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

Next a tempting preview of Saturday’s unconditionally jam-packed show. With any luck we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

The OC Fair is hosting “One Big Party” from July 17^th to August 16^th in celebration of its 125^th anniversary with culinary creations to suit all palates. Foodies can enjoy wild and new fare mixed in with the traditional fair food. The word is already out on the new grilled, bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick from Biggys. We’ll meet the creator, “The Midway Gourmet”!

The 4^th Annual “I Love Poke Festival” was held last month at The Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. The sold-out event brought poke connoisseurs and newcomers together to celebrate the Hawaiian delicacy, lifestyle and culture as 11 highly competitive chefs went head-to-head for the title of Best Poke. In the end, Chefs Chris Aure and “Big Mike” of Zarlitos Family Restaurant in National City staged a big upset over the OC chefs and came out on top with their spicy poke rendition. The victorious (and modest) Chef Chris is our guest.

The Wall Street Journal’s esteemed wine writer, Lettie Teague, asked the question in her May 22^nd article, “What Goes Into Wine-Label Design? Will a fussy label hamper the sale of a cheap wine?” Our resident wine expert, Kyle Meyer of The Wine Exchange shares a few carefully-considered thoughts. Selling wine is his livelihood…

Our friends at The Museum of The American Cocktail are at it again. Their next Los Angeles evening is, “Bombs Away! For the Sake of Sake.” It’s set for Wednesday, July 22^nd at L.A.’s fine Vietnamese restaurant, The District by Hannah An. Presenter and Drinkmaster Roberto Loppi, Director of Wine, Scarpetta Beverly Hills will preside. He’s joined by MOTAC’s Philip Dobard for the preview.

Cheese Cave is a full-service, cut-to-order cheese shop in Claremont, California. It’s probably the finest in the Inland Empire and was founded in 2010. It’s proudly family-owned and operated by two sisters. Their Family has been in the dairy business for generations. You can also find boutique wines, handmade local beers, artisan salumi, chocolates, honey, olives, and crackers. Cheese Cave also creates custom cheese platters for your party! Co-Founder Marnie Clarke is with us.

Rick Reich’s Brix at The Shore brings a special taste of The Big Apple to the seaside community of Belmont Shore in Long Beach with its authentic pastrami sandwiches, intimate wine bar ambiance and thoughtful selection of craft beer. Rick also doubles as the establishment’s entertaining sommelier. He has an inspired wine or beer pairing for every item on his extensive menu. Rick’s an original…

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

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