HIGHLAND PARK IS ABOUT TO GET A TASTE OF NEW JERSEY ITALIAN DELI CULTURE
Ggiata Delicatessen, the growing chain of sandwich shops specializing in New Jersey-style Italian American creations, is opening its fourth LA location in Highland Park in May. Unlike its three other outlets, the incoming location at 5025 East York Boulevard across the street from Belle’s Bagels will host indoor seating, The Eastsider reports. The space was previously a casual coffee and sandwich shop called A Bloc that opened in 2017.
Longtime friends and former Garden State denizens, Noah Holton-Raphael, Max Bahramipour, and Jack Biebel, opened the first Ggiata out of a ghost kitchen in 2021 before expanding to West Hollywood, Venice, and Melrose Hill. The shop’s line of hot and cold submarine sandwiches includes classics like chicken Parm and an Italian cold cut number piled high with cotto ham, salami, hot capicola, smoked muenster, and more, on a charred seeded baguette.
Koreaworld book launch
The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker in West Hollywood is hosting a party to celebrate the release of Koreaworld by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard on Friday, May 3. The $115 tickets include a signed copy of the book, beer, cocktails, and food from guest chefs Jihee Kim (Perilla), Deborah Pak (Soban), Ted and Yong Kim (Seoul Sausage), and Erik Bruner-Yang (Washington DC’s Maketto).
High honors for two AAPI chefs
Chefs Katianna Hong (Yangban) and Sujan Sarkar (Baar Baar) recently received Gold Chef Prize honors from OpenTable and Gold House for “for displaying exceptional talent, character, and ability to make a significant impact to the culinary industry for years to come, while being passionately committed to furthering Asian Pacific representation and leadership in the broader community.” Both chefs will receive a $10,000 cash prize, while Hong will serve as the executive chef of the 2024 A100 honoree dinner.
Let them eat cake
In the Los Angeles Times, Khushbu Shah takes a look at the impossibly adorable cakes sold at Harucake in Koreatown that have taken TikTok by storm. Hours-long waits are the norm for a taste of Ellie You’s cakes, which come in Korean flavors like strawberry milk cream and green grape yogurt and are minimally decorated. “The cakes are a celebration of pastel color ways, cursive writing, and decorative elements like tiny hearts, mini fruits or animals, or small flowers with lots of negative space between each one,” Shah writes.
New destination for afternoon tea
The fine folks at the Downtown L.A. Proper are now serving afternoon tea inside Dahlia from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through April, and Friday through Sunday starting in May. On the menu are sweets (coconut tart, fig almond cookie, yuzu madeleine) and savories (crab sandwich, avocado cruschetta, deviled-egg sandwich) prepared by chefs Suzanne Goin and Irene Widjaya. Expertly made cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, Champagne, and teas are available for pairing.