The Taste LA Times Food/Wine Festival Follow up from Labor Day weekend (9/12)
SCENES FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES THE TASTE
THE TASTE, Los Angeles Times’ annual celebration of the Southern California culinary scene, brought together thousands of avid food and drink enthusiasts and holiday-weekend revelers for a three-day festival on Paramount Pictures Studios’ iconic backlot. Each of the five events reflected The Times’ award-winning coverage of all things edible and highlighted current food and beverage trends as well as the distinct influences and flavors found in Los Angeles. Through unlimited tastings from standout restaurants and food trucks, special cooking and mixology demos by the best local chefs and bartenders, informative wine seminars, and topical roundtables, attendees were treated to a unique opportunity to savor the region’s diverse epicurean offerings and delicious inspiration.
Hosted by Times Food Editor Russ Parsons and Ray Garcia (FIG), FIELD TO FORK, featured a challenge where Garcia and David LeFevre (M.B. Post) were presented with a basket of locally-grown ingredients, including a Weiser Family Farms specialty melon, then created original dishes on the spot. Roxana Jullapat (Cooks County) and Nyesha Arrington (Wilshire) led cooking demos featuring the season’s best produce, while Parsons discussed the state of the farmer’s market, from signing up for CSAs to finding certified growers, with a panel of experts. Afternoon wine seminars offered insider tips and tasting flights from sommeliers. The Hoy Café popup sponsored by The Taste of México Association provided festive flavors from live mariachi to carne asada and fresh coconut water samplings that continued throughout the weekend.
COCKTAIL CONFIDENTIAL, hosted by Times Food & Night Life Writer Jessica Gelt and mixologist Julian Cox (Rivera, Playa), turned the focus to L.A.’s craft cocktail scene. Marquee mixology demos by Southern Wine & Spirits’ Tricia Alley and Karlsson’s Vodka champion Alex Day met an enthralling mix-off on the backlot: contestants included Jaymee Mandeville (Drago Centro), Nathan Oliver (The Vagrancy Project), Paul Sanguinetti (Ray’s and Stark Bar), Brian Summers (Parish), Marcos Tello (Feed), and Damian Windsor (Roger Room). The bartenders were put to the test with an Iron Chef-style mystery box challenge and an on-the-spot pairing to a dish from Kris Yenbamroong (Night + Market), with Tello emerging victorious with a liquid creation of watermelon, fennel and cinnamon.
At Sunday’s FLAVORS OF L.A., hosts Jonathan Gold, Times Restaurant Critic, and KCRW’s “Good Food” host Evan Kleiman presented the area’s mosaic of multicultural accents with an in-depth discussion of the L.A. and O.C. food scene with Sang Yoon (Father’s Office) and Gustavo Arellano (OC Weekly). Cooking demos by Susan Feniger (STREET), Ludo Lefebvre (LudoBites), Kris Yenbamroong and Ricardo Zarate (Mo-Chica) covered the breadth of the internationally-influenced local food scene. Various styles of Mexican cuisine were represented in a lively panel discussion with Bricia Lopez (Guelaguetza), Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu (La Casita Mexicana), Ricardo Cervantes (La Monarca Bakery) and Vicente del Rio (Frida Mexican Cuisine). Tomohiro Matsukuma complemented the culinary spectrum with “Sake 101,” while wine, beer and spirits purveyors poured beverages that complemented the flavorful, adventurous dishes.
DINNER & DRINKS paired hosts Times Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock and The Beer Chicks, Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune (“The Naked Pint”), for an effervescent evening. Demos ranged from a creative libation made with seasonal ingredients at the hands of Tricia Alley to a beer cocktail by The Beer Chicks, wowing the crowd with a flambéed bananas foster-inspired concoction, to Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstarck (The Cooking Channel) translating a sweet and savory classic into a kettle corn cocktail. Restaurants including Rustic Canyon, Il Covo and Jitlada, along with local breweries such as Lady Face Ale and Golden Road Brewing showcased Los Angeles’ tastiest craft beers and signature bites.
The weekend culminated with the LABOR DAY PICNIC PRESENTED BY TARGET, hosted by Times Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter and Zoe Nathan (Huckleberry, Milo & Olive). Cooking demos by Nathan, Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza), and Judy Han (Mendocino Farms) as well as a Q&A with legendary chef Thomas Keller (Bouchon, The French Laundry) provided insight into how modern masters approach their craft. Times columnist Steve Lopez hosted a standing room-only cookoff between LAFD firehouse chefs, which crowned Captain Mark Curry with “best of” bragging rights for the next year and Carter moderated a roundtable with this year’s Battle of the Burgers champs. The Picnic welcomed all ages with tastings to suit every palate and special activities just for kids, and elevated the end-of-summer tradition to a must-attend for foodie families.
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Images from THE TASTE
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