12:30-1:30

For the first hour of L.A. mag's programming, we'll learn about a new crop of budding star chefs: teenagers. Three enormously talented teen chefs, recently profiled in Los Angeles magazine, will discuss how they barged their way into the kitchens of the city's best restaurants, how they mastered French traditionalism and culinary modernism, and how they recently pulled off a completely original multi-course dinner for a tableful of L.A.'s top chefs. The boys will also talk about a collective approach to fine cuisine that is inseparable from fine design, conceiving and plating dishes with an eye for color and form that mirrors the aesthetic of much of contemporary architecture.

The discussion will be moderated by journalist Ed Leibowitz, who wrote the feature article about the teen chefs for June 2011 issue of Los Angeles magazine.

1:30-2:30

From food to the fast lane, Los Angeles Magazine’s famed “L.A. guru” and Associate Editor Chris Nichols will host a one-on-one discussion with George Barris, the iconic Hollywood car designer.

Barris is the originator of the custom car and some of his most notable creations include T.V.’s Original Batmobile, the Munster’s Koach, and the Beverly Hills Hillbillies Hot Rod, crafted from a 1921 Olds Roadster. I'm very much looking forward to this one to see how the don of auto mods describes his own work and what he sees as the future of car design.

2:30-3:00

In this panel you'll experience a celebration of the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. At 30 years old, the market has been a bastion of fresh goods for a generation of Angelenos. Market manager Laura Avery joins cookbook author and market enthusiast Amelia Saltsman and some longtime farmers to discuss the evolution of one of the city’s greatest culinary treasures.

3:00-3:30

If you're starving by now, this next panel should do the trick. Food expert Carl Chu is joined by writer Linda Burum and blogger Tony Chen (Sinosoul) to explore how the cuisines of China have made an impact stateside, from unique regional specialties to the continent’s most authentic Chinatowns. Pass the Lo Mein.

3:30-4:00

L.A. Mag closes out the Design Innovation Stage with food editor Lesley Bargar Suter examining pop-up restaurant extraordinaire Test Kitchen. Occupying a small, underground space on Pico Boulevard, the restaurant hosted a different featured chef every night.

Test Kitchen became a laboratory for the city’s best chefs to experiment with new dishes and entire new restaurant concepts. Here, founders Bill Chait and Food & Wine’s Best New Chef Ricardo Zarate join some of the most acclaimed Test Kitchen alums to reminisce and discuss the future of the pop-up trend.

Appears In

L.A. Magazine Sunday