Good Food
Butter Carving; The Last Supper; Sizzurp; Cheftestants
An art historian decodes the unusual meal depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's 15th Century painting, The Last Supper. Plus, market inspired Passover sides.
By Evan Kleiman • • 57m ListenPassover begins on Monday and matzah will be on many tables all throughout the eight-day holiday. Segment producer Sarah Rogozen visits a mock-matzah factory in Westwood where preschoolers learn about the history and symbolism of the unleavened bread. LA based chocolatier Jonathan Grahm says his chocolate-covered matzah is so popular that he sells it year round. Art historian Ross King details the food on the table in Leonardo da Vinci's 15th Century painting, The Last Supper, and butter carvers Jim and Marie Victor discuss the art of food sculpture. Top Chef contestant Richard Blais talks to KCRW producer Darby Maloney about what it was like to be a "cheftestant" and how his reality TV career changed his career as a chef. Producer Gillian Ferguson finds out the history of sizzurp, an illegal cocktail popularized by hip hop culture; and Jonathan Gold digs the seafood at Little Fork in Hollywood. At the market Laura Avery interviews cookbook author Amelia Saltsman about her market-inspired Passover sides and pomologist David Karp tells the story of California rhubarb.
In this episode
8 storiesMarket Report
Amelia Saltsman is the author of the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook . She is cooking a roasted carrot and sweet potato tzimmes for her Passover seder. Find a recipe on the Good Food blog .
Read the story8 minThe Matzah Factory
Good Food segment producer Sarah Rogozen tags along on a pre-school field trip to Chabad 's matzah factory in West LA. It's not a real factory, but a teaching tool - each year, in the weeks before Passover, children visit to learn how to bake the unleavened Passover bread.
Read the story4 minChocolate for Easter and Passover
Jonathan Grahm is the owner and chocolatier behind Compartes . Check out his Easter chocolates here and his chocolate covered Matzah .
Read the story7 minThe Last Supper
Ross King is an art historian. His latest book is Leonardo and the Last Supper . He explains the significance of the food on the table in Leonardo da Vinci's 15th Century painting "The Last Supper."
Read the story8 minLittle Forks and Little Plates
Jonathan Gold visits Little Fork , a new restaurant in Hollywood helmed by chef Jason Travi. The restaurant is named after the small forks often used for eating shellfish. He recommends ordering the clams casino, Portuguese mussels, crispy head cheese, smoked meat poutine, duck confit, and lobster roll.
Read the story5 minThe Life of a Cheftestant
Darby Maloney produces The Business on KCRW. She talks to Top Chef's Richard Blais about how leveraging the TV exposure he had on the various iterations of the Top Chef franchise has helped him build a career in the entertainment business as a celebrity chef. Blais has a new cookbook out called Try This at Home .
Read the story9 minThe Story of Sizzurp
Good Food producer Gillian Ferguson reports on the history of sizzurp, a recreational drug that contains codeine promethazine cough syrup, soda and jolly ranchers. After high-profile rapper Lil Wayne was hospitalized from a suspected sizzurp binge, nationwide scrutiny over the cocktail ensued.
Read the story7 minButter Carving
Jim and Marie Victor are butter carvers. Prior to filming of the recent movie Butter , actors spent a day with the Victors learning the craft of butter carving. Check out some of their sculptures .
Read the story9 min
