Homegrown: More artisan fare in and around L.A.

The unofficial master boulanger spends his weekends creating artisan breads in his Los Feliz kitchen and handmade backyard bread oven.

Once, Laura Ann Masura was a punk rock drummer. Then she discovered jam making. Now, her sweet calling is also helping her recover from a serious motorcycle accident.

At Obata Brewery in Japan, a brew master carefully oversees the details that go into making high-quality sake. He even moves into the brewery at one point to keep a closer eye on the mash.

‘People must respect chocolate,’ the French-born former L’Orangerie pastry chef says. Besides Yvan Valentin Chocolate Truffles, he also owns a wholesale bakery, Sweet Temptations.

Nory Hovagimian opened Nory Candy & Pastry in Hollywood in 1964. Dickran Jibilian bought the candy-making business and moved it to the San Fernando Valley in 1981. Now owner Armand Sahakian runs the show.

Ventura Limoncello keeps exacting standards as it seeks to make the canary-yellow liqueur a regular happy-hour special in L.A.

The East Los Angeles company uses generations-old family recipes to fashion its jamoncillo, camote, calabaza and other traditional Mexican sweets.

Paul Sherman insisted on kosher baking; Abby Franke believed in milling his own flour. Together, they fashioned a tasty business model.

The Leimert Park cobbler maker and entrepreneur has learned from trial and error. Her loyal customers and supporters have helped her out in tough times.

The relish maker adapted his recipe from one used by the former Pasadena diner Rite Spot. Then he had to learn how to pitch it to grocery store shoppers.

Viola’s Gourmet Goodies, available at specialty grocers, is making a new push in local farmers markets. The family business has its roots in a grandmother’s recipes for 1930s celebrity parties.

Sweet and savory pastries and bread lure Danish immigrants and lovers of fine baked goods to Hygge Bakery in downtown L.A.

The owner of Nanka Seimen, a manufacturer of mostly Japanese noodle products in Vernon, says his family has kept the business going with the latest technology for decades out of loyalty to one another.

Call it a slice of kismet: The German contraption ended up here. So did the German baker. Ever since, Gauweiler has been making ‘tree cakes’ in Huntington Beach.

When Melkon Khosrovian and his culinary-school-trained wife, Litty Mathew, founded Modern Spirits in Monrovia five years ago with the goal of making and selling their own artisan vodkas, they focused on finding just the right balance of Belgian chocolate to orange zest and celery to Malabar peppercorns.

Dolores Canning Co. in East L.A. has spiced up the Southland and beyond with its brand of frozen chili.

At European Deluxe Sausage Kitchen, German- and Italian-style meats are on the menu, but its South African jerky keeps local customers happy.

At a Glassell Park pickling factory, their company makes ‘fresh packs’ and naturally fermented sauerkraut the old-fashioned way.

The family-run store has been serving up bolillos, tamales and other Mexican classics for more than 50 years.

San Diego’s Ballast Point is among a handful of breweries crafting whiskey, rum and other concoctions. ‘It’s really a form of advanced brewing,’ says one enthusiast.