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L.A. TACO

Cesar Hernandez is Lynwood&#8217;s second best export behind Weird Al, and a writer and podcaster. Illustration by Tommy Gallegos.

Cesar Hernandez

Food

‘It’s a Food Open Mic’ ~ Why Chinatown After Dark Is the Place to Find Young Chefs at Their Freest

Lisa Kwon is a writer born, raised, and currently living in Koreatown. She will talk your ear off about Korean coffee culture and the dreadful effects of Los Angeles’ palm tree fetishism.

Lisa Kwon

Koreatown Signage Is a Defiant Indicator of the Power of Word-of-Mouth

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

Tacos

Yxta: How This Upscale Taqueria Managed to Thrive for Ten Years in Skid Row

Featured

The Best Mexican Food in South Central L.A. ~ The L.A. Taco Guide

Karla T. Vasquez is a food justice advocate and food historian. She is currently writing a Salvadoran cookbook.

Karla Vasquez

Los Angeles

Rare Beans: Where to Find Single-Source Salvadoran Coffee in Los Angeles

Philip Iglauer covered all things Koreana for 15 years — foreign diplomats, kimchi, Samsung and, of course, North Korea — out of Seoul. After returning to his native Northeast Los Angeles in late 2016, he freelances on his hometown’s goings-on.

Philip Iglauer

Jackie Goldberg Is Back: Liberal L.A. Veteran Takes on Charter Movement in L.A. School District Special Election

Melanie Gonzalez is a multimedia journalist obsessed with botanicas.

Melanie Gonzalez

Events

San Cha Brings Her Telenovela to Life at Vibiana With ‘La Luz de la Esperanza’

Astrid is a Salvadoran-American poet and writer based in Los Angeles.

Astrid

Poetry

Fall in Love with Yesika Salgado: Silver Lake’s Fat, Fly, Salvadoran Poet

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

Revisiting the L.A. of ‘Heat’ 24 Years Later with the Iconic Crime Drama’s Location Manager

‘I Think This Is Retaliation’ ~ Immigrant Rights Lawyer Denied Entry Into Mexico