Joining us today on the podcast is our very own Prodigal Father-turned-television correspondent, Father Sal. If you have a Hulu subscription, a Netflix subscription or a keen eye for billboards, you’ve probably seen an ad for one of David Chang’s many shows recently. Sal and I are going to do a bit of a deep dive into the world of Chrissy & Dave Dine Out, his show on Hulu with Chrissy Teigen and Joel Kim Booster in which they dine at LA restaurants with celebrity friends. Yes, it’s a classic LA Food Pod slice and dice of whether a food show is worth watching or not, but it’s also a larger conversation on what makes for a good food show in general, what it means to do Los Angeles’ food scene justice, and David Chang’s status within pop culture-at-large. 

But first, we’re going to carve up a couple of news stories that whet our appetite this week. There’s a fantastic New York Times interview with 30 chefs on topics like tipping and Gen Z employees, a GrubHub lawsuit that stands to threaten the very existence of food delivery apps in California, and a lukewarm albeit detailed debate about the merits of tuna sandwiches. 

Helpful links:

Chrissy & Dave Dine Out https://www.freeform.com/shows/chrissy-and-dave-dine-out

NYT interview with 30 chefs https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/dining/chefs-state-of-the-restaurant-industry.html

GrubHub in trouble https://la.eater.com/2024/2/22/24080398/los-angeles-county-lawsuit-grubhub-deceptive-business-practices-customers-drivers-restaurants

Carla Cafe https://la.eater.com/2024/2/26/24079376/carla-cafe-los-angeles-sandwich-shop-west-third-beverly-grove-avi-ahdoot

Infatuation smashburger rankings https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/best-smashburgers-los-angeles

Southern Smoke Foundation mental health resources https://southernsmoke.org/mental-health/