‘City of Gold’ a Glittery Look at LA’s Food Scene from its Top Critic
With his byline in the Los Angeles Times, Gold has single-handedly changed the face of restaurant criticism by uncovering the city’s undiscovered culinary treasures, writing with as much passion about storefront mom-and-pop shops in outlying areas as he does about the haute cuisine establishments of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.
Filmmaker Laura Gabbert takes viewers inside Gold’s process, both in eating and writing, exploring the rigor, knowledge and curiosity that he applies to his work.
Viewers are along for the ride as Gold maps out the region in his quest for new food experiences — as well as making trips to New York to check out venues there and meet up with colleagues and chefs.
Gold’s travels open up a complex urban landscape that surprises even longtime locals who think they know the dining scene.
The documentary also shows some of Gold’s home life with his wife, journalist Laurie Ochoa and their son.
Featured as well our celebrity chefs like Roy Choi, the man behind the Kogi truck concept which ushered in the era of foodies following such trucks, David Chang and Ludo Lefebvre.
There are other interviews from chefs and owners of some of Gold’s favorite places including Jitlada (Thai), Guelaguetza (Oaxacan), Meals by Genet (Ethiopian) and Chengdu Taste (Sichuan).
Gabbert, who directed and produced the film, first learned about Gold in 1995 when she moved to Los Angeles (from San Francisco, and New York before that) to attend graduate school at UCLA. She was given a copy of his book, “Counter Intelligence,” which changed her impression of the stereotypical LA that is about sprawl, superficiality and the lack of culture.
“I began to understand that in order to appreciate Los Angeles, you must be willing to seek out and uncover its mysteries,” she says. “In fact it is the process of exploring and discovering that makes you fall in love with the city. As I followed Jonathan’s culinary quests across the myriad freeways of LA, I discovered a complex, ever shifting, paradoxical and exciting city.”
She says the film is about finding connection and meaning in our cities. “Food can be a means to civic engagement, revelation and even enlightenment, in Los Angeles or wherever you live,” she says. “Jonathan’s writing brings together different communities, connecting the cultural and culinary dots for us so that we can better understand and appreciate who we are in relationship to where we live.”
(“City of Gold” premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was also seen at SXSW and is currently in theaters. Running time: 91 minutes.)
