The LA Food Podcast

We’re joined today by Hannah Wilen, the co-founder of Kavahana, Los Angeles’ first-ever kava bar. Kava is a drink that’s traditional to the Pacific Islands. It’s been consumed and celebrated for more than 3,000 years, and is known for making you relaxed and happy without any ABV to speak of. Kavahana is looking to bring the kava experience to Los Angeles, and today’s conversation is a fascinating...

The New York Times dropped a list of “The 25 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles Right Now.” Coming on the heels of the paper’s 2023 Restaurant List a few weeks ago, critic at large Tejal Rao describes the new list as her “current favorites in one of the greatest food cities in the world.” Father Sal joins me to comb through the selected restaurants, opine on the quality of the list as a whole, and sh...

We’re headed to Los Angeles’ temple of soccer, BMO Stadium, home of Los Angeles FC, to break down how to achieve the best day of eating in and around the stadium. Friend of the pod Daniel Wargo, who you might know as Forking Around on social media, joined me this past Saturday for a day of food, fun, and futbol, as we attended the white hot rivalry match between LAFC and the LA Galaxy. The game wa...

Gustavo Arellano is one of Southern California’s most influential voices in food and culture over the course of the last 25 years. Gustavo is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and he’s also currently the namesake of KCRW and Gustavo’s Great Tortilla Tournament, which culminates this October 8 at Smorgasburg in Downtown LA.  He’s a best-selling author, he was the long-time food critic of the s...

Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports went viral last week after he posted one of his One Bite Pizza Reviews. He was reviewing Dragon Pizza, a small independent pizza shop in Somerville, Massachusetts. Turns out the owner, Charlie Redd, wasn’t such a fan of Portnoy’s and came out front to give the man a pizza of his mind. See what I did there? Never mind.  This was just the beginning though! Their profa...

Carmen Dianne and Kara Still are the co-founders of Prosperity Market, a farmers market on wheels whose mission is to support local black farmers and food businesses throughout L.A. and create food access in communities where it’s currently lacking. They believe that by focusing on the local food system, they can feed their neighbors, and create a substantial economic impact.  Carmen and Kara join...

Gilberto Cetina is the chef and owner of Holbox, the Los Angeles Times 2023 Restaurant of the Year. On this episode, Cetina traces the journey that brought him to where he is today. We talk about the dreaded childhood chore that was helping his family make tamales to sell at church, his adolescence spent spearfishing with his cousins on the Yucatan peninsula, the experience that was opening the fa...

UK cooking show Five Star Chef has finally made it to Netflix, and Father Sal joins me today to break down what can only be described as the best British export to grace these shores since Harry Styles began serving angelic sounds and androgynous fashion choices. Five Star Chef follows a cast of up-and-coming chefs as they compete to take over the iconic Palm Court restaurant at the five-star Lang...

Lien Ta is the restaurateur behind All Day Baby, Here’s Looking At You and Tet a Tet. Lien’s story is a fascinating one, and we retrace her steps from her childhood in Georgia eating beige foods at Chili’s to her culinary awakening in New Orleans, which eventually resulted in her opening one of LA’s best loved restaurants of the last decade, Here’s Looking At You in Koreatown. We discuss the chall...

David Chang’s Secret Chef is out on Hulu, and Father Sal joins me to break down the first season. We discuss the concept, the contestants, the challenges, and ask ourselves whether one of the most iconoclastic chefs in the game succeeded in breaking the mold of cooking competition shows. We also discuss a couple of chaotic news weeks in food. Taco Maria has closed, John Tesar tried to get canceled...

We are joined today by Tanya Kollar, the food curator of Outside Lands. She has the massive responsibility of assembling the vendors that keep the masses fed, working with them to figure out how they’re going to serve their food in a festival setting, and ironing out all of the mind-boggling logistics to make it all happen. Even if you’re not going to the festival next week, you’re gonna want to a...

Joining us on the pod today are Francesca Pistorio and Francesco Lucatorto, the husband-and-wife team behind Ceci’s Gastronomia in Silver Lake. Ceci’s is designed to recreate the authentic Nonna experience. If you’ve got a Nonna, an abuela, an Oma or any kind of grandmother, you know what I’m talking about. You stop by her house for a quick coffee, maybe a pastry, and before you can say “mamma mia...

Ian Asbury is the Co-founder of Good Clean Fun, an absolutely bitchin’ natural wine shop and bar in downtown LA. Natural wine has been on the rise for a minute now, but a lot of folks are still skeptical. How is it made? Is it real wine? Is it even any good? These are all questions we get into with Ian, who’s passion for the form is, frankly contagious. We also talk about his journey from dining a...

Kat Turner is chef and partner of Highly Likely, one of LA’s hottest all day restaurant concepts. They’ve been serving the West Adams neighborhood for several years now, and are on the verge of opening a second location in Highland Park. Chef Kat joins us to discuss Highly Likely’s food and new location, but also her own personal journey which has taken her from acting in a David Lynch movie to pr...

Today’s episode is all about The Bear. We’re joined by culinary producer Courtney Storer to break down the behind-the-scenes of Season 2, which is now airing on Hulu. Courtney is a Los Angeles-based chef who’s many credentials include running the kitchen at Jon & Vinny’s. Courtney is, in a nutshell, one of the main reasons why The Bear feels like such an accurate representation of restaurant life,...

Gab Chabran is the Associate Editor of Food and Culture at LAist. He’s a Whittier native and a Long Beach resident, and joins the pod to offer a diverse and far-reaching perspective on our region's amazing food. Gab tells us the story of how his dual passions for music and food molded his professional journey, landing him in the driver’s seat of one of LA’s most respected food newsrooms. Gab’s...

Father Sal joins me to discuss the 2023 LA Times Restaurant of the Year. This year’s honors went to Holbox, Gilberto Cetina’s seafood concept at Mercado la Paloma near USC, and while we definitely give them their flowers, our discussion today is more about what it means to be s a Restaurant of the Year in the first place, what distinguishes this type of recognition from other big time awards in th...

Food writer, editor and founder of Pain Pizza Karen Palmer joins the pod for a wide-ranging conversation on making a career in food writing, the joys of pizza, and why everyone should aspire to become a regular at their favorite restaurants. I'm a big fan of Karen's and her perspective on food (read: carbs) and I think this conversation will remind you to do (and eat) what you love. Father...

Daniel Wargo joins the pod to recap the epic season finale of Top Chef World All-Stars Helpful links Forking Around on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forkingaround.tv/ Forking Around on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@forkingaround_tv Top Chef website https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef

Happy Top Chef Finale Week to all those who celebrate. To preview the occasion, we’re joined by Top Chef Executive Producer and Showrunner Doneen Arquines. We talk why this season of Top Chef World All-Stars has been so damn special and why you should drop everything to tune into the finale on Thursday night. We also dive into Doneen’s incredible journey from being a Production Assistant in 2006 w...

Joining us today on the pod is Evan Lovett of LA in a Minute. You’ve probably seen Evan’s face on your TikTok or Instagram feeds, dropping some serious knowledge on the City of Angels’ wonderful and often whacky history. Whether he’s answering the question of why Trader Joe’s parking lots are always so damn small, or why people from LA say “the” before freeway numbers, Evan’s passion for Los Angel...

Poltergeist, Diego Argoti's bold and brash concept located inside of Echo Park arcade Button Mash, takes the cake for "best meal I've had in 2023." Whether you're munching on a Parker House Roll with fermented butter or spooning Panang lamb neck into a golden saffron bao, you'll find yourself alternating between thinking "this makes NO sense" and "this make...

Father Sal joins the pod to discuss a particularly busy news day. The James Beard Awards are being accused of "bending to wokeness" for informing Alabama chef Timothy Hontzas that he is no longer being considered for 2023 Best Chef: South for ethical reasons, while the hotel group in charge of Hollywood heavyweights like Mother Wolf and Ka'Teen is being investigating for allegedly st...

This episode is guaranteed to give you a sugar rush! We're joined by Valerie Gordon, the chocolatier, chef, and entrepreneur behind Valerie Confections and Valerie Echo Park. Valerie walks us through her journey, and tells us what it takes to run a successful food business that lasts the test of time. We get into fun topics like what it was like to be a maître d' at one of San Francisco&#3...

This episode is what the kids call "a banger." Brant Cox of The Infatuation joins us to talk about how he became one of LA's most trusted food critics, how The Infatuation goes about rating restaurants, and why anonymity in food criticism is no longer a must. He talks us through EEEEEATSCON, The Infatuation's upcoming behemoth of a food festival, which is coming in hot May 20 and...