A BIG Brother star has been spotted working the door of a high-end restaurant in London, almost two decades after he rose to fame on the then-Channel 4 show.
A star who rose to fame in Big Brother almost two decades ago, has swapped fame for a quieter life as a restaurant doormanCredit: SplashThe former musician and TV star was seen helping Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of upmarket restaurant Aki London this weekCredit: SplashZiggy Lichman appeared on Big Brother back in 2007Credit: Not known
Despite success across TV and music, it appears Ziggy, real name Zac, has shunned fame as he was spotted working at gourmet Japanese restaurant Aki London.
And the new role doesn’t mean Ziggy is far from the spotlight, as he is still brushing shoulders with the A-list at the food hotspot.
On Wednesday evening, Ziggy was seen escorting Sharon and Kelly Osbourne out of Aki.
The Osbourne’s are unlikely to be Ziggy’s only famous guests, with the likes of Romeo Beckham and actress Holly Valance spotted there previously.
Back in 2017, it was reported that Ziggy was working on the door of upmarket members club Paper Soho.
He is since thought to have opened two of his own bars across North London, The Shop NW10, a cocktail bar and café, and bar The Wealthy Beggar.
Ziggy is also still in touch with his ex-girlfriend Chanelle, following their joint rise to fame on Big Brother.
Despite being split up for 18 years, the duo remain friends and even appeared on Loose Women together in 2018.
“She’s absolutely smashed it. She’s held her own, had a family, gone through some tough times as you know.
“I still love her to bits, absolutely,” said Ziggy of Chanelle, who continued to pursue a career in the spotlight after the show.
Ziggy was known on Big Brother for his on/off romance with housemate Chanelle Hayes, whom he split from after the series finishedCredit: Channel 4He and Chanelle remain friends and eve reunited in 2018 to appear on Loose WomenCredit: Rex FeaturesHe was also a member of boyband Northern Line, which consisted originally of Lee Baldry, Dan Corsi, Andy Love, Ian Mason and Michael Sharpe – and later Ziggy and Warren MorrisCredit: AlamyZiggy has been working in the restaurant and bar industry for several years and was spotted working the door of a members club in 2017Credit: Splash
Not that it’s a contest, but Santa Clarita did it first.
It was Hollywood before Hollywood. It had its own gold rush years before riches were found at Sutter’s Mill. And men were pulling oil from the ground there two decades before Texas dug its first well.
Get to know Los Angeles through the places that bring it to life. From restaurants to shops to outdoor spaces, here’s what to discover now.
Yet the rugged Santa Clarita Valley and the four communities it comprises — Newhall, Valencia, Canyon County and Saugus — are still something of a mystery to many who don’t live there. Or worse, the area remains misunderstood thanks to “The Santa Clarita Diet” and other pop culture portrayals.
The truth is far more interesting, if evasive. For decades, the Newhall Pass formed a natural barrier separating the valley from the Los Angeles Basin, allowing Santa Clarita to cultivate its own unique culture, one that’s woven into the fabric of Southern California.
“This was truly the Old Wild West out here,” said Alan Pollack, a doctor of internal medicine who moved to the valley in 1991 and quickly became steeped in its history. “There were gunfights, there were stagecoaches, all that sort of stuff.”
Santa Clarita was where many of the early westerns were shot, with real cowboys driving herds of cattle down the town’s dusty main street. Since then, the valley has become home to more than a dozen movie ranches, from the 22-acre Melody Ranch to the 400-acre Rancho Maria and Sable Ranch, as well as dozens of soundstages, earning the city the title “Hollywood North.”
“You can get any kind of look in Santa Clarita,” says Carol Rock, marketing director for the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. “Just drive around. You’re looking at the Amazon. You’re looking at the forest in different kinds of trees. And then you’ve got palm trees.” Pay attention and you’ll notice that the hills and canyons have provided the backdrop for everything from “The Lone Ranger” and “Gunsmoke” to “Oppenheimer,” “Star Trek” and “The Office.”
The city is also home to the sprawling Magic Mountain theme park, whose 19 roller coasters are the most in a single amusement park in the world. It holds more than 80 miles of some of Southern California’s best public hiking trails, fed by a 30-mile system of biking paths, walkways and bridges. (On one of those trails, you can view the site of the St. Francis Dam built by William Mulholland, whose aqueduct made Southern California’s suburban sprawl possible. The dam’s 1928 collapse that killed hundreds is still remembered as one of the worst U.S. civil engineering disasters of the 20th century.)
And then there’s CalArts, a private visual and performing school whose graduates — including filmmaker Tim Burton, Pixar’s John Lasseter and jazz musician Ravi Coltrane — have had an outsized influence on modern animation and pop music.
Through it all, Old Town Newhall, the core of what once was a railroad and ranching hub, remains the beating heart and soul of the area. You’ll find echos of the past on Main Street — the historic district is still lined with hitching posts, though they’re mainly decorative nowadays, and embedded with bronze stars and terrazzo tiles honoring the legends of western film, television and radio. And all over the community, the legacy of William S. Hart, Newhall’s original silent screen cowboy, lives on in the streets, schools, museums and parks that bear his name.
To see where it all began, spend a day in Santa Clarita, a place where you can discover cowboy history and sip a sophisticated Chardonnay at a wine bar all on an afternoon stroll.
What’s included in this guide
Anyone who’s lived in a major metropolis can tell you that neighborhoods are a tricky thing. They’re eternally malleable and evoke sociological questions around how we place our homes, our neighbors and our communities within a wider tapestry. In the name of neighborly generosity, we may include gems that linger outside of technical parameters. Instead of leaning into stark definitions, we hope to celebrate all of the places that make us love where we live.
Our journalists independently visited every spot recommended in this guide. We do not accept free meals or experiences. What L.A. neighborhood should we check out next? Send ideas to [email protected].
NEPO babies Cruz and Romeo Beckham went undetected as they enjoyed lunch away from the spotlight.
The famous brothers, aged 20 and 23 respectively, blended into the background at Phat Phuc Noodle Bar in Chelsea.
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Cruz was spotted out for lunch with friendsCredit: SWNSRomeo and his girlfriend also joined the mealCredit: SWNSOnlookers said they waited patiently in lineCredit: SWNS
Cruz’s quiet lunch comes after he reportedly had his driving licence revoked after being caught speeding in 20mph zones.
He lost his license after racking up two speeding tickets within two years of passing his driving test, according to MailOnline.
Cruz had fallen victim to going over the limit in 20mph zones twice and is one of 500,000 caught in areas with the same limit.
Cruz’s second incident is believed to have taken place on September 2, according to the Mail, telling Instagram he was doing “24 in a 20”.
If a driver receives six or more points on their licence within two years of passing their driving test, their licence is immediately revoked and made void.
Cruz will now have to re-take both his practical and driving theory tests in order to re-obtain a licence from the DVLA.
“It’s infuriating but he seems to have taken it on the chin,” a source said.
He famously owned a burgundy Land Rover, which he took to McDonald’s to celebrate passing his test just under two years ago.
Cruz is understood to frequently drive himself between the family’s West London home and his parents’ Cotswolds mansion.
It was only the other day that he joined another family member for another outing in London at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.
LIAM Gallagher isn’t a fan of sharing his food – just ask Paul Gascoigne.
The Tottenham and England legend told FourFourTwo about snaffling a steak from the Oasis rocker – and it didn’t end well.
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Paul Gascoigne has recalled the moment he stole Liam Gallagher’s steak — and sparked a fiery showdown with the furious rockerCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdLiam grabbed the extinguisher after Gazza snaffled his steakCredit: Getty
Recalling a run-in during the Nineties, Paul said: “I was in a restaurant and a guy said, ‘Liam Gallagher’s over there’.
“I went up to him, he was sitting on his own having a steak.
“He said, ‘F***ing hell sit down mate, how are you doing? Do you want something to eat?’
“I said, ‘No I’m not hungry, I’ll have a drink though’. He went for the drink and I ate his f***ing steak. He went f***ing off at me, going ‘Where’s my f***ing steak, man?’ I went, ‘I’ve ate the c***t.
Taylor Swift’s handwritten letter to Liam Payne, supporting his solo career, is to be auctionedCredit: Reuters
A handwritten letter from Taylor Swift to Liam Payne supporting his solo career is going up for auction.
She gave the late One Direction singer the note ahead of his performance at Capital’s 2017 Jingle Bell Ball.
Taylor headlined the annual bash at London’s O2 Arena. Liam, who died in October last year, was also on the bill.
The letter reads: “Liam, long time no see.
“I’m so excited for you, you’re crushing it out there.
“I’m obsessed with Bedroom Floor.
“It’s so cool to see you from afar.
“I’m always cheering you on.
“Good luck tonight!”
Speaking on the red carpet at the event eight years ago, Liam revealed Taylor also sent him a “lovely little hamper of new Reputation gear”.
He added: “She’s got very good handwriting if she did write it.”
British auction house Omega Auctions will sell the letter on December 2.
It is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £10,000.
Gabriella Cilmi is returning to music after 12 years, recording a new albumCredit: Instagram
Gabriella Cilmi is back, 12 years after her last album.
She had a string of hits in the late Noughties with Sweet About Me, Warm This Winter and On A Mission.
The Aussie singer, who is name-checked by Ed Sheeran on his 2011 song You Need Me, I Don’t Need You revealed she has been living in the English countryside and is returning to music.
She said on TikTok: “I’m super-excited to announce I’ve recorded a new record.
“We recorded it under the full Harvest Moon and it was a magical experience, going back to basics, playing live.”
Ellie: My break-up torment
Ellie Goulding opens up on her marriage breakdown to Caspar Jopling as she releases new song DestinyCredit: Getty
Speaking about her new song Destiny, Ellie said: “I first heard this track when I had recently separated from my husband.
“This was at a really turbulent time for me because I was trying to navigate what felt like a separation of all separations.”
The singer added to NME: “It was a marriage, not just a relationship.
“I didn’t know what else to do other than make music.”
Ellie and Caspar tied the knot in 2019.
They had their son Arthur in 2021, but sadly separated in 2023.
Emeli Sande was joined by acts including Boy George and Ali Campbell of UB40 at a charity gig for victims of Hurricane Melissa.
They played A Concert For Jamaica, at Koko in Camden, London.
DJ Robbo Ranx praised Jamaicans for standing strong after being battered by the storm.
Much of the island is still without water or electricity.
Aussie accused of Ari scare
Australian-born Johnson Wen boasted about meeting the pop star at the event, when in actual fact he scared the living daylights out of ArianaCredit: AFPAriana was thankfully protected by the one-woman muscle machine that is Cynthia ErivoCredit: AFP
When it comes to knowing his way around Los Angeles, actor Martin Starr is an expert. Born in Santa Monica, Starr says his family moved around the region often. ”I lived in the Valley, Hollywood, Hancock Park, and ended up in Santa Monica again when I was 15,” Starr says.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Today, the actor known for his role in the HBO comedy “Silicon Valley” and films like “Knocked Up” and the “Spider-Man” franchise, lives in Miracle Mile. His latest television role is on Paramount+’s crime drama “Tulsa King,” where he plays Bodhi, a weed store owner who has become a trusted member of a mobster’s (Sylvester Stallone) crew. The show’s third season finale airs Nov. 23.
“What I love most about L.A. is the people and the friends I’ve made over the years,” Starr says. “Aside from that, L.A. has some of the best food in the world. There’s plenty of fancy, Michelin-star restaurants, but there are so many delicious, moderately-priced places in L.A., and those are my favorites.”
Starr, a foodie who co-founded the candy company Sweet Stash with musicians Ezra and Adeev Potash (The Potash Twins), says his ideal Sunday includes a walk on the beach, eating enchiladas and playing video games or reading at home.
9:30 a.m.: Sleep in, then hydrate
I’m a lazy weekend guy. I often have to wake up early for work so it’s nice to take a little time for myself on a Sunday. After we wake up, my wife (Alex Gehring, bassist of the band Ringo Deathstarr) makes coffee for herself. I start the day with a glass of water or a matcha, then we’ll probably roll to a restaurant for breakfast.
10:30 a.m.: Get some really good pancakes
One of my favorite breakfast places is John O’Groats on West Pico. They don’t just do a side of fruit. They do cantaloupe, specifically, and I’ve grown to love it. I wouldn’t have chosen cantaloupe as the fruit to go to in my morning, but it turns out cantaloupe is pretty darn good. They make their own biscuits, which are delicious. They have a variety of really good pancakes. They do a seven-grain granola pancake that I really like.
If we don’t go there, we’d go to another great breakfast spot called Met Her at a Bar. That place is really tasty. The guy who opened it met his wife at a bar. They’ve got great French toast, and they do a Thai-style fried chicken and waffles. I just love the fresh-squeezed orange juice in both places.
Noon: Take a walk with Betty White
After breakfast, we’d go on a walk with our dog and have a lazy stroll around the neighborhood. Our dog is an all-white pit bull and her name is Betty White. We’d walk up through Hancock Park. There are some really pretty houses there, and it’s nice to just walk around. I grew up in that neighborhood for a bit too. I went to Third Street [Elementary] School so I’m pretty familiar with the area.
1 p.m.: Devour enchiladas by the beach
Then we’d go down to the beach. It’s a bit of a drive, but one of my favorite restaurants is there because I spent so much of my time as a youth in Santa Monica and Venice. It’s called Cha Cha Chicken, and is by far, my favorite restaurant in L.A. It’s in Santa Monica, one block east from the water, where Pico dead ends into the beach. I’d order the jerk chicken enchiladas, which comes with a side of rice and beans, mixed together. There’s a little chopped salad that comes on the side, too, and I love the dressing. The enchiladas have a sweet and spicy combo of sauces on top that are so good. And then I get the spicy Cuban fries. I always ask for them extra crispy, and they put a little spicy salt on top. I went there so much as a kid that I became friends with the owner, Ricky Prado. He inherited the place from his parents and took over. He and I took a trip once to Florida, where he met my dad, as I’ve met his whole family because they all worked at the restaurant.
2:30 p.m.: Stroll on Santa Monica State Beach
Next, we’d go for a walk on the beach to enjoy the beauty and fresh ocean air. There’s a little road that veers off from Cha Cha Chicken, and the Marvin Braude Bike Trail is right there. The Santa Monica Pier is north of there, and going south is the shopping area of Venice Beach. You can see sidewalk shows and all the fun performers when you go.
4:30 p.m.: Post-traffic puzzles and video games
The traffic to get back home would probably be an hour. There, Alex would probably do some crossword puzzles while I read or play video games for a bit. We’d put on some jazz music in the background. Or maybe we’d just go hang out on the porch and enjoy the day. We’re lounge folk. So when we have the opportunity, we just enjoy reading and crossword puzzles. It’s a simple life. We brought the Midwest to Los Angeles. All I need is a rocking chair.
6 p.m.: Happy Hour calls
After that, we might hit Happy Hour at Uchi West Hollywood. My wife is from Austin and her favorite restaurant opened up a place in L.A., so we go there every once in a while for a nice meal. It’s Japanese, but focused on sushi. If you sit at the bar, you can get happy hour all night.
7:30 p.m.: Keep the happy hour going into dinner
We’d eat some of our favorite food. My wife loves a particular sake and I love Mitsu Mitsu, which has ritual zero proof gin, rosemary and yuzu honey. Our favorite dish is called hama chill. It’s got little slices of Mandarin orange over yellowtail fish, with a little bit of Thai chill on top, and sits in a ponzu sauce. My wife loves edamame and I don’t. But this place has the best edamame so I can’t help but enjoy it. Some of them are a bit crisp, and there’s lemon juice and salt on it. It is so tasty. They course things out so you can really take your time and enjoy everything.
9 p.m.: Dessert on and off screen
We’d probably come back home, have a little dessert and watch either “The Great British Baking Show” or “Below Deck,” a drama-packed look inside the world of private yachting. You also get a good view of the interesting people who rent these yachts, and whether they’re good tippers or not.
11 p.m.: Go to bed, after a laugh
We’d go to bed but probably stay up for an hour just talking and laughing before we actually fall asleep. That would be a perfect Sunday.
Next time you’re driving the Grapevine and nearing the forest of oil rigs on the outskirts of Bakersfield, look for a six-story guitar.
That would be the Hard Rock Casino Tejon, whose opening on Thursday brings industrial-strength Indian gaming — and some Hollywood pizzazz — to a territory better known for cowboy hats, farmland and petroleum extraction.
The Tejon casino stands in the rural community of Mettler, near the convergence of Interstate 5 and State Route 99 — “a stone’s throw away” from Los Angeles, suggested Hard Rock Casino Tejon President Chris Kelley.
In effect, the casino is a $600-million bet by leaders of Hard Rock International and the Tejon Indian Tribe that they can grab a central role among the many Indian casinos in Southern California.
The property is the first full-scale gaming and entertainment destination in Kern County.
(Makenzie Beeney Photography for Hard Rock International)
A wind sculpture at the entrance of the casino.
(Cristian Costea for Hard Rock International)
The draw? Most notably, 150,000 square feet of gaming space — including 58 table games and more than 2,000 slot machines — putting it among the largest casinos in Southern California, on par with many along the Strip in Las Vegas.
And, of course, because this is a Hard Rock venture, there are pop music artifacts on display. Among them: the blue hooded velvet mini dress Sabrina Carpenter wore in her “Please Please Please” music video, signed guitars from Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt, Beck’s tambourine and Natalie Cole’s orange high heels.
The casino also includes four restaurants serving Asian street food, tacos, pizza and American comfort food (especially Nashville hot chicken) — and a bonus feature. At select hours, Kelley said, staff will put up a divider to create Deep Cut, a fancier “speakeasy restaurant” that will emphasize steak and seafood.
“This is something no other Hard Rock Cafe has … a restaurant within a restaurant,” said Kelley, leading a tour in the days before opening.
Live-action table games include blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat.
(Makenzie Beeney Photography for Hard Rock International)
Plans for the second phase of the project will include a 400-room hotel and spa on-site, along with a 2,800-seat Hard Rock Live venue designed to host concerts, sporting events and ultimately make Kern County a premier destination for travelers and fans. Officials declined to share a timeline for this next installment.
Though its global empire began with a London cafe in 1971, Hard Rock International has been owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2007. The company’s native ownership was “a major influence” on the Tejon tribe’s decision to team up, said Tejon Tribal Chairman Octavio Escobedo III. Hard Rock Casino Tejon is owned by the Tejon Indian Tribe and is managed by Hard Rock International.
For the Tejon tribe and its 1,523 enrolled members, the casino amounts to a new chapter in a saga full of challenges. In the 1850s, the Tejon were included in the creation of California’s first Indian reservation — which was then closed by federal officials in the 1860s. More than a century later, in 1979, the tribe was omitted from a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs list of formally recognized tribes — an apparent mistake that took decades to correct.
When the Tejon did win federal recognition in late 2011, gaming plans materialized quickly. By late 2016, the tribe had set in motion the acquisition of the casino site.
The restaurant Deep Cut is billed as an “elevated steakhouse experience.”
(Makenzie Beeney Photography for Hard Rock International)
For the tribe, Escobedo said, the long-term picture likely includes developing a residential community — which the Tejon haven’t had for more than a century — as the tribe aims for “financial sovereignty.” Though he declined to specify the amount of money that would require, he did say “it’s going to take a tremendous amount of financial discipline to achieve that.”
So far, things feel promising. Escobedo said 52 tribal members have signed on to work at casino jobs and “I’d love to see that number double over the next year or so.”
Long before the Seminoles bought control of Hard Rock International, the tribe pioneered Indian gaming in the U.S., beginning with a bingo hall in Hollywood, Fla., in 1979. Through further investment and legal victories rooted in tribal sovereignty, tribes in 29 states across the U.S. have built hundreds of gaming operations, which together gross more than $40 billion yearly.
Beyond its possibilities for the Tejon tribe, the arrival of the casino means about 1,100 new jobs for greater Bakersfield, which lost a beloved entertainment venue in August when Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace closed after 29 years.
Owens, who died in 2006, was a longtime resident of Bakersfield and proponent of the gritty “Bakersfield sound” in country music. Besides artifacts from pop music, rock ’n’ roll and Tejon cultural history, Kelley said, “We are going to have some Buck Owens memorabilia. It just wouldn’t be right not to.”
In the working-class city of Commerce, where cars speed past on highways and the Citadel Outlets tower over neighborhoods, there is a steakhouse named Stevens. By day, it’s a classic and charming old restaurant where working people go for quiet, hearty meals.
But every Sunday night, the outside world disappears.
As waiters whisk about in starched button ups, couples lead each other by the hand toward the dance floor in the restaurant’s ballroom, where Stevens’ tradition of Salsa Sundays has been bringing the community together for 73 years.
At 7 p.m. every Sunday, beginner lessons start at Stevens Steakhouse.
(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)
An eight-piece band plays brass, electric guitar, bongos and timbales, filling the room with music as dancers twirl in a dizzying array. One attendee, 29-year-old Amy Hernandez, greets a few familiar faces before she steps onto the dance floor, spinning in confident steps with a wide smile on her face.
Hernandez is part of a revival that’s been getting younger people excited about salsa music — and flocking to Stevens. She grew up watching her father dance salsa, but started diving back into the genre on her own to find comfort during the L.A. wildfires earlier this year. She credits Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” for re-sparking her interest.
“It was very healing for me,” she says of the album, which blends old-school Puerto Rican boricua samples with Latin dance and reggaeton influences for an emotional imagining of Puerto Rican identity.
For decades, Stevens has brought friends, couples, and families together for live music and dance.
(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)
When college friends recommended Stevens as an affordable place to dance, Hernandez mentioned it in passing to her dad. “He laughed and said, ‘I remember that place. I used to dance there too,’” Hernandez says.
The increasingly mainstream artists of Latin fusion genre reggaeton are returning to tradition. Along with the music of Bad Bunny, who’s headlining the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, you can find classic salsa references in reggaeton star Rauw Alejandro’s latest album “Cosa Nuestra,” and in Colombian pop star Karol G’s multi-genre summer album “Tropicoqueta,” which will be at the center of her headlining Coachella set.
“You can feel the younger energy,” says longtime Stevens salsa instructor Jennifer Aguirre. “It makes me really happy to see a younger generation take on salsa. Because I was worried for a bit. I didn’t know how salsa is going to continue.”
Los Angeles has a unique relationship with salsa, the Afro-Caribbean dance born from Cuban mambo. In cities like Miami and New York, salsa arrived with Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants. Instead, L.A.’s salsa influence came from Golden Age Hollywood, where Latin dance in movies produced a singular, flashier Angeleno style, characterized by quick turns and theatrical movement, according to salsa historian Juliet McMains.
The 1990s were another high for the genre, when West Coast pioneers like the Vazquez brothers and their first-of-its-kind dance team Salsa Brava sparked a local dance craze. The Vazquezes introduced the “on-1” step and innovated a flashier, dramatic style of salsa in L.A. that brought crowds to competitions and congresses through the 2000s. Legendary late promoter Albert Torres founded the L.A. Salsa Congress in 1999, the first congress on the West Coast, drawing a worldwide audience for Angeleno salsa.
Opened in 1952 by Steven Filipan (and located on Stevens Place), Stevens in Commerce became a local hub for Latin music. “The interesting part was that the area wasn’t Latin at all,” says Jim Filipan, Steven’s grandson and now the third-generation owner of the restaurant. “My grandfather had a foresight that this genre would be the future.”
Jim recalls his childhood growing up in the restaurant. “We would have hundreds of people on Sundays,” he says. “The ballroom, the restaurant, everyone was dancing salsa, and it was incredible. My dad took over in the ‘70s, and I was running it with him in the ‘90s.”
Yet by the 2010s it was apparent that another genre was taking hold of the Latin dance scene: bachata, ushered in by smooth-singing New York stars like Prince Royce and Romeo Santos. Salsa quickly went from being considered hip to rather old-fashioned.
During a Stevens dance lesson, guests learn how to spin on the dance floor.
(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)
Aguirre witnessed the genre lose interest firsthand. “It was like an immediate switch,” Aguirre says. “Salsa just wasn’t as popular anymore, and people would walk over to the other side of the restaurant to take the bachata lessons.”
The pandemic also dealt a large blow to local salsa clubs, as peers in the long-standing dance club industry fell to lower attendance rates and rising rent. And in the last year, two historic venues, the Conga Room and the Mayan, closed permanently.
Stevens almost had the same fate. The financial burdens during the pandemic made Jim consider closing for good. But he couldn’t help but consider the responsibility of his family’s legacy and the special place Stevens holds for local dancers.
“It’s very emotional for me because I have four generations in this restaurant, and now my daughter works here,” he says.
When Stevens reopened, the community came back in droves, ushering in a new era of excitement for salsa.
These days, at the beginning of every class, dance instructor Miguel “Miguelito” Aguirre announces the same rule.
“Forget about what happened today, forget about your week, forget about all the bad stuff. Leave it at the door,” Aguirre says. “It’s going to be better because we’re going to dance salsa.”
Dance instructor, Miguel Aguirre, right, mans the DJ booth alongside DJ Pechanga, another longtime employee of Stevens. Every weekend, the duo brings Latin music to the forefront of the space.
(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)
Aguirre has taught salsa at Stevens for 30 years. In many ways, the steakhouse has shaped his life. It’s where he discovered his love for teaching dance and much more.
“I started coming here in the ‘90s, sneaking in through the back door. I was a teenager, so not old enough to show my ID, but one day, Jim just said, ‘You guys cannot come in through the back anymore. You can come into the front,’” Aguirre says. “And then one day he said, ‘Hey, we are missing the instructors. They’re not coming in. Can you guys teach the class?’ And, I’m still here.”
Jennifer Aguirre, a fellow dance teacher at Stevens, is his wife. She met him one day at Stevens’ annual Halloween party.
“He asked me to join his class because they ‘needed more girls,’” Jennifer says, laughing.
Now Jennifer teaches the beginner’s class, while Miguel is on intermediate. But once 10 p.m. hits, it’s social dancing time. The whole floor comes together and a familiar community converges. If attendees are lucky, they might catch Jennifer and Miguel, a smooth-dancing duo, letting loose, stepping and dipping effortlessly.
On a recent Sunday night, the low-lighted ambience of the restaurant met the purple lights of the dance room, with people sitting all around for a peek at the moves on display. Buttery steaks and potatoes cooking in the kitchen tinged the air as the dance floor came alive with women spinning in dresses and men in shining shoes gliding to the rhythm of the music. Miguel Aguirre manned the DJ stand, asking two singles if they knew each other and encouraging them to dance.
Gregorio Sines was one of the solo dancers on the floor, swaying partners easily under Miguel’s encouragement. Years ago, his friend, who frequented Stevens, dragged Sines out to dance socials, telling him it would be the best way to meet people and open up.
As someone who began with anxiety to dance in front of others, Sines now performs in Stevens’ dance showcases. He says consistently returning to the steakhouse’s historic floor and immersing himself in the supportive community not only changed his dance game, but brought him out of his shell.
“I tell anyone, if you’re scared to dance, you just have to get out there,” Sines says. “There’s a community waiting for you.”
