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Hey, I'm G. Garvin.
I'm always on the lookout for some down-home southern inspired food.
Let's go find it together, baby.
Hey, I'm taking you to some hot places on this road trip.
It's all about my favorite California spots.
First, we're stopping by L.A.'s
original Farmers Market to cook up some gumbos,
straight out of Louisiana.
Making old gumbo.
Then I'll dish out some hot dogs
that are exotic and crazy delicious.
Fritzi dog, baby.
And I'll be digging into some homemade ice cream.
Outstanding.
Next, a late night favorite at West Hollywood
with an exciting and eclectic pizza menu.
Fold and go, baby.
And then we'll wrap things up with
some southern barbecue, West Coast style.
Hey, I'm taking you to some of my favorite spots
in California, so buckle up, baby.
You know what I love about California,
there is something for everyone.
People come here from all over the world
for the beaches, the attractions, and the food scene.
We're on the famous 3rd street in Los Angeles
and we're headed to 3rd and Fairfax
to the original Farmers Market.
When folks ask me for a great off-the-beat food experience,
this is where I send them and I'm so excited
to share their story with you.
This farmers market has got more than just fresh produce.
It's got cuisines from all over the world,
retail shops and down home family businesses.
First stop is one of my favorite spots at the market,
the Gumbo Pot
where they're serving up authentic
New Orleans staples, po-boys, muffalettas,
red beans and rice and of course gumbo.
I'm hanging out with my girl, Priscilla
and how long you guys been here?
28 years.
28 years.
So they know how to do gumbo.
Teach me how to make a good gumbo.
Is the pot, we have it on low right now?
Okay.
First you want to add your canola oil.
Canola oil.
Chili peppers.
Yes.
Okay.
And you stir.
Yes.
Dry thyme.
Dry thyme.
You want to keep stirring, so it won't burn.
You want to make sure it don't burn.
Yes.
Chopped onions.
Celery.
Pepper.
Whoa, that's spicy there.
Seafood stock.
So right in?
Yeah.
Yes.
And let this cook down for about 2 hours.
Oh, so you let this cook down for about
Yes.
GARVIN: While we wait for the gumbo to come together,
I'm going to take a walk around the market
and get a little bit of background
from marketing manager, Ilysha Adelstein Buss.
How long have you guys have been here?
We have been here for 79 years.
It started with 18 farmers pulled their
pickup trucks into a dirt lot
and started selling their produce directly to the local consumers.
But it quickly evolved and it grew to include
butchers and bakeries and soon after restaurants
and retail shopping.
We have two of the best butchers in Los Angeles.
Same thing goes for our seafood purveyors,
for our poultry guys.
And a lot of chefs like yourself
love coming here for that very reason.
Many of our businesses are actually still family owned and operated.
So it's very common to find three,
sometimes even four generations working at that same stall.
This isn't just a business, this is their family,
this is their lifeblood and it really means
a lot to them, so it works.
Ilysha, thank you so much for having me.
Oh, you're welcome, G. It was a pleasure having you here.
GARVIN: I'm heading back to The Gumbo Pot
to finish up the gumbo with Priscilla.
And we want to add the gumbo file.
The gumbo file, now what's gumbo file?
The file is made from ground leaves
from the sassafras trees
and this is the heart of the gumbo.
This is what gives it its taste.
Now add your roux.
The roux... just pour this in?
Exactly.
The roux is a mixture of flour and butter
that's cooked down in a saucepan
until it turns deep rich brown.
The roux is what gives the gumbo its thickness.
Yes.
♪ Making old gumbo at Gumbo Pot ♪
My tomatoes.
Diced, crushed and ground.
Yes.
And you let them sit down for about 2 hours.
Yes, I do.
Add 1 pound of shrimp and 3 ounces of shredded crab.
Okay.
The crab is already cooked
and it only takes a few minutes for the shrimp to cook.
Then the gumbo is ready to be served.
Okay, so can we try it?
Sure.
Junior, can you get me some rice?
Thank you.
Oh, you're welcome.
My man.
Gumbo time at the Gumbo Pot.
It's good! Flavorful, it's not too spicy.
She can make some gumbo, baby.
I can't wait to taste some more of my Gumbo Pot favorites.
Clearly you can see that these guys
are truly authentic 'cause this right here, shrimp po-boy.
Let's see what's up.
I got to tell you, the shrimp is awesome,
not overcooked, super tender, super flavorful,
not too much lettuce, little bit of tomato.
I love the po-boy when the bread is soft.
Great, great, great, great.
Let's jump into another classic New Orleans sandwich,
the muffaletta with layers of olive salad,
mortadella, ham, melted mozzarella,
and provolone cheese on soft seeded bread.
The meat is really, really nice.
I love the bread.
This is a good sandwich, muffaletta.
Last but not least, one of my favorite Gumbo Pot dishes,
the fried catfish dinner
with a side of slow cooked greens
and red beans in rice.
That is some good catfish right there.
Perfectly seasoned, nice and crunchy,
really, it's through the roof.
I'm going to enjoy myself with some red beans and rice.
Hey, stay with your man G. Garvin
because when we come back,
I'm going to hit some other spots
at the original Farmers Market.
What toppings would you like?
Ketchup and mustard.
Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup, ketchup.
I'm moving a little slow but the dog's going to be good.
Hey, spot number two at the original Farmers Market.
This is my man, Neal Fraser.
We're hanging out at his new place called Fritzi Dog.
What does it mean?
Fritzi is my business partner's middle name
and John and I kind of came up
with the concept to make artisanal hot dogs,
something that we would feel good feeding our kids.
No nitrates, no hormones,
no antibiotics, sustainable meat.
What we try to do is treat as gently as possible,
so they're all cooked in steam ovens,
so none of the fat escapes not losing any of the flavor.
You know, being a chef and having integrity of the product, it's important.
The attention to detail in this is spectacular,
should I start tasting?
Let's do it.
Only one of the dogs is boiled which is the stadium dog
which is like you would get at a ballpark.
What's on top?
Caramelized onions and sweet mustard.
It's very good.
Bread, the onions, the mustard,
it's a perfect combination.
That's a deli dog which is kind of
in the style of an all beef kosher frank,
though it's not kosher by any means.
Another great dog.
The bird dog is probably my favorite dog.
75% turkey and 25% duck, all dark meat.
Yeah. That's awesome.
Thank you.
They're all very good but they all taste different.
Right.
So this is my last one, now this is...?
Fritzi dog, pretzel bun, pork and beef
and that basically has a mix of Origen merken spice,
Mapuche spice from chili and then basically a spice
from the south of France.
The dog stands on its own.
The bread is outstanding but it's not overwhelming.
Right.
But then the relish is just a perfect combination, tops it off.
I think this is going to be my favorite, the Fritzi.
Thank you.
Now that I've tried all of the dogs, go to work?
All right.
Welcome to Fritzi Dog.
I'm training today, by the way.
Ah, you have your choice of dogs here,
any buns and any toppings.
What would you like?
I'll do the Fritzi dog please.
Okay, Fritzi dog. Would you like a combo?
Combo.
I'm up selling, I'm up selling.
Brioche bun, the gluten-free bun,
the Parker bun or the pretzel bun?
Parker is standing up.
What toppings would you like?
Ketchup and mustard.
Ketchup, ketchup, ketchup, ketchup.
I'm moving a little slow but the dog's going to be good.
First two are stadiums.
Okay.
So we just set it right there like that.
Pickle relish.
Yellow mustard and ketchup.
Let me show you how to do the other one
and make it look sexy.
Oh, that's what's up right there, keep it right.
Okay.
Those two are done.
Fritzi dog, baby, time to roll.
Thank you.
You're welcome. You got it?
After all my hard work,
I've definitely earned my own custom G dog.
Okay, Fritzi dog with some sous vide bacon.
Fritzi dog in there, nice piece of sous vide bacon on top.
What do you like on your dog?
A little onion, jalapeno, and put a little mayo on it.
Boom!
I'll be the dog genius.
Thank you.
GARVIN: Po-boys, hot dogs, beans and rice,
what better way to finish it?
Some ice cream.
This is my man, Scotty B, also known as Scott Bennett.
This is the ice cream place.
It's been here how long?
50 years. My uncle, my grandfather started it in '63.
Do you guys make most of the ice cream,
do you get it, bring it, do you--?
No, no, we make it all right next door.
Now what's this first flavor?
Choffee Choffee, chocolate and coffee ice cream
with chocolate covered toffee pieces.
Ooh.
That's one of my tops right there.
But I don't go off the reservation too much
with like sun-dried tomato and basil,
I'm not into that or tuna.
That's bubble gum.
I make my bubble gum pink 'cause to me,
bubble gum is pink.
All right, there you go, a little piece of gum in there for you.
Yeah, we're not messing around here, this is it.
And it's got bubble gum in it.
What else would you put in bubble gum?
Bubble gum plus bananas by the way.
No, no. Bubble gum has bubble gum.
No, no, I'm saying it was good but I was saying bananas is really good.
It was bananas.
Even though it was bubble gum, it was bananas.
Oh, I get it. That's a term.
Go bananas.
You said bananas, I'm telling you what's in the ice cream.
Bananas messed the whole thing up.
All right. So what do we got next?
Fancy Nancy.
Coffee ice cream, caramel, and bananas.
So you had some coming.
Now you don't think that's going to work,
but that's working.
Actually, it's working well.
I'm telling you.
Just eases in.
No.
I'm going to try your award winning...
Cabernet Sauvignon Sorbet.
See, there's a reason we're doing it for 50 years, right?
There's a reason you're winning awards.
That's tasty, isn't it?
This is outstanding.
We're going to have you walk around with that,
that's the white chocolate ice cream,
white chocolate chips with little bits of raspberry in it.
Once your mouth warms up,
it melts the raspberry piece down, it's really great.
This is awesome. Nothing is too sweet.
It is truly amazing, I mean, this is wonderful, man.
Thanks.
My man Scotty B, the ice cream gangster.
Hey, next I'm headed to one of my favorite places in West Hollywood.
Berri's Pizza cafe, the barbecue chicken pizza,
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Stay with me.
Hey, I'm G. Garvin.
We are in West Hollywood, California.
I'm stopping by Berri's pizza cafe.
A pizza joint I used to go to quite a bit
because of their creative menu.
Raphael Berry is the owner and manager of Berri's pizza cafe
and the menu reflects his Mediterranean background.
The setting is warm and artistic.
The vibe laid back and cool.
And I'm excited to be catching up
with some old friends.
Executive Chef, Gaby Toledo
has been at Berri's since it first opened its doors.
Good to see you.
Good to see you too.
You've been here a long time, how many years?
Wow, I remember that, man.
I remember when you first started.
Yes.
And today you're going to show me how you make
Berri's Sante Fe Barbecue Chicken Pizza, right?
Yes. We start with the dough.
Make sure you don't lose that shape.
Okay, got to keep the shape.
And then, just flip it.
Oh, that's crazy.
And...
So that opens it up, wow.
Yeah, yeah it just opened.
So how do you keep it from breaking apart?
You got to get used to it.
You got to get used to it, okay.
And put it.
Wow.
Put the barbecue sauce first, you spread it.
Okay.
Just to make sure not to touch the bottom.
Then we put some cheese on it.
What kind of cheese is that?
Provolone and mozzarella, down in.
Okay.
Now chicken.
Now how do you season the chicken, Chef?
Salt, little bit of garlic.
Okay.
And black pepper.
How long is it going to take to cook?
7, 8 minutes.
Should I make one? Should I try?
All right.
Anything I should do or shouldn't do?
Don't lose the shape on it.
Don't lose the shape.
Like so?
Yeah.
There you go.
Yeah.
Now go ahead doing this.
Yup.
Okay.
It's coming along.
Ah, okay.
Uh-uh, got a hole.
Dang it.
It's okay, we just patch it.
So I think I'm going to go with tomato sauce in the center.
That's perfect.
I am gonna go cheese.
Got to have cheesy cheese.
Now some shrimp.
Red onion.
The G. Garvin pizza.
Little goat cheese over the top.
Can it go in the oven?
Yup.
Just over there, perfect.
Yes.
Sante Fe Barbecue Chicken pizza.
And now we add avocado.
Little bit of scallions, and then--
( inaudible ) with a little cilantro, huh?
All right. We'll let the pizza cool off.
We'll go and check the G. Garvin specialty pizza.
So yours was 20 inches chef, mine came out to about 17.
Good and hot.
Fold and go, baby.
That's a bad boy, right there.
Mmm, barbecue sauce is awesome.
The chicken, the onions, the dough is unbelievable.
Wow.
Let's take the G. Garvin pizza out.
Perfect.
All right.
Chef, I think I am going to top it off
with a little green onion, cilantro.
Need a little truffle oil.
Now it becomes a pizza--
Now it's a pizza.
All right, chef, have one.
It's a little hot. It's still hot.
♪ Ah, real hot! ♪
Y'all don't know nothing about that James Brown.
All right, we'll call it the "G. Garvin
Berri's Goat Cheese and Shrimp Pizza."
Raphael, good to see you.
It's good to see you, G.
After all these years--
We go way back--
Way back--
Tell me, what makes you
different than other pizzeria in the city?
When we created Berri's cafe,
we created something a little bit more than food.
We create like a space for people to come in and hang out
between 11 o'clock in the morning
to 4 'o clock in the morning.
The food is the main element
for people to keep coming back.
You've got all of these great pizzas on the menu.
Tell me about some of the different types?
The most popular pizza we have at Berri's is the lobster pizza.
I think I was the first to create
lobster pizza in California.
And it's very simple, it's the lobster and shrimps and pink sauce.
What is pink sauce for people who may not know?
It's a tomato with a cream sauce, very popular.
I think that's one of my top-top products.
It's so delicious--
The one that I always got was the anchovy with arugula.
I love it.
You have the sweet dough with the salt to that--
It's a wonderful, wonderful dish.
I'm glad you like it.
Raphael, Cheers!
To good food.
Hey, stay with me 'cause next
I'm headed to a barbecue joint and the meat is smoking, baby.
If you pass by a barbecue place--
if you don't see that smoke outside--
Yeah.
Hey, I'm G. Garvin.
Check out my road trip spots at cookingchanneltv.com.
Hey, on this road trip it's all about
my favorite California spots.
We're headed over to an old school barbeque institution, baby
and it's in Inglewood and for 30 years
these guys have been smoking it out!
And it's time to go see what the smoke is all about.
Rodney Phillips is the owner of
***'s Bar-B-Que, a local favorite.
We've been in business since 1975.
My father ***, he started barbecuing at a church.
And everybody told him his barbecue was so good,
that he ought to open up a shop
and we've been in business ever since.
It's authentic barbecue, it's not commercial.
My dad designed the pits.
We use only oak wood.
When you see the smoke you know,
it's a real barbecue place.
Right, so if you don't see that smoke--
If you pass by a barbecue place,
if you don't see that smoke and you can't smell nothing outside,
keep waving and come to ***'s.
Yeah.
Tell me some of the stuff
that's on your menu, Rodney.
We have pork ribs, beef ribs, tri tips, beef tips,
chicken links, and nice beef sausage.
I see my man is knocking some of them right there right now--
He is knocking out some pork ribs.
What Tina's wrapping right now
that looks like a pound of rib tips and--
Okay, okay.
So, Rodney, you're gonna show me
the real seasoning or you're gonna give me the TV seasoning?
I'm gonna give you the real seasoning.
No hold out.
My man.
Talk to me, what do we have?
Okay, right here we have pork spare ribs.
Season it up.
Salt and pepper.
Less is best.
Little salt.
So you guys don't do the grub like everybody else, right?
No grubs, just salt and pepper.
Okay.
Just season it with salt and pepper.
Let it sit 24 hours.
And we put it on the barbecue pit
and oak wood brings the flavor out.
Get's that flavor, got you. Got you.
All right, if you want it with a little spicy,
you can just get it with spicy barbeque sauce that we use.
Oh, okay.
Here we got some beef ribs, so we just, little salt--
Same idea there.
Same idea, little pepper, ebony and ivory.
That sits all day?
These are pork brisket bones.
We call it rib tips on the menu.
And this is a tri tip.
Smoke that off and then slice it up--
Yeah, cut it with the grain and it melts in your mouth.
Awesome. Let's roll.
Okay.
So the fire is nice and hot, the oak wood is smoking.
We're going to spread it out.
Your dad designed this?
He designed all these pits himself.
Get everything situated.
That looks crazy good.
Close the door.
The meat stays in the pit for about an hour and half.
Okay man, it's show time, what's up?
Tina, let me have this here.
Okay, yeah.
That's the business and this is--
Those are some beef sausage--
Two snaps is great, three snaps, outstanding, ready?
Man.
That's the chicken sausage.
Hit it with a little sauce.
That's a beef tri tip, hit it with some sauce.
Mmm, you ought to quit, boy.
Those are pork spare ribs.
Holler at your boy.
You're ( inaudible ).
Then you have some barbeque chicken.
Ooh.
The tri tips, the chicken, the ribs, the sausage,
the sauce, shut it down, baby.
It's been fun sharing some of my favorite California spots.
Seeing old friends and making some new ones.
So until we meet again, I'll see you on the road.