Good Food

Anissa Helou explains the importance of preserving your heritage through food. With the world, and New York Times critic at large Tejal Rao, watching, grandmothers are the new influencers of the online kitchen. California girl Claire Ptak moved to London; her new cookbook pays homage to both homes. Based in Amsterdam, Natasja Sadi imitates nature to create floral arrangements using sugar. Chef Chris Ono shops for blooming produce at the farmer's market. Finally, Asma Khan runs the only professional Indian kitchen in the world with an all-female staff; she pays tribute to the woman behind the food in her latest cookbook. 

Oliver Kaplan shares his method for making a 1st Place blueberry pie. Nevada Berg holes up in her cozy Norwegian farmhouse where she bakes along with the seasons. Scientist and historian Marci R. Baranski explores the legacy of the Green Revolution and its effects on the global wheat market. Filmmaker Raj Patel shines a light on Anita Chitaya, who fights climate change from her village in Malawi. Minh Phan reopens Historic Filipinotown favorite Porridge + Puffs. Chef David Almany searches for lettuces and fresh veg for his crudité platters at the farmer's market, steps away from his restaurant.

With nearly 40% of the food bought in the U.S. tossed out, Tamar Adler finds delicious destinies for leftovers. The pandemic and an impulse to curb food waste led Balo Orozco to create Sunset Cultures, an artisanal kombucha and preserves company. Expat Nancy Singleton Hachisu, an expert on Japanese home cooking, showcases vegetarian dishes in her latest cookbook. Bill Esparza espouses the mariscos life and shares two local recommendations for Sinaloan seafood. Professor Linda J. Seligmann illuminates the politics of quinoa, a minor crop that became a global foodstuff. At the farmer's market, Gather for Good walks the cake walk for reproductive justice.

Culinary wunderkind Flynn McGarry's memoir demonstrates passion, discipline and maturity — and he's only 24. Zee Husain cultivates laksa leaves, huacatay, sambar cucumbers and kadipatta (curry leaf) plants. Halva, a popular sweet throughout Armenia, the Middle East and India, has a deeper significance for Liana Aghajanian. Caleigh Wells breaks down everything you need to know about composting in your kitchen. Valerie Gordon explains what makes a superior custard pie, just in time for this year's Pie Contest. Bill Addison reviews Azizam, where the spring menu is filled with creative uses of fresh produce.

Los Angeles Times columnist and KCRW contributor of "Orange County Line" Gustavo Arellano discusses the importance of recognizing Anaheim's Little Arabia neighborhood. Chef José Andrés drops by to discuss his new LA restaurants and his work with World Central Kitchen. From Beijing through Mongolia to Moscow, New Orleans-based artist and author Emma Fick illustrates her journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway in watercolors. Raghavan Iyer passed away in March leaving behind a love letter to a spice blend celebrated around the world. Writer Anusha Kulal explains the significance of the savory porridge haleem and its connection to Ramadan.

Lizzie Stark hatches stories exploring the cultural history and uses of eggs while sharing her personal story. Cookbook author Irina Georgescu hungered for familiar Easter recipes while baking her way through the overlapping cultures of Romania. Tove Danovich loves raising backyard chickens, a tradition that dates back to her great-grandmother. Margot Anne Kelley revisits utopian back-to-the-land movements throughout American history. Craig McNamara turned to restorative farming as he grappled with the legacy of his father's involvement in the Vietnam War. 

Kate Reid was a successful Formula 1 engineer who designed race cars before shifting gears to make croissants. Jennifer Yee makes vegan croissants at Bakers Bench, where she uses a plant-based substitute for butter. Tejal Rao breaks down "Party Down," the series about the mundane lives of LA cater waiters. Chanie Apfelbaum puts a fresh spin on Passover favorites while remaining "Totally Kosher." Paula Forbes weighs in on the great bay leaf debate.

If RuPaul, Rose Nylund and Julia Child had a baby, she'd be Bertha Mason, a Midwestern pie-baking drag queen with a killer sour cream and raisin pie recipe. Shanita Nicholas and Amanda-Jane Thomas put their legal careers in the rearview mirror to open a coffee spot in Inglewood to inspire community.  “Fresh is boring,” according to fishmonger Liwei Liao, who operates the only market dry-aging fish in the country at The Joint along Ventura Boulevard. Neither rain nor hail can stop chefs from frequenting the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market.

Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace opened South LA Cafe with a mission to fight racial, social and economic inequality. Their next project? Overseeing the Natural History Museum's entire food and beverage program. The first season of "The Last of Us" concluded last Sunday, and mushrooms played a big role in this new, dystopian world. Tejal Rao asks: Are fungi here to destroy us or save us? Visoth Tarak Ouk aka Chef T was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to parents who survived the genocide of the Khmer regime in Cambodia. His family eventually settled  in Long Beach, where the chef developed a love for cooking and became a pillar of Southern California's Khmer community. Planning to enter the cream category of this year's PieFest? Margarita Manzke of Republique, Manzke, and Sari Sari is a judge, and she has tips on how to win a ribbon. From Haruki Murakami's stir fry to Maurice Sendak's chicken soup with rice, Adrienne LaFrance recalls the 12 most unforgettable descriptions of food in literature. Finally, Bill Addison finds Shanghainese cuisine among a field of Sichuan-dominant restaurants.

Just in time for the Academy Awards, journalist and historian Hadley Meares uncovers two of LA's earliest celebrity restaurants. Tejal Rao, critic at large at the New York Times and a KCRW PieFest judge, talks about the beauty, the versatility, and the wow factor of savory pie. "The McSatan" and "The Bruja" are on the menu at Evil Cooks where Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta are on a mission to "Make Tacos Great Again." JR Ryall went from student to pastry chef at Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland. At the farmers market, blood oranges are getting a squeeze.