‘SalviSoul’ author Karla Tatiana Vasquez shares her 5 favorite Latino-owned businesses in L.A.
Chef Karla Tatiana Vasquez has made a career out of highlighting the complexities of Central American cooking.
“It’s a fusion cuisine because we have influences that tie us back to the Silk Road,” she said. “We use spices that did not originate from the Americas, but we also use tomatoes, chiles, frijoles, ayote — all of that came from our part of the world.”
The longtime L.A. resident and author of “The SalviSoul Cookbook” was born in El Salvador, and arrived to the Southland with her family as an infant. Salvadoran food became key in helping her unlock family memories of the tiny Central American country.
Todo Verde chef Jocelyn Ramirez shares her five favorite spots in Los Angeles.
Since then, she has been on a journey to preserve her food’s rich history by finding local spots to stay connected to her roots.
“I love all of these businesses,” Vasquez said. “They’re places where I go to frequently.”
As part of our “Mi Los Angeles” series, we asked Vasquez to share some of her favorite Latino-owned spots in the city. Here are her picks.
Mi Los Angeles
In ‘Mi Los Angeles’ we ask influential L.A. Latinos to share their favorite Latino-owned businesses. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go and what to eat all while supporting local businesses and organizations.
Read the full series here.
Arroz and Fun
Arroz and Fun has a mushroom sandwich, and the first time I tried it I cried because it’s made with Chinese pineapple buns and it has queso duro sauce. And the coffee program at Arroz and Fun is Cipota Coffee.
Their business model is very much working with coffee growers in El Salvador. They understand the coffee process. They’re not just there to serve you and have you pay a premium dollar.
El Turco Meat Market
When I first started “SalviSoul” I asked my grandmother, “How is it that you were able to cook a Salvi cuisine in Los Angeles? Did you go to Ralphs?” She said, “Oh Karla, yo fui al Turco.”
Panaderia Cuscatleca
Every time I’m in there she’s like, “Have you tried this one? Try it.”
I love their Maria Luisa [torta]. I actually included the Maria Luisa recipe in the book, which I learned from [Monroy]. It’s essentially a pan dulce and it has a cake-like texture. One of the characteristics about it is that it has poleada (a traditional Salvadoran custard) laced through the center.
A Manos L.A.
By day, Chef Lemus is a sous-chef at the Ruby Fruit and by night hosts A Manos L.A. pop-ups across Southern California.
Oeste
Out of the blue, I get an email from owner Naomi [Castillo] and she asks me if I want to do a collaboration candle in celebration of my cookbook. We wanted something that felt fresh. We thought maybe it should be a proper kitchen candle that smells like parsley or something green. We landed on one of my favorite smells ever: grapefruit with fresh blossoms.
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