Editor, JBA-winning
@lataco
, Associate Producer, JBA-winning Taco Chronicles. Former restaurant scout for Jonathan Gold. Co-Author of "Oaxaca" and "Asada."
Here it is: my personal, final goodbye to Jonathan Gold. I stayed up until 3:30 AM the day he passed writing this tribute to my fallen journalist padrino and while there are no words to truly capture what he meant to me, here is my attempt.
Stop trying to make "bodegas" happen in Los Ángeles, man. Respect liquor stores, tienditas, carnicerías, and those old school dairy-only stores that are still standing. Just wake up a lil' earlier to make that g'damn shitty egg sandwich yourself. At home.
1) I am a Mexican American writer who was recently published by
@bonappetit
. My story dealt with the internalized racism I am working through that arises in a world where White chefs are constantly culturally appropriating and being the White savior for your culture.
tacos forever, and Jonathan too. His funeral songs were The Germs “Forming” and Dr. Dre’s “Nothing but a G Thang,” and he served Kogi, Mariscos Jalisco, Guerrilla Tacos and Zacatecas-style burritos (La Palma) after his service. We truly did lose a great one.
#oldpunksneverdie
So I went to walk my dogs after the win and heard live banda down the street. It was a Sinaloan family celebrating the Dodger win with...Sinaloan Banda. Let’s go
@Dodgers
. All of Los Ángeles is rooting for you to bring it home. And let’s keep Highland Park Paisa.
As the journalist who received a [bogus] cease and desist letter and was harassed by Proud Boys for being the first to expose their secret meeting in DTLA in 2018, I can assure you: As long as
@LATACO
is around, we will hold them accountable in L.A. The TACO has eyes everywhere.
As Editor of
@LATACO
, I'm inviting all other publications in the city to really look at their coverage of street vending closely—specifically the increased risk and unintended consequences that your coverage may bring to some of L.A.'s most vulnerable communities. 1/2
Question: How do other native staunch Angelinos with absolutely no generational or family wealth deal with the sad reality that no matter how hard you work, you still cannot afford to set roots in the city that you have worked so hard to represent and are proud to be from?
A lone Dodger vaquero enjoying the World Series win in a parking lot behind Figueroa Street in Northeast L.A. Ain’t nowhere else in the damn world like Los Angeles, I swear.
#keephighlandparkpaisa
I've never been more disgusted at local broadcast media for bootlick-biased reports of what transpired at UCLA. As long as I'm editor , you can always count on us NOT using weaseler language and telling you all what is actually happening out there.
Wassup,
@nytimes
. I saw you came to my 'hood and wrote about it. I appreciate the effort but you made more than a handful of mistakes so I kindly took the time to correct each one in today's "Snapper Fridays" column on
@LATACO
.
I ate all the fucken tacos in Mexico for “Las Crónicas del Taco” and today we got a
@beardfoundation
nomination. I’m a first-gen Mexican American. College dropout. ¡Si se puede! Thanks to Pablo Cruz for believing and creating the first show en Español to make it in. Up the punx.
Whenever I can, I genuinely do enjoy taking
@metrolosangeles
to commute. It forces to slow down my life a bit, and gives me extremely precious time to fully decompress amid my journalist life that is a chaotic blur of daily deadlines. I am a romantic at heart but also…1/2
One of the many responsibilities of being an Editor of a publication in L.A. is making sure that our stories are available for everyone to read. Working with
@rrrleLA
and
@MyCielola
, I am proud to present
@LATACO
's first article translated into Zapoteco.
Today marks one year of being the Editor in Chief of
@LATACO
. It's been a wild ride and I would like to thank all of our loyal members and readers who have grown with us and kept our taco-fueled dreams alive. I am inspired by my city every day. To another year of the Taco Life!
I've never been more proud of being the Editor in Chief of
@LATACO
. Shout out to our Publisher Alex Blazedale and our contributors for truly being down for the cause since day one. Read our full statement and what it means moving forward here.
9) And now, we won a James Beard for this approach. Publications, let this be a sign to be in the right side of history. GREAT things happen when you promote and hire BIPOC Writers, Reporters, and Editors to write the stories that we can only tell.
Headline wars: Props on this extremely clever
@latimes
headline on this great feature by
@katelinthicum
, but why not use "American immigrants" instead of "Expat?"
I'm ready to have this conversation, especially as more of us flee (and gentrify) Mexico and other countries.
Nothing like having to spend $60 on an Uber at LAX to instantly kill your post-vacation bliss. I defend LA everyday but I will be the first to admit that getting to and from the airport is one of the worst things about our city. (flyaway is cool but doesn’t work for many of us).
You may have guessed it with all the
@lataco
features that I've been publishing but I'm excited to announce that I'm taking over as editor of the TACO. Looking forward to continuing the legacy that
@longdrivesouth
has built. Hit me up with tips and pitches if you've got 'em.
After years of reading and cooking out of
@bonappetit
, I'm proud as hell to share that my first story there is now live. It deals with a complex issue among children of immigrants. It was painful to reflect on this and scary to publish, but here it is.
Don't get duped. I was shocked when I found out about the cost-cutting "secret" ingredient that taqueros are using instead of avocado. I was even more shocked when I made it this AM and tasted it. It's pretty scary. My latest for
@LATACO
.
Real talk: We are barely scraping by. If you love us, love Los Angeles, and love tacos, consider becoming or gifting an
@LATACO
membership. Nothing says I'm down for my city than supporting independent street-level BIPOC journalism. And you get a t-shirt, hoodie, or hat!
Finally can share the news: Season 2 of Las Crónicas Del Taco is coming to
@netflix
on September 15th. More tacos. More history. And more México. Trailer coming soon. ¡Provecho!
I sat down with
@YalitzaAparicio
and interviewed her for
@washingtonpost
. She shared some very personal anecdotes with me that had not been published yet, and I also put her haters on blast. It will be in the print Entertainment section on Saturday.
8) Juxtapose this with my time at
@LATACO
giving me full trust and the resources to thrive as a platform that has been publishing food stories by first-time writers of all backgrounds since before publications were demanded to do so.
For all of you who have been following my taco carnage in Mexico the last year on my Instagram account, this is why: I'm excited to announce that I am an Associate Producer and Taco Scout for “Las Crónicas Del Taco,” finally airing this Friday on
@Netflix
.
You can have decent TJ-style tacos de asada in L.A., or you can just drive two-ish hours down the 5 and have the real thing. I will never not drop everything whenever I can to do the latter. What an incredible taco privilege to live so close to Tijuana.
As long as
@lapublichealth
continues to throw out thousands of dollars of fresh food taken from the hardworking hands of street vendors into trash cans in police-assisted raids, and "legal" tamal carts cost $7,000, it will still be crucial that your coverage goes beyond the taco.
Having quite possibly the hardest day as
@lataco
Editor so far (five years). Stay tuned for another wave of not-so-good news tomorrow, but fuck, this hillside nopal growing among the blooms in Chumash territory is proof that we can make it too.
You simply cannot write about how delicious a taco is for your site or film the most perfect cheese pull for your IG/TikTok/video without diving into the political and socioeconomic undertones involved with that dish. Ethically, in L.A., one cannot exist without the other. 2/2
The real testament to gauge whether the Rams have broken through to be a "real"L.A. team? Will the city's 'hoods and barrios celebrate by popping their reserve fireworks?
You can acknowledge that building Dodger Stadium displaced dozens of families from Chavez Ravine, and also admire all the Latinos in the crowd as the camera pans to show their ecstatic reactions to game-tying home runs.
Both can exist.
Go
@Dodgers
.
Using the power of
@LATACO
, we have identified the lone bacon-wrapped hot dog street vendor as "Don Efra," an Angeleno from Puebla, Mexico. His daughter has set up a gofundme and IG page to support her father in need. Find the details in our updated story.
Where the burgers are big, and the prices are small, here is our guide to supporting L.A.s mom-and-pop burger hustlers located in all the corners of our city.
@LATACO
forever.
man, never have I been more glad or proud to have been rejected by USC. Shout out to my community college "super senior" self for sucking at math that bad. My 2019 debt-free adult self owes you a beer, foo.
3) I will never, ever forget working at MUNCHIES and my White Editor from NY/Texas literally taking my place to be a judge on Top Chef...after they specifically emailed requesting me because it was for the "California" season.
6) I will also never forget them tripping on me for suggesting we used the word "abuela" in a headline, despite them always using the word "Nonna" in so many others. (I didn't listen to them and still published, and the story did great.)
No words. Without him, there would be no me. Straight up. I feel like I just lost my father. Thank you to everyone who has reached out. My condolences to his family.
Old punx never die. Jonathan Gold 4 life.
It finally happened. Last night, after years of watching L.A. pursuits on TV. One ended in front of my home in Highland Park. The suspect's car came dangerously close to crashing into our parked car and both suspects fled on foot, near our yard. We locked down for a few hours.
Today is the 2-year mark of Jonathan Gold 's passing and I find myself grateful for his guidance and still in disbelief. He helped give me a vision and a future to work towards in a pivotal time in my life and still inspires me to this day.
I give everything I have into finding the best stories for our tiny
@LATACO
every single day. It never ceases to amaze how major news sites like
@CBSLA
and
#KCAL9
will blatantly rip off those stories without any attribution whatsoever.
Thank you to everyone who supports us.
.
@abc7davidono
this story you covered was originally reported by
@ShotOn35mm
for
@LATACO
. It took him weeks of work. Please provide proper attribution to him and our independent publication.
Over 2,000 patients reportedly received a diluted dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that were administered at two Los Angeles locations, and they did not find out until 10 months later.
2) It sucks to see their now-former Editor belittle the Brown struggle and dress up as a Puertorriqueño for Halloween. Or to see Alison Roman dress up as a chola...also as a costume, and not admit to it.
I've been happily slammed w/
@LATACO
editing duties but I squeezed in this inspiring feature about a paisa who has worked at Nobu for 14 years, saved up money, and opened his own Mex sushi spot in
#Lynwood
. And...sushi is bomb. Only on
@LATACO
.
#paisapower
It's that time of the year. Before you go and anglicize one of the earliest recorded foods of Mesoamerica, read my primer on why the singular term for tamales is tamal, not "tamale."
#tamalnottamale
Announcement: I’m teaching a “Food, Art, and Culture” Maymester class for the next couple of weeks for
@USCAnnenberg
in my favorite taco city in Mexico: Tijuana. This means even more to me because I was rejected from USC when I tried to transfer there. DIY y que.
Stop glorifying junk food.
Choco Tacos suck, as do Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Highly processed foods like this are the only options for kids who grew up in the 'hood (like me) by design and contribute to poor lifelong eating habits.
Nostalgia is a helluva drug, y'all.
.
@piescarcega
looked deep into my taco soul for her newsletter on
@latimesfood
. I've never had anyone take the time to fully get to know my day-to-day life like this. Thank you for making me and the blood, sweat, and tears behind the writing feel seen.
have a lot of responsibilities that get in the way of that. Whenever I’m on a bus or train, seeing humans surviving in my hometown (peacefully), it brings me much inspiration and allows me to tap into my old self. It’s worth being late to anything for this exchange. 2/2
I first took a stand on this controversial subject in 2015, when I refused to write about street food in L.A. because the City deemed it "illegal." I learned this the hard way. It is not too late to be more inclusive of their perspectives. 3/3
Went to Grand Central Market today for the first time since pandemic started and it felt good to walk those halls again. I picked up some food and vendor told me they are still at about 30% of pre-pandemic sales. Let's not forget about them; they're still giving it all they got.
1/5: I'm ecstatic to announce that
@LATACO
has brought home the
@beardfoundation
award for "Emerging Voice." On top of that, Las Crónicas del Taco has also won the "Television Program, on Location" award. I'm so grateful. I have no words. TACOS FOREVER.
Ask and you shall receive. Here is my official list of Glutster-approved spots to taste each taco style represented in the
#TacoChronicles
in
#LosAngeles
, for
@LATACO
.
@LATACO
I'm happy to announce that the guide is now finally up. Please share it with any foodservice peeps that you may know and kindly remind them that they do have rights. Shout out to
@ElRandomHero
for connecting me with
@kiwa4justice
.
I am now accepting story pitches for
@LATACO
, so hit me. If you don't hear back, please follow up. Also, I'm only accepting pitches at the moment and not general "What are you looking for?" emails with your article clips. Browse through the site and get inspired, please. Thanks.
Cue all the "Oh, god, fucken people from L.A." comments from transplants as us rare born and raised Angelinos commiserate in 60-degree weather together. Signed, a shivering person draped in a cobija right now.
So many people showed up to vote at my local polling place that the street vendors who set up in front from Monday to Saturday ran out of food by 10 AM (usually there until 2 PM). They have never seen this turnout before. Crazy.
4) She took my place and worse yet, she didn’t have the courage to tell me that instead made our publicist at the time write me an email to tell me she was taking my place.
BIG FACTS: Every time another publication or news site picks up an
@LATACO
original story without giving us credit, a taco dies. We do not have a corporation backing us. We are homegrown, DIY, from the community and to the community. You're either with us or you are against us.
I will never be "too good" to buy my groceries at Food 4 Less. It has been there for my family since I can remember and love how they've recently taken baby steps to offer items like organic turkey and organic half and half. If you know, you know...
Today is the day: "Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico" is officially out. I poured a year of my life into writing this and I'm proud of every single word and recipe. Thank you to everyone who preordered! Catch
@BriciaLopez
and I at our book tour. If you cook, tag us!
L.B. is the 2nd largest city in L.A. County and the 7th most populous in California. To do it justice, we're breaking up our neighborhood food guide into westside, eastside, northside. Our first guide was written by a writer who was born n' raised here.
"Japanese curry is part of how we hungry Angelenos roll, but it also exists on another, deeper level. It tugs powerfully at the past," writes Patric Kuh for
@LATACO
. Our guide to where to find some of the best Japanese curry in the city is now up.
Not surprised that
@FOXLA
and
@cbsla
ran off with
@LATACO
's original scoop passing it off as their own "exclusive" without zero attribution to our independent, for BIPOC by BIPOC publication, but it still sucks. Know your news source, homies.
It's the end of an era: La Abeja in
#HighlandPark
is closing. This is one of the most heartfelt, and wisdom-filled interviews that I've had the privilege of writing in my career. Find it at
@LATACO
.
Here it is. Our annual
@LATACO
's "best of" list, because tortillas make every single thing in life better...even in 2020. L.A.'s Taco Life will always prevail...pandemic be damned.
Gracias
@GustavoArellano
x
@latimes
for the signal boost for our
@LATACO
membership drive and to my ánimo. Just when I was feeling mentally depleted and needed it the most. Also, thanks for indulging me by using this photo. ¡Si se puede!
More MAJOR breaking burrito news in Boyle Heights: Burritos La Palma arriving in this stretch of Boyle Heights will make Olympic, between Soto and Mirasol Streets, L.A.’s most robust and best taco Boulevard in Los Angles. Find all the details at
@LATACO
.
It’s my bday today and I happily spent all morning and afternoon writing
@LATACO
Guide to Life-Changing Asada and the Fascinating, Delicious Chinese Mexican Food in Mexicali. Find out all the spots here:
It's probably not the best idea to wear a fake zarape, paint on a mustache, yell "Arriba! Arriba!" in a high-pitched voice, and walk around the streets of
#BoyleHeights
in an attempt to get cheap content for your Youtube account. My latest for
@LATACO
.
Just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it’s not “authentic.” Before your hot take without having studied or traveled around Mexico: Birria de pollo has always existed, especially in Michoacán. But yes,
@nytimes
should have acknowledged this regional style in headnote.
That “white man’s bullets” line (referring to sugar rations at reservations) from
@RezDogsFXonHulu
when Bear is at the soda vending machine cuts real deep. I don’t watch many series, but love seeing this kind of representation and harsh truths in the dialogue.
My editing duties prevent me from writing about food as much as I used to but I had to make time to tell the unusual story of resilience behind the most delicious torta ahogada I've had in L.A as of yet, outside of Guanatos. Find it today at
@LATACO
.
.
@LATACO
is on a roll this week for stories published by other publications "inspired" by our similar stories and headlines—with zero credit. A short thread:
Came to visit my mom in East L.A. and she dressed up her Santo Niño de Atocha in the uniform of Mexico for good luck. Don’t worry everyone, they’re for sure going to win the mundial now.
#Zacatecas
#Mundial2018
#WorldCup2018
#MexicoVsCorea
I grew up watching Chris Kimball on America’s Test Kitchen 15 years ago and never in my wildest toked-out dreams would I have imagined showing him L.A.’s Taco Life in my barrio. Life’s a trip. Stay tuned for his new TV show
@177MilkStreet
On the Road, coming to public television.