The LA Food Podcast

What do Marilyn Monroe, Jeff Bezos, and Henry Kissinger have in common with The LA Food Podcast host Luca Servodio? They’ve all dined at Chez Jay, the legendary Santa Monica dive bar that’s been serving surf, turf, and stories since 1959.

In this week’s episode, Luca sits down with Mike and Chris Anderson, the father-son duo behind Chez Jay, and longtime chef Memo De Arcos to celebrate the restaurant’s 66th anniversary. They talk Ho...

On this week’s LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio and Father Sal recap recent eats in NYC and LA before diving into Tejal Rao’s review of Baby Bistro — is it really the perfect encapsulation of LA dining in 2025? We also break down the new North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list: Atomix takes #1, New York dominates, Canada surges, and LA lands just three spots (Providence, Holbox, Kato). Plus, in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we tackle mode...

Santa Barbara might be known as the American Riviera, but its food scene is finally demanding the spotlight. This week on The LA Food Podcast, we recap 72 hours of eats — from surprisingly great Mexican food to a bao joint everyone’s obsessed with — and explain why SB might just be California’s most exciting dining city right now.

Plus, we sit down with the team behind Dom’s Taverna, the Basque-inspired newcomer from Dominique Crisp...

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we dive into one of the most heated debates in the LA dining scene: why are Angelenos calling for a boycott of Enrique Olvera’s acclaimed downtown restaurant Damian? Is the backlash justified, or has a whistleblowing media outlet (LA Taco) gone too far?

Father Sal joins the conversation as we unpack the Damian controversy, celebrate the two Los Angeles spots that landed on Bon Appétit’...

Today on The LA Food Podcast, Dave Beran—the award-winning chef behind Santa Monica’s Pasjoli and the tasting-menu temple Seline—sits down for his most candid interview yet. We talk about stepping into roles before you feel ready, the line between an intense kitchen and a toxic one, fundraising and vision, and how he truly feels about Seline not earning a Michelin star in year one. We also rewind to his Chicago years with Grant Ach...

Today on The LA Food Podcast, we’re joined by none other than Nancy Silverton — LA’s Queen of Carbohydrates, President of Pizza, and Secretary of Sourdough. Recorded at Osteria Mozza, our free-flowing conversation covers Nancy’s legendary career, her impact on multiple eras of Los Angeles dining, and why she continues to bring new and exciting concepts to life. We also preview her upcoming panels at LA Chef Con 2025, including a tr...

What happens on the pod, stays on the pod—or does it? Following the hit Palm Springs recap, Luca is joined once again by his wife to break down a herculean three-day eating marathon at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the Strip’s buzziest new food destination. From Mother Wolf’s pasta to indulgent dinners at Don’s Prime and Chyna Club, dim sum at Washing Potato, and an ambitious food crawl at the Prome...

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca and Sal dig into the biggest story in food media: the latest round of layoffs at Eater. With reporters like Jaya Saxena and Amy McCarthy let go and LA’s newsroom slimmed down, what does this mean for local food journalism, restaurant coverage, and the future of dining media in Los Angeles? We also debate whether influencer content and guides like The Infatuation can really replace in-depth rep...

Today’s LA Food Podcast is a first — our debut three-part episode. First up, host Luca Servodio breaks down the week’s biggest food stories, from Eleven Madison Park’s bold new pivot to Bill Addison’s glowing RVR review and how Ozempic is reshaping restaurant menus. He also sings the praises of recent meals at Budonoki, Lasita and Teddy’s Red Tacos. Then, LA Chef Con founder Brad ...

Chef Daniel Patterson has lived more culinary lives than most chefs could dream of. From earning multiple Michelin stars at San Francisco’s Coi, to shaking up the fast-food world with Roy Choi and Keith Corbin at Locol, to now hosting a 12-seat tasting menu out of his own home, Patterson’s journey is as unconventional as it is influential. Ahead of opening his new LA restaurant Jaca in the former Son of a Gun s...

Elon Musk’s space-age Tesla Diner has been grabbing headlines—but when activist group Tesla Takedown staged a protest, it forced the media to look beyond burgers and milkshakes. This week on The LA Food Podcast, SF Gate’s Karen Palmer joins host Luca Servodio to explore how food writers should approach stories where dining intersects with politics, labor, and activism. Should they just stick to the food—or dig deeper?

Plus: K...

On today’s episode of The LA Food Podcast, we’re diving into the culinary comeback of Palm Springs. Once dismissed as a “culinary wasteland,” the desert is now attracting big-name chefs like Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, and Richard Blais — and perhaps no opening captures that momentum better than The Thompson Palm Springs. We explore how this stunning hotel on Palm Canyon is transforming the local dining scene with bold new re...

Downtown LA just lost a legend. This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re joined by Cole’s French Dip owner Cedd Moses and Independent Hospitality Coalition’s Eddie Navarrete to unpack why this 117-year-old icon is closing—and what it reveals about the crisis facing LA restaurants. Eddie also shares what fixes at the city and state level could provide real relief, and how diners can help stop the bleeding.

Before that, L...

Santa Monica’s dining scene wouldn’t be what it is without Chef Raphael Lunetta. This week on The LA Food Podcast, host Luca Servodio sits down with the legendary chef behind Lunetta, Marelle, and the iconic JiRaffe to reflect on nearly 40 years in the kitchen. From pioneering California cuisine alongside Josiah Citrin to becoming a regular haunt for Larry David (yes, Curb Your Enthusiasm fans, this one’s for you), Lunetta shares s...

🎆 Happy Fourth from The LA Food Podcast! This week, we go stars over stripes as Michelin unveils its 2025 California Guide — and LA finally joins the 3-star club (shout out Somni and Providence). Father Sal joins Luca to break down the historic wins for Somni and Providence, and ask: has the Michelin Guide fundamentally changed LA dining since its 2019 return?

Plus: a deep dive into Chef Daniel Patterson...

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, we welcome LA Times critic Bill Addison to go deep on his freshly dropped list of the 101 Best Restaurants in California. After years of dissecting his LA-only lists, we finally get to ask: what makes a spot one of the best in the state? Bill takes us behind the scenes of how the guide came together, shares the biggest surprises, and hints at who might quietly hold the crown for...

🎧 Today on The LA Food Podcast, we break down the biggest moments and key takeaways from this week’s James Beard Awards — with a spotlight on Los Angeles’ own Jon Yao of Kato, who took home the coveted Best Chef: California award. What does his win mean for LA’s dining scene, and where does Kato fit into the larger conversation about California cuisine?

Then, we sit down with Evan Algorri and Andrew Lawson

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, we're heading south to explore San Diego’s rising food scene. Known for craft beer and beaches, San Diego is now a serious player in the California fine dining landscape. From creative tasting menus to casual neighborhood gems, we spent 48 hours eating our way through the city—and we're sharing every bite.

Highlights include:

🍽️ A full San Diego restaurant guide with picks for bre...

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we dive into Pete Wells’ provocative New York Times piece on how some of the world’s top chefs are using artificial intelligence to reinvent fine dining. From crafting the perfect sausage to generating entire tasting menus, is AI the secret sauce of the future—or the recipe for a soulless, flavorless culinary dystopia? Luca and Father Sal break it all down.

In Chef’s Kiss, Big Miss, we unpack:

• E...