Petrossian Caviar Tasting

A typical week in my life is hard to predict.  Eclectic is my normal.  The bedrock of the week is time spent at KCRW with Good Food producer Gillian Ferguson recording interviews.  Every interview is the result of brainstorming sessions, scanning the news/foodisphere, our personal interests, a curiosity itch that needs scratching etc.  Then comes research, which means everyday for me begins and ends reading.  I am a reading machine.  This past week’s interviews are a typical mix of cookbook author, topical news exploration, local food vendor and social food history.  In short people we wanted to meet and talk with and ideas we want to explore.

Interviews:
Thug Kitchen‘s Michelle David and Matt Holloway
Bryant Terry cookbook author and advocate of healthy eating in the African American Community on the Thug Kitchen controversy
Alexandra Mannerings on the impact of bushmeat consumption on the Ebola Crisis
Josh Tetrick from Hampton CreekDeborah Gewirtz author of Noodle Narratives
Yotam Ottolenghi, cookbook author
Lesley Bargar Suter, Dine Editor of Los Angeles Magazine
Stephanie Mutz, local Uni Diver

Then there are events/panels/classes:  Two weeks ago I interviewed Mark Bittman for Live Talks LA, last week in addition to interviewing Yotam Ottolenghi for Good Food I also did a Q and A with him at Wms-Sonoma in Beverly Hills as part of his book tour.  The next night I was at UCLA participating in the Oppenheim Lectures, a series put on by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability run by Mark Gold, Jonathan’s brother.  Jonathan led the panel (Michael Cimarusti, Farmer Craig McNamara, and me) on Local and Organic:  Is it Enough?

Cooking:  Always cooking, at home for Mom and me and occasionally, like last week, I also cooked a small dinner for a client.

Then there is eating.  There must be eating.  There is friend eating and work eating.  Ideally they combine.  Work eating is for learning.  Who are the new players, what’s this guy doing these days, how has that space been transformed yet again?  Monday GF producer Gillian Ferguson and I went to a Swedish focused popup “North” at Austere.  It was 18 courses by the chefs Jacob and Anton from  Michelin starred Gastrologik in Stockholm. Friday we had lunch at the always fantastic Petrossian, eating and talking roe and caviar with Chef Giselle Wellman and Christopher Klapp, General Manager, who knows all about caviar. On the menu last week was Aarti’s Party, a book party with food celebrating Aarti Sequira‘s new cookbook.  There is a BBQ lunch with Lesley Bargar Suter (see above) at the Jimmy Kimmel back lot, which is a two fer. Catch up with Lesley while eating what meat Adam Perry Lang is smoking this time around. Friday I drove down to Costa Mesa to Carlos Salgado‘s place Taco Maria for Indie Chef Week.  A gathering of young talent.  3 nights, 20 chefs, 1 kitchen.  The last couple of weeks were particularly fabu.  It isn’t always like this.

Some of you asked, what I’m doing these days.  Now you know.