Author Archives: Cathy Thomas

Tweet I thought I was the queen of cherry pie. But I was wrong. Alicia is queen. Alicia Hitchcock, chef-owner of Alicia’s Cookery in Brea, bakes thousands of cookies each week. In the same time-frame, she also makes about one … Continue reading →

Tweet Late last year, just minutes away from my old favorite restaurant supply shop Chefs’ Toys in Fountain Valley, another independently-owned cooking supply giant opened. Surfas, on the opposite side of the freeway in Costa Mesa’s SoCo Collection, sells more … Continue reading →

Tweet Tabu Grill’s Ahi Poke is so scrumptious. At the hands of a capable home cook or chef, poke is an irresistible dish. The Hawaiian concoction showcases jewel-like cubes of chilled raw ahi (yellowfin tuna) napped with a delectable Asian-themed … Continue reading →

Tweet Composed Salad of Flash-Seared Steak and Japanese Omelet – grab a fork! Charlie Palmer, celebrity chef and über restaurateur, has a culinary style that is often dubbed “progressive American,” a designation based on his irresistible cuisine that showcases American … Continue reading →

Tweet Chef-restaurateur Jet Tila grew up in the food business, learning about Asian cuisine both in his family’s Thai grocery store, Bangkok Market in Hollywood, as well as their many restaurants. He spent childhood summers working at his uncle’s Royal … Continue reading →

Tweet Reading the salad menu at Zimzala Restaurant always makes me hungry. There is the Hearts of Romaine Salad napped with a hardy aged-jack cheese dressing and adorned with a perfectly-caramelized onion topped crostini. And there’s the Shorebreak Wedge, a … Continue reading →

Tweet BUNDT LOVE: This easy-peasy chocolate cake is from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s book “Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys” (Artisan, $18.95 soft-bound). Quinn is the executive food director at Martha Stewart Living, and her recipes make scrumptious dishes. She writes … Continue reading →

Tweet Come on, grab a pig rib. The juicy meat is handsomely glazed, tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, but somehow stays on the bone until those bossy pearly-whites take hold. Of course, ribs roast-smoked on the ‘cue … Continue reading →

Tweet ZIMZALA, Shorebreak Hotel, Huntington Beach Roy Hendrickson, Zimzala’s talented executive chef, showcases high-flavor dishes that are well-thought out and delicious. Some of my favorites: Heirloom Apple Salad with butter lettuce, Humboldt Fog goat cheese, extra-virgin lemon-spiked olive oil, micro … Continue reading →

Tweet Craig Strong, executive chef at Studio, Montage Laguna Beach, is known for his irresistible modern French cuisine with California twists. And there are hints of Spanish influences in his dishes as well, a reflection of the two years he … Continue reading →