LA based filmmaker Aurora Guerrero is an HBO/NYILFF Award Winning director who has assisted in the production of Real Women Have Curves (2002) and La Mission (2009) and whose previous work includes Pura Lengua (2005) and Viernes Girl (2005). She&#8217;s now raising money on Kickstarter.com to bring her new project, Mosquita y Mari to life.…

Mosquita y Mari ~ Huntington Park

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<p>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).</p>


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<p>Daniel Hernandez is editor emeritus of LA Taco, serving 2017-2019. He is currently a staff writer for the L.A. Times.  He is former Mexico bureau chief for VICE News, and former staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. Daniel is author of the book &#8220;Down &amp; Delirious in Mexico City.&#8221;</p>


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<p>Mike Sonksen aka Mike the PoeT is a 3rd-generation Los Angeles native. Poet, professor, journalist, historian and tour-guide, his latest book &#8220;Letters to My City&#8221; was just published by Writ Large Press. He teaches at Woodbury University.</p>


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Celebrating the Taco Lifestyle in Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

<p><span class="OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">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.”</span></p>


Janette Villafana

a man and woman hold passports they created outside a food truck

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<p>Julianne Le graduated from UCLA in 2025 with a major in English and minor in Asian American Studies. Maybe it&#8217;s because she isn&#8217;t jaded yet, but she is super eager to peek into the overlooked corners of L.A. and write about them. Le is the former editor-in-chief of UCLA&#8217;s Pacific Ties Newsmagazine and was a finalist for the Associated Collegiate Press&#8217; &#8220;Podcast of the Year&#8221; award in 2024.</p>


Julianne Le

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<p class="p1">An award-winning journalist covering ICE and immigration raids. Host of the Daily Memo. ‘Where Memo Torres Eats’ on Apple Maps. Seen on Netflix, occasionally on KCRW. 3rd-gen landscaper. Proud son of an immigrant. Golden Bear.</p>


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<p>Born in Chengdu, Wendy Zeng is a pioneering chef of Sichuan cuisine in the U.S. and the winner of Food Network’s <em>Chopped 420</em>. Based in Northeast L.A., she owns Drizzle Catering and runs Secret Garden Club, a 420-friendly gathering space, creating food and experiences that bring people together as a community.</p>


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<p>Jim Thurman is a long-time freelance writer, specializing in food, local history and local sports history. He grew up in San Diego, but has lived much of his life in Los Angeles County and has lived in the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley as well. He loves chou dofu.</p>


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Taco Members Only

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<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Blending her time in the kitchen as a line cook with her passion for storytelling, Lauren Bethke writes about community, inclusivity and the city she loves the most—Los Angeles.</span></p>


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Lauren Bethke

People

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<div dir="ltr">Shylah Featherstone is a journalism student at Cerritos College and an intern at L.A. TACO, where she covers food, culture, and community stories across Los Angeles. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, she hopes to build a career in multimedia journalism that connects people through thoughtful storytelling.</div>
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Mosquita y Mari ~ Huntington Park

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