(Adreana Robbins)“Food is the window of our culture,” said Katy Noochla-or (second-generation restaurateur), while hosting a tasting luncheon at Chadaka Thai in Burbank. I attended the event with a group of professional food writers, including international cookbook authors, Faye and Yakir Levy. Noochla-or grew up in Chao...
(Roberta Deen) Simple in design and made from sustainable, quality solid hardwood, the Fonde (fon-dee) Ravioli Rolling Pin from Repast Supply Co. is touted as the tool to “create perfect ravioli every time with no mess and no fuss.” So we engaged Catering Chef and highly respected professional recipe tester, Roberta Deen, to...
(Roberta Deen) The soda bread is a welcome addition to the ham, herbed potatoes and asparagus with pavlova for dessert at Easter. Using The Chickpea Flour Cookbook by Camilla V. Saulsbury with “Healthy Gluten-Free Recipes to Power Every Meal of the Day” is a workable way to make the meal. I was interested in...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Chef Nir Margalith, co-founder/owner of Puzzle Israel Tours, is everything you would imagine a high energy Israeli would be. “Strapping” is the first word that comes to mind. And it stays there. Of course, being an Israeli, Nir is also a veteran of the army with boundless energy. So it’s no problem fo...
Allow me to introduce you to pizza maven, Tonino Morra Is being honored by GOURMET magazine as “making the best crust in America” enough of an recommendation?Now Toto’s magnificent pies are at Tonino’s Place in Calabasas and in Westlake Village. He’s partnered with Tonino “Tony” Boniovanni, who adds his own...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) High levels of mercury found in common seafood dishes has turned people away from buying it. This why Safe Catch, a new brand of canned tuna fish, based out of Marin County, California, was created. Safe Catch tests every single fish for their mercury content. Their mercury level is 90% lower than the FD...
(Roberta Deen) My sister and I are half Irish on my father’s side, from where and when we don’t know because family history was just never spoken about. We do know that at least three generations back. This past summer I had a chance to visit the Emerald Isle (below). The family landed in the middle of […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Ambitious fundraiser, Cochon 555 (“5 chefs, 5 pigs, 5 winemakers”), trumpets itself as a national ten-city tour as “North America’s most talked about culinary competition.” The one-of-a-kind stand-up tasting reception features five local celebrity chefs cooking five heritage b...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) When we voted first-place for taste to the Drago chefs’ Mushroom Truffle soup recently, we didn’t know we could (try to) duplicate it at home with the new Sabatino Tarfufi’s new truffle zest seasoning. In fact, we found that the claim is true of “just a very small amount elevates any dish to [&hel...
SUCRE Sweets Parisian Ice Cream & Bakeshop with its treasures of Syrian-influenced pastries sits demurely through the archway from Souk Shawarma, it’s savory “big brother” next door. And well it should — owner-pastry chef, Lauren is the younger sister of chef-owner, Andrew Faour, who partners with...
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 