Show 136, August 29, 2015: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel & Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

Andrew Gruel and Anthony Dispensa of Slapfish Restaurants and FYI Say It To My FaceExecutive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, and now, Irvine at UCI, is back as today’s special Guest Host.

Next a tempting preview of Saturday’s ample show and not, with apologies, for dieters. With any luck we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

The Los Angeles Times’The Taste” food festival returns to Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood on Labor Day Weekend running from September 4th through 6th. Executive Chef Michael Fiorelli of Love & Salt in Manhattan Beach is co-hosting the Saturday night program, “Dinner with a Twist.” He joins us to preview the festivities.

The well-traveled Sameer Suri is emblematic of the new breed of young writers covering lifestyle. He’s one of the Los Angeles correspondents for InsideHook, a daily, editorial e-mail newsletter to “inspire driven men.” It covers culture, food & drink and travel. As a student in the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, Sameer had the unusual opportunity to spend a semester in London. We’ll chat about the newly vibrant London food scene.

Tara Gomez, the Winemaker and General Manager of Kita Wines in Santa Barbara County, is no stranger to the show. Kita is unusually owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. It’s one of the few Indian-owned wineries that is actually managed by the Tribe. Tara is a Chumash Tribe member trained in enology. At the recent Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Kita Wines were awarded 2 Gold Medals, 3 Silver Medals, and 2 Bronze medals. Pretty impressive for a tiny boutique winery with an annual case production of 2,000.

Tom Gordon’s and Cris Petersen’s The Pepper Project promotes U.S. importation of fine Kampot pepper as a way to support Cambodians and the country’s economy. Its great pepper that was used in the finest French restaurants during the colonial era. They have partnered with Expedia to organize and host The Pepper Project’s Insider’s Tour of Cambodia in late February of 2016. We’ll get the inside information from Tom Gordon.

Russ Parsons is a veteran food writer and columnist for The Los Angeles Times as well as an award-winning cookbook author. He was previously the Food Section Editor for a number of years. As part of the upcoming Los Angeles Times’ The Taste, Russ is co-hosting the Saturday morning, September 5th program, “Field to Fork.” Russ Parsons is our guest to provide the details.

It’s New Mexico Hatch Chile roasting season. No independent restaurant in California celebrates this with the depth of Chef Marco Zapien of Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Tacqueria in Pico Rivera. He hosts a Hatch Chile cooking demo with a full menu, a Saturday chile roasting and even a special Hatch Chile Brunch on September 12th. Chef Marco joins us with all the flavorful 411.

Fresh crab is a delicacy but it takes a bit of work and knowledge to extract the meat from the crab’s shell and claws. There are over 4,000 varieties. We’ll talk all things crab (including Dungeness, Blue and Stone crabs) with our knowledgeable Co-host, Chef Andrew Gruel.

Chef Andrew’s new FYI network restaurant makeover series, “Say It To My Face,” returns to the airwaves this afternoon (Saturday night) for the continuation of Season 1. Check your local listings for the time.

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

Comments are closed.