Food Bowl Returns

In May, the Los Angeles Times will present its fourth annual Food Bowl. The  month long festival will celebrate the city’s diverse food scene for 31 days of dining pop-ups, collaborations, panel discussions, and other food-inspired events across Los Angeles, with over a hundred events across Los Angeles that will include a mix of hometown favorites and international culinary talent.

The festival  will also highlight issues of food access, sustainability and waste reduction.

L.A. chefs Jordan Kahn of Vespertine, Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis of Bavel and Bestia and Josef Centeno of Bar Ama, Orsa & Winston, Bäco Mercat and Amá•cita will host events and collaborations. Other participating restaurants include Apollonia’s Pizzeria, Guelaguetza, Hui Tou Xiang, La Morra Pizzeria and Mian. Visiting chefs include Ana Roš of Hiša Franko, Slovenia, Zaiyu Hasegawa of Den, Japan), Sean Sherman of The Sioux Chef, USA and Ben Shewry of Attica, Australia).  

Festivities kick off April 30 with opening night Collaboration Lab in which chefs and restaurants join to create special bites for a tasting event. The evening will also announce the winners of the annual Gold Award and Restaurant of the Year awards. 

Food Bowl Night Market in Grand Park on May 14-17 will  be a bustling outdoor food market with dozens of food vendors, musical performances, art installations and DJs. It is free-to-attend, along with themed ticketed events that include Middle East Feast, LAFiesta, Pizza & Pasta, Dumplings, Noodles & Rice, and All-Star BBQ.    

May 1 brings `I’ll Have What She’s Having: The Jewish Deli’.  The event will feature tastings and storytelling based on the history of the Jewish deli, and will  complement The Jewish Deli exhibit coming to the Skirball Cultural Center.  

At Dentucky Fried Chicken, chef Zaiyu Hasegawa of Tokyo’s Den restaurant  will bring his signature dishes to LA in a series of events at Japan House Los Angeles.  

Outstanding in the Field is a series of feasts inspired by locally-sourced ingredients  at communal tables in spectacular locations including downtown L.A. and Weiser Family Farms in Tehachapi.  

Wine Bowl, curated by Eric Wareheim of Vespertine Symbiosis with chef Jordan Kahn and special guests, will include a collaborative dinner with visiting chefs Sean Sherman of The Sioux Chef and Ben Shewry of Attica; panel discussions at Now Serving with The Times Food team; UCLA’s Science and Food lecture series; dinners at select restaurants from The Times 101 Best Restaurants list; and food-themed neighborhood walking tours spotlighting the city’s cultural diversity.  

The full event lineup will be announced in April at lafoodbowl.com.  You can also connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @LAfoodbowl (#LAfoodbowl #31daysoffood).