Location:
Santa Monica, CA
Networks:
KCRW
Description:
Everything you wanted to know about good cooking and good eating from LA chef, author, radio host and restaurateur Evan Kleiman.
Twitter:
@evankleiman
Language:
English
Contact:
1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 310-450-5183
Email:
goodfood@kcrw.org
Episodes
Restaurant kids, Balkan & Hungarian recipes, green almonds
4/4/2025
From takeout boxes to feeling boxed in, growing up as a "restaurant kid" is a unique experience.
Here are all the SoCal James Beard finalists. And don't forget to sign up for the weekly Good Food newsletter!
Duration:00:59:46
Sacred meals, absinthe, undercover dining at the CIA
3/28/2025
Explore the spiritual side of food and modern Ghanaian recipes.
Jody EddyEric AdjepongAndrea NguyenEvan RailTom Sietsema Listen to all the episodes and be sure to sign up for the weekly Good Food newsletter.
Duration:00:58:06
The legacy of Edna Lewis, birria, microplastics
3/21/2025
A Black chef and cookbook author finally gets her due!
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Duration:00:59:36
Nowruz, cabbage, agricultural policy, whales vs. crabs
3/14/2025
Celebrate the Persian new year with fresh herbs and new recipes
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Duration:00:59:39
The legacy of Socorro "Mama" Herrera, Panda Inn reopens, chicories
3/7/2025
The story behind the famous orange chicken at Panda Express and more!
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Duration:00:59:45
Ramadan, the new who’s who in national food policy, seed oils
2/28/2025
Karen E. Fisher shares stories of Ramadan at Zaatari, the world's largest Syrian refugee camp located in Jordan. Helena Bottemiller Evich introduces the new administration's appointments charged to “Make America Healthy Again.” Dr. Christopher Gardener drops some wisdom about seed oil. Caroline Eden reflects on her travels through Central Asia and Eastern Europe and considers how the kitchen is a unique space to tell human stories.
Duration:00:59:36
Homestyle Chinese cooking, spiny lobster, makgeolli
2/21/2025
Eat Thai street food and maple tofu sticks while sipping makgeolli.
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Duration:00:59:37
Lab-grown chocolate, bird flu, beans, egg substitutes
2/14/2025
From chocolate grown in a petri dish to the latest updates on bird flu, this is a sciencey episode along with a few beans, lemons and eggs.
Find all the recipes and sign up for our weekly newsletter on the Good Food site!
Duration:00:59:39
Dates, candied fruit, maple syrup
2/7/2025
We explore candied fruit, small-batch cookies, how to make maple syrup and an ancient fruit — the date.
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Duration:00:59:37
League of Kitchens, immigration raids, Indonesian cooking
1/31/2025
An Altadena bar owner works to be a good neighbor while a cooking school taps home chefs from around the globe.
More at KCRW.com/GoodFood. And sign up for our newsletter!
Duration:00:59:27
Post-fire soil safety, Lunar New Year, fine China
1/24/2025
New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi follows a Haviland pattern of china that has set the table for five generations of women. LA transplant Vanessa Anderson, aka The Grocery Goblin on Tiktok, documents the city by visiting its markets. Julia Van Soelen Kim shares advice for gardeners concerned about how ash from the Palisades and Eaton fires might impact their crops. Mother and daughter Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Riddle prepare for the Lunar New Year with recipes from their new cookbook. Chef Travis Hayden lost his home in the Palisades Fire but is finding time to feed first responders and other fire victims.
Duration:00:59:45
Eaton and Palisades Fires: Wildfire aid and the road to recovery
1/17/2025
We all saw it unfold in real time, some of us from our phones, others witnessing the devastation firsthand. Our beautiful, complicated, and geographically vast Los Angeles has been brought to its knees. Our heart goes out to everyone who finds themselves struggling and unmoored through all the types of loss, whether it be family, a home or a neighborhood. As the days have passed, one aspect of this tragedy has kept us going — the extraordinary kindness and generosity of the citizens of Los Angeles.
This week, we speak with those affected by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, and those who have selflessly stepped up to help. Wendy Escobedo of World Central Kitchen explains how the organization mobilizes — with a little help from chefs and restaurateurs like Roy Choi, Kim Prince, and Greg Dulan — to feed evacuees and first responders. Christine Moore, owner of Little Flower in Pasadena, fought flames in her neighborhood and is now feeding the community while navigating her own displacement. Dina Samson offers perspective on how the fires are impacting LA's already struggling hospitality industry. Teddy and Andy Leonard, owners of The Reel Inn in Malibu, look back on their restaurant, which succumbed to fire after 36 years of selling seafood on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Duration:00:59:36
Seaweed, dining predictions, plant-forward cooking
1/10/2025
Julia Child reporting fellow Gabriela Glueck heads to Humboldt to speak with a community of seaweed evangelists. Brant Cox plays soothsayer and predicts what's on trend for restaurants in 2025. Joe Yonan proves that plant-based cooking is anything but boring. Heidi Pickman outlines the new licensing steps for home cooks who want to legally prepare foods to sell. "What if we slowed down and savored flavors, smells, and textures?" asks Betsy Andrews while considering the science behind pacing ourselves.
Duration:00:59:45
René Redzepi and Michael Pollan
1/3/2025
In this excerpt from The Treatment, chef René Redzepi unpacks the complicated history of global ingredients in "Omnivore," an eight-part series for Apple+. Known for his examination of nature on the plate, Michael Pollan alters consciousness in this clip from Life Examined.
Duration:00:58:32
The Best of Good Food – 2024
12/27/2024
The Good Food team — host Evan Kleiman and producers Gillian Ferguson, Laryl Garcia, and Elina Shatkin — choose their favorite segments of the year. Nicola Twilley takes a cold plunge into the history of refrigeration. Chef Fadi Kattan is on a mission to document and share Palestinian foods, traditions, and the work of home cooks. Filmmaker Peter Byck casts a lens on the maverick farmers and scientists working to solve the climate crisis. In her latest docuseries, Pati Jinich showcases the politics, culture, and cuisine of the US/Mexico borderlands.
Duration:00:59:32
Kwanzaa, Shabbat, meat pies, cake
12/20/2024
Restaurant critic Bill Addison recruited Jenn Harris to help him divide and conquer as they determined LA's best restaurants. Culinary historian Jessica B. Harris lays out the symbolism and traditions of Kwanzaa. Adeena Sussman continues her mother's tradition of Shabbat and shares a recipe for her grandmother's potato kugel. Chef Brian Polcyn knows his way around a meat pie. Rose Levy Beranbaum preaches the glory of cake.
Duration:00:59:32
Aged eggnog, women and cocktails, liqueurs
12/13/2024
Food scholar Darra Goldstein traces the lineage of early fermented beverages, which were offered to deities and used in rituals. Sociologist Nicola Nice takes a look at how women brought the cocktail home. Lesley Jacobs Solmonson explains how liqueurs went from the hands of the apothecary to those of the mixologist. Balo Orozco shops the farmers' markets to make seasonal shrubs.
Duration:00:48:05
Gifting cookbooks, Southern foodways, Japanese cooking
12/6/2024
Reporter Jessica Roy delivers the bad news about those plastic kitchen utensils. Anne Byrn composes an exhaustive guide on Southern baking. Chef Ashleigh Shanti goes beyond cast iron fried chicken and cornbread in exploring Black influences on Southern foodways. Local cooking instructor and food writer Sonoko Sakai explains the deep meaning of "Japanese in style" cuisine. Celia Sack of Omnivore Books reveals her favorite cookbooks of the year for everyone on your list.
Duration:00:59:36
Vegging out over the long weekend
11/29/2024
Director Tran Anh Hung and actress Juliette Binoche discuss the recipe for subtle seduction in The Taste of Things. On the 20th anniversary of Sideways, Hitching Post owner Frank Ostini reflects on changes in the Santa Ynez Valley. Filmmaker Jason Wise joins Vahe Keushguerian in a conversation about making wine from Iranian grapes for the first time in half a century. Zimbabwean winemaker Tinashe Nyamoduka strives to demystify the vine and promote inclusivity. Nathan Park talks about the link between the Academy Award-winning film Parasite and fried chicken.
Duration:00:59:36
Turkey, wine, pumpkin pie – it must be Thanksgiving
11/22/2024
Evan Kleiman taps flavor scientist Arielle Johnson to co-host Good Food's annual Thanksgiving episode. Food science writer Harold McGee breaks down brining, spice, and the best way to prep that giant Thanksgiving bird. Khushbu Shah forgoes the turkey for squash filled with biryani, a tikka masala-inspired mac and cheese, and Mexican food. Homemade cranberry sauce is all about the crackle and pop for Harold McGee. Sommelier Ian Krupp goes beyond Beaujolais in his Thanksgiving wine pairings. Arielle Johnson opts for two types of cardamom in her pumpkin pie recipe. Brian Polcyn assembles the perfect pot pie with turkey leftovers.
Duration:00:58:14
