Anne Marie Panoringan is Culture OC’s well-informed food columnist. She reports industry news, current events and trends. Anne Marie also contributes regularly to Eater Los Angeles, LAist, TASTE and a host of other well-respected publications. Anne Marie continues with us in-studio discussing her work as Food Columnist for Culture OC.
Along the way Anne Marie will highlight her recent European sailing aboard the Caribbean Princess, a Grand Class vessel in Princess’ fleet. She will also chat about the upcoming Tastemakers or Orange County event at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza benefiting the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) and her dining column in the new issue of Taste with a preview of The VOX Kitchen soon coming to Level 1 of the Crate & Barrel Wing at South Coast Plaza.
This is your captain speaking. I'm Honor Jatin, captain of All in the American Line, MS Master. You're listening to the so-called restaurant show on AM 830 KLAA. And welcome back. It is the SoCal restaurant show and we're here with you every Saturday morning from 10 AM until 12 noon right here on AM 830 KLAA, the home of Angels Baseball 2025. And you can also catch us on the AM 830 Angels app. I'm Andy Harris, the executive producer and co-host of the show. Hello again. And I neglected to mention it, but I'm happy to say Tony is back in the booth with us this morning in technical excellence. So good morning Tony. I know he had a very late night last night. So we are fortunate to have him here this morning. That is typically when we get the call that someone is out sick. So we appreciate Tony being the devoted guy he is and being right there. We are enthusiastically presented each and every week by Melissa's world variety produce. We're back in Orange County and we're picking up our conversation with Annemarie Panerungen, who is culture OC's food writer. And we're getting back to business here in Orange County. The cruise ship has landed. Annemarie welcome back. You contribute every week or excuse me every year to a wonderful magazine that South Coast Plaza puts out emphasizing their restaurants. And it's called Taste and recently arrived is the 2024 issue. And not too surprisingly, you have a contribution to taste. So tell us what that particular restaurant is because it is an exciting one. You've talked about it on the show previously, but a new location going into South Coast Plaza. This is a wow. Yes, Andy's referring to the Vox kitchen. I did a collaboration piece on new and upcoming restaurants at the Plaza. And it happens to be the restaurant comes from a group of people that I really enjoy dining at their other locations. But this one is called Vox kitchen. It's the second location of Vox for this restaurant group key concepts. And it is inspired by Chifa, which is a Peruvian Chinese type of cuisine. The times that I've been, maybe a handful of times now, to the original location over in Fountain Valley. One of my favorite dishes, which I think everyone always looks at me funny when I try to tell them what it is, is a great salad that has its pararugula salad with creamy burrata, fig balsamic vinegar, and honey roasted nuts in a champagne vinaigrette. It's just, if you like any of those components, you will love the salad, but it almost sounds odd going to a fusion Asian type restaurant and having something like this, but it's to me, it's like one of the best parts of the meal. Well, Anne Marie, it's absolutely delicious. Now, something unexpected at Vox kitchen that if you haven't been there, you really wouldn't have an appreciation for. They have quite a program of alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages, and they're always presented with flair. They're definitely colorful. Peek our curiosity, Anne Marie, if you can, in the libation area, if you will. Sure, what Anne Marie is referring to is the full bar that includes craft cocktails. I know that I've had the Peace Coast sour, which I liked very much, but I think what he will need me to also suggest is that more often than not, I, depending on whether it's for work or just, you know, going out for the sake of going out, I appreciate the spirit free menu with like light-chee lemonades and mango dragon fruit iced teas that really refreshing, but no alcohol whatsoever. Again, definitely to their credit. Now, also, in this particular issue of taste, there's some little previews of some other new restaurants that are going to be opening soon in South Coast Plaza. Always a lot going on there. Anne Marie, what's the easiest way? I know that there's some print copies of taste that have been distributed, but I also believe it's available online. Do you know right off the top of your head about where you can go to access that? It would be www.Southcoastplaza.com/taste. And I definitely, the photography alone in taste is definitely worth appreciating. It's a best. Yeah, no, no, I mean boy, oh boy. And they, you know, profile a lot of the restaurants that are in South Coast Plaza. There are interviews, there are pictures, there's a lot of good information that's in there. And also, I think what a fun feature is, is they talk about some of the entertainment that is coming up at the Sagerstrom Center for the Arts, which includes the Sagerstrom Hall, the Renee and Henry Sagerstrom Concert Hall, the Samwelli Theater, South Coast Repertory, and then as part of this complex is the wonderful Orange County Museum of Art that at least I think for the time being there is no admission charge and this is definitely worth seeing. So they have the schedule of everything that is coming up between now and, excuse me, the end of the year and a little bit longer than that. So as I say, just a lot of good information there. And Anne Marie, before we move on, just one more time online where they can find the 2024 issue of taste. Sure. www.SouthCoastPlaza.com/taste. Now, golly, also still talking about the Sagerstrom Center. Every year, there is a wonderful walk around tasting event that happens there called the Tastemakers of Orange County. And it benefits an organization called Ocopica, but Ocopica stands for the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance. And that's hard to say without taking a breath, which is kind of why they call it Ocopica. But I'm going to let Anne Marie talk about this event. What I really appreciate it about it is, is all the chefs that are part of this are there because they want to be. It's very collegial. Guests have a chance to interact typically with either the executive chef or the owner of these restaurants. And it benefits a very worthy cause in terms of what Ocopica does, because in terms of what's happening in the United States right now, unfortunately, there is a lot of hate out there about various ethnic groups. And it's just not Asian people and Pacific Islanders. And one of the missions of Ocopica is to try to help calm things down in that area. So, Anne Marie, tell us a little bit more about the event because I know it's one you look forward to every year. And boy, the eats are spectacular. So, I mean, just a tiny bit of background on the event was prior to tastemakers. One of the major fundraising ways for Ocopica was to do like a formal dinner, like a sit down plate servers, all that. And I know that a friend of mine, Sora Tangessiri, was like, she is a part of Ocopica. She had said like, there's a chairman of the board. Oh, yeah, I'm just kidding. She had said, there's got to be something else we can do, like make it more fun and upbeat and interesting. And her husband to read who happens to be a baker and have a restaurant of his own, Kermak Cafe in Seal Beach. He really just called upon his colleagues in the circle of industry contacts. And I want to say, what is it? This is seven years now. It's definitely, I think, over five. And sounds right to me. Every, you know, end of summer, beginning of fall, they pick a space and now it's, I'm sure it's more permanent now at South Coast area. It used to be, I think it began in SoCo. But just a group of chefs who all basically get along and their friends too. And it's unlimited taste, silent auction. It's a lot of fun. I think the only thing I ever have to remember is to put on sunscreen. That's always a good idea. And Annemarie, we just got a text for the walk around event, nine years hard to believe. Now, Annemarie, I know again, you have your ear to the ground, you got some intel on some specific dishes that some of these great chefs and restaurateurs are doing. So we got to share that with our audience. Sure. Let's see. Reiner Schwartz from Hendrix in the deck. He is going to be cooking a seared Belford scallops, great Northern beans and smoked ham hock ragu that includes dandelion greens, sundried yellow teardrop tomatoes, caramelized pearl onions, and orange confit. That is just one dish. That's crazy. Alan T from Cali Dumpling will have a roast duck gyoza with a five spice butternut squash puree. Rich mean from Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens will have a soy sesame grilled beef lettuce wrap with a sweet chili sauce and to eat. My friend to eat from crema cafe. He isn't sure yet what he's doing, but you know, it's going to be dessert. And he was either thinking about pecan tart or sweet potato cheesecake, things to do kind of a Thanksgiving vibe since that's quickly approaching. You know, Annemarie again, that's just a tiny little tip of what's going on. The lineup of chefs here is very impressive. In addition to some of the people you have mentioned and we can't begin to even mention many of these people. But Amar Santana is going to be there with vodka. Dumplings galore, as you mentioned, James Hamamori, who is one of the finest sushi chefs in Orange County, is going to be there with Hamamori. So, you know, you get the idea that is really this is the best of the best. And there are also beverages. The wonderful family-owned Gavina Coffee Company is going to be there. Don Francisco Coffee. So, again, an incredible lineup. So, to give you the rundown, this is coming up next Thursday, October 10th. It typically sells out. It is at the Sagerstrom Center for the Arts in the Argros panel. A palt plaza. If that is how their last name is pronounced, I still am not sure about that. 6 p.m. for VIP entry, 7 p.m. for general admission. Again, this event always sells out. $250 for VIP. You get in an hour early. For those of you that can afford it, I recommend that option. General admission is $195. And ticket information. Do you have that website in front of you, Anne-Marie? www.ocapaca.org. That's O-C-A-P-I-C-A.org. Ladies and gentlemen, the fall festival season, food festival season is starting. We've been visiting with Anne-Marie Pan and Ringen, who is culture OC's food columnist. We will expect a revisit from Anne-Marie before the end of the year, because there will be lots to talk about. It is the so-called restaurant show. We're proudly presented by Melissa's World Variety Produce. When we come back, a Palm Springs restaurant that is going to be in the new Manhattan Beach Food and Wine Festival. Give us a minute. We'll be back.
