I’m a terrible home cook. But when I watch J. Kenji López-Alt’s cooking videos, I feel like, just maybe, I’m not a complete failure in the kitchen.
Under his guidance in The New York Times cooking section, I’ve learned, but not yet perfected, how to boil an egg (it’s not as easy as it looks!), added this mayo-marinated chicken to my regular dinner rotation, and will one day attempt this spicy-salty sundae. His methods are methodical, but generally approachable, and he packs a lot of information into his presentations, allowing hopelessly mediocre cooks like myself to execute at least moderately edible dishes to family and friends.
This month, fans can catch López-Alt in person, alongside some of the best chefs in the business at Tasting Notes on August 14 at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. The interactive event will feature chefs and classic musicians working in perfect harmony (sorry—I couldn’t resist). Along with López-Alt, participating chefs include Claudette Zepeda (Iron Chef, Leu Leu), Sean Sherman (a.k.a. the Sioux Chef, a James Beard Award-winning chef, activist, and author) Kelly Van Arsdale (co-founder of Spinnaker Chocolate in Seattle), and a guest chef from Café Coyote in Old Town.
Musicians include Inon Barnatan (The Conrad’s music director) on piano, Tessa Lark (a Grammy-nominated artist) on violin, Masumi Rostad (a Grammy Award-winning musician and music educator) on viola, and Sterling Elliott (an award-winning artist and graduate of the acclaimed Juilliard School) on cello.
This is the best of the best, people. And it’s never been done before in San Diego. It’s actually only been done twice since López-Alt launched the series in Seattle last year, but after La Jolla, he hopes to bring it to more cities over the next year.
López-Alt grew up playing the violin, but when it came time to choose between a traditional college or a music conservatory, he ended up going the safe route. “I was always sort of torn about that decision,” he explains. But he kept up his friendships with many of his musical friends, many of whom are now world renowned. At one point, John Holloway, the executive director at Seattle Chamber Music Society, asked him if he was available to prepare a dinner for some donors.
“I said, ‘Well, instead of a private event for like, a few rich people, how about we put on a big live stage show where we really get to explore [and] meet the connections between music and food for a much broader audience?’” López-Alt says. “And that’s really how it began.”
The multi-course, multi-sensory event explores parallels between classical chamber music and cooking, pairing pieces of music with a chef’s demonstration carried out at the same time. “The idea is that a lot of folks who are into food might not have been to a classical music concert before, and the other way around,” he says. “There’s some sort of interactive elements in there as well—we ask the audience to listen to things in different ways, or play things in major keys and minor keys, and gauge the reactions, things like that.”
Tasting Notes will run around 90 minutes to two hours—the length of a typical concert—followed by an afterparty with bites from Café Coyote, wine from Rancho Coyote, and ice cream from Killer Whale Creamery. Expect surprises, promises López-Alt, because you never know what can happen during a live performance.
Tasting Notes takes place at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall on Thursday, August 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available now.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Taquería Tijuanazo Opening New Location in Little Italy
Little Italy may have gotten its start from tuna, but it’s all about the tacos now. Tijuana-based taco shop Taquería Tijuanazo expanded to the US last year, and it’s already gearing up to open its second San Diego spot at 2101 India Street this September. It’s good timing, too. Little Italy is in the midst of a rebirth, with a newly imagined food hall in the works and a listening bar on the way—and if you ask me, more tacos is always a good thing. Plus, Tijuanazo has some of the best adobada in the city. Any additional opportunities to scarf some should be warmly welcomed.
Beth’s Bites
- Tasting Notes isn’t the only musical-food collaboration coming to San Diego. Now through August 23, George’s at the Cove and La Jolla Music Society’s The Conrad are partnering up for SummerFest2025, a celebration of concerts and other musical performances by world-renowned musicians on violin, harp, piano, and more. Order two entrées at George’s and flash your SummerFest ticket to get a free dessert and free valet parking for the performance. It’s a quick walk from George’s to The Conrad, and a good way to stretch your legs before submitting to a night of glorious music from around the world.
- Chick & Hawk has yet to hatch (yes, still), but the long-awaited fried chicken joint isn’t the only culinary concept that former pro skater Tony Hawk is putting his name behind. Novecientos Grados (Spanish for “900 degrees,” the nearly impossible trick that cemented Hawk’s name in the history books) will open in the new Terminal 1 space at the San Diego International Airport later this fall as part of the $3.8 billion project with more gates, more restaurants, more shops, and yes, a lot more parking. With chef Claudette Zepeda (Leu Leu) behind the California-Mexico fusion menu, I’d say the hottest new destination just might be the airport itself.
- I’m all for the pop-up phenomenon of 2025, but there’s something weirdly soothing to me about food trucks. There’s a new one on the horizon—Burekas Box calls itself San Diego’s first zero-emissions food truck, specializing in kosher burekas (a popular pastry in Jewish culture made with puff pastry and filled with either sweet or savory ingredients). Savory burekas like cheese or potato come with traditional sides of hard-boiled eggs, pickles, olives, and tomato, and the current sweet summer flavor is strawberry ricotta (big yes from me). While the food truck itself is still in the works, pre-orders are available for pickup at Maker Kitchen (8585 Commerce Avenue).
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