Hey Susannah Dot Com

We were lucky enough to score Kitchen Sink passes for the inagural Taste Talks event in Los Angeles. Held at a number of cool spots throughout the city, this multi-day event brings together chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and food enthusiasts to talk about the city's food scene and where it's headed. There were also various tastings and parties, some of which we got to attend.

The main event, the conference, began Saturday morning at the Line Hotel. We enjoyed a breakfast burrito and glass of rosé, then settled in for the first talk: "Can the restaurant industry survive the new economy?" Evan Kleiman moderated a panel of chefs and restaurant owners who were open with us about the challenges they face trying to make money in the restaurant industry - one chef even said she opened a fast-casual restaurant because it's more profitable (less service) and it funds her kid's private school tuition. When that talk was over, we went to a couple of other panels, one on female chefs and one on writing about the Los Angeles food scene. The one on female chefs was held in the secret bar Break Room 86, which is probably the coolest place for a conference talk that I've ever seen. Usually when I'm at conferences, I'm staffing a booth, so it was really nice to be able to go to a conference as an attendee.

The next day was the All-Star BBQ at Mack Sennett. We showed up to the early session and enjoyed some great food samples (not all BBQ) and Don Julio cocktails. That night, we went back to Mack Sennett for the closing party, where there was more food (Indian from Badmaash and pizza from Delicious Pizza!) and a pretty good party atmosphere.

"But the Food Sucks! Covering the Los Angeles food scene from the perspective of a local" panel.

Dante's Fried Chicken. My favorite dish of the day. I had 2. Shhhh.