Here’s a taste of what you’ll be eating at the L.A. Times Food Bowl

GET YOUR TICKETS | See the full Food Bowl schedule and plan your experience »

This May, we’re spending the month thinking about, talking about, celebrating — and yes, eating — some of the best food this city has to offer. The first annual Los Angeles Times Food Bowl is taking place throughout the month of May, with events, panel discussions with world-class chefs, a week-long Night Market featuring food stalls at Grand Park and a series of themed dinners at restaurants around the city.

Read more about the chefs and restaurants participating in this year’s Food Bowl below and visit the festival website for a full schedule of events.

Cheat Sheet

How to make the most of your Food Bowl experience

With dozens of events throughout the month all over the city, here’s our cheat sheet to helping you find things that might interest you. Happy drinking and dining. For a complete list, here’s the full program.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Chefs

What does it mean to be a chef in Los Angeles in 2017?

Sure, we have great weather and the best produce, but there's a lot more that goes into cooking for people and running a restaurant in this town. Creativity. Talent. Hard work. More hard work. Read more »

(Mariah Tauger / For The Times)

(Tombola)

(Erik Olsson)

Esdras Ochoa came up with the “vampiro,� a tortilla stuffed with carne asada, garlic sauce and cheese.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Barrel & Ashes chef Tim Hollingsworth shows how he makes tri-tip.

(Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

HOLLYWOOD, CA – February 28, 2016--Wolfgang Puck during the arrivals at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, CA. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

GET YOUR TICKETS | See the full Food Bowl schedule and plan your experience »

Classes

Learn from culinary experts at Food Bowl

• Pez kid’s cooking and painting class and lunch
• Middle Eastern mezza kids cooking class with Jamie Oliver’s food revolution ambassador chef Lisa Walker
• Empanadas and apertivos!
• Grilling with J&J
• From sea to ceviche
• Olive oil in focus
• Italian street food

On and off the plate

Can urban farming combat food waste? Chatting with the founders of Alma Backyard Farms

How the folks at Alma Backyard Farms in Compton use urban farming to transform not only food but lives. Read more »

(Rebecca Yee)

Tabitha O’Neal, left, takes a photo of her mother, Delores, with chef and Locol co-founder Roy Choi at the planned chain’s first location in Watts.

(Christina House / For The Times)

The finished product: Spiny lobster medallions atop an eggplant half, sprinkled with smoked sesame seeds and garnished with the greens and tendrils from chayote squash.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Kevin Bludso, with the smoker at his Compton restaurant Bludso’s BBQ in October.

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Know the issues

Food waste and sustainability-focused events at Food Bowl

• Feeding the 5000
• Food for Soul: A Forum
• Food Waste: Solutions informed by science
• WPchef’s series featuring chef Massimo Bottura, Nancy Silverton, Roy Choi and Wolfgang Puck
• Michael Cimarusti + Dan Hunter Sustainable seafood dinner
• Fin, foot or hoof: Earth-first dining
• The future of food: An edible conversation
• The intersection of hunger and food waste, L.A. Regional Food Bank

Jonathan Gold

Transcendent Mexican seafood tostadas at Holbox

A new seafood stand opens in Mercado la Paloma. Read more »

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The second of a four-course offering at Lasa: “Pancit� egg noodle made with calamansi butter, scallions and patis cured egg yolk.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times )

Kohlrabi salad is on the menu at the new Middle Eastern-themed restaurant Kismet in Los Feliz.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Dumplings served at Tasty Dining.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Up close and personal

Where to find Jonathan Gold at Food Bowl

• Los Angeles Times Gold Award dinner
• Chef’s Fable
• L.A. Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold on the legacy of Julia Child
• Screening of ULAM, a Filipino food documentary

Cooking

Duff Goldman takes a break from making cakes, and bakes bread

Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes loves to bake bread too. He shares a focaccia recipe. Read more »

Spring chef Tony Esnault uses seasonal vegetables from the farmers market to prepare his legumes de saison at Spring.

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Wes Avila of Guerrilla Tacos holds up his sweet potato breakfast taco, that he made at his home in Glendale.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Chef Tin Vuong prepares Congee, an Asian staple at his restaurant Little Sister in downtown Los Aneles.

(Michael Robinson Chávez / Los Angeles Times)

GET YOUR TICKETS | See the full Food Bowl schedule and plan your experience »

Lead photo: Beets and grain salad are served to guests at the LA Times' Food Bowl event earlier this year. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

UPDATES:

May 3, 5:50 p.m.: This article was been updated with the fact that the event at Life of Pie at Cosa Buona has been cancelled.

This article was originally published at 3:20 p.m. April 12.