Show 144, October 31, 2015: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Guest Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosExecutive 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 tantalizing preview of Saturday’s high-energy and appropriately loaded show and not, with apologies, for dieters. In the Halloween spirit only treats this morning! If we’re doing it right we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

SOCIAL Costa Mesa just celebrated their Year Anniversary and a lot of credit for their success can be attributed to personable Executive Chef Jeffrey Boullt. He’s out there cooking memorable tastes at a lot of high profile special events. We’ll meet him and perhaps pick up a few tips for success.

Food, wine and travel writer Susan Montgomery (also a Director and the Treasurer of IFWTWA) was just in the Valle de Guadalupe in Northern Baja on a VIP food and wine tour led and orchestrated by San Diego’s Wine Vault & Bistro. Sue joins us to profile her hugely recommendable 3-day adventure.

Venice, CA. – based Chef Nyesha Arrington is no stranger to the show. We’ve charted with her in the past when she was at The Wilshire and, more recently, about her pop-ups. She is now creating the menu at the new LEONA restaurant in Venice. Chef Nyesha is with us to provide all the tasty morsels.

How about easy to prepare cocktails that are sure to impress for your Halloween celebrations? Dennis Green, Director of Beverage at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula scares up a few creations for us.

It’s National Sandwich Day on Tuesday, November 3rd. We’re honoring the beloved “portable meal” created by the 18th century English noble, John Montagu. The Kroft, with locations at the Anaheim Packing House and Tustin Union Market, has created The Leftover Sandwich to mark the occasion. It’s more than a mouthful…We’ll hear all about it.

Wine pricing in restaurants whether it be by the glass or bottle can be a bit of a mystery. Our delightfully opinionated wine authority, Kyle Meyer of Wine Exchange, has some definite thoughts on the matter. We’ll pull the cork on this with Kyle.…

Our regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish, has some musings for us. He’s our resident seafood authority. We’re going to be talking about encouraging the revival of the California White Seabass and what’s being done locally to assist nature. It’s a popular sports fish for local anglers.

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

Show 143, October 24, 2015: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Guest Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish

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 an appetizing preview of Saturday’s high-energy and appropriately loaded show and not, with apologies, for dieters. If we’re doing it right we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

The Ranch Restaurant’s (Anaheim) incredible pastry Chef is David Rossi. He was the recipient in 2014 of the Golden Foodie Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. This is “Peer Selected” award which gives the honor even more weight. David just returned from an intensive cacao (chocolate) tour and research trip in Ecuador. We’ll get all the sweetly decadent details…

Irish Whiskey connoisseurs listen up ! Jack Teeling, founder of Teeling Whiskey (Dublin, Ireland), is coming to VOM FASS in Claremont, CA the night of Oct. 27th. It’s an unusual opportunity for the public to taste the Teeling Whiskeys and meet Jack Teeling. Jack Teeling is our special guest.

Chicago-based Celebrity Chef Graham Elliot, co-host of the popular FOX TV series, “MasterChef” and “Master Chef Junior,” and the host of the new Food Network show, “Craziest Restaurants in America,” wants everyone to cook. He’s now written his first cookbook, Cooking Like a Master Chef: 100 Recipes to Make the Everyday Extraordinary. Chef Elliot joins us with a preview of the new book.

Culinary Historian Richard Foss is also the California Curator for both The Southern Food & Beverage Museum and Pacific Food & Beverage. His new book is Food in Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in The Skies. There was a time when dining in the sky was a true gourmet experience. The always colorful Richard Foss is our guest.

The 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Paso Robles from November 5th to 8th. The Garagiste Wine Festivals are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan “garagiste” producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Co-Founder Douglass Minnick joins us with the preview.

The award-winning food bloggers from MuyBuenoCookbook.com (Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack) and SweetLifeBake.com (Vianney Rodriguez) have teamed up to create Latin Twist – Traditional & Modern Cocktails, an all-new collection of Latin-American cocktails.

Yvette and Vianney are known for Mexican and Latin–fusion recipes made with easy-to-find ingredients. Yvette and Vianney are our guests.

Our regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish, has been on the road. We’ll hear about his Pop-Up Dinner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and other news of note .

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

October 24: Andrew Gruel, The Ranch Restaurant, Teeling Whiskey, Graham Elliot, Richard Foss, Garagiste Wine Festival, Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, Vianney Rodriguez

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Guest Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish
Segment Two: Executive Pastry Chef David Rossi, The Ranch Restaurant, Anaheim, CA
Segment Three: Jack Teeling, Proprietor & Brand Ambassador, Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Dublin, Ireland
Segment Four: Celebrity Chef Graham Elliott
Segment Five: Food Historian Richard Foss
Segment Six: 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival, Paso Robles, CA
Segment Seven: Latin Twist – Traditional and Modern Cocktails
Segment Eight: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish

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 an appetizing preview of Saturday’s high-energy and appropriately loaded show and not, with apologies, for dieters. If we’re doing it right we will always leave you hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a good thing…

The Ranch Restaurant’s (Anaheim) incredible pastry Chef is David Rossi. He was the recipient in 2014 of the Golden Foodie Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. This is “Peer Selected” award which gives the honor even more weight. David just returned from an intensive cacao (chocolate) tour and research trip in Ecuador. We’ll get all the sweetly decadent details…

Irish Whiskey connoisseurs listen up ! Jack Teeling, founder of Teeling Whiskey (Dublin, Ireland), is coming to VOM FASS in Claremont, CA the night of Oct. 26th. It’s an unusual opportunity for the public to taste the Teeling Whiskeys and meet Jack Teeling. Jack Teeling is our special guest.

Chicago-based Celebrity Chef Graham Elliot, co-host of the popular FOX TV series, “MasterChef” and “Master Chef Junior,” and the host of the new Food Network show, “Craziest Restaurants in America,” wants everyone to cook. He’s now written his first cookbook, “Cooking Like a Master Chef : 100 Recipes to Make the Everyday Extraordinary. Chef Elliot joins us with a preview of the new book.

Culinary Historian Richard Foss is also the California Curator for both The Southern Food & Beverage Museum and the Pacific Food & Beverage. His new book is Food in Air and Space : The Surprising History of Food and Drink in The Skies.” There was a time when dining in the sky was a true gourmet experience. The always colorful Richard Foss is our guest.

The 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Paso Robles from November 5th to 8th. The Garagiste Wine Festivals are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan “garagiste” producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Co-Founder Douglass Minnick joins us with the preview.

The award-winning food bloggers from MuyBuenoCookbook.com (Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack) and SweetLifeBake.com (Vianney Rodriguez) have teamed up to create Latin Twist – Traditional & Modern Cocktails, an all-new collection of Latin-American cocktails.

Yvette and Vianney are known for Mexican and Latin–fusion recipes made with easy-to-find ingredients. Yvette and Vianney are our guests.

Our regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish, has been on the road. We’ll hear about his Pop-Up Dinner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and other news of note.

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

David RossiThe Ranch Restaurant’s (Anaheim) incredible pastry Chef is David Rossi. He was the recipient in 2014 of the Golden Foodie Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. This is “Peer Selected” award which gives the honor even more weight.

David just returned from an intensive cacao (chocolate) tour and research trip in Ecuador. He visited the cacao plantation and production facilities of Republica Del Cacao, a single origin producer.

This chocolate is produced bean-to-bar in Ecuador. The milk and sugar used in the chocolate are local products, too.

David is now using this chocolate exclusively at The Ranch. On their Thanksgiving menu look for Republica Del Cacao Chocolate Pots De Crème with espresso chantilly.

We’ll get all the sweetly decadent details from Chef David…

Jack TeelingIrish Whiskey connoisseurs your attention, please! Jack Teeling, founder of Teeling Whiskey (Dublin, Ireland) is coming to VOM FASS in Claremont, CA the night of Oct. 26th. It’s an unusual opportunity for the public to taste the Teeling Whiskeys and meet Jack Teeling. Autographed bottles make great Holiday gifts!

The winner of the first annual IE Battle for the Best Bartender will be announced that night!

Since 1782 The Teeling Family has been crafting Irish whiskey and it all began with Walter Teeling. In 1782 Walter Teeling set up a craft distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties area of Dublin inaugurating a 230 year tradition of distilling for the Teeling Family. From Walter Teeling to the latest generation of Teelings in Jack and Stephen who are now carrying on the family’s legacy and forging a bright new future for distilling in Dublin and for Irish whiskey.

Jack Teeling is our special guest.

Graham ElliotChicago-based Celebrity Chef Graham Elliot, co-host of the popular FOX TV series, “MasterChef” and “Master Chef Junior,” and the host of the new Food Network show, “Craziest Restaurants in America,” wants everyone to cook.

He’s now written his first cookbook, Cooking Like a Master Chef: 100 Recipes to Make the Everyday Extraordinary. It’s an entertaining, accessible guide for the home cook to create delicious, beautiful food for every occasion. Chef Graham teaches great techniques and encourages everyone to have a lot of fun along the way. It’s all in line with his philosophy that there is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity in the kitchen.

Grouped by season, Chef Graham’s one hundred recipes are illustrated with gorgeous, full-color photographs and accompanied by simple, straightforward instructions – with some intriguingly tasty twists. Chef Graham believes that whether you are a top-notch chef or a talented home-cook, sometimes you want to be spontaneous and improvise, like a jazz musician.

Chef Elliot joins us with a preview of the book.

Richard FossCulinary Historian Richard Foss is also the California Curator for both The Southern Food & Beverage Museum and the Pacific Food & Beverage. His new book is Food in Air and Space: The Surprising History of Food and Drink in The Skies. There was a time when dining in the sky was actually a true gourmet experience.

The book also discusses the challenges of cooking in space. No environment on Earth is as alien as space, or as challenging when it comes to providing nutritious, appetizing food.

The always colorful Richard Foss is our guest.

Garagiste FestivalThe 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival returns to Paso Robles from November 5th to 8th. The Garagiste Wine Festivals are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan “garagiste” producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world.

“We founded The Garagiste Festivals five years ago to gather and bring attention to, the growing but under-the-radar population of micro-production winemakers who we knew were making some of the most exciting, cutting-edge wines in the world,” said Doug Minnick, Co-founder of The Garagiste Festival. “As our Festivals have grown and expanded, they have helped spur the growth of our participating wineries, as well as of the Garagiste movement itself. It has been a true win-win-win: matching consumers with the hard-to-find artists they enjoy discovering, helping garagiste wineries find a highly targeted and self-selected audience, and all in support of our work with Cal Poly.”

The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

Co-Founder Doug Minnick joins us with the preview.

Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack and Vianney RodriguezThe award-winning food bloggers from MuyBuenoCookbook.com (Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack) and SweetLifeBake.com (Vianney Rodriguez) have teamed up to create Latin Twist – Traditional & Modern Cocktails, an all-new collection of Latin-American cocktails.

Yvette and Vianney are known for Mexican and Latin–fusion recipes made with easy-to-find ingredients. Their cocktails – featuring fresh-squeezed juices and homemade mixers – have been so popular that the authors decided to devote a whole book to them.

Latin Twist! is the first book to celebrate the signature cocktails of 18 Latin American countries and Spain in one volume. It delves into the history of each country’s special ingredients, wines and liquors, and includes traditional drinks as well as the authors’ original recipes.

Whether you are hosting a backyard fiesta or just entertaining a few friends, there is a drink in this book for every occasion. Try a luscious Passion Fruit Caipirinha from Brazil, Chile’s fruity Borgona, or Argentina’s national drink, the deceptively simple Fernet con Cola.

Yvette and Vianney are our guests.

Andrew GruelOur regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish has been on the road. We’ll hear about his Pop-Up Dinner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and other news of note.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris and Guest Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish
Segment Two: Executive Pastry Chef David Rossi, The Ranch Restaurant, Anaheim, CA
Segment Three: Jack Teeling, Proprietor & Brand Ambassador, Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Dublin, Ireland
Segment Four: Celebrity Chef Graham Elliott
Segment Five: Food Historian Richard Foss
Segment Six: 5th Annual Garagiste Wine Festival, Paso Robles, CA
Segment Seven: Latin Twist – Traditional and Modern Cocktails
Segment Eight: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish

Show 110, February 14, 2015: Food Historian & Chef, Gisele Perez on King Cakes

Gisele PerezWith Mardi Gras in full swing and Fat Tuesday coming up it’s time to talk about the tradition of King Cakes with our New Orleans food authority, Gisele Perez. Food historian and chef, Gisele Perez, is a contributor to SoFab Magazine, the official publication of the Southern Food and Beverage Institute and a New Orleans native who recently returned there after a long stay in Los Angeles. She is also a food blogger with her popular Pain Perdu Blog.

One of the most popular foods during Mardi Gras is the King Cake, consumed by the carload and traditionally sold in bakeries, grocery stores and delis from January 6th to Ash Wednesday. Locals and visitors alike eat King Cakes for breakfast, coffee break, and dessert. In fact, almost any excuse to grab a slice will do.

The tradition of King Cakes dates back to the Middle Ages when a popular devotion during Christmas was placed on the Three Wise Men (or Kings) who followed the North Star to find Christ. The twelfth night after the birth of Christ marks the end of Christmas and the celebration of the Epiphany. Thus, Twelfth Night in some cultures becomes a time for pageants and giving special presents to children. Along with gifts came the celebratory cake, or King Cake.

In preparation for this segment Gisele graciously combed The Crescent City seeking out what’s new in contemporary King Cakes. Check her blog for the enticing images and descriptions. Her favorite of the new wave is the Ponchatoula Strawberry King Cake from Maurice’s French Pastries.

 

Show 83, August 9, 2014: Food Historian & Author Richard Foss

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.)