5 Questions for Josh Graves

Josh Graves is pastry chef at Ray's & Stark Bar at LACMA. He's a Southern California native who received his formal culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. He has worked in a number of Los Angeles bakeries and restaurants including Boule, Mani’s and Casa. 

What’s coming up next on your menu? I’ve been playing around with a yeasted ice cream.  I’m not sure exactly where it’s going to go, but I’m excited about it.

Latest ingredient obsession? Bergamot. It’s a subspecies of bitter orange and the flavoring in Earl Grey tea. The aroma is intoxicating, I love using this in a tart frozen yogurt.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again? I frequent this little hut in Burbank called Yaki’s. They do teriyaki bowls, burgers and my favorite, the Bulldog. The Bulldog is a hot dog wrapped in cheese and wonton skin then deep fried. They serve it with froggy sauce,  which is teriyaki sauce mixed with some other dressing I can’t put my finger on. I usually get a chicken teriyaki bowl with a Bulldog.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives? Bowl scraper. I wish I had a hand that was shaped like a bowl scraper.

What chef has most influenced you? Kris Morningstar has helped me grow immensely.  He has taught me how to make things taste good and given me endless inspiration for flavor combinations. I am very fortunate to have met Kris and to still be working with him.

5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 857-6180, www.raysandstarkbar.com

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Photo Credit: Lauren Noble

4 Events: Ray's and Stark, Chaya, Golden Road Brewing, Papilles

Birthday party: On March 5, Ray's and Stark Bar at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is celebrating its first year with a party. Executive chef Kris Morningstar has devised a menu featuring the best dishes of the year, such as chile with chorizo, dates, local goat cheese and almond sauce; squid ink pasta with garlic, chile, mint, opal basil and bottarga; and crispy pork belly with black vinegar sauce.   Sommelier-barsmith Paul Sanguinetti and general manager Martin Riese will DJ throughout the evening and guests will be able to participate in free screen printing on the patio. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 857-6180, www.raysandstarkbar.com.

Good things come in threes: To commemorate Chaya Downtown's third birthday, the restaurant is featuring a three-course prix-fixe menu ($33 per person) and $3 happy hour specials during March.  The menu will consist of roasted heirloom beets with baked cana de cabra cheese, arugula, fennel and balsamic must, grilled Wagyu flank steak and sweet potato frites, with Belgian chocolate fondant with raspberry coulis and mascarpone ice cream for dessert. For happy hour, guests can savor bar bites such as the spicy tuna hand roll, buttermilk-poached chicken skewers with soy glaze and seven spices, and a flat bread of the day with a chef’s choice of marinara, olives, asiago and arugula.  On March 16, the official anniversary date, Chaya Downtown will host a “Flights and Bites” wine tasting with Chateau Ste. Michelle for $33 per person. 525 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, (213) 236-9577, www.thechaya.com.

Beer for benefit: Golden Road Brewing is teaming up with the Whole Planet Foundation to raise money for the organization by hosting a beer festival on March 11.  Attendees will be able to sample the brewery's signature beers, including the Point the Way IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen, Either Side of the Hill (strong ale) and Get Up Offa That Brown.  Food will be provided by Whole Foods Market and local vendors.  The foundation is dedicated to alleviating poverty in the developing world by providing families with the tools to expand their home businesses.  Tickets for this event are $20 per person and can be purchased online. 5410 W. San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, (213) 373-4677, www.eventbrite.com, www.goldenroad.la.

"Off the Clock" wine tasting: On Sunday, wine aficionado Santos Uy will be highlighting five wines along with a myriad of sweet and savory bites from his new restaurant, Papilles, at local wine shop Domaine LA.  The featured wines will include a 2010 Batic Pinela and 2000 Lopez de Heredia Rosado. The tasting is capped at 25 guests, with tickets ($15 per person) available for purchase online.  6801 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 932-0280, www.domaine547.com.

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Photo: Chaya Downtown. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times