SPRING 2018
Issue No. 5
edibleLA
Sharing the Story of Local Food, Season by Season
the meatless issue
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PLANT FOOD AND WINE
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APERITIVO COCKTAILS
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OUR FAVORITE AVOCADO RECIPES
Member of Edible Communities
IN THIS ISSUE The Mambo Mexicano—tequila, Campari, hibiscus, lime—from Venice’s Room 31.
33 10 EDITOR’S LETTER p. 4
features 21
Learn how P.Y.T. crafts a beverage program to complement their vegetable-driven menu BY KRISTINE BOCCHINO
SEED FOOD & WINE WEEK Miami’s SEED Food & Wine Week unites with LA’s Eat Drink Vegan to debut the most passionate plant-based and conscious living festival in town.
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NEWS & NIBBLES
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WHAT’S IN SEASON NOW
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INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT: AVOCADO
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READING CORNER
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BY EDIBLE LA STAFF
BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT
The city is filled with amazing plant-based options—try some of our favorites.
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BY SHAUNA BURKE | ILLUSTRATED BY JEREMY DELLAROSA
LOCAL HEROES Meet the group of friends behind Tropics—the popup juice bar changing a local community.
PLANT POWER
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SIP ON THIS Local bartenders utilize local kombucha to create six sparkly winter cocktails.
PLANT-BASED HIDDEN TREASURES
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CONTRIBUTORS p. 6
departments
PLANT PAIRINGS
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PLANT-BASED HIDDEN TREASURES P. 25
The sophistication and innovation of food that makes you feel good—at Plant Food and Wine BY LISA ALEXANDER
BY LISA ALEXANDER
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THE FOOD HISTORIAN Strawberry Fields: The $4 Billion Berry BY LINDA CIVITELLO
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BEHIND THE BREW Meet Alexandra Nowell, brewmaster at Three Weavers Brewing Co in Inglewood BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT
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Q&A with plant-based chef and wellness expert Nina Curtis + her avocado cacao mousse recipe!
17 10 13 13 16 17 20 20 39 42
SHAVED RADISH & AVOCADO SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING AVOCADO CHIA HUMMUS AVOCADO GAZPACHO TARO ROOT, PINEAPPLE, AND CUCUMBER SOUP DEVILED AVOCADO CARROT GINGER JAM STRAWBERRY-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RAW AVOCADO CACAO MOUSSE
DRINK
BY SHAUNA BURKE
FOOD
recipe index
LAST BITE
33 33 33 34 34 37 37 37 37
AN 8PM SKYLINE MAMBO MEXICANO SPANISH SPRITZ GOLDEN STATE NEGRONI MELETTI SPRITZ CHILDHOOD JUICE SUMMER JUICE DIAMOND JUICE LOVER’S ROCK JUCE
editor's note
NO. 5
SPRING 2018 PUBLISHER Pulp & Branch LLC EDITOR IN CHIEF Shauna Burke
A TIME FOR RENEWAL. I can’t think of a more appropriate season to put together a meatless issue. Springtime is all about renewal—cleaning out the closet, clearing your mind, and maybe even altering some old habits. The first time I went vegetarian, I was eleven years old. Back then, the options were very limited—chefs were notorious for making pasta for any vegetarian who walked through the door and dining out was usually annoying, not exciting. My mother became frustrated cooking dinner because I wouldn’t touch whatever the rest of the family was eating, which is really how I ended up learning to cook and getting into food. Nowadays, the options are endless, especially here in LA. From the originals like Follow Your Heart and Real Food Daily to Tal Ronnen’s famed Crossroads Kitchen and Matthew Kenney’s burgeoning plant-based empire, and all the wonderful little joints in between, we’re swimming in a sea of choices. Aren’t we lucky? We put together a Plant-Based Hidden Treasures map (page 25) which includes everything from a vegan Cajun kitchen in North Hollywood to a vegan Cuban restaurant in Inglewood, both of which churn out some of the best comfort food in town. Not included on the map, but one of my new favorites, is The Stalking Horse Brewery & Freehouse in West LA. It’s not a fully plant-based establishment, but their vegan versions of things like Welsh rarebit, Cornish pasties, and cottage pie are stellar. Since childhood, I’ve gone back and forth on the vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian thing. What I can say now is that I believe life is all about balance and keeping an open mind. I think it’s important—on so many levels—to eat less meat in any way that works for someone. After all, everyone can make a difference, even if it’s just participating in something like Meatless Monday. Show us what you love about springtime in LA—and especially where your favorite meatless dishes are—by posting photos on Instagram, tagging us @EdibleLAMag, and using #FeastOnLA. We'll repost our favorites!
Enjoy the season... With much love,
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lisa Alexander Kristine Bocchino Shauna Burke Ryan Caveywoolpert Linda Civitello CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Alan Gastelum CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Jeremy Dellarosa
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COVER: The cheese board at Plant Food and Wine in Venice; photographed by Alan Gastelum
No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher.
Cover Photo © Melanie DeFazio
MAILING ADDRESS 27407 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, CA 90265
NEWS & NIBBLES CONNECT WITH US
CELEBRATE THE PLANT-BASED LIFE DURING SEED FOOD & WINE WEEK
@EdibleLAMag #FeastOnLA
The SEED Food & Wine Festival, founded by Alison Burgos and Michelle Gaber, will be coming to Los Angeles this May.
SAVE THE DATE!
For one week, Angelenos will experience the SEED Food & Wine movement—a community of ideas and passionate people committed to elevating the conversation around plant-based foods, sustainability, conscious living, and the welfare of animals —featuring the best plant-based foods, craft beers + wines + spirits, wellness, eco-conscious fashion, celebrity chef dinners, yoga, a 5K run, and more.
LA BEER FESTIVAL
When: APRIL 7 Where: Los Angeles Center Studios labeerfest.la
masters of taste
For more event information and to purchase tickets, visit seedfoodandwinela.com.
When: MAY 6 Where: Rose Bowl mastersoftastela.com
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
When: MAY 19 & 20 Where: Strawberry Meadows, College Park castrawberryfestival.org
SEED FOOD & WINE WEEK
featuring Angela Means
When: MAY 23-26 Where: Rose Bowl seedfoodandwinela.com
LONG BEACH VEGAN FESTIVAL
When: JULY 7 Where: CSULB, Walter Pyramid Lawn lbveganfest.com
STAY TUNED!
WIN A COPY!
Keep up with us on Instagram @ediblelamag and watch for your chance to win a copy of Sweet Laurel: Recipes for Whole Food, Grain-Free Desserts, from the trendy LA bakery.
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ALEXANDER (Plant Power, p. 26; Local Heroes, p. 34). "Either of the
ones with cauliflower or zucchini crust. The cauliflower is more of a pesto, the zucchini more Margherita, but both are crispy, delicious, and happy-making. Added bonus: grab a seat by the window to watch the surfers catch waves.”
"With the warmer months upon us, for my dollar, nothing beats a vegan soft serve from Magpies in Silver Lake or Tarzana.,” says contributing illustrator
JEREMY DELLAROSA (PlantBased Hidden Treasures, p. 25).
“The texture and the array of rotating flavors will please vegans and nonvegans alike. The Corn Almond is a delicious staple, but if they have it, go for the Blood Orange Creamsicle! ”
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"I love eggplant. As an Italian American, I grew up eating it pickled, parmigiana, and pizzaiolo—so I took immediately to the warm eggplant dip (kashk-e bademjan) at Flame Persian Cuisine in Westwood," says contributing writer LINDA CIVITELLO (The Food Historian, p. 38). “Kashk is creamy like yogurt, a nice contrast with the garlic and mint seasonings. Sautéed onions on top are a burst of sweetness. Unlike baba ghanouj, there is no tahini, so the flavors shine.”
"The crispy potato chorizo tacos on the happy hour menu at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood are definitely one of my happy foods.,” says contributing writer RYAN
CAVEYWOOLPERT (Sip on This, p. 32; Behind the Brew, p. 41). "Warm
weather in LA almost screams for a good taco—this one topped with salsa, cashew crema, pickled cabbage, and crispy onions. ”
"My favorite plant-based dish would have to be the Turkish Eggs with Chile Butter, Garlicky Yogurt and Greens from Botanica in Silver Lake,” says contributing photographer ALAN
GASTELUM (Plant Power, p. 26). “The dish isn’t vegan, but the giant pile
of greens on top of the eggs make the dish so delicious. With the addition of a sliced persian cucumber, parsley, cilantro, and edible flowersthe plants on the dish definitely take over.”
"My absolute favorite vegetable dish right now is the cabbage baked in embers—with yogurt, sumac and lemon zest—from Charcoal in Venice," says contributing writer KRISTINE
BOCCHINO (Plant Pairings, p. 21). "The smoke combined with the
creaminess of the yogurt and the lemony hit of acid takes a simple vegetable and elevates it to something so delicious and comforting." Photo ©istockphoto/sveta_zarzamora
"I’m a bit of a nut for the pizzas at Malibu Farm Restaurant on the Malibu Pier,” says contributing writer LISA
our contributors Our contributors tell us where to find their
FAVORITE MEATLESS DISHES IN LA Share yours with us on Instagram @EdibleLAMag #FeastOnLA and we’ll repost our favorites!
What's in Season Now SPRING & EARLY SUMMER APRICOTS ARTICHOKES ASPARAGUS AVOCADOS BLACKBERRIES BLUEBERRIES BOYSENBERRIES BROCCOLI CARROTS CAULIFLOWER CHERRIES CHERRY TOMATOES CORN - early summer CUCUMBERS FAVA BEANS FIGS - early summer GRAPEFRUIT GREEN BEANS GREEN GARLIC LOGANBERRIES MULBERRIES - early summer NEW POTATOES OKRA - early summer OLALLIEBERRIES PLUMS RADISHES RASPBERRIES RHUBARB SNOW PEAS STRAWBERRIES SUGAR SNAP PEAS 8
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SPOTLIGHT:
AVOCADO In Season: spring through early fall What to Look For: ripe fruit will be firm but will yield to gentle pressure
Photo ©istockphoto/Elena_Danileiko
Avocados are one of those items that we take for granted and tend to believe are always in season. After all, when was the last time you went to the grocery store and didn’t see a huge heap of avocados? Here’s a better question—when was the last time you saw and purchased California avocados? As a nation, we are obsessed— we want the healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that we keep hearing about! We’ve driven the
demand up so high that we’ve had to find as many sources as possible— maybe a place or two where avocados grow well all year long. Many of the avocados we purchase are from Mexico, Peru, or elsewhere. Get California avocados now through early fall and see some of our favorite recipes on the next few pages—don’t miss the Deviled Avocados on page 17 or Chef Nina Curtis’s Raw Avocado Cacao Mousse on page 42.
spotlight: Avocado
Shaved Radish & Avocado Salad with Avocado Dressing serves 4
INGREDIENTS 2 cups mixed radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 cups loosely packed mixed greens 1 firm but ripe avocado, thinly sliced sea salt for the dressing makes about 1 cup
INGREDIENTS 1 large ripe avocado, pit and skin removed 1/4 cup water 2 tbsp avocado oil 1 small clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice sea salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute.
ASSEMBLY
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Photo Šistockphoto/barmalini
To assemble, arrange sliced radishes on a large platter, topped with sliced avocado and greens. Spoon dressing over the top and serve.
Photo ©Ellie Baygulov/Stocksy United
Photo ŠTatjana Zlatkovic/Stocksy United
spotlight: Avocado
Avocado Chia Hummus makes about 2 cups
INGREDIENTS 1 ripe medium avocado 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained 3 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice 2 tbsp tahini 2 tbsp chia seeds 2 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced a pinch of smoked paprika kosher salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS Add all ingredients, except olive oil, to a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil and allow to run for another 30 seconds or so, until creamy and smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Optionally, sprinkle more chia seeds on top, along with a drizzle of olive oil.
Avocado Gazpacho serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS 32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth 2 large avocados, pit and skin removed 2-4 dashes hot sauce, optional kosher salt, to taste 1 tbsp fresh chives. thinly sliced 2-4 ripe cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS Add vegetable broth and avocado meat to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Add hot sauce and kosher salt, to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving—it should be cold when serving. If it becomes too thick after refrigerating, just add a splash of vegetable broth to the mixture and whisk or blend until it reaches your desired consistency. To serve, pour cold gazpacho into bowls and garnish with thinly sliced cherry tomato, carefully placed on top so they don’t sink, and a sprinkle of fresh, thinly sliced chives. ◆
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Denver,Colorado
JULY 13 –15, 2018 Parties • Tastings • Workshops Family Activities • Taste Marketplace • Talks
A festival of flavor, culture and exploration! slowfoodnations.org
reading corner
SOME OF THIS SEASON'S
MOST DELICIOUS READS
MY AMERICAN DREAM A LIFE OF LOVE, FAMILY, AND FOOD Lidia Matticchio Bastianich (Knopf) The best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and beloved television personality tells her story—from her childhood in Italy to New York and her journey to great success—with warmth and obvious passion. A must-read for any true foodie. -eLA
JAPAN the cookbook Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Phaidon) Japan is a truly one of the most revered culinary cultures on earth. This comprehensive guide takes readers through all the traditions and regional cuisines, with over 400 recipes to learn and cook from. -eLA
get the recipe for SOY MILK & COCOA GELEE on ediblela.com
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CUBA THE COOKBOOK Madelaine Vázquez Gálvez & Imogene Tondre (Phaidon) Cuba has definitely been on our minds lately as a must-see travel destination—the bright colors, intense flavors, cigars—and this book is not helping that thirst. Even if you can’t make it to Cuba in person, this comprehensive guide and cookbook will lead you on a vibrant culinary journey through this gorgeous island. -eLA
TARO ROOT, PINEAPPLE, AND CUCUMBER SOUP Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling time Cooking Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS 1 medium (7 oz/200 g) taro root, peeled and roughly diced 7 oz (200 g) cucumber, peeled and sliced, plus more for serving 1 large slice (7 oz/200 g) pineapple, roughly diced, plus more for serving 1 medium white onion, sliced 4 leaves fresh culantro 4 sprigs parsley ½ teaspoon salt Ground black pepper (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Place the taro root in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, covered, until soft, about 15 minutes. Reserving 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) of the cooking water, drain the taro and let cool. When cool, transfer the taro root and reserved cooking water to a blender. Add the cucumber, pineapple, onion, culantro, and parsley and blend until smooth. Add the salt and black pepper (if using) and strain. Refrigerate to chill. Serve cold and garnish with strips of cucumber and pineapple. Adapted from CUBA: THE COOKBOOK by Madelaine Vázquez Gálvez and Imogene Tondre (Phaidon, $49.95 US/$59.95 CAN, June 2018) 16
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TASTING PARIS 100 RECIPES TO EAT LIKE A LOCAL Clotilde Dusoulier (Clarkson Potter) This is not just another French cookbook. Clotilde Dusoulier offers recipes that are sure to have readers dog-earing the book upon first glance. We’ve already made six recipes from the book, including the Deviled Avocado included here, and all were crowd-pleasing and delicious—exactly what a cookbook is meant for. -eLA
DEVILED AVOCADO serves 8 INGREDIENTS 1 (15-ounce/400 g) can or jar chickpeas, rinsed and drained (see Note) 2 teaspoons tahini 1 garlic clove 1 teaspoon ground turmeric Fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 avocados (about 6 ounces/170 g each), halved and pitted 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika Fleur de sel, for serving ½ cup (115 g) squash seeds, toasted 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives INSTRUCTIONS Note • To use home-cooked chickpeas, you’ll need 1 1/3 cups (240 g): Soak ½ cup (110 g) dried chickpeas overnight and cook in a saucepan of boiling water until cooked through and tender, about 1 hour. Drain well. In a food processor, process the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, lemon juice, oil, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Add a little more water, tablespoon by tablespoon, as needed until creamy but still scoopable. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Scoop 2 rounded tablespoons of hummus into each avocado “hole,” as for deviled eggs. Arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the paprika, fleur de sel, squash seeds, and chives. Reprinted from Tasting Paris. Copyright © 2018 by Clotilde Dusoulier. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Nicole Franzen. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Ran-
JAM SESSIONS A FRUIT-PRESERVING HANDBOOK Joyce Goldstein (Ten Spreed Press) A solid reference for seasonal jams, jellies, and other preserves—it’s well organized and includes unique but approachable recipes like sweet and savory carrot ginger jam or mango lime jam. Pull this out at the beginning of each season to inspire your grocery list and to stay on top of what is best to be preserving at the time. -eLA
Photo © 2018 Ed Anderson
CARROT-GINGER JAM 18
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CARROT-GINGER JAM(recipe on next Yield: 7 half-pint jars INGREDIENTS Scant 2 pounds carrots 1 orange 1 lemon 6 ounces fresh ginger 2 cups water 1 cup orange juice 4 cups granulated sugar 6 to 8 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Pinch of ground ginger (optional) Pinch of ground cayenne or Aleppo or Maras pepper (optional) INSTRUCTIONS 1. Place 3 or 4 small plates in the freezer. Peel, trim, and grate the carrots, using a food processor. Remove from the food processor bowl and set aside. You will have about 6 cups. 2. Halve and seed the orange and lemon. Cut the citrus into chunks, add to the food processor bowl, and pulse until pureed. Remove from the food processor bowl and set aside. 3. Peel and slice the ginger. Add to the food processor bowl and pulse until pureed. You will have about 1 cup. 4. In a large preserving pot, gently combine the carrots, orange and lemon, ginger, water, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit, uncovered, for 1 hour. Add the sugar and 3 to 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 30 minutes. 5. Place a baking sheet on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set two stockpots on the stove and fill them with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars (see page 32) in the water bath. Taste the jam and stir in the remaining 3 to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice as needed. If the ginger is too mild, add a pinch of ground ginger or hot pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then decrease the heat to low and simmer the jam for a few minutes longer, until it thickens and passes the plate test (see page 30), achieving a soft set and mounding on the plate. It should be syrupy, not dry. Remove the pot from the heat. 6. Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet. Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving 1⁄4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings. 7. Using a jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the pots. When the water returns to a boil, decrease the heat to an active simmer, and process the jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for 1 to 2 minutes. 8. Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheet and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed (see page 34). Label and store the sealed jam for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
STRAWBERRY-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST serves 4 A lazy Sunday morning just wouldn’t be complete without the scent of French toast sizzling in the pan waking you up. We take our rendition a step further with the delightful addition of jam between layers of bread. It’s sweet, bright, crisp, and satisfying all in one bite. This recipe is perfect with bread that’s a day or two old—it actually soaks the batter up better than if it were fresh! INGREDIENTS Eight 1⁄2-inch slices sandwich bread, store-bought or homemade (page 53) 1 cup berry jam, store-bought or homemade (page 208) 4 large eggs 1⁄4 cup full-fat coconut milk 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1⁄4 cup maple syrup pinch of Himalayan pink salt 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut oil Coconut Whipped Cream (page 30), sliced strawberries, and maple syrup, for serving INSTRUCTIONS 1. Sandwich 2 slices of bread with however much jam you please. Repeat with the remaining bread and jam. 2. In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt. Dunk the sandwiches into the egg mixture one at a time, soaking for 10 seconds on each side. 3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt enough coconut oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Put as many sandwiches as will fit in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until crisped and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding more oil if necessary. 4. Serve the French toast hot with a generous helping of coconut whipped cream, some sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of maple syrup on top. Reprinted from Sweet Laurel: Recipes for Whole Food, Grain-Free Desserts. Copyright © 2018 by Laurel Gallucci and Claire Thomas. Photography by Claire Thomas. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
40% OF FOOD IN AMERICA IS WASTED
Reprinted with permission from Jam Session, copyright 2018 by Joyce Goldstein. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. @EdibleLAMag
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sweet laurel recipes for whole food, grain-free desserts Laurel Gallucci & Claire Thomas (Clarkson Potter) Sweet Laurel is a trendy LA bakery known for churning out delicious grain-free cakes, like their paleo and vegan chocolate caramel layer cake. But this book is more than just cake—you’ll find breakfast items, breads, muffins, bars, and sinful, but perhaps healthier, desserts like baked churro bars. -eLA ◆
STRAWBERRY-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST (RECIPE oN PAGE 19)
PLANT PAIRINGS
A chat with the Josef Centeno Group’s Genevieve Hardison on P.Y.T.’s novel vegetable-focused pairings.
BY KRISTINE BOCCHINO
Illustration © iStockphoto.com/saemilee
Vegetable-centric menus are popping up more and more as restaurateurs completely give into the idea—and often the challenge— of making vegetables the star. Take Josef Centeno, chef-owner of downtown’s beloved Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá, Orsa & Winston, and P.Y.T. group. Those tasked with managing the wine and beverage program at P.Y.T. are handed the unique, fun, albeit tricky, job of creating wine and cocktail menus around an ever-changing, gardeninspired menu. To find out just how much fun this job really is, I had to have a chat with Genevieve Hardison, director of operations at the Josef Centeno Group, about P.Y.T.’s innovative beverage program. ELA: What is the overall focus of your wine program at P.Y.T? GH: P.Y.T. is an entirely domestic wine program with a focus on natural, organic wines. Much like Josef ’s relationships with local farmers, we have relationships with most of the people who grow and make the wines on our list. ELA: What is the biggest challenge you’ve found in pairing wine with vegetable-focused dishes? GH: The biggest challenge is that vegetables have a different spectrum of flavor than, say, meats. So we have to discover that spectrum and then choose wines to match. We find our list has a lot more bright, zippy wines than dense, dark, broody reds. ELA: With the abundance of amazing spring vegetables available in Los Angeles, which upcoming pairings are on your radar for this season’s menus? GH: Our salt-baked turnip is a special dish that takes a traditional meat preparation and turns it on its head. The result is a fragrant turnip with flavors of anise, served with walnut, cilantro, and bitter greens. We love this dish with a dry white wine. Birichino’s 2015 Malvasia Bianca from Monterey fits the bill perfectly. Light, floral and spicy, it has bright acid up front and a silky, dry finish. Another exciting pairing is our Tehachapi cracked wheat risotto with burrata, snap pea, ghee, and ginger. This dish would do well with a lot of wines but we love to pair this with an orange wine from Oregon, like the 2016 Franchere Wine Company ‘For Heaven’s Sake, Don’t Move Here’ Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley. This is a skin-contact white that also spends four hours on Pinot Noir skins. It’s an orange and a rosé in one. The wine is full of citrus, with woodsy notes mixed with bright berry and soft tannins. It pairs incredibly well with the creamy risotto, without overpowering it. ELA: Have you come across some fun spirits that seem to be a great complement to the P.Y.T. menu, either on their own or in cocktails? GH: The bar at P.Y.T. is gin-focused. Gin has such a floral (and often
vegetal) flavor profile. It makes it ideal to pair with vegetable juices in our cocktails. Right now we’re loving Monkey 47, a German gin made with 47 botanicals. It’s woodsy and vegetal, but also floral and fruity. ELA: Is there a style of beer you find works particularly well with your menu? GH: We love farmhouse ales. There are two exciting beers we love right now. The first is our BACOBEER, made with local brewers Solarc. It’s hoppy, malty, and delicious. The second is Mikkeller’s Spontan series. We first carried their Spontancarrot, which was a carrot sour ale, and now it’s apricots. Sour profiles complement Josef ’s food well and Mikkeller always makes incredibly balanced and thoughtful beers. ELA: For a plant-based home cook, what tips do you have for selecting a wine to pair with their meal? GH: I think vegetables, in some ways, can be easier to pair because so many vegetal notes occur in wine. I think, depending on the preparation, looking for whites and lighter reds is the key. Varietals we love include Tocai, Vermentino, Arneis, Pinot Gris, and a million more. If the dish has a cream component, then finding a white that is creamy, like a Viognier, or a red with soft, dark fruit, like an elegant Syrah, will help. But pairing wine should be fun and stress free. You learn as much from bad pairings as you do from good. ◆
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STAND UP FOR US ALL
Clinical trials bring us closer to the day when all cancer patients can become survivors. Clinical trials are an essential path to progress and the brightest torch researchers have to light their way to better treatments. That’s because clinical trials allow researchers to test cutting-edge and potentially life-saving treatments while giving participants access to the best options available. If you’re interested in exploring new treatment options that may also light the path to better treatments for other patients, a clinical trial may be the right option for you. Speak with your doctor and visit StandUpToCancer.org/ClinicalTrials to learn more.
Sonequa Martin-Green, SU2C Ambassador Stand Up To Cancer is a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
SEED FOOD & WINE WEEK
Miami’s SEED Food & Wine Week unites with LA’s Eat Drink Vegan to debut the most passionate plant-based and conscious living festival ever to hit the city. —eLA
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he SEED Food & Wine Festival, founded by Alison Burgos and Michelle Gaber, will be coming to Los Angeles this May. For one week, Angelenos will experience the SEED Food & Wine movement—a community of ideas and passionate people committed to elevating the conversation around plant-based foods, sustainability, conscious living, and the welfare of animals —featuring the best plant-based foods, craft beers + wines + spirits, wellness, ecoconscious fashion, celebrity chef dinners, yoga, a 5K run, and more. All the while, LA’s coveted Eat Drink Vegan—the vegan food & beer festival—will also host unlimited pours of over 250 beverages including craft beer, wine, cider, kombucha, cold brew, craft sodas and tea; over 100 of the world’s best plant-based restaurants, food carts, and trucks; and a vegan marketplace showcasing vendors selling everything from clothing to packaged foods to skin care. The event will feature 40+ celebrity plant-based chefs; and 30+ wellness experts, athletes, authors, and sustainable living stars like Lauren Toyota of Hot for Food; Marco Borges, founder of 22 Day Nutrition; Miyoko Schinner, CEO and founder of Miyoko’s Kitchen; Caitlin Shoemaker of From My Bowl; VeganFatKid; Jason Wrobel; Colleen Holland; John Lewis; Jackie Sobon, Vegan Yack Attack; Judy Nadel, co-founder of Vevolution; Damien Clarkson, co-founder of Vevolution; Whitney Lauritsen, Eco Vegan Gal; Koya Webb; and Raw Manda of VeganFoodSpot. SEED Food & Wine Week’s action-packed schedule: MAY 23 SEED Summit The Califia Farms Film Festival MAY 24 SEED Summit Art & Fashion Show MAY 25 Grand Tasting MAY 26 5K Run, Yoga, and Meditation Eat Drink Vegan featuring the SEED Wellness Village Farm to Table Dinner For more event information and to purchase tickets, visit seedfoodandwinela.com. ◆ @EdibleLAMag
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THE GUIDE :
PLANT-BASED HIDDEN TREASURES
All over Los Angeles, plant-based options are becoming standard. Once upon a time, brunch at any normal restaurant was a pretty sad experience for many vegans—avocado toast wasn’t a guarantee back then and the eggless dishes like pancakes and waffles were still made with dairy. Nowadays, it’s not at all difficult to seek out healthy food, fresh vegetables, and meals created with awareness for the world around us. The following list includes some of our favorite plant-based treasures, to satisfy any craving. -eLA
BY SHAUNA BURKE | ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY DELLAROSA
BEELMAN’S Downtown
Beelman’s wasn’t always vegan, but they made the switch late last year. Their menu is exactly what an imbiber is usually looking for—bar snacks like pretzels with spicy mustard and gochujang crema, an Impossible Burger, hot dogs, and a breakfast burrito with tater tots and smoked tofu. They have a great beer list and tiki-inspired cocktails to boot.
DONUT FRIEND Highland Park
Every doughnut here is vegan—their most popular, Strawberrylab, is filled with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and topped with chocolate glaze. Their limited edition’s, like S’morrissey and Hot Rosewater Music are worth venturing out for, but the signature flavors are no less awe-inspiring.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART
RAHEL VEGAN CUISINE
Many of us know Follow Your Heart as a popular brand of vegan products, like cheese, egg, and mayonnaise substitutes, but their market and café still stands as a true original—staking out their territory in Canoga Park in 1970, they continue to dish out vegan comfort food, like the vegetarian ‘meatball’ sub, from their café every single day.
You won’t find fake meats or tofu here. At Rahel, it’s all about sharing an Ethiopian feast—made up of a long list of gorgeous stews—best eaten by grabbing small bites with torn injeri bread and sipping on Ethiopian drinks like suff, made from sunflower seeds.
Canoga Park
THE GREEN TEMPLE Redondo Beach
In an area without a huge number of vegan options, The Green Temple in Redondo Beach still shines bright. Try the bowls, which can be mixed and matched any way you’d like, and let’s see if you can resist a slice of the peanut butter chocolate pie.
DOOMIE’S HOME COOKIN’
JACKFRUIT CAFE
Doomie’s, open ’til midnight, is the answer to a vegan’s late-night cravings. Fried chicken, burgers, po’ boys, mac and cheese, and more sinful goodness, now also available at their new location in Culver City.
Angela Means, aka Felicia from the movie Friday, operated a vegan soul food café inside King’s Donuts in Jefferson Park until very recently. She will be reopening at a new location, near the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw shopping mall, sometime in April. Try the soul bowl with jackfruit, rice, collards, beans, mac and cheese, yams, and plantains.
Hollywood
EQUELECUÁ CUBAN CAFE Inglewood
Head to Inglewood for a taste of Cuba and some serious comfort food—nachos, wings, a Cuban sandwich, and all the plates will leave your mouth watering and head spinning, in the best way possible.
FALA BAR Venice
With five different flavors to choose from—original, sweet potato, kale, spicy, and crunchy—there’s a falafel for everyone here. At both locations in West Hollywood and Venice, the standard falafel sandwich is a go-to for a reason, with hummus, cabbage, tahini, and Israeli salad, plus that toasty warm pita.
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Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw
KRIMSEY’S CAJUN KITCHEN North Hollywood
LA may not have known that it needed a vegan Cajun restaurant—in North Hollywood—but this joint produces flavorful Southern staples, like okra and a po’ boy, that’ll take you right back to New Orleans.
LITTLE PINE Silver Lake
The brunch at Little Pine, with offerings like biscuits and gravy, grilled cheese, French toast, and maple tempeh bacon, is totally worth it. Don’t miss the cocktails—the jasmine fizz comes with chickpea meringue and the lady grey, with Earl Grey tea and hemp milk, makes the perfect midday tipple.
Little Ethiopia
REAL FOOD DAILY Pasadena
Certainly not new on any foodie’s radar, RFD has been a haven for organic plant-based cuisine since 1993—25 years and going strong—now with locations in West Hollywood, Pasadena, and at LAX. Their brunch or their BLTA are worth the drive from anywhere.
SAGE PLANT BASED BISTRO & BREWERY Echo Park
Now with three locations, including the newly opened Pasadena location, Sage is becoming an LA standard. They brew their own beer, kombucha and an ‘adult’ root beer are on tap, and they do a great breakfast. Try the chilaquiles.
SHOJIN
Culver City Vegan sushi no longer just means a cucumber roll or an avocado roll and a side of edamame. Shojin, with locations both downtown and in Culver City, is an organic macrobiotic restaurant dishing out plant-based versions of familiar sushi joint staples like spicy tuna on crispy rice and dynamite rolls.
YOGA-URT Glendale
This organic vegan soft serve—made from almonds and cashews—is creamy and decadent and stands on its own. The standard peanut butter is my goto indulgence, but don’t miss intriguing flavors like Radiant Golden Rose or Ganesha’s Sweet Greens. Oh, and they have kombucha floats! ◆
PLANT POWER The Innovation and Sophistication of Food That Makes You Feel Good
WRITTEN BY LISA ALEXANDER PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALAN GASTELUM
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lant Food and Wine occupies its own white building on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, graced with a colorful butterfly mural, a garden filled with rare herbs, an organic wine program, and an outdoor cooking center with two big, green ceramic ovens that resemble giant emu eggs. The patio out back is pure, dreamy, and effortlessly chic—southern California at its most enviable, complete with trailing sweet peas, twinkling lights, dogs welcome, and both vegans and neighborhood foodies noshing away. On the day I visited—Valentine’s—the kitchen buzzed with palpable electricity through the lunch crowd and into dinner service. “That’s Okinawan sweet potato,” the chef de cuisine tells me, as he notices me crushing over a bowl filled with a bright violet puree. I soon discover that each ingredient at Plant Food and Wine has been chosen to serve a clear, defined purpose, with nutrition and flavor being top priorities and not just an insignificant coincidence.
A vegan kitchen seems a little bit different—half cook space, half lab—filled with concentration, color, and the life-affirming buzz of innovation. Then there’s all the paraphernalia: upstairs, the row of dehydrators for the flax crackers; the taps for kombucha (it’s Conscious Kombucha from Santa Barbara); and the Pacojet—a sophisticated emulsifier that churns frozen blocks of base into the silkiest ice cream— to name just a few. On one station, a pastry chef mixes the pistachio and chickpea crust for a beet tart. Nearby, Scott Winegard, the executive chef, messes with a vat of sour cherry sauce, giving it that final tweak with fennel, black garlic, and pepper, to get it just right. On the counter, the lunch plates pop up in quick succession: a spicy udon soup with a flawless crisp of seaweed, a hunk of Lodge bread with a smear of vegan blue cheese, and salads decorated with feast-for-the-eyes edible flowers. Everything that passes under my nose is the definition of Instagram-worthy, not to mention wildly delicious. Scott—tall, bearded, tattooed—is also a musician. He has performed all over the world as bassist and founding member of the band Texas is the Reason—their 1996 album, Do You Know Who You Are, was included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time”. After Scott traded in his guitar for chef ’s knives, he cut his teeth in the industry before joining his future culinary soul mate, Matthew Kenney, at Pure Food and Wine in New York. Then, in a bold move for a seasoned chef, he staged at Noma in Copenhagen—also known as one of the world’s best restaurants—for a single formative summer. “I was immediately attracted, like a magnet, to what [chef] Rene Redzepi was doing— foraging, pickling, little portions. It was all about what grows. I really connected to that,” Scott said. Now at Plant Food and Wine, the ingredients are the stars. As Scott tells me, having come from New York, the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market was truly a revelation. “Every time I go, I’m looking for something that grabs me—that cool heirloom cauliflower or that bean I’ve never seen before,” he said eagerly. “A lot of times, we’ll get the list from Rutiz Family Farms and they’ll tell me they have lettuce, fennel, and kale, but I go around to the front and they have these fantastic parsnips— then I think about how I’m going to put those on the menu. Everyone at the farmers’ market goes that extra mile to know who you are. Literally the second week I went back, the farmers remembered me, asking, ‘What are you up to?,’ ‘Did you try this?,’ ‘They have amazing berries over there.!” @EdibleLAMag
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HEIRLOOM TOMATO + ZUCCHINI LASAGNA. SUN DRIED TOMATO MARINARA. MACADAMIA RICOTTA.
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CALIFORNIA CHOPPED KALE. AVOCADO. RED PEPPER. CUCUMBER. PISTACHIO. WHITE BALSAMIC.
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Scott Winegard, executive chef, at the farmers’ market. Photo by Adrian Mueller.
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Scott’s not only happy to be away from the east coast competition and cold weather, but he loves the community of chefs out here in LA. “It’s a brotherhood...take Alex Phaneuf and Or Amsalam [from Lodge Bread Co]. They came over in the beginning, brought some of their loaves, and we just sat here, eating bread and talking. It felt like we’d been friends for years,” he said. Matthew Kenney, CEO and face of the company and restaurant group, has been named one of America’s Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine and was twice nominated Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation. He and Scott aren’t interested in being the next vegan fine dining temple— the focus here is a little bit different. As Scott tells me, “We want to be market-driven, whole foods. We want to be scratch.” His model for Plant Food and Wine is basically the Chez Panisse of Venice—a mecca for responsible food, done right. He’s also proud that, in the three years they’ve been here, they’ve bridged foodie heaven with a neighborhood joint where people can get what they want, well made and nutritionally sound. “We kept at it, listening to the neighborhood. People wanted a veggie burger, so,” Scott said, “Okay, we’ll give you one, but it’s got to be a really good one.” And hardcore vegans can still come for the full-on chef ’s tasting menu experience, though the menu is no longer exclusively raw. And that brings me to the Big Green Egg ceramic grills in the backyard. “Zero to 500 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Fantastic,” Scott said. “We’re putting oak in here, and pecan that burns down to embers. I love the smoke, the fire, the smell. Just now, we’ve added an avocado tikka to the menu and I’m using these for the potato bread.” He plops the plump, risen dough onto a pizza stone. “You can char sweet potato cakes in here too, and mustard greens cook up [so well and] not at all bitter.” While developing a vegan menu, one school of thought is to find substitutes—using coconut meat and cashews to mimic dairy in ice cream, for example, in an attempt to produce something familiar, something that people are already comfortable with—but Plant Food and Wine is after something different. Here, the plant is the star, and nothing stands in for animal products. By using herbs and plants like oxalis and red mustard, as well as juniper and sumac infused oils, they’re using whole, fresh ingredients to create truly plant-focused dishes. As Matthew explains, “We don’t use fake meats, we barely use any soy products, we only have a little tempeh in one dish in all of our restaurants. You won’t find cans or soy products or seitan. It’s all about the plants—and highlighting them.” They do use nuts to make cheese, but he clarifies, “the idea is not to emulate or copy cheese, just to recreate the experience of cheese—that salty, fatty, fermented flavor that is so irresistible. We want to capture the spirit of it,” he said. I’m sitting with Matthew at his favorite table, with a clear view of the door. Neat in his black hoodie and jeans, I learn that he bikes to work and that both he and Scott are cat lovers. Matthew has Rumple, a Maine Coon that stretches out like an accordion, and Scott has Toshi, a long-legged Rex, who famously goes for walks on the beach and hangs out in the restaurant garden. Brimming with ideas and a creativity that’s practically
palpable, Matthew teaches me about their wine program— all small-batch, boutique California wineries, vegan and sustainable with unique varietals meant to balance and complement this particular cuisine. Plant Food and Wine is just one of many plant-based concepts in their growing worldwide empire. The group has a dozen (and growing as we speak) other locations in such exotic locales as Bogotá and Bahrain. Shortly after I spoke with Scott and Matthew, they jetted off to Australia to open a new restaurant, Alibi, in Sydney. A “vegan 7-Eleven”, called New Deli, on Pacific Avenue in Venice will be next. It’ll be a place “where you can get frozen, organic vegan pizza and ice cream, a really beautiful coffee program, paper products, [fresh juices], and wine,” Matthew told me. Abbott Kinney has become ground zero for the culinary revolution of the westside, spearheaded by Travis Lett’s juggernaut of Gjelina, Gjusta, and Mtn, and only challenged by the Rustic Canyon Family of Restaurants in nearby Santa Monica, with their Cassia, Rustic Canyon, Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Tallula’s, Milo and Olive, and Sweet Rose Creamery. The Venice Renaissance has its own character, though: beachy, maverick, rascally; not just farm-to-table, but wild-to-table, and studded with fiercely individual chefs. Evan Funke added a new, delicious wrinkle with Felix and now there’s room for Plant Food and Wine to morph into a neighborhood mecca of conscious, sustainable food. “I think that’s the thing with Chez Panisse,” Matthew said. “It opened with a vision but grew into a temple of a certain type of gastronomy and here, this too, is so much more than a restaurant.” “I want people to realize that this style of cuisine is better for them, our planet, our bodies, the animals, and it’s better tasting because there’s no competition between your health and what you’re putting in your body,” he said. “You don’t have to eat lunch here and then diet tomorrow.” He’s right, of course. Think about it: the Thanksgiving meal and the turkey coma that follows; the holiday binge and the New Year’s diet, expectedly abandoned by Valentine’s Day; the pint of ice cream after a break up. As a culture, we relate to food in a deeply emotional, perhaps unhealthy way— something that Matthew and Scott aim to change. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, chef de cuisine Jason Wood segments Cara Cara oranges, pitching in. The crust is rolled out for the beet tart, with its agave and sumac, curry, and pistachio. The Okinawan potato puree is ready to swish on the plate under hearts of palm, citrus, and avocado. The almond ricotta gnocchi are lined up in rows, to be paired with sautéed beech mushrooms and that mysteriously delicious cherry sauce—and yes, it’s hard not to wonder why all food can’t be this beautiful and nourishing. Stay tuned. This is the future of food. ◆
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Photo © iStockphoto.com/Roxiller
APERITIVO HOUR
sip on this
CIN CIN BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT
The Italian culinary and social ritual of the aperitivo is all about stimulating the appetite and preparing for a beautiful meal. A stiff cocktail, like a dry martini, could blow out the palate before appetizers even appear on the table, which is no way to start the evening. Traditionally, this pre-meal cocktail is bittersweet, lower in alcohol—think an Aperol spritz—and enjoyed with little nibbles like olives, bread, charcuterie, or cheese—the perfect excuse for springtime happy hour. note: all recipes make one cocktail
AN 8PM SKYLINE Harry Chin, head bartender at Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown, created this phenomenal sour cocktail—a classic sour presentation, inspired by tiki—using Amaro Angeleno, one of the few locally produced, Italian-inspired bitter liqueurs. INGREDIENTS 3/4 oz Amaro Angeleno 3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 3/4 oz honeydew juice 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew overproof Jamaican rum 1/2 oz grenadine 1/4 oz pineapple juice ball of honeydew melon, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, fill with ice, and shake hard. Fine strain into a 6-oz Sour glass. Garnish with a honeydew melon ball on a pick.
MAMBO MEXICANO A true Italian classic, Campari, marries beautifully with two very familiar Southern California ingredients—hibiscus and lime juice. This stunning cocktail by Marcos Menendez, managing partner of Room 31 in Eagle Rock, is a punch of life before any meal. “This is a riff on a margarita and has a nice balance between bitter, sour, and a dry sweetness from the hibiscus,” he says. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 oz 4 Copas reposado tequila 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 3/4 oz hibiscus syrup (recipe below) 1/2 oz Campari 2 dashes orange bitters
lime wheel, for garnish hibiscus flower, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, then strain into an old-fashioned glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a lime wheel and hibiscus flower. HIBISCUS SYRUP INGREDIENTS 1 part organic granulated sugar 1 part very hot water 1 part dried hibiscus flowers INSTRUCTIONS Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir thoroughly until sugar dissolves completely. Bring to gentle boil for 2 minutes, then let cool completely. Strain into a lidded container. Fortify syrups with 1/4 oz of Everclear or vodka per liter of syrup, to keep for up to one month.
SPANISH SPRITZ Dorian Bey of Venice’s Townhouse crafted this flavor bomb of a cocktail utilizing lemon and pineapple juices along with a spicy ginger kombucha—perfect for a crisp winter evening. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 oz pineapple serrano infused Salers aperitif 1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado sherry 1/4 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 1/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 oz simple syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters @EdibleLAMag
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sip on this 1 1/2 oz Le Grand Courtâge sparkling wine 1 1/2 oz Golden Road Mango Cart ale pineapple leaf, for garnish grapefruit twist, for garnish PINEAPPLE SERRANO INFUSED SALERS INGREDIENTS 1/2 pineapple, cut into small cubes 1/2 serrano pepper 375ml Salers aperitif INSTRUCTIONS Combine all ingredients in a lidded container and allow to sit at room tempature for 2-3 days, checking the flavor once per day, then strain into a new container. TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Combine Salers infusion, sherry, grapefruit, lemon, simple syrup, and bitters in a wine glass. Add cracked ice and stir about 20 times. Pour cold beer and sparkling wine over the top and stir gently about five times. Garnish with a pineapple leaf and grapefruit twist.
GOLDEN STATE NEGRONI With this California-inspired twist on the classic negroni, you don’t have to leave the house to drink your way up the coast. Combine a local amaro with a beautifully aromatic gin from Paso Robles wine country and a gift-worthy dry vermouth from Sonoma. Don’t forget to twist an Ojai Pixie tangerine peel on the finished product for a real California treat. INGREDIENTS 1 oz Re:Find botanical brandy (aka gin) 1 oz Amaro Angeleno 1 oz Sutton Cellars brown label vermouth Ojai Pixie tangerine peel, for garnish TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add gin, amaro, and vernouth to a mixing glass, fill with ice, and stir until cold. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube and garnish with a tangerine twist.
MELETTI SPRITZ One of my favorite amari—or bitter liqueurs—is Meletti, which is pleasantly bittersweet and makes a fine aperitivo served neat or with soda and a squeeze of fresh lemon. This recipe is a spin on the warm-weather staple and beloved summertime tipple, an Aperol spritz. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 oz Meletti amaro 4 oz Prosecco splash of club soda orange wheel, for garnish
Mambo Mexicano cocktail at Room 31 in Venice
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TO PREPARE COCKTAIL Add Meletti and Prosecco to an ice-filled wine glass, stir gently just to combine, then top with a splash of soda and an orange wheel. Serve with a straw. ◆
local heroes
A Juice Called Childhood A group of friends—bound by their love of skateboarding and healthy food—aim to change their world. BY LISA ALEXANDER
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homas James, Preston Summers, Jair MacKay, and Ryan Satram all skate the same quirky triangle in South LA—part West Jefferson, part West Adams, and part Baldwin Hills. They bonded on the green ledges of the baseball diamond, and then at “Rancho,” otherwise known as Charmette Bonpua Skate Plaza. They listen to Sade and Al Green and Mary J. Blige and Rick James and can tell you everything you’d ever want to know about every single song. They’re also vegetarian and want to change the world—one juice at a time. Together with artist Daniel Desure of Commonwealth Projects, the group calls themselves Tropics. The name is a tribute to the skaters’ neighborhood, a place that used to be called “The Jungle” because of the palm and banana trees surrounding the squat post-war apartment buildings. Used to be, that is, because the name was buffed up to Baldwin Village in 1990. But these guys are into their roots. They want to bring good vibes to their streets—something fresh, organic, delicious, and affordable that they can enjoy on a hot day after skating with their friends, and goodness for their families and community, too—an alternative to the ubiquitous fast food restaurants. It’s too difficult to find healthy options in many parts of South LA, despite a widely reported area-wide ban of new fastfood establishments. The ordinance didn’t do much good, though; according to a 2015 RAND study, obesity increased not only in Los Angeles between 2007 and 2012, but specifically in the 32 miles covered by the ban. With a sparse number of grocery stores serving the roughly 32,000 people in Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills, the area is one of LA’s notorious food deserts, another thing Tropics aims to shift. The collaboration with Commonwealth first took off when the Tropics team, then in high school, crashed one of Daniel’s rooftop barbecues at the nearby design studio. The connection was instant, even though they turned down his burgers and dogs. In the months that followed, Daniel hosted meditation classes, film screenings, and arts workshops at his studio with the skateboarders. Together, their
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creative buzz spawned a multicultural cross-pollination of interests and ideas that ultimately came to fruition in the Tropics juice bar. “So much of what they’re doing is about nostalgia,” Daniel said. “The guys tell me stories about the neighborhood and its changes, stories about the area and the people and how it’s developing. So much of Tropics is about a happier time.” Thomas elaborates, “It’s really about the skate park, too, that’s what brought us all together. When they built that park, it created that bond…and when we met Dan, everything kind of fell together.” Another inspiration was artist Noah Davis, a friend of Daniel’s and the late founder of The Underground Museum in Arlington Heights, where Tropics’ first wildly successful popup was located. The popup was funded by a Kickstarter campaign and lasted three months in the museum’s Purple Garden. Since then, they’ve done another popup for KCRW’s Sound in Focus series at the Annenberg Space for Photography and, their latest, a mini skate ramp/juice booth at Art Los Angeles Contemporary. Daniel and the team are also into wellness, de-stressing with public meditations led by Uma Nicole every Wednesday night at Underground. A brick and mortar location for the juice bar is the next step in the near future—see their website (tropicsla.com) for details, mindfulness classes, and ways to get involved—but in the meantime, Tropics is willing to part with some of their favorite recipes, all inspired by music and memories. CHILDHOOD (think of eating that slice of watermelon on a hot day)
SUMMERTIME 8 cups pineapple 1 1emon 4 tsp grated fresh ginger root Feed pineapple and lemon into the juicer, then fold in ginger and stir. DIAMOND (after the old baseball diamond with its perfect green ledges) 8 cups green apple 4 medium limes 1 whole stalk celery 1/2 jalapeno 5 tsp parsley juice 5 tsp cucumber juice Juice apple, limes, celery and jalapeño. Combine with parsley and cucumber juice, blend or stir. LOVER’S ROCK (after Sade) 1/2 watermelon 1/2 cantaloupe 1 lime 10 strawberries Feed ingredients into juicer, stir and enjoy. ◆
All photos © Tropics
8 cups chopped watermelon, preferably seedless 4 medium limes 4 tsp grated fresh ginger root fresh mint, for garnish
Feed watermelon and limes into a juicer and stir. Fold in grated ginger root. Top with mint and serve.
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Photo © iStockphoto.com/ArtRachen01
the food historian
Strawberry Fields THE $4 BILLION BERRY BY LINDA CIVITELLO
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weet and tart, red and festive, strawberries are basically a holiday on a plate. We love our strawberries—in shortcake, cheesecake, pie, ice cream, toppings, jam, dipped in confectioners’ sugar, coated in chocolate, with Champagne, or just eating out of hand, standing over the sink. Southern California produces 24 percent of the total California strawberry crop, which accounts for 91 percent of all the strawberries in the United States, so it is no surprise that the world’s leading strawberry scientists are in California. The strawberry breeding program began in the 1920s at UC Berkeley, then moved to UC Davis in 1952, where it remains today. The name you are most likely to see on a strawberry clamshell is Driscoll—the fourth-generation family, based in Watsonville, is the leading strawberry producer in the state. Of the six towns in the United States named Strawberry, half are in California: in El Dorado, Marin, and Tuolumne counties. Strawberry is one of the top three ice cream flavors in California. It is also no surprise that the specialty doughnut in the shop that was voted one of the best in Los Angeles is super-sized, glazed, and overflowing with strawberries. On Historic Route 66 in Glendora, for more than forty years, 24/7, The Donut Man has been churning out donuts. The Donut Man is Jim Nakano, a Japanese-American U.S. Navy veteran who spent three years of his childhood in a detention camp during World War II. The infamous doughnut is split, stuffed with fresh, glistening strawberries, and must be approached with a knife and fork. At Donut Friend—a vegan doughnut joint in Highland Park—their Strawberrylab, filled with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and topped with chocolate glaze, is their most popular as well. Strawberries contribute $4 billion to the economy of
Southern California: $1 billion from the growers; $3 billion from cooling, packaging, shipping, and everything else needed to process the berries and get them to market. In 2014, California exported $446 million worth of berries; $40 million of which departed through LAX. Many of those berries will show up in strawberry shortcake, a favorite American dessert, especially for the Fourth of July. Recipes for strawberry shortcake—just an enriched baking powder biscuit—go back at least to the 1870s, but did not contain sugar back then. In 1933, when General Mills produced its 25-cent cookbook for Bisquick, its 1931 invention, the first recipe was for strawberry shortcake. The cookbook—a 33-page pamphlet—is Betty Crocker’s 101 Delicious Bisquick Creations: As Made and Served by Well-Known Gracious Hostesses; Famous Chefs; Distinguished Epicures and Smart Luminaries of Movieland. In a moment of pure marketing genius, General Mills married America’s culinary identity to Mary Pickford, who, in her heyday, was known as America’s Sweetheart and “Blondielocks.” Pickford was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and also of United Artists, along with mega industry names Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks. Audiences loved little Mary in silent movies such as Pollyana and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm; and she loved raking in $250,000 per picture—nearly a century ago. Mary Pickford’s strawberry shortcake recipe was made of only three ingredients: 2 cups Bisquick, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 3/4 cup cream. Combine ingredients, roll, cut, and bake at 450°F for 12 minutes. Makes 6 to 8. You can eat your fill of strawberry shortcake, strawberry funnel cake, and strawberry tamales, nachos, chimichangas, and more at the 35th Anniversary California Strawberry Festival on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, in Oxnard. ◆ @EdibleLAMag
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A festival of flavor, culture and exploration! slowfoodnations.org
JULY 13 –15, 2018
Denver,Colorado
Parties • Tastings • Workshops • Family Activities • Taste Marketplace • Talks
BEHIND THE BREW
BY RYAN CAVEYWOOLPERT
WITH ALEXANDRA NOWELL
BREWMASTER AT THREE WEAVERS BREWING COMPANY in Inglewood
RC: What’s your favorite Three Weavers brew? What do you pair with it? AN: That’s almost like asking a parent to choose their favorite child! But honestly, that’s a two-part question for me. I have my favorite Three Weavers staple, and then my favorite Three Weavers ‘beer of the moment’. The former is Seafarer Kolsch. It pairs with almost everything, is the perfect foundation for citrus zest infusions, and also makes a great michelada base. The latter is Hops Need Friends, which is a West Coast IPA that focuses on relative newcomer hops Idaho 7 and Azacca. It’s just so beautifully bright and aromatic, and I truly enjoy every sip of it. I see it as the perfect pairing for the ridiculously good XO Fatty Noodles at Little Fatty in Mar Vista.
FAVORITE LOCAL SPOTS
RC: Do you source local ingredients for your beers? AN: We do when we can, which is most commonly when adding citrus to our beers. You’ll find local grapefruits and limes in our Seafarer Kolsch throughout the year, and a tangerine-forward radler in the summertime. During the peak of winter citrus season, we release an IPA called The Messenger, and our fruit choice changes from year to year. In 2018, it included Buddha’s hand citrons and Sorrento lemons from Murray Family Farms combined with Meyer lemons and Mandarin tangerines from Rainbow Valley Orchards. This year, I’d like to focus on using more California-grown grains in our beers. We will be bringing in ingredients from Admiral Maltings in the Bay Area, and I’m particularly excited about what’s happening with the Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project.
Arrow illustration © iStockphoto.com/larisa_zorina
RC: Where do you find your brewing inspiration? AN: I gain a lot of inspiration from my surrounding environment, whether that’s around Los Angeles or through my travels. New ideas for beers are always driven by the expression of flavor. I like to place focus on a specific ingredient, then further refine the concept and build a recipe from there.
FOR CRAFT BEER & GREAT FOOD
STOCK UP ON CRAFT BEER
Los Angeles has so many great options these days, and I could cover a lot of ground naming every place that I enjoy. However, a few of my favorites include HopSaint Brewing Company in Torrance, Eagle Rock Public House in Eagle Rock, Button Mash in Echo Park, and Mikkeller Bar in DTLA. If you haven’t been to any of these fine establishments, you have to go!
How an establishment stores their beer is huge to me, so I’ll really only buy beer from places that keep their beers cold. So with that in mind, my favorite spot is Select Beer Store in Redondo Beach. They make an effort to care for their beer and the selection is very well curated.
FOR COCKTAILS
A HIDDEN GEM
I love The Chestnut Club in Santa Monica. I’m not loyal to one specific beverage, and almost always rely on their excellent bartenders to make the call. They’re quite skilled at pairing your current mood with what you should be drinking.
My favorite hidden gem in LA is Ihsan’s Falafel, which makes appearances at several farmers markets around to city. The falafel is so perfectly seasoned, always made fresh to order, and is easily the best in Los Angeles – in my humble opinion, of course.
FOR A MORNING-AFTER CURE-ALL
FOR A GREAT PATIO
Even the best of us get carried away, and there are a couple of goto cures for me. If I’m not feeling up for food, I’ll head to Pressed Juicery for Greens 1.5 or Vanilla Almond and some coconut water to try to drink away the hangover. If food and hair of the dog is the only answer, you’ll find me with a cheeseburger at Hinano Café by the Venice pier, and probably an Expatriate IPA.
Although it’s a bit of a trek from my home on the Westside, I really love Salazar in Frogtown. It’s just such a great place to gather on one of the numerous sunny days in LA and their menu is absolutely perfect for outdoor dining. Closer to home, you’ll regularly find me on the patio at Lodge Bread Co. with their shakshuka or an albacore sandwich in front of me. ◆ @EdibleLAMag
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QA &
BY SHAUNA BURKE
LAST BITE
with Chef & Wellness Expert
Nina Curtis
MEET NINA Formerly the executive chef at a private, plant-based wellness and fitness retreat in Malibu, chef Nina Curtis is now the vice president/incoming president of the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization, known for supporting women in the food and beverage industry. Curtis also works as a culinary wellness consultant, private chef, and lifestyle coach. Most recently, she has produced popup dinner in LA through Feastly, been traveling extensively to give lectures, curating plant-based dinners—including a James Beard Foundation and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs collaboration dinner, along with five other female chefs, on International Women’s Day—and conducting plant-based cooking classes.
ELA: How long have you been living the plant-based life and what inspired you to take the plunge? ELA: I’ve been living a plant-based lifestyle for eighteen years! I was competing in natural body building and my body stopped wanting animal protein. I thought, how am I going to maintain my muscle mass? I started doing research and began to learn how a plant-based diet could provide me with enough protein, not only to maintain my muscle mass but my performance improved, I felt better, and looked better on stage. ELA: What changes did you notice in your mind and body? NC: I immediately noticed that I my cravings for certain foods, like sugary stuff, stopped and that was huge for me! I had more clarity of mind, my body recovered faster after strenuous workouts, my skin had a super glow and my sleep was deep and sound. ELA: What are five staple plant-based ingredients that you always have in your kitchen? NC: If you open my fridge you are going to always find figs, I love them as they remind me of Fig Newton’s, they make a great energy snack and are easy to travel with and carry on me during the day. I always have a jar of black sesame butter in my pantry. It tastes so good on toast or crackers and its super rich in protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals. You will also always find avocados, fuji apples, kale, pumpkin seeds and lemons. I can make a quick and delicious salad with these ingredients. I am always on the go so I have to be able to make things quick. I am also in the kitchen at work so after a full day of cooking, I am not usually interested in coming home to make an elaborate meal. ELA: A vegan diet could just mean French fries and frozen burritos—what are your rules for keeping things as healthy and unprocessed as possible, even while traveling or during a busy day? NC: Yes, a lot of people are vegan ‘junk food’ eaters! I like juicing and making smoothies in the morning. I created a 30-day smoothie challenge so I don’t ever get bored. I like big leafy green (I rotate my greens; kale, spinach, arugula, collards, etc.) salads full of veggies, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, lentils or chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and cayenne. I carry figs with me all the time. When I travel or I’m on the run, I know all of the places in Los Angeles where I can grab something plant-based and healthy to eat and because I am on the road a lot I check out healthy eateries in the city that I am going to beforehand and always look for the health food stores in the area so I can grab things to have in my hotel room. I also carry fruit and water on me, the real fast foods! ◆
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@EdibleLAMag
CHEF NINA’S RAW AVOCADO CACAO MOUSSE When you need a sweet treat, this comes together quickly, requires very few ingredients, and no cooking time! serves 4 INGREDIENTS 2 ripe avocados, chopped ¼ cup raw cacao powder ¼ cup coconut nectar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cinnamon pinch of sea salt INSTRUCTIONS In a blender, mix the coconut nectar, cacao powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sea salt to make a chocolate sauce, then add the avocado and blend until smooth. Transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Top with your choice of cacao nibs, nuts, and/or dried fruit, and serve.
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