The day began by rushing to Santa Monica to get our film permit - NOT my fault! After a holiday weekend, things were a little backed up, but that mad rush to make it down there and get to Chef Josiah at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market gave us the umph to make it through our last day of filming on the west coast.
Chef Josiah is the owner and executive chef of Melisse Restaurant. This high-end popular haunt has made a name for itself not only because the food is divine (and consistent, adds the chef) but also because it has outlasted the dreaded Hollywood restaurant curse and has been around for 10 glorious years. Our visit at the market quickly showed us why. Chef Josiah Citrin heads to the market in a mini-van used just for this purpose, loaded with 3 sous chefs and a huge cart on wheels. The team arrives and looks over the clipboard for a moment and then, without a blink even necessary, they disappear into the fray to find this week's delights. Josiah explains that he likes to walk around and connect with the farmers, tasting their goods along the way, often sending one of the sous chefs back to grab something not on the list - this week: raw (to die for) peanuts. It is easy to tell why his restaurant is so hugely popular and that is because HE IS!
Virtually every step he would take would be another local, a chef or even Amelia Saltsman, author of the "Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook" stopping to talk to him. And though he had places to go and veggies to taste, he stopped and spoke with every last one of them. He and Amelia mentioned it again - community comes together over food. It just seems to unite everyone at the markets. After 3 hours perusing the fresh food, the team just as quickly loaded everything in the mini-van and took off for the restaurant.
We walk into the kitchen and the amount of chefs has exploded from the 4 at the market to what seems to be 14, running around, all set on their tasks of making the night happen. One person preps and sautes onions, another baking up some magical dessert. Chef Josiah then takes us over to a quiet side of the kitchen and shows us how simply combining a few of the fresh veggies picked out at the market in a bowl, tossing with a light vinaigrette and putting neatly on a plate is a way to get a huge color variety in one's diet, and also retains the enzymes and vitamins contained within. Granted he used very special mushrooms and literally 15 different veggies and placed them all on the plate with special kitchen tweezers, but he insists, though presentation is important, that the magic is in the veggies he selected.
Scott was to be dropped off at the airport soon after the interview, but Steve and I made a reservation to come back later that night. We were just so inspired - and REALLY hungry. Let's just say that the 7 courses we ate were so divine that we floated out of the restaurant. The service is impeccable, again, the chef comes out and speaks to every single one of his patrons and the food had the most sinful texture and flavor one could ever desire. This is a restaurant that everyone must try. It is very evident that every single detail is managed by Chef Josiah and his true talent shows through his success.
A quick In & Out burger break after being teased in the Melisse kitchen and we were off to meet Summer Bowen. She is talented in so many ways (an online store with great Green/recycled goodies http://www.btcelements.com/, a blogger, an educator and an environmentalist) but this visit was prompted by a story I had read about on the blog http://www.greenlagirl.com/. Summer teaches people who live in urban environments how to create their very own apartment gardens. While she undoubtedly cannot create all she eats on this cute, tiny and very green balcony, she accents the foods she buys elsewhere and feels it really gives every dish that special touch. She gets amazing reviews from friends she has over for meals and when they realize her green thumb has provided a portion of what they are eating, they leave both full and inspired.
I left enthused as well. Living in LA, I have great options for farmer's markets but long for a better connection to the dirt as I sit 3-stories above the earth. Summer takes wire hanging baskets and puts in a layer of coconut coir (the brown furry stuff). She then inverts a tomato plant (small tomatoes only) and pushes the little vines through the coir and covers the excess space with soil and a little cover crop. The tomato plant grows upside-down and this is a great way to get more stuff growing on your balcony. That saves the pots and boxes for lettuce, herbs and, Summer's not so favorite, kale. You don't have to toss your flowering plants aside, but make some room to try even a few lettuce seeds and you will see what can grow with little to no help!
*Summer's photo courtesy of Green LA Girl
Chef Josiah is the owner and executive chef of Melisse Restaurant. This high-end popular haunt has made a name for itself not only because the food is divine (and consistent, adds the chef) but also because it has outlasted the dreaded Hollywood restaurant curse and has been around for 10 glorious years. Our visit at the market quickly showed us why. Chef Josiah Citrin heads to the market in a mini-van used just for this purpose, loaded with 3 sous chefs and a huge cart on wheels. The team arrives and looks over the clipboard for a moment and then, without a blink even necessary, they disappear into the fray to find this week's delights. Josiah explains that he likes to walk around and connect with the farmers, tasting their goods along the way, often sending one of the sous chefs back to grab something not on the list - this week: raw (to die for) peanuts. It is easy to tell why his restaurant is so hugely popular and that is because HE IS!
Virtually every step he would take would be another local, a chef or even Amelia Saltsman, author of the "Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook" stopping to talk to him. And though he had places to go and veggies to taste, he stopped and spoke with every last one of them. He and Amelia mentioned it again - community comes together over food. It just seems to unite everyone at the markets. After 3 hours perusing the fresh food, the team just as quickly loaded everything in the mini-van and took off for the restaurant.
We walk into the kitchen and the amount of chefs has exploded from the 4 at the market to what seems to be 14, running around, all set on their tasks of making the night happen. One person preps and sautes onions, another baking up some magical dessert. Chef Josiah then takes us over to a quiet side of the kitchen and shows us how simply combining a few of the fresh veggies picked out at the market in a bowl, tossing with a light vinaigrette and putting neatly on a plate is a way to get a huge color variety in one's diet, and also retains the enzymes and vitamins contained within. Granted he used very special mushrooms and literally 15 different veggies and placed them all on the plate with special kitchen tweezers, but he insists, though presentation is important, that the magic is in the veggies he selected.
Scott was to be dropped off at the airport soon after the interview, but Steve and I made a reservation to come back later that night. We were just so inspired - and REALLY hungry. Let's just say that the 7 courses we ate were so divine that we floated out of the restaurant. The service is impeccable, again, the chef comes out and speaks to every single one of his patrons and the food had the most sinful texture and flavor one could ever desire. This is a restaurant that everyone must try. It is very evident that every single detail is managed by Chef Josiah and his true talent shows through his success.
A quick In & Out burger break after being teased in the Melisse kitchen and we were off to meet Summer Bowen. She is talented in so many ways (an online store with great Green/recycled goodies http://www.btcelements.com/, a blogger, an educator and an environmentalist) but this visit was prompted by a story I had read about on the blog http://www.greenlagirl.com/. Summer teaches people who live in urban environments how to create their very own apartment gardens. While she undoubtedly cannot create all she eats on this cute, tiny and very green balcony, she accents the foods she buys elsewhere and feels it really gives every dish that special touch. She gets amazing reviews from friends she has over for meals and when they realize her green thumb has provided a portion of what they are eating, they leave both full and inspired.
I left enthused as well. Living in LA, I have great options for farmer's markets but long for a better connection to the dirt as I sit 3-stories above the earth. Summer takes wire hanging baskets and puts in a layer of coconut coir (the brown furry stuff). She then inverts a tomato plant (small tomatoes only) and pushes the little vines through the coir and covers the excess space with soil and a little cover crop. The tomato plant grows upside-down and this is a great way to get more stuff growing on your balcony. That saves the pots and boxes for lettuce, herbs and, Summer's not so favorite, kale. You don't have to toss your flowering plants aside, but make some room to try even a few lettuce seeds and you will see what can grow with little to no help!
*Summer's photo courtesy of Green LA Girl
1 comment:
Hi Soozie -
Thanks so much for stopping by my little porch garden. Didn't realize that you had just come from Melisse - it's my favorite restaurant in Santa Monica!
Great to meet you all,
Summer
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