Good Food

Writer Farley Elliott provides a history of LA's street food from tameleros to taco trucks and historian Libby O'Connell shares the curious backstory of the Hangtown Fry. Plus, we learn how Iowa's agri-tech corn fields became a target for foreign espionage.

We talk to Chef Massimo Bottura about how he embraces the past and looks to the future at his world-renowned restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena. Two Shakespeare scholars pair cocktails with their favorite Shakespeare personalities; plus, intrepid eater Zach Brooks offers ten ways to hack your lunch at the Grand Central Market.

What does it mean to call a dish "slutty?" LA Weekly critic Besha Rodell offers a definition. Plus, writer and historian Rachel Martin looks into the history of Nashville hot chicken and we turn to Marion Nestle to discuss the FDA's proposal to add a daily value for sugar on nutrition labels.

This week we discuss the cherished Gravenstein apple with pomologist David Karp and Sqirl's Jessica Koslow, and food historian Darra Goldstein gives us a glimpse at the history of sugar. Plus, Good Food's taco correspondent Bill Esparza explains why burritos are tacos.

This week we meet a food activist campaigning to save ugly fruit and vegetables from becoming dumpster fare and Akasha Richmond educates us on her favorite Indian spice blends. Plus, we learn about Filipino food from chef Charles Olalia and the Valencia brothers behind LASA, a once-monthly pop up at Elysian.

The theme of this week's show is, "YUCK!" Chef Cosmo Goss teaches us how to cook with animal innards and we introduce you to Sir Norman Wrassle, chairman of the UK's Tripe Marketing Board. Plus, we learn which foods gross out LA Times critic Jonathan Gold and KCRW's Avishay Artsy visits a cricket farm in Van Nuys where tens of thousands of winged insects are hatched for human consumption.

This week we discuss fried chicken with a ninth-generation Southerner and Sonoko Sakai teaches us about umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums). Plus, we sort through the mess that is expirations dates.

This week the "queen of hot" teaches us various techniques for making homemade hot sauce. Plus, we discuss cocktail bitters and Michael Ruhlman tells us about no-fail ratios that every home cook needs to know. 

Good Food's official taco correspondent Bill Esparza lays out where to find the twenty five best tacos in Los Angeles. Plus, writer Gideon Brower explores cat cafe culture in Tokyo and James Beard award winning cookbook author David Sterling transports us to the Yucatan.

Chef April Bloomfield is known for her love of the "odd bits" of animals, but in her new cookbook she turns her attention to vegetable cookery. Beer writer Jolie Myers spotlights local beer trends in advance of LA Beer Week and we celebrate Pyrex turning 100.

This week we take a sneak peek at a new exhibition displaying LA's history through vintage menus. Plus, we examine the untold history of American whiskey and the precarious fate of India's greatest tea. 

This week the theme is wanderlust. A food scientist demystifies why we love Bloody Marys and peanuts at 30,000 feet and we discover the best off the beaten track eats in California. Plus, we take you on a journey to Faviken, one of the most remote destination restaurants in the world.

Cocktail historian David Wondrich returns this week with the history of the punch bowl. We learn about Fika, the art of the Swedish coffee break, with authors Anne Brones and Johanna Kindvall. Plus, Jonathan Gold takes us out for khinkali and something called "ich."

This week restaurateur Jen Agg talks about the prevailing "bro" culture in the restaurant industry and journalist John Birdsall explores the decidedly un-bro origins of America's modern food culture. Plus, Zach Brooks uncovers eight new Hawaiian inspired poke restaurants in Los Angeles.

Cocktail historian David Wondrich outlines the legacy of barman Jerry Thomas and Jonathan Gold tells us where to find the best cocktails in LA. Plus, we dive deep into Tiki's seductive lure of rum and kitsch.