“Las Vegas’ celebrated chef-driven food festival, “Vegas Unstripped,” will return to the Palms Casino Resort pool deck on Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 6 to 9:00 p.m. Produced by The Feast of Friends, the annual event brings together many of Las Vegas’ most acclaimed and inventive chefs and bartenders for a one-night-only culinary showcase. Each participant debuts an original dish or cocktail created exclusively for the evening, offering guests a rare opportunity to experience the city’s diverse culinary talent in a single, immersive setting.” Participating chef, Johnny Church of Johnny C’s Catering and a Food Network “Chopped” Champion, joins us to unwrap all the specifics. “Masters of Taste, Los Angeles’ premier outdoor luxury food and beverage festival, returns for its eagerly anticipated eighth annual event, taking place on Sunday, April 19, 2026, from 3 to 7:00 p.m. once again on the field of the iconic Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium. 100% of the proceeds will directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a non-profit organization providing over 50 years of homeless services and housing for thousands of neighbors.” John Sungkamee the Founder and Owner of Emporium Thai (Westwood) and the newly opened Emporium Thai Market (Sawtelle) is our guest to preview his participation in Masters of Taste. “This past week Ment’or (Manhattan-based) orchestrated the 2026 Young Chef and Commis Competitions on April 16, 2026, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, presented by The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Designed to cultivate the next generation of great American chefs, these competitions offer meaningful professional opportunities for young cooks and provide unparalleled exposure to some of the country’s most respected culinary figures. Influencing and inspiring the next generation is core to the mission of Ment’or, which was founded by renowned chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse.” Ment’or’s long-time Executive Director, Young Yun, joins us with the recap. “The success of Pizza City Fest proves that Los Angeles is in fact a Pizza City. For its fourth consecutive year, the two-day pizza-focused celebration will be held atop the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE on April 25th to 26th and spotlight the best pizzerias in Los Angeles and beyond. Pizza City Fest highlights the area’s vast pizza landscape and the diverse talents of the region’s top pizza makers. Aficionados and casual pizza fans alike will have the exclusive opportunity to taste unlimited offerings from 20 premier artisans, plus a pair of dessert options, each day. The pizzerias will be serving up a variety of toppings, sauces and pizza styles including: Neapolitan, Chicago Tavern-style, New York-style, Artisan, Grandma Pie, Detroit-style, New Haven Apizza, L.A.-style and more.” Old Gold Tomato Pies which started as a modest roving pop-up and now has a busy storefront in Los Feliz is one of the Saturday participants. We’ll meet pizzaiolo Chef Jeffrey Vance. For our concluding segment at 11:45 a.m. our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. There is a new Food Pyramid out from the US Department of Agriculture & The Department of Health and Human Services. Chef Andrew further unwraps the complexity for us (with what we really need to know) and also provides the historical perspective. What does it all mean for how we should be eating? (Continued from last week.) All of this and heaping helpings of extra deliciousness on this week’s not-to-miss show!
