Good Food
Potlikker and pork as metaphor, the story of 'LA Mexicano'
Bill Esparza reveals the inspiration behind “LA Mexicano,” and Simran Sethi sends us a report and Korean makjeok recipe from Camp Bacon. John T. Edge explores race, identity and class through the lens of Southern food in “The Potlikker Papers,” and Jonathan Gold waxes poetic about Hainan chicken rice at Side Chick. Plus: The significance of the US win at the Bocuse d’Or, and Laura Avery shops for Genoese basil at the market.
By Evan Kleiman • • 56m ListenPhoto by Rhyne Cureton
In this episode
6 stories'L.A. Mexicano'
Bill Esparza is the driving force behind Tacolandia , LA Weekly’s yearly taco fest. He’s been dubbed the Magellan of Menudo and the Captain Cook of Carnitas by Gustavo Arellano, and is an expert on the Mexican food scene in Los Angeles. All Esparza’s knowledge comes together in a new book, “ LA Mexicano: Recipes, People and Places .”
Read the story11 minA field report from Camp Bacon
Every June for the past eight years, pork lovers have descended on Ann Arbor, Michigan, to pitch their tents for Camp Bacon . Lots of bacon is consumed at the five-day event. But the bacon is really just an appetizer for the seasoned exchange of ideas and conversation that take place.
Read the story7 min'The Potlikker Papers'
Camp Bacon is a fundraiser for the Southern Foodways Alliance , a nonprofit co-founded by John T. Edge . Edge has just published a book that explores issues of race, identity and class through the lens of food in the American South. It’s called “ The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South .”
Read the story15 minJonathan Gold dines at Side Chick
Now we return to our neck of the woods to eat Hainan chicken rice with Jonathan Gold at Side Chick . It’s Johnny Lee’s latest culinary endeavor situated in the Westfield Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia. Tune in to hear why Jonathan thinks Lee’s version of the Hainanese classic stands out among the rest.
Read the story4 minWinning the gold at the Bocuse d'Or
The Bocuse d’Or is the Olympics of the culinary world. This January in Lyon, France, an American team of chefs took home the gold for the first time in 30 years. Why is the competition significant? And is the win important for the US? We called journalist Andrew Friedman to find out.
Read the story11 minThe Market Report: Genoese basil
We close out this week’s show at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Laura Avery shops for Genoese basil with Mirko Paderno, executive chef of Culina and Vinoteca at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, and farmer Logan Williams of Logan's Gardens in Silver Lake.
Read the story9 min
