Do You Work Here?

Have you ever been to a party or a wedding that had an ice sculpture? Was it some sort of dolphin? Maybe a swan? What about a giraffe or an astronaut? On this episode, we're headed to LA Ice Art to meet Rex Covington. He's been carving ice since the 1980's and he's one of the best around. We'll hear about some of the biggest pieces he's done and about how he forms that ice from a 300lb block into a work of art.

For more on Rex and his sculptures: https://laiceart.com/

Get ready to get weird! We're headed to the "Oddities and Curiosities Expo" this week to take a walk on the darker side. We'll see booths with taxidermy, boxes full of creepy dolls, paintings of clowns, quack medical devices, soap named after serial killers, and funeral... collectibles? The expo is a traveling show that goes across the US and Australia. It started small but now draws more than 15,000 people each weekend. Take a look: odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com

Time to head to LAX ... but not to catch a flight. We're paying a visit to LSG Sky Chefs, one of the largest companies that provides catering to airlines. It's a huge operation that runs 24/7 and cooks up 15,000 meals each day. How is all that food prepared? How fresh is it? What are they eating up there in First Class? We'll take a look at how menus have changed over time and do a full tour from the kitchen right out to the tarmac.

Come shopping with us at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market so we can get some plants at Logan's Gardens! Logan Williams and his father have one of the only black-owned nurseries in Los Angeles and they sell things you probably haven't heard of before. We'll do some tomato talk, explore leafy greens that have a kick and take you through their mint varieties -- berries and cream, anyone? Apple? They have 80 of them! You can find Logan's Gardens Wednesdays and Saturdays in Santa Monica and at the Hollywood Farmer's Market on Sundays.

Put on your costume and grab a turkey leg because it's time for the Ren Faire! We're headed out to Irwindale for the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire. We'll watch some jousting, check out the shops, learn about glass blowing and fencing -- and maybe have a cup or two of mead. 

If you're catching this episode when it posts, find tickets for the final two weekends here: https://renfair.com/socal/

You break it, you buy it? On this episode, Mike visits Fine Art Restoration to put some things back together. The owner,  Henri Laborde, works with everyone from moving companies to museums and some of the pieces he repairs are worth thousands of dollars. Others are just sentimental. This is our last episode for this round, so send us ideas: [email protected]. Thanks!

Were the greens at your grocery store grown by a robot? If it says "Plenty" on the packaging, then yes! We take a visit to an indoor vertical farm in Compton. We'll be surrounded by big mechanical arms, grow lights, and towers full of spinach, kale, arugula and lettuce. These plants never touch human hands ... just robo-fingers.

Safety first, but we're going to blow some stuff up! For this week's episode, we're with the operators of a professional fireworks show in Manhattan Beach. We'll learn that most designers start with the soundtrack or finale first and then work backwards. And we'll hear about how most fireworks are named after flowers. No radio reporters were harmed in the taping of this podcast.

Reduce, reuse, recycle - even when it comes to water! We're learning about water treatment today with LA Sanitation, by taking millions of gallons of dirty water and making it clean. How good are the filters they use? How do they actually get all that gross stuff out? And what do they do with the water after? Hold your nose and let's get a closer look!

Have you ever been to the Last Bookstore? Even if you haven't, you might have seen it in someone's Instagram pictures. We're headed to a downtown LA landmark today to learn about what it takes to run California's largest new and used bookstore. Let's go treasure hunting through the shelves and then head up the stairs -- meet you in the book tunnel!