Heather Parlato

Cara Cara Oranges (Photo by Heather Parlato) One of the great things about holiday fare is that it’s usually already seasonal, based on traditions that are older than the globalized food market. However, if you’re anything like me, you like a good blend of traditional favorites with some new and innovative flavors to mix things up. Also, these holidays originated in the north-east in the freezing cold, not the, uh, sometimes-very-rainy south-west. On the...

As a graphic designer, I’ve been reading Alissa Walker in various design publications for years. She’s been somewhat of a household name for designers and architects, but when I started seeing her name pop up with other credits, like Good, Fast Company, Longshot Magazine, helping produce DnA for KCRW, speaking on and moderating panel discussions—it seemed like she was suddenly everywhere. This is a great thing, however, because she writes about the things I love: Los Angeles, design, walking & gelato! I got my complimentary Coolhaus bacon ice cream sandwich (yum!), poured myself a coffee and got settled in for her talk as part of the Creative Mornings Los Angeles series.

If you’ve been in LA for the last few days, I don’t need to explain why we’re so lucky to live in a mild climate where so many delicious things are seasonal through winter. Swiss chard is a cool-weather leafy green that loves the southern California climate and grows here year-round if you can give it enough sun in winter, and partially shade it in summer. If you love swiss chard, hopefully you’ll get some new ideas on how to use it. If you haven’t loved it yet, it’s never too late—read on!

I'll admit, I don't have an extensive history with Jerusalem artichokes, so when I saw them at the farmer's market, I decided to make them the topic of the week. As the photo caption suggests, there is no easily-searchable information on how they got “Jerusalem” in their name. They're native to north America, though when cooked, they do have an artichoke-like taste.

If you didn't grow up with a persimmon tree in your back yard, your only exposure to this late-fall fruit may have been a downplayed basket in the corner of your supermarket's produce section. It's really too bad this delicious, beta-carotene-rich treat gets so little attention, and a stark contrast to what you'll find at the farmer's market this time of year, where you can buy them by the branch-full from October to February.