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L.A. TACO

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

Food

After 30 Years, Porto’s Bakery Is Bringing Back the Family’s Original Whole Guava Pie That Started It All

Vladimir De Jesus Santos is a Salvadoran-American “rocker foo” from Koreatown, Los Angeles, CA. He’s worked as a Cinematographer/Editor for the past decade, focusing on documentaries, short horror films, low budget music videos, and in 2019, he started his own podcast, “Ey, Foo You A Rocker?” which discusses the intersection between race and identity around extreme music in the hood. He’s interested in writing about culture, transnational politics, and his local taco spot.

Vladimir De Jesus Santos

Tacos

The Story of El Taurino and L.A.’s First CDMX-Style ‘Two-Bite’ Tortilla That Changed the City’s Taco Life Forever

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

‘Chuntikis’ Is Long Beach’s Underground Tiki Pop-Up That Teaches Latino History Over Stiff Drinks

Featured

The L.A. TACO Ultra Last Minute Guide to Mother’s Day Gifts and Things to Do

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

Photo Essay

The Hundreds of Lowriders That Showed Up to Cruise and Bump Oldies By Dodger Stadium Is Proof That L.A. is Healing

Culture

‘Some of the Best Coffee Comes From Our Raza:’ Tepito Coffee Wants to Connect East L.A. and Mexico with Every Cup

Gabriel Chabrán is a food writer and journalist from Highland Park. He currently lives in Long Beach with his wife Katie, their new baby, and their Russian Blue cat, Mars.

Gab Chabran

Music

‘King of All Rocker Foos,’ N8NOFACE, Unites L.A. Punks, Rap Fans, and Weirdos

Street Vending

A Man Was Murdered at a Taco Truck in DTLA, so Now the LAPD Is Targeting All Street Vendors Nearby

Woman Who Attacked Flower Vendor Arrested That Same Day, ‘I Just Wanted to Work’ He Says

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

A woman holding a glass of beer in a brewery

Politics

Dr. Beer Butch: Meet the Former Punk Show Promoter From Historic Filipinotown Who Fought For L.A.’s Craft Breweries to Reopen

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