5 Questions for Sam Choy

Sam Choy's been called the "grandfather of poke," the Hawaiian salad of soy-marinated sashimi. He's the Hawaiian chef behind Sam Choy's Kai Lanai on the Kona coast, has a cooking show called "Sam Choy's Kitchen" and has written 16 cookbooks. He also has just launched the Pineapple Express food truck in L.A. The truck started rolling this week, with Hawaiian dishes such as kalua pork, loco moco, chicken-and-pineapple sandwiches and a lot of poke -- as a "parfait," over rice, in wraps, on a salad.... 

What’s coming up next on your menu? For the fall we’ll probably do a Hawaiian beef stew with wagyu beef, and then I’ll add some seasonal fish like mahi mahi and a macadamia-nut-crusted ono. I’m also looking at doing a ginger-pesto rice and edamame hummus.

Latest ingredient obsession? Seasoned soy sauce, like ginger and garlic-infused. It’s not like teriyaki. 

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? Shiono in Kona. It’s a great, small Japanese restaurant that puts out fantastic fresh cuisine. In L.A., lately it’s WP24. 

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? A good braising pot. I prefer my Le Creuset, I’ve had it for about 20-plus years or as long as they’ve been in business. 

What’s the last non-food-related book you read? "The Hunger Games." My granddaughter told me I had to read the series, so I did. I like the books better than the movie. 

Pineapple Express; for locations, see @pineapplxpress on Twitter and www.samchoyspx.com. The truck also will be at the Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival Aug. 9 to 12. 

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-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Pineapple Express

5 Questions for Sonny Sweetman

Sonny Sweetman is executive chef of Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air. Sweetman started his culinary career with an after-school job in his hometown of Reisterstown, Md., then worked with certified master chefs in the U.S. and Austria before joining Wolfgang Puck Catering. Now he's overseeing Puck's latest, focusing on modern California cuisine with European and Mediterranean influences, such as osetra caviar with corn puree and crispy beef tendon, or lamb saddle with persillade and smoked eggplant.

What’s coming up next on your menu? Heirloom tomatoes, squash blossoms, sweet summer corn and Copper River salmon.... These items are all summer ingredients that are available at our local farmers market.  

Latest ingredient obsession? Kalamansi –- it’s a citrus fruit that I use in just about everything. It is versatile, fragrant and has great flavor!

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? I cannot live without a spoon! There is a lady in San Francisco who I order a variety of unique antique spoons from. These are my favorite spoons, and I use them for everything.... The most important part of cooking is tasting.

Favorite kitchen soundtrack? One of my favorites is Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. 

What chef has most influenced you? Chef Matt Bencivenga and chef Lee Hefter. I have known chef Bencivenga since college, he is not only a mentor in the kitchen but a mentor in my life. Bencivenga has beaten every odd in life and is a remarkable figure. He is a hard worker, very driven, but most importantly, the kindest person I know. Hefter is also an extremely hard-working, talented and driven human being. He is an incredible technician with food and has taught me a lot in the kitchen and I would not be where I am at today without his guidance.

Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air, 701 Stone Canyon Road, Bel Air, (310) 472-1211, www.hotelbelair.com/wolfgang-puck-bel-air. 

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-- Betty Hallock

5 Questions for Eric Park

Eric Park is the chef-owner of Black Hogg, the latest restaurant to open on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake. Park's cooking has been called "exuberant rustic-urban cooking" (by a Times restaurant critic), showcasing big flavors -- such as in longaniza sausage hash, pork chop with mojo sauce and a "buttery" lamb burger with Onetik blue cheese. (It's called buttery because butter is mixed into the ground meat.) 

What’s coming up next on your menu? I have a lamb belly dish I'm working on that's reminiscent of the fare at the famous halal cart on 53rd and 6th in NYC. Also look for ceviche, grilled sardines and octopus, and my take on BBQ to come this summer.

Latest ingredient obsession? Middle Eastern flavors. Coriander, cumin, sumac.... Just finished making our own house-made harissa.  

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? I frequent La Cevicheria on Pico Boulevard. Amazing ceviches. Pho 87 in Chinatown for their fatty brisket and tendon pho. Park's BBQ on Vermont -- some of the best meat in town.

Favorite kitchen soundtrack? Arcade Fire, the Strokes, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, the Cure, Penny and the Quarters. 

What chef has most influenced you? April Bloomfield. I externed at the Spotted Pig for several months while in New York. She probably will not even remember me, but I was in awe of her and absorbed everything there like a sponge.

Black Hogg, 2852 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 953-2820, www.blackhogg.com.

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Photo credit: Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times

5 Questions for Laurent Quenioux

Laurent Quenioux is the chef behind the pop-up series "LQ @ ..." -- most recently LQ @ SK, in collaboration with downtown's Starry Kitchen, a melding of culinary minds that sparked the LQ + SK 420 weed dinners (yes, that kind of weed). He's also the executive chef at Vertical Wine Bistro in Pasadena. His current pop-up is LQ @ Barneys featuring a seven-course menu of his idiosyncratic dishes (rabbit tartare with yuzu kosho and chocolate muffin, for example). And Quenioux, who is from Sologne, France, doesn't roll without his cheese cart -- a selection of as many as 37 cheeses from around the world.

What's coming up next on your menu? Melon -- right now I love melon. I wish we could get the Cavaillon melon from France, but we can’t, so I am working with watermelon at Vertical. It looks like we will do a salad of Dungeness crab, watermelon, pickled red onions, sweet peas, cucumber and a lime vinaigrette for the new summer menu. For the upcoming pop-up we will do an amuse consisting of compressed watermelon, black garlic, fish sauce and geoduck.

Latest ingredient obsession? This changes almost daily, but epazote is great ... the complexity of the herb makes it an ingredient that isn’t very user-friendly. The fragrance is so strong that it will contaminate fragile herbs like chervil or sorrel or purslane, for example, unless the right balance is achieved. Epazote is king right now on my painter's palette.

Describe your favorite day off away from the kitchen. Do chefs have days off?! I typically work seven days a week most of the time unless the pop-up is in a hiatus mode, so I did get a few days off in June, which consisted of biking, hiking, gardening and the beach. At night large groups of friends come to my house to cook and eat late into the evening.

What’s your favorite breakfast? My favorite breakfast away from home is at Huge Tree Bakery in Monterey Park, which is Taiwanese. I always order the salted soy milk (love those curds), sweet tofu, beef sandwich and you tiao (which is a Chinese donut). At home it is two poached eggs and a slice of Michel Blanchet smoked salmon, a few chives and green onions from the garden and a ghost chile from the garden because I’m trying  to lose weight these days.

What chef has most influenced you? Jean Louis Palladin.  He was a true chef, a chef that worked in the kitchen with his mind in the kitchen all day long, not a star chef, not a chef that roams the dining room. He was passionate to the extreme and always creating (not copying others and God knows how many people copied from him). I think he represents the epitome of what a true chef should be: cooking, teaching, looking for the best resources for product, motivating young cooks, motivating young farmers, hunters, fishermen, guests, personnel. He was humble and shy, creative and generous, and didn’t parade to food shows or TV shows. Again, he was a true chef.

Reservations for LQ @ Barneys can be made online at bistrolq.com. Vertical Wine Bistro, 70 N. Raymond Ave. (upstairs), Pasadena, (626) 795-3999, www.verticalwinebistro.com.

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Photo: Laurent Quenioux (in white jacket) serving guests at one of his weed dinners. Credit: Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times. 

5 Questions for Ilan Hall

Ilan Hall is chef-owner of the Gorbals, everybody's favorite Scottish-Jewish-ish downtown restaurant, known for its GLT (gribenes, lettuce and tomato sandwich), bacon-wrapped fried matzo balls and lots of off cuts: half roasted pig's head, confit tongue, "popcorn gizzards." The "Top Chef" winner's next project is a wine bar on Sunset Boulevard called Gorge, set to open this summer. 

What’s coming up next on your menu? Radishes with whipped brown butter and bonito; grilled apricots with Mangalitsa lardo and almonds; acorn-fed Berkshire pork belly with spot-prawn broth and pea tips; Manila mangoes with smoked bone marrow, Maldon salt and chile threads. 

Latest ingredient obsession? Datu puti. It's a Filipino cane vinegar that's steeped with aromatics. It can be very spicy. Perfect to mask the reality of eating balut.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? Western Soondae. The soondae, which is Korean blood sausage bound by rice noodles, is so rich and snappy. It reminds me of the morcilla at La Isla, a 24-hour cuchifritos restaurant I used to frequent in Alphabet City.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Sharpie marker.

Favorite kitchen soundtrack? Action Bronson's "Blue Chips."

The Gorbals, 501 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, (213) 488-3408, www.thegorbalsla.com.

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Photo: Ilan Hall, chef-owner of the Gorbals. Credit: Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images 

5 Questions for Judy Han

Judy Han is executive chef of Mendocino Farms, the chain of sandwich shops that just opened its fifth location at Fairfax and 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Owners Mario Del Pero and Ellen Shen plan to expand into Orange County and the Valley next year, then go national. Meanwhile, chef Han's the mastermind behind some of L.A.'s favorite sandwiches. The summer Cubano, for example: slow braised carnitas, honey ham, Mendocino mustard, house-made dill pickles, Cuban mojo sauce and crispy plantains on Dolce Forno’s soft roll.  

What’s coming up next on your menu? Definitely something with heirloom tomatoes for summer. It’s almost that time of season, and Scarborough Farm’s heirloom tomatoes are amazing and should be eaten as much as possible when they are at their peak.

Latest ingredient obsession? At home, it’s Red Boat fish sauce –- it’s really stinky, like an aged blue cheese, but I love it with eggs, added to soups, or with rice. At Mendocino Farms it’s our candied jalapenos. They are such an incredible condiment that pairs well with so many things. I love how sweet and spicy they are.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? 101 Noodle Express in Alhambra for low-key, family friendly dining. I can’t stay away from their soup dumplings, marinated pig ear appetizer or beef rolls. The Spice Table in downtown because it reminds me of my amazing trip to Singapore and [chef] Bryant Ng always keeps it interesting, creative and homey.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Microplane.  It’s great for cheeses, citrus zest and lemongrass.

What’s the last non-food book you read? "Bossypants" by Tina Fey.

Mendocino Farms, multiple locations in Los Angeles and Marina del Rey, www.mendocinofarms.com. 

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5 Questions for Mark Gold [updated]

Mark Gold is chef-owner of Eva restaurant on Beverly Boulevard and recently was consulting chef at the new Sadie LA in Hollywood. At Eva he's known for his refined, Southern California market-fresh approach. Sadie LA's menu might be described as Los Angeles comfort food -- salads and roasted vegetables, mezze and fried chicken. Gold also has installed a new chef de cuisine at Eva who has just wrapped up a stint at Noma in Copenhagen; expect some surprises. 

What’s coming up next on your menu? Well, we just hired a new chef de cuisine at Sadie LA, Jacob Takehiro Kear, who had spent some time at Noma, so I have a feeling a lot of foraged items. And I love geoduck! More Japanese wild fish.

Latest ingredient obsession? My latest obsession is shiro dashi. We use it to season our fish, cook our vegetables and to finish certain soups or sauces. It is our secret ingredient that gives the food that umami finish.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? With two kids and not a lot of time, we tend to go to more casual places. We like Osteria Mamma and Mozza, of course! For breakfast we love Amelia's on Main Street in Santa Monica.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? My Japanese ceramic shoyu sashi [vessels for soy sauce]. I have two of them -- one (brown) for my soy sauce and one (white) for my shiro dashi.

The last cookbook you read –- and what inspired you to pick it up? "Anton Le Pre Catalan" by Frederic Anton. Michael Cimarusti had told me about it and it is very inspiring. Beautiful food.

Eva, 7458 Beverly Blvd., (323) 634-0700, Los Angeles, www.evarestaurantla.com. Sadie LA, 1638 N. La Palmas Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 467-0200, www.sadiela.com.

[Updated Monday at 10:30 a.m.: An earlier version of this post stated that Gold was currently consulting chef at Sadie LA; he is not. To clarify, Kear is chef de cuisine at Eva restaurant.]

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Photo credit: Beth Herzhaft Photography

5 Questions for Bernhard Mairinger

Bernhard Mairinger is the executive chef of Bierbeisl in Beverly Hills. Working from a tiny kitchen, the 6'7" chef from a town near Salzburg turns out contemporary versions of Austrian classics. Crisp fried pork schnitzel, heady veal gulash and juicy sausages along with dishes such as venison loin with braised red cabbage and desserts such as kaiserschmarrn, a warm souffle-like pancake served with fresh fruit compote. Oh, and he says anyone taller than he is (you must be measured at the restaurant) gets one free meal during the month of July. Seriously.

What’s coming up next on your menu? New twists of our classic desserts –- sachertorte and kaiserschmarrn. Also an additional fruit strudel with cherries from Washington state. 

Latest ingredient obsession? Meyer lemons. After I discovered this incredible produce from Limoneira Ranch, I started playing with them for new dishes. Love 'em!

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? Robata Jinya [on 3rd Street at Crescent Heights]. Simply the best ramen in town.

What’s your favorite breakfast? Leberkässemmel -- a roll with a baked veal loaf inside, a little bit of mustard spread on top ... perfect breakfast.

The last cookbook you read –- and what inspired you to pick it up? "Viennese Cooking," one of the oldest and best Austrian cookbooks. I love to play with these classic recipes!

9669 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 271-7274, www.bierbeisl-la.com.

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5 Questions for Matt Antoun

Chef Matthew Antoun has never been to culinary school. Instead, he spent time cooking in 11 different restaurant kitchens, including Thomas Keller’s Per Se, and the West Branch French restaurant, both in New York City. In 2010, after leaving Per Se, Antoun returned to Los Angeles to start his own catering company, Modern Art Catering. He has a start-to-finish approach to cooking, making all his own oils, sauces, pastas and breads. For the summer, Antoun is headed off to Paris to expand his knowledge of Parisian food.

What’s coming up next on your menu? Our own artisan breads, sous vide vegetables, a charcuterie station.

Latest ingredient obsession? Lately I've been obsessed with pea tendrils, heirloom carrots and spices, especially ras el hanout, which is a Moroccan form of curry. I've also been pretty obsessed with the idea of natural plating using soils and freshly picked produced that is barely changed in form from its original state in the ground or on a tree. 

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? My favorite restaurant in L.A. is Red O -- I order the pollo en mole poblano. Rick Bayless is incredible. 

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? A spoon -- we use it for tasting, plating, saucing, creating quenelles and decorating. 

The last cookbook you read –- and what inspired you to pick it up?  "Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook" is the last cookbook I read. I bought it because of the stunning photography and the incredible use of seasonal produce to create fine dining at its best. This is the kind of food I aspire to create. 

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Photo: Chef Matt Antoun. Credit: Hugo Martinez.

5 Questions for Candace Nelson

Candace Nelson is a pastry chef and founder of the Sprinkles Cupcakes bakeries, the first of which she opened on Little Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. There are now 10 Sprinkles in the U.S., with more opening overseas. Nelson last week opened the first Sprinkles Ice Cream shop two doors down from the Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills (in between is the Sprinkles cupcake ATM, which dispenses cupcakes to go). The ice cream shop serves ice cream by the cone (including red velvet cones), pints, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches made with cookies or cupcake tops.  

What’s coming up next on your menu? Ice cream, cookies, brownies!

Latest ingredient obsession? Chocolate. Is it ever not? I'm especially excited about American craft chocolate Tcho, which we are incorporating into many of our Sprinkles ice cream menu items. The flavor profiles of their chocolate run from fruity and nutty to "chocolatey" and caramelly, solely from the beans and roasting process not from any added ingredients.

The last cookbook you read -– and what inspired you to pick it up? "Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies" by Alice Medrich -- for inspiration. I used to take classes with Alice Medrich in San Francisco. She studies ingredients and reinvents technique for the simplest of baked goods. Her classes were always illuminating and her cookbooks are a revelation.

What’s the last non-food-related book you read? "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion. It's a reminder to appreciate your loved ones everyday, in even the most mundane moments.

What chef has influenced you most? Janet Rikala Dalton. She was my pastry chef instructor at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco and has been a friend and mentor ever since. She was Wolfgang Puck's pastry chef at Postrio for many years. Since then she has created the dessert menus at many of the most esteemed San Francisco restaurants. She is a fantastic pastry chef and a geniune and generous person.

Sprinkles, 9635 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 274-8765, www.sprinklescupcakes.com. Sprinkles Ice Cream, 9631 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 274-7890, www.sprinklesicecream.com.  

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Photo credit: Sprinkles Cupcakes