Good Food
The Future of Street Food; Vegan Twinkies; Date History
Sidewalk food vendors are a mainstay in Los Angeles, but their operations are illegal. Now vendors are fighting to legalize and legitimize real street food.
By Evan Kleiman • • 57m ListenWhen was the last time you ordered a taco or a pupusa from a sidewalk stand? Did you know that that cart is illegal? KCRW's Saul Gonzalez reports on why Los Angeles is the only large metropolitan city in the US to ban sidewalk vending. Hostess Brands announced last week that the company is going out of business, but Twinkie fans don't despair, blogger Jennifer McCann says you can make Twinkies at home (and they're vegan too!). Iraqi native Nawal Nasrallah guides us through the history of the date, and Dave Ritchie educates us on the Parker House roll. Portland chef Greg Higgins shares his experience making sausage in Mongolia, where per capita meat consumption is a whopping 200 pounds per year. Noted cookbook author and pastry chef Alice Medrich has some sweet ideas for homemade ice cream toppings. Plus, Jonathan Gold discovers a Chinese restaurant menu that is as massive and impressive as the September issue of Vogue.
Banner image: A Los Angeles street vendor's pupusas cook on a portable griddle. Photo by Saul Gonzalez
In this episode
8 storiesMarket Report
Chef Evan Funke's new restaurant Bucato is scheduled to open this December. This week Funke is shopping for Hachiya persimmons that aren't fully ripe. He likes to chop them up and sautee them with brown butter and sage. He tosses the roasted persimmons with chestnuts and serves the mixture atop burrata.
Read the story7 minVegan Twinkies
Jennifer McCann is the author of The Vegan Lunchbox and The Vegan Lunchbox Around the World which are based on her award-winning blog, VeganLunchBox.com . When her son came home asking for a Twinkie she was determined to make him a vegan replica. A recipe for her vegan Twinkie is on the Good Food blog .
Read the story4 minThe Legality of Street Food Vendors in Los Angeles
KCRW's Saul Gonzalez talks to Los Angeles street vendors who sell food and beverages from sidewalk push carts. Unlike food trucks sidewalk vending is illegal in LA. He shares the stories of several vendors and outlines the fight to legalize their operations . See photos and hear his story here .
Read the story8 minThe History of the Date
Iraqi native Nawal Nasrallah is the author of Delights from the Garden of Eden : A Cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine. Her recipe for date sweetmeat is here .
Read the story8 minMaking Sausage in Mongolia
Earlier this year, Portland chef Greg Higgins of Higgins Restaurant visited Mongolia as part of Mercy Corps' Farmer to Farmer project . There he shared his sausage and charcuterie expertise with local butchers. Read Higgins' blog posts about his experience here .
Read the story9 minHomemade Ice Cream Toppings
Alice Medrich is a pastry chef and noted cookbook author of several books on baking. Her latest book is Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts . She shares some easy ideas for homemade ice cream toppings from candied nuts to a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. A recipe from Alice's book is on the Good Food blog .
Read the story8 minThe History of the Parker House Roll
Dave Ritchie is Director of Sales and Marketing at the Omni Parker House in Downtown Boston. One of the oldest hotels in America, the Parker House invented several iconic American dishes including the Parker House Roll, the Boston Cream Pie and even the term " Scrod ."
Read the story6 minA Beautiful Menu and the Best Fried Rice
Jonathan Gold visits Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village in the San Gabriel Valley. He says this is the most interesting restaurant to open in the SGV in years and gushes about the exquisite menu which is the size of "the September issue of Vogue."
Read the story9 min
