Podcasts
Hour One: Anne Marie Panoringan, Justin Ellen
Hour Two: Justin Ellen, En-Ming Hsu, Andrew Gruel
Segment One: Show Introduction with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segments Two and Three: Anne Marie Panoringan, Food Writer, Culture OC
Segments Four and Five: Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving with Author Justin Ellen
Segments Six and Seven: World Pastry Cup Gold Medalist Chef En-Ming Hsu, Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Calico Fish House, Sunset Beach, and Show Co-host
Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC, her recent overseas travels to Hong Kong and Taipei, and some tasty Orange County dining tidbits.
“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube). Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.” Justin puts down his whisk and joins us.
“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.” We’ll meet Chef En-Ming Hsu.
Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) now joins us with his timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. Today Chef Andrew revisits what “ultraprocessed” foods are and new labeling requirements in California. Don’t we need a coordinated, uniform national framework for this?
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC and highlight her culinary adventures. Anne Marie joins us in-studio.
First dining in Hong Kong and Taipei. Anne Marie also previews the new Friday through Sunday Afternoon Tea at Qua in Fountain Valley.
Then, Anne Marie now takes us to Naples Ristorante at Downtown Disney where she was a judge for a food competition there. Then a preview of Restaurateur Russ Bendel’s upcoming Creekside in Mission Viejo. It’s his 7th property.
“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube).”
“Justin’s early success – he’s only 23! – stems from being a tremendously hard worker (and his enthusiasm is infectious!). Justin will speak about his decision to self-publish and build his cookbook team from scratch, how his grandmothers have influenced him, and how he engages with his followers and crafts original content. Justin launched his business at 16 with no seed money, no prior work experience, and no connections. He has been constantly researching, learning, and figuring things out as he went along, to great success.”
“Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.”
“With clear instructions, simple tips throughout (oil = moisture, butter = flavor), and links to step-by-step video tutorials for every single recipe, Better than Grandma’s shows you what actually makes a difference in baking. Whether you’ve never baked from scratch or have been baking for years, Justin’s better-than-Grandma’s recipes are designed to work every time. And while the title may be Better than Grandma’s, the book is actually a love letter to the grandmothers who taught Justin to find joy in every moment, to fill every room with confidence and laughter, and to bake in the first place. It’s about honoring the women along with the recipes—then building on them to make them even better.”
Justin is graciously sharing his recipe for Chocolate Cobbler.
Justin puts down his whisk to join us.
“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority, woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.”
“Chef En-Ming recommends preparing Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate with whole milk, but it’s also delicious with lowfat milk, skim milk, and non-dairy milk substitutes. To prepare at home, take your time and prepare this delicious drink by whisking it on the stovetop to simmer. In a hurry? You can also use a microwave.”
“Summertime heat getting you down? Mix with cold milk and keep a pitcher-full in the refrigerator to enjoy iced. Don’t forget the whipped cream.”
We’ll meet Chef En-Ming Hsu.
Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) now joins us with his timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries.
Today Chef Andrew revisits what “ultraprocessed” foods are and somewhat vague new labeling requirements in California. Don’t we need a coordinated, uniform national framework for this?
Andrew Gruel’s Family Cookbook is available with signed copies at his Calico Fish House on Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach.
Podcasts
Hour One: Anne Marie Panoringan, Justin Ellen
Hour Two: Justin Ellen, En-Ming Hsu, Andrew Gruel
Segment One: Show Introduction with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segments Two and Three: Anne Marie Panoringan, Food Writer, Culture OC
Segments Four and Five: Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving with Author Justin Ellen
Segments Six and Seven: World Pastry Cup Gold Medalist Chef En-Ming Hsu, Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Calico Fish House, Sunset Beach, and Show Co-host