Acquired Taste Food Podcasts

Are the Dodgers ruining baseball? LaSorted's Pizza founder Tommy Brockert has some thoughts. And as the man behind one of LA's most beloved Dodgers hangouts, he's got a pretty good seat for the drama.

In this episode of The LA Food Podcast Interviews, Luca Servodio sits down with Tommy Brockert at LaSorted's Chinatown to talk Dodgers dominance, why he calls his restaurant "Dodger Disneyland," and how a former photographer who lost his livelihood during COVID wound up becoming one of Los Angeles' most recognizable pizza makers.

Tommy takes us through his unlikely journey from making sourdough pizzas on his porch to opening two wildly popular LA pizzerias, explains why he refuses to call his pizza New York-style, and shares why authenticity matters more than chasing restaurant trends. We also get into his role in founding the LA Pizza Alliance following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, his cross-country hot dog collaborations, and, naturally, his obsession with Real Housewives.

It's a conversation about pizza, the Dodgers, betting on yourself, and what it really means to build something for Los Angeles.

LINKS & MORE

🍕 LaSorted's Pizza: https://www.lasorteds.com/

📸 LaSorted's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasorteds/

🎙️ Listen to Acquired Taste Food Podcasts on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/acquired-taste-food-podcasts/id1667175207

🌴 Explore the Acquired Taste podcast network: https://www.acquiredtastemedia.com/

ABOUT THE LA FOOD PODCAST

Hosted by Luca Servodio and powered by Acquired Taste Media, The LA Food Podcast brings you conversations with LA's biggest chefs and restaurant personalities, the latest food news, strong opinions, and an unapologetic love for the greatest food city in America.

Subscribe for more interviews, restaurant stories, food debates, and everything happening in the Los Angeles dining scene.

#LaSorteds #TommyBrockert #Dodgers #LAFoodPodcast #LAPizza

Two hundred episodes in, Father Sal returns to help Luca celebrate the only way they know how: eating well and talking shit. They dig into Alta Adams, Cuernavaca’s Grill and the best bites from LA ChefCon, where conversations about restaurant economics and the future of food media raise a bigger question: who’s paying for any of this?

Then it’s Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss: an anonymous LA influencer turns refusing to tip into content, Superiority Burger’s Brooks Headley plots a mysterious Los Angeles restaurant, and breakfast burritos get the astrology treatment. Plus, Luca’s roller-coaster regrets and an airplane cookie theft that deserves its own investigation.

In Part 2, Chloe Makhani, CMO of Casaléna and Avondale Hospitality, joins Luca to discuss building a Woodland Hills destination for everything from date nights to weddings, growing a restaurant business with her siblings, and preserving the human touch as hospitality expands. They explore how Slang AI helps Casaléna handle restaurant calls while giving staff more time to focus on the guests in front of them.

This episode is sponsored by Slang AI, the AI phone concierge built specifically for restaurants. Its newly launched Superhost makes calls feel more natural, responding to a caller’s mood and following along as guests interrupt, change their minds or switch languages mid-conversation.

Run a restaurant? Learn more about Slang AI and Superhost.

Joun us for the Echo Park Pizza Crawl!

Discussed in this episode:

• The Daily: “The Restaurant Industry Is Broken” (transcript)

• No Bad Days: Brooks Headley interview

• Los Angeles Times: Jenn Harris on Masa y Taza’s breakfast burrito

  
  

  
  

Heritage Barbecue chef Danny Castillo joins Bill Esparza to explore the forgotten Mexican and Indigenous roots of California barbecue, the legacy of pioneering pitmaster Joe Romero, and how Latino chefs are reshaping American BBQ. Danny also reveals what's next for Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, from a historic barn restoration to a new dinner service, and names his three favorite Texas barbecue joints.

Plus, Bill recaps some of LA's biggest food events, including Eater Off Menu and Manhattan Beach Food & Wine, and weighs in on Asadero Los Ángeles' decision to regroup following criticism on last week's episode.

Produced by Robert Haleblian.

It’s Biscuit Week!!! Bits and Nancy are back to discuss American-style cookies, a deeply nostalgic technical, and some truly unhinged biscuit mosaics.

Plus, Nigella continues to settle into the tent, the bakers start separating themselves from the pack, and we finally have to say goodbye to someone.

Join us for our coverage of Great British Bake Off series 17!!!!!!!!!

Danny Meyer changed American dining with Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, and Shake Shack. But what happens when the hospitality guy gets it wrong? The legendary restaurateur joins Luca Servodio to discuss why his no-tipping experiment couldn’t make the math work, how listening to critics led Shake Shack astray, and why keeping Tabla open too long hurt the employees he thought he was protecting.

Plus, why Los Angeles is one of the world’s most exciting food cities, the LA restaurants he loves, and whether a 27-year-old Danny Meyer could open Union Square Cafe today. Drawing from his new book, What Could Possibly Go Right?, Danny shares candid lessons on restaurant economics, scaling hospitality, and knowing when conviction has become denial.

Can you tell which LA restaurants have outside investors just by the vibes? Karen Palmer joins Luca Servodio for “Does It Taste Like Private Equity?”, a guessing game exposing the money behind favorites like RVR, Prime Pizza, HomeState, Kismet and more. With Gen Z calling out “PE slop,” we debate whether outside investment actually makes restaurants worse, and why some independent-looking spots have institutional backing while seemingly corporate chains don’t. (For this game, “private equity” is shorthand for a broader mix of private equity, venture capital and other outside investment.)

Plus, Karen discovers standout omakase inside the Bicycle Casino, Luca revisits the reimagined Alta Adams, and we discuss Skywalker Grill and Folks Pizzeria. In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss: Langer’s wins the 2026 LA Times Gold Award, backyard Peking duck, Sang Yoon’s customizable fast-food burgers, and Eric Ripert’s Buddhist approach to kitchen culture.

It’s another Taqueando Q&A, and Bill Esparza is answering everything. Bill and Rob get into the backlash over their LA mariscos guide, what separates great ceviche and aguachile from the rest, how to tell whether an oyster is worth eating, whether King Taco invented the taco truck, the best pozole and chile en nogada in Los Angeles, where to eat in Coyoacán, and Bill’s perfect day of eating in LA.

Plus, the Antojitos Rundown hits Loreto’s Wednesday omakase, Broken Spanish Comedor, Holbox, Disciples of the Corn and Mariscos El Tambo.

Taqueando is part of Acquired Taste, bringing you deep dives into tacos, Mexican food, Los Angeles restaurants and the people behind them.

Produced by Robert Haleblian.

Nancy DaSilva and Bits Nicholas are back in the Great British Bake Off tent and we are so excited to have them here!!!

Lots to discuss on this first episode, most notably the departure of our dear Prue, the entrance of Nigella Lawson, and not one but TWO cakes on the floor.

Join us for our coverage of GBBO series 17!!!!!!!!!

Big news for the feed: Compliments to the Chef is joining Acquired Taste Media. Hosts Bits Nicholas and Nancy DeSilva join Luca to talk about their friendship, their Top Chef obsession, what they know about the next season, and the Great British Bake Off coverage coming to this feed next week.

First, they compare restaurant notes: Bits and Nancy return to Brooklyn’s reopened Ugly Baby, Luca falls hard for Little Mountain in Montecito, and somehow the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizza place in Santa Monica earns a recommendation. Then it’s Chef’s Kiss, Big Miss on restaurant theft, Daniel Humm’s boxed pasta, a home café shut down by its HOA, and George Lucas’s surprisingly restrained Skywalker Grill.

Join us at the next Pizza Run and Walk Club!

The New York Times named its 50 favorite restaurants in America, and somehow Komal is the first LA Mexican restaurant to make the list in six years. Luca and Sal break down LA selections Komal, Jacaranda and Yerord Mas Bakery & Deli, debate whether the list actually represents how America eats, and name the two Los Angeles restaurants they would have chosen instead. Plus: shrinking portions at Dune, Pawn Shop and Daisy Margarita Bar, the backlash against food influencers, “unreasonable hospitality,” and whether Crumbl even qualifies as a cookie.

Sign up for Pizza Run Club!