Show 259, February 3, 2018: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel

Thanks to Orange Coast Magazine’s Food and Drink Booze Blog O.C.” for the wonderful piece on the informative wine coverage presented on “The SoCal Restaurant Show.” We invite you to read the posting entitled, “Wine’s Rise in the Orange County Dining Scene” by Valory Reed. We greatly appreciate the kind words. We’re blushing…

Now a captivating preview of this Saturday’s delectable 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 always here with you live every Saturday with a fresh show.

Eclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there’s no better place to turn for insight into the “Big Game Sunday” creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Biblenamed one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes. Karen is our encore guest.

Our resident produce guru, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce, is back with us to complete his 2018 “Trends in Produce” insights. This time his observant eye is on specialty vegetables. He’s profiling his Top Ten (based on sales) including everything from organic ginger to watermelon radishes.

Executive Chef Dustin Trani of the iconic J. Trani’s restaurant in San Pedro (established in 1925) represents the 4th generation of Italian cuisine in the Trani Family. He’s a big fan of pristine seafood from Alaska. Chef Justin is featured in a new video from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute educating C-CAP students (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) on how to prepare flash frozen, fresh, sustainable Alaska seafood. We’re chilling with Chef Dustin.

Chefs and food stylists Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan have recently published the 2nd edition of their ground-breaking book The Food Stylist’s Handbook, originally published in 2010. There have been great changes in the industry since the first edition, including the explosion in popularity of food blogging and social media, food videos, and recipe creators working as their own photographers. We’re styling with Chef Denise.

Our always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his “Ask the Chef” series. Don’t be scared about the possibilities of cooking a whole fish. It’s all about the flavor. Chef Andrew shares the secrets of creating the magic.

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

Show 259, February 3, 2018: James Beard Award-winning Authors Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg (Photographer), Kitchen Creativity

Karen Page and Andrew DornenburgEclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there’s no better place to turn for insight into the “Big Game Sunday” creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Bible, named one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs (Little, Brown; Oct 2017) is filled with secrets and strategies from more than 100 leading culinary minds—including José Andrés, Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, Amanda Cohen, Kyle Connaughton, Curtis Duffy, Emily Luchetti, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, and Joshua Skenes. Beyond a cookbook, KITCHEN CREATIVITY is a guide to a more inventive and intuitive approach to cooking (without recipes!)—one that will inspire readers to think, improvise, and cook like the world’s best chefs.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY includes a “Big Game Sunday” section where famous chefs have their ideas listed to include:

  • Nancy Longo, Pierpont Restaurant (Baltimore) – Corn Fried Soft Shell Crab with Smoked Gouda Grits and Cherry Relish

Karen and Andrew are our encore guest.

February 3: Karen Page, Melissa’s World Variety Produce, J. Trani’s, Denise Vivaldo

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: James Beard Award-winning Authors Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg (Photographer), Kitchen Creativity
Segment Three: Robert Schueller, Melissa’s World Variety Produce, Inc.
Segment Four: Executive Chef Dustin Trani, J. Trani’s, San Pedro Part One
Segment Five: Executive Chef Dustin Trani, J. Trani’s, San Pedro Part Two
Segment Six: Food Stylist Denise Vivaldo, The Food Stylist’s Handbook Part One
Segment Seven: Food Stylist Denise Vivaldo, The Food Stylist’s Handbook Part Two
Segment Eight: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Program Note: On this Saturday, February 3rd we follow Ducks Hockey at the special time of 2 to 4:00 p.m. Don’t keep it a secret…

Now a captivating preview of this Saturday’s delectable 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 always here with you live every Saturday with a fresh show.

Eclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there’s no better place to turn for insight into the “Big Game Sunday” creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Biblenamed one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes. Karen is our encore guest.

Our resident produce guru, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce, is back with us to complete his 2018 “Trends in Produce” insights. This time his observant eye is on specialty vegetables. He’ll be profiling everything from organic ginger to watermelon radishes.

Executive Chef Dustin Trani of the iconic J. Trani’s restaurant in San Pedro represents the 4th generation of Italian cuisine in the Trani Family. He’s a big fan of pristine seafood from Alaska. Chef Justin is featured in a new video from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute educating C-CAP students (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) on how to prepare flash frozen, fresh, sustainable Alaska seafood. We’re chilling with Chef Dustin.

Chefs and food stylists Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan have recently published the 2nd edition of their ground-breaking book The Food Stylist’s Handbook, originally published in 2010. There have been great changes in the industry since the first edition, including the explosion in popularity of food blogging and social media, food videos, and recipe creators working as their own photographers. We’re styling with Chef Denise.

Our always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his “Ask the Chef” series. Don’t be scared about the possibilities of cooking a whole fish. It’s all about the flavor. Chef Andrew shares the secrets of creating the magic.

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

Karen PageEclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there’s no better place to turn for insight into the “Big Game Sunday” creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Biblenamed one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs (Little, Brown; Oct 2017) is filled with secrets and strategies from more than 100 leading culinary minds—including José Andrés, Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, Amanda Cohen, Kyle Connaughton, Curtis Duffy, Emily Luchetti, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelssonand Joshua Skenes. Beyond a cookbook, KITCHEN CREATIVITY is a guide to a more inventive and intuitive approach to cooking (without recipes!)—one that will inspire readers to think, improvise, and cook like the world’s best chefs.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY includes a “Big Game Sunday” section where famous chefs have their ideas listed to include:

  • Nancy Longo, Pierpont Restaurant (Baltimore) – Corn Fried Soft Shell Crab with Smoked Gouda Grits and Cherry Relish

Karen is our encore guest.

Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety Produce in the AM830 KLAA StudioOur resident produce guru, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce, is back with us to complete his 2018 “Trends in Produce” insights. This time his observant eye is on specialty vegetables. His Top 10 in Specialty Vegetables ranges from organic ginger to watermelon radishes.

A tuber that develops in the stem just above ground level, Kohlrabi from Melissa’s is a cruciferous vegetable, along with cabbage, kale, cauliflower and broccoli. About the size of an orange, Kohlrabi is pale green or purple-tinged (purple kohlrabi), and rounded. Firm stems with large leaves branch out evenly at all angles. The leaves, which taste like kale, collards or cabbage, can be steamed, boiled or added to soups.

Kohlrabi from Melissa’s is hand-selected for excellent quality. Choose smooth, unblemished tubers. The smaller bulbs are more flavorful. If the leaves are still attached, they should be firm and fresh. Cut the leaves from the tubers and refrigerate separately in plastic bags. The Kohlrabi will keep up to a week or more and the leaves for several days.

Dustin TraniExecutive Chef Dustin Trani of the iconic J. Trani’s restaurant in San Pedro represents the 4th generation of Italian cuisine in the Trani Family. He’s a big fan of pristine seafood from Alaska. Chef Justin is featured in a new video from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) educating C-CAP students (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) on how to prepare blast flash frozen, fresh, sustainable Alaska seafood. Chef Dustin is a loyal C-CAP alum himself.

In this video the C-CAP students had the opportunity to learn about two species of Alaskan seafood, how to best care and prepare frozen fresh seafood, along with tips about dish development, plating, and dish presentation.

We’re chilling with Chef Dustin.

Dustin J Trani has been a fixture at J Trani’s since age 6, where he now serves as executive chef. Dustin’s love for cooking was fostered by his grandfather J Trani, Sr. and his father Jim Trani, Jr.

After learning the family secrets, Dustin set out around the world; studying pasta in the Italian truffle region, serving as chef at the People’s Café in Zagreb, Croatia and exploring Asian food while training at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand before returning to San Pedro.

Denise VivaldoChefs and food stylists Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan have recently published of the 2nd edition of their ground-breaking book The Food Stylist’s Handbook, originally published in 2010. There have been great changes in the industry since the first edition, including the explosion in popularity of food blogging and social media, food videos, and recipe creators working as their own photographers.

Denise and Cindie share tips and secrets of the trade with cooks and foodies alike who want to become master stylists. Whether for food blogs, television, books, magazines, movies, menus, or advertising, food stylists and photographers learn to slice, plate, tweak, and arrange for the camera. You’ll find out how to get started, what equipment you’ll need, how to find clients, tips to staying successful, and – most importantly – how to craft and style food so it all looks beautiful.

We’re styling with Chef Denise.

To address these changes, Denise & Cindie have updated the book with 60 pages of essential new information and over 100 new photos. New sections include:

  • Using social media like Facebook and blogs to increase your business.
  • How to use photos, videos and recipes to sell yourself.
  • How to plan & execute your own on-air demo, whether on Facebook Live or live TV.
  • Identifying what makes great food photos.
  • A beginner’s guide to using your SLR camera for food photography.
  • How to write user-friendly recipes that will get you good reviews.

Denise Vivaldo is the author of 9 cookbooks and business books including How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business. Denise and Cindie teach food styling classes across the US and at many venues around the world.

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosOur always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his Ask the Chef series. Don’t be scared about the possibilities of cooking a whole fish. It’s all about the flavor. Chef Andrew shares the secrets of creating the magic.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Hosts Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: James Beard Award-winning Authors Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg (Photographer), Kitchen Creativity
Segment Three: Robert Schueller, Melissa’s World Variety Produce, Inc.
Segment Four: Executive Chef Dustin Trani, J. Trani’s, San Pedro Part One
Segment Five: Executive Chef Dustin Trani, J. Trani’s, San Pedro Part Two
Segment Six: Food Stylist Denise Vivaldo, The Food Stylist’s Handbook Part One
Segment Seven: Food Stylist Denise Vivaldo, The Food Stylist’s Handbook Part Two
Segment Eight: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Show 250, December 2, 2017: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

Now an enticing preview of this Saturday’s lush & abundant show. We’re with you live every Saturday morning throughout The Holidays. 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…

Kitchen Creativity: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs’ author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg have been described as “perhaps the most influential and important of all food writers working today” (KLAV Radio), having created “many definitive guides” (Wall Street Journal) and “some of the most important books on cooking” (Good Food, KCRW/NPR), “making their mark with books that bring us inside the craft and life of America’s chefs and their restaurants” (The Splendid Table, NPR). Karen is our guest.

Executive Producer Andy Harris was in Roswell, GA (an incorporated City of 95,000 in the greater Atlanta area with a lot of living Civil War history) in early October with fellow members of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA.) In this show we continue our coverage of the best of Roswell with a chat with the Producers & Co-Founders of the annual Roswell Wine Festival, an impressive, all-volunteer sip & stroll community effort that raises needed money in support of local non-profits.

Fresh & Ready Foods®, innovators in food manufacturing for over 25 years, is the smart, efficient answer to all grab & go, catering and box lunch needs. Since 1990, Fresh & Ready Foods has been manufacturing and distributing high quality sandwiches, box lunches, salads, and baked goods. While Fresh & Ready Foods began by servicing hospitals and colleges (including patient and employee lunches) in Los Angeles; they now reach the entire state of California, Nevada and Western Arizona. Their current customer base includes medical centers, airlines, business dining services, convention centers, hotels, military bases and retail. Co-Founder & President Art Sezgin joins us.

On Friday, December 8th, starting at 6:30pm, Long Beach’s own Chef “T” Visoth Ouk (a spokeschef for Cambodia Town) will offer his second in a series of pop-up dinners featuring Cambodian favorites with a contemporary twist. The A Stroll Through Phnom Penh pop-up and Toy Drive in association with Dine LBC will feature passed appetizers and a four-course sit-down dinner, and also includes a glass of wine. The pop-up location is Legend Seafood Restaurant located at 1350 E. Anaheim Street in Long Beach. Chef “T’ pops out of the kitchen with the details.

Chef Fred Ruiz is the Director of Operations for Kitchens & Restaurants at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa.. He joined the resort 12-years ago as Executive Chef. He’s received the prestigious Culinary Excellence Award from Marriott International three times! Las Casitas at The Marriott was just part of the nightly Gourmet Dine Around of the 23rd Festival Gourmet International with their Pacific Flavor Journey. We’ll meet Chef Ruiz.

Chef Richard Lombardi (a.k.a. “The Cancer – Fighting Chef”) has a joyful & inspirational story to share with us. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009, underwent the difficult regimen of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and now is in remission. In all his research before (and during) treatment he came to realize that we all can make our cells potentially strong enough to resist the attack of abnormal cancer cells by preparing nutrient-rich recipes using cancer fighting ingredients. The result is Chef Richard’s new cookbook, The Cancer Fighting Cook – Cancer Fighter Packed Recipes for Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Chef Richard joins us in-studio.

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

Show 250, December 2, 2017: James Beard Award-winning Author, Karen Page, Kitchen Creativity

Karen PagePerhaps eclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there is no better place to turn for insight into the creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award-winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Bible, named one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs is filled with secrets and strategies from more than 100 leading culinary minds—including José Andrés, Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, Amanda Cohen, Kyle Connaughton, Curtis Duffy, Emily Luchetti, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, and Joshua Skenes. Beyond a cookbook, KITCHEN CREATIVITY is a guide to a more inventive and intuitive approach to cooking (without recipes!)—one that will inspire readers to think, improvise, and cook like the world’s best chefs.

Anyone who’s ever dreamed of walking into a kitchen and creating a dish from scratch, knowing exactly how to season it to perfection, will find the book’s three-stage process a godsend:

  • In Stage 1: Mastery, a cook copies the masters—their dishes, their techniques, their seasoning—to develop a knowledge and skill base. Here, Page recommends essential books for the chef’s library, explains the difference between enhancing flavor and adding flavor, lists trusted food sources for the best-quality ingredients, and demonstrates how to learn time-tested flavor pairings and affinities.
  • During Stage 2: Alchemy, a cook integrates and applies new knowledge and experience, converting ingredients and classic dishes into something fresh.
  • By Stage 3: Creativity, a cook connects and combines elements into a new creation. Page teaches you how to take a look at the cooking techniques you know, and the dishes you love, to play with different combinations and create dishes without recipes, using your informed imagination. You’ll also find countless proven techniques for enhancing creativity through both stimulation (including travel, reading, and dining out) and stillness (such as lowering brain wave frequencies via meditation and yoga).

The book’s A-to-Z section prompts starting points for creative inspiration, from flavor pairings for marijuana, to Damian Sansonetti’s idea of grinding Italian rice to make gluten-free gnocchi, to the dishes top chefs cook on Super Bowl Sunday.

Karen Dornenburg is our guest.

December 2: Karen Page, Roswell Wine Festival, Fresh & Ready, Chef T, Marriott Puerto Vallarta, The Cancer-Fighting Chef

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: James Beard Award-winning Author, Karen Page, Kitchen Creativity
Segment Three: 2017 Roswell Wine Festival, Roswell, GA
Segment Four: Art Sezgin, Co-Founder, Fresh & Ready Foods
Segment Five: Cambodia Town’s (Long Beach) Chef “T” Visoth Ouk
Segment Six: Chef Fred Ruiz, Director of Operations for Kitchens & Restaurants, Puerto Vallarta Marriott Resort & Spa
Segment Seven: Richard Lombardi, The Cancer-Fighting Chef Part One
Segment Eight: Richard Lombardi, The Cancer-Fighting Chef Part Two

Now an enticing preview of this Saturday’s lush & abundant show. We’re with you live every Saturday morning throughout The Holidays. 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…

Kitchen Creativity: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs’ author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg have been described as “perhaps the most influential and important of all food writers working today” (KLAV Radio), having created “many definitive guides” (Wall Street Journal) and “some of the most important books on cooking” (Good Food, KCRW/NPR), “making their mark with books that bring us inside the craft and life of America’s chefs and their restaurants” (The Splendid Table, NPR). Karen is our guest.

Executive Producer Andy Harris was in Roswell, GA (an incorporated City of 95,000 in the greater Atlanta area with a lot of living Civil War history) in early October with fellow members of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA.) In this show we continue our coverage of the best of Roswell with a chat with the Producers & Co-Founders of the annual Roswell Wine Festival, an impressive, all-volunteer community effort that raises money in support of local non-profits.

Fresh & Ready Foods®, innovators in food manufacturing for over 25 years, is the smart, efficient answer to all grab & go, catering and box lunch needs. Since 1990, Fresh & Ready Foods has been manufacturing and distributing high quality sandwiches, box lunches, salads, and baked goods. While Fresh & Ready Foods began by servicing hospitals and colleges (including patient and employee lunches) in Los Angeles; they now reach the entire state of California, Nevada and Western Arizona. Their current customer base includes medical centers, airlines, business dining services, convention centers, hotels, military bases and retail. Co-Founder & President Art Sezgin joins us.

On Friday, December 8th, starting at 6:30pm, Long Beach’s own Chef “T” Visoth Ouk (a spokeschef for Cambodia Town) will offer his second in a series of pop-up dinners featuring Cambodian favorites with a contemporary twist. The A Stroll Through Phnom Penh pop-up and Toy Drive in association with Dine LBC will feature passed appetizers and a four-course sit-down dinner, and also includes a glass of wine. The pop-up location is Legend Seafood Restaurant located at 1350 E. Anaheim Street in Long Beach. Chef “T’ pops out of the kitchen with the details.

Chef Fred Ruiz is the Director of Operations for Kitchens & Restaurants at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. He joined the resort 12-years ago as Executive Chef. He’s received the prestigious Culinary Excellence Award from Marriott International three times! Las Casitas at The Marriott was just part of the nightly Gourmet Dine Around of the 23rd Festival Gourmet International with their Pacific Flavor Journey. We’ll meet Chef Ruiz.

Chef Richard Lombardi (a.ka. “The Cancer – Fighting Chef”) has a joyful & inspirational story to share with us. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009, underwent the difficult regimen of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and now is in remission. In all his research before (and during) treatment he came to realize that we all can make our cells potentially strong enough to resist the attack of abnormal cancer cells by preparing nutrient-rich recipes using cancer fighting ingredients. The result is Chef Richard’s new cookbook, The Cancer Fighting Cook – Cancer Fighter Packed Recipes for Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Chef Richard joins us in-studio.

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

Karen PageEclipsing painters and musicians, chefs have emerged as the world’s leading creative professionals—so there is no better place to turn for insight into the creative process than the pages of the new book by two-time James Beard Award-winners author Karen Page and photographer Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the beloved 400,000-copy bestseller The Flavor Biblenamed one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century by Forbes.

KITCHEN CREATIVITY: Unlocking Culinary Genius—with Wisdom, Inspiration, and Ideas from the World’s Most Creative Chefs is filled with secrets and strategies from more than 100 leading culinary minds—including José Andrés, Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, Amanda Cohen, Kyle Connaughton, Curtis Duffy, Emily Luchetti, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, and Joshua Skenes. Beyond a cookbook, KITCHEN CREATIVITY is a guide to a more inventive and intuitive approach to cooking (without recipes!)—one that will inspire readers to think, improvise, and cook like the world’s best chefs.

Anyone who’s ever dreamed of walking into a kitchen and creating a dish from scratch, knowing exactly how to season it to perfection, will find the book’s three-stage process a godsend:

  • In Stage 1: Mastery, a cook copies the masters—their dishes, their techniques, their seasoning—to develop a knowledge and skill base. Here, Page recommends essential books for the chef’s library, explains the difference between enhancing flavor and adding flavor, lists trusted food sources for the best-quality ingredients, and demonstrates how to learn time-tested flavor pairings and affinities.
  • During Stage 2: Alchemy, a cook integrates and applies new knowledge and experience, converting ingredients and classic dishes into something fresh.
  • By Stage 3: Creativity, a cook connects and combines elements into a new creation. Page teaches you how to take a look at the cooking techniques you know, and the dishes you love, to play with different combinations and create dishes without recipes, using your informed imagination. You’ll also find countless proven techniques for enhancing creativity through both stimulation (including travel, reading, and dining out) and stillness (such as lowering brain wave frequencies via meditation and yoga).

The book’s A-to-Z section prompts starting points for creative inspiration, from flavor pairings for marijuana, to Damian Sansonetti’s idea of grinding Italian rice to make gluten-free gnocchi, to the dishes top chefs cook on Super Bowl Sunday.

Karen Dornenburg is our guest.

Executive Producer Andy Harris was in Roswell, GA (an incorporated City of 95,000 in the greater Atlanta area with a lot of living Civil War history) in early October with fellow members of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA.) In this show we continue our coverage of the best of Roswell with a chat with the Producers & Co-Founders of the annual Roswell Wine Festival, an impressive, all-volunteer community effort that raises money in support of local non-profits. It always sells out early…

The Roswell Wine Festival was established in 2012 by long- time friends Peggy Robinson and Dwight Cunningham. After graduating from college at Johnson & Wales University, both moved to the Roswell and fell in love with the area. With a shared passion for wine, they wanted to create an event which provides an exceptional experience for wine enthusiasts, supports the business community, and benefits local charities. Through ticket sales, sponsorships, and restaurant participation, the Roswell Wine Festival has been able to support many area non-profits including the 2017 beneficiary, Keep Roswell Beautiful.

Roswell Wine Festival Co-founders Peggy Robinson and Dwight Cunningham uncork it for us.

Art SezginFresh & Ready Foods®, innovators in food manufacturing for over 25 years, is the smart, efficient answer to all grab & go, catering and box lunch needs. Since 1990, Fresh & Ready Foods has been manufacturing and distributing high quality sandwiches, box lunches, salads, and baked goods.

While Fresh & Ready Foods began by servicing hospitals and colleges (including patient and employee lunches) in Los Angeles; they now reach the entire state of California, Nevada and Western Arizona. Their current customer base includes medical centers, airlines, business dining services, convention centers, hotels, military bases and retail.

Fresh & Ready Foods’ state-of-the-art commercial production facilities have the capacity to manufacture their full line of sandwiches, salads, box lunches and baked goods no matter what size the affair. They source their meats direct from the packers, the produce straight from the farm and Artisan breads come from several local gourmet bakeries daily. Fresh & Ready’s highly-trained production crew is instructed to follow strict guidelines and specifications ensuring a consistent, high quality product.

In addition to what they make, Fresh & Ready Foods is concerned with how they make it. They have a comprehensive, detailed food safety program that gives them an extra level of confidence in the foods they manufacture.

Co-Founder & President Art Sezgin joins us.

Rithy Hahn, and Chef T Visoth OukOn Friday, December 8th, starting at 6:30pm, Long Beach’s own Chef “T” Visoth Ouk (a spokeschef for Cambodia Town) will offer his second in a series of pop-up dinners featuring Cambodian favorites with a contemporary twist. The A Stroll Through Phnom Penh pop-up and Toy Drive will feature passed appetizers and a four-course sit-down dinner, and also includes a glass of wine. The pop-up location is Legend Seafood Restaurant located at 1350 E. Anaheim Street in Long Beach.

Chef “T” requests guests bring an unwrapped toy valued at $15 or more for distribution and to brighten the holidays for local underserved children in the Long Beach community.

“My goal since becoming a chef has been to give back to the community that I came from,” said Chef “T”. “For this pop-up, combining my life’s passion of cooking with a holiday toy drive seemed like a natural fit for this time of year.”

Chef “T’ pops out of the kitchen with the details.

Fred RuizChef Fred Ruiz is the Director of Operations for Kitchens & Restaurants at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. He joined the resort 12-years ago as Executive Chef. He’s received the prestigious Culinary Excellence Award from Marriott International three times!

Recently launched is the Ceviche and Tequila Bar with an unrivaled ocean view offering more than 180 different tequilas, 12 kinds of draft beer, exclusive house-created recipe cocktails and a great variety of ceviches. Unusually the skilled ceviche chefs prepare their dishes on the side of the bar in full view of all guests.

Las Casitas at The Marriott with guest chef Aldo Tirado was part of the nightly Gourmet Dine Around of the Festival Gourmet International with Pacific Flavor Journey.

“Las Casitas showcases delectable al fresco dining, poolside and beachside service. Feast on lobster tacos and tropical drinks as you gaze out at Banderas Bay. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

We’ll meet Chef Ruiz.

Richard LombardiChef Richard Lombardi (a.ka. “The Cancer – Fighting Chef”) has a joyful & inspirational story to share with us. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009, underwent the difficult regimen of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and now is in remission.

In all his research before (and during) treatment he came to realize that we all can make our cells potentially strong enough to resist the attack of abnormal cancer cells by preparing nutrient-rich recipes using cancer fighting ingredients. The valuable result is Chef Richard’s new cookbook, The Cancer Fighting Cook – Cancer Fighter Packed Recipes for Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery.

Chef Richard Lombardi joins us in-studio.

Written by Chef Richard LombardiThe Cancer Fighting Chef and a cancer survivor himself—and packed with nutrient-rich recipes, The Cancer Fighting Cook is a cancer fighter and cancer caregiver’s best friend for combating the symptoms caused by treatment and for enhancing the recovery process.

Each of its delicious recipes—some from Richard’s own award-winning restaurant, Mama Rose in Costa Mesa, and conveniently organized by tabs for Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention—is powered with cancer-fighting ingredients, all of which are called out on the side of each page.

And because cooking can be tough when you’re recovering from treatment, the enclosed spiral bound, lay-flat book is packed with helpful shortcuts, kitchen basics, a removable quick-reference list, and a 75-page pad of printed cancer-fighter grocery lists. Even better, The Cancer Fighting Cook includes 10 kid-friendly recipes that the whole family can enjoy plus recipes from professional chefs and celebrities that have joined the fight against cancer including Jay Leno and Mark DeCarlo.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: James Beard Award-winning Author, Karen Page, Kitchen Creativity
Segment Three: 2017 Roswell Wine Festival, Roswell, GA
Segment Four: Art Sezgin, Co-Founder, Fresh & Ready Foods
Segment Five: Cambodia Town’s (Long Beach) Chef “T” Visoth Ouk
Segment Six: Chef Fred Ruiz, Director of Operations for Kitchens & Restaurants, Puerto Vallarta Marriott Resort & Spa
Segment Seven: Richard Lombardi, The Cancer-Fighting Chef Part One
Segment Eight: Richard Lombardi, The Cancer-Fighting Chef Part Two

Show 117, April 11, 2015: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

Karen Page and Andrew DornenburgTwo-time James Beard Award-winning author Karen Page revolutionized the way both professional chefs and home cooks think about and create new dishes – based on compatible flavors instead of recipes – with her bestseller, The Flavor Bible, which Forbes named as one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century. Now Page brings the same innovative approach to plant-based cooking with The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Photographs are by Andrew Dornenburg (Karen’s husband.)

For the first time in history, per-capita consumption of meat in America has fallen for five consecutive years, with predictions of continuing declines. Vegetarianism and veganism are emerging from the margins and into the mainstream, as 54 percent of Americans now wish to decrease or eliminate meat from their diets. While people have chosen to adopt meatless diets throughout history for a variety of reasons – from ethics to economy to personal and planetary well-being – this book suggests a new reason for doing so: maximizing flavor, which is too often masked by meat-based stocks or butter and cream.

Karen Page is our guest.

Show 117, April 11, 2015: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible Continues…

Karen Page and Andrew DornenburgAfter losing members of her family to cancer, the author – an established culinary professional – was shocked to learn that the number-one cause of death in America is nutritionally controllable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. A lifelong omnivore who grew up eating meat “two and often three times a day,” Page was motivated by nutrition studies to experiment with vegetarianism. She eventually eliminated meat from her diet, losing digestive aches and pains and more than twenty pounds in the process, while gaining new vitality and even joy – and she pours here newfound passion into this book.

Page shares what she’s learned about making dishes with the most healthful, nutrient-dense ingredients available (vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds) taste so delicious that their meatlessness is entirely beside the point.

At the heart of The Vegetarian Flavor Bible are the A-to-Z listings of hundreds of ingredients (from acai to zucchini blossoms), and the herbs, spices, and other seasonings that best enhance their flavor. Searching by ethnic cuisine or flavor or season, the reader will find endless inspiration for harmonious combinations.

April 11: Andrew Gruel, National Grilled Cheese Month, Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg, Big Island Chocolate Festival, Aarti Sequeira

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Artisan Baker Dean Kim – “The Big Cheese” Competition
Segment Three: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible Part One
Segment Four: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible Part Two
Segment Five: Big Island Chocolate Festival
Segment Six: Food Network’s Chef Aarti Sequeira Part One
Segment Seven: Food Network’s Chef Aarti Sequeira Part Two
Segment Eight: Executive Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish

Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, and, now, Newport Beach is today’s special Guest Host.

Now a preview of today’s delightfully fully-leaded and content-rich show.

In celebration of National Grilled Cheese Month in April Provisions Market (Chef Greg Daniels) and OC Baking Company (Dean Kim) will join forces to once again host The Big Cheese, Orange County’s grilled cheese festival and competition. Event Co-Founder Greg Daniels and his fellow Orange County Chefs will compete for the title of “The Big Cheese” on Monday, April 20th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Provisions Market. All proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to You Are Special, a local nonprofit that operates a food pantry to feed the hungry in the Orange community.

Two-time James Beard Award-winning author Karen Page revolutionized the way both professional chefs and home cooks think about and create new dishes – based on compatible flavors instead of recipes – with her bestseller, The Flavor Bible, which Forbes named as one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century. Now Page brings the same innovative approach to plant-based cooking with The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Photographs are by Andrew Dornenburg (Karen’s husband.) Karen Page is our guest along with Andrew Dornenburg.

Craving chocolate ? Who doesn’t ? The fourth annual Big Island Chocolate Festival (Hawaii) delivers with an array of fun, elegant and taste-tempting activities, seminars and culinary adventures May 7th to 9th. Most of the chocolately goodness will be offered at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, but three new events take place at Kona farms. Hawaii is the only state in the United States that can grow cacao. Farsheed Bonakdar, the President of the Kona Cacao Association and acclaimed chocolatier and pastry chef Donald Wressell of Guittard Chocolate Company join us with a preview.

“My first cookbook, Aarti Paarti : An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul is a love letter to both the flavors of my youth as an Indian girl growing up in the Middle East…and the flavors that embrace me in my new home here in the States” “I’ll walk you through 101 recipes, some simplified versions of Indian classics…and some that show you how to use these same Indian spices to create exciting spins on American favorites. Food Network’s Aarti Sequeira is our guest. She will be doing a cooking demo and book-signing at next weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.

Finally a chance to chat with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish. He’ll share some useful tips about selecting and preparing lobster. This is a conversation started on last week’s show. Chef Andrew will also advise us on what parts of the lobster are best for use in some familiar dishes. We’ll also talk about what is an authentic lobster roll. They are seemingly appearing on menus everywhere.

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

The Big Cheese Grilled Cheese CompetitionIn celebration of National Grilled Cheese Month in April Provisions Market (Chef Greg Daniels) and OC Baking Company (Dean Kim) will join forces to once again host The Big Cheese, Orange County’s grilled cheese festival and competition. Event Co-Founder Greg Daniels and his fellow Orange County Chefs will compete for the title of “The Big Cheese” on Monday, April 20th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Provisions Market. All proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to You Are Special, a local nonprofit that operates a food pantry to feed the hungry in the Orange community.

OC Baking Company Master Baker Dean Kim will supply locally produced, freshly baked bread to the competing chefs. The competitors will present their own spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich that festival attendees will sample and then vote on.

This year, the professional chefs will be joined by one ProAm competitor who will be selected by event organizers in an Instagram contest. To enter, the public must create and present an original grilled cheese creation on Instagram and use the hashtag #thebigcheese2015 by Thursday, April 16th. The winning entry will be announced Friday, April 17th and the ProAm contender for “The Big Cheese” will participate in the festival on Monday, April 20th.

Artisan Baker Dean Kim of the OC Baking Company joins us with all the needed 411.

Karen Page and Andrew DornenburgTwo-time James Beard Award-winning author Karen Page revolutionized the way both professional chefs and home cooks think about and create new dishes – based on compatible flavors instead of recipes – with her bestseller, The Flavor Bible, which Forbes named as one of the ten best cookbooks of the past century. Now Page brings the same innovative approach to plant-based cooking with The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Photographs are by Andrew Dornenburg (Karen’s husband.)

For the first time in history, per-capita consumption of meat in America has fallen for five consecutive years, with predictions of continuing declines. Vegetarianism and veganism are emerging from the margins and into the mainstream, as 54 percent of Americans now wish to decrease or eliminate meat from their diets. While people have chosen to adopt meatless diets throughout history for a variety of reasons – from ethics to economy to personal and planetary well-being – this book suggests a new reason for doing so: maximizing flavor, which is too often masked by meat-based stocks or butter and cream.

Karen Page is our guest along with Andrew Dornenburg.

After losing members of her family to cancer, the author – an established culinary professional – was shocked to learn that the number-one cause of death in America is nutritionally controllable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. A lifelong omnivore who grew up eating meat “two and often three times a day,” Page was motivated by nutrition studies to experiment with vegetarianism. She eventually eliminated meat from her diet, losing digestive aches and pains and more than twenty pounds in the process, while gaining new vitality and even joy – and she pours here newfound passion into this book.

BIg Island Chocolate FestivalCraving chocolate? Who doesn’t? The fourth annual Big Island Chocolate Festival (Hawaii) delivers with an array of fun, elegant and taste-tempting activities, seminars and culinary adventures May 7th to 9th. Most of the chocolatey goodness will be offered at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, but three new events take place at Kona farms. Hawaii is the only state in the United States that can grow cacao.

On Saturday, May 9th the 3-days of chocolate fun at The Big Island Chocolate Festival culminates from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Fairmont’s Grand Ballroom for the festival gala. Attendees can enjoy both savory and sweet chocolate cuisine created by top Island chefs, chocolatiers and confectioners while voting for their favorite culinary station. Diners can also visit the “all you can enjoy” mole and salad bars. Chef Donald Wressell of Guittard Chocolate Company will be demonstrating the fine art of chocolate sculpting.

Presented by the Kona Cacao Association (KCA), event proceeds benefit the “Equip the Kitchens” campaign for the future Hawaii Community College-Palamanui and a capital campaign to build a community kitchen at the Waldorf-inspired Kona Pacific Public Charter School in Kealakekua.

Farsheed Bonakdar, the President of the Kona Cacao Association and acclaimed chocolatier and pastry chef Donald Wressell of Guittard Chocolate Company join us with a tempting preview.

“My first cookbook, Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul is a love letter to both the flavors of my youth as an Indian girl growing up in the Middle East…and the flavors that embrace me in my new home here in the States”

“I’ll walk you through 101 recipes, some simplified versions of Indian classics like Chicken Tikka Masala, Raita and Naan…and some that show you how to use these same Indian spices to create exciting spins on American favorites like Kebab Sliders with Tamarind Chutney, Masala Shrimp and Grits, and Lemon Indian Donuts (Gulab Jamun) with Chamomile-Cardamom Syrup.”

“Each recipe is accompanied by swoon-worthy photos by Matt Armendariz, as well as stories (and photos) from my childhood”

Aarti SequeiraFood Network’s Aarti Sequeira is our guest. She will be doing a cooking demo and book-signing at next weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC on Saturday afternoon, April 18th at 2:00 p.m.

Chef Aarti’s first cookbook is Aarti Paarti – An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul. The foreword is by Food Network’s Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman Cooks fame.

This collection of Aarti’s memories and over 100 recipes will make cooking with traditional Indian and Middle Eastern flavors easy and fun for any reader. Wonderfully evocative stories at the beginning of each chapter relate how a woman who was an outsider experienced many cultures and cuisines. But it is the food in Aarti’s life that keeps her close to her roots as she explores new culinary and cultural destinations.

Andrew GruelFinally a chance to chat with our patient Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish. He really knows seafood.

Chef Andrew will share some useful tips about selecting and preparing lobster. It’s easier to enjoy than its reputation. Chef Andrew will also advise us on what parts of the lobster are best for use in some familiar dishes. This is the continuation of a conversation Chef Andrew started last week.

Lobster Rolls are appearing on a lot of restaurant menus. Everyone, of course, has the “best.” Chef Andrew will give us some background on this delicacy. He grew up on the East Coast where this craveable sandwich originated.

Chef Andrew is the co-host of FYI’s new restaurant makeover series, “Say It To My Face!” It premiers Saturday night, May 9th.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Artisan Baker Dean Kim – “The Big Cheese” Competition
Segment Three: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible Part One
Segment Four: Karen Page – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible Part Two
Segment Five: Big Island Chocolate Festival
Segment Six: Food Network’s Chef Aarti Sequeira Part One
Segment Seven: Food Network’s Chef Aarti Sequeira Part Two
Segment Eight: Executive Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish