We’re joined by Brad Metzger, President of hospitality recruitment firm Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions, and Ryan O’Melveny WIlson, the CEO of legendary Los Angeles restaurant group Lawry’s, to hear about Chefs Love LA, an unforgettable evening of food and wine, celebrating LA heroes and supporting the restaurant community impacted by the fires. World-famous chefs including Curtis Stone, Jonathan Waxman, Daniel Bouloud, Nyesha Harrington, Jordan Kahn and many many more are all uniting on February 27 for what promises to be a culinary Live Aid happening at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills, with all proceeds benefiting World Central Kitchen and Restaurants Care. 

In Part 2, we’re joined by a chef who many credit with putting Peruvian food on the map in Los Angeles and beyond, I’m talking about Ricardo Zarate. Ricardo opened the cevicheria known as The Hummbingbird in Echo Park in 2024, and many hailed it as a sort of comeback. But speaking with Ricardo, it’s clear that The Hummingbird is a lot more than that.

Helpful Links:

Chefs Love LA https://www.chefslovela.com/

Brad Metzger Restraurant Solutions https://www.restaurant-solutions.com/

Lawry’s https://www.lawrysonline.com/lawrys-the-prime-rib-beverly-hills/

The Hummingbird https://www.instagram.com/thehummingbird.la/?hl=en

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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After a dark start to the New Year, a little light at the end of the tunnel this week as 18 Los Angeles chefs, bars and restaurants were named James Beard semifinalists. With Angelenos earning spots in the categories of Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant and Best Chef: California, Father Sal is with us today for one of our trademark, frankly psychotic dissections of what it all means. We attempt to answer questions like, is this a downward or upward trending year for LA? What are Angelenos’ chances of turning their semifinalist nods into actual victories? Which restaurants most surprised us by earning a spot, and which snubs left us scratching our head?

We also discuss a great article by the LA Times’ Jenn Harris on LA chefs’ wishlist for 2025, and after the break we’re joined by friends of the pod Luke Reyes and Reilly Cox for Part 3 of our Opening Cafe Esca series. As a reminder, this is our series in which we’re accompanying Luke and Reilly in their journey to open up an ambitious new coastal Italian restaurant in the Arts District this Spring. In this conversation, Luke and Reilly talk to us about bringing their ambitious design concept to life. 

Feat. discussion of restaurants and chefs including Etra, Amiga Amore, Heritage BBQ, Evil Cooks, Barra Santos, Camelia, Baroo, Kato, Holbox, Gilberto Cetina, Chuy Cervantes, Damian, Bridgetown Roti, Poncho’s Tlayudas, Kuya Lord, Suzanne Goin, Capri Club, Franceco Allegro, The Arroyo Club, La Morra Pizzeria, Marino, and more. 

Helpful Links

The 2025 James Beard Semifinalists https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2025-james-beard-award-semifinalists

Jenn Harris’ piece on LA chefs’ wishlist https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2025-01-21/restaurant-2025-wish-list-los-angeles-chef-restaurateurs

Opening Cafe Esca Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/19HDiV4o0i2dP9ZZ7B7E9B

Opening Cafe Esca Part 2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DoKDMtS74ngrVzjBBkzXI

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

The Palisades and Eaton fires have been raging for more than a week now. Restaurants and food vendors have played a huge role in the relief efforts, stepping up in a big way to feed first responders and evacuees. 

Father Sal and I discuss a couple of excellent articles on restaurants in the midst of the wildfires, and we speak with three people who’ve experienced the fires from different perspectives:

First is Matthew Schodorf, the co-owner of Cafe De Leche whose Altadena location was completely destroyed by the Eaton fire. We talk to Matt about how they’re navigating the situation and what we can do to help. 

Second is Liz Gutierrez of Fiorelli Pizza in Venice, one of the first operations to spring into action to help first responders and evacuees. We talk to Liz about what they’re doing and how we the public can support restaurants as they carry out this important work. 

Finally, we’re joined by Inclusive Action for the City’s Rudy Espinoza to hear about their fundraiser for outdoor workers - aka the men and women whose livelihoods depend on selling goods or executing jobs on the street. From a food perspective we’re talking about taqueros, fruteros, eloteros, and everyone in between. 

Helpful Links:

Cafe De Leche www.cafedeleche.net

Cafe De Leche’s GoFundMe for staff https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-CDL-employees-after-the-eaton-fire

Fiorelli Pizza https://www.fiorellipizza.com/

Inclusive Action for the City https://www.inclusiveaction.org/

IAC’s relief fund for outdoor workers https://www.gofundme.com/f/cash-aid-for-outdoor-workers-impacted-by-la-county-wildfires

LA Community Meals https://www.instagram.com/lacommunitymeals/

Khushbu Shah’s article on restaurants leading the relief efforts https://khushbushah.substack.com/p/restaurants-were-the-first-to-step

Meghan McCarron on food service workers in the Palisades https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/us/los-angeles-fires-service-workers.html

Other Relief Efforts:

World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/relief/california-fires-jan25

Slice Out Hunger https://sliceouthunger.org/

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No episode this week. Just three ways you can help restaurants as we navigate the devastating wildfires, and a bunch of helpful links.

Side Pie fundraiser https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-side-pie-support-your-favorite-local-pizzeria?attribution_id=sl:86fa7075-75b8-4da8-8f92-b082665dda14&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

LA Times team on L.A. restaurants offering shelter, discounts, and food to fire evacuees and first responders https://www.latimes.com/food/list/los-angeles-restaurants-providing-food-shelter-evacuees-first-responders-fire

Eater’s list of LA restaurants offering free meals to first responders and evacuees https://la.eater.com/2025/1/9/24340065/los-angeles-restaurants-offering-food-shelter-relief-fires-first-responders-firefighters-evacuees

SFGate’s Karen Palmer on Altadena closures https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/eaton-fire-atladena-christmas-tree-lane-20023451.php

SFGate’s Karen Palmer on Malibu closures https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/palisades-fire-pch-restaurants-destroyed-20023068.php

LA Times team on notable restaurants destroyed by the fires https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2025-01-09/running-list-los-angeles-restaurants-destroyed-palisades-eaton-fires

Eater’s running list of impacted restaurants https://la.eater.com/2025/1/7/24338882/los-angeles-pacific-palisades-eaton-canyon-fire-restaurant-closure

Eater’s list of restaurants open during the wildfire https://la.eater.com/2025/1/8/24339315/los-angeles-restaurants-open-pacific-palisades-eaton-canyon-wildfires-2025

Slice Out Hunger’s fundraiser https://sliceouthunger.org/pizza-relief-la-wildfires-2025

What does the year of our Lord 2025 have in store for LA restaurants? According to The LA Times, a whole lot more struggle. 

Father Sal is with us to break down a couple of fascinating pieces by Stephanie Breijo and Cindy Carcamo on the restaurants we lost in 2024, and what the landscape of challenges looks like for the year ahead. On a lighter note, we recap our holidays, including Father Sal’s first American Christmas and my continuing plight to force-feed my family the Feast of the Seven Fishes. And Sal also gives us a run-down of the must-visit spots from his most recent escapade to Mexico City. 

In Part 2, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for - the 2025 Countdown reveal. In case you’re unfamiliar, every year I set out to eat 100 variations of a certain type of LA cuisine. In 2021 I ate 100 pizzas, in 2022 I visited 100 taquerias, 2023 brought me sandwiches and I just finished scouring the city for 100 epic noodle dishes. What will 2025 hold for yours truly and yours truly’s rapidly deteriorating gastrointestinal system? Stick around to find out. 

Helpful Links:

Stephanie Breijo on closures https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-12-31/how-many-la-restaurants-closed-in-2024

Cindy Carcamo on the 7 struggles ahead for LA restaurants https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-12-31/top-7-challenges-issues-facing-restaurants-in-2025

Father Sal’s top rec for Mexico City https://auna.com.mx/

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

Joining us on the podcast are  The Infatuation’s Brant Cox and Sylvio Martins. They’re going to walk us through their list of the Best New Restaurants of 2024, as well as the good and not-so-good trends that defined this year of dining in LA. We finish off with some predictions for what dining in 2025 will look like, and chat a little bit about our respective restaurant-related New Year’s Resolutions. 

Helpful Links:

Infatuation LA Best New Restaurants 2024 https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/best-new-restaurants-los-angeles-2024

Brant on IG https://www.instagram.com/brantcox/

Sylvio on IG https://www.instagram.com/sylvmartins/

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

I’d like to cordially welcome you to the second annual LA Food Pod Holiday Party! 

Father Sal and I are joined by our favorite New York-based podcast ho ho hosts, Nancy DaSilva and Bits Nicholas of Compliments to the Chef, for a jolly ole time discussing what’s hot in the Big Apple, what we make of the premature closure of Frog Club, the quixotic restaurant helmed by Liz Johnson of Horses on Sunset fame, and we each bring a holiday cocktail to the table to hopefully inspire you to do some festive drinking of your own, dear listener. We close things off with an historic LA Food Pod Holiday Quiz - will Father Sal be able to secure the crown for Los Angeles, or will the interlopers from New York escape with the dub? Stay tuned to find out. 

In Part 2, we’re joined by Marc Rose and Med Abrous, the co-owners of Call Mom Hosptialtiy Group. Their restaurant Genghis Cohen is one of the hottest tickets in town on any given Christmas, so much so, that they refer to it as their Super Bowl. Marc and Med join us to talk about how their restaurant handles the holiday, and, as the owners of La Dolce Vita in Beverly Hills, we also discuss how they approach taking over legacy spaces in a way that both honors their history, while ushering them into a new era. 

Helpful Links:

Compliments to the Chef Pod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compliments-to-the-chef/id1727777167

Compliments to the Chef on IG https://www.instagram.com/complimentstothechef_pod/

Pete Wells on Frog Club https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/dining/frog-club-nyc-closes.html

Vox on Crumbl https://www.vox.com/money/389782/crumbl-cookies-tiktok-viral-consumption

Genghis Cohen https://www.genghiscohen.com/

La Dolce Vita https://www.ladolcevitabeverlyhills.com/

Call Mom Hospitality Group https://www.didyoucallmom.com/

McConnell’s / Genghis Cohen collab https://www.instagram.com/p/DDupoqDyCd_/?img_index=1

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

What do the Eater layoffs mean for food media in Los Angeles? Did Bill Addison’s review of Vespertine get us more or less excited to visit the two Michelin-star juggernaut? And what to make of Melissa Clark’s underwhelming experiences at Thomas Keller’s Per Se and The French Laundry?

Father Sal’s with us today to discuss all of the above, plus a controversy at Long Beach’s Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, a bold proclamation of the best fast food item in America, and quote-unquote intrepid food influencer whose rating every steakhouse chain from the comfort of his own Tesla. 

In Part 2, we’re joined by Reilly Cox and Luke Reyes for the second installment of our Opening Cafe Esca series. If you missed Part 1, this is our series where Luke and Reilly are bringing us along in their journey of opening an ambitious new Italian restaurant in a stunning Arts District development come March of 2025. For today’s conversation, I met up with Reilly and Luke at their very much under-construction restaurant space, to hear about how they’ve been working with their designer on a design concept that presents a modern Italian dining experience able to convey warmth while also standing out amidst the sea of Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. Today’s convo will focus on the concept of the design, and our next installment coming up in a few weeks will center around the nitty gritty of bringing that vision to life by way of materials, permitting, budget constraints, and more.

Helpful Links:

News about the Eater layoffs https://www.businessinsider.com/vox-media-lays-off-staff-at-lifestyle-brands-thrillist-eater-2024-12

Vox Media Union statement https://www.wgaeast.org/wgae-vox-media-union-statement-on-layoffs-at-thrillist-and-east/

Voc Media Union relief fund https://x.com/vox_union/status/1866132381758886148

Bill Addison reviews Vespertine https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-12-05/vespertine-culver-city-2024-review-jordan-kahn-bill-addison

Melissa Clarke on Per Se and The French Laundry https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/dining/french-laundry-per-se.html

Controversy at Roscoe’s https://la.eater.com/2024/12/4/24313359/roscoes-house-of-chicken-n-waffles-trump-doll-maga-los-angeles-southern-california

The Ringer oral history on best fast food https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/food/chick-fil-a-waffle-fries-fast-food-rankings

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, dear listener, and I’m talking of course about the advent of The LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list. 

Bill Addison and Jenn Harris dropped their picks at a highfalutin soiree earlier this week, and the reaction, as always, consists of everything from love to loathing. But what does it actually mean for Kato to earn the number 1 spot two years in a row, for restaurants like Bestia and Pijja Palace to fall off the list, and for new hot spots like Stella and Budonoki to be snubbed entirely? As you know, these kinds of questions eat Father Sal and I alive - so we decided to approach this year’s list with a frankly deranged level of in-depth analysis.

So buckle up, dear listener, because we’ve combed through every 101 list since 2013 to determine what exactly this year’s list says about our city, its restaurants, and the people who write about them. 

Helpful links:

The LA Times 101 https://www.latimes.com/food/list/101-best-restaurants-los-angeles

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Black Friday. Father Sal and I are coming through with a very LA Food Pod Gift Guide.

But first, there’s a piece in Taste making the case in favor of gatekeeping your favorite restaurants, a podcast with the brand new editor of The Best American Food & Travel Writing that elicited some red hot takes on the future of food media, and a snarky Substack article on whether 2024 was a year of lows for LA restaurants. 

Helpful links:

Shaan Merchant for Taste on gatekeeping ⁠https://tastecooking.com/is-there-a-case-for-gatekeeping/⁠

This is Taste interview with Jaya Saxena ⁠https://tastecooking.com/this-is-taste-499-best-american-food-writing-with-jaya-saxena/⁠

Bangers and Jams article on LA’s highs and lows ⁠https://www.bangersandjams.com/p/the-highs-and-lows-of-las-quiet-restaurant⁠

Eater’s Mona Holmes on Somerville and Long Beach’s new jazz lounge ⁠https://la.eater.com/2024/11/25/24305531/breakers-long-beach-hotel-sky-room-restaurant-opening-jazz-lounge-long-beach-southern-california⁠

GIFT GUIDE

⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H4SLV6?tag=seriouseats-onsite-prod-20&ascsubtag=8648475%7Cnfb598f95b40b4663a3a1de10248b91ba01%7CB008H4SLV6%7C1732671051584%7C%7C&th=1⁠

⁠https://foodistkitchen.com/⁠

⁠https://www.botanicarestaurant.com/products/magic-spice⁠Gift for the friend who only eats out:

⁠https://dininginthedarkexperience.com/los-angeles/⁠

Gift we’d get each other 

Gift I wish people would get me

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods