Anne Marie Panoringan has been Andy Harris' frequent guest for years on his weekly radio show. She turns the table and interviews him in this week's column.
If you’ve been following my food writing you know that I visit radio personality Andy Harris in studio at Angel Stadium’s admin office on a semi-regular basis; every other month, to be exact. I was still associated with OC Weekly when Harris initially invited me to be a guest on his SoCal Restaurant Show.
Nowadays, he not only interviews me about my current and upcoming Culture OC food columns, but about what I’ve been up to in general. Harris inquires about what’s trending in Orange County because he knows I am always looking for my next story and have forged industry friendships in the process. Our 24-plus minutes of hospitality updates and food-filled adventures usually result in me getting hungry.
I thought it would be interesting to turn the tables on Harris and interview the person who spends most of his working hours getting to know others. What I learned was better than expected.
Anne Marie Panoringan: Tell me about your first job in hospitality.
Andy Harris: In elementary school (kindergarten through eighth grade), I worked in the school cafeteria for lunch service. I got out of class 20 minutes early, received a free lunch and was paid 75 cents per shift. The food was actually pretty tasty, all unusually fresh and prepared on-site. My classmates would bring their trays back to the dishwashing area where I would separate what went into the dishwasher from what went into the trash; I thought it was a great opportunity at the time!
Panoringan: Please explain your role in the 1984 Olympics.
Harris: I was an employee of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) for 18 months as the concession coordinator administrator for the spectator services department (everything for the guest except ticketing) under Associate Vice President John Leisner, who was a valued mentor. John's background included being COO of Universal Studios Hollywood and MCA Concerts. I met him in 1976 when studying for my MBA at USC's Entrepreneur and Venture Management Program and conducted a well-received food service consulting project for Universal Studios Hollywood.
I was responsible for finalizing the food and beverage programs at 23 ticketed Olympic venues located in three states. Some of the facilities had existing food and beverage outlets while many did not. I also trained a group of 58 dedicated volunteers who monitored all food and beverage, and authorized merchandise sales at all the Olympic sites during the games.
It was important to the LAOOC that the public was treated with courtesy. The LAOOC had menu autonomy by contract at most of these sites (except Dodger Stadium) and Peter Ueberroth (LAOOC president and COO) mandated that the menus be more exciting than just boiled hot dogs and stale nachos with canned bright orange cheese sauce. This was truly innovative thinking for 1984. We added more nutritious items with appeal like fresh fruit and premium sandwiches made with quality ingredients. This was an $11 million dollar enterprise for food and beverage sales alone serving some 5.8 million guests!
We worked some crazy hours but the results speak for themselves. A big part (40%) of the unprecedented '84 surplus of $233 million dollars went to endowing the ongoing LA84 Foundation, which to this day still benefits youth sports in Southern California 40 years later! The principal has been incredibly well managed so it's now a perpetual fund that provides substantial grants annually to all varieties of deserving youth sports.
Panoringan: Where have you dined lately?
Harris: Most recently in Orange County I've had recommendable experiences at the new La Vaquera in San Juan Capistrano and Smoke Queen Barbecue in Garden Grove. La Vaquera is the flagship restaurant in the new, long-in-the-works River Street Marketplace under the direction of Chef Aaron Zimmer. It's wood-fired cooking with a genuine commitment to sourcing local ingredients. Chef Aaron is a big supporter of the Ecology Center in SJC and sources as much of his produce from them as he can.
Smoke Queen Barbecue (quality barbecue with an Asian accent) is an inspiring entrepreneurial success story as a result of the proprietress developing an evolving gameplan to ride out the pandemic. Owner, Chef & Pitmaster Winnie Yee is self-taught in barbecue but has experience in running quick-service, franchise establishments. Perfecting barbecue for her was lots of practice and studying YouTube videos. Chef Winnie platformed a strong following on Sundays at Smorgasburg in Downtown Los Angeles into her current, much more ambitious brick and mortar operation in an unusual renovated cottage in Garden Grove with three 1,000-pound smokers positioned on her front patio.
There is always something new (showing promise) in Los Angeles, but I do want to mention Bar Etoile and Budonoki. Bar Etoile serves accessible French fare offering a comforting traditional steak frites along with an unexpected Caesar beef tartare. The ownership team is a credentialed chef, an experienced restaurant general manager, and the owner of a natural wine shop.
Budonoki is a vibrant, welcoming neighborhood izakaya with staff that really understands hospitality. The three owners, all friends from college, work the floor. One of the triumvirate is the hands-on executive chef. Standout creations include a seafood pancake with shrimp, scallops, mussels, garlic and chives served with a house sriracha; from the daily specials menu, seared salmon belly handrolls with Ora King salmon, chili mayo and masago.
Panoringan: Do you have any dining favorites close to home?
Harris: Because the powerful 50,000-watt signal of AM 830 KLAA reaches all of Southern California, I always have a growing list of 25-plus restaurants I want to try so it means, unfortunately, I get to neighborhood favorites on an infrequent basis. I'm certainly not complaining, but I couldn't possibly keep up with all the intriguing possibilities even if I ate dinner out seven nights a week along with a few lunches.
I am happy to spotlight J Nichols Kitchen in Marina del Rey. It's overseen by the second generation of attentive family ownership. It started in 1974 as a reliable neighborhood diner serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Early bird dining was also on the menu. As times changed the current generation thoughtfully morphed the place with a total refresh in 2012. It's still breakfast, lunch and dinner but it's now elevated, unpretentious California comfort food with from-scratch preparations and a dinner house vibe. I love the idea that the holiday turkey entree with fresh turkey roasted daily and all the Thanksgiving trimmings is a year-round item.
SIDEBAR: Andy's Co-hosts
Panoringan: Where do you like to travel for food?
Harris: New Orleans is probably my favorite dining out city. San Francisco and Chicago are in the mix, too.
I hadn't been back to the Crescent City since the pandemic and was joyful to revisit last summer. New Orleans is a serious food town. If you've having a hearty breakfast at a standard like Brennan's in the French Quarter, the subject will soon be "Where are you having lunch?" My kind of town.
The variety of ethnic foods available is impressive, too. It's not all Cajun and Creole. Consider the Bananas Foster Pain Perdu at Commander's Palace's Jazz Sunday Brunch and, later, a shrimp po-boy at numerous acclaimed local spots in NOLA. You also have nationally prominent chefs creatively cooking there including Susan Spicer, Emeril and E.J. Lagasse, Nina Compton and Donald Link. The mid-range hotel (operated by a large, multi-brand hotel group) I stayed in had a restaurant. I had no expectations food-wise, but this is New Orleans and the breakfasts I enjoyed there merit praise. Consider crawfish beignets ... only in New Orleans.
Panoringan: What is the most challenging thing about live radio?
Harris: My biggest challenge in live radio is making sure the guest is comfortable so they can easily share the information they are there to impart to our large listening audience. You also need to be prepared to take the conversation wherever it goes and not be overly rehearsed.
It's just a conversation. To me, live TV reading off a prompter is much more nerve-racking.
Panoringan: Any closing thoughts?
Harris: To the followers of Culture OC, please, please support local restaurants. Dine out as often as you can. Independent, locally-owned restaurants are the backbone of small business and a robust economy. The restaurant business is being squeezed on all sides. It's not an easy life to begin with.
Chefs and restaurateurs are always at the front of the line donating their services (feeding people) when there is need. With the devastating Palisades and Pasadena/Altadena fires, chefs and restaurateurs lost their homes and businesses. Their hard-working employees are out of work. They merit our encouragement.
The "SoCal Restaurant Show" airs live every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon on AM 830 KLAA, the home of Angels Baseball.
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