Jay de Laval was a gay designer with a long career as a con-man in California. He had a reputation for tasteful decorating. He designed the interior of Villa Amanda, Lennie Newman was a boyfriend of Jay de Laval and assistant chef in his restaurant during the s. Jay's was a charming place-tiny, artistically decorated-and always packed. It was a favorite dining place of Greta Garbo. She came in early for dinner one night before she went to Europe, looked around, and said to Jay, "Where are all the celebrities?
Jay had a vague reputation for being crooked. Later on, it was said that he had had to leave California to avoid arrest; this was after he had settled in Mexico. He was also, obviously, a bit of a con man. It was easy to imagine him using his considerable charm to get money out of rich old women; his role as the Baron de Laval was probably related to this. Jay was large and well built, though inclined to plumpness.
He was very blond maybe artificially and he had big blue eyes. Despite their seeming boldness, they revealed nothing inward. Jay was all on the surface, all smiles and gossip and camp. It was only when he laughed loudly that you got a hint of madness. He was not only a very good cook but a marvellous host. He could take you into the kitchen and fix a meal for you both without ever losing the thread of the conversation or making you feel awkward because he was doing all the work.
He was also, it seems, a marvellous seducer. But the testimony of half a dozen boys who had had sex with Jay and then talked about it to Christopher was quite impressive. Jay de Laval opened another restaurant in the Virgin Islands, and in he was briefly in charge of the Mocambo in Los Angeles. Eventually he left California, settled in Mexico, and opened a grand restaurant in Mexico City in the early s. There he also planned interiors with the Mexican designer Arturo Pani, and advised airlines on food, creating a menu for Mexico Air Lines and crockery for Air France.
He divided his time between Mexico City and a condominium in Acapulco. Some international visitors settled permanently. Earl Sennett , an instructor at Mexico City College in the s and s, directed the Mexico City Players, a theatrical troupe that included political dissidents like John T.
