Every year at the OC Fair is the eagerly anticipated Concessionaires Cup Challenge. The Fair’s hugely competitive food concessionaires vie to win the bragging rights in ten food categories. OC Weekly’s “On the Line” correspondent, Anne Marie Panoringan, was one of the 21 esteemed judges.

Anne Marie also had the honor of being one of the three senior judges deciding the “Best Overall Item” honors. That’s the big one…She joins us with the lip-smacking results.

Anne Marie also judged the “Best on a Bun” category. The Gold & Category Winner went to Tasti Burger’s Chile Relleno Burger, a Fair classic.

The overall “Best of the Best” item was Tater Twisters’ Deep-Fried Nacho Supreme. Also it is the the Category Winner & Gold for “Best New Flavor”

Congrats to all the winners in the ten official categories. Gluttony rules…

 

Program Note for Saturday, July 29th. The Halos are playing the Blue Jays in Toronto during our normal broadcast time so we’re graciously stepping aside. All is still well because we simply shift to 2 to 4:00 p.m. the afternoon of July 29th only. Same packed show…Please join us then and don’t keep it a secret

Now a worthy preview of this Saturday’s abundant show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing…

We always look forward to sharing with you the new, creative taste sensations at The Orange County Fair on now through August 13th. Already creating excitement is Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on virtually everything edible including pizza. The master of midway food himself, Chef Dominic Palmieri, the Midway Gourmet, joins us for the tempting high calorie update.

DINE LBC Long Beach Restaurant Week is set for August 5th through August 13th, 2017. More than 60 diverse Long Beach restaurants spanning 12 neighborhoods will offer special multi-course menus at affordable prices. New to DINE LBC is Great Society Cider & Mead, Southern California’s first all-cider pub located on Broadway at the edge of Downtown. They serve an unusual selection of draft ciders and meads in addition to the expected craft beers. We’ll meet the proprietor, Otto Radtke.

On Thursday evening, August 10th Chef Amar Santana’s Vaca in Costa Mesa is hosting a sumptuous, 7-course wine-paired dinner with an abundance of passed hors d’oeuvre as a festive Friends of James Beard Foundation Benefit to celebrate South Coast Plaza’s 50th Anniversary. VACA Group Partner & CEO Ahmed Labbate provides the enticing preview.

Brea’s popular Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen has just opened a second location in The Market Place in Irvine. Proprietor Don Myers, a veteran restaurateur, is our guest.

If all the delicate, closed-door negotiations between The The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Paris and Los Angeles go well Los Angeles will ...

We always look forward to sharing with you the new, creative taste sensations at The Orange County Fair on now through August 13th. Already creating excitement from The Midway Gourmet is Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on virtually everything edible including pizza and fresh corn.

Last year, 50% of Fairgoers surveyed said their favorite part of the Fair is the food. Fried, sugary or savory – and sometimes all three at once – the delectable edibles are some of the big stars of the OC Fair.

New from RCS Cowboy Kettle Corn is Unicorn Nitro Pop, a cotton candy ring around a colorful cup of kettle corn and whipped cream, submerged in liquid nitrogen (also available: Nitro Whip)

The master of midway food himself, Chef Dominic Palmieri, the Midway Gourmet, joins us for the tempting, high calorie update.

We always look forward to sharing with you the new, creative taste sensations at The Orange County Fair on now through August 13th. Already creating excitement from The Midway Gourmet is Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on virtually everything edible including pizza and fresh corn.

Last year, 50% of Fairgoers surveyed said their favorite part of the Fair is the food. Fried, sugary or savory – and sometimes all three at once – the delectable edibles are some of the big stars of the OC Fair.

One of Chef Dominic’s returning star items is Fried A Fair’s deep-fried butter balls with maple syrup. Four to an order. The Orange County’s Register food staff writer, Nancy Luna, has already declared it one of her all-time Fair favorites.

New, and spectacular, on the RCS Midway at the OC Fair is the La Grande XL, the largest traveling observation wheel in the United States. Its cars (“cabins’) are even air conditioned. It’s carefully transported in 22 semi-trailers and 10 technicians using an 80-ton crane install it!

DINE LBC Long Beach Restaurant Week is set for August 5th through August 13th, 2017. More than 60 diverse Long Beach restaurants spanning 12 neighborhoods will offer special multi-course menus at affordable prices. New to DINE LBC is Great Society Cider & Mead, Southern California’s first all-cider pub located on Broadway at the edge of Downtown. They serve an unusual selection of draft ciders and meads in addition to the expected craft beers.

“A social house where fine food, craft cider and mead set the stage for conversations between old and new friends alike, Great Society has the largest selection of craft cider and meads in all of Southern California. Featuring 20 draughts and more in bottles, our extensive cider and mead list showcases craft producers from nearly every corner of the world. You’ll find flavors and profiles ranging from sweet to sour, still to sparkling, barrel-aged to hopped, rare to near-impossible to find.”

“Complementing this incredible list, our food menu fuses seasonal offerings with unexpected spicing to create dishes that don’t just taste great, but pair well with whatever profile you choose. Try our signature burger with an unfiltered whiskey barrel-aged cider from Michigan; or an artisanal cheese plate with a tart, lightly sparkling Sidra from the Basque region of Spain. There’s a variety of pairings to tantalize your taste buds.”

“With its origins lost in history, cider remains the most noble of beverages, having played a role in Old and New World alike. These ancient elixirs, fermented mainly from apples, have been the drink of kings and presidents, farmers and the working class. Though its fortunes have occasionally wavered, cider’s incredible diversity, and close connection with the land, has led to an amazing renaissance. Cider is a beverage that deserves homage and we are the first restaurant and taphouse in Southern California to feature it!”

We’ll meet the proprietor, Otto Radtke.

On Thursday evening, August 10th Chef Amar Santana’s Vaca in Costa Mesa is hosting a sumptuous, 7-course, premium wine-paired dinner with an abundance of passed hors d’oeuvre as a festive Friends of James Beard Foundation Benefit to celebrate South Coast Plaza’s 50th Anniversary. Chef Amar is also well-known locally for Broadway by Amar Santana in Laguna beach and as the runner-up from lucky Season 13 of Bravo’s “Top Chef” in what the judges noted was the tightest final competition of the series’ long history!

Santana and partner Ahmed Labbate, whose roots together at South Coast Plaza go back to 2008 when they opened Charlie Palmer, will welcome 100 discriminating guests with a love of food and wine to the Beard dinner. Santana is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

The festivities on August 10 will include a small silent auction during an al fresco reception. While enjoying the signature Vaca Tonic and hors d’oeuvres, guests may peruse deluxe offerings, which will include a LVMH luxury Champagne experience for 16 guests; packages from South Coast Plaza, the Montage Laguna Beach and Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, unique dining experiences, luxury travel destinations, and high-end wines.

Seats are $350 and $300 for members of the James Beard Foundation, all inclusive. If you’re celebrating something very special this is the over-the-top culinary evening experience you’ll want to be a part of!

For reservations to the Friends of James Beard Dinner at Vaca, please register online here. For more information, please contact VACA GM Ghali Benhima at 714.463.6060. A credit card will be requested to secure the reservation.

VACA Group Partner & CEO Ahmed Labbate provides the tempting preview.

Brea’s popular Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen has just opened a second location in The Market Place in Irvine.

“Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen was born out of a love and passion for Latin cuisine…”

“The Latin inspired menu adapts the culinary heritage of Mexico and Latin America to a fresh modern style. In the open kitchen guests can watch savory dishes being prepared in the wood-fired oven, while free-range Jidori chickens roast to perfection and tacos are topped with house-made fire-roasted salsa.”

Their special creation for National Tequila Day (July 24th) is the specialty margarita, the El Palomar. It’s 100 % blue agave tequila, fresh serrano chile, orange liqueur, freshly squeezed lime juice, agave nectar and a float of house-brewed Hibiscus tea.

Proprietor Don Myers (also Brunos Italian Kitchen), a veteran restaurateur, is our in-studio guest.

Brea’s popular Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen has just opened a second location in The Market Place in Irvine.

“In the Lounge the lively sound of handcrafted cocktails being shaken provides the backdrop. These tequila libations utilize freshly squeezed juices, house-made infusions, and fresh seasonal fruit. A variety of popular and boutique wineries from the Central Coast, Spain and South America also add a great complement to any meal.”

Don Myers started his restaurant career at the young age of fourteen in Tucson, Arizona at the fifty-year-old Casa Molina Mexican Restaurant. He graduated from the University of Arizona and was a four-year varsity athlete and competitive international gymnast.

In 2008, Don created P&D Restaurant Concept that now boasts two award-winning restaurants. He was later featured in OC Metro and named the “Unofficial Mayor of Brea” in 2013 for his leadership role in the revival of Brea Downtown. In 2014, Myers and his business partner Peter Serantoni were named Orange County Business Journal’s Restaurateurs of The Year.

If all the hush-hush, closed-door negotiations between The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Paris and Los Angeles go well Los Angeles will host the Olympics again for the 3rd time in either 2024 or 2028. What does it all mean? Can a modern Olympics even break-even for the host city?

Our Olympics expert and historian, Richard B. Perelman, joins us with a true insider’s perspective. Rich was the youngest Vice President of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) for the 1984 Games and also was the Editor of the 1984 Olympic Games Final Report, a massive two-volume book.

In his daily e-newsletter, The Sports Examiner, Perelman suggested the simultaneous dual city awards for 2024 and 2028 (and the reasoning for this unprecedented approach) weeks before it was reported on in the mainstream media as even a possibility for the IOC to consider.

Rich will encore with us in September with analysis & commentary after the IOC announces their final selections of Host Cities (and order) for the Games in 2024 and 2028. This includes which City (Paris or Los Angeles) is awarded 2024 and then 2028’s Host City.

Now a tempting preview of this Saturday’s fully-loaded show. It’s not, with profuse apologies, for dieters. If we’re successful we will always leave you incredibly hungry and thirsty. In our case, upon careful reflection, that’s probably a pretty good thing…

The faculty members at The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism and Keck School of Medicine strive to be of service to the community. They have created Quick Help for Meals, an Android app that helps combat the national epidemic of obesity and improve the quality of family meals. The app grew out of a 25-year, award-winning project that has dramatically expanded the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables reaching low-income people through the nation’s 33,000 community food pantries. Co-creators Peter Clarke, PhD. and Susan Evans, Ph.D. are our guests.

DINE LBC Long Beach Restaurant Week is set for August 5th through August 13th, 2017. More than 60 diverse Long Beach restaurants spanning 12 neighborhoods will offer special multi-course menus at affordable prices. New to DINE LBC is Rance’s Chicago Pizza in Belmont Shore. They are already well-known for Pan, Stuffed and Tavern styles of pizza. We’ll meet the proprietors of the dough, Chef Rance Ruiz and Aaron Tofani.

Can’t get enough of those fresh fruits & veggies…Joining us with what’s new for the peak of the season hits is our resident produce expert Robert Schueller of Melissa’s. Think sweet, juicy and refreshing Muscato Grapes (Black, Red & Green) and Champagne Grapes, and more, for openers.

The annual Stu and the Kids Fundraiser returns to Vibiana on Sunday afternoon, July 30th. Stuart Skversky is the Executive Director/Founder of Stu and the Kids and the Host Chefs at Vibiana are Neal and Amy Fraser the principals of Redbird. Proceeds will fund scholarships for at-risk Hill Tribe kids in Chaing Mai. Thailand. Last year’s Benefit raised an impressive $110,000! Chef Stu hops off his trusty elephant to give us the details.

Froze’ is the rage this Summer on better bar menus all over town.