Mozzarella makers come to Hawthorne

 

While the rest of Los Angeles was flocking to the Times building to see the Governator speak, I rushed away in search of another import: fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese made by Angelo & Franco.

The grand opening of the company's small cheese factory in Hawthorne had a quite a turnout  —possibly due to Hawthorne’s close-knit Italian community (or perhaps it was the free catering by chef Antonio Pisanello and Il Forniao).

Franco Russo, a third-generation artisan cheese maker, is a native of Bagnoli Irpino, a village in Italy's Campania region so renowned for its mozzarella that there are 10 family-owned formaggio "factories" – impressive considering the town’s population of just 3,000. He and Angelo Tartaglia, the company's chief executive, grew up together and decided to take their knowledge to the U.S. 

“At first, I thought the reason why America didn’t have good mozzarella was because of the milk. Then we figured out it was the timing, the process and the tradition,“ Tartaglia says.

The two are hoping that their small-production cheeses — produced using Italian-made machinery and their almost-instinctual knowledge of cheese  — will tap into Angelenos’ increasing demand for fresh mozzarella. Mozza's Nancy Silverton and Santa Monica cheese shop owner Andrew Steiner have sparked local interest on a small scale, but this team is aiming for distribution in Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Costco.

Upon cutting the red ribbon Thursday that officially opened the Angelo & Franco Factory, one of Hawthorne’s representatives encouraged attendees to join the city’s third annual Italian Festival/Bocce Tournament on June 13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Memorial Park (3901 W. El Segundo Blvd.; free). Best believe that if there’s fresh cheese, we’ll be there.

-- Krista Simmons

Photo credit: Angelo & Franco

Spice store Penzeys is open in Santa Monica

The economy may be inspiring people to cook at home more. At least that's one explanation temporary manager Frank Locante has for why the new Penzeys Spices shop in Santa Monica has been busy since it opened Feb. 27.

He also credits the location -- on 4th Street, between Arizona and Santa Monica Boulevard. It's the second Southern California store; there's one on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.

Penzeys Spices is a Wisconsin-based company that began doing only mail orders more than 20 years ago. The Santa Monica store is the 41st for the company, and like some others includes a '50s kitchen as part of its decor.

Penzeys has more than 250 products, from chile spice mixes to extracts, common herbs and spices to the more unusual, such as ajwain -- which is a bit like thyme and is used in Indian and Pakistani dishes.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo: Jerry Bojarski / Penzeys Spices

Famima!! opens at 700 Wilshire in downtown

Today, upscale Japanese-originated convenience store Famima!! opened its fifth downtown location at 700 Wilshire Blvd. between Hope and Flower. The store was jumping at lunchtime as captains of industry rubbed elbows with homeless people queuing up for free coffee. (Famima!! minions in neon green T-shirts were posted on nearby street corners handing out coupons.) The small convenience mart should be a pleasant addition to nearby office workers' lunchtime options, though it's strictly carryout, so you'll still have to schlep to your desk or find an accommodating bench.

Famima!! offers the usual selection of chips, candy and soda, but their stock in trade is an in-house line of prepared meals and snacks that are a cut above the usual corner store fare: A French Toast breakfast sandwich; fresh Cobb, southwestern and Thai salads; sandwiches like a smoked turkey and Havarti panini; sushi that's far better than the stuff sold at Trader Joe's (not that that's saying much); various Asian and Italian noodle dishes; hot dogs; corn dogs; bao; buffalo wings; individual cupcakes; high-end supermarket chocolates; and what is perhaps their best known snack, crisp, deep-fried curry bread.

The hours vary depending on whether you trust the website and who you talk to, but it will be open seven days a week.

Greg Morris to rename Stone Fire Pizza, debut the Oaks gourmet store this spring

La Cienega Boulevard booster Greg Morris is moving forward with plans to rename and expand  Stone Fire Pizza, his latest concept on restaurant row. 

“We will tweak the menu a little bit, and [we] want to start to offer a few different entrees,” he said earlier this week via phone.  “Even though pizza remains our focus, we want to be versatile.”

Morris said the new name for Stone Fire, pictured, will be Oak Fire come summer. He will start easing the new name onto printed material next month, and in a few months the entire changeover should be complete. Oak Fire will also be the new name of the Sherman Oaks outpost of Stone Fire, which should open on Ventura Boulevard near Casa Vega by April, he said. 

Morris admitted part of the reason he wanted to change the name was because of customer confusion.  Westlake-based Stone Fire Grill has multiple Southland locations, and more are on the way at the growing chain (a Pasadena branch of Stone Fire Grill is set to debut this summer).

Oak Fire will also see expansion in 2009, according to Morris, once the new name and brand are established this spring at both the La Cienega address and the forthcoming Ventura Boulevard outpost.

In the meantime, Morris, who has done well for himself on La Cienega (despite the recession) with busy restaurants such as Belmont ('"We're only down 10% at Belmont," he said) and Spanish Kitchen, is readying his first retail endeavor miles from West Hollywood, the Oaks. 

The forthcoming gourmet market is set to bow by April in the old Victor's Liquor space along the busy Franklin Avenue corridor, near Birds restaurant.

“I live in that neighborhood, and there's nothing else around besides Gelson's,” Morris said. “I wanted to do something more along the lines of what you see now in New York, like a corner specialty market.”

So what will the Oaks carry?

Home cooking: At Larchmont Larder, a renovated bungalow serves up takeout

Katie Trevino and Michael Beglinger met the way many people do: Their children went to school together. They began talking about their dreams. She wanted to own a shop like those she knew as a child in Michigan -- where everyone knew one another and felt a sense of community. Beglinger, executive chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering in Los Angeles, wanted to leave the corporate world.

Four years later, the result is the Larchmont Larder, a mostly takeout shop that opened Dec. 15, just north of the Larchmont Village business district. "We do the hard part," and customers can finish the dishes at home, Beglinger said one afternoon at closing time, which in December was 3 p.m. In the new year, they plan to stay open until 7 p.m.

The menu, which Beglinger expects to change weekly, this week includes chicken cordon bleu ($16 a pound), a Swiss barley soup ($5.50 a pint) and tuna salad with red onion and lemon mayonnaise ($10 a pound). There are vegetable dishes, $8.50 to $13 a pound, including braised Savoy cabbage with bacon and onions, stir-fried Asian vegetables, and sauteed mixed mushrooms with shallots and herbs.

The Larder also has sandwiches, baked goods and oils, mustards and other prepared items. Located in a renovated bungalow, the Larchmont Larder has a few tables inside and out. Catering also is available.

Larchmont Larder, 626 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles 90004, (323) 962-9900. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo credit: Katie Trevino

Curious friends give their palate a workout

A new cafe is bringing the farm to the west Los Angeles neighborhood of Mar Vista. The Curious Palate Market and Kitchen opened almost three weeks ago as a cafe with an open kitchen and a shop selling a small assortment of foods, many of them from local producers and farmers.

Elliot Rubin and Mark Cannon have, separately, traveled much of the world and, as Rubin said, care passionately about food and where it comes from. Rubin grew up on a farm, trained as an engineer and has experience in agricultural equipment manufacturing. Cannon has worked in food and as a television producer.

The owners work with local farmers, including walking about a block to a Sunday farmers market on Grand View Boulevard. Among the items for sale are dried beans from Suncoast Farms in Lompoc and cider vinegar from Mill Road Orchard in Paso Robles. Small producers include Sparky's root beer and MarieBelle chocolates.

Soft-opening party at the Deli at Little Dom's

As we reported earlier, the Deli at Little Dom's in Los Feliz is about to open. To celebrate, the popular Rat Pack-style hang is holding a very low-key neighborhood preview party Wednesday. Chef Brandon Boudet and pastry chef Ann Kirk will be on hand to meet guests, and those in attendance can try some of the deli specialties, including hot Italian sausage, roasted pepper and provolone panini, sheep's milk ricotta bruschetta, cherry-almond scones and torta della Nonna.

Located next door to Little Dom's, the deli effects the same vintage feel of the restaurant. (The goal is to evoke an old-world Italian deli.) Inside, you'll find an espresso bar and counter, an antique deli case, a pressed tin ceiling and green-and-white checkerboard floors. Daily specials will rotate, and there will be plenty of fresh-made sandwiches, salads and sweets.

The Deli at Little Dom's, 2128 Hillhurst Ave., (323) 661-0055. Open daily 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The space is also available for private parties.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times

Mama's Hot Tamales to open a Pasadena outpost

When a friend called earlier today to tell me that he'd seen a "Now Leasing" sign outside Mama's Hot Tamales in Westlake, my heart sank. Was it possible that this colorful restaurant and community-activist center co-founded by the Institute for Urban Initiatives was actually closing?

A quick phone call revealed that no, Mama's isn't closing. It's just opening a second location, in Pasadena. The "Now Leasing" sign is just for the portion of the current space that is devoted to paperwork. (That office will move to Pasadena when the new restaurant opens, hopefully early next year.)

Much like its MacArthur Park counterpart, Mama's Hot Tamales Pasadena will house two crucial components: A kitchen training center where community members learn valuable skills (cooking, baking, putting together gift baskets) that will help them land jobs in the food service industry; and an apprentice-operated, job training restaurant where those enrolled in the program can receive real-time experience.

Besides the goodness inherent in this worthy endeavor, Pasadena residents will no longer have to travel far to get a taste of the tamales that so many in the Westlake neighborhood and downtown L.A. have grown to love.

Mama's Hot Tamales, Pasadena, 45 N. San Gabriel Blvd.

-- Jessica Gelt 

Photo of Mama's Hot Tamales co-founder Sandra Romero at a Day of the Dead Feast inside the Westlake restaurant: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times

Echo Park cafe watch: Stories and Hearts & Fives

Two new cafes are opening on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. The first, Stories, is also a general interest bookstore, and is set to officially open this Saturday. (However, the shop celebrated an opening party last Saturday night, and you'll likely find its doors open tomorrow.) The second, Hearts & Fives, is also a gallery with a built-in film production boutique and a live performance space, and will open in early December.

Stories is co-owned by Echo booker Liz Garo who dished about the cafe's culinary plans via e-mail, (noting that Mike Demilo, sous chef for Cafe Stella and Canele, is the menu consultant). In the beginning the cafe, which is located in the back of the bookstore in what was formerly Sea Level records, will just serve baked goods and coffee. The organic coffee is from Raven's Brew in Washington and the pastries (brownies, blondies, cookies and peanut butter-filled cupcakes) are from Sweeties. All bread, croissants and danishes will come from Breadbar, and the bagels from Brooklyn Bagels.

When the menu is unveiled it will be very simple, says Garo, "Salads, sandwiches, soups and easy 'hand-to-mouth' plates including a hummus, feta cheese, roasted pepper platter; also cheese, salami and grapes; and another [platter] with crostinis, tomato, mozzarella, and basil."

New supermarket Doremi opens in Koreatown

After months of construction, Koreatown has an impressive new supermarket in Doremi, which opened Monday on Olympic Boulevard three blocks west of Alvarado. Tubs of twitching crabs share space with vats of frozen squid in the seafood aisle.

A sizable area with a serve-yourself bar offers pickled and seasoned versions of everything from lotus root, squid and hot peppers to seaweed, small crabs and Japanese cucumbers.

An in-store franchise of Francois bakery tempts with luscious-looking European-style cakes, loaves of bread, custard buns and sticky-rice treats layered with pumpkin and red bean. (They're especially beneficial for women, I'm told.)