OCnow's restaurant contributor and New & Noteworthy reporter, Glori Fickling, is a long time Laguna Beach resident well known for reviewing the Orange County and Los Angeles restaurant scenes over several decades.  Her most prideful claim to fame however, she says, is Honey West, the sexy blonde fictional character she co-authored with her late husband, Forest E. "Skip" Fickling via a series of eleven mystery novels published from 1957 to 1971.

Glori's writing credits commenced with fashion publications. A small Los Angeles magazine job on arrival from her native New York City, spring boarded her to assistant fashion editor at Look Magazine in Los Angeles followed by an aesthetically rewarding stint at The May Company. Here she became premier stylist, dressing models for newspaper ads with crack photographer Hal Adams and creating magazine media location shots with renowned John Engstead. Soon after came what she considers her most significant fashion career move, covering the L.A. market for Women's Wear Daily (WWD). For this internationally revered "bible of the industry", she covered the entire fashion scene focusing on everything from sportswear, to evening wear to high fashion couture extravaganzas. At that time, she further created her own innovative collection of maternity wear designing sensual, bare shoulder A-line dresses which, ironically, precluded by months, similar styles later promoted internationally by famous French designer Yves St. Laurent.

A move to Laguna Beach in 1950 was necessitated by her husband's recall to active duty and relocation to El Toro Marine base triggered by the sudden Korean campaign. This prompted Fairchild Publications to engage her as a stringer for several of their industry wide newspapers. With so many local datelines appearing Internationally in WWD, Retailing Daily, Drug News Weekly, Footwear News and Electronic News. New York editors soon proclaimed that Glori "put Laguna Beach on the map". A second facet of Glori's illustrious career came with her introduction of fashion shows at private clubs, restaurants and hotels, an enticing new idea for the still burgeoning beach town. An intriguing turn to restaurant reporting came after traveling the country with her husband promoting their Honey West novels. Realizing that the best way to locate reputable places to dine in strange cities was checking with hotel concierges, cab drivers, local newspapers and brochures. This inspired the idea of writing about restaurants in her own resort town. Thus, prior to OCnow, her reviews have appeared in a number newspaper, magazine and TV media since the late sixties, some columns flaunting the capricious heading Glormet, with accent on the e, an obvious take on words.

Harking back to Honey West, however, Glori exults, "she was the first female private detective to make a splash in fiction and television history and was quoted by Encyclopedia Britannica as 'the most famous fictional female character in the world'. Precluding by 8 to 12 years such copycats as TV's 'Police Woman' and 'Charlie's Angels', Honey West became the subject of 1965's ABC series starring beautiful actress, Anne Frances, appearing on prime time, Friday nights at 9 p.m. opposite CBS' long established Gomer Pyle. "It is amazing", says Glori, "to be approached these days by avid fans, both male and female, who were as young as five years when Honey West aired". One such person, in fact, recently flew out from the East coast to interview her as well as Anne Frances and co-star John Ericson for a book he is writing on the television show which is to include an interview with the karate instructor. In addition we have just learned that all the1965 episodes are scheduled for DVD, ready to debut in early September. Updates are available on VCIentertainment.com.

When not ensconced researching and writing OCnow's various restaurant stories, Glori keeps busy working with such local charities as Laguna Beach Community Clinic, the Resource and Relief Center and, as a devoted animal lover, RUFF, (Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends). She is currently involved with an enterprising new Orange County non-profit foundation, KOCI Radio, set to launch in late summer, and is frequently observed traipsing the many and varied art venues in South Orange County, always sporting one of her signature chapeaux and often kicking up her heels to any music which may prevail along the way.

  Do you have a restaurant that you would like Glori to review? Contact: Glori Fickling