Show 256, January 13, 2018: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel

Now an enticing preview of this Saturday’s abundant 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 morning throughout the new year.

Surprisingly craft beer is still a bit of a novelty in Mexico due to some odd distribution regulations. Fortunately (due to very hard work among dedicated & patient beer aficionados) these archaic regulations have been relaxed in the last few years and craft beers can now reach thirsty restaurants and bars. In Sunny Puerto Vallarta the first craft brewery to gain traction is the growing Los Muertos Brewery. We’ll enjoy a cold one with founder, Conner Watts.

January 27th marks the return of Orange County’s all-noodle-everything food festival, NOODS NOODS NOODS, presented by Foodbeast. This wild and unrestrained food festival will feature some of the craziest, most delicious, and inspired noodle creations. Foodbeast Founder Elie Ayrouth joins us with the slurp-worthy details.

Chef Neal Fraser of Redbird in Downtown Los Angeles is the Host Chef for the upcoming C-CAP Los Angeles Full Circle Winter Dinner Benefit on February 9th. Chef Neal has assembled an impressive group of celebrity chefs to join him for the stellar evening. We’ll pull Chef Neal out of the busy Redbird and Vibiana kitchens to provide a tempting preview.

All sports fans anticipate putting their brackets together for the college basketball championships. Why not a craft beer bracket competition with great prizes and samples of unique craft beers from 14 small producers along the way? For the 3rd year the ever-creative Jon Sanchez, the proprietor of the popular Native Son Alehouse in Downtown Santa Ana, has done just that. Every Thursday night, with the finals on March 29th, craft brewers are competing head-to-head in pairs. Jon taps the keg on the spirited competition just for us.

On the horizon is the culmination of SideDoor’s current cheese series. On January 17th it’s the Ultimate Cheese & Charcuterie Backyard Party at Corona del Mar’s SideDoor. Their own resident certified expert cheese monger, Tracy Nelsen is our guest.

Situated inside Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, Tierra Sur Restaurant contin­ues to receive national recognition as one of the finest restaurants in Southern California. Head Chef Gabriel Garcia and his team bring bold and exciting ideas to life – while using only seasonal ingredients, sourced fresh from local farm­ers. Year over year, Tierra Sur has deservedly received the highest ZAGAT ratings in Ventura County. Chef Gabe uncorks the unusual experience for us.

Our always dynamic Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, is back in-studio from his recent adventures in Park City, Utah where he has just debuted the third Slapfish in Utah. Chef Andrew will share (and explain) some important hospitality business trends he sees for 2018. Is delivery a growing trend for better restaurants? Is ticketing (and paying in advance) for fine dining a viable business model? Is a cashless restaurant good hospitality? This is another chapter of his conversation continued from the previous weeks.

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

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