Show 505, December 24, 2022: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

It’s our last show of 2022 so please do join us.

The Happiest of Happy Holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more…) to all our listeners. Happy New Year, too! You’re always appreciated!

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef. Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer runs Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.” Chef Zach Scherer is our guest with caviar and truffles in hand.

Chef Michael Hung (ex-Faith & Flower in DTLA) is the newly appointed Executive Chef of The Colony Club restaurant located inside The Colony Palms Hotel and SO-PA at L’Horizon Palm Springs. He has also initiated a very special, first-time Los Angeles Guest Chef Series hosted by him at The Colony Club running through February 2023! Chef Michael Hung takes a break from his busy kitchens and Christmas Eve preparations to join us.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel the Founder of Big Parm (New Jersey-style pizza), Two Birds and the soon to launch, full-service Calico Fish House (in Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew looks back at the year’s highs and lows and what’s on the horizon for Hospitality in 2023. Also time to revisit the status of 3rd Party Delivery Firms serving restaurants. Is it still viable?

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

We’ll see you right back here @ 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2023!

Show 505, December 24, 2022: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part One

Zach Scherer of the Chefs Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef.”

“The Chef’s Table offers the guest a sense of place, and a slice of what Modern Italian at Bello truly is through their chefs’ eyes. The menu is hand-crafted weekly and constantly featuring a variety of items from their larder and local farms. There are no choices or substitutions, just your chef host taking you on a one of a kind culinary journey which probably couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

“The Chef’s Table experience is available Thursday through Saturday nights with as minimum of 3 days notice. It $245 per guest (plus tax and gratuity) and includes a complimentary beverage pairing.”

“Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer orchestrates Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.”

“Sandro Nardone is a native Italian whose family was in the restaurant business. He trained as a chef in Italy and learned modern Italian food techniques in several of Italy’s top restaurants.”

Chef Zach Scherer is our guest with caviar and truffles in hand.

Show 505, December 24, 2022: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Two

Zach Scherer of the Chefs Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef.”

“The Chef’s Table offers the guest a sense of place, and a slice of what Modern Italian at Bello truly is through their chefs’ eyes. The menu is hand-crafted weekly and constantly featuring a variety of items from their larder and local farms. There are no choices or substitutions, just your chef host taking you on a one of a kind culinary journey which probably couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

“The Chef’s Table experience is available Thursday through Saturday nights with as minimum of 3 days notice. It $245 per guest (plus tax and gratuity) and includes a complimentary beverage pairing.”

“Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer orchestrates Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.”

“Sandro Nardone is a native Italian whose family was in the restaurant business. He trained as a chef in Italy and learned modern Italian food techniques in several of Italy’s top restaurants.”

Chef Zach Scherer continues with us revealing all the details of the Bello Chef’s Table experience.

Show 505, December 24, 2022: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Three

Zach Scherer of the Chefs Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef.”

“The Chef’s Table offers the guest a sense of place, and a slice of what Modern Italian at Bello truly is through their chefs’ eyes. The menu is hand-crafted weekly and constantly featuring a variety of items from their larder and local farms. There are no choices or substitutions, just your chef host taking you on a one of a kind culinary journey which probably couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

“The Chef’s Table experience is available Thursday through Saturday nights with as minimum of 3 days notice. It $245 per guest (plus tax and gratuity) and includes a complimentary beverage pairing.”

“Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer orchestrates Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.”

“Sandro Nardone is a native Italian whose family was in the restaurant business. He trained as a chef in Italy and learned modern Italian food techniques in several of Italy’s top restaurants.”

Chef Zach Scherer continues with us revealing all the details of the Bello Chef’s Table experience and Bello by Sandro Nardone.

December 24: The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone, Micheal Hung at the Colony Club and SO.PA

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part One
Segment Three: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Three
Segment Five: Executive Chef Michael Hung, The Colony Club and SO-PA, Palm Springs Part One
Segment Six: Executive Chef Michael Hung, The Colony Club and SO-PA, Palm Springs Part Two
Segment Seven: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” Part One
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” Part Two

We’re previewing the show with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris.

It’s our last show of the year so please do join us.

The Happiest of Happy Holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more…) to all our listeners. You’re always appreciated!

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef. Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer runs Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.” Chef Zach Scherer is our guest with caviar in hand.

Chef Michael Hung (ex-Faith & Flower in DTLA) is the newly appointed Executive Chef of The Colony Club restaurant located inside The Colony Palms Hotel and SO-PA at L’Horizon Palm Springs. He has also initiate a very special, first-time Los Angeles Guest Chef Series hosted by him at The Colony Club running through February 2023! Chef Michael Hung takes a break from his busy kitchens and Christmas Eve preparations to join us.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel the Founder of Big Parm (New Jersey-style pizza), Two Birds and the soon to launch, full-service Calico Fish House (in Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew looks back at the year’s highs and lows and what’s on the horizon for Hospitality in 2023. Also time to revisit the status of 3rd Party Delivery Firms serving restaurants. Is it viable?

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

We’ll see you right back here @ 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2023!

Zach Scherer of the Chefs Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone

The Chef’s Table at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach is one of the most exclusive dining experiences in Orange County. “It’s a journey with their chefs for an unforgettable meal. At Bello Chef’s Table, the culinary team combines the classical Italian approach to cooking with modern creativity and technique to create a truly unique, intimate and interactive dining experience for up to 8 people, with a single dedicated chef.”

“The Chef’s Table offers the guest a sense of place, and a slice of what Modern Italian at Bello truly is through their chefs’ eyes. The menu is hand-crafted weekly and constantly featuring a variety of items from their larder and local farms. There are no choices or substitutions, just your chef host taking you on a one of a kind culinary journey which probably couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

“The Chef’s Table experience is available Thursday through Saturday nights with as minimum of 3 days notice. It $245 per guest (plus tax and gratuity) and includes a complimentary beverage pairing.”

“Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer orchestrates Bello Chef’s Table in concert with Bello’s owner and Executive Chef, Sandro Nardone. Zach formerly ran special events at Big Canyon Country Club and was the Chef de Cuisine at the Playground.”

“Sandro Nardone is a native Italian whose family was in the restaurant business. He trained as a chef in Italy and learned modern Italian food techniques in several of Italy’s top restaurants.”

Chef Zach Scherer is our guest with caviar in hand.

Chef Michael Hung

Chef Michael Hung (ex-Faith & Flower) is the newly appointed Executive Chef of The Colony Club restaurant located inside The Colony Palms Hotel and SO-PA at L’Horizon Palm Springs. He has also initiated a very special, first-time Los Angeles Guest Chef Series hosted by him at The Colony Club running through February 2023!”

“Chef Michael Hung’s illustrious career credentials include time spent with Traci Des Jardins’s James Beard Award-winning team at San Francisco’s Jardinière and overseeing the kitchen at Roland Passot’s Michelin-starred La Folie. Chef Hung then left San Francisco to open Faith & Flower in Downtown Los Angeles, where under his leadership the restaurant was honored “Best New Restaurant” by Esquire Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and Travel + Leisure.”

“Michael’s success continued when he opened the highly acclaimed Viviane in the Avalon Hotel Los Angeles and then he started his own company Ardour Hospitality in 2016, which focuses on full-service consulting, culinary and hospitality experiences in Greater Los Angeles. Then in addition to running his own company, Michael returned to Faith & Flower in 2017 where he oversaw the kitchen and restaurant operations until the restaurant had to close due to the pandemic in 2021.”

“The Colony Club is The Colony Palms Hotel’s signature restaurant where Executive Chef Michael Hung showcases his innovative California fare forBreakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Guests of;The Colony Club can dine inside the main dining room while enjoying Proprietor & Designer Steve Hermann’s modern take on Art Deco glamour or enjoy the warm breezes while dining al fresco poolside with a stunning view of the mountains.”

SO-PA at the L’Horizon Palm Springs is intimate and dramatic offering a beautifully unique al fresco outside dining experience featuring Executive Chef Michael Hung’s progressive and refined New American Dinner Menu spotlighting global influences. SO-PA, is finished with Lindsey Adelman Chandeliers, fire pits, and fountains. This Steve Hermann designed space is perhaps the desert’s most distinctive restaurant. A new menu is being introduced in late January.”

“Executive Chef Michael Hung is currently hosting the first-ever Los Angeles Guest Chef Series at The Colony Club running through February 2023 where Hung reunites with a collection of his closest Los Angeles celebrity chef friends for two more evenings featuring a delectable Five-Course Prix-Fixe Menu, Optional Wine Pairing, and selection of Specialty Handcrafted Cocktails created by The Colony Club, SO-PA, and Hermann Bungalows Bar Manager Kelly David.”

“Steve Hermann is a celebrated designer of high-end homes and hotels. As one of the most prolific designers within California, he is known as the design guru for the Hollywood elite, captains of industry, and foreign royalty. Steve has established a world recognized luxury hospitality company, Steve Hermann Luxury Hotels, of which L’Horizon Palm Springs served as the initial flagship property. Steve has followed up his success by adding The Colony Palms Hotel to his portfolio, which he has transformed into another spectacular luxury resort.”

Chef Michael Hung takes a break from his Christmas Eve preparations to join us.

Andy Harris and Andrew Gruel at Cabana 14 at the Cove at Pechanga Resort and Casino

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel the Founder of Big Parm (New Jersey-style pizza), Two Birds and the soon to launch, full-service Calico Fish House (in Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative Ask the Chef segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries.

Chef Andrew looks back at the year’s highs and lows and what’s on the horizon for Hospitality in 2023. Also time to check back on the status of 3rd Party Delivery Firms serving restaurants.

Podcasts

Segment One: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris
Segment Two: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part One
Segment Three: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Two
Segment Four: Chef Zach Scherer, Chef de Cuisine, Bello by Sandro Nardone & Bello Chef’s Table, Newport Beach Part Three
Segment Five: Executive Chef Michael Hung, The Colony Club and SO-PA, Palm Springs Part One
Segment Six: Executive Chef Michael Hung, The Colony Club and SO-PA, Palm Springs Part Two
Segment Seven: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” Part One
Segment Eight: Chef Andrew Gruel, Co-Host, with “Ask the Chef” Part Two

Show 498, November 5, 2022: Jason Moore, Winemaker & Founding Partner, Modus Operandi Cellars, St. Helena, Napa Valley Part Two

Jason Moore of Modus Operandi Cellars

Jason Moore is the winemaker and founding partner of Modus Operandi Cellars (2004) in the Napa Valley, a limited production boutique winery.

“For Jason wine is one of those things that to many people can incite a tremendous amount of feelings and emotions. Wine is enchanting and mysterious, gives joy, confuses, and inspires. In many cases, these complexities lead to a love which leads to a strong passion for wine. For Jason it lead to founding Modus Operandi Cellars.”

From Jason Moore –“I have to pinch myself almost daily as I am truly living my dream… the dream of being a Winemaker in California. Growing up in Dallas, Winemaker wasn’t exactly the most obvious career path that springs to mind, but at the age of 24 and after working as a waiter in several of the city’s finest restaurants, acquiring a love for all things wine, getting the go-ahead from my bride to be, and selling everything that we owned, we were off to California where, yes, I had the lofty aspiration of becoming a Winemaker.”

“Completely self-taught thru diligent self-study and the utilization of winemaking mentors, I knew that true learning when it comes to such a stylistically artistic, yet mind blowing organic and mystifying thing such as winemaking, can ONLY be accomplished through MAKING WINE. There is absolutely no substitute. I honed my craft in the garage of an elderly vineyard owner in Napa. He grew the grapes, I made the wine, and we split the product on bottling day.”

“In 2004 at the age of 26, I officially started my professional career by launching Modus Operandi Cellars with 200 cases of Napa Cabernet. I am so thankful to God that at such a young age I found my passion and am fortunate enough to be able to enjoy it as a career. I believe that winemaking is an art form that is supported by science, however a solid conceptual understanding of the science is also necessary.”

Three premium Modus Operandi Cellars tasting experiences are available including two St. Helena winery tastings and an interactive, at-home tasting.

In early September Jason was the host (with Chef de Cuisine Zach Scherer) of a sold-out Modus Operandi Cellars Wine Dinner (5 courses) at Bello by Sandro Nardone in Newport Beach. A standout course was the Elk Sirloin with charred farmers market peppers and bone marrow & jus vinaigrette matched with the 2019 Farella Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Coombsville.

Jason also highlighted his 2020 Vicarious Pinot Noir including explaining the background of the Vicarious label.

Winemaker Jason Moore joins us to pull the cork on all that is Modus Operandi Cellars.