LA Food Fundraisers, Bay Area El Camino Eating Map + More
Welcome (back) to California Eating!
Beef rendang at Cobi’s, an incredible restaurant in Santa Monica that’s been feeding first responders. Give them business! (All photos by TP)
After much overthinking, the California Eating newsletter will maintain a regular cadence this year; thank you for being here and sharing my letters with your friends! I’ve been organizing several years worth of food-related research into guides (Bay Area, Los Angeles and NYC) and other hopefully useful content to share with you here and on the blog in 2025.
As usual, those who know me understand the depths to which I left my heart in Los Angeles, so I wanted to begin by sharing my guide of grassroots ways to help from afar and a few food-related fundraisers happening in Northern and Southern California (and online).
LA Community Meals has a Linktree of places where people can purchase pay it forward meals for first responders and anyone affected.
LA Home Farm has been donating beautiful produce boxes to anyone who needs them, and they’re accepting monetary donations (via IG DM or email) to keep the program going. They recently marked $3,800 in donations. Yesterday, popular chef Evan Funke donated white bean soup and meatballs to all the donation boxes, and they’d probably love to hear from other chefs with the resources to help right now.
And KTVU’s Betty Yu has the lowdown on a number of Bay Area food fundraisers that will send proceeds to relief efforts in LA. Click through to her post for her list.
Map: Favorite Places to Eat on El Camino Real
Shave Ice signs at Diamond Head General Store in San Bruno
There are so many wonderful places to eat at all price points on the stretch of El Camino Real that runs between Daly City and San Jose, including mom and pop cafes, diners and restaurants. I always appreciate suggestions for places to check out from people who live or grew up near the route! My new map of Favorite Places to Eat on El Camino Real is small for now, but I will keep adding to it as a long term project. I hear at least one of my beloveds will retire at the end of the year, so I hope to make like my teenage self and “Cruise the El” more in 2025.
Good Taste: Lion West Portal
Chef Tom and adventure buddy at Lion West Portal in San Francisco
I have a weekly food column at 48 Hills here in San Francisco that I love writing. My latest edition is about Lion West Portal, a new restaurant that has $5 sushi carts, vegan options, reggae tunes and one golden rule: be kind. The TL:DR: I’m obsessed. Read more at Good Taste.
Food Wonders of California
Cioppino at Sotto Mare in San Francisco
I was recently asked to write Cioppino: The Seafood Stew That Defines SF for Alta’s new Seven Wonders of California issue. I’ll join the magazine’s Beth Spotswood and journalist Brock Keeling to share our personal California food wonders on Alta Live on Wed., Jan. 29 at 12:30 pm. Spoiler: there will be Porto’s. Please RSVP here if you’d like to hop on the Zoom call with us!
Recipe: Cash Money Vs. No Limit by T$
For almost two years, I’ve been working on custom themed recipe zines that people commission from me as gifts to their partners or themselves. I’ll share samples from these fun projects from time to time as I finish them (and hopefully take on new ones).
Cash Money Vs. No Limit is a baked, okonomiyaki-esque dish that is easy to prepare for a snack to share or for any meal. I developed the idea for my friends Heather Kuldell-Ware and Tony Ware. Tony originally asked for portable food with a regional rap rivalry theme and it evolved into a love and hip-hop idea over time (and in time for Heather’s birthday).
See more thought for food on the California Eating website!
