October 19: Daniel Boulud, Andy Ricker, Sriracha Festival, Honda Center Catering

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York
Segment Three: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jo-Jo Doyle, executive chef, The Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
Segment Five: The L.A. Sriracha Festival, Sunday, October 27th
Segment Six: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part One
Segment Seven: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part Two
Segment Eight: Jet and Allison Tila (Mrs. Jet Tila)

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Marche Moderne in South Coast Plaza Costa MesaDon’t forget Marche Moderne’s (South Coast Plaza) upcoming “The Pig Head To Toe 3.0” for one week only! The dinner showcases Executive Chef Florent Marneau’s modern interpretation of a fall classic – choucroute – (sauerkraut) and a celebration of pork in nine different ways. The seasonal menu, priced at $30 per guest, will be available at dinner only from October 22 to 29. Plan ahead…

Daniel BouludWhen it comes to true French chef royalty the revered leader in New York is everyone’s favorite Frenchman, Daniel Boulud. His Three Michelin starred flagship restaurant, Daniel, is celebrating its 20th year of culinary excellence.

His newest cookbook, DANIEL: My French Cuisine, was two years in the making and is the perfect gift book for food-lovers for the Holidays. There are 125 spectacular photos of Boulud’s food and Daniel restaurant.

The book has 75 signature recipes plus an additional 12 recipes Chef Boulud prepares for his friends, at home, on more casual occasions. He actually lives above the restaurant in the proud European tradition of owner/chefs.

Food journalist Bill Buford is also a contributor to the handsome coffee table book. He has pieces on the origin and preparation of ten iconic French dishes.

Chef Boulud is making a rare appearance in Los Angeles next week supporting the release of the cookbook.

On October 23rd he’ll be at Hotel Bel-Air cooking a sumptuous five course dinner with Wolfgang Puck.

On Thursday, Oct. 24th at Noon, Chef Daniel will be signing copies of DANIEL: My French Cuisine at Whole Foods at 6350 W. 3rd St. in Los Angeles across the street from the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.

Finally that evening he will be in conversation with the notable Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, at the William Turner Gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica. The talk is at 8:00 p.m. with an earlier reception running from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There are reserved as well as General Admission seats.

Our neighbor to the North, across E. Katella Ave., is the Honda Center, home of Ducks hockey. Earlier in the year they took the highly unusual step of bringing all of their food service in-house to have better quality control of all the food and beverage served there.

Jo Jo DoyleThe new executive chef supervising everything from hot dogs to the gourmet food going into the luxury boxes is Jo-Jo Doyle. You’ll meet him on Saturday’s show. He was most recently overseeing the entire operation at Churchill Downs home of the famous Kentucky Derby.

Chef Doyle is now responsible for managing all food and beverage offerings at Honda Center including the spectacular new Grand Terrace (a 15,000 square foot indoor/outdoor entertainment space,) Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club restaurant and bar, concessions and catering.

LA Sriracha FestivalWith the growing popularity of Sriracha in Southern California as a condiment you just knew it had to happen. On Sunday, October 27th from 3 to 6:00 p.m. in Downtown Los Angeles the curtain will go up on the first annual L.A. Sriracha Festival.

The chef driven food festival is organized by Food GPS’s Josh Lurie and food journalist Randy Clemens. Randy has written two well-received books on Sriracha. His latest is The Veggie-Lovers Sriracha Cookbook.

Josh and Randy join us to take the green cap off the familiar Sriracha bottle and drizzle out all the spicy details.

Multiple stations will allow guests to savor a variety of Sriracha themed dishes, including desserts. Local craft beer, cocktails and sodas will be there to help temper the heat.

The impressive chefs’ line-up includes Neal Fraser, Eric Greenspan, and Ernesto Uchimura of Plan Check Kitchen.

Andy Ricker of Pok PokSurprisingly, Chef Andy Ricker is not from Thailand but as an accomplished restaurateur he’s found great success recreating the flavors of Northern Thailand which he really fell in love with during an extensive visit in 1992. He started with a modest restaurant in Portland, Oregon and his growing empire now extends to Brooklyn.

The original Pok Pok in Portland because a must-stop destination for visiting foodies after being profiled on Food Network’s “Diners Drive-ins and Dives.” In 2011 Andy was bestowed the honor of “Best Chef – Northwest” from The James Beard Foundation.

Just out from Ten Speed Press is Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand. Particularly helpful are the writings on what differentiates the various regions of Thai cuisine. The book also contains suggestions for complete menus using the various recipes.

“Pok Pok” is a Thai reference to the sound heard from a mortar and pestle when you are grinding food in it.

On to the recipes…

Chef Ricker shares his signature recipe for chicken wings which is more Vietnamese than Thai. He also talks about the famed papaya salad and provides tips on how to properly prepare it. In Thailand there are some hundred variations of this popular dish.

Chef Jet Tila host of the SoCal Restaurant ShowWhen Jet’s wife, Allison, is out socially the question she hears the most is, “What’s it like being married to a prominent chef ?” The expectation is that it’s either chef-prepared gourmet meals nightly or dining out at the very best restaurants. Not exactly…

Inspired by award-winning food journalist Al Mancini’s provocative piece for Las Vegas CityLife ( “Late for dinner : Being the spouse of a chef is often lonely”) Jet and Ali paint the real picture. No violins please…It’s far from glamorous but the good news is that Allison really wouldn’t trade places with anyone!

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York
Segment Three: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jo-Jo Doyle, executive chef, The Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
Segment Five: The L.A. Sriracha Festival, Sunday, October 27th
Segment Six: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part One
Segment Seven: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part Two
Segment Eight: Jet and Allison Tila (Mrs. Jet Tila)

Show 29, May 18, 2013: Marius Blin, executive chef of Sofitel Los Angeles and president of Club Culinaire of Southern California

Marius Blin of the Sofitel Los AngelesFor the 33rd year the professional association of local French chefs, Club Culinaire of Southern California, is hosting their Picnic Des Chefs at Vasa Park in Agoura Hills to benefit the Concern Foundation and HOPE Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The theme of the picnic this year is “Taste of the Club Culinaire”. The president of Club Culinaire is Chef Marius Blin.

Some 20 chef members will prepare and serve their favorite picnic dish which will be matched with a premium wine. It’s a foodies’ dream as guests have the opportunity to meet and greet the chefs, winemakers, and purveyors of the fine gourmet specialty food products.

The picnic is family/kid-friendly. Attractions include moon bounce paradise, heated swimming pool with a giant waterslide, rock climbing wall, and other games.

Just to tempt you know Chef Josie La Balch of Josie Restaurant in Santa Monica will be there with her wild mushroom quiche and Florent Marneau of the acclaimed Marche Moderne in South Coast Plaza will be presenting Belgian endive salad with watercress, blue cheese, and pinenuts. Also chocolatier Yvan Valentin of Sweet Temptations will offer his incredible éclairs and Yvan’s Famous Truffles.

Show 28, May 11, 2013: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register, Continued…

There is a “Best Restaurants” Section of the Orange County Register’s upcoming annual “Best of OC” publication. You don’t have to be a subscriber to either the home or digital version of the paper to vote. Voting is on right now through the end of May.

Kedric made the point that there are more corporate restaurants in Orange County versus L.A. The explanation is there are a handful of very large landlords in Orange County and the typical business practice for landlords is to deal with large, corporate restaurant groups.

Fortunately this is starting to change. Kedric noted that Red O in L.A. and Fig & Olive in West Hollywood are both soon opening outposts in The Irvine Co.’s Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Also Henry Segerstrom of South Coast Plaza fame has consistently recruited chef-driven restaurants of distinction to that high-end shopping destination. Marche Moderne, owned and operated by the husband & wife team of Florent and Amelia Marneau, is an excellent case in point.

In fact Kedric was planning to celebrate Mother’s Day with his wife at Marche Moderne.

Kedric also shared the exciting news that the famous Din Tai Fung of Arcadia, known for Shanghai-style soup dumplings, is scheduled to debut a branch in South Coast Plaza.

Show 7: November 24, 2012: Amelia Marneau of Marche Moderne

Florent and Amelia Marneau of Marche Moderne at South Coast PlazaFlorent and Amelia Marneau set the standard for elegant, unpretentious fine-dining when they opened Marche Moderne in 2007. Chef Florent had previously launched the very successful Pinot Provence for master chef Joachim Splichal (his first venture in Orange County.) Amelia was a highly regarded executive pastry chef. Now Chef Florent is the menu maker and Amelia runs the front-of-the-house and also creates the superb dessert menu. Talk about teamwork…

Amelia spoke about one of a series of delectable special events that Marche Moderne orchestrates during the year to keep the restaurant fresh. Now through December 30th is the festive “40 Days of Champagne and Caviar” Holiday Celebration. It’s a nightly special menu of six premium caviar selections and accompanying bubbly from four renowned Champagne houses along with the traditional accoutrements and caviar-friendly cocktails. How about that for Holiday spirit ?

November 24: Ricardo Zarate, Inn at Europa Village, Deep End Dining, Marche Moderne

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Dean A. Thomas, Innkeeper (with his wife, Nicole) of The Inn At Europa Village and Executive Chef de Cuisine at Europa Village Winery and Tasting Room
Segment Three: Eddie Lin of the blog “Deep End Dining” and the new Web series for YouTube, “Kamikaze Kitchen.”
Segment Four: Eddie Lin Part Two
Segment Five: Chef Ricardo Zarate and Business Partner & Restaurateur Stephane Bombet of Picca in West Los Angeles and Mo-Chica in Downtown Los Angeles
Segment Six: Ricardo Zarate and Stephane Bombet Part Two
Segment Seven: Amelia Marneau of Marche Moderne in The Penthouse (Level 3) at South Coast Plaza
Segment Eight: Food TV Producer and Culinary Personality Eric Boardman

The Holidays are upon us and the “SoCal Restaurant Show” is getting into the spirit of the season. It’s a stuffed grab bag of entertaining info this week.

Ever wonder what a busy chef (and new father) does for his own Family on Thanksgiving? Chef Jet gives us the behind-the-scenes on his Thanksgiving 2012.

The picturesque Temecula Valley Wine Country is only 90-minutes from most of Los Angeles and is a great local getaway with numerous inviting attractions including a winery for every palate and budget.

In the last year The Inn at Europa Village (located on a hilltop with an unrivaled view of the Valley) has been remodeled and enhanced, and now defines the standard of truly memorable bed and breakfast establishments in the Temecula Valley.

The personable Innkeepers are the dynamic duo of Executive Chef Dean Thomas and his wife, Nicole. Chef Dean also oversees the culinary operations at the neighboring Europa Village Tasting Room & Vineyards.

We’ll talk with Dean about his unusual hands-on approach to managing a bed and breakfast and the show-stopping breakfasts he creates with premium local ingredients for his appreciative guests every morning!

Eddie Lin of Deep End DiningJoining Jet in studio will be Asian food blogger extraordinaire and culinary personality Eddie Lin. You may know him from “Deep-End Dining.” He also has a new Web series, “Kamikaze Kitchen.”

Eddie’s most recent assignment is as a contributor to Los Angeles Magazine’sDigest” blog.

Peruvian cuisine has captured the attention of SoCal foodies. At the forefront is Chef Ricardo Zarate who achieved fame in L.A. with his hole-in-the wall spot, Mo-Chica, originally located in the Mercado La Paloma just East of the USC campus. This was later relocated to a more ambitious and expanded space Downtown at 514 W. Seventh St.

Ricardo Zarate of Mo-Chica and PiccaBefore that Ricardo and his business partner Stephane Bombet launched the upscale Picca (Peruvian/Japanese small plates) on W. Pico Blvd. just East of Century City.

A new spot in Marina del Rey is on the horizon.

Jet will chat with both Chef Ricardo and Stephane Bombet about their expanding restaurant empire which started quite modestly.

Our vote for nicest couple in the hospitality business in Orange County has to be Florent and Amelia Marneau who are the greatly respected proprietors of the acclaimed Marche Moderne located in The Penthouse (Level 3) at South Coast Plaza.

Since they opened in 2007 the restaurant has earned the reputation as the premier French restaurant in Orange County and beyond. Florent is behind the stoves and Amelia creates the incredible desserts and also graciously runs the front-of-the-house.

Throughout the year they do noteworthy special events to keep their establishment fresh. This morning Amelia joins the show to preview Marche Moderne’s “40 Days of Champagne and Caviar” Holiday Celebration. Nightly until December 30th Marche is showcasing a nightly special menu of six top caviar selections and bubbly from four renowned Champagne houses along with the traditional accoutrements and caviar-friendly cocktails. If you don’t think that says “Holidays” with a flourish then forget about it…

Finally Careers through Culinary Arts Program Los Angeles Advisory Board Member (and food TV producer) Eric Boardman is with us to discuss the spirited C-CAP alum competition in the style of Food Network’s “Chopped” that was part of last Saturday’s “Getting Our Just Desserts” Benefit at The Art Institute of California-Los Angeles’ campus in Santa Monica. Eric was the Master of Ceremonies for the competition and shares the results.

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Dean A. Thomas, Innkeeper (with his wife, Nicole) of The Inn At Europa Village and Executive Chef de Cuisine at Europa Village Winery and Tasting Room
Segment Three: Eddie Lin of the blog “Deep End Dining” and the new Web series for YouTube, “Kamikaze Kitchen.”
Segment Four: Eddie Lin Part Two
Segment Five: Chef Ricardo Zarate and Business Partner & Restaurateur Stephane Bombet of Picca in West Los Angeles and Mo-Chica in Downtown Los Angeles
Segment Six: Ricardo Zarate and Stephane Bombet Part Two
Segment Seven: Amelia Marneau of Marche Moderne in The Penthouse (Level 3) at South Coast Plaza
Segment Eight: Food TV Producer and Culinary Personality Eric Boardman