Show 588, August 3, 2024: Co-Host Chef Andrew Gruel of Calico Fish House with “Ask the Chef”

Chef Andrew Gruel savoring a New Jersey style Pizza

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative Ask the Chef segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries.

Meatballs of all sizes are all the current rage on restaurant menus. Chef Andrew suggests grilled meatballs are the best summer dish. They take burgers to a whole new level. He prepares them in slider form so they still have the meatball shape. Chef Andrew shares his proven recipe.

Show 486, August 6, 2022: Chef Marco Zapien, Hatch Pepper Tailgate Celebration at Zapien’s Salsa Grill

Marco Zapien of Zapiens Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Every year Chef Marco Zapien of Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria in Pico Rivera goes all out to celebrate the short Hatch Pepper season. First up for the festivities is Chef Marco’s Hatch Pepper Tailgate Celebration on the evening of Wednesday, August 17th. It’s an entertaining and interactive cooking demo and Dinner featuring the dishes prepared in the cooking demonstration. The recipes are from the new Melissa’s Hatch Pepper Cookbook. Chef Marco is our guest serving all the spicy specifics.

The Drink of the Day is a Hatch Pepper and Pink Pineapple Agua FrescaRITA. The Dinner Menu includes Hatch Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders, Hatch Pozole Tostada, Hatch Tacos de Papas, Hatch Pepper Big Game Chili, Hatch Coctel de Camaron, Melissa’s Costa Azul Glazed Chicken Wings and, for Dessert, Hatch Pepper and Cream Cheese Crepes with Rum Caramel Sauce.

The evening is $80 per guest and reservations are needed.

Show 435, July 24, 2021: Chef Ross Pangilinan, Remix Kitchen Bar, Long Beach Exchange, Long Beach

Ross Pangilinan of Mix Mix Kitchen Bar

“Long Beach residents and visitors alike are in for a treat as dozens of local restaurants and food retailers will offer unique, over-the-top Burgers and value-priced Burger Offers when the inaugural Long Beach Burger Week launches August 1-8, 2021.”

“Organized by local non-profit, Long Beach Food & Beverage and thanks to a generous grant from the City of Long Beach, executive director Terri Henry, who brought the original restaurant week to Long Beach with partners in 2014, felt that in addition to encouraging local and surrounding “foodies” to enjoy what the expanding Long Beach culinary community has to offer, events like Burger Week support the local economy and put “butts in seats” of our valued restaurants. “Now that we are a registered 501c3 non-profit and have support, we decided to mix things up a little this year and put our efforts into a city-wide Long Beach Burger Week, because, hey, it’s summertime who doesn’t love a good burger?’,” Henry explained.”

“There are no tickets or passes to purchase. Burger lovers are invited to dine-in, take-out or have featured delivered from their favorite restaurants, or order from the websites of various pop-ups or home cottage businesses for pick-up. Participating restaurants, food businesses and offers can be found on the Long Beach Burger Week website”

Chef Ross Pangilinan of Remix Kitchen Bar in the Long Beach Exchange is one of the participating restaurants in the inaugural Long Beach Burger Week. ReMix is a modern version of the acclaimed Mix Mix Kitchen Bar by esteemed Chef Ross Pangilinan. His third Southern California concept has combined Mix Mix signature dishes with a complete new assortment of food offerings.

Chef Ross is featuring French Burger Sliders with shallot marmalade, bacon, melted brie, truffle aioli and served with fries.

As an option the Sliders can be served with the guest’s choice of a beer.

Chef Ross Pangilinan joins us spatula securely in hand.

Show 40, September 14, 2013: Brock Radke, Food and Web Editor, Las Vegas Weekly

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyOur man on the scene in Las Vegas, Brock Radke, was back with us. Brock is the respected Web and Food Editor for The Las Vegas Weekly.

Last month Brock had a provocative piece in The Weekly entitled. “Where are they now? Checking up on the first wave of Vegas food truckers.

Fukuburger has probably been the most successful and is still on the streets. A brick and mortar location for Las Vegas is in the plans. Sloppi Jo’s was a big success with the food critics but, ultimately, not a viable business model. Proprietress Jolene Mannina has parlayed this into other major food projects for herself. In fact she’s the head of Culinary Arts for the upcoming “Life is Beautiful” Festival in Downtown Las Vegas. The originator of Slidin’ Thru has moved on but the truck still does events and catering and there is a bricks and mortar drive-through.

Brock also talked about the just launched Heritage Steak at The Mirage on The Strip. The proprietor is Tom Colicchio of Bravo’s “Top Chef” fame and a James Beard Award recipient.

Kumi Japanese Restaurant & Bar is newly opened in Mandalay Bay. The executive Chef is Akira Back (Yellowtail) who is well-known in Las Vegas.