We talked with Good Food Festival producer Jim Slama about what the event is and what you can experience at the various demos, talks, and gatherings that are part of a celebration of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market and a larger dialogue about improving L.A.'s foodscape. more ›

Life is simply going to have to go on for thousands of people the weekend of Carmageddon, when the 405 Freeway is closed down completely near the Sepulveda Pass to accommodate the demolition of the Mulholland Bridge. One of the most beloved farmers' markets in the nation will be up and running in Santa Monica on Saturday July 16th, but the 405 is a significant artery of transit for the farmers who sell their produce at the weekly market. more ›

Santa Monica's Downtown Farmers Market will begin implementing new signs and safety barricades (resembling tennis court nets) at each of the market entrances as part of the city's "ongoing commitment to maximize market safety," notes the city website. Market operation, access and vendor space will not be interrupted... more ›

Going to the Santa Monica Farmers' Market with local chefs is something near and dear to us, since that's the core of our From Market to Menu series. Our last trek was in the company of Chef Mikey Stern, the executive chef at Michael McCarty's Michael's restaurant in Santa Monica. 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 ›

At 8 am, as many of the inhabitants of Los Angeles sit gridlocked in traffic or languish a few extra minutes in bed before facing a day of waiting tables and waiting for the phone to ring, the Santa Monica Farmer's Market exists as a tranquil gem. As the waves lap the empty beach only a block away, California farmers unpack their vans and trucks at Arizona and 2nd, piling tables high with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers... more ›

If you were looking to find one of the best farmers' markets in the nation, luckily you don't have to look further than right here in Los Angeles County, says Travel & Leisure. more ›

Chef Neal Fraser of Grace and BLD believes the art of cooking needs daily cultivation. Even if he has 10 restaurants, he will always be exactly where he wants to be - in the kitchen. As an LA native he has “a personal vendetta” to elevate LA into the echelon of the best restaurant cities in the world. With the development of a new Grace like fine dining restaurant downtown that will grow at least a third of the produce on site, and a new BLD slated to open in Pasadena early next year, Chef Fraser shows no signs of leaving the kitchen. LAist caught up with the busy chef at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market (as he bought green beans for his daughter) to provide details about moving Grace to downtown, the struggle of when to pull a dish from the menu and how he is inspired by Wonderbread. more ›

• A 16-year-old boy who shot at a police car in Boyle Heights last night remains at large today.
• Details are clearing things up about what was first reported as a drive-by shooting that took place on Ventura Blvd. last night; turns out it was two employees of a smoke shop who were shot. The assailants entered the store through the back entrance.
• The body of 62-year-old Dean Gordon Christy was found yesterday in the Green Valley Lake are a. Christy, a North Hollywood resident and beloved Glendale teacher, was an avid outdoorsman who was first reported missing three months ago.
• George Russell Weller, the elderly man behind the wheel for a horrific accident at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market in 2003, has paid only $500 of the tens of thousands of dollars in fines and restitution he owes. The 91-year-old is appealing his 2006 conviction.
• After a 45-day shut down for sediment removal, water facility Pyramid Lake reopened today.
• Myrna who? Alumni of Venice High have begun a campaign to bring a decades-old statue of actress Myrna Loy out of storage and back on display on the campus. Loy was popular in the 30s on the screen, and her statue became popular in recent years as the object of pranks.
• EaterLA has their weekly roundup of celeb spottings up, and normally we wouldn't care, but their first report is about rocker Dave Grohl spotted dining at Mozza on Wednesday... LAist, however, spotted him just a few hours earlier than his dinner at our favorite East Valley cafe. Dave, my how you get around!