Hello Friends,

I hope you're taking time for yourself, family, and friends this holiday weekend and that you made at least one dish that was new to your kitchen. If you did, I'd love to hear about it. Is it finally summer? It sure feels like it. If you find yourself looking for a way to cool off in the coming days, why not try the icy cold Korean Fruit Punch aka Hwachae that went viral last summer? I talked to Madeleine Brand about it on this week's Press Play. My bowl has watermelon, cherries, strawberries, peaches, milk, strawberry ice cream, and ice, of course. It's the epitome of what a fruit bowl looks like when it gets really dressed up to quench. I'm bringing a new book along.

I'm driving up toward Monterey this week to visit with a group of high school friends. I'm bringing Sweet Selma's Bagel and house-made cream cheese with me. I also ate at Elf Cafe this week. It was one of the most satisfying meals I've had in a long time. And since we were so close to Quarter Sheets we had to drive on over to pick up a slice of Hannah's Princess Cake and her Seasonal Peach Crumble Pie. Then I found myself out in Rosemead looking at kitchen cabinets; so I headed over to Sea Harbor for lunch. A good week for eating.

It's become a tradition for the Good Food team to put together a show collecting a few of the interviews we've done with folks who went on to win a James Beard Award. We may not have won our category this time around but it is always wonderful to cheer on our mega-talented colleagues. So, welcome to Good Food's 2024 James Beard Award winners show! Cookbook authors Hetty Liu McKinnon, Abi Balingit, Sohla El-Waylly, Jason Hammel, and local restaurant Kuya Lord. That's me and Abi above. Isn't that hat fabulous!?

Evan

More than three decades after her father passed away, Hetty Liu McKinnon honors him with a tender cookbook about his legacy and her love of vegetables. She won the Beard for her book Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds.

Abi Balingit is a self-described "dork who baked," who turned her passion into a cookbook of Filipino desserts. Pictured above is her polveron. She adds color and flavor using freeze-dried fruits. Abi won the Emerging Voice award for her book Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts, Remixed.

Becoming a chef wasn't in Jason Hammel's plan but he's been operating Chicago's Lula Cafe, a leader in the hospitality industry for years. It's entirely deserved that he won the Beard for Outstanding Hospitality. I so love the introduction to his book, The Lula Cafe Cookbook that I wanted to talk to him about his thoughts on hospitality.

Sohla El-Waylly is an amazing teacher on many platforms. She shares knowledge about everything from the peanut brittle above to the recipe for Seared and Braised Chicken Thighs (button below). Sohla won the Beard for her cookbook. Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook.

Lord Maynard Llera had a dream to open a humble Filipino noodle shop, so he started hosting occasional pop-ups around Los Angeles. Then came the pandemic and Llera transformed Kuya Lord into a full-tilt takeout venture, operating from the garage of his La Cañada Flintridge home. Last summer, he went legit and debuted a storefront at the corner of Melrose and Western Avenues. That's a photo of his Oxtail Kare Kare.