April 10, 2020 | Spago is the name of the world renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant, in Beverly Hills, California.
Spago has been closed due to the national Coronavirus lockdown. This year 2020, the legendary restaurant, that for the past 35 years has held a Passover Seder as only Spago can prepare, had to reinvent itself to continue serving some of Hollywood’s most known VIPs and its year-to-year Seder guests. More importantly, the aim was to continue raising funds for the Mazon Charity to which the Seder’s proceeds are designated.
So how did Spago celebrate its popular charity Seder in the coronavirus era?
With lifestyle adjustments, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mazon Charity two day ‘Seder’ dinners turned out to be an ‘order-online-to-go, take-out’ orders event. Thus, the special ‘Seder’ regulars, forced to be locked at home, ordered their meals. For one, to continue supporting the Mazon Charity that feeds the hungry and also to indulge in Spago’s superb food and enjoy the delicious dishes in their home confinement.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, much of Hollywood productions have come to a standstill and the work on the long anticipated film Angels In The Sky (AITS), based on Robert Gandt’s book with the same title, now in English and Hebrew edition, has also come to a halt.
Mike Flint, AITS producer, has been attending the Spago Seder dinner for years. So had his parents, Joyce and Mitch Flint, who are no longer with us. Mitch was one of 150 volunteer pilots who arrived in Israel in 1948 and risked their lives in order to help Israel fight and win her independence as well as they were the start of Israel Air Force.
Not to miss on this Seder many years’ tradition, Barbara Lazaroff, Spago’s founding partner, personally called Mike Flint to let him know that Seder’s take-out delicious Spago food is available, which arrived with a bottle of wine and was fully enjoyed by Mike, wife Cheri and brother Guy.
There are no photos this year, but since we hold to good memories and we hope to create new good ones, this photo, from last year Spago’s Seder is to witness that not all lost and all will return to normalcy:
In 2019, among those who attended the Passover Seder at Spago were, from left: Ruti Briar the Seder cantor, Barbara Lazaroff Spago’s founding partner and AITS associate producer, Carol Connors academy ward nominated singer-songwriter and Hedva Amrani renowned Israeli singer, together holding AITS Hebrew edition book and Hanna Griffits Angels in the Sky co-producer.
AITS team’s original 2020 plans were to be celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem!
More so, the AITS team, who have been working with Mr. Moshe Fadlon, the Mayor of the City of Hertzliya, Israel, were hoping to hold a state ceremony in his city dedicated to those heroic volunteer pilots who were part and parcel of Israel finally gaining independence.
May the coming 2021 year’s Spago Passover traditional Seder dinner be the most successful ever; and the postponed AITS film team visit to Jerusalem will take place next year!
