3 Events: Food Porn Lab; French Laundry pop-up; gyoza bonanza

Food photo workshop: Visual Communications' Food Porn Lab takes place on Thursday, Aug. 11: It's a photography tutorial and food-styling workshop, a photo competition and potluck. Photographers from the Los Angeles Times -- Kirk McKoy and Ken Kwok -- will lead the tutorial, teaching the techniques of food photography and styling, including basics for beginners, advanced techniques, and food styling basics. 5 to 9 p.m. Bring a dish for 5 to 9 people. The potluck starts at 5 p.m., workshops at 6 p.m., and the competition at 7 p.m. Nguyen and Thi Tran, owners of Starry Kitchen restaurant, will judge and select the winning photos. Categories are: best overall; most (food) pornographic; best composition; best color; best food styling; best ambiance. Go to Visual Communications' website for more information and rules. To register, e-mail alexis@vconline.org.

120 Judge John Aiso Street, Basement Level, Los Angeles, www.vconline.org.

French Laundry goes to Harrods: London's Harrods hosts a 10-day French Laundry pop-up at its Knightsbridge department store in October. Chef Thomas Keller and 14 of his kitchen and dining room staff will recreate the 3 Michelin-star Napa Valley restaurant in Harrods' fourth-floor Georgian Restaurant -- complete with fixtures, fittings and signature dinnerware flown over for service. Nine courses -- a combination of French Laundry classics and new dishes for the U.K. -- will cost £250 per person. Lunch and dinner, Oct. 1 to Oct. 10. Reservations available beginning Oct. 1; for more info, see Harrods' website.

Gonzo gyoza: On Saturday, Aug. 20, the 71st Annual Los Angeles Nisei Week Japanese Festival hosts a gyoza eating championship, an official Major League Eating (MLE) event, featuring 100-pound competitive eater Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas. Competitors will have 10 minutes to eat as many Day-Lee Pride brand gyoza as possible. The event takes place at 1:30 p.m. at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) Plaza in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district. Thomas will be looking to break Joey Chestnut’s world record of 231 gyoza. Other competitors will be: Pat Bertoletti, “Notorious B.O.B.” Bob Shoudt, and Matt “Megatoad” Stonie. For any aspiring competitive eaters, the final spot will be auctioned off at the start of the contest. Admission is free.
 
JACCC Plaza, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles.

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-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Visual Communications

Put Dad to the test this Father's Day: Chile Habanero Eating Contest

Who better to enter a Chile Habanero Eating Contest on Father’s Day than Dad himself? Chichen Itza Restaurant specializes in cuisine from the Yucatán Peninsula, a region of Mexico that consumes ultra-hot chiles habaneros on the daily. For those who have never eaten a chile habanero, here’s some insight: In comparison to the jalapeno pepper, which rates 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale (a measurement of the spicy heat of a chili pepper), the chile habanero rates 100,000 to 350,000. How’s that for picante?

On Sunday, June 19, the Downtown L.A. eatery challenges all spicy food lovers, not just dads, to become contenders as they bravely face the restaurant’s Chile Kut, a roasted chile habanero sauce, at the fiery event as part of the Father’s Day celebration at Mercado La Paloma. Interested? Register up to one hour prior to contest time, which starts at 2 p.m. 3655 S. Grand Ave., L.A., 213-741-1075, chichenitzarestaurant.com.

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Jambon beurre sandwich

--Caitlin Keller

Photo credit: David Karp / Los Angeles Times

Dorie Greenspan wins IACP best cookbook award

Dorie Greenspan's "Around My French Table" was named the best cookbook of 2010 by the International Assn. of Culinary Professionals at the cap of their annual convention held Thursday night in Austin, Texas. It also won the award for best general cookbook. In all, awards were given in 22 categories, covering everything from healthy cooking to food photography.

'Top Chef' showdown: Antonia versus CJ

 

"Top Chef" fans: It's going to be Antonia Lofaso versus Chris "CJ" Jacobson.

That's the lineup when Bravo brings "Top Chef: The Tour" to town on June 17 and 18, pulling up the customized "Top Chef" 18-wheel tractor-trailer to the Hollywood and Highland Center at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. The highlight of each stop in the 20-city U.S. tour features a showdown between two former contestants before a panel of judges and audience members.

The Los Angeles cheftestants are Lofaso, a fan favorite, and Jacobson, the executive chef at The Yard in Santa Monica. Live demonstrations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. What else can you expect? We'll let the news release take it from here:

The fourth annual highly-anticipated "Top Chef: The Tour," brings fans and viewers to the next level -- creating an interactive experience where they can physically taste, connect and learn more about the show they're passionate about. Visitors of the tour can meet and greet with "Top Chef" talent, sample food tastings, receive gourmet cooking tips, hear "Top Chef" show "secrets," get cheftestant autographs, and participate in a variety of on-site "Top Chef" activities, including a chance to win prizes."

Ticket information will be available at this link shortly.

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He's crusty. But that's a compliment to this bread-maker

-- Rene Lynch
Twitter.com/renelynch

Photos: Antonia Lofaso and Chris "CJ" Jacobson. Credit: Bravo

Bocuse d'Or competition: Now accepting chef applications

Ever dream of competing at the Olympics of the culinary world? Here's your chance. The Bocuse d'Or USA Foundation is calling for chef applicants to compete at the Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France, in January 2013. Twelve qualifying applicants will be interviewed in September by the foundation's board, which includes chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse. They also will be asked to prepare one dish to be judged by a panel of chefs, with cash prizes for the top three candidates.  

The winning U.S. team -- a chef and his or her commis (assistant) -- will be provided with an intensive  training program under the supervision of the board and a head coach, and all expenses associated with the competition will be paid. The application and guidelines can be downloaded from the Bocuse d'Or USA Foundation's website, www.bocusedorusa.org. The deadline is May 30 at midnight EST. Somebody's got to beat the Northern Europeans. 

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: From left, chefs Paul Bocuse, Jerome Bocuse and Daniel Boulud with 2009 Bocuse d'Or competitor Timothy Hollingsworth. Credit: Dave Getzschman/For The Times.

The ultimate burger: Do you have what it takes?

It’s time to fire up your grills and griddles.

Just as Christmas brought the first Los Angeles Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off, this Fourth of July will bring a full-scale Battle of the Burgers.

So it’s time to start perfecting yours. You’ll need a recipe and an essay about what makes this particular burger so special.

A photograph will probably help too. Watch http://www.latimes.com/features/food/ for more information in the coming weeks.

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Grilled cheese as far as the eye could see

 
What a cheesy event. That's a compliment, of course, to the Second Eighth Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational, held Saturday near downtown L.A. (as the name suggests, the contest doesn't take itself too seriously). Thousands were in attendance to enjoy music, culinary showdowns, food trucks, and wash it all down in a beer and wine garden. And then there was the grilled cheese competition, featuring more than 200 sandwiches. I lucked out and was asked to help judge, and award a trophy to my favorite grilled cheese 'wich.

I wish I could have given everyone an award just for the sheer creativity of the variety of fillings. 

'Next Iron Chef' cast announced: Not an L.A. chef in the bunch

 
We know this much: Your "Next Iron Chef" will not be from Los Angeles. Seasons 2 and 3 of "The Next Iron Chef" both included L.A. chefs. And both of them -- Andrew Kirschner and Eric Greenspan -- were eliminated in the very first episodes. OUCH!

So is it a coincidence that Season 4 of "The Next Iron Chef" doesn't include a single L.A. cheftestant? Food Network isn't saying.

But Tuesday's announcement that the new season begins shooting in Los Angeles and New York and is slated to debut Oct. 30 sets the stage for another celebrity death match between Anne Burrell and Robert Irvine. This rivalry could reach epic proportions if the recently "Chopped All-Stars" showdown was any indication. (Someone might have to put Irvine on suicide watch if he doesn't beat Burrell in this thing. He'd probably happily pass on winning "TNIC" as long as he outlasts Burrell.)

There's more in store for "Chopped" fans, too. We'll finally -- finally! -- get to see Alex Guarnaschelli on the hot seat. Visit our entertainment blog, Show Tracker, for a look at the rest of the lineup, which also includes a former "Top Chef" favorite.

-- Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

Photo: Anne Burrell gives a contestant the business on "Worst Cooks in America." Credit: Food Network

South West Regional Barista Competition: Honolulu's Licata wins; Krankl of Gelato Bar comes in second

After three days and hundreds of cups of coffee (espressos, cappuccinos and specialty drinks, including one served with lamb chops) made by 36 contenders from seven states, Pete Licata of Honolulu Coffee Co. emerged the winner of this year's South West Regional Barista Competition.

Nikolas Krankl, who was registered as a representative of Gelato Bar & Espresso Caffe in Studio City and Los Feliz, placed second. And Jared Truby of Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz took third.

Six finalists competed Sunday -- the top-scoring baristas culled from rounds held the previous two days at Siren Studios in Hollywood, where a crowd of fans cheered on Licata, Krankl, Truby, Sara Peterson of Verve, Kevin Bohlin of Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco and Row Aczon of Honolulu Coffee.  

Baristas have 15 minutes to prepare for the judges four espressos, four cappuccinos and four specialty drinks. The latter get points for creativity, lamb chops not required. ("I heard somebody had carpaccio" with their specialty drink during Round 1, noted technical judge Brian Clemens.)

Each barista is scored by a panel of seven judges based on technical and sensory criteria. To name a few: how much coffee is spilled during grinding; whether extraction times for espressos are consistent (within a three-second variance) in each category; how much milk is left in pitchers after cappuccinos are made; the color of the espresso's crema; the consistency of the cappuccino foam; and whether the espresso was a balance of sweet, acidic and bitter; among many other criteria.

Meanwhile, the competition also held its first Brewers Cup -- a contest of coffees made with manual brewing devices. The winner was Chris Baca, also of Verve Coffee Roasters, who notably performed in the first round to Destiny Child's "Say My Name." 

The six barista finalists will be entered in the U.S. Barista Championship, which takes place in Houston from April 27 to May 1. The world championship will be held in Bogota, Colombia, in June. 

More photos after the jump.

-- Betty Hallock

Recap: Jamie Oliver brings cooking competition to the streets

What do high school students, Jamie Oliver, celebrity chefs and Green Giant have in common? On Saturday, all came together to launch a cooking competition on the 3rd Street Promenade to inspire the youth to get cooking.

With more than 32 students from eight high schools, the event had all the makings of an "Iron Chef" episode, including a surprise secret ingredient (avocados), a short time limit of 30 minutes, and celebrity chefs judges Jonathan Waxman ("Top Chef") and Michael Symon ("Iron Chef") assessing the dishes. 

Jamie's squad West Adams High School ended up winning first place, awarded $1,000 scholarships and a trip to visit the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. 

Oliver admitted that "nothing in L.A. has gone according to plan," but he has adapted to his reality show being barred from L.A. public schools with a strategy of creative spontaneity. "The campaign is like a big bowl of spaghetti, with many strands to it. Right now I'm just going with it, and so far, so good."

-- Max Diamond

Photo credit: Max Diamond