Does music make you hungry?

Michael Ruhlman was on the bill with the acclaimed musical performance group, the LA Chamber Orchestra. Works by Rossini, Puccini, Schoenfield and de Falla were performed with introductions by Ruhlman about the influence of music on food, and vice versa. We talked with the “maestro chef” before Thursday’s appearance. He says cooking is just as much a performance art as playing the cello. Listen:

This is the first installment of a 3-part “Westside Connections” series to explore the connections between the culinary and the musical. (Next featured chef is our own Jonathan Gold.)