#71 : Blake Kuwahara - Eyewear Designer and CEO of Blake Kuwahara

From the ground floor of Thrash Metal playing Lead Guitar with Anthrax to a full on master watchmaker Dan Spitz is the definition of passion. Tune in and hear how he became a watchmaker on today’s episode of The Grail. Thanks for tuning in my friends and dont forget to join my Patreon for over 160 bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/DeanDelray  All my tour dates are here https://www.deandelray.com/tourdates  Thanks for all your support. DDR

Today on a brand new Let There Be Talk / The Grail my guest will be Andrew Brodrick  owner of Freenote Cloth. Andrew and his brother Matt make all the Freenote clothing right in Los Angeles with the finest materials made at the highest level of craftsmanship.    Denim, Leather Jackets and incredible flannels are just a few things these guys do.  I love supporting small business especially when they are kicking ass and family owned.  Give them a follow and spread the word.    Freenote has offered a 20% off code for 1 week call them of hit the website of go into the their stores. The code is Delray20. Code is only goof for 1 week.   All my tour dates including the Hollywood Bowl this week are at https://www.deandelray.com/tourdates    Join my Patreon for bonus episodes of Let There Be Talk https://www.deandelray.com/patreon    Big love for all you people. Thank you  DDR

Today I do a full deep dive into Custom Guitars with Luthier Greg DeLuis. Greg makes some of the most incredible hand made guitars in the tradition of master luthier Doug Irwin. If you have seen Jerry Garcia's guitars like Tiger, Wolf or Rosebud you know that these are not some off the shelf store bought guitars. The amount of detail and work put into building those guitars is almost a forgotten craft. Greg continues the tradition even hand cutting all the inlay himself. Hear this mans amazing journey on this episode of Let There Be Talk / The Grail.   Check out all of Gregs Guitars on his instagram @deluisguitars    My tour dates are up https://www.deandelray.com  Patreon bonus episodes https://www.deandelray.com/patreon   

Today I sit down with Artist, Director, Kii Arens. This man got his start in the art world back in 1994 working for Michael Lang on Woodstock 94 and his whole world changed. You may of seen his videos he's directed for Glen Campbell, Ringo Starr and DEVO or some of his amazing Hollywood Bowl Rock Posters. Tune in and hear Kii's story and take the trip into The Church Of Color. Thanks for supporting The Grail Subscribe and leave a Review. DDR

If you are a fan of West Coast Choppers then you definitely know my guest Tay Herrera's work. On a chance call to West Coast Choppers Tay landed a Dream Job engraving all kinds of parts for Jesse James. This mans story is incredible. Tay has been engraving motorcycle parts by hand for most of his life. He even engraving an entire motorcycle for Brad Pitt. Please leave a review and Subscribe on iTunes and YouTube. Thanks for the support my friends. DDR Patreon for all my bonus episodes https://www.patreon.com/DeanDelray  Tour Dates and Merch https://www.deandelray.com 

Today on The Grail I sit down with Josiah Citrin and talk all things food including the pressures of being a 2 Star Michelin Chef. Josiah is one of the most incredible Chefs in the industry and also a very cool Human.  Josiah is a two-star Michelin chef and owner of Santa Monica's highly-acclaimed Mélisse, Charcoal Venice,Charcoal Sunset and Dave’s Doghouse at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles and Indian Wells Tennis Garden. His culinary philosophy, “In Pursuit of Excellence” sets the standard for all of his concepts, whether fine-dining or casual. Citrin discovered his passion for food through his family at an early age, growing up in Santa Monica and Venice with a mother who was a caterer, and a French grandmother who cooked family meals. Their knowledge, combined with his excitement for cooking and business, led him to pursue a culinary career. Citrin moved to Paris to explore his French heritage after graduating from Santa Monica High School, and worked for three years at fine Parisian restaurants Vivarois and La Poste, gaining an understanding of and respect for the rules of traditional French cooking. This invaluable experience taught him both the art and discipline of cooking and fine dining, and formed the definitive basis of his training. He returned to the United States in 1990 and began applying his skills at Los Angeles’ finest restaurants—notably Wolfgang Puck’s celebrated Chinois on Main and then at Granita. After two years, Josiah moved on to join Patina and Pinot Bistro and cooked alongside famed chef and savvy restaurateur Joachim Splichal. Citrin subsequently became chef at Capri restaurant in Venice and Jackson’s in West Hollywood. With a heightened interest in French gastronomy and a spirit for entrepreneurship, Citrin launched JiRaffe in 1996 alongside childhood friend and fellow chef Raphael Lunetta. Selling his interest to JiRaffe to Lunetta in 1999, Citrin pursued his lifelong dream of opening his own fine dining establishment by debuting Mélisse which opened to critical acclaim and has been impressing the culinary world ever since. HONORS Citrin’s honors include: Two Stars from Michelin Guide (2007, 2008, 2021), #1 for Top Food in Los Angeles and #1 American-French Restaurant for Food in Los Angeles by Zagat (2013, 2014), “Best Wine List” by LA Weekly (2015), “Top 100 Restaurants in the World” by Elite Traveler (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), Five Stars by Forbes Travel Guide (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), “Top Ten New Chefs” by Food & Wine magazine (1997), and “Best Chefs of the Year” by Los Angeles magazine (2012).

Today I sit down with Rich Lasner VP of Development at Vox Guitars.  This mans history in the guitar world is incredible. From his early days at Ibanez working with Steve Via and Paul Gilbert to helping with the 5150 Combo at Peavey to Designing one of the biggest selling guitars ever at Yamaha. Rich has been on the ground floor for some of the greatest guitar designs ever. His cool Eddie Van Halen stories alone are worth the listen. These days he's at Vox Guitars working on all kinds of cool stuff. His story is incredible and I really think you guys will dig this one. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel and please help spread the word. Thank You DDR

After a 6 month hiatus I return today with my guest the great Blake Kuwahara owner and designer of Blake Kuwahara Eyewear.  This man has been in the Eyewear game for 40 years. He started out as an Optometrist then worked his way into the eyewear industry as creative director of Liz Claiborne becoming a designer for 7 different brands including Jordache. Blake then started his own line called KATA ended up selling that brand and now he has a brand new company that is absolutely taking it to the next level in the Eyewear world. Sit back and hear us dive into all kinds of topics from Architecture,Denim, Design and Glasses. I hope you guys enjoy his story. Thanks for understanding about the time off that I needed. Keep the candles lit and have a fantastic week. This episode is brought to you by Optical Connection   Click on the link for all your Optical needs https://optical-connection.com  Use the code DEAN at check out for 10% off anything. Or call them and use the code. Doesn't matter where you are they will ship.   DDR

I've always wanted to talk to someone about Safes. Most people don't think about it until it's 2 late and their house has been robbed. Today I sit down with my friend Josh Rosenberg who works for Dean Safe and we dive way down the rabbit hole  of everything you need to know about Safes. We also talk about Stand Up Comedy and great Movies. Thanks for tuning in my friends. DDR  

Today I sit down with a man that has been in the guitar game for most of his life Mr Walter Carter of Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville. Walter's knowledge of Vintage Guitars is incredible and his reputation in the guitar business is next level. Sit back and enjoy this mans story on today's episode of The Grail. Have a great week and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and YouTube  and please leave a review. Thank You DDR