If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and electric toothbrush. We asked actor and singer Leslie Odom Jr. — who currently stars in the Broadway show Purlie Victorious and is a partner of Kinder Chocolate — about the crowd-pleasing port he pours for guests, the portable speaker he takes everywhere, and the cereal he treats himself to after a show.
This time around, with this Broadway show Purlie Victorious, I have two little kids. I didn’t have that last time. I love a clean energy shot, and these Ethan’s ones give me a boost before a show when I need it. If I can do it without a cup of coffee, I’d prefer that. The shot doesn’t have the crash that coffee comes with. I have tried other energy boosters, but I like the size of the Ethan’s — it’s just enough to get me through a couple hours and I can still get to sleep at night, which I appreciate.
I take this speaker with me everywhere. It lives in my dressing room now, but it goes with me wherever I go so I can travel with my vibe. It helps me set a mood in a hotel room or dressing room if I’m there for a long time. It’s fantastic and durable and pretty loud for its size. It’s also not too expensive, so it’s not something that you have to guard with your life. I’ve had it for about a year now. My barber had one, and he would play some tunes in the morning when I was sitting in his chair, and so I got one to be like him.
This is my favorite after-work snack. My trainer wishes it wasn’t — it’s not terribly good for the waistline to eat a bowl of cold cereal after the show every night. So I’m learning to incorporate some other things, but I’ll usually go for a bowl or two of this. I like to put some raisins on top as well, and it’s just such a satisfying little snack. I do a fair amount of cardio in this show. I sweat a fair amount, so I feel like I should treat myself. There are worse things I can indulge in.
I wasn’t really an Aquaphor person until I had kids. It’s our Windex as parents. We use it for almost everything with the kids. It’s just really all-purpose for them. But then I started putting it on my lips in the wintertime, and I’m not a snob about my lip balm, but it’s my favorite one that I’ve found. It lasts for a long time, it works really well as a lip protector, and it really helps to hydrate and repair the lips as well.
I usually pour a little bit of this port for my guests after the show. I get it from my favorite wine and spirits store on the Upper West Side. My sommelier there, I trust him implicitly. He’s never steered me wrong. It’s a well-priced port that tastes a lot more expensive than it is. I think I pay about $30 for it, but it tastes like it’s double that. It’s a real crowd-pleaser after the show.
This is a great album. It’s one of those records that, when you put it on top to bottom, it’s a happy room the whole time. And because of the range of the music stylistically, it just touches and reaches everybody. I love the title track, “Watch the Sun.” I love “Be Like Water” featuring Stevie Wonder. I love “Please Don’t Walk Away” — that one might be my favorite. And I also love “On My Way” featuring El DeBarge. It’s a great record. There’s not a song I don’t like on it.
Oftentimes I’m leaving my apartment at the top of the day and I don’t get back until the end of the day. So I’m walking around with all this shoulder and back pain after a while, because I’m lugging around too much stuff. But this bag holds the perfect amount of stuff for the day without putting my body through it. I’ll use it to carry around a novel, my journal, a pen, my phone, and my wallet.
I came across this brand in the most New York way. I had a meeting at the 1 Hotel and there was a sample sale in the lobby. I walked past this black cross-body and it was love at first sight. And the ladies that own the brand were in the lobby, so I got to meet them, and they came to see the show that night. We became fast friends.
Kinder Chocolate sent us a box of of these individually wrapped milk chocolate delights. They went fast in our house. The ongoing discussion we’re having is to refrigerate or not to refrigerate. I like to put mine in the fridge for a day to add a little snap, a little crunch to it. But I’m alone in that so far — everybody else likes it straight out of the packaging, which is cool too. My wife and I, we’re not a “candy every day” house, but we are a fan of letting kids be kids. So it’s a reward every now and again, sharing these sweet special moments with them. It’s our pleasure to make Kinder Chocolate a part of these memories of their childhood.
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