Good Food
Cracker Barrel, Preserving Mexican Heirloom Corn, Chef Enrique Olvera
This week LA Weekly food critic Besha Rodell breaks down her long-standing fascination with the Southern-themed restaurant, Cracker Barrel. Plus, chef Carlos Salgado of Taco María explains the importance of preserving Mexican heirloom corn; and internationally acclaimed chef Enrique Olvera contemporizes traditional Mexican cuisine.
By Evan Kleiman • • 57m ListenPhoto: DYLAN + JENI
In this episode
6 storiesA Trip to Cracker Barrel
Besha Rodell is the restaurant critic for the LA Weekly. She has long been fascinated with Cracker Barrel , a Southern country-themed chain restaurant that’s part-dining room/part-gift shop. The brand's questionable history and booming success were the subject of a presentation she gave last weekend at the Southern Foodways Symposium .
Read the story10 minJonathan Gold Reviews Le Comptoir
Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer for the Los Angeles Times. This week he reviews Le Comptoir , an intimate ten-seat restaurant located in Koreatown that features a highly seasonal produce-inspired tasting menu that changes daily.
Read the story9 minOff the Menu: Asian America
Grace Lee is an award-winning filmmaker. Her new documentary, Off the Menu: Asian America , is a road trip into the kitchens, factories, temples and farms of Asian Pacific America that explores food as a reflection of these evolving communities.
Read the story9 minThe Fight to Save Mexico's Heirloom Corn
After a federal court lifted a two-year-old ban that had previously prevented biotech companies from planting genetically modified corn in Mexico, a coalition of chefs who call themselves Colectivo Mexicano de Cocina have organized to preserve the country's sixty native varieties of corn.
Read the story9 minEnrique Olvera: Reinterpreting Mexico from the Inside Out
Enrique Olvera is today's most celebrated Mexican chef. His marquee restaurant, Pujol , in Mexico City, ranks number 16 on San Pellegrino's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Just last year, he opened Cosme in New York to critical acclaim.
Read the story12 minMarket Report
Laura Avery is the market manager at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market . This week she speaks with Alex Ageneau, the executive chef at Aestus, who is shopping for Brown Sugar persimmons for his Grilled Persimmon Salad recipe, which you can find on the Good Food blog .
Read the story7 min
