Show 76, June 14, 2014: Donato Poto, co-owner, Providence, Hollywood, CA

Providence Restaurant“June marks our ninth anniversary at Providence and we are on…well…Cloud 9! We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal guests, for your enduring support. “We feel so fortunate to be part of the ever-evolving Los Angeles food scene. At times, I look back and can’t believe it’s been nearly a decade. It feels like we just opened yesterday!”, says consummate host and co-owner of Providence, Donato Poto. In honor of this auspicious occasion, Providence is providing some incentive for you to celebrate along with us. Beginning on our May 28th reopening, we are offering our four-course tasting menu for $80 a person, during the entire month of June. We look forward to celebrating with you!” This may be extended into July…

The Los Angeles Times‘ restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, recently ranked Providence as the Number One Restaurant in the annual Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants 2014. This is an encore from the same position in 2013.

Providence was closed last month for about two weeks for a freshening of the dining rooms. It’s got a new art deco look. The patio located off the main dining room was enclosed.

Show 72, May 17, 2014: Ruth Reichl, New York Times bestselling author and long-time Editor of Gourmet Magazine

Ruth ReichlAfter you’ve been the esteemed editor of Gourmet Magazine and, prior to that, the powerful & influential restaurant critic of The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times what’s next? In the case of our guest, Ruth Reichl, you pen your first novel. It’s Delicious! – A Novel.

“Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant you.

Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious!, New York’s most iconic food magazine. Away from her family, particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene, especially by Fontanari’s, the famous Italian food shop where she works on weekends. Then Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills.

To Billie’s surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love.”

Show 10, December 22, 2012: Cathy Thomas, Food Writer for the Orange County Register

Cathy Thomas, the award-winning & beloved journalist at The Orange County Register has been expertly chronicling the dynamic food scene in Orange County for over 20 years. If Cathy doesn’t know about it it’s probably not worth your time.

Cathy will be back with us on January 5th to talk about her 3rd book, Melissa’s 50 Best Plants On The Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes from Chronicle Books. The just-published hard-cover edition is available exclusively at Melissa’s World Variety Produce website or at select Bristol Farms stores.

Cathy Thomas has recently returned from a week on Kauai. In addition to cooking at home with the best in local ingredients she did some dining out in the Poipu area where she was staying. She highly recommends both (the fine-dining) Red Salt in the Koa Kea Hotel and pioneering Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chef Jean-Marie Josselin’s Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill (more casual) on two levels in the delightful Kukui’ula Village Shopping Center.

December 22: Holiday Party Planning Special

Podcasts

Segment One: Jet Tila, William Lewis (Sommelier and Managing Partner @ The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in Tustin,) and Elizabeth Whitt, Chef Instructor and pastry master, deluxe.
Segment Two: American Style Maven Nathan Turner
Segment Three: Cathy Thomas, Food Writer for the Orange County Register
Segment Four: Roberta Koz Wilson of Cookies For A Koz
Segment Five: Jacqueline Canter of Canter’s Deli
Segment Six: (Chef) Jeffrey Frederick, VP of Food & Beverage for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas

There are still ladles more of Holiday Cheer to serve on the “SoCal Restaurant Show” so please make us part of your Saturday morning.

Last Saturday we were happy to step aside early for the Angels’ big press conference to introduce slugger Josh Hamilton so on Dec. 22nd we’ll pick up our Holiday Entertaining special.

Sir William Lewis of the Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in TustinChef Instructor Elizabeth Whitt (also an accomplished pastry chef) and sommelier and Managing Partner of The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar, William Lewis, encore to discuss incredible Holiday desserts. Sir William will also give us the 411 on ice wines.

We’re pleased to welcome American style maven Nathan Turner to the show. Perhaps you saw him on the “Today Show” on December 20th. Nathan will be sharing his tips on decorating the Holiday Table. His new book is Nathan Turner’s American Style : Classic Design & Effortless Entertaining. (Abrams.)

Cathy Thomas, the award-winning food writer for The Orange County Register has enthusiastically chronicled the food scene in Orange County for over twenty years. Cathy joins us to discuss The Register’s newly enhanced Food Section and her recent travels in Kauai.

Melissa's 50 Best Plants on the Planet CookbookCathy will be back with us on January 5th to fill us in on her newly published third book, Melissa’s 50 Best Plants On The Planet – The Most Nutrient –Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes. Gift editions are available exclusively at Melissa’s World Variety Produce site.

It’s Holiday Time and what more thoughtful gift than absolutely delicious chocolate chip cookies baked in small batches! The big plus is that each sale benefits The Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Roberta Koz Wilson (jazz saxophone great Dave Koz’s sister) of Cookies for a Koz joins us to share the inspirational story. The cookies are a tribute to their late mother, Audrey, who created the original cookie recipe. The truth is that these famous cookies opened a lot of doors for Dave in his early days as a struggling musician!

Canter's Delicatessen in the Fairfax District of Los AngelesSince 1931 Canter’s Delicatessen has been serving the deli obsessed and the satisfied guests keep returning. In 1948 they moved from Boyle Heights to their current location on N. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles. They were one of the first late-hour hangs.

Canter’s is slow to change (and proud of it) but the 4th generation of the Canter Family has listened to their guests and implemented a series of menu changes to better serve the contemporary customer.

4th generation family spokesperson, Jacqueline Canter, is our guest to explain it all. (She is also affectionately known as the Bagel Queen.)

“The SoCal Restaurant Show” was on assignment in Las Vegas earlier this week. We covered the exclusive Friends of James Beard Benefit at Gordon Ramsay Steak at The Paris Las Vegas where Chef Ramsay himself was the star attraction. It was quite a spectacular! By year’s end Chef Ramsay will be overseeing three busy restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip! Look out Wolfgang Puck.

We’ll also report on some worthwhile dining adventures off The Strip.

Podcasts

Segment One: Jet Tila, William Lewis (Sommelier and Managing Partner @ The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in Tustin,) and Elizabeth Whitt, Chef Instructor and pastry master, deluxe.
Segment Two: American Style Maven Nathan Turner
Segment Three: Cathy Thomas, Food Writer for the Orange County Register
Segment Four: Roberta Koz Wilson of Cookies For A Koz
Segment Five: Jacqueline Canter of Canter’s Deli
Segment Six: (Chef) Jeffrey Frederick, VP of Food & Beverage for Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas