear brand Quay threw a sunset cocktail party at Soho House’sLittle Beach House Malibu to commemorate the launch of Sides of Sza, a collection of eyewear designed to inspire confidence and self-expression through SZA’s curated lens. While taking in golden hour views from the shore, guests (including Sza herself, Brittany Sky, Chelsea Lazkani, Christine Chiu and LiAngelo Ball) enjoyed cocktails, light bites and music by DJ Don.
In the midst of AAPI Heritage Month, Crustacean Beverly Hills threw an exclusive, ultra-glam noodle party in its private dining room and speakeasy bar. Between bites of An’s Famous Garlic Noodles made by chef Helene An herself and pizza and cheeseburger dumplings by culinary director Tony Nguyen, attendees sipped lychee martinis made with Suntory Spirits liquor. The VIP guest list welcomed beauty guru Michelle Phan, model Eden Bristowe, Lea Cayanan of Bachelor Nation and hundreds of other lifestyle and foodie tastemakers. Additionally, everyone went home with NCLA Beauty’s lychee martini body scrub.
Actor, comedian and podcast host Paul Scheer celebrated his new book, Joyful Recollections of Trauma, just ahead of the May 21 release. Hosted at Chain—Tim Hollingsworth and B.J. Novak’s elevated take on nostalgic chain favorites—the party welcomed Adam Scott, Ed Helms, Casey Wilson, Jason Mantzoukas, Jack McBrayer, Marta Kauffman Danielle Schneider, Jessica St Clair, Rob Huebel, Rob Riggle and more. Guests enjoyed a reading by Scheer, beverages by Codigo 1535, Absolut, Jameson, Athletic Brewing and Heineken and desserts by Lactaid.
See also: April 2024: Inside L.A.’s Parties And Events Around Town
Photography by: Getty Images; Getty Images for Hammer Museum; Natasha Campos/Getty Images; Tommaso Boddi/Getty for UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation’s Taste for a Cure; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Race to Erase MS; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Race to Erase MS); Rachpoot.com/Michelle Roach; Justin McClain
