Los Angeles is home to many amazing chefs, and for a big city a surprising number of them are home grown. Some great chefs and great people, to be sure, but none of them really speak to us the way Roy Choi does. On a personal level, we've always been proud of being (we think) the first blog to cover the Kogi BBQ truck almost exactly 5 years ago. Here's what we wrote at the time:
Is there anything more Los Angeles then a Korean BBQ Taco Truck that cruises the streets delivering high quality cuisine to the city’s taco lifestyle hubs? We salute the Kogi truck and hope it is the inspiration for many more…
Little did we know just how powerful that inspiration would be, and how many chefs, hustlers, and entrepreneurs would jump on the bandwagon. It's safe to say that none of the followers have surpassed the original. Meanwhile, Roy Choi has gone on to other restaurants, ideas, charities, public speaking, twitter musings, and popped up at both the city's most exclusive parties and street corners everywhere. His impact on the city of Los Angeles is powerful and still evolving. If you haven't yet picked up L.A. Son (written with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan, with photos by Bobby Fisher), do so now-- it's about a lot more than taco trucks, but like them it's completely rooted in our city.
