The Brief

It was another great year for food in Los Angeles, and I did my best to try as much of it as possible. Several small independent businesses continued to make waves with delicious plates worthy of praise, from quality bites throughout Los Angeles and Orange County to ones outside city limits worth seeking out.

As we see 2023 near its end, I’ve compiled 23 of my favorite dishes and dining experiences from the past year into one banger of a list.

Let's dig in!

1. Apollonia’s Pizza square slice

Not all square slices are created equal, but the one from Apollonia's Pizza might be the best I’ve had recently. It’s both perfectly crusty on the outside and soft and airy on the inside. Get the pepperoni slice and add burrata and hot honey, and it will feel like you are eating a decadent pizza cake.

2. Mortadella sandwich from Pane Bianco

The mortadella sandwich at Pane Bianco is as heavenly as it is large.

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Words almost fail to describe what it's like when consuming this sandwich from Chris Bianco’s sandwich spot at The ROW near downtown Los Angeles. But I’m still going to try. From the pillowy soft bread that’s so heavenly, you feel like you can take a nap in it, to the apricot mostarda, which is both savory and sweet at the same time, paired with the slightly smoky flavors of the mortadella and a side of pickled vegetables that provides an equal amount of salty crunch after each bite.

3. Danny Palumbo Substack Newsletter

Technically, not something I ate. But it still lands on a list recapping my favorite food discoveries of the year. Palumbo is a pasta chef who makes pasta from his small apartment and sells it online, which I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t yet tried. However, his substack newsletter, The Move, has become a favorite of mine for his musings on all things food, not to mention the L.A. dining scene. A bonus has been the different recipe ideas he tries out and shares with his readers. He recently featured his take on YouTube chef Matty Mattheson’s Butter Chicken recipe, which Palumbo recommended serving with bolillo rolls from Ralphs. Genius stuff.

4. Mental State Coffee

I’m almost tempted to gatekeep this one because it’s that good, but I can’t hide it anymore. Mental State Coffee is an L.A.-based coffee purveyor who sells his beans over Instagram. He specializes in different varietals from Mexico. They are some of the most flavorful beans I’ve tasted recently.

5. Cookies from Fat + Flour

The soft yet crispy cookies from Fat & Flour are the perfect treat.

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6. All Seasons Brewing Company in Mid-City

All Season Brewing Company on La Brea Boulevard is a great place to hang with family and friends.

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As someone who’s been going to the breweries since I was of legal age, I’m always searching for new ones, especially now that I have a family. Finding a good place for all of us to hang out and feel comfortable remains at the top of my priorities. All Seasons Brewing Company is just that type of place. Located in Mid-City, and family friendly, it offers plenty of brews, a full bar, and some great eats from Chica’s Tacos, with plenty of meat and plant-based options that will no doubt satisfy all the taste buds in your group. While enjoying your food and drink, take advantage of their skee ball, which will be way more fun than you remember.

7. Giardiniera from Grá in Echo Park

The fresh tasting Giardiniera salad at Grá in Echo Park makes for the perfect accompaniment with a glass of natural wine.

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The pickle tray meets salad dish at the Echo Park pizza restaurant Grá is a sharable plate served at the beginning of the meal. The fresh-tasting dish with vegetables containing all types with different textures, including romanesco cauliflower, green beans, and carrots, manages to steal the show from the rest of the meal. It’s the perfect accompaniment with a glass of wine.

8. Steak Dinner from Jocko’s in Nipomo

My family took a trip to the Central Coast for Thanksgiving. Aside from wine tasting, we ended up at a Santa Maria-style BBQ institution, Jocko’s. It's one of the last places to specialize in the California-specific barbecue style and still manages to wow its diners every night with various cuts of meat and great sides.

9. Oysters from Del Mar Ostioneria in Los Angeles

Enjoy some of the freshest-tasting oysters at Del Mar Ostioneria, the tan-colored food truck in the same lot as a wedding chapel on La Brea Avenue. Make it official with these oysters, splashed with the bright combination of Clamato, lime juice, chopped cucumbers, ponzu sauce, and a sprinkling of crushed chiltepin pepper. Slurping down a couple of these babies will only enhance the feeling of exuberance.

10. Totti from La Parolaccia in Long Beach

The Roman-style, family-owned Italian osteria in Long Beach is a heartfelt restaurant. A great example is the Totti, a half-calzone and half pizza. The calzone side is stuffed with cheese, mushrooms, and ground sausage. The pizza side contains mushrooms, sausage, and cheese, showered with peppery arugula. The dish is named after a famed Italian footballer, Francesco Totti, and will make you feel like a champion after having it.

11. The Caramelo from Tacos La Rueda in Bellflower

The Caramelo steals the show at La Rueda taqueria in Bellflower.

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Sonora-style Mexican food has continued to ascend in popularity. La Rudeda is a small but mighty strip mall-based taqueria in Bellflower. Owned and operated by Omar and Alan Cejudo Hernandez, it is a love letter to their home state, with their soft-tasting flour tortillas to their smoke-kissed carne asada. Try the Carmelo, a great combination of both, with silky guacamole and Monterey jack cheese.

12. Flatbread from Forn Al Hara in Anaheim

The flatbreads from Forn Al Hara come with a variety of different sizes and toppings.

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Located in the Little Arabia section of Anaheim, Forn Al Hara is a Lebanese restaurant specializing in various flatbreads. They come in lots of different sizes and toppings. The most popular option is the manaeesh, which typically comes with topped spices, cheese, ground beef, or sausage. However, a standout for me is the labneh with asel, a combination of strained yogurt, similar to cream cheese, covered with thick, rich honey. It’s so simple yet so undoubtedly satisfying.

13. Birra de Chivo Bowl from Saucy Chick Goat Mafia

The birra de chivo bowl at Saucy Chick Goat Mafia in Pasadena is as comforting as it is filling.

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When word got out that Saucy Chick Goat Mafia, the mash-up team of two of L.A.'s most exciting pop-ups, had set up shop in a new location, I knew I owed them a visit. Saucy Chick, specializing in Indo-Mex style cooking, is known for its various spiced roast chicken dishes. Goat Mafia is Juan Garcia, a fourth-generation birriero, using his recipes from his family’s roots in Jalisco, MX. The team met at Smorgasburg, Los Angeles, before setting up shop for a small stint on the west side, and they have now landed at their new location in East Pasadena. Garcia’s talent is on full display with the Birria de Chivo bowl, featuring the perfectly tender and flavorful goat meat containing sui generis levels of gaminess, giving the dish its personality and depth with each bite. It's paired with rice that has hints of cumin alongside the exceptionally creamy Mayocoba beans and soft, warm corn tortillas that provide for the perfect taco-making accompaniment.

14. Dollar Hits in East Hollywood

The selection of skewers is vast at Dollar Hits, a family owned DIY Filipino barbecue restaurant, in East Hollywood

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The semi-outdoor DIY Pinoy barbeque restaurant is one of my favorite dining experiences of the last year. When you arrive, you choose from an array of pre-cooked items from chicken, beef, pork, fish, and tofu skewers that run about $1.25 a pop. You grab an aluminum tray (the size of a small roasting pan), collect as many as you can handle, and pay. Afterward, head out to the outdoor seating in their parking lot, where you’ll find long rectangular grills filled with burning hot coals. Find your place at the grill, plot down your collected skewers, and let nature take its course. It all heats and chars quickly, so you must keep an eye on it while you bask in the coolness of this tremendous L.A.-specific experience.

15. Shins pizza in Cypress Park

More pizza? Yes, but this time, we’re headed to Shins in Cypress Park, the northeast L.A. neighborhood located directly off the 5 Freeway, smack dab in the middle of Highland Park and Glassell Park. Yes, there are a lot of parks to keep track of, but once you clear that hurdle, there is some delicious ‘za at the end of that rainbow. (The walk-up counter is next to another favorite spot of mine, Barra Santos, a Portuguese restaurant.) While you can order whole pies, Shins features all their pizzas as a slice option, so it’s easy to try a few. The Mortadella slice is a standout, and here’s why: the white pie contains mozzarella, garlic, and a healthy dollop of ricotta, then is topped with an entire slice of Mortadella. It’s a move that feels both lackadaisical and intentional at the same time. Perfect for a hip slice joint for the budding east side neighborhood. But once you get past the pastiche factor of your surroundings, biting into the crusty yet chewy slice will make you realize it's worth the hype.

16. Teriyaki Plate from 2 Scoops of Rice

There are plenty of teriyaki plates, but coming across this one from the Polylesian-style barbeque pop-up felt extra special. The owners are Samoan and pop up throughout the L.A. area, so watch their IG. The plate I ordered came with perfectly charred barbecue chicken and short ribs that were expertly marinated, tender, and juicy, along with a side of fried shrimp whose batter effectively encapsulated the shrimp at a level I hadn’t yet experienced. The dish comes with two scoops of rice, as mentioned in their name, topped with furikake, a Japanese seasoning typically made with toasted sesame seeds and nori, and a small portion of Hawaiian mac salad. Share with another person or save it for leftovers as it travels well.

17. Oxtail mac and cheese egg roll from Chef Zagga Irie Vibez

A couple of years back, I heard about Chef Zagga Irie Vibez, a Jamaican cuisine pop-up based in Bellflower. I was immediately intrigued by how tireless and committed the young upstart chef from the 562 was about sharing his cuisine. Zagga is known for his exquisite jerk chicken and oxtail. However, it wasn’t until his recent Fall Festival that he unveiled his oxtail and mac cheese egg roll. While I tend to shy away from such culinary mash-ups as they tend to be heavy on grease, Zagga’s eggrolls are light and airy and maintain the integrity of their key ingredients, allowing both to shine through perfectly. Not a regular menu item, but you can bet at his next fest I’ll be first in line to have them again cause they are that good.

18. Padma Lakshmi Mango Lasi Cupcakes from Sprinkles

Padma Lakshmi mango lasi cupcakes from Sprinkles were the perfect sweet treat for the Diwali celebration this year

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When it comes to cupcakes from Sprinkles, I’m not always one who you’ll find first in line. The boutique cupcake chain, known for its cupcake ATMs, was all the rage a decade ago. So it had been a minute since we’d had one of their deliciously lush desserts. As part of the Diwali celebration, TV personality Padma Lakshmi partnered with the company to create her version of a cupcake that celebrates her Indian heritage. Based on the popular yogurt-based drink, the cupcake contains rich mango cake piped with a creamy curd center and a blend of cinnamon and cardamom-spiced yogurt frosting. It’s an extremely beautiful bite.

19. Almeja Chocolata from Holbox

Almeja Chocolata (Chocolate clams) from Holbox are great for slurping down with friends

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The James Beard semi-finalist Holbox is located in the Mercado La Paloma and rarely misses when it comes to their dishes, like the sweet and salty tasting clams, great to toss back with friends with a beer.

20. Pulpo a la Gallega at Serrano

At the Spanish pop-up Serrano, run by chef Jorge Serrano, there’s much to choose from regarding his menu since it’s all so good. Ultimately, what stuck out for me in 2023 is his pulpo dish, made up of the velvety textures of expertly cooked octopus atop a soft bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes, sprinkled with smoked paprika and drizzled with arbequina olive oil.

21. Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao at Paradise Dynasty

The multi-colored dumpling from the Singaporean food powerhouse, Paradise Dynasty, is an incredible dish not just because of the amazing flavors of each XLB. Still, the multi-colored hues of each make the experience all the more memorable. Truth be told, I’ve always been a sucker for this dish, and these are some of my favorites in recent memory.

22. Agua Chile Negro from Simón in Silver lake

The Silver Lake seafood lochera is another favorite dining experience this year. All of their tacos are for around five bucks and are filling and inventive, such as their whole soft shell crab and fish al-pastor, all wrapped in freshly made blue corn tortillas that sparkle with flavor. However, if you are looking to get the most out of your visit to the little blue truck, then try their agua chile negro made with shrimp bathed in smoked tomatillo sauce.

23. Tacos Los Cholos in Anaheim

On a recent visit to Anaheim, I visited the temple of smoke known as Taco Los Cholos. I give that name to its devotion to grilled meats, some of the best I’ve had in recent memory. From the perfectly charred carne asada to tender-as-the-night ribeye tacos, they make for one helluva bite. Upon arrival at your table, they don’t look like much, just tortilla and meat. They're not looking to dazzle your Instagram discovery page. Instead, they are packed with a ton of flavor and can still fit into the palm of your hand. All that to say, you need these tacos and once eaten, you'll frequently be willing to risk it all by braving the traffic just to get a taste.

As water agencies across California grapple with the increasingly extreme effects of climate change, they’re also facing another problem: the incoming “silver tsunami.”

That’s the phrase coined by the industry to illustrate the fact that much of the workforce — largely baby boomers — that keeps our water flowing and safe are getting ready to retire.

Nationwide, about a third of the nation’s water workforce is eligible for retirement within the next decade, “the majority being workers with trade jobs in mission critical positions,” the Environmental Protection Agency wrote in a 2024 report.

Climate resilience needs a workforce

To deal with how pollution in our atmosphere is driving longer, hotter droughts, as well as increasingly intense rain when it does come, water agencies across Southern California are working to boost aging infrastructure and invest in more diverse water supplies, such as recycled water.

The lack of people to staff those changes is a problem for pretty much every water agency, urban and rural.

L.A. is the second-largest city in the nation and is spending billions on water recycling and stormwater capture, for example, but it has been struggling to fill needed positions at its four wastewater treatment plants.

The city of L.A. plans to clean all wastewater that flows to the Hyperion plant.

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The city plans to treat nearly all of the Hyperion wastewater facility’s water to drinkable standards in the coming decades. To support that massive expansion, Hi-Sang Kim, the operations director at Hyperion, told LAist in 2022 the facility will need to boost its workforce by at least 30%.

For less urban water agencies, the challenge is even greater. The Eastern Municipal Water District serves close to 1 million people (and growing), as well as agricultural customers in western Riverside County and northern San Diego County.

They estimate as much as half of their workforce could retire within five years.

“Not only are we investing in new infrastructure, but we have aging infrastructure, so we are in dire need of technical skill sets to operate, maintain everything from treatment plants to pipelines, to pump stations,” said Joe Mouawad, the water district's general manager.

Jobs in the water industry — potable water and wastewater treatment operators, engineers, managers, skilled maintenance, public relations and more — are well paid and secure, Mouawad said, but it’s hard to fill the needed positions.

“We are finding it more challenging to backfill retirees,” he said. “It's not so much a lack of interest — I think it's a lack of awareness.”

Building a pipeline for water jobs

Those job gaps are why Eastern Municipal has become a leader in building the water workforce pipeline. For decades, the water district partnered with local schools to provide education about water conservation and what they do. But over the last decade, as the retirement forecast grew more dire, the agency has shifted to prioritize skills-based programming and partnerships with local high schools.

Local high school students tour Eastern Municipal Water District facilities in Perris.

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In 2013, they launched the Youth Ecology Corps program, for young adults between 18 and 24. Many who went through the program and paid internships are now full-time employees, said Calen Daniels, a spokesperson for the agency, who himself went through the program.

In recent years, the water agency has focused on younger potential future employees through a variety of Career and Technical Education programs at local high schools, including in automotive tech, engineering, agriculture, construction and information systems, said Erin Guerrero, Eastern Municipal’s public affairs manager overseeing its education programs.

“We're starting earlier and getting these kids real world experience,” Guerrero said.

Michelle Serrano teaches a two-year pre-apprenticeship Environmental Water Resources program at West Valley High School in Hemet. Students leave the program equipped to take the state-level certification exam for a job as a water treatment operator or water distribution operator once they turn 18.

Clayton Gordon, GIS mapping administrator at EMWD, talks to West Valley High students in the GIS Engineering certification summer program.

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Already more than 200 students have gone through the program since it launched last year. While local community colleges have similar Career and Technical Education programs, this is the first program of its kind targeting high schoolers in the region. Eastern Municipal hopes to expand to other area schools as well.

“Once the kids get out of the program, they're set if this is the direction they want to go,” Serrano said. “We have these students set for a job or a career for the rest of their life.”

She said the program is a gamechanger for students who don’t see themselves going to college or who are unsure of their future career path.

“We really are pushing hard for college, and that's a good push,” Serrano said. “However, we have kids who don't see themselves going to college.  It's opening up an amazing path for students who otherwise may not see a job direction.”

They’re not only finding a stable career path, she said, but fulfilling roles necessary to our society, Mouawad said.

“It's working for us,” he said, “and we want to see this serve as a model for the rest of the industry.”

It takes an icon to know an icon. If you haven’t seen the new Harry Styles video, check it out and you’ll recognize downtown’s Westin Bonaventure in a starring role. The hotel has been in plenty of movies — including True Lies — and now it’s the stage for Styles’ music video for his new single, “Aperture.” Fiona Ng takes you behind the scenes.

Speaking of cool movie settings, Kristen Stewart bought the abandoned Highland Theatre and plans to restore it to its original grandeur. Good news for film lovers.

On tap in the music space this week, Licorice Pizza recommendations include new wave goddess Dale Bozzio and her Missing Persons at the Whisky, rock goddess Melissa Etheridge at the Canyon Club in Agoura or Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera in conversation onstage at the Roxy — all on Wednesday. Thursday, experimental hip-hop group Clipping is at the Observatory, Atmosphere is at the Novo, UK singer-songwriter Erin LeCount plays the Roxy and Long Beach Dub All Stars & Bedouin Soundclash hit the stage at the Wayfarer. Plus, Aloe Blacc kicks off the first of four nights at the Blue Note.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can find out about the push to make local beaches into a national park, read up on Sinners producer Sev Ohanian’s rise in Hollywood and find the best spots for a fun Galentine’s Day.

Events

Game Night

Tuesday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.
Cheerio Collective
5917 N. Figueroa Street, Highland Park 
COST: $25; MORE INFO

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Channel family game night with new friends over drinks in Highland Park at this classic board game night with Cat Darling Agency and Asian American Collective. Play Connect Four, Jenga and Uno while meeting some folks and enjoying a free drink!

Concert reading of Dogfight

Through Sunday, February 15
The Morgan-Wixson Theatre 
2627 Pico Plvd., Santa Monica 
COST: $23; MORE INFO 

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Before there was The Greatest Showman, there was Dogfight. Benji Pasek and Justin Paul’s musical about a group of young Marines in San Francisco on the eve of the war in Vietnam is presented in a concert reading at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre. Dogfight “explores themes of love, loss, and coming of age.”

OXY LIVE! with Robin Coste Lewis in conversation with Alexandra Grant

Tuesday, February 10, 7 p.m. 
Thorne Hall 
Thorne Road, Occidental College 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Courtesy Oxy Arts

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National Book Award winner and former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Robin Coste Lewis visits Occidental College for poetry and conversation with Oxy Live's host, celebrated visual artist and cultural collaborator Alexandra Grant (you may recognize her from excellent grantLove series… and her red carpet photos with beau Keanu Reeves). A book signing hosted by beloved Pasadena bookstore Octavia’s Bookshelf will follow, and attendees will have the opportunity to have their books signed by the author.

Dance at the Odyssey

Through Sunday, February 15
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A.
COST: $28; MORE INFO 

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Next weekend is the last weekend of Odyssey Theatre’s six-week-long Dance at the Odyssey festival, which features two world premieres: Silent Fiction from Intrepid Dance Project in Odyssey 2, and One World from choreographer Hannah Millar and her Imprints company in Odyssey 3.

Author Lindsay Jill Roth with Dr. Laura Berman

Thursday, February 12, 6 p.m. 
Zibby’s Bookstore
1113 Montana Ave., Santa Monica 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and author Lindsay Jill Roth has the questions that will make your new (or long-term!) relationship last. Her new book, Romances & Practicalities, lays out 250 questions you should ask each other to make your love a time- and challenge-tested success — alongside Roth’s own long-distance love story and interviews with couples of all stripes. She’s in conversation with love, sex and relationship therapist Dr. Laura Berman at Zibby’s in Santa Monica.

An evening in conversation with Silversun Pickups’ Brian Aubert & Producer and Musician Butch Vig

Wednesday, February 11, 7 p.m. 
Sid the Cat 
1022 El Centro Street, South Pasadena
COST: $32.75; MORE INFO

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Hometown heroes Silversun Pickups are back with a new album and tour — catch them this week for free at Amoeba’s in-store show on Monday. Then dive deep at this conversation at the new Sid the Cat venue between singer Brian Aubert and producer and musician Butch Vg about the making of their new album, Tenterhooks. Plus, Lyndsey Parker of Licorice Pizza (friend of Best Things to Do) will moderate the chat.

Stronger Together: Nurturing Mind, Body, and Spirit

Monday, February 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
St. Monica Catholic Community Grand Pavilion 
725 California Ave., Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Recovery is an ongoing process, and the medical and spiritual communities of L.A. are reminding you they're here to help. Providence Saint John’s Health Center and St. Monica Catholic Community are marking the anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires with an evening of community, commemoration and healing.

The logic behind electric vehicles benefiting public health has long been solid: More EVs means fewer internal combustion engines on the road and a reduction in harmful tailpipe emissions. But now researchers have confirmed, to the greatest extent yet, that this is indeed what’s actually happening on the ground. What’s more, they found that even relatively small upticks in EV adoption can have a measurably positive impact on a community.

Whereas previous work has largely been based on modeling, a study published in January in the journal Lancet Planetary Health used satellites to measure actual emissions. The study, conducted between 2019 and 2023, focused on California, which has among the highest rates of EV use in the country, and nitrogen dioxide, one of the gases released during combustion, including when fossil fuels are burned. Exposure to the pollutant can contribute to heart and lung issues or even premature death. Across nearly 1,700 ZIP codes, the analysis showed that for every increase of 200 electric vehicles, nitrogen dioxide emissions decreased by 1.1%.

“A pretty small addition of cars at the ZIP code level led to a decline in air pollution,” said Sandrah Eckel, a public health professor at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “It’s remarkable.”

The group had tried to establish this link using Environmental Protection Agency air monitors before, but because there are only about 100 of them in California, the results weren’t statistically significant. The data also were from 2013 through 2019, when there were fewer electric vehicles on the road. Although the satellite instrument they ultimately used only detected nitrogen dioxide, it did allow researchers to gather data for virtually the entire state, and this time the findings were clear.

“It’s making a real difference in our neighborhoods,” said Eckel, who said a methodology like theirs could be used anywhere in the world. The advent of such powerful satellites allows scientists to look at other sources of emissions, such as factories or homes too. “It’s a revolutionary approach.”

Mary Johnson, who researches environmental health at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and was not involved in the study, said she’s not aware of a similar study of this size, or one that uses satellite data so extensively. “Their analysis seems sound,” she said, noting that the authors controlled for variables such as the COVID-19 pandemic and shifts toward working from home.

The results, Johnson added, “totally make sense” and align with other research in this area.

When London implemented congestion pricing in 2003, for example, it reduced traffic and emissions and increased life expectancy. That is the direction this latest research could go too.

“They didn’t take the next step and look at health data,” she said, “which I think would be interesting.”

Daniel Horton, who leads Northwestern University’s climate change research group, also sees value in this latest work.

“The results help to confirm the sort of predictions that numerical air quality modelers have been making for the past decade,” he said, adding that it could also lay the foundation for similar research. “This proof of concept paper is a great start and augurs good things to come.”

Eckel hopes that, eventually, advances in satellite technology will allow for more widespread detection of other types of emissions too, such as fine particulate matter. That could even help account for some of the potential downsides of EVs, which are heavier and could therefore kick up more tire or brake dust than their gasoline counterparts. On the whole, though, she believes the picture overwhelmingly illustrates how driving an electric car is better not just for the planet but for people.

Research like this, she says, underscores the importance of continued EV adoption, the sales of which have slumped recently, and the need to do so equitably. Although lower-income neighborhoods have historically borne the brunt of pollution from highways and traffic, they can’t always afford the relatively high cost of EVs. Eckel hopes that research like this can help guide policymakers.

“There are concerns that some of the communities that really stand to benefit the most from reductions in air pollution are also some of the communities that are really at risk of being left behind in the transition,” she said.

Previous research has shown that EVs could alleviate harms such as asthma in children, and detailed data like this latest study can help highlight both where more work needs to be done and what’s working.

“It’s really exciting that we were able to show that there were these measurable improvements in the air that we’re all breathing,” she said.

Another arguably hopeful finding was that the median increase in electric vehicle usage during the study was 272 per ZIP code.

That, Eckel says, means there is plenty of opportunity to make our air even cleaner.

Victor Villa brought his taco cart to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Los Angeles residents likely know the name — Villa's Tacos is an award-winning taco business based in Highland Park. Villa began in his grandmother's front yard and now has brick-and-mortar locations in Highland Park, off Figueroa Avenue, and at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles.

The restaurant has won L.A. Taco's Taco Madness championship three times (2021, 2022 and 2024) and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for three consecutive years for its signature quesotacos.

A celebration of Latino culture

The entire performance was a celebration of Latin American culture's prominence in the United States, with Bad Bunny taking a moment to recognize Spanish-speaking countries worldwide.

Villa appeared during the opening number, "Tití me preguntó" from Bad Bunny's 2022 album "Un verano sin ti." In the sequence, Bad Bunny visits a piragüero cart — piraguas are iconic Puerto Rican shaved ice treats shaped like pyramids — before the camera pans to Villa and his cart, where Bad Bunny hands him the frozen treat. The moment bridges two beloved Latin American street food traditions: Puerto Rico's piraguas and L.A.'s taco culture.

'An absolute honor'

After the performance aired, Villa took to Instagram to express his thanks and call it a historic moment, He traced his journey from selling his first taco more than eight years ago to the Super Bowl stage.

"I want to give a huge thank you to @badbunnypr for hand selecting me & allowing me to represent my people, my culture, my family & my business," Villa wrote on Instagram.

'A product of immigrants'

As a first-generation Mexican American, he dedicated the moment to the immigrants who made it possible, emphasizing that Villa's Tacos is a product of immigration and that he is honored to represent his culture and all taqueros and Latinos everywhere. The post closed with shoutouts to Puerto Rico, Mexico, and all Latinos.

In August last year, Villa appeared on a Food Friday segment on LAist 89.3's AirTalk, bringing his freshly cooked tacos for host Josie Huang.