[dropcap size=big]Y[/dropcap]ou don’t see the likes of Taisei Yamada every day in L.A. street food; a solitary figure making Japanese chicken karaage in a dual tank deep fryer on a Centinela sidewalk.
And you’ll be hard-pressed to find another fried chicken like his plump, boneless chicken thighs rolled in a batter of crushed, dry ramen noodles, a unique recipe borrowed from his mother back in his hometown of Fukuoka, Japan.
Yamada opened his stand, Munchies Buddies, in front of Mar Vista’s Mitsuwa in January; another pandemic-led pivot to food entrepreneurship prompted by a shift in employment.
The 26-year-old chef has long been steeped in the food business, spending his early teen years in Japan preparing yakisoba at local festivals and holding down a job at legendary Hakata Ikkousha Ramen.
Just as that famous name in noodles has gravitated to a few locations in L.A., Yamada did too. The dedicated hip-hop fan moved to the States in 2015, with a professional switch to the music scene on his mind.