Good Food

Memo Torres hops on Metro's 33 bus line to seek out tacos from Santa Monica to downtown. The field narrows for the 2023 Tortilla Tournament as Gustavo Arellano reveals the Eso Eight, who are still in the running for the Golden Tortilla. Writer and chef Klancy Miller shines a light on the Black women and femmes at the top of their game in food, wine, and hospitality. Recipe developer Susan Simon teams up with Rabbi Zoe Zak to celebrate the Jewish high holidays. Uli Nasibova heads to the farmer's market to buy quince for a chicken dish.

Journalist Laura Tillman phoned Máximo Bistrot, a restaurant riding the wave of Mexico City's popularity as a fine dining destination, in hopes of interviewing its chef, Eduardo "Lalo" García Guzmán. Tillman had covered immigration for the past 10 years and she was interested in speaking with dishwashers, cooks, waiters, and purveyors working in high-end restaurants, where economic inequalities are pronounced. It was 2016, and as the US presidential election made pawns of Mexican immigrants, the chef was eager to share his story. Tillman spent the next five years speaking with García, his family, and those who worked with him, following his journey from the fields as a young migrant farm worker to the kitchens of the American South then back to Mexico, where along with his wife, he has built a restaurant group that employs hundreds of people. Tillman tells his story in the book The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García — but ultimately, this is Lalo's journey. It's a singular epic, complete with a cruel twist that reveals so much about the relationship between Mexico and the United States, the two countries that shaped García.

With temperatures dipping below 80 degrees, it must be pasta weather in Southern California. This week, Good Food heads to Italy. Rachel Roddy combines 50 pasta shapes with sauces, creating iconic dishes of everyone's favorite carb. When Saghar Setareh landed in Rome from Tehran, she uncovered a Venn diagram of overlapping flavors. Silivia Nacamulli looks back at Jewish influences on Italy's culinary history, which stretch back 2,000 years. Clifford Wright hones in on the culinary traditions of Emilia-Romana. At the farmer's market, Melissa Lopez finds eggplant to top one of her must-have pies

It's that time of year. Summer is officially over and kids are back in school. And sending kids to school means figuring out what they're going to eat for lunch… unless your child eats the lunch provided by their school. Then you're done and dusted. A team of experts has figured all of that out for you, right? On the James Beard award-winning podcast Pressure Cooker , hosts Jane Black and Elizabeth Dunn explore the Herculean task of providing nutritious food that children will actually want to eat. If you've never thought about the inner workings of the school lunch program, you're about to get a crash course. This week on Good Food, we're rebroadcasting two episodes from Pressure Cooker. In "The Twisted History of School Lunch in America," Black and Dunn dig into the origins of the school lunch program to figure out how we got to where we are today. It's a surprising tale involving desperate farmers, skittish military generals, shortsighted bean counters, pizza lobbyists, and a network of underground caves filled with cheese.

Who owns Taco Tuesday? Gustavo Arellano weighs in on the legal skirmish around the phrase. Using slices, pieces, and crumbs, baker Rick Easton treats bread as an ingredient. Sisters Margaret and Irene Li crack the code for using wilted, nearly expired, and only-needed-a-tablespoon ingredients. Krista Burton makes a cross-country pilgrimage to visit the last lesbian bars in the US. LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison sets his sights on a newish spot that brings Korean fine dining to Los Angeles. Meredith Pangrace delves into Midwest pies and their origins in a new cookbook.

Meliz Berg praises the overlapping cultures of the slow-cooked meats and herby salads of a Cypriot diet. Third-generation Alaskan Julia O'Malley reports on salmon fishermen trying to keep their head above water amid a lawsuit and starving orcas. Maunika Gowardhan reconfigures tandoori cooking for the home oven, replicating the flavors of the traditional clay pot. LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison heads to Beverly Grove for a union between the Goat Mafia and Saucy Chick. Food historian Judith Tschann breaks down the often farcical etymology of food words. Finally, Chef Matthew Schaler at Birdie G’s celebrates tomato season with a sandwich layering the nightshade in every component.

Sophie Donelson looks at modern kitchens, leaving plenty of wiggle room for comfort and realistic living. Anya von Bremzen travels to six food capitals in search of the connection between cuisine and identity. Learning the tricks of the trade, journalist Jaya Saxena discovers that performing at a Benihana teppanyaki grill isn't as easy as it looks. Daniel Gritzer lays out the tenets of marinades and discusses whether they're worth the effort. Chef Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai shops for market mangos for a traditional Thai dessert.

Memo Torres shares three under-the-radar dining destinations on his monthly Apple Maps list. Gloria Swanson is ready for her close-up as a health food advocate (with a little help from LA historian Hadley Meares). Forget meat alternatives. Lukas Volger develops veggie burger recipes using whole foods. TikTok Jell-O revivalist Otto Markel is documenting every recipe from a 1963 cookbook. "Jiggle Daddy" Ken Albala showcases gelatin cuisine using some eyebrow-raising ingredients. Erika Chan visits the farmers market to find melons for a gelatin dessert at Dunsmoor.

Terrified of the ocean in her youth, Valentine Thomas is now a champion spearfisherwoman. An obsession with a bluefin tuna named Amelia led journalist Karen Pinchin on a deep dive into the future of fish. Saltie Girl owner Kathy Sidell recommends her favorite tinned fish among an ocean of possibilites. Gilberto Centina keeps racking up accolades at Holbox, a top-shelf seafood counter located in Mercado La Paloma. From a five-acre shellfish lease to a legendary Northern California seafood business, Hog Island Oyster Company is the pearl of the Bay Area.

Culinary producer Courtney Storer and actor Liza Colón-Zayas from The Bear show us how they prepped for Season 2. When Uli Nasibova found ice cream and gelato too sweet, she decided to make her own. Dominick DiBartolomeo started working at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills as a pre-med student and now has keys to the front door. Joanne Lee Molinaro found a (probably) AI-generated knockoff of her award winning cookbook, The Korean Vegan, being sold on Amazon. Italian cooking instructor Viola Buitoni offers ideas for using summer produce.

Historian Amy Brady chips away at the 200-year-old history of ice in America. Martin Riese's fascination with the taste of water began as a child in Germany, where more than 500 brands are sold. Memo Torres namechecks a dozen must-try tacos in Van Nuys. Susan Jung pays homage to fried chicken across East and Southeast Asia. After a two-year wait, Jihee Kim brings her banchan to a brick-and-mortar in Echo Park.

What happens when you equip three podcast producers and a host with two tents, an egg spoon, and some marshmallows? We decided to find out. We sent the Good Food team camping but we knew they'd need a little help. So we called some experts. Podcast host Ivy Le ventures outside to answer the couch-surfers' burning questions. Canadian food journalist Chris Nuttall-Smith eschews cans of beans for cocktails and campfire paella. Seasoned camper and local chef Shannon Swindle swings by the farmer's market to help pack the cooler. Monique Caulfield shares the secrets of axe throwing. Ashley Jones collects and refurbishes vintage cast iron skillets. PS - We've also come up with a KCRW Picks: Campfire Songs playlist filled with great tunes for the great outdoors.

This week, Good Food highlights conversations with authors and journalists who took home a 2023 James Beard Media Award . Irina Georgescu hungered for familiar Easter recipes while baking her way through the overlapping cultures of Romania. Professor Psyche A. Williams-Forson considers the stereotypes and stigmas of race and diet. Andy Baraghani takes the lessons he learned working the line at restaurants and applies them to the home kitchen. LA pitmaster Kevin Bludso describes how his grandmother's tough love and rap video catering gigs led him to barbecue success. Chef Vishwesh Bhatt reflects on his childhood in India and how his cooking took shape in the American South. "Diasporican," the first cookbook by food columnist Illyanna Maisonet, explores Puerto Rican cuisine off the island.

David Cooley reminiscences about The Abbey, the West Hollywood cafe and bar he opened in 1991. Rax Will discusses gender-neutral greetings and recommends a few queer pop-ups in LA. Stacey Mei Yan Fong bakes pies to represent all 50 states, as seen through the eyes of an immigrant. Daniel Miller delves into the history of sushi in Los Angeles and how two businessmen scoured Japan for the next great food product. Finally, growing stone fruit for the better part of his life, Troy Regier has peaches and nectarines ripe for the perfect summer sandwich.

Hetty Liu McKinnon navigates grief with an ode to her father and vegetables. Chef José Andrés says the pickiest eater in his family wasn't one of his three daughters, but his wife. Chef Alisa Reynolds travels the world finding food that feeds both body and soul. Ryan Mitchell returns to North Carolina to continue a multigenerational barbecue business. In anticipation of his Echo Park restaurant opening, Miles Thompson shops the farmer's market for his Baby Bistro pop-up.

Virginia Sole-Smith exposes society's anti-fat bias and the issues surrounding childhood obesity. Restaurateur Karan Gokani revels in his first tastes of Sri Lankan food and traditional hoppers made of fermented rice and coconut. Mark Arax looks at the future of water in California's Central Valley. At Chao Krung, Katy Noochlaor explains how her parents put familiar Chinese dishes on their menu to lure in customers before Thai food was popular. Finally, Bob Wiebe brings his short-lived plucots to market while chef Macklin Casnoff shops for his newly-opened Melrose cafe.

Jean Trinh shares the story of her refugee family's connection to Chinese crullers. Cookbook author, teacher, and omnivore Andrea Nguyen offers vegetarian Vietnamese recipes for the home cook. Bill Addison finds comfort at Luyixian in Alhambra. Chef Evan Funke shops for Swiss chard to use at his eponymous new Beverly Hills restaurant.

Abra Berens, a native Michigander, uses peak-of-the-season fruits in a wide array of preparations. From the Underground Railroad to the Oregon Trail, KCRW's Tyler Boudreaux traces the history of the Black Republican cherry. High in sugar and acid, cherries are in full swing at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, and Clemence de Lutz has a recipe for the clafoutis she grew up making. Banana diversity in India makes the fruit ubiquitous and vital to the country's culture, as anthropologist Deepa Reddy explains. Kate Lebo's curiosity about fruit is endless, despite all the pits and its brief window of ripeness.

Ron Salisbury reminisces on 100 years of El Cholo, California's oldest Mexican restaurant, opened by his grandparents in 1923. Antonia Hitchens reports from the Taco Bell innovation kitchen on the frontlines of the stunt food wars. Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral join forces for the perfect asada. British writer Louise Gray evaluates how far her produce travels compared to fruit and veg for a typical Californian. Parked at Sunset Triangle Plaza, blue food truck Simón doles out mariscos and asada with a twist.

Anissa Helou explains the importance of preserving your heritage through food. With the world, and New York Times critic at large Tejal Rao, watching, grandmothers are the new influencers of the online kitchen. California girl Claire Ptak moved to London; her new cookbook pays homage to both homes. Based in Amsterdam, Natasja Sadi imitates nature to create floral arrangements using sugar. Chef Chris Ono shops for blooming produce at the farmer's market. Finally, Asma Khan runs the only professional Indian kitchen in the world with an all-female staff; she pays tribute to the woman behind the food in her latest cookbook.

Oliver Kaplan shares his method for making a 1st Place blueberry pie. Nevada Berg holes up in her cozy Norwegian farmhouse where she bakes along with the seasons. Scientist and historian Marci R. Baranski explores the legacy of the Green Revolution and its effects on the global wheat market. Filmmaker Raj Patel shines a light on Anita Chitaya, who fights climate change from her village in Malawi. Minh Phan reopens Historic Filipinotown favorite Porridge + Puffs. Chef David Almany searches for lettuces and fresh veg for his crudité platters at the farmer's market, steps away from his restaurant.

With nearly 40% of the food bought in the U.S. tossed out, Tamar Adler finds delicious destinies for leftovers. The pandemic and an impulse to curb food waste led Balo Orozco to create Sunset Cultures, an artisanal kombucha and preserves company. Expat Nancy Singleton Hachisu, an expert on Japanese home cooking, showcases vegetarian dishes in her latest cookbook. Bill Esparza espouses the mariscos life and shares two local recommendations for Sinaloan seafood. Professor Linda J. Seligmann illuminates the politics of quinoa, a minor crop that became a global foodstuff. At the farmer's market, Gather for Good walks the cake walk for reproductive justice.

Culinary wunderkind Flynn McGarry's memoir demonstrates passion, discipline and maturity — and he's only 24. Zee Husain cultivates laksa leaves, huacatay, sambar cucumbers and kadipatta (curry leaf) plants. Halva, a popular sweet throughout Armenia, the Middle East and India, has a deeper significance for Liana Aghajanian. Caleigh Wells breaks down everything you need to know about composting in your kitchen. Valerie Gordon explains what makes a superior custard pie, just in time for this year's Pie Contest. Bill Addison reviews Azizam, where the spring menu is filled with creative uses of fresh produce.

Los Angeles Times columnist and KCRW contributor of "Orange County Line" Gustavo Arellano discusses the importance of recognizing Anaheim's Little Arabia neighborhood. Chef José Andrés drops by to discuss his new LA restaurants and his work with World Central Kitchen. From Beijing through Mongolia to Moscow, New Orleans-based artist and author Emma Fick illustrates her journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway in watercolors. Raghavan Iyer passed away in March leaving behind a love letter to a spice blend celebrated around the world. Writer Anusha Kulal explains the significance of the savory porridge haleem and its connection to Ramadan.