Food & Living's Top Five Stories of 2016
While the beginning of 2017 marks a time to start anew, it is also a time to reflect on a year of hard work. Amidst some uncertain times, KCET sought to highlight the untold stories of places and individuals that make L.A. and it's food scene unique. Whether chronicling the history of some of L.A.’s most iconic restaurants or sharing the immigrant journeys of the city's rising chefs, these stories remind us that the City of Angels has a diverse cultural landscape worth maintaining. In no particular order, here are five of Food & Living’s best from 2016.
1. The Triumph and Tragedy of In-N-Out’s First Family
"Today, the heart of In-N-Out Burger is still located in the same one-mile radius in Baldwin Park where the iconic restaurant began almost seventy years ago. A Mediterranean-style office complex dominates the appropriately named Hamburger Lane. In-N-Out University, where the company’s managers are trained, stands in all its middle-class American glory in a parking lot next to the company store and a shiny In-N-Out Burger, which serves its legendary burgers and shakes to hungry Baldwin Park residents. The 10 Freeway, emblematic of the car culture that helped fast food restaurants flourish, looms overhead. On the other side of the freeway is a charming replica of the first, tiny In-N-Out Burger, started by a young couple in love during the post-war L.A. County boom, when anything and everything seemed possible."
2. How Traders, Travelers and Colonization Shaped Filipino Cuisine
"From the impact of ancient trade relations with India to the occupation of the United States, the culinary history of the Philippines is dense and textured thanks to the myriad of influences accepted into our culture. The basis of most of our dishes came from a foreign source, but we adapted and improvised with our local ingredients and native tastes. We developed dishes so deeply ingrained in our way of eating that the origin of the dish became an afterthought. The end result is naturally absorbed into what is today’s Filipino cuisine."
3. Boyle Heights' El “Mercadito”, Still Mexican to the Core
"In Mexican culture, a large community market is an entertainment center, a cultural activity, and a weekly event where families and friends meet and everyone knows each other. One such place still exists in the heart of Boyle Heights at the corner of 1st Street and Lorena, across from the Metro Gold Line. The demographic, economic and cultural changes that have transformed downtown Los Angeles' Grand Central Market into hipster heaven have yet to arrive at El Mercado de Los Angeles — also called 'El Mercadito de Los Mariachis'. Here, the sounds, smells, and flavors are still very close to the old neighborhood and its mostly Mexican heritage, with dueling mariachis singing every day on the huge top floor, giving the place its popular name."
4. The Migrant Kitchen: Shaping The Future of Los Angeles' Culinary Landscape
"While migrants from all over the world have been essential to Los Angeles’ food industry, they have remained largely behind the scenes. Walk into the kitchen of most L.A. restaurants, whether it’s a greasy corner burger joint or slick Korean restaurant, chances are you’ll find a small army of Mexican or Central American cooks running the grills, chopping the vegetables, and washing the dishes. They’ll probably be unloading the produce on the docks and even driving the trucks that deliver it to the restaurant. But they have also quietly influenced the palates of Angeleno foodies by lending their own cooking styles and borrowing across cultures. Today, the children of immigrants are drawing from their culinary traditions to create innovative dishes and restaurant models and claiming their new place as drivers of L.A.’s cutting-edge food scene."
5. Tito's Tacos Famous Red Salsa, 57 Years in the Making
"While Los Angeles certainly doesn’t have a shortage of taquerias and Taco Bell locations, it’s a bit rare to find a mom-and-pop shop still making hard-shell tacos. The family behind Tito’s Tacos has been doling out the crunchy “gringo” shells for nearly 60 years to perennial long lines of customers looking for a bit of nostalgia — and a side of their famous red salsa."
