To walk into the home of Barbara Lazaroff is like walking into a wonderland.  Vibrant colors abound, modern works of art adorn every surface.  Each object, from the individually created picture frames that elbow each other for room on the Yamaha baby grand, to the six-foot high aardvark/zebra sculpture that dominates part of the living room, has been chosen with the ultimate care.  This proliferation of wonders is a perfect metaphor for the woman herself.  A compelling presence, she is long limbed and graceful, her raven hair spilling over her shoulders and her brown eyes arched by expressive eyebrows.  Her voice, calm and authoritative rumbles with just the slightest hint of the Eastern shore from which she originally hails. 

Barbara Lazaroff is most famously known for her partnership with her former husband, Wolfgang Punk, for whom she designed all their renowned current and former restaurants.  These include the Asian-infused Chinois, the marine-inspired Granita, and the iconic Spago, among many others.  In her designs Lazaroff introduced many innovations such as the exhibition kitchen, the organic flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, and walls filled with the work of contemporary artists.  These elements are now so much a part of the restaurant zeitgeist as to be ubiquitous.

Although many people may not realize this, Barbara is not just about design.  She is the power behind the brand that is Wolgang Puck.  Her vision was of a dining experience that began well before the food was ever placed before the patron.  As she puts it, “You dine with your eyes first.” Her insights were inspired as much by psychology as by aesthetics.  She knew that people have visceral reactions to colors, light, and textures, and that they love being swept away by welcoming spaces rich in fantasy and imagination. 

Barbara also knew, early on, how to combine artistic inspiration with business savvy, co-operating with her husband not only the fine-dining venues, but expansions into such areas as catering, retail food lines, Wolfgang Puck Cafes, and Wolfgang Puck Expresses which dot countless shopping malls and airports throughout the country. 

Barbara’s interests and abilities have always been far ranging.  She studied dance and theatre in college, paying her own way by holding down three jobs, two of which were working in a blood gas analysis lab, and at a hospital.  This led her into an interest in pre-med which she pursued for a number of years before deciding to follow a different path.  "I had a broad spectrum of experiences,” Barbara says, “And I think that’s what a lot of kids don’t get now, in that they don’t know what they want to do necessarily, and they don’t get to try out different things.”  

In the day to day operation of the Wolfgang Puck empire, Barbara also wore many hats.  “I was doing many different things,” she says.  “I was dealing with contracts, I was writing business presentations, I was on the real estate committee, at one point I was even working on the writing of the menus!  Later I headed up the design and architecture wing of the food company.  Oh, and I was having babies too!”  

While running restaurants and raising two sons, Barbara also become an avid philanthropist and fundraiser for such organizations as Meals on Wheels, The American Cancer Society, The Children’s Museum, The Israel Cancer Research Fund, Aids Project LA, and Project Angel Food, just to cite a partial list.  

As a writer, Barbara has contributed a number of blogs to HuffPost, as well as co-authoring (with Tricia LaVoice) the book, Wishes For a Mother's Heart.  She was a co-producer and interviewee on the film: Femme: Women Healing the World.  And she currently hosts a podcast called Exuberant Living with Barbara Lazaroff.  

We are proud to feature Barbara Lazaroff as one of our amazing women in RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full Lives.

Posted by Dale Griffiths Stamos

The idea for RenWomen: What Modern Renaissance Women Have to Teach Us About Living Rich, Full Lives emerged out of a book that W. Scott Griffiths and his co-author Eric Elfman wrote about modern-day Renaissance men entitled: Beyond Genius: The 12 Essential Traits of Today’s Renaissance Men.

It made the case that modern Renaissance men, as well as Renaissance men through the ages, share a certain set of traits.  It is these traits in combination that make these men as remarkable as they are.  What are these traits?  Well,  a Renaissance Man:

•   Is outstanding in his field and exceptional in many areas.
  
•   Is insatiably curious
  
•   Embraces culture
  
•   Merges his left and right brain
  
•   Delights in sharing what he does
  
•   Has the courage to take risks
  
•   Creates
  
•   Perseveres
  
•   Is passionate
  
•   Has vision
  
•   Challenges the status quo
  
•   Shapes the future

In conducting the research and surveys for the book,  the authors, out of curiosity, asked whether Renaissance-style women shared the same traits.  The answer was a uniform “yes.”

During work on Beyond Genius, and after, Scott and Eric were often asked the question: What about the Women?  Aren’t there modern day Renaissance women? Were there Renaissance women in the past?  When first faced with the question, Scott googled the words “Renaissance woman” and was surprised to find listings that were predominantly women who lived during the Renaissance and a few scattered modern women who were touted as Renaissance women.

This seemed wrong.  There were, no doubt, many modern women every bit as multi-talented and groundbreaking as the men featured in Beyond Genius.   And there must have also been Renaissance-style women throughout history, despite societal pressures and patriarchal systems.

And, he wondered, do these women manifest their Renaissance-ness in the same way as the men do?   What can we learn from these extraordinary women? 

The idea for a new book began to take hold.  Scott immediately brought me, Dale, in as co-author.  I am a professional writer and had served as editor on Beyond Genius.  Additionally he felt, as twin sister and brother, we would bring a unique perspective to the subject matter.   So began the search for and the interviewing of women from all walks of life who were living inspiring Renaissance lives.  And as the interviews progressed, it became more and more apparent that these women knew things.  Not just the many skills and careers they had mastered, but things about life, about happiness, about helping the planet we all live on evolve.  Things that mattered, not just for themselves, but for the world.  And that’s when we realized: These are not just Renaissance women, but Renaissance makers.  They are heralding in a modern Renaissance, a paradigm shift  in our social, cultural and intellectual landscape.  There are of course men who are also part of this growing tide, as well as  women who do not live Renaissance lives, per se.  But we have been particularly struck by the expansive and distinctive perspectives of these women whom we call “RenWomen” (why use a term borrowed from the men?) and this book is an exploration and celebration of what these women have to teach not just other women, but everyone.