Mark Trombino owns Donut Friend in LA and plays drums in the recently reunited Drive Like Jehu.
Read MoreANNE LEE HUFFMAN
Anne Lee Huffman is a record industry vet and DJ turned vegetarian chef.
What was the food highlight of your year?
Asia! I love to travel, and in the past year I was fortunate enough to go to Thailand in March and just spent the New Year in Tokyo. Each country’s cuisine is very different, but I love them equally. Thailand’s rich savory flavors are so satisfying. And spicy! I did a whole culinary tour in Thailand, learning Thai cuisine in both classroom settings, as well as from real Thai people in the comfort of their own homes. It was truly a unique experience! On the flipside, Japanese cuisine is the master of simplistic (yet adventurous), beautiful artfully presented food. I had the opportunity to dine at Daigo, a 2 Michelin star ‘Shojin Ryori’ (Gourmet Vegetarian Zen Buddhist Temple Cuisine) restaurant where the food is so thought out and unique. They presented 12 courses over the course of about 3 hours, served in a traditional tea house style private room by women dressed in Geisha garb. It was absolutely stunning!
What was the music highlight of your year?
I went to a few festivals this year that were great. FYF here in LA, which a friend of mine puts on is one of the best local LA festivals, no doubt. I also made it to Primavera Sound in Barcelona where I got to see a rare performance from The Knife, quite the spectacle! This is where I also got to see one if my best friends’ band, Poolside, play their first huge festival show, which was great to be able to be a part of. But the most stand-out performance was probably seeing the UK’s Disclosure at Coachella last spring. At the time, I didn’t even really know who the band was, but I went along with a friend and was blown away! The live performances with guest vocalists Jessie Ware and Sam Smith were on point - energetic, in tune with the crowd, and a frickin’ blast! I fell in love without even knowing any of the songs yet. I know the band has gotten tons of attention since then, getting played on Serius XMU a lot, selling out 2 nights in a row at the Fonda here in LA… but at that time, their name didn’t really mean much. No one (including myself) really knew who they were. So it was an amazing surprise, and a really great show.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
This is a tough one, mainly because it’s not something that happens for me that often. I guess the most memorable collision of these two would have to have been when I was asked to cater a brunch event put on by some friends that normally throw late night warehouse type parties. They recently decided to do a winter solstice brunch instead of the usual all-nighter, and I made the food. The guests were all local DJs and other artists - friends that are all well known in the music scene here in LA. They just sort of took turns DJing while around 40 of the best people I know chowed down on my food. So, even though this isn’t something where I personally got to experience food, it was still a food experience for me. I guess that happens a lot in this biz – us Chefs are the ones that make the food experiences for others. There is another similar event in February that I’m catering that should be amazing too - its put on by SUP’ Magazine - “A Day in Topanga” - sort of a chill invite-only winter picnic vibe at a private location in Topanga Canyon here in LA, and Daniel Bachman will be performing live. He is a more folk/psychedelic artist, so a totally different vibe, but still a great intersection of food and music. Should be really amazing!
MARCIA GAGLIARDI
Marcia Gagliardi is the founder and editor of Tablehopper. Photo by Kelly Puleio.
What was the food highlight of your year?
The long weekend I spent with the duo behind Pioneer Square Pantry in Seattle was unforgettable, and our visit to Lummi Island in late August was like something from a dream, full of blackberries and blue skies. Kylen McCarthy is an incredible cook, and his partner Eva has a wonderful sense of aesthetics. The meals we had looked like they were staged for a photoshoot in Kinfolk, and the local ingredients were so fresh—I have never had smoked crab that was caught an hour before, it was beyond.
What was the music highlight of your year?
My sister and I rocked a double-play: the second week of Coachella (DJ Harvey in the Yuma tent, oh lawdy, the way that man plays with sound is outer limits) and then one week later we caught the second week of Jazz Fest. What a blast—we hit it hard. I have to say, standing arm-in-arm with my sister at Jazz Fest in shin-deep mud (thankfully in our mud boots), listening to Fleetwood Mac play the songs of our childhood was pretty damn special. Oh, and a shout-out to the Flaming Lips show here in SF for Halloween, just wow. WOW! What an experience.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
It was pretty classic—every day at Jazz Fest we’d hit the fairgrounds and grab breakfast: hot, cheesy crawfish bread! God bless it. Then we’d start in on a can of Sofia sparkling wine (the bubbles saved me, they always do) and then go listen to some music. Then more food (crawfish Monica!) and more music (Willie Nelson!). It was the best lather, rinse, repeat, all day. You can’t touch the fairground food at Jazz Fest—best in the country.
WENDY FONAROW
Wendy Fonarow, better known as the Guardian’s Indie Professor, is an Anthropologist specializing in audience behavior, rituals, and the music industry. She has written about the intersections of food and music, and is the author of Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music.
What was the food highlight of your year?
At dinner this week, my friend Russell commented he was not bothered about where we had dinner, he just cared about the company. This is the foundation of any great meal, who you eat with. The food is part of the experience. The people and circumstances are as essential; a food highlight is a life experience. This August I was in the UK, and received an email of a hotel location in Leeds. I knew this meant the boyfriend had a day off and this was an invitation. My boyfriend had never eaten Indian food in the UK. He laughed off my refusal to eat Indian food in LA because he couldn’t believe that Indian food could really be so much better in Britain that I wouldn’t eat it anywhere else. This meant I was going to have to throw down. Because of my Guardian blog “Ask the Indie Professor,” I’m lucky to have a lot of twitter friends in the UK. I tweeted “Where is a good Indian in Leeds.” @stevenswift and @waj1 responded thoughtfully and recommended Aagrah, next door to the BBC. They even sent the address and opening time. Aagrah was nicely appointed and already busy. I encouraged the waiter to guide our selections making sure to include a curry and papadums. I took my first bite and smiled, this is the Indian food I come to the UK for and now I was sharing it. As the food came, we both became increasingly giddy. He agreed. It really was different and better than any Indian food he had ever tried before. There was wine and laughter, and the delicious food kept coming. Yet, the circumstances that brought us there seemed so fortuitous and epic. Our mood was infectious. People at other tables and the wait staff gave us knowing smiles. As we left the restaurant to walk back, a torrential rain began to flood the city. We got in a cab and kissed like in the movies.
What was the music highlight of your year?
This year’s music highlight came in the midst of the Coachella festival. I was able to attend with best friends from both the UK and US; Brian who runs Craftlandia (food service company in LA) and Tim (music writer and editor for the Guardian). I had asked to ride the giant Ferris Wheel during Blur’s set. In the big wheel, we sang along looking over the festival field and the skyline dotted with illuminated balloons. After the ride, we crossed the festival field. Blur began to play the song Tender. I was absolutely besotted with a new love and this song captured my feelings. Brian teased me all that weekend that I was “twitterpated.” I grabbed my friends’ hands and we danced. Then, as the song reached the crescendo “Love’s the greatest thing that we have”, without warning I threw my whole weight backwards and they held me up. It was bliss and giving yourself totally over to the music, but most of all faith. In that moment, music, trust, love, friendship, past, and future collided. The line “I’m waiting for that feeling to come,” had finally arrived.
Was there a moment when food and music came together in a memorable way?
The last year had far more travels than usual, which meant many opportunities for music, friends, and food to come together. Yet, by not being home, I kept missing people while they were in Los Angeles. I had promised a house party to the guys in Franz Ferdinand. Instead it was a series of just barely missing each other. It seemed like I was always at the right festival on the wrong day. As my time in London was coming to an end, I decided to meet up with the organizers of All Tomorrow’s Parties at Canteen in Spitafields Market, a quintessential British restaurant that features pies, bangers and mash, and this year’s favorite dessert Eton Mess. I had no other plans for the day so I was slowly making my way to the overground when across the street I see Paul Thompson, drummer for Franz Ferdinand. Granted the east end is London’s hipsterville, so it wasn’t the most unlikely thing in the world, but I was over the moon. Once we had given up trying for the year, it happened. He was getting a haircut and then meeting up with other members of the band for drinks and dinner. We went to Soho House for pizza. It was one of those casual evenings you have when you live in London. Running into friends in the international family of music professionals, having a drink, and dinner and then another drink afterward. Music, food, and everyday life indistinguishable.
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