Show 475, May 21, 2022: Chef Amar Santana of Vaca and Broadway previewing “O.C. Chefs: The Next Generation” Benefit Part Two

Amar Santana at the Finale of Top Chef

“Come celebrate the 55th anniversary of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa with an extraordinary evening of dining bliss supporting Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) – Los Angeles.”

“The celebratory evening begins in South Coast Plaza’s Penthouse with a reception of anniversary cocktails crafted by Vaca Group beverage director Michael Rooney and Knife Pleat’s sommelier Victor Moreno, and a wine bar hosted by Whispering Angel. Taste passed appetizers by four of SCP’s outstanding chefs: Ross Pangilinan (TERRACE by Mix Mix), James Hamamori (Hamamori Restaurant & Sushi Bar), John Park (Tableau), and Nick Weber (Populaire).

“Guests then enjoy a curated, four-course dinner paired with premium wines, created by C-CAP alum chef Amar Santana (Vaca and Broadway by Amar Santana) and Michelin-starred chef Tony Esnault (Knife Pleat.)”

“The evening concludes with an exciting silent and live auction led by Matthew Allnatt, Jonathan Club’s COO and General Manager. Seating is limited; all-inclusive tickets begin at $475 (valet parking, reception, dinner, beverages, gift bag).”

Chef Amar Santana is our guest. “Chef Amar is one of C-CAP’s most compelling success stories. He owns with business partner Ahmed Labbate, Vaca, part of the South Coast Plaza collection of distinguished restaurants. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) grad and former protégé of chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer was runner-up (by a morsel) in Season 13 of Bravo’s “Top Chef” and returned in Season 18 as an all-star judge.”

Congratulations to Chef Amar for being recognized by Riviera Magazine Orange County (June issue) as one of the 50 distinguished members of their “OC Power List.”

May 11: Cochon 555, Jenn Stoker, Kedric Francis, Vic Vegas, Brandon Boudet

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Jet Tila
Segment Two: Chef Jennifer Stoker the Chicago-based author of She Cooks, She Scores: The Steamy Stories Behind the Recipes
Segment Three: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register.) Part One
Segment Four: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register.) Part Two
Segment Five: Chef Vic Vegas, chef/proprietor of Vic’s restaurant in Anthem, NV, a suburb of Henderson
Segment Six: Chef Brandon Boudet, Executive chef and co-proprietor of Dominick’s, Little Dom’s and Tom Bergin’s

Incredible food with a lot of variety is on the menu for this week. It’s pork, a taste of Chicago, a dine-around in the OC, crawfish broil with New Orleans seasoning and inspiration, and yummy Venezuelan food hidden in plain sight in Las Vegas! Bring it on…

Chef Jet Tila host of the SoCal Restaurant ShowLast Sunday our own Chef Jet competed as one of five esteemed teams in the highly competitive Los Angeles stop of the 5th Anniversary tour of Cochon 555. It’s intense…

Each selected chef was tasked with creating five original dishes using all parts of a Heritage pig. The winner was decided by a team of 20 judges and the votes of the 400 pork-loving attendees.

The winning Los Angeles team now moves on to the National Finals in Aspen on June 16th as part of the celebrated Aspen Food & Wine Classic.

Jet will share his ringside observations on the competition.

 

 

Jenn StokerChef Jenn Stoker is a Chicago-based personal chef and graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

Along the way she has perfected some fun recipes and interesting relationships. She has put all of this into her book, She Cooks, She Scores: A Satisfying Collection of Tastes and Tales.

Here’s what a reviewer had to say : “This accomplished chef and author has combined her talents and life experiences to bring us along her life journey with an inside look at her passion for cooking, life, and love.”

“Most Cookbooks are technical and without any flavor. Chef Jenn breaks it down as if you are in the kitchen with her. She doesn’t stop there! She turns the heat up a little with recipes that were inspired by ex-boyfriends! Mamma Mia!“

Perceptive journalist and veteran editor Kedric Francis has been on the Orange County scene for seventeen years. He is currently the Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine. Previously he was the founding editor-in-chief of Riviera as well as Riviera San Diego.

Kedric is going to share his perspective on the dining out scene in Orange County as compared to dining out in Los Angeles County. He’s also discussing the differences he notes in restaurant criticism in each area.

It’s voting time for the best restaurants section in the OC Register’s annual Best of OC publication. Reader/public voting is on now through the end of May.

Vic VegasMany of you may remember the name Vic Vegas from a recent season of the popular Food Network series, Food Network Star. Vic originally looked like a weird MMA fighter turned chef, but it turned out he’s really a Mama’s Boy from Jersey with some great Italian recipes.

Fast forward two years, and now Vic has his own restaurant, aptly titled Vic’s, in the Las Vegas suburb of Anthem, Nevada. It’s only been open two months and it already has a great following.

Vic will share his experiences of opening the new restaurant, what’s on the menu and what he thinks about the upcoming season of Food Network Star, about to hit the airwaves in just a couple of weeks.

Brandon Boudet of Dominick’s, Little Dom’s and Tom Bergin’sNew Orleans native, Chef Brandon Boudet, is the co-owner of Dominick’s, Little Dom’s and Tom Bergin’s.

On Saturday, May 18th and May 25th from Noon to 4:00 p.n. Chef Boudet is holding his 4th Annual Crawfish Boil on the patio at Dominick’s. It’s 300 pounds of fresh Louisiana crawfish cooked at each event!

It’s a real taste of New Orleans in Los Angeles!

Also on the menu are Boudet’s New Orleans specialties including Po’ Boys and Crawfish Boiled Artichokes with Remoulade. For dessert there are New Orleans Sno Balls.

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Jet Tila
Segment Two: Chef Jennifer Stoker the Chicago-based author of She Cooks, She Scores: The Steamy Stories Behind the Recipes
Segment Three: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register.) Part One
Segment Four: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register.) Part Two
Segment Five: Chef Vic Vegas, chef/proprietor of Vic’s restaurant in Anthem, NV, a suburb of Henderson
Segment Six: Chef Brandon Boudet, Executive chef and co-proprietor of Dominick’s, Little Dom’s and Tom Bergin’s