Matt Rodbard of This Is TASTE joins Luca Servodio as guest co-host on The LA Food Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of food media, restaurant discovery, and what’s happening right now in the LA dining scene.

They dig into Rodbard’s recent interviews with Emma Orlow of Caper Media and David Cho of the restaurant discovery app Postcard, exploring the idea of “post-traffic” food media, whether apps like Beli and Postcard change how we discover restaurants, and what the next generation of food TV might look like.

Plus, Matt and Luca break down their recent eats around LA — including Sqirl’s new dinner service, Max & Helen’s, Erewhon, Holbox, and brunch at Mirate in Los Feliz — before diving into the return of everyone’s favorite segment: Chef’s Kiss or Big Miss.

On the table this week:
• The Serving Spoon winning the James Beard America’s Classics Award
• Whether media like the New York Times shapes what diners order
• Restaurants getting paid to switch reservation platforms
• And the internet’s newest meme: The Pitt, but set during a Waffle House night shift

If you care about restaurants, food media, and how we discover what to eat next, this one’s for you.

Father Sal records his final episode as a bachelor, we launch our new Couch Potatoes Top Chef recap series, and then we head straight to Santa Monica for one of the most ambitious meals in Los Angeles: SELINE.

Chef Dave Beran’s winter tasting menu is structured around the idea of “outside” and “inside” — cold, memory, warmth, progression. We break down the sunflower sequence disguised as cod, the venison tartare that had us laughing mid-bite, the short rib slider moment, and whether SELINE is already operating at a Michelin-star level.

Then we zoom out.

We unpack the James Beard Foundation’s State of the Restaurant Industry report, produced with Deloitte, and talk about what it actually says: volatility as the new norm, alcohol sales declining, guests spending less per visit, full dining rooms that still aren’t profitable, and the widening gap between consumer expectations and restaurant economics. Oh, and here's that New School report we keep referencing.

After that, Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss returns — our recurring segment where we call balls and strikes on LA food culture:

• Sqirl flips to dinner

• The “restaurant monologue” backlash

• Pizza losing ground to Mexican and Asian cuisine

• And a few takes that might ruffle feathers

In Part 2, we sit down with Laurent Vernhes (founder of Tablet Hotels) and Tito Melega of MVA.wine — a 600-member wine collective that blind tastes 50–60 wines in Tuscany and only selects six. No filler inventory. No mass distribution. Just curation and scarcity.

And if you're interested in becoming an MVA member - a.k.a. a Vinefinder - the first 20 listeners to sign up get a $50 discount on their first collection with code "LAFOOD"

Powered by Acquired Taste

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re diving deep into LA’s cocktail culture with James Beard semifinalist Max Reis, beverage director of Mirate and Daisy Margarita Bar. Max shares his journey from Napa to Los Angeles, how he became one of the country’s most respected mezcal advocates, and what it takes to build a world-class bar program.

In Part 1, Luca and Father Sal recap a legendary Echo Park bar crawl, including strategy, standout stops, and inevitable chaos. Plus, Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss tackles the New York Times’ essential LA dishes list, the Max & Helen’s review debate, smart glasses in restaurants, AI reservation bots, and the battle over dining-room photography.

Powered by Acquired Taste

Alison Roman joins The LA Food Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on cookbooks, creativity, and the unsettling rise of AI-generated recipes. We dive into Something From Nothing, her evolving aesthetic, growing up in the San Fernando Valley, and her early days in LA fine dining.

Before that, Father Sal and Luca break down meals at Lucia, Bess, Max & Helen’s, and Cheesesteaks by Matu, plus the fallout from last week’s LA Dining Scam debate. In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss: Noma controversy, Villa’s Tacos at the Super Bowl, Jenn Harris’ big career news, a David Chang review, and a Tesla Diner confession you truly won’t believe.

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio is joined by food reporter Karen Palmer to break down the viral LA dining discourse sparked by Kerry Rose Schwartz (@comfywithkerry) and her claim that “LA fine dining is a scam.”

We dig into why Kerry’s videos exploded, the pushback from chefs like Jeremy Fox, and what the backlash reveals about hype culture, pricing, influencer power, and the widening expectation gap facing Los Angeles restaurants. Is this a needed reality check for diners—or damaging rhetoric during a brutal moment for the industry?

Karen also shares where she’s been eating lately, including Broken Spanish Comedor, a return visit to Ronan, cocktails at Bar Benjamin, and what makes a restaurant worth revisiting beyond the hype cycle. Luca recaps recent meals at Napa Rose at Disneyland post-renovation, Darling by Sean Brock, and an accidental Bravo-side quest at SUR.

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we weigh in on the Crenshaw Food Hub and its community-first food model, Marco Pierre White going viral while eating McDonald’s, the rise of all-day cafés reshaping American dining, and the latest wave of algorithm-friendly “liquid food” and meal-replacement culture. A wide-ranging, opinionated conversation about what’s actually worth eating—and talking about—in LA right now.

We also discuss Karen's latest on Hermon's and The Rainforest Cafe (lol).

Powered by Acquired Taste

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, we’re doing a little bit of everything — industry analysis, hot takes, and a long, thoughtful sit-down with two people quietly shaping what neighborhood dining looks like in Los Angeles right now.

In Part 1, Father Sal joins Luca to break down the 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists. LA had a massive showing this year, but how does it stack up against past years — and which semifinalists actually have a real shot at winning? We dig into the numbers, the narratives, and what Beard recognition really means in 2026. In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we cover Noma selling out in three minutes (and then making bagels), Bill Addison taking the gloves off, Firstborn LA going all-in on prix fixe, and a handful of LA chefs landing on one of the year’s most anticipated culinary TV shows.

In Part 2, Luca sits down with Adam Weisblatt, Co-Founder and Partner of Last Word Hospitality, and DK Kolender, Chef and Partner of Hermon’s, one of LA’s most talked-about new neighborhood restaurants. We start with Hermon’s — the vision, the food, the drinks, and why it already feels like it’s been here forever — before zooming out to talk about Last Word’s broader strategy behind Found Oyster, Queen’s, Barra Santos, and more. Adam and DK share hard-earned perspective on building restaurants people actually return to, thriving as a restaurant group in today’s LA, and how they think about growth, praise, and sustainability. We close with reflections on Last Word Hospitality’s recent James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur nomination and what success looks like moving forward.

Powered by Acquired Taste

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, Luca sits down with Chef Jon Yao and Ryan Bailey (Co-owner, DOO & Wine Director) of Kato, one of Los Angeles’s most acclaimed and ambitious restaurants. The conversation traces Kato’s evolution from its pre-Michelin West LA strip-mall era to its Arts District rebirth — unpacking how Jon and Ryan built a fine-dining institution that balances Taiwanese & SGV roots, Western technique, fermentation, hearth cooking, and one of the most forward-thinking beverage and non-alcoholic programs in the country.

We talk about the moment before Ryan joined in 2018, how their partnership transformed the restaurant’s trajectory, the decision to relocate to Row DTLA, the philosophy behind fermentation and “SGV food,” why the hearth is used with restraint, how the NA program went beyond trend to become identity, and what it means to operate a restaurant with one eye on legislation, labor, and rising costs.

We also get real about external validation — from Michelin stars to LA Times #1 rankings to World’s 50 Best “One to Watch” — and whether Kato is still pushing toward the “French Laundry” tier of long-term cultural significance in Los Angeles.

If you love LA dining, fine dining, Taiwanese cuisine, SGV food culture, fermentation, hospitality, Michelin, or restaurants building for the future, this conversation is for you.

Now streaming everywhere you get podcasts.

Keywords: Kato LA, Jon Yao, Ryan Bailey, Taiwanese food LA, SGV food, Michelin LA, World’s 50 Best, fermentation, non-alcoholic pairings, Arts District restaurants, fine dining Los Angeles, LA restaurant podcast, LA food scene, hospitality, wine programs LA

Today on The LA Food Podcast, we break down the LA food story that set the internet on fire: René Redzepi brings Noma to Silver Lake at $1500 per person. With guest Karen Palmer, we dissect the announcement, the backlash, the economics, and whether the outrage is justified—plus why “reindeer penis” somehow became part of the discourse.

Then on Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we tackle the surprise return of Gourmet Magazine, a Westside restaurant losing its liquor license to NIMBY neighbors, the growing case for anonymous food critics, and whether it’s acceptable for couples to order the same entree.

In Recent Eats, we run through meals at Little Fish, Electric Blue, Vandell, Bar Etoile, The Mulberry, and an Tacos Entre Amigos.

Finally, in Part 2, we sit down with Jason Lee of Expense Account, the breakout new food podcaster published by Feed Me, for a fun conversation on food media, the LA vs NYC rivalry, and what it takes to build a hit food show in 2026.

Powered by Acquired Taste.

Welcome back to The LA Food Podcast! In our second episode of 2026, Father Sal and Luca kick things off with Recent Eats, covering Hermon’s, Superba, Connie & Ted’s, and Etra. Then we dive into the new California food laws taking effect in 2026 — including updates to minimum wage, plastic bag rules, delivery app regulations, tortilla fortification, allergen menu labeling, retirement plan requirements, outdoor dining extensions, and more.

Using reporting from Eater LA’s Mona Holmes, we break down how these policy changes affect restaurants, diners, delivery drivers, street vendors, and the broader hospitality industry. Are these laws a win for consumers? Added pressure for already-strained restaurants? Or a mixed bag lawmakers will need to refine?

Plus, in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we hit:• Horses shuttering amid “catgate” fallout and tax liens• The closure of LA County’s oldest restaurant• A surprise Downtown comeback from a beloved chef• Pete Wells’ health-focused reset after stepping away from criticism• Blackbird’s 56 wild restaurant ideas for 2026

If you care about LA dining culture, food policy, restaurant trends, and what's ahead for hospitality in 2026, this episode is a must-listen.

SEO Keywords Included: new California food laws 2026, LA restaurants, delivery app regulations, California minimum wage 2026, Eater LA, Mona Holmes, restaurant trends 2026, Horses LA closure, Pete Wells health, LA dining news, LA food podcast

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.

It’s the first episode of The LA Food Podcast in 2026, and Luca Servodio and Father Sal are kicking off the new year the only way they know how: with food resolutions, trend forecasting, and a healthy dose of Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss.

On this episode, Luca and Sal trade three food-related resolutions each, from how they plan to dine out in 2026 to charitable goals that may or may not end in regret. Luca also officially announces the food category he’ll be counting down for the 2026 LA Countdown, while Father Sal attempts to prove he’s finally qualified to host a Los Angeles food podcast.

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, the guys break down what’s in and out for 2026, reacting to food predictions from The New York Times, Helen Rosner, and Matt Rodbard of This Is TASTE. Topics include quieter restaurants, comfort food, texture-driven cooking, value dining, non-alcoholic buzzes, food media’s future, and whether food culture is finally moving away from spectacle and back toward warmth, intention, and community.

They also revisit last year’s predictions to see what actually held up, debate whether desserts truly require a glass of milk, and, of course, read a pair of truly unhinged Yelp reviews.

If you care about LA dining, food trends, restaurant culture, and where food media is headed in 2026, this is the perfect way to start the year.

Powered by Acquired Taste Media.