Show 291, September 22, 2018: Proprietress / Executive Chef Suzanne Tracht, Jar, Los Angeles

Suzanne TrachtJar, a modern chophouse in the heart of Los Angeles, dazzles Angelenos with the allure of Chef Suzanne Tracht’s familiar retro dishes from the American culinary repertoire, including her signature Pot Roast, Kansas City Steak, wild and sustainable Fish, Lemon Grass Chicken, Black Mussels with Lobster Bearnaise and Fennel Salt, award -winning French Fries, market-fresh sides and perfect martinis. It’s been an L.A. staple since 2001.

“Suzanne Tracht, chef and owner of the critically-acclaimed Jar Restaurant, was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She began cooking professionally at the age of 19, when she left college for an apprenticeship under Siegbert Wendler, legendary chef at the four-star Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. After three years she moved to Southern California to work in the kitchen of the prestigious Hotel Bel-Air and later served as sous-chef at Noa Noa. In 1992, she became chef de cuisine at Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel’s Campanile. Four years later, she embarked on her first solo venture at executive chef at the Cal-Asian restaurant, Jozu. In its debut year, Jozu ranked number two for “L.A.’s Best New Restaurants” in Los Angeles magazine’s restaurant issue.”

“In 2001, she opened her modern chophouse, Jar, with her longtime chef de cuisine Preech Narkthong. Quickly, Tracht and Narkthong built a reputation for cooking cozily familiar American retro food – pot roast, steaks, pork chops, braised lamb shanks — with a modern twist.”

Chef / Proprietress Suzanne Tracht is our guest.

Show 286, August 18, 2018: Sally Camacho-Mueller, Executive Pastry Chef / Partner, Tesse, West Hollywood

Sally Camacho MuellerSally Camacho-Mueller (ex-Jonathan Club and Hotel Bel-Air) is Executive Pastry Chef / Partner of Tesse on the Sunset Strip at La Cienega Blvd. It is modern French cooking using California ingredients under the direction of Executive Chef Raphael Francois.

“Sally Camacho Mueller graduated with honors from both the Culinary and Baking & Pastry Programs at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She returned to her home in Los Angeles, to work with Donald Wressell at The Four Seasons Beverly Hills and from there went on to work at numerous award-winning resorts and fine dining restaurants including The Wynn Las Vegas, Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace, the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort in FL, Wolfgang Puck‘s WP24, the Hotel Bel-Air, and the Jonathan Club. In 2015 she joined as the Culinary Institute of America Greystone in Napa Valley as pastry chef and baker instructor.”

Her work has been featured in numerous publications and in 2011 she was a cheftestant on Bravo‘s Top Chef: Just Desserts where she came away as a finalist and runner-up.

We’ll meet her.

Show 106, January 17, 2015: Mixologist Dale DeGroff and Philip Dobard of SoFAB Institute

Dale DeGroffThe Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC), Golden State of Cocktails, and Dewar’s present “King Cocktail in Story and Song: Dale DeGroff in Conversation with Philip Dobard,” a very special edition of Touring the Cocktail: MOTAC Los Angeles. The presentation is set for Wednesday evening, January 28th at 6:30 p.m. at Casey’s Irish Pub in Downtown Los Angeles.

Dale DeGroff is a central figure in the craft cocktail revolution of the last 25 years. Hear how Dale became “King Cocktail,” how he went from L.A’s Hotel Bel-Air to New York’s Rainbow Room, why he and a group of like-minded craft cocktail pioneers established MOTAC, and colorful tales of events along the way.

Philip Dobard is Vice President of the SoFAB Institute, home of The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Enjoy classic standards performed live by Dale and Philip and sip signature cocktails featuring Dewar’s True Scotch and prepared from recipes by MOTAC Advisory Board members Julian Cox, Josh Goldman, Michael Neff, and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson. Admission includes a selection of gourmet appetizers courtesy of Casey’s Irish Pub.

This program encores in New Orleans at The Museum of The American Cocktail on February 5th.

Both Dale DeGroff and Philip Dobard join us to preview the intriguing “King Cocktail in Story and Song.”

Show 44, October 19, 2013: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York Continued…

Daniel: My French Cuisine Cookbook by Daniel BouludDaniel touched on the part of his book focusing on what he prepares at home when he’s cooking more casually for friends. It is four seasonal menus from his personal favorite French culinary regions including his native Lyon.

Chef Boulud is making a rare appearance in Los Angeles the Week of October 21st supporting the release of the cookbook.

On October 23rd he’ll be at Hotel Bel-Air cooking a sumptuous five course dinner with Wolfgang Puck.

On Thursday, Oct. 24th at Noon, Chef Daniel will be signing copies of DANIEL: My French Cuisine at Whole Foods at 6350 W. 3rd St. in Los Angeles across the street from the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.

Finally that evening he will be in conversation with the notable Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, at the William Turner Gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica. The talk is at 8:00 p.m. with an earlier reception running from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There are reserved as well as General Admission seats.

October 19: Daniel Boulud, Andy Ricker, Sriracha Festival, Honda Center Catering

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York
Segment Three: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jo-Jo Doyle, executive chef, The Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
Segment Five: The L.A. Sriracha Festival, Sunday, October 27th
Segment Six: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part One
Segment Seven: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part Two
Segment Eight: Jet and Allison Tila (Mrs. Jet Tila)

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Marche Moderne in South Coast Plaza Costa MesaDon’t forget Marche Moderne’s (South Coast Plaza) upcoming “The Pig Head To Toe 3.0” for one week only! The dinner showcases Executive Chef Florent Marneau’s modern interpretation of a fall classic – choucroute – (sauerkraut) and a celebration of pork in nine different ways. The seasonal menu, priced at $30 per guest, will be available at dinner only from October 22 to 29. Plan ahead…

Daniel BouludWhen it comes to true French chef royalty the revered leader in New York is everyone’s favorite Frenchman, Daniel Boulud. His Three Michelin starred flagship restaurant, Daniel, is celebrating its 20th year of culinary excellence.

His newest cookbook, DANIEL: My French Cuisine, was two years in the making and is the perfect gift book for food-lovers for the Holidays. There are 125 spectacular photos of Boulud’s food and Daniel restaurant.

The book has 75 signature recipes plus an additional 12 recipes Chef Boulud prepares for his friends, at home, on more casual occasions. He actually lives above the restaurant in the proud European tradition of owner/chefs.

Food journalist Bill Buford is also a contributor to the handsome coffee table book. He has pieces on the origin and preparation of ten iconic French dishes.

Chef Boulud is making a rare appearance in Los Angeles next week supporting the release of the cookbook.

On October 23rd he’ll be at Hotel Bel-Air cooking a sumptuous five course dinner with Wolfgang Puck.

On Thursday, Oct. 24th at Noon, Chef Daniel will be signing copies of DANIEL: My French Cuisine at Whole Foods at 6350 W. 3rd St. in Los Angeles across the street from the Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.

Finally that evening he will be in conversation with the notable Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, Jonathan Gold, at the William Turner Gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica. The talk is at 8:00 p.m. with an earlier reception running from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. There are reserved as well as General Admission seats.

Our neighbor to the North, across E. Katella Ave., is the Honda Center, home of Ducks hockey. Earlier in the year they took the highly unusual step of bringing all of their food service in-house to have better quality control of all the food and beverage served there.

Jo Jo DoyleThe new executive chef supervising everything from hot dogs to the gourmet food going into the luxury boxes is Jo-Jo Doyle. You’ll meet him on Saturday’s show. He was most recently overseeing the entire operation at Churchill Downs home of the famous Kentucky Derby.

Chef Doyle is now responsible for managing all food and beverage offerings at Honda Center including the spectacular new Grand Terrace (a 15,000 square foot indoor/outdoor entertainment space,) Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club restaurant and bar, concessions and catering.

LA Sriracha FestivalWith the growing popularity of Sriracha in Southern California as a condiment you just knew it had to happen. On Sunday, October 27th from 3 to 6:00 p.m. in Downtown Los Angeles the curtain will go up on the first annual L.A. Sriracha Festival.

The chef driven food festival is organized by Food GPS’s Josh Lurie and food journalist Randy Clemens. Randy has written two well-received books on Sriracha. His latest is The Veggie-Lovers Sriracha Cookbook.

Josh and Randy join us to take the green cap off the familiar Sriracha bottle and drizzle out all the spicy details.

Multiple stations will allow guests to savor a variety of Sriracha themed dishes, including desserts. Local craft beer, cocktails and sodas will be there to help temper the heat.

The impressive chefs’ line-up includes Neal Fraser, Eric Greenspan, and Ernesto Uchimura of Plan Check Kitchen.

Andy Ricker of Pok PokSurprisingly, Chef Andy Ricker is not from Thailand but as an accomplished restaurateur he’s found great success recreating the flavors of Northern Thailand which he really fell in love with during an extensive visit in 1992. He started with a modest restaurant in Portland, Oregon and his growing empire now extends to Brooklyn.

The original Pok Pok in Portland because a must-stop destination for visiting foodies after being profiled on Food Network’s “Diners Drive-ins and Dives.” In 2011 Andy was bestowed the honor of “Best Chef – Northwest” from The James Beard Foundation.

Just out from Ten Speed Press is Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand. Particularly helpful are the writings on what differentiates the various regions of Thai cuisine. The book also contains suggestions for complete menus using the various recipes.

“Pok Pok” is a Thai reference to the sound heard from a mortar and pestle when you are grinding food in it.

On to the recipes…

Chef Ricker shares his signature recipe for chicken wings which is more Vietnamese than Thai. He also talks about the famed papaya salad and provides tips on how to properly prepare it. In Thailand there are some hundred variations of this popular dish.

Chef Jet Tila host of the SoCal Restaurant ShowWhen Jet’s wife, Allison, is out socially the question she hears the most is, “What’s it like being married to a prominent chef ?” The expectation is that it’s either chef-prepared gourmet meals nightly or dining out at the very best restaurants. Not exactly…

Inspired by award-winning food journalist Al Mancini’s provocative piece for Las Vegas CityLife ( “Late for dinner : Being the spouse of a chef is often lonely”) Jet and Ali paint the real picture. No violins please…It’s far from glamorous but the good news is that Allison really wouldn’t trade places with anyone!

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York
Segment Three: Daniel Boulud, executive chef & global restaurateur based in New York Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jo-Jo Doyle, executive chef, The Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
Segment Five: The L.A. Sriracha Festival, Sunday, October 27th
Segment Six: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part One
Segment Seven: Andy Ricker, chef and restaurateur, Pok Pok, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York Part Two
Segment Eight: Jet and Allison Tila (Mrs. Jet Tila)