Hello Friends,

The week started strong with a gathering of KCRW Champions at a special tasting of non-alcoholic beverages and paired bites organized for us at Kato. Big thanks to GM Nikki Reginaldo, Bar Director Austin Hennelly, and the rest of the staff for coming out on a night off to share their knowledge and hospitality. The work they do blows me away. Here's more about their non-alcoholic pairing. Speaking of Champions, if you're a KCRW Champion donor, you could be walking the streets of Rome with me in October sharing delicious meals and having incredible experiences. If you're intrigued and want more info reach out to developmentevents@kcrw.org. 

Maybe it's the hot then cold again weather we're experiencing, or perhaps it was the latest COVID booster I got, but my energy began to flag mid-week. I've kept up my will to live by nibbling on an excellent Easter Colomba from Biasetto. It was a gift, and with its crumbly pearl-sugar-cylinders and whole almond-studded top, it's a perfect treat to have with afternoon tea. A dinner at Cento with friends was the get-together I needed. Good food and laugh-cries are necessary to modern life. Everything was delicious but I can't stop thinking about the farro salad. I look forward to experiencing Chef de Cuisine Andrew Ponce's Mexican pop-up a tí Los Angeles.

Scroll down for information on this week's show segments and lots of chicken recipes.

Thank you, Evan

Although she has lived abroad most of her life, Gaza is where journalist and activist Laila El-Haddad calls home. Growing up, and as an adult, she would visit Gaza to spend time with her extended family. More recently, El-Haddad wrote an essay for Saveur — "A Cuisine Under Siege" — about keeping her family's recipes alive, as well as an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times about trying to find solace during Ramadan. If you don't have time to listen to the segment, please read the transcript.

Growing up in San Francisco, Toriano Gordon always had big dreams. He was either going to be a big-time rapper or a famous chef. But life got in the way. After a stint studying at Le Cordon Bleu, he ended up on the streets where he fell into drugs and addiction and experienced a brush with death. As he put his life back together, he and his wife decided to try veganism — even though he yearned to open a barbecue restaurant. That's how he launched Vegan Mob, initially selling plates from his car. His cookbook shares his recipes for big flavor vegan soul.

Last summer, on our way out to Joshua Tree for our camping episode, the Good Food crew stopped at La Copine, a bustling little restaurant in Yucca Valley, for a last meal before leaving civilization behind. We had a salad, a shrimp roll, grits, and fried potatoes, among other dishes. We've been recommending the restaurant ever since. Don't trust us? Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison also finds a lot to love at this spot,

The 2024 edition of Good Food's PieFest & Contest has a few new categories including one just for berry pies. It's a large grouping with plenty of variety — strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, marionberry, mulberry, cloudberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, elderberry, lingonberry, olallieberry, boomberry, etc. You get the idea. But berries can be tricky. Nobody knows that like Clémence De Lutz, the founder of the Gourmandise School in Santa Monica. What does she recommend for making the best berry pies? Take a listen. Go to their website for excellent advice and recipes.

Intrigued by green almonds? Get them as soon as you can. This hyper-seasonal California ingredient only shows up at farmers markets for a few weeks each spring. "At this point when they're pretty young, you can eat the whole thing," says Justin Siemens of Fat Uncle Farms in Wasco. They're soft, fuzzy, and sage green with a tart, bitter flavor profile. If you eat the whole thing, it's crunchy but inside, the kernel is not tart at all. In fact, it has a soft, almost jelly-like consistency, similar to a cucumber. "It's a totally different almond experience," Siemens says. Listen for ideas on how to eat them.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. In this case, you're the winner! Enjoy this assortment of chicken recipes from our archive of interviews with cookbook authors.