Show 326, June 1, 2019: Chef Jet & Ali Tila with 101 Epic Dishes Part One

Jet Tila and a heritage pig at Cochon 555 in 2013Chef Jet Tila and his accomplished pastry chef wife & culinary educator, Ali, are back with us to chat about their exciting, practical 2nd cookbook, 101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious. The Foreword is unusually authored by Celebrity Chef & Food Network star Bobby Flay.

“Here’s the truth: making food worth savoring and showing off isn’t as difficult as you like to think it is. All it really takes is a solid foundation of cooking techniques, and lucky for you, celebrity chef and self-proclaimed Mr. Miyagi, Jet Tila (collaborating with Ali Tila) is ready to pass all his know-how on to you.”

The cooking Tilas have carefully selected the most essential recipes that pull double duty by tasting delicious and teaching you foundational cooking skills that will easily transfer to other cooking endeavors. Mastering perfect pan-roasted rib-eye steak means both that your dinner is going to be delicious and that you are ready to season and sear other cuts of meat like a pro. Southwestern BBQ and ranch chicken salad helps you build must-have knife skills, and crumbly apple pie will arm you with the ability to make the perfect flaky pie dough that can be used in countless other desserts.

101 Epic Dishes teaches you the most important cooking skills you need to kick your kitchen game up a few notches – all the while whipping up some delicious dishes.

“Every recipe and skill you need to be a great cook.”

Meet Chef Jet & Ali Tila (The Cooking Tilas) at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Saturday afternoon, June 22nd at 3:00 p.m. Jet and Ali will be there presenting and demonstrating recipes from 101 Epic Dishes.

Show 326, June 1, 2019: Chef Jet & Ali Tila with 101 Epic Dishes Part Two

Cookbook Author Ali TilaChef Jet Tila and his accomplished pastry chef wife & culinary educator, Ali, are back with us to chat about their exciting, practical 2nd cookbook, 101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious. The Foreword is by Celebrity Chef & Food Network star Bobby Flay.

Some featured recipes in 101 EPIC DISHES include:

-BEEF: Perfect Pan-Roasted Rib-Eye Steak; Shortcut Korean BBQ Short Ribs Worth Showing Off; Thick and Creamy Irish Beer Beef Stew

-CHICKEN & POULTRY: Old-School Shake and Fry Buttermilk Fried Chicken; Tender and Crispy Duck Confit; Better-Than-Takeout Orange Chicken

-SEAFOOD: Fried Fish Tacos with Chipotle Crema; Garlicky Lemony Shrimp Scampi; Crispy-Skin Salmon with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

-RICE, PASTA & PIZZA: Not-as-Hard-as-You-Think Risotto; Perfect-Every-Time Pizza Dough and Pepperoni Pizza; Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

-EGGS & BREAKFAST COOKERY: The Ultimate Bacon and Egg Breakfast Sandwich; Jet’s Famous Fried Chicken and Waffles; Ali’s Coconut Chia Pudding with Almonds and Fresh Berries

-DESSERTS: Grasshopper Brownie Bars; Da Bomb Budino (Italian Salted Caramel Pudding); Burnt Milk Ice Cream

-AND MUCH MORE including Vegetables; Salad and Soup; Sandwiches, Dips and Spreads and Pork!

Meet Chef Jet & Ali Tila (The Cooking Tilas) at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Saturday afternoon, June 22nd at 3:00 p.m. Jet and Ali will be there presenting and demonstrating recipes from 101 Epic Dishes.

Show 274, May 19, 2018: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

Now a provocative preview of this Saturday’s tantalizing show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s probably a pretty good thing…

Creative potluck makes for inspired dinner parties. Ali Rosen (founder & host of Potluck with Ali Rosen, a television show and active website) brings it all together in her debut cookbook, BRING IT! – Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining. We’re in the kitchen with Ali.

The Lobster (revived in 1999) is the long-running, fine-dining restaurant located on the land side of the landmark Santa Monica Pier. Recently installed there as executive chef is culinary celebrity Govind Armstrong. Chef Govind joins us along with the new General Manager, hospitality veteran Will Holt.

Long Beach’s Proper’s Pickles is an unlikely local gourmet specialty food product success story. The Noori Brothers (Bijan & Pejmon) are insurance brokers. Growing up their Family pickled all the extra veggies in their home kitchen. Four years ago the Brothers perfected their recipes and starting selling at one Long Beach Farmers Markets. Today they are available at retail in Gelson’s and select Bristol Farms, and produce some 1,500 to 2,000 jars a month. We’re talking about the art of pickling with Pejmon Noori.

Chefs’ Toys is no stranger to the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” Starting with a passion for food, Chefs’ Toys began in 1988 (founded by Chef Steve Dickler) with a genuine desire to help other Chefs. In 2003 foodservice equipment veteran Mike Krepistman folded his restaurant equipment supply firm into Chefs’ Toys and became a partner. From humble beginnings to an award-winning foodservice enterprise, Chefs’ Toys business philosophy has never wavered. Earlier this year TriMark acquired Chefs’ Toys. We’ll get the update directly from principals Steve Dickler and Mike Krepistman.

Memorial Day weekend, Smorgasburg LA has teamed up with world renowned burger expert George Motz for its 2nd annual Burger Day on Sunday, May 27. Motz’s first burger popup at Smorgasburg LA this past December was such a success that he is headed back to the market for a second time, and this time with some of his most talented friends. The Host of Travel Channel‘s Burger Land and author of Hamburger America ( revised and updated 3rd Edition just out) has curated the best burgers from LA and beyond to popup at Smorgasburg LA for one day only from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It’s a two napkin affair!

Several years ago Chef Ricardo Zarate created quite a local foodie sensation with his Mo-chica restaurant located within walking distance of USC in the Mercado la Paloma. The menu was modern interpretations of traditional Peruvian comfort food. Currently Chef Ricardo operates Rosaline in Los Angeles and the recently debuted Once in the Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas. Chef Ricardo is our guest.

Chef Andrew Gruel is back with his “Ask the Chef” commentary. Chef Andrew was a judge at C-CAP’s (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) annual scholarship competition for area High School seniors this week. On Monday the culinary scholarships will be awarded to the fortunate student winners at the annual Scholarship Breakfast at Downtown L.A.’s Jonathan Club. This is the first time Chef Andrew has participated in judging this spirited competition. We’ll get his observations.

Program Note:
Our distinguished emeritus Co-host, culinary celebrity Chef Jet Tila, debuts as Alton Brown’s Floor Reporter on the reboot of Food Network’s long-running original Iron Chef America. The launch of the 10-episode new season is Sunday night, May 20th on Food Network. Take a look at the preview trailer.

All of this and much more absolute deliciousness on today’s overflowing show!

Show 272, May 5, 2018: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish & Raw Bar by Slapfish

Andy Harris and Andrew Gruel at Cabana 14 at the Cove at Pechanga Resort and Casino“Ask the Chef” with our own Chef Andrew Gruel is back.

Barramundi is appearing on high-end restaurant menus and available at better seafood retailers.

For the uninitiated it’s both delicious, eco-friendly and well-managed. It’s a member of the sea bass family.

Chef Andrew will give us all the needed 411.

Program Note: Be sure to catch our own Chef Andrew Gruel as a guest judge with soon to be Princess Meghan (Markle) on Food Network’s “Chopped Junior” on Saturday May 19th. Chef Andrew is certainly culinary royalty in our book!

 

Show 269, April 14, 2018: Alejandra Padilla, Executive Chef, Five Crowns and SideDoor, Corona del Mar

Alejandra PadillaLawry’s Restaurants Inc. announced the appointment of Alejandra Padilla as Executive Chef of Five Crowns and SideDoor in Corona del Mar back in January. Chef Padilla recently introduced her new Spring menu. Chef Padilla joins us.

Featuring the season’s freshest flavors to compliment the restaurant’s classic dishes, the colorful Spring menu welcomes several new small plates such as the Smoked Octopus with meyer lemon yogurt, spring peas and pickled red onions, main dishes like the Coffee Rubbed Short Rib with broccolini, tomato petals, grilled leeks, horseradish gremolata and bordelaise and desserts including the Cheesecake with carrot cake crumbles, walnut ice cream and carrot chips.

Chef Padilla comes to Five Crowns and SideDoor from Hillstone Restaurant Group, where she served as Culinary Manager since 2015. Prior to joining Hillstone, Padilla moved up the ranks at Patina Restaurant Group where she started in 2010 as Sous Chef at La Fonda Del Sol in New York before moving to Los Angeles to take a position as Sous Chef at Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse. She was quickly promoted to Executive Chef, a position she served at two different Market Café locations in Los Angeles.

Chef Alejandra appeared on Cooking Channel’s Unique Eats in 2010 and was also the winner of the Season 6 premier episode of Food Network’s, Chopped in 2011.

Show 268, April 7, 2018: Co-host, Andy Harris, “Your Questions & Our Answers”

Andy Harris at the KLAA StudiosWe’re encouraged to receive many thoughtful questions via Social Media and e-mail. While Chef Andrew Gruel is hanging out at Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, Executive Producer Andy Harris will answer a few recent inquiries of the most general interest along with a major announcement of emeritus host Chef Jet’s Tila’s new Food TV adventure.

Show 237, August 19, 2017: Chef Andrew Gruel, Founder & CEO, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Andrew and William GruelOur always on-the-go show Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, has been on the road extensively since he was last in-studio. The ambitious itinerary was production for Food Network, New Jersey, New York, London, Orlando, Washington, D.C. and now a new Slapfish opening in Sandy, Utah.

We’ll reel him in from the Slapfish kitchen in Sandy, Utah for a visit. (This is actually the 2nd Slapfish in Utah.)

Among other items of interest Chef Andrew revisits the very much in the news, Bluefin Tuna. His best advice is to let the beleaguered fish replenish itself in peace. Fortunately it’s an easy fish to substitute something more sustainable in place of it.

Show 231, July 8, 2017: Chef Jet Tila, 101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die

Jet Tila at Cochon 555Chef Jet Tila really needs no introduction to the audience of the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” He was the engaging Co-host of the show for its first two years and you know him from his many appearances all over Food Network including being one of only three permanent judges on Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Brown” now airing its 15th season.

Now celebrity chef and Asian cooking expert Jet Tila brings his years of experience and hard-earned knowledge together in his breakthrough first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die. We’ll chat with Chef Jet about his signature Drunken Noodles and mastering the building-blocks of Asian cuisine for the home kitchen.

Jet has not only compiled the classic 101 Asian recipes that every home cook needs to try, he has also demystified Asian cooking and made it approachable—with simplified techniques, weeknight-friendly cook times and ingredients commonly found in most grocery stores today. Starting with the philosophy of “yum” in Asian kitchens, Jet expertly teaches everything from stocking the pantry and mastering the wok to perfecting the building-blocks of Asian cuisine.

With his guiding hand and pro tips, readers can easily recreate authentic and delicious dishes like The Last Pad Thai Recipe You’ll Ever Need, Quicker Beef Pho, crispy Vegetable and Shrimp Tempura and the life-changing Bomb-Ass Homemade Sriracha

Your chance to meet Chef Jet, enjoy the best dishes from the book, get a signed copy and support the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP)

On Tuesday evening, July 18th James Beard Award-winning chef & restaurateur Sherry Yard is hosting a “Cocktail Party & Book-Signing” with Chef Jet Tila at Westwood’s Tuck Room Tavern to benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.) It’s a celebration of the publication of Jet’s first cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die.

Guests on July 18th are invited to savor Chef and Cutthroat Kitchen Judge Jet Tila’s delectable dishes, while sipping Champagne, Chang Beer or enjoying a signature cocktail created by Chef Sherry Yard all throughout the evening. Each guest will also go home with a signed copy of Chef Jet Tila’s inspiring new cookbook, 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die, signed by the author himself

Ticket Information: COCKTAIL PARTY + BOOK SIGNING to celebrate Chef Jet Tila and benefit C-CAP will take place on Tuesday, July 18th, 2017 at The Tuck Room Tavern from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Tickets are $95.00 per person and $75.00 from each ticket sold will directly benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Los Angeles and is tax deductible. For more information or to purchase tickets directly, please visit COCKTAIL PARTY + BOOK SIGNING to celebrate Chef Jet Tila.

Show 214, March 11, 2017: Robert Schueller, Prince of Produce, Melissa’s World Variety Produce Part One

Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety Produce in the AM830 KLAA StudioOur resident Produce Guru, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s, joins us with his first, of two, segments today. He’s now telling us about the recently concluded International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference in Louisville and then providing an overview of the 2017 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival which is on now through April 16th in Anaheim.

Robert and Melissa’s Executive Chef Ida Rodriguez will be conducting two Cooking Lessons as part of Disney’s California Adventure’s Food & Wine Festival. On Friday afternoon, March 24th at 2:00 p.m., Robert & Chef Ida are cooking up “Amazing Potatoes with Melissa’s Produce.” Then on Saturday, March 25th at 4:00 p.m. they are encoring the “Amazing Potatoes with Melissa’s” presentation.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel is also performing three Culinary Demonstrations at the Food & Wine Festival. The first, representing Slapfish is Friday, March 17th @ 2:00 p.m. Next Chef Andrew is hosting a Butterleaf (Trade in Irvine) demo at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31st. Lastly, it’s a demo spotlighting Two Birds (Trade in Irvine) at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday April 15th.

Our good friend Chef Jet Tila (Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen with Alton Brown) conducts an entertaining Celebrity Chef Cooking Demo on Saturday, April 15th from 6 to 7:00 p.m. in the Festival Showplace, Stage 17 in Hollywood Land (with an added $99 per person admission fee.)

Show 199, November 26, 2016: Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” and Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101

Sara MoultonSara Moulton was one of the first breakout stars of the then embryonic Food Network and is currently the host of Public Television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She is also the author of the Associated Press column “Kitchen Wise.”

Her newest cookbook is the ambitious, Sara Moulton’s Home Cooking 101: How to Make Everything Taste Better.

Not just a collection of wonderful recipes, HOME COOKING 101 is a teaching manual aimed at the home cook. The recipes will indeed make it easier to put dinner on the table on a weeknight, but, as Sara notes in her introduction, “more important is that each recipe specifically demonstrates a tip or method that can make you a better and more confident cook while also teaching you to make your dishes taste better.”

Accordingly, the book’s first chapter is a compact and handy rulebook entitled “The Ten Basics of Good Home Cooking.” It advises the home cook as follows:

  • Shake hands with your stove
  • Buy a good knife
  • Get organized
  • Follow the recipe exactly the first time you make it
  • Dispense with mise en place
  • Reach for the salt
  • Balance flavors
  • Build umami
  • Use all your senses
  • Don’t waste food

As for the recipes, there are 150 of them—all new and accompanied by photographs that illustrate, step-by-step, the book’s key techniques. The book also boasts guest recipes from a stellar cast of some of Sara’s favorite chefs and cookbook authors, including Rick Bayless, Amanda Cohen, Hiroko Shimbo, Jacques Torres, Marc Vetri, and Grace Young.

In sum, Sara writes, “The goal of this book is two-fold: to sharpen your sense of taste and to provide you with a raft of time-tested techniques that I hope will become second nature to you.”

We’re in the kitchen with Chef Sara.