Chef Mary Sue Milliken, owner of Border Grill and Ciudad

Jonathan Gold is known by many for his unpredictable taste and appreciation of the diverse ethnic cuisines represented in Los Angeles. He’s recognized as the final word on the best and most exciting food in the city, whether it’s from a mom-and-pop taco truck or a trendy, high-end restaurant. This event, which was held at the always-entertaining Petersen Automotive Museum, gave guests the rare opportunity to sample Gold’s top tasting picks all in one very interesting location.

Specializing in cuisines from all over the world, the 40 restaurants that Gold selected reflect Los Angeles’ incredibly diverse culinary life.  Guests got to dine on such creative dishes as avocado-and-grilled-corn tacos, cured salmon with Meyer lemon, cold chorizo velouté with cornichon sorbet, and “golden” cupcakes for that oh-so crucial sweet chaser.

Non-alcoholic hydration needs were met by FIJI Water, while those looking for something with more buzz could choose between many different wineries and breweries.

Besides eating, noshing, chowing, snacking, smiling, and drinking, guests were entertained by DJ Ice and his musical sampling, as well as by country-western singer Lynda Kay. 

Other high points of the evening were the unveiling of the sleek, state-of-the-art FIJI Water kitchen (for inspired foodies who like to take matters into their own hands as well as their homes) and a raffle for various sponsor-provided gifts and prizes.

Making the event even sweeter was the fact that a portion of the proceeds went to Heal the Bay and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Anyone who missed out on the recent chance to win free tickets to Moonlight Cinema, take heart: FIJI Water is giving you another opportunity to win a night of silver screen under silver stars. This time, one lucky FIJI Water fan will win a six-month supply of FIJI Water plus a double pass to a Moonlight Cinema showing. Three runners-up will win a Moonlight Cinema double pass, which are valid at all locations throughout the rest of the summer. (The only exceptions are films shown on “no free” nights.)

FIJI Water will again be stationed at Moonlight Cinema in Melbourne on Sunday night, February 28, offering samples of our artesian water — the natural complement to any theater snack.

Good luck!

I Want to Go!  How Do I Win Tickets?

Write a comment on this blog post (entries submitted on Facebook will not be accepted), substituting the word “FIJI” for a word from your favorite movie line. An example might be, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a FIJI.”

Be funny. Be creative. We’ll pick ONE (1) best entry and THREE (3) runners-up. The best answer will win a SIX (6) month supply of FIJI Water (6x 500ml cases) and TWO tickets to Moonlight Cinema. The THREE (3) runners-up will receive TWO tickets to Moonlight Cinema.

The Fine Print:

• Be sure to include a valid email address when leaving a comment on our blog so we can contact you
• You must be 18 years or older
• You must have an address in Australia to win tickets
• You may only win once during the promotional period
• Entry is subject to availability
• Only entries submitted between Monday, 22 February, at 12:01 a.m. AEST and Sunday, 28 February at 11:59 p.m. AEST will be considered.
• Official rules

Join in the fun. The lucky winners could see their summers become even more memorable.

Five days of New York Fashion Week, four lucky FIJI Water Interns experiencing the thrill of it all. Contest winner Aislinn Zolna shares her second day on the fashion-show floor with us:

Today is my second day as an intern for FIJI Water and there’s no doubt about it: I’m having a blast! Every day just gets better and better with all these fun-filled shows. I know Dawn and Laura have been having a great time too.

Tonight I worked at the Altman Building, where designer Alexander Berardi put on a fabulous show. His designs were really interesting, and covered the spectrum from preppy to sexy: Button-down shirts, tailored blazers, and slinky little mini-dresses were all displayed on the runway. The spotlights were hot, too, and we supplied the audience and models with plenty of FIJI Water.

On that note, I’m so excited to keep everyone hydrated with FIJI Water in the upcoming events of Fashion Week.

More news and information:

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest Finalists

Alexander Berardi (Official site)

New York Fashion Week: The Betsey Johnson and Zac Posen Shows

Models featuring Jeremy Laing designs

New York Fashion Week was as exciting as you’d imagine, and the winners of FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest got to experience the city and the shows in all their glamorous, glorious detail. Here’s winner Laura Harap’s account of her second fun and fashionable day:

So today was our second day helping FIJI Water during New York Fashion Week. What a whirlwind! Designer Jeremy Laing greeted us as we arrived and he couldn’t have been nicer.  My fellow intern Dawn and I gave out FIJI Water at his show, and of course we got plenty of opportunities to experience his talents — which were simply amazing.  I was truly inspired by his work.

Another thing I loved about working at Jeremy Laing’s show was that it was a presentation and not a typical runway show. When a designer follows the presentation format, models stand in a line while all the invited guests walk past them in order to view the clothes more closely.  I felt that this type of fashion show was more intimate than the runway style, and allowed guests to get a much better look at the genius behind the clothing.

Jeremy was walking around and prepping the models before they walked over to have their pictures taken, and you could tell that his heart and soul had gone into every piece he created. Needless to say, the bottles of FIJI Water flew off the table, and we got lots of feedback on the delicious taste. Today was an amazing experience and I’m even more excited for what tomorrow brings!

More news and information:

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest Finalists

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest Results

Jeremy Laing (Official site)

New York Fashion Week: The Alexander Berardi Show

New York Fashion Week: The Betsey Johnson and Zac Posen Shows

The high-spirited Betsey Johnson show.

This weekend we worked at six shows! It was hard and even stressful at times, but we had fun and kept our guests happy and refreshed with FIJI Water. I was amazed to see the variety between all the collections — from a preppy Karen Walker, to a classic Zac Posen, to the crazy and theatrical Betsey Johnson.

When we arrived at the Altman Building on Valentine’s Day for Betsey Johnson’s show, it was already a mad house. Kelly Osbourne was getting ready to open the show, and all the assistants were blowing up huge inflatable hearts. The energy behind the scenes was anxious and intense, but the show was flawless and wonderfully over-the-top.

The Altman Building was transformed into a fun house with a saloon-girl-and-gambling theme. The backdrop was painted black and there were hearts, skulls, and pistols everywhere. The building filled up with people fast, including such famous faces as Melissa Joan Hart, Fefe Dobson, Patricia Field, and Matthew Settle. The models worked the hay-covered runway with a playful, flirty attitude as they blew kisses to the audience and tossed out dollar bills from their garter belts.

Towards the end of the show, Betsey Johnson paid tribute to the late Alexander McQueen with a model holding a “Long Live McQueen” sign. To top it all off, Betsey Johnson came out in a jail-house suit doing her signature cartwheel, followed by a parade of models carrying large, red inflatable hearts. What a show!

The next morning, we had to wake up early for Zac Posen’s show. During the preparations, the mentor of America’s Next Top Model, J. Alexander, was strutting his stuff on the runway and giving the models advice on how to walk, smile, and pose for the camera. His upbeat and “out-there” personality really stood out, just as it does on television.

Zac Posen and J. Alexander confer before Zac's show.

Meanwhile, we FIJI Girls greeted the buyers, magazine editors, and guests as we handed out water and fortune cookies for the Chinese New Year. Security was intense, and I was excited to see Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of “Vogue” magazine, in the front row. I had heard she admired Zac Posen, and there she was. The designer’s show was full of energy, and he even had a live violinist on stage playing to the beat of the music. Posen had more than 40 looks in his collection, starting with earth-toned, classic sportswear. Those styles were followed by some bright red pieces, fur jackets, and floral-print dresses that really popped on the runway.

It was such a privilege to attend so many shows this weekend, and I have a new appreciation for all the hard work that goes into producing the perfect 15-minute fashion show. I’m really going to miss all the excitement and energy at New York Fashion Week when I have to return to reality.

More news and information:

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest

FIJI Water’s New York Fashion Week Internship Contest Finalists

New York Fashion Week: Our Interns’ First Day

New York Fashion Week: The Jeremy Laing Show

New York Fashion Week: The Alexander Berardi Show

FIJI Water's Fleet Contractor, Bradley Scougall, gives to Father Law Old Persons’ Home

With such humanitarian commitment established as a benchmark, giving back is a notion that permeates the company. At FIJI Water, employees around the world are encouraged to contribute to charities of their choice through Roll Giving, a program supported by Roll International, FIJI Water’s parent company. Last week, a special ceremony held at the FIJI Water office in Naikabula, Lautoka, honored the employee giving that has become such a valued part of our corporate culture in Fiji.

This year marked the third year of the employee grant program. Launched in mid-2007 with just three named charities, the fund has since grown to include more than 20 organizations identified by FIJI employees. Through this donation infrastructure, FIJI Water gives its salaried, Fiji-based employees $250-$1,000 USD to put toward causes that are important to them.With 100% employee participation, last week the FIJI Water family in Lautoka, Yaqara, and Suva gave away more than $52,000 FJD to benefit 22 local charities. We were privileged to have 16 representatives from these charities attend the commemorative giving ceremony. The organizations supported by Roll Giving include the Veilomani Boys Rehabilitation Center, Fiji Society for the Blind, Treasure House Children’s Home, Golden Age Home, Fiji Crippled Children’s Society, Dilkusha Girls Home, SPCA, Fiji Cancer Society, Homes of Hope, and Save the Children. It’s all a part of FIJI Water’s ongoing commitment to be a better business, a better employer, and a better neighbor by giving back to the communities in which we work and live.

Read more about the Roll Giving Ceremony:

Fiji Times: Workers Pitch In

Fiji Sun: Water Firm Boosts Charities

FIJI Water's Fall 2009 Fashion Week interns

We carefully read through all the entries we received on our blog and narrowed our choices down to seven fabulous fashionistas, who have submitted videos of themselves answering these questions:

1. If Fashion Week were an island and you could take only three things with you, what would they be and why?
2. If you were a pair of shoes, which pair of shoes would you be and why?
3. If you were to attend a premiere Fashion Week party, what would you wear and why?

Now it’s up to you to vote for your favorite intern candidate.

Voting starts Jan. 22, 2010 (now!), and ends 11:59 p.m., Jan 28, 2010. Please remember that only the votes on our poll below are counted. Ratings and comments on YouTube do not count. Official interns will be announced on or around Feb. 1, 2010. Check out the videos below and vote for your favorite! The four candidates with the most votes will move on to a week of water ambassadorship and haute couture. Good luck to everyone!

Here are the videos, in alphabetical order, by last name:

Name: Emily Bender

Name: Patrice Chatman

Name: Dawn Conrade

Name: Lauren Crumpecker

Name: Laura Harap

Name: Kimberly Preacely

Name: Aislinn Zolna

A soldier palletizes water to be air-dropped in Haiti.

After a week of urgent calls and logistical hurdles, FIJI Water is now able to donate more than 136,000 liters of water to the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti. Given the disrupted infrastructure throughout the country, our biggest challenge was coordinating the transportation of the much-needed water. Thanks to the United States Military, specifically the Fort Bragg base in North Carolina, we are now assured that the water will reach those who need it so desperately.

When Fort Bragg’s chief of supply called to offer transportation for our water, we jumped at the opportunity. Within 48 hours, eight trucks carrying 150 pallets of FIJI Water arrived at Fort Bragg. The water is being prepared for shipment now; it will be air-dropped and marked “For Humanitarian Aid Only” — which means the water will go directly to the people of Haiti.

We’d like to give a special thanks to the dedicated U.S. Military officers for their time and support.

Take a look at some pictures of the water delivery to Haiti on our Facebook page.
Please feel free to read more at The Huffington Post. You can also read about our previous commitments to the relief efforts, most notably to Partners in Health, as well as how you can help.

To learn more about Partners in Health or donate to them, please visit www.pih.org.

To donate via mobile phone, please visit The Huffington Post

To read the most up-to-date news, visit the Huffington Post’s real-time tweets page.

We are also working on donating water and have been researching how to both transport and distribute it as quickly as possible. We are coordinating with various organizations on the ground in Haiti and have offered product as soon as they are able to accept it. We will post updates on our progress as we receive more information.

If you happen to be located in New York City, the fashion community has come together to raise money for The Red Cross through an event sponsored by FIJI Water. Get a group of friends together and help support the relief efforts!

Details:
Soho Grand Hotel
310 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013-2225

6-10pm
$20 donation
Complimentary cocktails from 6-8pm
RSVP now

There will be 25 bakers at the event, showing off their most delectable cookies. A panel of celebrity bakers and chefs will also be judging and tasting, including Gina DePalma from Babbot; Myriam Eberhardt from DBGB Kitchen & Bar; Nichelle Stephens, Co-Editor of Cupcakes Take the Cake; and Sue Torres from Suenos. The winner will receive a “Baker’s Basket” of amazing kitchen goodies valued at more than $600, donated from Whole Foods Market, Russ and Daughters, Ghirardelli Chocolate, King Arthur Flour, Mionetto Prosecco, and, of course, FIJI Water.

Tickets are available online at The Girls Club website, or at the door. The organization aims to help girls and young women from the ages of 8-23, grow, learn, have fun, and develop the confidence in themselves to make a difference in the world. By delivering strong arts, literacy, science, health, and leadership programs, the organization provides girls with the vision to plan — and the tools to build — their future.

For more information about the Cookie Swap:
“Sweet Angel” Benefit Holiday Cookie Swap
FIJI Water Facebook Event

Bring your sweet tooth and appetite. It’s going to be one delicious day.