Good Food
Loving Ugly Produce, LA's Filipino Food Boom, Indian Spice Blends
This week we meet a food activist campaigning to save ugly fruit and vegetables from becoming dumpster fare and Akasha Richmond educates us on her favorite Indian spice blends. Plus, we learn about Filipino food from chef Charles Olalia and the Valencia brothers behind LASA, a once-monthly pop up at Elysian.
By Evan Kleiman • • 57m ListenPhoto: Jésus Bañuelos
In this episode
8 storiesFilipino Food Meets California Cuisine at LASA
Brothers Chase and Chad Valencia are the duo behind LASA , a monthly Filipino-inspired pop up at Elysian. Their next dinner is this Friday, July 31 . Reservations will be available starting this Monday the 27. Follow LASA on Instagram or sign up for the email list to find out when reservations become available.
Read the story11 minRice Bar Brings the Philippines to DTLA
Chef Charles Olalia was born in the Philippines, but he's been cooking in California and New York for the last 12 years. After a career in fine-dining he decided to return to his roots and explore Filipino ingredients and flavors. Together with Santos Uy he opened Rice Bar , a Filipino-inspired rice bowl concept in downtown LA.
Read the story8 minJonathan Gold Reviews Belcampo
Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer for the LA Times. This week he reviews Belcampo , a Santa Monica. It is the Southern California flagship for Belcampo Meat Company, the first vertically integrated meat company to oversee their animals from the ranch to the table.
Read the story6 minThe Six Spice Blends of Akasha Richmond's Sambar
Akasha Richmond is chef-owner of her namesake restaurant Akasha in downtown Culver City. Her newest concept is Sambar , an Indian inspired restaurant right next door. We talk about her decision to open the restaurant and how she incorporates spice blends into her menu. Music: "Cities in the Air" by Pepe Deluxe
Read the story9 minWorried About Food Waste? Embrace Ugly Fruit
Jordan Figueiredo is a food waste activist from Oakland, California who believes in what he calls "Fun Activism." His Ugly Fruit and Veg instagram feed uses images of anthropomorphic carrots and bumpy tomatoes to raise awareness of how much nutritious, but cosmetically imperfect fruit we send to the dumpster.
Read the story7 minMarket Report
This week market manager Laura Avery catches up with Brian Dunsmoor, executive chef and co-owner of the newly opened Hatchet Hall in Culver City. He is shopping for tomatoes for his sliced tomato dish and for corn with which he makes both creamed corn and corn milk.
Read the story6 minPaella: The Perfect Campfire Food
Corina Weibel is the chef-owner at Canele in Atwater Village. She tells us why paella is a great cookout food for summer. Music: "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by The Temptations
Read the story7 minComedian Jonah Ray Digs Haupia Pie
Comedian Jonah Ray hails from Kailua, Oahu. He co-hosts The Nerdist podcast and Comedy Central's The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail . When asked about his favorite pie, he remembered a haupia pie that he ate growing up on the north shore.
Read the story2 min
