The Edible Skinny

Kogi Celebrity Chef Roy Choi is going Vegetarian

Choi, who exploded the Los Angeles street food scene in 2008 with his Korean barbecue tacos Kogi trucks, also pioneered the twitter food truck revolution. Four years later Choi is running an empire of restaurants including the Kogi taco trucks, A-Frame, Chego, Sunny Spot and the Alibi Room.

But all that might be changing as he noted on his blog that cooking no longer held any meaning for him. Choi went on to write that he's recently started eating a vegetable based diet. As he notes:

I stopped eating meat this week. That’s why I’m thinking about leaving cooking. How can I cook with out using meat? I will taste, for now as that is my profession. But I will no longer eat meat for my own consumption.

Animals be talking to me. They told me..stop. Stop, Roy. Please.

I talk to animals and kids. I feed adults. Time to switch. Talk to adults. Feed animals and kids. What are we gonna do about our streets now that you adults have accepted street food?

Are we supposed to put our faith in this man Jamie Oliver? A Brit? If so, then if anyone who reads this tell him to holla at me. Really. I can’t get to him. Tell him come see me, no PR, no publicist, no barriers. We can sit on the curb and join forces.

Choi also expressed disappointment at business partners' emphasis on profits, asking, "Profitability when our whole existence is at stake? Fuck you." Choi is set to publish his first book, a memoir, called Spaghetti Junction: Riding Shotgun With an L.A. Chef, through Anthony Bourdain's book line.

Personally I'd love to see Choi channel all this frustration into a kickass vegetarian/vegan restaurant.

Click here to read his full blog entry

In November of 2012 the state of California will ask its voters whether they believe GMOs should be labeled or not. The California Right to Know GMO Labeling ballot initiative have announced that they have collected the necessary 850,000 signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

Genetically Modified Organisms are experimental plants and animals that have been genetically engineered in a laboratory with DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses. Although GMO ingredients are found in 80% of packaged foods in the U.S., they have not been proven safe as the long term consequences of GMOs on our health and environment have not been adequately investigated.

93% of Americans think that genetically engineered foods should be labeled.

In celebration of collecting nearly a million signatures the California Right to Know will hold a rally in Norwalk (Los Angeles County) on Wednesday May 2nd, in support of turning their signed sheets in to the state. Supporters of the GMO ballot initiative will be wheeling in petitions in carriages to represent the importance of this issue to children and future generations.

Free goodies will be given away to any volunteers that show up including stuff from Nature's Path's, Label GMOs, the Institute for Responsible Technology, Food Democracy Now!, Organic Consumers Association and several others.

For those interested in attending California Right to Know is asking supporters to arrive at 10 am on Wednesday May 2nd with signs, baby strollers, and balloon at: 2400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk
Norwalk, CA 90650

California Right to Know plans to deliver their petitions at 11.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a tasting of the new menu items at Veggie Grill (the 100% plant-based comfort food restaurant). While we were waiting for our first item on the list, I informed my tablemates how I had walked away from Natural Products Expo West with the feeling that everyone was getting very close to the real deal in the world of plant based substitutes with things like chicken, but that nobody could master the art of seafood.

And within a minute I had to totally eat my words because Greg Dollarhyde, the CEO of Veggie Grill placed their new Crab Cake sandwich in front of me to taste.

I took a bite and the first words out of my mouth (honest, truly!) were: How is this possible?

A crispy “Crab” Cake with tangy tartar sauce, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and red onion along with a side of “sweetheart fries.” As a beach girl who grew up eating seafood in all forms (but the not the case anymore) I was totally hooked!

According to Dollarhyde the secret is a “certain type of seaweed adds the “seafood” umami to it.”

Veggie Grill’s constantly asking Americans to “taste and believe,” and after this experience I was totally a true believer. (And ended up going back less than two weeks later to experience it again!)

Have an article on Making Informed Food Decisions: The GMO Labeling Movement on the homepage of Modern Mom today. Here's just a tidbit:

Making Informed Food Decisions: The GMO Labeling Movement

The demand to label GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) is picking up steam in the United States, both on the state and national front.

Genetically Modified Organisms are experimental plants and animals that have been genetically engineered in a laboratory with DNA from other plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses.

GMOs exist for two main reasons:

1. Seed producers modify their seed to make them resistant to their brand of herbicide.

2. Seed producers modify plants to contain built-in pesticides.

As of 2010, GMOs constituted 86% of the Corn, 90% of the Canola, 93% of the Soy, and 93% of the Cotton grown in the U.S.

Although GMO ingredients are found in 80% of packaged foods in the U.S., they have not been proven safe as the long term consequences of GMOs on our health and environment have not been adequately investigated. 40 countries, including Australia, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, and all of the European Union nations, either have significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GMOs because they are not considered proven safe.

Check out the entire article at http://www.modernmom.com/blogs/kat-thomas/making-informed-food-decisions-the-gmo-labeling-movement

Natural Product Expo West was held a couple of weeks ago and truthfully I am just recovering the craziness of it all. More than 60,000 industry members and over 2,000 exhibiting companies filled more than 1 million net square feet at the Anaheim Convention Center on March 8 – 11, 2012. Totally Whole Foods in Vegas on Crack!

The Expo can be many different things to many different people, but for me it’s about seeing where the world of healthy eating is going, learning more, and trying more. Last year the watchword of the Expo was Gluten Free, this year it all boiled down to two phrases I heard over and over again: non-GMO and Vegan.

The rally to finally get America to start labeling GMOs on the state and national level is picking up speed (by the way in case you were wondering countries that require labels or have outright banned GMOs include: Brazil, Germany, UK, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, South Korean, and China). Also the concept of Veganism has definitely come to the forefront (by the way in case you were wondering (again) some famous people who are members of the Vegan Club include: Bill Clinton, Ellen Degeneres, James Cromwell, Steve Wynn, Casey Affleck, Travis Barker, Russell Simmons, Mike Tyson, and Ozzy Osbourne).

In terms of learning more and trying more the Expo is an amazing experience of having the ability to ask every question you might have ever had about your favorite foods and sampling new foods. Which leads us to the Best of the Best (for me at least) most of these products are new to the market, but there are a few that are just new to me. Either way, they’re awesome and I would totally check them out if you get a chance!

DANDIES VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS
In the world of Vegan eating there sometimes are unexpected gaps in your food choices. Everyone knows there’s no meat or dairy, but how many people realize that marshmallows are also blacklisted? But food conscious S’Mores lovers rejoice! Dandies Vegan Marshmallows are 100% Vegan, Certified Kosher, and Gluten Free. Made on dedicated Vegan equipment with zero Gelatin these little sugar pillow even catch fire like traditional marshmallows.

BOLANI
I have to say I am tragically undereducated when it comes to Afghani food (which I thoroughly admit is ridiculous considering how much our countries have intertwined in the past decade). So I was totally floored when I discovered East & West Gourmet Afghan Food Inc and that their vegetarian product Bolani was one of my favorite foods at the Expo! Bolani is a traditional Afghani flatbread stuffed and baked with either spinach, pumpkin, red potato, or green lentil filling. It is usually served warm and as a side dish, appetizer, hors d'œuvre, or even as a main dish. Initially found in only a few of the Bay Area’s farmers’ markets, this unique fusion of East and West now participates in over a 100 farmers’ markets every week and can be found at Whole Foods.

VEGETARIAN PLUS TURKEY
In the world of meat subs (meat subsitutions) 71% of the meat sub dollars go to MorningStar. And yes they make kickass Buffalo Wings, but this year I made sure to spend time focusing on the all the other companies out there. Now I have mixed feeling about meat substitutions (in reality they’re chocked full of chemicals) but sometimes you just want a chicken nugget or in Vegetarian Plus’ case a Whole Turkey. No joke! They actually make a 100% non-GMO Soy Based (not my favorite, but in small amounts totally okay) Turkey with Vegan Gravy and Stuffing. It was crazy, their “bird” was firm, moist, and totally tasty. Another benefit: their turkey heats and serves in just an hour. Score and score again!

GIRASOLE WINE
Every year I learn something at the Expo that totally blows my mind. This year it was that most wine these days isn’t considered Vegan (this is because of a process called Isinglass, where wine is filtered or clarified with non-Vegan things such as: Egg whites, Fish bladder, Milk Protein, and Gelatin). But for those who want to enjoy the nectar of the Gods, Girasole makes a totally Vegan wine. Girasole (which is Italian for sunflower) vineyard’s have been certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers for the past 20 years (the founder of Girasole notes that he’s “been farming organically for 50 years; the first 30 I didn’t know it. There was no organic certification process. Prior to World War II, growing without commercial chemicals and fertilizers was standard procedure."). My favorite bottle of theirs is their Hybrid Red: a great combination of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon/ 25% Syrah/10% Merlot and Gold Medal 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Tasting. With the flavors of black plum, coco power, and violet in a medium tannic environment, the Vegan/Organic certification and the under $20 price point make it both ethical and economical.

BROOKLYN SALSA
I met Rob Behnke Bowman, founder of Brooklyn Salsa, rocking it out to the band Holy Ghost! at his booth at the Expo (which is totally not the norm at this trade show). A businessman and musician (Rob plays under the title The Blue and Red 3D Spectacular), he and a friend started Brooklyn Salsa when they made their first batch of salsa for a party they were hosting. A few years later the company has become a Brooklyn institution. Made with primarily organic ingredients from small, New York based farms, they use no artificial preservatives only fresh Lime Juice (the tomatoes are harvested and then frozen until they needed to be used). Their salsa blends represent each of New York City's six boroughs. My Absolute Fav? The Bronx, an Indian-inspired salsa with eggplant and curry powder. It totally rocks!

SIR RICHARD'S CONDOM COMPANY
Another thing I learned that isn’t normally Vegan: condoms! That is until Sir Richard's Condom Company entered the scene last year. Their belief is simple: that condoms, like food, should be chemical free. With that mission statement their casein-free 100% natural latex condoms are vegan certified by the American Vegetarian Association and free of parabens and spermicides. Like a lot of great companies these days they have a one for one commitment, so for every Sir Richard’s Condom purchased they donate one to a developing country. Found at Whole Foods across the company they’re definitely a fun find!

COCONUT BLISS
Yes they’ve been around since 2004, but Coconut Bliss is worth mentioning just because of the number of visitors they were getting at their booth at the Expo. Their “ice cream” is Dairy, Soy, and Gluten free, uses only USDA certified organic ingredients, and has received certification from the non-GMO Project. At the Expo I was "talked into" trying their Naked flavor, which is exactly what you think it would be: plain coconut. Now as someone who has a tendency to go for the bells and whistles of flavored ice cream, I was blown away by the simplicity of it. Creamy, creamy, creamy goodness. Turns out plain coconut, is anything but boring.

In the course of a week and half, I’ve now twice encountered Jeff Mahin, Chef/Partner of Stella Rossa Pizza Bar. First at Zagat’s first-ever LA 30 Under 30 list, honoring the top chefs, managers, mixologist and industry professionals under the age of 30 in the LA/So. Cal area, where he was honored as one of the elite 30. Jeff’s awesomely unassuming for a super young Chef/Partner (he’s 28).

The second time was on Tuesday at the Windy City West 2012 event held at his restaurant (again, Stella Rossa, for those just skimming this post) along with their sister restaurant M Street Kitchen. For those who don’t know Windy City West it’s a legendary party uniting Chicagoans in entertainment in Los Angeles (total disclaimer in preparation for a couple of paragraphs down: I am Jersey born and breed).

For someone so young, Jeff’s got quite the culinary background. At the age of 17, he dropped out of school to cook at Nobu in New York. Then, without ever having been to the restaurant, he was hired to work in the culinary laboratory at the Fat Duck run by Heston Blumenthal the famed molecular gastronomist. By his early 20s, Jeff was back in the U.S., hired by Chicagoan Rich Melman, founder of the restaurant company Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, as his chef in charge of developing new concepts.

So when Melman decided to open his Stella Rossa Pizza Bar in Santa Monica, he called on Jeff to create the pies, which have become to be known as one of the staples of the insurgent pizza revival in Los Angeles. I like to think of Stella Rossa as all the tastiness of Pizzeria Mozza, without all the pretentiousness.

Now I’m sure I’m not supposed to say this because on this given night we were celebrating all things Chicago, but even though all the Chicagoans were going gaga for the deep dish Lou Malnati’s pizza slathered in cheese (which is a Chicago staple), in my opinion Jeff’s Stella Rossa pizza was the winner of the night (and remember, I did give you a disclaimer in the first paragraph). Substantially thick, but still holding that great crispy crunch it was the shining star of the event. And I’m not alone in my admiration; Stella Rossa consistently has a wait at its doors!

Stella Rossa
2000 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA
310-396-9250

No matter who you are or where you’re from, you have the right to know what’s in your food, especially when it comes to GMOs. (Genetically Modified Organisms).

Currently, food companies are not required to label foods that contain GMOs even though 80% of foods in U.S. grocery stores are made with GMO ingredients. GMOS are labeled in other countries, just not in the US of A.

And why should you care if nasty GMOs are in your food? • GMOs are in 75% of processed food in grocery stores. You eat them everyday. • GMOs can create serious allergic reactions. • GMOs require heavy use of toxic herbicides. • GMO corn makes its own pesticides within the plant – remains in your food. • GMO cross pollinate… organic crops are being contaminated.

Label GMOs has until April 22nd to get 800,000 signatures to get this on the 2012 California Ballot. Because this is a California Ballot Initiative, in-person, physical signatures are required (signatures can’t be gathered online).

So if you see some looking for your John Handcock sign with the passion of knowing you’re helping create accountability in our food system (and have us catch up with the rest of the world).

To learn more and get involved visit www.labelgmos.org

Have an article on Using Mushrooms to Teach Kids About Food Ownership on the homepage of Modern Mom today. Here's just a tidbit:

Using Mushrooms to Teach Kids About Food Ownership

Food is the fuel of human beings. To stay strong and healthy we eat healthy things. Sounds like a pretty simple concepts right? But sometimes the simplest of concepts are the hardest.

I know it sounds crazy but one of the biggest relationships we’ll ever have in our life is with food (another one is money). A kid’s relationship to food will last their lifetime and will affect every aspect of their life from their health, to their education, to their career, to their romantic relationships, to the actual length of their life.

That’s why it’s so important to teach children about ownership when it comes to what they put in their mouth. Ownership that applies not only what they should eat (healthy food), to how it’s grown or made (without chemicals), to how it affects the bigger picture (the environment).

But how do you teach such grand, and somewhat overwhelming, concepts in a simple and fun way? One great way is using a mushroom kit from Back to the Roots. It's interactive and fun - kids spray the mushrooms with water as they grow - and these kits can grow up grow up to 1 1/2 lbs of tasty organic oyster mushrooms in as little as 10 days right from the box.

Check out the entire article at http://www.modernmom.com/blogs/kat-thomas/using-mushrooms-to-teach-kids-about-food-ownership

Veggie Grill, the California plant based fast food chain is expanding to the Beaver State (seriously guys that's Oregon's actual nickname....)

Veggie Grill's expansion will happen with the partnership of long-time restaurant developer Ed Casey. Based in Portland and an Oregon resident for over 20 years, when Casey discovered Veggie Grill, he found the perfect fit for the adventurous Portland consumer: a concept at once healthful, food-centric and fun.

Casey has developed, owned and operated over 25 Baja Fresh Mexican Grill franchises in the Pacific Northwest. He also introduced Oregon to Applebees in 1993 and TGI Fridays in 1980. Casey also served as President/CEO of the Counter, a 2008 National Restaurant Association’s Hot Concept winner (and who's first location was in lovely lovely Santa Monica).

As a joint venture partner, Casey will develop Veggie Grill restaurants in Oregon, opening the first location in January of 2012 followed by a second in May. The first location will open in Beaverton (home to Nike) and the second in the downtown financial district of Portland. Casey is also currently in negotiations on two other locations in Portland and the surrounding communities, including in and around Washington State.

So for every Portlandia-er who is dying for chicken-free chicken soup (which is positively Auh-Mazing!) get ready!