Today on The Mag we have Marissa Molinaro. Marissa is the founder of The Spotted Cloth and hers is one of my favorite interviews yet for the blog. Check out the whole interview below to learn how music shaped Marissa’s life, her favorite covid-friendly activities and how she came to create The Spotted Cloth which is an essential guide for all things fabulous and family-friendly in Los Angeles.

You have an amazingly diverse background, from being a competitive musician to your master’s in education to running an extremely successful blog! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself, your various interests and how you started The Spotted Cloth?

I started piano when I was 3 and violin when I was 5. Music opened up my eyes to the world. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. But as I started to compete seriously in music, it brought so much opportunity to my life. I especially loved to travel and perform. I was always surrounded by people of various socio economic backgrounds and cultures (that were so different than mine) and I found it fascinating. I went on to college as a music major but I wanted to see what life was like beyond music and took some time after college to figure out what my true passions were. At that point, music was all I knew.

Since then I've tried many things. I worked in the fashion industry as a model after college. Again, the traveling part excited me. But I wasn’t good at modeling. LOL. After I got a contract with Hanes underwear and saved up enough money to live on for a couple years, is really when the fun began. I met Oprahs chef and he gave me the opportunity to produce his first cookbook. I’ve always been naturally good at putting large scale projects together. The book won many accolades. During that time, I also met my other half. He is a designer and restaurateur and taught me everything I know about both. Eventually, we started working together. We traveled the world eating and exploring new ideas/concepts. We’ve always kept our pulse on whats happening all around. I found that my true passion was shaping an idea and bringing it to fruition. I've been creating restaurant concepts and doing interiors since.

After I had my daughter Capri, who is 6, I combined all my passions together: Exploring, Food and Culture and started thespottedcloth.com - I love finding hidden gems, great eats and checking everything out. I follow all leads!! The spotted cloth is really about navigating the LA food scene with kids. And the unique adventures that surround those spots.

How many kids do you have? What ages?

I have one and she keeps me more than busy! She recently turned 6.

I absolutely love your website and have used it so many times to find fun activities in neighborhoods with which I’m less familiar and also find exciting local adventures. How do you uncover all of these places/activities?

Anytime we eat anywhere, I’m always talking to people. I’m always connecting to the community. Someone will give me a lead on their favorite park, garden, restaurant, taco stand, you name it and I WILL check it out. I also spend a LOT of time researching. I only write about places that are interesting in some kind of way. No matter where you see me, chances are I’m talking about where to go and where to eat.

Have you always been adventurous or did having a child and wanting to expose her to all sorts of interesting things drive your adventures?

I’ve always been adventurous!! My mom even says I've been this way my whole life. My favorite thing to do as a little kid is STILL my favorite thing to do,... and that is drive around and check out different neighborhoods, parts of the city I don’t know. I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and wandering off. My dad was very strict, so he didn’t allow me to do a lot of things with my friends growing up, but in the rare case something slipped through the crack, I was out the door.

Los Angeles is a huge city that can be hard to get to know, but I’m a firm believer that the better you know your city, the more you love it. What advice would you give someone who says they don’t like Los Angeles?

I’m always shocked when people say that. I say, that’s because you don’t KNOW it. LA has so many personalities.

You need to be who YOU ARE, and find where you fit in. If you do this, the sky is the limit. LA has so many diverse neighborhoods, vibes, and people . Possibilities are endless, there is so much to do. On my website, I describe each part of the city, and the "vibe" going on at each spot. I like to give people a good indication of what this city truly has to offer.

In the time of Covid, how are you making sure you and your family still have fun? Are you still finding good adventures and activities or has most of your activity transitioned to being close to home?

A lot of things have changed for us in this time of Covid, but we never stopped taking our drives. For the most part, we stick closer to home, but fortunate for us, we live very central. We have now uncovered most of the hidden staircases and trails in LA . We park our car, and get our workout on. It’s still different and exciting. As is our neighborhood walks. We live off the Sunset Strip so its perfect.

We don’t stay out all day like we used to, but that’s ok. I taught myself to cook and am enjoying the slower life. ART is still our saving grace. Through my Insta friends, I found out about Giant Room, which is a creative space in NYC and they offered the BEST art classes once a week (for free) during this whole lock down. Capri is super engaged with it. They still have classes every now and then and we take them. They know Capri by name and face now. It gives us LIFE. Now I just need more storage in the house for all of the art she has created.

What are your top kid-friendly, Covid-friendly activities in LA right now?

Right now, I would say farm and garden adventures is where it’s at. Huntington Gardens, LA Arboretum, Descanso, South Coast Botanical, Underwood Family Farms for You pick fun. Depending on where you live, drive IN movies are fun too! I also like sitting socially distanced on the lawn of the Grove (they have circles painted on the lawn) and enjoy some people watching. There is the original Farmers Market there which has outside dining and great selections! Places like Palisades Village has a nice lawn space too. And food options are perfect. Century City is another good place to sit or run around. Eataly is open!!

I’d love to talk a little about your love of music. I saw that you were a competitive violin and piano player and now from Instagram I see your daughter seems to be following in your footsteps. What do you see as the importance of playing and appreciating music from a young age?

I don’t know where I would be without music. It has taken me around the world. Learning classical music is especially challenging. It’s an art and a discipline. It requires a lot of focus but it’s also the foundation for much more. Classical music is like a blank canvas. As you evolve in it, you can branch off into jazz, blues, hip hop, writing, production... you name it! Capri already plays her violin to other genres of music. There is a beautiful freedom in it.

What are you three favorite Instagram accounts to follow?

This is the hardest question you have asked me so far. I’m not sure I can name only three. I do love following people who are adventurers like myself, but I also love and appreciate the relationships Ive had and made with people who are the complete opposite of me. Thats the beauty of instagram. You can connect to all types of people all over the world.

In one sentence, can you describe what it means to be a mother?

I think I can do that in one word: Magical! I’m not sure it will ever feel real.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I LOVE when people ask me for recommendations on where to go and what to eat. My friends all tease that I’m a walking rolodex. It’s just who I am. When people follow me on instagram, I prefer they DM me.

And finally, where can we find you?