Chef Mary Sue Milliken is an institution in the Los Angeles culinary world. As a partner with Chef Susan Feniger for over 25 years, she has opened two Border Grill restaurants in LA (and one in Las Vegas) in addition to owning the wildly successful Border Grill food truck. As a chef, cookbook author and TV personality on “Too Hot Tamales”, she has introduced thousands of people to high-end modern Mexican and Latin American food. more ›

Last night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Slow Food Los Angeles and Area 23a presented a screening of the documentary Ingredients, which was followed by a panel featuring some of L.A.'s most respected voices in the farming and food community. Written and directed by Robert Bates, Ingredients focuses on the concept that establishing relationships and buying locally from independent farmers can foster positive social and economic change while providing fantastic health benefits. more ›

Walking through the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, Rustic Canyon's Chef Evan Funke’s movement brings to mind Ray Liotta’s iconic stroll through the Copacabana in Goodfellas. Similar to in Liotta’s portrayal of Henry Hill, everyone seems to know and love Chef Funke as he’s greeted enthusiastically with high fives and hollers from farmers, peers and friends alike. Chef Funke moves from stall to stall with an unassumingly cool focus. Conversing in both English and Spanish and sporting heavy tattoos, he emanates a unique California-esque dexterity. In a way perhaps only a California chef can, he selects products with concentration and passion while exuding the same casual disposition one might have picking a T-shirt to wear for the day. more ›

"I'm making pork belly tacos and fresh orange sorbet served in oranges," Eli Sussman said, when asked what he was currently working on in the kitchen. The twenty-three-year-old LA resident and Detroit native has a passion for food - specifically making great food affordable and accessible. However, the radio promotions manager has no professional culinary training...which is all the better as testament to Freshman In the Kitchen, a cookbook he co-wrote with his brother Max, designed to inspire and take novice chefs on a step-by-step journey through the kitchen. The cookbook starts out with easy and simple recipes and techniques and gradually increases in terms of difficulty. Like many of us who spent at least some of our time in college living in a huge house with a bunch of friends and an often dirty kitchen, Eli used his first-hand experiences to write a book that a college student (or new chef) could relate to and understand. LAist had a chance to talk to Eli about the cookbook process, why it's important to cook, the LA food scene...and their national debut on The Today Show tomorrow. UPDATE: Today Show segment below. more ›