Evan Kleiman

Los Angeles, Santa Monica, United States

Host at Good Food Podcast

Podcast Host at LA Theatre Works (Podcast)

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Articles

A party trifecta: Tequila, margaritas, salsa

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

Ted Genoways considers José Cuervo's colorful history, from eluding Pancho Villa's death threats to bringing tequila north of the Mexican border. Caroline Pardilla serves up 60 recipes for your next batch of margaritas. Rick Martinez chops, blends, and crushes more than tomatoes for endless variations of salsa. Dr. Jessica Knurick deciphers fact from fiction in the MAHA agenda. Although they're available year-round, blueberries actually have a season and they're ripe for the picking.
Here's why the sweet, boozy, acidic margarita is the perfect drink

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

Who doesn't love a classic margarita? Tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and a hint of sweetener, poured over ice. But bartenders are going to tinker, and innovation is the name of the game. Margarita Time: 60+ Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails, Served Up, Over & BlendedEvan Kleiman: I find it incredibly impressive that you managed to find enough margarita recipes to fill a book. Tell us a little bit about the history of the margarita. Do we know where and when it originated?
How JosÃ© Cuervo transformed a struggling family business into a tequila kingdom

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

Who hasn't heard of José Cuervo? The brand is ubiquitous. But the man? Few know his story. In Evan Kleiman: Your book starts out in the tumultuous late 1800s, which is rife with violence. There's a lot of social backstabbing, there are political coups and there are two family names that are prominent in the valley of tequila - Cuervo and Sauza. Give us some background for these two families and how they gained a foothold in this budding tequila industry.
Did RFK Jr. really ban food dyes? Dr. Jessica Knurick decodes his decree

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, made a bold claim. At a press conference, he said he had reached "an understanding" with major food manufacturers to remove common food colorings from their products by 2026.
Off to a late start, blueberries finally make it to farmers markets

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

With blueberries available year-round, it's easy to forget that they have a season let alone unique flavor profiles. "I've had this experience of buying conventional blueberries and saying, 'Why am I eating this? What am I getting out of this?'" says Uli Nasibova of Uli's Gelato. When she stumbled upon seasonal blueberries from Murray Family Farms, her world opened to a new flavor. Each berry tastes like an individual plum, she says, and she has been buying from the farm for 11 years.
'There are no rules for salsa making' says Rick Martinez

2 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

When your favorite meal is made up of beans and tortillas in any form, salsa is a no-brainer. And if you think of salsa as a delicious vegetable side, your love for the stuff can only get stronger. Tomato season is coming, which means a lot of salsas will be better than ever. Evan Kleiman: We always love when we have you on, Rick. I know that you have a story, sort of your mad lens story about salsa, where you had one salsa that changed everything for you. What was that and where was it?
Baking basics, Torture Orchard, Iranian food, sorrel

3 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

Nicole Rucker rekindled her love for baking by tinkering with her favorite recipes and eliminating the fuss. Gabriela Glueck visits the "Torture Orchard," where California's nut trees are pushed to the brink so they can withstand the curveballs thrown by climate change. Nasim Alikhani spent decades working various jobs before realizing her calling - opening a restaurant to showcase the food of Iran.
Torturing California's almonds and pistachios to survive climate change

3 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

California is a national and global powerhouse when it comes to nuts. Recent data shows that the Golden State produces roughly 80% of the world's almonds and 60% of the world's pistachios. It's a lot of nuts and a lot of money. But changing climate conditions are challenging nut growers. With warming winters and a propensity for drought, crops that did well 20 years ago might not make it 20 years from now.
In "Sofreh," Nasim Alikhani shares the beauty of modern Iranian food

3 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

Persian food is one of the great cuisines of the world, with geographic and cultural roots that run deep. Here in Los Angeles, we're lucky to have such food represented generously. New York has Nasim Alikhani and her Brooklyn restaurant Evan Kleiman: The name of your restaurant, and the title of your cookbook is Sofreh. Tell us what that means. SofrehThere's something also about sofreh where the world of art and creativity and the urge for hospitality seem to come together.
Evan Kleiman and Francis Lam celebrate 30 years of 'The Splendid Table'

3 weeks ago | kcrw.com | Evan Kleiman

is a kindred spirit to Good Food. Both radio shows emerged around the same time, back when being into food in a serious way was niche. Both shows have evolved as food has become as essential to the cultural conversation as art, film and music. On the occasion of The Splendid Table's 30th Anniversary tour, Evan Kleiman sat down with Francis Lam, food writer, editor and host, at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo for a live event reflecting on the last 30 years of food in Los Angeles.