This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca and Sal dig into the biggest story in food media: the latest round of layoffs at Eater. With reporters like Jaya Saxena and Amy McCarthy let go and LA’s newsroom slimmed down, what does this mean for local food journalism, restaurant coverage, and the future of dining media in Los Angeles? We also debate whether influencer content and guides like The Infatuation can really replace in-depth reporting, and whether there’s a path forward for food journalism in LA.

Plus: our signature Chef’s Kiss or Big Miss segment—covering everything from the rise of tableside carts and Florence’s iconic Pino’s Sandwiches opening in Los Feliz, to Anajak Thai’s renovations, Netflix’s new Next Gen Chef competition, and the return of the Gelato Festival World Masters.

If you care about LA’s dining scene, the role of food critics and journalists, and the culture wars playing out in restaurants, this episode is for you.

The LA Food Podcast is powered by Acquired Taste Media. Be sure to check out our sister shows: Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip. And don’t forget to rate and review!

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Today’s LA Food Podcast is a first — our debut three-part episode. First up, host Luca Servodio breaks down the week’s biggest food stories, from Eleven Madison Park’s bold new pivot to Bill Addison’s glowing RVR review and how Ozempic is reshaping restaurant menus. He also sings the praises of recent meals at Budonoki, Lasita and Teddy’s Red Tacos. Then, LA Chef Con founder Brad Metzger joins us to preview the October 6 event at Redbird and Vibiana, bringing together the city’s top chefs and industry leaders. Finally, our headliner: Michael Voltaggio, the Top Chef season 6 winner, bad boy of molecular gastronomy, and creative force behind restaurants like ink. and The Bazaar. We revisit his groundbreaking career, unpack how the 2010s put LA fine dining on the global map, and explore why he’s still relentlessly pushing culinary boundaries.The LA Food Podcast is powered by Acquired Taste Media. Be sure to check out our sister shows: Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip. And don’t forget to rate and review!

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Chef Daniel Patterson has lived more culinary lives than most chefs could dream of. From earning multiple Michelin stars at San Francisco’s Coi, to shaking up the fast-food world with Roy Choi and Keith Corbin at Locol, to now hosting a 12-seat tasting menu out of his own home, Patterson’s journey is as unconventional as it is influential. Ahead of opening his new LA restaurant Jaca in the former Son of a Gun space, he joins us for a deeply personal conversation on mental health, why tasting menus still matter, and what it means to create work that truly lasts.

But first—Father Sal returns to unpack Joe Rosenthal’s bombshell exposé on YouTube mega-chef Joshua Weissman, featuring allegations of recipe plagiarism, toxic workplaces, sexual harassment, and more. Is Weissman just another ego-driven chef—or something darker?

In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we’re talking Nancy Silverton’s Korean-Italian pasta bar, a radical new hospitality business model in Sonoma, the heartbreaking closure of LA Cha Cha Chá, and yes… breast milk–flavored ice cream.

If you care about food, restaurants, and the messy, fascinating people behind them, this is your episode.

The LA Food Podcast is powered by Acquired Taste Media. Be sure to check out our sister shows: Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip. And don’t forget to rate and review!

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

Elon Musk’s space-age Tesla Diner has been grabbing headlines—but when activist group Tesla Takedown staged a protest, it forced the media to look beyond burgers and milkshakes. This week on The LA Food Podcast, SF Gate’s Karen Palmer joins host Luca Servodio to explore how food writers should approach stories where dining intersects with politics, labor, and activism. Should they just stick to the food—or dig deeper?

Plus: Karen teases her new feature on California’s barbecue boom, and in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we unpack:

• The influencer scandal that shut down a restaurant

• A spicy New York Times review that reads like a political takedown

• And a potential happy ending for LA institution Cole’s French Dip
  

The LA Food Podcast is powered by Acquired Taste Media. Be sure to check out our sister shows: Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip. And don’t forget to rate and review!

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

On today’s episode of The LA Food Podcast, we’re diving into the culinary comeback of Palm Springs. Once dismissed as a “culinary wasteland,” the desert is now attracting big-name chefs like Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, and Richard Blais — and perhaps no opening captures that momentum better than The Thompson Palm Springs. We explore how this stunning hotel on Palm Canyon is transforming the local dining scene with bold new restaurants like Lola Rose Grande Mezze, Bar Issi, and Hall Napa Valley, plus buzzy food events and chef collabs that are finally giving the Coachella Valley its due.

Plus, in a very special twist, Luca is joined by his wife as guest co-host — and let’s just say she might be coming for Father Sal’s spot.

In Chef’s Kiss Big Miss, we react to the opening of Elon Musk’s Tesla Diner, the In-N-Out heiress Lynsi Snyder’s California exit, the just-announced destination for Top Chef Season 23, and the epic return of LA Chef Con.

Listen to our sister shows Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip, and don’t forget to leave us a review.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

Downtown LA just lost a legend. This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re joined by Cole’s French Dip owner Cedd Moses and Independent Hospitality Coalition’s Eddie Navarrete to unpack why this 117-year-old icon is closing—and what it reveals about the crisis facing LA restaurants. Eddie also shares what fixes at the city and state level could provide real relief, and how diners can help stop the bleeding.

Before that, Luca and Father Sal break down the top LA dining trends of 2025 so far—no year-end list required. There’s Bar Everything, supper clubs galore, collab overload, and much, much, more.

Then in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss:

• A $1B hot chicken chain, per The LA Times’ Stephanie Breijo

• Tejal Rao reviews Mori Nozomi for The New York Times, introducing us to the concept of “bromakase”

• Punch awards a LA-based bartender for their tea-based cocktails

• Eater’s Bettina Makalintal covers the surprising rise of protein-packed Uncrustables, questioning whether MAHA has ruined everything

• New York Magazine’s Adam Platt confirms what we’ve all always known - restaurants use too much salt

The LA Food Podcast is powered by Acquired Taste Media. Don’t forget to check out our sister shows Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip, and leave us a review wherever you pod.

Santa Monica’s dining scene wouldn’t be what it is without Chef Raphael Lunetta. This week on The LA Food Podcast, host Luca Servodio sits down with the legendary chef behind Lunetta, Marelle, and the iconic JiRaffe to reflect on nearly 40 years in the kitchen. From pioneering California cuisine alongside Josiah Citrin to becoming a regular haunt for Larry David (yes, Curb Your Enthusiasm fans, this one’s for you), Lunetta shares stories, insights, and what keeps him inspired.

Plus: the shocking closure of Cole’s after 117 years, the return of Gladstone’s, the El Gato Night Market, and a farewell to The Angel—one of LA’s most essential independent food publications. Oh, and Luca issues a heartfelt apology to Evan Funke.

Also check out our sister shows Taqueando with Bill Esparza and Let It Rip, the companion pod for FX’s The Bear.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

🎆 Happy Fourth from The LA Food Podcast! This week, we go stars over stripes as Michelin unveils its 2025 California Guide — and LA finally joins the 3-star club (shout out Somni and Providence). Father Sal joins Luca to break down the historic wins for Somni and Providence, and ask: has the Michelin Guide fundamentally changed LA dining since its 2019 return?

Plus: a deep dive into Chef Daniel Patterson’s new Jaca Social Club and what it reveals about his upcoming fine-dining project on West Third. In Chef’s Kiss Big Miss: Maido AKA best restaurant in the world, Noma’s LA residency, the “hot people food map,” Beli saves Gen Z, Jenn Harris on trompe l’oeil desserts, and Tejal Rao’s first review as the NYT’s new chief critic.

In Part 2, we preview Let It Rip — our brand new Bear companion podcast with the crew from Compliments to the Chef. Whether you’re watching Season 4 or not, it’s a podcast about food, friendship, and chaos in the kitchen.

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods