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Food

Yuca’s Founder Socorro Herrera Dies at 89

L.A.'s cochinita pibil matriarch and the first ever TACO MADNESS champion—back in 2009—Socorro "Mama Yuca's" Herrera has passed away. She was a taquera powerhouse who was born in Merida and changed L.A.'s Taco Life forever when she opened Yuca's at a former 8 x 10 square feet shoeshine stand in Los Feliz in 1976. In 2005, against all odds, she won a James Beard Award.

January 3, 2025

This Weekend: Nigerian Goat Pies, Five Generations of Shumai, and Gambas Al Ajíllo With Basque Cider

Plus, Malay-style wings, a collaboration pizza-topped with Philippe The Original's French-dipped beef and hot mustard, and more in this week's roundup.

January 3, 2025

The Dark Origin of Rosca de Reyes, Plus the 10 Best In L.A.

Eating a rosca de reyes is a way to beat the post holiday blues. Here are where to find the best ones in L.A. and plus, the macabre origin of the religious holiday that involves murdering infants.

January 2, 2025

L.A. TACO’s 9 Most-Read Food Stories Of 2024

We were the first to bring you news of the opening of critically acclaimed restaurants like Tijuanazo in East L.A., A Tí in Silver Lake, and Komal in Historic South-Central, along with so many finds throughout the city in weekly features, and members-only guides, and newsletters. These were L.A. TACO's most-read food features of the year.

December 30, 2024

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