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Memo Torres

Memo Torres is a multi-media taco journalist, a third-generation landscaper, host of L.A. Taco’s new Plant and Gardening column, Yerbalife, host of Apple Maps’ L.A. food guide on all iPhones, Director of Partnerships for the James Beard award-winning L.A. Taco, a finalist for the Ruben Salazar Award for Latino Journalists, a taco scout for numerous shows, can be seen on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, Pressure Cooker, Mythical Kitchen, KCRW, and elsewhere.

Meet L.A.’s Queen of Carnitas Succeeding In a Male-Dominated Taco Style

Her Michoacán-style carnitas are so tender, crispy, and sticky, that she's known to sell more than 1,200 pounds on Sundays alone. What sets her apart from other carnitas stars in L.A. is her commitment to making handmade corn tortillas, too. Her story of resilience is the stuff of taquera legends.

March 25, 2024

Burglar Steals Safe From East Hollywood Mexican Restaurant, Runs Up $80,000 In Damages and Stolen Gear

The burglar was wearing a white hoodie and spray-painted the lens of the security cameras. Insurance will only cover $20,000. The owner of El Zarape Melrose says he doesn’t know if this was personal or just a delinquent act by a stranger: “I’m sad, I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

February 27, 2024

Glendale’s Excellent New Taco Stand Harassed By Self-Described “Police Informant”

A Glendale police officer says he had arrested Emanuel Gulakian for assault with a deadly weapon only a couple of weeks earlier, after the man threw rocks at another taco stand.

November 29, 2023

These Kings of Armenian BBQ Sell An Incredible $12 Pork Shawarma Wrap in North Hollywood

This little shack off Sherman Way in North Hollywood is serving some of the best Armenian barbecue you can find, including their popular marinated pork shawarma wrapped in toasty lavash bread, for only twelve dollars.

November 13, 2023

Meet The Afro-Latino Siblings Making Sinaloan Tacos With Baja Fish in The Culver City Projects

Dad catches fresh fish in Baja, while the Lopez siblings tap their Sinaloan aunt's seafood recipes for a taco pop-up founded in the Mar Vista Gardens housing project.

October 30, 2023

Are Organic Gardening Products Safer? A Pro Landscaper Weighs In

We like organic labels on gardening products. They make us feel all warm and toasty inside because they imply that they are safer. But when you compare organic products to their non-organic counterparts, you might be shocked to find that organic products can be likely more toxic, even when compared to the scariest one of them all, glyphosate.

October 12, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023

This Mar Vista Mother and Son Are Fighting Gentrification With Their Own Blue Corn Nixtamal

The Diaz family is exactly who blue corn was meant to help out. For thousands of years, the people of the sun survived and thrived off corn. Today in Mar Vista, it's still coming through for them. 

August 23, 2023