Brooke Burton

The many flavors of ramen; Credit: Ramenbox.com

Comfort Me with Ramen: Or, Your Ramen Plan B

Brooke Burton
Instant ramen may come sealed in a paper cup or shrink wrapped in plastic, but the low-cost noodle is a comfort food that appeals to a diverse group of eaters from across the country. Granted, grabbing a late night bowl of ramen doesn't rank high on a level of difficulty......
Can walnut shells really stop oil leaks and filter polluted water?; Credit: Brooke Burton

La Nogalera Walnuts: Great For Cooking + Cleaning up Oil Spills

Brooke Burton
Go to the Hollywood farmers market to sample La Nogalera's excellent walnut oil from the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, and you may quickly identify the nutritional benefits for salads and vegetable side dishes. But what may come as some surprise to walnut lovers everywhere is the usefulness......
Tribal Elders and South Central Farmers at Buttonwillow Farm's Blessing; Credit: Brooke Burton

South Central Farmers: New Life with a Ceremony, a Festival + Water

Brooke Burton
The sun rose over Buttonwillow Farm in Bakersfield early last Saturday morning, as Native American elders and members of the South Central Farmers collective gathered to bless the land for future harvest. In the silence of daybreak, visitors and farmers stood together on a plowed field of dirt and bowed......
UCLA Hospital Food Today; Credit: Lila Javan

Heal Thy Patient, Heal the Planet

Brooke Burton
Looking to hitch their food carts to the popular trend of sustainability, a growing number of Southern California medical centers have done away with canned goods and processed foods in their cafeterias and are making meals from scratch from locally sourced ingredients. With the help of a non-profit group that......
Najat Kaanache in Alinea's Kitchen; Credit: Photo by Devin David

Q & A with Najat Kaanache: Apprentice to the World's Best Chefs

Brooke Burton
Spanish-born Najat Kaanache, 32, is a woman on a mission to learn from the best chefs in the world. In just two years, Kaanache has apprenticed with chefs Grant Achatz at Alinea in Chicago, Thomas Keller at French Laundry in Yountville, and René Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. The......
Credit: Flickr member glen.h

Unintenionally Funny Culinary Ephemera and Food Ad Gallery

Brooke Burton
Food advertising may not be built to last forever, but it sure can be entertaining. Scan online ephemera collections and you'll quickly find a collection of tasty--and sometimes stomach turning--food advertisements that prove some promotional materials really should have a brief shelf life. Aspiring food historians can unearth culinary ephemera......
South Central Farmers; Credit: South Central Farmers

It Takes a Village to Save South Central Farmers

Brooke Burton
Many feared that the day the 14-acre community farm in downtown LA--one of the nation's largest urban farms--was shut down and bulldozed in 2006, the South Central Farmers' would disband and stop farming. On the contrary, the South Central Farmers continue to thrive and grow produce on an organic farm......
Crime scene eggs; Credit: Flickr member LiL sHoRtY gIrL!

Egg-ceptional Art: A Photo Gallery

Brooke Burton
Edible art takes many forms, but decorated eggs may be the original non-processed food canvas for secular and religious art. Thousands of years ago the Zoroastrians painted eggs to celebrate the beginning of their New Year; early Christians transformed fragile ovoids into delicate art to commemorate Easter. Today, egg decoration......
Coconut Milk from Dave's Korean Food; Credit: Brooke Burton

Top 10 Things to Eat at the Hollywood Farmers' Market

Brooke Burton
There's nothing like noshing on samples at the farmers' market. But sadly apple slices on toothpicks, a sample of tangerine, and a sip of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice does not exactly make a full meal. Luckily, our favorite farmers' markets have more than enough choices of ready-made items to constitute......