Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Greg Nagel, Founder & Producer, Firkfest Castaway Tiki Cask Beer Festival
Segment Three: Chef Zov Karmardian, Zov’s & Anne Grey, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association
Segment Four: Chef Kausar Ahmed, The Karachi Kitchen – Classic and Contemporary Flavors of Pakistan
Segment Five: Gray Hartley, Founder & Co-Winemaker, Hitching Post Wines, Buellton Part One
Segment Six: Gray Hartley, Founder & Co-Winemaker, Hitching Post Wines, Buellton Part Two
Segment Seven: National Philly Cheese Steak Day with Figueroa Philly
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel’s “Ask the Chef”
Now a tantalizing preview of this Saturday’s decadent show. No blarney or four-leaf clovers here…but plenty of fresh Irish Soda Bread. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing… Keep in mind we’re always here with you live every Saturday morning with a fresh show.
The 5th Annual Firkfest Cask Beer Festival is back on March 24th at the Anaheim Packing District Farmers Park. This year, again, it’s a Tiki theme. All the cask beers served are made specifically for the event. They may never be brewed again. Founder, organizer, and local beer writer Greg Nagel taps the cask for us.
Chef Zov Karamardian, founder of Zov’s Restaurants, will receive the Epicenter Award honoring her passion and commitment for creating a strong and healthy community from the Alzheimer’s Association at their Women #ENDALZ Luncheon at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach on April 13th. Chef Zov and Anne Grey, Executive Director for the Alzheimer’s Association join us.
From the Arabian Sea to the peaks of the Himalayas, cuisine in Karachi is as diverse as its inhabitants and draws influences from across South, Central, and West Asia. Acclaimed Pakistani chef, culinary educator, humanitarian, and food stylist, Kausar Ahmed, has curated and created mouth-watering recipes in her first cookbook, The Karachi Kitchen – Classic and Contemporary Flavors of Pakistan. Chef Kausar is unusually in Santa Monica on Sunday, March 25th presenting a multi-course Pakistan feast from The Karachi Kitchen to benefit the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.) Chef Kausar is our guest.
Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Wines are made by Buellton Hitching Post owner/chef Frank Ostini (made famous in in the Oscar-winning feature “Sideways”) and his good friend, former fisherman Gray Hartley. Frank and Gray first made wine at home in 1979. They found their first Pinot Noir in 1981. The project moved to a winery in 1984 to make wines exclusively for the Hitching Post Restaurant. Their passioned focus has been to work with the California Central Coast’s best vineyards producing many Pinot Noirs, a couple Syrahs and a red blend of Merlot.
Figueroa Philly, arguably Los Angeles’ number one destination for the most authentic Cheese Steaks and Hoagies, is celebrating its favorite holiday, National Philly Cheese Steak Day, on Saturday, March 24, with a delicious giveaway. The first 100 fans on line next Saturday morning will receive a signature Famous Figueroa Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich absolutely free of charge ($9.85 value). Rocky would be proud. Proprietor Danny Hizami slathers on the processed Cheez Whiz.
Our always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his “Ask the Chef” series. Tilapia is one of those better-for-you fish that just doesn’t get enough deserved respect or visibility. It’s slowly changing. Tilapia can be successfully farm-raised in a healthy, pristine environment. It’s mild tasting and versatile for use in a lot of recipes. The fish is also hugely affordable. Chef Andrew reels the specifics in for us.
All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s show!
The 5th Annual Firkfest Cask Beer Festival is back on March 24th at the Anaheim Packing District Farmers Park. This year, again, it’s a Tiki theme. All the cask beers served are made specifically for the event. They may never be brewed again.
“Of the hundreds of different flavors of beer, a large portion can be described as “tropical”. Whether it be IPAs bursting with mango, pineapple, or passion fruit hoppy notes; stouts with Pina Colada and Mai Tai vibes, or even Belgian-style beers with Zombie cocktail overtones…don’t be surprised to see this year’s Firkfest beers to include “aged in rum barrel” or have actual barbecued pineapple making up the event’s beers.”
New this year is the well-respected OC Bartenders Cabinet will be shaking up actual Tiki cocktails for demonstration and sampling. Several bartenders are teaming up with breweries to also collaborate on tropical/tiki-style cask beers.
“Looking at the previous Firkfest events, I saw a common denominator: tropical-style beers seemed to stand out. As a huge cocktail nerd that loves Tiki culture, it’s time for the area’s craft brewers to come together, throw on some grass skirts, and make something truly unique,” says founder, organizer, and local beer writer Greg Nagel, @OCBeerBlog.
Tickets are $50 including fees, all profits supporting the historic Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade, an event that celebrates a 95-year history. Event tickets are by-design, limited, as the producer keeps things intimate. “It’s a park-like atmosphere, where people chill on beach blankets and chairs,” says fest-man Nagel.
Founder, organizer, and local beer writer Greg Nagel taps the cask for us.
Chef Zov Karamardian, founder of the long-running and popular Zov’s Restaurants, will receive the Epicenter Award honoring her passion and commitment for creating a strong and healthy community from the Alzheimer’s Association at their Women #ENDALZ Luncheon (from 12 Noon to 2:00 p.m.) at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach on April 13th.
“WOMEN #ENDALZ celebrates the power and influence of women. By using our collective voices, we can create awareness of the impact Alzheimer’s on our health, our families and our nation. Women are disproportionally affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Almost two-thirds of Americans with the disease are women and 65 percent of caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s are women. THE RISK IS REAL FOR WOMEN A woman’s estimated lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s at age 65 is 1 in 6.”
“A woman’s estimated lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s at age 65 is 1 in 6. As real a concern as breast cancer is to women’s health, women in their 60s are about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as they are to develop breast cancer. Not only are women more likely to have Alzheimer’s, they are also more likely to be caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”
$200 per ticket includes valet parking, champagne reception and lunch with wine.
From the Arabian Sea to the peaks of the Himalayas, cuisine in Karachi is as diverse as its inhabitants and draws influences from across South, Central, and West Asia. Acclaimed Pakistani chef, culinary educator, humanitarian, and food stylist, Kausar Ahmed, has curated and created mouth-watering recipes in her first cookbook, The Karachi Kitchen – Classic and Contemporary Flavors of Pakistan.
Chef Kausar is unusually in Santa Monica on Sunday, March 25th presenting a multi-course Pakistan feast from The Karachi Kitchen to benefit the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP.) Think Champagne Reception with passed appetizers (Mini Shaami Kababs & Green Coconut Chutney) and dual entrees of Murgh Hara Masala (Green Chicken) Lentil and Rice Pilaf (meatless) paired with premium wines and local craft beers.
Each guest also receives a personally signed copy of Chef Kausar’s The Karachi Kitchen – Classic and Contemporary Flavors of Pakistan.
100 per cent of the $175 ticket price goes to C-CAP to support their programming with local, at-risk high school students. Limited to 18 guests.
Chef Kausar is our guest.
Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Wines are made by Buellton Hitching Post owner / chef Frank Ostini (made famous in in the Oscar-winning feature “Sideways”) and his good friend, former fisherman Gray Hartley. Frank and Gray first made wine at home in 1979. They found their first Pinot Noir in 1981. The project moved to a winery in 1984 to make wines exclusively for the Hitching Post Restaurant.
Their passioned focus has been to work with the California Central Coast’s best vineyards producing many Pinot Noirs, a couple Syrahs and a red blend of Merlot named Gen Red. They also produce a dry barrel fermented rose named Pinks.
Hitching Post Wines strives to create handcrafted, flavorful wines that possess poise and balance so that they may complement the food at Frank Ostini’s wildly popular Hitching Post Restaurant.
Co-Winemaker & Partner, Gray Hartley pulls the cork for us.
Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley of Hitching Post Wines believe that great wines are made in the vineyard. Their winemaking philosophy is that they are caretakers who guide the wine into the bottle. As the wine matures it is simply left to gently age in the barrel. This minimalist approach allows Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Wines to reflect the character of the vineyard and the vintage, preserving the essence of the grape for you to enjoy when you open the bottle.
Hitching Post Wines are admired by those who appreciate Santa Barbara wines for their fresh fruit, spice, earthy complexities, and refreshing acidity. Their goal is to put a “slice of Santa Barbara County in each bottle and a piece of their soul in every glass of Hitching Post Wine.”
“Highliner is the “Best fisherman in the fleet” and our flagship Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. Each vintage is crafted from our best vineyards and best barrels.”
Highliner was featured in the 2014 Oscar-winning film, “Sideways” that brought international attention to the Hitching Post brand.
“We shaped this cuvee to include mostly Bien Nacido, Sanford & Benedict, and Fiddlestix Vineyards grapes. Delicious today with flavors of red cherry, plum, mint, white pepper sand blood orange, this Highliner (2014) is destined to give pleasure for many years.”
Figueroa Philly, arguably Los Angeles’ number one destination for the most authentic Cheese Steaks and Hoagies, on Saturday, March 24, with a delicious giveaway. The first 100 fans on line next Saturday morning will receive a signature Famous Figueroa Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich absolutely free of charge ($8.95 value). Rocky would be proud.
Proprietor Danny Hizami slathers on the processed Cheez Whiz.
Our always informed Co-Host, Chef Andrew Gruel, encores with his “Ask the Chef” series. Tilapia is one of those better-for-you fish that just doesn’t get enough deserved respect or visibility. It’s slowly changing. Tilapia can be successfully farm-raised in a healthy, pristine environment.
Tilapia is mild tasting and versatile for use in a lot of satisfying recipes. The fish is also hugely affordable. Chef Andrew reels the specifics in for us.
Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Greg Nagel, Founder & Producer, Firkfest Castaway Tiki Cask Beer Festival
Segment Three: Chef Zov Karmardian, Zov’s & Anne Grey, Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Association
Segment Four: Chef Kausar Ahmed, The Karachi Kitchen – Classic and Contemporary Flavors of Pakistan
Segment Five: Gray Hartley, Founder & Co-Winemaker, Hitching Post Wines, Buellton Part One
Segment Six: Gray Hartley, Founder & Co-Winemaker, Hitching Post Wines, Buellton Part Two
Segment Seven: National Philly Cheese Steak Day with Figueroa Philly
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel’s “Ask the Chef”
