Show 375, May 30, 2020: Chef Jet Tila Part Two

Jet Tila and a heritage pig at Cochon 555 in 2013Food Network’s Chef Jet Tila is well-known to the “SoCal Restaurant Show’s” listeners. He was the co-host of the radio show for the first 2 years. You’ve seen him on “Iron Chef America” as Alton Brown’s well-informed Floor Reporter, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and more shows.

Ready Jet Cook – How to Make Pad Thai with Jet Tila” airing on FoodNetwork.com and YouTube was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award this year. The series “Ready Jet Cook” is also up for a Daytime Emmy Award. Jet will bring us up-to-date on the plans for Season 2 of “Ready Jet Cook.”

Chef Jet is about to launch an unusual interactive cooking class series for charity on the Zoom platform. He’s also creating new dishes for Pei Wei.

A third cookbook featuring the flavors of Thailand is in the works for Chef Jet. We’ll get a preview.

We’re back in the kitchen with Chef Jet for another bite.

Show 231, July 8, 2017: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

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…

Since she was a young girl, Julie Ann Sageer, lovingly called “Julie Taboulie” by her close-knit family, has been passionate about preparing and cooking the traditional food of her Lebanese heritage. And now she shares that passion and knowledge with you in her first cookbook, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking, the perfect companion to her Emmy-nominated PBS shows. Julie is our guest.

Chef Jet Tila really needs no introduction to the audience of the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” He was the engaging Co-host of the show for its first two years and you know him from his many appearances all over Food Network. Now celebrity chef and Asian cooking expert Jet Tila brings his years of experience and hard-earned knowledge together in his breakthrough first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die. We’ll chat with Chef Jet about his signature Drunken Noodles and mastering the building-blocks of Asian cuisine for the home kitchen. Your chance to meet & mingle with Chef Jet…On Tuesday evening, July 18th James Beard Award-winning chef & restaurateur Sherry Yard is hosting a “Cocktail Party & Book-Signing” with Chef Jet Tila at Westwood’s Tuck Room Tavern to benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.)

Our favorite wandering global wine merchant, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, is just back from Italy. He joins us to profile the 2015 vintage in Tuscany (central Italy.) Think Sangiovese and now Bordeaux varietals, too…Kyle is impressed with the vintage!

We’re fans of Richmond, British Columbia and have visited there twice in the last year. It’s the home of absolutely incredible regional Chinese food. New from Tourism Richmond is the Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour which allows visitors and locals to make their way through the City’s most popular areas at an affordable price. Tourism Richmond’s Director of Communications, Colin Wong, joins us with all the specifics.

The 4th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure returns to a new location in Santa Monica on Saturday, July 15th. It’s known for shining a light on hard-to-find, high quality, micro-production commercial winemakers. Garagiste co-founder, Doug Minnick, is with us to pull the cork on this year’s festivities.

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

July 8: Julie Ann Sageer, Jet Tila, Sherry Yard, Wine Exchange, Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour, Garagiste Festival

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Julie Ann Sageer, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Cooking Part One
Segment Three: Julie Ann Sageer, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Cooking Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jet Tila, 101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die
Segment Five: Kyle Meyer, Wine Exchange, Travels in Tuscany
Segment Six: Richmond, British Columbia’s Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour
Segment Seven: The 4th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, Santa Monica

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…

Since she was a young girl, Julie Ann Sageer, lovingly called “Julie Taboulie” by her close-knit family, has been passionate about preparing and cooking the traditional food of her Lebanese heritage. And now she shares that passion and knowledge with you in her first cookbook, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking, the perfect companion to her Emmy-nominated PBS shows. Julie is our guest.

Chef Jet Tila really needs no introduction to the audience of the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” He was the engaging Co-host of the show for its first two years and you know him from his many appearances all over Food Network. Now celebrity chef and Asian cooking expert Jet Tila brings his years of experience and hard-earned knowledge together in his breakthrough first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die. We’ll chat with Chef Jet about his signature Drunken Noodles and mastering the building-blocks of Asian cuisine for the home kitchen.

On Tuesday evening, July 18th James Beard Award-winning chef & restaurateur Sherry Yard is hosting a “Cocktail Party & Book-Signing” with Chef Jet Tila at Westwood’s Tuck Room Tavern to benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.) Chef Jet is still with us and Sherry Yard (Chief Operating Officer of Tuck Hospitality Group, Restaurant Division for iPic Entertainment) now joins us, too.

Our favorite wandering global wine merchant, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, is just back from Italy. He joins us to profile the 2015 vintage in Tuscany (central Italy.) Think Sangiovese…

We’re fans of Richmond, British Columbia and have visited there twice in the last year. It’s the home of absolutely incredible regional Chinese food. New from Tourism Richmond is the Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour which allows visitors and locals to make their way through the City’s most popular areas at an affordable price. Tourism Richmond’s Director of Communications, Colin Wong, joins us with all the specifics.

The 4th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure returns to a new location in Santa Monica on Saturday, July 15th. It’s known for shining a light on hard-to-find, high quality, micro-production commercial winemakers. Garagiste co-founder, Doug Minnick, is with us to pull the cork on this year’s festivities.

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

Julie Ann SageerSince she was a young girl, Julie Ann Sageer, lovingly called “Julie Taboulie” by her close-knit family, has been passionate about preparing and cooking the traditional food of her Lebanese heritage. And now she shares that passion and knowledge with you in her first cookbook, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking, the perfect companion to her Emmy-nominated PBS shows.

This sure-to-impress cookbook offers 125 recipes for traditional favorites from Mezze, street-food skewers and sandwiches, and staples like Labneh and Ajin (Lebanese yogurt and bread) to fresh seasonal salads, pickles and vegetables, delicious main dishes and sweets, and rich desserts laced with Atar (rose water and orange blossom water syrup).

Julie is our guest.

Julie established her mark in the culinary world by making television history in 2012 with producing and premiering her Emmy-nominated and multiple award-winning national Public Television cooking show series Cooking with Julie Taboulie. The series become the first, and only, Lebanese cooking series to air in the United States and Canada.

Julie Ann Sageer continues to be the most pivotal pioneer, public figure and personality to motivate the movement of making Lebanese cuisine mainstream across America, with her brand-new Public Television series Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen airing on PBS stations nationwide. This special series brings to life her love of her Lebanese culinary and cultural heritage in a celebration of all things Lebanese cuisine.

Jet Tila at Cochon 555Chef Jet Tila really needs no introduction to the audience of the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” He was the engaging Co-host of the show for its first two years and you know him from his many appearances all over Food Network including being one of only three permanent judges on Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Brown” now airing its 15th season.

Now celebrity chef and Asian cooking expert Jet Tila brings his years of experience and hard-earned knowledge together in his breakthrough first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die. We’ll chat with Chef Jet about his signature Drunken Noodles and mastering the building-blocks of Asian cuisine for the home kitchen.

“This is the most practical guide to getting Asian flavors on the plate that I’ve ever seen.”

Alton Brown

Jet has not only compiled the classic 101 Asian recipes that every home cook needs to try, he has also demystified Asian cooking and made it approachable—with simplified techniques, weeknight-friendly cook times and ingredients commonly found in most grocery stores today. Starting with the philosophy of “yum” in Asian kitchens, Jet expertly teaches everything from stocking the pantry and mastering the wok to perfecting the building-blocks of Asian cuisine.

With his guiding hand and pro tips, readers can easily recreate authentic and delicious dishes like The Last Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need, Quicker Beef Pho, crispy Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura and the life-changing Bomb-Ass Homemade Sriracha.

Sherry YardOn Tuesday evening, July 18th James Beard Award-winning chef & restaurateur Sherry Yard is hosting a “Cocktail Party & Book-Signing” with Chef Jet Tila at Westwood’s Tuck Room Tavern to benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.) It’s a celebration of the publication of Jet’s first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die.

Chef Jet remains with us and Sherry Yard (Chief Operating Officer of Tuck Hospitality Group, Restaurant Division for iPic Entertainment) now joins us, too.

Guests on July 18th are invited to savor Chef and Cutthroat Kitchen Judge Jet Tila’s delectable dishes, while sipping Champagne, Chang Beer or enjoying a signature cocktail created by Chef Sherry Yard all throughout the evening. Each guest will also go home with a signed copy of Chef Jet Tila’s inspiring new cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die, signed by the author himself.

The Tuck Room Tavern is a neighborhood place where you can eat and drink with enthusiasm and pleasure. A concept by acclaimed Chef Sherry Yard, Chief Operating Officer of Tuck Hospitality Group, Restaurant Division for iPic Entertainment, The Tuck Room Tavern is a lively and whimsical dining and drinking den offering craveable American cuisine meant to be enjoyed with friends and family in a jovial environment. 

Master Barman and Advanced Sommelier, Adam Seger, curates a ‘Love Letter to Los Angeles’ – finding inspiration from the diverse culture and unique history of LA – focusing on ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and inspired by the classics with exciting modern twists.

Ticket Information: COCKTAIL PARTY + BOOK SIGNING to celebrate Chef Jet Tila and benefit C-CAP will take place on Tuesday, July 18th, 2017 at The Tuck Room Tavern from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Tickets are $95.00 per person and $75.00 from each ticket sold will directly benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Los Angeles and is tax deductible. For more information or to purchase tickets directly, please visit COCKTAIL PARTY + BOOK SIGNING to celebrate Chef Jet Tila.

Kyle Meyer of Wine ExchangeOur favorite wandering global wine merchant, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, is just back from Italy. He joins us to profile the 2015 vintage in Tuscany (central Italy.)

Think Sangiovese and Florence…

 

 

Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction TourWe’re big fans of Richmond, British Columbia and have visited there twice in the last year. It’s the home of absolutely incredible regional Chinese food. Think every possible variation of dumplings…

New from Tourism Richmond is the Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour which allows visitors and locals to make their way through the City’s most popular areas at an affordable price.

“We’re fulfilling a pressing need in our destination for quick and direct routes to our attractions,” said Bruce Okabe, CEO of Tourism Richmond. “This service will provide a richer visitor experience for overnight and day trippers to Richmond, as well as an opportunity to expose more local businesses to tourists, and grow the overall visitor economy.”

The Richmond Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour stops at various exciting venues such as the River Rock Casino Resort, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport, the Richmond Olympic Oval, as well as the jewel of Richmond, the historic fishing village of Steveston. Explore everything from national historic sites to authentic Asian cuisine and the most interactive Olympic Museum in North America on this tour that connects the northern edge of the city to Steveston.

For the full schedule, including ticket prices and where to purchase them, please check out the Visit Richmond BC site. Ticket prices start at $20 for children aged 6-12, with family packages for two adults and two kids available for $85.

Tourism Richmond’s Director of Communications, Colin Wong, joins us with all the specifics.

Garagiste FestivalThe 4th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure returns to a new location in Santa Monica on Saturday, July 15th. The venue is a couple of doors up from a big City of Santa Monica parking structure and a short walk from the Expo Line. Festival is known for shining a light on hard-to-find, high quality, micro-production commercial winemakers.

Celebrating its fourth anniversary in Los Angeles, the festival features 50 micro-production, craft wineries from across California – including Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and SLO counties; Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Livermore, and Paso Robles, of course – and is the only wine event on the Los Angeles calendar to exclusively feature high quality, hand-crafted wines from commercial California ‘garagiste’ winemakers.

“The great thing about our Urban Exposure festival is that Angelenos can discover these hard-to-find wineries, taste hundreds of their wines, and meet the winemakers all under one roof — for less than the cost of gas for a trip to wine country,” said Doug Minnick, Co-Founder of The Garagiste Festival. “Besides, the majority of these under-the-radar wineries do not have tasting rooms, are not on “wine country” maps, and are very difficult to find. But we bring them all together for our guests to discover at the Garagiste Festival. There’s nothing else like it.”

Garagiste co-founder, Doug Minnick, is with us to pull the cork on this year’s festivities.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Julie Ann Sageer, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Cooking Part One
Segment Three: Julie Ann Sageer, Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen – Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Cooking Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jet Tila, 101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die
Segment Five: Kyle Meyer, Wine Exchange, Travels in Tuscany
Segment Six: Richmond, British Columbia’s Hop On Hop Off Attraction Tour
Segment Seven: The 4th Annual Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, Santa Monica

Show 214, March 11, 2017: Robert Schueller, Prince of Produce, Melissa’s World Variety Produce Part One

Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety Produce in the AM830 KLAA StudioOur resident Produce Guru, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s, joins us with his first, of two, segments today. He’s now telling us about the recently concluded International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference in Louisville and then providing an overview of the 2017 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival which is on now through April 16th in Anaheim.

Robert and Melissa’s Executive Chef Ida Rodriguez will be conducting two Cooking Lessons as part of Disney’s California Adventure’s Food & Wine Festival. On Friday afternoon, March 24th at 2:00 p.m., Robert & Chef Ida are cooking up “Amazing Potatoes with Melissa’s Produce.” Then on Saturday, March 25th at 4:00 p.m. they are encoring the “Amazing Potatoes with Melissa’s” presentation.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel is also performing three Culinary Demonstrations at the Food & Wine Festival. The first, representing Slapfish is Friday, March 17th @ 2:00 p.m. Next Chef Andrew is hosting a Butterleaf (Trade in Irvine) demo at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31st. Lastly, it’s a demo spotlighting Two Birds (Trade in Irvine) at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday April 15th.

Our good friend Chef Jet Tila (Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Brown) conducts an entertaining Celebrity Chef Cooking Demo on Saturday, April 15th from 6 to 7:00 p.m. in the Festival Showplace, Stage 17 in Hollywood Land (with an added $99 per person admission fee.)

Show 183, August 6, 2016: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Chef Andrew Gruel

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosExecutive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Brea, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, most recently, The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Rams and USC Football, is back as today’s special Guest Host. In May in Chicago during the National Restaurant Association’s annual conclave he received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Trendsetter MenuMaster Award for Slapfish.

Now a provocatively tempting preview of Saturday’s abundant show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…

The OC Fair in Costa Mesa continues through August 14th. What’s new in Fair Food? We’ll chat with the well-known “Chicken Charlie” Boghosian, a pioneer in fair food favorites. You just might call him the “King” of fried fair food and other treats!

Huntington Beach restaurateur Alicia Whitney is seemingly taking over the City one block at a time. Her newest full-service restaurant is SeaSalt Woodfire Grill featuring Santa Maria-style barbecue. She is also now on the sand at Bolsa Chica State Beach with two open beach food stands and a third set to open soon. We’ll detour Alica for a quick respite and get all the tasty details.

Brouwerij West is a unique Belgian-inspired craft brewery and venue located in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2010 by talented brewer Brian Mercer and is now led by Mercer and his partner Dave Holop. Brouwerij West’s new home opened in February 2016 in a former Port Warehouse originally built by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Proprietor Brian Mercer taps the keg on Brouwerij West for us.

One of the pioneering food trucks in Orange County is the innovative Dos Chinos taco truck (Chef Hop Phan) which is a tasty fusion of Latin-Vietnamese fare. It’s also now a permanent food stall at the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana. Hop Phan’s newest concept is Sit Low Pho (Vietnamese) at the 4th Street Market. We’ll meet him.

Introducing non-native fish to United States waters can disturb the existing delicate ecological balance. Such is the case of Asian carp in the Great Lakes. To the rescue may be the prehistoric-looking, and fast growing, alligator gar. It was previously native to these same waters. Chef Andrew Gruel will explain this fish tale.

The three waves of voting for The Golden Foodie Awards, the People’s Choice Food Awards in Orange County, is on now through August 21st. Voting for the 1st categories concludes on August 7th. Hosting the Awards is Food Network’s Simon Majumdar(“Cutthroat Kitchen.”) He’s our guest.

Gold Medals won by wines at our area County Fairs used to have a tremendous impact on wine sales. Now, this is much less the case. Our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, has his informed perspective.

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

Show 183, August 6, 2016: Chef Hop Phan, Dos Chinos & Sit Low Pho, 4th Street Market Santa Ana

Hop PhanOne of the pioneering food trucks in Orange County is the innovative Dos Chinos taco truck (Chef Hop Phan) which is a tasty fusion of Latin-Vietnamese fare. It’s also a permanent food stall at the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana.

Hop Phan’s newest concept is Sit Low Pho (Vietnamese) at the 4th Street Market. He’s planning something fresh for the upcoming Trade market hall in Irvine arriving before year’s end. It will have a captivating Hawaiian flair with a few twists.

Chef Hop is already a veteran of Food TV. Most recently he competed on FYI’s Man versus Child: Chef Showdown. You’ve also seen him on NBC’s “Food Fighters,” Cooking Channel’s “Eat Street”, Food Network‘s “Cutthroat Kitchen” and “Chopped.”

We’ll meet him.

“Southern California raised us on Asian and Latin food. It’s what were made of – every sinew is built on years of carne asada and Vietnamese pho…”

Show 183, August 6, 2016: Simon Majumdar, Voting for the Golden Foodie Awards

Simon MajumdarThe three waves of voting for The Golden Foodie Awards, the People’s Choice Food Awards in Orange County, is on now through August 21st. Voting for the 1st categories concludes on August 7th.

This first Week includes, Best American Cuisine, Best Mexican, Food, Best Vegetarian Food, Bartender of The Year, Best Pizza, Best Italian Food and Best French Cuisine.The Golden Foodie Award’s celebrates chef driven and/or independent restaurants and allows for food lovers to decide the winners. Voting takes place from August 1 – 21, with each week offering different categories. Nominees are announced at the end of each week. The Golden Foodie Awards are comprised of 24 categories.

The Golden Foodie Awards is a democracy and recognizes the best chefs, libations and cuisine. With its focus on involving the Orange County community to vote, the GFA’s serve as a great honor allowing the people to decide who is best. Winners will be announced on September 25th in Newport Beach at the red carpet gala event at the Fairmont Newport Beach.

Hosting the Awards is Food Network’s Simon Majumdar (permanent judge on “Cutthroat Kitchen.” with Alton Brown.) He’s our guest.

August 6: Chicken Charlie Boghosian, SeaSalt Woodfire Grill, Brouwerij West, Dos Chinos, Simon Majumdar, Wine Exchange

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Celebrity Fair Food Concessionaire, “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian
Segment Three: Restaurateur Alicia Whitney’s Sea Salt Wood Fired Grill, Huntington Beach
Segment Four: Brian Mercer, Founder, Brouwerij West, San Pedro
Segment Five: Chef Hop Phan, Dos Chinos & Sit Low Pho, 4th Street Market Santa Ana
Segment Six: Chef Andrew Gruel, The Alligator Gar Makes a Comeback
Segment Seven: Simon Majumdar, Voting for the Golden Foodie Awards
Segment Eight: Kyle Meyer, The Wine Exchange, Wine Competitions at County Fairs

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosExecutive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Brea, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, most recently, The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Rams and USC Football, is back as today’s special Guest Host. In May in Chicago during the National Restaurant Association’s annual conclave he received Nation’s Restaurant News’ Trendsetter MenuMaster Award for Slapfish.

Now a provocatively tempting preview of Saturday’s abundant show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…

The OC Fair in Costa Mesa continues through August 14th. What’s new in Fair Food? We’ll chat with the well-known “Chicken Charlie” Boghosian, a pioneer in fair food favorites. You just might call him the “King” of fried fair food!

Huntington Beach restaurateur Alicia Whitney is seemingly taking over the City one block at a time. Her newest full-service restaurant is SeaSalt Woodfire Grill featuring Santa Maria-style barbecue. She is also now on the sand at Bolsa Chica State Beach with two open beach food stands and a third set to open soon. We’ll detour Alica for a quick respite and get all the tasty details.

Brouwerij West is a unique Belgian-inspired craft brewery and venue located in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2010 by talented brewer Brian Mercer and is now led by Mercer and his partner Dave Holop. Brouwerij West’s new home opened in February 2016 in a former Port Warehouse originally built by the U.S. Navy during World War II. Proprietor Brian Mercer taps the keg on Brouwerij West for us.

One of the pioneering food trucks in Orange County is the innovative Dos Chinos taco truck (Chef Hop Phan) which is a tasty fusion of Latin-Vietnamese fare. It’s also a permanent food stall at the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana. Hop Phan’s newest concept is Sit Low Pho (Vietnamese) at the 4th Street Market. We’ll meet him.

Introducing non-native fish to United States waters can disturb the existing delicate ecological balance. Such is the case of Asian carp in the Great Lakes. To the rescue may be the prehistoric-looking, and fast growing, alligator gar. It was previously native to these same waters. Chef Andrew Gruel will explain all.

The three waves of voting for The Golden Foodie Awards, the People’s Choice Food Awards in Orange County, is on now through August 21st. Voting for the 1st categories concludes on August 7th. Hosting the Awards is Food Network’s Simon Majumdar
(“Cutthroat Kitchen.”) He’s our guest.

Gold Medals won by wines at our area County Fairs used to have a tremendous impact on wine sales. Now, this is much less the case. Our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, has his informed perspective.

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

Chicken Charlie BoghosianThe OC Fair in Costa Mesa continues through August 14th. What’s new in Fair Food? We’ll chat with the “Chicken Charlie” Boghosian, a pioneer in fair food favorites. You just might call him the “King” of fried fair food! He invented the deep-fried Twinkie.

In the just concluded Fair Food Competition, Charlie was awarded Gold medals for his bacon-wrapped fried chicken leg (Best Fried Food) and for his Maui Bowl (Ethnic Category.)

New for Chicken Charlie this year is the clever Chicken In a Waffle On a Stick, and Escargot and Caviar Doritos.

Away from the Fair circuit “Chicken Charlie” Boghosian has a year-round restaurant in San Diego. It’s Chicken Charlie’s FryBQ.

Alicia WhitneyHuntington Beach restaurateur Alicia Whitney is seemingly taking over the City one block at a time. Her newest full-service restaurant is SeaSalt Woodfire Grill featuring Santa Maria-style barbecue. Her pitmasters are actually from one of the well-known Santa Maria barbecue spots in the hamlet of Santa Maria! Santa Maria wines are highlighted on the list.

She is also now on the sand at Bolsa Chica State Beach with two renovated, open beach food stands and a third set to open in the near future. We’ll detour Alica for a quick respite and get all the tasty details.

Right now Alicia is bookending Bolsa Chica State Beach with the already operating SeaLegs at the Beach and Pacific Kitchen. Opening soon is SeaSalt Burger.

Brian MercerBrouwerij West is a unique Belgian-inspired craft brewery and venue located in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles. The company was founded in 2010 by talented brewer Brian Mercer and is now led by Mercer and his partner Dave Holop. Brouwerij West’s new home opened in February 2016 in a former Port Warehouse originally built by the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Brouwerij West’s operation encompasses 26,000 sq. ft. of the Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles facility, including 8,000 sq. ft. devoted to visitor use for its Tasting Room and events, as well as a 17,000 sq. ft. outdoor courtyard / beer garden.

Brouwerij West brews its beers using traditional ingredients and methods mixed with creative inspiration to produce its own take on classic Belgian-style ales. Brouwerij West’s new facility is covered with solar panels and generates more electricity than it uses, and its mash filter-based brewery uses 30% less water than traditional breweries.

Proprietor Brian Mercer taps the keg on Brouwerij West for us.

Hop PhanOne of the pioneering food trucks in Orange County is the innovative Dos Chinos taco truck (Chef Hop Phan) which is a tasty fusion of Latin-Vietnamese fare. It’s also a permanent food stall at the 4th Street Market in Santa Ana.

Hop Phan’s newest concept is Sit Low Pho (Vietnamese) at the 4th Street Market. He’s planning something fresh for the upcoming Trade market hall in Irvine arriving before year’s end.

Chef Hop is already a veteran of Food TV. Most recently he competed on FYI’s Man versus Child: Chef Showdown.

You’ve also seen him on NBC’s “Food Fighters,” Cooking Channel’s “Eat Street”, Food Network‘s “Cutthroat Kitchen” and “Chopped.”

We’ll meet him.

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA Studios“Southern California raised us on Asian and Latin food. It’s what were made of – every sinew is built on years of carne asada and Vietnamese pho…”

Introducing non-native fish to United States waters can disturb the existing delicate ecological balance. Such is the case of Asian carp moving into the Great Lakes.

To the rescue may be the prehistoric-looking, and fast growing, alligator gar. According to the AP it can grow longer than a horse and heavier than a refrigerator. It’s previously been considered a trash fish. It used to thrive in this habitat before being decimated because the thought was that it threatened sport fish.

Chef Andrew Gruel will explain all.

Simon MajumdarThe three waves of voting for The Golden Foodie Awards, the People’s Choice Food Awards in Orange County, is on now through August 21st. Voting for the 1st categories concludes on August 7th.

This first Week includes, Best American Cuisine, Best Mexican, Food, Best Vegetarian Food, Bartender of The Year, Best Pizza, Best Italian Food and Best French Cuisine.The Golden Foodie Award’s celebrates chef driven and/or independent restaurants and allows for food lovers to decide the winners. Voting takes place from August 1 – 21, with each week offering different categories. Nominees are announced at the end of each week. The Golden Foodie Awards are comprised of 24 categories.

The Golden Foodie Award’s is a democracy and recognizes the best chefs, libations and cuisine. With its focus on involving the Orange County community to vote, the GFA’s serve as a great honor allowing the people to decide who is best. Winners will be announced on September 25th in Newport Beach at the red carpet gala event at the Fairmont Newport Beach.

Hosting the Awards is Food Network’s Simon Majumdar (permanent judge on “Cutthroat Kitchen.”) He’s our guest.

Kyle Meyer of Wine ExchangeCoveted Gold Medals won by wines at our area County Fairs used to have a tremendous impact on wine sales. Now, this is much less the case. Our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, has his informed perspective.

“As we were drifting through a few reflective moments about where the wine world has been, and where it was going, a question arose.  What ever happened to fairs?  You know, pig contests, funnel cakes, and wine judgings. As we think back to the early days of Wine Exchange (such as it was), we remember what a big deal fair judgings and gold medals used to be in the scheme of wine marketing.  A gold medal at a wine competition like the Orange County Fair, L.A. County Fair, Sonoma Harvest Fair, and the California State Fair were kind of a big deal.  Now, not so much.  What happened?”

“Well, history happened.  Now mind you we speak from a fair bit of experience having been involved with the local fair for nearly a decade and part of a few judging panels as well.  Over the years we have been on both sides of the do-these-competitions-matter debate, and can play both sides.  But ‘back in the day’, the results of a major competition used to resonate throughout the industry.  Now the effect is pretty short term and localized.  Why?  There are lots of reasons.”

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Celebrity Fair Food Concessionaire, “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian
Segment Three: Restaurateur Alicia Whitney’s Sea Salt Wood Fired Grill, Huntington Beach
Segment Four: Brian Mercer, Founder, Brouwerij West, San Pedro
Segment Five: Chef Hop Phan, Dos Chinos & Sit Low Pho, 4th Street Market Santa Ana
Segment Six: Chef Andrew Gruel, The Alligator Gar Makes a Comeback
Segment Seven: Simon Majumdar, Voting for the Golden Foodie Awards
Segment Eight: Kyle Meyer, The Wine Exchange, Wine Competitions at County Fairs

Show 133, August 1, 2015: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel & Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

Andrew GruelExecutive 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 satisfyingly abundant show. With any luck we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

A group of professional journalists from The International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association is visiting the show. Their Treasurer and Board Member, Susan Montgomery, joins us. In addition to explaining the mission of the IFTWTA, Sue will highlight her recent visit to Casa Mayoral in the Guadalupe Valley in Northern Baja California.

MJ Hong is the gracious proprietress of The Wine Artist in Laguna Beach. It’s a boutique winery, special event venue (and more) designed to accommodate team building exercises. It’s also a destination for unusual cooking demos and classes. We’ll learn all about it.

ABC’s “The Chew’s” Chef Carla Hall is, fortunately, no stranger to the show. She is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning chef and best-selling cookbook author. Last Saturday Chef Carla was the honoree at the James Beard Foundation’s 25yj annual Chefs & Champagne benefit in The Hamptons. In June she was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Presidential Delegation to the World Expo in Milan and the USA Pavilion.

When the conversation turns to artisan coffee roasters in Orange County you always hear the name of coffeehouse visionary Martin Diedrich. He grew up in Guatemala where is Family owned a small coffee farm. In late 2005 Martin and his wife, Karen, launched their latest retail venture Kean Coffee in Newport Beach. A location in Tustin has been added to the portfolio. It’s Coffee 101 with Martin Diedrich.

Bobby Navarro left a decade of work in the hospitality industry to fully commit to his own event planning and culinary promotions company, 100eats.com. He cooked with Amar Santana at both Charlie Palmer’s in South Coast Plaza and Broadway by Amar Santana. Bobby’s passion for branding and business keeps him visiting hundreds of restaurants across the country, stemming from his original feat of dining at 100 restaurants in 100 consecutive days. We’ll meet him…

Simon Majumdar is a food writer, broadcaster, Food TV personality, and author of the recently published, Fed, White and Blue – Finding America with My Fork. You know him as the no-nonsense judge on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen with host Alton Brown. In fact, Mr. Brown penned the enthusiastic Foreword to Fed, White, and Blue.

Majumdar is also the new Master of Ceremonies for the upcoming 2015 Golden Foodie Awards presented in the sold-out, red carpet affair on September 27th at the Fairmont Newport Beach.

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

Show 133, August 1, 2015: Food Network’s Simon Majumdar

Simon MajumdarSimon Majumdar is a food writer, broadcaster, Food TV personality, and author of the recently published, Fed, White and Blue – Finding America with My Fork. You know him as the no-nonsense judge on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen with host Alton Brown. In fact, Mr. Brown penned the enthusiastic Forward to Fed, White, and Blue.

Simon is probably not your typical idea of an immigrant. As he says, “I’m well rested, not particularly poor, and the only time I ever encountered “huddled masses” is in line at Costco.” But immigrate he did, and thanks to a Homeland Security agent who asked if he planned to make it official, the journey chronicled in Fed, White, and Blue was born. In it Simon sets off on a trek across the United States to find out what it really means to become an American, using what he knows best: food.

Simon will chronicle a couple of his expeditions in the book including helping to brew an exceptional ESB at the American Brewing Company in Edmonds, Washington and a wild nighttime eating and imbibing tour of Los Angeles’ extraordinary K-Town with the three young Korean owners (Chef Chris Oh and Yong & Ted Kim) of Seoul Sausage Co. (They now call him “Uncle Simon.”) It’s a possibility some alcohol may have been consumed in the in-depth research for this book…