LOS ANGELES — Today, THE TASTE reveals the addition of culinary panel discussions and industry-insider interviews to its already impressive weekend of events. Full details, schedule and ticket information are now available online and will include:

  • "An Interview with Chef Ludo & Krissy Lefebvre," led by Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons, will feature an in-depth look at the lives of this celebrity culinary couple, including the popular LudoBites pop-up series, the recent debut of "Ludo Bites America" on the Sundance Channel, insider cooking tips, industry commentary and more. The interview will take place from 12:45-1:45 p.m., during THE TASTE's "Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar" in Beverly Hills on Saturday, September 3.

  • "California Pinot" and "Bling or Bargain," will be co-hosted by wine experts Belinda Chang, award-winning sommelier and wine director at The Modern in New York City, and Justin Warner, aka the "wine rhyme enthusiast" and co-chef/owner of Do or Dine in Brooklyn. The pair will offer their unique "oeno-rap" seminars at THE TASTE's "Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar" in Beverly Hills on Saturday, September 3 and "Street Eats" in Hollywood on Sunday, September 4 (exact times TBD).

  • "Food City: The New Language of L.A.," moderated by Times Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock, will feature panelists Roy Choi, a FOOD & WINE "Best New Chef" and chef/owner of the renowned Kogi food truck, Chego in Los Angeles and A-Frame in Culver City; Sang Yoon, chef/owner of Father's Office in Santa Monica and Culver City and Lukshon in Culver City; Jet Tila, chef/owner of the award-winning Wazuzu at the Encore resort in Las Vegas; and Mario Alberto, executive chef of Chimú in Downtown L.A. from 5:45-6:45 p.m., during THE TASTE's "Street Eats" in Hollywood on Sunday, September 4.

  • "An Interview with 'Hungry Girl,' aka TV Host Lisa Lillien," led by Times Assistant Food Editor Rene Lynch, will offer an in-depth Q&A with the popular host of Food Network & the Cooking Channel's "Hungry Girl," from 1:45-2:45 p.m., during THE TASTE's "Picnic in the Hills" in Beverly Hills on Monday, September 5.

    • In addition, the Labor Day extravaganza will also offer discussions featuring food and industry commentary from Parsons, Hallock and Times' Test Kitchen Manager and Writer Noelle Carter:

    • Russ Parsons will discuss his farmers' market navigation tips, seasonal produce at the market that week, recipes for the at-home cook and more (held at "Secrets from the Kitchen & Cellar").

  • Noelle Carter will offer an inside look into the workings of the Los Angeles Times on-site Test Kitchen (held at "Picnic in the Hills").

  • Betty Hallock will guide guests through The Find, the signature Food section column, highlighting Southern California's wealth of small restaurants (held at "Street Eats").

    • A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Share Our Strength, Beverly Hills Education Fund, Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona, Los Angeles Times Family Fund's Summer Camp Campaign, and Los Angeles Conservancy.

    Press Credential Application: To apply for press credentials to attend THE TASTE, please fill out the online application form available at: http://events.latimes.com/taste/media/.>

    For updates on all of the weekend's activities, please visit www.latimes.com/THETASTE, Facebook.com/THETASTELA or follow us on Twitter: @THETASTELA.

    About Best Events:

    Best Events is a full-service event production company created by Jeffrey Best to design, produce and create unique event environments that are at the intersection of commerce and art. For over 20 years, Best Events has been known to produce some of the most high-profile events in the entertainment, corporate and fashion arenas.

    About the Los Angeles Times

    The Los Angeles Times (http://latimes.com) is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.9 million and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 8 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 129 years.

    The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope (http://theenvelope.com), Times Community News (http://www.latimes.com/tcn), LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine (http://latimesmagazine.com) and Hoy Los Angeles (http://vivelohoy.com) which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.1 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct's west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.

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