Laurie Ochoa
General Manager of Los Angeles Times Food / Love for longtime LAT Entertainment home. Co-founder Slake: Los Angeles bit.ly/3sZ7W8J
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Articles by Laurie Ochoa
Why the facts of Anthony Bourdain's life were less relevant to his biopic makers than emotional truth
LOS ANGELES - In the second film of the summer that smooths the rough edges of a complicated man, we meet the future chef and global TV star Anthony Bourdain at age 19, blustering through a comically pretentious fellowship proposal for the dour-faced members of a Vassar College faculty committee.
Why the facts of Anthony Bourdain's life were less relevant to his biopic makers than emotional truth
On the set of "Tony," director and writer Matt Johnson, left, works with Dominic Sessa, who portrays Anthony Bourdain before his fame as a writer, chef and TV host.(Seacia Pavao / A24 via AP) In the second film of the summer that smooths the rough edges of a complicated man, we meet the future chef and global TV star Anthony Bourdain at age 19, blustering through a comically pretentious fellowship proposal for the dour-faced members of a Vassar College faculty committee.
Why the facts of Anthony Bourdain’s life were less relevant to his biopic makers than emotional truth
1 hour ago Good morning, hope you had a great weekend. Today I’m reading about Anthony Bourdain’s early years, depicted through the film Tony releasing this week, listening to Broken Social Scene’s new album after seeing them live this weekend, merging all my chats in the new version of Beeper, and finding …
15 of L.A.’s best birthday cakes
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22 hours ago The Italians have tiramisu, the French have crème brûlée and the Germans have Black Forest gateau. And they can jolly well keep them. For we Britons have concocted the ultimate delectation in terms of comfort eating and – lo! – it is trifle. It takes a kind of nurturing genius, schooled in the laws …
By Bill Addison Verified, Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Betty Hallock Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Laurie Ochoa, Angela Osorio, Melody J. Xu
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Midwest burger chain targets California, taking on In-N-Out
A box of cheeseburgers from In-N-Out served at a potluck hosted by Nancy Silverton. Laurie Ochoa TNS Watch out, In-N-Out; another chain is targeting California consumers with its big burgers. Although Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers features California on its menu with its "California Style Double" burger, only a handful of its outlets are in California.
10 wonderful places to eat in an ever-changing Hong Kong
Now Amazon’s giant Prime Day sale might be in full swing right now, but Grand Theft Auto 6 goes up for pre-order tomorrow (or tonight at midnight rather). Rockstar has not only detailed the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition and the pre-order bonus, we now have the official price. Grand Theft Auto 6 price Take-Two …
Food is L.A.’s love language. Here are the 50 dining experiences that define living here
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Drinking 2 hours ago 11 White Lies Bartenders Tell All The Time thetakeout.com - Julia Lauzon • 2h Lies, as unfortunate as some of them are, are just a part of everyday life. From the huge whale-sized lies to the tiny but socially acceptable … Wine 6 hours ago We Asked 12 Bartenders: What’s the Best Bourbon Under $50? (2026) VinePair - Rich Manning • 6h When it comes to bourbon, the pricey bottles hog the spotlight.
By Bill Addison Verified, Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Betty Hallock Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Daniel Hernandez, Daniel Hernández, Laurie Ochoa
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33 places to eat and drink near SoFi Stadium
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7 hours ago A flesh-eating parasite that feeds on warm-blooded animals has been detected in the US for the first time since 1966. New World Screwworm (NWS) has been advancing across Mexico for the past year and has now been found in a calf in Texas, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday …
By Bill Addison Verified, Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Daniel Hernandez Verified, Daniel Hernández Verified, Laurie Ochoa, Angela Osorio
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These are all the cookbook authors you can see at the L.A. Times Festival of Books Original
Bring your cooking questions to the L.A. Times Food x Now Serving booth at this year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 18 and 19 at USC. We've got an impressive lineup of authors signing their books, and our own L.A. Times Food writers and editors will be on hand to chat. You can also buy our new shopping tote bag made for us by Big Bud Press, pick up free posters and check out more merchandise, including our custom Hedley & Bennett aprons.
Celebrity chef René Redzepi resigns from Noma amid past abuse allegations
Noma chef Rene Redzepi in Los Angeles. (Laurie Ochoa/Los Angeles Times/TNS) Chef René Redzepi announced he will "step away" from Noma, his lauded Copenhagen restaurant, and has resigned from MAD, the community-building nonprofit he founded. The chef's announcement follows dozens of recently resurfaced abuse allegations as well as a protest today outside the gate of Noma's L.A. pop-up in Silver Lake.
Yes, it will cost $1,500 to eat at Noma L.A. Rene Redzepi explains why
Ever since Noma chef Rene Redzepi announced that he is coming to Los Angeles to create a pop-up version of his famous Copenhagen restaurant this spring, thousands of people have reached out to ask how they can get reservations, even though details of the dates, location and cost were unknown. This week, Noma is releasing specifics about its residency, which will begin March 11 and run through June 26.
Too many L.A. restaurants are closing. Which is why the reopening of this Little Tokyo gem matters
The Fruit With The Highest Amount Of Protein Is Also A Magnesium Powerhouse While it's long been recognized as a vital nutrient, many people are working even harder lately to get more protein into their diets. Protein gives …
Fried chicken and sparkling wine? 6 pairings in L.A. for a festive New Year's Eve
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According to Lou Amdur, owner of Lou Wine Shop, fried chicken and sparkling wine are "a heavenly pairing." (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) Have you made New Year's Eve plans yet? Some of the city's best restaurants are releasing limited prix-fixe menus and festive cocktails to mark the occasion, but there's no reason you can't bring the same spirit to at-home celebrations or low-key gatherings with friends. Why not sparkling wine paired with fried chicken?
By Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Betty Hallock Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Daniel Hernandez Verified, Daniel Hernández Verified, Laurie Ochoa
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Two very Los Angeles latkes for anytime of the year from OyBar's Jeff Strauss
Latkes may be the food most associated with the eight nights and days of Hanukkah, but fried potato pancakes are delicious enough to eat anytime of the year — especially if you follow the advice of OyBar's Jeff Strauss. Strauss, the former TV writer and producer who not only founded OyBar in Studio City but the Highland Park deli Jeff's Table, takes a global approach to latkes. At his annual Whole Latke Love event, which this year runs through Dec.
The Times' 2025 Gold Award: How the son of the king of soul food found his own way at Dulan's on Crenshaw
It's almost impossible for Greg Dulan, owner of the longtime soul food gathering spot Dulan's on Crenshaw, to walk outside his restaurant without a passerby shouting out a greeting or sharing a reminiscence. "You know who you look like?" asked one woman who approached him on the sidewalk along L.A.'s Destination Crenshaw corridor recently. "Adolf. Adolf Dulan. I remember when he first came into business. He had a catering truck. It was right there on Rodeo.
HOW THE SON OF THE KING OF SOUL FOOD FORGED A NEW PATH
Los Angeles Times | November 30, 2025 GREG DULAN’S FIGHT TO SAVE BLACK FOOD CULTURE IN L.A. T’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE for Greg Dulan, owner of the longtime soul food gathering spot Dulan’s on Crenshaw, to walk outside his restaurant without a passerby shouting out a greeting or sharing a reminiscence. “You know who you look like?” asked one woman who approached him on the sidewalk along L.A.’s Destination Crenshaw corridor recently. “Adolf. Adolf Dulan. I remember when he first came into business.
The passion and wild herbs of a Tuscan chef
Real Madrid are applying the Nico Paz blueprint to another young gem Real Madrid have a lot of planning to do over the summer. There is a lot left to wonder about, who to sell, who to buy, and what else to do. They …
'I truly fell in love with Los Angeles': Why René Redzepi chose L.A. for Noma's next pop-up
Noma's René Redzepi and his international team of chefs, servers, foragers, fermentation geeks, programmers and more are coming to Los Angeles next year for a months-long residency — the restaurant's first in the U.S. "We were supposed to be in L.A. this coming fall," Redzepi said during a brief interview inside one of the greenhouses next to his Copenhagen restaurant not long before the official announcement.
'I truly fell in love with Los Angeles': Why Rene Redzepi chose L.A. for Noma's next pop-up
Noma's Rene Redzepi and his international team of chefs, servers, foragers, fermentation geeks, programmers and more are coming to Los Angeles next year for a months-long residency — the restaurant's first in the U.S. "We were supposed to be in L.A. this coming fall," Redzepi said during a brief interview inside one of the greenhouses next to his Copenhagen restaurant not long before the official announcement. "But with the fires, we thought it was all canceled.
Altadena is slowly ... very slowly ... reopening for business
4 hours ago 'Chaos created by uncertainty.' Tariffs hit a company that lights Hollywood — and Congress For two decades, Jim Sanfilippo has designed high-wattage, specialized LED lights for stadiums, the U.S. House of Representatives and Hollywood film and television productions, including the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.” Now the Pasadena small-business owner is bracing for uncertainty as the … 5 hours ago Los Angeles businesses regroup after the 2025 fires Four months have passed...
The best cookbooks of 2024
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(Arabella Simpson / For The Times) Generate Key Takeaways The year 2024 had us hugging our cookbooks. They brought us solace, nostalgia, inspiration, delight, reclamation, beauty and deliciousness when much of the rest of the world seemed to offer only chaos. Our list of favorites for 2024 includes something for every kind of food book lover. Recipes came from a tiny creek in the Appalachians and the rice terraces of Yunnan.
By Betty Hallock Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Bill Addison Verified, Sarah Mosqueda, Cindy Carcamo, Laurie Ochoa
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The California chefs who pioneered L.A.'s French-Japanese aesthetic
2 hours ago Prada bags and Stuart Weitzman boots were on offer. But who owned them first? Nobody knew. Muriel Thomas tried on the studded, black leather Stuart Weitzman knee-high boots. They fit. “They’re actually so gorgeous,” she said Thursday morning, sitting on a chair surrounded by racks of designer clothes …
More than 75 big-deal L.A. restaurants closed so far this year. So why are chefs still optimistic?
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More than 75 big-deal L.A. restaurants closed so far this year. So why are chefs still optimistic?
In July, after more than a year of delays prepping her first bricks-and-mortar restaurant — and a long stretch earlier searching for the right spot — chef Rashida Holmes opened Bridgetown Roti with high hopes. Its previous incarnations as a pop-up and Arts District takeout operation earned her the 29th spot on the 2022 L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants list plus a 2023 James Beard emerging chef nomination.
Celebrities, chefs and athletes share their favorite tacos in L.A.
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Everyone in Los Angeles has a go-to taqueria. It might be the one that's most convenient to you, or maybe it holds a special memory or is open late to satisfy your after-midnight taco cravings. We tapped some of our favorite Angelenos — from local chefs and restaurateurs to musicians, community organizers, professional athletes and others. L.A Times Food staff even divulged some of their taco ordering secrets and neighborhood favorites.
By Bill Addison Verified, Bryan A’Hearn, Stephanie Breijo Verified, Danielle Dorsey Verified, Sam Farmer Verified, Betty Hallock Verified, Jenn Harris Verified, Daniel Hernandez Verified, Daniel Hernández Verified, Marissa Kraus, Sarah Mosqueda, Laurie Ochoa, Cindy Carcamo, Jessica Lipsky Verified
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Mariscos Jalisco by Raul Ortega is The Times' 2024 Gold Award winner Original
Laurie Ochoa July 9, 2024 at 9:15 AM·5 min read It's noontime on a hot Sunday afternoon and all along the Boyle Heights stretch of Olympic Boulevard, taco hunters are out in force. Virtually every truck and stand on this prime taco corridor attracts a line, often with eaters setting their sights on multiple spots, food-crawl style. At the fire-engine red Tacos y Birria La Unica truck, the call is goat birria quesatacos dipped in meaty consomme.
Mariscos Jalisco by Raul Ortega is The Times' 2024 Gold Award winner
5 days ago The best Mexican restaurant in the state may not be in New York City, but in the tiny hamlet of Leeds, just to the west of Catskill in the Hudson Valley. A motel once known as the Rip Van Winkle Motor Lodge has been renovated in a midcentury rustic style — renamed Camptown Hotel, from Ray Pirkle and …
Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer. Her new memoir reveals why
LOS ANGELES -- The morning after Joan Nathan's 80th birthday party last year - a long-table Palm Springs gathering on the grounds of a hacienda-style compound where Samuel Goldwyn, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland are said to have lived at various times - guests from the nighttime celebration were invited to brunch at the midcentury showcase Abernathy House.
Joan Nathan Is More Than A Jewish Cookbook Writer. Her New Memoir Reveals Why - Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES -- The morning after Joan Nathan's 80th birthday party last year — a long-table Palm Springs gathering on the grounds of a hacienda-style compound where Samuel Goldwyn, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland are said to have lived at various times — guests from the nighttime celebration were invited to brunch at the midcentury showcase Abernathy House.
Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer. Her new memoir reveals why
LOS ANGELES -- The morning after Joan Nathan's 80th birthday party last year — a long-table Palm Springs gathering on the grounds of a hacienda-style compound where Samuel Goldwyn, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland are said to have lived at various times — guests from the nighttime celebration were invited to brunch at the midcentury showcase Abernathy House. Now, with the arrival of the California desert morning, in walked Nathan, bright-eyed and bearing sweets.
How Rosa Jackson found real Niçoise cooking amid the beachside glamour
There's a certain reverse snobbery that some travelers may feel when they first arrive in Nice. So sleek. So sunny. So touristy. I admit that after a dinner of indifferently prepared Niçoise specialties in a restaurant along the Cours Saleya, when light-up pedicabs and street performers replaced the famed daytime market vendors, I thought I'd missed my chance by decades to experience the pleasures that attracted Julia Child and her husband, Paul, when they kept a house 20 miles outside the city.
Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer. Her new memoir reveals why Original
The morning after Joan Nathan's 80th birthday party last year — a long-table Palm Springs gathering on the grounds of a hacienda-style compound where Samuel Goldwyn, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland are said to have lived at various times — guests from the nighttime celebration were invited to brunch at the midcentury showcase Abernathy House.
What ice cream do you buy at the store?
This is the Friday post, a weekly roundup of recommendations and delightful distractions. If the email cuts off, you can view it on the web here. Happy Friday! Happy spring! Today’s issue is free for all and a grab bag of this and that. But first, a few housekeeping things… 📚 Announcing our April book club pick! We’ll be reading Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. Thanks to everyone who voted in last week’s poll. I loved Reid’s first novel, and I’m really looking forward to this one.
His restaurant was named No. 1 in the world. What's next for Virgilio Martinez?
Virgilio Martinez has stopped for a coffee on his way to work at his restaurant Central this Monday morning in August, a mild Southern Hemisphere winter's day in the Barranco section of Peru's capital. Crammed into the small but stylish Cicolos Cafe with Martinez, who has been miked for sound, are two Times video shooters, including one with a Steadicam rig, a video producer and a writer. It's not an unusual occurrence for Martinez to be followed by cameras.
LA galbi doesn't mean 'L.A.' says Jenee Kim of Park's BBQ. She's got a magic sauce for you too
"You have to wait, don't flip!" Jenee Kim, the owner of Koreatown's Park's BBQ, tells her son, Jin Yang Kim, when the hiss of LA galbi sizzling in the pan tempts him to turn over the flat short ribs with his tongs. "You know, when you cook the meat you don't flip too many times. Wait until it's almost ready." "I'll be patient," Jin says, exhibiting his own measure of forbearance as he absorbs his mother's cooking advice in front of the cameras at The Times Test Kitchen.
Armen Martirosyan's big plans for Mini Kabob and the return of Mid East Tacos
"I remember the first time I saw my dad barbecue," Armen Martirosyan says as he scrubs the grill at Mini Kabob inside the Westfield Topanga shopping center's recently opened Topanga Social food hall. It's the second location of his family's tiny but beloved Glendale restaurant. "I was around 4 or 5 years old and that's when we would have people over to our house — 'house' — our apartment. And I remember my dad, he was downstairs just grilling the meat. And they were all hanging out having fun.
The taquero hero's journey that led Jorge 'Joy' Alvarez-Tostado to create Tacos 1986
A man will change the course of his life for the love of a pretty girl. At least that's the way it worked for Jorge Umberto Alvarez-Tostado, also known as "Joy" and the culinary force behind the growing Tacos 1986 empire of Southern California. "When I was very, very young — in sixth grade, to be exact — I had a girlfriend. Her name was Maria and she said she was going to marry a chef. I was so in love at age 12 that I told my parents, 'Hey, I'm going to be a chef.' And I did. I did.
The taquero hero's journey that led Jorge 'Joy' Alvarez-Tostado to create Tacos 1986
A man will change the course of his life for the love of a pretty girl. At least that's the way it worked for Jorge Humberto Alvarez-Tostado, also known as "Joy" and the culinary force behind the growing Tacos 1986 empire of Southern California. "When I was very, very young — in sixth grade, to be exact — I had a girlfriend. Her name was Maria and she said she was going to marry a chef. I was so in love at age 12 that I told my parents, 'Hey, I'm going to be a chef.' And I did. I did.
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