SoCal Restaurant Show

“Susan Spicer, the acclaimed New Orleans culinarian, began her cooking career in New Orleans as an apprentice to Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant in 1979.  Her resume includes staging with Chef Roland Durand in Paris, extensive travel in Europe and California, as well as stints as chef at Savoire Faire and the Bistro at Maison de Ville in New Orleans.”

“Spicer and Regina Keever partnered together to open Bayona in the French Quarter in the spring of 1990. With solid support from local diners and critics, Bayona soon earned national attention, countless awards and has been featured in numerous national and international publications.  Susan received the 1993 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast.”

“Susan’s first book, entitled Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer’s New Orleans, was released in 2007.  New Orleans Magazine awarded it Best New Cookbook, and it was also included in Food & Wine’s Best of the Best recipe collection

In May of 2010, Susan was inducted into the prestigious James Beard Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.”

“The same year (2010) she launched Mondo, a casual, family-style restaurant which opened in Chef Spicer’s neighborhood of Lakeview. (It was sold in 2019.) In October 2016 she opened her third restaurant, Rosedale, a neighborhood joint in a unique and historic building that serves her own style of Louisiana home cooking. In the Spring of 2019, a new version of Mondo joined other great New Orleans restaurants in the new terminals at Louis Armstrong International Airport.”

Susan Spicer takes another break from her busy kitchen at Rosedale to continue with us.

“Brendan Collins, the new executive chef for Innovative Dining Group’s BOA Steakhouse, is best known in Los Angeles as the Chef-Owner of celebrated restaurants Waterloo & City, Larry’s, Fia, and Market Tavern where he intertwined his British culinary background with California’s bountiful produce, seducing a lively clientele.”

“Collins’ early background includes accolades and Michelin Stars spanning from London’s Oxo Tower Restaurant to Josiah Citrin’s Melisse in Los Angeles. Now at BOA Steakhouse, Collins' reputation for deft execution, rich flavors, and playful dishes perfect for gathering, promises to elaborate on restaurateurs’ Lee Maen and Philip Cummins’s vision for the concept.”

“BOA Steakhouse’s Manhattan Beach new Happy Hour menu is available daily from 3 to 5 p.m. Enjoy new items like Brendan’s Fish and Chips with house-made tartar, $12 raw bar bites, and Summer Steak & Salad pairing.”

BOA Steakhouse Manhattan Beach also offers a Brunch Menu that guests can enjoy every day from 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Chef Brendan Collins is our guest to update the menu offerings at BOA Steakhouse.

“Brendan Collins, the new executive chef for Innovative Dining Group’s BOA Steakhouse, is best known in Los Angeles as the Chef-Owner of celebrated restaurants Waterloo & City, Larry’s, Fia, and Market Tavern where he intertwined his British culinary background with California’s bountiful produce, seducing a lively clientele.”

“Collins’ early background includes accolades and Michelin Stars spanning from London’s Oxo Tower Restaurant to Josiah Citrin’s Melisse in Los Angeles. Now at BOA Steakhouse, Collins' reputation for deft execution, rich flavors, and playful dishes perfect for gathering, promises to elaborate on restaurateurs’ Lee Maen and Philip Cummins’s vision for the concept.”

“BOA Steakhouse’s Manhattan Beach new Happy Hour menu is available daily from 3 to5 p.m. Enjoy new items like Brendan’s Fish and Chips with house-made tartar, $12 raw bar bites, and Summer Steak & Salad pairing.”

BOA Steakhouse Manhattan Beach also offers a Brunch Menu that guests can enjoy every day from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Chef Brendan Collins continues as our guest to update the salivating menu offerings at BOA Steakhouse.

Chef Andrew is an unabashed fan of asparagus. In his professional opinion it’s the best vegetable in the garden. “When cooked correctly it’s sweet, grassy, nutty and sometimes even buttery. The problem people have with asparagus is that they don’t prepare it correctly so they end up with either woody, overcooked asparagus that’s hard to chew or bland, underseasoned mushy asparagus.” Chef Andrew joins us with his best tips on properly cooking and preparing asparagus.

“Carmel Melrose in Los Angeles transports the energy, culture, and flavor of the renowned outdoor marketplace “Shuk HaCarmel” to Melrose Avenue, in the heart of L.A.’s food scene. Using some of the oldest techniques in the world— a wood-burning oven, an open flame grill— chef Asaf Maoz interprets ancient Levantine cooking traditions through a modern lens. Dishes showcase the best of the season: farmer’s market produce, sustainably-sourced meats and seafood, all prepared with the global culinary influence of the Tel Aviv shuk. Breads are baked in-house, including a 72-hour fermented Moroccan frena, baked to order in the wood-fire oven.” Partner/Founder Ronnie Benarie joins us with the enticing overview of the delights of Carmel Melrose.

“The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit that invests in and empowers California restaurants and their workforce, has awarded 278 independent restaurants with $5,000 grants as part of its fourth consecutive Restaurants Care® Resilience Fund. The grants were made possible via thoughtful donations from SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), which have contributed to the fund since 2021. Recipients can use the $5,000 assistance for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardships, employee retention bonuses and employee training, all of which allow California’s independent restaurant owners and caterers to invest in the longevity of their business and employees.” The CRF’s Alycia Harshfield (Executive Director) is our guest to more fully explain this year’s results.

Christina Hong of Seoulmates in Los Angeles (W. Third St.) and Santa Monica is one of the fortunate recipients of a $5,000, 2024 California Restaurant Foundation Restaurants Care Resilience Fund Grant. We’ll meet her and learn her story.

“Welcome to TheOrenco, Hillsboro, Oregon’s 10-room boutique luxury hotel. TheOrenco is ideally situated within the vibrant and growing work-live-play community of Orenco Station in Hillsboro, OR. They offer guests calm, comfortable, and privacy-oriented accommodations not found at the typical corporate chains. Guests appreciate their nontraditional European lodging format, their brownstone architecture and the wide variety of unique restaurants, breweries and shops available within a short walking distance of their front door. The included morning breakfast is at the nearby Tous Les Jours (French-Asian artisan bakery), a local institution where all the tempting pastries and breads are baked fresh, daily.” The hospitality-oriented owners of TheOrenco, Margie Waltz and Richard Lyons, join us with all the accommodating details.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. Chef Andrew is an authority on Lobster Rolls. He’s served them by the 100s over the years. Besides the familiar Maine-style there is also the equally delicious Connecticut-style roll. Chef Andrew has the enticing overview.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

“Carmel Melrose in Los Angeles transports the energy, culture, and flavor of the renowned outdoor marketplace “Shuk HaCarmel” to Melrose Avenue, in the heart of L.A.’s food scene.” 

“Using some of the oldest techniques in the world— a wood-burning oven, an open flame grill— chef Asaf Maoz interprets ancient Levantine cooking traditions through a modern lens.” 

“Dishes showcase the best of the season: farmer’s market produce, sustainably-sourced meats and seafood, all prepared with the global culinary influence of the Tel Aviv shuk. Breads are baked in-house, including a 72-hour fermented Moroccan frena with tahini, matbucha and Syrian olives, baked to order in the wood-fire oven.”

Dinner nightly (closed on Monday) and Brunch on Sunday.

Partner / Founder Ronnie Benarie joins us with the salivating overview of Carmel Melrose.

“Carmel Melrose in Los Angeles transports the energy, culture, and flavor of the renowned outdoor marketplace “Shuk HaCarmel” to Melrose Avenue, in the heart of L.A.’s food scene.” 

“Using some of the oldest techniques in the world— a wood-burning oven, an open flame grill— chef Asaf Maoz interprets ancient Levantine cooking traditions through a modern lens.” 
“Dishes showcase the best of the season: farmer’s market produce, sustainably-sourced meats and seafood, all prepared with the global culinary influence of the Tel Aviv shuk. Breads are baked in-house, including a 72-hour fermented Moroccan frena, baked to order in the wood-fire oven.”

Founding Partner Ronnie Benarie stays with us providing the salivating overview of Carmel Melrose.

“The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit that invests in and empowers California restaurants and their workforce, has awarded 278 independent restaurants with $5,000 grants as part of its fourth consecutive Restaurants Care® Resilience Fund. The grants were made possible via thoughtful donations from SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), which have contributed to the fund since 2021. Recipients can use the $5,000 assistance for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardships, employee retention bonuses and employee training, all of which allow California’s independent restaurant owners and caterers to invest in the longevity of their business and employees.”

"We're incredibly thankful to our generous donors for their continued support, which has afforded us the opportunity to assist thousands of business owners in California’s food industry since 2021,” said Alycia Harshfield, Executive Director of CRF. “Together, we have proudly sustained the Resilience Fund for the past four years, ensuring that California's independent restaurant owners and caterers remain a vital and vibrant part of our state's culinary landscape and economy for many years ahead."

“Notably, 76 percent of the grant recipients identify as female, and 73 percent identify as people of color. More than 70 percent of this year’s recipients plan to use the $5,000 grants for kitchen equipment or technology upgrades, and 17 percent will dedicate the funds to employee retention bonuses. To qualify, the restaurants and caterers needed to have fewer than five units, and less than $3 million in revenue.

“The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit that invests in and empowers California restaurants and their workforce, has awarded 278 independent restaurants with $5,000 grants as part of its fourth consecutive Restaurants Care® Resilience Fund. The grants were made possible via thoughtful donations from SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), which have contributed to the fund since 2021. Recipients can use the $5,000 assistance for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardships, employee retention bonuses and employee training, all of which allow California’s independent restaurant owners and caterers to invest in the longevity of their business and employees.”

“Notably, 76 percent of the grant recipients identify as female, and 73 percent identify as people of color. More than 70 percent of this year’s recipients plan to use the $5,000 grants for kitchen equipment or technology upgrades, and 17 percent will dedicate the funds to employee retention bonuses. To qualify, the restaurants and caterers needed to have fewer than five units, and less than $3 million in revenue.”

Christina Hong of Seoulmates in Los Angeles (W. Third St.) and Santa Monica is one of the fortunate recipients of a $5,000, 2024 California Restaurant Foundation Restaurants Care Resilience Fund Grant. We’ll meet her and learn her story.

Seoulmates’ Mission : “Our mission is to share a twist on Korean food so ridiculously good that you have to talk about it, that before anyone even considers taking a bite, you’ll have to snap a picture for the ‘gram. Being a family-owned business, our aim is to deliver our heart and Seoul in every bite.”

“Welcome to TheOrenco, Hillsboro, Oregon’s 10-room boutique luxury hotel. TheOrenco is ideally situated within the vibrant and growing work-live-play community of Orenco Station in Hillsboro, OR. They offer guests calm, comfortable, and privacy-oriented accommodations not found at the typical corporate chains.”

“Guests appreciate their nontraditional European lodging format, their brownstone architecture and the wide variety of unique restaurants, breweries and shops available within a short walking distance of their front door. The included morning breakfast is at the nearby Tous Les Jours (French-Asian artisan bakery), a local institution where all the tempting pastries (sweet & savory) and breads are baked fresh, daily”


“TheOrenco includes all the amenities a savvy business traveler or family on the go seeks when choosing lodging, including contactless check-in, fast Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, free lobby snacks, in-room coffee, private courtyards (select rooms), and even gear to enjoy the local area, like pickleball paddles and bicycles. Their knowledgeable and dedicated staff ensures that all guests have a comfortable, relaxing stay with everything they need in spotless rooms.”


“TheOrenco is a short walk away from the TriMet MAX stop at Orenco (Portland’s efficient light rail system), which provides easy access to nearby communities and Portland International Airport (PDX).”

The hospitable (husband & wife) owners of TheOrenco, Margie Waltz and Richard Lyons, join us providing an overview of the accommodating details.