FOOD

Mirazur, in France, Tops World’s 50 Best Restaurants List

Content Courtesy of: nytimes.com

Written by: Florence Fabricant

The chef Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur, in Menton, France.

Mirazur, a restaurant on the French Riviera in Menton, took the No. 1 spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, announced on Tuesday at a ceremony in Singapore.

The chef and owner, Mauro Colagreco, a native of Argentina, has also earned three Michelin stars. Last year the restaurant was ranked No. 3.

The annual list, compiled by World’s 50 Best, an organization that ranks restaurants across the globe, has acquired considerable clout since it was started in 2002, as well as criticism for the ways it judges restaurants and chefs.

For 2019, the rules were revised so that previous No. 1 restaurants are not eligible to be considered again, for any spot on the list, preventing restaurants like Noma, in Copenhagen, from securing a perennial lock on the list.

But Noma, which held the top spot in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, ended up this year in the No. 2 spot. That’s because having moved, been redesigned, reconceived and reopened last year, Noma 2.0 was considered to be a “new” restaurant, the organization said. (Eleven Madison Park, in New York, is not on this year’s list because it won the top rating in 2017.)

Most of the restaurants among the top 10 are repeats from last year, though Geranium, perched above a soccer stadium on the edge of Copenhagen, came in at No. 5, up from No. 19 last year.

The highest-ranking American restaurant this year is Cosme, in New York, at No. 23, up from No. 25 last year. Its chef and co-owner, Daniela Soto-Innes, was named best female chef this year. Pujol, the Mexico City restaurant owned by the chef Enrique Olvera, the other partner in Cosme, was No. 12.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., which was No. 12 last year, dropped to No. 28. Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco, was No. 35, marking the first time its chef, Dominique Crenn, has reached the top 50. Le Bernardin, in New York, sank from No. 26 to 36, Alinea, in Chicago, was No. 37 and Benu, in San Francisco, was No. 47.

Spanish restaurants did extremely well, led by Asador Etxebarri, at No. 3. And a handful of South American restaurants made the top 50, including two in Lima, Peru — Maido and Central — in the top 10. The list includes places with a decidedly casual ambience, like Septime in Paris, at No. 15, just ahead of the hyper-elegant Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée at No. 16.

Since its founding in 2002 by an English restaurant magazine, the list has come under fire for potential conflicts of interest; about a third of the more than 1,000 voters (they’re called academy members) are chefs and restaurateurs.

The organization contends that there are no such conflicts, but troubling issues remain: how (and even if) the voters visit the restaurants, who pays and the role of sponsors, including local tourism boards. There are more than 25 commercial sponsors, including Grana Padano of Italy, the “official hard cheese partner.”

The World’s 50 Best has addressed criticism of its preponderance of male members and voters by giving half the voting positions to female participants starting this year.

Still, the rankings are influential, and imitated by other lists. La Liste, a French compilation of 1,000 restaurants worldwide based on guidebook ratings and other reviews, made its debut in 2015. This year the World Restaurant Awards IMG, sponsored by a global sports and entertainment promoter, bestowed its first awards.

ART

‘A Group Effort in Every Respect’: June, New Exhibition Platform, Brings 14 Galleries, Collaborative Spirit to Basel

Content Courtesy of: artnews.com

Written by: Claire Selvin

All over the market landscape, alternatives to behemoth art fairs have been cropping up recently. In May, the booth-free Object & Thing show opened in Brooklyn, and in February, Felix LA revived the scrappy hotel-fair model with a relatively modest number of dealers. The latest experiment is June, an exhibition platform set to run from June 11 to 14 in Basel, Switzerland, during Art Basel and Liste.

Cofounded by Esperanza Rosales, the director of VI, VII in Oslo, and Christian Andersen, who owns an eponymous Copenhagen gallery, June will bring together 14 international enterprises—including Midway Contemporary Art (of Minneapolis), Stigter van Doesburg (Amsterdam), and Mitchell Algus Gallery (New York)—at Riehenstrasse 90B, just a few minutes away from Art Basel’s main site, in a building designed by the hometown architects Herzog & de Meuron. The structure has previously served as a storage facility for the architects, and it once housed the now-shuttered Freymond-Guth Gallery.

In an interview with ARTnews, Rosales said that the impetus for June came from conversations with other dealers, many of whom “were eager to see their galleries in Basel, represented in a new context.”

She explained that June differs from the long-running Basel enterprises, the blue-chip Art Basel and the emerging-oriented Liste, in that it is more an exhibition than a fair. Organized in a largely open plan format, June eschews many of the categorizations that tend to divide exhibitors in larger fairs.

“Concepts like ‘young gallery’—when does that stop being applied?” she asked. “How many fairs must one do before that stops being true?”

“We’re hoping to create something that feels closer to what we do in the gallery every day, which is to make exhibitions,” Rosales said. “Lots of effort has been put into making this possible, but it still feels joyous and lightweight.”

In what Chris Sharp, cofounder of Mexico City’s Lulu, characterizes as a “grass roots structure,” many participants assisted Rosales and Andersen in planning the event. Sharp told ARTnews that it was “a group effort in every respect,” from reaching out to press to calling collectors.

Other dealers exhibiting at June also noted its collaborative ethos. Hannah Hoffman, who will return to Basel for the first time in about four years (she showed in the Statements section at Art Basel in 2015) with works by the artist D’Ette Nogle and the late Belgian poet Marcel Broodthaers, told ARTnews that June “gives both the artists and gallerists an opportunity to think really expansively about how to organize a presentation.” She added, “Because it’s small, there seems to be a sense of community.”

Meanwhile, the Tokyo outfit Misako & Rosen will make its Basel debut at June, showing pieces by Yuki Okumura and Hisachika Takahashi. Cofounder Jeffery Rosen said he sees “the extent to which galleries prioritize the cultural side of their businesses” as a common thread among the participants in the exhibition.

“There has to be a space carved out for commercial spaces that are focusing on their exhibition programs first and foremost and finding contexts outside of their home base to present that programming,” he said.

Though he won’t be traveling to Basel for the exhibition, New York artist and dealer Mitchell Algus will present a film titled Justine and the Boys—featuring appearances by Jeff Koons and Richard Prince, among others—by the multifarious artist Colette. Algus’s own art will also be on view at June.

Algus, who has critiqued art fairs and their deleterious effects on galleries’ business, praised Rosales and Andersen for their efforts to create a new model in which “the art has to make a case for itself rather than the gallery making the case for the art.”

“I’m thrilled that they asked me [to participate] and I admire their perseverance, but I have to put all of my energy into the program here,” Algus said of his decision to remain home during the event. “That’s all I can afford to do.”

FASHION

Nike's Highest-Selling Soccer Jersey Belongs To The U.S. Women's Team

Content Courtesy of: huffingtonpost.in

Written by: By Danielle Gonzalez

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

The United States women’s national soccer team has been slaying it on the field with record-breaking wins in the World Cup ― but it’s also making waves off the field.

Co-captain Megan Rapinoe has made headlines for her protests and political commentary as well as her personal style, and the collective team’s success has only strengthened the class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation demanding equal pay to their male counterparts.

The team’s home jersey is also now Nike’s highest-selling soccer jersey ever.

“The USA Women’s home jersey is now the No. 1 soccer jersey, men’s or women’s, ever sold on Nike.com in one season,” CEO Mark Parker announced on the company’s earnings call Thursday.

The U.S. 2019 Stadium Home Women’s Jersey is a white, slim-fit shirt with red and blue stripes on the short sleeves and three stars on the back to represent how many times the U.S. has won the world title. It’s made from 100% recycled polyester fabric, half of which is sourced from plastic bottles, and blended with the brand’s Dri-FIT technology for a comfortable and breathable feel. It’s available in sizes XS-XL for $90 at Nike.

The team’s next match is Tuesday, when it plays England in the semifinals. The winning team will advance to the final match on July 7, so there’s still time to get a jersey and show your support.

If a jersey’s not your style, there is a ton of other Nike athletic apparel, sneakers and accessories up to 40% off right now ― including sports bras, which Nike is officially North America’s biggest seller of now. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Nike items that you can shop on sale right now.

Women's Fleece Crew Nike Sportswear Heritage

Women's 7/8 Yoga Training Tights Nike Dri-FIT Power

Women's Light Support Yoga Sports Bra Nike Indy

Women's Mesh Dress

Women's Cross Training/Weightlifting Shoe Nike Metcon 4

Women's 7/8 Tights Nike Pro

Women's Printed Shorts Nike Air

Women’s Cropped Crew Nike Sportswear

ADVERTISING

Nivea responds to 'homophobic' allegations after FCB resigns business

Content Courtesy of: campaignlive.co.uk

Written by: Oliver McAteer

'No form of discrimination, direct and indirect, is or will be tolerated.'

Nivea has responded to allegations of a homophobic comment made on a call with FCB which is believed to have ultimately led to the demise of their relationship.

The agency has resigned its creative business with the Beiersdorf brand, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

A spokesperson for Beiersdorf AG told Campaign US this is "the right time for a new beginning in Nivea’s brand management and creative work."

While it did not directly address the allegations, Nivea stressed such behavior will not be tolerated.

The spokesperson continued: "We understand that emotions and news interest are intensified when a longtime business relationship comes to an end – however, we ask for understanding that we don’t comment on unsubstantiated speculations around this matter.

"Nonetheless we wish to express our concern on the reported allegations as they do not reflect the values of Beiersdorf, Nivea and our employees worldwide. No form of discrimination, direct and indirect, is or will be tolerated. We are strongly committed to diversity, mutual respect, equal opportunity and tolerance -- this stance and belief is shared and lived throughout Beiersdorf.

"We are an international company with more than 20,000 employees with very different genders, ethnicities, orientations, backgrounds and personalities worldwide. Through our products, we touch millions of consumers around the globe every day. We know and cherish  that individuality and diversity in all regards brings inspiration and creativity to our society and to us as a company."

PEPSI PLANS TO TEST OUT SELLING WATER IN CANS

Content Courtesy of: adage.com

The move comes amid an industry-wide backlash against plastic

PepsiCo Inc., facing an industrywide backlash against plastic, will experiment with putting its Aquafina water in cans.

The beverage giant will begin selling the cans next year, offering them to partners such as stadiums and restaurants, PepsiCo said on Thursday. The company also will try out the repackaged product at some retail stores.

If the new packaging catches on, it would be one of the highest-profile cases of companies ditching plastic. Aquafina is a top-selling water brand in the U.S.—along with Coca-Cola Co.’s Dasani—and it’s nearly synonymous with the clear plastic bottles that have lined supermarket shelves for decades.

Aluminum cans generally contain more reused material than plastic bottles, and consumers are more likely to recycle them. They’re also less likely to float away in the ocean.

PepsiCo also is transitioning its upscale bottled water brand, LIFEWTR, to 100 percent recycled plastic in the U.S. by the end of next year. It’s part of a push to use 25 percent recycled plastic globally by 2025.

And it will stop selling its Bubly sparkling water in plastic bottles. Bubly, a LaCroix competitor, is already primarily distributed in cans, but gas stations and convenience stores now carry 20-ounce bottles, PepsiCo said.

The changes will eliminate more than 8,000 metric tons of virgin plastic, according to the Purchase, New York-based company.

TECH

APPLE'S CHIEF DESIGNER, JONY IVE, IS LEAVING TO FORM AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY

Content Courtesy of: adage.com

Written by: Bloomberg News

Ive is responsible for the look of the company’s most iconic products, including the iPhone

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., left, and Jony Ive, chief design officer for Apple Inc., stand for photographs during an event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, U.S.

Apple Inc.’s chief designer Jony Ive is leaving after decades at the iPhone maker to form an independent company—with Apple as one of its primary clients.

Ive is responsible for the look of the company’s most iconic products, including the iPhone.

“Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in a statement. “Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built.”Apple shares slipped about 1 percent in extended trading. The stock closed at $199.74 in New York.

Ive will be replaced by existing Apple designers. Evans Hankey, vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, vice president of Human Interface Design, will report to Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, the company said.

Dye and Hankey have played key leadership roles on Apple’s design team for many years. They took over day-to-day management of the team when Ive stepped away to focus on the creation of company’s new headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Williams has led the development of Apple Watch since its inception and will spend more of his time working with the design team in their studio, the company added.

Stay cool everyone!