On Today's Show: CRNtalk.com
Larry Lipson - Costa Rica Wine Correspondent
Larry Lipson co-hosts "What's Cooking?"a restaurant, wine and food talk show that airs from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesdays nationally on Cable Radio Network (CRN) and National Radio Network (NRN), heard locally on KPXN-TV (ITV) Channel 30 SAP; Time Warner Santa Monica on C 74 SAP; Time Warner San Fernando Valley on Channel 1/97 SAP and 25; Time Warner West Valley on Channel 6 SAP and 960; AT&T on Channel 6 in the Valley and Channel 44 SAP in Los Angeles; Charter Communications on Channel 33 SAP; Time Warner Lancaster on Channel 37; Time Warner Simi Valley on Channel 8; Charter in Hidden Hills/Malibu/Agoura on cable FM 97.5; Avenue TV Cable Ventura on Channel 83; Charter San Gabriel Valley on Channel 34 SAP and Channel 56; Time Warner Canyon Country on Channel 960; Time Warner South Pasadena on Channel 6 and 960.
Aziz Ansari - "Parks & Recreation"
Thursdays on NBC (8:30-9 p.m. ET) Stars as Tom Haverford, the self-serving colleague of Leslie Knope (series star Amy Poehler) in the new NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation." The new series is a half-hour mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. Ansari is poised for 2009 to be his breakout year with a new television series, a trio of films, and a headlining comedy tour. Before the new series premieres, Ansari will appear in a handful of features. He recently began production on Judd Apatow’s upcoming comedy "Funny People," opposite Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, and also has roles in "I Love You, Man" with Paul Rudd, and opposite Rogen and Anna Faris in "Observe and Report." Ansari is best known for his role on MTV’s hit sketch comedy series, "Human Giant." The series is based around comedy sketches performed by Ansari, along with Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. Many of their sketches have become Internet sensations and have popularized the trio with young people all across the U.S. Last year, Ansari also had a memorable guest-starring role on "Flight of the Conchords," in which he portrayed a racist fruit vendor. He can also be seen in a multi-episode arc on "Scrubs." Ansari recently announced his "Glow in the Dark" Comedy Standup Tour which will see him criss-cross the country performing his buzzed about standup act. In 2005, Rolling Stone named him their choice for Hot Standup on their annual "Hot List," and he was also awarded the Jury Award for Best Standup at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen in 2006. Ansari currently resides in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Falkner Executive Chef ,Famed Restaurateur, Author
Food Network/Bravo - Elizabeth Falkner is the executive pastry chef and owner of Citizen Cake and executive chef and co-owner of Orson, both restaurants located in San Francisco, California, U.S. Just as wine connoisseurs enjoy pairing wine and food, chocoholics are having a field day pairing chocolate with unusual ingredients. Even the chocolatiers are doing their own pairings: Gourmet Magazine calls it a sort of “chocolate arms race, with chocolatiers trying to one-up each other in outrageousness." (2/11/09). But today’s chocolate makers are experimenting with ingredients far beyond the norm to shake up taste buds. The trend is pairing chocolate with what was considered exotic. Today you might find high end chocolatiers using chili, paprika, and fennel; banana leaf, cauliflower and olives...even bacon and smoked sea salt! And with the economic trend of entertaining at home, hosting a chocolate pairing party is another way to have fun with friends in much the same way you’d host a wine tasting party! When you talk with Elizabeth, she will share some of the hottest trends in chocolate pairing and share a delectable recipe you can whip up in your own kitchen. She’ll also explain how you can try your own hand at a creative chocolate pairing and enter it into the Chocolate Adventure Contest, sponsored by Scharffen Berger® chocolate and TuttieFoodie. “I look forward to seeing how imaginative the entries are this year,” says Elizabeth, who currently has serves as a judge of the contest. “This contest is all about being adventurous and exploring flavor combinations.” Elizabeth Falkner is one of the most recognizable faces of the culinary world, and has been named by Bon Appétit magazine as one of America’s 10 top pastry chefs, including, in 2006, “Pastry Chef of the Year.” Her first cookbook, Demolition Desserts, lays out the elements of many of her contemporary desserts in inventive combinations that are easily accessible to home chefs. With her spiky platinum hair and unstoppable creativity, Elizabeth Falkner has become one of the most recognizable faces of the culinary world on the Food Network, Bravo and beyond. She has been a frequent contestant, judge, and guest on Iron Chef America, Top Chef Masters, Sugar Rush, Tyler’s Ultimate with Tyler Florence, Martha Stewart Living and more. Orson, her second restaurant in San Francisco, follows her original hit, the restaurant/patisserie Citizen Cake. Awarded a recommendation by Michelin in 2007, Citizen Cake has scooped up numerous commendations from media nationwide. Elizabeth herself has received many awards and accolades over the course of her career, including being named by Bon Appétit magazine as one of America’s 10 top pastry chefs and, in 2006, “Pastry Chef of the Year.” San Francisco Magazine hailed her “Best Pastry Chef” several years ago and the San Francisco Chronicle awarded her the moniker of Rising Star Chef in its culinary star-studded city. Her dramatically architectural “cakescapes” and whimsically deconstructed dessert have been featured in dozens of magazines, including Conde Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure. In 2007, Elizabeth’s first cookbook, Demolition Desserts, was published. It lays out the elements of many of her contemporary desserts in inventive combinations that are easily accessible to home chefs.
Becky Sue Epstein/Ed Jackson "The American Lighthouse Cookbook"
A lifestyle writer specializing in food, wine, and travel. Currently based in New England , Epstein is the Senior Editor, Wine and Spirits, for the national lifestyle publication Intermezzo Magazine. Epstein began her food career as a restaurant reviewer for the Los Angeles Times and has written for many publications from Art & Antiques and Food & Wine to Wine Spectator and Yankee Magazine. Ed Jackson is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and has done stages at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, Bradley Ogden at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and Clio Restaurant in Boston . Currently, Jackson is in production on a video cooking series called “Chef Ed Cooks.” He also does private catering and cooking demonstrations at Williams Sonoma. Start with coastal cuisine from all over the U.S. , add a dash of history and legend, mix in the “eat local” movement, and voila! - you have The American Lighthouse Cookbook by Becky Sue Epstein, a veteran food and wine writer, and Ed Jackson, a seasoned chef, available now in bookstores nationwideThe American Lighthouse Cookbook celebrates the local cuisines that have long been the staples of lighthouse keepers and their families. Arranged geographically in eight regions of America, the lighthouses were chosen for their interesting backgrounds and stories. Following the story of each lighthouse is a menu for a modern-day lighthouse meal. Each of the approximately 300 recipes captures the essence of the local foods available to lighthouse keepers from the 1700s through today. Some of the recipes have been contributed by lighthouse societies, inns, and individuals. The rest have been developed by Chef Ed Jackson..