Show 447, October 16, 2021: Show Preview with Executive Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris

SoCal Restaurant Show

“Otium, launched in late 2015 and recently reopened, is a contemporary restaurant that draws from the rich culinary heritage of Chef Timothy Hollingsworth (ex-The French Laundry.) It is designed to be a social restaurant with an open kitchen merging indoor and outdoor spaces. The restaurant’s name, Otium, has its roots in Latin, a word that is meant to emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities.” We pull Proprietor & Chef Timothy Hollingsworth away from forming the sweet potato agnolotti in his busy kitchen for a visit.

Modernist Pizza by Nathan Myhrvold and Chef Francisco Migoya is the result of 200,000 hours of work by the incredibly talented team of culinary professionals and food scientists at Modernist Cuisine. “It’s the ultimate deep dive into one of the world’s most beloved foods. Over four years of research in the making, Modernist Pizza delivers the story of pizza as it’s never been told before. The book is the culmination of Modernist Cuisine’s findings and discoveries into the deliciously diverse world of pizza, including, for the first time, a chapter on travel.” Chef Francisco Migoya joins us pizza peel in hand.

The Gas Co is again providing a number of genuinely useful services to Chefs and Restaurateurs. The Energy Resource Center in Downey offers small group demonstrations, equipment testing and tours. The Gas Co features their “Try Before You Buy” program out of the Energy Resource Center. Their Commercial Service Techs provide maintenance tips and repair services to restaurant operators (typically at no charge.) The Gas Co. offers outreach to restaurant and foodservice operators to receive rebates on qualified gas equipment purchases. Representing SoCal Gas with an informative overview of all of these efforts is Gina Christian, Foodservice Technical Specialist and Vendor Outreach and Carmen Oliver, Customer Programs Advisor II.

“Sella & Mosca winery was founded in 1899 by two Piemontese businessmen, Erminio Sella and Edgardo Mosca, revered to this day for their prominent roles in the Risorgimento (Italy’s 19th-century unification movement). It was their love of unexplored terrains that led Sella, an engineer, and Mosca, a lawyer, to venture to Sardinia and start a winery on this idyllic island. European vineyards were just starting to recover from a devastating Phylloxera infestation and Sella and Mosca had an ambitious plan to reclaim the vineyards in the area known as I Piani. Today, Sella & Mosca’s I Piani estate in Sardinia is the second largest contiguous vineyard in Italy and counts itself among the country’s most impressive wineries. Situated in the northwest corner of Sardinia, just inland from the historic port of Alghero, this 1,600-acre property with more than 1,200 acres of vines is one of the largest wine estates in Europe. Designated a DOC in 1995, Alghero is characterized by its iron-rich limestone, clay and sandy soils. In addition to the I Piani estate, Sella & Mosca also has vineyards in Sulcis DOC and Gallura DOCG.” Joining us to uncork all that is Sella & Mosca is Alfonso Gagliano, Brand Manager USA for Sella & Mosca winery.

Our own Chef Andrew Gruel of the Slapfish Restaurant Group provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where Chef Andrew responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. First Chef Andrew previews his “Ultimate Lobster Roll” how-to video available on YouTube. Chef Andrew then updates us on the impact to the area fisheries of the pipeline oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach. He’ll also provide a status report on the ongoing labor shortage in the restaurant business.

All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!

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