Show 356, January 18, 2020: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel with “Ask the Chef”

Andy Harris and Andrew Gruel at Cabana 14 at the Cove at Pechanga Resort and CasinoOur own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group joins us with another informative “Ask the Chef” segment.

For budding chefs is culinary school always the right path in terms of training? What does culinary school realistically prepare you for upon graduation? Recent trends signal enrollment in culinary schools is perhaps on the decline. We’ll “Ask the Chef.”

Show 331, July 6, 2019: Kyle Meyer, Managing Partner, Wine Exchange, on Worthwhile Wine Publications and the return of the Michelin Guide

Kyle Meyer of Wine ExchangeKyle Meyer, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Santa Ana’s Wine Exchange, our resident wine authority (sans attitude,) joins us for another informative wine commentary responding to listeners’ thoughtful questions.

What credible wine publications are worth reading & subscribing to when the casual wine connoisseur wants to increase their wine IQ? Just looking for honest, journalistic reporting without pretension and possible advertorial coverage.

The Michelin Guide is back covering Southern California after a long absence. (They dismissively dropped the Los Angeles Guide after 2009.) Chefs and restaurateurs are talking about who was included along with the conspicuous omissions. Kyle knows fine-dining. His thoughts on the significance…?

Show 329, June 22, 2019: “Billion Dollar Bully” Update with Filmmaker Kaylie Milliken

Kaylie MillikenNow that the thought-provoking documentary, Billion Dollar Bully, is in release it’s time to revisit filmmaker Kaylie Milliken. In the film business owners (including chefs & restaurateurs) from across a broad spectrum share their personal stories of Yelp‘s questionable business dealings — all of which have been vehemently denied by Yelp.

“Today, consumers Yelp everything, from restaurants to surgeons. The same businesses that receive reviews — good or bad — simultaneously receive phone calls from Yelp salespeople to pay to advertise on Yelp. The small business community sees Yelp’s sales tactics as extortion, as their business’s reviews are filtered in ways that negatively impact their progress if advertisements aren’t purchased.”

“Does Yelp genuinely have an interest in helping people support the best local businesses, or is Yelp a pay-to-play platform? How can Yelp do an honest job of representing consumer sentiment while at the same time fueling their business with advertising dollars from the same companies being reviewed on their site? How does Yelp respond to claims of extortion? As a company that has claimed to care about free speech, what responsibility does Yelp have to provide recourse for business owners who need to address malicious libel from competitors and others who malign them for personal reasons? Should libelous reviews be allowed to remain, even when proven untrue?”

These questions are thoughtfully investigated and answered in the new documentary, Billion Dollar Bully.

Show 276, June 2, 2018: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Andrew Gruel

Program Note :
Next Saturday, June 9th only
we unusually follow the early Angel game (playing Minnesota) from 3 to 5:00 p.m. Please don’t miss us! We’re there for you…

Condolences to The Brennan Family in New Orleans on the passing of Family Matriarch Miss Ella Brennan. Among her many important accomplishments was discovering Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme. The Jazz Sunday Brunch at Commander’s Palace is a local tradition. Ella also originated the signature NOLA dessert, Bananas Foster. We recommend her biography (written with her daughter Ti Adelaide Martin) Miss Ella of Commander’s Palace. (Ti has been a previous guest on the show.)

Now an attention-grabbing 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 here with you live every Saturday morning with an informative and entertaining show.

If you’re at all fascinated by the story of how American restaurant chefs in the 1970s and 1980s became celebrities then you’ll want to grab food journalist Andrew Friedman’s well-researched, new tome, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession. It’s a real page turner for genuine foodies. Andrew Friedman joins us.

2018 Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine season is upon us. Building on the success of last two summers with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and business partner restaurateur Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group, and Sodexo Sports & LeisureHollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue. Goin and Styne’s culinary history has defined Los Angeles tastes since 1998 when they opened Lucques, their flagship restaurant. At the Hollywood Bowl, their California-inspired offerings, which include over 17 concepts, are created by four-time James Beard Foundation award-winner Suzanne Goin in tandem with the exceptional wine and beer programs curated by Caroline Styne, recent recipient of the Foundation’s 2018 Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year award. Overseeing the broad range of dining options serving Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s thousands of nightly guests is Sodexo Executive Chef Jeff Rogers.

Caroline Styne is our guest with a delicious preview.

After four centuries in Japan and almost four decades in the United StatesCHAYA continues to transcend convention between Japanese and American dining, inviting guests to discover innovative Japanese-Californian cuisine along with an unprecedented new beverage program as the CHAYA Restaurant Group has now officially transitioned the 28-year-old Chaya Venice into CHAYA Modern Izakaya. Owner & President Yuta Tsunoda has all the intriguing details.

The newest craft brewery on the Big Island of Hawaii is the community focused, Ola Brew. Unusually it was partially crowd-funded to launch and also just completed it’s 2nd round of crowd-funding to expand brewing capacity and build an on-site kitchen. Ola Brew’s world class beers and ciders are made from island-sourced ingredients. General Manager Shawn O’Shaughnessy taps the keg for us.

Would you believe a contemporary gastropub located on 5 landscaped acres hidden in the Porter District of Langley, Whidbey Island, WA in a magnificently converted and renovated airplane hanger serving Asian-inspired flavors ? It actually exists in the form of Roaming Radish’s R2 Gastropub owned by Chefs Jess & JP Dowdell. It’s a memorable dining experience that you simply won’t find elsewhere…

Chef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of “Ask the Chef.” Chef Andrew just returned from the Aquaculture Canada Conference in Quebec City. He was the Keynote Speaker there. Chef Andrew discussed the overview of farm-raised salmon and farm-raised seafood in general. We’ll get the highlights of his informed presentation.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

June 2nd: Andrew Friedman, Carolyne Styne, Chaya Modern Izakaya, Ola Brew, Roaming Radish

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Journalist Andrew Friedman, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll Part One
Segment Three: Journalist Andrew Friedman, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll Part Two
Segment Four: Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine
Segment Five: Yuta Tsunoda, Chaya Modern Izakaya, Venice
Segment Six: Shawn O’Shaughnessy, GM, Ola Brew, Kailu-Kona, HI
Segment Seven: Chefs Jess and JP Dowdell, Roaming Radish’s R2 Gastropub, Whidbey Island, WA
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Program Note:
On Saturday, June 9th only we unusually follow the early Angel game (playing Minnesota) from 3 to 5:00 p.m. Please don’t miss us! We’re there for you…

Now an attention-grabbing 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 here with you live every Saturday morning with an informative and entertaining show.

If you’re at all fascinated by the story of how American restaurant chefs in the 1970s and 1980s became celebrities then you’ll want to grab food journalist Andrew Friedman’s well-researched, new tome, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession. It’s a real page turner for foodies. Andrew Friedman joins us.

2018 Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine season is upon us. Building on the success of last two summers with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and business partner restaurateur Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group, and Sodexo Sports & Leisure, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue. Goin and Styne’s culinary history has defined Los Angeles tastes since 1998 when they opened Lucques, their flagship restaurant. At the Hollywood Bowl, their California-inspired offerings, which include over 17 concepts, are created by four-time James Beard Foundation award-winner Suzanne Goin in tandem with the exceptional wine and beer programs curated by Caroline Styne, recent recipient of the Foundation’s 2018 Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year award. Overseeing the broad range of dining options serving Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s thousands of nightly guests is Sodexo Executive Chef Jeff Rogers.

Caroline Styne is our guest with a delicious preview.

After four centuries in Japan and almost four decades in the United States, CHAYA continues to transcend convention between Japanese and American dining, inviting guests to discover innovative Japanese-Californian cuisine along with an unprecedented new beverage program as the CHAYA Restaurant Group has now officially transitioned the 28-year-old Chaya Venice into CHAYA Modern Izakaya. Owner & President Yuta Tsunoda has all the intriguing details.

The newest craft brewery on the Big Island of Hawaii is the community focused, Ola Brew. Unusually it was partially crowd-funded to launch and also just completed it’s 2nd round of crowd-funding to expand brewing capacity and build an on-site kitchen. Ola Brew’s world class beers and ciders are made from island-sourced ingredients. General Manager Shawn O’Shaughnessy taps the keg for us.

Would you believe a contemporary gastropub located on 5 landscaped acres hidden in the Porter District of Langley, Whidbey Island, WA in a magnificently converted and renovated airplane hanger serving Asian-inspired flavors ? It actually exists in the form of Roaming Radish’s R2 Gastropub owned by Chefs Jess & JP Dowdell. It’s a memorable dining experience that you simply won’t find elsewhere…

Chef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of “Ask the Chef.” Chef Andrew just returned from the Aquaculture Canada Conference in Quebec City. He was the Keynote Speaker there. Chef Andrew discussed the overview of farm-raised salmon. We’ll get the highlights of his informed presentation.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

Andrew FriedmanIf you’re at all fascinated by the story of how American restaurant chefs in the 1970s and 1980s became celebrities then you’ll want to grab food journalist Andrew Friedman’s well-researched, new tome, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession. It’s a genuine page turner for foodies.

The book transports readers back in time to witness the remarkable evolution of the American restaurant chef in the 1970s and 1980s – from the pioneers behind Chez Panisse, Spago, and other landmarks to the young cooks like Tom Colicchio and Bobby Flay who went on to become household names.

“Told largely in the words of the people who lived it – from writers like Ruth Reichl to chefs like Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan WaxmanChefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll treats readers to an unparalleled 360-degree re-creation of the industry and the times through the perspectives not only of the groundbreaking chefs but also of line cooks, front-of-house personnel, investors, and critics who had front-row seats to this extraordinary transformation.”

Author Andrew Friedman joins us.

Andrew Friedman has chronicled the life and work of some of the best American chefs. He is the author of Knives at Dawn: America’s Quest for Culinary Glory at the Bocuse d’Or.

Caroline Styne2018 Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine season is upon us. Building on the success of last two summers with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and business partner restaurateur Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group, and Sodexo Sports & Leisure, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue. Goin and Styne’s culinary history has defined Los Angeles tastes since 1998 when they opened Lucques, their flagship restaurant.

At the Hollywood Bowl, their California-inspired offerings, which include over 17 concepts, are created by four-time James Beard Foundation award-winner Suzanne Goin in tandem with the exceptional wine and beer programs curated by Caroline Styne, recent recipient of the Foundation’s 2018 Outstanding Restaurateur of the Year award.

Overseeing the broad range of dining options serving Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s thousands of nightly guests is Sodexo Executive Chef Jeff Rogers.

“This year concert-goers can skip the line before the concert and use the Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine mobile app and choose pizzas, barbecue, bánh mi, hot dogs, and popcorn, and easily pick up their picnic on the way to their seats. For the highly praised Supper in Your Seats, Suzanne adds her Susanita’s Carnitas Feast for Two as well as a new picnic box, the Maple Drive, slow-roasted prime beef tenderloin served with Early Girl tomato salad, roasted potatoes, wild mushrooms and a caramel chocolate brownie. For a grab-and-go option, Alex’s Veggie Sandwich – a tribute to Suzanne’s daughter Alex – will be found at all Marketplace venues.”

“Returning for the 2018 season is the well-received Winemaker Wednesdays series, an eight-week program of complimentary wine tastings at the Plaza Marketplace from guest winemakers hand selected by Caroline Styne.”

“Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s many dining choices include two sit-down restaurants, street-food kiosks, pre-ordered picnic boxes, and full-service dinner delivered to your box seat. For private events, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine will also provide catering at several locations for groups both large and small.”

Caroline Styne is our guest with a delicious preview.

Please visit the Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine site for more information about the food and wine experiences available at the Hollywood Bowl.

Yudo Tsunoda of Chaya BrasserieAfter four centuries in Japan and almost four decades in the United States, CHAYA continues to transcend convention between Japanese and American dining, inviting guests to discover innovative Japanese-Californian cuisine along with an unprecedented new beverage program as the CHAYA Restaurant Group has now officially transitioned the 28-year-old Chaya Venice into CHAYA Modern Izakaya.

Comparable to the Western gastropub, a Japanese izakaya is traditionally a drinking establishment which serves small tapas-style plates intended to be shared amongst friends. CHAYA Modern Izakaya elevates the izakaya experience by introducing a present-day dining and drinking destination that invites guests to come discover a new Japanese-Californian cuisine with a modern izakaya approach, including handcrafted cocktails, premium spirits, Japanese Whisky selection, eclectic sake and wine collection, Japanese and local craft beers.

With roots deeply planted in over 400 years of Japanese history, CHAYA originally evolved from a beloved teahouse in Japan in the 17th century, then to an imperial summer villa in Japan in the 19th century. In the early 20th century CHAYA Japan became a landmark dining destination known for providing exquisite service and catering to the royal court and Japanese government officials, to then landing in Los Angeles in the 1980s, ultimately becoming a pioneer of fusion cuisine by introducing the revolutionary combination of French and Japanese ingredients and culinary techniques, while catering to many loyal guests for almost 40 years, including artists, actors, titans of industry, and foodists alike.

“CHAYA has existed in some incarnation or another for the last four-hundred plus years, as long as the earliest izakaya. Part of the essential CHAYA DNA is adaptability and fusion, and CHAYA Modern Izakaya bridges the past with the present, while allowing CHAYA to move forward into the future pioneering a marriage between Japanese and Western traditions, fresh ingredients, and contemporary culinary techniques,” says Owner and President Yuta Tsunoda.

Owner & President Yuta Tsunoda has all the intriguing details.

Shawn O'ShaugnessyThe newest craft brewery on the Big Island of Hawaii is the community focused, Ola Brew. Unusually it was partially crowd-funded to launch and also just completed its 2nd round of crowd-funding to expand brewing capacity and build an on-site kitchen. Ola Brew’s world class beers and ciders are made from island-sourced ingredients.

“Did you know that a) More than half of the tropical fruit grown in Hawai’i falls to the ground and never makes it to market; b) U.S. demand for craft alcohols has doubled in the last 5 years, and c) Most beer and cider consumed in Hawai’i is imported? Our conclusion: it’s time Hawai’i County had its own brewery designed to turn the state’s abundance of produce into revenue for local farmers. And as the experienced beverage entrepreneurs who started Hawaiian Ola, we are the best team to do it.” 

Brett Jacobson
CEO, OLA BREW CO.

General Manager Shawn O’Shaughnessy taps the keg for us.

Jess and JP DowdellWould you believe a contemporary gastropub located on 5 landscaped acres hidden in the Porter District of Langley, Whidbey Island, WA in a magnificently converted and renovated airplane hanger serving Asian-inspired flavors? It actually exists in the form of Roaming Radish’s R2 Gastropub owned by Chefs Jess & JP Dowdell. It’s a one-of-a-kind dining experience that you simply won’t find elsewhere…

It’s only open for Dinner (by reservation only) on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. It’s an extension of the well-known Roaming Radish Catering.

Also on the expansive grounds is an English Tudor house available for special events and stays. Between the restaurant building and the adjacent air strip is one of the single engine planes previously housed inside. Chef JP is even taking flying lessons.

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosChef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of Ask the Chef.”

Chef Andrew just returned from the Aquaculture Canada Conference in Quebec City. He was the Keynote Speaker there. Chef Andrew discussed the overview of the state of farm-raised salmon. We’ll get the highlights of his informed presentation.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Journalist Andrew Friedman, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll Part One
Segment Three: Journalist Andrew Friedman, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll Part Two
Segment Four: Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine
Segment Five: Yuta Tsunoda, Chaya Modern Izakaya, Venice
Segment Six: Shawn O’Shaughnessy, GM, Ola Brew, Kailu-Kona, HI
Segment Seven: Chefs Jess and JP Dowdell, Roaming Radish’s R2 Gastropub, Whidbey Island, WA
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Show 220, April 22, 2017: Los Angeles Times Food Bowl Preview, Noelle Carter, Test Kitchen Director

Noelle CarterDebuting May 1st to 31st is the ambitious L.A. Times Food Bowl (“A New Kind of Food Festival”), a month-long festival celebrating the city’s dynamic, influential food scene and promoting awareness about food waste and hunger.

“For the entire month of May, Food Bowl will seek to engage our community in the importance and enjoyment of food. Our ambition is to produce the city’s largest and most inclusive food festival. While we celebrate the sprawling creativity and diversity of L.A.’s cuisines and the world’s best chefs, we will also confront hunger.”

The Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter joins us with an overview.

Show 191, October 1, 2016: Terri Henry, Founder, Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week

Long Beach Kitchen Ink CalendarOrganizers of Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week recently announced the upcoming sale of the Dine LBC Long Beach Kitchen Ink 2017 Calendar featuring stunning photos of 13 Long Beach chefs and one local urban farm owner for each of twelve months plus front and back covers. Calendar sales benefit Dine LBC Originals Marketing Fund that provides marketing and public relations support to participating independently owned restaurants year-round.

Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week founder Terri Henry conceived the idea after seeing “Kitchen Ink” editorial feature in OC Weekly several years ago. She was looking to bring the concept to Long Beach but wanted to put a unique spin on it, hence the calendar idea was born.

“We wanted to produce a unique promotional piece that showcases the individual personalities of the culinary talent here, which in so many cases include body ink,” said Henry. “The calendar is our way of paying homage to those behind the scenes of our delicious dining experiences in Long Beach.”

More than just a one-time editorial feature, the calendar is a high quality promotional piece and expected to warrant a keepsake status beyond its 12 months. Based on the enthusiasm from the initial featured chefs, Henry expects it become an annual project.

Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week founder, Terri Henry, is our guest.

Show 186, August 27, 2016: Ron Mathews, Vice President, Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo

Western Foodservice ExpoThe largest annual gathering of foodservice executives, chefs and restaurateurs in the West is the 2016 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo on August 28th to 30th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. There will be over 8,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors. It’s for the trade, only.

It’s 3-days of menu trends, state of the art design and décor, and the best in business education.

Thomas Keller of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group is receiving The Torch Award as part of the gathering.

Ron Mathews, Vice President of the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo joins us with a preview.

Show 186, August 27, 2016: Jennifer Rolander, Marketing Director, Tuxton China, Inc.

Tuxton ChinaIn September Tuxton is donating a percentage of their total sales to support the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP,) an extraordinary non-profit that transforms the lives of at-risk high school students through the culinary arts. In Los Angeles alone, C-CAP was able to work with 3,200 students in 22 schools and awarded over $765,000 in scholarships in the 2015-2016 academic year. There are also programs in Arizona, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Virginia and Washington D.C.

Note to Chefs & Restaurateurs….

If you’re thinking about buying chinaware in September please support the good work of C-CAP and consider Tuxton China. Your future star employees thank you.

Tuxton China Company started business in 1999, but it has a long family history which has contributed to its success. Back in 1963 T.Y. Lam founded what came to be known as the world famous Chinese Ceramic Arts Import and Export Company. Due to his renowned reputation and the fact that the Chinese Government was privatizing factories, Mr. Lam took over a government factory in order to continue expanding his business.  So in 1989 The Lynn’s Group (which currently makes chinaware for the retail industry) was formed in conjunction with his other business. While the Lynn’s Group continued to grow, Mr. Lam recruited his children to help run the company and keep his legacy alive.  Eventually they opened offices in Hong Kong, China and the United States.  While Lynn’s kept up the retail manufacturing, the company also began to manufacture for numerous well-known companies in the U.S. foodservice industry. This move led to the founding of Tuxton China Inc.

Three generations of the Lam family continue to run Lynn’s and Tuxton China, and with the addition of William Burden (former owner of Burden China Co., Inc.) who became Tuxton’s President in 2001, Tuxton has become one of the top suppliers in the foodservice industry.

For more than a decade, Tuxton has been anchored by its core values of passionate dedication to customer service, excellence in product quality, high integrity, embracing innovation, and last but not least, a positive and humble attitude. These values, along with Tuxton’s dedication to its employees and customers, continue to drive the company to be the best in the industry.

Tuxton’s Marketing Director, Jennifer Rolander, joins us with all the needed 411.

Show 64, March 8, 2014: Farsheed Bonakdar, President, Kona Cacao Association

BIg Island Chocolate FestivalThe alluring, rich taste of chocolate, in both its sweet and savory forms, is showcased at the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival, May 2 to 3 at the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii. Headlining the event is “Mr. Chocolate,” Jacques Torres, Food Network celebrity and acclaimed pastry chef from New York. Also appearing is Donald Wressell of Guittard and Derek Poirier of Valrhona USA.

“The Big Island Chocolate Festival is a fantasyland of chocolate.” Says Kona Cacao Association President Farsheed Bonakdar (Bone-ak-dar.) “It inspires our chefs, encourages our island farmers to grow cacao and shows our chocolatiers that chocolate can be a viable business.” Farsheed Bonakdar of KCA is our guest.

Hawaii is the only state in the USA where cacao grows.