Dad is from Sinaloa, Mom is from Panama, and their three Afro-Latino children were raised in Mar Vista Gardens, an old City of L.A. housing project with a Culver City address. This is where Consuelo Lopez and her two siblings began Tacos El Morenazo, a business serving their own fish and shrimp tacos seasoned with the flavors of their mixed heritage.
The preferred fish used in these is whatever gets freshly caught by their dad, who now resides in Baja, pursuing his hobby of fishing full-time. When he reels a new one in, the family makes a taco-special announcement on Instagram. When the fishing line is dry, they use tilapia as a substitute.
The fish is then breaded with a seasoning that Consuelo Lopez, one of the three siblings, created based on the recipes she learned as a child in Sinaloa.
"My parents always used to send me to Sinaloa during the summers, and my aunt would always be cooking all types of desserts and traditional Sinaloan foods," explains Consuelo. "I loved looking at her cook. So I finally one day bought a notebook and started writing down her recipes."