Show 501, November 26, 2022: Paul Feig, Filmmaker, author of Cocktail Time! and Creator of Artingstall’s Gin Part One

Paul Feig shot by Frank Micelotta

“Elegant man-about-town Paul Feig, the director of “Bridesmaids”, “Spy”, and “A Simple Favor”  serves up a beautifully designed cocktail and lifestyle guide, Cocktail Time! – The Ultimate Guide to Grown-Up Fun, with hilarious stories from his life.” Paul is also the co-creator of Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin, a truly versatile gin fit for a starring role behind any bar and the ideal gin for Paul’s beloved martini.

“Famed TV and film writer, director, and producer Paul Feig is obsessed with cocktails and cocktail culture. It’s about having great conversations with friends. It’s about putting on your best clothes and throwing a smart gathering or heading to your favorite bar and having an interesting chat with the bartender. And it’s about staying home, mixing a drink and sipping it in a beautiful glass as you watch a great old movie by yourself.”

“Paul has made an art and a science out of creating these elegant and festive environments and living his best life, whether at home in LA or New York or London or on location around the world, and it’s all here in Cocktail Time! — how to make the drinks, how to throw the parties, what music to play, what glassware you need and more, along with 125 cocktail recipes, each served along with funny insider stories about Paul’s Hollywood life and famous friends.”

Cocktail Time! covers everything, from classics (and variations on them) like martinis, negronis, and hot toddies to original concoctions such as “The Feigtini” and holiday cocktails, as well as recipes from film and TV industry friends, such as the Charlize Theron Gibson, the Very Cherry Kerry (Washington), the (Angela) Kinsey Gin Fizz, Henry (Golding)’s Honey Plum G&T, and The Five (Michelle) Yeoh-Larm Fire.

“Cocktail Time! is a love letter to the aesthetics and culture around cocktails. It’s guaranteed to make you want to up your party-giving game—or at least your home bar situation. And it’s an immensely charming and readable window into one man’s friendly obsession.”

Cocktail Time! also includes helpful hints for setting up a home bar, the basic equipment needed, and a short list of mixers and spirits on the menu for the initial stocking of the proper home bar.

Paul joins us with a proper gin Martini in hand (stirred and not shaken.)

Show 501, November 26, 2022: Paul Feig, Filmmaker, author of Cocktail Time! and Creator of Artingstall’s Gin Part Two

Paul Feig shot by Frank Micelotta

“Elegant man-about-town Paul Feig, the director of “Bridesmaids”, “Spy”, and “A Simple Favor”  serves up a beautifully designed cocktail and lifestyle guide, Cocktail Time! – The Ultimate Guide to Grown-Up Fun, with hilarious stories from his life.” Paul is also the co-creator of Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin, a truly versatile gin fit for a starring role behind any bar and the ideal gin for Paul’s beloved martini.

“Famed TV and film writer, director, and producer Paul Feig is obsessed with cocktails and cocktail culture. It’s about having great conversations with friends. It’s about putting on your best clothes and throwing a smart gathering or heading to your favorite bar and having an interesting chat with the bartender. And it’s about staying home, mixing a drink and sipping it in a beautiful glass as you watch a great old movie by yourself.”

“Paul has made an art and a science out of creating these elegant and festive environments and living his best life, whether at home in LA or New York or London or on location around the world, and it’s all here in Cocktail Time! — how to make the drinks, how to throw the parties, what music to play, what glassware you need and more, along with 125 cocktail recipes, each served along with funny insider stories about Paul’s Hollywood life and famous friends.”

Cocktail Time! covers everything, from classics (and variations on them) like martinis, negronis, and hot toddies to original concoctions such as “The Feigtini” and holiday cocktails, as well as recipes from film and TV industry friends, such as the Charlize Theron Gibson, the Very Cherry Kerry (Washington), the (Angela) Kinsey Gin Fizz, Henry (Golding)’s Honey Plum G&T, and The Five (Michelle) Yeoh-Larm Fire.

For the Quarantine Cocktail Time! Instagram shows Paul created “The Squeaky Door” (Show 40) gin-based cocktail with several liqueurs including Cherry Heering. It resulted in an inspired collaboration with Redbird in Downtown Los Angeles where “The Squeaky Door” was the featured cocktail and even available in a limited-edition bottled version to take home.

“Cocktail Time! is a love letter to the aesthetics and culture around cocktails. It’s guaranteed to make you want to up your party-giving game—or at least your home bar situation. And it’s an immensely charming and readable window into one man’s friendly obsession.”

Paul continues with us with a proper gin Martini in hand (stirred and not shaken.)

Show 310, February 9, 2019: Documentary Filmmaker Kaylie Milliken, “Billion Dollar Bully”

Kaylie MillikenWe all know, and have probably used, the business review site, Yelp. Is it a trustworthy, objective business review site or an immensely lucrative platform for advertising? Where do Yelp! “Elites” fit into the picture? How reliable are their “honest” opinions?

Documentary filmmaker Kaylie Milliken was curious and spent the last four years researching and making “Billion Dollar Bully.” A wide cross section of small business people share their experiences with Yelp and their less than subtle advertising sales tactics. Particularly fascinating is the story of Chef Davide Cerretini of Botto in Northern California. He turned the tables on Yelp in the Italian way. The documentary is about to be released and you can be the judge.

Filmmaker Kaylie Milliken joins us without any filtering.

Show 310, February 9, 2019: Documentary Filmmaker Kaylie Milliken, “Billion Dollar Bully” Continues…

Kaylie MillikenWe all know, and have probably used, the business review site, Yelp. Is it a trustworthy, objective business review site or an immensely lucrative platform for advertising? Where do Yelp! “Elites” fit into the picture? How reliable are their “honest” opinions?

“Billion Dollar Bully is an investigative documentary about Yelp that examines the claims by business owners of extortion, review manipulation and review fabrication. In this documentary you will meet business owners from across a broad spectrum, whose commonality is their allegations of Yelp’s questionable business dealings.”

“For years, Yelp has been accused of unethical business practices, all of which Yelp vehemently denies and chalks up as conspiracy theories.”

“Business owners and consumers deserve to see arguments for and against Yelp’s business tactics. After so much debate in the media, this challenging documentary is long overdue.”

Show 50, November 30, 2013: Griffin Hammond, of “Sriracha – a documentary by Griffin Hammond”

Griffin HammondGriffin Hammond, a past guest on the show, is a respected filmmaker. He’s just completed his fascinating film on Sriracha. This documentary has taken him to Southern California on multiple occasions and even to Thailand where Sriracha originated. In Thailand the people are amazed that Sriracha is a popular condiment in the United States. In Thailand it’s used on fish and eggs and doesn’t have a cult following.

Griffin financed this unusual documentary via an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign that was actually way oversubscribed.

On Wednesday, December 11th “Sriracha” will be released to the public online. If you love Sriracha or just wonder what all the fuss is about this is a must-see for you!

Just how popular is the domestic version of Sriracha? In 2012 they sold 20 million bottles with the green cap and the red rooster on the label! That’s an incredible 100 million pounds of peppers used in the sauce.

Show 40, September 14, 2013: Elizabeth Huettinger, Wine Director, Addison Del Mar

Elizabeth Huettinger of the Addison in Del MarSommelier Elizabeth Huettinger is the new Wine Director at Addison restaurant and The Grand Del Mar Resort in Del Mar. She was previously part of the celebrated wine team at Spago Beverly Hills.

Elizabeth just took the incredibly difficult “Advanced” certification test from the Court of Master Sommeliers. It’s in three parts, including service, theory, and blind tasting. She shared that humbling experience with us.

Earlier in the Summer the Grand hosted a special screening of the documentary, “SOMM”. It’s the first effort by filmmaker Jason Wise.
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“SOMM” tells the fascinating story of four sommeliers attempting to pass the rigorous and prestigious Master Sommelier exam. This test has one of the lowest pass rates imaginable. Elizabeth’s head sommelier at Spago (her previous post) is a Master Sommelier. She talked about hosting the screening (there was wine and abundant food stations) and her reaction to the highly acclaimed documentary.

September 14: Azunia Tequila, Vegas Food Trucks, Elizabeth Huettinger, Lena Kwak, Amar Santana, Eric Klein, Michael Passmore

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Jim Riley, founder of Azunia Tequila
Segment Three: Brock Radke, Food and Web Editor, Las Vegas Weekly
Segment Four: Elizabeth Huettinger, Wine Director, Addison Del Mar
Segment Five: Lena Kwak, Research and Development Chef, Thomas Keller Restaurant Group
Segment Six: Amar Santana, Executive Chef / Owner, Broadway by Amar Santana
Segment Seven: Eric Klein, Executive Chef & Partner, Spago Las Vegas
Segment Eight: Michael Passmore, Passmore Ranch, Sustainable Aqua Farming

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Thai 2013 Food FestivalMark Sunday afternoon, September 29th on your calendar. Our very own Jet Tila is hosting the Thai 2013 Food Festival at Paramount Pictures Studios in the heart of Hollywood. It starts at 3:00 p.m.

Celebrity chefs from around the country and outstanding local Thai chefs will be there presenting their signature dishes for the guests to sample and enjoy. Entertainment will include music, Thai dancers and fruit carving.

VIP and Regular Tickets are now on sale!

Azunia TequilaJim Riley, the founder of Azunia Tequila joins us. In his spare time Jim is a professional off-road racer of some note.

This is a case study of how a boutique tequila company grows a brand in an environment dominated by cash-rich giants. Riley has built his brand with clever grass-roots marketing and being seen in the right places.

Azunia Tequila is organic and 100 per cent Weber Blue Agave. It is available in the styles of Platinum Blanco (great for cocktails,) Reposado, and Anejo.

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyOur man in Las Vegas, Brock Radke, is back with us. Brock is the respected Web and Food Editor for The Las Vegas Weekly.

Last month Brock had a great piece in The Weekly entitled. “Where are they now? Checking up on the first wave of Vegas food truckers.”

Fukuburger has probably been the most successful and is still on the streets. A brick and mortar location for Las Vegas is in the plans. Sloppi Jo’s was a big success with the food critics but, ultimately, not a viable business model. Proprietress Jolene Mannina has parlayed this into other food projects for herself. In fact she’s the head of Culinary Arts for the upcoming “Life is Beautiful” Festival in Downtown Las Vegas. The originator of Slidin’ Thru has moved on but the truck still does events and catering and there is a bricks and mortar drive-through.

Brock also talked about the just launched Heritage Steak at The Mirage on The Strip. The proprietor is Tom Colicchio of Bravo’s “Top Chef” fame and a James Beard Award recipient.

Elizabeth Huettinger of the Addison in Del MarSommelier Elizabeth Huettinger is the new Wine Director at Addison restaurant and The Grand Del Mar Resort in Del Mar. She was previously part of the wine team at Spago Beverly Hills.

Elizabeth just took the incredibly difficult “Advanced” certification test from the Court of Master Sommeliers. She shares that humbling experience with us.

Earlier in the Summer the Grand hosted a special screening of the documentary, “SOMM”. It’s the first effort by filmmaker Jason Wise.
.
“SOMM” tells the fascinating story of four sommeliers attempting to pass the rigorous and prestigious Master Sommelier exam. This test has one of the lowest pass rates imaginable. Elizabeth’s head sommelier at Spago (her previous post) is a Master Sommelier. She talks about hosting the screening (there was wine and abundant food stations) and her reaction to the highly acclaimed documentary.

Lena KwakChef Lena Kwak is the highly acclaimed research development chef for The French Laundry and The Thomas Keller Restaurant Group in Yountville, CA. She created the position.

With the backing of Keller she developed Cup4Cup, a healthy wheat flour-substitute which has gone national over the last two years. It’s carried in Williams-Sonoma stores and also available at the Bouchon Bakeries in Yountville, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, and New York.

Last year Kwak was named as one of Forbes Magazine’s “Top 30 Under 30” for her work with Cup4Cup.

In addition to bread mixes the proprietary line also includes a brownie mix, pizza dough, and pancake/waffle mix.

Amar SantanaChef Amar Santana is very familiar to Orange County foodies. His mentor, Chef Charlie Palmer (Aureole,) brought him out here from Manhattan in 2008 to open Charlie Palmer’s at Bloomingdales at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Talk about a plum assignment for a young chef…

With the backing of one of his very loyal guests he later departed to open a venture of his own, Broadway by Amar Santana in Laguna Beach. Since opening in 2011 it’s been a hit with both the food critics and guests. The bar has also created its own loyal following for unusual libations and a welcoming atmosphere. Their superior Moscow Mule (not listed on the bar menu) is a thoughtful homage to the original version created in the late 30s in Hollywood and now using all fresh ingredients and from scratch ginger beer.

Eric KleinIn 2007 Executive Chef Eric Klein (now a partner) was handed the keys to Spago Las Vegas by Wolfgang Puck and charged with freshening up the concept. This was quite a formidable assignment given that Spago is Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant in Las Vegas! They celebrated their 20th Anniversary last year.

The restaurant is a busy café (with exhibition pizza oven) in the front and an elegant fine-dining restaurant in the back. The front patio opens onto the busy main Forum Shops walkway.

As with the Beverly Hills original Spago Las Vegas attracts the celebrity clientele in addition to sophisticated foodies. Chef Eric is the visible personality of the establishment.

Chef Eric’s first assignment in Las Vegas (after relocating from Beverly Hills) was SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas.

Michael Passmore of Passmore RanchMichael Passmore is an elite class freshwater fish farmer in the Sacramento area. His Passmore Ranch is sustainable aqua farming and his clientele are discriminating celebrity chefs all across the country who he, unusually, supplies directly.

They started modestly by selling live fish at Northern California farmers’ markets, and their quality and service quickly established them as premium purveyors for top restaurants and Michelin-starred chefs around the country.

Passmore Ranch offers premium freshwater white sturgeon, black bass, striped bass, catfish, silver carp and trout, plus prized domestic caviar.

Today Passmore Ranch is 86 acres and they raise fish in 80 million gallons of fresh water pumped up from the pristine Cosumnes aquifer. The ranch has a variety of open lakes and massive tanks used to increase the variety of sustainable fish they grow.

In the works is a plan to begin a thoughtful rollout of limited direct sales to serious home cooks. The info will be posted on their website.

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Jim Riley, founder of Azunia Tequila
Segment Three: Brock Radke, Food and Web Editor, Las Vegas Weekly
Segment Four: Elizabeth Huettinger, Wine Director, Addison Del Mar
Segment Five: Lena Kwak, Research and Development Chef, Thomas Keller Restaurant Group
Segment Six: Amar Santana, Executive Chef / Owner, Broadway by Amar Santana
Segment Seven: Eric Klein, Executive Chef & Partner, Spago Las Vegas
Segment Eight: Michael Passmore, Passmore Ranch, Sustainable Aqua Farming

April 13: Zov’s, Bacon Bash, Hamburger America, Valentino Las Vegas, Linda Burum

Podcasts

Segment One: Zov Karamardian of the original Zov’s Bistro in Tustin
Segment Two: Amy Jurist of Amy’s Culinary Adventures
Segment Three: George Motz, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, journalist and burger expert
Segment Four: Luciano Pellegrini, Executive Chef / Partner of Valentino Las Vegas in The Venetian
Segment Five: Linda Burum, Food Journalist. Contributes to L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles Times and other prominent publications Part One
Segment Six: Linda Burum, Food Journalist. Contributes to L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles Times and other prominent publications Part Two

We’re very international this week. It’s a dash of Morocco with an insight on the world of secret dining. Then we talk juicy burgers followed by a touch of elegant dining in Las Vegas. Finally it’s a taste of India in our own backyard.

Zov Karamardian or Zov's in TustinFirst it’s the “best bite of the week” with Chef Jet and Producer Andy. Thereafter it’s Zov of Zov’s Bistro in Tustin previewing her upcoming author lunch with Kitty Morse. Ms. Morse is a native of Morocco and returns there often. Her latest title is, Mint Tea and Minarets: A Banquet of Moroccan Memories.

 

 

Amy Jurist of Amy's Culinary AdventuresIf you have confidence in the chef, underground dinners can be a lot of fun. Chef Amy Jurist (also an accomplished caterer) has been organizing these unusual one night only events for 7 years under the banner of the Decadent Underground Dinner Club. Up next for her is “The Bacon Bash” evening. (It’s the 5th Annual…)

 

George MotzIt’s un-American not to appreciate a juicy hamburger hot off the grill.Television host, author, Emmy award-winning filmmaker, and burger expert, George Motz certainly agrees. His passion for burgers initially resulted in the award-winning documentary, “Hamburger America.” The success of the film inspired George to then pen a state-by-state guide to burgers also titled Hamburger America.

Now George has an original series for Travel Channel, “Burger Land”. George takes the views on a road trip across America offering his expert take on the nation’s top burgers in various regions of the country. The first city visited is Los Angeles and it’s more than the obvious spots!

Luciano Pellegrini of Valentino Las VegasLuciano Pellegrini is the founding executive chef at Valentino Las Vegas located in The Venetian hotel. For 14 years this fine Italian restaurant has been earning rave reviews. Chef Luciano is one of the few James Beard award-winning chefs who actually lives in Las Vegas and cooks in his restaurant. He won his coveted Beard Award for Valentino Las Vegas!

Chef Luciano will be sharing some Valentino Las Vegas news.

Linda Burum is an accomplished food journalist known for her attention to the details. You’ve seen her engaging work in Los Angeles Magazine, The Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly.

Among the cuisines that Linda has extensively researched are the regional cuisines of India. Linda will be sharing her food knowledge of our own Little India on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia.

Podcasts

Segment One: Zov Karamardian of the original Zov’s Bistro in Tustin
Segment Two: Amy Jurist of Amy’s Culinary Adventures
Segment Three: George Motz, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, journalist and burger expert
Segment Four: Luciano Pellegrini, Executive Chef / Partner of Valentino Las Vegas in The Venetian
Segment Five: Linda Burum, Food Journalist. Contributes to L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles Times and other prominent publications Part One
Segment Six: Linda Burum, Food Journalist. Contributes to L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles Times and other prominent publications Part Two