July 28, 2025 • 22 mins
Culinary passion reignited! Join us on the Episode 11 of the second season of Tasting Arcadia, for a mouthwatering conversation with Josh, the executive chef at Double Tree Hotel Monrovia. Josh reveals the surprising story of how he nearly abandoned his 20-year cooking career—until his growing family sparked a renewed love for creating memorable food experiences.
For more information and tickets to the Taste of Arcadia visit TasteOfArcadia.com.
Follow us on social media. Join us for another episode of Tasting Arcadia.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Karen Mac Nair (00:12):
Hello everyone.
I'm Karen Mac Nair, the CEO atthe Arcadia Chamber of Commerce
.
I am super excited.
Today is our first podcast forTasting Arcadia.
What is Tasting Arcadia?
I don't know if you got tofollow us last year, but we talk
to our food, drinks, business,showcase members, vendors, about
(00:36):
Taste of Arcadia.
I'm happy to announce thatTaste of Arcadia is September
13th at Santa Anita Park andwe're super excited about it.
Tickets have already started onsale for a discounted price
right now until August 4th, andthey'll go up.
How do you know what the priceis?
(00:56):
How do you know how to buy thetickets?
You go to tasteofarcadia.
com to purchase your ticketstoday.
So I am sitting here with myfirst guest, Josh.
Josh, I'm excited you're here.
Josh is the executive chef atthe Double Tree Hotel Monrovia.
We're going to get to know Josh.
(01:16):
We're going to get to see a fewthings that he will be hosting
us at Taste of Arcadia.
But let's start off with a fewquestions.
Josh, why don't you tell us alittle bit about your hotel
restaurant, about the?
Joshua Evangelista (01:28):
business Sure.
So our hotel is located inMonrovia.
It's off of Huntington, off ofthe 210.
Right now we are servingbreakfast and dinner.
Our breakfast starts at 6 am,runs all the way to 10 am.
Our dinner starts at 6am, runsall the way to 10am.
Our dinner starts at 6pm runsall the way to 10pm.
(01:50):
I've been with the hotel forthe past four months now, and so
it's an exciting venture.
We're trying new things everysingle day to make sure that our
culinary program grows withinthe hotel.
Love that there's a lot ofsupport with the management team
and all the catering staff andthe cooks in there.
So it's a lot of fun going intothis new venture and providing
(02:17):
Arcadia, monrovia, all thecities near us, with some really
good food and hopefully be theplace to eat at in the next
couple of months for sure I lovethat.
Karen Mac Nair (02:25):
Welcome to the community, josh the.
San Gabriel Valley.
We're excited.
We do love our hotels here.
It is a great way to have asampling of wonderful food in
the area.
I'm excited about breakfast anddinner, so I could have a
business lunch.
Wait, no lunch, just breakfastand dinner, right.
I could have a business meetingthere I could come.
Joshua Evangelista (02:48):
Absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (02:49):
And the bars open in the evenings right?
Joshua Evangelista (02:51):
Yes, actually, the bar opens up at 5
pm, right before dinner.
So if you want to come down andhave a few drinks right before
dinner, we're open at 5 pm.
Karen Mac Nair (03:00):
Okay, that is great to know, and you are off
of Huntington.
Joshua Evangelista (03:03):
Yes.
Karen Mac Nair (03:03):
You're 924 West Huntington Drive in the city of
Monrovia.
Joshua Evangelista (03:08):
That's correct.
Karen Mac Nair (03:09):
Okay, I'm going to ask you the question that I
always wonder Do you have anyfun stories for us?
Joshua Evangelista (03:14):
Absolutely.
I mean, for me cooking hasalways been a passion.
I always thought that I wasgoing to be a chef from the very
beginning.
Oh, I love that.
I always thought that I wasgoing to be a chef from the very
beginning.
Oh, I love that.
It's been almost like 20 yearscooking professionally.
Last year I almost gave upcooking forever, okay, and
(03:35):
somehow my family wanted to keepgrowing so we started having
babies and now it's time to cookfor my family again.
So that kind of reignited aspark in my life to recreate
food and to look at food in adifferent way, not just as a
product but something that canfeed people and make people
(03:57):
happy.
So I took it on again to justbecome the best chef I can
possibly become.
Cook it on again, to just becomethe best chef I can possibly
become, and wherever I may be, Iwant to inspire all of the
people around me to just kind ofpush forward in whatever it is
they like, and not just cooking,but every other industry.
So for me it's just kind ofreinventing myself in the
(04:20):
kitchen and becoming somethingbigger than I could possibly
think of.
Karen Mac Nair (04:26):
So this is not a double tree question.
This is a Josh family questionyour favorite meal to prepare
family group setting what wouldbe your favorite meal?
Joshua Evangelista (04:36):
It would probably have to be a stew.
Karen Mac Nair (04:38):
I think a stew.
Joshua Evangelista (04:39):
just because a stew takes a long time to
prepare, it starts off with, youknow, cutting vegetables and
marinating meats, searing meats,deglazing, adding stock to it,
cooking it in the oven for hoursand waiting for those smells to
come out of the oven.
I love that, I think theexcitement really gets everyone,
(04:59):
and my favorite thing iswatching people eat.
To be honest, Okay, great.
Karen Mac Nair (05:04):
Well, on the first rainy day can I come by
your?
House Absolutely, because Ifeel like a stew would be a
delicious thing to have.
Joshua Evangelista (05:12):
Absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (05:13):
Any Doubletree history with the Doubletree
Hotel, Anything a fun fact ordifferent things that we could
share?
Well, the Doubletree.
Joshua Evangelista (05:21):
I don't know if you know this, but we offer
chocolate chip cookies to all ofour guests and those chocolate
chip cookies are kind of like astaple to the hotel.
If I may, that would beprobably the best thing that
every guest says Double TreeHotel has the best chocolate
chip cookies and those are foreveryone, all of our guests.
If you come by and visit me, Iwould love to hand you a double
(05:43):
chocolate chip cookie fromdouble tree I'd love that, and
we started off saying that we'repart of of the arcadia chamber
of commerce.
Karen Mac Nair (05:50):
At any event, when staff comes with the
cookies and it's a raffle prizeor a giveaway my gosh, the
excitement that happens over acookie.
So I feel it kind of ties toyour, your passion to cook for
your family.
It's like cooking for yourextended family in a cookie
which is amazing.
I also have to point out, youdo have gluten-free cookies for
(06:11):
all those people out there thathave those special dietary needs
.
Joshua Evangelista (06:15):
Absolutely.
We try to treat everyone withrespect and try to cater to
everyone.
So if someone's gluten-free, wedefinitely can cater to them as
well.
I love that.
Karen Mac Nair (06:24):
Okay, why don't we talk about the Doubletree
menu?
Is there anything that is themost popular thing in your menu?
Joshua Evangelista (06:32):
Right now we're doing a lot of pastas.
We're doing a lot of pastas.
We're playing around with a lotof different ingredients.
We just hooked up with a newcompany called Paradise Flavors
and they're giving us a lot ofproduct to play with fresh
tomatoes, garlic, shallots.
We're roasting everything,we're braising things, we're
liquefying things.
(06:53):
The flavor from our sauces issomething I think is going to
really stand out in the city andhave people come down and eat.
So definitely pastas are a hitright now.
Karen Mac Nair (07:05):
Okay, I love that.
Any inspiration behind yourmenu when you're thinking about
it you're in the your happyplace is what I'm hearing.
That is a great question.
What's your inspiration?
Joshua Evangelista (07:17):
My inspiration really comes from
the people around me.
I try to build a menu based onmy own history and the
experiences that I've had, butalso I try to attribute the menu
with the people around me andwhat they like to eat.
The culture that's around me,all of that around me, all of
(07:39):
that I could have made a burgeror pasta or something, but this
is kind of my culture, mixedwith a lot of the cultures from
within my kitchen.
Huge shout out to my kitchenstaff as well.
So it's definitely a mix ofcultures and experiences for
sure.
Karen Mac Nair (07:53):
Okay, that is wonderful.
Now the Doubletree Hotel.
We would love to support it inmany different ways, but I
always share at the Chamber.
I only know what people sharewith us, so can you share with
us a great way that we cansupport the hotel within the
community?
Joshua Evangelista (08:09):
Yes, absolutely.
I think the best way to supportthe hotel is to come and check
us out.
Come have lunch.
I mean I'm sorry, lunch.
Come have breakfast.
Come have lunch.
I mean I'm sorry lunch.
Karen Mac Nair (08:19):
Come have breakfast.
Joshua Evangelista (08:20):
Come have dinner Lunch is going to happen
in around 2006,.
But we're still working on that.
But come in down and have somebreakfast, have some dinner,
have a drink at five o'clock.
Karen Mac Nair (08:30):
Love that.
Joshua Evangelista (08:31):
Come book a room and have a meeting there.
You can also pick up thebanquet menu and order from the
kitchen.
Oh nice, I'm usually there 24-7, so I would probably see you
there as well.
We like to cater to everyone,so if there's something on the
menu that people do not like, Ican always cater to them as well
.
I love every culture, everykind of cuisine, so we can
(08:54):
always cater to everyone.
Karen Mac Nair (08:55):
I love that.
I guess that's a positive and anegative about working for a
hotel.
You can literally be there 24-7.
Joshua Evangelista (09:02):
For sure, for sure, but I love the hotel
scene.
I love everything about therestaurant, especially our hotel
.
I think it's a beautifullocation and I think if people
were to come down and check usout, they would fall in love for
sure.
If people were to come down andcheck us out, they would fall
in love for sure.
Karen Mac Nair (09:17):
So, with that, what are you most proud of being
a part of with the DoubletreeHotel, with you, your staff,
extended arm of the hospitalityworld.
Joshua Evangelista (09:29):
What's something you're proud of?
I think most proud of is thestaff that I have right now
Coming into a new environmentwith completely new staff
starting from scratch, everyonewilling to to help out and be
open to new changes.
I know it's always hard to openup to new changes into this new
chef that has arrived, buteveryone has been really good.
(09:51):
Everyone wants to learn,everyone wants to work hard.
So I think that is what I'mmost proud of, because you never
know what you're going to walkinto.
So I walked into something good,something that is productive
and something that can be pushedto the limit without getting
pushed back.
Karen Mac Nair (10:10):
You know, I know you're newer to the community
I've been doing in this positionfor nine years now and I can
say that has been true with thedouble tree hotel for the last
nine years is when we have anevent there, we go have
breakfast.
The staff is so engaging andhelpful and anything you need,
big or small, um, they, theyalways treat you like you're
(10:32):
part of the family.
It really you hit the nail onthe head.
I so agree with you and I'mhappy to see the legacy
continuing awesome.
We are going to talk abouttaste of arcadia now.
Yes, um, taste of arcadia, justto give you a little bit of
double tree history.
Yes, just to let you know, um,back in 2018, 2019, the double
(10:54):
tree hotel was able to be partof Taste and then in 2020, we
took a hiatus to last year, andlast year was our first year to
be able to come back and be partof the community.
So we're so excited that in2016, we're up and running and
that you all are back able tointroduce us to the great foods
(11:15):
super exciting.
I also want to remind everyonethat DoubleTree was award
winning.
That's right.
Josh and I were talking alittle bit earlier and I hear we
still have some of the awardshanging up in an office space,
so we're exciting about that.
Is there anything that you'reexcited about as Taste is
upcoming from your fresh eyes?
(11:35):
I love this.
Joshua Evangelista (11:37):
Absolutely.
I think these kinds of eventsare my favorite events to be at,
just because it's a room fullof culinary specialists, chefs,
servers, banquet managers theentire industry is here and to
be able to network with everyone, meet everyone, taste different
(11:59):
dishes, their textures, theirflavors all that is what gets me
really excited, because you canlearn so much from really good
food and from really terriblefood.
Karen Mac Nair (12:09):
Right.
Joshua Evangelista (12:10):
So I think this will be my first year
representing Doubletree Monrovia, and I'm excited for all of it,
for sure good, okay, we'regonna dive into it.
Karen Mac Nair (12:21):
I see you have a beautiful array of dish a dish,
a pieces of dish.
Joshua Evangelista (12:27):
Why don't?
Karen Mac Nair (12:28):
you explain what we have and if we can set up
because we're going to do alittle tasting.
Joshua Evangelista (12:31):
Can I stand up?
Karen Mac Nair (12:32):
yes, yes all right.
Joshua Evangelista (12:36):
So today I brought a mixed seafood ceviche
and the mixed seafood ceviche isgoing to be accompanied by an
avocado puree.
The avocado puree I tried tokeep it really simple.
A lot of the ingredients on theplates.
I try not to add too manythings if I have a lot of
(12:57):
components, just because I wanteverything to stand out on its
own.
Again, the avocados are reallyfresh.
A little lime juice, a littlesalt and pepper.
Love the eye the mixed seafood.
ceviche has a mix of scallops,shrimp, cod, and then, the day
of, we're going to add someoctopus.
I didn't bring any octopus injust because it's really
(13:19):
expensive and for me to bring itin it would have taken a couple
more days, but you will seesome octopus.
Karen Mac Nair (13:24):
Okay, great, I love that.
I'll make sure I taste itbefore yes.
Joshua Evangelista (13:28):
For textures .
I brought in some pomegranateseeds, I brought some shaved
radish, and then also a littlebit of micro cilantro, just to
add some freshness to the wholedish.
And then the vessel to pick upall these beautiful ingredients
will be these chips that havebeen cooked in some butter, and
(13:48):
I'm going to plate this up foryou.
Karen Mac Nair (13:50):
Is that flour?
Corn tortilla chips?
That is a corn tortilla chip, Acorn tortilla chip, Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (13:54):
I will have a couple of gluten-free tortilla
chips at the Taste of Arcadia,just in case somebody is
gluten-free.
Karen Mac Nair (14:00):
Thank you.
I mean, they're so fluffy, I'msurprised they're corn.
For those of you who are justlistening, it is all displayed
in front of me.
You can watch this on YouTubeand you can see the wonderful,
delightful colors.
I brought some beautifuldouble-tree Yay, I love that,
thank you.
He colors Yay, I love that,thank you.
(14:22):
He just showed the logo Again.
You know I work for a chamber.
I get excited over logos andbranding.
It just it makes it part ofwhat we do.
Joshua Evangelista (14:29):
This here is the avocado puree I'm going to
put it down here.
Karen Mac Nair (14:33):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (14:37):
I made a little mess.
Here it's okay.
This actually happens in thekitchen almost every single day,
so we're used to this.
I'm going to grab a ceviche.
Karen Mac Nair (14:52):
Okay, so this is being plated and it is not on
top of a chip.
At this point, the chips willbe on the side.
Yes, oh, that is different thanI thought it was headed towards
on top of the chip.
Joshua Evangelista (15:06):
I love it.
It's more like a I guess like aseafood salad, if you will.
Karen Mac Nair (15:09):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (15:11):
I wanted to present this just a little bit
different, just so it stands out.
Karen Mac Nair (15:16):
No, I appreciate that.
Look at those great big cherrytomatoes.
Joshua Evangelista (15:19):
Right Okay, so that.
Appreciate that.
Look at those great big cherrytomatoes.
Karen Mac Nair (15:22):
Right Okay, so that's that it's that time of
year.
I love that.
Joshua Evangelista (15:24):
We're going to add a little bit of
pomegranate seeds.
Karen Mac Nair (15:27):
What made you come up with pomegranate seeds
as being an addition?
Because that is a nice.
It seems like I haven't tastedit yet, but a nice, a sweet
flavor to add.
Joshua Evangelista (15:36):
Yes, yes, I love playing with different
flavors as well.
A little bit of acidity withsome sweetness, a smooth, puree,
different textures, but it allmakes sense together.
Once you pick it up and you eatit, it just the pop, the
smoothness, the acidity from thefish.
It all just makes perfect sense.
Karen Mac Nair (15:54):
Love that.
Joshua Evangelista (15:56):
I haven't tasted all these ingredients
together, but I know in my headthat they will make sense once
they go inside.
Karen Mac Nair (16:02):
I would be happy to have the honor of tasting
all of these together andletting you know Don't worry
everyone, as you're driving,listening, walking.
I will report.
Joshua Evangelista (16:12):
These are little shaved radishes.
I shock these in a little bitof ice water so they get nice
and crispy.
Oh, that's a nice trick forhome.
We'll do a little bit of icewater so they get nice and
crispy.
Oh, that's a nice trick forhome.
We'll do a little bit of microcilantro on top.
Karen Mac Nair (16:28):
I am not a chef, so I don't know what is the
difference between a regularcilantro and a micro cilantro.
Joshua Evangelista (16:35):
The micro cilantro is a different seed
that doesn't fully grow, so it'sa young cilantro.
It's a lot brighter.
It's a different seed thatdoesn't fully grow, so it's a
young cilantro.
It's a lot brighter.
It's a lot fresher.
There's more crunch than if youwere to bite into a regular
leaf of cilantro.
Karen Mac Nair (16:50):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (16:51):
And it does look a lot prettier on a plate
than just a big leaf of cilantro.
Karen Mac Nair (16:55):
It does look prettier, and nor did you have
to cut it smaller.
Its presentation in and ofitself seems the right size.
Joshua Evangelista (17:02):
Right, right right.
Karen Mac Nair (17:03):
Look at me learning things.
I love it.
My husband would be veryexcited.
Joshua Evangelista (17:07):
And these are the chips For the taste of
Arcadia.
I'm going to do one chip per.
Karen Mac Nair (17:12):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (17:13):
Just so.
I think it looks nice with onechip, but since we're all going
to taste it, I'm going to put acouple chips on here.
Karen Mac Nair (17:17):
Thank you.
We will have forks, though, incase we need a little more
scooping action, and I broughtsome extra, just in case you
guys want to indulge into someceviche.
Joshua Evangelista (17:32):
So this is it right here Avocado, puree
seafood, ceviche, radishes,pomegranate seeds, micro
cilantro and some chips.
Karen Mac Nair (17:42):
So I noticed you brought a lime also.
Is there any lime juice on top,or is that your own flavor?
Joshua Evangelista (17:45):
I'm going to put a little piece on the dish
as well, just in case somebodywants a little more acidity on
there but I think it's perfectas is okay, may I try?
Karen Mac Nair (17:57):
if you hand me perfect, he is handing me the
plate again.
If you're looking, watching onYouTube, I try.
Yes, you hand me, perfect, heis handing me the plate Again.
If you're looking, watching onYouTube, if you're driving along
, I'm going to try to give youan honest um review.
Is that probably the best way?
Okay, the chips.
I love chips too.
I'm a fan.
(18:17):
Hmm, so good, the crunch crunch.
You can hear the crunch.
Okay, I'm gonna take anotherbite because I want to take the
taste of pomegranate in this onesorry, everyone, hold on.
(18:40):
Great flavor, awesome, I agree.
You don't need any more limecool, everything is in it.
Sure you guys how rude I'mtalking my mouth but I figure
it's the only way I can describethis the pomegranate.
such a nice touch, right, Iwould not have thought that.
Even to bring that to your homefor a party.
As we're head to the summer andhot weather, this is quite
(19:02):
refreshing.
Ooh, it is delicious.
I had another question, it justcompletely slipped from my mind
.
Oh, I know what the questionwas.
If I taste this at Taste ofArcadia and I love it, may I
come to the Doubletree and orderit?
Is it something that'savailable?
Absolutely, okay, absolutely.
Joshua Evangelista (19:19):
Awesome.
Just in case I'm hooked, may Icome to the.
Karen Mac Nair (19:20):
Doubletree and order it.
Is it something that's?
Joshua Evangelista (19:21):
available, absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (19:21):
Okay, absolutely , just in case I'm hooked.
Joshua Evangelista (19:23):
That's a great question, just because I
did not think about that.
But yeah absolutely I think ourgoal is to cater to everyone.
Food is something that I loveto do, and so if someone is
excited about the ceviche, Iwould love to cater that ceviche
.
Karen Mac Nair (19:45):
Good, good, good good, because we have found
that in years past that, um,when you highlight something and
then people are tasting it andyou know, once you have that
food experience, you want to goback.
This is me I'll go back over andover and over like I want to
taste it again and really enjoyit.
So I'm glad because after we'reoff the air, I'm going to
finish my plate and make surethat I can come and order it.
Also, is there anything elseyou wanted to share with us
about taste, about the hotel,that you just want to make sure
(20:08):
we get it in?
Joshua Evangelista (20:09):
Absolutely, I think.
I just want to reiterate thefact that we are open for
breakfast and we are open fordinner.
There is a new chef in town andwe're trying so many different
things and the input of the cityand the nearby cities would be
greatly appreciated, so you cansee what we're trying to do at
(20:29):
the hotel.
Karen Mac Nair (20:31):
I mean, I love that, josh.
I feel like you're more thanjust a hotel to leave my parents
at when they come in and visit.
You are a place where we couldlocally dine, we could locally
enjoy, we could have ourmeetings, we can have a drink,
we can host different peoplethere.
So I'm so excited that you'rein our neighborhood.
Welcome to the Arcadia, sanGabriel Valley, monrovia, all
(20:53):
surrounding areas.
We're so happy to have you.
So I'm going to wrap up thisepisode now and I just want to
remind everyone, first of all,thank you for joining us at our
first podcast.
Remind everyone.
This is Karen Mac Nair forTasting Arcadia.
You can go to tasteofarcadia.
com to buy your tickets today.
(21:14):
The price will go up on August4th, so make sure you buy your
tickets now.
We have VIP tables.
You can get a VIP table thatcomes with the early entry.
It starts at 2 o'clock, so, VIP, you can come in at 1 o'clock.
I didn't even tell you where itwas, silly me.
It is at Santa Anita Park.
(21:34):
We are in the paddock area ofSanta Anita Park, so we're super
excited.
It's going to be a wonderfulday of dancing, food fun.
We're going to have business,showcase cars, lots of vendors,
lots of great foods and drinks.
So if you'd like to follow usand continue to hear more about
Tasting Arcadia, you can go toyour favorite podcast channel.
(21:54):
We'll be on YouTube, applePodcasts, Spotify, amazon Music
and iHeartRadios, so there'slots of ways to listen.
If you're like me and you're ona morning walk, this is a great
way to start your day.
Or you can go to the Doubletree, have breakfast and listen to
see what's going to be at Tasteof Arcadia.
So thank you all for joining ustoday.
We will have our next episodeto hear more about what is going
(22:17):
to be at Taste of ArcadiaSeptember 13th.
Super excited, join us, don'tforget tasteofarcadia.
com, and we'll see you and thensee or hear from me on your next
episode.
Thanks Bye.
Hello everyone.
I'm Karen Mac Nair, the CEO atthe Arcadia Chamber of Commerce
.
I am super excited.
Today is our first podcast forTasting Arcadia.
What is Tasting Arcadia?
I don't know if you got tofollow us last year, but we talk
to our food, drinks, business,showcase members, vendors, about
(00:36):
Taste of Arcadia.
I'm happy to announce thatTaste of Arcadia is September
13th at Santa Anita Park andwe're super excited about it.
Tickets have already started onsale for a discounted price
right now until August 4th, andthey'll go up.
How do you know what the priceis?
(00:56):
How do you know how to buy thetickets?
You go to tasteofarcadia.
com to purchase your ticketstoday.
So I am sitting here with myfirst guest, Josh.
Josh, I'm excited you're here.
Josh is the executive chef atthe Double Tree Hotel Monrovia.
We're going to get to know Josh.
(01:16):
We're going to get to see a fewthings that he will be hosting
us at Taste of Arcadia.
But let's start off with a fewquestions.
Josh, why don't you tell us alittle bit about your hotel
restaurant, about the?
Joshua Evangelista (01:28):
business Sure.
So our hotel is located inMonrovia.
It's off of Huntington, off ofthe 210.
Right now we are servingbreakfast and dinner.
Our breakfast starts at 6 am,runs all the way to 10 am.
Our dinner starts at 6am, runsall the way to 10am.
Our dinner starts at 6pm runsall the way to 10pm.
(01:50):
I've been with the hotel forthe past four months now, and so
it's an exciting venture.
We're trying new things everysingle day to make sure that our
culinary program grows withinthe hotel.
Love that there's a lot ofsupport with the management team
and all the catering staff andthe cooks in there.
So it's a lot of fun going intothis new venture and providing
(02:17):
Arcadia, monrovia, all thecities near us, with some really
good food and hopefully be theplace to eat at in the next
couple of months for sure I lovethat.
Karen Mac Nair (02:25):
Welcome to the community, josh the.
San Gabriel Valley.
We're excited.
We do love our hotels here.
It is a great way to have asampling of wonderful food in
the area.
I'm excited about breakfast anddinner, so I could have a
business lunch.
Wait, no lunch, just breakfastand dinner, right.
I could have a business meetingthere I could come.
Joshua Evangelista (02:48):
Absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (02:49):
And the bars open in the evenings right?
Joshua Evangelista (02:51):
Yes, actually, the bar opens up at 5
pm, right before dinner.
So if you want to come down andhave a few drinks right before
dinner, we're open at 5 pm.
Karen Mac Nair (03:00):
Okay, that is great to know, and you are off
of Huntington.
Joshua Evangelista (03:03):
Yes.
Karen Mac Nair (03:03):
You're 924 West Huntington Drive in the city of
Monrovia.
Joshua Evangelista (03:08):
That's correct.
Karen Mac Nair (03:09):
Okay, I'm going to ask you the question that I
always wonder Do you have anyfun stories for us?
Joshua Evangelista (03:14):
Absolutely.
I mean, for me cooking hasalways been a passion.
I always thought that I wasgoing to be a chef from the very
beginning.
Oh, I love that.
I always thought that I wasgoing to be a chef from the very
beginning.
Oh, I love that.
It's been almost like 20 yearscooking professionally.
Last year I almost gave upcooking forever, okay, and
(03:35):
somehow my family wanted to keepgrowing so we started having
babies and now it's time to cookfor my family again.
So that kind of reignited aspark in my life to recreate
food and to look at food in adifferent way, not just as a
product but something that canfeed people and make people
(03:57):
happy.
So I took it on again to justbecome the best chef I can
possibly become.
Cook it on again, to just becomethe best chef I can possibly
become, and wherever I may be, Iwant to inspire all of the
people around me to just kind ofpush forward in whatever it is
they like, and not just cooking,but every other industry.
So for me it's just kind ofreinventing myself in the
(04:20):
kitchen and becoming somethingbigger than I could possibly
think of.
Karen Mac Nair (04:26):
So this is not a double tree question.
This is a Josh family questionyour favorite meal to prepare
family group setting what wouldbe your favorite meal?
Joshua Evangelista (04:36):
It would probably have to be a stew.
Karen Mac Nair (04:38):
I think a stew.
Joshua Evangelista (04:39):
just because a stew takes a long time to
prepare, it starts off with, youknow, cutting vegetables and
marinating meats, searing meats,deglazing, adding stock to it,
cooking it in the oven for hoursand waiting for those smells to
come out of the oven.
I love that, I think theexcitement really gets everyone,
(04:59):
and my favorite thing iswatching people eat.
To be honest, Okay, great.
Karen Mac Nair (05:04):
Well, on the first rainy day can I come by
your?
House Absolutely, because Ifeel like a stew would be a
delicious thing to have.
Joshua Evangelista (05:12):
Absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (05:13):
Any Doubletree history with the Doubletree
Hotel, Anything a fun fact ordifferent things that we could
share?
Well, the Doubletree.
Joshua Evangelista (05:21):
I don't know if you know this, but we offer
chocolate chip cookies to all ofour guests and those chocolate
chip cookies are kind of like astaple to the hotel.
If I may, that would beprobably the best thing that
every guest says Double TreeHotel has the best chocolate
chip cookies and those are foreveryone, all of our guests.
If you come by and visit me, Iwould love to hand you a double
(05:43):
chocolate chip cookie fromdouble tree I'd love that, and
we started off saying that we'repart of of the arcadia chamber
of commerce.
Karen Mac Nair (05:50):
At any event, when staff comes with the
cookies and it's a raffle prizeor a giveaway my gosh, the
excitement that happens over acookie.
So I feel it kind of ties toyour, your passion to cook for
your family.
It's like cooking for yourextended family in a cookie
which is amazing.
I also have to point out, youdo have gluten-free cookies for
(06:11):
all those people out there thathave those special dietary needs
.
Joshua Evangelista (06:15):
Absolutely.
We try to treat everyone withrespect and try to cater to
everyone.
So if someone's gluten-free, wedefinitely can cater to them as
well.
I love that.
Karen Mac Nair (06:24):
Okay, why don't we talk about the Doubletree
menu?
Is there anything that is themost popular thing in your menu?
Joshua Evangelista (06:32):
Right now we're doing a lot of pastas.
We're doing a lot of pastas.
We're playing around with a lotof different ingredients.
We just hooked up with a newcompany called Paradise Flavors
and they're giving us a lot ofproduct to play with fresh
tomatoes, garlic, shallots.
We're roasting everything,we're braising things, we're
liquefying things.
(06:53):
The flavor from our sauces issomething I think is going to
really stand out in the city andhave people come down and eat.
So definitely pastas are a hitright now.
Karen Mac Nair (07:05):
Okay, I love that.
Any inspiration behind yourmenu when you're thinking about
it you're in the your happyplace is what I'm hearing.
That is a great question.
What's your inspiration?
Joshua Evangelista (07:17):
My inspiration really comes from
the people around me.
I try to build a menu based onmy own history and the
experiences that I've had, butalso I try to attribute the menu
with the people around me andwhat they like to eat.
The culture that's around me,all of that around me, all of
(07:39):
that I could have made a burgeror pasta or something, but this
is kind of my culture, mixedwith a lot of the cultures from
within my kitchen.
Huge shout out to my kitchenstaff as well.
So it's definitely a mix ofcultures and experiences for
sure.
Karen Mac Nair (07:53):
Okay, that is wonderful.
Now the Doubletree Hotel.
We would love to support it inmany different ways, but I
always share at the Chamber.
I only know what people sharewith us, so can you share with
us a great way that we cansupport the hotel within the
community?
Joshua Evangelista (08:09):
Yes, absolutely.
I think the best way to supportthe hotel is to come and check
us out.
Come have lunch.
I mean I'm sorry, lunch.
Come have breakfast.
Come have lunch.
I mean I'm sorry lunch.
Karen Mac Nair (08:19):
Come have breakfast.
Joshua Evangelista (08:20):
Come have dinner Lunch is going to happen
in around 2006,.
But we're still working on that.
But come in down and have somebreakfast, have some dinner,
have a drink at five o'clock.
Karen Mac Nair (08:30):
Love that.
Joshua Evangelista (08:31):
Come book a room and have a meeting there.
You can also pick up thebanquet menu and order from the
kitchen.
Oh nice, I'm usually there 24-7, so I would probably see you
there as well.
We like to cater to everyone,so if there's something on the
menu that people do not like, Ican always cater to them as well
.
I love every culture, everykind of cuisine, so we can
(08:54):
always cater to everyone.
Karen Mac Nair (08:55):
I love that.
I guess that's a positive and anegative about working for a
hotel.
You can literally be there 24-7.
Joshua Evangelista (09:02):
For sure, for sure, but I love the hotel
scene.
I love everything about therestaurant, especially our hotel
.
I think it's a beautifullocation and I think if people
were to come down and check usout, they would fall in love for
sure.
If people were to come down andcheck us out, they would fall
in love for sure.
Karen Mac Nair (09:17):
So, with that, what are you most proud of being
a part of with the DoubletreeHotel, with you, your staff,
extended arm of the hospitalityworld.
Joshua Evangelista (09:29):
What's something you're proud of?
I think most proud of is thestaff that I have right now
Coming into a new environmentwith completely new staff
starting from scratch, everyonewilling to to help out and be
open to new changes.
I know it's always hard to openup to new changes into this new
chef that has arrived, buteveryone has been really good.
(09:51):
Everyone wants to learn,everyone wants to work hard.
So I think that is what I'mmost proud of, because you never
know what you're going to walkinto.
So I walked into something good,something that is productive
and something that can be pushedto the limit without getting
pushed back.
Karen Mac Nair (10:10):
You know, I know you're newer to the community
I've been doing in this positionfor nine years now and I can
say that has been true with thedouble tree hotel for the last
nine years is when we have anevent there, we go have
breakfast.
The staff is so engaging andhelpful and anything you need,
big or small, um, they, theyalways treat you like you're
(10:32):
part of the family.
It really you hit the nail onthe head.
I so agree with you and I'mhappy to see the legacy
continuing awesome.
We are going to talk abouttaste of arcadia now.
Yes, um, taste of arcadia, justto give you a little bit of
double tree history.
Yes, just to let you know, um,back in 2018, 2019, the double
(10:54):
tree hotel was able to be partof Taste and then in 2020, we
took a hiatus to last year, andlast year was our first year to
be able to come back and be partof the community.
So we're so excited that in2016, we're up and running and
that you all are back able tointroduce us to the great foods
(11:15):
super exciting.
I also want to remind everyonethat DoubleTree was award
winning.
That's right.
Josh and I were talking alittle bit earlier and I hear we
still have some of the awardshanging up in an office space,
so we're exciting about that.
Is there anything that you'reexcited about as Taste is
upcoming from your fresh eyes?
(11:35):
I love this.
Joshua Evangelista (11:37):
Absolutely.
I think these kinds of eventsare my favorite events to be at,
just because it's a room fullof culinary specialists, chefs,
servers, banquet managers theentire industry is here and to
be able to network with everyone, meet everyone, taste different
(11:59):
dishes, their textures, theirflavors all that is what gets me
really excited, because you canlearn so much from really good
food and from really terriblefood.
Karen Mac Nair (12:09):
Right.
Joshua Evangelista (12:10):
So I think this will be my first year
representing Doubletree Monrovia, and I'm excited for all of it,
for sure good, okay, we'regonna dive into it.
Karen Mac Nair (12:21):
I see you have a beautiful array of dish a dish,
a pieces of dish.
Joshua Evangelista (12:27):
Why don't?
Karen Mac Nair (12:28):
you explain what we have and if we can set up
because we're going to do alittle tasting.
Joshua Evangelista (12:31):
Can I stand up?
Karen Mac Nair (12:32):
yes, yes all right.
Joshua Evangelista (12:36):
So today I brought a mixed seafood ceviche
and the mixed seafood ceviche isgoing to be accompanied by an
avocado puree.
The avocado puree I tried tokeep it really simple.
A lot of the ingredients on theplates.
I try not to add too manythings if I have a lot of
(12:57):
components, just because I wanteverything to stand out on its
own.
Again, the avocados are reallyfresh.
A little lime juice, a littlesalt and pepper.
Love the eye the mixed seafood.
ceviche has a mix of scallops,shrimp, cod, and then, the day
of, we're going to add someoctopus.
I didn't bring any octopus injust because it's really
(13:19):
expensive and for me to bring itin it would have taken a couple
more days, but you will seesome octopus.
Karen Mac Nair (13:24):
Okay, great, I love that.
I'll make sure I taste itbefore yes.
Joshua Evangelista (13:28):
For textures .
I brought in some pomegranateseeds, I brought some shaved
radish, and then also a littlebit of micro cilantro, just to
add some freshness to the wholedish.
And then the vessel to pick upall these beautiful ingredients
will be these chips that havebeen cooked in some butter, and
(13:48):
I'm going to plate this up foryou.
Karen Mac Nair (13:50):
Is that flour?
Corn tortilla chips?
That is a corn tortilla chip, Acorn tortilla chip, Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (13:54):
I will have a couple of gluten-free tortilla
chips at the Taste of Arcadia,just in case somebody is
gluten-free.
Karen Mac Nair (14:00):
Thank you.
I mean, they're so fluffy, I'msurprised they're corn.
For those of you who are justlistening, it is all displayed
in front of me.
You can watch this on YouTubeand you can see the wonderful,
delightful colors.
I brought some beautifuldouble-tree Yay, I love that,
thank you.
He colors Yay, I love that,thank you.
(14:22):
He just showed the logo Again.
You know I work for a chamber.
I get excited over logos andbranding.
It just it makes it part ofwhat we do.
Joshua Evangelista (14:29):
This here is the avocado puree I'm going to
put it down here.
Karen Mac Nair (14:33):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (14:37):
I made a little mess.
Here it's okay.
This actually happens in thekitchen almost every single day,
so we're used to this.
I'm going to grab a ceviche.
Karen Mac Nair (14:52):
Okay, so this is being plated and it is not on
top of a chip.
At this point, the chips willbe on the side.
Yes, oh, that is different thanI thought it was headed towards
on top of the chip.
Joshua Evangelista (15:06):
I love it.
It's more like a I guess like aseafood salad, if you will.
Karen Mac Nair (15:09):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (15:11):
I wanted to present this just a little bit
different, just so it stands out.
Karen Mac Nair (15:16):
No, I appreciate that.
Look at those great big cherrytomatoes.
Joshua Evangelista (15:19):
Right Okay, so that.
Appreciate that.
Look at those great big cherrytomatoes.
Karen Mac Nair (15:22):
Right Okay, so that's that it's that time of
year.
I love that.
Joshua Evangelista (15:24):
We're going to add a little bit of
pomegranate seeds.
Karen Mac Nair (15:27):
What made you come up with pomegranate seeds
as being an addition?
Because that is a nice.
It seems like I haven't tastedit yet, but a nice, a sweet
flavor to add.
Joshua Evangelista (15:36):
Yes, yes, I love playing with different
flavors as well.
A little bit of acidity withsome sweetness, a smooth, puree,
different textures, but it allmakes sense together.
Once you pick it up and you eatit, it just the pop, the
smoothness, the acidity from thefish.
It all just makes perfect sense.
Karen Mac Nair (15:54):
Love that.
Joshua Evangelista (15:56):
I haven't tasted all these ingredients
together, but I know in my headthat they will make sense once
they go inside.
Karen Mac Nair (16:02):
I would be happy to have the honor of tasting
all of these together andletting you know Don't worry
everyone, as you're driving,listening, walking.
I will report.
Joshua Evangelista (16:12):
These are little shaved radishes.
I shock these in a little bitof ice water so they get nice
and crispy.
Oh, that's a nice trick forhome.
We'll do a little bit of icewater so they get nice and
crispy.
Oh, that's a nice trick forhome.
We'll do a little bit of microcilantro on top.
Karen Mac Nair (16:28):
I am not a chef, so I don't know what is the
difference between a regularcilantro and a micro cilantro.
Joshua Evangelista (16:35):
The micro cilantro is a different seed
that doesn't fully grow, so it'sa young cilantro.
It's a lot brighter.
It's a different seed thatdoesn't fully grow, so it's a
young cilantro.
It's a lot brighter.
It's a lot fresher.
There's more crunch than if youwere to bite into a regular
leaf of cilantro.
Karen Mac Nair (16:50):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (16:51):
And it does look a lot prettier on a plate
than just a big leaf of cilantro.
Karen Mac Nair (16:55):
It does look prettier, and nor did you have
to cut it smaller.
Its presentation in and ofitself seems the right size.
Joshua Evangelista (17:02):
Right, right right.
Karen Mac Nair (17:03):
Look at me learning things.
I love it.
My husband would be veryexcited.
Joshua Evangelista (17:07):
And these are the chips For the taste of
Arcadia.
I'm going to do one chip per.
Karen Mac Nair (17:12):
Okay.
Joshua Evangelista (17:13):
Just so.
I think it looks nice with onechip, but since we're all going
to taste it, I'm going to put acouple chips on here.
Karen Mac Nair (17:17):
Thank you.
We will have forks, though, incase we need a little more
scooping action, and I broughtsome extra, just in case you
guys want to indulge into someceviche.
Joshua Evangelista (17:32):
So this is it right here Avocado, puree
seafood, ceviche, radishes,pomegranate seeds, micro
cilantro and some chips.
Karen Mac Nair (17:42):
So I noticed you brought a lime also.
Is there any lime juice on top,or is that your own flavor?
Joshua Evangelista (17:45):
I'm going to put a little piece on the dish
as well, just in case somebodywants a little more acidity on
there but I think it's perfectas is okay, may I try?
Karen Mac Nair (17:57):
if you hand me perfect, he is handing me the
plate again.
If you're looking, watching onYouTube, I try.
Yes, you hand me, perfect, heis handing me the plate Again.
If you're looking, watching onYouTube, if you're driving along
, I'm going to try to give youan honest um review.
Is that probably the best way?
Okay, the chips.
I love chips too.
I'm a fan.
(18:17):
Hmm, so good, the crunch crunch.
You can hear the crunch.
Okay, I'm gonna take anotherbite because I want to take the
taste of pomegranate in this onesorry, everyone, hold on.
(18:40):
Great flavor, awesome, I agree.
You don't need any more limecool, everything is in it.
Sure you guys how rude I'mtalking my mouth but I figure
it's the only way I can describethis the pomegranate.
such a nice touch, right, Iwould not have thought that.
Even to bring that to your homefor a party.
As we're head to the summer andhot weather, this is quite
(19:02):
refreshing.
Ooh, it is delicious.
I had another question, it justcompletely slipped from my mind
.
Oh, I know what the questionwas.
If I taste this at Taste ofArcadia and I love it, may I
come to the Doubletree and orderit?
Is it something that'savailable?
Absolutely, okay, absolutely.
Joshua Evangelista (19:19):
Awesome.
Just in case I'm hooked, may Icome to the.
Karen Mac Nair (19:20):
Doubletree and order it.
Is it something that's?
Joshua Evangelista (19:21):
available, absolutely.
Karen Mac Nair (19:21):
Okay, absolutely , just in case I'm hooked.
Joshua Evangelista (19:23):
That's a great question, just because I
did not think about that.
But yeah absolutely I think ourgoal is to cater to everyone.
Food is something that I loveto do, and so if someone is
excited about the ceviche, Iwould love to cater that ceviche
.
Karen Mac Nair (19:45):
Good, good, good good, because we have found
that in years past that, um,when you highlight something and
then people are tasting it andyou know, once you have that
food experience, you want to goback.
This is me I'll go back over andover and over like I want to
taste it again and really enjoyit.
So I'm glad because after we'reoff the air, I'm going to
finish my plate and make surethat I can come and order it.
Also, is there anything elseyou wanted to share with us
about taste, about the hotel,that you just want to make sure
(20:08):
we get it in?
Joshua Evangelista (20:09):
Absolutely, I think.
I just want to reiterate thefact that we are open for
breakfast and we are open fordinner.
There is a new chef in town andwe're trying so many different
things and the input of the cityand the nearby cities would be
greatly appreciated, so you cansee what we're trying to do at
(20:29):
the hotel.
Karen Mac Nair (20:31):
I mean, I love that, josh.
I feel like you're more thanjust a hotel to leave my parents
at when they come in and visit.
You are a place where we couldlocally dine, we could locally
enjoy, we could have ourmeetings, we can have a drink,
we can host different peoplethere.
So I'm so excited that you'rein our neighborhood.
Welcome to the Arcadia, sanGabriel Valley, monrovia, all
(20:53):
surrounding areas.
We're so happy to have you.
So I'm going to wrap up thisepisode now and I just want to
remind everyone, first of all,thank you for joining us at our
first podcast.
Remind everyone.
This is Karen Mac Nair forTasting Arcadia.
You can go to tasteofarcadia.
com to buy your tickets today.
(21:14):
The price will go up on August4th, so make sure you buy your
tickets now.
We have VIP tables.
You can get a VIP table thatcomes with the early entry.
It starts at 2 o'clock, so, VIP, you can come in at 1 o'clock.
I didn't even tell you where itwas, silly me.
It is at Santa Anita Park.
(21:34):
We are in the paddock area ofSanta Anita Park, so we're super
excited.
It's going to be a wonderfulday of dancing, food fun.
We're going to have business,showcase cars, lots of vendors,
lots of great foods and drinks.
So if you'd like to follow usand continue to hear more about
Tasting Arcadia, you can go toyour favorite podcast channel.
(21:54):
We'll be on YouTube, applePodcasts, Spotify, amazon Music
and iHeartRadios, so there'slots of ways to listen.
If you're like me and you're ona morning walk, this is a great
way to start your day.
Or you can go to the Doubletree, have breakfast and listen to
see what's going to be at Tasteof Arcadia.
So thank you all for joining ustoday.
We will have our next episodeto hear more about what is going
(22:17):
to be at Taste of ArcadiaSeptember 13th.
Super excited, join us, don'tforget tasteofarcadia.
com, and we'll see you and thensee or hear from me on your next
episode.
Thanks Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com