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L.A. TACO

Nikolai Garcia is Assistant Editor for Dryland, a literary arts journal that was born in South Central Los Angeles. His first poetry chapbook, Nuclear Shadows of Palm Trees, was published by DSTL Arts.

Nikolai Garcia

Poetry

‘Under the Lights of a Taco Truck,’ A Poem to Celebrate Jonathan Gold’s 61st Birthday

Kamren Curiel is a fourth-generation Chicana born in East L.A. and raised in South San Gabriel. She&#8217;s written for the L.A.Times, Latina, LAist, KCET, Huffington Post, and was the L.A. Editor for Remezcla.com.

Kamren Curiel

From Zacatecas to El Sereno, Meet the 97-Year-Old Honey Man Who Is Quite Possibly L.A.’s Oldest Beekeeper

Janette Villafana is an award-winning bilingual multimedia journalist. Her heart lies in community-based reporting, and her work is highly centered on showcasing and uplifting community voices, with a significant focus on the Latino community. She developed her beat at L.A. TACO, covering street vending communities in Los Angeles. Past work has been featured on NBC, LAist, Latino Rebels, and more. She is currently featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington in an exhibit titled “¡De última hora! Latinas Report Breaking News.”

Janette Villafana

Featured

L.A.’s First ‘Legal’ Street Food Vending Tamal Cart Will Cost Around $7,500. Here’s a First Look at the Revolutionary Design

Professional punk and Editor-In-Chief for James Beard Award-winning L.A. TACO. Associate Producer for JBA-winning Las Crónicas Del Taco. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-author of &#8220;Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and &#8220;Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling&#8221; (2023, Abrams).

Javier Cabral

A taco covered in salsas, guacamole, and pickled onions from Villa's Tacos

Your Highland Park Taco Crawl: An Award-Winning ‘Seven-Layer Taco,’ Salsa Borracha, and Buttery Cabeza

Laura is a desmadrosa, a product of East Los, an educator, and a hood establishment connoisseur.

Laura Tejeda

They Used to Make Fun of Her for Being the Daughter of a Street Vendor, and Now They Just Opened Their First Restaurant in HP

Food

A Long Beach Latina Honors Her Father’s Mariscos Legacy with a Legendary Cóctel de Camarón

Lexis-Olivier Ray is an award-winning staff investigative reporter for L.A. TACO known for holding powerful people in Los Angeles accountable and his reporting on Los Angeles culture. As well as an artist and filmmaker. In 2022, the Society of Professional Journalists&#8217; Los Angeles chapter named Ray one of their &#8220;distinguished journalists.&#8221; In 2023, Ray won a second place Anthem Award in their Health Innovation category for a texting service geared towards the unhoused community and service providers that he launched in 2021 with L.A. TACO and Subtext. Ray was a 2020 USC Center For Health Journalism (CHJ) Data Fellow. As well as a 2022 CHJ Impact Fellow. As a freelancer, Ray has contributed to the L.A. Times, Men&#8217;s Health Magazine, KCET and SFGATE.

Lexis-Olivier Ray

News

Here is the Quickly Growing List of L.A. Bars Not Allowing Unvaccinated People on Premises

Erwin Recinos is a seasoned visual artist with an eye for capturing life as a working commuter aboard public transportation in and around Los Angeles. For 20 years now, Recinos has been documenting the urban landscape, street culture, and Hispanic communities of Los Angeles utilizing his daily routine and the city of Los Angeles as an inspiration. Recinos also works with popular food and event websites such as LATACO.com and Eater LA to capture the cuisine and culture that is so important to the city of Los Angeles and across Southern California.

Erwin Recinos

Photo Essay

Another Weekend, Another Lowrider Show: Here Are the Most Wicked Ranflas From Echo Park’s Latest Cruise

Ural Garrett is an Inglewood native and graduate of Southern University And A&amp;M College. For over a decade, the content curator and social media strategist has worked alongside various brands and outlets including Complex, IGN, MTVNews, Oculus, Trigger Mix Reality, TechRadar, LA Weekly, and more.

Ural Garrett

Community

SoFi Stadium and Upcoming Clippers Arena Leads to Inglewood’s Controversial New City-Wide Parking Permit Program

Melissa Mora Hidalgo was born in Montebello and grew up in the L.A./O.C. borderlands of East Whittier and La Habra. She holds a Ph. D. in Literature from UC San Diego and is the author of Mozlandia: Morrissey Fans in the Borderlands (Headpress UK, 2016).

Melissa Mora Hidalgo

The L.A. TACO Guide to Hiking East of East: Four Firme Nature Trails from Whittier Narrows to Puente Hills

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