Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Culinary Arts Department, Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Segment Three: Chef Brad Neumann, taste Wine – Beer – Kitchen, Long Beach
Segment Four: Proprietor / Executive Chef Steve Samson, Sotto, Los Angeles
Segment Five: Bordeaux Futures with Tristen Beamon, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana
Segment Six: C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman and President Susan Robbins
Segment Seven: Villa Roma Restaurant, Laguna Hills
Segment Eight: El Chavo’s (Silver Lake) Cinco De Mayo Celebration
Executive Chef Andrew Gruel of the rapidly growing Slapfish empire with restaurants in Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, LAX, Irvine at UCI and, most recently, Brea, is back as today’s special Guest Host.
Now a provocative sneak peak of Saturday’s appetizing show and not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re doing it right we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case that’s actually a pretty good thing…
For 90 years the respected culinary program at Los Angeles Trade Tech College in Downtown Los Angeles has provided practical, affordable culinary training at an incredible value! They do wonders with limited resources. On May 14th Trade Tech’s culinary program is hosting a festive evening which benefits scholarships for the Culinary Arts Program of L.A. Trade Technical College. Culinary Arts Program Chair, Chef Steven Kasmar and Chefs’ Toys Mike Krepistman join us with the 411.
The annual Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week is taking place now until May 1, 2016. Each participating restaurant from twelve unique neighborhoods in the city offers a three course menu priced at $20, $30, $40 or $50, either per guest with wine pairing options at fine dining locations OR dinner for two priced at $20, $30, $40 or $50, where diners share an appetizer, each enjoy their own entree, then share a dessert at more casual establishments. One of the participating restaurants in DINE LBC is the new taste Wine-Beer-Kitchen. Chef Brad Neumann of taste joins us.
Chef Steve Samson’s Sotto located just East of Century City recently celebrated its 5th Anniversary. In recognition of the occasion there was a renovation. Chef Steve is with us with an update.
You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the high-quality of wine from Bordeaux, France. It’s one of the great wine grape growing regions of the world. Our resident wine authority, Tristen Beamon from The Wine Exchange, was just in Bordeaux tasting wines in the barrel from the 2015 harvest. We’ll get his insider’s report on what to expect.
Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a national non-profit that transforms lives of at-risk students through the culinary arts and prepares them for college and careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. On Monday is C-CAP Los Angeles’ Scholarship Awards Breakfast. Our guests are Richard Grausman, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of C-CAP and Susan Robbins, President, C-CAP.
Villa Roma restaurant in Laguna Hills is truly one of the undiscovered gems of dining in South Orange County. Unusually they serve a menu of both Argentine and Italian Cuisine. Their Chimichurri is a word-of-mouth favorite. Co-Owner Teresa Razo (also the Marketing & Catering Director) joins us.
Cinco de Mayo is pretty much a non-event in Mexico but it’s huge in the United States. Might have something to do with all the Mexican beer and tequila sold for the festivities. One of the bigger Cinco de Mayo fiestas in Los Angeles will be staged at Silver Lake’s El Chavo on May 5th from 4:00 p.m. to close. Matt Landes from Cocktail Academy (one of the event organizers) is with us to provide all the festive details.
All of this and lots more absolutely incredible deliciousness on Saturday’s show!
For 90 years the respected culinary program at Los Angeles Trade Tech College in Downtown Los Angeles has provided practical, affordable culinary training at an incredible value! They do wonders with limited resources.
On May 14th Trade Tech’s culinary program is hosting a festive evening which benefits scholarships for the Culinary Arts Program of L.A. Trade Technical College. Culinary Arts Program Chair, Chef Steven Kasmar and Chefs’ Toys Mike Krepistman (Steering Committee Board) join us with the appetizing 411.
Individual tickets are available for $95 which includes admission, food, a bag of casino chips, and two drink tickets. Your support goes a long way toward helping Trade Tech’s hard-working and motivated students afford the valuable education they receive at Trade Tech.
Chef Steve Kasmar also directs the busy catering operation at Trade Tech run by students. On the menu for May 14th are duck confit tacos, lamb shank ravioli, and vegan chili. Also, an assortment of standout sweet goodies from the baking and pastry department.
The annual Dine LBC – Long Beach Restaurant Week is taking place now until May 1, 2016. Each participating restaurant from twelve unique neighborhoods in the city offers a three course menu priced at $20, $30, $40 or $50, either per guest with wine pairing options at fine dining locations OR dinner for two priced at $20, $30, $40 or $50, where diners share an appetizer, each enjoy their own entree, then share a dessert at more casual establishments.
One of the participating restaurants in DINE LBC is the new taste Wine-Beer-Kitchen. Chef Brad Neumann of taste joins us. He’ll also preview his DINE LBC menu. Think Lamb Cassoulet with cannellini beans, turnips, herbs and orange breadcrumbs.
“taste wine-beer-kitchen is the newest venture for Erin O’Hagan and Laurie Semon, owners & founders of Olives Gourmet Grocer. Erin and Laurie’s vision for “taste” was a dream that somehow became a reality in August 2015 when they first opened the doors. Their intention was really simple: on one hand to create one of Long Beach’s best restaurants and, on the other, to use the magic of food and wine to give people the opportunity to challenge their palates.”
From the Chef Brad:
“When we set out to create a restaurant space unlike any other in Long Beach, the food was no exception. Our team wanted dishes with flavors which were unexpected, perhaps even daring. The goal was to create a menu that piqued our guests’ interest, maybe even challenged them a bit. To that end, our food represents a menu not found elsewhere in the city and we hope our guests will return for that very fact.”
“Most importantly, what drives our menu is the seasons of Southern California. Primarily, what you’ll find at area farmer’s markets is usually reflective of what’s in our dishes. Food tastes better when you’re working with better product, and ripe, local produce is the focus of many of our offerings. Moreover, the cooking process and richness of the menu changes as the weather does. Slow, simmering braises in the winter as opposed to quick, grilled meats or even raw fish in the summer. Above all, though, are the ingredients and made from scratch techniques which elevate each dish beyond the mundane. Pickled papaya. Sriracha remoulade. Smoked beets or nuts. Black pepper ice cream.”
Chef Steve Samson’s Sotto located just East of Century City recently celebrated it’s 5th Anniversary. In recognition of the occasion there was a renovation. Chef Steve is with us with an update. He also has a new restaurant on the horizon, Rossoblu, in Downtown Los Angeles
At Sotto expect an honest, market-driven menu of regionally-inspired Southern Italian dishes, including fresh house-made pastas and Neapolitan pizza cooked in an artisan wood burning oven.
The wine program has been called “one of the most interesting lists” in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best places to drink Italian wine in LA” by Los Angeles Magazine.
The food at Sotto is complemented by a fresh, seasonally relevant cocktail program with a strong background in the classics and the utilization of lesser known Italian liqueurs.
You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the high-quality of wine from Bordeaux, France. It’s one of the great wine grape growing regions of the world. Our resident wine authority, Tristen Beamon from The Wine Exchange, was just in Bordeaux tasting wines in the barrel from the 2015 harvest. We’ll get his insider’s report on what to expect.
“Kyle and I have tasted 400 wines from the exciting 2015 harvest and we’re happy to report that this is a vintage that consumers and collectors alike need to take a serious look at. The wines have many of the hallmarks of the top vintages like 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010, big and powerful, yet elegant and fresh with silky-soft tannins. There are a number of “best-ever” scenarios and, for the most part, it was a picture perfect, buy-by-the-case vintage from Petit Chateaux to First Growths… especially in the appellations of Margaux, Pessac-Leognan. St. Emilion and Pomerol. Who says Bordeaux is expensive ? We just spent a week tasting some of the greatest potential wine values in the world. So as we like to say here at Wine Exchange…Let the games begin!”
Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a national non-profit that transforms lives of at-risk students through the culinary arts and prepares them for college and careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. On Monday is C-CAP Los Angeles’ Scholarship Awards Breakfast. Our guests are Richard Grausman, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of C-CAP and Susan Robbins, President, C-CAP.
Since its inception in 1990, C-CAP has awarded over $46 million in scholarships, provided job training and internships, college and lifetime career support, teacher training and product and equipment donations to classrooms. Through C-CAP’s efforts, a large percentage of its students find rewarding careers in the foodservice and hospitality industry with many alumni, now graduates of top culinary schools working in leading restaurants and hotels throughout the country.
C-CAP was founded by Richard Grausman, renowned cookbook author and culinary educator. Its President is Susan Robbins, and its Board of Directors is led by award-winning chef, restaurateur and author Marcus Samuelsson and Mark Weiss, Chief Investment Officer of RFR Holding LLC. C-CAP works with over 16,000 students nationwide.
In 2015-2016 academic year, C-CAP Los Angeles served 3,200 students in 22 schools statewide. In 2015, C-CAP awarded over $625,000 in scholarships to students from many school districts across the state.
Villa Roma restaurant in Laguna Hills is one of the undiscovered gems of dining in South Orange County. Unusually they serve a menu of both Argentine and Italian Cuisine. Their Chimichurri is a word-of-mouth favorite. Co-Owner Teresa Razo (also the Marketing & Catering Director) joins us.
“Villa Roma is a unique restaurant combining Argentine and Italian flavors. Our cuisine combination was inspired by “La Boca”, a neighborhood of the Argentine capital. La Boca is located in the city’s southeast near the old port. In the early 1900’s, Argentina had over 2 million Italian immigrants, most of them settled in this southeastern part of the country because of the similarity to their port town named Genoa, Italy.”
“La Boca is a popular tourist destination in Argentina. It’s known for its colorful houses and pedestrian street, “El Caminito”, where street tango artists perform, musicians, and tango memorabilia is sold. Tango music drifts through the air from one restaurant bar to another.”
“We decided to continue history and bring the Argentine and Italian flavors to Orange County. Just as La Boca retains a strong Italian flavor, we retain our unique Argentine and Italian cuisine flavor.”
Cinco de Mayo is pretty much a non-event in Mexico but it’s huge in the United States. Might have something to do with all the Mexican beer and tequila sold for the festivities. One of the bigger Cinco de Mayo fiestas in Los Angeles will be staged at Silver Lake’s El Chavo on May 5th from 4:00 p.m. to close.
Lots of satisfying food and drink including Mezcal and Mexican beer. Look for the street tacos.
Matt Landes from Cocktail Academy (one of the event organizers) is with us to provide all the festive details.
Podcasts
Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris & Chef Andrew Gruel
Segment Two: Culinary Arts Department, Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Segment Three: Chef Brad Neumann, taste Wine – Beer – Kitchen, Long Beach
Segment Four: Proprietor / Executive Chef Steve Samson, Sotto, Los Angeles
Segment Five: Bordeaux Futures with Tristen Beamon, Wine Exchange, Santa Ana
Segment Six: C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman and President Susan Robbins
Segment Seven: Villa Roma Restaurant, Laguna Hills
Segment Eight: El Chavo’s (Silver Lake) Cinco De Mayo Celebration
