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L.A. TACO

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

Featured

Five Mexican-Inspired Pizzas Around L.A. and (Long Beach) to Order for Cinco de Mayo

L.A. TACO STAFF

Events

Weekend Events ~ Cinco de Gringo, Avocado Toast Tacos, and Mariachi For Mama

Headlines: L.A. Mountain Lions Becoming “Seriously Inbred;” CHP Officers Kill Pedestrian on 105 Freeway

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

Real Estate Con Artist Cheats $6 Million Out Of Hundreds Of Victims Through Fake Open House Scheme

Jared Cowan is a photographer who also writes and podcasts extensively about L.A. filming locations. He is the co-founder of My Valley Pass, through which he leads film tours of the San Fernando Valley and Pasadena. Jared is also the co-editor of the recent book &#8220;World Film Locations: Los Angeles Volume 2&#8221; and the editor of the upcoming &#8220;World Film Locations: Philadelphia.&#8221;

Jared Cowan

Film

How a Van Nuys Warehouse Became Part of the Star Wars Galaxy

News

Headlines: Dave Chappelle Attacked At Hollywood Bowl; Planned Parenthood Seeks Rick Caruso’s Apology

One of L.A. TACO&#8217;s co-founders, Hadley Tomicki is a writer and editor on food, travel, and culture whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, UrbanDaddy, High Times, and many other places.

Hadley Tomicki

Video

Watch ‘Dead City Punx’ Teach Us How to Reverse An Opioid Overdose With NARCAN (Video)

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

People

This Immigrant Mom From Jalisco Inspired Her Youngest of Seven to Turn Their Old Banquet Hall Into a Fashion Boutique

Headlines: Hop Woo Chef “Lupe” Yening Liang Dies; “Illegal” Postmates Ads Cover Hotel Cecil

There Were Wedding Proposals and L.A. Dodgers Present at The Annual Cinco De Mayo Lowrider Cruise in Elysian Park