Heather Parlato

You know what this town needs? A good, old-fashioned community food swap! At least, that's what my friend, Emily Ho, thought when she read about other organized food swaps around the country and decided to set one up here in LA. The inaugural swap took place Sunday, March 27, 2011, but if you missed out yesterday, the LA Food Swap is open to all participants willing to make homemade goodies to trade (space permitting), so sign up to find out about the next one.

You've seen them growing on hillsides every spring, and maybe sometimes as a garnish or in a salad, but did you know how infinitely edible nasturtiums are? Besides being beautiful in a range of color, nasturtiums are a very garden-friendly plant. If you've planted some this year, you're noticing the blossoms have come to life in recent weeks, so let's get started on putting it to good use.

Every year, AIGA LA (the professional organization for design) bestows the highest honor of the organization upon individuals carefully selected for outstanding contributions to design in Los Angeles, the AIGA LA Fellow Award. But don’t be fooled—this is no stuffy awards show with long speeches from relatively inaccessible stars. This year, the Fellows celebration, AIGA LA: Speakeasy, is a party in a salon-style soirée at the Palihouse in West Hollywood on January 20, 2011,...