COMMUNITY MEDIA PARTNERSHIP

Chef and food writer Ivy Dai explores food and lifestyle in Southern California with her new podcast, Walk-ins Welcome.
EPISODE 14: STEPHANIE MORGAN
Ivy Dai interviews founder/owner of Seabirds Kitchen, Stephanie Morgan. Voted best vegan restaurant in LA by the LA Times, Seabirds celebrates its 13th anniversary next month. Morgan talks about quitting her finance job to open Seabirds, and being on the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race. She also shares how she balances work and family, and her philosophy behind plant-based cuisine.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 13: RICH MEAD
Chef Rich Mead was at the forefront of the original farm-to-table concept and his restaurants Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens and Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens highlights local seasonal produce. Chef Mead makes weekly early morning trips to the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Farmhouse celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and will hold a charity tasting event.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 12: JAMIE GWEN
Ivy Dai interviews celebrity chef Jamie Gwen. The Orange County local is the co-founder of Relish, a food, wine and spirits experience Oct 2-4 in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Gwen hosts a nationally syndicated radio show on food and appears on KTLA News. She talks about Relish as well as her adventures cooking with Emeril Lagasse and also at home with her husband and young son.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 11: AMAR SANTANA
Ivy Dai interviews Amar Santana, the beloved Top Chef contestant with three restaurants in Southern California - Vaca in Los Angeles, Vaca in Costa Mesa and Broadway in Laguna Beach. Santana talks about his experience on Top Chef, his extensive travel and life with his family.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 10: KENNY JACKSON
Ivy Dai sits down with Orange County local Kenny Jackson to talk about the opening of his soul food restaurant and live music venue LJ's Lounge. Named after his mother Linda Jean, LJ's in Costa Mesa is a testament to Kenny's family and his decades long career as a DJ. Working for Lexus in a corporate environment also helped hone his business savvy, precision and marketing know-how which transferred to the restaurant business.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 9: DANIEL HOHNG
Ivy Dai interviews Daniel Hohng, Executive Chef of the Park Club member's club in Costa Mesa, CA. He is one of the most highly regarded chefs in the region - he opened Vaca with Amar Santana and was chef de cuisine at Asterid with Ray Garcia. He also worked at Spago and Crustacean. During the interview he also talks about his experience working overseas in Asia at Michelin-starred restaurants. His Korean and Californian inspired fine dining tasting menu has been profiled by Culture OC and lauded by the Los Angeles Times, among others.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 8: ANNE MARIE PANORINGAN
Ivy Dai interviews James Beard Foundation judge and California Journalism Award winner Anne Marie Panoringan. She has written for Culture OC, LAist, Eater LA, Voice of OC and other publications. She shares how the Orange County dining landscape has changed in the last two decades, how she got her start in journalism, and three of her favorite restaurants in OC right now.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 7: JO SITU
Ivy Dai interviews Laguna Beach local Jo Situ, who talks about her journey from environmental scientist turned artist turned chef. She is the former chef founder of Mo Mi Mei restaurant in Costa Mesa and her latest series of dinners called Eat Like An Artist exposes diners to California-inspired and market forward Chinese cuisine.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 6: NEIL LIU
Ivy Dai interviews Strickland's Ice Cream franchise owner Neil Liu in Costa Mesa, California. The former C-suite executive compares his corporate life to being a small business owner and talks about creating iconic flavors and building a diverse community of ice cream lovers.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 5: SHAY GARLAND
Ivy Dai talks with with Orange County local and private chef Shey Garland about their shared experiences cooking for royalty and celebrities. Shey talks about her nonprofit Hospitality Hospital which coaches and mentors foodservice professionals, how to prevent burnout and the intersection between food and AI.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 4: KELSEY SULLIVAN
Kelsey Sullivan shares her journey from bedside nurse to holistic health coach, detailing her 9-day cleanse based on Medical Medium's protocols, the benefits of detoxing, and how mindset work complements physical health. Discover practical tips for detoxification, mindset shifts, cleanse recipes and how to incorporate these practices into your life.
Listen on SpotifyEPISODE 3: VIET NGUYEN
Ivy Dai talks with chef-founder and co-CEO Viet Nguyen of Kei Concepts about his humble beginnings and the growing hospitality brand.
Listen on Spotify



