Good Food

Spring has sprung and celebrations are here. Chef Hanif Sadr speaks about the cuisine of Northern Iran and Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Bon Appétit executive editor Sonia Chopra shares memories of the Hindu holiday, Holi, with dishes to make for a home celebration. Ojai pixies are making an appearance at the farmer’s market. Dan Pashman has conquered his proverbial windmill and created a new pasta shape. Taco maestro Bill Esparza is hosting an all-you-can-eat residency in the Arts District. Finally, Monica Ramirez and Enrique Rodriguez speak about continuing the legacy of Francisco “Pancho” Ramirez and his vision of a multifaceted business built on family for this week’s “In the Weeds.”

It’s now 52 weeks since the restaurants, bars, gyms and schools first shut down, not knowing what the future looked like. Good Food speaks with chefs, activists, and farmers about their experiences over this year of transformation. Musician and rapper Hugh Augustine turned to vegan cooking when his promotional tour was canceled. Lisa Gross moved her intimate classes at League of Kitchens to a digital platform. Yoonjin Hwang shares the ups and downs of her restaurant, Spoon by H, in this week’s installments of “In the Weeds.” Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Executive Director Michael Flood reflects on the assistance provided to Angelenos over the last 12 months. Ricardo Castorena is the man behind the party van in the Central Valley, distributing PPE and good vibes to farm workers. At the farmer’s market, purveyors recount the last year using one word.

Whether cooking basmati, jasmine or red, everyone has a way to make rice. Measure up to the first knuckle? Wash until the water runs clear? Stovetop or rice cooker with bells and whistles? This week, Good Food gets granular with rice — how it's grown, how it's cooked, and how it's eaten. Dr. Amber Spry opens her identity politics class each semester by asking students to share how their family cooked rice. Culinarian historian Michael Twitty shares how red rice came to the American South by way of Western African. Rice royalty Robin Koda documents her family’s legacy of growing Japanese rice in California. Matt Goulding explores the controversy over paella in Spain. The history of the rice cooker is explained by Anne Ewbank. Finally, Sophia Parsa is making tahdigs with her mother for this week’s edition of “In the Weeds.”

Host Evan Kleiman knows her pasta. This week on Good Food, she talks to Dan Pashman, who she has been advising on his quest to engineer a brand new pasta shape. Scott Daigre of Tomatomania! is back with his annual seedling sale just in time for spring. Gillian Ferguson talks turnips at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. Professor Alex Susskind discusses how restaurants are embracing operations and learning to shift costs to the consumer. Michelin-starred chef Dave Beran of Pasjoli shares how his menu shifted to takeout for this week’s edition of “In the Weeds.” Finally, J. Kenji López-Alt provides a science lesson on what happens when water boils.

Good Food recognizes Black History Month by looking back on conversations with revered voices from the culinary world. Jessica B. Harris recounts her youth in New York City, rubbing elbows and cooking with James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison. Chef Marcus Samuelsson discusses the Black experience and the pillars of Black food in modern American cuisine. Dr. Howard Conyers is a rocket scientist at NASA, as well as a pitmaster. Using his experience in mechanical engineering, Dr. Conyers demonstrates his barbecue prowess in the PBS series, “ Nourish .” Yemisi Aribisala reflects on Nigerian cuisine. Finally, Cook’s Country editor Toni Tipton-Martin discusses her book, “Jubilee,” and her desire to shift philosophies of food stories and family recipes.

In anticipation of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Chef Brandon Kida revisits his childhood and love for Pioneer Chicken with his latest venture, Go Go Bird. San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho suggests embracing the chaos of pandemic pop-ups and takeout culture. Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison has recommendations from around the world right here in LA. Pomelos are in season at the farmer’s market in time for Chinese New Year. Jessica Wu reports on the FDA’s approval of genetically modified pigs. Tezeta Alemayehu shares opening her Ethiopian-inspired vegetarian restaurant during the onset of the pandemic for this week’s installment of “In the Weeds.”

Sri Rao brings his book about Indian cuisine and film to the stage as he presents “Bollywood Kitchen” at the Geffen Playhouse. Mashama Bailey and John Morisano opened The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, and in their new book, they tackle race, gender, class, and culture while building their business and friendship. Charlene Wang reports on the lingering issues of colonialism in the world of tea. Bill Esparza examines the popularity of birria, from Tijuana to Canada. Cauliflower is in season at the farmer’s market. Finally, Monica May describes how the diverse downtown LA community saved her Nickel Diner during the pandemic.

Lou Amdur recommends which wines to drink with purpose this year. Alexis Nikole Nelson (aka Black Forager) connects to nature by exploring her surroundings, which has made her a TikTok star. After the Bobcat Fire, Gloria Putnam is rebuilding her property with a herd of goats in the San Gabriel Mountains. Margaret Magat explores the traditional and popular cultural contexts of eating balut. Natalia Pereira shares her heritage and Brazilian home cooking for this week’s installment of “In The Weeds.” Finally, making breakfast burritos with peewee potatoes.

This week’s Good Food is a metaphoric grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup — an hour of comfort and distraction from a headshaking news cycle. Lydia Clarke operates DTLA Cheese with her sister in the historic Grand Central Market and describes how they flipped their business model on its head in this week’s segment of “In the Weeds.” Rachel Handler’s question of “Where has all the bucatini gone?” led her to a Nancy Drew investigation. Sophie Minchilli checks in from Rome with her version of the perfect amatriciana. Kim Prince and Lien Ta have details on the upcoming “Regarding Her,” a food festival with 100 of Los Angeles’ top female chefs and restaurateurs. Finally, citrus is in season at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.

The new year is an opportunity to scale back and reflect. While events at the Capitol stirs a brew of complicated emotions, Good Food takes a deep breath and starts the week with the power of simply planting a seed. Kazi Pitelka guides new gardeners on what to plant now. Peter Miller describes the zen of washing a sink full of dirty dishes. Cook’s Country editor Toni Tipton-Martin discusses her book, “Jubilee,” and her desire to shift philosophies of food stories and family recipes. Dakota Kim shares how her mother’s pandemic anxiety influenced the way she stocked the refrigerator. Chef Daniel Patterson shops for greens at the Santa Monica’s Farmer’s Market. Chef Glen Ishii keeps his family’s chashu marinade alive in Little Tokyo for this week’s segment of “In the Weeds.”