Good Food
The Mandarin Boom, Monocropping vs. Cacao, Chefs with Issues
Fruit Detective David Karp cracks the curious case of California’s mandarin boom. Journalist Simran Sethi explains how monocrops are changing the taste and makeup of our favorite foods. And Tasting Table's Kat Kinsman talks about her new online repository that collects stories about working in kitchens.
By Evan Kleiman • • 58m ListenPhoto: Sumo mandarin hybrid (David Karp)
In this episode
6 storiesThe curious case of California's mandarin boom
Florida may have an orange on its license plate but California has taken over the mandarin orange market. Popular pomologist David Karp — yes, you may know him as the "Fruit Detective" — explains why the cultivation of mandarins in the Golden State has increased ten-fold since the late 1990's.
Read the story14 minThere will be blood… oranges
Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is Sunday. This year might we recommend a seasonal cocktail to sip with your valentine? At the Santa Monica Farmers' Marke t, The Walker Inn 's Katie Emmerson teaches us to make a mean Manhattan with blood oranges. We've got the recipe on the Good Food blog.
Read the story7 minMonocrops vs. chocolate and beer
Now that we've got you covered for the weekend's cocktails, let's move onto another important Valentine's Day tradition: the chocolate exchange. It may surprise you to learn that most of the bonbons, truffles and heart-shaped candies eaten on February 14 come from just a few different cacao bean varieties.
Read the story8 minTry abalone dumplings and fried-chicken knees at Grand Harbor
Lunar New Year celebrations are in full swing in LA. If you're in the mood for a serious Hong Kong-style feast — we're talking steamed baby abalone dumplings and deep-fried chicken knees with spicy salt — Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer for the LA Times Jonathan Gold recommends Grand Harbor in Temple City.
Read the story8 minGrill paiche like the Godfather of Peruvian Cuisine
The man behind the restaurants Mo-Chica, Picca and Paiche has added a cookbook to his resume. Ricardo Zarate 's The Fire of Peru: Recipes and Stories from My Peruvian Kitchen " takes readers through the diverse culinary landscape and ingredients of Peru. He wrote the book with LA Times food writer Jenn Garbee.
Read the story8 minLet's hear it for the chefs
Hours before the release of the 2016 Michelin Guide, 44-year-old chef Benoit Violier took his own life. Violier's restaurant Restaurant, de l'Hôtel de Ville, in Switzerland got three Michelin stars in 2015 and ranked at the top of France's La Liste guide.
Read the story10 min
