Show 325, May 25, 2019: Joshua Greene, Editor & Publisher, Wine & Sprits Magazine on WSLA Drink + Eat 2019

Joshua Greene of Wine and Spirits MagazineWine & Spirits Magazine is hosting the WSLA Drink + Eat 2019 event on the afternoon of June 2nd in DTLA at The Unique Space. Some 75 plus wineries from around the world will be pouring that afternoon, with food provided by a collection of Los Angeles’ most noteworthy restaurants (including Hippo, Maude, NoMad, 71 Above, Faith and Flower, E.R.B. and more).

“All of the participating wineries had a wine that earned a place in the magazine’s 30th Annual Restaurant Poll. Wine Directors from some of the country’s top restaurants responded to the query with their top sellers in the by-the-glass and full bottle categories. Not surprisingly, the results showcase a compelling lineup of wines that might be considered the most popular wines in the country. These wines encompass a broad range of grape varieties, winemaking styles, and places of origin.”

The WSLA Drink + Eat afternoon will celebrate not only the 30th annual publication of this list, but also the elevation of Los Angeles to its present status as a premier food destination city. Some of the area’s hottest restaurants will be serving dishes specially selected to pair with the wines. All of the invited restaurants were included in Patrick Comiskey’s recent Essential LA wine-and-food Experience piece in the magazine.

Wine & Spirits’ Editor/Publisher, Joshua Greene, uncorks all the event details for us.

Special Discount Offer: “SoCal Restaurant Show” listeners have been generously gifted with a 20 per cent off General Admission bonus ! On the ticketing website use Discount Code : WSLAANDY and receive a generous 20 per cent the General Admission ticket price of $85. (This reduces the GA price to $68!) The offer is limited…Also includes a year subscription to Wine & Spirits Magazine.

Show 295, October 27, 2018: Corporate Chef (for Curtis Stone) Christian Dortch’ SHARE by Curtis Stone

Christian DortchCelebrity Chef Curtis Stone’s first restaurant at sea, SHARE, gives you an exclusive opportunity to enjoy his exquisite cuisine in 6-courses with lots of choice along the way. It’s available aboard select Princess vessels including Ruby Princess. SHARE by Curtis Stone originated on Ruby Princess a bit over 3 years ago.

SHARE aims to capture the Maude experience at sea in gorgeous dining room located on one of the top decks of the ship. There are choices for each course so there is a lot of variety. I particularly enjoyed the Pork Ravioli with a green curry filling coated in a lemongrass cream and topped with crunchy chicharrones (made fresh daily) along with the Duck Leg Confit.

Chef Curtis’ Corporate Chef Christian Dortch (ex-Maude) works with the staff at each SHARE at sea to guarantee Curtis Stone’s culinary vision is maintained. We’ll meet him.

Show 279, June 30, 2018: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris

Now an enticing preview of Saturday’s properly decadent 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, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing… Keep in mind we’re here with you live every Saturday morning with an action-packed show typically overflowing with tasty treats.

Newly published is Seven Days in The Valle: Baja California’s Wine Country Cuisine by W. Scott Koenig. Koenig is known for his blog and alter ego, A Gringo in Mexico, where he reports on food and culture in the state of Baja California — just across the US Mexican border. In Seven Days in The Valle, he focuses his camera lens and writing on the cuisine of the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s main wine-producing region. Scott Koenig joins us.

Realizing a lifelong dream, Chef Curtis Stone opened his first solo restaurant, Maude (Beverly Hills, CA), in February 2014. Affectionately named after his late paternal grandmother, the restaurant pays homage to Curtis’ first culinary mentor whose sensibilities are resonant throughout the restaurant experience. The menu at Maude is a set multi-course chef’s tasting menu that is created around one of the world’s great wine regions. Maude’s “menu-less” format and intimate 24-seat dining room and open kitchen chef’s counter, invites guests to put their trust into the hands of the chef. Chef Curtis is our guest to discuss the next wine region on Maude’s menu.

You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the high-quality of wine from Bordeaux, France. It’s one of the great wine grape growing regions of the world. Our resident wine authority, Tristen Beamon from The Wine Exchange, was recently in Bordeaux tasting wines in the barrel from the 2017 vintage. We’ll get his insider’s report on what to expect.

“Located in the heart of downtown Solvang, we have been open since 2011, Succulent Cafe Wine Charcuterie serves up comfort cuisine with a twist while sourcing local, seasonal ingredients from neighborhood farmers & fisherman to ensure the freshest quality whenever possible.  We believe in delicious food served in ample portions that compliment our wonderful local wines and craft beers.  Succulent also offers a variety of signature cocktails.” Proprietors David and Sylvia Brents are our guests.

In a few short years, Napa’s Steve Sando has taken the lowly bean from a healthy but neglected, over-bred member of the vegetable family to a near superstar-status ingredient. Sando’s company Rancho Gordo, grows heirloom and heritage varieties and works with influential chefs like Thomas Keller, Deborah Madison, Paula Wolfert and Annie Sommerville. His new book is The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen. We’re shelling beans with Steve Sando.

Chef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of “Ask the Chef.” Abalone, a tasty delicacy once abundant in California waters, is making a deserved comeback. It still can’t be harvested from our coastal waters but farm-raised abalone is coming into its own. It’s just a slow process. It’s delicious pounded and then sautéed. Chef Andrew provides the informative overview.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

Program Note: For our July 7th Show celebrating the 4th of July we’ll be live from the new Golden Road Pub OC located across the street from Angel Stadium.

Show 279, June 30, 2018: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone

Curtis StoneRealizing a lifelong dream, Chef Curtis Stone opened his first solo restaurant, Maude (Beverly Hills, CA), in February 2014. Affectionately named after his late paternal grandmother, the restaurant pays homage to Curtis’ first culinary mentor whose sensibilities are resonant throughout the restaurant experience.

The menu at Maude is a set multi-course chef’s tasting menu that is created around one of the world’s great wine regions. Maude’s “menu-less” format and intimate 24-seat dining room and open kitchen chef’s counter, invites guests to put their trust into the hands of the chef.

Chef Curtis is our guest to discuss the next wine region, The Central Coast, on Maude’s menu.

Show 279, June 30, 2018: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone Continues…

Curtis Stone“Get out your sunscreen and put on your Ray-Bans because summer at Maude is a road trip up the Central Coast of California. After our European journeys through the old world vines of Rioja and Burgundy, Curtis and the Maude Squad have decided to embrace the beauty of their own backyard in a bit of a staycation, visiting local farmers, purveyors, and winemakers.”

“Expect Executive Chef Justin Hilbert to unearth a treasure trove of shellfish for this new menu from simple bites that taste of the ocean to conceptual uses of seafood that will surprise and delight. As always, the wine team has uncovered gems from small producers and will also pair seasonal courses with the big guns – the California icons who put this region on the wine map.”

“The Central Coast is a right of passage for wine lovers. The ingredients inspire endless possibilities.”

Chef Curtis also updates us on Gwen, his butcher shop and restaurant in Hollywood. “The opening of Gwen is a decade-long dream realized for Curtis and his brother, Luke, who were first inspired by Gwen’s namesake: their maternal grandmother who lived on a farm outside of Melbourne. It was on Gwen’s farm where they were first exposed to livestock farming, which instilled in them great respect for the process of raising animals for food.”

“Both started their careers in a butcher shop, before Curtis went on to cook in Michelin-starred restaurants while Luke honed his business acumen as the owner and manager of a corporate floristy business in Australia. Working together, they have brought a world-class butcher shop and dining experience to Los Angeles.”

Chef Curtis also has a fine dining association with Princess Cruises. It’s Chef Curtis at sea with SHARE by Curtis Stone on The Ruby Princess, The Emerald Princess and Sun Princess. It’s a six-course fine-dining experience.

June 30: Curtis Stone, W. Scott Koenig, Wine Exchange, Succulent Cafe, Rancho Gordo

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: “A Gringo in Mexico’s” W. Scott Koenig, Seven Days in The Valle: Baja California’s Wine Country Cuisine
Segment Three: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone Part One
Segment Four: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone Part Two
Segment Five: The Wine Exchange’s Tristen Beamon, Bordeaux Barrel Tastings for the 2017 Vintage
Segment Six: Proprietors David & Sylvia Brents, Succulent Café Wine Charcuterie, Solvang
Segment Seven: Steve Sando, Rancho Gordo
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Now an enticing preview of this Saturday’s properly decadent 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, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing… Keep in mind we’re here with you live every Saturday morning with an action-packed show typically overflowing with tasty treats.

Newly published is Seven Days in The Valle: Baja California’s Wine Country Cuisine by W. Scott Koenig. Koenig is known for his blog and alter ego, A Gringo in Mexico, where he reports on food and culture in the state of Baja California — just across the US Mexican border. In Seven Days in The Valle, he focuses his camera lens and writing on the cuisine of the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s main wine-producing region. Scott Koenig joins us.

Realizing a lifelong dream, Chef Curtis Stone opened his first solo restaurant, Maude (Beverly Hills, CA), in February 2014. Affectionately named after his late paternal grandmother, the restaurant pays homage to Curtis’ first culinary mentor whose sensibilities are resonant throughout the restaurant experience. The menu at Maude is a set multi-course chef’s tasting menu that is created around one of the world’s great wine regions. Maude’s “menu-less” format and intimate 24-seat dining room and open kitchen chef’s counter, invites guests to put their trust into the hands of the chef. Chef Curtis is our guest to discuss the next wine region on Maude’s menu.

You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the high-quality of wine from Bordeaux, France. It’s one of the great wine grape growing regions of the world. Our resident wine authority, Tristen Beamon from The Wine Exchange, was recently in Bordeaux tasting wines in the barrel from the 2016 harvest. We’ll get his insider’s report on what to expect.

“Located in the heart of downtown Solvang, we have been open since 2011, Succulent Cafe Wine Charcuterie serves up comfort cuisine with a twist while sourcing local, seasonal ingredients from neighborhood farmers & fisherman to ensure the freshest quality whenever possible.  We believe in delicious food served in ample portions that compliment our wonderful local wines and craft beers.  Succulent also offers a variety of signature cocktails.” Proprietors David and Sylvia Brents are our guests.

In a few short years, Napa’s Steve Sando has taken the lowly bean from a healthy but neglected, over-bred member of the vegetable family to a near superstar-status ingredient. Sando’s company Rancho Gordo, grows heirloom and heritage varieties and works with influential chefs like Thomas Keller, Deborah Madison, Paula Wolfert and Annie Sommerville. His new book is The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen. We’re shelling beans with Steve Sando.

Chef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of “Ask the Chef.” Abalone, a tasty delicacy once abundant in California waters, is making a deserved comeback. It still can’t be harvested from our coastal waters but farm-raised abalone is coming into it’s own. It’s just a slow process. It’s delicious pounded and then sautéed. Chef Andrew provides the informative overview.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

Program Note For our July 7th Show celebrating the 4th of July we’ll be live from the new Golden Road Pub OC located across the street from Angel Stadium.

W Scott KoenigNewly published is Seven Days in The Valle: Baja California’s Wine Country Cuisine by W. Scott Koenig. Koenig is known for his blog and alter ego, A Gringo in Mexico, where he reports on food and culture in the state of Baja California — just across the US Mexican border. In Seven Days in The Valle, he focuses his camera lens and writing on the cuisine of the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s main wine-producing region.

“Chefs in Baja California have been experimenting with recipes combining Mediterranean, Asian and Mexican influences with local ingredients for nearly two decades, creating a unique cuisine.” Koenig explains. They often grow their own vegetables and herbs, source meat from area ranches and enjoy a supply of fresh seafood from the nearby Pacific.

Koenig conceived Seven Days in The Valle while assisting the Culinary Institute of America on a seven-day trip through Baja California as they filmed a documentary. “I had hundreds of images from that experience and a backlog of past photos and interviews; I felt it was time for a book on the Valle de Guadalupe. My goal was to tell the story of this magical place through the experiences of its chefs – whose restaurants are some of my favorites anywhere.”

A Gringo in Mexico’s Scott Koenig joins us.

Curtis StoneRealizing a lifelong dream, Chef Curtis Stone opened his first solo restaurant, Maude (Beverly Hills, CA), in February 2014. Affectionately named after his late paternal grandmother, the restaurant pays homage to Curtis’ first culinary mentor whose sensibilities are resonant throughout the restaurant experience.

The menu at Maude is a set multi-course chef’s tasting menu that is created around one of the world’s great wine regions. Maude’s “menu-less” format and intimate 24-seat dining room and open kitchen chef’s counter, invites guests to put their trust into the hands of the chef.

Chef Curtis is our guest to discuss the next wine region, The Central Coast, on Maude’s menu.

“Get out your sunscreen and put on your Ray-Bans because summer at Maude is a road trip up the Central Coast of California.  After our European journeys through the old world vines of Rioja and Burgundy, Curtis and the Maude Squad have decided to embrace the beauty of their own backyard in a bit of a staycation, visiting local farmers, purveyors, and winemakers.”

“Expect Executive Chef Justin Hilbert to unearth a treasure trove of shellfish for this new menu from simple bites that taste of the ocean to conceptual uses of seafood that will surprise and delight.  As always, the wine team has uncovered gems from small producers and will also pair seasonal courses with the big guns – the California icons who put this region on the wine map.”

“The Central Coast is a right of passage for wine lovers.  The ingredients inspire endless possibilities.”

Tristan BeamonYou don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the high-quality of wine from Bordeaux, France. It’s one of the great wine grape growing regions of the world.

Our resident wine authority, Tristen Beamon from The Wine Exchange, was recently in Bordeaux tasting wines in the barrel from the 2016 harvest. We’ll get his insider’s report on what to expect.Who says Bordeaux is expensive?

This year Tristen has journeyed to Bordeaux twice tasting some of the greatest potential wine values in the world. “So as we like to say here at Wine Exchange…Let the games begin!”

Succulentm Cafe Wine Charcuterie“Located in the heart of downtown Solvang, we have been open since 2011, Succulent Cafe Wine Charcuterie serves up comfort cuisine with a twist while sourcing local, seasonal ingredients from neighborhood farmers & fisherman to ensure the freshest quality whenever possible.”

“We believe in delicious food served in ample portions that compliment our wonderful local wines and craft beers.  Succulent also offers a variety of signature cocktails.”

“Our small cafe is family owned and operated with a focus on the community needs and wants. We strive to go back to the traditions of homemade biscuits & gravy, jams & jellies, hearty meals, and desserts.”

“Our culinary team works hard making all our dishes from scratch, while our service staff strives to make your dining experience a wonderful and memorable one.  Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner, you can enjoy your meal in our rustic & cozy dining room or on our beautiful succulent filled patio.”

“Whether it be a glass of wine with a charcuterie plate or enjoying Sunday dinner with the family, all of us at Succulent Café will do our very best to make your experience a most memorable one.”

Breakfast and lunch are served fast casual style and dinner is full table service. Closed on Tuesday.

Proprietors David and Sylvia Brents are our guests.

Steve SandoIn a few short years, Steve Sando has taken the lowly bean from a healthy but neglected, over-bred member of the vegetable family to a near superstar-status ingredient. Sando’s company Rancho Gordo, grows heirloom and heritage varieties and works with influential chefs like Thomas Keller, Deborah Madison, Paula Wolfert and Annie Sommerville. His new book is The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen – Everyday Cooking with Heirloom Beans, Vegetables, Greens, and Grains.

“My first harvested heirloom bean was Rio Zape. They were pretty and easy to grow but I had no idea what to expect when I cooked them. They were similar to the pintos I liked but there was so much more going on. “Hints of chocolate and coffee mixed with an earthy texture made my head spin. I was blown away by Rio Zape and the other heirloom beans I was growing, but also really confused why they were such a big secret. I took the beans to the farmers market, organizing things on my kitchen table. Soon there was a warehouse, followed by more markets and mail order. It seems we had struck a nerve. People agreed that heirloom beans were worth saving, growing and cooking. Currently our warehouse, a retail shop and offices are in Napa, California and a stop here is part of many tours of the wine country. We were asked to open a store at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and as you can imagine, we jumped at the chance.”

“All of my agricultural pursuits have been based on being someone who likes to cook but gets frustrated by the lack of ingredients, especially those that are native to the New World. One of the things that originally drew me to beans was the fact that they are indigenous to the Americas. It seems to me these indigenous ingredients should be familiar, if not common. American cuisine is re-inventing itself and I’d love to include ingredients, traditions and recipes from north and south of the border as part of the equation. I love the concept of The Americas. I feel as if it’s just as important as the European heritage many of us share.”

We’re shelling heirloom beans with Steve Sando.

Andrew Gruel at the AM830 KLAA StudiosChef Andrew Gruel, the founder of The Slapfish Restaurant Group, joins us with another installment of Ask the Chef.”

Abalone, a tasty delicacy once abundant in California waters, is making a well-deserved comeback. It still can’t be harvested from our coastal waters but farm-raised abalone is coming into it’s own. It’s just a slow process. It’s delicious pounded and then sautéed. Chef Andrew provides the informative overview.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: “A Gringo in Mexico’s” W. Scott Koenig, Seven Days in The Valle: Baja California’s Wine Country Cuisine
Segment Three: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone Part One
Segment Four: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude, Gwen and SHARE by Curtis Stone Part Two
Segment Five: The Wine Exchange’s Tristen Beamon, Bordeaux Barrel Tastings for the 2017 Vintage
Segment Six: Proprietors David & Sylvia Brents, Succulent Café Wine Charcuterie, Solvang
Segment Seven: Steve Sando, Rancho Gordo
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Slapfish Restaurant Group

Show 201, December 10, 2016: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude in Beverly Hills & Gwen in Hollywood

Curtis StoneMelbourne-born Chef Curtis Stone now resides in Los Angeles. In addition to being all over Food TV (“Kitchen Inferno” and the upcoming “My Kitchen Rules” with Cat Cora on FOX), Chef Curtis has the intimate Maude in Beverly Hills and Gwen (also a butcher shop) in Hollywood.

Chef Curtis’ brother, Luke, is a partner and runs the front of the house at Gwen. He actively works the floor and even drops courses for the guests at their table. It’s fun to see the surprised reaction of a guest when they realize it’s Curtis’ brother serving them!

“My mum and granny taught me everything I know about food and cooking. My mum, Lozza, is a great cook, in particular a phenomenal baker, and I would watch her every move while she baked. I am very partial to her corn and bacon muffins so she makes these for me whenever I visit. I still call on her regularly for advice when I’m developing recipes – thanks Lozza!”

Curtis Stone is also the author of six cookbooks. The most recent title is Good Food, Good Life.

Chef Curtis, also a participating chef in The Grand Banquet, joins us.

To answer the most frequent question we get about Curtis Stone…Yes, he’s as nice & genuine as he comes across on radio.

December 10: Live from Lagasse’s Stadium at the Palazzo Las Vegas

Podcasts

Segment One: Daniel and Georges Daou, DAOU Vineyards & Winery
Segment Two: Young Yun, Executive Director, Mentor BKB Foundation
Segment Three: Mourad Lahlou, Owner / Chef, Mourad and Aziza, San Francisco
Segment Four: Paul Bartolotta, Executive Chef / Proprietor, The Bartolotta Restaurants
Segment Five: Chef Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon and Public Television’s “Simply Ming”
Segment Six: Emma Bengtsson, Executive Chef, Aquavit, New York
Segment Seven: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude in Beverly Hills & Gwen in Hollywood
Segment Eight: Chef Scott Pajak, Chef de Cuisine, Lagasse’s Stadium, The Palazzo Resort, Las Vegas

Ultimo A Weekend ExcellenceWe’re in fabulous Las Vegas on Saturday coming to you from the radio studio at Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo on the fabled Strip.

We’re here for the 4th annual Ultimo: Le Grand Voyage, The Venetian’s and The Palazzo’s ultra-extravagant, dream food and wine weekend for 140 discriminating foodies. It’s so anticipated the food, wine and libation spectacular always sells out within a couple of days of being announced.

On to a tasty preview of Saturday’s show…

Ultimo: Le Grand Voyage shouts out for incredible wines. Each year The Grand Banquet is the stellar dining experience of the Weekend festivities with courses prepared by big-name celebrity chefs. Brothers Daniel and Georges Daou of DAOU Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles will debut their Patrimony Cabernet Sauvignon at The Grand Banquet. We’ll uncork it with them.

Young Yun is the Executive Director of the Ment’or BKB Foundation in New York, a charitable beneficiary of Ultimo Weekend. Ment’or is a leading nonprofit organization devoted to INSPIRING CULINARY EXCELLENCE in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America. Will get an update from Young on the Foundation’s busy year.

Considered by many as the pioneer of modern Moroccan cuisine in the United States, the James Beard award-nominated Mourad Lahlou (San Francisco’s Aziza and Mourad) never envisioned becoming a world-famous chef. Chef Mourad is one of the celebrity chefs preparing a course for The Grand Banquet of Ultimo Weekend at The Venetian. He’ll lift the lid on the tagine for us.

Paul Bartolotta of The Bartolotta Restaurants is a two-time, James Beard Award-winner for culinary excellence. He’s best known in Las Vegas for creating the memorable Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas in 2005 which redefined high end Italian cuisine with seafood as its center. (Chef Paul is no longer associated with the renamed and repositioned restaurant as of the end of 2015.) Paul is our guest.

The Boston area’s Ming Tsai is one of the distinguished, high-profile, celebrity chefs preparing Ultimo Weekend’s Grand Banquet at the Venetian. You know Chef Ming from Food TV including his long-running acclaimed series for Public Television, “Simply Ming.” His popular restaurants in the greater Boston area are the long-running Blue Ginger and the more recent, Blue Dragon. We’ll meet him.

Aquavit, a landmark New York-based fine dining establishment featuring the cuisine of Sweden is a classic. In the Spring of 2014 their former Pastry Chef, Emma Bengtsson, was unusually elevated to the Executive Chef there post by proprietor Hakan Swahn. We’ll hear Emma’s incredible story.

Melbourne-born Chef Curtis Stone now resides in Los Angeles. In addition to being all over Food TV (“Kitchen Inferno” and the upcoming “My Kitchen Rules” on Fox), Chef Curtis has the intimate Maude in Beverly Hills and Gwen (also a butcher shop) in Hollywood. Chef Curtis, also a participating chef in The Grand Banquet, joins us.

Scott Pajak is the Chef de Cuisine at the high-volume Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo. He’s been with Emeril Lagasse since 2002 and was promoted to his current position in May of 2011. Bring on the kicked-up wings and we’ll talk hearty tailgate fare (and more) with Chef Scott.

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

Daniel DaouUltimo: Le Grand Voyage calls for incredible wines. Each year The Grand Banquet is the stellar dining experience of the Weekend festivities with courses prepared by huge celebrity chefs. Brothers Daniel and Georges Daou of DAOU Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles will debut their Patrimony Cabernet Sauvignon at The Grand Banquet. We’ll chat with them.

DAOU Estate Collection wines are made from the finest vineyard blocks on Daou Mountain and aged extensively in hand-selected custom-crafted, new French oak barrels. These wines showcase the visionary talent of Winemaker Daniel Daou, and embody DAOU’s mission to produce first-growth Cabernet Sauvignon from the unrivaled terroir of DAOU Mountain.

DAOU Reserve Collection wines are made from premium fruit sourced from DAOU Mountain as well as select Paso Robles vineyards. Throughout the growing season, Daniel Daou is actively involved in the management of these vineyards to ensure the highest quality. These wines are distinguished by signature qualities of grace and structure.

Young YunYoung Yun is the Executive Director of the Ment’or BKB Foundation in New York, a charitable beneficiary of Ultimo Weekend. Ment’or is a leading nonprofit organization devoted to INSPIRING CULINARY EXCELLENCE in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America.

“Our aim is to build a sustainable community of young American professionals that are knowledgeable and confident in their career pursuits and will be life-long ambassadors of quality and excellence in the world of gastronomy. The organization is dedicated to making the careers of serious young individuals more meaningful and successful by offering them unique educational opportunities, internships and access to a Culinary Council of established mentors.”

Will get an update from Young on the Foundation’s busy year supporting Team USA for the upcoming Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Challenge in Lyon and Ment’or’s Young Chef and Commis Competition.

Mourad LahlouConsidered by many as the pioneer of modern Moroccan cuisine in the United States, the James Beard award-nominated Mourad Lahlou (San Francisco’s Aziza and Mourad) never envisioned becoming a world-famous chef. Chef Mourad is one of the celebrity chefs preparing a course for The Grand Banquet of Ultimo Weekend at The Venetian. He’ll lift the lid on the tagine for us.

The Marrakesh native immigrated to the United States when he was 20 years old to pursue a master’s degree in economics. Missing his country’s cuisine, Lahlou taught himself how to recreate versions of his favorite Moroccan dishes with local ingredients using his own inventive techniques. Most of the lessons he learned about food came from his mother, who cooked traditional Moroccan recipes, and grandfather, who took him to the markets.

Chef Mourad’s strikingly modern reinventions of traditional Moroccan dishes are all about showcasing the great flavors of his native cuisine in ways that harmonize with the fresh, local, artisanal ingredients available in Northern California. “I’m not sure I would even call it a Moroccan restaurant anymore,” he says. Like his jet-black tattoos, Lahlou’s food and restaurants reveal a very personal story, one rooted both in San Francisco and abroad, and recount the memories that have inspired his life’s work.

Paul BartolottaPaul Bartolotta of The Bartolotta Restaurants is a two-time, James Beard Award-winner for culinary excellence. He’s best known in Las Vegas for creating the memorable Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas in 2005 which redefined high end Italian cuisine with seafood as its center. (Chef Paul is no longer associated with the renamed and repositioned restaurant as of the end of 2015.)

Joe and Paul Bartolotta grew up in a traditional Italian family in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Along with siblings, Maria and Felicia, they enjoyed large gatherings centered around unbelievably good food and plenty of love. In 1993, Joe and Paul collaborated to realize their dream of creating signature restaurants in Milwaukee. Paying homage to the family name, Ristorante Bartolotta opened in March of 1993. Embracing the culinary concept of “cucina rustica,” the restaurant offers simple, traditional Italian dishes using the freshest ingredients available.

In 1995, the company opened a second restaurant: Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro, a spacious, brasserie-style restaurant, focusing on casual and authentic French cuisine. After Lake Park Bistro earned a four-star review, Joe became Milwaukee’s first “eight-star general,” a restaurateur with two top-rated restaurants to his name. Lake Park Bistro was recognized in 2008 when Executive Chef Adam Siegel won the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest.

Over the next two decades, The Bartolotta Restaurants added a variety of fine dining and casual concepts to its portfolio. Joe, Paul and The Bartolotta Restaurants family will continue to grow their lineup of distinguished Southeastern Wisconsin venues and look forward to potential expansion throughout the Midwest.

Chef Paul is our guest.

Ming TsaiThe Boston area’s Ming Tsai is one of the distinguished, high-profile, celebrity chefs preparing Ultimo Weekend’s Grand Banquet at the Venetian. You know Chef Ming from Food TV including his long-running acclaimed series for Public Television, Simply Ming.” His popular restaurants in the greater Boston area are the long-running Blue Ginger and the more recent, Blue Dragon. We’ll meet him.

“Ming’s love of cooking was forged in his early years. Ming was raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he spent hours cooking alongside his mother and father at Mandarin Kitchen, the family-owned restaurant. His experience also taught him about restaurant operations and the art of making customers happy.”

“Ming headed east to attend school at Phillips Academy Andover. From there, Ming continued to Yale Universityearning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time, Ming spent his summers attending Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and apprenticing at area restaurants in Paris. After graduating from Yale, Ming moved to Paris and trained under renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme and then on to Osaka with Sushi Master Kobayashi.”

Upon his return to the United States, Ming enrolled in graduate school at Cornell University, earning a Master’s degree in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Marketing.

Emma BengtssonAquavit, a landmark New York-based fine dining establishment featuring the cuisine of Sweden is a classic. In the Spring of 2014 their former Pastry Chef, Emma Bengtsson, was unusually elevated to the Executive Chef post there by proprietor Hakan Swahn.

Former Aquavit Executive Chef Marcus Jernmark recruited Bengtsson in 2010 to join the restaurant as Pastry Chef. Bengtsson quickly became known for her creative interpretations of classic Scandinavian desserts, as well as establishing a new bread program. Her style was reflective of the region’s penchant for local products, progressive techniques, and continuing traditions; and it was well received, as Aquavit was recognized with one star in the Michelin Guide New York City in 2013 and 2014.

Håkan Swahn, the owner of Aquavit, saw talent and fresh perspective in Chef Bengtsson’s skillset and offered her the role of Executive Chef in spring 2014. She accepted the job, and since then has injected the critically acclaimed menu with her personal style and experience.

In October of 2015, her work garnered a second Michelin Star for Aquavit, making her the second female chef in the U.S. to run a two-star kitchen and the first ever Swedish female chef to do so.

We’ll hear Emma’s incredible story.

Curtis StoneMelbourne-born Chef Curtis Stone now resides in Los Angeles. In addition to being all over Food TV (“Kitchen Inferno” and the upcoming “My Kitchen Rules” on FOX), Chef Curtis has the intimate Maude in Beverly Hills and Gwen (also a butcher shop) in Hollywood.

“My mum and granny taught me everything I know about food and cooking. My mum, Lozza, is a great cook, in particular a phenomenal baker, and I would watch her every move while she baked. I am very partial to her corn and bacon muffins so she makes these for me whenever I visit. I still call on her regularly for advice when I’m developing recipes – thanks Lozza!”

Curtis Stone is also the author of six cookbooks. The most recent title is Good Food, Good Life.

Chef Curtis, also a participating chef in The Grand Banquet, joins us.

Scott PajakScott Pajak is the Chef de Cuisine at the high volume Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo. It sets the standard for Sports Bars in Sin City. He’s been with Emeril Lagasse since 2002 and was promoted to his current position in May of 2011.

Growing up in Lancaster, NY, Scott Pajak could often be found in the kitchen – cooking chicken noodle soup and sauces with his grandparents, or helping his dad tend the grill and savoring the smoky aroma of barbecue.

While studying at UNLV, he worked in numerous restaurants around Las Vegas, including Planet Hollywood, New York New York Casino and TPC Country Club, where he prepared meals for participants on the PGA Tour.

In 2002, Pajak entered the kitchen at Emeril Lagasse’s seafood eatery Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House as a line cook. Over the next 9 years, he would work in nearly every position in Lagasse’s kitchen, from saucier to butcher, eventually rising to the post of sous chef. He helped write the restaurant’s daily menus and showed off his creativity as he cooked for guests at the chef’s kitchen table.

Bring on the kicked-up wings and we’ll talk hearty tailgate food (and more) with Chef Scott.

Podcasts

Segment One: Daniel and Georges Daou, DAOU Vineyards & Winery
Segment Two: Young Yun, Executive Director, Mentor BKB Foundation
Segment Three: Mourad Lahlou, Owner / Chef, Mourad and Aziza, San Francisco
Segment Four: Paul Bartolotta, Executive Chef / Proprietor, The Bartolotta Restaurants
Segment Five: Chef Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger, Blue Dragon and Public Television’s “Simply Ming”
Segment Six: Emma Bengtsson, Executive Chef, Aquavit, New York
Segment Seven: Chef Curtis Stone, Maude in Beverly Hills & Gwen in Hollywood
Segment Eight: Chef Scott Pajak, Chef de Cuisine, Lagasse’s Stadium, The Palazzo Resort, Las Vegas

Show 186, August 27, 2016: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

A preview of today’s show and what you need to know for a chance for a free, premium fried chicken sandwich on August 31st to celebrate the last day of National Sandwich Month!

The largest annual gathering of foodservice executives, chefs and restaurateurs in the West is the 2016 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo on August 28th to 30th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s for the trade, only. Ron Mathews, Vice President of the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo joins us with a preview.

Prominent chefs from across the country are set to return to Los Angeles for the 7th Annual LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade culinary cookout benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the fight against childhood cancer on Saturday, September 10, 2016 from 12-4pm at UCLA’s Royce Quad. The event — hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin, business partner Caroline Styne (Lucquesa.o.c.,Tavern) along with Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat) – will offer fantastic food, wine and cocktails prepared by the nation’s best chefs, winemakers and mixologists, all to fight childhood cancer. Lucques Restaurant Group’s Caroline Styne joins us with an enticing preview.

He’s back…Meathead Goldwyn is the founder, barbecue and grilling whisperer, and hedonism evangelist behind AmazingRibs.com. the world’s most popular outdoor cooking website. His new book is MEATHEAD: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Just in time for Labor Day cookouts…

Tuxton China Company started business in 1999, but it has a long family history which has contributed to its success.  Three generations of the founding Lam family continue to run Lynn’s and Tuxton China, and with the addition of William Burden (former owner of Burden China Co., Inc.) who became Tuxton’s President in 2001, Tuxton has become one of the top suppliers in the foodservice industry.  In September Tuxton is donating a percentage of their total sales to support the Careers through Culinary Arts Program C-CAP, Tuxton’s Marketing Director, Jennifer Rolander, joins us with all the needed 411.

The Los Angeles Times’ The Taste is back Labor Day Weekend on the backlot at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood. It’s perhaps the ultimate Summer epicurean pop-up and block party featuring the talents of the area’s best chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs. Our guests are Sunday Block Party’s Host, Noelle Carter, Times Test Kitchen Director, and Michael Flood of the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

Chef Curtis Stone’s Maude in Beverly Hills features monthly changing prix fixe menus with the courses designed around a key ingredient. For one very special night San Francisco’s Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn) is cooking a special benefit menu to support Young Farmers at Maude with Chef Curtis. Curtis Stone and Dominique Crenn join us with the details fresh from an expedition at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

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

Happy Labor Day Weekend !

Show 186, August 27, 2016: Chefs Curtis Stone (Maude and Gwen) and Dominique Crenn (Altier Crenn and Petit Crenn)

Curtis StoneChef Curtis Stone’s Maude in Beverly Hills features monthly changing prix fixe menus with the courses designed around a key ingredient. For instance, the featured ingredient for August is the Plum.

One very special night San Francisco’s Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn) is cooking a spectacular Plum-themed benefit menu at the Maude with Chef Curtis for 24 lucky guests. Curtis Stone and Dominique Crenn join us fresh from a provisions expedition at the Santa Monica Farmers Market with the tantalizing details.

The charity beneficiary for this $375 a guest sold-out, sumptuous repast is Young Farmers.

It’s been quite a year for Chef Dominique Crenn. She was named the World’s Best Female Chef by San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. She was also nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef: West.