by Elka Worner
Foodies will now have access to the city’s best loved recipes from restaurants like Baran’s, the Bottle Inn and Radici thanks to the newly released “Top Dish Hermosa Beach Cookbook.”
Leadership Hermosa Beach 2024 unveiled the 200-page book at a well attended event Thursday, June 20, at the Underground Pub & Grill.
The cookbook includes a savory buffalo risotto recipe from Fox & Farrow, a creamy penne alla vodka from Radici and the popular avocado toast with cashew cream from the Source. There’s an apple strudel recipe from Hermosa Pie & Cake Company and for mixologists, the ingredients for Palmilla’s “Head in the Clouds Carajillo” mezcal drink.
“I look at this book as every restaurant’s business card,” said Rosanna Savone, who came up with the idea for the cookbook. “It definitely calls attention to our local restaurant scene.”
Savone said she modeled the hardcover book with color photographs, on a similar book from the Grove, with recipes from the Los Angeles Farmer’s Market.
Hermosa Beach has matured as a food destination, she said. The Leadership group wanted to showcase its culinary range.
“We have a lot of diversity in Hermosa. There’s everything from great tacos to really fine dining,” she said.
The project also included another component: a contest in April where restaurants presented three signature dishes on a sampler platter. Customers then voted for their favorite dishes, many of which were included in the book.
The contest and the cookbook were a way to help local restaurants who had been hit hard by the pandemic and rising food prices.
“A lot of the local restaurants were suffering or closing down,” Top Dish project manager Rachel Acker said. “Our goal was to get people in restaurants to try new dishes, go to places they wouldn’t normally go.”
More than 2,000 people voted on their favorite dishes prepared by the 30 restaurants that participated in the contest.
Fox & Farrow’s offering included the buffalo risotto, sweet baby gems, and the pheasant sausage. They chose the risotto recipe for the cookbook.
While it may seem counterintuitive to share recipes of popular menu items with the public, Savone said it increases interest in other restaurant offerings.
“I can make all the risotto I want,” she said. “I’m never going to make it as good as Fox & Farrow. They do it every day.”
Kieran Harrington, the managing partner at Fox & Farrow and a Leadership Hermosa 2024 participant, said the cookbook was a massive undertaking that ultimately produced a work of art to highlight Hermosa’s culinary history.
“This was a big project that celebrated the local cuisine and the entire community,” Harrington said.
Proudly Serving shared their beloved PS burger recipe, which includes one pound of ground beef, four slices of American cheese and their special sauce.
“At Proudly Serving,” the Top Dish says, “every burger is crafted with love and care, each bite a testament to Matt (McIvor) and his team’s unwavering dedication to quality and flavor. From the sizzle of the grill to the final garnish, every detail is meticulously curated to ensure a dining experience that transcends expectations.”
Aside from the recipes, the book also provides background on local chefs and a brief history of the eatery.
There’s a homage to the Italian roots of Radici owner Laura Francisco and her mother Lucia Gasbarri, who hail from the “picturesque village of Pacentro in Abruzzo.”
“Lucia’s cooking technique is uncompromised; there are no shortcuts in her kitchen,” the book reads. “From hand-rolling gnocchi to slow-simmering sauces, Lucia’s commitment to excellence shines through every aspect of her cooking.”
The cookbook is an inspiration to aspiring chefs who will now be able to compare their creations to the real thing.
“Maybe this will become a Hermosa tradition, like Fiesta,” Savone said.
The book is $50 and can be ordered at topdishhermosa.com. ER
