Good Food

Good Food takes to the sea this week, starting with Aussie chef Josh Niland who discusses how his butchery handles a fish, prolonging its shelf life up to four weeks and using all but two parts in his kitchen. Paul Greenberg supports a diet of smaller, plankton-eating fish such as anchovies, sardines and herring rather than taking Omega-3 supplements. Trevor Corson explains the curious mating rituals of lobsters. Stephanie Mutz is one of two women who dive for uni off the coast of Santa Barbara. Inspired by the seafood shacks on the beach, Chef Gabriela Cámara brought the ocean to her restaurant in Mexico City. Up the coast, Renee Erickson brings a French culinary education and time in Normandy to her Seattle restaurants.

Good Food host Evan Kleiman is a born and bred Angeleno. This week she speaks to Elizabeth Ito, the animator and creator of “City of Ghosts,” a six-episode Netflix series which Kleiman describes as “a love letter to Los Angeles.” Journalist Emilie Friedlander used Google as her metaphoric magnifying glass and fingerprint kit on her wild goose chase to uncover the origins of “F*cking Good Pizza.” Chef Eric Ripert knows his way around seafood and turns his focus to vegetables in his latest cookbook. Summer squash has hit the farmer’s market. Finally, Eater LA’s Farley Elliott has the story behind El Pato hot sauce.

As the world opens back up, food and travel writer Yasmin Khan explores what locals and refugees are eating in three Eastern Mediterranean countries. Master gardener and fruit tree specialist Alyssa Kahn has ideas about what to do with the wild mustard flourishing across the Southland. Doug Bierend documents the people leading the current mushroom movement. Chef Chris Yang estimates that his restaurant in Alhambra pivoted five times during the pandemic before reopening last month. Professor Emily Contois discusses the intersection of men and food in the media. Finally, it’s a celebration of strawberries at the farmer’s market.

There’s something special about the relationship between a boy and his mom. In anticipation of Mother’s Day, Good Food hears from Eric Kim, who returned home to Atlanta to work on his upcoming cookbook with his mom. This week’s “In the Weeds” takes listeners to Woon Kitchen in Historic Filipinotown, where Keegan Fong and Mama Fong are making a mean bowl of beef noodles. Farmer Lee Jones shares how his family’s rags-to-riches farm went bust but rebuilt with vegetables that are sought after by the world’s best chefs. Edible flowers are blooming at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. Artist and illustrator Lindsay Gardner pays homage to 112 women in the food world. Finally, Bill Esparza is excited about a lechon taco that can be found in the city of Cudahy.

Spices are used every day to give our food character and identity, and the spice trade was a blueprint for colonization and capitalism. But the spices themselves are magical gifts that bring together nature, culture, flavor, and tradition. To witness the resilience of culture and of community, just follow how spices, and in particular spice blends, travel with diasporas across the globe.

Also this week, Dr. David Shorter of UCLA shares how his team documents the history of foods for healing and wellness. Scott Hattis celebrates the Latin pantry. Food writer Leah Siefeld uncovers the origins of Old Bay. Chef Anas Atassi shares how sumac is used in the kitchen throughout the day in Syria. Fava beans are sprouting up at the farmer’s market. Finally, an Italian institution on Beverly Boulevard is the focus of this week’s “In the Weeds.”

It’s the second week of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world gather together to fast and reflect. Chef Anas Atassi shares ways he is breaking the fast. SÜPRMARKT founder Olympia Auset discusses the dearth of healthy food options in South LA. Carmen Dianne and Kara Still were catalyzed by the pandemic to create Prosperity Market, a roving farmer’s market to uplift Black businesses. Stacy Michelson creates whimsical drawings to inspire people to eat and shop well. Bita Rabhan shares the story of her family’s immigration and their bakery takeover in this week’s “In the Weeds.” Finally, LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison delivers his recommendations for LA pizza.

“Food is a love language between a lot of parents and their children,” Michelle Zauner tells host Evan Kleiman. In her new memoir, Zauner recounts the solace she took in learning to cook Korean dishes after her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Lyn Nguyen describes the unlikely pairing between her chef mother and the woman who took her in as a refugee from Vietnam. Chef Brandon Jew shares his prodigal son story of returning to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Sheldon Simeon talks about how different cultures make do with what’s on hand to come together as Hawaiian cuisine. Chase Valencia brings Filipino rotisserie to Lasita for this week’s “In the Weeds.” Finally, squash blossoms have returned to the farmer’s market.

Need a hug straight out of the oven? A tray of chocolate chip cookies may just do the trick. Roxana Jullapat has a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is simple, using one of seven types of flours. Jeremy Konner and Erika Thormahlen, the creators of “Waffles + Mochi” on Netflix, explain how Michelle Obama and a duo of puppets share the small screen while introducing children to basic ingredients and how they’re eaten around the world. Ria Dolly Barbosa celebrates the one year anniversary of Petite Peso in this week’s installment of “In the Weeds.” Chef Analiese Gregory traded in a professional kitchen for living off the land in Tasmania. Chef Curtis Stone is up to his elbows in flour for his latest venture in Beverly Hills. Plus, Steph Chen of Sugarbear Bakes shops at the farmer’s market for a “Gather for Good” AAPI fundraiser.

In response to the escalating violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Karen Tongson guest hosts this week’s Good Food, asking several women to share their stories. Tongson chairs the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies at USC, where she teaches a Food Culture and Food Politics class.

Tongson leads a roundtable discussion with Chef Minh Phan and food writer Esther Tseng on AAPI representation, authenticity, and stereotypes within the hospitality industry. Restaurateur Lien Ta reflects on her childhood in her mother’s nail salons and the value of labor following the Atlanta shootings. Saehee Cho shares the story behind her grocery delivery initiative, Soon Mini, which blends her pursuits of food, the arts, and activism. Finally, Professor Dorinne Kay Kondo spotlights the ignorance of representing the AAPI community in cooking competition shows, something she refers to as “discomfort TV.”

It’s Spring Break. Good Food is taking that quite literally — taking stock over the last year and hitting pause to recharge and set new intentions, while looking back on previous segments that celebrate the season. Rachel Khong catalogs the history of egg recipes and the phenomena of raising chickens. Rabbi Carol Balin connects the dots between Passover and Maxwell House Coffee. Rabbi Shumly Yanklowitz shares substitutions to compose a vegan Seder plate. Food writer Michal Korkosz describes a meatless Polish Easter. Ilana Sharlin Stone describes a pickled fish popular in South African Easters. Tinky Weisblat advocates eating rhubarb. Finally, Doug Whynott chronicles a family of maple syrup producers in the Northeast.