LA’s Queen of Cake Is Now One of the Best New Chefs in America

From the driveway to the big leagues. That’s the story for Hannah Ziskin, one half of Echo Park pizza, wine, and dessert hotspot Quarter Sheets, who just won a Best New Chef award from Food & Wine. Ziskin has been a known name in West Coast baking circles for years now, having worked at San Francisco spots like Quince, Nopa, and Bar Tartine, but this is her first time on the big, national stage.

During the pandemic, Ziskin sold slices of cake and other treats from a home pop-up in Glendale alongside partner Aaron Lindell, and together the pair teamed up under the Quarter Sheets name to help redefine the modern pizza movement in Los Angeles, one slice of cake and pour of wine at a time. Congrats to Ziskin on the win.

Fun events around town

Cosa Buona in Echo Park is hosting a backyard party on Sunday, October 1 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The kid-friendly event runs $35 per person for adults and $15 per kid under 10, and includes unlimited pizza, Peroni beer, antipasti, grilled wagyu beef, and more.

Elsewhere, New Orleans sandwich favorite Turkey and the Wolf returns to Los Angeles for another pop-up, this time at Caldo Verde in Downtown. The Southern-inspired dinner with Suzanne Goin and the crew runs $85 per person across four courses.

There’s also a new happy hour to know about at Lingua Franca in Frogtown, and it runs all day. From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., diners along the LA River can score $10 and under cocktails, buckets of Miller High Life beer for $16, and snacks like hot Thai chili wings.

A middling review

TimeOut critic Patricia Kelly Yeo offered a just-okay review of Santa Monica’s lush outdoor hangout Le Great Outdoor late last month, saying the secretive garden party at the former Bergamot Café is “scrappy” and “chill,” though it lacks the service details and culinary flair to really stand out in such a busy city. “I’m not sure what all the fuss is about,” says Yeo.

Barbecue and community

LAist took a peek at the city’s barbecue scene recently, chatting with chef Ara Zada, the Zef BBQ team, and others about what makes LA’s fire-kissed foods so unique. Winnie Yee-Lakhani, also known as the Smoke Queen, says that community — as in the history of barbecue, the current batch of smoked meat operators, and the physical city where she’ll soon put her first brick-and-mortar barbecue restaurant — is the structural element that ties it all together.

Another big food party

The annual Family Style Food Festival is back in Los Angeles, returning to Fairfax’s CBS Television City property. Run by the Hundreds streetwear crew, the event marries some of the biggest names in food with designers for bites and one-off merch drops like hats and T-shirts. There are a ton of local names participating this year like Holbox, Park’s BBQ, Funke, and Moo’s Craft Barbecue, plus out-of-town names like Trill Burgers, Swan Oyster Depot, and Katz’s Deli from New York City. Tickets for the October 8 event go live at the Family Style website at 10 a.m.