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The LA Food Podcast

Acquired Taste Media

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The LA Food Podcast is where LA’s top chefs, boldest food stories, and biggest restaurant moments all collide. Hosted by Luca Servodio, the official hype man of Los Angeles restaurants, we dig deep into what’s happening across the most exciting food city on the planet — Los Angeles. We’ve chopped it up with legends like Wolfgang Puck, Brooke Williamson, Joe Sasto, and more. Expect chef interviews, restaurant news, behind-the-scenes drama, food culture trends, and no-BS conversations about LA ...
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Meaningful yet gracious conversations about crucial topics seem to be less and less of a constant in our world. On The Arrow of Importance, the goal is to help fill that void. The topics discussed are vital and relevant, and the way in which they’re talked about will hopefully be a breath of fresh air for folks whose timelines and feeds are clogged with madness. This isn’t to sound holier than thou, but let’s talk about important stuff without the bs. Welcome to The Arrow of Importance with ...
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Healthcare is changing but is it for the better? In this podcast, you'll hear discussions about the healthcare system, its problems, possible solutions, and stories from leading physicians and experts in healthcare. Healthcare is more complex than the sound bites we hear. The changes, and possible solutions, will have wider impact than the sound bites you hear. Join us as we strive to Survive Healthcare
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This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re joined by Claire Dinhut—aka Condiment Claire—cookbook author, flavor scientist, and social media sensation. Born and raised in Los Angeles but now based in Europe, Claire has taken TikTok by storm with her inventive approach to sauces, spreads, and the science of taste. Recorded at Venice’s iconic Roosterfish…
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This week on The LA Food Podcast, we dive into the results of a new survey from Substack favorite The Angel that asked Angelenos what they really want from restaurants. Hosts Luca and Father Sal break down what LA diners say matters most—vibe vs. food, great service, price, and originality—and reveal the surprising (and kind of maddening) contradic…
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Is Jordan Kahn's Meteora on track for a second Michelin star? On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, we dive deep into LA’s most ambitious fine-dining jungle—Meteora. After falling for Chef Jordan Kahn’s futuristic tasting menu at Vespertine, we head to his Melrose Avenue follow-up to see if the hype (and the hefty price tag) is justified. Is this…
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Lele Dinner Club is the buzzy new supper club from Pizzana chef and master pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, offering an exclusive 10-course Neapolitan tasting menu that’s quickly become Los Angeles’ hottest reservation. With only three seatings so far and a waitlist already topping 6,000 names, this underground culinary experience is redefining LA fine din…
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Melissa Lopez is the James Beard semifinalist chef behind Barra Santos, one of the buzziest restaurants in recent memory to grace Los Angeles. Barra Santos is a tiny, sardine-tin of a restaurant in Cypress Park serving up thoughtful, super high-quality Portuguese fare. But as small as the restaurant’s footprint is, the noise it’s made since opening…
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In this episode, my friend-since-kindergarten Jacob Hirsch and I open up about our mental health histories, including dissociation, depression, anxiety, and more. Plus, we talk into helpful strategies and support systems that have benefitted us in our lives. Lastly, we talk about different kinds of therapy, their benefits, and why we think people s…
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Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. It’s the word on everybody’s lips this week and, as you’d expect, every food media outlet in the country published some sort of breakdown of what this means for restaurants and the food industry at large. Father Sal and I sift through the noise to distill what this means for LA restaurateurs and diners alike. Also on this…
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Controversy in Hollywood as news breaks that Elon Musk - yes, THAT Elon Musk - has tapped beloved LA chef Eric Greenspan to helm his upcoming Tesla-themed Diner on Santa Monica Blvd. Is Chef Greenspan’s choice to take the job in any way defensible, or is he just another DOGE bag? Father Sal and I dig into the news and the backlash to make sense of …
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I (Luca) moderated the latest Family Meal panel discussion on how restaurants rose to the challenge during the January wildfires. This is the recording of that panel discussion, featuring four very impressive speakers who I introduce at the top of the recording. We discuss all matters of important topics including how restaurants can prepare for th…
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Ryan Sutton is the chief critic and editor at The LO Times, one of the absolute best sources of food writing Substack has to offer. He previously served as Eater New York’s chief food critic for almost a decade, and prior to that, the New York critic at Bloomberg News. He’s won a James Beard Award and been nominated for two more, and today he lets …
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It’s been five years since the pandemic forced us to wipe down our groceries, binge Tiger King, and pick up hobbies like basket weaving or, in my case, eating 100 pizzas in 365 days. Of course, COVID also notably sent shockwaves through the restaurant industry, and to this day, the labor market still hasn’t recovered. What’s behind the lag and what…
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It’s been awhile folks, been dealing with me fam health stuff that I’ll talk about in a later episode (because I think it’s super important), but for now, my friend Raffi and I get into all sorts of fun stuff! The Trump-Zelensky-JD Vance meeting was mind-boggling; we discussed both the hilarity of it as well as the potential geopolitical impacts. P…
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It’s time for the 2025 Top Chef Fantasy Draft! Season 22 of Top Chef kicked off this week in Canada. As we do every year, Father Sal and I hosted a draft of the 15 competitors vying for the title of Top Chef. We’re joined by 2024 champion Jessie Evans (alias @Jessie_Eats on Instagram), and Nancy DaSilva and Bits Nicholas of the Compliments to the C…
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We’re joined today by Chef Johnny Lee, the mastermind behind Rasarumah, one of LA’s hottest new restaurants serving inventive Southeast Asian food with a heavy Malaysian bent. Chef Johnny joins us to talk about the new concept, but also about what it was like to say goodbye to his deeply personal project Pearl River Deli. We talk about Hainan chick…
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What is going on at The Original Pantry Cafe in downtown LA? Reports of a labor dispute threatening to close down the storied institution have been swirling all week. We try to make sense of the noise, and ask ourselves is there any hope for the house that Richard Riordan built? Secondly, Silver Lake lesbian bar The Ruby Fruit just added controvers…
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What’s the deal with the cease and desist letters going to Los Angeles pizzerias? Is OpenTable’s comeback slowly killing Resy? And was our visit to the LA Times 2024 Restaurant of the Year a Chef’s Kiss or a Big Miss? Father Sal’s with us today to discuss all of that and more, plus where you can try a $750 burger, what Molly Baz is doing to give ba…
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Today we’re joined by LA Times food reporter Stephanie Breijo to discuss a brand new petition LA restaurateurs are bringing to city and state lawmakers. Stephanie has been on the frontlines of covering the tough time restaurants have been having over the last couple of years, and she actually joined the restaurateurs as they ventured to City Hall t…
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Nonalcoholic cocktails. Are they something to endure during months like Dry January? Or are they legitimately impressive feats of mixology that deserve respect any month of the year? I visited Philip Ross, Beverage Director of The Lonely Oyster Group, at The Lonely Oyster to discuss how he goes about conceptualizing an NA program that doesn’t just …
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We finally made it to Jordan Kahn’s Vespertine in Culver City, which reopened after a hiatus in the Spring of 2024, and earned not one but two Michelin Stars just a few months later. If you’ve heard people talk about VesperVespertineine, then you know that it elicits strong reactions. Some people can’t get enough of Chef Kahn’s otherworldly creatio…
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We’re joined by Brad Metzger, President of hospitality recruitment firm Brad Metzger Restaurant Solutions, and Ryan O’Melveny WIlson, the CEO of legendary Los Angeles restaurant group Lawry’s, to hear about Chefs Love LA, an unforgettable evening of food and wine, celebrating LA heroes and supporting the restaurant community impacted by the fires. …
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After a dark start to the New Year, a little light at the end of the tunnel this week as 18 Los Angeles chefs, bars and restaurants were named James Beard semifinalists. With Angelenos earning spots in the categories of Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant and Best Chef: California, Father Sal is with us today for one of our trademark, frankly …
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The Palisades and Eaton fires have been raging for more than a week now. Restaurants and food vendors have played a huge role in the relief efforts, stepping up in a big way to feed first responders and evacuees. Father Sal and I discuss a couple of excellent articles on restaurants in the midst of the wildfires, and we speak with three people who’…
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No episode this week. Just three ways you can help restaurants as we navigate the devastating wildfires, and a bunch of helpful links. Side Pie fundraiser https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-side-pie-support-your-favorite-local-pizzeria?attribution_id=sl:86fa7075-75b8-4da8-8f92-b082665dda14&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=c…
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What does the year of our Lord 2025 have in store for LA restaurants? According to The LA Times, a whole lot more struggle. Father Sal is with us to break down a couple of fascinating pieces by Stephanie Breijo and Cindy Carcamo on the restaurants we lost in 2024, and what the landscape of challenges looks like for the year ahead. On a lighter note…
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Joining us on the podcast are The Infatuation’s Brant Cox and Sylvio Martins. They’re going to walk us through their list of the Best New Restaurants of 2024, as well as the good and not-so-good trends that defined this year of dining in LA. We finish off with some predictions for what dining in 2025 will look like, and chat a little bit about our …
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I’d like to cordially welcome you to the second annual LA Food Pod Holiday Party! Father Sal and I are joined by our favorite New York-based podcast ho ho hosts, Nancy DaSilva and Bits Nicholas of Compliments to the Chef, for a jolly ole time discussing what’s hot in the Big Apple, what we make of the premature closure of Frog Club, the quixotic re…
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What do the Eater layoffs mean for food media in Los Angeles? Did Bill Addison’s review of Vespertine get us more or less excited to visit the two Michelin-star juggernaut? And what to make of Melissa Clark’s underwhelming experiences at Thomas Keller’s Per Se and The French Laundry? Father Sal’s with us today to discuss all of the above, plus a co…
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year, dear listener, and I’m talking of course about the advent of The LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list. Bill Addison and Jenn Harris dropped their picks at a highfalutin soiree earlier this week, and the reaction, as always, consists of everything from love to loathing. But what does it actually mean for Kato …
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It’s beginning to feel a lot like Black Friday. Father Sal and I are coming through with a very LA Food Pod Gift Guide. But first, there’s a piece in Taste making the case in favor of gatekeeping your favorite restaurants, a podcast with the brand new editor of The Best American Food & Travel Writing that elicited some red hot takes on the future o…
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Welcome to episode 100. We hosted a live show to celebrate at Little Joy Cocktails in Echo Park, and what you’re about to hear is the recording of said live show. Father Sal and I were joined by Eater’s Mona Holmes to run through the headlines of the day and to play a round of Chef’s Kiss Big Miss. We debuted the first-ever LA Food Pod quiz - big t…
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What do the best competition cook of all time, an uber-accomplished LA restaurateur and the author of one of the year’s best cookbooks have in common? Well, they’re all the same person and her name is Brooke Williamson. Brooke just released her first-ever cookbook, dear listener. It’s called SUN-KISSED COOKING, and it’s available now in stores. Bro…
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Today on The LA Food Podcast… What game is Norm Langer playing by reposting Rick Caruso’s scathing video of Mayor Karen Bass’ efforts (or lacktherof) to clean up MacArthur Park? Why is Martha Stewart irate over the way she’s being portrayed in her brand new Netflix documentary “Martha?” And why is a trip Dan Tana’s pretty much obligatory in your ne…
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On this episode, my first ever two-time guest Katie Stamm-Kirk rejoins the podcast to discuss the election, the debate, Democratic strategy and its shortcomings, and what will happen on Election Day. Has Kamala done enough to win over undecided voters? And have her and Biden prematurely written off undecided voters? Everything possible to set the t…
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Armand Domalewski from “YIMBY’s for Harris” (YIMBY stands for Yes In My Backyard) joins to talk about the pressure he and the hundreds of people in his organization plan to put on a potential Harris administration with regards to housing policy. He also discusses what it was like meeting and interacting with Kamala Harris, and how excited he is tha…
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Part 1 of our brand new series, Opening Cafe Esca. We’re joined by accomplished hospitality pros Luke Reyes and Reilly Cox, the dream team behind the upcoming Coastal Italian gem slated to open in the Arts District in March of 2025. Luke and Reilly have agreed to visit us on the pod once a month to take us behind the scenes of all that’s gonna go i…
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Today on The LA Food Podcast presented by Rusty’s Chips… how are influencers transforming LA’s restaurant scene? What does a legendary San Bernardino restaurant have to do with political polarization? And why did one Little Tokyo mochi manufacturer inspire a long-form feature in the New York Times? Father Sal is with us to discuss all of the above,…
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Today on The LA Food Podcast presented by Rusty’s Chips… Evan Funke’s episode of Chef’s Table is out on Netflix, Father Sal and I watched it so you don’t have to. How did we feel about it? Well, let’s just say the episode gave one us an acute case of the ick that no amount of cacio e pepe can reverse. Listen to find out why. But first, former Eater…
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Is Eater’s new list of the Essential 38 Restaurants perfect, or is it the most chaotic list of all time? What do we find groundbreaking about Keith Corbin and Daniel Patterson’s upcoming fine dining concept? And where would we eat if we could only eat at 3 restaurants for the rest of our lives? Father Sal is with us to discuss all of the above, why…
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What the hell is happening at Otium? Where the hell is Chef Tim Hollingsworth? And what are its former employees trying to do about it? We’re joined by former Otium employees Rylee Ratcliff and Melissa Mendoza for a raw and honest conversation about the exhausting, frustrating, and maddening weeks they’ve had since the acclaimed Downtown restaurant…
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Today on the LA Food Podcast, the most recognizable chef on the planet joins us for an interview - and I’m not talking about Chef Boyardee. Wolfgang Puck is with us today, alongside his son Byron Lazaroff Puck for honestly one of my favorite conversations we’ve ever had on this platform. Wolfgang has been one of the most if not THE most trailblazin…
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Today on the LA Food Podcast, which LA restaurant was named one of Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants of 2024? What’s the secret to Chef Josiah Citrin’s longevity? And which famous Los Angeles fruit did Tejal Rao dedicate an entire New York Times column to? Father Sal’s with us to discuss all of it, in addition to the pros and cons of guest chef di…
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What do we make of Poltergeist and Button Mash closing? Was The LA Times out of line in writing about chef-driven optimism during the tough times restaurants are facing? And why does it matter that yet another LA chef has earned a place on Food & Wine’s vaunted list of Best New Chefs? Father Sal’s with us to discuss all of the above plus, why Taste…
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We’re joined on today’s pod by the icon known as Joe Sasto. Joe is a Michelin-pedigree chef whose exploits at San Francisco’s Quince and Lazy Bear earned him the chance to go on Top Chef. His high-octane performance on his season earned him a third-place finish, the opportunity to compete on Top Chef All-Stars, and more importantly, a place in the …
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What better way to celebrate their wedding than for Ben and Annabelle to come on The Arrow of Importance! After all, what is more important in life than finding the person you love most of all? In this episode, we talk all about that love! Plus, how they found each other, what they're looking forward to, their reflections on their big day, why love…
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Brianna Wu joins me to dicuss the tarnishing of the 'progressive' brand, how the Democrats can be the partrioic and working people's party, and the political direction of Republicans and Democrats post November 5th. Plus, the Iranian regime is gaining popularity and sympathy, less men are voting for the Democrats, and of course, who is going to win…
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Today on The LA Food Podcast, is Langer’s closing for good? Is Chick-Fil-A going to save Hollywood? And does JD Vance even know what a donut is? Father Sal is physically with us in Los Angeles today to discuss all this and more. We recap all of the amazing food he’s had in LA this week, from a beachside South American feast to an all-time steak din…
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On this episode, Peri Karpishpan and I dive deep into Kamala Harris' Vice Presidential pick, as well as the deep, multi-faceted process that went into it. Were there double standards between Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro? And is Tim Walz a good pick? Plus, as each candiate tries to define one another, will Kamala being labeled a failed border czar be a…
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Today on the LA Food Podcast, is work/life balance possible in fine dining? What the heck is postmodern craft beer? And why should Angelenos care about the passing of Famous Amos founder Wally Amos? James Beard-nominated reporter Gab Chabran is with us today to explore all of these topics, and to tell us why he believes the city’s best tacos are in…
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Today on the LA Food Podcast, is Bill Esparza revolutionizing the restaurant review or is he merely feeding his ego? There’s an Anthony Bourdain biopic in the works, a New York Times article on whether the robots are ready to run restaurants, and a lightning round of bad idea / horrible idea featuring ice cream flavored water and and a Bon Appetit …
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Michelin held its 2024 California Guide Ceremony earlier this week, and it’s fair to say that LA restaurants fared rather well. Jordan Kahn’s Vespertine earned back its 2 stars, Holbox, Uka and Meteora earned their first, and LA also dominated the list of new Bib Gourmands. But, like I ask my therapist on a weekly basis, what does it all mean? Fath…
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