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Lauren Bethke

Blending her time in the kitchen as a line cook with her passion for storytelling, Lauren Bethke writes about community, inclusivity and the city she loves the most—Los Angeles.

This Pop-Up Is Reviving OG Filipino-Style Clay Pot-Baked Coconut Rice Cakes

Otto Markel is tradition-obsessed. He soaks the rice, and eventually plans to cook it over live fire, evoking the communal feel of Christmas midnight mass in the Philippines, where bibingka is traditionally prepared and enjoyed outside the church. 

December 10, 2025

Your Favorite Jumbo’s Clown Room Dancer’s Favorite Meal

Once the Jumbo’s pizza oven disappeared and the poles showed up, its legacy as an adult entertainment hub for off-duty chefs, line cooks, celebrities in the food world looking to blow off steam after service was sealed.

November 25, 2025

Ten L.A. Restaurants Where Toddlers Are Welcome, From Casual to Fine Dining

L.A.'s insane food scene isn't reserved only for adults. If parents can't take their kids out to eat without judgement, we risk losing the messy, joyful humanity that makes sharing a meal special in the first place.

November 13, 2025