Science project

MEREDITH ROGERS • Culture of Alchemy

WORK • Thursday Routine

MEREDITH ROGERS • founder & principal • Culture of Alchemy (experiential communications studio)
Neighborhood you live in: Atwater Village

It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I work for myself and just moved into a new house with an 800 SF detached studio that functions as my office. On Fridays, I host co-working days with friends where I make a big family lunch and end with happy hour. So, in between client emails, a matcha meeting across town, and a lot of deck-making, I’m preparing for that.

What’s on the agenda for today?
I’ll start my day with meditation, yoga, or a hike in Elysian Park. This morning I have a studio visit with my dear friend and amazing artist Laura Rule. She’s currently working on a huge sculpture built out of clay and I’m fortunate enough to get a peek into her process.

At noon I’ll tune into a livestream of The Bells, a sound sequence meant to be played for Earth, which returns on December 6. I’ll sit in a park or open my windows and play it for my plants. Then I’ll work on emails and client proposals. I’ll probably finish the night at Max Karaoke. Someone usually sends the bat signal in the form of a text: “Max at 8pm?” Singing is wellness for me, and, luckily, my talented songbird friends.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
As a new resident to Atwater, I’m having so much fun exploring the neighborhood. We love Spina and Holy Basil, and always want to support the team at HomeState. Outside of Atwater, I am a tea lover and will take all my meetings at Steep if I can. I’m addicted to matcha, so you’ll find me at either Go Get Em Tiger, Camel Coffee, Tea Master or Dada Market getting my fix nearly everyday.

For a date night, it’s gotta be sake at Ototo, or dinner en terrasse at Barra Santos or L&E Oyster Bar, a staple of mine for 10 years. For those nights when I want to order in, I still swear by #20 at the Pho Cafe, going on 11 years now. Also, I never met a martini I didn’t like. If I’m lucky, I’ll grab some pals and head to Taix or Houston’s to have two, max (fingers crossed!). We’ll try our hardest not to end up at Max, but can’t make any promises.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m super excited for The Getty’s upcoming city-wide exhibition PST ART. I’m on the board of an incredible organization called Fathomers, which will be presenting an exhibition called Emergence on the intersection of art and synthetic biology at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. Not to be missed. Unable to keep my hands out of creative projects, I recently started a newsletter with friends called Loose Land that shares a round-up of cultural happenings around the city every month.

Any weekend getaways?
I recently grabbed my best friend and went camping in Joshua Tree National Park under the full moon. We got our provisions from Sightglass in Hollywood, which included individual filets of Ōra King salmon, Point Reyes toma cheese, Torres Iberian ham chips, and Sightglass instant coffee. For breakfast, we made Mina Stone’s banana oatmeal pancakes from Lemon, Love & Olive Oil, an incredible book.

What was your last great vacation?
I had a milestone birthday in January this year and invited 20 friends to meet me in Paris, my spiritual home. As a cultural programmer, I planned a four-day itinerary which included private buyouts at Mokonuts and Paloma in Belleville, an all-night dance escapade at Silencio with LA-imported DJs, an architect-guided tour of Bourse de Commerce (which houses François Pinault’s collection), a private visit to We Do Not Work Alone (an incredible collective who collaborates with artists to make the most exquisite functional objects), and a pilgrimage to the Fondation Louis Vuitton to see the epic Mark Rothko exhibition. Winter Paris is my favorite secret.