Anyone who knows me — or who has been reading this blog — can tell you I’ve been on the juice for a loooong time. (No, not the MLB kind. I’m talking fresh-pressed fruits and veg, people!) But it’s be come a real trend as of late, so this Monday I went on to the KTLA Morning news to share the three different points of entry to the juicing world: the cold-pressed juice cleanse, whole fruit juicing, and centrifuge juicing. You can watch the segment below. Also, be sure to check out all of our coverage of juicing on LAist.com here. And on that note, please do read LAist.com/food for all my regular writing. Cheers to good health!

CBS Sunday Morning gave me a buzz to talk about how food has infiltrated pop culture, and naturally I obliged. We met at one of my favorite spots in L.A., Handsome Roasters, to talk about why Gen Y is so consumed by food. Check it out:

KTLA anchor Jessica Holmes and I toasted with  Witches’ Brew from Lexington Social House

I had so much fun going on the KTLA Morning news with Jessica Holmes this week. Though I always love doing on-air gigs, the best part was styling the set. It really helped me get into the Halloween spirit.  Here’s the segment:

A few weeks ago I taped this segment at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills with Young Hollywood. Nikki Novak and I had a blast talking about turkey testicles and “Top Chef,” and then we got to sample one of my favorite desserts in L.A., the kitchen sink! Check it out.

Anyone who knows me could tell you that I am obsessed with weddings and the shows that feature them. Maybe it’s because I’m a planning-oriented details person, or perhaps it’s the fact that I’m a sucker for love. Whatever it is, I can’t get enough.

Since I’m pretty much married to my career at this point, the Vegas wedding that was thrown for episode 2 of “Top Chef Masters” was about as close as I’ll be getting to narrowing down a wedding menu anytime soon. Nitpicking set aside, all of the Masters did a bang-up job catering a 200-person event in a matter of mere hours. I was so bummed to see Debbie Gold go (and she has some bones to pick with my critique), but in the end someone had to be cut.

Seriously, this job is not easy. I take criticism on a daily basis as a writer, and sometimes it still smarts. It’s all a part of growing and finding where you fit in though. I know that I’ve learned a lot from the experience of being on Masters, and I hope she did too.

Anyhow, here’s my commentary on the episode for Bravo. I won’t be on next week’s episode, but you should check out my homie Francis Lam getting his judge on. I’ll be back on August 22. Til then, bon appetit!

Xunantunich ruins in the Cayo District of Belize

What seems like ages ago, I traveled to Western Belize to report on the cuisine, caves, and culture of the region for Wandermelon.com. We hiked through ruins, spelunked in ancient burial sites, rode across local farms, and ate (and ate and ate!) to get a sense of the unique fusion that exists in the Cayo district.  Here’s the full story, and a couple shots to whet your whistle.

Garifunos sere, a West African dish made with local white fish, prawns, coconut milk, and plantains

Collen Clark of Travel + Leisure and I did warrior yoga on the steps of Xunantunich

Curtis Stone, James Oseland, Krista Simmons, and Francis Lam on the red (errr grey) carpet for the TCM season 4 premiere

Want the inside scoop on what happened on this season of Top Chef Masters? Be sure to check out my blog over at the Bravo site every Thursday morning for all the behind the scenes deets. Here’s my recap of the first episode. And don’t forget to tune in every Wednesday at 10/9 central to see me do my thang!

In other news: This happened. Someone please pinch me.

Curtis Stone goes in for a kiss for the cameras. I know he loves his fiance and baby Hudson, but a girl can dream, right?

Last week I went on KTLA’s morning news to show off some of our city’s crazy cool ice cream flavors. Check out the video and let me know what you think!

As a native Angeleno, I’m a sucker for the sunshine. Given the opportunity, I’ll almost always dine outdoors —  even on those borderline days where it might result in catching a chill. Thankfully SoCal summer has finally arrived, opening up the opportunity for prime patio lounging.

KCRW’s “Good Food” asked me to contribute to their outdoor dining piece, and because I’m a huge fan of Evan Kleiman, I agreed. (I have to say I was quite flattered by the headline they gave the story!) Read on to see where the likes of Jonathan Gold, Lesley Bargar Suter, Dana Goodyear, and I like to dine al fresco.

Life has presented some tasty morsels as of late, and I plan on devouring them with a vengeance. First and foremost, it was finally announced that I’ll be a regularly-occurring judge on season 4 of Top Chef Masters. Holy what! Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep that one quiet all this time? Considering a few years ago I was a minion at the L.A. Times showtracking the Top Chef empire, the whole deal is kinda surreal. The first episode airs July 25. Here’s hoping that I don’t end up looking like a total dope!

Secondly, I’m taking on a new role at LAist, where I’ll be resident Food Editor for the month of June. I’m stoked. Between this and my columns at Grub Street, it’s all food, all the time. Please read me over at LAist and let me know what you think.

In the meantime, happy eating!