#AllCoopedUp with Yifat Oren, Leading Luxury Event Planner
Yifat Oren and I met many years ago through mutual friends while playing a heated game of Rummikub. She is an extraordinarily talented human who happens to be the most sought after event producer, and is behind some of the chicest and most exclusive events you may (or may not!) have heard of. She’s known for her bold, creative visions and discretion in working with high-profile clients. She is also impossible to beat at Rummikub. Over the years she’s produced some pretty spectacular events, and seeing photos from her company’s Instagram, Oren Co., makes me miss the days when we got to celebrate life’s special moments with big groups of friends and family in person — instead of on a screen. I was interested to hear how the COVID pandemic has changed Yifat’s relationship to her work, knowing how hard the event industry has been hit. And I think many of us can relate to the silver lining of it all: more time with our family and kids — but also wanting space! Read on for more…
With Mother’s Day coming up, do you have any thoughts you’d like to share on motherhood?
Motherhood is my biggest reward and my biggest challenge. It also provides my greatest laughs and best lessons in life.
What’s your profession and what does your weekday routine look like now?
I am the creative director and founder of an event production company. You can imagine Covid has turned my professional world upside down… Thankfully, now with the vaccine looming around the corner, the phones are ringing and clients are ready to begin planning celebrations later this year and 2022. I suspect I will grow to miss some of my frolicking from the summer of 2020.
My pre-Covid schedule included getting up, getting my kids breakfast, driving them to school on certain days, and getting to the office, or meetings. Nowadays I still get up, make my kids breakfast and make myself an oat milk cappuccino — two shots of espresso (who’s counting?). They each start school at 9am, sadly in their respective bedrooms. I’m usually wearing something comfortable these days, yes, some sort of athleisure. This way I can pop out back to the guest house where I have my gym set up and squeeze my workout in whenever. Usually I ride my Peloton or use one of the workouts on the Peloton app. I’ve also acquired quite a few pieces of workout gear since the start of Covid19 so I don’t get bored with my workouts, that has proven to work out really well. Pun intended!
After I workout, I come back in the house, settle down at the den and start my day of calls and Zooms. Half the week I make dinner, the other half we order in and support local restaurants, these guys really need it and it breaks my heart to see how they restaurant industry has suffered. After dinner we try to watch something quick and funny before bedtime.
Are there any objects or spaces in your house that have a new appreciation for? Anything you’ve come to loathe?
I love my backyard. I spend so much more time at home, period. Before I was working constantly, in the office all the time, and traveling all the time. I’ve always loved my house, but now I really love my house. My kids are so funny, I really applaud their schools and I am so grateful that they have such a good education. They take a lot of time these days in helping kids with mental health since they are on zoom all day. I find each one coming up to me going, “you know mom, you need to change where you’re sitting every hour.” That is something I am trying to implement. If I am in my room, I will start my desk, sit in my window seat, maybe on my bed. Then I’ll go downstairs, take a walk, and try to move around.
Describe your at-home quarantine uniform.
I can wear sweats for a couple of days but, honestly, they don’t look cute. The other day I wore sweats and my daughter says, “Mom, you look very schlumpy.” So mostly I just wear leggings and I’ll dress it up with a sweater. I’m happy it’s colder out now, that’s helping.
Who are you quarantining with? Do you feel the need to “get away”?
I am quarantining with my kids. We go to Ojai on the weekends and have been biking a ton. I’ve picked up mountain biking and we will go on long strolls and bike through orange groves. It is nice to get out of LA and be in nature.
What’s the last thing you purchased online? Regret or obsessed?
I only online shop, to be honest. This hasn’t changed in COVID. I like beautiful, quality things, but I do not like to shop. I feel like because I work so much, my free time is so limited and I don’t want to spend it in stores. I’ll stumble upon things but I rarely take a day to, like, “go shopping.” My last purchase was from the DÔEN sale online. I love to shop at boutiques, when I do find myself shopping. Another one of my favorites is Des Kohan, it’s curated so beautifully.
Any shows, podcasts, or books you’re loving right now?
I love The New York Time’s Daily, Brené Brown, How I Built This with Guy Raz. My family just binged The Queens Gambit and loved it.
Any go-to cravings or recipes you’ve been loving? Favorite restaurants for takeout?
I’ve been really into banana bread even though my kids stopped eating it. I asked my daughter the other day why she hasn’t been eating it and she said “you make it all the time it’s not special anymore.” My cookbook as of late is the Alison Roman’s Nothing Fancy and I use the NYT Cooking app all the time. I recently discovered an amazing butcher up the street from me in Hancock park. The Butcher is called Standing’s on La Brea. I still try and get my produce from the farmers market when I can.
How has your family adapted to this new normal?
My kids still have school, piano lessons, drum lessons, soccer, etc. I have it a lot better than a lot of people because my kids are old enough to manage themselves. I am fortunate that they are so self-sufficient. Now, I try to finish work earlier than normal so I can still be there for them and spend time with them.
What’s been the biggest challenge for you throughout this?
In the beginning when there was so little information, conflicting information, and constantly changing information, I had to really question how to make informed decisions. All of it was so stressful. The event industry has been decimated. To go from having a bustling business to immediate cancelations all at once became so depressing. I had to redefine my business, and keep a happy face despite having to make incredibly difficult decisions. I finally was able to wrap my head around everything and find some silver linings. I came to the conclusion that having all this time might not be such a bad thing, I just had to learn how to sit still, take it in, and figure out what to do with it.
When this is over I can’t wait to ___________.
I would love to have a dinner party. I don’t even need to make a big thing about it. Just come over without having to think about it. I’ll make grilled cheese (I don’t even make grilled cheese but I will), just come over. Other than that, I want to travel. Not just for work, I want to really travel. I promised my daughter a girls trip to Paris this spring. So that’s the first trip I’m rescheduling.
