Lesley Balla

Food and travel expert, writer, consultant, blogger and more

United States

I've spent many years covering food, wine, travel and hospitality topics, from trend articles to wine listicles, celebrity interviews and deep dives into what makes the restaurant industry tick. I've held past staff editor and writer positions for several print and online publications, including Resy, Green Entrepreneur, Zagat, Angeleno magazine, and Eater LA. As a freelancer, my work has appeared in Food Fanatics, The Hollywood Reporter, The Seattle Times, Skift, Eater, Taste, Los Angeles magazine, LAist, LA Weekly and more. I'm currently an associate editor for tasteofhome.com writing, editing and updating SEO-driven digital content.

Portfolio
Food Supplier & Distributor | Restaurant Supply
How the Wine Industry Is Tackling Climate Change

► Climate change has touched every wine region in the world. Heat waves and unusually heavy rains in France debilitated whole swaths of grapes in Champagne, Alsace and Beaujolais, while extreme weather in Italy cut wine production by almost 10% in 2021. In the U.S., massive wildfires and drought have affected vineyards up and down California.

Taste of Home
03/30/2023
The Best Rums to Drink Now

When it's time to go beyond the basics for your mojito, pina colada and daiquiri-or you just want to find a new and unique spirit to sip-these are the best rums to drink now. Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.

Eater
11/11/2019
Can Tiki Be Done Without the Cultural Appropriation?

Trader Vic's, the original tiki chain, recently celebrated 85 years of of Scorpion Bowls and vaguely island vibes. To move forward, it'll have to adapt to a world that's questioning the sins of tiki

Taste of Home
01/30/2023
15 Wine and Cheese Pairings Everyone Should Know

Need to know which wine to serve with cheddar? Is port the only thing that goes with Stilton? Here are the wine and cheese pairings you need for every cheese board, party platter and picnic.

Food Supplier & Distributor | Restaurant Supply
Coffee with Koji |Coffee trends| Food Fanatics®

► The dedication some coffee aficionados take to brewing the perfect coffee is akin to chefs creating a runaway hit or winemakers developing an exquisite vintage. Coffee growers are now playing with an age-old fungus - koji - to bring something new to the market.

StarChefs
07/17/2023
StarChefs - The Neighborhood Spot

Los Angeles restaurants shape their communities, and the communities shape them. When I first moved to Los Angeles, a coworker wanted to introduce me to one of her favorite restaurants for lunch. Less than five miles away from our office, the restaurant was Angeli Caffe, a little Italian place owned and operated by Evan Kleiman since the 1980s.

Taste of Home
12/05/2022
Make the Best DIY Champagne Bar Ever!

Bubbles always keep the party going! Create a festive champagne bar with bottles of bubbly, plus mixers and garnishes so your guests can go wild with imagination. There's just something super festive about bubbles-even popping the cork is fun!

Taste of Home
12/06/2022
Make Stanley Tucci's Famous Negroni

The Stanley Tucci Negroni is now as famous as the actor himself. Learn how to make the cocktail, how to mix the perfect martini and batched drinks for a crowd, and what to serve at a party.

The Hollywood Reporter
02/14/2021
Beyond Typical Product Placement: Vino-Focused Film Launches a Wine Brand

Wine has famously inspired feature films and docs ( Sideways, Somm). Add in entertainment-themed wines ( The Walking Dead wine) and clubs (like TCM's wine club), and even more celeb-backed bottles swirling around right now, and it's clear that vino and film go hand in hand.

Eater
06/05/2019
The Culinary Wonders of Seattle's Pike Place Market

Ask any Seattleite to meet at Pike Place Market on a Saturday afternoon, and the reply will likely start with laughter and end with a resounding, "No." The thought of maneuvering through thousands of people snaking around tight hallways and crowded stalls is, for most, a turnoff.

The Seattle Times
12/05/2019
For an intimate, relaxed wine-tasting experience, tour the Snoqualmie Valley

Nine wineries and tasting rooms from Duvall to North Bend? Yes, it's now a thing. With picturesque mountains and rivers, seemingly infinite miles of hiking and biking trails, visitors to the roaring falls and "the real" Twin Peaks, the Snoqualmie Valley doesn't quite fit the typical wine-country mold.

Food Supplier & Distributor | Restaurant Supply
Bakers With Attitude

For pastry chef Paola Velez, supporting Black Lives Matter was a no-brainer. Not only was she angered by longstanding racial injustice, set even more aflame by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, but she has experienced overt and covert racism in the restaurant industry.

Resy | Right This Way
04/26/2022
Everything You Need to Know About Niki Nakayama's N/Soto - Resy | Right This Way

When chef Niki Nakayama quietly opened N/Naka in 2011, she intended to stay there until she retired, never opening a new spot again. But then, the pandemic. Nakayama and her wife (and N/Naka sous chef) Carole Iida-Nakayama found themselves rethinking their plans - and so N/Naka, a new izakaya in West Adams, was born.

The Hollywood Reporter
11/14/2018
Malibu Wine Country Suffers Significant Damage Amid Fires

"We are still in the process of gathering information from our membership about how they fared in the fire," says Greg Barnett, president of the Malibu Coast Vintners and Grape Growers Alliance and owner of NaBu Wines in Westlake Village.

Food Supplier & Distributor | Restaurant Supply
Picture of Health

When the Coronavirus hit, most food-conscious Americans fell into two camps: They stuffed themselves with comfort food like fried chicken, pizza and burgers - or they made a mad dash to find turmeric smoothies, grain bowls and healthy dishes to help combat any ailment. Sometimes it was both in one day because, you know, balance.

Skift Table
07/24/2018
Remembering Jonathan Gold: The View From Los Angeles

Having grown up in the Midwest, with post-college stops up and down the East Coast, I admit I didn't know much about food. I knew about restaurants, in I always tell people that Los Angeles taught me everything about food. In truth, it was Jonathan Gold who taught me everything.

Los Angeles Magazine
12/28/2017
5 Patty Melts That Are Totally Worth the Indulgence - Los Angeles Magazine

Patty Melt from Cassell's Hamburgers Photograph by Andrea D'Agosto If loving this L.A.-born diner delight is wrong, we don't want to be right Is the patty melt a burger or a sandwich? Experts disagree. "It's the highest form of the cheeseburger," argues Christian Page, who serves a traditional take at Cassell's Hamburgers in Koreatown.

Los Angeles Magazine
04/25/2018
How to Eat Like a Local in L.A.'s Best Dining 'Hoods - Los Angeles Magazine

Far East Plaza in Chinatown Lisa Corson 6 reasons to brave traffic for a great dinner out Like to stick close to your neighborhood? You're missing out. For a culinary adventure, explore six of the city's hottest dining locales. The confluence of Silicon Beach denizens and breezy beach types has turned the neighborhood into an arbiter of cool.