Good Food
Restaurants pivot, Pie Pageant, chile peppers
Many restaurants have closed, and others who’ve remained open have adjusted their business models to rely on takeout and delivery. We hear from restaurateurs and a chef on adapting to this new normal.
By Evan Kleiman • • 56m ListenMany restaurants have closed, and others who’ve remained open have adjusted their business models to rely on takeout and delivery. We hear from restaurateurs and a chef on adapting to this new normal. Also, we were unable to hold our annual Good Food Pie Contest in-person, so we turned it into a Pie Pageant on Instagram. Winners for the Best Story and Prettiest Pie share their inspirations. Finally, chile pepper is synonymous with Chinese cuisine, but that wasn’t always the case. Its history in the country may surprise you.
In this episode
6 storiesUncertainty is on the menu as restaurants navigate business decisions
When Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that restaurants had to halt dine-in service, the industry shifted to takeout and delivery models.
Read the story18 minUS restaurants band together to feed out-of-work staff
A day after restaurants were forced to close in Kentucky, a line formed outside 610 Magnolia, a Louisville-based restaurant.
Read the story9 minKCRW’s annual Pie Contest turned into an online pageant. We have the winners
When KCRW understood that it would be impossible to conduct our annual Good Food Pie Contest in person, we had to think of an alternative.
Read the story5 minHow chile peppers transformed China’s cuisine and culture
When considering Sichuan or Hunan dishes, it’s impossible to eliminate the role of the chile pepper. History professor Brian Dott explores how the non-native pepper went from obscurity to ubiquity.
Read the story8 minHow chili crisp adds extra flavor to anything, from eggs to ice cream
If you’re living out of your pantry, have you ever eaten chili crisp? One spoonful — on anything — could make you an addict to this ingredient. Jenny Gao founded a line of Sichuan chili crisps called Fly by Jing .
Read the story8 minHow to make inventive dishes using your CSA box
Market correspondent Gillian Ferguson updates us on farmers market closures. She checks in with Marie-Alise de Marco, who manages the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Farmers Market.
Read the story9 min
