Diwali, also known as Deepavali or Deepawali, is the Hindu festival of lights, and it falls on Monday, Oct.  20. Fitoor Santa Monica is celebrating with a limited-time Celebration Menu that highlights the vibrancy and richness of Indian flavors. Available only on Diwali, the menu will offer small plates, hearty mains, and a decadent dessert. 

Menu Highlights include baby corn kurkure,  baby corn croquette dusted with gunpowder and cheese, Guntur chili chicken with fiery  Byadagi peppers,  roasted garlic, and curry leaf. Dal Churma,  pistachio laddu, paired with tempered lentils and Lamb Keema Biryani with fragrant rice, ground lamb, onion, and raita. Chhena payesh cheesecake is for dessert,  a festive twist on a classic Bengali sweet, with cheese pearls and rabadi.  Reservations can be made at the link here.

Anthony Randello-Jahn,  known as The Donut Daddy, a viral dessert sensation known for his high-production recipes, cheeky humor, and unapologetic indulgence, has entered a limited-edition collaboration with Danny Trejo’s legendary Trejo’s Donuts with his latest creation,  El Diablo. It’s a black cocoa ring doughnut with a fiery red chili blood-orange gel center and a “blood-splatter” glaze and is available exclusively from Friday, Oct. 18, through Halloween. 

Diwali

 The Jacques Pépin Foundation has launched a nationwide fundraising campaign, honoring legendary chef Jacques Pépin’s prolific 75-year career, and is heading to Palm Springs on Monday, Nov. 3.  Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken will host a Toast to Jacques Pépin at their restaurant Alice B.  For one night only, the chefs will prepare a multi-course dinner featuring special Jacques-inspired dishes with a West Coast twist and celebratory wines from Frank Family Vineyards. 

The evening includes a Kir Royale welcome cocktail, Les Oeufs Jeannette seared deviled eggs named after  Pépin’s mother,  warm gruyère cheese puffs, followed by blue crab and celeriac salad, gnocchi Parisienne, and sautéed chicken with mushrooms and apples in calvados cream. Coffee panna cotta with a chocolate biscuit is for dessert.

 This celebration is part of a nationwide series leading up to Jacques Pépin’s 90th birthday in December 2025.  Reservations available through OpenTable for $150 per guest, not including tax and gratuity, and $50 wine pairing may be purchased separately. 

What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink.