Latest news with #NancySilverton
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Pizzapalooza – go on an artisanal pizza tour in Singapore
(Clockwise from left) Roberta's Bee Sting pizza, the Tamaki pizza from Pizza Studio Tamaki Singapore, and J-Dog pizza from Blue Label Pizza & Wine. PHOTOS: ROBERTA'S, PIZZA STUDIO TAMAKI SINGAPORE, BLUE LABEL PIZZA & WINE SINGAPORE – Thin crust, thick crust, crunchy crust, thin and crunchy crust. Classic toppings, luxe toppings, out-there toppings. Classic Neapolitan, contemporary Neapolitan, Tokyo-Neapolitan, New York, San Francisco sourdough. There is an artisanal pizza for every palate in Singapore. In recent years, big brands from overseas have opened here , many using the city as a springboard to proliferate in Asia. Home-grown brands have not been slouching either – they have upped their game by focusing on their dough and coming up with pies topped with South-east Asian flavours. Before there were artisanal pies, pizza came from big American chains. Then, in December 2010, Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza opened at Marina Bay Sands. American chef Nancy Silverton brought in her artisanal pizza and ushered in the golden age of artisanal pizza here. Today, her pizza can be had at Osteria Mozza at Hilton Singapore Orchard. She founded La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, and brings a bread baker's sensibility to her pizza dough. Her pie has a distinct puffy rim and is different from a Neapolitan pizza in that it is an even golden brown, not spotted with char. The crumb is airy; and the pizza is not wet and not supposed to flop over when diners pick up a slice. Diners and purveyors started bandying about terms like hydration, which refers to the percentage of water in the dough relative to the weight of flour; cornicione, the puffy rim of a pizza; and starter, preferment and sourdough, which some pizza-makers use alongside or instead of commercial yeast. In 2024, more heavy hitters began to open in Singapore. There was Il Clay Supper Club by Naples-born Ciro Sorrentino, who owns pizza restaurants in Italy and Vietnam; L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, a brand from Naples with a history that goes back more than 150 years; Italian chef Massimo Bottura's Torno Subito in Dempsey; Fortuna, a buzzy brand from Sydney; and Beyond The Dough, with Japanese pizzaiolo Eddie Murakami slinging pies in the Tokyo-Neapolitan style. So far, in 2025, there have been Vincenzo Capuano Singapore, serving the social media star's contemporary Neapolitan pizza; and Pizza Studio Tamaki, whose founder Tsubasa Tamaki pioneered the Tokyo-Napoli style. Chef Antonio Miscellaneo, 52, of La Bottega Enoteca, says: 'I did think that at some point, pizza would reach the level that we have in Europe. But I didn't think it would ramp up so fast.' Chef Travis Masiero, 45, who owns Blue Label Pizza & Wine, says: 'I'm always interested in others coming into the market. Now, we are seeing the invasion of Neapolitan and Japanese pizza. The more, the merrier.' But chef Miscellaneo has some sobering words for those wanting to enter the arena. He says: 'Whoever wants to open a pizza place here must do something different. They must have a passion for pizza or they are bringing in a different style of pizza. If you are doing more of the same, it's a lottery.' Newpolitan La Bottega Enoteca Where: 346 Joo Chiat Road Open: 11.30am to 3pm (Fridays to Sundays), 5.30 to 10.30pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 5.30 to 11pm (Fridays and Saturdays) Info: WhatsApp 9071-8400 or go to Chef Antonio Miscellaneo and his wife Jasmine (in a 2021 photo) at La Bottega Enoteca with his Newpolitan pizza. PHOTO: ST FILE For a spell, the best pizza in Singapore came out of an oven parked on the balcony of a condominium in East Coast. That was when former software engineer Antonio Miscellaneo was running his private-dining business, Casa Nostra, and turning out pizzas in his Newpolitan style. It started in 2018, and word spread fast among the foodie set, who begged and stalked him for reservations. Now, they simply make a booking at his restaurant, La Bottega Enoteca, which opened in 2021. There is also a more casual pizza and pasta restaurant, Casa Vostra, at Raffles City. The 52-year-old calls his pizza Newpolitan style. Where a classic Neapolitan pizza might have a hydration level that ranges from 55 to 65 per cent, and the dough is made and used the same day, his dough has a hydration level of 70 to 80 per cent and is fermented for 48 hours. He says: 'The dough is lighter and more digestible because the process of long fermentation creates enzyme activity. When you eat a pizza and you feel thirsty after and can't sleep, that's because the fermentation wasn't done in the right way.' Even the cooking method is different. The two electric Moretti ovens in the restaurant are set to two different temperatures: 450 deg C and 250 deg C. The Newpolitan pizzas go into the hotter oven for about 90 seconds and are then placed in the cooler one for 60 seconds. 'This makes sure all our pizzas are fully cooked,' he says. 'When you eat a pizza that still has moisture inside, it will feel doughy and heavy. Our method drives the moisture out of the pizza.' The flour he uses for the dough is from Molino Casillo in Puglia, and includes the wheat germ. It comes to Singapore vacuum-packed with those enzymes still preserved, he adds. They work to break down proteins and starches, making the dough more digestible. The Newpolitan pies are priced from $45 for a Burrata one, and he also offers diners the option of getting a whole pizza with two different flavours, so they can try more. Chef Miscellaneo calls his restaurant the 'Disneyland of pizza' because he offers different styles. There is also the Roman-style Double Crunch, made with a wetter dough and crisp the way Romans like it. These are priced from $24 for a Caprese sandwich with burrata, pesto, Sicilian Datterino tomatoes and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There is also La Foccacia di Recco (from $52), an unleavened flatbread he likens to Italian prata, and he will be introducing Padellino, a type of pan pizza he likens to ciabatta. These are topped after the pizza comes out of the oven, and he is looking at gourmet toppings such as gambero rosso or red prawns, carpaccio and vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce). Naturally leavened Chooby Pizza Where: 127 Owen Road Open: 6 to 10pm (Wednesdays to Fridays, by reservations only) Info: Call 8923-9814 or go to Spiced Coconut Chicken pizza from Chooby Pizza. PHOTO: CHOOBY PIZZA No commercial yeast goes into the dough at Chooby Pizza. Owner Mason Lim, 33, has developed a way to turn out consistently good pizza dough since he started the business in 2020. That was when Singapore was at a standstill because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had just got a Roccbox oven from Gozney, a British brand, and decided to sell pizza for takeout, since there was no dining-in at restaurants. His pizzas have what he describes as a soft and flavourful dough, lightly crisp and a 'nice char on the crust'. The hydration level is between 72.5 and 75 per cent, and he uses finely milled Type 00 flour from Naples and a starter made with that flour and water. The dough is fermented for six to eight hours at room temperature. It is c ooked for two to 2½ minutes at 420 to 450 deg C. He says: 'I focus very much on the pizza doug h and hope that diners agree Chooby stands out for this. Dealing with live yeast and bacteria without using any commercial yeast is tricky as there are many factors that will affect the fermentation activity. 'Even when using the same type of flour with the same recipe, the dough will turn out different from day to day, and it does take some experience and knowledge to be able to manage it to achieve the desired result.' Prices start at $16 for a Margherita, that classic pie topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte and pecorino cheeses, basil and olive oil. This, together with Spiced Coconut Chicken ($18.50), topped with tom kha sauce, chicken thigh, mushroom, onion, coriander and chilli oil, are the bestsellers. The focus on the crust has paid off. He says: 'I've noticed more diners finishing the entire pizza without ditching the crust.' Sourdough pan pizza Goldenroy Sourdough Pizza Where: 125 Desker Road Open: Noon to 10pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays Info: Pepperoni pizza from Goldenroy. PHOTO: GOLDENROY While working on his doctorate in chemistry at Stanford University, Goldenroy owner Roy Chan, 38, would head from Palo Alto to San Francisco in search of good food. He was drawn to Golden Boy Pizza, which always had a long queue. So enamoured was he of the thick and fluffy crust with a very crispy base that he developed his own pizza dough, starting in 2013, his first year in California. He uses a sourdough starter that is more than 100 years old and came from a bakery in the Bay Area. 'This special starter imparts a fragrant richness to the dough that I don't get with the other sourdough starters I've tried,' he says. Goldenroy started in 2020, and he sold his pizzas at East Village mall for takeout. Now, he has a 38-seat restaurant in Desker Road. Some 90 per cent of his business is takeout, although he says the pies are best when served right out of the oven. The square 25cm x 25cm pizzas are good for two people. Among the bestsellers are pies topped with seafood, including Kryptonite ($29), with clams and garlic; and Spongebob's Revenge ($34), with browned butter, scallops and onions. The flour is an unbleached variety from the US, and he ferments the dough, which has 60 per cent hydration, for 48 hours. The pizzas are cooked in a pan with olive oil in an electric oven at 250 deg C 'until the crust is golden'. He says: 'When fresh out of the oven, it has a very crispy bottom. It is an American-style pizza meant to be eaten straight from the box with your hands, not with fork and knife. 'Our pizzas are hand-stretched and baked in a pan of olive oil. This style is highly popular in the US, but in Singapore, we're the only ones serving it.' New Haven-New York hybrid Blue Label Pizza & Wine Where: 28 Ann Siang Road and 03-02 Mandarin Gallery, 333A Orchard Road Open: Noon to 11pm daily Info: Blue Label Pizza & Wine's The Travis Supreme pizza. PHOTO: BLUE LABEL PIZZA & WINE What chef and restaurateur Travis Masiero was trying to create with Blue Label was a pizza dough that lived in his mind. The 45-year-old American, who also owns Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House in Gemmill Lane and Nixta in Amoy Street, says: 'I wanted to find the ideal combination of a crust that had the flavour and chew of a long fermented New York pizza dough with the crispness and 'charability' of a New Haven-style pizza, topped with high-quality, inventive ingredients.' He opened Blue Label in Ann Siang Road in 2017, and a second outlet at Mandarin Gallery in 2019. The pies are priced from $35, and options include The Travis Supreme ($39), topped with ground beef, sesame on the crust and cheddar-bacon melt; J-Dog ($42), topped with pork sausage, bacon, pepperoni, capers, jalapeno and red sauce; and Wish I Was A Baller ($42), topped with sliced steak, French's mustard, bechamel sauce, roasted onions, mushrooms and provolone cheese. He says: 'We make a hybrid style of pizza that is more gourmet and cheffy. We have our fans, people who appreciate this style.' The dough, made using a sourdough starter, has a hydration level of 64 per cent and is fermented for 72 hours. Blue Label uses an electric oven from Bakers Pride Oven Company in the US, popular in New York for making pizza. The pies are cooked at 325 deg C for six to eight minutes. 'We want to create pizzas that are flavourful and craveable,' chef Masiero says. 'I don't have a pizza background, so for me, it's about flavour. I'm not restrained by any pizza dogma.' New York Neapolitan Roberta's Where: B1-45/46 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue ; 01-04 Mandai Wildlife Reserve, 80 Mandai Lake Road Open: MBS – 11.30am to 11pm (weekdays), 11am to 11pm (weekends); Mandai – 11am to 10pm daily Info: Roberta's Bee Sting pizza. PHOTO: ROBERTA'S To make Roberta's pizza in Singapore taste like Roberta's pizza in Brooklyn, chef and co-owner Carlo Mirarchi had to make some changes to the dough, mostly to address the high humidity here. Speaking to The Straits Times at Roberta's new 103-seat restaurant at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the 44-year-old says: 'If you come here with a hardcore mindset, you're going to have issues.' He made changes to the hydration level an d the f lour ratio, and made oven temperature tweaks too. Roberta's style of pizza, he adds, is close to the classic Neapolitan style. The hydration ranges from 65 to 72 per cent, and the dough is fermented for 72 hours. He uses a sourdough starter that is more than a decade old. The pies are baked for about two minutes at about 425 deg C, in a wood-fired Pavesi oven from Modena that is fuelled by pecan, apple and redwood. He says of the texture: 'It is relatively airy, with a slight chew and some crispness. There is a much greater undercarriage. When you hold it up, it doesn't flop over.' That last bit, he adds, assumes diners dive in the minute the pizza lands on their table. Roberta's, which opened its first restaurant in Brooklyn in 2008, gained traction for its wood-fired pizza. It opened its first Singapore restaurant at Marina Bay Sands in 2022, and is on a tear in 2025. Aside from the Mandai restaurant, which opened on April 30, it has also opened R Slice, offering takeaway pizza by the slice at Paragon mall. Its pies are priced from $26 for a Margherita, and bestsellers in Singapore include the Bee Sting ($30), topped with tomato, mozzarella, basil, spicy Calabrese salami, chilli and honey. At Mandai, there is Speckenwolf ($30), topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, mushrooms, red onions and oregano. Chef Mirarchi says of diners here: 'People are highly critical, but not in a bad way. They are not passive consumers.' Neapolitan with a twist Fortuna Where: 7 Craig Road Open: Noon to 3pm, 5.30 to 9.30pm (Sundays to Thursdays); noon to 3pm, 5.30 to 11pm (Fridays and Saturdays) Info: A selection of pizzas from Fortuna. PHOTO: FORTUNA At Fortuna, that buzzy, perpetually packed Italian restaurant in Tanjong Pagar, some of its pizzas come extra crisp. That is because the base is fried 'gently', says founder Egon Marzaioli, 32, and then baked. The toppings go on after the bases come out of the oven. He says of the extra step: 'That gives it an extra crisp snap without losing that airy softness inside. It's a balance of texture that elevates every bite.' These pizzas are priced from $35 for Sundays At Angela with San Marzano tomatoes, anchovies, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and oregano; to $45 for King Mazzara, topped with stracciata cheese, red prawns, semi-dried tomatoes, pesto and lemon zest. The brand, which chef Marzaioli started with two friends in Sydney in 2021, came to Singapore in 2024. Fortuna's classic pizza selection is priced from $24, for a small pizza yielding four slices of Queen Margherita. It also has a list of special pies, including Singapore Tribute (from $35), topped with San Marzano tomatoes, chilli crab sauce, crabmeat, lemon zest, parsley, fior di latte cheese and chilli oil. The dough, says the Naples-born chef, is made with flour from Molino Casillo, with 75 per cent hydration. It is fermented for 50 hours and cooked for 60 to 90 seconds at 430 to 480 deg C in a Valoriani oven from Tuscany. He says: 'The wood fire imparts a unique smoky flavour and perfect charring, creating a crust that's crisp yet tender – a hallmark of authentic, high-quality pizza.' Wagon wheel pizza L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele Where: 01-08 Mercure Icon Singapore City Centre, 8 Club Street Open: Noon to 3pm, 6 to 11pm (Mondays to Saturdays); noon to 3pm, 6 to 10pm (Sundays) Info: Call 9823-5724 or go to Da Michele's wagon wheel pizzas. PHOTO: L'ANTICA PIZZERIA DA MICHELE The pizzas at L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele cannot be contained by the plates they are served on. Clocking in at 35 to 40cm, they are as big as their nickname, pizza a ruota di carro' or wagon wheel pizza. It comes from stretching the dough really thin, and there is a practical reason for this. Mr Marcello Mazzotta, 38, director and co-owner of Da Michele in Singapore, says: 'This style is a nod to the old-school pizzaioli in Naples, who would stretch the dough to be as big as possible to show generosity and feed hungry customers at an affordable price. 'It became a symbol of authentic, traditional and humble Neapolitan pizza-making.' The brand has a history that goes back to 1870 in Naples and is run by the Condurro family. The style is classic Neapolitan and, for decades, it served only two kinds of pizza – Marinara, topped with tomato sauce, garlic and oregano; and Margherita, topped with tomato sauce, Pecorino Romano and fior di latte cheeses, and fresh basil. The brand was famously featured in the 2010 movie Eat Pray Love, starring American actress Julia Roberts. Today, there are more than 50 Da Michele restaurants in the US, Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, among other countries. The 120-seat one in Singapore opened in 2024 and was the first in Asia Pacific. A Da Michele will open in Bangkok later in 2025 at Siam Paragon mall. Mr Mazzotta says the dough is made with Caputo flour from Italy, with fresh brewer's yeast and 60 to 65 per cent hydration. It is fermented for 24 to 48 hours and cooked in a Stefano Ferrara oven at 480 to 500 deg C for 45 seconds. Pies are priced from $22 for a Marinara to $42 for a Burrata & Capocollo, topped with fior di latte cheese, black olives, sundried tomatoes, pecorino cheese, burrata and capocollo or dried cured pork neck. He adds: 'The uniqueness of the pizzas comes not from complexity but from purity, discipline and tradition. Every step and ingredient is essential to preserving the Neapolitan pizza heritage, and this minimalist approach is what makes our pizza world-renowned. 'We don't do experimentation and our chefs are trained to keep every pizza consistent.' Contemporary Neapolitan Vincenzo Capuano Singapore Where: 01-12 The Pier at Robertson, 80 Mohamed Sultan Road Open: Noon to 3pm, 6 to 11pm daily Info: One of the newest players in the artisanal pizza scene here is firmly rooted in Naples, but pizzaiolo Vincenzo Capuano's pies have a contemporary edge to them. The 35-year-old founder of the brand followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps. But where they relied on instinct and feel, he goes with precision. His pizza dough is made with a special blend of flour from Caputo called Nuvola Super, named for the cloud-like texture he wants to achieve. Chef Vincenzo Capuano with his Provola e Pepe pizza. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI He uses a preferment, a mix of flour, water and yeast that sits for 24 hours before being used, and an almost soupy dough with 80 per cent hydration. That ferments for 36 hours. The pizzas are cooked for about 120 seconds in a gas-powered oven that goes up to 480 deg C. The result, when done right, is a very puffy cornicione or rim, and diners can cut into the pizza with a pair of gold scissors placed on every table, to admire the air pockets in the dough. Chef Capuano has more than 30 restaurants – in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and Kosovo. The 150-seat restaurant in Robertson Quay opened in May. Pizza options include Provola e Pepe ($28), topped with smoked provolone, pepper, hand-crushed tomatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil; Don Vincenzo ($30), its crust stuffed with ricotta cheese, and the pie topped with yellow cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, pecorino flakes, pepper, crumbled almonds and basil; and Bellaria ($32), topped with Datterino tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, Parma ham and pesto. He says: 'My pizza comes from a family tradition, refined through years of study. The dough is light and digestible, and the contemporary style bridges respect for Naples with the desire to innovate.' Tokyo-Napoli style Pizza Studio Tamaki (opens on June 10) Where: 38 Tanjong Pagar Road Open: 11am to 3pm, 5 to 11pm ( weekdays); 11am to 3pm, 5pm to midnight (weekends ) Info: @ on Instagram Pizza Studio Tamaki founder Tsubasa Tamaki with his pizza dough. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI Singapore fans of Tokyo's Pizza Studio Tamaki need not fly to the Japanese capital for its Tokyo-Napoli-style pizza. J.A.P Dining Concepts, which runs Okinawan steakhouse Yappari Steak at VivoCity and Northpoint City, has partnered chef Tsubasa Tamaki to open Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST) in Singapore. The 45-year-old, originally from Okinawa, trained with master pizzaiolo Susumu Kakinuma at Savoy, the pioneer of artisanal pizza in Japan. Chef Tamaki went on to launch Pizza Strada in Tokyo in 2011, but parted ways with his investors because their visions were not aligned. He started PST in 2017. He has two restaurants in Tokyo, one in Okinawa and another in Bangkok. The 72- seat Singapore one opens in Tanjong Pagar on June 10. Chef Tamaki came up with his light dough at Savoy because, he says, he wanted diners to be able to eat more than one pizza each. It is made with a special blend of flour, using Canadian and American wheat, that a Japanese mill makes for him. It is a little brown because he keeps some of the bran on the grain for nutrition. The dough has a hydration level of about 60 per cent and is fermented for over 30 hours. The pizzas cook in a Stefano Ferrara oven, which goes up to 500 deg C. It is wood-fired, powered by oak, cherry and beech. Tomato-based pies are in there for 70 seconds, while white-sauce pies get 60 seconds. PST's pizza have a special touch – the pizzaiolo throws Okinawan salt on the floor of the oven before sliding the pie in, to season the crust. Arrabbiata pizza at Pizza Studio Tamaki Singapore. PHOTO: PIZZA STUDIO TAMAKI SINGAPORE Options include Marinara ($24), topped with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano and basil; and Special Bianca ($39), topped with burrata, buffalo mozzarella and mascarpone cheese, and truffle oil. Other signatures include Bismarck ($32), topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, pork sausage, pecorino romano cheese and a Japanese egg. The chef's favourite is Arrabbiata ($30), topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, nduja sauce, garlic, parsley and black pepper. Tan Hsueh Yun is senior food correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers all aspects of the food and beverage scene in Singapore. Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
What chefs bring to a no-cook potluck party. Easy takeout ideas you can duplicate
More than 20 easy takeout ideas from chefs and food pros for your next potluck. Plus, Curtis Stone grows a lifestyle empire in Malibu wine country, the return of Miya Thai, making chicken in a rice cooker. I'm Laurie Ochoa, general manager of L.A. Times Food, with this week's Tasting Notes. The invitation via text message was brief: 'Having a 'potluck' at my house next Sunday. Bring your favorite takeout food.' I looked at the sender's name: Nancy Silverton. I've been to Nancy Silverton's house for parties many times. I co-wrote her bread book and first got to know her while writing a story for this paper on the making of Campanile, the restaurant she and her late ex-husband Mark Peel opened in the complex that is now Walter and Margarita Manzke's Republique. So the idea of Silverton throwing a party with only takeout food — nothing cooked by her or any of her chef or food-obsessed friends — was surprising. It's not that Silverton favors complex dishes. One of her lesser-known cookbooks is 'A Twist of the Wrist,' with simple recipes made from jarred, tinned or boxed ingredients. And she sometimes augments her party menus with food from some of her favorite takeout spots like Burritos La Palma. But Silverton is obsessed with details, even at a burger party where the patties are hand-shaped with a custom-blend of meat (20% to 28% fat, as writer Emily Green once described in a story on the chef's hamburger process), and she only entrusts grill duties to trusted cooks (frequently Elizabeth Hong, culinary director of Silverton's many Mozza restaurants, or Jar restaurant owner-chef Suzanne Tract). Even the burger toppings and condiments are precisely arranged. Her avocados, for instance, are almost always halved, loosened from the skin, which remains to protect the fruit, then sliced, drizzled with lemon or lime juice and seasoned with salt, pepper and often chopped chives. I wondered how Silverton would react to the chaos that can ensue at potluck gatherings. What if everyone showed up with Burritos La Palma? (Well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad.) Of course, Silverton and her partner, former Times reporter Michael Krikorian, eliminated some of the event's wildcard nature by making gentle inquiries over text to find out what people were bringing. It was clear from the start that one of my favorite foods to bring to a party would not be an option: the football-shaped Armenian flatbread from Glendale's Zhengyalov Hatz — filled with more than a dozen different herbs, as writer Jessie Schiewe described in our recent guide to '15 L.A. restaurants where ordering the house specialty is a must.' Krikorian was already bringing some. He was also getting brisket from Andrew and Michelle Muñoz's Moo's Craft Barbecue, which is one of critic Bill Addison's favorite L.A. barbecue spots; 'kuku sandeviches,' or house-leavened flatbread filled with herb-and-leek frittata, yogurt, cucumber, tomato and radish from Azizam, which Addison called 'L.A.'s best new Persian restaurant'; fried chicken and fish sandos from Mei Lin's Daybird, the shop that attracted columnist Jenn Harris' admiration soon after its 2021 opening and before Lin's most recent restaurant, 88 Club in Beverly Hills, previewed recently by Food's reporter Stephanie Breijo; and fantastic basturma brisket sandwiches from III Mas Bakery & Deli (pronounce it 'Yerord Mas') run out of a Glendale ghost kitchen by husband-and-wife team Arthur Grigoryan (who used to work at Mozza) and Takouhi Petrosyan. Oh, and Silverton also arranged for Frutas Marquez (phone: 909-636-1650) to set up an umbrella-shaded cocos frios and cut fruit stand. So before the first guest turned up, there was enough food for a hungry crowd. Then the chefs and other food pros started to arrive with food from all over city. Chef Chris Feldmeier of the sorely missed Bar Moruno in Silver Lake and now back in the kitchen at Love & Salt in Manhattan Beach gave Silverton's guests a chance to try some of the Southland's greatest Indian cooking from Quality of Bombay in Lawndale. He brought goat biryani, butter chicken and palak paneer, with large pieces of curd cheese mixed into the gently seasoned spinach. People were raving over the butter chicken and I was so taken with the goat biryani that I stopped into the unassuming storefront this week and picked up some lamb biryani as well as two of the restaurant's naans, one flavored with green chile and one, Peshawari naan, baked with ground nuts and raisins. Feldmeier also brought crispy rice salad with Thai sausage from North Hollywood's Sri Siam, a place I recently rediscovered. Feldmeier's former Bar Moruno partner (and contributor to our wine coverage), David Rosoff, brought a sampling from Armen Martirosyan's Mini Kabob spinoff MidEast Tacos in Silver Lake. Many guests had heard about the Armenian-Mexican tacos and were happy to have a chance to try them. Another hit from the party came from Jar's Suzanne Tract, who brought spicy shrimp dumplings and kimchi dumplings from Pao Jao Dumpling House started by Eunice Lee and Seong Cho in the food court of the Koreatown Plaza on Western Ave. In the dumpling season of Jenn Harris' video series 'The Bucket List,' she finds out that Cho developed the recipe for the spicy shrimp dumpling and isn't sharing the secret to its deliciousness — which will make you all the more popular when you show up with a batch at your next potluck. Photographer Anne Fishbein brought many delicious things from chef Sang Yoon's Helms Bakery, including doughnuts and gorgeous breads with different schmears and butters, including the sweet black garlic butter that Harris included in her story about the Helms' foods that got her attention when the marketplace opened in Culver City late last year. Times contributor Margy Rochlin arrived with swaths of the pebbly Persian flatbread sangak, so fresh from the oven at West L.A.'s Naan Hut the sheets of sesame-seeded bread burned her arm when she picked up her order. (Read Rochlin's 2015 story for Food for more on how sangak is baked on hot stones.) She then went to Super Sun Market in Westwood for French feta cheese, fresh herbs and the shallot yogurt dip mast-o musir, arranging everything on a wood board. Silverton's daughter, Vanessa Silverton-Peel set out an impressive array of flaky borekas from the always-busy Borekas Sephardic Pastries in Van Nuys with various fillings. These included cultured cheese and za'atar; potato and brown butter; mushroom, caramelized onion and truffle; spinach and cheese, plus carrots and hot honey, which is an occasional special. With them, came pickles, tomato sauce and jammy eggs. And because she is everywhere, Harris has written about her love for this place too. Taylor Parsons, once declared L.A.'s best sommelier when he was at Republique by former L.A. Weekly restaurant critic Besha Rodell, and Briana Valdez, founder of the growing Home State mini-chain of Texas-style breakfast tacos and more, brought cheesy Frito pies and tacos from Valdez's restaurant. And Pasquale Chiarappa, a.k.a. the sometime actor Pat Asanti, a.k.a. Patsy to his pals, brought his own Della Corte Kitchen focaccia, which he supplies to Pasadena's Roma Deli among other places. Pizza and cake from another Addison favorite, Aaron Lindell and Hannah Ziskin's Quarter Sheets in Echo Park went fast, though I'm not sure who brought them since at this point it was getting hard to keep track of all the incoming food. The same goes for the bucket of Tokyo Fried Chicken that was quickly gobbled up. Jazz musician and composer Anthony Wilson had the good taste to bring a whole duck from Roasted Duck by Pa Ord, which I wrote about in this newsletter recently because I think it might be the best duck in Thai Town. Claudio Blotta, founder of All'Acqua in Atwater Village and Silver Lake's Barbrix, which is undergoing rennovations at the moment, tapped his Argentine roots by bringing empanadas. I missed the name of the place he bought them, but a good bet if you're looking for some to bring to a party is Mercado Buenos Aires in Van Nuys. Erik Black, founder of the recently revived Ugly Drum pastrami, broke the rules a bit by actually cooking something — spiced caramel corn from recipe in 'Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book.' And Mozza's Raul Ramirez Valdivia made tortilla chips, guacamole and wonderful salsa verde. Of course, Burritos La Palma showed up thanks to Mozza's Juliet Kapanjie. I ended up bringing a tray of fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, a party offering that has never failed me, from Golden Deli in San Gabriel. There were three kinds: shrimp and pork, beef and tofu for vegetarians. And just when it seemed that the party could not take one more food offering, in walked former L.A. Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila and photographer, wine aficionado and cook Fred Seidman with a box of burgers from In-N-Out. Because no matter how full you are, there's always room for In-N-Out. Food reporter Stephanie Breijo got a look at the inner workings of Curtis Stone's Four Stones Farm in the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Australian chef of Hollywood's Gwen and the Pie Room in Beverly Hills has established a base for his burgeoning lifestyle empire. This includes TV-ready testing and production kitchens for taping live HSN cooking demos promoting his cookware, plus a winery that uses grapes grown on the property's vineyards and a set up for events, including the upcoming Great Australian Bite in collaboration with the L.A. Times and Tourism Australia. On May 31, Stone and visiting chef Clare Falzon of Staġuni in South Australia's Barossa Valley are teaming up to prepare a multicourse meal in the area becoming known as Malibu wine country. Tickets cost $289 and are on sale now. Regular readers of this newsletter know that I have been keeping watch in my Altadena neighborhood for signs of recovery following the firestorm that destroyed so much of the area. I'm thrilled to report that Miya — David Tewasart and Clarissa Chin's Thai restaurant, which survived in the section of Lake Ave. that saw major destruction — has quietly reopened and is happily busy. We ran into friends from the neighborhood and sat with them at a table to catch up. It felt like home. And the fried chicken with hand-pounded papaya salad? It's as good as ever. Have you seen that woman who cooks an entire chicken in a rice cooker?' style pro Joe Zee asked columnist Jenn Harris recently, as she wrote in our most recent Cooking newsletter. He was referring to the Instagram video made by London content creator Shu Lin, who showed her followers how to make Hakka-style salt-baked chicken with not much more than a seasoning packet sold in most Asian supermarkets and a rice cooker, plus ginger, green onions, shallots and oil. The technique isn't new, but Lin's recipe is very simple and inspired Harris to try it. Gefen Skolnick tells Food contributor Jean Trinh that she wanted a 'fun and funky' Gen Z-friendly space when she opened Couplet Coffee in Echo Park this year. That means 'limited-edition product drops, community-building, storytelling and social media.' As Skolnick put it to Trinh, 'There needs to be great coffee made more approachable.'
