Heading back to school
Do you have all your back-to-school planning/shopping done yet? The mad rush into fall has already started, leaving many of us wondering: Where did the summer go? If you’re a parent of a little one, chances are you’re going to have to pack more than a few lunches this year. This week, L.A. chefs, who also happen to be lunch-packing parents, offer some helpful tips and tricks.
If you’re looking for something to pack for dessert, Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter has a guide for how to make the best brownies ever. Maybe whip up a batch for that next school bake sale. And I check in with a 16-year-old chef who, in between high school, student council and a hit TV show, is working at a professional Culver City kitchen.
If you’re sending kids to college, you want to make sure they can fend for themselves. Why not send them off with a cookbook or two? Food editor Amy Scattergood has some suggestions: a little Irma S. Rombauer, and maybe some Julia Child to go with all that Dostoevsky.
PACKING A LUNCH
Food writer Lesley Suter reports on the dishes Los Angeles chefs are preparing and packing for their kids’ lunches. What do République chefs Walter and Margarita Manzke put in their kids’ lunchboxes? Torn up, very good rotisserie chicken from the restaurant, with some brown rice. Find out what Curtis Stone, Jet Tila, Karen and Quinn Hatfield and Suzanne Goin pack for their kids.
HE’S A BUSY KID
When it comes time to write his college essays, 16-year-old Holden Dahlerbruch will have plenty to say. Not only has he starred in the show “Man vs. Child Chef Showdown” on FYI, he has sold out three pop-up dinners, stages at the Wallace restaurant in Culver City, works on food trucks in Los Angeles and in Sacramento, is on the sailing team at school, on student council and is involved in a host of other activities. I caught up with him (tried to) during his full-day shift at the Wallace.
OFF TO COLLEGE
Amy has some suggestions for the books you should send your kid to college with. She writes: Start with two cookbooks like encyclopedias, cookbooks that could jump-start the kitchen of the post-apocalyptic world: Irma S. Rombauer’s classic “Joy of Cooking” and our modern, slightly more irreverent version, Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.”
MAKING THE ULTIMATE BROWNIES
Noelle takes a deep dive into brownies this week with her guide to making the ultimate brownies. From flour ratios, to the type of chocolate used to the texture of the finished product, she’s got you covered.
AT THE MARKET
A summer favorite, mounds of corn are piling up at market stands. Noelle has some ideas for what to do with it, including a batch of skillet cornbread.
The Taste, our annual Labor Day food festival (this one is three days, not a whole month!) is returning to Paramount Studios. Check out the lineup, the demos and panels, the chefs and bartenders, and of course all the food. Tickets are on sale.
Goldbot: You can now talk to Jonathan Gold any time you want — or at least the robot version of him that now lives on Facebook Messenger. You can ask Goldbot for a personal restaurant recommendation based on location, type of food or price. The bot will also deliver Jonathan Gold’s latest reviews straight to your device.
The Daily Meal, the food and drink website under the editorial direction of Colman Andrews, is now one of our partners. Check out their city food guides, restaurant lists, food stories, recipes and videos.
Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers and now features his 2016 Best Restaurants. If you didn’t get a copy of the booklet, you can order one online here.
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