Walk-Ins Welcome w/ Ivy Dai

Chef and food writer 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. Discount code IvyatRelish15 for listeners at relishfoodwine.com

Chef and food writer 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.

Chef and food writer 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 that transferred to the restaurant business.

Chef and food writer 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 lauded by the Los Angeles Times, among others.

Chef and food writer 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.

Chef and food writer 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.

Chef and food writer 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.

Food writer and chef Ivy Dai has a conversation 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.

In this episode, 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, and how to incorporate these practices into your life.

Chef & food writer Ivy Dai talks to Viet Nguyen, a James Beard semifinalist for best chef in California. He shares his unusual origin story in coming to the United States, going national and plans to expand Kei Concepts beyond hospitality into consumer packaged goods and media.

Chef & food writer Ivy Dai interviews Sumter Pendergrast. The Orange County local used to work in fashion and decided to make a segue into coffee and add hand-crafted doughnuts. Him and his wife Chi-Lin's humble beginnings as a food truck in 2012 has now expanded to nine location in Southern California and the latest in Utah. He talks about how iconic imagery and partnering with Instagram was a key component of Sidecar's early success.

Inaugural Episode - Chef & Food Writer Ivy Dai interviews Wing Lam, an Orange County icon that opened the first Wahoo's location in 1988 in Costa Mesa, California. Almost 40 years later there are nearly 50 locations worldwide from Texas to Hawaii to Japan. He talks about his interesting choice of footwear, his early days trading tacos for merch, and his philosophy for working with people that have garnered him loyal employees and customers for decades.