Show 244, October 14, 2017: Tom Fraker, Melissa’s Corporate Chef & Test Kitchen Manager

Melissa's Produce Tom Fraker at the SoCal Restaurant Show 5th Anniversary BuffetTom Fraker, a Melissa’s Corporate Chef and the manager of the Melissa’s Corporate Test Kitchen, came to cooking late as a second career. He was the oldest student in his class at the California School of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu and was the recipient of a lot of teasing.

As a high-profile Melissa’s representative he participates in special events, trade shows, and culinary functions throughout the country. He also creates many of the great, tested recipes on the genuinely useful Melissa’s Website that are designed to be easy-to-prepare winners in home kitchens.

We’ll chat with Chef Tom about choosing and cooking with peppers. We’ll be highlighting recipes from Melissa’s The Great Pepper Cookbook – The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Cooking with Peppers. On the menu are items like Crab Stuffed Cucumber Cups, Devlish Deviled Eggs, Brussels and Kale Sprouts Salad, Potato and Cauliflower Bake, Pollo en Crema, Chile-Lime-Jackfruit Puffs and Apple Cinnamon-Chile Crumb Cake.

Tom created most of the recipes for Melissa’s The Great Pepper Cookbook – The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Cooking with Peppers. These were all represented on the buffet in the Melissa’s Test Kitchen for the audience to enjoy at the 5th Anniversary celebration of the “SoCal Restaurant Show.”

Show 70, April 26, 2014: Robert Schueller, The Prince of Produce, Melissa’s / World Variety Produce, Inc.

Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety ProduceOur friends at Melissa’s have done it again. Newly published is Melissa’s “The Great Pepper Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Cooking with Peppers.”

Fresh and dried peppers are a key ingredient in many cuisines around the world and they have gained popularity here in the U.S. recently thanks to the culinary world’s embracement of the vast variety of peppers. Beyond jalapenos, home cooks are now looking to learn more about these flavorful fruits, not just for their heat level, but to cook beyond their comfort zone.

This highly visual and engaging book shows readers how simple it is to use 37 different varieties of peppers.

In the “Fun Facts” area peppers are actually a fruit because they have seeds. The hottest part of the pepper is the veins followed by the seeds.

Part of the Melissa’s team responsible for creating Melissa’s “The Great Pepper Cookbook” will be hosting a lunch and presentation at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7th. Executive Chef Ida Rodriguez, Test Kitchen Director Chef Tom Fraker and Robert Schueller (The Prince of Produce) will provide commentary and recipe tutorials.

The three-course lunch will feature recipes from the book. It’s a modest $25 per guest and reservations are essential.

Show 70, April 26, 2014: Test Kitchen Director, Chef Tom Fraker, Melissa’s / World Variety Produce

Tom FrakerOur friends at Melissa’s have done it again. Newly published is Melissa’s “The Great Pepper Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Cooking with Peppers.”

Keep in mind that cooking with peppers is about adding flavor to food. It’s way beyond just adding heat.

Chef and Melissa’s Test Kitchen Director Tom Fraker is our guest. He tested, and retested, each and every recipe in the book using equipment found in home kitchens. He also developed many of the recipes in the book including the wonderful version of the classic Albondigas Soup using fresh Poblano peppers.

There is a difference in preparing and using chiles in their fresh and dry forms. Chef Tom will be our well-informed guide in understanding the nuances.

Part of the Melissa’s team responsible for creating Melissa’s “The Great Pepper Cookbook” will be hosting a lunch and presentation at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7th. Executive Chef Ida Rodriguez, Test Kitchen Director Chef Tom Fraker and Robert Schueller (The Prince of Produce) will provide commentary and recipe tutorials.

The three-course lunch will feature recipes from the book. It’s a modest $25 per guest and reservations are essential.

March 8: Brock Radke, Maui Brewing, Big Island Chocolate Festival, 800 Degress Pizzeria, Passmore Ranch, Robert Schueller

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Brock Radke, Food Editor, Las Vegas Weekly
Segment Three: Garrett Marrero, founder, Maui Brewing Co.
Segment Four: Farsheed Bonakdar, President, Kona Cacao Association
Segment Five: Executive Chef Anthony Carron, co-founder, 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria
Segment Six: Michael Passmore, Fish Farmer, Passmore Ranch Part One
Segment Seven: Michael Passmore, Fish Farmer, Passmore Ranch Part Two
Segment Eight: Robert Schueller, Produce Authority, Melissa’s / World Variety Produce, Inc.

Chef Jet and Producer Andy preview the show.

Let’s talk pure chocolate indulgence. We’ll be previewing the Big Island Chocolate Festival. Then it’s time for a Las Vegas dining update. Brock Radke, our Las Vegas insider, brings us up-to-date. There is a new Neapolitan pizzeria in town that’s generating long lines. The co-founder & executive chef provides the tasty details.

You’ve probably never tasted farm-raised fish like this unless you’ve dined at a Rick Moonen restaurant or at The Meadowood Restaurant. A purveyor to the best restaurants is now serving home chefs with fresh fish on a very limited basis. There is an incredible craft brewery success story in Maui and you’ll hear all about it. They actually package their premium beer in cans! Organic fruits and vegetables are top of the mind. Our resident produce expert, Robert Schueller (The Pastor of Produce) from Melissa’s, is back with an informative update.

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

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyBrock Radke is our “in the know” guy in Las Vegas. He’s the respected Food editor for Las Vegas Weekly.

Brock brings us up-to-date on the Vegas dining scene. We’ll find out about the soon to open Linq on The Strip, the 411 on Giada De Laurentiis’ first restaurant in Las Vegas, and a collection of enticing new restaurants in Las Vegas’ Chinatown.

Garett Marrero of Maui Brewing CompanyMaui Brewing Co., founded by Garrett Marrero, is a craft brewery based in Maui, HI. As the largest authentic Hawaiian brewery, it currently has one brewery in Lahaina, and one brewpub in Kahana that creates more than 40 different styles on a rotating basis. In 2005 Maui Brewing Co. produced 400 barrels from the single brewpub and expanded into an additional brewery location in 2007, producing a little over 20,000 barrels in 2013.

MBC has remained consistent in the vision, “Handcrafted Ales & Lagers Brewed with Aloha.” The beers have been recognized worldwide for quality and innovation winning more than 100 medals in a short history. MBC was one of the first craft brewers to package their products in recyclable aluminum cans.

MBC is currently in construction to move production to a state-of-the-art brewery in Kihei.

It’s the only Hawaiian brewery with product available in the continental United States where the beer is actually brewed, and packaged, in Hawaii.

BIg Island Chocolate FestivalThe alluring, rich taste of chocolate, in both its sweet and savory forms, is showcased at the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival, May 2 to 3 at the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii. Headlining the event is “Mr. Chocolate,” Jacques Torres, Food Network celebrity and acclaimed pastry chef from New York. Also appearing is Donald Wressell of Guittard and Derek Poirier of Valrhona USA.

“The Big Island Chocolate Festival is a fantasyland of chocolate.” Says Kona Cacao Association President Farsheed Bonakdar (Bone-ak-dar.) “It inspires our chefs, encourages our island farmers to grow cacao and shows our chocolatiers that chocolate can be a viable business.” Farsheed Bonakdar of KCA is our guest.

Anthony Carron of 800 Degrees PizzaChef Anthony Carron is the creative force behind 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria which is growing rapidly with a devoted following. His background is in fine-dining. It started in Westwood in 2011. A “To-Go” branch was added in Westwood. Santa Monica recently opened. Las Vegas, Pasadena, Hollywood, and New York are on the horizon.

It’s thin crust pizza that follows the traditions established in Naples. What’s really different is that once you choose your toppings the pizza is then flash-cooked for about a minute in a wood-burning over at 800 degrees!

“800 Degrees strives to honor the tradition of classic Neapolitan pizza where the integrity of handcrafted ingredients is paramount. We use natural grown California tomatoes, our mozzarella is made for us every day right here in L.A., and our crust is crafted in house from only Italian flour, wild yeast, sea salt and filtered water.”

Michael Passmore of Passmore RanchThe always colorful Michael Passmore is a fish farmer in Northern California.

Passmore Ranch is a premium freshwater, sustainable fish ranch in California. They started modestly by selling live fish at Northern California farmers’ markets, and their quality and service quickly made them a premier purveyor for top restaurants and Michelin-starred chefs throughout the State and country.

They offer the freshest fish, aged, sized and delivered to order, almost as if chefs were pointing and saying, “I’ll take that one.” They continue to build new partnerships with some of the country’s best chefs, including renowned restaurateur Rick Moonen, three-star Michelin chef Christopher Kostow, Napa pioneer Cindy Pawlcyn, and Dallas chef and “Top Chef” Season 10 contestant John Tesar.

Passmore Ranch offers premium freshwater white sturgeon, black bass, striped bass, catfish, silver carp and trout, plus prized caviar. Most are available in any form a chef would like – live, filleted, special cuts and everything in between – coming straight, as the Passmore crew says, “fresh from our ranch to your kitchen.”

Michael Passmore speaks about the launch of Provisions. “Home Chefs, we’re very excited to bring you our fish and produce, fresh from our ranch to your kitchen just like we do with Michelin starred, James Beard awarded, and just plain great chefs in restaurants around the country.”

Rick Moonen of rm seafood in Las VegasMichael is joined by Chef Rick Moonen of rm Seafood and Rx Boiler Room in Las Vegas. Sustainable seafood is his specialty. Chef Moonen was at Passmore Ranch curing a batch of American caviar. He explains the process.

Organic fruits and vegetables are getting a lot of attention these days. With the fresh concern about GMOs in food, certified organic fruits and vegetables are, by definition, free of GMOs.

Robert Schueller of Melissa's World Variety ProduceOur resident produce expert, Robert Schueller of Melissa’s World Variety Produce, is back with us to discuss what’s new in organics. Melissa’s is the largest variety supplier of fresh organic produce in the USA. They have been distributing organic produce for over 16 years.

What’s hot? All varieties of organic Kale are at the top of the sales charts currently.

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Brock Radke, Food Editor, Las Vegas Weekly
Segment Three: Garrett Marrero, founder, Maui Brewing Co.
Segment Four: Farsheed Bonakdar, President, Kona Cacao Association
Segment Five: Executive Chef Anthony Carron, co-founder, 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria
Segment Six: Michael Passmore, Fish Farmer, Passmore Ranch Part One
Segment Seven: Michael Passmore, Fish Farmer, Passmore Ranch Part Two
Segment Eight: Robert Schueller, Produce Authority, Melissa’s / World Variety Produce, Inc.

Show 28, May 11, 2013: Chef Jet Tila

Chef Jet Tila host of the SoCal Restaurant ShowCongrats to our own Jet Tila. On Friday at a special ceremony and luncheon at Los Angeles City Hall Jet was presented with the “L.A. Dreamers Award” by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Right afterwards he headed to the KCAL 9 studios on the CBS Lot in Studio City to do a live cooking demo of his signature Thai green papaya salad for the afternoon news!

Last Sunday working with the culinary team at Cook’s County, Jet (with some help in the booth from the team at Melissa’s) competed in the prestigious L.A. tour stop of Cochon 555 at House of Blues in West Hollywood. He used an entire heritage Berskshire pig from Cook Pigs Ranch to prepare 5 spectacular dishes for the judges and the 400 attendees to savor, taste, and judge.

In a tight finish Chef Ray Garcia of FIG Restaurant at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica came out on top. In June he heads to Aspen, Colorado and the Aspen Food & Wine Classic to battle in the finals on June 16th!