Elizabeth Falkner: Reflections of a Culinary Athlete

By Sandy Hu

Dazzling smile, signature spiky hair, a bit of mischief in the eyes…Elizabeth Falkner always looks like a daredevil ready for a challenge and up for some fun!

Having battled to the grueling end in the Next Iron Chef competition and coming in as runner up, and having closed her three restaurants in San Francisco last December, Falkner is looking at what’s next. I met her at her transitional apartment in San Francisco to learn more.

Falkner is preparing to move to Brooklyn in June to open a new Southern Italian restaurant, Krescendo. She has also written a new book, Cooking off the Clock, to be published this fall by Ten Speed Press. Last month Falkner made a birthday cake for Muhammad Ali’s star-studded 70th birthday gala fundraiser in Las Vegas. The cake, an abstract cityscape of Frank Gehry-like buildings, was a foil for a pink miniature Rolls Royce, the car Ali had asked for, for his birthday.

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My L.A.

By Andrew Hunter

Five years ago we packed our bags and moved from San Francisco to L.A. completely unaware of the vast difference between Northern and Southern California. We replaced fog with smog, foghorns with police helicopters, and sourdough bread with taco stands. At first these differences were intolerable, but I must confess I’ve grown quite fond of this sprawling city. It’s now my L.A.

The restaurants in San Francisco tend to be more formal affairs where kids are less welcome. Since we eat out often, but rarely without the boys, the “everyone’s welcome” attitude of the southland better fits our lifestyle. Even at Spago, arguably L.A.’s finest, Wolfgang is glad to see kids of all ages dining at his tables. The boys love the Weiner Schnitzel, but more often crave old school hard-shell tacos.

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