James Beard Foundation Taste America at The LINE Hotel

The James Beard Foundation takes its Taste America series to 20 cities, and the Los Angeles stop lands at The LINE Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard on Tuesday, October 6. It's a walk-around tasting, so there are no assigned seats or set courses. You grab a glass and work through a room full of chef stations at your own pace. Most LA food festivals spread across a park on a weekend afternoon. This one fits into a single weeknight at a Koreatown hotel, and the list of cooks is unusually strong for an event this size.

Who's cooking

The hosts are Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle of Little Fish Melrose Hill. They're LA's pick for the Foundation's TasteTwenty, a cohort of chefs from 20 markets who anchor the national series. Their station is serving sweet potato mochi with chicken liver and apple cider caramel, which gives you a fair idea of how loose and playful the night gets.

Around them, more than a dozen local kitchens set up shop. Rashida Holmes of Bridgetown Roti is doing bay scallops with caramelized coconut curry and crispy plantain. Ki Kim of Ki has smoked lobster bibimbap. Fátima Juárez brings corn-crusted conchas from Komal, and Rose Previte of Maydan is on lamb hummus. Johnny Lee of RasaRumah makes beef rendang roti, Charles Namba of Camélia has an iwashi toast, and Jonathan Harris of Linden is frying duck fat fries. The Azizam team, Misha Sesar and Cody Ma, are cooking kuku sabzi, a Persian herb and leek frittata. Tyler Wells and Paul Downer of Betsy close out the list with snap peas, almond-chile crunch and Mariana cheese from Blakesville Creamery.

Several of those chefs have James Beard Award nominations or semifinalist nods. For a lot of guests, that's the appeal: one ticket and you can taste your way through restaurants that are hard to get into on a normal night. The Foundation says menus can still change before the event.

What's in the glass

Beverage stations come from Clif Family Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Thatcher's Wine, Hoteling & Co. and Mijenta Tequila. Melissa's Produce and Tsar Nicoulai add a few more bites on top of the chef stations.

Tickets and timing

When: Tuesday, October 6, 2026. General entry 7 to 9 PM, Premier entry from 6 PM. Where: The LINE Hotel, 3515 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tickets: $175 General, $225 Premier Ages: 21 and over, with valid ID

Premier buys you an extra hour before the room fills up, and at a walk-around tasting that first hour is when the lines are shortest. Reservations are non-refundable, so make sure your Tuesday is clear before you buy. The Discover Los Angeles listing links through to the Foundation's own ticket page.

Getting there

The LINE is at Wilshire and Normandie, a short walk from the Metro D Line's Wilshire/Normandie station. The evening is mostly wine and tequila, so the train or a rideshare is the easy call. If you drive, plan on paying for parking near the hotel, because Koreatown street spots are scarce after work. It's one of the better things to do in Los Angeles on a Tuesday if you'd rather eat than sit through a long tasting menu.

More food events are on our food and drink page, and you'll find other Things Happening In Los Angeles this fall in the Los Angeles guide. The Little Fish mochi alone is worth showing up hungry for.