Show 194, October 22, 2016: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Founder, Slapfish Restaurant Group

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 Rams and USC Football, is back as today’s Guest Host. San Clemente is launching next. 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 pleasingly tempting preview of Saturday’s packed 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…

Tal Ronnen, a classically trained chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author, is redefining the concept of contemporary vegan cooking by concentrating on what makes food enjoyable in the first place. His new cookbook, Crossroads, is inspired by his cooking at his stylish Los Angeles restaurant (featuring Mediterranean cuisine) of the same name. We’ll meet him.

Orange County foodies probably know Chef Greg Moro from his time on the line at French 75 in Laguna Beach. Sadly, he was recently in a devastating accident while riding his motorcycle. Leave it to the ever-generous Orange County Chefs’ Community to now marshal the forces to orchestrate a special fundraiser for Greg, Breakfast in the Barn for Gregory at Manassero Farm in Irvine on Saturday morning, October 29th @ 10:00 a.m. We’ll have all the details.

It’s time for a visit with our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer, the Co-Proprietor of Wine Exchange in Santa Ana. We’ve often asked by listeners how a wine makes it to the shelves at Wine Exchange. We’ll go behind-the-scenes and hear about this formal process from one of the final decision-makers.

Sherman Chan is a well-respected food blogger based in Vancouver, B.C. and known for integrity. His popular blog is Sherman’s Food Adventures and includes honest restaurant commentary and great visuals. We dined with him on our recent trip to Richmond, BC for their intensive Hole in the Wall Street Food Tour. We’ll meet him.

In the last year the New York-based, cult favorite burger emporium, Shake Shack, has opened three busy Shacks locally in West Hollywood, Glendale and Hollywood. What’s next? Shake Shack’s Culinary Director, Mark Rosati, is back with an update. A Roadside Double with a side of Crinkle Cut Cheese Fries, please.

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

October 22: Tal Ronnen, Breakfast in the Barn for Greg, Wine Exchange, Sherman Chan, Shake Shack

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Founder, Slapfish Restaurant Group
Segment Two: Tal Ronnen, Chef/Proprietor, Crossroads, Los Angeles Part One
Segment Three: Tal Ronnen, Chef/Proprietor, Crossroads, Los Angeles Part Two
Segment Four: “Breakfast in the Barn for Gregory” Benefit
Segment Five: Kyle Meyer, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana, “The Tasting Panel”
Segment Six: Sherman Chan, Sherman’s Food Adventures, British Columbia
Segment Seven: Shake Shack slides into Greater Los Angeles

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 Rams and USC Football, is back as today’s Guest Host. San Clemente is launching next. 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 pleasingly tempting preview of Saturday’s packed 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…

Tal Ronnen, a classically trained chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author, is redefining the concept of contemporary vegan cooking by concentrating on what makes food enjoyable in the first place. His new cookbook, Crossroads, is inspired by his cooking at his stylish Los Angeles restaurant of the same name. We’ll meet him.

Orange County foodies probably know Chef Greg Moro from his time on the line at French 75 in Laguna Beach. Sadly he was recently in a devastating accident while riding his motorcycle. Leave it to the ever-generous Orange County Chefs’ Community to now marshal the forces to orchestrate a special fundraiser for Greg, “Breakfast in the Barn for Gregory” at Manassero Farm in Irvine on Saturday morning, October 29th @ 10:00 a.m. We’ll have all the details.

It’s time for a visit with our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer, the Co-Proprietor of Wine Exchange in Santa Ana. We’ve often been asked by listeners how a wine makes it to the shelves at Wine Exchange. We’ll go behind-the-scenes and hear about this formal process from one of the final decision-makers.

Sherman Chan is a well-respected food blogger based in Vancouver, B.C. and known for integrity. His popular blog is Sherman’s Food Adventures and includes honest restaurant commentary and great visuals. We dined with him on our recent trip to Richmond, BC for their intensive Hole in the Wall Street Food Tour. We’ll meet him.

In the last year the New York-based, cult favorite burger emporium, Shake Shack, has opened three busy Shacks locally in West Hollywood, Glendale and Hollywood. What’s next ? Shake Shack’s Culinary Director, Mark Rosati, is back with an update. A Roadside Double with a side of Crinkle Cut Cheese Fries, please.

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

Tal Ronnen of Crossroads KitchenTal Ronnen, a classically trained chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author, is redefining the concept of contemporary vegan cooking by concentrating on what makes food enjoyable in the first place. His new cookbook, Crossroads – Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine, is inspired by his cooking at his stylish Los Angeles restaurant of the same name.

In the cookbook Chef Tal reveals his sophisticated and satisfying new approach in 100 Mediterranean-inspired recipes that are an indispensable resource for mindful eaters. “This is the first vegan cookbook with recipes you’ll want to serve at a dinner party.”

Reinventing plant-based eating is what Tal Ronnen is all about. At his Los Angeles restaurant, Crossroads, the menu is vegan, but there are no soybeans or bland seitan to be found. He and his executive chef, Scot Jones, turn seasonal vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains into sophisticated Mediterranean fare—think warm bowls of tomato-sauced pappardelle, plates of spicy carrot salad, and crunchy flatbreads piled high with roasted vegetables.

In Crossroads, an IACP Cookbook Award finalist, Ronnen teaches readers to make his recipes and proves that the flavors we crave are easily replicated in dishes made without animal products. With accessible, unfussy recipes, Crossroads takes plant-based eating firmly out of the realm of hippie health food and into a cuisine that fits perfectly with today’s modern palate.

The recipes are photographed in sumptuous detail, and with more than 100 of them for weeknight dinners, snacks and appetizers, special occasion meals, desserts, and more, this book is an indispensable resource for healthy, mindful eaters everywhere.

We’ll meet Chef Tal Ronnen.

As Ronnen writes in the book’s introduction, “As a lover of food, what I really crave is the smoky paprika and fat in chorizo, not the pork itself; the smoky char of grilled steak, not the actual beef. The challenge in vegan cooking lies in not cheapening the food by making it feel like it’s a knockoff of itself or a shadow of the original, but rather in making vegetables shine in their own right while still satisfying those cravings. By refocusing in what makes food rich and pleasurable to begin with, I realized I could create plant-based dishes that appeal to everyone, not just vegans.”

Breakfast in the Barn for GregoryOrange County foodies probably best know Chef Greg Moro best from his time on the line at French 75 in Laguna Beach. He also spent time in the kitchens of Charlie Palmer’s at South Coast Plaza (now closed) and Chapter One – The Modern Local.

Sadly he was recently in a devastating accident while riding his motorcycle. Leave it to the ever-generous Orange County chefs’ community to now marshal the forces to orchestrate a special fundraiser for Chef Greg, Breakfast in the Barn for Gregory at Manassero Farm in Irvine on Saturday morning, October 29th @ 10:00 a.m. It’s a modest $40 per guest.

Joining us with all the key details is Jill Cook of Bow and Arrow PR and one of the lead restaurants, Chef Debra Sims of Maro Wood Grill in Laguna Beach.

“Please help Chef Greg Moro get back in the kitchen…
This is going to be a long and very costly recovery process. The goal is to raise money to cover Greg’s medical bills, replace his knife kit and give him a cushion to help him pay his normal bills while in recovery, so that he can take the proper time to heal and not feel worried/rushed to get back to work (even though we all know he will be eager to!).“

Kyle Meyer of Wine ExchangeIt’s time for a visit with our resident wine authority, Kyle Meyer, the Co-Proprietor of Wine Exchange in Santa Ana. We’ve been asked by curious listeners how a wine makes it to the shelves at Wine Exchange.

We’ll go behind-the-scenes and hear about this formal process from one of the key decision-makers. Every wine must survive the rigors of the tasting panel to even move on to the next point of possible consideration.

Sherman ChanSherman Chan is a well-respected food blogger based in Vancouver, B.C. and known for integrity. His popular blog is Sherman’s Food Adventures and includes honest commentary on restaurants and great visuals.

His eventual goal is to dine in every restaurant in Vancouver and its suburbs (including Richmond.) So far it’s over 800 restaurants in Vancouver and 200 plus in Richmond. That is dining out at least once a day for the last 7 years.

We shared/slurped noodles with him on our recent trip to Richmond, BC for their intensive Hole in the Wall Street Food Tour. We’ll get Sherman’s objective thoughts on the current vibrant dining scene in both Vancouver as well as in Richmond, B.C. We’ll also highlight his travels on Richmond’s new Dumpling Trail.

Sherman Chan of Sherman’s Food Adventures is our guest.

Mark Rosati of Shake ShackIn the last year the New York-based cult favorite burger emporium, Shake Shack, has opened three busy Shacks locally in West Hollywood, Glendale and Hollywood.

What’s next ? Shake Shack’s Culinary Director, Mark Rosati, is back with an update. A Roadside Double with a side of Crinkle Cut Cheese Fries, please.

Shake Shack sprouted from a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in Manhattan to support the Madison Square Park Conservancy’s first art installation. The cart was quite the success, with Shack fans lined up daily for three summers.

In 2004, a permanent kiosk opened in the park: Shake Shack was born. This modern day “roadside” burger stand serves up delicious burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard, shakes, beer, wine and more. An instant neighborhood fixture, Shake Shack welcomed people from all over the city, country and world who gathered together to enjoy fresh, simple, high-quality versions of the classics in a majestic setting. The rest, as they say, is burger history.

The latest Shack in Hollywood at 6201 Hollywood Blvd. just opened on October 12th. An L.A.-only item is the Roadside Double. That’s a double Swiss cheeseburger topped with Dijon mustard and onions simmered in bacon and beer.

On The Shack’s menu are a selection of local frozen custard concretes, including the Sunset Grind (vanilla custard, Stumptown coffee, marshmallow sauce and Cofax spiced crumb donut) where five per cent of the sales from the Sunset Grind concrete are donated to Project Angel Food.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Founder, Slapfish Restaurant Group
Segment Two: Tal Ronnen, Chef/Proprietor, Crossroads, Los Angeles Part One
Segment Three: Tal Ronnen, Chef/Proprietor, Crossroads, Los Angeles Part Two
Segment Four: “Breakfast in the Barn for Gregory” Benefit
Segment Five: Kyle Meyer, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana, “The Tasting Panel”
Segment Six: Sherman Chan, Sherman’s Food Adventures, British Columbia
Segment Seven: Shake Shack slides into Greater Los Angeles