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Javier Cabral

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 “Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico (2019, Abrams) and “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” (2023, Abrams).

Tamal or Tamale? How to Correctly Pronounce the Singular Form of Tamales

The tamal vs. tamale debate has an almost emotional connection with people simply because it becomes a “how my family speaks the language vs. how it’s ‘supposed to be’ written” type of language conflict. In a culture like Mexico, where family always comes before anything, it makes sense that people will go with what feels familiar rather than what they are expected to say.

December 24, 2024

Everything Wrong with Tesla’s $500 ‘Mezcal’

"Mezcal has become a commodity for many, without any regard for the earth, [or] for Indigenous people's land rights," says Odilia Romero, an Indigenous migrants rights advocate from Oaxaca and the executive director for CIELO. "Oaxaca is also having a water access issue.

December 20, 2024

After Leaving Mírate and Nearly Dying of Cancer, Chef Josh Gil Is Bringing Back His Underground Supper Liberation Front Dinners

The Supper Liberation Front is considered to be one of the first pop-ups in L.A. and Mexico's dining scenes, starting in a punk squat house in Riverside in 2009. After fighting cancer for two years, the pioneering chef who refined his style working in Baja fine dining restaurants is excited to get back to his anarcho-punk DIY cooking roots.

December 10, 2024

Here’s The First Look at Punk Rock Bowling’s 2025 Lineup, With Cock Sparrer, Social Distortion, Peter Hook, and More

"This is Punk Rock Bowling’s 25th anniversary, so it’s extra special," Shawn Stern, Presidente of the Punk Rock Bowling Festival, tells L.A. TACO.

November 22, 2024

L.A.’s First Cochinita Pibil is Legendary and Still Amazing, 52 Years Later

“Cochinita is my fountain of youth,” jokes Marc Burgos, the second-generation owner of this pioneering panaderia. At 50 years old, he is younger than his father’s pioneering Yucatán bakery, the first in L.A. to offer cochinita pibil tacos. 

November 7, 2024

Photos: Over 100,000 Dodger Fans Flock To DTLA To Honor the 2024 World Series Champs

Trees were climbed and vehicles mounted in L.A.'s mass attempt to eke out a glimpse of their champions. The team came home to the hero's welcome they deserve, on a day of even greater significance for every L.A. baseball fan, given it's also the birthday of Fernando Valenzuela.

L.A.’s First Dodger-Themed Pizza Parlor Features a Lifetime Collection of Memorabilia

La Sorted's Chinatown restaurant feels like it has existed for a hundred years and passed down to multiple generations, except it's only been one month. The crispy sourdough hybrid 'L.A.-style pizza' is a tribute to the pizza parlors around every other neighborhood.

October 29, 2024

The Five Best Taquerías Within Walking Distance to Dodger Stadium

Pre-gaming with tacos before a Dodger game is one of the best decisions you can make. Here's where to go, whether before or after the game.

October 24, 2024

Seven Indigenous Truths From These Native Community Leaders

We sat down with Indigenous revolutionaries, Sean "The Sioux Chef" Sherman, and L.A.'s own Odilia Romero and Alfonso Martinez to reflect on native wisdom. These were some of their universal truths.

October 14, 2024

Meet Mid-City L.A.’s Third-Generation Oaxacan Baker, Who Still Makes Traditional Hand-Drawn Pan de Muerto

As an increasing number of Dia de Muertos fans begin to build their altars this year, establishments like this bakery, owned by a third-generation panadero, still makes pan de muerto the painstaking hand-drawn way, making it as crucial as ever in Los Angeles. 

October 8, 2024