November 1: Ben Ford, Soliste Wines, Blue Plate, Steve Samson, El Segundo Brewing

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Ben Ford and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Ben Ford Part One
Segment Three: Chef Ben Ford Part Two
Segment Four: CoffeeCon LA 2014
Segment Five: Soliste and Chef Claude Koeberle
Segment Six: Jennifer Morton
Segment Seven: Chef Steve Samson of Sotto
Segment Eight: El Segundo Brewing Co.

Chef Ben Ford is today’s very special guest host. Now a preview of today’s show with Chef Ben and Producer & Occasional Co-Host, Andy Harris.…

Chef Ben Ford officially earned his cooking credentials working at some of the country’s most esteemed restaurants including the iconic Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He now oversees a growing collection of Ford’s Filling Station restaurants. The original Culver City restaurant will soon relocate to L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles and there is a branch at LAX.

His impressive cookbook, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking, focuses not only on bringing people together to eat good, sustainable organic food, but gathering lots, and lots, of people together to enjoy sumptuous feasts.

CoffeeCon LA 2014 will be held on November 8th at the classic former home of Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Coffee Fest mixes music, food and coffee sampling from over 20 of SoCal’s finest roasters. Classes on coffee brewing and other coffee topics will run all day long. CoffeeCon is the brainchild of noted coffee expert and author, Kevin Sinnott.

Soliste wines are the creation of Claude Koeberle, an acclaimed French master chef with impressive culinary credentials. Earlier in his career he was the executive chef at both Ma Maison and L’Orangerie. Limited releases of Pinot Noirs are their signature. Soliste wines are only available at select restaurants and direct from the winery.

On November 12th Chef Florent Marneau is working with Claude Koeberle to present a Soliste Wine Dinner (five course tasting menu) at Marche Moderne in the Penthouse at South Coast Plaza. You can be sure this will be an extraordinary evening! A limited release Soliste wine will be matched with each course.

The always on the go, Jennifer Morton, is a serial restaurateur who is always overflowing with creative ideas. She was the co-founder of the highly successful Divine Pasta Co. which supplied a range of fresh pastas to discriminating restaurants. Chapter Two for Jen was buying what is now Blue Plate on Montana Avenue and repositioning it as a full-service, neighborhood restaurant. Staying in Santa Monica Jen then created the Blue Plate Oysterette, her homage to a New England seafood shack. A new Blue Plate Oysterette recently opened on W. Third St. in Los Angeles. Blue Plate Taco, also in Santa Monica, is Ms. Morton’s take on coastal Mexican fare using local ingredients with a California flair. We’ll meet her.

Chef Steve Samson of Sotto is no stranger to the show. His “Sopra at Sotto” dining series will have its second installment on November 4th. While Sotto specializes in Southern Italian cuisine, the Sopra series allows Chef Steve to explore the rich and diverse cuisine of various regions to the North. The second dinner in the series will spotlight the food of Piedmonte.

In 2011 the El Segundo Brewing Co was created out of a love for beer. Hoppy craft beers are their signature. Rob Croxall, proprietor and brewer, was a hard-working aerospace finance guy who left a cushy corporate finance job with benefits to risk it all on craft beer. Fortunately it’s all been good. Rob says all the time, “My worst day here, still beats my best day there.” By any objective measure that is success!

All of this and lots more absolutely incredible deliciousness on Saturday’s show!

Ben Ford of Ford's Filling StationChef Ben Ford officially earned his cooking credentials working at some of the country’s most established restaurants including the iconic Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He now oversees a growing collection of Ford’s Filling Station restaurants. The original Culver City restaurant will soon relocate to the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles and there is a branch at LAX.

In 2012 he won the prestigious Cochon 555 – L.A. top award for snout-to-tail cooking with dishes like pork belly Benedict with soft poached egg, Fresno chili and bacon hollandaise.

His impressive cookbook, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking, focuses not only on bringing people together to eat good, sustainable organic food, but gathering lots, and lots, of people together to enjoy sumptuous feasts. Tapping into his childhood outdoor feasting memories, the book features step-by-step illustrated instructions for nine original menus with meals like a box-roasted spring lamb for 40, and a Cedar-planked Wild Sturgeon for 40 to 50 hungry guests.

Coffee Con 2014 Los AngelesCoffeeCon LA 2014 will be held on November 8th at the classic former home of Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Coffee Fest mixes music, food and coffee sampling from over 20 of SoCal’s finest roasters. Classes on coffee brewing and other coffee topics will run all day long.

CoffeeCon is the brainchild of noted coffee expert and author, Kevin Sinnott. After publishing his second book (The Art and Craft of Coffee) he realized that consumers still lacked the skills of hands-on brewing and the awareness of how different factors such as roast, the roasting method, roast profile and brewing technique have on even a single sample of coffee. CoffeeCon was created to stage a day-long hands-on educational and fun festival to address these topics and spread skills among consumers. The first CoffeeCon was held in 2011 in the Chicago area.

Claude Koeberle of Soliste WinesSoliste wines are the creation of Claude Koeberle, an acclaimed French master chef with impressive local credentials. Earlier in his career he was the executive chef at both Ma Maison and L’Orangerie. Limited releases of Pinot Noirs are their signature. Soliste wines are only available at select restaurants and direct from the winery.

Claude formed Soliste in 2005. His first release was Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir. He uses Old World Burgundian theory to create wines with finesse and balance that truly compliment extraordinary food. In Burgundy, a winemaker often reserves a barrel for their family and friends. They call this special barrel Soliste.

On Wednesday evening, November 12th Chef Florent Marneau (one of Orange County’s very best) is working with Claude Koeberle to present a Soliste Wine Dinner (five course tasting menu) at Marche Moderne in the Penthouse at South Coast Plaza. You can be sure this will be an extraordinary evening! A limited release Soliste wine will be matched with each course.

Jeniifer Morton of Blue PlateThe always on the go, Jennifer Morton, is a serial restaurateur who is always overflowing with creative ideas. She was the co-founder of the highly successful Divine Pasta Co. which supplied a range of fresh pastas to discriminating restaurants. Even the typically hard-to-please Italian chefs were big fans of the pasta.

Chapter Two for Jen was buying what is now Blue Plate on Montana Avenue and repositioning it as a full-service, neighborhood restaurant. Staying in Santa Monica (where she also resides) Jen then created the Blue Plate Oysterette, her homage to a New England seafood shack. A new Blue Plate Oysterette recently opened on W. Third St. in Los Angeles.

Blue Plate Taco, also in Santa Monica, is Ms. Morton’s take on costal Mexican fare using local ingredients with a distinctive California flair. Think crab guacamole with house-made chips and chicken tinga tacos with chipotle sauce and pickled onions. We’ll meet her.

Steve Samson of SottoChef Steve Samson of Sotto is no stranger to the show. His “Sopra at Sotto” dining series will have its second installment on November 4th. While Sotto specializes in Southern Italian cuisine, the Sopra series allows Chef Steve to explore the rich and diverse cuisine of various regions to the North. The second dinner in the series will spotlight the food of Piedmonte.

Piedmonte prides itself as the home of the famous white truffle. Guests will have the unusual opportunity to try these earthy truffles as a possible addition to two of Chef Steve’s favorite Piedmontese dishes.

Piedmonte is also famous for Barbaresco, Barbera and Barolo wines. Pairings for the evening will include these grapes.

Rob Croxall of El Segundo Brewing CompanyIn 2011 the El Segundo Brewing Co was created out of a love for beer. Hoppy craft beers are their signature. Rob Croxall, proprietor and brewer, was a hard-working aerospace finance guy who left a cushy corporate finance job with great benefits to risk it all on craft beer. Fortunately it’s all been good. Rob says all the time, “My worst day here, still beats my best day there.” By any objective measure that is success!

“So…we LOVE hops. To most people that means bitter beer. To us hoppy doesn’t particularly translate bitter. Here at ESBC we prefer to showcase the aromatic and flavor compounds of those glorious flowers. Our beers have firm bitterness, but tend to be more restrained than other West Coast IPA’s. We employ a dry-hopping regimen that borders on lunacy, which results in some very aromatic beers.”

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Ben Ford and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Ben Ford Part One
Segment Three: Chef Ben Ford Part Two
Segment Four: CoffeeCon LA 2014
Segment Five: Soliste and Chef Claude Koeberle
Segment Six: Jennifer Morton
Segment Seven: Chef Steve Samson of Sotto
Segment Eight: El Segundo Brewing Co.

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