Show 375, May 30, 2020: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

Chefs and restaurateurs are honestly the most generous people we know. In times of need they are always the very first in generously giving back and meaningfully supporting their communities. Truly remarkable…Right now as dine-in slowly returns at greatly reduced capacity restaurants urgently need our support to stay afloat. Kindly keep this in mind and please do what you possibly can (as you can afford) to support a community-focused, local restaurant….

As always, we greatly appreciate you being a part of our loyal listening audience. Truly couldn’t do it every week without the enthusiastic encouragement of the foodie community.

“Under the umbrella of Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels Palm Springs is home to almost 80 extraordinary small boutique hotels of exceptional architectural & cultural diversity. From quaint inns and quietly secluded bungalows to hip and modern poolside-hangouts, they cater to the spectrum of Palm Springs travelers’ tastes. Whether you want to disappear for a couple of days, or dive into the Palm Springs adventure of a lifetime, the visionary hoteliers make it their mission to get to know their guests and create a memorable stay in this distinctly fashionable desert oasis.” With the boutique hotels in Palm Springs poised to reopen and again welcome guests we’re joined by Kimberli Munkres and hotelier and restaurateur Karina Castenda.

Food Network’s Chef Jet Tila is well-known to the “SoCal Restaurant Show’s” listeners. He co-hosted (and co-created) the show for the first 2 years. You’ve seen him on “Iron Chef America” as Alton Brown’s well-informed Floor Reporter, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and many more shows. “Ready Jet Cook – How to Make Pad Thai with Jet Tila” airing on FoodNetwork.com and YouTube was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award this year. The series “Ready Jet Cook” is also up for a Daytime Emmy Award. Season 2 of “Ready Jet Cook” is in preproduction. We’re back in the kitchen with Chef Jet.

It’s hard to believe but until fairly recently Hitching Post Wines (made famous in the Oscar-winning 2004 feature motion picture, “Sideways,”) never had a tasting room. That all changed for the better in August of 2018 when acclaimed winemakers Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini debuted a mid-century farmhouse, destination Tasting Room (with the bonus of lunch service delivered from Hitching Post 2) adjacent to Chef Ostini’s prominent Hitching Post 2 Restaurant in Buellton. The Tasting Room is still temporarily on hiatus but Hitching Post 2 has reopened for pick-up and delivery. Hitching Post Wine packages To-Go available, too. We nudge Chef Frank away from his Santa Maria style BBQ grill (lunch is on) to share the details.

“From Los Angeles-based cooking instructor and author of Kitchen Matters, Pamela Salzman, comes Pamela Salzman’s Quicker Than Quick: 140 Crave-Worthy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Foods in 30 Minutes or Less – a cookbook complete with quick, delicious meals and kitchen hacks that make home cooking a breeze. This is the book you will reach for time and again when you need to make something quick but nutritious. Pamela shares an arsenal of cooking class-tested, family-approved, easy, healthful recipes that will have you covered through breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and almost everything can be made in thirty minutes or less.” Pamela Salzman is our guest.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is updating us on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in the hospitality field and what we, as diners, can do to support the very survival of restaurants. Dine-in is starting to come back but with a lot of new rules. Take-out / delivery when you can surely helps…Of course, the safety of restaurant employees and guests comes first. Takeout packaging is now of concern. Is it finally becoming more green and recyclable? How about affordability ? We’ll “Ask the Chef.”

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness (with proper Social Distancing) on this week’s not-to-miss show!

Show 375, May 30, 2020: Cooking Instructor Pamela Salzman with Quicker Than Quick

Pamela Salzman“From Los Angeles-based cooking instructor and author of Kitchen Matters, Pamela Salzman, comes Pamela Salzman’s Quicker Than Quick: 140 Crave-Worthy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Foods in 30 Minutes or Less– a cookbook complete with quick, delicious meals and kitchen hacks that make home cooking a breeze.”

“Life, whether one works outside the home or not, is really, really busy. In a perfect world, we would write out our meal plans for the week, shop accordingly, and cook nutritious meals every day with ease. But some days, the orthodontist visit runs late, or there’s more traffic than usual, or the chicken was never defrosted. And some days, we just don’t have the energy to cook for an hour even if we have the time.”

Quicker Than Quick is the book you will reach for time and again when you need to make something quick but nutritious. In her second cookbook, Pamela shares an arsenal of cooking class-tested, family-approved, easy, healthful recipes that will have you covered through breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and almost everything can be made in thirty minutes or less.”

“These inventive sheet pan dinners, stovetop skillet meals, Instant Pot recipes, and quick versions of time-consuming comfort foods require minimal hands-on time and don’t use exotic, hard-to-find ingredients. Equally useful are the techniques and tricks that teach you great ways to hack your meals, without sacrificing quality.”

May 30: Jet Tila, Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels, Hitching Post 2, Pamela Salzman

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels with Kimberli Munkres and Hotelier Karina Castenda Part One
Segment Three: Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels with Kimberli Munkres and Hotelier Karina Castenda Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jet Tila Part One
Segment Five: Chef Jet Tila Part Two
Segment Six: Chef Frank Ostini of Hitching Post 2 Restaurant & Hitching Post Wines
Segment Seven: Cooking Instructor Pamela Salzman with Quicker Than Quick
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host & Slapfish Restaurant Group

Chefs and restaurateurs are honestly the most generous people we know. In times of need they are always the very first in generously giving back and meaningfully supporting their communities. Truly remarkable…Right now as dine-in slowly returns at greatly reduced capacity restaurants urgently need our support to stay afloat. Kindly keep this in mind and please do what you possibly can (as you can afford) to support a community-focused, local restaurant….

As always, we greatly appreciate you being a part of our loyal listening audience. Truly couldn’t do it every week without the enthusiastic encouragement of the foodie community.

“Under the umbrella of Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels Palm Springs is home to almost 80 extraordinary small boutique hotels of exceptional architectural & cultural diversity. From quaint inns and quietly secluded bungalows to hip and modern poolside-hangouts, they cater to the spectrum of Palm Springs travelers’ tastes. Whether you want to disappear for a couple of days, or dive into the Palm Springs adventure of a lifetime, the visionary hoteliers make it their mission to get to know their guests and create a memorable stay in this distinctly fashionable desert oasis.” With the boutique hotels in Palm Springs poised to reopen and again welcome guests we’re joined by Kimberli Munkres and hotelier and restaurateur Karina Castenda.

Food Network’s Chef Jet Tila is well-known to the “SoCal Restaurant Show’s” listeners. He co-hosted the show for the first 2 years. You’ve seen him on “Iron Chef America” as Alton Brown’s well-informed Floor Reporter, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and many more shows. “Ready Jet Cook – How to Make Pad Thai with Jet Tila” airing on FoodNetwork.com and YouTube was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award this year. The series “Ready Jet Cook” is also up for a Daytime Emmy Award. We’re back in the kitchen with Chef Jet.

It’s hard to believe but until fairly recently Hitching Post Wines (made famous in the Oscar-winning 2004 feature motion picture, “Sideways,”) never had a tasting room. That all changed for the better in August of 2018 when acclaimed winemakers Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini debuted a mid-century farmhouse, destination Tasting Room (with the bonus of lunch service delivered from Hitching Post 2) adjacent to Chef Ostini’s prominent Hitching Post 2 Restaurant in Buellton. The Tasting Room is still on hiatus but Hitching Post 2 has reopened for pick-up and delivery. Hitching Post Wine packages To-Go available, too. We nudge Chef Frank away from his Santa Maria style BBQ grill to share the details.

“From Los Angeles-based cooking instructor and author of Kitchen Matters, Pamela Salzman, comes Pamela Salzman’s Quicker Than Quick: 140 Crave-Worthy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Foods in 30 Minutes or Less – a cookbook complete with quick, delicious meals and kitchen hacks that make home cooking a breeze. This is the book you will reach for time and again when you need to make something quick but nutritious. Pamela shares an arsenal of cooking class-tested, family-approved, easy, healthful recipes that will have you covered through breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and almost everything can be made in thirty minutes or less.” Pamela Salzman is our guest.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is updating us on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in the hospitality field and what we, as diners, can do to support the very survival of restaurants. Dine-in is starting to come back but with a lot of new rules. Take-out/delivery when you can surely helps…Of course, the safety of restaurant employees and guests comes first. Takeout packaging is now of concern. Is it finally becoming more green and recyclable? How about affordability ? We’ll “Ask the Chef.”

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness (with proper Social Distancing) on this week’s not-to-miss show!

Kimberli Munkres of Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels“Under the cooling umbrella of Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels Palm Springs is home to almost 80 extraordinary small boutique hotels of exceptional architectural & cultural diversity. “From quaint inns and quietly secluded bungalows to hip and modern poolside-hangouts, they cater to the spectrum of Palm Springs travelers’ tastes. Whether you want to disappear for a couple of days, or dive into the Palm Springs adventure of a lifetime, the visionary hoteliers make it their mission to get to know their guests and create a memorable stay in this distinctly fashionable desert oasis.”

“And as Palm Springs locals, they have dedicated themselves to creating a home away from home for each guest, infused with a sense of community.”

With the boutique hotels in Palm Springs poised to reopen and again welcome guests we’re joined by Kimberli Munkres and hotelier and restaurateur Karina Castenda.

Karina Castenda of Los Arboles HotelKarina Castenda is part of the family who owns Los Arboles Hotel (a Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotel) and the pair of El Mirasol Mexican restaurants. The original (and still operating) El Mirasol opened in 1985.

“A charming, historic boutique Palm Springs resort and home to the iconic El Mirasol Mexican Restaurant and bar, Los Arboles Hotel features 21 well-appointed rooms, heated pool, Jacuzzi, room service and is located walking distance from downtown shopping, dining, and nightlife.”

Jet Tila and a heritage pig at Cochon 555 in 2013Food Network’s Chef Jet Tila is well-known to the “SoCal Restaurant Show’s” listeners. He was the co-host of the radio show for the initial 2 years. You’ve seen him on “Iron Chef America” as Alton Brown’s well-informed Floor Reporter, “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and more shows.

Ready Jet Cook – How to Make Pad Thai with Jet Tila” airing on FoodNetwork.com and YouTube was nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award this year. The series “Ready Jet Cook” is also up for a Daytime Emmy Award.

Chef Jet is about to launch an unusual interactive cooking class series for charity on the Zoom platform. He’s also creating new dishes for Pei Wei.

A third cookbook is in the works for Chef Jet. We’ll get a preview.

We’re in the kitchen with Chef Jet.

Frank Ostini of Hitching Post IIIt’s hard to believe but until fairly recently Hitching Post Wines (made famous in the Oscar-winning 2004 feature motion picture, “Sideways,”) never had a tasting room. That all changed for the better in August of 2018 when acclaimed winemakers Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini debuted a mid-century farmhouse, destination Tasting Room (with the bonus of lunch service delivered from Hitching Post 2) adjacent to Chef Ostini’s prominent Hitching Post 2 Restaurant in Buellton. The Tasting Room is still on hiatus but Hitching Post 2 has reopened for pick-up and delivery. Hitching Post Wine packages available, too.

“The Hitching Post 2 blends traditional Santa Maria Barbecue with eclectic local ingredients and award -winning wines for an exciting cuisine that is uniquely its own.”

Chef Frank has put together an impressive Take Home Dinner for Four (Hitching Post BBQ Box) that is delivered to Los Angeles (pick-up at Mar Vista Restaurant every other Tuesday) via Los Alamos Delivers. It includes 1 lb. Prime Top Sirloin Steak, 1 lb. Natural Pork Back Ribs, ½ BBQ’d Fresh Natural Chicken and sides of BBQ’d Baked Potatoes, Rice Pilaf, Assorted Vegetables, Roots Farm Green Salad, Garlic Bread and Salsa. Comes chilled and ready to re-warm at home.

We nudge Chef Frank away from his Santa Maria style BBQ grill to share the details.

Pamela Salzman“From Los Angeles-based cooking instructor and author of Kitchen Matters, Pamela Salzman, comes Pamela Salzman’s Quicker Than Quick: 140 Crave-Worthy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Foods in 30 Minutes or Less– a cookbook complete with quick, delicious meals and kitchen hacks that make home cooking a breeze.”

“Life, whether one works outside the home or not, is really, really busy. In a perfect world, we would write out our meal plans for the week, shop accordingly, and cook nutritious meals every day with ease. But some days, the orthodontist visit runs late, or there’s more traffic than usual, or the chicken was never defrosted. And some days, we just don’t have the energy to cook for an hour even if we have the time.”

Quicker Than Quick is the book you will reach for time and again when you need to make something quick but nutritious. In her second cookbook, Pamela shares an arsenal of cooking class-tested, family-approved, easy, healthful recipes that will have you covered through breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and almost everything can be made in thirty minutes or less.”

“These inventive sheet pan dinners, stovetop skillet meals, Instant Pot recipes, and quick versions of time-consuming comfort foods require minimal hands-on time and don’t use exotic, hard-to-find ingredients. Equally useful are the techniques and tricks that teach you great ways to hack your meals, without sacrificing quality.”

Chef Andrew Gruel savoring a New Jersey style PizzaOur own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is updating us on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in the hospitality field and what we, as diners, can do to support the very survival of restaurants as dine-in now slowly returns. Take-out/delivery when you can surely helps…Of course, the safety of restaurant employees and guests comes first.

Takeout packaging is now of concern because its everywhere. Is it finally becoming more green and recyclable? How about affordability? We’ll “Ask the Chef.”

Slapfish is hosting Doctors, Nurses, Medical Personnel, Police, Firefighters & EMT’s to a complimentary meal To-Go. Need to be in uniform or have appropriate ID to qualify. The participating Slapfish locations are Huntington Beach, Brea, Irvine and Laguna Beach.

Kids eat free at Slapfish, too, when their parents order Takeout.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels with Kimberli Munkres and Hotelier Karina Castenda Part One
Segment Three: Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels with Kimberli Munkres and Hotelier Karina Castenda Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Jet Tila Part One
Segment Five: Chef Jet Tila Part Two
Segment Six: Chef Frank Ostini of Hitching Post 2 Restaurant & Hitching Post Wines
Segment Seven: Cooking Instructor Pamela Salzman with Quicker Than Quick
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host & Slapfish Restaurant Group