Lifestyle

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register (March 11, 2016). The annual World of Pinot Noir took place March 4 and 5 at Bacara Resort in...

23 March, 2016
Guest Post By Grazia Caroselli The ultimate meal that foodies the world over have been waiting years for is finally here! Not to a restaurant near you, but to a neighborhood movie theater near you. city of gold poster CITY OF GOLD is a tasty documentary on Jonathon Gold, the first food critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. It satisfies cravings on all five senses. Laura Gabbert’s feature-length film expertly succeeds in sharing Gold’s favorite hard-to-find, tiny mom-and-pop restaurants in L.A.’s deepest ethnic neighborhoods. She mixes cinematic tools like a chef mixes fine ingredients to create a perfect dish. Close-ups of succulent food combinations sizzle and take us into the heat. Sounds of the street pop and mingle under lively sequences of the city in action underscored by a diverse original score by Bobby Johnson. The camera rides right alongside Jonathon in his green pick-up truck as he traverses scrappy roads to get us to his favorite far-flung discoveries. Slo-mo aerials glide over snarled L.A. freeway traffic lanes at twilight, turning rear lights into mesmerizing red rivers below.  We get a peek into the authentic Los Angeles that has taken him years to lovingly, painstakingly uncover with his passionate palate.
21 March, 2016

I was introduced to Thrive Algae Oil by my friend, Chef Marisa Churchill, author of the cookbook “Sweet & Skinny” and a former Top Chef...

18 March, 2016
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register (January 22, 2016) Growing up in Napa Valley surrounded by grapevines, Will Phelps did not envision his future working in the family wine business. At an intimate library dinner at the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, Phelps, who charmed the audience with his good looks and friendly manner, said, “I was the most rebellious. I wanted nothing to do with this predestined life when I was a child.” Will Phelps Despite his childhood objection, Phelps is carrying on the family tradition as the third generation at the winery. For the past three and a half years, Phelps, grandson of winery founder Joe Phelps and son of winery president Bill Phelps, has been a sales representative for his family’s winery. But he was not handed the position just because he wanted it. Once he decided he wanted to work at the winery, he had to spend his time earning the position.
03 February, 2016
Kurdish cuisine in Agoura Hills, California (Conejo Valley). I am sure there are two things giving you pause in that sentence. Kurdish food in Agoura Hills? Probably not the first thing that would come to your mind when you think of Agoura. Or maybe you are just thinking, what is Kurdish cuisine? Kurdish food was born in the mountains between Mesopotamia and Persia. The Kurds, an ancient people, can be found in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Armenia and Georgia. The diversity in the food varies according to country where the Kurdish live, but in essence, it is Middle Eastern cuisine. There are aspects of Arab, Turkish, Armenian, Syria and Persian cuisine but Kurdish cuisine uses more fresh herbs, subtle spices and lots of vegetables. Niroj, pronounced "nirough" and meaning "new day", is located just off the 101 freeway at Reyes Adobe. Tucked in the back of a strip mall, next to a cleaners, dental office, hair salan, nail salan, Irish restaurant and a Kosher pizza place, a Kurdish restaurant is not what you would expect. Niroj Kurdish Cuisine Niroj is the only Kurdish restaurant in Southern California and the only Kurish fine dining in the entire Western part of USA. Opened February 2013, Niroj is the creation of Luqman Barwari, a Kurd originally from Iran. Barwari came to the US at the age of eighteen and worked as a molecular biologist for many years. He established his family in the Conejo Valley and when he was laid off from his job in the sciences, he began studying Kurdish cuisine. From 2006 to 2011, Barwari would go to the Kurdish area in the Southeast region of Turkey and immerse himself in the cuisine.
01 February, 2016
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