February 24: The Oscars and Governors Ball, Panxa Cocina, Smog City Brewing, Cochon555, Berlin Bistro

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Executive Chef Eric Klein, Vice President, Culinary, Wolfgang Puck Catering
Segment Three: Art Gonzalez, Chef / Proprietor, Panxa Cocina, Long Beach
Segment Four: Laurie Porter, Smog City Brewing Co. & President, L.A. County Brewers Guild Part One
Segment Five: Laurie Porter, Smog City Brewing Co. & President, L.A. County Brewers Guild Part Two
Segment Six: Brady Lowe, Founder, Cochon555
Segment Seven: Kerstin Kansteiner, Proprietress, Berlin Bistro, Long Beach
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel’s “Ask the Chef”

Now an enticing preview of this Saturday’s crave-worthy show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing… Keep in mind we’re always here with you live every Saturday with a fresh show.

For the 24th consecutive year the celebrity chef to the stars, Wolfgang Puck, will set the stage for the Oscars’ Governors Ball menu pairing classic Hollywood glamour with culinary whimsy. Working alongside Chef Puck is Wolfgang Puck Catering’s Executive Chef and Vice President, Culinary, Eric Klein (formerly Executive Chef & Partner of Spago Las Vegas. We’ll have an exclusive kitchen chat with Chef Eric.

Recognized as a warm and welcoming neighborhood eatery for creative modern New Mexican cuisine, lively happy hours, and communal gatherings, Long Beach’s Panxa Cocina solidifies its standing as a go-to staple for food and fun with the launch of “Mimosas & Mutts,” which started on February 17, 2018. Chef Proprietor Art Gonzalez puts on the just dog for us. (He has two canine charges in his own household.)

“In October 2011, Smog City Brewing Co. began brewing beer at the Tustin Brewing Co. (TBC) brewpub. By utilizing TBC’s excess fermentation capacity, Smog City was able to brew well-crafted beers, and personally distribute to restaurants and bars throughout Los Angeles County. We worked to create a presence in the craft brewing community and brewed and distributed 240 barrels in the first year.” In May of 2013 Smog City debuted their own brewery taproom in Torrance. Since then the Taproom has become an amazing home for locals and visitors alike.

Co-founder Laurie Porter taps the keg for us. She is also the President of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild.

Cochon555, one of the nation’s most talked about premium food, wine and spirit celebration and live-event series, is back on the road in 2018, returning to the Los Angeles area on Sunday, March 11, 2018. Viceroy Santa Monica will play host to a hundred-plus prominent chefs, farmers, sommeliers, distillers, brewers and barkeeps all working in concert to create luxurious moments at this stand-up, all-inclusive bacchanal celebration of tasty heritage breed pork. Founder Brady Lowe is our “hog wild” guest.

Ever think much about the seemingly innocuous plastic straw ? Ultimately plastic doesn’t belong in the ocean yet that’s where millions of straws end up poisoning the ocean with a non-biodegradable item and actually harming sea creatures. Long Beach’s Berlin Bistro’s proprietress, Kerstin Kansteiner, is now taking the lead on making plastic straws “request only’ in a concerted effort to reduce straw pollution and “auto strawing.” Kerstin joins us.

Our always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his “Ask the Chef” series. Ceviche and Poke are on a lot of restaurant menus these days. There is also a flood of Poke shops opening all over. How do they maintain consistent quality? The fish used needs to be super fresh. It’s the 411 on both Poke and Ceviche. Chef Andrew weighs in.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s show!

Eric Klein of Wolfgang Puck CateringFor the 24th consecutive year the celebrity chef to the stars Wolfgang Puck will set the stage for the Oscars’ Governors Ball menu pairing classic Hollywood glamour with culinary whimsy. It’s for 1,500 VIP guests including Oscar winners and Nominees in the Ray Dolby Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center. It starts immediately following the Oscar telecast on ABC.

Working alongside Chef Puck is Wolfgang Puck Catering’s Executive Chef and Vice President, Culinary, Eric Klein (formerly Executive Chef & Partner of Spago Las Vegas.)

The culinary team creates more than 50 imaginative dishes from one-bite hors d’oeuvres to small-plate entrees that will be passed throughout the evening.

Some 32,000 plates of food will be enjoyed by the guests served by a team of 10 maitre d’ staff, 850 service and support staff and 300 culinary staff.

On the order list for the Governors Ball is 350 pounds of Atlantic Bigeye tuna, 15 kilos of American, farm-raised caviar, 250 Maine lobsters, 300 pounds of Miyazaki Wagyu beef, and 800 stone crab claws.

The guests will toast with 1,400 bottles of Piper-Heidsieck (more than 12,000 glasses) and 2,400 bottles of fine wine from Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Director’s Cut wine collection.

We’ll have an exclusive kitchen chat with Chef Eric.

Arthur GonzalezRecognized as a warm and welcoming neighborhood eatery for creative modern New Mexican cuisine, lively happy hours, and communal gatherings, Long Beach’s Panxa Cocina solidifies its standing as a go-to staple for food and fun with the launch of “Mimosas & Mutts,” which started on February 17, 2018.

This monthly brunch gathering features a special invite to our four-legged friends as Executive Chef and Owner Arthur Gonzalez welcomes brunch-goers to bring their canine companions to the sunny patio at Panxa Cocina located in the buzzing Belmont Heights neighborhood on the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The convivial brunch event launched on the first weekend of the Year of the Dog in the Chinese Lunar calendar, with much fanfare and Instagram-worthy local dogs. The monthly gathering provides a dog-friendly menu of Southwestern staples like rice and beans for the slobbery set, as well as a free juice flight to accompany bottles of champagne for thirsty dog moms and dads.

“Panxa Cocina encourages all dog-owners to enjoy favorites from the New Mexican-inspired brunch menu, including Blue Corn Piñon Pancakes, Chilaquilas Roja, Smothered Breakfast Burrito, and Stacked Enchiladas, as well as classic and new-fangled brunch libations from accomplished Bar Manager Greg Goins. Guests are also encouraged to use the hashtag: #pupsatpanxa to share their experiences on social media.”

Chef Proprietor Art Gonzalez puts on the just dog for us. (He has two canine charges in his own household.)

Laurie Porter“In October 2011, Smog City Brewing Co. began brewing beer at the Tustin Brewing Co. (TBC) brewpub. By utilizing TBC’s excess fermentation capacity, Smog City was able to brew well-crafted beers, and personally distribute to restaurants and bars throughout Los Angeles County. We worked to create a presence in the craft brewing community and brewed and distributed 240 barrels in the first year.”

“By 2012, we’d grown faster than ever expected. After the purchase of our own full-scale brewing equipment, we formalized plans for our new brewery and taproom in Torrance, CA. In 2013, we received final building and license approvals and began brewing and opened our brewery taproom in May of 2013. Our Taproom in Torrance has become an amazing home for locals and visitors alike.”

“In January of 2017, we had an opportunity to join a unique and progressive project called SteelCraft in Long Beach. SteelCraft is a re-purposed outdoor food hall made entirely out of recycled shipping containers. This gorgeous outdoor beer garden has plenty of flavorful food options to choose from while you drink a delicious Smog City Beer.”

“Stop in and see us for a taste of our proven and experimental beers in Long Beach or a tour of our brewery & taproom in Torrance.”

Co-founder Laurie Porter taps the keg for us. She is also the President of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild.

Laurie Porter is also The President of the L.A. County Brewers Guild with over 50-member breweries in Los Angeles County.

The mission of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild is to promote and protect local independently-owned craft breweries and advocate for the strengthening of the craft beer industry. The LABG strives to encourage the growth of world-class beer culture within L.A. county through various educational efforts and aims to stimulate growth through community engagement. Formally founded in 2013, the LABG is a federally recognized 501(c)6 non-profit organization.

Brady Lowe of Cochon 555Cochon555, one of the nation’s most talked about premium food, wine and spirit celebration and live-event series, is back on the road in 2018, returning to the Los Angeles area on Sunday, March 11, 2018. Viceroy Santa Monica will play host to a hundred-plus prominent chefs, farmers, sommeliers, distillers, brewers and barkeeps all working in concert to create luxurious moments at this stand-up, all-inclusive bacchanal celebration of tasty heritage breed pork.

Cochon555’s 2018 group of cutting-edge chefs from across the city has each participant cooking one whole heritage breed pig raised by a family farm. The competing chefs include Sammy Monsour of Preux & Proper, Brian Redzikowski of Kettner Exchange, Thomas Bille of Otium, Lord Maynard Llera of Mason and Hugo Bolanos of Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air.

One week before the event, each chef receives a 200-pound heritage breed pig sustainably sourced from Cook Pigs Ranch, Rancho Llano Seco, Winfield Farm, Sowbelly Sustainable Farm, and Peads & Barnetts to create a maximum of 6 dishes for competition. With dozens of bites from iconic local chefs, boutique distillers, and artisan winemakers, the event is akin to an epic tasting menu of heritage breed pork with endless beverage pairings taken standing up.

To win the friendly competition for a cause, a chef’s menu must woo twenty celebrity judges with their “Judge’s Plate” scored on utilization; technique; and overall flavor and be voted “best bite of the day” by guests. The winning “Prince or Princess of Pork” in Los Angeles will advance to the national finale, Grand Cochon, a head-to-tail, winner-takes-all showdown for the crown in Chicago on September 30th.

Founder Brady Lowe is our “hog wild” guest.

Kerstin KansteinerEver think much about the seemingly innocuous plastic straw? Ultimately plastic doesn’t belong in the ocean yet that’s where millions of straws end up poisoning the ocean with a non-biodegradable item and harmful to sea creatures.

Long Beach’s Berlin Bistro’s community-minded proprietress, Kerstin Kansteiner, is now taking the lead on making plastic straws “request only’ in a concerted effort to reduce straw pollution and “auto strawing.”

  • Americans go through 500 million plastic straws a day!
  • The USA can fill up 127 school buses with the straws we use every single day in this country

Kerstin joins us.

Andrew Gruel and his son WilliamOur always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his Ask the Chef series. Ceviche and Poke are on a lot of restaurant menus these days. There is also a flood of Poke shops opening all over. How do they maintain consistent quality? The fish used needs to be super fresh. It’s the 411 on both Poke and Ceviche.

Chef Andrew weighs in.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Executive Chef Eric Klein, Vice President, Culinary, Wolfgang Puck Catering
Segment Three: Art Gonzalez, Chef / Proprietor, Panxa Cocina, Long Beach
Segment Four: Laurie Porter, Smog City Brewing Co. & President, L.A. County Brewers Guild Part One
Segment Five: Laurie Porter, Smog City Brewing Co. & President, L.A. County Brewers Guild Part Two
Segment Six: Brady Lowe, Founder, Cochon555
Segment Seven: Kerstin Kansteiner, Proprietress, Berlin Bistro, Long Beach
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel’s “Ask the Chef”

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