Meet the maker
People really care about their rice in Japan. Go to a grocery store, and you’ll see aisles and aisles of different kinds of spectacular rice. Families have strong allegiances to their favorite brands, and rituals in cooking rice from soaking to washing to steaming. In so many ways it’s emblematic of the Japanese food artisans we’ve to come to admire with their national pride and insistence on the very best.
That’s why it’s especially exciting that rice flour made with Japanese short grain rice grown in Japan is now locally available. This is not your garden variety rice flour, and it’s making its entrance just at the right time.
Better Rhodes is the coolest N/A market we’ve seen, a place where you can find and learn about stellar alcohol free products. This comes in handy especially now with the Holidays and all the social pressure that goes with it. What if we sailed through all the parties, not only having fun, but feeling great? Better Rhodes’ collection of really amazing N/A spirits and cocktail recipes offers that possibility, and let us tell you, the N/A world is exploding with complexity and fabulousness.
Nicole Rucker became friends with Lydia Clarke and Reed Herrick at the DTLA Cheese stall before she landed at Grand Central Market in 2019. That date ring a bell? Yep, right at the start of the pandemic we all remember so well. Nicole and the others in the market all banded together, helping each other get through with masses of takeout. Now Fat and Flour is firmly installed at the market, complete with happy-pink columns and cases of Nicole’s signature offerings.
Founded by Michael Washington, USAL curates experiences designed to connect participants back to nature and build community though a shared love of the outdoors. Their offerings range from rock climbing and foraging to dinner experiences like the meal shared at Kyna’s home.
“What we’re teaching is the human connection to nature,” Michael explained, “Before you get into the act of whatever the activity is… the guides that we work with are there to tell you their story of why they love to do it. It’s not just about getting to the top of the mountain.”
This past weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to the informal family meal of Andy Doubrava, lately Executive Chef of Rustic Canyon Wine Bar, and Tiff Ortiz, nomadic chef extraordinaire, at BH’s Leora Cafe. Andy and Tiff have created Slow Burn, a closed loop zero waste residency and upcoming tour that pretty much explodes the brick & mortar restaurant model and rethinks nothing less than our relationship to fine dining and food. Laura Klein and her chef husband, Leor Klein, are feeding the movers and shakers of UTA at Leora Café during the day, and plan to bewitch the rest of us at night.
Nicole Rucker became friends with Lydia Clarke and Reed Herrick at the DTLA Cheese stall before she landed at Grand Central Market in 2019. That date ring a bell? Yep, right at the start of the pandemic we all remember so well. Nicole and the others in the market all banded together, helping each other get through with masses of takeout. Now Fat and Flour is firmly installed at the market, complete with happy-pink columns and cases of Nicole’s signature offerings.
Begin by placing one soft cheese (Brie) one semi soft cheese (Gouda) and one hard cheese (Manchego) onto your wooden board. Slice or dice some of the cheese so that it’s easier for your guests to pick them up them with toothpicks.
This past weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to the informal family meal of Andy Doubrava, lately Executive Chef of Rustic Canyon Wine Bar, and Tiff Ortiz, nomadic chef extraordinaire, at BH’s Leora Cafe. Andy and Tiff have created Slow Burn, a closed loop zero waste residency and upcoming tour that pretty much explodes the brick & mortar restaurant model and rethinks nothing less than our relationship to fine dining and food. Laura Klein and her chef husband, Leor Klein, are feeding the movers and shakers of UTA at Leora Café during the day, and plan to bewitch the rest of us at night.
When Vince Wukmir first bought his ranch on Route 66 on the way to Las Vegas, he was thinking of maybe doing a winery, or even a little farm stand. He was passionate about one thing though, wanting to focus on the natural gifts, raw beauty, and history of the land. That's when he realized that his ranch contained a huge stand of old-growth wild elderberry trees that had been around for decades.