The LA Food Podcast

Eddie Navarrette is the Executive Director of the Independent Hospitality Coalition in addition to being one of LA’s foremost consultants in helping restaurants navigate the debilitatingly confusing process of opening their doors. He’s been at the center of advocating for restaurants for several years now, helping shape much needed policies for boosting our restaurants during these unprecedented difficult times. We walk through his circuitous career journey, which includes playing in punk rock bands and joining the circus. And we also discuss many of the issues plaguing restaurants today and what IHC is looking to do about them. Plus, Something About Her sandwiches, World's 50 Best talk and the LA Times continues to cover struggling restaurants. Helpful links: Independent Hospitality Coalition https://www.ihcla.org/ FE Design & Consulting https://fedesignandconsulting.com/ Something About Her https://www.instagram.com/somethingabouther/?hl=en World's 50 Best 51-100 https://www.theworlds50best.com/stories/News/the-worlds-50-best-restaurants-2024-51-100-list.html LA Times on life after restaurants https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-05-21/life-after-restaurants-former-restaurant-owners-chefs-why-they-left

A midseason check in on Season 21 of Top Chef. We’re about half way through the season, so LA Food Pod Top Chef correspondent Father Sal is on the pod to dissect the highs, lows and everything in between. We’re also joined by two of my new favorite people - Bits Nicholas and Nancy DaSilva, the hosts of Compliments to the Chef, the must-listen Top Chef companion podcast. They tell us about how they got their start, and they also join us in looking back at the season so far, and in making predictions for the episodes to come.  But first, a few things that caught my eye. Molly Baz found herself at the center of quite the media circus this week, the LA Times published a fascinating look at why restaurants are struggling right now, the Michelin Guide finally touched down in Mexico, and there’s a tournament of cheeseburgers afoot, courtesy of our friends at LAist. Plus, an LA Food Pod apology to one of LA’s great food journalists. Helpful links: Compliments to the Chef https://open.spotify.com/show/5ySvTZh0inCpq1SJP9baq6 NYT on Molly Baz https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/style/lactation-cookies-billboard.html LA Times' Stephanie Breijo on restaurant struggles https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-05-15/restaurant-industry-economic-crisis-los-angeles Botanica's Heather Sperling on what happens to a dollar at their restaurant https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-05-14/one-dollar-at-botanica-restaurant-los-angeles-heather-sperling Michelin Mexico https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/michelin-guide-ceremony/michelin-guide-mexico-stars-green-stars-sustainability LAist Tournament of Cheeseburgers https://laist.com/news/food/tournament-of-cheeseburgers KCRW Good Food episode on Lalo Garcia https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/good-food/migrant-chef-life-and-times-lalo-garcia-laura-tillman -- Shop House of Macadamia LA Food Pod Bundle https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Use code LAFOOD10 for 10% off on your first order at First Light Farms https://www.firstlight.farm/

We’re joined by none other than Bill Esparza, the legendary award-winning writer, author, TV fixer and saxophonist. Maybe you’ve read his reporting at Eater, maybe you’ve eaten at one of his many finds, or maybe you’ve seen him on shows like Somebody Feed Phil. Regardless of where you know him from, Bill’s one of the most essential voices in LA food, and he’s with us today to talk about his journey in food, from starting a food blog in the aughts to winning a James Beard Award for his legendary taco guides. I also ask him about some of his more fiery opinions, including where his disdain for David Chang comes from, why he hates eating with “taco bros,” and what gets his goat about some of those influencers you see out there on social media, present company excluded of course.  But first, an LA restaurant gets the attention of the World’s 50 Best, 5 new So Cal restaurants are added to the Michelin Guide, Sweetgreen adds beef to the menu, and restaurants navigate uncertainty as California’s junk fee ban looms on the horizon. Helpful Links: Bill on IG https://www.instagram.com/streetgourmetla/?hl=en Bill's Eater page https://www.eater.com/authors/bill-esparza Kato wins World's 50 Best recognition https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-05-08/worlds-50-best-restaurants-kato-one-to-watch-resy Michelin's new additions https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/dining-out/michelin-guide-california-new-additions-restaurants?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&cjevent=3377c48b0cd911ef80b602d50a1eba23&utm_source=cj&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Skimlinks&utm_content=100037205&utm_term=15671072 Sweetgreen adds beef https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/07/dining/sweetgreen-steak.html Lauren Saria on junk fees https://sf.eater.com/2024/5/3/24148146/california-junk-fee-ban-restaurants-bars?_gl=1*1geowr6*

We give flowers to the very deserving LA-based journalists and writers who did score James Beard nominations, including Gab Chabran, Daniel Hernandez and Noah Galuten. We also talk about what we learned from a New Yorker deep dive on the Wild West that is restaurant reservations, why Angelenos are flocking to two new bakeries that opened this week, and the four pizzas that stole the show at this weekend’s Pizza City Fest.  We’re joined by Chef Jonathan Harris of Linden, a relatively new concept that opened in Hollywood last summer. Chef Jonathan is about as New York as it gets, and he had one hell of an upbringing eating all kinds of foods and working in his father’s acclaimed Long Island restaurant, Cornbread and Caviar. He talks to us about his journey, and how his unique path influenced the frankly mind-bending menu you can find at Linden. We also talk about his time operating a 26-seat tasting menu concept out of his apartment, and broader topics like the role black chefs and foodways have played in shaping American cuisine writ large. Helpful links: Linden https://lindenlosangeles.com/ James Beard nominees https://www.eater.com/24118355/2024-james-beard-awards-restaurant-chef-finalists How to LA on conchas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJpu4LZ1V7o Gab Chabran on The LA Food Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7q29bhboG2WSHktlyJzEGl Daniel Hernandez on Mexico City https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-07-13/mexico-city-essay-daniel-hernandez New Yorker on reservations https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/why-you-cant-get-a-restaurant-reservation Petit Grain https://la.eater.com/2024/4/30/24141932/petit-grain-boulangerie-bakery-santa-monica-los-angeles-best-croissant Fondry https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-04-26/eagle-rock-bakery-fondry-croissants-los-angeles Sal and I on the Compliments to the Chef podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/6H4OqQQtpkAzfZFOnN7iJB -- Shop The LA Food Podcast bundle on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off at First Light Farms on your first order by using the code LAFOOD10 https://www.firstlight.farm/

Coachella is behind us, my friends, and your humble podcast host had the chance to descend on the desert to catch up with 8 amazing chefs who were out there serving their food to the masses. Today’s episode is a compilation of those conversations. I spoke with Eric Greenspan about his latest concepts, including a delivery-only duck pop-up you simply must get your hands on. I got a scoop from Fatty Mart chef David Kuo about a brand new project he’s opening in Downtown LA in the next 12-18 months. And I learned a little more than I bargained for about how Juan Garcia, the chef behind birria shop The Goat Mafia, likes to party when taking in the dulcet sounds of Sublime. That and much, much more.  But first, a few things that caught my eye, including Sage Bistro’s decision to no longer be vegan, Matthe Kenney’s decision to still be vegan but to also be a horrific person, and the inspiring tale of one man who’s making a real difference advocating for Los Angeles restaurants up in Sacramento. Helpful links: Article on Sage https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-04-24/sage-vegan-bistro-no-longer-vegan-backlash NYT Matthew Kenney expose https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/dining/vegan-chef-matthew-kenney.html Eddie Navarrette in Eater https://la.eater.com/2024/4/24/24138533/eddie-navarrette-small-business-support-act-assembly-bill-2550-policy-restaurant-california-law Pizza City Fest https://www.lalive.com/pizza-city-fest-la Support L.A. Taco https://lataco.com/members Eric Greenspan https://www.chefericgreenspan.com/the-story Fatty Mart https://www.fattymart.com/ Burger She Wrote https://burgershewrote.com/ Chris N Eddy's https://www.chrisneddys.com/ The Goat Mafia https://www.thegoatmafia.com/ Mano Po https://eatmanopo.com/about-us Battambong BBQ https://la.eater.com/2022/8/2/23288894/battambong-bbq-cambodian-texas-barbecue-long-beach-los-angeles-restaurants Slingers https://www.slingersla.com/ -- Shop The LA Food Podcast Bundle on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off on your first order at First Light Farms using the code LAFOOD10 https://www.firstlight.farm/

Wendy Zeng is an award-winning chef and owner known around town and beyond for hosting cannabis-infused pop-ups, supper clubs and events. Make no mistake - we’re not talking about stoner food here, no shade to stoner culture. Wendy’s all about leaning into market-driven ingredients in the name of building community and destigmatizing recreational cannabis use.  What I found really fascinating, dear listener, was to learn about Wendy’s upbringing in Chengdu and how that influenced her love for cooking and her eventual desire to reclaim cannabis as a form of eastern plant medicine that was actually being utilized thousands of years before Cheech ever met Chong. We talk about how she approaches utilizing cannabis in her cooking, why she feels so passionately about destigmatizing the plant, and even what negative side effects have been ailing the industry since legalization took place and capitalism entered the chat. Finally, did you know that there’s a cannabis-tinged spinoff of Chopped on Discovery Plus, and that Wendy actually won the first ever edition!? Well you do now, and trust me, you’re gonna wanna hear more.  Helpful links: Drizzle https://www.drizzle.catering/ Mogu Magu https://mogumagu.co/ -- Shop The LA Food Pod bundle on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Receive 10% off on your first order at First Light Farms with code LAFOOD10 https://www.firstlight.farm/

Daniele Uditi is the chef and partner behind Pizzana, one of Los Angeles’ best and most influential pizzerias. Daniele joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that covers everything from his upbringing living above his aunt’s bakery near Naples, Italy, to his spontaneous relocation to Los Angeles which ultimately led him to meeting Candace Nelson and launching a bona fide pizza empire. We talk about the nitty gritty of dough and sourcing excellent products, but Daniele also offers us a window into the evolution of Los Angeles’ pizza scene over the last decade, what it means to lead a business with integrity in this day and age, and what he thinks of all of those pizza lists you see doing the rounds on social media. We learn about what his favorite pizzas in Los Angeles are besides his own of course, and we also hear about how he ideated the Padrino, LA’s best Italian sandwich, which is now permanently available for lunch at Pizzana’s Marina del Rey location.  But first, a couple of things that caught my eye... David Chang has chili crunched his way into quite the controversy, L.A. Taco is in dire need of our help, and Coachella is upon us, so I break down the 5 eats you absolutely must make time for, if you’re headed to the desert this weekend. Helpful links: Pizzana https://pizzana.com/ The Guardian on David Chang and chili crunch https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/apr/04/chili-crunch-trademark-momofuku-david-chang Jenn Harris on David Chang and chili crunch https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-04-08/chili-crunch-chili-crisp-trademark-war-momofuku-fly-by-jing Support L.A. Taco https://lataco.com/ Coachella food line-up https://coachella.com/featured-restaurants Miya Miya https://www.instagram.com/miyamiyashawarma/ Mano Po https://www.instagram.com/eat.manopo/ Chipapas https://www.instagram.com/chipapasporvida Grindz https://www.instagram.com/eatgrindz/ Battambong BBQ https://www.instagram.com/battambongbbq/ Pizza City Fest https://www.lalive.com/pizza-city-fest-la -- Shop The LA Food Podcast bundle on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Shop First Light Farms, get 10% off on your first order by using the code LAFOOD10 https://www.firstlight.farm/

Father Sal joins us. There's a quick Top Chef recap, including a Kristen Kish assessment. Father Sal also fills us in on The Bear clip that leaked. News-wise we cover the announcement of the 2024 James Beard Award Finalists, a scathing Taste Magazine expose on the grocery store known as Trader Joe’s, and a long overdue minimum wage hike coming to California’s fast-food workers.  In Part 2, we recap a week-long food crawl Father Sal and I took while he was in town last week. We finally made it to modern Korean darlings Yangban in the Arts District, we revisited our old friend Diego Argoti at Poltergeist to see if that panang lamb neck was still hittin’, and, most surprisingly for me, we had a whirlwind at Evan Funke’s Felix in Venice, my first time visiting the restaurant since 2019. We also talk about Sal missing out on dinner at Pizzeria Bianco, where Chris Bianco himself made a surprise appearance... Helpful links: The Bear leak https://chicago.eater.com/2024/4/3/24120365/the-bear-season-3-trailer-clip-critics-fx-hulu LA's 2024 James Beard nominees https://la.eater.com/2024/1/24/24048240/los-angeles-james-beard-foundation-award-semifinalists-2024 Taste on Trader Joe's https://tastecooking.com/we-need-to-talk-about-trader-joes/ California minimum wage hike https://la.eater.com/2024/4/1/24118202/california-fast-food-worker-minimum-wage-explained LA Times' Stephanie Breijo on World Central Kitchen https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-04-01/world-central-kitchen-workers-killed-gaza-jose-andres Yangban https://yangbanla.com/ Felix https://felixla.com/ Pizzeria Bianco https://www.pizzeriabianco.com/los-angeles Poltergeist https://www.buttonmashla.com/ -- Shop The LA Food Podcast bundle on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Use LAFOOD10 for a 10% discount on your first order of First Light Farms wagyu beef https://www.firstlight.farm/

We’re joined by Scott Linder, one of the Founders and Operating Partners behind Matū, which just might be my favorite steakhouse in all of Los Angeles. Matū is famous for its dedication to serving only the highest quality grass-fed wagyu beef. But that’s not all - as they were getting ready to launch the restaurant, Scott and his fellow founders spent a ridiculous amount of time nailing down all of the variables that go into preparing the product correctly, and serving it up in a way that leads to maximum flavor and satisfaction.  Scott joins us to talk all things beef, but also how he got into the position of being the culinary mind behind all that Matū has to offer. He tells us about his love for Iron Chef, his time spent traveling the world as the private chef to an A-list celebrity famous for doing their own stunts, and how one fateful afternoon with Jerry Greenberg led him to moving to Los Angeles and betting it all on beef. Of course, I couldn’t let him leave without asking him about Matū's legendary Philly Cheesesteak. How did they come up with it, and what makes it so damn irresistible? But first, a few things that caught my eye. There’s change coming to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a crisis at the Health Department, and several excellent restaurant reviews I want you to go check out! Helpful links: Matu https://www.matusteak.com/aboutustext/ First Light Farms Steak Club https://steakclub.firstlight.farm/ Walk of Fame https://www.dailynews.com/2024/03/22/access-to-hollywood-plan-will-dramatically-redesign-hollywood-boulevard/ LA Times on Health Dept woes https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-15/restaurant-inspection-workplace-complaints Jenn Harris reviews Sophy's https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-03-21/review-sophys-cambodia-town-food-music-beef-jerky LA Times Koreatown guide https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-03-28/best-restaurants-bars-in-koreatown-los-angeles Brant Cox of the Infatuation on SUR https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/reviews/sur-restaurant-and-lounge

We're joined by Charbel Hayek, a Top Chef champion and World-All Stars contestant who’s recently opened up one of Los Angeles’ buzziest new restaurants. Charbel is the mastermind behind Ladyhawk, which opened last year inside of the La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. Ladyhawk has been earning rave reviews for its forward-thinking Eastern Mediterranean menu, with LA Times critic Bill Addison calling it “Los Angeles’ most compelling Lebanese restaurant.” Charbel joins us to talk about the journey that led him to Ladyhawk, from growing up in Beirut as the son of a chef, to becoming the youngest ever Top Chef winner in global franchise history. Of course, I couldn’t let him leave without asking him all of the dirty deets on his Top Chef experience, especially with respect to last year’s World All-Stars in London. He breaks down just how grueling the filming schedule is, what it was like to win the Gaggan Anand challenge that allowed him to showcase his love for his country, and how he conceptualized the iconic onion dish that he’s become synonymous with in Top Chef-loving circles.  Also… There’s a War on Pizza playing out in New York City, a fascinating inside look at Vespertine 2.0, and the return of Cafe Tropical in Silver Lake. Helpful links: Ladyhawk https://ladyhawkrestaurant.com/ Bill Addison on Ladyhawk https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-01-25/ladyhawk-west-hollywood-lebanese-bill-addison-review War on Pizza https://abc7ny.com/new-york-city-department-of-environmental-protection-pizzeria-emissions/13429285/ Vespertine 2.0 by Paul Feinstein https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/vespertine-jordan-kahn-interview Cafe Tropical returns https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-03-15/cafe-tropical-reopen-return-sober-silver-lake --- Brought to you by House of Macadamias. Shop The LA Food Podcast bundle https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods