Hank’s “Single Diamond Slider” from Chef Isaias Piña at Masters of Taste. Photo by Elise Thompson.
Masters of Taste 2022 recently brought together more than 100 “Culinary Masters” “Sweet Masters,” and top Beverage Masters at the Rose Bowl. The event featured the best of Los Angeles, including the best local restaurants of its host city, Pasadena. It always features the newest food trends and introduces you to new restaurants you can’t wait to try. It is cocktail-heavy, with some of the best mixologists in the area creating exciting, crafted drinks. Usually I focus on the food, but this is one event where I let go and really drink. “Hey Mr DJ” kept the tunes spinning, even making us nostalgic with songs like the Cure’s “Just like Heaven.”
This year, Masters of Taste took place during Songkran, Thai New Year, so Chef Vanda Asapahu, Host of this year’s event, invited local Thai restaurants to participate in the Songkran Thai SELECT Pavilion in the Rose Bowl’s end zone. As a culinary challenge, each Thai restaurant was tasked with preparing a dish, dessert, or cocktail using sahm kler (which translates to “3 buddies”), and is made up of white peppercorn, garlic, and cilantro root.
For her part, Chef Vanda caused an absolute sensation with her scallops under glass, infused with Jasmine smoke. Jasmine is a celebratory flower of Songkran. Everyone was taking videos of themselves lifting the dome to watch the smoke curl into the sky. Her sister, Chef Cathy Asapahu, was able to use the “3 buddies” in her desserts, believe it or not. My favorite was the ice cream in cute little tulles.
Continue reading
