Show 304, December 29, 2018: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group & Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” – Part One

Andy Harris and Andrew Gruel at Cabana 14 at the Cove at Pechanga Resort and CasinoOur own Chef Andrew Gruel joins us with another informative “Ask the Chef” segment. With the Holidays in progress it’s great to have a real working chef in our corner always providing handy and practical advice!

It’s time to chew on a few more significant food and restaurant trends from 2018 and what might be ahead for 2019. Recruiting qualified cooks for the kitchen is a problem of epic proportions.

Congrats to Chef Andrew for Raw by Slapfish (Huntington Beach) being included in OC Weekly’s Restaurant Critic Edwin Goei’s “Top Drinks and Restaurants of 2018” piece. He’s a fan of Chef Andrew’s afternoon “Beat the Clock” special on shucked chilled oysters which continues to evolve.

Show 304, December 29, 2018: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group & Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” – Part Two

Andy Harris and Andrew Gruel at Cabana 14 at the Cove at Pechanga Resort and CasinoOur own Chef Andrew Gruel joins us with another informative “Ask the Chef” segment. With the Holidays in progress it’s great to have a real working chef in our corner always providing handy and practical advice!

It’s time to further chew on a few significant food and restaurant trends from 2018 and what might be ahead for 2019.

Several industry publications as well as The New York Times predict “Sea Vegetables” as a menu trend. This is a fancy name for seaweed and Chef Andrew has been talking about its use on-the-air for a couple of years now. Rich in umami. It’s sustainable and doesn’t require chemicals and fertilizers to grow.

Show 303, December 22, 2018: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group & Co-Host

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosOur own Chef Andrew Gruel joins us with another informative “Ask the Chef” segment. With the Holidays upon us it’s great to have a real working chef in our corner providing handy advice!

It’s time to chew on a few significant food and restaurant trends from 2018 and what might be ahead for 2019. We’ll continue this discussion next week.

Certainly food safety is on our minds more than ever. The totality of the romaine recall was an attention-grabber. What changes are now in store…?

Show 54, December 28, 2013: Brock Radke, Food Editor, Las Vegas Weekly

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyIf you’re looking for big action on New Year’s Eve then Las Vegas is always a festive party with real fireworks. Our ultimate insider in Las Vegas, Brock Radke, joins us to talk about the newly launched Container Park development in Downtown (with unusual shops and restaurants) along with a couple of suggestions for great New Year’s Eve dining. Brock is the Food Editor for Las Vegas Weekly.

Catch Brock’s special year-end column in Las Vegas Weekly on-line naming his 13 best new restaurants in Las Vegas for 2013. The intriguing selections are both on and off The Strip!

One hint…His top choice is Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak at The Mirage.

Show 54, December 28, 2013: Host Chef Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris on Food Trends for 2014 Part One

Thinking about Food Trends for 2014 ? We have…Just for fun Chef Jet and Producer Andy have put together their lists of Top Trends in Food for the New Year.

Each developed their list of “Top Five” without consulting the other. Also the items were not discussed between Chef Jet and Producer Andy before air. That’s live radio… Definitely a few surprises….

Eat Clean with a Gluten Free MenuJet’s top item is “Gluten-Free” is here to stay. For whatever reasons diners are becoming more sensitive to gluten in their foods. Savvy Restaurants need to be aware of this and increase their gluten-free menu options.

Producer Andy’s top trend was fine-dining restaurants developing more casual concepts which retain the food quality of fine dining but are more affordable. These are spots that diners can enjoy multiple times per week.

Show 54, December 28, 2013: Host Chef Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris on Food Trends for 2014 Part Two

Eataly New YorkJet Tila and Andy Harris continue with their Top Ten Food Trends to look for in 2014.

Jet forecasts that Market Halls / Market Cafes will be replacing gastropubs. The shining example here is Mario Batali’s and Joseph Bastianich’s (Osteria Mozza) high profile Eataly in New York with a new branch in Chicago.

Producer Andy suggests that high-end sandwiches using great bread and premium ingredients will be more prevalent. Michael Voltaggio’s ink.sack and Lawry’s Carvery (with prime rib sandwiches) are two popular local examples. Jet mentioned the newly launched Top Round Roast Beef on La Brea Ave. as an example of this trend.

December 29: Russ Parsons, Neal Fraser, Marcel Vigneron, Jason Collis, Jason Kessler

Podcasts

Segment One: Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the Los Angeles Times Part One
Segment Two: Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the Los Angeles Times Part Two
Segment Three: Chef Neal Fraser of FritziDog at The Original Farmers Market
Segment Four: Chef Marcel Vigneron – Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef: Redemption”
Segment Five: Chef Jason Collis of Plated Events by Jason in Ventura
Segment Six: Jason Kessler (food writer) for Food Republic and Bon Appetit Magazine

It’s our last show of the year so we’re looking forward and also taking a peak back. It’s time to think of travel, too.

Russ Parsons (“The California Cook”) is the long-time food editor of The Los Angeles Times. He’s also an award-winning author. Russ joins us to talk about modern restaurant reviewing and food trends. The Times has now published two e-books and the recipes in each were fully tested in The Times Test Kitchen.

Neal Fraser of Grace Restaurant and FritzidogChef Neal Fraser is well known on the Los Angeles culinary scene. Grace Restaurant had a healthy run on Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles and, eventually, will be reborn at the Vibiana Events Center in Downtown Los Angeles. His more casual bld is very popular located near The Farmers Market.

Neal is one of the newest food tenants at The Original Farmers Market at Third & Fairfax with his gourmet hot dog emporium, FritziDog.

Chef Marcel Vigneron of the just concluded season of Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef : Redemption” and Bravo’s “Top Chef” fame joins us to talk about the incredible season of “Next Iron Chef.” We’ll also ask him about his preparation of a fabulous coconut ice cream made with lots of rich coconut meat and a dash of liquid nitrogen!

Representing the Culinary Stage at the upcoming Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show at the Long Beach Convention Center (January 12th & 13th) is Chef Jason Collis of Limoneria Ranch. He’ll be performing cooking demos on both days.

You’ve asked for him and now he’s back…Food writer for Food Republic and Bon Appetit Magazine, Jason Kessler, joins us to say goodbye to 2013 with his thoughtful end-of-year musings..

Podcasts

Segment One: Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the Los Angeles Times Part One
Segment Two: Russ Parsons, Food Editor of the Los Angeles Times Part Two
Segment Three: Chef Neal Fraser of FritziDog at The Original Farmers Market
Segment Four: Chef Marcel Vigneron – Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef: Redemption”
Segment Five: Chef Jason Collis of Plated Events by Jason in Ventura
Segment Six: Jason Kessler (food writer) for Food Republic and Bon Appetit Magazine