Show 134, August 8, 2015: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel & Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

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

Next a mouthwatering preview of Saturday’s fully overloaded show. With any luck we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

What’s new in ice cream ? (Sorry we just missed National Ice Cream Month…) Consider Manila Sky Ice Cream. This line of gourmet, sweet indulgences is a fusion of authentic Filipino inspired tropical ingredients combined with creamery fresh California milk. The flavors are bold. What started as a hobby for founder Anthony Reyes and his wife has grown (since 2012) into a viable business. What’s not to love about creamy ice cream? We’ll chill with Co-founder Anthony Reyes.

The raw oyster bar seems to be popping up as an attraction at a lot of restaurants these days including ones that offer very little seafood. It’s a trend…Satarist Jonathan Swift once wrote, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” There are three primary species of oysters that are commercially harvested domestically. Our own resident seafood expert, Chef Andrew Gruel, will provide some needed 411 on what every listener should know about these plump bivalves that now are seemingly on restaurant menus everywhere.

Hatch Chile season is upon us! Fresh Hatch Chiles, grown only in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico, are available for just a few short weeks each year in August and September. Many connoisseurs consider them the world’s tastiest chiles.Melissa’s World Variety Produce has led the charge in popularizing the coveted Hatch Chiles and developing many great, easy-to-prepare recipes using them. Their Corporate Chef, Ida Rodriguez, joins us to discuss the joys of Hatch Chile season.

At the age of 15, Chef Brendan Collins quit secondary school to follow his dream and enroll in culinary school, where is was classically trained in French technique. By 17, the talented Nottingham native had his first job at London’s La Gavroche, a Michelin two-star restaurant. Today Collins is the Executive Chef and Proprietor of both Birch in Hollywood as well as the Executive Chef of The Corner Door in Culver City.

Sadly the 125 Anniversary run of the Orange County Fair (“One Big Party” concludes on Sunday, August 16th. The Concessionaire’s Cup Awards for OC Fair’s Finest Foods have been presented. We’ll talk with one of the Trophy Winners, Lori Southerland of Grant’s Tasti Burgers and Tasti Chips.

Our spirited friends at The Museum of The American Cocktail (MOTAC) are at it again. Their next Los Angeles presentation isSin and the Silver Screen: The Birth of Spirited Hollywood.” The date is Monday evening, August 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hollywood’s preeminent English pub, The Pikey Café & Bar. Lesley Jacobs Solmonson & David Solmonson, the authors of The 12 Bottle Bar and publishers of 12bottlebar.com are the always entertaining presenters.

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

Show 134, August 8, 2015: The Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC)

David and Lesley Jacobs SolmonsonOur spirited friends at The Museum of The American Cocktail (MOTAC) are at it again. Their next Los Angeles presentation is Sin and the Silver Screen: The Birth of Spirited Hollywood.”

The program tells the story of Hollywood’s transformation from a dry, well-churched town to the epicenter of nightclub culture. The presentation features the rise and Golden Age of the Hollywood nightclub, tales from its most popular establishments, and “house drinks” from several famous clubs, including the Cocoanut Grove, Embassy Club, and Café Montmarte. Admission ($40.00 General Admission) includes farm-to-table food pairings of Chef Ralph Johnson.

Our guests, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson and David Solmonson, share the fascinating factoid that during Prohibition Hollywood still portrayed drinking as something that was socially acceptable. It paints the picture of how Prohibition was viewed in the West.

The event date is Monday evening, August 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hollywood’s preeminent English pub, The Pikey Café & Bar. Lesley Jacobs Solmonson & David Solmonson, the authors of The 12 Bottle Bar and publishers of 12bottlebar.com are the always entertaining presenters.

August 8: Andrew Gruel, Manila Sky, Melissa’s Produce, Brendan Collins, Grant’s Tasti Burgers, 12 Bottle Bar

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel & Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Anthony Reyes, Co-Founder, Manila Sky Ice Cream
Segment Three: Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish
Segment Four: Corporate Chef Ida Rodriguez, Melissa’s, Hatch Chile Season
Segment Five: Executive Chef Brendan Collins, Birch and The Corner Door Part One
Segment Six: Executive Chef Brendan Collins, Birch and The Corner Door
Segment Seven: Grant’s Tasti Burgers and Tasti Chips, 2015 OC Fair
Segment Eight: The Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC)

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

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

What’s new in ice cream ? (Sorry we just missed National Ice Cream Month…) Consider Manila Sky Ice Cream. This line of gourmet, sweet indulgences is a fusion of authentic Filipino inspired tropical ingredients combined with creamery fresh California milk. The flavors are bold. What started as a hobby for founder Anthony Reyes and his wife has grown (since 2012) into a prosperous business. What’s not to love about creamy ice cream? We’ll chill with Co-founder Anthony Reyes.

The raw oyster bar seems to be popping up as an attraction at a lot of better restaurants these days including ones that offer very little seafood. It’s a trend…Satarist Jonathan Swift once wrote, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” There are three primary species of oysters that are commercially harvested domestically. Our own resident seafood expert, Chef Andrew Gruel, will provide some needed 411 on what every listener should know about enjoying these plump bivalves that now are seemingly on restaurant menus everywhere.

Hatch Chile season is upon us! Fresh Hatch Chiles, grown only in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico, are available for just a few short weeks each year in August and September. Many connoisseurs consider them the world’s tastiest chiles. Melissa’s World Variety Produce has led the charge in popularizing the coveted Hatch Chiles and developing many inspired recipes using them. Melissa’s Corporate Chef, Ida Rodriguez, joins us to highlight the joys of Hatch Chile season.

At the age of 15, Chef Brendan Collins quit secondary school to follow his dream and enroll in culinary school, where is was classically trained in French technique. By 17, the talented Nottingham native had his first job at London’s La Gavroche, a Michelin two-star restaurant. Today Collins is the Executive Chef and Proprietor of both Birch in Hollywood as well as the Executive Chef of The Corner Door in Culver City.

Sadly the 125th Anniversary run of the Orange County Fair (“One Big Party”) concludes on Sunday, August 16th. The Concessionaire’s Cup Awards for OC Fair’s Finest Foods have been presented. We’ll talk with one of the Trophy Winners, Lori Southerland of Grant’s Tasti Burgers and Tasti Chips.

Our spirited friends at The Museum of The American Cocktail (MOTAC) are at it again. Their next Los Angeles presentation is “Sin and the Silver Screen : The Birth of Spirited Hollywood.” The date is Monday evening, August 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hollywood’s preeminent English pub, The Pikey Café & Bar. Lesley Jacobs Solmonson & David Solmonson, the authors of The 12 Bottle Bar and publishers of 12bottlebar.com are the always entertaining presenters.

Thanks to all our special in-studio guests last week from the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA.) We really appreciate the visit.

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

Manila Sky Nutty Jack ice CreamWhat’s new in ice cream ? (Sorry we just missed National Ice Cream Month…) Consider Manila Sky Ice Cream. This line of gourmet, sweet indulgences is a fusion of authentic Filipino inspired tropical ingredients combined with creamery fresh California milk. The flavors are bold.

What started as a hobby for founder Anthony Reyes and his wife has grown (since 2012) into a prosperous business. What’s not to love about creamy ice cream?

The captivating flavors are Coco Rico, Mango Dream, Mango Verde, Nutty Jack, Purple Yumm and Viva Avocado.

Nutty Jack Ice Cream is a distinct, tropical jackfruit ice cream with roasted cashews and a hint of sea salt. The star of this flavor is the Filipino jackfruit : a tropical fruit with notes of mango, pineapple and banana. Pairing jackfruit with cashews is a quintessential Filipino flavor combination that marries the depth of roasted cashews with the tropical sweetness of the jackfruit.”

We’ll chill with Co-founder Anthony Reyes.

Andrew GruelThe raw oyster bar seems to be popping up as an attraction at a lot of restaurants these days including ones that offer very little seafood. It’s a legitimate trend…

Satarist Jonathan Swift once wrote, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”

There are three primary species of oysters that are commercially harvested domestically. They are the Pacific, Eastern and the Olympia. They can be sold under different names depending on where they are harvested. Live oysters are best enjoyed as fresh as possible.

Oysters are high in calcium and iron. They provide a good source of protein.

Our own resident seafood expert, Chef Andrew Gruel, will provide some needed 411 on what every listener should know about enjoying these plump bivalves that now are seemingly on restaurant menus everywhere.

Chef Ida Rodriquez of Melissas World Variety ProduceHatch Chile season is upon us! Fresh Hatch Chiles, grown only in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico, are available for just a few short weeks each year in August and September. Many connoisseurs consider them the world’s tastiest chiles.

Once roasted, Hatch Chiles are easy to peel and seed. Roasting heightens the robust earthy flavor of the chiles and the texture of the thick walls of the chile pod becomes lusciously rich. These unique qualities, and the pepper’s variable heat (unlike other chile peppers, Hatch Chiles come in varieties that cover the full spectrum of heat levels) have earned Hatch Chiles great popularity far beyond the local community of Hatch, New Mexico.

Melissa’s World Variety Produce has led the charge in popularizing the coveted Hatch Chiles and developing many great recipes using them. From now through mid-September Melissa’s will be sponsoring weekend Hatch Chile Roasting parties at area supermarkets including at select Bristol Farms and Gelson’s. Check the Melissa’s website for locations, dates and times.

Melissa’s Corporate Chef, Ida Rodriguez, joins us to highlight the joys of Hatch Chile season.

Brendan CollinsAt the age of 15, Chef Brendan Collins quit secondary school to follow his dream and enroll in culinary school, where is was classically trained in French technique. By 17, the talented Nottingham native had his first job at London’s La Gavroche, a Michelin two-star restaurant. Today Collins is the Executive Chef and Proprietor of both Birch in Hollywood as well as the Executive Chef of The Corner Door in Culver City.

Drawing on his training in butchery and belief in using the whole animal, Collins is dedicated to using only the best ingredients and cooking food that he likes to eat. He combines impeccable French technique, seasonal California ingredients, and his inimitable “British lad” attitude to create a cuisine that is at once comforting and exciting, while maintaining a relaxed, English pub atmosphere

For the past three years, The Corner Door has been known as one of the best spots for cocktails in all of Southern California, filling both the bar and dining room with guests imbibing on their always seasonal and innovative beverage program. And now, with Executive Chef Brendan Collins at the helm of the kitchen, The Corner Door has introduced a completely new Dinner Menu with eats to match.

Collins, formerly the chef at such notable spots as Melisse, Anisette and Palihouse, opened his own acclaimed restaurant Waterloo & City just next to The Corner Door until he decided to close (and sell) it late last year. Though he was also working on his newly opened Hollywood restaurant, Birch, at the same time, Collins was deeply invested in Culver City. “It is a close-knit community, and all the restaurants are friends with each other,” he says. “I lived and worked in Culver City for seven years, and wanted to keep a connection with the neighborhood.“

As Executive Chef, Collins will be cooking at The Corner Door at least one day a week, but his longtime lieutenant and Chef de Cuisine Ali Haji has taken charge of day-to-day operations. Haji has worked with Collins continually for the last eight years, beginning at Mesa, in Costa Mesa. “I am closer to Ali than anyone, maybe even my own wife,” Collins says. “He knows what I like and the standards I like to keep; he is ready to step up and run his own kitchen.”

Orange County Fair 2015Sadly the 125 Anniversary run of the Orange County Fair (“One Big Party”) concludes on Sunday, August 16th.

The annual Concessionaire’s Cup Awards for OC Fair’s Finest Foods have been presented. We’ll talk with one of the Trophy Winners, Lori Southerland of Grant’s Tasti Burgers and Tasti Chips.

Last year their winning item was the Chile Relleno Pretzel Cheeseburger. It’s a spicy chorizo patty, jalapeno jam, avocado, tomato, cheese and a whole chile relleno in a soft pretzel bun. It’s back on the menu for 2015

For 2015 their new signature item is the Cuban Fusion Burger. It’s a pork sausage burger patty with smoked ham, tomato, sliced pickles, spicy mayo, mustard and Swiss cheese on a ciabatta roll.

David and Lesley Jacobs SolmonsonOur spirited friends at The Museum of The American Cocktail (MOTAC) are at it again. Their next Los Angeles presentation is Sin and the Silver Screen: The Birth of Spirited Hollywood.”

The program tells the story of Hollywood’s transformation from a dry, well-churched town to the epicenter of nightclub culture. The presentation features the rise and Golden Age of the Hollywood nightclub, tales from its most popular establishments, and “house drinks” from several famous clubs, including the Cocoanut Grove, Embassy Club, and Café Montmarte. Admission ($40.00 General Admission) includes farm-to-table food pairings of Chef Ralph Johnson.

The event date is Monday evening, August 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hollywood’s preeminent English pub, The Pikey Café & Bar. Lesley Jacobs Solmonson & David Solmonson, the authors of The 12 Bottle Bar and publishers of 12bottlebar.com are the always entertaining presenters.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel & Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Anthony Reyes, Co-Founder, Manila Sky Ice Cream
Segment Three: Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish
Segment Four: Corporate Chef Ida Rodriguez, Melissa’s, Hatch Chile Season
Segment Five: Executive Chef Brendan Collins, Birch and The Corner Door Part One
Segment Six: Executive Chef Brendan Collins, Birch and The Corner Door
Segment Seven: Grant’s Tasti Burgers and Tasti Chips, 2015 OC Fair
Segment Eight: The Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC)

Show 103, December 27, 2014: David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, The 12 Bottle Bar

David and Lesley Jacobs SolmonsonOpinionated cocktail authorities David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson are back with us with inspired advice on New Year’s Eve libations. They are the authors of The 12 Bottle BarA Dozen Bottles. Hundreds Of Cocktails. A New Way To Drink.

The Solmonsons are going to discuss how to get the hosts out from behind the bar on New Year’s Eve so they can enjoy their own party. We’re perhaps thinking of a spirited punch and champagne cocktail bar.

Show 87, September 6, 2014: Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris preview the show

Guest Host Executive Chef Andrew Gruel, CEO of Slapfish Restaurant Group and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

The 5th Annual L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade culinary cookout returns this year on Saturday, September 20th. When it comes to having the most impressive roster of nationally-known celebrity chefs cooking locally for charity this Benefit is the clear standout. It’s hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin, her business partner Caroline Styne (Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern) along with Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat.)

McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream is a 70-year old iconic brand of super premium ice cream which is still based where it was founded in Santa Barbara. Michael Palmer (winemaker) and his wife Eva Ein (chef) purchased this heritage brand in 2012. A McConnell’s scoop shop recently opened in the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles.

Food, wine & travel writer Michelle Winner is the President of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA.). She will be talking to us from Hawaii. Over Labor Day Weekend she was part of the Kaanapali Fresh – A Culinary Experience on Maui and right now she is in the middle of the 4th Annual Hawaii Food & Wine Festival on Oahu.

Ida Rodriguez is the long-time Corporate Chef for Melissa’s / World Variety Produce. Until the end of the month it’s Hatch Chile season. Over Labor Day Weekend Chef Ida was in Hatch, New Mexico for the annual Hatch Chile Festival. It gets crazy there. Chef Ida is with us to give us the flavorful report.

Executive Chef Andrew Gruel is CEO of Slapfish Restaurant Group with locations in Huntington Beach, Laguna, Dubai, and soon – Newport Beach. Chef Andrew is a guest judge on Food Network’s upcoming “Food Truck Face-Off” series, was a participant on Sept. 5th at OC Weekly’s 11th Annual Decadence 2014 Tasting Event, and has a new video our explaining the secrets of preparing Slapfish’s Clobster Roll to the Orange County Register’s distinguished food writer, Cathy Thomas.

It’s a singular honor as a chef & restaurateur to be invited to prepare and present a meal at The James Beard Foundation in New York. Chef Geeta Bansal of Clay Oven has that distinct honor on September 27th. On Monday, Sept. 15th Clay Oven will be previewing that same grand five-course, wine-paired menu for a small group of lucky locals. Not one to miss…

David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson have penned a new kind of cocktail book, The 12 Bottle Bar. Just twelve bottles create over 200 distinct and seasonal cocktails, including beer and wine cocktails. When we first interviewed the Solmonsons we ran out of time before we could discuss the clever “Acknowledgements” section of their book. We’ll resume the conversation…

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

Show 87, September 6, 2014: The 12 Bottle Bar

David and Lesley Jacobs SolmonsonDavid Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson have penned a new kind of cocktail book, The 12 Bottle Bar. Just twelve bottles create over 200 distinct and seasonal cocktails, including beer and wine cocktails. When we first interviewed the Solmonsons we ran out of time before we could discuss the clever “Acknowledgements” section of their book. We’ll resume the conversation…

“When we considered the acknowledgements, we realized that the people we had reached out to were folks with whom we would want to have a drink. So herewith, as a gesture of our gratitude, we offer our contributor’s response to the question, “If you could share a drink with anyone at any time, who would it be, where, and what would you drink?”

On Saturday, September 13th at 10:30 a.m. the Solmonsons will present “Sin and the Silver Screen: The Age of the Hollywood Nightclub.” It’s a free program in the Mark Taper Auditorium at the Los Angeles Central Library.

Show 83, August 9, 2014: The 12 Bottle Bar

David and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson“A new kind of cocktail book, The 12 Bottle Bar, distills the craft cocktail movement for the home bar. Irresistibly uncomplicated, just 12 bottles create over 200 distinct and seasonal cocktails, including beer and wine cocktails.”

David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, the husband-and-wife authors (and noted cocktail enthusiasts) are with us.

“We’re living in the midst of a cocktail renaissance – artisanal cocktails. Celebrity mixologists, drink menus that outshine wine lists and feature ingredients as fresh and complex as the most sought after meals. Just as home cooks have looked to popular restaurants and chefs for new recipes, imbibers want to bring the magic of a local speakeasy straight to the living room.”

August 9: Jimmy Shaw, FoodGPS, Richard Foss, AlXimia Vino Elemental Winery, CremaCafe, David and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, Golden Foodies

Podcasts

Segment One: Guest Host Chef Jimmy Shaw and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris preview the show
Segment Two: Chef Jimmy Shaw of Loteria! Grill and The Torta Co.
Segment Three: Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival, Chinatown
Segment Four: Food Historian & Author Richard Foss
Segment Five: Manuel Alvarez of AlXimia Vino Elemental Winery
Segment Six: Tarit Tanjasiri of CremaCafe & Bakery
Segment Seven: The 12 Bottle Bar
Segment Eight: The Golden Foodies

Guest Host Chef Jimmy Shaw of Loteria! Grill restaurants and Producer Andy preview the show.

Chef Jimmy Shaw of Loteria! Grill is with us. He brought the rich Mexican Street Food of his native Mexico City to Los Angeles. Keep in mind that Los Angeles is the 2nd largest Mexican City in the World. It all started in 2002 with a modest stand in the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles.

Chef Jimmy Shaw educates us on the ample Mexican sandwich, The Torta. He also talks about stocking Mexican ingredients in your home pantry.

Josh Lurie of Food GPS is at it again with delectable food and beverage events. The 3rd Annual Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival is set for Sunday afternoon, August 17th in Chinatown’s historic Central Plaza.

The Museum of the American Cocktail (based in New Orleans at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum) is presenting an evening of cocktails, food, and entertainment featuring (the always entertaining) culinary historian and author Richard Foss on August 18th at 6:30 p.m. at Roxanne’s Lounge in Long Beach. The presentation is : “Dry With a Twist: A Liquid Lesson in How Prohibition Changed America.”

One of the most important wine regions in Mexico is the Valle de Guadalupe located about an hour and one-half South of Tijuana. The best of these wines are slowly finding their way North to Southern California. Manuel Alvarez of AlXimia Vino Elemental winery joins us from the Valle de Guadalupe with his Family’s story.

Tarit Tanjasiri is the baker/proprietor of the revered CremaCafe in Seal Beach. It started as a small breakfast and lunch spot. Tarit couldn’t source a bread for his sandwiches that satisfied him so he added an adjacent production bakery. We’ll meet him.

“A new kind of cocktail book, The 12 Bottle Bar, distills the craft cocktail movement for the home bar. Irresistibly uncomplicated, just 12 bottles create over 200 distinct and seasonal cocktails, including beer and wine cocktails.” The husband-and-wife authors are with us.

Orange County’s answer to the prestigious, red carpet awards shows is The Golden Foodies. Voting has started for this year in the first group of categories and the public is invited to vote for their favorite restaurants and related categories. Good luck to all…

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

Jimmy Shaw of Loteria Grill and Torta CompanyChef Jimmy Shaw of Loteria! Grill is with us. He brought the rich Mexican Street Food of his native Mexico City to Los Angeles. Keep in mind that Los Angeles is the 2nd largest Mexican City in the World. It all started in 2002 with a modest stand in the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles.

There are now Loteria! Grill restaurants in Hollywood, Studio, City, Westlake Village, Santa Monica and Downtown at Fig at 7th.

“Lotería! Grill has grown from the open-air stall at the Farmers Market to become a nationally renowned group of restaurants that offer a casually elegant, fun and relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy everything from a refreshing agua fresca or margarita to award-winning, delicious regional specialties and slowly cooked guisos served with handmade corn tortillas.  Favorites like the Chicharrón de Queso, and the Probaditas, a mini-taco sampler of our signature guisos, have their guests coming back frequently for more.”

Chef Jimmy Shaw educates us on the ample Mexican sandwich, the Torta. He also talks about stocking Mexican ingredients as part of your regular home pantry.

Joshua Lurie of Food GPSJosh Lurie of Food GPS is at it again with delectable food and beverage events. The 3rd Annual Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival Presented by Bolthouse Farms is set for Sunday afternoon, August 17th in Chinatown’s historic Central Plaza. Hours are 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This all-inclusive, chef-focused event includes some of L.A.’s best chefs preparing unique fried chicken dishes and complimentary sides. Additionally, there are an array of delicious desserts (Valerie Confections) and beverages.

Participating chef Jesse Furman (Free Range LA) and Josh Lurie of Food GPS preview the Festival.

Dry with a Twist: A Liquid Lesson in How Prohibition Changed AmericaThe Exhibition Room at Roxanne’s Cocktail Lounge & Latin Grill, Long Beach’s “hidden speakeasy,” hosts the next edition of Touring the Cocktail: MOTAC Los Angeles, a liquid lesson in how Prohibition changed America. Come out for an evening of culture and cocktails, costumes and music! Dress as a flapper, bootlegger, moonshiner, or temperance crusader (no hatchets please, ladies). There will be prizes for the best costume, giveaways, and more!

Whether you were a regular tippler or never let a drop of alcohol past your lips, Prohibition affected every American’s life. Dining options, dating habits, vacation choices, and perhaps most infamously, the attitude of citizens toward law enforcement, were forever altered by the temperance movement’s short-lived crowning achievement. Even so, most Americans don’t really understand who we were before that great experiment, how Prohibition came to pass, and the ways in which the period reverberates to this day.

Historian Richard Foss, author of “Rum: A Global History,” transports participants to a world of temperance terrorists and flappers, moonshiners and smugglers, and ordinary citizens who just wanted a drink and would get it by any means necessary. Drinkmaster David Valiante executes a menu of five period cocktails, illustrating the ways in which America’s palate for drinks has changed.  (Don’t worry, bathtub gin will not appear on the menu, but some delightful and largely forgotten beverages will make a glorious reappearance.) A light dinner of savory specialties from Roxanne’s Latin Grill is included in the price of admission.

Tickets are $40 in advance, $35 for members of SoFAB/MOTAC and the USBG. Tickets at the door are $50 (subject to availability.)

Manuel Alvarez of AlXimia Vino ElementalOne of the most important (and historic) wine regions in Mexico is the Valle de Guadalupe located about an hour and one-half South of Tijuana. The best of these wines are slowly finding their way North to Southern California. Manuel Alvarez of AlXimia Vino Elemental winery joins us from the Valle de Guadalupe with his Family’s story.

Wine tasting and tours are available to visitors at this architecturally significant winery.

“AlXimia is a wine-making project born from the meeting of the senses and the world, with special attention to the earth, the plant, the fruit and its benefits. We are trying to understand, use and preserve nature.

Baja California is wine country, and wines are, in our view, the product of the transmutation of the four natural elements:

  • the earth that nourishes and gives rise to the vineyards
  • the scarce water that is vital in the Valle de Guadalupe
  • the fresh air that comes from the sea and
  • the fire in the form of the heat from the sun, providing the freshness and warmth needed to ripen the grapes and give them the adequate acidity, while at the same time generating the energy needed for the process
  • When you assemble these 4 elements, the space (or ether) becomes the fifth element that makes possible their existence.

AlXimia is a family business focused on the work of the sensible. It is a group born at home, amidst the respect for the environment, in the tradition of teaching and knowledge transfer. AlXimia travels through the wine trail manifested in a free and existential thinking against the structured and accurate scientific thought process, daring to innovate.  Started by a mathematician turned winemaker, this amazing winery was built by an innovative architect, the mathematician-winemaker and his astronomer father.”

Tarit TanjasiriTarit Tanjasiri is the consumed baker/proprietor of the revered CremaCafe & Artisan Bakery in Seal Beach. It started eight years ago as a small breakfast and lunch spot. Tarit couldn’t source a bread for his sandwiches that satisfied him so two years ago he added an adjacent production bakery. It’s the café on one side and the bakery on the other. We’ll meet him.

Tarit’s Kouign Amann was one of the OC Weekly’s “100 Favorite Dishes of 2014.”

According to Anne Marie Panoringan of the OC Weekly : “Per Tarit, a Kouign Amann is a pastry from the Brittany region of France. It’s often considered more of a cake than a pastry, although Crema utilizes croissant dough for their version. Layers of butter, dough, sugar and a bit of sea salt are formed. Shaped to resemble a blooming rose, it is then placed in the deck oven to bake. Sweetness and density are much higher in France, and they come in many more sizes, shapes and filling flavors.”

David and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson“A new kind of cocktail book, The 12 Bottle Bar, distills the craft cocktail movement for the home bar. Irresistibly uncomplicated, just 12 bottles create over 200 distinct and seasonal cocktails, including beer and wine cocktails.”

David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, the husband-and-wife authors (and noted cocktail enthusiasts) are with us.

“We’re living in the midst of a cocktail renaissance – artisanal cocktails. Celebrity mixologists, drink menus that outshine wine lists and feature ingredients as fresh and complex as the most sought after meals. Just as home cooks have looked to popular restaurants and chefs for new recipes, imbibers want to bring the magic of a local speakeasy straight to the living room.”

Golden Foodie AwardsOrange County’s answer to the prestigious, red carpet awards shows is The Golden Foodies. Voting has started for this year in the first group of categories and the public is invited to vote for their favorite restaurants and related categories. There are two more weeks of voting cycles…

Winners are chosen by the people. It’s a People’s Choice Food Awards. The Golden Foodie Awards Gala at The Fairmont in Newport Beach is Saturday evening, September 28th. Good luck to all…

Voting concludes on August 9th for the categories of : Mexican, Vegetarian, Pizza, Beer, American Cuisine, Burger, Cocktail, and Best Food Talk Radio Show.

The Founder of The Golden Foodies, Pamela Waitt, and J.C. Clow of The Winery Newport Beach join us. It’s been announced that J.C.’s The Winery Newport Beach has been nominated (one of three nominees in the category) for Best New Restaurant.

Podcasts

Segment One: Guest Host Chef Jimmy Shaw and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris preview the show
Segment Two: Chef Jimmy Shaw of Loteria! Grill and The Torta Co.
Segment Three: Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival, Chinatown
Segment Four: Food Historian & Author Richard Foss
Segment Five: Manuel Alvarez of AlXimia Vino Elemental Winery
Segment Six: Tarit Tanjasiri of CremaCafe & Bakery
Segment Seven: The 12 Bottle Bar
Segment Eight: The Golden Foodies