Performer Christina Sanz-Rodriguez, supervisor Bevan Dufty, Police Commission President Thersa Sparks, and AsiaSF co-owner Larry Hashbarger. Photo by Rink.

Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young, proprietors of AsiaSF invited friends to a private celebration on April 21 recognizing a decade of fabulous food, award winning wine offerings, superb service, and extraordinary entertainment. This was an opportunity to proudly announce the opening of AsiaSF Hollywood, as well as to be a part of the inaugural shooting of a new reality TV series based on AsiaSF Hollywood. Everyone was dazzled by new numbers featuring The World Famous Ladies of AsiaSF, and previews from the new Ladies of AsiaSF Hollywood. It was a chance to indulge in new, as well as classic, AsiaSF menu delights by Executive Chef Matthew Metcalf. Assemblyman Mark Leno sent a certificate of recognition and Mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed it “AsiaSF Day in San Francisco.”

AsiaSF Hollywood will be open for business in autumn this year. Set up on the back walls were architectural renderings of the floor plan and the exterior of the Hollywood sister of AsiaSF on 1600 North Argyle Avenue. The outside features on one corner an attached sculpture of a gigantic Origami stork, twice the height of the building.

The event began with the inimitable Tita Aida being the first of the Ladies of AsiaSF, everyone doing gender illusion, dancing, and lip-syncing. Tita hit the famed bar-top runway wearing a black leather waist cincher and huge black boa to do Ruth Brown’s “If I Can’t Sell It, I’m Gonna Sit Down on It,” as a thrift store owner comparing a used chair to her derriere. Jackie was Amy Winehouse in that AW birds nest wig and severe eye makeup, telling us “They Tried to Make Me Go to Rehab,” but she lip-synced, “No! No! No!” Then Asia Vitale (a Hollywood lady) did American Idol’s Fantasia’s “I Believe” and utterly soared. Four lovely ladies of color (Malena, Ciara, Amber, and Simone) joined up to do En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind”: “Before you can read me, you got to learn how to see me,” which could also describe transgender discrimination. Emcee Ginger described the luscious ladies as “the seven miracles of modern science.”

Hashbarger said he has been friends with Young for 33 years and joked, “We were 5 when we met!” They had both just returned from Hollywood, where they auditioned transgender lady entertainers for that new venue. “It is such a pleasure to say that our ladies right here in San Francisco are as talented as the girls in L.A.,” he said. “I realize, despite all the stress, it was really my mission in life to found AsiaSF, because what we do here every night is celebrate human diversity,” he said. The most exciting part about Hollywood, he said, was that “we are going to export what I love most about San Francisco.” He said they plan to take a little piece of San Francisco all around the world – starting with Hollywood, then Times Square, then London, and more. “We are going to take our message about human diversity and the transgender movement and share it with the world in a way that will educate and empower people.” In ten years they have had 500,000 people come through the doors of AsiaSF, so he said to the politicians in the room, “AsiaSF is good for San Francisco, because we’re bringing people in.” Every Saturday night they seat 420 people for dinner. Hashbarger noted that the new restaurant would be in the middle of the entertainment capitol of the world, Hollywood, a block from Hollywood and Vine, half a block from the Pantages Theatre, the largest in America.

Hashbarger had a long list of people to thank, including the three original Ladies of AsiaSF, who have been there for all ten years. Karina, the producer of Queen of the Universe – the most prestigious transgender beauty pageant in L.A. – is working as a consultant and doing outreach to the Southern California transgender community. Chef Metcalf has been there since day one and will oversee the Hollywood kitchen. Choreographer and show director Ronnie Reddick has been responsible for making the entertainment so much more than the average drag show. Lord Martine has joined on as creative director.

“There is no yesterday; there’s no tomorrow,” said Hashbarger. “There is only living the moment. There’s a great song from Rent called ‘There’s No Day But Today,’ but I will change that: there’s no moment but this moment.”

“In the last year, Larry has been an absolute inspiration to everyone in this restaurant,” said Young. “I’m amazed at the amount of positive energy that comes out of him, no matter what, in a crazy life where he is doing all this wonderful work for Macy’s and the Passport charity, expanding it into a nationwide theme.” Young said, “Every day you get a voicemail from him about what a wonderful day it is, and isn’t it great to be alive?!” He concluded, “I think what we do here is make people feel good about themselves.” He said, “We make our family here feel good, and our patrons feel good, because that is what San Francisco is all about.” He noted, “We are less than two blocks from where the United Nations began and there was a new way of thinking, which couldn’t have happened anywhere else but in San Francisco.” He said, “This really is the creative capital of the world, and now we’re going to bring it to the rest of the world.”

The evening ended with a second stellar show. Jasmine was lead with three dreamy girls in red couture “singing” the ultimate in power ballads, “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls. Ciara did Janet Jackson’s “Feedback,” looking very hot in JJ dancewear executing intricate JJ dance moves. Yuni, who will be performing in the Hollywood restaurant, did “Listen” from the Dreamgirls movie by Beyoncé: “the time has come for my dreams to be heard” is exactly what AsiaSF offers these talented entertainers. Christina was anything but shy while booty bumpin’ to Beyoncé’s “Get Me Bodiez.” Darna was Madonna in her dominatrix years doing “Human Nature” (“Oops, I didn’t know we couldn’t talk about sex”), digging her stilettos into the crotch of a masked man (Collin) who was bound to a chair. Four luscious ladies (Jasmine as lead, Karmina, Sharon, and Alliyah) did the fabulous finale of the Dreamgirls movie: “We’re your dream girls; we’ll make you happy.” And isn’t that what AsiaSF is all about?!