Pickled Jalapeños

What's the difference between an ale and a lager? To find out, we visited Boomtown Brewery in Los Angeles, and met with Production Manager, Benjamin Turkel, to learn about the similarities and differences between the two beers. Benjamin took us through the different style points and production methods to learn ultimately what separates the two styles of brews.

In this episode of Chow-To, Guillermo meets with kawaii foods master Hiroyo Belmonte at the Japanese cultural center, Resobox to learn how to make Kazari Maki Sushi, also known as decorative or cute sushi. Peach blossoms, penguins and jack-o-lanterns are just some examples - kawaii overload! Learn how to make the most adorable sushi DIY-style at home like a master sushi chef.

In this episode, Guillermo visits Chef Pierre Thiam at his fast casual restaurant, Teranga, where he serves Senegalese-inspired grain bowls— AKA, the ultimate power lunch. Chef Thiam's goal is to educate health-conscious American consumers on these superfoods, while also improving the lives of producers by restoring biodiversity to the planet through highly sustainable ancient crops. Together they make a Yassa Bowl using West African red rice, one of the super grains highest in nutritional value today.

Breaded, deep-fried meat doesn’t need much more other than seasoning. Add to that, using one of the most expensive cuts of meat in the world. Wrap some crustless white bread around it, and you’ve got yourself a perfect snack known as Katsu Sando. A popular Japanese convenience store staple that has become an Instagram darling, and the new avocado toast at restaurants around the country. To learn more about the sandwich, Wagyu beef, and how to make this treat at home (don't worry, you can use any protein, this is not reserved for the super rich) Guillermo visits chef Corwin Kave at Don Wagyu in NYC, to learn all the secrets behind America’s most expensive beef sandwich.

Café Gratitude, a small vegan chain from California, has an interesting concept to improve the future of our planet. Meatless Monday deals and offerings across the country show no signs of slowing down. Growing concern over both the quality of mass-processed meats along with climate change and the humane treatment of animals, is inspiring folks to adopt vegan habits, at least part-time anyways. The café took a step ahead by offering 50% off on their most popular dishes every Monday for a limited time, as an incentive for diners, while trying to motivate other restaurants to follow the model. Café Gratitude’s motto “Be plant rich” means they want you to live a rich life mostly on plants.

Kimchi has conquered the world! Most people know this popular Korean side dish as fermented cabbage, but the truth is you can kimchi pretty much any vegetable and fruit. Food explorers seek it at restaurants and/or specialty stores. This fermented delicacy is an immune-system boosting probiotic food, that includes "healthy bacteria". In the season finale of CHOW-TO, Atoboy's chef de cuisine YeongSoo Lee teaches Guillermo the basics on how to make the Korean staple. There is not one right recipe, here we learn the principles, and the idea is to make it your own. Kimchi is so customizable, that traditional Napa cabbage is just the start. YeongSoo shows us a couple of other variations for inspiration. Move over pickles, time to do some fermenting at home.

Anna Francese Gass joins our Table Talk series. In this interview with our Executive Editor Hana Asbrink, Anna, a native of Rhode Island living in New York City and alumni of the French Culinary Institute, talks about her passion for authentic immigrant cooking and the surrounding stories. She has spent much of her time traveling the country cooking with grandmothers and learning the true and complicated fabric of this country, one kitchen at a time. Her hope is that by transcribing these cherished recipes, they will continue to be shared and loved for generations to come.