The LA Food Podcast

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's hottest restaurants in the 90s, how she became a barbecue expert, and where she goes when she's craving a good ole' fashioned sandwich. Helpful links: Valerie Confections https://valerieconfections.com/ Valerie on IG https://www.instagram.com/valerieconfctns/?hl=en Valerie's book https://valerieconfections.com/products/sweet Maison Matho https://maisonmatho.com/ Pizza City Fest https://pizzacityfest.com/events/los-angeles/ Tribute Pizza https://www.tributepizza.com/

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 May 21 at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar. Father Sal and I proceed to then recap an epic food crawl we took through LA last weekend, which took us from noshing on smashburgers in Santa Monica to gnawing on Thai fried chicken in Sherman Oaks. Helpful links: EEEEEATSCON (including ticket links!) https://www.eeeeeatscon.com/los-angeles Brant Cox bio https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/brant-cox Brant Cox Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brantcox/?hl=en Infatuation LA Instagram https://www.instagram.com/infatuation_la/?hl=en Flavors From Afar https://www.flavorsfromafar.co/ Tail O The Pup https://www.tailothepup.com/ Heavy Handed https://heavyhanded.la/ Crudo e Nudo https://www.crudoenudo.com/ Pizzana https://pizzana.com/ Angler https://anglerla.com/ Mother Wolf https://www.motherwolfla.com/ Poltergeist https://www.buttonmashla.com/ Anajak Thai https://www.anajakthai.com/

In 2019 Benson Tsai quit his job at SpaceX to start... a pizza company. Stellar Pizza isn't just any pizza company, though. Benson and his co-founders used their engineering backgrounds to launch a fully automated robot-powered pizza operation, which eventually attracted the financial support of Jay-Z and is now operating trucks that serve USC and UCLA. Benson joins us to talk about Stellar Pizza's journey so far, how the heck it all works, and what's next on their quest for global pizza domination. Also on this episode... I quickly recap an insane social media interaction I witnessed this week between Eater's Bill Esparza and the owner of Guisados. Food criticism in the social media age is wild... Helpful links: Stellar Pizza's website https://www.eatstellarpizza.com/ Stellar Pizza on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eatstellarpizza/?hl=en Pizza City Fest https://pizzacityfest.com/events/los-angeles/ Love Letter Pizza & Chicken https://www.loveletterrh.com/ 38 Essential Tacos to Try in LA https://la.eater.com/maps/best-tacos-los-angeles-taquerias-mexican

Father Sal returns to the pod to discuss some hot-topics in LA and global food news, including the recent backlash incurred by a new Salt & Straw location in Silver Lake, the pros and cons of music festival food, and why L.A. Taco's Taco Madness competition is actually a great way to gauge the actual merits of a taqueria. We also give a quick updated on how our Fantasy Top Chef is progressing and - spoiler alert - it's not looking good for yours truly. Helpful links: Eater article on Salt & Straw and Pazzo Gelato https://la.eater.com/2023/4/12/23680602/pazzo-gelato-salt-and-straw-silver-lake-controversies-los-angeles-whats-going-on-explained LA Times on Coachella food https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-04-18/where-to-eat-at-coachella-this-year-for-best-food LA Taco's Taco Madness https://www.lataco.com/taco-madness-2023/ Press release on Elena Reygadas' award https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mexico-citys-elena-reygadas-named-130000107.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACO-nL0emODGcflWAcyaxaPF06mUTtPcU_ikkeg_J4F7_nvRComN2ZZsQf2zQ9uxDfKIdy0mcfFboHoIruyKoMgx8XVTcMZYZDKHGqGFObumcCv973eg5GFf4OpxcGaUmDR1Pe2pOgHWBg1k__OiQ_fAdlUsubhmRQ3b3P0sVxrO&guccounter=2 Eater on Blackbird's dining NFTs https://ny.eater.com/2023/4/20/23674545/ben-leventhal-blackbird-loyalty-platform-restaurant-nfts

Solo pod alert! We're a third of the way through the year, dear listener, and I want to tell you about four incredible dining experiences that I've had of late. From handmade cavatelli to wood-fired kanpachi, you're gonna want to have your DoorDash app open cuz impending hunger is guaranteed. Helpful links: Uncle Paulie's - https://site.unclepauliesdeli.com/ Mirate - https://www.mirate.la/ Isla - https://www.isla-la.com/ Pasta Night at Pizzana - https://pizzana.com/

I'm joined by a true OG of the food influencing world today to discuss the ins and outs of this weird world. Jessie Evans has been producing food content under the moniker of @JessieEats for the better part of a decade, putting her storytelling to work so that foodies from all over can learn where to eat next. We discuss how she started, how she approaches reviewing spots that offer a less-than-positive experience, and we even play a round of The LA Food Podcast's favorite game, "The Perfect Rec." Helpful links: Jessie on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jessie_eats/?hl=en Jessie's website - https://jessieeats.com/ Angler - https://anglerla.com/ Anajak Thai - https://www.anajakthai.com/ Oy Bar - http://oybarla.com/ Sonoratown - https://www.sonoratown.com/ Factory Kitchen - https://thefactorykitchen.com/ Maude - https://www.mauderestaurant.com/ Stephanie Breijo at LA Times - https://www.latimes.com/people/stephanie-breijo

Big news! Your favorite podcast host tied the knot recently! Cousin Sal joins me to talk all things wedding food, including what makes for an unforgettable wedding menu and what he really thought of the food served at my wedding. We then go head to head as we each try to create the ideal wedding menu using our favorite dishes from Los Angeles restaurants. Who won? You decide! Helpful links: James Harden's new prosecco - https://www.foodbeast.com/news/james-harden-debuts-his-own-signature-prosecco/ Dublin's alcohol-free bar closes - https://www.foodandwine.com/dublin-alcohol-free-bar-closes-virgin-mary-7372205 Birba Palm Springs - https://www.birbaps.com/ Bavel - https://baveldtla.com/ Bestia - https://bestiala.com/ Little Joy - https://www.instagram.com/littlejoyla/?hl=en Girl & The Goat - https://girlandthegoat.com/los-angeles Sichuan Impression - https://www.sichuanimpressions.com/ Open Sesame - https://www.opensesamegrill.com/ Mother Wolf - https://www.motherwolfla.com/ DTown Pizzeria - https://www.dtownpizzeria.com/ The Win-Dow - https://www.thewin-dow.la/ Tacos El Unico - https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-el-unico-los-angeles-3 Tacozone - https://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-zone-los-angeles

Michael "Fat Phuck" Cannata joins us to talk about his journey as a long-time food influencer, what eats he's been enjoying recently, and what the heck makes for a good New Haven-style apizza (pronounced "a-BEETZ!"). We then debut a brand new LA Food Pod game, "The Perfect Rec," in which our guest is tasked with providing the pinpoint ideal restaurant rec for a very specific and rather outlandish scenario. Helpful links: Fat Phuck on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fat_phuck/?hl=en Fat Phuck on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eatwithfatp Breadologie - https://www.breadologie.com/ EP & LP - https://www.eplosangeles.com/ Sichuan Impression - https://www.sichuanimpressions.com/ Angry Egret - https://www.aedinette.com/ The Griddle Cafe - https://www.thegriddlecafe.com/ Button Mash - https://www.buttonmashla.com/#poltergeist

What would LA be without its street vendors? From pupusas to tacos de canasta, some of my favorite places to eat in this fair city don't even have names. They're just there. But them being there shouldn't be taken for granted - in fact, making street vending legal has been a long and arduous fight in this city. Today, Rudy Espinoza stops by to talk about the fight for legal street vending in LA. For more than a decade now, Rudy, his organization (Inclusive Action for the City) and other organizations have spearheaded the campaign for street vending alongside the street vendors themselves. He breaks down how far we've come, and how far we still have to go. Helpful links: Great article on how street lending became legal - https://www.kcet.org/shows/city-rising/making-it-official-how-l-a-street-vending-became-legal Inclusive Action for the City website - https://www.inclusiveaction.org/ Inclusive Action for the City Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/InclusivAction/ Rudy Espinoza IG - https://www.instagram.com/rudyespi/?hl=en Tacos Arabes de Puebla - https://www.instagram.com/tacosarabes/?hl=en

Top Chef Season 20 airs TONIGHT on Bravo at 8p ET/PT. It's a special season - they're headed to London for a World All-Stars in which winners and finalists from past editions across the globe will go head to head. Cousin Sal joins me to preview the season and to conduct a draft for our very own game of Fantasy Top Chef! Helpful links: Top Chef website - https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef Contestant Bios - https://www.goldderby.com/gallery/top-chef-20-cast-chefs/top-chef-season-20-3/