Show 474, May 14, 2022: Litty Mathew, Founder, Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles Part One

Litty Mathew of Greenbar Distillery

“Los Angeles-based Greenbar Distillery established in 2004 has the largest portfolio of organic spirits for customers seeking a higher standard of taste and an easier way to make the perfect cocktail.”

“The truth is, great cocktails can be really difficult to make. That’s why Greenbar Distillery does the hard work for you, creating deeply flavorful spirits that remove the hassle, mess and guesswork from making great cocktails. This allows Greenbar’s customers to spend less time making drinks and more time enjoying friends and family.”

“Way back when, founder Melkon Khosrovian was inspired to create infused spirits that his fiance, Litty Mathew (founder) would find more palatable than the harsh liquor served during his Armenian family celebrations— a tall task as Litty is a gourmet at heart.”

“Through relentless research and experimentation, the two began to innovate the art of extracting and capturing clean, rich flavors from organic ingredients. Legend of their concoctions grew and, eventually, led them to create Greenbar Distillery.”

“Buzz-Less Spirits” is a growing trend and product category. Greenbar has a new line of non-alcoholic canned Highballs (Un Gin+Tonic and Un Rum+Cola) as an addition to their Bitters+Soda (Burnt Orange, Earl Grey, and Lavender) cans.

“How did Greenbar Distillery improve non-alcoholic cocktails? By giving them real depth and complexity through the use of authentically distilled and infused spirits. Greenbar simply finishes these by distilling off the alcohol while keeping all of the rich flavors cocktail lovers crave…only now without the buzz.”

“Delicious organic spirits = healthier planet. Saving the planet can be fun. Greenbar customers have the satisfaction of knowing that for every bottle they enjoy, Greenbar Distillery will plant one tree. Simply enjoying one cocktail made with 2oz. of their spirits renders you carbon negative for the day – how easy is that?”

The highly recommended Greenbar Distillery Tour and Tasting has returned one Saturday a month by reservation. The next Tour date is Saturday, May 28th.

Greenbar Distillery Founder Litty Mathew is our guest.

Show 474, May 14, 2022: Litty Mathew, Founder, Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles Part Two

Litty Mathew of Greenbar Distillery

“Los Angeles-based Greenbar Distillery established in 2004 has the largest portfolio of organic spirits for customers seeking a higher standard of taste and an easier way to make the perfect cocktail.”

“Way back when, founder Melkon Khosrovian was inspired to create infused spirits that his fiance, Litty Mathew (founder) would find more palatable than the harsh liquor served during his Armenian family celebrations— a tall task as Litty is a gourmet at heart.”

“Through relentless research and experimentation, the two began to innovate the art of extracting and capturing clean, rich flavors from organic ingredients. Legend of their concoctions grew and, eventually, led them to create Greenbar Distillery.”

“Buzz-Less Spirits” is a growing trend and product category. Greenbar has a new line of non-alcoholic canned Highballs (Un Gin+Tonic and Un Rum+Cola) as an addition to their Bitters+Soda (Burnt Orange, Earl Grey, and Lavender) cans.

“How did Greenbar Distillery improve non-alcoholic cocktails? By giving them real depth and complexity through the use of authentically distilled and infused spirits. Greenbar simply finishes these by distilling off the alcohol while keeping all of the rich flavors cocktail lovers crave…only now without the buzz.”

“Delicious organic spirits = healthier planet. Saving the planet can be fun. Greenbar customers have the satisfaction of knowing that for every bottle they enjoy, Greenbar Distillery will plant one tree. Simply enjoying one cocktail made with 2oz. of their spirits renders you carbon negative for the day – how easy is that?”

The highly recommended Greenbar Distillery Tour and Tasting has returned one Saturday a month by reservation. The next Tour date is Saturday, May 28th.

Greenbar Distillery Founder Litty Mathew continues as our guest with a Greenbar Un Gin+Tonic (non-alcohol cocktail) in hand.

Five Spice Old Fashioned

Five Spice Old Fashioned Cocktail by Nancy Chen

Recipe excerpt from:
101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon
by Nancy Chen

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tsp of honey (or add more to taste, can use simple syrup or maple syrup as well)
  • ⅛ tsp Chinese five spice powder
  • 2.5 oz whiskey (I like Japanese whiskey)
  • 3 segments of mandarin orange
  • 1-2 dashes of orange bitters
  • 2 dried star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick, for garnish
  • Ice

Directions

  1. Combine orange, whiskey, five spice powder, and sweetner and muddle together.
  2. Top with ice and star anise, then use a cinnamon stick to stir and garnish. Enjoy!

Show 42, October 5, 2013: Marin Howarth, co-owner and Executive Chef Noah Blom of ARC restautant at SoCo

Marin Howarth and Executive Chef Noah BlomIt’s fair to say the restaurant opening of the year in Orange County is ARC located right here at SoCo in Costa Mesa. The reviews have been ethereal. Last Sunday, September 29th, they were the recipient of the Golden Foodie Award for “Best New Restaurant.”

Brad A. Johnson awarded them Three Stars in his glowing review (March 20, 2013) for The Register.

ARC owners Marin Howarth and Executive Chef Noah Blom joined us to talk about their wild ride.

It’s all from-scratch cooking with locally sourced ingredients. Every menu item is unusually cooked over an open fire. There are impressive secret menu items (including a giant burger) so ask…

It’s an open kitchen so everything is totally visible to the guest. Great care goes into the preparation of the libations, too, under the supervision of a bar chef. Bitters, infusions, syrups, and sodas are all made in-house.

October 5: Live from Patchwork Show: Edible Editon

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Jet Tila, host of the “SoCal Restaurant Show”
Segment Three: Carlos Salgago, Executive Chef and Proprietor of Taco Maria
Segment Four: Nicole Stevenson, co-producer of Patchwork Show – Edible Edition
Segment Five: Bill Esparza, the Mexican Food Maestro
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part One
Segment Seven: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part Two
Segment Eight: Marin Howarth, co-owner and Executive Chef Noah Blom of ARC restautant at SoCo

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Patchwork Show Edible EditionToday we’re broadcasting live from the Patchwork Show – Edible Edition at South Coast Collection in Costa Mesa from 10 to Noon.

Patchwork Edible is an annual creative food summit bringing visionary chefs, authors, bloggers, handmade craft vendors and food artisans together with attendees for a comprehensive and entertaining weekend of eating, learning, tasting and shopping.

Admission is free…

The always stylish, Kedric Francis, the Executive Editor of both Coast Magazine and The Orange County Register Magazine joins us as guest co-host.

Luckyrice Night MarketHost Jet Tila is in Las Vegas for the LUCKYRICE Night Market on the pool deck of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas tonight from 7 to 10:00 p.m. Jet will be serving his signature Khao Soi (a Northern Thailand favorite) and seasonal flavors of his refreshing Kuma Snow Cream.

VIP and General Admission tickets are available.

Carlos Salgado of Taco MariaChef Carlos Salgado has a background as a fine-dining pastry chef. He relocated back to Orange County after his tenure at Commis in San Francisco and launched, with his family, the ambitious Taco Maria food truck in Orange County in 2011. He was honored with the distinction of being named the best gourmet food truck in OC by both major newspapers.

On Saturday’s Taco Maria was the featured food truck at The Farmers Market at SoCo. Carlos developed such a loyal and vast following that he was compelled to launch a real, full-service restaurant, including an outside heated patio, at SoCo.

Right now it’s dinner only with lunch and weekend brunch to follow. They hand-make their fresh tortillas on the spot. The meats and seafood are wood grilled and sustainable. The produce comes from local Orange County Farmers Markets.

Nicole StevensonPatchwork Show: Edible Edition co-producer Nicole Stevenson join us to preview the first-ever Patchwork Show: Edible Edition at SoCo in Costa Mesa this Weekend, Oct. 5th (from 11 to 8 p.m.) and Oct. 6th (from 11 to 5 p.m.)

This free, Weekend festival will showcase the flourishing artisan food movement in SoCal through an interactive experience filled with baking programs, food trucks, restaurant pop-ups, book signings, beer and wine gardens, samples and more!

The whole family – not just foodies – will enjoy the hands-on activities from DIY workshops to educational panels hosted by award-winning chefs to handmade products for sale from more than 90 food artisans and modern handmade businesses.

Bill EsparzaBill Esparza, the “Mexican Food Maestro” and authority on the food of Baja California is with us.

Bill leads escorted food tours of Tijuana and Northern Baja for journalists and the public alike. He’s given advice to Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern, among other notables.

Bill is moderating “Justin Timberlake good for Tequila? Gentrification of Mexican Spirits” panel tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) at Patchwork Show: Edible Edition. Mezcal and Tequila will be sampled as part of the discussion.

Photography by Brad A JohnsonIt’s been about a year since Brad A. Johnson joined the Orange County Register as their high profile restaurant critic. Previously The Register’s restaurant reviews tended to accentuate the positive.

Brad is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist who brings a more worldly view to his writing which includes praise and specific criticism.

Johnson will discuss how a restaurant critic approaches reviewing a restaurant and what the process is. He’ll also touch on a year’s worth of observations of the Orange County dining scene.

It’s fair to say the restaurant opening of the year in Orange County is ARC right here at SoCo in Costa Mesa. The reviews have been ethereal. Last Sunday they were the recipient of the Golden Foodie for “Best New Restaurant.”

Marin Howarth and Executive Chef Noah BlomARC owners Marin Howarth and Executive Chef Noah Blom join us to talk about their wild ride.

It’s all from-scratch cooking with locally sourced ingredients. Every menu item is unusually cooked over an open fire. It’s an open kitchen so everything is totally visible to the guest. Great care goes into the preparation of the libations, too, under the supervision of a bar chef. Bitters, infusions, syrups, and sodas are all made in-house.

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Jet Tila, host of the “SoCal Restaurant Show”
Segment Three: Carlos Salgago, Executive Chef and Proprietor of Taco Maria
Segment Four: Nicole Stevenson, co-producer of Patchwork Show – Edible Edition
Segment Five: Bill Esparza, the Mexican Food Maestro
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part One
Segment Seven: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part Two
Segment Eight: Marin Howarth, co-owner and Executive Chef Noah Blom of ARC restautant at SoCo