Suppertime in the LBC

Grocery shopping. Cooking at home. How to read recipes. These things, though things that should be well-known among most, are genuinely stressful. Instead of talking about restaurants, we record inside Brian Addison's apartment for two hours so we can hit on the issues inside the home kitchen. Joined by Sarah Bennett (along with an appearance by our producer, Steven Smith), this trio goes through their tips, their admitted lack of knowledge, and more in this all-new, all-home Suppertime in the LBC.

Grocery shopping. Cooking at home. How to read recipes. These things, though things that should be well-known among most, are genuinely stressful. Instead of talking about restaurants, we record inside Brian Addison's apartment for two hours so we can hit on the issues inside the home kitchen. Joined by Sarah Bennett (along with an appearance by our producer, Steven Smith), this trio goes through their tips, their admitted lack of knowledge, and more in this all-new, all-home Suppertime in the LBC.

Try. Fail. Try again. Fail better. This was the mantra Arturo Enciso when approaching bread—and his undeterred ambition has made him and Gusto Bread one of the most respected bakeries in the city. Now moving into a full brick-and-mortar—*whisper* we know the location!—Arturo and his partner Ana are ready to take Gusto to the next level. Join Brian Addison and Sarah Bennett on this wonderfully carb-y journey with two of Long Beach's most beloved food makers.

2019 was a year of changes for Long Beach's evolving food scene: Homegrown chefs launched brick-and-mortars, more than a few classic local restaurants shuttered and new hi-rise apartment buildings added residents and retail space (that are both still figuring out what they want to eat). From Milk Barn pizza to gold-crusted salmon burgers to the power of Long Beach as a regional food destination, Sarah and Brian tackle the openings, closings and experiments that defined the last year of food in a city in transition. They talk what's working, what's not and what can we expect in 2020. Yes, there will be lots of tangents.

Self-care. Health amongst the entirety of the kitchen staff. Knowing when to stand your ground on your food and when to walk away. These are some of the things many folks in the restaurant industry _don't_ talk about—and in order to talk about it correctly, you need experience. Enter Chef Arthur Gonzalez, the man behind Panxa Cocina and who founded Roe in Belmont Shore. Brian Addison and Sarah Bennett sit down with the veteran to talk about how he has re-approached his own self in order to find a new found love for the future and food.

The world of veganism is often casted into many stereotypes and cubbyholes: From "Does it taste like _real_ meat?" to "Why even go vegan?" the conversation surrounding veganism is often dictated by, well, non-vegans. That's why we brought on Dennis Dean, a lifelong vegetarian and now vegan, to talk about why he makes the decisions he makes—despite the constant pressure from society to do otherwise—and why being a vegan makes one more mindful. And yes, we go into what he makes for Thanksgiving.

Long Beach has long been a breakfast (and drinkin') town—and The Breakfast Bar has stood out as one of its most popular and dedicated joints. With a second location on the way, we discuss how Pamela and Joshua Beadel have created a space that is distinctly its own, why Long Beach loves breakfast so much, and how the service industry breeds some of the best small business owners.

For nearly three decades, Long Beach resident Russ Parsons served as food editor at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing and working with tons of critics, researchers, and writers, including the late and great Jonathan Gold. Brian Addison and Steve Lowery, sitting in for Sarah Bennett, sit down with the retired editor to talk about everything from his massive culinary collection housed at the Long Beach Public Library to how food journalism has changed.

From managing one of the state's leading buyers of Guinness—no joke: Auld Dubliner in DTLB is usually #2 or #3 in the state for the amount of Guinness they buy and sell—to creating The Ordinarie, Christy Caldwell has built up a name in and out of the Irish community along with altering the local bar scene. That name has also reached New York, where Miracle Pop-up, one of the country's most recognized holiday pop-up bar brands, decided for the first time it wanted in on the Long Beach scene by turning The Ordinarie into a Miracle at The Ordinarie. Listen to us explore American hospitality, cocktails, holiday kitsch, Irish bars, the importance of immigrants, and more on this all-new episode of Suppertime in the LBC.

With Halloween around the corner, the American focus on candy becomes an almost dominating force. The sugary world of confections has its own set of issues, from arguments about what defines candy—is chocolate _really_ candy?—to trends and innovations—"unicorn poo" really is a thing. We sit down with Nicole Marte, manager of the sweet, sweet heaven known as Candy Warehouse to discuss these things and more.