SoCal Restaurant Show

Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC, her recent overseas travels to Hong Kong, and some tasty Orange County dining tidbits.

“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire (He’s 23) and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube). Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.” Justin puts down his whisk and joins us.

“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire (He’s 23) and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube). Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.” Justin puts down his whisk and joins us.

“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.” We’ll meet Chef En-Ming Hsu.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) now joins us with his timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. Today Chef Andrew revisits what “ultraprocessed” foods are and new incoming labeling requirements in California. Don’t we need a coordinated, uniform national framework for this?

Please join us on October 17th as we celebrate the 14th Anniversary of the launch of the “SoCal Restaurant Show” on AM 830 KLAA Radio. We’re live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC, her recent overseas travels to Hong Kong, and some tasty Orange County dining tidbits.

“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire (He’s 23) and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube). Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.” Justin puts down his whisk and joins us.

“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.” We’ll meet Chef En-Ming Hsu.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) now joins us with his timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. Today Chef Andrew revisits what “ultraprocessed” foods are and new incoming labeling requirements in California. Don’t we need a coordinated, uniform national framework for this?

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

Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC and highlight her culinary adventures. Anne Marie joins us in-studio.

First some impressions of dining in Hong Kong. It’s not all 3-Star Michelin restaurants. Anne Marie also previews the new Friday through Sunday Afternoon Tea at Qua in Fountain Valley.

Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected and noteworthy publications. Anne Marie joins us in-studio to discuss her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC and highlight her current culinary journeys. Anne Marie continues with us in-studio.

Anne Marie now takes us to Long Beach and a new iteration of Bungalow Kitchen at 2nd and PCH with Executive Chef Eric Samaniego (Michael’s on Naples) in the kitchen. Then a preview of Restaurateur Russ Bendel’s upcoming Creekside in Rancho Mission Viejo. It’s his 7th property.

“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube).”

“Justin's early success - he's only 23! - stems from being a tremendously hard worker (and his enthusiasm is infectious!). Justin speaks about his decision to self-publish and build his cookbook team from scratch, how his grandmothers have influenced him, and how he engages with his followers and crafts original content. Justin launched his business at 16 with no seed money, no prior work experience, and no connections. He has been constantly researching, learning, and figuring things out as he went along, to great success.”

“Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.” “With clear instructions, simple tips throughout (oil = moisture, butter = flavor), and links to step-by-step video tutorials for every single recipe, Better than Grandma’s shows you what actually makes a difference in baking. Whether you’ve never baked from scratch or have been baking for years, Justin’s better-than-Grandma’s recipes are designed to work every time. And while the title may be Better than Grandma’s, the book is actually a love letter to the grandmothers who taught Justin to find joy in every moment, to fill every room with confidence and laughter, and to bake in the first place. It’s about honoring the women along with the recipes—then building on them to make them even better.”

Justin puts down his whisk to join us.

“Better Than Grandma’s – Comfort Desserts We Grew Up Loving, is the delightful debut cookbook from baker extraordinaire and social media sensation Justin Ellen (who has over 4 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube).”

“Justin grew up with his nana teaching him that from-scratch is always better. Inspired by everything she taught him, he challenged himself to take the classic comfort desserts we all grew up loving and make them more flavorful, more reliable, and completely foolproof—with simple techniques and game-changing tips that actually make a difference. Because Justin believes that once you see how easy it is to make something from scratch, you might just be ready to drop the box mix for good.”

Justin is graciously sharing his recipe for his properly decadent Chocolate Cobbler. It’s available under the “Recipes” tab on the SoCal Restaurant Show’s Website.

Justin puts down his oven mitts and stays with us to continue the conversation.

“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority, woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.”

First we speak with Chef En-Ming about the World Pastry Cup competition and find out how the USA team is faring on the long road to Lyon in January of 2027.

We’ll meet Chef En-Ming Hsu.

“Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is a rich, creamy chocolate experience like no other. One Sip! Is all it takes to discover this delightfully Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate created by world-renowned pastry Chef En-Ming Hsu, a previous Gold Medalist for the prestigious World Pastry Cup competition (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie.) The enterprise is a minority, woman-owned small business based in Henderson, Nevada.”

“Chef En-Ming recommends preparing Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate with whole milk, but it’s also delicious with lowfat milk, skim milk, and non-dairy milk substitutes. To prepare at home, take your time and prepare this delicious drink by whisking it on the stovetop to simmer. In a hurry ? You can also use a microwave.”

“Summertime heat getting you down? Mix with cold milk and keep a pitcher-full in the refrigerator to enjoy iced. Don’t forget the whipped cream.”

Sip! Extraordinary Drinking Chocolate is the exclusive hot chocolate served at Porto’s Bakery.

We’re continuing our conversation with Pastry Chef extraordinary, Chef En-Ming.

Today Chef Andrew revisits what “ultraprocessed” foods are and somewhat vague new, volunteer labeling requirements coming soon in California. (This is AB 2244 signed by Governor Newsom.) Don’t we really need a coordinated, uniform national framework for this?