Why Does LA Keep Dominating the James Beard Media Nominations? Plus, Enrique Olvera's New Venture, The Pop Up To End All Pop Ups, and Unhinged Steakhouse Behavior.

Why Does LA Keep Dominating the James Beard Media Nominations? Plus, Enrique Olvera's New Venture, The Pop Up To End All Pop Ups, and Unhinged Steakhouse Behavior.

From The LA Food Podcast by Acquired Taste Media

May 8, 2026 · 46 min · Episode 177

About this episode

Luca and Father Sal discuss the dominance of LA in the James Beard media nominations and various food topics including new restaurant ventures and food journalism trends.

Luca and Father Sal break down the James Beard Awards media nominations , why LA continues to dominate, and how outlets like the Los Angeles Times keep scoring while The New York Times gets shut out. Plus: is the decline of Eater real, and are Substacks quietly replacing traditional food journalism? In “Recent Eats,” we’re talking airport burgers at Skillet , a return to Lodge Bread , Roman pizza in Hollywood , and whether Catch LA is better than people admit. Plus Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss: Enrique Olvera’s new LA restaurant , a stacked all-star pop-up , an exciting new LA food Substack , and the most unhinged steakhouse behavior imaginable. And oh yeah. Luca announces he’s officially running the New York City Marathon for Soccer Without Borders —and trying to raise $8,000. If you should feel so inclined to chip in - here's the link ! Anything helps and is SO greatly appreciated! -- Sponsored by mva.wine - discover wines that don't usually make it to the US, delivered straight to your doorstep.

People in this episode

Hosts: Luca, Father Sal

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

mva.wine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Eater, Substack, Soccer Without Borders

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