Show 559, January 6, 2024: “LOST LA” on PBS SoCal

PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations are soon airing the 2024 “return of the locally produced, historical documentary series LOST LA, a co-production with the University of Southern California Libraries, part of their longstanding commitment to building public engagement with regional history collections. Public historian and writer Nathan Masters returns as Host for the sixth season of LOST LA with untold histories behind tiki culture, fast food, Historic Filipinotown, hiking, tuberculosis and cemeteries.”

“The new season of LOST LA is scheduled on PBS SoCal beginning Tuesday, January 2 at 7:30 p.m. PT. After the broadcast, each episode of LOST LA is available to stream on their companion websites and on the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal and KCET will get early access to stream all six episodes on PBS Passport starting Jan. 2.”

“The half-hour series LOST LA explores the region’s hidden past through documents, photos and other rare artifacts from California libraries and archives. Since its premiere in January of 2016, the series has continued to challenge the assumption that Los Angeles is a city without a history. Instead, LOST LA offers a history of Southern California that is not often told, or has been forgotten, bringing primary sources of Los Angeles history to the screen and connecting them to the Los Angeles of today.”

The Director of all the new season’s episodes of LOST LA, Matt Bass, is our well-informed guide to all that is LOST LA.

Show 341, September 21, 2019: Chef & Journalist Noelle Carter, Noelle Carter Food

Noelle Carter FoodAs the long-time Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen director, Noelle Carter oversaw the testing of all recipes that appear in The Times. In addition, she wrote features and contributed to Food’s Daily Dish blog. Noelle also researched and penned the popular Culinary SOS column for Food.

A native Southern Californian, she holds a degree in film from the University of Southern California and, when she’s not cooking, loves watching old movies. She left The Times in January 2019.

We’ll get updated on Noelle’s new activities with Noelle Carter Food.

Show 317, March 30, 2019: Author Elisa Callow, The Urban Forager

Elise CallowThe Urban Forager by Elisa Callow showcases one of California’s richest and most rapidly expanding culinary cultures : the Eastside of Los Angeles.

“When visitors to Los Angeles think of food in the city, they think Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Malibu…the Westside of town. But author and arts educator Elisa Callow spent years exploring the communities in her neighborhood on the Eastside of Los Angeles and learning about the chefs and stores in little-known areas that no one was talking about. She put all that love and research together in her new cookbook, The Urban Forager: Culinary Exploring & Cooking on L.A.’s Eastside (Prospect Park Books/Hardcover)”

“Los Angeles has an unending number of flavors, culture, and food possibilities—many of which are tucked within the checkerboard of neighborhoods on the city’s Eastside,” explains Elisa Callow. “I realized that to even begin to appreciate the various cuisines emerging and flourishing in Los Angeles requires time, respect, and attention. My urban foraging adventure yielded a deeper connection with the communities I explored—one of the most gratifying outcomes of my obsession. The chefs, cooks, and stores owners I met and include in this book offer a hint of the variety of delicious and unique food representing the diverse communities of L.A.’s Eastside.”

“Part cookbook, part guide to foraging the best L.A. has to offer, The Urban Forager is a compelling bridge to the unfamiliar, inspiring readers to enrich their culinary repertoire by foraging in own their communities.”

Author, passionate cook and food explorer, Elisa Callow is our guide.

Elisa is performing a cooking demonstration and book signing at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the campus of the University of Southern California on Sunday, April 14th @ 11:00 a.m. on the Cooking Demonstration Stage.

Show 232, July 15, 2017: Quick Help for Meals : A Mobile Phone App for Pantry Clients

peteråPeter Clark PhD and Susan Evans PhD-clarke-susan-evansThe faculty members at The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism and Keck School of Medicine strive to be of service to the community. They have created Quick Help for Meals, an Android app that helps combat the national epidemic of obesity and improve the quality of family meals. The app grew out of a 25-year, award-winning project that has dramatically expanded the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables reaching low-income people through the nation’s 33,000 community food pantries.

The nearly 40 million clients of this nation’s food pantries suffer elevated rates of obesity, diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, and other diet-related conditions. Numerous studies have shown how increased consumption of fresh produce helps fight obesity and promote health. Over the past twenty years, many food banks and community pantries have started distributing significant amounts of free fresh produce. Unfortunately, though, many pantry clients do not know how to prepare vegetables in nutritious, varied, and appealing ways; they also need to acquire other food management skills for healthier eating.

The phone app offers two kinds of content that each pantry client customizes to his or her needs and interests. One, VeggieBook, enables a food recipient to obtain recipes and food-use tips about fresh vegetables. A recipient decides which kinds of recipes and tips he or she wants, from among hundreds of specially-designed recipes. Users can get these printed immediately at the pantry as well as saved on the phone. All materials are in English and Spanish.

The second section of the app, Secrets to Better Eating, invites a pantry client to browse five chapters (about better breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and food shopping). Secrets present more than 80 concrete, no-cost strategies for limiting fats and sugar in the diet, establishing a warm atmosphere at meals, curtailing overeating, involving children in meal preparations, introducing children to new food tastes, and bargain-conscious grocery shopping, among other themes. Each client’s selected ideas are printed at the pantry and saved to the phone. And, as with VeggieBook’s recipes and tips, a client can e-mail Secrets to friends or family and get extra printed copies as well.

The creators, Peter Clarke, PhD. and Susan Evans, Ph.D., are our guests.

Show 188, September 10, 2016: Executive Chef Eric Ernest, USC Hospitality

Eric Ernest“Today’s top-flight University chefs are likely to be as savvy and competitive as their independent restaurant peers. Eric Ernest, the accomplished fine-dining chef who has headed University of Southern California Hospitality since 2012, knows this all too well.”

USC Hospitality operated 44 food and beverage venues on the University Park Campus, Health Sciences Center Campus, as well as two off-campus venues. It also provides creative full-service catering.

“Ernest and his team of up to 40 chefs turn out about 20,000 meals daily between students, faculty, the hospital, the hotel, the Coliseum and special events. So the pressure is on to produce and produce well.” “The question is not how do we fit their needs?” “Instead of what do they want, it’s what do they not know exists that they can’t live without?” Ernest insists.

USC’s pinnacle of fine-dining is Moreton Fig Restaurant + Lounge. The chef there is the highly-motivated Mireya Medina. Her first position at USC Hospitality was as a line cook. Great example of promoting an exceptional candidate from within.

Chef Eric is also USC Hospitality’s Associate Director of Purchasing, Logistics & Special Projects. He’s our guest.

 

Show 188, September 10, 2016: Executive Chef Eric Ernest, USC Hospitality Part 2

Eric Ernest“Today’s top-flight University chefs are likely to be as savvy and competitive as their independent restaurant peers. Eric Ernest, the accomplished fine-dining chef who has headed University of Southern California Hospitality since 2012, knows this all too well.” Chef Eric is also USC Hospitality’s Associate Director of Purchasing, Logistics & Special Projects. Chef Eric Ernest continues.

“USC really offers top-notch hospitality. That, paired with the executive team and the leadership team, makes (the department) amazing, top to bottom,” Ernest observes.

“We view roasting a carrot with the same attention as making foie gras. We apply modern technique to everything, across the board, to create the best USC experience,” he continues.

With 44 outlets and 44 different menus to fill daily, it’s essential to plan ahead, Ernest stresses. “Good enough isn’t good enough. Our department answers to every single person who walks on the campus,” he promises.

Chef Eric is also proud of USC Hospitality’s two Teaching Gardens. It’s an unusual collaboration with LA Urban Farms, LA & SF Specialty and Chefs to End Hunger.