I knew something was up earlier today, when I walked past Mélisse (the haute cuisine temple whose chef raids my yard for edible weeds), and passed a small knot of tatted up, grim looking hipsters having some sort of pow-wow outside the restaurant. (Though I often exclaim like a grandmother at the parade of sloppy clothes on diners heading in for a multi-hundred dollar feast at Mélisse, the hand-knitted shawl and ripped Ts were a shade too funky, even by L.A. standards.) They hastily folded up what looked like a banner (which was, in fact, a banner) and rushed off, giving me conspiratorial glances. Next thing I know, the street is full of cop cars and TV news vans, and a full-fledged protest is going on outside. Turns out, tonight’s the night that big-shot chefs in Northern and Southern California got together to protest the upcoming statewide ban on foie gras by preparing six-course menus featuring the fatty delicacy in every course. July 1 is it for foie fanatics (though you can be sure there will be a lively trade in smuggled paté).

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Urban Roots documents the efforts of Detroit’s urban farmers, as they transform burned-out, blighted neighborhoods into self-sufficient greenscapes. It has been praised by everyone from Alice Waters to Kid Rock (and really, what else can make that claim?), and its slick poster was designed by Shepard Fairey. L.A.’s largest urban farming operation, Farmscape, is hosting a screening of Urban Roots, including a Q&A with director Mark MacInnis. If you are more into direct action, sign up for the Farmscape gardening class on May 19, and start a backyard revolution.

Urban Roots screening is at Atwater Crossing
3245 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles

Tickets are $5 and available here.

I am a huge fan of enamel-coated cookware. It’s a superior alternative to nonstick, doesn’t react with acids or wine like cast iron will, and is just so darned pretty. But unless you turn to eBay, Le Creuset and its ilk have been the only game in town enamelwise. But now the extremely delectable online shop Ancient Industries has started selling a wide assortment of Austrian-made enameled steel cookware in charming pastel hues. Offerings include a sunny yellow omelette pan, a raspberry-pink “porridge pot,” and a perfect colander (shown). The site features other hard-to-find British items like a spurtle—a stick specifically tailored for stirring porridge—and the apotheosis of tea pots, the Brown Betty.

Ancient Industries | U.S. Shop.

I believe this celebu-tip might actually work. (And it’s so thrifty!) You’re welcome ladies/certain gentlemen.

Jennifer Love Hewitt: I Use Vanilla Extract to Attract Men! – UsMagazine.com.