Show 197, November 12, 2016: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Adam Bell

Be listening for your chance next Saturday morning, Nov. 19^th to win our VIP Brunch for 2 package at SideDoor on December 3^rd at 10:00 a.m. SideDoor is graciously throwing us a party to celebrate the show’s 4^th Anniversary. We’ll be broadcasting live from SideDoor that morning.

Now a provocatively tempting preview of Saturday’s full-measure show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…

The Ment’or BKB Foundation (founded by Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse) supports Team USA at the bi-annual Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition and mentors up-and-coming culinary talent in the USA. Earlier this year Chef Vincenzo Loseto of The Nomad in New York won the prestigious honors as the 2016 Young Chef. He’s been on quite a ride since then. We’ll meet him.

One of our favorite guests of 2016 is the always-opinionated Meathead Goldwyn, the founder of AmazingRibs.com, the hugely popular grilling and barbecue website. He’s also known as the barbecue whisperer. His new book is Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Meathead joins us with some unexpected but hugely practical tips for preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 10 alum Brooke Williamson and her husband/co-chef Nick Roberts have debuted in Playa Vista their 4^th restaurant. It’s the fast-casual, Hawaiian-themed, street-food oriented, Da Kikokiko. Chef Brooke joins us to share the inviting aloha spirit.

Tequila can only come from certain areas of Mexico and the State of Jalisco is famous for their blue agave which is the base for authentic Tequila. The Marriott Resort CasaMagna has a resident Tequila Sommelier and a fascinating Tequila program. We’ll meet her. Bring on the aged Anejo.

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

November 12: Vincenso Loseto, Meathead Goldwyn, Brooke Williamson, Marriott CasaMagna

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Adam Bell

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris.
Segment Two: Chef Vincenzo Loseto, The Nomad, Ment’or BKB Foundation’s 2016 Young Chef Competition Winner
Segment Three: Meathead Goldwyn, AmazingRibs.com, Meathead – The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling Part One
Segment Four: Meathead Goldwyn, AmazingRibs.com, Meathead – The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling Part Two
Segment Five: Restaurateur, Chef and “Top Chef” Alum Brooke Williamson, Da Kikokiko, Hudson House, The Tripel and Playa Provisions
Segment Six: Tequila Sommelier Audrey Formisano, Marriott Resort CasaMagna, Puerto Vallarta

The Ment’or BKB Foundation (founded by Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse) supports Team USA at the Bocuse d’Or International culinary competition and mentors up-and-coming culinary talent in the USA. Earlier this year Chef Vincenzo Loseto of The Nomad in New York won the prestigious honors as the 2016 Young Chef. He’s been on quite a ride since then. We’ll meet him.

One of our favorite guests of 2016 is the always-opinionated Meathead Goldwyn the founder of AmazingRibs.com, the hugely popular grilling and barbecue website. He’s also known as the barbecue whisperer. His new book is Meathead : The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Meathead joins us with some unexpected but hugely practical tips for preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 10 alum Brooke Williamson and her husband/co-chef Nick Roberts have debuted their 4^th restaurant in Playa Vista on the Runway. It’s the fast-casual, Hawaiian-themed, street-food oriented, Da Kikokiko. Chef Brooke joins us to share the inviting aloha spirit.

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

The Ment’or BKB Foundation (founded by Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse) supports Team USA at the Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition and mentors up-and-coming culinary talent in the USA. Earlier this year Chef Vincenzo Loseto of The Nomad in New York won the prestigious honors as the 2016 Young Chef. He’s been on quite a ride since then. We’ll meet him.

Vincenzo’s winning presentation was Veal Tenderloin with Oyster Mushroom and Herb Mousseline. The judges included Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jerome Bocuse and Team USA 2015 alum, Chef Philip Tessier.

Since then Chef Vincenzo has staged at Noma in Copenhagen, one of the World’s most acclaimed restaurants. He was also just with Team USA in Lyon in advance of the 2017 Bocuse d’Or International Culinary Competition.

Chef Vincenzo will also preview the Bocuse d’Or 2017 Team USA VIP Experience. Talk about the ultimate gift for a very special foodie…

One of our favorite guests of 2016 is Meathead Goldwyn, the founder of AmazingRibs.com, the hugely popular grilling and barbecue website. He’s also known as the barbecue whisperer.

His new book is Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling. Meathead joins us with some unexpected but practical tips for preparing the traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Let’s not stuff the bird in the traditional way. Instead, make mufflings (stuffing prepared and baked in muffin pans.) Also, so all parts of the turkey cook evenly on the grill butterfly or spatchcock the bird.

For accurate temperature control always use a digital thermometer. It’s much more reliable. For cooking the bird Meathead suggests smoking or grilling. This opens up critical oven space for baking pies.

“Understanding is the first step in mastery. This book (MEATHEAD) explains the science of barbecuing and grilling in lay terms. Along the way, I use science to filter the hogwash, bust the myths, and take down the old husbands’ tales and canards passed along by pit masters whose rituals that have gone largely untested since that first forest fire.” Meathead Goldwyn – From the Introduction.

Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 10 alum, Brooke Williamson and her husband/co-chef Nick Roberts have just debuted their 4^th restaurant in Playa Vista on the Runway. It’s the fast-casual, Hawaiian-themed, street-food oriented Da Kikokiko. It’s Family-friendly, too.

“When brainstorming ideas a few years ago for our next restaurant, we knew we wanted to open a Hawaiian spot, since we love Asian flavors and felt there was a need for good, authentic Hawaiian cuisine in Los Angeles that went beyond poké,” says Brooke and Nick. “It’s why Da Kikokiko also offers musubi and shave ice, since it gives guests variety and lets us have a bit more fun in the kitchen. There’s also a casualness, yet approachability to Hawaiian food, which we strive for at all of our restaurants, and the cuisine has loads of flavor but is still fresh.”

Created by Brooke and Nick, the menu lends itself to authentic island flavors with Asian influences, and makes for an ideal lunch, dinner, or beach trip snack. Celebrating one of Hawaii’s most popular street foods, Da Kikokiko offers musubi made traditionally with grilled SPAM on top of a block of rice, and wrapped with dried nori seaweed, plus innovative twists with contemporary protein and vegetable options like teriyaki chicken, yuzu kosho salmon, and sesame miso zucchini.

Customizable poké bowls are available with a variety of base mixes, proteins, sauces, and toppings to select from. ogonori, cilantro, and sesame, plus more.

To cap off the Hawaiian experience, guests can enjoy refreshing shave ice with housemade organic syrups like hibiscus-currant, mango-jasmine, yuzu, matcha, Kona coffee, and pineapple, along with toppings such as li hing mui (salty dried plum) powder and condensed milk. Making it extra indulgent, guests can also add a scoop of housemade vanilla and coconut ice cream, or lilikoi sorbet, from Brooke and Nick’s artisanal ice cream shop Small Batch, located inside nearby Playa Provisions.

For “Top Chef” fans please know Chef Brooke returns as an encore “Cheftestant” for Season 14 starting in early December.

Chef Brooke joins us to share the aloha spirit.

Genuine Tequila can only come from certain areas of Mexico and the State of Jalisco is famous for their blue agave which is the base for authentic Tequila. The accommodating Marriott Resort CasaMagna in Puerto Vallarta’s Marina zone has a resident Tequila Sommelier and a fascinating on-site Tequila program. We’ll meet her. Bring on the aged Anejo.

CasaMagna has their own, on-property agave garden. CasaMagna Tequila (only available there) is distilled in five styles including Blanco, Joven, Reposado, and Anejo. They also offer over 114 different varieties of Tequila from other producers at the resort for the guests’ sipping pleasure.

Audrey hosts highly-rated Weekly Tasting Classes. These include colorful commentary on the mythical origins of the drink as well as the modern state of the tequila industry.

Podcasts

Show 151, December 19, 2015: Chef James Kent, Executive Chef, NoMad, NYC, ment’or BKB Culinary Council

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Adam Bell

Chef James Kent led Team USA 2011 for the Bocuse d’Or, served as Competition Captain for the Team USA 2017 selection and a member of the ment’or BKB Culinary Council. Chef Kent is the Executive Chef of the acclaimed NoMad in New York City. A new NoMad is on its way to Downtown Los Angeles in 2017. We’ll meet him.

A native New Yorker, Chef James Kent started his culinary career as a summer apprentice at Bouley when he was fifteen years old. Chef Kent joined the team at Eleven Madison Park as a line cook in the spring of 2007 and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef.

In 2011, Chef Kent was chosen to represent the United States at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France. After a year of intense training for this culinary competition, he placed tenth in the world. Upon returning to New York, Chef Kent was named Chef de Cuisine of Eleven Madison Park and during his time there, the restaurant received numerous accolades including three Michelin stars. Chef Kent was promoted to Executive Chef of the NoMad in the fall of 2013.

December 19: Live from Lagasse’s Stadium and the Venetian in Las Vegas

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Adam Bell

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Young Yun, Executive Director, ment’or BKB Foundation
Segment Three: Chef Philip Tessier, Head Coach, Team USA 2017, Hestan Culinary Director
Segment Four: Chef Mathew Peters, Executive Sous Chef, Per Se, NY, Team USA 2017”
Segment Five: Chef James Kent, Executive Chef, NoMad, NYC, ment’or BKB Culinary Council
Segment Six: Scott Pajack, Chef de Cuisine, Lagasse’s Stadium, The Palazzo, Las Vegas
Segment Seven: Chef Andrew Gruel and Producer Andy Harris on Las Vegas Dining
Segment Eight: Adam Craun, Co-Founder, Memento Mori

Guest Host Chef Andrew Gruel and Executive Producer and Co-Host Andy Harris are in fabulous Las Vegas for the Team USA 2017 Selection for The Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most rigorous international culinary competition. This is all part of ULTIMO, a lavish weekend of culinary events at The Venetian and The Palazzo.

Team USA is guided and funded by the ment’or BKB Foundation that inspires excellence in young culinary professionals. The President is Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery.) Chef Keller joins us for an exclusive interview.

The day-to-day operations of ment’or BKB are overseen by Young Yun, the Executive Director. Young will be with us to profile the good works of ment’or BKB and explain what’s in store for the future.

Earlier in the year Chef Philip Tessier (ex-French Laundry) led Team USA to the Silver Trophy at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon. This is the highest ranking ever for Team USA. For 2017 Chef Tessier is Head Coach for Team USA and was a judge this week for the Team USA 2017 National Selection. Chef Phil is our guest.

It was an intense competition to select Team USA 2017. It was a four hour and 35 minute marathon for each team. There was a separate judging panel for the fish dish and the meat platter. The Chef Jury members’ decision was for Chef Mathew Peters, Executive Sous Chef, Per Se, NYC. His commis is Harrison Turone. Chef Mathew will lead Team USA for 2017 and train intensively for the next year! Chef Mathew Peters joins us.

Chef James Kent led Team USA 2011 for the Bocuse d’Or. He’s a Competition Captain for Team USA 2017. Chef Kent is the Executive Chef of the acclaimed NoMad in New York City. We’ll meet him.

Memento Mori winery (Napa Valley) is one of the small, exclusive boutique producers showcased at Ultimo Weekend. Their 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon will be poured at the Ultimo Grand Banquet. The Winery’s premium Cabernet grapes come from highly regarded vineyards in St. Helena and Oakville. Co-founder Adam Craun is our guest.

We’re broadcasting from Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo. The chef de cuisine here is Scott Pajak. We’ll visit with Chef Scott and learn why thus isn’t you average sports bar.