Upcoming CHSC Speakers Bureau Programs Don’t miss out on a tour of the The Summer 2018 Vol.17 • No. 1 Hi Rare Book Room! ry sto a r n i Have you seen the Rare Book Room at LAPL? It’s open and i a l n u free to the public, but here’s your chance for a personalized s C tour by Principal Librarian of Research & Special Collections, Ani Boyadjian. Come see C H S C o Since 1995 f a a variety of cookbooks i So n u r t ifo published in California, hern Cal learn about this unique JOurnal archive, and view some Dedicated to pursuing food history and supporting culinary collections at the Los Angeles Public Library of the core items that has been purchased via CHSC funds over the Badmouthing Your Grub years. Grub. It basically means maggot, and all its associations are loath- Sunday, August 26 at 2:00 pm (Yes, Sunday!) some. How does a word like that get to be slang for food? Panel presentation by Piero Selvaggio, Akasha Richmond, This event is open to CHSC members only and sells out Jet Tila, Charles Perry, and Richard Foss quickly. Tickets cost $25 each and members are allowed In the case of “grub,” it’s actually been around since the 17th “The Restaurant Revolution: to purchase up to two additional guest tickets. Look for Upcoming Programs at the Central century and has the flavor of a growling tough-guy term from How Angelenos Transformed Modern Food Culture” the Eventbrite announcement with a link to purchase Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium: English thieves’ or beggars’ slang. But a lot of self-deprecating food Mark Taper Auditorium, Los Angeles Central Library tickets in your email inbox soon! Have questions? Contact words have arisen in this country, particularly in the West and [email protected]. September 8, 2018 Jonathan Kauffman, Charles Perry probably from the tradition of tall tales and frontier irony. I remem- Author, Hippie Food: How CHSC President ber in the Seventies driving through a long, long stretch of sparsely Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 1:00 PM Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs, and populated Texas where the highway was periodically enlivened by billboards reading, Haven’t seen our new Los Angeles Public Library Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat “Only 120 Miles [for instance] to the Sorriest Burgers in Texas.” Actually, I’ve been kicking website yet? Check us 630 West Fifth Street “Hippie Food” myself ever since for not stopping to find out exactly how sorry those burgers were. out at: www.chsocal.org Los Angeles, CA 90071 October 13, 2018 In the Forties, when the San Fernando Valley was pretty sparsely populated itself and Sarah Lohman, restaurants were few and far between, there was a place on Ventura Boulevard called Author, Eight : The World Story Hawley’s Steakhouse which used the slogan “Tough Steaks and Dull Knives.” My father of American often expressed regret that he’d never eaten there, but I noticed that he never “Eight Flavors and the Revolutionary bestirred himself to go.

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0 1 8 December 8, 2018 Long overdue is specific thanks from us all to our Hospitality Com- Jeff Keasberry, mittee members who provide those delicious morsels. To chair, Author, Indo Dutch Secrets: Sandeep Gupta, and his tireless crew, we send out a warm thank Stories and Favorite Family Recipes Nancy Zaslavsky you for their contributions in 2018. A special “Bravo!” to new “Exploring Indo Dutch Fusion” CHSC Vice President, volunteers Mary-Jo Uniack, Laurel & Jim Howat, and Flo Selfman, Programs who rank as the latest reception royalty, joining steady rock stars Edie & Jay, Jeri, Doris, Jill, Darien, Vanessa, Joan, and Toni. Please consider generously supporting CHSC with sponsorships of our monthly expenses. These sponsorships make a big difference to our bottom line and can be earmarked for your favorite speaker’s reception expenses, videotaping, and even our

new website costs. Hey, Cool Dude, how about helping out with Jonathan Kauffman’s

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Why not volunte upcoming September talk on “Hippie Food?”

Los Angeles, CA 90071-2002 CA Angeles, Los 630 West Fifth Street Fifth West 630 There’s many ways to volunteer or contribute It doesn’t seem like all that long ago, but way back in January, Charles Perry hit the to CHSC. Have you considered our media pavement running with his annual President’s lecture, this time on “What to Order in relations team? We're looking for someone to 13th-Century .” Charles also introduced us to his latest book, Scents and help create a monthly Mailchimp email and

Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook at the at field media email requests. Minimal time , Library of Arabic Literature, NYU Press, 2017. In February, commitment, and no writing or previous I had the pleasure to interview always food savvy Barbara Fairchild with “Bon Appétit

experience is necessary. If interested, please The Culinary Historians of Southern California Southern of Historians Culinary The contact Heather Hoffman at and Me: 32 Years in America’s Food Revolution.” March brought moderator Melissa hnhoff[email protected] or (323) 863-6617. Pugash and her animated panel, Lisette Gaviña-Lopez, James Marcotte, and Mike Continued on page 6 Events Aro A L er from the Editor Trending Connects the Culinary World und Lo e s Angeles to Ancient The food world has recently lost some of its most revered icons By Gerry Furth-Sides Matcha LA Fest from all sides of the industry. August 25 & 26, 2018, 12-5 PM Los Angeles Legendary Chef Joël Robuchon, the most decorated in Michelin’s Chef Alain Cohen’s first childhood memory about food had favored and -based , served with a special https://www.saint-matcha.com/events award history, died at 73 after a long battle with cancer. Closer me spellbound. He was a 5-year-old getting his father a drink Tunisian coffee, mint or . to home, Los Angeles unexpectedly lost LA Times and LA Weekly Matchaholics from Saint Matcha’s Instagram pages have food critic Jonathan Gold at 57, also to cancer. Some time has of water during a family beach outing in Tunis. “I had to go to inspired the birth of this festival. Access to 20+ vendors, the well and make it to the center between circling “Tunisian cuisine is one of these photobooth activations, live DJ, exclusive giveaways, and family passed since the news of his death, yet the influence of his prolific friendly events. Come dressed in your favorite matcha green writings that helped shape our region’s culinary landscape and pulling up buckets of water,” he recalls. “I was so proud that I underrated, yet powerful,- world class color and your photo might be shared on @matcha.la through- his devotion to local food culture has not been diminished, had braved the camels! Looking back, it’s funny,” he chuck- out the event. Prepare to get #matchawasted! judging by the outpouring of condolences by chefs, restaurateurs les. “But I was terrorized at the time.” waiting to be discovered, and food lovers. Famous Mountain Pu-erh Tea Class & Tea Tasting or re-discovered.” September 8, 2018, 2–3:30 PM Perhaps the most mystifying, though, has been the news of Anthony Bourdain’s To native Tunisians, this ancient mode of life was customary. Denong Tea Inc., Pasadena suicide at age 61. Fans and friends were stunned, mourned him with memories and After all, his family traces their roots back to the destruction It’s a little-known secret that was once home to a https://www.denongtea.com unanswered questions and continue to articulate exactly what his extraordinary of the first temple of Jerusalem in 586 AD. It was also the thriving Jewish community starting in the 12th century BC. Expert Jeffrey McIntosh shares his experience in the tea industry contribution was to their profession. As a chef, journalist and TV show host, he was norm to dine on an abundance of fresh fish and , brought their food with them from biblical , visiting multiple tea mountains and tea growing regions over the known for his honest portrayal of the dark reality of kitchen life: full of injuries, aromatic lamb dishes and savory on the integrating their dishes into the native Berber cuisine and all last 10 years. Uncover what makes Pu-erh, this often misunder- addictions, low wages, bad tempers and exploited workers. During a time when a stood variety, such a fascinating tea by exploring raw and ripe chef’s life was presented on TV as exciting and glamorous, his style was to be upfront table, all scented with heavenly and . the subsequent strata that formed modern Tunisian cuisine. variations, proper brewing, storage, health benefits, and tasting and unflinching about addressing political and social issues, yet also with a sense of characteristics. Includes a tasting of 2 most popular Pu-erh teas. kindness, intellect, humor and a passion for what he believed in. Perhaps his greatest Tunisia is a culinary paradise that However, when the departure of the Dining out in Paris before the restaurant impact was to be “that white guy” with a platform, but who chose to use it to tell holds exotic secrets and treasures of French after the AlgerianWar led to September 24, 2018, 7:30 – 9 PM compelling stories and to advocate for “other” cuisines by representing communities a long and complex history. It was the Arab rulership in the early sixties, The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles with dignity and respect. He was many things to many people and he wasn’t perfect, Tunisian Jews embarked upon yet but he spoke to us in a way that felt meaningful and without condescension. birthplace of the Carthaginian http://lastbookstorela.com/#events Empire, conquered by the Romans, another odyssey. They mainly went Author Jim Chevallier speaks about Paris dining history before Today we’re without some of our strongest voices and practitioners of the culinaryworld, who made it their granary; and more to as a whole community and the restaurant. Parisians used to eat at taverns, inns, cabarets, yet through their ability to change the way so many people understood food, restaurants, replanted their roots in Paris, traiteurs, and table d'hotes. These places were what we would chefs and culture around the globe, their unique legacies will rightfully live on. recently was a protectorate of France call "trendy" today and people didn't just go there to eat, but to amidst the onslaught of Arab invad- Marseille and Nice. Initially encour- socialize, be seen, even seduce. This event paints a portrait of ers. Each conqueror left its imprint aged by returning French North the city’s food from Neanderthals to bistros and food trucks. on their food and culture. Mediterra- African colonizers, addictive dishes of Tacos & Festival Sharon Tani F OODIE Tunisian Couscous, , Harissa OID nean cuisine experts, such as Claudia September 29, 2018, 12–7 PM F ACT and the beloved Tunisian Sandwich, Pershing Square, Los Angeles Rodin and Paula Wolfert, revere this https://www.tacosnbeerfest.com The Wedding Cake Toss lush country, known as “The Tunisian took the Parisian restaurant and A cultural experience with the best party-fiesta ambiance, tacos, The wedding cake was not always eaten by the bride; it was Riviera”. Even so, Tunisian cookbooks in street-food scene by storm. beer, micheladas, tequila and margaritas, Mariachis, live bands originally thrown at her. English remain a rare find. and DJs. Participate in games such as a tug-o-war, a piñata , long a symbol of fertility and prosperity, was one of In 1961, Chef Cohen’s family was breaking party, a fiesta costume contest or ride a mechanical the earliest grains to ceremoniously shower new brides. Will it take Harissa, Tunisia’s newly part of the exodus to Paris. There, his bull — OLE! Bring your Mexican sombrero, serape, folklore Early Roman bakers, whose confectionary skills were held in ubiquitous hot chili , the father opened a series of kosher skirts, maracas, la guitarra, or just join the fun. Salud! 21+ only. higher regard than the talents of the city’s greatest builders, cafes, and eventually the restaurant, altered the practice. Around 100 B.C., they began baking the current “darling” of chefs everywhere, The California Vegetarian Food Festival to acquaint the world with this ancient country’s cuisine? Les Ailes (”The Wings”) in 1973. He began working there September 29-30, 2018 wheat into small, sweet cakes – to be eaten, not thrown. Wedding guests, however, when he was nine years old. He pleased his father as a teen Raleigh Studios, Hollywood loath to abandon the fun of pelting the bride with wheat confetti, often tossed the cakes. Harissa has always been identified with Tunisia, as well as personally and beloved by Tunisians. The vibrant brick-red by introducing a French-Tunisian on the Les www.CAVegFoodFest.com According to Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius, a compromise ritual developed in Ailes menu that transformed it into a fashionable landmark. Foodies, locavores, vegetarians, vegans, flexitarians, and those which the wheat cakes were crumbled over a bride’s head. And as a further symbol of color sauce originally proved to be so appealing that Moroc- who want to find out more about living a healthy, sustainable fertility, the couple was required to eat a portion of the crumbs, a custom known as can (sweeter) and Algerian (more rustic) cuisines, adapted it, In 1991, he crossed the Atlantic to establish his roots in Los lifestyle, this is the festival for you! Food companies, restau- confarreatio, or “eating together.” After exhausting the supply of cakes, guest were countries with which Tunisia shares cuisine roots as part of rants, and health vendors will congregate in Los Angeles to presented with a handful of confetto – “sweet meats”- a mixture of nuts, dried , and Angeles, bringing with him all the memories and the recipes of his family. Nearly two decades passed before he intro- celebrate the delight of plant-based food and cruelty-free living. honeyed , sort of an ancient trail mix. Tunisian cookbooks in English Somm Con The wedding cake rite changed during lean times in the early Middle Ages. The once- duced the dishes in his Got Kosher? sandwich/salad/bakery, November 14-16, 2018 decorative cakes became simple biscuits or scones tobe eaten. Ironically, it was these remain a rare find. where he created the . His California inspired, San Diego, CA austere practices that with time, ingenuity, and French contempt for all things British led Paris-refined, French-Tunisian menu is now offered at Harissa http://sommconusa.com to the most opulent of wedding adornments: the multitiered cake. the Magreb suspended on the African continent's Mediterra- Restaurant. We bring together professionals of all levels to discuss, develop, Source: Panati, C. (1987)Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. New York: Harper & Row. nean shelf. Still, Tunisian cuisine “is as distinguished even and lead the conversation on the business of wine. Our from the most similar and familiar - Moroccan - as Vietnam- That couscous has not taken Southern California by storm, education is built by Sommeliers for trade professionals and “remains a mystery” to Cohen. “Knowing about this and other serious enthusiasts who have a passion for wine and spirits and ese is from Chinese,” states Chef Cohen, who recently an unyielding quest for knowledge. Learn your way through The Culinary Historians of Southern California honored Harissa by naming his restaurant after it. French-Tunisian dishes is like being privy to a ‘best-known keynote sessions, educational classes, and trade-only tastings. www.chsocal.org secret’ before everybody becomes an expert,” he says. Slata Mechouia, TECHmunch LA - Food Content Creator To all Tunisians, is as familiar as a burger is to “Perhaps this is why Tunisian cuisine is one of these under- President: Charles Perry an American. This salad of diced tomatoes, green and red & Influencer Conference Vice President - Programs: Nancy Zaslavsky rated yet powerful world class cuisines waiting to be discov- peppers, hard boiled eggs, fish belly and , bathed ered, or re-discovered.” December 7, 2018, 10–4:30 PM Vice President - Membership: Susanna Erdos Santa Monica, CA in oil and juice is also the base of Tunisia’s techmunchconf.com Treasurer: Donna Chaney signature sandwich. a l’oeuf, a quickly fried, handmade This conference returns to Southern California to help culinary Secretary: Hae Jung Cho sheet stuffed with a whole egg, capers, minced Photo-journalist Gerry Furth-Sides has been content creators and influencers get up-to-speed on everything Media Relations:Heather Hoffman and remains another favorite. So do savory stews of in food video and photography. Learn how to plan, shoot, Library Liaisons: Ani Boyadjian & Stella Mittelbach covering the ethnic and American culinary syndicate and monetize content your audience will love. A full lamb, poultry, or fish with vegetables artfully placed on a bed scene in California since it first came into day of networking, educational sessions, tastings and demos -- Newsletter Editor/Art Director:Sharon Tani of the famed steamed grain , Couscous. The endless prominence 25 years ago. Learn more about designed to take your efforts to the next level. Questions? Please contact: [email protected] variety of naturally sweet succulent fruits has also made for her at: www.localfoodeater.com Page 2 Page 7 Charles Perry: Badmouthing Your Grub On October 6, 2010 Instagram launched as an app on Continued from Page 1 Obviously, Instagram and iTunes. In one day 25,000 people around the world signed up. Current statistics show that this photo and By the late 19th century, the tall tale tradition had fed into the food photography are a video sharing social media networking service stream that gave us the American wisecrack. Waiters at Our Menu currently has over 800 million users. counters, inhabiting the opposite end of the spectrum from match made in heaven As of mid-June 2018, there were 281 million Instagram the respectable restaurant, were famous for their chilling Collection at the by Carole Rosner posts tagged with #food. An easy de nition for a hashtag (#) mockery of what they were serving -- for instance, referring is a type of metadata tag used on social networks like Instagram, that allows users to apply “dynamic, to an all-you-can-eat place as “pitch till you win.” Los Angeles Public user-generated tagging, which makes it possible for others to easily nd messages with a speci c So they had great fun calling ketchup “hemorrhage,” raisin Library is Still theme or content.” As of this writing, there are 23 million Instagram photos tagged with cake “fly cake,” stewed rhubarb “hair ,” ale “beetle #foodphotography and 27 million photos tagged with #cakedecorating! Obviously, Instagram and blood” (because it was darker than lager), Among the Best food photography are a match made in heaven. “spider’s eggs,” American “wax” and -Nuts Restaurants, chefs, artisans and entrepreneurs all have a place on Instagram. This type of social “birdseed.” (I must protest. Grape-Nuts are awesome and The front of Valhalla’s menu, media helps to build or solidify a brand. From Martha Stewart to The Food Network and from way too good for birds.) with a suggestive single leg. Pizzeria Mozza to Bobby Flay, photos on Instagram mean business. “There is a trick to Instagram and Los Angeles Public Library it's inspiring others, while giving away useful content. We post a lot of how-to videos and try to People have always been suspicious of any dish of meat in Special Collections. which you can’t recognize the cut. In both the British and engage our viewers each day with what we call "cake porn," Marianne Carroll, co-owner of The White A recent tour of “The Most Unusual Menus from Libraries Around American navies, corned was long known as “red horse.” Flower Cake Shoppe (https://www.instagram.com/whiteowercakeshoppe/), explained. With over the World,” on the blog called Gastro Obscura, a part of the Atlas 380,000 Instagram followers, White Flower knows how to make their cakes pop. “Our most successful Stews came in for systematic abuse, being branded “guess Obscura website, featured a stop at the LAPL for a view of the post was a shot of 20 decorated buttercream cakes on the top of one of our display coolers. I think it water” or “Brodie,” after Steve Brodie, the famous daredevil famously historic 1950’s Valhalla restaurant menu in Sausalito, CA. gave the viewer a sense of what they would expect walking in as a customer, and the variety of who jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886. A waiter calling Though founded in 1870, the restaurant was given a new lease on butter cream cakes is visually appealing.” “Brodie” back to the kitchen was, of , implying that a life in 1950 when it was purchased by Sally Stanford, a famous San foolhardy diner was courting suicide. Francisco madam whose notorious, popular brothel was shut down Foodandwine.com published an article in January 2018 entitled “How to Become a Food Instagram the year before. Valhalla advertised itself as the haunt of movie- Inuencer” and outlined the steps needed to use the social media platform to convince other users makers, rum-runners, and Jack London, while serving high-end to make purchases of certain items. This modern-day form of word-of-mouth advertising combines People have always been suspicious . In 1976, Stanford was elected mayor of Sausalito. mouthwatering images, exclusive giveaways or discounts, with the speci c details as to where to get This is just one example from the library’s archive of almost 16,000 the must have item. These food inuencers/digital marketers create a buzz that can propel people of any dish of meat in which menus, many of which have been digitized. you can’t recognize the cut. and places into the Instagram stratosphere. You can see the full article here: New food ideas can become major trends on Instagram. If you’ve ever wondered why the lines are so was the most often mocked of all, and notwith- https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/menus-unusual-libraries long at certain restaurants or bakeries, most likely that’s where an Instagram food trend originated out reason. In the early Fifties, before the all-beef hamburger — People trek from all over the world now to get a photo of a rainbow from the Bagel Store in became standard, hamburgers were a way for restaurants to Williamsburg, Brooklyn (https://www.instagram.com/thebagelstore/) or of a charcoal ice cream cone from use up scraps and trimmings, hence ominous nicknames like Little Damage Ice Cream in Downtown Los Angeles (https://www.instagram.com/little.damage). Without Thank you to our generous Instagram, these shops would only be known locally. “sweep up the floor.” Hamburgers pieced together out of Angels, Benefactors & Patrons leftover scraps did have a weird, somewhat metallic taste. Instagram also opens the door to the world of food and food from around the Recently, to satisfy my curiosity, I mixed ground beef and pork world. Seeing photos of stunning oral cake decorations from Seoul, South with a smidgeon of ground lamb and fried up a patty, and yes Korea at https:/www.instagram.com/soocake_ully/, taking a sweet trip through indeed, that was the authentic flavor of those bygone days. The Culinary Historians of Southern California acknowledges the patisseries of Paris at https://www.instagram.com/desserted_in_paris/ or perusing over 6 million Authentic, all right, but yechh. Pass the ketchup. I mean the the generosity of members who have joined or renewed at Carole Rosner is a native Angelino who enjoys cheesy #taco posts, these Instagram , beautifully decorated desserts, secret hemorrhage. the Angel, Benefactor and Patron levels. Your gift allows our organization to enhance member services and increase our visuals are not just eye catching, neighborhood eateries, and easy to follow dinner recipes. Her lemon coconut squares are always a hit, Nancy Zaslavsky: Program Notes support of the culinary collections of The Central Library. they are mind blowing and the oldest cookbook she owns is from 1937, and she’s Continued from Page 1 Angel: Benefactor: calorie free! a fan of competitive shows. Sheldrake to talk on “History of Coffee in Southern Marilyn Beaudry & Don Corbett Cheryl Cole Jude & Woolf Kanter Robyn Miller California”—with their generous supplies of excellent Amelia & Ralph Saltsman caffeine and pastry for all. Andrew Friedman’s April program Traveling this summer? If you're in San Francisco, try the baguette vending “New World Order: Chefs vs Owners in 70s/80s L.A.” Rumor has it that some very interesting food finds can be found around the country: machine from Le expanded on the Southern California section of his wildly Xpress at the Stonestown popular, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll, Ecco Publishers, 2018. Patron: Galleria mall. Fresh baked Sheila Anderzunas & Lance Ward YOU! Susie Wyshak spoke in May on “How Trader Joe’s Changed If you're in Hawaii, seek in about a minute! Grace Bauer out their "Blue Java If you're in any state except California, you the Way America Eats” with Los Angeles the main focus as Carlo Coppola Liz Pollock Bananas," that are might want to purchase some silver dragées audience members recounted personal stories and favorite Barbara Fairchild Joan Reitzel soft, creamy and commonly used to decorate cookies and purportedly taste cakes. They've been banned since 2003 store items from years back. Her book, TJ’s Then & Now (self- Susan & Thomas Gardner Noel Riley Fitch & Albert Sonnenfeld published) was a favorite with members. In June, to wrap up like vanilla following a lawsuit George Geary Dan Strehl ice cream. claiming that silver is a the first half of 2018, “The Detective” David Karp treated Edie & Jay Gralla Jill Walsh If you're in New York, experience non-FDA approved, us to “The Elements of High in Fruit” and analyzed the the Blossoming Hot Chocolate from Chef nonedible food item. Jacqueline Knowles Nancy & Morris Zaslavsky Encounter other elements that define high flavor in fruit, primarily sweetness, William McLaughlin Judy Zeidler interesting food items? Dominique Ansel at his New York, London acidity and aroma. Let us know at or Tokyo bakeries. A small marshmallow [email protected] flower will expand right before your eyes

Page 6 and deliver a chocolate bon bon inside. Gobetz Wally credit: Photo Page 3 O ne hundred and sixty years ago this July, beer was modern era. Hence, it was allowed to trademark “Anchor literally front-page news in Los Angeles. On the first page found a position with the Philadelphia Brewery, owned Steam Beer” in 1981 because no other brewery had used by Dietrich Mahlstedt, and by the fall of that year, went of LA’s very first newspaper, the weekly Los Angeles Star the name “steam beer” since the 1930s. That’s why this (previously from Mahlstedt’s new employee to his new partner, La Estrella de Los Angeles), on July 10, 1858, style, which is still made today by commercial (and purchasing a half interest in the brewery. the poem (reprinted here) “Lager Bier: A Moral Lesson” to the then-tiny city of home) brewers, is now called California Common. appeared, picked up from the Boston Post. It whimsically Los Angeles, which, For one reason or another during the following year, Back in LA, another brewing facility with a physiographi celebrated the supposed virtues of lager beer, which was despite having been - Mahlstedt decided he wanted out of the brewing sweeping the nation during that period, including LA. the capital of Alta cally confused name was launched in late 1873: the business. Maier sold the saloon he owned and operated, California under Philadelphia Brewery. It was constructed on what is now just a year after he purchased it, and bought Mahlstedt’s By most accounts, the commercial brewing of beer in Aliso Street, by the ancient six-story sycamore tree known California started in 1849 (before it was even a state!) Mexican rule, had a half of the ownership of the brewery. So in 1882, a pair of population just north as “El Aliso” on the site of the Aliso Vineyard and Winery, former brewery co-workers less than two years ago, with the Adam Schuppert Brewery on Stockton and which covered much of the land between present-day Jackson Streets in the area’s then-largest city, San Fran of 1,600 in 1850, Messrs. Maier & Zobelein now owned their own facility, when it was Union Station and the Los Angeles River. but maintained the moniker Philadelphia Brewery for the cisco. This was immediately following the Mexican- - American War (1846-48), which resulted in Mexico incorporated. Shortly thereafter, Gambrinus changed its name to City near future. ceding the territory known as Alta California to the By 1858, when the Brewery and Saloon, and its location to Second and Their old employer, the New York Brewery, lasted United States, which granted it statehood a couple years Los Angeles Star ran another five years but was beset by various scrapes and later (1850). That rather hasty acceptance into the Union that poem, LA shootings, which had seemed to plague the brewery was likely due in part to the discovery of gold along the already had its first since its early days. Also, with the increased local compe- American River near Sacramento shortly before the end two commercial tition from the revitalized Philadelphia Brewery (which of the war, immediately prompting the “Gold Rush.” Lager Bier Poem from the breweries — Courtesy USC Digital LibraryLos Angeles Star added refrigeration and expanded to become the largest one with the , 1858 brewery “this side of San Francisco” in 1883) — not to geographically challenged title mention the tragic illnesses and deaths of its owners — of the New York Brewery (established in 1854 at Third New York finally shuttered in 1887 after a 33-year run, and Main Streets) and the other named for the legendary having sold its brewing equipment to an unnamed firm in European folk hero celebrated as the patron saint of beer, Anaheim, likely the original Anaheim Brewery (1870-1920). Gambrinus Brewery (established in 1856 at First and Los When they partnered to take control of Los Angeles’ Angeles Streets). Both boasted in newspaper adverts of QUALITY George Zobelein nine-year-old Philadelphia Brewery their “Fine Lager Beer in Quantities to Suit” and “The PREMIUM Courtesy of on Aliso Street in Clearest, Purest and Most Brilliant Lager Beer South of CemeteryGuide.com the fall of 1882, San Francisco,” although given the year-round warm Joseph Maier the stage was set climes of Southern California — and the fact that commer- Courtesy of CemeteryGuide.com for the names cial refrigeration was still at least 25 years away — they FOAM-ENTING A Spring Streets, in 1874, but closed by the end of 1875, Maier and Zobelein were most assuredly what are known as Steam . having been open just shy of 20 years. LA’s inaugural BREWING REVOLUTION — together and IN EARLY LA Full Steam Ahead brewery, New York, however, was doing well in the separately — to mid-1870s and made a couple of auspicious hires. Two become indelible in by Tomm Carroll As local weather could not provide the cold temperatures Bavarian immigrants, Joseph Maier and George Zobelein, the annals of beer required to properly utilize bottom-fermenting lager each with brewing backgrounds, separately came into the production in Los yeast, the wort (unfermented beer) was nonetheless employ of the brewery in 1875 and 1876, respectively. Angeles, as they fermented using lager yeast, but at warmer tempera- Maier was a brewer and Zobelein was a bookkeeper and quite literally ushered tures, like ales, which are made with top-fermenting manager. Several years before, back in Europe, a different kind of Southland brewing yeast. Thus, a hybrid of the two beer types — ales and well into the 20th “gold” was discovered: the first ultra-clear, golden pale lagers — was created, containing some elements of both. LA’s First Rock Star Brewers Pilsner beer style of lager, which was created in 1842 in century. They were LA’s Generally, lagers are crisp and clean-tasting, while ales original Brews Brothers. Maier & Zobelein Brewery ad, date unknown the Bohemian town of Plzen — now located in the Czech have more rounded, fruity-estery flavors. This cross- Coincidentally — and fortuitously — Maier and Zobelein Courtesy of CemeteryGuide.com Republic, but then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire breed, a beer born out of necessity, was the closest that both left the New York Brewery in 1881, even though it Ultimately, Joseph Maier and George Zobelein were — by Josef Groll, a Bavarian. A few years later, the beer pre-refrigeration-era breweries in West Coast cities could was thriving and expanding during their tenure. Maier positioned at the crest of a wave of German immigrant was exported to Germany, where the style was almost come to making their beloved lagerbier. purchased the Eintracht Saloon on Spring Street, opposite entrepreneurs who were birthing the American brewing universally accepted and widely adopted, as Germans the current location of LA’s City Hall. For his part, Zobelein It was dubbed a “Steam Beer,” according to one explana- industry, with their stateside versions of lagerbier. And had already been brewing and enjoying dark “lagerbier,” had fate dealt them a more winning hand, their names stored (aka lagered) in caves or stone cellars, for some time. tion, because in San Francisco, then the West Coast’s brewing center, the boiling wort would be pumped into might have been as recognizable today as their contem- Germans, arguably the majority of immigrants to the new shallow, open-top containers on the breweries’ roofs so poraries , , Frederick world during that period — largely due to the burgeoning that it could be chilled rapidly from the cool air coming in Miller, , Frederick Pabst and . Revolutions of 1848, a series of political upheavals in off the ocean, which created a visible cloud of steam Award-winning beer scribe Tomm Carroll is a feature writer and the Los Angeles correspondent for Europe — had already migrated as far west as California, above the breweries. Celebrator Beer News as well as a senior contributor to and now even more of them joined the quest for gold early days of LA breweries, from which this article isBeer drawn. Paper A LABJCP-schooled. He is working international on a book about beer the with hopes of striking it rich. They brought with them The city’s Anchor Brewery, which under a different name judge, Tomm serves as a beer consultant and teaches a craft beer class at UCLA. He is a member their thirst for lagerbier, and their expertise at brewing began brewing Steam Beer in 1871 when owned by of the North American and British Guilds of Beer Writers, the Brewers Association, the American the same. A good deal of them also made their way down German immigrant brewer Gottleib Brekle, was the only Homebrewers Association and, of course, the Culinary Historians of Southern California. brewery that continued making this hybrid style into the He can be reached at [email protected]. Page 4 Page 5