Newsletter: In the Kitchen: Feeding a community

L.A. Kitchen's Raquel Sendejas learns to flip onions during a class.

Aug. 19, 2015 12:05 AM PT

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Food is about more than simply cooking and eating. It’s also about community and taking care of each other. Two very different stories this week point that out: one about an idea that looks like it’s going to be a major success and another that comes from failure.

But we don’t want to sell cooking short. Learn to sizzle a steak from chef David LeFevre. Discover some new favorite recipes for frozen desserts. Gain a new appreciation for old-time sangria. And learn more about a contender for summer’s best vegetable. (Look out, tomato!)

Looking for something fun and delicious to do over Labor Day weekend? Join me at the Los Angeles Times' The Taste at Paramount Pictures Studios, where I'll be hosting "Field to Fork" on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more information, please click here.

— Russ Parsons

Turning wasted food into gold

Wasted food, lack of cooking skills and hungry senior citizens are three of the biggest problems we face today. And L.A. Kitchen, a new organization just north of downtown, is trying to solve all three of them. It’s a holistic approach to charity that Robert Egger used to great success when founding the DC Central Kitchen in Washington, and he believes it will work even better here.

Out of business, but no hard feelings

Usually when a company goes out of business, bad feelings abound. But when the founders of specialty food delivery system Good Eggs abruptly closed down earlier this month, even though it hurt their business, most of its purveyors actually sounded grateful to have had the experience. Credit it to building a community.

Cracked Cookies served at Red Bread bakery, which used to do nearly 100% of its business through the delivery service Good Eggs.

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Selling the sizzle

What’s the secret to a great steak? According to this video with David LeFevre, chef and owner of the new Arthur J steakhouse as well as a couple of other popular restaurants in Manhattan Beach, it’s pretty simple: a hot, heavy pan, a great piece of beef, and paying attention to details.

Chef David LeFevre with his finished prime rib-eye.

Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times

Cool it

We got a taste of triple-digit temperatures this weekend, but veteran Angelenos know that the hottest temperatures of the year often come in September and October. As always, we want you to be prepared. So Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter came up with a half-dozen of her favorite frozen desserts, and wine writer S. Irene Virbila investigated the resurgence of sangria.

Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

What we’re reading

Sushi, we all remember, is a modern taste in this country. Not so fast. In a fascinating story, H.D. Miller, who blogs under Eccentric Culinary, recounts the great American sushi craze of 1905.

There aren’t many people who know Florence as well as Faith Willinger does. Her “Eating in Italy” guidebook has long been an indispensable tool for anyone visiting that country. And this week she took to her blog to share her favorite eating experiences in that lovely city.

Check out the thousands of recipes on our Recipe Database.