Show 380, July 4, 2020: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group with “Ask the Chef”

Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant GroupOur own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is regularly updating us on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in the hospitality field and what we, as diners, can do to support the very survival of restaurants. Dine-in is slowly starting to come back but with a lot of new rules that restrict guest counts. Alternately Take-Out / Delivery when you can surely helps…

Chef Andrew launched a new Slapfish in downtown Indianapolis this week. What’s it like opening a restaurant during the Covid 19 crisis? What’s it like opening a restaurant outside of California during the Covid 19 crisis? Also we’ll get Chef Andrew’s thoughts on the four hour flight to Indianapolis. We’ll, of course, “Ask the Chef.”

Show 335, August 3, 2019: Georgia’s Restaurant, Long Beach, with Founders “Nana” Shoemaker and Nika Shoemaker-Machado Part One

Gretchen Shoemaker of Georgia's RestaurantWord-of-Mouth favorite Georgia’s Restaurant has been serving up Southern “soul-delicious” cuisine for the past five years in Anaheim at The Anaheim Packing House, while reimagining and redefining the public’s perception of Southern Soul Food. Now, Georgia’s Restaurant is extending their family and celebrating their fifth anniversary with the Grand Opening last month of their second location at the new Long Beach Exchange (LBX) .

“Georgia’s Restaurant does not stem from the deep south, but instead a suburb of Philadelphia where high school sweethearts Gretchen and George Shoemaker decided to leave the Keystone State and head west, settling in Lake Forest, CA. It was in their home, where George and Gretchen raised their three daughters, that Gretchen began her successful catering business built on family recipes that delivered a true home-cooked experience. Early every morning, Gretchen would rise to get a start in the kitchen with George by her side playing sous chef, as tunes of Teddy Pendergrass wafted through the air, harmonizing with the sweet and savory aromatics of Gretchen’s Southern soul cuisine.”

“Then, after the untimely passing of George Shoemaker in the early 1990s, everything came to an abrupt halt as the Shoemaker family rallied around one another and Gretchen’s catering business was put on hold. Twenty years later, with all three daughters grown, second daughter Nika Shoemaker-Machado and her husband Marlon Machado approached Gretchen, now known to most as Nana, to all come together and fulfill her lifelong dream of sharing her food on a much grander scale than ever before and they introduced Georgia’s Restaurant, a Southern Restaurant that celebrates authentic Soul Food, while sharing Nana Gretchen and the Shoemaker family’s story of survival, community and love.

Founders “Nana” Gretchen Shoemaker and Nika Shoemaker-Machado (Gretchen’s daughter) are our hospitable guests.

Show 223, May 13, 2017: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

Now a provocative preview of this Saturday’s packed 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…

Andrew and William GruelOur busy Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, is on the road this morning at Trade Food Hall in Irvine near John Wayne Orange County Airport. It’s the official Grand Opening. The first 100 fortunate guests in line at the 11:00 a.m. opening got a passport good for generous free tastes at all 9 establishments including Center Hub bar. We’ll catch-up with him by phone.

Valentino, the renowned Santa Monica restaurant by noted Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio that has defined Italian fine dining since its opening in 1972, is hosting a Wine Spectacular Series in May with four dinners (2 remaining on May 19th and 26th) curated by Selvaggio and James Beard Foundation award-winning chef Luciano Pellegrini, who recently returned as the restaurant’s Executive Consulting Chef. The dinners, in partnership with the LA Times Food Bowl, celebrate citywide for the month, feature choice and rare selections from Valentino’s legendary wine cellar.

Sam Fox (Fox Restaurant Group) has been an industry leader since founding his company in 1998 in Phoenix. His uber successful restaurant group boasts nearly 60 locations and 16 unique concepts in nine states. We know him best locally for North Italia, True Food Kitchen and Las Vegas’ Culinary Dropout. Sam is our guest.

The Big Island of Hawaii’s first tree-to-bar chocolate producer is The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory. In Kailua-Kona they grow cacao on their own plantation, ferment it, dry and process the beans and then create premium, single origin chocolate of the highest quality. Founder Pam Cooper joins us.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has announced details of enhancements and menus from Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine for the 2017 season at the Hollywood Bowl. Building on the success of last summer’s inaugural season with James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and business partner restaurateur Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group, and Sodexo Sports & Leisure, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining options for visitors to the iconic venue. Caroline Styne comes backstage with us to share all the appealing updates.

Since 2002 Terry Smith has been the official play-by-play radio voice of the Angels on AM 830 KLAA, the flagship radio home of Angels Baseball. Terry is a foodie and during the season has the special opportunity to be on the road in some of the best dining cities in America. We’ll break bread with Terry Smith and, unusually, talk food and life on the road for six months of the year!

“The Better Burger” is all the buzz right now on restaurant menus but it’s not actually a new innovation. It started in Los Angeles in 1950 on The Sunset Strip with the founding of Harry & Marilyn Lewis’s Hamburger Hamlet. Marilyn passed away recently and we’ll chat about the pioneering legacy of Hamburger Hamlet – “Known for Simply Marvelous Food & Drink.”

All of this and generous heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s show!

Show 222, May 6, 2017: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Andrew and William GruelOur Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, is on the road this morning at Trade in Irvine. Both of his new concepts, Two Birds and Butterleaf, are now open. The festive Grand Opening of Trade Food Hall is next Saturday, May 13th.

The first 100 guests in line at Trade for the Grand Opening at 11:00 a.m. on May 13 get a passport good for a taste of a menu item that day from all 9 restaurants at Trade. Enjoy!

With the Summer picnic season upon us Chef Andrew has some tips for preparing world class fried chicken.

We’ll catch-up with him by phone.

Online Restaurant Reviews

Jet discusses the validity of online restaurant reviews.

Show 16, February 9, 2013: Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa and Irvine (continued…)

Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery and the CampIn early January, Klemek debuted a new 1,800-square foot retail location and bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa (with indoor and patio seating) located just a bit south of South Coast Plaza. On the extensive menu are breakfast pastries, cookies, buttercream cakes, tarts, and retro breads and rolls. Part of the funding for the equipment there was raised on Kickstarter.

Also in the mix are brioche buns, oatmeal stout rolls, shortbreads. Her signature Marche Noir Cabernet brownies (made with wine flour,) bars, cobblers, incredible marshmallows with natural flavors, and open faced ice cream sandwiches.

On Monday, February 11th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp is celebrating it’s Grand Opening. 15 percent of all sales during the festivities will go to Share Our Selves.

The Camp location has already been so successful that you can expect other Blackmarket Bakery retail bakery locations on the horizon.

February 9: Average Betty, Andrew Sutton, Jet Tila, Rachel Klemek

Podcasts

Segment One: Sara O’Donnell of You Tube’s “Average Betty” Part One
Segment Two: Sara O’Donnell of You Tube’s “Average Betty” Part Two
Segment Three: Andrew Sutton, Executive Chef of Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim
Segment Four: Jet Tila and Average Betty
Segment Five: Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and Irvine Part One
Segment Six: Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and Irvine Part Two

It takes equal measures of moxie, talent, and preparedness to break out on YouTube. We’ll talk to their culinary star, and she can really cook. What’s it like to prepare a meal at The James Beard House (the Carnegie Hall of cooking) in Manhattan? We’ll find out from a high-profile Orange County chef who was just there…

Jet has been cooking up and down the West Coast this week from the legendary studio commissary at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood to the campus of OSU in Corvallis, Oregon. He’ll share a few of his observations from the road. Finally, Orange County’s rebel baker is in-studio. What a story of tenacity she has to share with us!

Average Betty Sara O'DonnellSara O’Donnell of Average Betty has conquered YouTube with her series of humorous and highly entertaining shorts on cooking. YouTube has been so impressed with her work that she was chosen to go through their coveted training program. As a result of her success she was given high value equipment to increase the production values in her segments!

She makes it look easy but it requires talent, a point-of-view and a lot of advance preparation.

Sara is with us to give us the background on the unlikely success story that is Average Betty!

Andrew Sutton of Disney's Grand Californian Resort and SpaOne of the most distinct honors a chef can have in the United States is to be invited to prepare and cook a multi-course meal at The James Beard Foundation in Manhattan for a group of highly discriminating diners. James Beard is considered the “Father of American Gastronomy” by many pillars of the contemporary food world.

Andrew Sutton, the founding executive chef of the stellar Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, was at the Beard House on January 30th as part of the (mostly Orange County-based) culinary team cooking the “Salmon Seduction” evening. Andy will share that special experience with us and it’s not the first time he’s been there.

Chinese New Year has had Jet on the road this past week. Monday and Tuesday he was the celebrity guest chef at the commissary at Paramount Studios in Hollywood with his Chinese New Year menu as the featured lunch special. The menu changed daily and continued for the week.

Jet Tila at Oregon State UniversityOn Thursday Jet was in Corvallis on the campus of Oregon State University. Again, he was the celebrity guest chef in residence to celebrate Chinese New Year. He taught cooking classes for the students as well as conducted some entertaining demos. His Chinese New Year menu was featured on campus as a special celebration for Thursday evening.

Jet will share highlights from the road along with some dining intell, too…

Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery and the CampOn the show it’s a joy to share local food success stories. Saturday we’ll meet the amazing Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery in Irvine and at The Camp in Costa Mesa. In 2004 she started out with a small production bakery for wholesale customers in a hidden location in an industrial park in Irvine. Word-of-mouth for her creations grew quickly. Aficionados swoon over her cakes, decadent pastries, and fresh breads. Rachel’s signature Marche Noir Cabernet brownies are pretty incredible, too.

Her first planned retail location at The Camp actually debuted in early January but Rachel is having the Grand Opening celebration on Monday, February 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 15 per cent of all sales during the festivities will be donated to Share Our Selves.

Podcasts

Segment One: Sara O’Donnell of You Tube’s “Average Betty” Part One
Segment Two: Sara O’Donnell of You Tube’s “Average Betty” Part Two
Segment Three: Andrew Sutton, Executive Chef of Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim
Segment Four: Jet Tila and Average Betty
Segment Five: Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and Irvine Part One
Segment Six: Rachel Klemek of Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and Irvine Part Two