edible Los Angeles Summer 2009 by Lucy Lean

edible los angeles® Exploring Local Food Culture Season by Season • No. 5 Summer 2009

go fish!

with Chef Cimarusti

Organic Gardening—Yes We Can! Back of the House

THE BAZAAR

100 YEARS OF SEASIDE FUN $4.99

what’s in your kitchen? LA ZOO EASY GRILLING WITH CURTIS STONE Member of Edible Communities

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contents summer 2009

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Want to know what’s brewing in Brooklyn, sautéing in San Francisco, appetizing in Austin or hatching in Hawaii? Get the best authentic food stories directly from the fields and kitchens of its edible communities.

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ARTCOOK’S KITCHEN

EdibleAllegheny.com EdibleAspen.com EdibleAustin.com EdibleBlueRidge.com (VA) EdibleBoston.net EdibleBozeman.com EdibleBrooklyn.net EdibleBuffalo.com EdibleCapeCod.com EdibleChesapeake.com EdibleChicago.com EdibleDallasFortWorth.com EdibleEastBay.com (No. CA) EdibleEastEnd.com (Long Island) EdibleFingerLakes.com EdibleFrontRange.com EdibleGrandeTraverse.com (MI) EdibleGreenMountains.com (VT) EdibleHawaiianIslands.com

EdibleHudsonValley.com EdibleIowaRiverValley.com EdibleJersey.com EdibleLosAngeles.com EdibleLowcountry.com (SC) EdibleManhattan.com EdibleMarinandWineCountry.com EdibleMemphis.com EdibleMetroandMountains.com (GA) EdibleMissoula.com EdibleNutmeg.com (CT) EdibleOjai.com (CA) EdiblePhilly.com EdiblePhoenix.com EdiblePiedmont.com (NC) EdiblePioneerValley.com EdiblePortland.com (OR) EdibleQueensMagazine.com EdibleRhody.com (RI)

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Photographs clockwise from top left: Tony Molina; Jeffrey Darling; Santa Monica Library; Carole Topalian; Jamie Pham; Diane Cu

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sue bees? sue who?

hot lavender

PERFECT PIE And fab focaccia global la

iced coffee, coffee ice

boring but important

IN SEASON

URBAN GARDEN

ask the expert

sea to plate

edible art

home grown

what’s in your kitchen?

twitter the kimchi

44 project angel food

feeding the community

tr aditions 46 edible santa monica pier —

100 years old

of the house 50 back the bazaar the bottle 54 behind ecofriendly wine

choices

earthquake kit

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

only in la

liquid assets

summer cocktails

nation 58 edible local or organic?

PAVEMENT PARADISE

grilling with curtis stone

30 39

go fish with chef cimarusti

the art of tea

organic gardening 101

la zoo

IN EVERY ISSUE 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 4 EDIBLE LA.COM 6 NOTABLE EDIBLES 11 A CLASS ACT 12 CHILDREN’S CORNER 19 INTERNET CAFÉ 23 NUTRITIONIST’S CORNER 24 FOOD FOR THOUGHT 26 FARMERS’ MARKET PROFILE 61 ADVERTISERS’ DIRECTORY 62 FARMERS’ MARKET DIRECTORY 64 LAST CALL

On the Cover: Amuse-Bouche: Artistic Meltdown Photograph by Tony Molina; ice cream courtesy of Carmela Ice Cream and Delicieuse Artisanale French Ice Cream

publishers Liz Silver Mike Brady Jenny Brady editor

Welcome. Life is all about coming together to share food. Be it a large formal celebration or an intimate supper, what matters most is slowing down to eat and to converse. “How was your day?” has become a daily ritual at our family dinner table—from the youngest child who can barely talk to the oldest grandparent who can hardly hear, we take it in turns to listen and learn. “My day was good, how was yours?” Take away food and you’re left with more than hunger. My recent juice fast was most challenging due to the absence of a social life. My calendar was wiped clean along with my insides! I missed my friends, family rituals and variety—the spice of life. The LA Zoo’s Edible Enrichment Garden provides herbs to prevent boredom in the animals (p39)—I can relate. So this summer, get out into the sunshine and live a little through food: Meet your local farmers at the market (p60), grow your own Life itself is the organic veggies (p37), drive to an orchard and pick fruit for a homeproper binge. made pie (p16), grill steak and corn for a casual lunch with friends —Julia Child (p27) or, better yet, take the day to go fish for your supper (p30), you never know which chef you might find aboard. Connect with your food and where it’s from and each bite will taste better and make life more enjoyable. Los Angeles has a rich, exciting and diverse food culture that’s thrilling to explore. One of the most satisfying aspects of my job, besides all the delicious food I get to taste, is meeting people from all walks of life: farmers, film stars, chefs, children, writers, winemakers, teachers and TV personalities—food draws us all together. Each person brings something unique to our edible Los Angeles table and helps our community to grow in a variety of ways: fishing trips, cooking classes, field trips and our new edible LA blog and marketplace. I’m excited to announce a new edible LA tradition: the Eat the Magazine dinner with its issue-inspired menu (on June 22 we’ll eat the summer issue at Grace restaurant). Make a reservation today; it’s sure to sell out fast. This issue of edible LA marks our first anniversary and I for one am excited as we head into the “terrible twos.” As the issue came together a multitude of other local birthdays emerged to celebrate: The Bazaar, a newborn and yet already an LA star attraction; Providence turns 4; Project Angel Food turns 20; Barbie, that quintessential Malibu It Girl, looks great at 50; Santa Monica Seafood turns 70; LA Original Farmers Market turns 75 and the Santa Monica Pier is a whopping 100! So let’s all sing Happy Birthday before we tuck in to some yummy cake and ice cream.

Lucy Lean

head of sales Matt Wilhelm designer

Christine Park

copy editor

Doug Adrianson

photographer Tony Molina contributors Liana Aghajanian Cindy Arora Andrea Arria-Devoe Michelle Aspis Amy Christine Nancy Cipes Damien Corbell Diane Cu Jeffrey Darling Jason Deyo Agatha French Samuel Fromartz Judi Gerber Laura Holmes Haddad Kim Haasarud Nic Johnson Kathy Kottaras Julie Kremkus Reba Lawless

Stephen Lewis Joshua Lurie Tad Motoyama Christopher Nyerges Jamie Pham Todd Porter Jean-Jacques Rachou Amy Scattergood Eric Shin Krista Simmons Sienna Spencer Jordan Stephens Martha Stewstein Mariah Swan Lisa Lucas Talbot Jessy Tebow Carole Topalian Deborah Trainer Alicia Walter

contact us 1040 N Las Palmas Ave, Bldg 10 Los Angeles, CA 90038 323-645-1027 edibleLA.com edible Los Angeles is published quarterly. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $28 annually. To inquire about advertising rates, deadlines or subscription information email us at info@edibleLA.com or log on to edibleLA.com. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. ©2009. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

! ar nd eI t With A Frie

Liz—“tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes”

Matt—“kids splashing around in the pool.”

Jenny—“tide pools down at Paradise Cove.”

Tony—“off shore & glassy dawn patrols.”

Mike—“cherry pie”

Agatha—“boogie boarding”

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Make a friend very happy. Consider a gift subscription. Great for the holidays or anytime of year.

Printed on minimum 10% post consumer waste recycled stock, with partial soy ink.

SOUND BITES

What we at edible LA are looking forward to most this summer:

Never miss an issue of edible Los Angeles. No matter how fast they leave the shelves you always have a copy delivered to your door. Help preserve Los Angeles’ unique food culture. Just like our advertisers, you help support the mission of this magazine.

Lucy Lean, Editor

Correction: Tori Rodriguez is the chef at Artisan Cheese Gallery. The spring issue of edible Los Angeles identified Artisan’s chef incorrectly. Please accept our sincere apologies for this error.

Isn’t it time you joined your food community?

Photograph: Tony Molina

editor’s letter

Subscribe at ediblelosangeles.com

SUMMER 2009

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ediblela com Hungry for more? Visit our website, edibleLA.com, for local treats we are unable to fit into the magazine.

Sea to Plate—The Movie

We Ship Artisan Cheese!

Handcrafted & Selected by the Cowgirls INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE GIFTS MONTHLY CLUBS

OK, so it’s not the summer blockbuster that our town is famous for, but it’s a good start. You can fish with chefs from the comfort of your computer and study Chef Cimarusti at work in his kitchen back at Providence.

Recipes

Delivering to restaurants and retail shops in central LA. For wholesale information:

WHOLESALE@COWGIRLCREAMERY.COM / 866.249.7833 COWGIRLCREAMERY.COM

In addition to recipes like Curtis Stone’s T-bone steaks with chipotle-cilantro butter and Mariah Swan’s lavender

panna cotta found in this issue, check out our recipe archive for inspiration from seasons past.

Photographs Space is a premium in print— online we can showcase photos that we have to edit out. Take a look at the series of photos from Art Cook’s kitchen. Tony Molina captured every step of the recipe in great detail—three photos of the flour being tipped into the mixing bowl alone.

Events If the mood to go out strikes, the events section of our site lists edible events throughout the city. In addition to Tea at

the Fowler, our calendar follows highbrow foodie events like the Artbites series, as well as children’s cooking classes, opportunities to meet our team and more.

The Marketplace

The Blog

We’re all about making it effortless to shop and have sourced many hard-to-find exclusive small-run products at edibleLA.com.

Updated goings-on around town on our quest to stay on top of everything sustainable, local and edible in LA. We have added Q&A’s with contributors—Judi Gerber, for one, is waiting to answer your edible gardening questions.

Edible Events We are cooking up our own series of exclusive events that you won’t want to miss.

You can also read past features, sign up for our newsletter, subscribe to the magazine or drop us a line with your comments.

Eat The Magazine Dinner:On June 22, at Grace restaurant on Beverly Boulevard, we are hosting a special dinner to celebrate this issue. Chef Neal Fraser’s menu will be based on the stories in the magazine: Chef Michael Cimarusti offers his Pacific Rock Cod(p30); Chef Jean-Jacques Rachou pays tribute to Julia Child (p64); the 24th Street Elementary School provides fresh herbs(p8). We’ll have lavender panna cotta(p15); LA MILL granita (p18); two scoops of local ice cream (p6); something weird and wonderful from The Bazaar (p50); and perhaps a visit from the Kogi truck (p42). All is to be confirmed but whatever is served and whomever is there, we will celebrate all things edible in LA.

elements kitchen sidewalk café full service catering 107 south fair oaks #110 pasadena, ca entrance on dayton street phone: 626.440.0100 visit us at: www.elementsk itchen.com

edible LOSANGELES

SUMMER 2009

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NOTABLE EDIBLES

two scoops of local handcrafted ice cream

baby food grows up by cindy arora

by laura holmes haddad

Move over, frozen yogurt: Two gourmet ice cream companies are taking Los Angeles by storm, just in time for summer. Carmela Ice Cream started with one goal: to infuse superpremium ice cream with fresh, sophisticated flavors like herbs, spices and fruits. The only problem was Jessica Mortarotti had never made ice cream. But Mortarotti experimented, attended Penn State’s Ice Cream Short Course to learn the basics and perfected a French custard–base ice cream using hormone-free milk. She and her partner Zachary Cox launched the business in 2007 and started selling their ice cream in local farmers’ markets using biodegradable sugarcane containers. Inspired by the farmers’ markets, Carmela flavors are seasonal and use fresh, organic ingredients: The four standards include the outrageously addictive Salted Caramel, crunchy Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib, rich Aztec Chocolate and creamy Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean, but the fruity and herbaceous Meyer Lemon Basil Sorbet might just convince you to skip the dairy altogether. Mortarotti is dedicated to the freshest ingredients, sourcing the herbs from local farms. (The mint in the Mint Cacao Nib is from Silver Lake Farms.) The result is a pureness that’s hard to find in commercially made ice creams. Just when you fall in love with one, the next season’s flavors arrive: Mortarotti is planning watermelon and honeydew sorbets for the summer, as well as heirloom tomato. A retail space is in the works (slated to open in early 2010), which will expand the product lineup to include ice cream sandwiches—think Mint Cacao Nib Ice Cream nestled between two Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies. Until then, order online (they ship everywhere), visit them at the farmers’ markets in Silver Lake, Hollywood, South Pasadena or Culver City, or call for local delivery ($15 delivery fee). She’ll even whip upcustom flavors, four-pint minimum; just don’t ask her for garlic or 6

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

bacon ice cream—she does have her limits. Why make creamy, rich ice cream only from cow’s milk? Owner Patricia Samson had exactly this thought when opening Delicieuse French Ice Cream Artisanale. A former banker and trained chef, Samson dreamed of making premium ice cream like the ones she tasted in France but with an eye towards health: Goat’s milk is lower in fat than cow’s milk and easier to digest, and she uses no artificial ingredients or stabilizers—the ice creams are sweetened with evaporated cane juice. There are 12 rotating flavors available at the retail store from the 100 cow’s milk recipes she created. The incredibly creamy, intense selections include French Espresso, Saffron, Chocolate Millionaire and Caramel Fleur de Sel, made with homemade caramel. Samson then focused on 10 goat’s milk flavors, including Maple Syrup, Peanut Butter and Lavender, all with a creamy, decadent texture that lacks any of the tangy earthiness usually associated with goat’s milk. The silky sorbets, including Avocado, Tarragon Lime and Muscat Wine, get their intensity from an unusually high infusion of fruit. Samson doesn’t skimp on ingredients: She sources mangoes from her native Philippines to ensure an intense flavor for the Mango Magnifique sorbet, and the Saffron ice cream contains real Spanish saffron. She uses as many local and sustainable ingredients as possible—the goat’s milk comes from a local goat farmer and the coffee in the French Espresso is fair-trade—and she embraces seasonal flavors: Look for Corn ice cream and White Peach sorbet this summer. Drop by the Delicieuse Café for a scoop, buy a pint at Whole Foods Markets or order online. Custom flavors are available with a one-gallon minimum, and you can even have the Delicieuse Ice Cream Stand scoop ice cream at your next party. carmela ice cream

delicieuse café and boutique

323-319-6084 carmelaicecream.com

2503 Artesia Blvd, Redondo Beach 310-793-7979 icedreamonline.com

laura holmes haddad is a Los Angeles based food and wine writer. A former cookbook editor, she writes for various print and online publications and can be found drinking Champagne and writing for her website, gourmetgrrl.com

Not everyone gets to have the title “Chief Executive Mommy” printed on her business cards. But then again, not everyone is Theresa Kiene, the mom behind Homemade Baby, an organic, fresh and seasonally driven baby food company she and husband, Matt, launched in 2005. The goal was to fill a niche for parents who sought an alternative to jarred baby food—which is convenient and portable but often sits on shelves longer than the age of the babies eating it. Theresa, unnerved by what she saw in grocery aisles, took to the kitchen and began to replicate traditional baby food recipes, but with fresh versions guided by the Food Pyramid. She picked fresh and organic fruits and vegetables from local farmers’ markets and adjusted her cooking style to keep vitamins and nutrients intact. “It wasn’t long before moms at the playground took notice. Questions were asked and then the orders just started to follow,” she said. Once Theresa began to realize there was a demand for healthy baby food, she and Matt quit their jobs in the television industry and Homemade Baby was born. The novelty of Homemade Baby is that each dish is made fresh daily. Each dish is also individually prepared, slowly kettle-cooked and puréed under a chef’s supervision. The last few years have been a whirlwind for the Kienes, who went from television writing rooms to walking through apple orchards with organic farmers, from board meetings to Sunday mornings at farmers’ markets selling Homemade Baby to a long line of moms (and dads) pushing strollers. The small company continues to thrive and the Kienes recently changed the company name to Homemade, so they could make room for the newest addition to their organic family—harvey. “For the last few years I would hear moms telling me they were eating the Homemade Baby. It would be one spoon for the baby, one spoon for them. And then my husband also started

eating Homemade Baby as a snack substitute and lost 38 pounds,” Kiene said. “So that’s when we came up with Homemade harvey. We feel like it will help a lot of parents who just don’t have time to eat.” Homemade harvey is an all-natural, organic, kosher, antioxidant-packed fruit snack just for the grownups, with just the right amount of flavor playfulness in every snack pack. The creamy snack is made with sophisticated fruits that are crushed and prepared for a gourmet palate. People can choose from three flavors and each one comes in a 4½-ounce fresh-snack pouch that’s just 100 calories. “It’s a really great idea for people who want to know how to stay healthy. Especially when no one has time; we live in the Mecca of self-improvement and it’s demanding here. This can go in a gym bag, in any cooler and is a great alternative to a nutrition bar,” Kiene says. Homemade Baby can be found at Whole Foods Markets and Erewhon Natural Foods Markets. For more information on Homemade harvey or Homemade Baby, visit homemadeforlife.com

cindy arora is a local food and lifestyle writer. Her work has appeared in Saveur, Orange Coast Magazine, Sacramento Magazine and the Orange County Register.

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EDIBLES |NOTABLE notable EDIBLES

The Meeting Place of All the Arts by sienna spencer

available with chicken, tomatoes and truffle oil. You will feel like a king when the individual serving is set before you. Gratinéed perfection.

elements kitchen 107 S Fair Oaks Ave Ste 110 Pasadena 91105 626-440-0100 info@elementskitchen.com

the idea for the program came to her: Pizzas covered with fresh cilantro, basil, arugula, oregano—and why not mint, tarragon or a little bit of chopped chives? Along with Nat Zappia, GSF’s executive director, and Ali Bhai, another Master Gardener, Laurie leads the 24 students in sessions of plant identification and history, composting, square-foot gardening, calculating yield and creating their own business cards. The Herb Project now has five enormous beds planted with basil, parsley, arugula, cilantro, mint, rosemary, tarragon and thyme, which will soon be ready for packaging and delivery to their new client. As the herbs grow along with the other plentiful plants throughout the garden, the students can’t resist picking and tasting and adding them to their weekly cooking classes, taught by chef Jeanie Cook. Smells, tastes and palates are being honed as the students gleefully learn to try the herbs in unfamiliar foods and combinations. After all the tasting and smelling and moneymaking for the garden is said and done, the goal and reward for the students is of much greater value: A pizza party, of course! — LL

pasadena playhouse 39 S El Molino Ave Pasadena 91101 626-356-7529 pasadenaplayhouse.org dervaes gardens Pathtofreedom.com

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. —Oscar Wilde

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

the herb project

taking it further by jordan stephens

Photograph: Lucy Lean

Growing, harvesting and selling herbs to a local artisan pizza restaurant with three locations might not come as second nature to most 11-year-olds. However, Mr. Q’s fifth grade class at the 24th Street Elementary School in the historic West Adams district has made the Herb Project its own. The class meets weekly in the school’s one-acre market garden, sponsored by the Garden School Foundation. GSF board member and Master Gardener Laurie Dill was consulting for Pitfire Pizza on strategic branding and design when

Photographs: Courtesy of Elements Kitchen and Garden School Foundation

Chef Onil Chibás specifically did not want a restaurant. Having had a solid career in animation at Disney and Dreamworks for over a decade, he hoped to keep that 9-to-5 work schedule as he transitioned into the culinary arts via Le Cordon Bleu, so he started catering in 2005. However, the thoughtful chef could not pass up the intimate space in a charming Pasadena brick building, confiding that he derives “a real creative satisfaction” from running his ingredient-focused lunch and brunch café, Elements Kitchen. That satisfaction is about to be twofold as Chibás moves in with the famous Pasadena Playhouse and opens a second Elements Kitchen this summer. The Playhouse is looking forward to serving Elements’ fresh, creative fare at its concessions stand during performances. Those limited intermission options of soda and a cookie will finally be upstaged. After the show, the actors, crew and audience members will no longer be forced to shuffle off to an open-late greasy spoon equivalent for a round-robin as they nosh. Word is that the two partners are even working on an official “dinner and show” combo. Now playing: lasagna, made from scratch—including the Ricotta and Mozzarella. Homemade pickles, potato chips, rosemary-focaccia rolls. House-cured gravlax and house-dried tomatoes. Summer greens from the local Dervaes Gardens. Heirloom tomato sorbet with Parmesan shortbread. Adding dinner to the menu at last, Elements will continue its concept of American Modern Fun, from Southwest to Asian to French, and everything in between. Summer theatergoers, whether you are attending the intense Lillian Hellman drama The Little Foxes or the high-octane gospel musical The Crown, don’t forget to add a little drama to your evening by ordering Elements’ spotlight dish, the Mac ’n Cheese,

A sleepy Sunday in Pasadena, storm clouds begrudgingly wake up and burn off in the springtime sun. A few houses down from where Einstein himself once lived is the home of Marshall and Megan Dostal. The well-kept backyard spotted with kids’ toys doesn’t look like the type of place where you’d make biodiesel or distill glycerin for soap, but behind the garage door you’ll find a lifestyle that takes recycling one step further. Four years ago, Marshall began researching ways of manufacturing biodiesel to fuel his 1984 Mercedes 300D. Though an English major in college, he was raised with a DIY mentality, and found the process quite doable. He approached local restaurants like Firefly Bistro and La Grande Orange in Pasadena and asked for their waste grease. Happy to get rid of it, they obliged. Marshall went along making his fuel, but he found himself with a growing amount of glycerol (a byproduct of the biodiesel process) accumulating in his garage. While biodiesel itself is less harmful than table salt, glycerol is flammable. Megan thought something should be done, and after many conversations the solution arose: Distill the glycerin and make soap! According to Marshall, the “relatively easy” process goes something like this: A water heater brings a solution of 80 percent vegetable oil to 130°, then 20 percent methanol is added along with potassium hydroxide. That’s mixed for about two hours, and rested over night so the resulting glycerol can settle at the bottom of the barrel. Next it’s washed with water for purification and easily separated as the darker, heavier glycerol

gets drained into another jug. A 40-gallon batch will yield 32 gallons of fuel and eight gallons of glycerol. At that point the fuel is car-ready. The glycerol, though, gets put into a distiller that separates the methanol and the glycerin. Of those eight gallons, two to three gallons of methanol are recovered to be reused in the biodiesel process, and the remaining five gallons of glycerin are set aside for soap. Four gallons of glycerin can make up to 50 gallons of liquid soap! After creating a signature scent and developing the product for about a year and a half, Marshall and Megan created Further. The soap completed the cycle and kept their process perfectly sustainable and local. Marshall uses nearby soap makers in Riverside, Pacoima and one in Downtown Los Angeles—just a 20-minute biodiesel-fueled drive. The soap’s popularity has exploded, debuting first in the restaurants whose grease was used in the process, and on into stores like Apothia at Fred Segal and Douglas Fir. The Dostals even have plans to expand Further further, with candles, lotion and even shampoo and conditioner. What began as a foray into the biodiesel community opened up into another way of living a cleaner life—literally! Further is more than a soap for Marshall and Megan, it’s a way of life. Make it a part of yours by visiting the marketplace at edibleLA.com jordan stephens moved out to Los Angeles five years ago following his dream to be a professional writer. He has yet to wake.

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a class act

OH, MY DARLING CLEMENTINES

BEYOND CULINARY SCHOOL

by stephen lewis

by lisa lucas talbot

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

Illustration :Physiology du Gout 1826

stephen lewis is a restaurant reviewer and food writer for The Santa Fe New Mexican. His writings on food and travel have appeared in Gourmet, the New York Times and other major publications. He divides his time between Santa Fe and Pacific Palisades.

Photograph: Carole Topalian

s modern technology—cell phones, pilotless drones, American Idol syndication—turns borders increasingly porous, men fight over them more: Kashmir, Kurdistan, California. Yes, California, where highly mobile units of honeybees laugh at borders as they roam 250,000 acres in the southern San Joaquin Valley searching for pollen. Citrus growers are threatening to sue them for trespassing. Sue who? Sue bees. Sue bees? Sez who? You know those cute little seedless Clementines? Tasty, juicy, easy to peel? (They’re a variety of Mandarins. Perhaps you call them Tangerines). Growers love these Clementines because consumers pay more for them than for old-fashioned, hard to peel, seedy tangerines. But in 2003, seeds started showing up in the cute fruit. Citrus growers produce seedless fruit in ways too complicated to go into here. But bees do it the old fashioned way, going from flower to flower. You know. Seedless Clementines can’t get pregnant (i.e., have seeds) because of pollen from the same variety of citrus.

But if a bee should happen to stop off on some other variety on his way to a Clementine grove, he’ll put them in the family way. Growers had known to keep different varieties apart, but underestimated how far apart they needed to be. At worst, they probably figured it was easier for bees to move than trees. But bees need to eat, too. Citrus growers offered to let beekeepers set up hives far from seedless trees. Beekeepers complained of crowding. Angry words were exchanged. Lines were drawn. Lawyers were hired. Letters were mailed. In California citrus is big business, but so are bees. They pollinate our crops to the tune of about $6 billion worth of food a year. No one tells bees to get lost. The California Secretary of Agriculture had to step in and set up the Seedless Mandarin and Honeybee Coexistence Working Group. Honestly, that’s what it was called. Beekeepers, citrus growers and state representatives were given a year to work out a compromise. If they didn’t, the Secretary would work it out for them. They didn’t; he did. New regulations went into effect this spring, just before the blooming season: Bee colonies within two miles of a seedless grove must register with the authorities. Just like any other sex offender. There are other regulations too, but no new talk of lawsuits. Things seem to be going well; there are lots of Clementines in the marketplace and most are seedless. Some citrus growers strung nets over their seedless Clementine trees to keep the pollen-mad bees from the blossoms. Some beekeepers moved their hives away. Joe Traynor, owner-manager of a pollenizing service for almond growers and bees, who writes extensively about bees, thinks beekeepers are relatively satisfied. Richard Buckert, who farms 100-plus acres south of Fresno, mostly organic, worries about genetically modified fruit a lot more than he does a few seeds. He admits some of his Clementines occasionally have some seeds, but tries to educate his customers at local farmers’ markets. “Fruit has seeds,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with a few seeds. People ought to get over it.”

n his landmark Physiology of Taste in 1826, Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin explained that gastronomy was “the intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns man’s nourishment. The subject matter of gastronomy is whatever can be eaten; its direct end is the conservation of individuals; and its means of execution are the culture which produces, the commerce which exchanges, the industry which prepares, and the experience which invents means to dispose of everything to the best advantage.” Today, ask a group of people what gastronomy means and you’re likely to hear as many definitions as there are individuals in the conversation. Instead of being associated with the wide-ranging study suggested by Brillat-Savarin, gastronomy has become a term often used with derision, suggesting snobbery, pretentiousness and an I-know-it-all and I’ve-tasted-it-all approach to food. That derision may be short-lived if the graduates of several leading programs of gastronomic studies have their way. While the production and consumption of food are undeniably at the heart of gastronomy, several universities around the globe are attracting graduate students who seek to understand the role of food within larger and often interdependent contexts. Knife skills and restaurant logistics are not on the list of mandatory classes; instead, students study food through sociology, anthropology, history, politics, economics, geography, cultural studies, hard sciences and fine arts. Travel and externships are encouraged if not required, and graduates are as likely to be found in legislative corridors or on a magazine’s masthead as in a restaurant kitchen. Journalism, education, public policy, eco- and gastrotourism, food service and management… these and other career paths in which a greater appreciation for the complex relationship between food and culture can play a role are boosting applications to graduate studies programs in gastronomy around the globe. But why should one choose to study gastronomy as part of a formal program? Emily Ventura, a Los Angeles–based finalist for a Fulbright Award to study at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy (UNISG) and a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California (USC), notes that “adding the study of food culture and anthropology would be the perfect complement to my doctoral work in preventive medicine. The lab where I work is very physiological in approach. I really feel that to be able to successfully prevent disease and promote health, you

need to have an understanding of and respect for the deep connection of food and culture. And there is no better way to do this than in an experiential learning format like much of the coursework is at UNISG.” Indeed, “experiential learning” is one of the hallmarks of established gastronomic studies programs. In addition to classroom work and independent research, students are expected to taste, to travel and to see firsthand how food is produced. Programs of Note The pack of gastronomic studies programs is growing and new programs are appearing almost annually. At present, for those interested in pursuing a graduate degree, two domestic and two foreign programs are leaders in the field. Le Cordon Bleu Graduate Program in Gastronomy is the result of cooperation among Le Cordon Bleu International and the University of Adelaide’s Research Centre for the History of Food and Drink and its School of History and Politics. Established in 1998 and based in Australia, the program is unique among those noted here for offering online degrees. www.gastronomy.adelaide.edu.au The youngest member of the pack is the University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG), which is divided between campuses in Pollenzo and Collorno, Italy. Founded in 2003 by Slow Food and the regions of EmiliaRomagna and Piedmont, the UNISG offers three programs of graduate study with emphases on food communications, tourism and food culture and communications. www.unisg.it Stateside, Boston University offers a Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy through its Metropolitan College. Founded by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin, the program’s first degree was awarded in 1997. Class topics range from food writing, comparative cuisines, international food regulation, and waste and water disposal in food systems. www.bu.edu/met/gastronomy The first of its kind when established in 1996, New York University’s Food Studies Program now offers two interdisciplinary concentrations: Food Culture, a program that examines the ways in which individuals, communities and societies relate to food production and consumption, and Food Systems, which focuses more narrowly on food production and agricultural issues. NYU’s programs require at least six months of full-time food-related work experience or a commitment to obtain at least 500 hours of noncredit work experience during the first year in the program. www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/nutrition/masters/food_studies

Known as the snailwrangler in Slow Food circles, lisa lucas talbot is the co-leader of Slow Food Los Angeles. When not seeking good, clean and fair food in LA or reading and writing about food issues, Lisa is an attorney specializing in publishing law and related matters.

edibleLA .com

children’s corner

chef reba berdakín’s

strawberry oatmeal scones

italian food for beginners: piccolo chef academy

A POT FULL OF STORIES— A MOMMY FULL OF SCONES

inspires youngsters with the joy of cooking from the ground up

by andrea arria-devoe

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

This recipe is from Chef Reba Lawless Berdakín’s A Pot Full of Stories class. I was lucky enough to join in the class with my 4-year-old son Rémy. We had a blast cutting, measuring, mixing and folding. Whilst the scones were baking Chef Reba read The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood. The children ate the extra giant strawberries as they listened. The scones were delicious and not your usual offering from preschool cooking classes. I have to admit I ate a good portion of them on the drive home—warm and delicious—and ended up feeling like the mouse looks at the end of the book! —LL

This summer send your little one to Piccolo Chef for the summer vacation camp. piccolo chef culinary academy The Westside Children’s Center 12120 Wagner Street Culver City, 90230 310-295-4208 piccolochef.com Illustrations from The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear used with permission from Child’s Play (International), Ltd., c1984 A Twinn.

work. Measuring out ingredients, identifying spices, learning how to use a new kitchen tool fills them with a feeling of “Wow! Look what I can do.” Sampling as they go demystifies the taste of “weird” foods like broccoli. During cook time, the instructor reads the story of the week, adding yet another dimension of fun to the experience. Founders Tina Fanelli Moraccini and Lilian Palmieri took a leap of faith when they opened the school last November. For 12 years, the duo spread the red, white and green gospel for the Italian Consulate, organizing over a thousand events spotlighting Italian art, culture and food. Ever passionate about their mission but yearning to spend more time with their children, they decided to start proselytizing to a smaller crowd. “The only quality time I had with my daughter [Valentina, now four] was in the kitchen, showing her how to tear basil,” Fanelli says, recalling her former long work days. Both women point out that nurturing an appreciation for food is not just about cooking. It’s also about teaching kids that tomatoes don’t sprout from the produce section at the grocery store. This spring, the school kicked off its “From Seed to Table” classes (ages 6–9) taking advantage of the on-site organic chef’s garden. Lettuces, peas, beets and herbs thrive in the sunny half-acre plot at the side of the building. Over the course of six weeks, students plant seeds and work on recipes highlighting the vegetable they are growing. Upon graduating, they take home their plant. Thanks to the two composters donated by the city, kids also learn how to make fertilizer. If getting dirty is at one end of the food appreciation spectrum, cleaning up—as in having good table manners—is at the other. Etiquette classes play a big part in the school’s curriculum, so youngsters learn to chew with their mouths closed as well as to appreciate the value of eating together as a community. After each class, students cart their bounty to a big table in an adjoining conference room where the meal is shared. This emphasis on community extends to Piccolo Chef’s host, the Westside Children’s Center. The organization provides foster care and reunification services to abused and/or neglected children (ages 0-8) and helps families in need with adoption, childcare and child development. Out of the goodness of their hearts, the school gives a portion of its proceeds back to the center. To which we say, bravo.

Photograph: Courtesy of Piccolo Chef

If Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs sounds like the forecast for getting your toddler to eat his veggies (and not a beloved bedtime story), a cooking lesson at Piccolo Chef Academy could bring on the salad days. Tucked inside the Westside Children’s Center in Culver City, the new culinary academy beckons curious young palates into its airy kitchen where buona forchettas—an Italian expression that means good eaters—are made, not born. For the younger set (ages 3–5), popular classes like “A Pot Full of Stories” and “Eating the Alphabet” engage all five senses with recipes based on children’s books. Grownup chaperones guide little hands with knives but otherwise the kids do all the

andrea arria- devoe is the Los Angeles Editor for DailyCandy Kids. She has also written for Bon Appétit, SF Chronicle, and C Magazine.

Sweet Scents

See-through planters and herbs picked for their quick results make this windowsill garden kit a great introduction for kids. Simple instructions—from planting the seeds to drying the leaves—ensure that each step of growing an edible plant is accessible. The kit also contains recipes, stickers and even experiments. $18.99 from the marketplace at edibleLA.com and local stores.

cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter

2½

cups rolled oats

cup white sugar

tablespoons baking powder

teaspoon kosher salt

ounces sweet butter,

cold and diced small 1

cup sliced strawberries

1½

cups half-and-half

Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine everything except the strawberries and half-and-half until just combined. Do not over mix. (Mixture will not be creamed, just mixed together.) Quickly pour in 1¼ cups of the half-andhalf while mixing quickly. If the dough appears at all dry add the remaining ¼ cup of half-and-half until just combined. Again, do not over mix. Turn the dough out onto a very well floured surface. If the dough is very sticky, flour the top of the dough also. Pat the mixture into a rectangle about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Spread out the strawberries along half of the dough along the longest side. Gently fold the empty half of the dough over on top of the strawberries to sandwich in the berries. Using a knife, cut the scones into triangles by alternating diagonal cuts down the rectangle of dough. Place each scone, as cut, onto a parchment paper–covered sheet pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each scone. Brush the tops of each scone with a little half-and-half. Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown on both the top and bottom of scones.

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edible how-to

Lavender wand These have been made in Europe for centuries and were often given to a bride for her wedding trousseau. I taught myself how to make them having watched a young woman artfully weave the ribbon at the market in Gordes a couple of summers ago. With a bit of practice it takes a couple of hours to make and is so satisfying.

hot lavender

by martha stewstein

70 stems of lavender (you can use fewer stems for

Here’s flowers for you; Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram;  The marigold, that goes to bed wi' the sun,  And with him rises weeping; these are flow'rs  Of middle summer, —Shakespeare  (Winter's Tale, iv. 4)

Lavender sachets Collect the flowers and use them to stuff little handmade drawstring bags or pockets for your knicker drawer or for under your pillow to help you sleep.

Grilling bundles Tie up little bundles of the discarded stems and next time you grill soak a bundle in water for 10 minutes before placing it on the hot coals. The lavender infuses whatever you chose to grill with a delicious delicate flavor. I also do this with rosemary twigs discarded when pruning. The bundles also make great fire starters.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

Lavender sugar 1

cup sugar

tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoons of fresh lavender

cup lavender sugar

around the top of the cage to form a basket. The first row is always the hardest. Make sure the second row is opposite to the one directly above: Where you went over you now go under and vice versa. Leave a stalk or two tucked inside to make this work.

4 Continue going around until you reach the bottom of the flowers, wrap the ribbon around the stalks and tie in a bow using the shorter ribbon from inside the stalks. After a week you may want to tighten the ribbons. I find that as the lavender wand dries the ribbon loosens.

Combine in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly golden in color. Cool at room temperature and store in the refrigerator.

by mariah swan

1½ teaspoons powdered gelatin

Combine in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly golden in color. You may leave the lavender in the syrup to steep for a stronger flavor. Be sure to strain the lavender out before cooling and storing.

Mix 2 tablespoons of lavender flowers into 1 cup of fine salt and store in a sealed jar for a couple of weeks. Place the mix directly into a salt cellar and the fine holes will sieve out the large buds and pour out infused salt. Great for sprinkling on steamed vegetables and in salads.

My favorite recipe is for lavender panna cotta that my husband and I discovered at the end of an anniversary dinner at Grace. The pastry chef, at Grace, has been kind enough to share:

lavender crème fraiche panna cotta

Or with fresh lavender: 1 cup water 1 cup sugar Handful of lavender

Lavender salt

3 Using the longer ribbon begin to weave under and over

Can be made two ways With the lavender sugar: cup water

to encase the flowers forming an even “cage” with the stems. (Tuck a secret message or wish inside with the flowers.)

Lavender syrup

2 Hold with flowers down and gently bend each stalk over

buds Blend together the sugar and the lavender until it turns purple/gray and the buds disappear. If you wish to make a more subtle-flavored sugar, infuse the sugar with the lavender by placing a sachet of 2 tablespoons of lavender flowers in a sealed jar of sugar for a couple of weeks. Use to flavor tea, lemonade, cocktails and in recipes.

located in downtown LA has a great selection)

1 Select long stems of a similar length. The stems must be green and slightly wilted or they will snap when bent. Tie flowers below the heads with a ¼ or ³/8-inch ribbon, leaving one end of the ribbon about 18 inches long and the other about 36 inches long.

Photograph: Todd Porter and Diane Cu; Illustration: Christine Park

Here are a few suggestions for what to do with your freshly harvested lavender (if you don’t have lavender to harvest it’s available from Keys Creek Lavender Farm):

a thinner wand)

56-inch piece of ¼ to ³/8” ribbon (Michael Levine

Photograph: Tony Molina

he highlight of my summer has to be gathering armfuls of lavender at the annual Fête de la Lavande on August 15 in Sault, Provence. This is a celebration of everything lavender—from food to soap and embroidered linen pockets to essential oils and perfumes, there’s something for everyone. We all bring bags and baskets to fill with freshly harvested stems piled high on old-fashioned horse-drawn wagons. Luckily, I have found a lavender festival closer to home just north of San Diego near Temecula at Keys Creek Lavender Farm. As well as tours of the farm throughout the year they will hold a Harvest Festival on June 21, 2009 10 am–5 pm. (For more information log on to kclfarm.com) I often wonder why more people don’t grow lavender in their gardens here in Southern California. It thrives in our climate and once established it is extremely hardy and you will have flowers most of the year. There are so many different varieties of lavender, from white to dark purple flowers and everything in between and from tall and skinny to short and fat. It’s important to harvest your lavender and cut the plant back into round balls before it has a chance to go woody.

1½ tablespoons water 2

cups cream

cup crème fraiche

½ cup lavender sugar

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Allow to bloom for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the cream and lavender sugar in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar has melted. Place the bloomed gelatin in the microwave and cook for 40 seconds, or until melted. Whisk the melted gelatin into the cream. Place the crème fraiche in a medium-sized bowl and fold the warm cream mixture into it, mixing until smooth. Pour the mixture into sprayed molds (4–6 ounce capacity, depending on portion desired). Cover with plastic and chill until set, at least 3 hours.

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IN THE KITCHEN WITH ARTCOOK deborah trainer shares her kitchen secrets; photographs by tony molina

rhubarb and cherry pie filling

teaspoon salt

teaspoon sugar

ounces (8 tablespoons)

unsalted butter, chilled

1¼ ounces (3 tablespoons) solid

vegetable shortening, chilled

large egg yolk

tablespoon lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces, and add it to the dried ingredients. Work quickly and lightly with your fingertips. Add the vegetable shortening and continue working the flour and fat together. The mixture should look like small peas. Combine the egg yolk, 1 tablespoon ice water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a glass. Stir to combine. Add this to the dried ingredients, pinching the dough to combine. Gradually add more water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough begins to cling together in clumps. The dough will tell you when you’ve added enough water. It should feel pliable, like clay—neither sticky nor powdery dry. Form the dough into a ball, place on a sheet of wax paper, press it down to about 2 inches high, then wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes to relax the gluten.

cups rhubarb, cut into

half-inch pieces

cups fresh sweet cherries

Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 1-inch strips.

3½ tablespoons instant tapioca ¼ teaspoon freshly ground

8½ ounces (two cups) sifted ¾

1¾ cup sugar

Yields enough pastry for a 9-inch two-crust pie

all-purpose or pastry flour

As you’re reading a recipe, try to imagine what the flavors of the ingredients will be like as they come together in the dish. Close your eyes; it will help you concentrate. If the recipe calls for a tablespoon of black pepper, think about it: Will that overpower the other ingredients?

(use recipe for basic flaky pastry, left)

basic flaky pastry

the importance of dreaming

Unbaked pastry for a 9-inch two-crust pie

nutmeg

1 1

teaspoon lemon juice A few drops almond extract tablespoon cold unsalted butter

glaze egg white Sanding sugar [for sprinkling]

Weave strips over filled shell to form a lattice pattern. Place one or two strips around edge of pie plate; crimp with a fork to firmly seal.

Of all of the things I bake, my husband says this makes the house smell the best. Rosemary, olive oil and salt—what could be bad?

Heat the water to 120-130˚ (check with an instant-read thermometer) and add it to the dry ingredients.

Knead for 8 minutes with the dough hook or paddle at medium speed.

The dough will deflate somewhat, but keep as much rise as you can. If it flattens out too much, let it rise again for 10-15 minutes to restore its puffiness. Use a paper towel to blot any oil that runs down the sides. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

rosemary focaccia Makes l large bread 8 servings Preheat oven to 450°. Roll out two-thirds of dough on a lightly floured surface (put the remainder in refrigerator).

Brush lattice and edges with egg white wash. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar and transfer pie to a rimmed baking sheet.

2 l 2

Fit into an 11-inch pie plate. Trim edge; refrigerate shell. Place in oven and when edges begin to brown, turn heat down to 375˚, and cook until juices in center are bubbling, 75-90 minutes.

cups warm water package instant dry yeast tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary l½ teaspoons salt 4½ cups unbleached bread flour (spoon and level; 20 ounces) plus additional flour as needed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1–2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

Forming the loaf: Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. This will serve as the peel to transfer the bread to the baking stone. Turn the dough out onto the paper, letting it fall out with the herbs and oil on top. Use your fingertips to poke the dough into a round about 14 inches wide.

The dough should be very soft and stick to the bottom of the mixer bowl as it is kneaded, but if it doesn’t pull away from the side of the bowl, add about two tablespoons more flour after about five minutes of kneading.

Place a baking stone on the center rack of your oven and preheat the oven to 400° while you make the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a clean towel and let it rise for 10 minutes.

Trim the excess paper and transfer to the oven. Carefully grab one edge of the parchment and slide it with the loaf onto the stone. Bake the bread until golden brown on top and well browned on the bottom, about 25 minutes. It will puff a little more in the oven.

Invest in a cherry pitter from our marketplace—it makes pitting cherries easy!

nutmeg

Nutmeg is the most important ingredient in baking, especially for fruit pie fillings.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

Meanwhile, put rhubarb and cherries in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and tapioca, drizzle with lemon juice and add a few drops of almond flavoring and the nutmeg. Gently toss. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Spoon mixture into shell and dot with butter.

Dough and first rise: Put the flour, yeast, salt and one tablespoon of the rosemary in the bowl of your mixer. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Second rise: In a large mixing bowl, stir the olive oil and reserved rosemary together. Scoop the dough onto the herb mixture and let rise again until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the oven with a large spatula and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Slice it into rectangles with a serrated knife, or, better yet, break it at the table.

edibleLA .com

internet cafe by agatha french

SCRUMPTIOUS SURVIVAL KIT by liana aghajanian

LA just got serious about food blogging. Created by local bloggers Brook Burton and Leah Greenstein (of foodwoolf.com and spicysaltysweet. com respectively), The Food Blog Code of Ethics garnered thousands of hits within days of its inception, prompting an unprecedented online conversation about what makes a principled food blog. While the code maintains that food bloggers should employ a sense of journalistic integrity, it is careful to welcome amateur writers (and thus the majority of bloggers) by democratizing the standards behind ethical reviews, attributions and plain old good writing. While the code has certainly raised the bar, here are a few local blogs that we at edible LA already feel good about getting behind.

global la

words by stephen lewis photographs by tony molina

Make caffé freddo with regular-strength espresso; granita more like an Americano— two tablespoons of ground coffee to six ounces of water. Sweeten both, (even if you normally don’t). Let cool. Then: Caffé Freddo: Keep in a closed container in the coldest part of the fridge—usually the one closest to the freezer duct—for at least an hour. Serve with milk or whipped cream. Granita di Caffé: Pour into a shallow tray and

Among my summertime pleasures in long-ago La Dolce Vita Rome were caffé freddo and granita di caffé. Coffee bars kept caffé freddo—sweetened espresso—in jars in the cooler. Restaurants and cafes served granita di caffé, frozen espresso raked up into a hard slush. Panna—whipped cream—was generally optional on caffé freddo, obligatory on granita di caffé. The heart of La Dolce Vita was the Grand Caffé Doney

place in freezer. After an hour, when crystals begin to form, break them up with a fork. Repeat two to three times, until you have a fluffy mass of frozen coffee crystals. Top with whipped cream. Six ounces of brewed coffee makes two servings. Affogato, ice cream smothered in espresso, is frequently served in LA’s Italian restaurants, ice cream parlors and coffee shops. If you’ve eaten it,

on Via Veneto, packed with celebrities and the paparazzi who

you know how to make it. If not, scoop vanilla or

pursued them. I went there daily, but never spotted any—because

dulce de leche ice cream into a glass or cup and

I took my first caffé freddo of the morning standing next to

pour hot espresso, sweetened or not, over the top.

workmen in blue coveralls, grabbing an espresso and a sweet

Add whipped cream or not. Dig in while the coffee

roll, while voluptuous Viking Anita Ekberg and other sex goddesses were still sound asleep.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

is hot, the ice cream not yet melted. NOTE: Good decaf. espresso works well, too. thank you to la mill and mozza.

whiteonricecouple.com [In the interest of integrity, it’s not because Todd, Diane and Amy all worked on the Sea to Plate story that they are included here. I actually liked their blogs so much I approached them to contribute to the magazine. Happily for me, they agreed. LL]

ice coffee coffee ice

Visit this site for gorgeous photographs, thoughtful recipes and a readable backstory. Jointly maintained by the enviably good-looking couple Todd and Diane, this blog sometimes feels like a foodie’s romantic fantasy. (One look at the home-page photo involving baguettes and a red Ducati, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.) Of particular interest is the section on Vietnamese herbs, bolstered by a personal essay that delves into Diane’s unique connection to food as a Vietnamese American. Gardening merits its own section, as does a user-friendly tofu primer titled “The Joy of Soy.” mattbites.com

Matt Armendariz isn’t just a blogger, he’s a blogger with interns. Having appeared in the New Yorker, Bon Appétit, and even… drum roll please… on Martha Stewart’s show, Matt is a veteran and a pro. A professional photographer, the glamour shots on this site go above and beyond the call of foodies; they appeal to anyone with a discerning eye for Art. What’s more, the guy’s got a sense of humor, a gently conspiratorial tone that makes you feel as if you’ve been invited out to dinner by a particularly witty, and food-obsessed, friend. Check in for visual inspiration on how to plate your main course, and spunky, winking asides. amyscattergood.com

What stands out here is the sheer quality of the writing. Equally at home discussing her collection of international Nutella jars, the taste of dandelion greens, or the awe-inspiring culinary trials going into her next cookbook, this is also the only food blog I know of where you are likely to come across an Elizabeth Bishop poem, or perhaps one of Scattergood’s own. And while Scattergood herself is a graduate of culinary school, entries on simple things, like the joy of gremolata prepared from local ingredients, keep the read close to home.

Los Angeles has coveted weather, cultural diversity, mouthwatering produce at the plethora of farmers’ markets and natural beauty from surf beaches to snow-capped mountains—but then there’s the notso-great natural disasters that make national and even international headlines: fires and earthquakes. The probability of a 6.7 or larger eartquake striking LA in the next 30 years is a shocking 67 percent. So don’t delay, put together an edible LA emergency preparedness kit today. Stock up on delicious, healthy food that’s anything but boring and bland. One less thing to worry about if and when the big one hits. water: More essential than food, five gallons per

person minimum. Make sure you keep a water purification kit on hand and rotate your supply every six months. fruit le athers , dried fruits and apple

sauce: Handy and durable snacks in a variety of fruit flavors provide the nutrition fresh fruit has to offer with the benefit of a longer shelf life.

food bars: Avoid bars with refined sweeteners and additives and go for hearty ingredients like fruit, nuts and seeds for an excellent source of energy. soup: A great source of nutrition because of the

diversity of ingredients. (Don’t forget to also stash a can opener and portable stove with fuel.) rice cakes: These tasty treats are a good

source of vitamin B1 and help stabilize blood sugar levels. beef or turkey jerky: High in protein, jerky is

easy to store and preserves so well, astronauts use it as space food. nuts and peanut butter: Rich in fiber and antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium. chocolate: Who doesn’t need chocolate,

especially in a crisis? sunflower , pumpkin or melon seeds: Not only incredibly sustainable, they’re rich in protein and low in carbohydrates. canned tuna : Minimal preparation required and high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

edibleLA .com

in season

walk on the wild side by nancy cipes

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

purslane or miner’s lettuce, or use cultivated lettuce as the base and augment that with the wild greens. Add the spicy and pungent leaves, like mustard, nasturtium and dandelion, cut up into thin ribbons. Choose a dressing depending on the tenderness of the greens. If they are young and fresh use a light dressing of good olive oil and Meyer lemon juice. If the salad can stand up to more, add a dash of balsamic vinegar and a bit of Dijon. There are more than salad greens growing wild in our midst. Native edible berries are remarkably delicious and have exceptionally high nutrient content, as all wild food does. There are several local currants and gooseberries. The bushes flower in fall and produce berries that ripen in early summer. You can sample their tangy sweetness, but you probably won’t find enough to gather. Our Southern California elderberry, however, is usually dripping with deep purple berries in late June and early July. They are bitter if you eat them raw, but cooked and sweetened they have an unparalleled wild berry flavor you can’t buy in any store. Even in the metropolis of Los Angeles there is still plenty of wild food to be found. Fennel grows recklessly by the side of the road. It doesn’t make a true bulb, but the stalk is juicy and tastes like licorice, the flowers are edible and make a gorgeous garnish, and the seeds can be used crushed as a seasoning. Nyerges loves the carob pods that fall onto so many of the city streets. They don’t need any preparation, are sweet and chewy when ripe, they store well and are full of calcium and B vitamins. They make the perfect survivalist’s treat. Nyerges says when you eat food you’ve grown yourself or gathered in the wild, you necessarily become more connected to the earth and you are more inclined to be stewards of the land and of the water. So go wild. You’ll begin to see food and bounty everywhere you look, and your neighborhood will start to resemble the aisles of something you might call Wild Foods Market. Contact Christopher Nyerges at christophernyerges.com nancy cipes is a certified edible landscape designer. She also volunteers her time each week gardening with survivors of domestic violence at two local shelters for battered women and children.

Clockwise from top right : Nasturtium; Hedge mustard ; Mallow leaves; Tendernettle; Chickweed; Lamb’s Quarter.

Photographs: Christopher Nyerges

ou may be surprised to learn how many common plants in our neighborhoods and in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains can provide an exciting culinary experience and are rich in nutrients to boot. When disaster strikes, you’ll be glad you know what there is to eat growing wild close to home. Before you go out into the streets or onto the trails to forage for food, you need to know what’s edible and what’s not. Inedible plants can taste bitter, give you a stomachache or, like poison hemlock, cause convulsions and a quick death. That’s why you’ll want to check in with the local wild foods expert, Christopher Nyerges. Christopher has been eating and writing about wild foods for over 30 years. He is the author of Guide to Wild Foods and most recently How To Survive Anywhere. He leads wild food outings and teaches survival skills at his School of Self Reliance in Eagle Rock. Although his father says he should have been born a hundred years ago, Nyerges, who has been advocating sustainability since the ’70s, is clearly way ahead of his time. If you head to any of the hiking trails in the Santa Monica Mountains you will find an abundance of wild edibles. Most adults, says Nyerges, act like a kid in a candy store when they first figure this out. “Wow! There’s so much to eat here!” There are a number of wild salad greens. Miner’s lettuce gets its name from the California gold miners who ate it to prevent scurvy. It has succulent, watery leaves that are mild in flavor and rich in vitamin C. There are a couple of varieties of wild mustard—one big leafed and strong flavored, the other delicately shaped and slightly less hot. If you look at the flowers on a mustard plant, Nyerges tells us, you can see the resemblance to a head of broccoli. That’s because they’re both in the brassica family. Lamb’s quarter is a spinach relative that contains protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and vitamin C. Nyerges calls it nature’s mineral tablet, but also touts it as one of the best-tasting wild edibles. You may also find wild watercress, dandelion (rich in vitamin A) and purslane, the highest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Closer to home, many of your so-called weeds, are delicious. Nasturtium, dandelion and wild arugula will grow out of control unless you eat them! After all, Italians have been eating weed salads for generations. Compose your wild salad with the milder leaves like

edibleLA .com

urban garden

nutritionist’s corner

pavement paradise in glendale

earth, wind and fire

by kathy kottaras

by jason deyo

kathy kottaras is a writing instructor at Pasadena City College, where she teaches lessons about contemporary food sustainability issues in the context of rhetoric and composition. She is also an active gardener.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

f you don’t think it’s a nutritionist’s job to talk about the basic elements, try cooking without fire or growing food without soil, try some fat-burning exercises without the presence of oxygen, or try going a few days without water. These elements give us our existence and what’s a better season than summer to start celebrating and sustaining them? If it’s slimming down or longevity you want, get “back to basics.” Start a Fire: Your fire! Our goal this summer isn’t to count calories, it’s to burn them! We can do all kinds of metabolic tests to see what sort of metabolism you have but that’s not what summer was meant for. Lower-intensity cardiovascular work, like hiking, trains your fire to burn more fat; while resistance training, like lunges and squats, builds a stronger fire so you can burn more calories. We need to do both. Keep your metabolic fire burning hot by feeding it every few hours. Eat small servings of nuts with summer fruits or veggies to fire up your metabolism between meals. Celebrate the element of fire at home this summer. Fire up the grill and throw on healthy bison burgers from Rawesome in Venice or lean spicy turkey sausages from Whole Foods. Light beeswax candles, and close out the work-week with a relaxing evening of firelight, food, friends and family.

Image: istockphoto

For more information visit green-glendale.org

launching a website and providing reusable tote bags at farmers’ markets. When approached by Neighborhood Services to build a community garden on land left vacant after freeway construction decades earlier, the three jumped on board, despite the fact that none are gardeners. “We figured, hey, let’s do it,” says Bartrosouf. They enlisted Lemoine, of landscape design firm Picture This Land, who prepared their submission to the Glendale City Council. “He has the experience, and we have the ambition.” While Mayor John Drayman offered his enthusiastic support, other city council members questioned the group’s legitimacy. When the Los Angeles Community Garden Council offered to insure and lease the land, garnering the city’s approval, the coalition was stunned. But they moved quickly. Bartrosouf cut his hours at his day job by half to prepare for the grand opening. The 11,000-squarefoot lot is now home to 26 plots of vegetable gardens and 15 fruit trees donated by TreePeople of Los Angeles. Bartrosouf’s vision for the space was to serve the local community’s needs. Residents closest to the garden received priority. The entrance, lined with Mediterranean and native plants, serves as a classroom for educational workshops for all Glendale residents, and the Coalition plans a solar-powered pergola where gardeners can gather. Bartrosouf thinks that the economy motivated local residents to participate. “This is exactly what needs to be happening when resources are scarce: People can plant, relax, talk to people and enjoy themselves.” Hannah Maximova looks forward to teaching her 2-year-old son how food grows in her vegetable garden. She notes that the majority of the group, like herself, are novice gardeners. “We’re rank amateurs. We’re stepping into the unknown.” Another 20 interested parties wait on a list, and the city council hopes to open an empty lot down the road. Bartrosouf heads back to school in September to study urban planning, while Khachatrian and Nadir both work. Still, they all hope to stay local to help make the coalition a self-sustaining reality. Photograph: Kathy Kottaras

ive stocky palm trees and a cinderblock wall separate a noisy freeway entrance from Glendale’s first community garden, newly erected on a plot of land that stood vacant for 33 years. The organizers—three recent college graduates and a landscape architect—constitute the Coalition for a Green Glendale, which launched this project a little more than a year ago. The grassroots idealism of Alek Bartrosouf, Garen Nadir and Ana Khachatrian have combined with the practical savvy of Guillaume Lemoine to achieve their dream of making the world a better place, one city block at a time. When Bartrosouf returned home from UC Santa Cruz in 2007, he gathered his friends, also recent graduates, to brainstorm ways to encourage local environmental sustainability. They started small,

Take a Breath: Deep breathing is fundamental to the body’s ability to relax and burn fat for fuel. Even if you’re facing an unrealistic quota at work, struggling in a relationship or finishing up the last five minutes of the toughest spin class in LA, learning to control your stress levels is an essential tool for health and breathing is the key. If you’ve been active, watching what you eat and not seeing results, stress may be keeping the weight on. This may sound hard to believe but we actually burn more body fat breathing deeply than we do running sprints at the track. Breathing deeply can actually increase the proliferation of mitochondria, which ensures better nutrient and oxygen uptake while avoiding oxidative damage at the cellular level. Try a breathing or relaxation technique like positive mental imaging to reduce the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that causes our midsection to store body fat. And buy a heart-rate monitor and learn to exercise at a lower heart rate. To use the heart-rate monitor effectively, subtract your

age from 180 and then keep your heart rate below that for an hour or more to increase your fat-burning capacity. Drink Some Water: Clean and abundant water is crucial to our

existence. At home try solid carbon block filters or a reverse osmosis system and stop using toxic and wasteful single-use plastic water bottles. These bottles pollute the environment and give off estrogen-mimicking toxins that actually signal your body to store fat instead of burning it. How much water do we really need to drink? Divide your body weight in half and that number is how many ounces of water you should shoot for in a day for ideal hydration and elimination. Start your day flowing with two glasses of water as soon as you wake up and have another glass about 30 minutes before every meal. You’ll be amazed at how well a little clean water controls your appetite. Conserve water at every chance you get. This summer read Collapse by local author Jared Diamond and see what happened to other cultures that squandered the resources they depended on. Get Down to Earth: Ever tasted a piece of fruit or a vegetable that came out of your own backyard? An organic garden is a great family project that teaches the kids to connect their food with the soil. When was the last time you sat under a tree after hiking in Runyon Canyon? Can you remember your last long walk at the beach and what the sand felt like between your toes? Don’t lose your summer to the indoor gym; bring back the moonlit stroll and schedule time for outdoor activities you enjoy. Give your liver, your garbage man and your landfill a welldeserved break. For one whole day, see if you can eat something every three to four hours that didn’t come in a package with a label on it. The health of our environment and our bodies go hand in hand. Stick to the basics this summer and focus on what’s sustainable; looking and feeling your best will follow.

jason deyo designs science-based nutrition programs for longevity, fitness, family nutrition, diabetes related imbalances, cholesterol level maintenance and weight loss. He has a master’s degree in holistic nutrition and is working on his doctorate. You can reach him at nutritionbyjason@gmail.com

edibleLA .com

nancy silverton burger blend

food for thought

Famed Los Angeles chef Nancy Silverton has been a faithful customer of Huntington Meats & Sausages for years. One day, Nancy told butcher and co-owner Jim Cascone that she was having a party and wanted to grill the ultimate burgers. She requested that Jim coarsely grind his prime chuck and add lots of ground sirloin fat to it so the burgers would be easier to form, fluffy and really decadent-tasting. Jim obliged, adding 10 percent of trimmed fat to the chuck, which brought the total fat content up to about 18 percent! The more meaty meat burgers were a huge hit at the party, and the buzz spread around the city’s food scene. In fact, the Los Angeles Times food section printed a story on Nancy’s pursuit of the perfect burger in 2005 and that day, Huntington Meats sold over 400 pounds of their custom ground chuck! Food lovers swarmed the counter and asked if they too could get this deliciously fatty blend of beef. The requests kept coming in, and now Huntington Meats always keeps this concoction on hand, affectionately known as Nancy Silverton Burger Blend. For the beef, ask the butcher to grind 2 pounds of prime chuck (10 percent fat) with 3 ounces of sirloin fat (the combination should have between 16 percent and 18 percent fat total). Serves 4

LA’S ORIGINAL FARMERS MARKET

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

pounds ground chuck

Sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Canola oil for brushing

slices Cheddar or Gruyère

Photograph: Courtesy of the A.F. Gilmore Company

L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook, whose publication this year celebrates the institution’s 75th anniversary, is more than a collection of recipes, a tribute or even, as author JoAnCianciulli puts it, a memoir. It’s also a love letter to a landmark: a place that optimizes both the old LA and the city’s proclivity to reinvent itself. What started as a dirt lot where farmers could pay 50 cents a day to park their trucks and sell their produce has become a Mecca of gourmet goods and restaurants; a destination for visitors and locals alike. The Farmers Market doesn’t stand out of time so much as it absorbs time: Third-generation vendors share customers with the Grove, and the original marketplace stands largely unaltered. Cianciulli’s cookbook introduces recipes with the stories of the people who provided them, and the photography, including shots of food and local faces, reflects the community feel. Family histories, foodie trivia and a healthy dash of Hollywood lore take the locavore ethos of learning where our food comes from —and who prepared it—to a whole new level. Neighborhood farmers’ markets are thankfully becoming de rigueur, but here is fresh incentive to visit The Original. What’s more, each entry comes with its corresponding stall number, for when the food seems just too good to enjoy on your own.

cheese 4

large sesame seed hamburger buns, split

Crisp-cooked applewood-

smoked bacon, iceberg

lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes

and red onion slices for serving Ketchup, mayonnaise and

Dijon mustard for serving Huntington Meats New York

deli pickles for serving

fancy nancy ice cream Ever since Scott Bennett started dating his wife, Nancy, she loved to eat coffee ice cream topped with sliced bananas and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Being the romantic, Scott invented a love letter flavor to match his wife’s affections. Their son, Charlie, came up with the catchy moniker, and Fancy Nancy has been a favorite ever since. There is something extra-special about homemade ice cream, and this recipe could not be simpler.

Makes 1 quart 2

cups cold heavy cream

cup cold whole milk

cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp

tablespoons freeze-dried

Hand-form the ground beef into 4 huge burgers, being careful not to overwork the meat. Season both sides of the burgers with salt and pepper. Put a dimple in the center of each burger with your thumb, so the burgers’ shape stays uniform as they cook and the tops don’t dome. Place a large grill pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Brush the hot grates with the oil to create a nonstick grilling surface. Grill the burgers for 8 minutes per side for medium; 6 minutes per side if you like your meat rare. The burgers should turn easily without sticking. When the burgers are just about cooked, put a couple of slices of cheese on top of each and let it melt. Transfer the burgers to a platter so you have enough room to toast the buns. Place the hamburger buns cut side down on the grill pan or outdoor grill and toast for 1 minute. Serve the burgers immediately; either assembled or letting your guests build their own with the bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and condiments.

instant coffee crystals 1

teaspoon pure vanilla extract

teaspoon unflavored gelatin

Pinch of salt

ripe bananas

cups caramel sauce, chilled

Pour the cream, milk and ¾ cup sugar into the freezer bowl of an ice-cream machine. Add the coffee, vanilla, gelatin and salt. Churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Chop up the bananas with the 1 tablespoon sugar to make a paste about the consistency of baby food. About 5 minutes before freezing/mixing ends, add the bananas. Continue to churn until combined but still chunky, about 2 minutes longer. When done, the ice cream will have a soft-serve consistency. Getting caramel ribbons throughout the batch takes a little finesse. First, transfer the ice cream to a tall container and pour the caramel sauce on top. Using a ladle or long rubber spatula, fold the caramel down to the bottom and slowly bring it back up in another spot to create swirls. Do this several times, until there are caramel ribbons running throughout the whole batch. To harden the ice cream fully, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours. Use within 1 month.

Excerpt from JoAnn Cianciulli’s L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook, Meet Me on 3rd and Fairfax Chronicle Books (2009)

edibleLA .com

At the 2005 World Cheese Awards in London, Englishman Julian Pearce and his Pennsylvania-raised wife, Carol, outperformed 1,800 cheese entries to claim the gold medal. The couple, at the apex of the UK cheese industry but tired of the weather, moved to Mojave in 2006 to launch Soledad Goats/Goat Cheese Creations on a farm at the base of Soledad Mountain. They continued their award-winning ways, sweeping four gold medals at the 2008 LA County Fair. In 1992, Julian was lecturing in Pennsylvania and met Carol. They married, moved to England and soon after purchased a herd of goats. Carol enlisted the expertise of noted Somerset cheese expert Tony Rich and after investing a lot of hard work the Pearces began producing pitch-perfect goat’s milk and cheese. The Pearces spent 11 years in Wiltshire, England, tending to a herd of 1,200 goats. In order to meet demand from their local dairy and farmers’ markets, they milked 850 goats, twice a day. “We had no help and miserable weather,” says Carol. “It was cold, wet, just horrendous.” They looked online for an escape and considered renting a goat farm in Hawaii, but the plan fell through. That’s when Carol looked to Southern California where she had once lived. “We just wanted to come back to the US and have decent weather and a good lifestyle,” she says. She found a 20-acre farm with a barn in Mojave, within striking distance of LA farmers’ markets, and discovered that there were very few producers of goat cheese in Southern California. “It’s incredible really how few goats there are in the United States with milk,” says Carol. Since it’s illegal to bring cloven-hoofed animals into the United States, the Pearces were forced to sell their herd and start fresh. They now tend about 100 goats, primarily Nubian, 26

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

editor asks the expert

throw another shrimp on the barbie! INT. SUPERMARKET. DAY. LUCY, mother with two kids, pushes shopping cart, accosted by tall, blond Aussie dude, CURTIS. CURTIS Wanna grill shrimp on the barbie? LUCY looks confused and a little suspicious. CURTIS is not giving up. CURTIS (cont’d) I’ll cook, it’ll be fun. LUCY Shrimps on the barbie—isn’t that a little cliché?

This is a little shopping fantasy that I have, along with anyone else who has watched Take Home Chef. The reality is that Curtis Stone does this for a living on his TV show and I got to interview him. How long have you lived in Los Angeles? I’ve lived here for 3 years, moving about from Pasadena, West Hollywood, Santa

Where do you like to surf?

How does getting in touch with where

I surf at Malibu more than anywhere else;

your food comes from change the way

it’s easy for me to get to and it’s a nice slow

you cook it?

wave. The older I get the worse my surfing

It changes it massively. If you can get your

becomes. So I’m down there with all the old

hands on good local natural produce—

fat blokes! Now I’m going to be beaten up in

whether it’s fish, meat, seafood, vegetables,

the water for that comment!

fruit—you have a respect for it and you can

Monica and now the Hollywood Hills. The eucalyptus trees remind me of home [MelPhotograph: Steve Harris

MOJAVE GOLD AWARD-WINNING CHEESE MAKERS REDEFINE SOCAL FLAVOR by joshua lurie

La Mancha and Alpine breeds. “Each goat’s milk tastes slightly different,” says Carol, “some slightly sweet, some slightly salty. It’s a combination of all their different milks and the way it’s handled that gives us our cheese. The milk particles are very delicate and that’s what makes it easier to digest.” The Pearces appreciate how hard their goats work to provide milk. As a result, the animals are never slaughtered or used for meat, and they’re all treated to a retirement pen. The Pearces value their connection to each animal, and have named every goat, based upon their personality. “We have Helper, because no matter what you’re doing, she helps,” says Carol. “We have Mrs. Horns, the matriarch of the pen. She’s the boss. No nanny challenges her.” Their aged raw Cheddar and Jack cheeses are available yearround, along with pasteurized chevres. However, the Pearces are best known for producing flavored goat cheeses, including seasonal favorites lavender-lemon, garlic and herb, and sun-dried tomato with basil. They have a large caged vegetable garden where they grow tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers and many herbs. “They thought I was crazy when I made flavored goat cheese in England,” says Carol. “But flavored goat cheese packs more flavor, and it’s more conducive for people with lactose intolerance.” “I told her don’t waste your time with lemon and lavender,” says Julian. “I had never eaten lavender before. Yet the flavored cheeses are the ones that win the awards.” “Most people have the idea that goat cheese tastes like a billy goat smells,” says Carol. “It has a heavy musky taste.” To tame the cheese’s pungency, the Pearces feed their goats a diet of alfalfa and protein-infused multi-grains. They also use the freshest milk and handle it carefully so the chemical structure remains intact. The couple incorporates their cheese into salads, on pasta and bread. “My big problem when we do these farmers’ markets is I have a sample jar and wind up helping myself,” says Carol. Julian enjoys sautéing spinach in olive oil, then adding garlic and herb cheese and letting it melt on top. The Pearces also jar goat cheese balls in extra-virgin olive oil with 14 herbs and spices and sell custom cheesecakes: strawberry, lemon or lime. The cheese is currently made at the Fegundas family’s Old World Cheese Company in Handford but all this is set to change. The Pearces are constructing an on-site cheese plant out of three converted shipping containers with an area for visitors to watch goats being milked. The Pearces’ goat cheese and goat cheese creations are currently available at several local farmers’ markets, including Hollywood, Montrose, Atwater Village, Echo Park, Newhall, Sherman Oaks and at LA’s Original Farmers Market. Carol has been known to walk a kid called Sausage through the Grove and feed him with a bottle, a thrill for local children and adults alike. “There’s a sign that says no dogs,” says Julian, “but it doesn’t say no goats!”

Photograph: Carole Topalian

farmers’ market profile

bourne, Australia]. It’s a special part of the world, ’cause there are not many big cities where you can live right on the coast or live in a spot where you feel like the country and still be 10 minutes away from the center of

make that connection. It might be that you I’m surprised to learn you’ve never been

go to a farmers’ market or that you visit the

fishing locally. We took a bunch of chefs

farm or catch a fish or meet the fishmonger.

fishing for our Sea to Plate story—want

You develop that respect and this translates

to come next time?

to showing off the ingredient for what it

Take me! I love fishing and that would be an

is—not complicating it. One thing that we

awesome day out! I’d bloody love to!

do is we take a life every time we cook an

the action.

edibleLA .com

animal and it should be a complete celebra-

to cook because there’s less cleaning up, it’s

tion of that animal’s life, a real show of

really healthy, I think it’s a really social way to

respect for how you prepare it and eat it.

how would you prepare these?

the dry rub that I’m going to put on it. I

I like to keep them really simple. I love to

need the plate that’s going to take my meat

cook as well ’cause you can sort of do your

cook this type of shellfish still in its shell. You

out and then I need a plate when I take it off

preparation ahead of time and then when

cut them in half lengthwise, you split down

to put it on and I need the condiments.” So

What’s your favorite farmers’ market here

people arrive you can be standing around

the tail of them with a sharp knife, then

you need to make yourself up like a tray to

in LA?

and cooking at the barbie but still having a

marinate them in a little bit of olive oil and

take outside, take everything out and make

Probably Santa Monica and I think half the

beer or a glass of wine and chatting to your

some lemon zest, and chili pepper, maybe

sure you’ve got everything in place.

reason of that is that all the chefs hang out

friends. It’s a very casual way of eating too

some parsley—just simple ingredients—and

down there. So we all go down and get a

and I think that being casual and relaxed is a

maybe a little bit of garlic. Just toss them

they don’t pre-heat their grill well enough.

around a little bit and grill them.

Really super important that your grill’s red

The other thing that people don’t do is

coffee and shoot the shit with each other. I

really nice way to entertain. I’ve just written

love the atmosphere in fresh markets. We

a cookbook actually called Relaxed Cooking.

don’t get to film at farmers’ markets as much

It’s all about the entire cooking process.

Any unexpected items you like to throw on

as I want because we have to stick to certain

There’s a salad in there that cooks some

the barbie?

EVERYTHING! It doesn’t matter how much

days and it doesn’t coincide with those days.

shrimp and you could easily do that on the

You can do everything; I’ve even grilled

you say it, it doesn’t matter how much he’s

[See p.62 for our farmer’s market directory.]

barbie.

nectarines on the BBQ and then drizzled

got a chef as a son, he burns everything he

a little bit of local honey on the top and

does.

So today I want to talk about grilling.

So throw another shrimp on the barbie,

served it with some fresh yogurt. It’s a beau-

I love grilling. We are lucky enough to live

Curtis! One local shellfish, technically

tiful start to the day [grilling breakfast—who

down here in the sunshine so I’m outside a

shrimps, are Santa Barbara Spot Prawns—

knew?!]. There’s grilled pineapple with a co-

lot when I cook. Grilling’s such a great way

hot before you put anything on it. My dad burns everything that he grills.

And lastly, let the meat rest—for about half the time that it’s taken to cook it.

conut caramel sauce in my book, so you can

grilled corn on the cob with parsley and garlic brown butter

do desserts like that. You know, if you are gonna serve an appetizer, especially if you’re grilling, you could caramelize some peaches

Everyone puts butter on corn, but browning the butter first adds a nutty flavor and transforms it into a gourmet side dish. And you still get to eat it with your hands! This adds an energetic splash of color to any plate. Serves 6

and then serve it with some prosciutto or some figs with prosciutto and some nice balsamic vinegar and some wild arugula. Anything that you can cook in a pan you can pretty much cook on a grill and if you can’t—say you’re cooking a delicate piece of fish—then you can basically take a pan out,

turn the grill up on full and sit the pan on top

of the grill. So you can still cook it all outside.

before they start. It’s one of those things, once you start you can’t stop. I sound like a snack commercial! Once you’ve put something onto the grill you’ve started that process and then if you look around and think “Shit, I forgot the salt,” you’ve got to

to get yourself a little bit of a system and say “OK, what do I need when I’m out there? I need the meat I’m going to cook. I need the olive oil. I need some salt and pepper. I need 28

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

Photographs: Quentin Bacon

run inside and by the time you get back out

Recipes from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, Clarkson Potter 2009

I think they don’t get prepared well enough

food on.” So I think the best way to do it is

Who hasn’t woken up with an overwhelming craving for a nice, big steak, the kind that makes you think of a great old-school steak house? This will satisfy that craving big time. Trust me, ladies: If you want to make your man smile, cook him one of these. Serves 4 8

10- to 12-ounce

T-bone steaks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the butter, chiles, cilantro and tequila in a bowl to blend. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Spoon the chile butter onto the center of the plastic wrap and roll it into a cylinder. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Heat a barbecue grill to medium-high, or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and black pepper. Grill the steaks on one side for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the chile-butter log crosswise into 8 slices, and set aside. Turn the steaks over and top each steak with 2 butter slices. Continue grilling for 5 minutes for medium-rare, or until the butter begins to melt. Transfer the steaks to plates, and serve.

tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

tablespoon tequila

tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo

tablespoons chopped

fresh cilantro

Curtis has a line of products available from curtisstone.com and Williams-Sonoma: the ‘Bump & Grind’—a modern day mortar and pestle and the ‘Juicy’, a sophisticated carving board that catches meat juices would both be useful when grilling.

tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at

garlic cloves, finely chopped

tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Juice of ½ lemon

with grilling?

it’s like “Oh, a cloth or a platter to put the

t-bone steaks with chipotlecilantro butter

room temperature

What’s the biggest mistake people make

large bowl of cold water for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry. Heat a barbecue grill to medium. Tear a few corn husks into long strips. Gather the husks at the base of each corncob and tie them with the husk strips to secure them. Spread the garlic butter all over the corn kernels, and sprinkle the corn with salt and pepper. Place the corn on the grill. Cover and cook, turning occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the corn is soft and juicy and the husks are lightly charred.

ears yellow corn in the husks

Salt and freshly ground

Black pepper Place a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the butter melts and becomes golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the garlic. Set aside until the butter is almost cold, and then add the parsley and lemon juice. Place the butter mixture in a bowl and chill until it is cold and firm. Fold back the husks from the corn and remove the corn silk (keeping the husks attached to the cobs). Soak the corn in a

edibleLA .com

sea to plate

go fish words by amy scattergood

photographs by diane cu and todd porter

Most days Michael Cimarusti can be found in immaculate chef’s whites, at his 4-year-old restaurant Providence—white tablecloths, two Michelin stars—on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, creating beautifully orchestrated plates with some of the technically best-prepared seafood in the city. The monkfish and Kanpachi and striped bass that Cimarusti presents at Providence, where he is chef-owner, are not those he catches but those he sources from local fishermen or seafood suppliers, or buys after it’s flown in daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. But when he’s got a day off, Cimarusti likes to shorten the distance from ocean to plate—at least his own plate. So he goes fishing.

n a recent pre-dawn morning in San Pedro, a town just south of Los Angeles with a busy port and active fishing community, Cimarusti has gathered a few friends and a small forest of fishing rods to board the Pursuit, a 75-foot fishing boat that operates sport-fishing trips out of the 22nd Street Landing. This is not a private charter, but a boat that runs daily, taking varying routes from San Pedro out to Catalina Island and thereabouts, depending on the weather and the fish. A group of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;mostly men, many regularsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;line the walkway along the pier, smoking cigarettes and looking out at the dark harbor. Some move off into the little waterfront store, buying fishing licenses and stocking up on lures and candy bars. Precisely at 6, the Pursuit motors out of the harbor, threads of light just beginning to edge the horizon, the sea left unusually calm by a gust of the Santa Anas. Cimarusti has installed himself along the starboard side with his rods, a knapsack of gear and his friends, among them Neal Fraser, chef-owner of the Los Angeles restaurants Grace and BLD; Craig Min, owner of LA Mill, the coffee company and Silver Lake coffee â&#x20AC;&#x153;boutique,â&#x20AC;? which partners with Cimarusti on the menu; David Danhi, a former chef who cooked with Cimarusti at Water Grill, the downtown Los Angeles fish restaurant; Donato

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Poto, co-owner and general manager at Providence; and a small crew of line chefs from Providence, many of whom have been with Cimarusti since his days at Water Grill, where he spent eight years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So what are we going to catch today?â&#x20AC;? asks Fraser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hopefully halibut or calico bass,â&#x20AC;? Cimarusti says, checking the Pursuitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s count for the previous day on his iPhone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of like Twitter. If they catch a lot of fish on Sunday, on Monday thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a ton of people out here.â&#x20AC;? The sides of the boat are lined with burlap sacks, into which will go the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s catch. The Pursuitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two deckhands help novices set up their fishing rods; the regulars, many in ball caps, their arms vast landscapes of tattoos, crack open sodas and early morning beers while they sort lures and ready their gear. Cimarusti learned to fish when he was 7. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d catch largemouth bass and bullhead catfish (â&#x20AC;&#x153;in the winter weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d bust through the ice and fishâ&#x20AC;?) in a farm pond up the road from his house in Pennington, New Jersey. After attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Cimarusti worked at New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Le Cirque restaurant, then moved to Los Angeles, cooking at Spago then at Water Grill before opening Providence. Both the catching and the cooking of fish have been constants. When Cimarusti was at Water Grill, a bartender friend brought him out fishing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It blew me away,â&#x20AC;? says Cimarusti now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had no idea this was so close.â&#x20AC;? The chef became a regular, spending most Mondaysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;his day offâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on the water, often onboard the Pursuit, whose captain he befriended. In the gap between leaving Water Grill and opening Providence, Cimarusti was often out fishing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That August, I came probably 10 times; the yellowtail were going crazy, carving beelines on the surface.â&#x20AC;? As the Pursuit comes up on Catalina, dolphins maneuver the waves alongside the boat. The watery holds flash with live bait: a silvery mass of sardines and anchovies that glitter in what is now

full sunlight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ones you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch are the ones you want,â&#x20AC;? notes Cimarusti, as the men grab for the fish with their hands. Cimarusti sorts through his bait box, a plastic grid of compartments that still has its original Scarborough Farms labelsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;micro red shiso, sorrel, purple orachâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the little boxes now holding lures instead of tiny salad greens. The boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s captain, John Woodrum, who has fished the local waters for 18 years and piloted the Pursuit since 1999, lets the boat drift in a good spot. Soon it seems that everyone is pulling fish out of the water; they flop unceremoniously on deck before being grabbed and loaded into the burlap sacks by the deckhands. Hours pass. The men and women onboard establish an inconstant pattern of pulling up grouper and whitefish, sculpin and rockfish, and take breaks to watch the action or lack of it (fishing is rarely a high-energy sport), to rest in the bunks below deck or to grab a burger from the galley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So you guys are all fry cooks at McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, right?â&#x20AC;? says one regular, who has picked up on the cheffy conversation. Neal Fraser raises his hand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fry cook,â&#x20AC;? he says. By midday weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve motored along the backside of Catalina, past Whale Rock and Cape Cortes, and Cimarusti has landed his first fish, a California sheepshead (â&#x20AC;&#x153;good eatingâ&#x20AC;?) that he puts at about seven pounds. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a gorgeous fish, with wide color fields of red and black; it resembles a Rothko painting more than a fish. As Cimarusti fishes the edge of the kelp beds, he admits that he does this more for the experience than for the fish themselves. At $65 for the day, plus the fee for a one-day sport fishing license

($14) and renting a rod if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have one ($15), itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really that cost effective if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just fishing for your dinner. But for the chef, as well as for most of the repeat customers on deck, what you get is far more than a burlap sack filled with a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quota of vermilion rockfish, bocaccio and opaleye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just get hooked on it,â&#x20AC;? says Cimarusti, not seeming to notice the pun as he casts his G-Loomis rod out again into the Pacific. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contemplative.â&#x20AC;? And if you do come aboard to fish for your supper, as do many of the people on the boat (â&#x20AC;&#x153;they all go home and cook dinner,â&#x20AC;? says Captain Woodrum, â&#x20AC;&#x153;everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got their own secret recipe, their secret beer batterâ&#x20AC;?), then the inherent pleasures of a day out on the water are reified by the catch, and the satisfaction of being able to cook and eat what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve labored to hook that day. Iridescent fish scales stuck to his shirt, a necklace of kitchen twine and nail-clippers around his neckâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a fishermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe alternative to walking around a rocking deck with a knife for snipping tangled linesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cimarusti leans against the boatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s railing and fly-lines another sardine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I prefer this to fishing on the bottom with eight ounces of lead,â&#x20AC;? he says, watching the monofilament move in the sunlight, the bait swim along the edge of the kelp. Mid-afternoon, Captain Woodrum stops to pick up some more bait; the deckhands transfer live squid from a small boat into the Pursuitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bait wells. Ari Kolender and Tristan â&#x20AC;&#x153;T-Boneâ&#x20AC;? Aitchison, both line cooks at Providence, admire their catch and enjoy their day offâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;although every cook on the boat will head â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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back to their respective restaurants that night, for at least a few hours of service. Shortly before the Pursuit heads back to San Pedro, a deckhand calls out “bald eagle!” and throws one of the rockfish scattered on the deck out into the water. Everyone stops fishing to watch as the eagle wheels and circles and dives, lifting the fish from the water. “This is gorgeous,” says a goateed man with a voice like gravel, his well-hewn arms covered with a lattice of tattoos, to no one in particular. Two days later, Cimarusti is back in his chef’s whites, filleting a rockfish in the cold room (“we call it the fish box”) in Providence’s pristine kitchen. The chef is preparing a simple dish of pan-seared rock cod with fresh morels. “You could substitute locally caught halibut or calico bass; you could use any of the fish we caught on the boat,” says Cimarusti as he scales the fish and runs a knife across the skin—a lovely network of grey and pink and orange—to remove stray scales and any residual liquid, which will make for a crispier skin. “You go fishing on a Tuesday, go to the farmers’ market on Wednesday; it’s better to let the fish rest for a day anyway.” As the Pursuit sailed for port, the deckhands had moved

abruptly into cleanLOCAL FISHING TRIPS: ing mode, both of Pursuit—full day $65 the fish and then the Monte Carlo—half day and twilight deck itself. They’d fishing $38 pulled long boards California fishing license ($14 day, across the gap be$45.95 annual), burlap bag ($1), rod tween the bait wells ($15 to hire). All available from the and the railing, then tackle shop. Tip not included swiftly gilled and gutted and filleted 22nd Street Landing the fish for whom141 W 22nd St ever had wanted the San Pedro, CA 90731 service. They don’t 310-832-8304 scale the fish, says 22ndstreet.com Cimarusti, so if you No coolers or alcohol may be brought take your fish home on board. Hamburgers, snacks, sodas, that way, you’ll want water and beer for sale on board. to scale it and remove the pin bones before you cook it. Cimarusti sautés fresh morels (“the morels will flatter anything; you really want to experience the fish”) in butter and olive

oil, adding shallots then barrel-aged soy sauce. The soy gives the mushrooms a terrific meaty flavor. As the morels cook down, Cimarusti sears the cod in butter, then spoons the nutty, browning liquid over the top of the fish, which is cooked only on one side. The cod gets a rich, golden brown crust on the bottom, while it becomes opaque at the top, the fish gently cooking in a bath of brown butter. Cimarusti plates the dish, finishing it with a drizzle of Provençal extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Finally, the chef adds wood sorrel blossoms and wild miner’s lettuce that his sous chef forages for on his day off in the fields around Calabasas. A small rain of minced chives, and he’s done. Cimarusti says that ever since he was a little kid, there was a natural correlation between his fishing and his dinner. “I’d go out and catch a fish and my mother

chef cimarusti’s pacific rock cod with morels miner’s lettuce and wood sorrel blossoms Serves 4

would cook it. That was that. The circle was always complete.” Watch Chef Cimarusti fishing and cooking at edibleLA.com

6-ounce portions of rock cod

pound morels

shallot ciselé

bunch chopped chives

lemon

bunch wild miner’s lettuce*

Several wood sorrel blossoms*

ounces butter

Extra-virgin olive oil

Soy sauce to taste

* Available to be wild harvested all over the Southland; if unavailable, substitute with frisée and edible flower petals such as nasturtium.

Clean the morels thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Quarter the morels and place them in a nonreactive saucepan with 1 ounce butter, the finely diced shallot, a splash of soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon. Allow them to cook slowly while you cook the fish. Dry the fish with paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Warm a large skillet and add olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil begins to smoke add the cod, skin side down. Cook the cod on high heat until the skin begins to get crispy. Lower the heat and add 1 ounce of butter; allow the butter to brown but be very careful not to let it get too dark. Spoon the butter over the fish for several minutes to cook the flesh side. When the fish yields to slight pressure from the tip of your finger, remove it from the pan and let it rest in a warm place while you finish the morels. Add the remaining 1 ounce of butter to the morels to thicken their juices. Taste and adjust as needed with salt, pepper and lemon. Add the chopped chives and divide the morels between four warmed bowls and place the fish on top. Season the miner’s lettuce with a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper and place them on top of the fish. Garnish with the wood sorrel blossoms and spoon some of the morel juice around the fish. Serve. Providence 5955 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

323-460-4170 providenceLA.com

edibleLA .com

edible art

home grown

Tea for Two

organic gardening 101

by agatha french

by judi gerber

ood news for teetotalers—and for those of us who just happen to love tea: Beginning in August, the Fowler Museum at UCLA will be hosting the original exhibition Steeped in History: The Art of Tea. Including ceramics, paintings, folding screens and silver sets, the show sweeps across centuries and continents, collecting everything tea-related along the way. Supplemented by historical documents and scholarship, Steeped in History follows tea’s migration from East to West, using The Art of Tea to trace its cultural significance as a symbol, commodity and ever-popular beverage. In ancient China, Daoists touted the drink as an “elixir of immortality,” and the aesthetics of the vessels displayed from this era reflect the belief. (A tea bowl from Northern Song is nearly luminescent, and with a color somewhere between 1920s enamel green and French eggshell blue; the Daoists may have been onto something.) For a different take on the beverage, jump ahead to the British Man and Child Drinking Tea: 600 years and a change of empires later, tea is re-imagined as a status symbol. Expensive silver abounds at the foot of the painting, while the classic composition of parent and child (in this case having a cup) looks nothing short of religious. Globally, tea is second in consumption only to water,

and with a range of pieces like these, the show aims to illustrate what got it there. In addition to the exhibition, the Fowler will host a number of lectures, tastings and (not-to-be-missed) tea ceremonies. Experience the simple act of enjoying tea as a meditation, and sample Aiya and Numi teas (both organic tea producers and sponsors of the show) knowing the cultural history that brought them to your table. The Art of Tea is sure to be a museum experience unlike any other. Where else can you be edified, inspired and still relevantly ask yourself: one lump or two? steeped in history:

painting:

the art of tea

Man and Child Drinking Tea, possibly

August 16–November 29, 2009

by Richard Collins, England, ca. 1720.

Fowler Museum at UCLA

Oil on canvas, unframed: 71.1 x 62.2

fowler.ucla.edu

cm. Colonial Williamsburg

310-825-4361

Foundation #1954-654

hose of us who support local and sustainably grown food were invigorated to learn that not only are the Obamas planting an edible garden at the White House, but so is the First Lady of California, Maria Shriver, planting one in Sacramento. This has brought an increased focus to gardens and urban farms, and as the crops at both capitals are harvested, this will only continue. This also encourages more people to take an interest in growing their own food and for many, like the Obamas, this will be their first attempt at growing edibles. So, they, like you, might be wondering where to start. To help, here’s a brief overview of organic gardening basics. There are some basic principles that will increase your chances of becoming a successful gardener with a bountiful crop of fresh fruits and veggies. The first of these is soil amendment. As most gardeners can attest, the most important thing you need for a healthy crop is nutrient-rich soil. Soil is the be-all and end-all of your garden; if you don’t do anything to it it’s just dirt, not soil. You want to get nutrition into and out of your soil by feeding it, or as it’s known in garden speak, amending your soil. And, the best way to do this is by composting.

Free admission

As well as being our Girl Friday at edible LA agatha french writes for oneforthetable.com and Venus Zine.

This says it all !

Tea Bag Holder

Tea Cozy

Tea Cocktails

Tea Towel from

An old bag–holder with a sense of

Who says tea has to be served hot—

Emma Bridgewater

humor! While this one’s straight from

This whimsical tea cozy is 100 percent handmade from vintage fabrics. It does a great job of keeping the pot warm. Choose LET THEM EAT CAKE or SOME LIKE IT HOT. Made to order, contact eloisetextiles@gmail.com

the UK, stop by Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica to see what others they carry.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

or cold—or even in a china cup and saucer? How about a naturally infused exotic cocktail from Teaforté? Simply drop teabag into sprits or syrups, make mine a Wild Mint Mojito.

Photograph: Carole Topalian

This Fourth of July spare a thought for the “tea party” that started it all. If you’re in need of a hostess gift here are a few fun tea-related gift ideas. Visit edibleLA.com for these and other great gifts.

Standard Composting Compost is made up of organic material that, when combined, creates humus—a dark brown/black, stable material that has an earthy, soil-like smell—which most gardeners consider garden gold. You create compost by combining one-half organic wastes (greens) such as yard trimmings and food wastes in proper ratios into piles or compost bins and adding one-half bulking agents (browns) like branches or dead leaves to speed up the breakdown of these materials. This, along with the right amount of water, warmth, air circulation and using some soil as a compost starter creates a curing process that makes the finished product. While the organic materials you use are entirely up to you, to avoid insects or other pests, there are some things that you should never put in your compost pile. Do not include meat or fish bone scraps, no pet waste, yard waste with chemical pesticides, diseased plants or plants with insects, no fat, grease or oil and no dairy products. One of the greatest things about compost is that it is a natural, slow-release fertilizer. When you add it to your soil its

micronutrients are slowly released so that your plants can use them as they grow. This means that even as your plants mature, your compost will be feeding them. And, you can add it to your soil any time, not just when planting, because it’s not just a soil amendment but also a fertilizer. Aside from compost, there are a wide variety of organic fertilizers that add necessary plant nutrients. These include blood meal or fishmeal as nitrogen sources, bone meal for phosphorous and kelp for potassium. Many gardeners also add coffee grounds to their garden as a great nitrogen source. The best way to do this is to mix the coffee grounds in your compost as a green material. One caution with using coffee grounds: They have a lot of acidity in them, so you need to add some kind of limestone supplement to counteract this. If you are still undecided whether it’s worth it to compost, consider this: Composting is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to amend your soil, representing recycling at its highest level. You are literally taking your kitchen scraps and green garden materials, reusing them by putting them back into your soil. Composting also helps to protect plants from some diseases, reducing the need for chemicals and pesticides.

How To Make Worm Compost You may also think that you don’t have space to compost, but you can make standard compost in a space or box as small as 3 feet square and 1 foot wide or you can make compost indoors using earthworms. Worm composting, known as vermicomposting,

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what’s in your kitchen?

There are beneficials that feed on weeds, those that feed on insects and mites like aphids, and those that are considered pathogens like nematodes that attack insect pests. Some of the “good” pests you want to invite to your garden include lacewings, parasitic wasps, lady beetles, spiders and predatory mites. One of the best ways to encourage beneficial insects is to put in plants that attract them, including ones that are rich in pollen and nectar such as cosmos, dill, lavender, marigolds, sunflowers, nasturtiums, spearmint and California natives or wildflowers. You can also use cultural controls or change the garden environment to make the habitat less inviting to pests. This starts with good, basic gardening principles like making sure to use healthy plants that are less susceptible to disease, amending your soil and always removing and throwing out garden waste, making sure all weeds are pulled and removing disease-spotted leaves.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

judi gerber is a garden and agriculture writer, a horticultural therapy consultant and a certified Master Gardener with the UC Cooperative Extension Los Angeles, Common Ground Garden Program. She is known as LA Farm Girl, lafarmgirl.blogspot.com

Resources Living in the Los Angeles area, we are lucky to have some great resources for learning how to compost, to buy compost bins and other materials and to get information on IPM and beneficial insects. • UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Common Ground Garden Program provides a free gardening help-line by phone or email, and gardening information and articles including garden tips for Los Angeles County, a Compost Trouble Shooting Guide and IPM Guides and information from the University of California IPM Program. http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Garden_Program/ • Los Angeles County Smart Gardening offers backyard and worm composting workshops and sells compost and worm compost bins at subsidized prices during most workshops, which are offered all over Los Angeles County. smartgardening.com; 888-CLEAN-LA • Don’t want to make your own worm compost? You can buy worm castings at most nurseries or from a vendor like Cheryl Newlander-Hubbard aka “Your Worm Lady” who sells at local farmers’ markets. 951-672-0603 • You can buy your own beneficial ladybugs at most local nurseries, or from a vendor like Tom Peltier of Ladybugs Forever, at local farmers’ markets. • Groundwork offers free coffee grounds.

Photographs: Jamie Pham, Courtesy of LA Zoo

How To Fight Garden Pests But there are other ways that successful organic gardeners fight pests. One of these is through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is a whole-system approach that focuses on prevention of pests using a combination of techniques including biological control and cultural adjustments. Biological control is basically using any living organism, including beneficial insects, to combat pests. This means looking at pests differently and identifying the beneficial insects, or those that help save our plants from harm, versus those that destroy our plants, and balancing them out by reintroducing beneficials to our gardens. Not only does this help our plants, but also they cost less than chemicals, and are safer for both humans and pets.

by krista simmons

Photograph: Carole Topalian

is another great way to add nutrients to your soil. It’s similar to standard composting but also uses organic matter from worm castings (worm poop) along with microbes and bacteria. The most common types of worms used are Red Wiggler Earthworms, and you can raise them indoors in a modified garbage can or buy a bin to make a worm composter. You simply add vegetable scraps along with moistened shredded paper or cardboard that acts as “bedding.” As in standard composting, you can add most food scraps as long as they are without meat, bones, fats or oils. The worms eat over half their body weight per day, allowing them to process food quickly. It only takes about four to six months for the worms to convert the bedding and food waste into castings. Standard and worm composting also offer another benefit: Healthy soil means healthy plants and fewer diseases, and fewer diseases mean fewer pests. So, composting helps in the fight against pests.

feeding time at the la zoo

edibleLA .com

tall uniformed gent mops his way around the stainless steel workstations, carefully sopping up any excess bleach, creating a pristinely sanitary space for tomorrow’s breakfast service. A few hours ago, clog-clad kitchen staff was shuffling produce and meat from the walk-in over to the scale, first weighing, then wildly slicing, dicing and prepping. Other hands were stocking shelves with pumpkin pie filling, pineapple juice and black beans that recently arrived in a Sysco truck. Sounds like the average commercial kitchen, right? Wrong. It’s the Los Angeles Zoo Commissary, where volunteers and staff members help prepare meals for the zoo’s 1,000 some-odd tenants. “Our drop-off is in between two restaurants,” says Mike Maxcy, principal animal keeper at the LA Zoo. “The animals here eat human-grade food. There are some zoos out there that don’t have such strict policies. Some will use food that’s closer to spoilage or leftovers from restaurants, but the animals can tell and they’ll pick that out. We don’t want to do that here.” One look in the largest walk-in refrigerators (there are two of these 600-square-foot fridges) and that becomes quite evident. Flats of Hass avocados, carrots, lettuce, yams, bananas and spinach are stacked 10 deep. Plenty of homes in the United States haven’t seen this much produce in their lifetime, but the zoo will go through this hoard of fruit and veg in a few days, resulting in a $63,000 monthly grocery bill. Peek into the 525-square-foot-walk in freezer and you’ll find the gorillas’ “Popsicles”—20-gallon trashcans filled with frozen water, apples, bananas and oranges—racked on the shelves. Another shelving unit in the icebox contains rabbits, fowl and rodents for the omnivores and carnivores on premise. With all of the varying dietary needs within the establishment, it’s hard to believe that there’s not a single knife or scrap without a place here; it’s the type of mise en place that Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay would approve of. “The USDA and Association of Zoos and Animals (AZA) come in and inspect us here. The AZA has even more stringent guidelines for food than the USDA,” says zoo spokesperson Jason Jacobs, who has worked at several zoos across the country. The LA Zoo has hired nutritionists to help maintain these standards, as well as design proper diets for each individual animal within the park. Sadly, only 10 percent of zoos in the United States have a dedicated nutritionist on staff (LA Zoo shares its nutritional consultant, Erin Kendrick, with the St. Louis Zoo). The nutritionists assess the necessary caloric and vitamin intake for each animal from day to day, factoring in extenuating circumstances such as sickness and pregnancy. The trainers switch up the types of vegetables and proteins they give to fulfill these specified requirements and provide varied tastes and textures for the animals. 40

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

the gorilla troupe’s daily diet Eating right isn’t cheap. Now more than ever, shoppers are scraping, scrounging and coupon-clipping wherever they can. But if you ever are feeling distraught about your family’s astronomical grocery bills, imagine trying to feed a family of seven gorillas. Here’s what it takes to feed seven of the LA Zoo’s gorillas for one day:

The animals here eat human-grade food.

For more information on volunteering at the LA Zoo, contact the volunteer office at 323-664-4703 or email volunteers@lazoo.org krista simmons is a local restaurants editor, writer and blogger who regularly contributes to various LA publications including Brand X, Metromix, the LA Times Daily Dish and iamthatgirl.com

Attention Wildlife Chefs!

1. Grab a pinecone

This is a quick and easy meal you can

2. Tie string or attach hanging wire to the stem of the pinecone. Depending on how dense the pinecone is, you may have to work the string or wire in a little.

create to attract backyard birds. You’ll need: Pinecone String or hanging wire High-quality birdseed Creamy peanut butter Shallow dish, pie pan or plate

Photograph: Tad Motoyama courtesy of LA Zoo

To ensure that the wildlife’s instincts aren’t wiped out while residing at the zoo, trainers hide their food throughout the exhibit in attempt to recreate the element of exploration. “The funny thing is, each animal clearly has its favorites. You’ll see one hoard all the yams, and another goes for the grapes,” Maxcy says. These animals clearly have a sense of taste, it’s good that the zoo is attempting to accommodate that. But despite all the efforts to recreate a somewhat-natural habitat, it’s still hard to stomach the concept of a zoo; seeing such massively intriguing animals confined to such small spaces will always be disconcerting. Animal rights activists have put the LA Zoo’s Pachyderm Forest exhibit in the hot seat recently, fervently opposing keeping these fascinating—and intelligent—animals in captivity. On the flip side, the LA Zoo does provide a few good resources for the community: First, it has played an active role in reviving endangered species such as the California condor, Peninsular pronghorn and Sumatran tiger, among several others. As most urbanites know, the likelihood of experiencing such a vast array of species is highly unlikely in our concrete jungle; the zoo gives visitors the oppor-tunity to learn about wildlife that they would otherwise not be exposed to, perhaps sparking a curiosity and desire to help change animal rights policies worldwide. All personal and political issues set aside, the staff here is making an intensive effort to give the animals a quality dietary experience. Of course, it would be nice to see more organic, local produce on the menu. The zoo has started small by planting an Edible Enrichment Garden on-site where catnip, kale, Swiss chard, rosemary and other herbs are grown to diversify the animals’ diets. The garden is a small plot at present, but the zoo is grasping on to a good idea. The next step would be shifting its business from Sysco’s produce to locally produced fruits and veggies. Because of the large volume of produce the zoo requires, sourcing completely sustainable local produce would be no small feat. But if you want to be a part of this transition, start talking to vendors at your local farmers’ market to see if they’d be interested in donating veggies and greens. After all, all things—big and small—have a right to good, clean, fair food.

3. Put a generous layer of high quality birdseed into a shallow dish or plate that is large enough to fit the pinecone. 4. Get some creamy peanut butter and

pounds acorn squash

1½

pounds bananas

pounds bell peppers

1½

pound cantaloupe

pounds celery

pounds cooked yams

pounds green beans

pounds lettuce

pounds onions

2½

pounds oranges

1½

pounds pears

spread it all over the pinecone, make sure to work it into the pinecone nicely! 5. Roll your pinecone in the birdseed until it is covered all over with seed. 6. Find a nice tree and hang it up, make sure that squirrels can’t reach it (they’ll take the whole thing!) and cats can’t either. 7. Watch, wait and see who shows up for a meal.

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• Coaching • Consulting • Classes • Food Garden Design • Gardenerd Gear

The Ultimate Resource for Garden Nerds Call us at 310.391.3949 c hr i s t y@ ga rd enerd .com w w w. g a r d e n e r d . c o m

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Twitter the Kimchi by michelle aspis

he taco truck, native to Los Angeles for decades, has long been a social, cultural and gastronomical icon in the hustle-bustle lifestyles of LA locals. And lately, in the proud state of our current economy, what could be better than a delicious taco for less than a dollar, conveniently prepared in the truck on the corner? For lovers of Mexican food, the taco truck offers a type of culinary authenticity not to be found in a restaurant. Now, however, the taco truck might be in a run for its money. To understand the true nature of the LA taco truck, place yourself in the following hypothetical situation: You find yourself aimlessly walking around Santa Monica at 1 a.m. after a long night of, ahem, festivities and your stomach is beginning to seriously growl. Like a mirage in the desert arrives the welcoming and familiar image of the taco truck, the perfectly convenient go-to solution for any hungry soul. You think to yourself, “Oh, how I love the LA taco truck, always in the right place at the right time.” Getting closer, you realize that something’s different. The familiar smells of carne asada and refried beans have been replaced with slowly barbecued meat and tangy kimchi, the flavors of Korea—the Kogi BBQ Korean taco truck, to be precise. Kogi BBQ has taken the native flavors of Korea and fused them to the taste of Mexico: a true LA endeavor, and an innovative coup at that. Continuing Kogi’s of-the-moment approach to the taco truck world, the truck frequently updates hungry patrons via Twitter, giving eaters a round-the-clock status

of the truck’s location. “I twittered Kogi and 15 of my friends called me up and said ‘Man, Kogi’s in the neighborhood. Let’s go!’” said Alex Garcia, an Eagle Rock local. The unusual fusion of cuisines and the cunning use of new technology may mark the end of the restaurant industry as we know it. But it’s not just web-savvy and BBQ that make Kogi different. Unlike most taco trucks found on LA streets, the Kogi truck is run and operated by acclaimed veterans of the service industry. Concept creator Mark Manguera learned the ropes working as the food and beverage director of a five-star hotel, and Chef Roy Choi picked up a couple tricks working in Iron Chef Michiba’s kitchen. So this isn’t exactly a mom-and-pop operation. Kogi BBQ has taken advantage of its resources, tapped into the mainline of public attention and judging from the line, developed a meaningful bond with its clientele. With the tweet of a Twitter, the Kogi BBQ team has cemented its place in LA restaurant history, bridging the gap between neighborhood taco truck and the rise of the mobile restaurant. So, what do a struggling artist, a young pastry chef, a small café finding it hard to meet its rent and Korean tacos have in common? Thanks to Kogi’s innovative use of Twitter, they have expanded their success to help others in the community. Kogi has worked with local businesses such as the Yuri Café on Melrose, designing new menu items to catapult the small café into the exclusive LA restaurant scene. Pastry chef Beth Kellerhals was able to start her career by making beer flavored ice cream sandwiches for Kogi at Alibi, and now local artists and graphic designers are being called to create a design for Kogi’s T-shirt contest. The Kogi phenomenon isn’t just about one restaurant’s success, but rather, a triumph of the entire community. What perfect way to bring people together: good food and the chance to eat our way out of this economy. As I sit here glued to my computer, not only can I find out where to get great Korean tacos in town, but perhaps I might even be able to jump on the success bandwagon. Hey Kogi, what have you got in store for struggling writers? A bit of edible success? More than just a blip on the radar, the Kogi truck has extended the wealth into the hands of the underdog, bringing the right amount of visibility and pizzazz to bring others out of the trenches. Enter the Kogi BBQ groundswell. It’s everything LA rolled up in a taco: It’s Mexican, it’s Korean, it’s fresh and organic, you have to be in the know yet it’s open to all, it’s Hollywood hipsters out on the town and it’s even available to cater your next party. Now what could be more LA than that?

MICHELLE ASPIS is a sassy student who’s passionate about good food from good places. She’s spreading the word about the true culture of food one bite at a time at grassrootsgourmet.net

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

Here’s one from Chef Roy:

kimchi quesadilla 1

flour tortilla (12 inches)

ounces shredded

Cheddar Jack cheese

each sesame-perilla leaves

¼ avocado sliced 1

teaspoon crushed

sesame seeds

½ cup chopped kimchi 4

tablespoons canola oil

Use 2 tablespoons of oil and caramelize kimchi on griddle, set aside. Use 2 tablespoons of oil on griddle and place tortilla flat and cover half with cheese. Layer sesame leaves and avocado on cheese and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Layer kimchi across the cheese and leaves and fold over empty side of tortilla to create a half moon. Continue to cook quesadilla till nice and light brown and crispy on each side. It should look blistered like a Neapolitan pizza crust. Cut into four triangles and enjoy while hot and drippy.

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feeding the community

“We can as a community solve hunger. We do that everyday at Project Angel Food.”

EAT, DRINK AND BE ANGELIC by jessy tebow

ny LA organization with Angel in its title runs the risk of sounding ironic in this rather sinfully excessive city. But 20 years ago Marianne Williamson started an outreach program from her kitchen to help feed people with life-threatening illnesses—and Project Angel Food has pulled the name off ever since. Without missing a single day of service, the organization has fed and provided companionable support to the most vulnerable among us, regardless of age, background or belief. Now, each week, a corps of more than 1500 volunteers cooks and delivers meals to more than 1600 clients with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. But Project Angel Food has made it their mission to deliver more than just a healthy meal. They provide a smile, friendly support, and a promise to always be there and never turn anyone anyway without help. That sort of sincerity made the cynic in me curious. Is it possible that during a time of excessive greed, in a country

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

by the name of Juan Bocanegra what brought him here. He giggles, no kidding, a full-on eyes-twinkling, sheepish giggle. “Community service.” Pause. This flipped-collar fashionista has been up to felonious behavior? “Traffic ticket.” Oh. Juan liked the idea of taking his misfortune and giving back to the community. In fact, he plans to stay on and continue his volunteering well after he’s “done his time.” “I just love it here… I wake up everyday with a big smile.”

Photographs courtesy of Project Angel Food

already infamous for thoughtless consumerism, there’s a place that turns schmucks into saints? Nah. I didn’t buy it either so I decide to see for myself and volunteer. I first meet Don Macauley, the director of operations. He walks me through the kitchen, lovingly describing each stateof-the-art gadget, dial, knob and wheel that makes it possible to cook 11,000-plus meals per week. When asked about funding, he mentions Wells Fargo as a main sponsor and contributor. “Umm, the Wells Fargo that wanted to use tax dollars for a Vegas debauch?” I ask. He sweeps into a freezer bigger than my apartment before saying with a cryptic smile, “Wells Fargo has been very good to us.” Banks. Sponsors. Fundraising—always good for piquing sarcasm. What I find is Dining Out for Life—just one of many event fundraisers—and it’s pure effin’ genius. They take a city’s vast consumerism, using profits from participating restaurants, and feed the seriously ill who can’t provide for themselves. Talk about a silver lining. Michael Chow from Mr. Chow, a regular participant, puts it a bit more eloquently. “On any given day at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills you’ll find art, celebrity and superb cuisine; on April 30 you had art, celebrity, superb cuisine and Angels.” Starting to feel a little too sentimental about things, I ask about the economy. And the cynic in me has a moment of bloated superiority—surely people’s greed will lead them to pull their donations. Buzz. Wrong again. Apparently, rather than sitting at home watching Maury Povich reruns there’s a whole load of people who decide to come in and volunteer. So many people, in fact, that the organization hasn’t had to scramble to find help, but to find somewhere else to send these good souls. And that got me. Not only does Project Angel Food never turn away a client without help—they don’t turn away volunteers either. When asked why she thought people chose unpaid work over a deeper relationship with their couch, Margaret Steele, CEO of Project Angel Food, said simply, “It’s a sense of purpose.” Her eyes welling with emotion—mine too, damn it—she elaborates further, saying that it’s about empathy without pity and knowing “you’ve woken up for a reason and that reason is service.” Then there’s service of a different kind. I ask one young man

This is from the guy who’s here as a punishment. And, just when I thought wonders might cease, I meet Orville Bigelow. Surely the registered dietician will be a downer. His title has diet in it. How fun could he be? “A Twinkie isn’t going to kill you unless you choke on it.” Sigh. This place is hell-bent on proving me wrong. He’s not only fun, he’s funny. And yet, he obviously takes his job very seriously, customizing meals for each client based on their condition and providing a nutritional evaluation with lab values incorporated into the analysis. But I think the clients say it best. “Their food is so good. They just won’t let me die! Honestly, without this, we just wouldn’t be here.” I found myself wanting to know what “this” is. Enter Ashley Lucas, a 15-year-old from Wisconsin on a mission trip with her church. I expect an affectation of indifference, something like I would have shown at her age. But behind the teenage swagger lurks a little superhero in sneakers. Carefully executing her job with chef-like speed, she says, “Some kids might think this is kinda’ boring and stuff, but I love it.” A teenager loving manual labor without pay? Miracle isn’t too strong a word. Now I know what “this” is. It’s a place that feeds the sick, comforts the dying, shames the skeptics, turns teen angst into altruism, and even makes a petite kid seem larger than life—it’s the essence of angels among us. Or like Margaret Steele says, “We can as a community solve hunger. We do that everyday at Project Angel Food. That’s the power of the human spirit.” So, happy birthday, Project Angel Food. I came in for a story and walked out with something more. No, you haven’t turned this schmuck into a saint—but the cynic has definitely turned convert. For details on volunteering at Project Angel Food, visit projectangelfood.org or call 323-845-1816. And for other phone-o-phobes like myself, you can always email Vesna at volunteers@angelfood.org

Raised in Kansas, jessy tebow fled the farmlands and briefly considered a belly dancing career while living in Cairo. After looking in the mirror, she decided on a less appearance-based pursuit and she's been writing ever since.

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ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO BAIT

edible traditions

There’s a century of fishing tales swirling around the old port and Josh Volaski can dredge up 65 years worth. Co-owner of Santa Monica Pier Bait and Tackle shop, Josh can give a personal account of the sad decline of pleasure fishing as he offers $4 pole rentals as well as anchovy, squid or mussel bait (squid’s the best) to visiting anglers. For several decades, Santa Monica Bay thrived as a commercial fishing industry, with full-scale boating operations and Santa Monica Seafood Company directly on the dock as the distributor. The “pier rats” (slang for local fishermen) would take the westbound bus every morning at 5 from the Inland Empire, picturing the bounty of barracuda, mackerel, perch and croaker they would be soon be catching and selling off and the sharks and rays they would give to their sons, just for fun. The most famous fisherman on the Depression-era wharf was Captain Olaf C. Olsen, otherwise known as Popeye’s real-life counterpart, observed and created by cartoonist and pier enthusiast E. C. Segar [see far upper right photo]. The Norwegian-born sailor was a genuine hero, serving in the U.S. Navy and later leading community campaigns for various marine-related causes, including a ban on net and commercial trawling to promote sustainability. Beloved manager of boating operations for the harbor in the ’30s, his larger-than-life presence is captured in infamy. The harbor’s breakwater was all but destroyed in 1983 when two violent storms hit the coastline. And that, Josh Volaski says, was the end of most of the fishing and boating activities on the pier. Because without a break-water to maintain the harbor’s tranquility, no boats can stay anchored and no fish can stay still. In spite of this, Ken Jones, author of Pier Fishing in California, observes that even though popular species like halibut and lobster have deteriorated, “the number of fish remains fairly steady. The fishing can be good or bad depending upon the season and the yearly changes in water temperature.” Fortunately, in the fish’s fickle absence, there’s always the Pleasure Pier.

100 years on the gold coast by

I just got off the Sunset Train, I’m from the Angel Town, The Golden West, Los Angeles, where the sun shines all year ’round… —George Devereaux, “In the Land of the Bungalow” (circa 1900)

s I hang suspended nine stories above the ocean at the zenith of the Ferris wheel I can clearly see that the Santa Monica Pier is in fact two piers: The main municipal pier, whose original function was to take sewer waste out to deeper waters to accommodate the rapidly booming city of Santa Monica, and the official Pleasure Pier, which reopened in 1996 as Pacific Park, after reinventing itself over and over again. Riding the Ferris wheel and then the carousel on a sunny Sunday afternoon after eating a Hot Dog on a Stick with fresh-squeezed lemonade followed by vanilla soft-serve and a bag of salt-water taffy was time-consuming and exhausting. But it had to be done, all in the name of research. I also bought a hat. On September 9, 1909, the city of Santa Monica enjoyed the civic pier’s opening day celebrations. The Pleasure Pier was conjured up by Coney Island entrepreneur Charles Looff, and in 1917 he introduced 100,000 visitors to the Blue Streak rollercoaster, classic carnival fare, and the Hippodrome, the two-story navy structure that houses the merry-go-round, a still-sweet and nostalgic experience.

Santa Monica Pier Bait and Tackle Shop The Annual Father’s Day Derby is June 16, when Dads can bring their children to the Bait and Tackle shop for a friendly pier-fishing competition ($5). Raffle drawing includes prizes from Pepsi and the LA Dodgers. santamonicapier.org; 310-576-2014

Heal the Bay manages the Pier Aquarium, which is located below the entrance to the pier. Summer dates for their monthly beach cleanup, “Nothing But Sand” are: June 20, July 18 and August 15.

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

sienna spencer

Photographs on right hand side top to bottom: Captain Olsen (“Popeye”) courtesy of the estate of Bette (Newcomb) Westbrook of Sinbad's Restaurant; Santa Monica Library; Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation Collection; left hand side: Courtesy of Santa Monica Library.

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edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

FINEST IN SEAFOODS FOR YOUR EATING PLEASURE

Kitchen led the “Save Our Piers Forever” campaign and rallied residents for the fight. Coincidentally, the Pleasure Pier was standing in for 1930s Chicago during the filming of the Oscarwinning movie The Sting, and Robert Redford and Paul Newman actively took up the cause. City Hall’s decision was successfully vetoed, much to the relief of the community. Now that the aging pier had seized the city’s attention for the first time in decades, efforts for a comprehensive overhaul became a priority. But in an unlucky twist of fate, record-breaking El Niño seas smashed one-third of the Santa Monica Pier and littered the coastline with the flotsam. Recovery took almost a decade and thankfully the iconic landmark has not incurred any more major trials. At the Centennial Grand Re-Opening Ceremony this September—100 years to the day after its inauguration—everyone is invited to revel in festivities that will include a large-scale fireworks show and a concert. Dignitaries and celebrities expected to attend include Robert Redford (proud native) and Joan Baez (local bohemian), to help cut the 100-foot birthday cake. Visit santamonicapier.org for more centennial information and details on upcoming events like the La Monica Ballroom Redux on July 23 and the 25th annual Twilight Dance Series starting July 2. For more about the history of the Santa Monica Pier read James Harris’ book Santa Monica Pier, A Century on the Last Great Pleasure Pier. sienna spencer earned her degree in critical studies and writing from CSULA and has worked in restaurants, catering, cooking schools and with the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. Recently she has been a segment producer for KCRW’s Good Food.

Photographs: Courtesy of SMPRC/Santa Monica Harbor Patrol

Difficult to picture now, Santa Monica Pier was a vital commercial fishing port for 50-odd years, bustling with boats, purveyors and the pier’s daily companions: Fishermen. The nautical-themed joints that accompanied the industry are fun to imagine in their heyday: O. J. Bennett’s Seafood Grotto (favorably reviewed by the traveling salesman-turned-restaurant critic Duncan Hines); The Boathouse Restaurant and Club (a popular steaks and seafood establishment offering live music and dancing); and The Galley, Santa Monica’s oldest eatery, still presiding on Main Street. Its earliest menu quotes lobster dinners at 60 cents, clam broth at 35, and its classic salad dressing is a well-guarded secret to this day. Legend has it that Captain Ron Schur (not a real captain) was obsessed with the salad dressing, and they wouldn’t tell him the recipe, so he bought the place to find out. He’s been at the helm for almost 20 of its 71 years. Among the most famous culinary contributions to come out of Santa Monica is the ingenious Hot Dog on a Stick, born in 1946. The corn-dog is one of street food’s most noteworthy marvels, and founder Dave Barham created a famous destination for Muscle Beach by combining it with those tall, colorful hats. Before the 10 Freeway was even a notion, landlubbers took the Pacific Electric streetcars west. In 1924, the grand La Monica Ballroom appeared, designed to look like an exotic castle floating on the sea, and was host to elegant Hollywood premieres and community dances. Seven years earlier, the city of Santa Monica (followed by the nation) had denounced the evils of alcohol and the La Monica was officially dry. But it was pretty easy to fall off the wagon with speakeasies on the quay and bootlegs of booze arriving on the docks, ready to be dispersed illegally throughout greater Los Angeles. There are two major historic events that locals still talk about: the 1973 city council vote in favor of demolition and the violent winter storms of ’83. The city gave the green light to raze the rundown wharf and replace it with an artificial island-resort built for tourists to spend and stay. Even though marina business had been steadily moribund and the fishing market had moved on, the threat of the Gold Coast city losing its prominent symbol caused a public outcry. The artists and characters who frequented bohemian hangout Al’s

“Thirty-one!” “Thirty-two!” calls out the fishmonger from behind the horseshoe-shaped counter on a jam-packed Saturday afternoon at Santa Monica Seafood on Wilshire and 10th. Sophisticated regulars peer inside the immaculate display cases as they eagerly discuss what’s for dinner. The popular family-owned company’s new location is a magnificently sunlit space and its opening coincides with the company’s 70th year in business. Achieving their goal of providing, in the words of its founders, “the highest quality product at a fair and reasonable price,” and now presenting full café service, is why they are the top seafood company on the West Coast. The Cigliano story embodies the classic American dream. In 1898, John Deluca traveled from Naples to sleepy San Pedro, joined together with friend (and future brother-in-law) Gerald Cigliano, and within a decade they became the leading purveyors of seafood in Southern California. In 1939, they opened their distribution warehouse on the pier at the height of its success in the commercial fishing market. It is said that the Deluca sons, Jack and Frank, got in trouble with the city when the pier needed repairing due to the thousands of tons of fish—halibut, shark, tuna, sardines, anchovies, spiny lobsters—that were being unloaded on to it. Thirty years later, they moved 12 blocks inland to their flagship location at Colorado and 12th, until their exciting move to Wilshire earlier this year. Sustainable practices have always been in place, and these days, sustainability is part of their philosophy. “There is a lot more at stake now,” says VP Michael Cigliano, one of the seven Cigliano kids who have been officially running the company since 1981. With clients from San Diego to Las Vegas, Santa Monica Seafood is taking a bite out of the ocean and trying not to leave any marks. Recyclable packaging and progressive foodsafety technology, combined with seven decades of history, add up to a traditional mom-and-pop business with modern sensibilities and an eye on sustained seafood success. Their state-of-the-art processing facility in Rancho Dominguez is one of the few places in Southern California where you need a wooly hat and puffy jacket, even at the height of summer.

SINCE 1937

Chef’s Paradise

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back of the house

the

B AZ AA

photographs by julie kremkus and jeffrey darling

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

nter a world of pure fantasy and entertainment—a feast for all the senses as we take you on a visual journey through the back of the house of The Bazaar. Unlike anywhere you’ve ever been. Expect the unexpected because anything and everything can happen in this circus-like atmosphere. And it does. Cotton candy machines? Yes—but to cover a morsel of foie gras on a stick! Caviar cones, not ice cream cones. Tattoo-covered executive Chef Michael Voltaggio pops liquid-nitrogen-soaked popcorn into his mouth and shares Dragon’s Breath with us in between checking every dish

rre

p l a yful

zi a

that’s whisked away to waiting diners. Gimmickry or good old-fashioned fun? The play on modern vs. traditional is everywhere in Rojo y Blanca, the two dining rooms. Olives on picks with anchovies and piquillo peppers— nothing unusual here you think. Think again. A second look and you’ll see that the olives in the white ceramic spoons aren’t olives but liquid olives made using an “algin bath” to form a thin membrane. With one gentle bite it literally bursts with flavor in your mouth. The same process is used for the mozzarella balls in the Not Your Everyday Caprese.

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centro bar

THE BAZAAR BY JOSÉ ANDRÉ rojo y bla n c a

At Bar Centro there’s a regular mojito and then there’s the popular “magic” mojito with its cotton-candy ball that disappears as master mixologist Ben Browning pours the cocktail over it. Frozen caipirinhas are mixed in a bowl of liquid nitrogen at the table—fog billows out as it’s stirred. A deconstructed gin and tonic garnished with two juniper berries, a leaf of verbena, a whole nasturtium flower and a giant ice sphere. A flash of flames for the final flourish over a pretty pink martini. This is pure theater. Meet Michel Gillet the pastry chef with more tattoos and more irreverent yet sophisticated playfulness as he shares how he makes the nitro coconut. Alice and the Mad Hatter would be right at home here sharing this modern take on the isle flotant. We peek at a tray of tiny deep red beetroot meringues—so light and delicate they are housed in a microclimate, the moisture in the air would make them disintegrate. The children’s fantasy that is the Pâtisserie—giant crystal cloches cover gateaux almost too 52

edible LOSANGELES

SUMMER 2009

pâtisseri e

perfect to be real; large glass bowls of delicate bonbons and sweet treats and gold-dusted chocolates shimmer like jewels under lights where monkeys dance around the inside of the shades. A machine to compress watermelon for skewers topped with tomato caviar, a 63° water bath to “boil” an egg or cook a single serving of salmon, a giant whisk to make lemon air, an industrial drill to make perfect holes in row upon row of pastry cases and a giant meat slicer for the leg of jamón complete with trotter that sits on the bar—there’s nothing traditional about the equipment or the way it’s being used. The star of the back of the house—making a runner up of the razzle-dazzle nitro—is the humble tweezer. Every chef carries a pair, some even have sets. The attention to detail as a tiny green leaf is painstakingly selected using the tweezers and meticulously placed on top of a delicate parcel of guacamole wrapped in translucent sliced jicama sums it up perfectly. edibleLA .com 53

behind the bottle

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available where? silverlake wine Bandit by Three Thieves

in Tetra Pak. whole foods on 3rd and Fairfax: Georges DeBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau in plastic bottles.

HOW YOUR WINE CHOICES AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT by AMY CHRISTINE

r. Roger Boulton, an environmental wine specialist at UC Davis, suggests that wine is one of the few industries in the world capable of going completely carbon neutral. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how Angelinos can do their part!

The glass is not always greener Due to their weight and bulk, glass bottles are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the wine industry, hence the rising popularity of plastic wine bottles, the sadly maligned bag-in-box and Tetra Pak, essentially an aluminumand plastic-lined milk carton. Compared to traditional glass bottles, alternative forms of packaging are the clear environmental winner. Need a few stats to convince you? The manufacturing

of a glass wine bottle produces seven times the amount of CO2 as a plastic wine bottle. It takes about 40 percent fewer trucks to deliver the same amount of wine in Tetra Pak versus glass. Boxed wine reduces landfill waste by 85 percent and lowers carbon emissions in half compared to glass bottles. The downside to alternatives? They have a high oxygen permeability rate and are meant to be drunk within around nine months of filling. Glass is the only suitable vessel for long-term aging. Chateau Latour will never be sold in Tetra Pak. Luckily, this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a serious disadvantage since, according to LA based wine writer Natalie MacLean, most wine is consumed within 17 minutes of purchase!

Getting closure Alternative packaging choices are not widely available at the moment, so most wines come in glass bottles. That brings us to the cork vs. screwcap debate. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Corks are produced from trees that are a natural renewable resource. Trees are not cut down; they are simply stripped of their bark, something akin to shearing a sheep for wool. The bark will fully regenerate in about nine years and the tree will be stripped again. Cork trees can live for up to 150 years, providing corks for many generations. In addition, the cork tree forests provide a habitat for some endangered animals, like the Iberian lynx. And to boot, corks are compostable and biodegradable. Sounds great, huh? Except that cork taint is responsible for contaminating about 3 percent to 5 percent of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wines closed under natural cork. That means lots of waste. The problem with screwcaps is that while cork taint is eliminated, the amount of carbon emitted to produce an aluminum screwcap is twice that of cork. While screwcaps are recyclable, in the US two thirds of wine bottles are not recycled at all [naughty!]. One last thought: Though consumer perception of screwcaps is improving, your neighbors and friends might still be in the Dark Ages about the advantages of screwcaps, believing they are used only for cheap wines. Your summer goal? Have no fear! Be an ambassador of screwcaps and alternative packaging, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be the talk of the party! Weighing all the pros and cons, our best option for everyday drinking wines are alternative packages without any closures at all!

wallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Sofia, a California sparkling wine by director Sofia Coppola, in singleserve aluminum cans, complete with a straw! TrĂ¨s Sex and the City. wine house: Black Box wines available in Shiraz and Chardonnay.

fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office in Culver City: Local wines like Palmina and Melville from Santa Barbara County are on tap and poured from kegs, eliminating packaging all together!

Green wine in an eco-friendly biodegradable nutshell Brush up on your green terminology with three commonly used terms in the wine industry sustainable: Seeks to maintain the integrity of the land while striking a balance between economy and ecology. Chemicals can be used in the vineyard and in the winery, but the focus is on minimizing all treatments and appling only on an â&#x20AC;&#x153;as neededâ&#x20AC;? basis. Look for wines from Lodiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainable Growers. organic: No pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fungicides or synthetic fertilizers may be used in the vineyard, though copper sulphate and elemental sulfur sprays may be used for mildew prevention. Organic wine is produced without the use of any additives in the winery, including yeasts and sulfur dioxide. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to note that wines can be made from organically grown grapes, but not produced organically. Check out Frogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leap and Fetzer.

WINE FOR EVERY BUDGET

Photograph: Courtesy of Presidio

WINE FOR EVERY DINNER

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â&#x20AC;&#x192; SUMMER 2009

XJOF GPS FWFSZPOF MON CLOSED s TUES WED PM THURS SAT PM s SUN PM

WINE FOR EVERY BAD HAIR DAY WINE FOR EVERY IN LAW VISIT #OLORADO "OULEVARD %AGLE 2OCK #ALIFORNIA WWW COWINECO COM

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biodynamic: Taking organics to the cosmos. The farm is

the condition that two glasses are purchased. After pouring your share, the bartender will offer your leftovers to other customers by listing it “on the board.” On my recent visit I picked out a bottle of Presidio “Artistic License” Syrah, 2005 from Santa Barbara County. Farmed biodynamically, of course! I had a glass, my husband had a glass and we sipped anxiously while waiting to see who would drink our sloppy seconds. The first victim? None other than a horror film director who picked the wine because of the name. With an intense look in his eyes he said, “I believe in Artistic License.” I just hope not with my jugular. Next up? A waitress/actress (one might say an organic combination) who loves Syrah. I asked her if she knew it was biodynamic, to which she replied, “Bio what?” I guess she has her eyes on stars and not lunar cycles.

treated as a living organism and a self-contained ecosystem that works in conjunction with lunar and cosmic cycles. Rooted in organic farming, bio-d incorporates homemade compost, special preparations with yarrow, deer bladder and bull horns, and timing viticultural events with the forces of the universe. Try Benzinger, Beckman and Ambeth Vineyards.

BottleRock 3847 Main St Culver City, CA 90232 310-836-9463 bottlerock.net

drinking local locally: At Bottlerock wine bar in Culver City you can choose your own glass of wine from any of the 200 bottles on their shelves under

amy christine is the director of California sales for Veritas Imports and works part-time as a sommelier at A.O.C. restaurant. In addition, she makes a little Syrah called Hocus Pocus with her husband in Lompoc.

liquid assets

THE LIQUID CHEF’S SUMMER COCKTAILS

2 oz Modern Spirits Honey Grape

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

fruit vodka* 1

sliced grilled grapefruit

2 oz lemon juice 2 oz honey water (1 part water:

1 part honey) 2

sage leaves, bruised*

*Modern Spirits is a local (southern Califor1050 S Flower St Los Angeles, CA 90015 213-747-1100

nia) based vodka company. They do some amazing infused vodkas and also have an organic line of spirits called TRU.

"The Liquid Chef" Kim Haasarud is a James Beard-honored mixologist and author living in Los Angeles. She conceives her signature cocktails much as Alice Waters would create a specialty dish, taking inspiration from market-fresh, high quality ingredients. “Cocktails, like food, should be culinary experiences,” says Haasarud. “It is about combining ingredients to create a sensation on the palate and entice all the senses with a combination of flavors, textures, aromas, and garnishes.” Haasarud has created a series of delicious summer cocktails just for edible Los Angeles. You won’t find the standard Cosmopolitan or mix-based Margarita on Haasarud’s ever-changing bar card. Instead, she has concocted a Sunburnt Grapefruit cocktail, muddled with fresh lemon, sage and Grapefruit Honey vodka and yes the grapefruit has been sunburnt on the grill. Her Napa Valley Mojito is made with local Californian ingredients– grapes, lime and mint muddled with 10 Cane rum and then topped off with a California sparking wine. How about

cucumber watermelon mojito Fresh summer watermelon is crushed against

cucumber, mint and mint. Shaken with 10 Cane rum and served tall.

sunburnt grapefruit Grilled grapefruit is muddled with fresh lemon, sage and Grapefruit Honey vodka.

Photograph: Kim Haasarud 56

a Cucumber Watermelon Mojito? You can’t get more summery that that! For more summer drinks from "The Liquid Chef"visit edibleLA.com

In a mixing glass, muddle the grilled grapefruit with the lemon juice and honey water. Add the Grapefruit Honey vodka and bruised sage leaves. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain over new ice into rocks glass. Garnish with a sage leaf.

napa valley mojito

A mojito made with local California ingredients – grapes muddled with 10 Cane rum, fresh lime and mint. Topped with a California sparkling wine.

large chunks of fresh, seedless watermelon

cucumber slices

4-5 mint leaves 1 oz lime juice 1 oz simple syrup 2 oz 10 Cane rum

In a mixing glass, muddle the watermelon with the cucumber, mint, lime juice and simple syrup. Add the 10 Cane rum and top with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a watermelon wedge and a cucumber slice.

Kim is writing two more installments of her successful cocktail series with Wylie & Sons (101 Margaritas , 101 Martinis , 101 Sangrias & Pitcher drinks, 101 Champagne Cocktails and to be released in 2010: 101 Blended Drinks and 101 Mojitos and other Muddled Drinks). She is an officer in the US Bartenders Guild (So Cal chapter) and a member of Slow Food USA

COCKTAIL CONTEST Congratulations to Edwin Cruz from Tlapazola Grill who won the regional United States Bartenders Guild cocktail contest that I had the pleasure of judging, alongside Kim

1½ oz10 Cane rum

Haasarud, Marcos Tello (The Edison) and

1oz lime juice

Eric Alperin (Varnish). The contest took place

1oz simple syrup

at Copa D’Oro and was sponsored by

red & green grapes (3 for

Sagatiba Cachaça. The competition was

garnish)

fierce. The cocktails—beautiful and

½ oz california sparkling wine

delicious. After ten rounds of sipping and

mint sprig, for garnish

smelling and tasting it came down to a

In a mixing glass, muddle the grapes, mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup. Add the 10 Cane rum and top with ice. Shake moderately. Pour into highball glass. Top with california sparkling wine, stir and serve with a mint and grape garnish.

so we could have had a shake off—and

single point! I was secretly hoping for a tie more cocktails to taste! Cruz's winning drink was a simple and yet well balanced mix of Sagatiba Cachaça, fresh lime, simple syrup, cucumber and bitters with an elegant cucumber garnish.—LL

edibleLA .com

edible nation

local or organic? a false choice Words By samuel fromartz Image By tony molina

couple of years ago, I visited an organic vegetable farm in southeast Minnesota, not far from the Mississippi River. Nestled in a valley that sloped down from rolling pasture and cropland sat Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables, a 40-acre farm. Featherstone was part of a local food web in the upper Midwest, selling at a farmers’ market, through a CSA (community-supported agriculture subscription program) and to co-op stores in the Twin Cities. But the partners, Jack Hedin and Rhys Williams, who began their business in 1995, were having a tough time economically and realized they would have to boost sales if they were to become viable. The farm earned about $22,000 a year—split between the two partners—so they had to take on debt to keep going; this, after a 60- to 70-hour work week. Hedin told me he made some calls and eventually landed a deal with Whole Foods to supply the natural foods chain with organic heirloom tomatoes. When I visited, they were in year two of the contract, picking the tomatoes before their peak ripeness, then shipping them to Chicago for stores in the Midwest. The deal had become the biggest sales channel for their farm; while still “local,” they were not as local as when they sold in their backyard. There was a lesson here, one that often gets lost in the debate about which is better, local or organic? Too often this is understood as a zero sum game—that the money you spend on organic food at the supermarket will mean less for local farmers. After all, the food you buy is being shipped from who knows where and then often ends up in a processed food product. I’ve heard the argument that if all the money spent on organic food (around $14 billion) were actually channeled to local food, then a lot more small farms would survive and local food networks could expand. Well, Featherstone was doing precisely the opposite: It had entered the organic wholesale marketplace and then sent its tomatoes hundreds of miles away to survive as a small and, yes, local farm. As consumers, it’s hard to understand these realities since we’re so divorced from the way food is produced. Even for conscious consumers who think about values other than convenience and price—avoiding pesticides, the survival of small farms, artisan food and, of course, the most basic values, freshness and taste—choices must be made. Should we avoid pesticides at 58

edible LOS ANGELES

SUMMER 2009

all costs or help small local farmers who may use them? Should we reduce food shipment miles, or buy food produced in an ecologically sound manner regardless of where it’s grown? These questions arise because we want to do what’s right. The problem, though, is that these questions set up false choices. What Hedin and others showed me was that when it comes to doing the right thing, what really mattered was thinking about the choice—to be aware, to stay informed and to be conscious of our role as consumers. But what you actually chose—local or organic—didn’t really matter. Hedin, for example, was competing against farmers he actually knew on the West Coast, who also supplied organic produce to Whole Foods. I met one, Tim Mueller of River Dog Farm in the one-bar town of Guinda, California. His farm sold produce at the Berkeley Farmers Market about 90 minutes away, but he was also tied to wholesale markets. (I saw River Dog’s heirloom tomatoes in western Massachusetts.) For these organic farmers, selling wholesale was a foundation for economic sustainability. Moreover, by expanding the organic market, we may be actually helping local farmers. The USDA surveyed farmers’ markets and found that about a third of farmers selling direct were organic—local and organic, that is. In comparison, just 1 percent of all American farms practice organic agriculture. So for smaller-scale farmers selling direct, organic food has become a key component of their identity. By bringing more people into the organic fold, through whatever gateway they happened to choose, the pool of consumers considering local food would likely increase too. That’s at least what Jim Crawford, a farmer from south central Pennsylvania, believed. His 25-acre operation, New Morning Farm, works two farmers’ markets in Washington, DC, and Jim played a key role in the growth of local foods in the region, having started out as an organic farmer in the 1970s. He told me he worried when Whole Foods opened a supermarket near his farmers’ market location in Washington because he thought he would lose customers. But over time, he noticed, sales kept rising. He thought the supermarket, which stocked a lot of organic produce from California, was actually converting customers to organic food and they in turn were finding their way to his market.

But what about companies that have pursued the organic marketplace without any concern for local food? What about, say, Earthbound Farm, which has grown into the third largest organic brand and the largest organic produce company in the nation, with its bagged salad mixes in three-quarters of all supermarkets? The company fiercely competed with other organic growers who later went out of business; its salad was grown organically but with industrial-scale agriculture; and the trucks that shipped the salad around the country burned through a lot of fossil fuel. But Earthbound was competing with the likes of Dole, Fresh Express and ReadyPac in the mainstream market to offer consumers an organic choice. It did little for local food (a saving grace, since it left the market to smaller players). But Earthbound farmed on 26,000 acres of certified organic land, which meant that 267,000 pounds of pesticides and 8.4 million pounds of chemical fertilizers were being removed from use annually, the company estimated. And as studies repeatedly show, organic farming also saves energy (since the production of fertilizer and pesticides consumes one-third of the energy used in farming overall). Earthbound’s accomplishments should not be ignored—even if they are anything but local. Which brings me to a final point: How we shop. Venues like Whole Foods are not fully organic because people are often unwilling to spend more than a small portion of their grocery budget on organic foods. It’s too expensive. This is one reason why organic food accounts for just 2 percent of food sales— 1 percent if you include eating out. Similarly, local foods, though important, total 1–2 percent. So arguing over local or organic is a bit like two people in a room of 100 fighting over who has the more righteous alternative to what the other 98

people are doing. It doesn’t really matter, because the bigger issue is swaying the majority. When I shop, visiting the Dupont Circle farmers’ market in Washington on Sunday morning and then going to the supermarket, I make choices too. I buy local, organic and conventional foods too, because each meets a need. Is the local product “better” than the organic one? No. Both are good choices because they move the food market in a small way. In choosing them, I can insert my values into an equation that for too long has been determined only by volume, convenience and price. While I have nothing against low prices and convenient shopping, the blind pursuit of these two values can wreak a lot of damage—damage that we ultimately pay for in water pollution, toxic pesticide exposure, unhealthy livestock, the quality of food and the loss of small farms. The total bill may not show up at the cash register but it’s one we pay nonetheless.

edibleLA .com

So what’s my advice? Think about what you’re buying. If you want local food, buy local. If you want organic, buy organic. The point is to make a conscious choice, because as we insert our values into the market, businesses respond and things change. There’s power in what we do collectively, so is there any reason to limit it unnecessarily?

can expect from them this summer.

Local and organically certified: Fairview Gardens www.fairviewgardens.org Heirloom tomatoes, such as striped German and Brandywine, as well as Calypso beans and May-pride peaches.

farms opt out of certification, and yet still maintain organic and sustainable practices out of respect for the earth and the food. Karen Beverlin, a produce aficionado and buyer for the foodservice distributor Harry’s Berries as two local examples. “Weiser was formerly certified organic but they let their certification lapse when it became too expensive for them,” says

Avocados, late-season citrus, Persian mulberries.

tuttifruttifarms.com Cherokee tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapeños.

that “they did not change their production

Local and uncertified:

especially when many of the uncerti-

practices.” Harry’s Berries, on the other

Harry’s Berries

fied farms still employ organic methods.

hand, has never been certified, but “are

Because of the cost of paperwork, some

among the most vigilant about [sustainabil-

far as to “recycle

harrysberries.com Gaviota and Seascape strawberries, French beans, yellow Romano beans, zucchini, vine-ripe Beefsteak and Cherry tomatoes.

their old irrigation

Jaime Farms

hoses by tying for their tomato

jaimefarms.com Heirloom tomatoes, herbs, wild strawberries, broccoli and cucumbers.

plants.” We’ve

Polito Family Farms

them into trellises

recently tasted some delicious Harry’s berries in a new summer dessert at XIV and the proof is in the pudding. (Or in the produce, as the case may be.) Visit these farms, each one located no more than 250 miles from the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, to see for yourself.

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SUMMER 2009

Colorado Wine Co.

Tutti Frutti Farms

Beverlin, although she is quick to point out

knows of, going so

1401 Foothill Blvd La Canada 91011 818-952-7217 chezcherie.com

macgrathfamilyfarm.com Ford Hook lima beans, baby corn, Sugar Baby watermelons and their new-this-year yellow seedless watermelon.

provide makes choosing a moot point,

ity]” that Beverlin

Chez Cherie

McGrath Family Farm

The produce that the following farms

Fishing Charters 141 West 22nd St San Pedro 90731 310-251-4140 22ndstreet.com

Garcia Organics

Fresh Point, cites Weiser Family Farms and

ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED OR SIMPLY LOCAL?

22nd Street Landing

Heritage Wine Company

D’s Delights

Gourmet Chocolates Dschocolates.com

Elements Kitchen 107 S Fair Oaks Ave #110 Pasadena 91105 626-440-0100 elementskitchen.com

Farm Fresh To You Home Delivery Service 800-796-6009 farmfreshtoyou.com

Gardenerd 310-391-3949 gardenerd.com

155 N Raymond Ave Pasadena 91103 626-844-9333 heritagewinecompany.com

JCT Woodwork

Wood bowls from fallen trees of LA jctwoodwork.com

Los Angeles Regional Foodbank LAfoodbank.org

Groundwork

6 Los Angeles locations lacoffee.com

Cowgirl Creamery

310-460-9365 heartbeetgardening.com

Heart Beet Gardening

See-LA

Farmers’ Markets and Farmer’s Kitchen 323-463-3171 See-LA.org

Surfas

Corner of W Washington and National Blvds Culver City 90232 866-799-4770 surfasonline.com

The Organic Center Organiccenter.org

Magnanimus Wine Group

The York

Papa Cristo’s /C&K Importing

Verdugo Bar

415-885-7927 magnanimuswines.com

2114 Colorado Blvd Eagle Rock 90041 323-478-1985 cowineco.com

866-433-7834 cowgirlcreamery.com

2771 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles 90006 323-737-2970 papacristos.com

5018 York Blvd Los Angeles 90042 theyorkonyork.com 3408 Verdugo Rd Los Angeles 90065 323-257-3408 verdugobar.com

Whole Foods Market 23 Los Angeles County stores wholefoodsmarket.com

politofarms.com Late-season citrus like Lisbon lemons, Valencia oranges, Star-Ruby grapefruit and Oro Blancos.

Advertise in

Regier Family Farm Tree-ripe apricots, yellow and white peaches, yellow and white nectarines.

Rutiz Family Farms rutizfarms.com Tried-and-true summer staples like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and green beans.

and watch your business grow!

Weiser Family Farms weiserfamilyfarms.com Specialty melons, such as the French Cavaillone and Ogen varieties, as well as Persian mulberries, eggplants and Padrone peppers.

Photograph: Tony Molina

samuel fromartz is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. His book Organic Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew, was published in April by Harcourt. His website is fromartz.com

advertisers’ Directory

Here’s just a taste of the offerings that you

contact advertise@ediblela.com or go to our website ediblela.com for more information

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7/8/08 2:58:21 PM

edibleLA .com

Farmers’ Market Directory farmers’ market signs The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) requires that farms selling produce labeled as “organic” be inspected and certified annually. However, many farms refuse certification because the process is costly and time-consuming, while others insist that the NOP still allows certain industrial organic compounds. The Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), which oversees seven local markets, expressly forbids the use of “No Spray” signs in its rules as “vague,” but allows signs advertising “No Chemicals” and “No Pesticides.” Meanwhile, the “No Spray” signs still adorn other markets around Los Angeles but such notices do not guarantee sustainable farming methods or that the farm does not use conventional fertilizers, pesticides or weed-killers. Pompea Smith, chief executive officer of SEE-LA, recommends that consumers inquire “How do you grow and, more importantly, how do you integrate pest management?” The beauty of farmers’ markets is that you can look your farmer in the eye and ask. — Kathy Kottaras

mon

Tues

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Alhambra CFM

Chatsworth CFM

HVP CFM

La Canada Flintridge CFM

Melrose Place CFM

San Pedro CFM

Van Nuys CFM

Sun 8am–1pm Monterey and E Bay State St

Sat 8am–1pm

Sat 9am–2pm

Sat 8am–noon

Sun 9am–2pm

Fri 9am–2pm

Thurs 9am–2pm

MetroLink parking lot off Devon-

5650 Shoup Ave at Collins St

Beulah Dr and Foothill Ave

Melrose Place and Croft, LA

Old Town, Mesa and 7th

14410 Sylvan St

Atwater Village CFM

shire St, between Topanga Canyon

Hermosa Beach CFM

La Verne CFM

Monrovia CFM

Santa Clarita CFM

Fri noon–4pm

Thurs 5:30–9pm, May–Aug

Fri 5–9pm Mar–Dec

Sun 8:30am–noon

Venice CFM

Valley Dr between 10th and 8th

D St and Bonita Ave

4–8pm Sept–May

College of the Canyons,

Fri 7–11am

Hollywood Farmers’ Market

La Verne Saturday Farmers’ Market

E Olive Ave and S Myrtle Ave

Parking Lot 8

Venice Way and Venice Blvd

Sun 8am–1pm

Sat 9am–1pm

Monterey Park Farmers’ Market

Santa Monica Pico Farmers’ Market

Watts Healthy Farmers’ Market

Ivar and Selma Ave

D St and Bonita Ave

Sat 9am–2pm

Sat 8am–1pm

Sat 10am–2pm

Parking lot Lincoln Ave and

Pico and Cloverfield Blvd

Sun 10am–2pm 3250 Glendale Blvd (at Brunswick)

Baldwin Park CFM Tues 4–9pm Apr–Oct Cesar Chavez Dr and Ramona

Blvd and Canoga Ave

Claremont Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market Sun 8am–1pm Indian Hill and 2nd St

Bellflower CFM

Covina CFM

Mon 9am–1pm

Fri 5–9pm Apr–Dec

Oak St and Clark Ave

Bellflower Summer CFM Thurs 6–9pm Jul–Sept Oak St and Bellflower Blvd

Beverly Hills CFM Sun 9am–1pm 9300 block of Civic Center Dr

Brentwood CFM

N Citrus Ave and E San Bernardino Rd

Culver City CFM Tues 2–7pm Main and Culver

Del Aire CFM Wed 3–7pm Del Aire Park, 12601 Isis Ave

Hollywood Lemon Grove farmers’ Market

Sun 10am–2pm

Wed 10am–2:30pm

Larchmont Blvd Parking Lot #694

Larchmont Village CFM

4959 Lemon Grove Ave at Hobart Blvd

Lawndale Farmers’ Market Fri 2–7pm

Huntington Park CFM

147th St and Hawthorne Blvd

Wed 9:30am–1:30pm Salt Lake Park, along Bissell St

Leimert Park Village CFM

just N of E Florence Ave

Sat 10am–3pm 43rd St and Degnan Ave

Garvey Ave

West Covina Farmers’ Market

Honolulu and Ocean View Blvd

Arizona Ave and 3rd St

Sat 8am–2pm

Northridge CFM

Santa Monica Sunday Farmers’ Market

Sun 9am–2pm

Wed 5–9pm, Apr–Oct Northridge Fashion Mall

Norwalk CFM

(at El Segundo)

Burbank CFM

Sat 9am–2pm

Sat 8am–12:30pm E Olive Ave and N Glenoaks Blvd

1920 S Brea Canyon Cutoff Rd, Walnut

Catholic Church

Calabasas Old Town CFM

Duarte Farmers’ Market

Sat 8am–1pm Calabasas Rd and Mulholland Dr

Sat 9am–1pm

LA Chinatown Farmers’ Market

Fri 10am–4pm

Thurs 4–8pm

City Place Center

Pacific Palisades CFM

727 N Hill between Alpine and Ord

at Promenade N and E 4th St

Sun 8am–1:30pm

Diamond Bar CFM

Huntington Dr at Buena Vista St

Carson CFM

Echo Park Farmers’ Market

Thurs 9am–1pm

Fri 3–7pm

E Carson St and Bonita St

Central Avenue Farmers’ Market Sat 8am–noon 4410 McKinley Ave, LA

Century City CFM Thurs 11:30am–3pm Constellation Blvd and Avenue of the Stars

Parking Lot #663 on Logan St, S of Sunset Blvd

El Segundo CFM Thurs 3–7pm Pine Ave and Main St

Encino CFM

Thurs 10am–2pm

1432 W Adams at St Agnes

LA City Hall

Long Beach Downtown Farmers’ Market

Old LA CFM Tues 3–7pm Marmion Way between Aves 57th and 58th, Highland Park

Swarthmore and Sunset

LA Eagle Rock Farmers’ Market

Long Beach Southeast Farmers’ Market

Fri 5–8:30pm

Sun 9am–2pm

Palos Verdes–Rolling Hills Estates Farmers’ Market

2100 Merton Ave.

Alamitos Bay Marina

Sun 9am–1pm

E Marina Dr S of E 2nd St

Peninsula Shopping Center

LA Harambee CFM Sat 10am–4pm

Long Beach Uptown CFM

Pasadena Victory Park CFM

Crenshaw Blvd and Slauson

Thurs 3–6:30pm

Sat 8:30am–1pm

46th St and Atlantic Ave

N Sierra Madre Blvd and Paloma St

Ocean Park and Main St

Mon 9am–2pm

Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers’ Market

West LA CFM Sun 9am–2pm

Sierra Madre CFM

Westchester CFM

S Baldwin Ave and Mariposa Ave

Wed 8:30am–1pm

South Gate CFM Mon 9am–1pm Tweedy Blvd and Pinehurst Ave

South Pasadena Farmers’ Market

Thurs 4–8pm Meridian Ave and Mission St

Studio City CFM Sun, 8am–1pm Ventura Place and Ventura Blvd

Lynwood CFM

Pasadena Villa Park CFM Tues 9am–1pm

S La Cienega Blvd and W 18th St

Martin Luther King and Cesar

Toluca Lake Certified Farmers’ Market

E Villa St and N Garfield Ave

Sun, 9:30am–2:30pm

Sat 6:30am–noon

E side of Park Plaza Dr between

Van Ness Ave and

Towne Center Dr and Park Plaza W

W El Segundo Blvd

Chatsworth/Porter Ranch CFM

Gardena Wednesday CFM Wed 7:30am–noon 1670 W 162nd at La Salle

Glendale CFM Thurs 9:30am–1pm Brand Blvd between E Wilson Ave

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Pomona Valley CFM Manhattan Beach CFM

Sat 7:30–11:30am

Tues noon–4pm

E Pearl St and N Garey Ave

10am–4pm

13th St between Valley and

S Figueroa St & W 7th St

Morningside DR

Redondo Beach CFM Thurs 8am–1pm

LA Silver Lake CFM

Mar Vista Farmers’ Market

Sat 8am–1pm

Sun 9am–2pm

W Sunset Blvd and Edgecliffe Dr

Grandview Blvd between Venice

San Dimas CFM

Blvd and Pacific Ave

Wed 4:30–8:30pm, Apr–Sept

Harbor Dr, W of Veterans’ Park

245 E Anita Ave

1645 Corinth Ave

Wed 3–7pm

Tues noon–5pm

LA Seventh & Figueroa Farmers’ Market

and Fountain Ave

Arizona Ave and 3rd St

Thurs 3–7pm

Chavez Ln

Plummer Park at N Vista

Wed 9am–2pm

Victory Blvd and White Oak

Sat 8am–noon

Presbyterian Church parking lot

Sept–May

Alondra Blvd and Pioneer Blvd

West Hollywood Monday Farmers’ Market

Sun 8am–1pm

Gardena Saturday Farmers’ Market

20121 Devonshire St, St. Stephen

Little Tokyo CFM

Tues 9am–1pm

W Covina Pkwy and California Ave

Sun 9:30am–1pm

LA Cienega Farmers’ Market

Cerritos CFM

Sat 4–8pm

Wed 1–6pm Jun–Aug and 2–5pm

Ted Watkins Memorial Park, 103rd and Central Ave

Sat 8:30am–1pm

Montrose Harvest Market

Sun 9am–1pm Gretna Green and San Vicente

LA Adams/Vermont CFM

Santa Monica Saturday Organic Farmers’ Market

LA City Hall Civic Center

4500 N Sancola Ave

Westchester Park at 7000 W Manchester Ave

Westwood Farmers’ Market Thurs 1–7pm Veterans Garden, at VA off Sepulveda, parking at Getty

Whittier CFM Fri 8:30am–1pm Bailey St and Greenleaf Ave

Wilmington Farmers’ Market Thurs 9am–1pm Avalon Blvd and L St

Torrance Saturday Farmers’ Market Sat 8am–1pm

For more information on local farmers’ markets, visit farmernet.com

Charles Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd

Torrance Tuesday CFM Tues 8am– 1pm Charles H Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd

and E Broadway 62

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SUMMER 2009

edibleLA .com

ECI Marketplace-spring 09:Layout 1

last call

Chef Jean-Jacques Rachou’s

Legendary French Chef Jean-Jacques Rachou’s handwritten menu harks back to a bygone era at his restaurant, La Côte Basque in New York, where he often cooked for and with his friend the late, great Julia Child. Homegrown, Julia Child was born in Pasadena almost a century ago. The “French Quarter” in Pasadena has been courting Chef Rachou to open a restaurant—for all our sakes let’s hope he does. Meryl Streep stars as Julia Child in the new movie Julie and Julia directed by Norah Ephron, in cinemas this summer. It’s incredibly funny and, as to be expected, Streep nails the voice, mannerisms, exuberance and sense of humor with a certain je ne sais quois!

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SUMMER 2009

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edible Communities Marketplace

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SUMMER 2009