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.

President Trump once insisted he had "nothing to do with Project 2025," the right-wing policy plan that became a key flashpoint during the presidential campaign.

The Democrats tried to turn the 900-page Heritage Foundation-led blueprint to remake the government into a political boogeyman, and succeeded to some degree, but it wasn't enough to win the election.

A year later, many of the policies have been implemented, from cracking down on immigration to dismantling the Department of Education.

"A lot of the policies from Day 1 to the last day and in between that the administration has adopted are right out of Project 2025," said Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, who has used Project 2025 to prepare legal papers against the administration.

Concerns about the project started to bubble up over the spring of 2024, but really caught fire a few months later when actress Taraji P. Henson singled out Project 2025 while hosting the BET awards.

"Pay attention. It's not a secret. Look it up!" she said, speaking directly into the camera during the show. "They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens. The Project 2025 plan is not a game."

'Ridiculous'

Then-candidate Trump tried to dismiss the hysteria, calling the ideas "ridiculous" — and claiming he did not know who was behind it — even though key people involved in developing the plans served in his first administration.
And when it was clear the firestorm would not go away, Trump went on the attack against those allies who wrote the playbook.

"They're a pain in the a--," said Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, who tore into the organizers of Project 2025 at an event hosted by CNN and Politico during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

"Look, I think that in the perfect world, from their perspective, they would love to drive the issue set, but they don't get to do that," he added.

Yet days after winning, Trump tapped Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025, to lead the Office of Management and Budget — considered the nerve center of the White House. Other contributors followed.
Trump soon unleashed a flurry of orders reshaping the government, many of which were outlined in Project 2025.

"As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female," he said during his inaugural address.

Trump ended diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He launched massive immigration enforcement and took the first steps to overhaul the federal workforce.

Bonta, the attorney general of California, said Project 2025 defined Trump's first year back in office. The country's 23 Democratic attorneys general studied Project 2025, consulted with each other and, he said, prepared a response for every potential action should it be taken.

"The existence of Project 2025 was the Trump administration telling us exactly what they were going to do and sending it to us in writing," Bonta said.

Bonta has filed or joined lawsuits that have successfully blocked Trump's policies requiring states like California to join his immigration crackdown, freeze of domestic federal funding and layoffs at agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education.

The White House dismissed concerns about Project 2025, calling them irrelevant theories from Beltway insiders.

"President Trump is implementing the agenda he campaigned on and that the American people voted for," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.

Jackson said the president focused on implementing the agenda he campaigned on — lowering gas prices, accelerating economic growth and securing the border.

Fueling controversy

Trump may have actually fueled the controversy by rejecting Project 2025 during the campaign, said Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former White House aide to George W. Bush.

"I would say that Project 2025 was largely standard conservative fare, but with a bit more of a MAGA flavor than previously."

Troy sees little difference between what the Heritage Foundation did with Project 2025 and what think tanks on the left and right have been doing for years compiling policy proposals for incoming presidents.

He pointed to the personnel and policy ideas of the Hoover Institution that helped shape the George W. Bush administration and the Center for American Progress' influence on the Obama administration.

"If the Trump campaign had leaned into it and said, 'sure, this is an agenda that has been put out as a think tank. This happens all the time. We will look at them in due time when the election is over,' " said Troy. "By criticizing and disavowing Project 2025, it suddenly became more radioactive."

Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, says he never took the attacks personally, which he chalked up to political calculus. 

He likened watching the president sign executive orders and directives that first came across his desk to being an animator who watches his or her sketchbook come to life on the big screen.

"I believe the proof is in the pudding," said Dans, who also served in the first Trump administration. "Every day that President Trump rolls out another Project 2025 item, it's really an endorsement of our work, myself and the work of thousands of patriots who came together."

Dans is now highlighting that work in a run for the Senate, against Trump-ally, Republican Lindsey Graham.

Trump did eventually embrace Project 2025 during the shutdown fight last fall.

He boasted of meeting with "Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame," while threatening to dismantle federal agencies.

"I can't believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he said.

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President Trump says his controversial push for U.S. control of Greenland comes after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year, adding he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace.

In a message to Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Sunday night, Trump criticized the European country for not giving him the prize.

"Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America," Trump said in the message.

"The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland," Trump added.

The message was reported by PBS NewsHour, and was later confirmed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a statement.

Gahr Støre said he received the message on Sunday in response to a text he and Finland's President Alexander Stubb had sent to Trump, in which they had conveyed opposition to Trump's proposed tariff increases on eight European countries over the recent Greenland dispute.

In their message to Trump, according to The New York Times, which received a copy of the exchange from the Norwegian prime minister's office, Gahr Støre and Stubb wrote: "We believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate — so much is happening around us where we need to stand together."

The pair suggested a joint call.

"Norway's position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter," Gahr Støre said. "We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic."

Gahr Støre also pointed out that while President Trump claimed that Norway "decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize," the government of Norway is not responsible for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded by a five member Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1901.

The Danish navy's inspection ship HDMS Vaedderen sails off Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday.

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The Peace Prize, which was last awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, is also awarded for the previous year. That means the most recent prize was awarded for 2024, before President Trump commenced his second term of office. Machado gave Trump her prize last week as a symbolic thank you for his recent actions in Venezuela.

In a phone interview with NBC News on Monday, Trump again claimed that the Norwegian government has control over the Nobel Peace Prize. "Norway totally controls it despite what they say," he said. Trump also said he would follow through on his threats to impose further tariffs. When asked whether he would use force to seize Greenland, the president replied: "No comment."

The European Union is set to hold an emergency summit on Thursday, in which attendees will discuss how to respond to the threats. In a statement on social media, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had "no interest to pick a fight" but would "hold our ground."

Trump's message to Gahr Støre comes as tensions rise between Europe and the United States over the status of Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that is strategically important and rich in resources.

On Monday, the World Economic Forum said officials from Denmark would not be attending the meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this week. "We can confirm that the Danish government will not be represented in Davos this week," a spokesperson, Alem Tedeneke, told NPR.

On Sunday, in a collective rebuke to President Trump, the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning recent U.S. tariff threats. The eight countries, which are all members of NATO, said that Trump's proposed tariffs "undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral."

On Saturday night, President Trump had written on his Truth Social social media platform that he would impose tariffs on imports from the countries, after they had deployed limited military personnel to Greenland to participate in a Danish-led Arctic exercise known as 'Arctic Endurance.'

Trump said America would levy a 10% tariff on goods from the eight countries starting on Feb. 1, which would rise to 25% on June 1, and remain in place "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" by the United States.

The open dispute comes after weeks of increasingly assertive U.S. rhetoric regarding Greenland, in which Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is strategically vital to U.S. national security, citing its location and untapped mineral deposits.

In his text message, Trump questioned Denmark's right to claim Greenland. "Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a 'right of ownership' anyway? There are no written documents, it's only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also," Trump said.

Trump made similar comments last week, saying "the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land," drawing mirth on social media, with comedians like Jon Stewart noting on The Daily Show "how do you think we got our land?"

Copyright 2026 NPR

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend is typically busy for the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. On Monday, the orchestra finished its third performance of the weekend at the California African American Museum, which included a musical rendition of the civil rights leader’s seminal “I Have a Dream Speech.”

It was flautist Tionna LeSassier’s first time playing with the orchestra on the federal holiday. Tionna said she began playing flute when she was 12.

“I feel really relieved that I was able to accomplish such a big performance for a really big holiday,” Tionna, who has been playing flute for more than two years, said. “I cannot believe I’m here playing with these amazing musicians.”

The orchestra’s performance, which included pieces like “We Shall Overcome” and the “Afro-American Symphony,” capped off the museum’s annual “King Day” celebration.

The event is held on the federal holiday that honors the legacy of the Baptist preacher whose nonviolent protests and eloquent speeches helped shift American attitudes about race in the 1960s and beyond and lead to landmark Civil Rights legislation.

Earlier in the day, museumgoers listened to and reflected on a recording by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1967. Nearly 60 years later, event participants said, the words still feel fresh.

“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are incapable of being conquered,” King said in “The Three Evils of Society,” his keynote address at the National Conference on New Politics in Chicago.

Cameron Shaw, executive director of the Exposition Park museum, told LAist on Monday that the speech has “incredible relevance to the political and social moment and what we’re going through as a people today.”

In a brief discussion after the speech, one attendee spoke about the need to interrogate racism as a systematic ill, not just as one-off acts, and another commented on the importance of standing up to injustice.

Shaw says the museum’s celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has evolved over the last several years, but one of the main throughlines she sees is the continued message of “speaking truth to power.”

“When we celebrate Dr. King today, we celebrate all of the folks past and present who have been brave enough to speak truth to power,” Shaw said. “That is something we truly need.”

Monday’s event also featured a faux stained glass workshop inspired by an exhibition the museum has on display about architect Amaza Lee Meredith.

The museum’s King Day event was one of several celebrating the Civil Rights leader this weekend in L.A.

In South L.A., an annual parade drew thousands of people, with a march concluding in Leimert Park. "It was a wonderful and powerful tribute to Dr. King’s memory to march down MLK Boulevard alongside so many friends and community members in the historic Leimert Park neighborhood," L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.

A report of a stabbing marred the end of the event. Bass' statement said city officials were investigating and ensuring people got home safe. She added that "Los Angeles has zero tolerance for this type of violence."

Italian fashion designer Valentino died Monday at his Roman residence. He was 93. His foundation announced his death on Instagram.

Dubbed an "international arbiter of taste" by Vogue, notable women wore his designs at funerals and weddings, as well as on the red carpet. He dressed the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis, as well as modern stars, including Anna Wintour to Gwyneth Paltrow and Zendaya.

The image of style and lavish living, Valentino's signature features included crisp suits and a "crème brûlée" complexion — due to his fervor for tanning. He was heavily inspired by the stars he saw on the silver screen and had a lifelong fixation with glamour.

"I love a beautiful lady. I love a beautiful dog. I love a beautiful piece of furniture. I love beauty. It's not my fault," he said in The Last Emperor, a 2008 documentary about him.

In the world of haute couture, Valentino embraced sophistication, elegance and traditional femininity through his dresses and trademarked a vibrant red hue. His work embodied romance, luxury and an aristocratic lifestyle.

He was born Valentino Garavani and named after the silent movie star Rudolph Valentino. A self-described spoiled child, the designer acquired a taste for the expensive from a young age; his shoes were custom-made, and the stripe, color and buttons of his blazers were designed to his specifications.

His father, a well-to-do electrical supplier, and his mother, who appreciated the value of a well-made garment, catered to their young son's refined palate and later supported his fashion endeavors, sending him to school and financing his early work.

Growing up in the small town of Voghera, Italy, he learned sewing from his Aunt Rosa in Lombardy. After high school, he moved to Paris to study fashion and take on apprenticeships.

Valentino owed much of his success to his former lover and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti. The two met in a café on the famed Via Condotti in Rome in 1960, where Valentino had opened his first couture studio.

They founded Valentino Company the same year, and its first ready-to-wear shop opened in Milan in 1969. Together, the pair built a fashion empire over five decades.

They separated romantically when Valentino was 30 but remained business partners and close friends. Valentino knew little about business and accounting before meeting Giammetti; together, they formed two parts of a whole — Giammetti the business mind, and Valentino the creative force.

"Valentino has a perfect vision of how a woman should dress," Giammetti told Charlie Rose in 2009. "He looks for beauty. Women should be more beautiful. His work is to make women more beautiful."

They sold the Valentino company in 1998 for nearly $300 million. It made $1.36 billion in revenue in 2021, according to Reuters.

Even after his retirement in 2008, he couldn't completely leave fashion behind and continued to design dresses for opera productions.

Once the fashion world became more accessible to the public, millions of aspiring fashionistas bought jeans, handbags, shoes, umbrellas and even Lincoln Continentals with his gleaming "V" monogram. By the peak of his career, Valentino's popularity would rival that of the pope's in Rome.

Copyright 2026 NPR