Madhur Jaffrey

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Thursday, December 10, 2015
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
 
An Evening with Madhur Jaffrey
 
discussing her new cookbook,
Vegetarian India:
A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking

William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404 

PURCHASE TICKETS 
$47 Reserved Section seating + Book
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)* + Reserved Section seating + Book

$20 General Admission
* Reception includes selections prepared from the book, California wine

Madhur Jaffrey is the author of many previous cookbooks—seven of which have won James Beard Awards—and was named to the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America by the James Beard Foundation. She is the recipient of an honorary CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for her services to drama and promoting the appreciation of Indian food and culture. She is also an award-winning actress, having won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival, with numerous major motion pictures to her credit.

No one knows Indian food like Madhur Jaffrey. For more than forty years, the “godmother of Indian cooking” (The Independent on Sunday) has introduced Western home cooks to the vibrant cuisines of her homeland. Now, in Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking, the seven-time James Beard Award–winning author shares the delectable, healthful, vegetable- and grain-based foods enjoyed around the Indian subcontinent. 

Vegetarian cooking is a way of life for more than 300 million Indians. Jaffrey travels from north to south, and from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, collecting recipes for the very tastiest dishes along the way. She visits the homes and businesses of shopkeepers, writers, designers, farmers, doctors, weavers, and more, gathering their stories and uncovering the secrets of their most delicious family specialties. From a sweet, sour, hot, salty Kodava Mushroom Curry with Coconut originating in the forested regions of South Karnataka to simple, crisp Okra Fries dusted with chili powder, turmeric, and chickpea flour; and from Stir-Fried Spinach, Andhra Style (with ginger, coriander, and cumin) to the mung bean pancakes she snacks on at a roadside stand, here Jaffrey brings together the very best of vegetable-centric Indian cuisine and explains how home cooks can easily replicate these dishes—and many more for beans, grains, and breads—in their own kitchens.

With more than two hundred recipes, beautifully illustrated throughout, and including personal photographs from Jaffrey’s own travels, Vegetarian India is a kitchen essential for vegetable enthusiasts and home cooks everywhere.

Nigella Lawson

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Thursday, November 12, 2015
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
 
Nigella Lawson
in conversation with Russ Parsons
 
discussing her new cookbook,
Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food


Crest Theatre, Westwood
1262 Westwood Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90024

PURCHASE TICKETS 
$47 Reserved Section seating + Book
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)* + Reserved Section seating + Book
$20 General Admission
* Reception includes selections prepared from the book, California wine

Nigella Lawson, food enthusiast, television personality, and journalist, is the author of nine bestselling books including Nigellissima, Nigella Kitchen, Nigella Fresh, Nigella Christmas, Nigella Express, Feast, Nigella Bites, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, and How to Eat. These books, along with her groundbreaking Quick Collection apps and her successful television series on Food Network, E! Entertainment Television, and Style, have made hers a household name around the world.  Nigella hosts The Taste with Anthony Bourdain, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey. Visit her website.  

Simply Nigella is an inspirational and practical cookbook  sharing delicious foods that make everyone feel better, in body and mind. There are everyday recipes that are light and easy to prepare, and indulgent dishes for special occasions. The message is simple: great food can be celebrated without stress.

With 150 recipes for nourishing oneself, friends, and family, Simply Nigella includes breakfasts and brunches; fast, easy, and light suppers; a feasting chapter for entertaining a group; and a section dedicated to “Bowlfoods.” There is also a wide array of sweet treats, including fabulous dairy-free and gluten-free recipes.

Russ Parsons is a staff writer and columnist of the Los Angeles Times Food Section. He has been writing about food for more than 25 years, including more than 20 years at The Times. He has won many food journalism awards, including those from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Association of Food Journalists and the James Beard Foundation and in 2008 he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, the hall of fame of American cooking. He is the author of the cookbooks How to Read a French Fry, which was a finalist for two Julia Child cookbook awards, and How to Pick a Peach, which was named one of the best 100 books of the year by both Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon. – See more at: http://livetalksla.org/uncategorized/january-29-chef-suzanne-goin-in-conversation-with-russ-parsons/#sthash.tpSZI0Uv.dpuf

 

 

Richard Betts with Chris Sacca

Tuesday, November 10, 2015
8:00pm (Reception 7:15-8:00pm) 

An Evening with Richard Betts
in conversation with Chris Sacca

The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All

William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS
$35 General Admission
$50 Reserved Section Seat + Book
* This event includes a tasting of Whiskeys from around the world
** Must be 21 or older to attend

Los Angeles Times on Richard Betts, September 29, 2015

Richard Betts is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert. He has been featured in the New York Times,Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Outside, GQ, and Details and speaks frequently on wine throughout the country. He is also the founder of two wine companies, Betts & Scholl and Scarpetta, which have won top praise from leading wine publications. He is also the founder and president of Sombra Mezcal and Tequila Astral, and his newest wine ventures include Saint Glinglin Bordeaux, My Essential Red, My Essential White, and My Essential Rosé.

Whiskey fever is sweeping the nation. Every day, craft distilleries are popping up in remote counties and urban centers, offering a wealth of great choices to consumers—and just as many puzzlements. Does the introduction of a simple “e” to go from whisky to whiskey mean anything? What’s the difference between Scotch and Rye? What’s Canadian whisky anyway? And what about the whiskeys of Scotland, Japan, and Ireland? Where’s a humble Joe to start? 

In The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-it-All: Know Your Booze Before You Choose,  Richard Betts offers up a clever distillation of America’s favorite libation, in the follow-up to his immensely popular New York Times bestselling The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert.

In this witty kid-style book on an adult topic, Richard Betts boils down his know-how into twenty pages, cooling our “brown-sweat” anxieties and dividing whiskey into three simple categories: Grain, Wood, and Place. While most whiskey tomes are about as fun as a chemistry lesson, Betts makes the learning slide down easy, reassuring us that this exalted spirit is just distilled beer and, through a nasal romp, helping us figure out which kinds we love best. Humorous illustrations and scratch-and-sniff scents (vanilla, sandalwood, grass, and more) help would-be connoisseurs learn their personal preferences. The book also includes a special frame-able “choose-your-own” adventure pull-out poster detailing the flavors and characteristics of 279 specific brands, so readers can map their preferences and settle on the whiskey of their dreams.

Chris Sacca is the founder and chairman of Lowercase Capital, one of the most successful venture funds in history. A former Google executive, Sacca is now best known for being among the earliest and largest investors in companies such as Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Kickstarter. His impact in the realms of technology and entrepreneurship led the Wall Street Journal to once cite Sacca as “possibly the most influential businessman in America.” In parallel with his investing accomplishments, Sacca is a very active supporter of charity:water, working hands-on to bring clean water to the world’s poorest families. Chris’ wife, Crystal English Sacca; is co-creator of the book, The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All.

 

Michael Anthony

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
 
An Evening with Michael Anthony
in conversation with Rachel Levin
 
discussing his new cookbook,
V IS FOR VEGETABLES: Inspired Recipes & Techniques
for Home Cooks—from Artichokes to Zucchini


William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS 
$50 Reserved Section seating + Book
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)* + Reserved Section seating + Book
$20 General Admission
* Reception includes selections prepared from the cook book, California wine

Michael Anthony is the executive chef-partner of Gramercy Tavern, the executive chef and director of Untitled, and the author of The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook. He received the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in the United States in 2015, after being named Best Chef, New York City, in 2012. Prior to joining Gramercy Tavern in 2006, he was the executive chef of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

V IS FOR VEGETABLES: Inspired Recipes & Techniques for Home Cooks—from Artichokes to Zucchini is Michael Anthony’s first stand-alone cookbook. No one speaks the language of vegetables more eloquently than Michael Anthony, and in this beautiful gift to home cooks, he shows how to master the vibrant world of plant-based cooking. 

V IS FOR VEGETABLES includes a multitude of genius tips, helpful photographs, and exceptional recipes — all created in a home kitchen with a simple goal: to inspire cooks of all kinds to grasp the bounty of their produce markets, one glorious vegetable at a time. Anthony guide the reader through the market and at the stove. He tames prickly artichokes, elevates humble beets, and chops through thickets of chard and kale—just a few of the more than sixty vegetables this book covers. The result is a master class in unlocking the life-giving benefits and intense flavors of vegetables for every season.  

V IS FOR VEGETABLES speaks to vegetarians and omnivores alike. The recipes include crisply composed salads, fresh herb sauces, satisfying warm gratins, vibrant stews, simply sautéed greens over a bowl of grains, and veggies with meat and fish, too. They capitalize on the delicious effects of caramelization, flavorful broths, and the satisfying crunch of a raw vegetable served alongside its cooked counterpart. Each recipe was tested with a home cook’s needs in mind, and leads to a more naturally healthy and luxurious way of eating. 

Rachel B. Levin is the Los Angeles Editor at Clean Plates, a guide to healthy and sustainable restaurants and products, and the Los Angeles Local Expert forTravel+Leisure. She has written about food, restaurants, and healthy living for numerous publications including the Los Angeles Times, Travel Channel, andWestways, among others.

 

Emeril Lagasse with Roy Choi

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Thursday, October 8, 2015
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
 
Emeril Lagasse
in conversation with Roy Choi
 
discussing his new cookbook,
Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes 
and Hard-Won Wisdom from My Life in the Kitchen


Crest Theatre, Westwood
1262 Westwood Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90024

PURCHASE TICKETS
$47 General Admission seating + Book*
$57 Reserved Section seating + Book*
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)** + Reserved Section seating + Book
Reception includes selections prepared from the book, California wine
* Books will be pre-signed, available for pick up at check-in
** Books will be personalized in person at the reception

Emeril Lagasse is the chef-proprietor of 12 restaurants across the country. He has received numerous Best Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best Service awards, and in 2013 received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the James Beard Foundation for his work through the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, which supports children’s educational programs. The author of 18 cookbooks, his phenomenally successful Food Network show Emeril Live! launched a new era in culinary TV. In 2014, Lagasse participated in his third consecutive season as a main guest chef on Bravo’s hit food series, Top Chef, and joined TNT as co-host for their cooking series, On the Menu. Most recently, Emeril’s Florida entered its third season in January 2015 on the Cooking Channel. 

In Essential Emeril, Lagasse goes back to basics, presenting more than 130 recipes that defined his award-winning career, each tested and perfected for today’s home cook. Dishes such as Crab and Corn Fritters with Fresh Corn Mayo, Roasted Portuguese Pork Loin With Potatoes and Homemade Pimenta Moida, and White Chocolate Bread Pudding With Toasted Macadamia Caramel Sauce reflect a lifetime of lessons in technique, showcasing the big flavor for which he is known and his continued evolution in the kitchen. Emeril offers valuable tips and step-by-step photo tutorials to ensure flawless results.
 
The book includes Emeril’s anecdotes revealing the inspiration behind each recipe, with appearances from A-list names – Mario Batali, Roy Choi, and Nobu Matsuhira, to name a few – alongside family members and early influences such as Julia Child and Charlie Trotter.
 
Classically trained chef Roy Choi is a culinary street revolutionary. He brings together the high and the low – deliciously, passionately, and socially. While his pedigree includes Le Bernardin and the Beverly Hilton, his fame rose with one amazing taco that tastes like L.A. – and nearly single-handedly created the gourmet food truck movement with his partners on the wings of Twitter.

Before hitting the streets with his popular food truck Kogi BBQ, Choi executed classical techniques in professional kitchens and banquet halls for twelve years in New York, San Francisco, Portland, and Lake Tahoe. Then came the Great Recession. Laid off, having lost everything, with a family to support, Choi had to get creative: He said yes to a friend who rented a truck and co-founded Kogi BBQ, which Newsweek later dubbed “the first viral eatery.” 

Choi provided yet another source of culinary revelation with his first sit-down restaurant, Chego in April 2010, now located in Chinatown, followed by A-Frame in 2010, and Sunny Spot just east of Venice Beach in 2011. His newest restaurant venture, featuring the tastes of Korea translated through an L.A. state of mind, opened at a new hotel, The Line, in L.A. in late 2013. Choi’s first book, L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, was published in the Fall of 2013.

Charlie Palmer with Michael Voltaggio

Thursday, May 7, 2015
8:00pm (Reception 6:30-7:30pm)

Charlie Palmer
in conversation with Michael Voltaggio

discussing his cookbook
Charlie Palmer’s American Fare:
Everyday Recipes from My Kitchens to Yours

William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS
$20 General Admission
$30 Reserved Seats
$50 Includes Palmer’s cookbook + Seat in reserved section
$95 Pre-event reception, the cookbook, Seat in reserved section

Since the beginning of his celebrated career, master Chef and hospitality entrepreneur Charlie Palmer has received critical acclaim for his signature Progressive American Cuisine, a style built on rambunctious flavors and unexpected combinations with a deep and lasting infusion of classical French technique. Influenced by his childhood experiences working in his family’s vegetable garden, Palmer was an early advocate of farm over factory food. In 1988, he made a landmark commitment to creating dishes featuring regional American ingredients at his sublime three-star Aureole, once situated in a historic town house off Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. Today Palmer’s flagship Aureole is strategically located within New York City mid-town’s dramatically modern Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park.
 
Over the years, Palmer combined his creative cooking spirit and flair for business to open eleven notable restaurants across the country, a growing collection of food-forward wine shops and award-winning boutique hotels. But even today, the chef still steps in the kitchen with reinvention on his mind. “Without a doubt, people eat with their eye long before they put fork to food, so I continue to look for a playful yet respectful way to create excitement on the plate.”
 
A frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show, Charlie Palmer is also the author of five cookbooks, Remington Camp Cooking (2013), Great American Food (1996), Charlie Palmer’s Casual Cooking (2001), The Art of Aureole, (2002), and Charlie Palmer’s Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen (2006).
 
From Publisher’s Weekly:
Chef and restaurateur Palmer pays homage to American cuisine in this vibrant and enticing collection. In his early days, Palmer was among the first wave of chefs to embrace ingredients native to the U.S. and recipes that had long been overlooked. Years later, his cooking still reflects that domestic influence in dishes such as corn chowder with shrimp; honey-smoked whole turkey; and striped bass stuffed with crab and mushrooms. While many dishes are restaurant quality, such as Florentine-roasted strip loin and the leg of lamb with herbs and roasted garlic, the recipes are well within a home cook’s grasp. The intriguing warm pork and lentil salad and a gorgeous Brussels sprout and ricotta gratin are recipes that both professional and amateur chefs will turn to again and again. While Palmer covers the basics, he also offers appealing quick and easy lunches, including croque monsieur with mornay sauce, and baked ratatouille. His standout chapter explores family favorites, which include chicken liver pâté, baked littleneck clams, lentil–butternut squash soup, and oatmeal cookies. Fans will delight in this exceptional, accessible cookbook.
 
Michael Voltaggio is the chef and owner of acclaimed restaurant Ink. and artisanal sandwich concept ink.sack – both in Los Angeles. Having called Los Angeles home since 2008, he is inspired by the city’s diverse ethnicities, cultures and industries, and has reinterpreted a new class of finer dining at Ink., dubbing the food and experience there as modern los angeles. Ink. was named “best new restaurant in america” by GQ magazine.

In 2013, Voltaggio received the distinction as one of Food & Wine magazine’s best new chefs in the award’s 25th anniversary year, joining an elite list of chefs in America. This was a career highlight for him, considering his humble beginnings nearly 20 years earlier when his first job at 15 was working for his older brother Bryan at a local hotel kitchen in their hometown of Frederick, MD. Following Bryan’s lead into the culinary world, Michael received his formal education by earning a prestigious position at the venerable Greenbrier apprenticeship program in West Virginia, graduating when he was 21(at the time the youngest to have done so).

Previously, Voltaggio spent time at the helm of numerous high-profile kitchens across the country. Some include Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, CA, where he earned a Michelin Star, and The Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills where he earned a 4-star review from the Los Angeles Times and finalist nomination for “best new restaurant” from the James Beard Foundation. Additional accolades include being named Angeleno magazine’s best new chef in 2010 and selected by star chefs as a rising star chef that same year.

He is the author, with his brother, of their first cookbook, aptly titled Volt Ink. – named after their flagship restaurants. 

Voltaggio may best be known for his win on Bravo TV’s Emmy award-winning season of Top Chef. He has since made many returns to television with guest appearances on various cooking and food shows. Soon he will be back on the small screen with a new series for Travel Channel currently titled Breaking Borders, slated to air in early 2015.