Show 700, October 10, 2026: Anne Marie Panoringan, Food Writer, Culture OC

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Adam Bell

Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC and highlight her culinary adventures. Anne Marie joins us in-studio.

First some impressions of dining in Hong Kong. It’s not all 3-Star Michelin restaurants. Anne Marie also previews the new Friday through Sunday Afternoon Tea at Qua in Fountain Valley.

Anne Marie then takes us to Long Beach and a new iteration of Bungalow Kitchen at 2nd and PCH with Executive Chef Eric Samaniego (Michael’s on Naples) in the kitchen. Then a preview of Restaurateur Russ Bendel’s upcoming Creekside in Rancho Mission Viejo. It’s his 7th property.

Show 236, August 12, 2017: Anita Lau, diary of a Mad Hungry Woman Blogger. Travels in Hong Kong

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Adam Bell

Out regular contributor, Anita Lau, “diary of a Mad Hungry Woman” blogger, is just back from a visit to the ever-evolving Hong Kong. She will share a pair of her memorable Hong Kong dining experiences, Haku and Ju Xing Home.

First we’re in Long Beach highlighting two recommendations (from her Top 10 List) for the last Weekend of DINE LBC Long Beach Restaurant Week. Think Aji Peruvian and Sura Korean BBQ and Tofu House.

On to Hong Kong…

“Haku is a French concept using predominantly Japanese ingredients. The restaurant is a collaboration between Chef Hideaki Matsuo of Kashiwaya in Osaka, Japan, and Chef Agustin Balbi, who is Argentinian. Chef Balbi has spent many years in Japan and his menu is a reflection of the aesthetically stunning cuisine, but is also, well thought out and exquisitely executed.”

Ju Xing Home is where Michelin-starred chefs go when they’re off duty, and wanting a bite before heading home for the night. “Chef/Owner Mr. Ng is a humble man who takes immense pride in preparing dishes for his customers. He is in the kitchen, personally cooking every single dish which hits the table.”

Here’s a lagniappe from Anita’s Hong Kong adventures that we didn’t get a chance to chat about…”Bamboo Noodles (竹昇麵) is a dying art-form, so rare that even in Hong Kong, it is getting extremely difficult to find. Lau Sum Kee in Sham Shui Po is one of the last eateries which still makes these bamboo noodles, a skill passed down by current owner, Lau Fat-Cheong’s grandfather, who brought this tradition from Guangzhou.”

Show 154, January 9, 2016: Anita Lau, Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman Blogger

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Adam Bell

Anita Lau is better known to regular listeners of the “SoCal Restaurant Show” as the Mad Hungry Woman blogger. She was living in Hong Kong in the 90s before the turnover to China. Anita is recently back from a 3-week visit. We’ll continue with her insider’s view of the dining scene there during the glory days of the British. It was a very different and colorful time…

British Hong Kong showcased traditional, authentic and refined cuisine. The perfect surviving example is the fine cuisine that is still available at the always elegant Peninsula Hotel. Contemporary fine dining in Hong Kong right now is more ostentatious.

Contemporary fine dining right now in Hong Kong is more ostentatious. Anita points out that a lot of the big deal celebrity chefs with restaurants there are seldom actually in Hong Kong. Oops…

“This blog (diary of a MAD HUNGRY WOMAN) is a journal of mostly my eating adventures, but also, other things I’m passionate about, including travel, the arts, and also, necessities to complete my life. Centered predominantly in and around Orange County, CA, some will extend to Los Angeles, San Diego and beyond. I am constantly searching for delicious food to eat and fun things to do, nothing is out of bounds. Sometimes it doesn’t end well, but I can definitely say, it will always be an interesting journey.” Anita Lau

Show 150, December 12, 2015: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Adam Bell

Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, soon, Brea, is back as today’s special Guest Host.

We got a tremendous response to our segment last week on the publication of the West Coast Prime Meats Cooks – Professional Recipes for the Home Kitchen cookbook. It’s the ideal gift for the serious home cook and it’s also a worthy coffee table volume. All the chefs’ recipes have been tested to be duplicated in the home kitchen. It’s available through their website at www.WestCoastPrimeMeats.com

for a modest $25.00. Five Dollars of the purchase price goes to a pair of outstanding supports groups for our Veterans, The Wounded Warrior Project and The Gary Sinise Foundation – Serving Honor and Need. It’s the Holiday gift you can feel really good about giving.

Next a mouthwatering preview of Saturday’s high-energy and appropriately festive 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…

For the last seven years Chef Marlene Moore has been overseeing the busy Temptations Food Court, the Poker Room, and Bingo Parlor at Pechanga Resort & Casino. The Food Court features American, Italian, Mexican, Fried Chicken, Espresso and Pastries, Bahn Mi, Hot Dogs and Lemonade. Chef Marlene shares some tips for creative Holidays dishes with a true Southern flair. Think marination and jerk seasoning.

They always do it B-I-G in Las Vegas. What’s billed as the culinary event of the year, Ultimo – A Weekend of Excellence, hosted by The Venetian and The Palazzo, will take culinary extravagance to new levels, December 17^th through the 20^th. The highlight of the festivities will be the competition to select Team USA representing the United States in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or international cooking competition in Lyon, France in early 2017. This is the Olympics of the culinary arts.

Chef Richard Rosendale (Richard Rosendale Collective) is our guest. He is on the Chef Jury on Dec. 17^th in Las Vegas and led Team USA at the Bocuse d’Or in 2013.

In 2011, beer enthusiasts Meg Gill and Tony Yanow founded Golden Road Brewing to bring fresh beer to the local market in the most sustainable way possible. “Golden Road is committed to engaging and supporting the growing community of socially-minded beer enthusiasts.” “Brewed and canned in Los Angeles,” Golden Road’s year-round offerings include Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Get Up Offa That Brown and Wolf Among Weeds IPA. Co-founder Meg Gill is our guest

Anita Lau is better known to regular listeners of the “SoCal Restaurant Show” as the Mad Hungry Woman blogger. She was living in Hong Kong in the 90s before the turnover to China. Anita is just back from a 3-week visit. We’ll get a insider’s view of the dining scene there during the glory days of the British and now under Chinese authority.

One of the up-and-coming wineries in the Guadalupe Valley in Northern Baja is Lechuza, founded in 2005. It’s owned by Ray Magnussen (with his wife, Patty) who is also the hands-on winemaker. They are Americans. We’ll meet Ray.

Our regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish, was just in Chicago, a great dining out city whether you’re going for high-end gourmet or great street food. Chef Andrew will discuss his finds ranging from a true Chicago hot dog experience to the best in coal-fired pizza.

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

Show 150, December 12, 2015: Anita Lau, Mad Hungry Woman Blogger

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Adam Bell

Anita Lau is better known to regular listeners of the “SoCal Restaurant Show” as the Mad Hungry Woman blogger. She was living in Hong Kong in the 90s before the turnover by the British to China. Anita was just back to Hong Kong for a 3-week visit. We’ll get a insider’s view of the dining scene there during the glory days of the British and now under Chinese authority.

Anita will fill us in on the impact of Michelin Stars in Hong Kong and also the best street food. Michelin in now even rating “Street Food” which seems a bit odd.

Anita notes that the big deal celebrity chefs are opening high-profile restaurants in Hong Kong. Gordon Ramsay is already there and Anita crossed paths with Chris Cosentino of “Top Chef Masters” fame there, too.

We’ll also get the morsel-by-morsel details of her favorite dining experience of the trip. It’s French and elegant…Go to her blog to read her full review of EPURE. Beautiful food photography of the meal, too.

Born in Hong Kong and now living in Orange County, California, Anita Lau is an international author and writer who has lived in Malaysia, Australia, Nebraska, Oregon, San Francisco and also, Hawaii. Her obsession with food began at an early age but it wasn’t until her early 20s when her experimentation with cooking led her to start a small catering business which she would run in her spare time while at college in Australia.

December 12: Andrew Gruel, Pechanga Casino and Resort, Richard Rosendale, Golden Road Brewing, Mad Hungry Woman, Lechuza VIneyard

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Adam Bell

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Marlene Moore, Temptations Food Court, Pechanga Resort & Casino
Segment Three: Chef Richard Rosendale, Bocuse d’Or Team USA 2013
Segment Four: Meg Gill, Co-Founder & President, Golden Road Brewing Part One”
Segment Five: Meg Gill is the Co Founder and President of Golden Road Brewing Part Two
Segment Six: Anita Lau, Mad Hungry Woman Blogger
Segment Seven: Ray Magnussen, Lechuza Winery, Guadalupe Valley, Baja
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel

For the last seven years Chef Marlene Moore has been overseeing the busy Temptations Food Court, the Poker Room, and Bingo Parlor at Pechanga Resort & Casino. The Food Court features American, Italian, Mexican, Fried Chicken, Espresso and Pastries, Bahn Mi, Hot Dogs and Lemonade. Chef Marlene shares some suggestions for creative Holidays dishes with a true Southern flair.

In 2011, beer enthusiasts Meg Gill and Tony Yanow founded Golden Road Brewing to bring fresh beer to the local market in the most sustainable way possible. “Golden Road is committed to engaging and supporting the growing community of socially-minded beer enthusiasts.” “Brewed and canned in Los Angeles,” Golden Road’s year-round offerings include Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Get Up Offa That Brown and Wolf Among Weeds IPA. Co-founder Meg Gill is our guest

Anita Lau is better known to regular listeners of the “SoCal Restaurant Show” as the Mad Hungry Woman blogger. She was living in Hong Kong in the 90s before the turnover to China. Anita is just back from a return visit. We’ll get a insider’s view of the dining scene there during the glory days of the British and now under Chinese authority.

Our regular Guest Host, Chef Andrew Gruel of Slapfish, was just in Chicago, a great dining out city whether you’re going for high-end gourmet fare or great street food. Chef Andrew will discuss his finds ranging from a true Chicago hot dog experience to the best in deep dish pizza.

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

The outlet names at Temptations are American Classics, Agave Mexican Delights, Pronto Italiano, Caffe Cocoa, Little Wok Asian Specialties, and Pechanga Fried Chicken.

This year Chef Marlene was crowned the Chili Champ at the Pechanga Microbrew Festival and Chili Cookoff with her winning creation of “Temptation” Hearty Southern Style Chili. She competed against seven other dedicated Pechanga chefs and even bested the incumbent champ, Chef Damien Stanley, who is the executive sous chef of Pechanga.

Chef Marlene shares some tempting tips for creative Holidays dishes with a true Southern flair.

This is the Olympics of the culinary arts. Chef Richard Rosendale (Richard Rosendale Collective) is our guest. He is on the Chef Jury on Dec. 17^th in Las Vegas and led Team USA at the Bocuse d’Or in 2013.

This competition event, modeled after the world famous Bocuse d’Or, concludes with an esteemed chef panel who judge each of the four candidates’ presentations. Guests will be treated to a spectacular display of culinary skill and artistry during the intense 4 hour and 35 minute competition. Each candidate prepares a stunning meat platter showcasing Kurobuta Pork provided by Snake River Farms and a fish dish featuring the Norwegian Seafood Council’s Fjord Trout.

“Brewed and canned in Los Angeles,” Golden Road’s year-round offerings include Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Get Up Offa That Brown and Wolf Among Weeds IPA. Co-founder Meg Gill is our guest.

In a stellar example of private industry supporting worthy truly causes in a meaningful way Golden Road Brewing created Heal the Bay IPA as a seasonal style (May to July) for one season. It’s now an incredible success story and is an annuity style for Golden Road. Of course water quality is of prime importance to Golden Road so there is logic to the association!

Construction has started in Anaheim (across the street from the South entrance to Angel Stadium) of a new production brewery, restaurant, and tasting room for Golden Road. The temporary tasting room is already serving thirsty guests. The greatly respected brewmaster there, Victor Novak (ex-TAPS), is well-known to Orange County craft beer enthusiasts. We’ll talk to our guest, Meg Gill, about this ambitious new project.

It’s no secret that the mega breweries have started acquiring regional craft breweries to learn more about this fast growing area of the business. Golden Road was acquired earlier this year by Anheuser-Busch InBev which already owns Chicago-based craft brewer, Goose Island. Meg Gill will continue with the company. We’ll hear about what this means for Golden Road’s future expansion.

Anita was just back to Hong Kong from a visit. We’ll get a insider’s view of the dining scene there during the glory days of the British and now under Chinese authority.

Anita will fill us in on the impact of Michelin Stars in Hong Kong dining and also the best street food. We’ll get the morsel-by-morsel details of her favorite dining experience of the trip.

One of the promising, up-and-coming wineries in the Guadalupe Valley in Northern Baja is Lechuza, founded in 2005. It’s owned by Ray Magnussen (with his wife, Patty) who is also the hands-on winemaker. They are Americans.

“Lechuza” is Spanish for “burrowing ground owl.” This bird frequents the Lechuza vineyard property. The modest vineyard estate is adjacent to Laja, one of the most well-reviewed restaurants in Baja, California.

Lechuza currently offers Lechuza Amantes (Blend), Lechuza Cabernet Sauvignon, Lechuza Nebbiolo, Lerchuza Merlot, Lechuza Tempranillo and Lechuza Grenache Rose.

Their wines are conveniently available on-line via their San Diego-based distributor. This is a lot easier than bringing Mexican wines back through the border. www.LMAwines.com.

We’ll meet Ray.

Chef Andrew was extensively quoted (representing his expertise in Social Media) in a lengthy New York Times article entitled “A Bad Review Is Forever: How to Counter Online Complaints” which appeared on December 9^th.