Vita Italian Bar & Grill opened last month at DoubleTree by Hilton Pomona with some unique community ties complementing “sweeping views of the San Gabriel mountains, a spacious patio, and vibrant dishes.”
Vita says it will source ingredients from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona’s Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture and other local farms. Executive Chef David Wolfskill most recently served as chef de cuisine at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles.
“We wanted to make a real connection to the community, here at Vita,” Vita’s Director of Food and Beverage Joshua Sanchez said in a statement. “It was not just about opening up another restaurant to fill an ethnic category need for local restaurants, it’s about providing a city with a true food-dining destination for both locals and guests to experience Pomona’s rich agricultural produce, and farm fresh products from local owned businesses, doing so through warm service and truly inspired modern interpretations of traditional Italian classic dishes.”
Panda Ad
Los Angeles-based production studio Highly Confidential developed the latest TV commercial for Panda Restaurant Group in Rosemead.
The 30-second video, titled “The Finer Things,” promotes Panda Express’ new “Wok-Seared Steak and Shrimp” dish. It features a young dad who remembers dressing up and going to a fancy restaurant with his parents to get the same meal he’s sharing with his son at Panda Express, where casual atmosphere is the norm.
The campaign also has digital, out-of-home and in-store elements.
The fast-casual restaurant chain spent about $4 million on media buys during the first half of 2017, according to Kantar Media in New York. It selected Venice Beach-based Wolfgang in February as its agency of record.
Risky Business
Dumortier Risk Management Inc., a Los Angeles-based insurance brokerage firm that specializes in hospitality risk management, was acquired by Alliant Insurance Services Inc. in Newport Beach on undisclosed terms.
Alliant cited Dumortier’s “strong cultural ties to Taiwan and China,” and said the acquisition is “a natural progression in the expansion of the Alliant Real Estate practice from the United States to Asia and beyond.”
Durmotier, founded in 2002, arranges insurance coverage for more than 200 hotel owners and developers.
President Chris Chang has joined Alliant as an executive vice president. Durmotier’s employees, who speak Chinese, Taiwanese, Greek, Spanish, French and English, have joined Alliant’s real estate group in its Los Angeles office.
Spirited Deals
Moët Hennessy USA’s Woodinville Whiskey is coming to California from Washington, and will be distributed by Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits in Cerritos. New York-based Moët Hennessy acquired the whiskey brand last summer for an undisclosed sum … Hawaii-based Kona Brewing Co. signed on as the official craft beer of the Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson. The multi-year deal, brokered by Los Angeles-based AEG Global Partnerships, includes a Lanai-style bar at StubHub Center that will feature Kona’s “portfolio on tap, including Big Wave Golden Ale, Longboard Island Lager and Hanalei Island IPA.”
Empowering Girls Worldwide
El Segundo-based women’s activewear line Fabletics plans to design and produce a limited-edition collection to benefit the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up initiative.
Fabletics will donate 20 percent of net proceeds from the collection – dubbed “Girl Almighty” – with a goal of raising $50,000 toward Girl Up’s SchoolCycle program. The program gives bicycles, spare parts and maintenance training to girls in developing countries. The bikes are billed as a way to help girls continue their education, getting them more quickly and safely between home and school.
The Fabletics line – founded by Don Ressler and Adam Goldenberg with actor Kate Hudson – entered into a marketing partnership with Girl Up 18 months ago.
The Girl Almighty collection includes six outfits comprised of sports bras, leggings and performance tops including tanks and a hoodie.
Girl Up started in 2010 and has helped fund United Nations programs that promote health, safety, education and leadership for girls around the world, according to the nonprofit.
Hudson joined members of Girl Up’s chapter at California State University-Northridge for a photo shoot in Rancho Palos Verdes earlier this month.
“It has been a truly rewarding experience to work closely with the organization and the girls,” Hudson said in a statement.
Mediha DiMartino is a contributing reporter to the Los Angeles Business Journal.
