Q&A: LA Pizza, MAGA Food Influencers & Softball Interview Backlash. Plus, Mona Holmes on How 2020 Reshaped Food Media

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca and Father Sal kick things off with a listener Q&A covering some of the most pressing issues in Los Angeles dining: where to find a trendy but affordable sit-down meal, whether LA has its own pizza style, how much power food influencers really have, what makes a restaurant creator trustworthy, and why Brazilian pizza at Sampa’s in Marina del Rey might be one of LA’s most underrated World Cup-adjacent food experiences. They also discuss Holy Basil, Cafe Telegram, Roshna Bilash, KurryPinch, Asadero Los Angeles, Naughty Pie Nature, Dudley Market discourse, chef behavior, and the eternal question of whether Reese’s peanut butter cups have always been this chalky.Then, James Beard Award-nominated journalist Mona Holmes of Eater LA joins the show for a deep conversation about how 2020 changed food media forever. Mona and Luca revisit the collision of COVID, the George Floyd protests, the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen reckoning, Adam Rapoport’s resignation, Alison Roman, Peter Meehan and the LA Times Food section, the James Beard Awards overhaul, and the shrinking of food newsrooms across the country. They also dig into what has been lost as food journalism has shifted toward video, engagement and influencer culture, why LA remains one of the strongest food media cities in America, and how outlets like Eater LA, LA Taco, LAist, the Los Angeles Times, independent newsletters and local creators are still telling the story of the city’s restaurants in a brutally difficult era.--Come to the Pizza Run Club in Mar Vista to Venice!Donate to my Soccer Without Borders fund