Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published May 2, 2025 5:00 AM
A slice of hot, cheesy pizza.
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Pablo Pacheco
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Unsplash
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Topline:
Got cold pizza? Instead of tossing it in the microwave, try these tips to get the best-tasting reheated slice, which might even be better than when you ordered it.
Why reheated pizza? We’ve all been there. You’ve got a couple of cold pizzas sitting in your fridge from the night before, and you’re at a loss for what to do next. But instead of downing them cold, why not bring them back to life using one of these favored methods from L.A.’s top pizza makers?
Who did you talk to? Brandon Conway from the recently opened Wallflour Pizza in Eagle Rock, Chris Wallace from Apizza in North Hollywood, and Michael McSharry at Grá in Echo Park — to name a few.
As a food writer, I eat a lot of pizza. Like, a lot. And now that L.A. is having a pizza renaissance, with all sorts of creativity and styles, there’s even more to try. (As I have argued, L.A. is currently producing the best pizza in the world.)
But while my love for pizza knows no bounds, my stomach has other ideas. I’m only good for about a slice or two these days if I want to avoid a blown-out palate or extreme sluggishness.
Which means I end up with a ton of leftover pizza in my fridge and, in some cases, my freezer. So I’ve become endlessly fascinated by the debate over the best way to reheat pizza.
In 2016, I took a spiritual pilgrimage to Roberta’s pizzeria in New York, known for pioneering “New American meets wood-fired Neapolitan” style pizza with a strong emphasis on high-quality ingredients (a template from which many in L.A. have drawn).
Inside the restaurant I saw an illustration tacked to a wall that looked like something out of a zine or an indie comic book. To my surprise, it was neither; instead, it was a guide to reheating pizza.
When I tried it at home, it turned out to be a game-changer. Place the pizza inside a cast-iron pan at medium-low heat for 2 minutes until the bottom of your slice gets crispy. Then sprinkle a couple of drops of water inside the pan and quickly cover it for one minute before taking the slice out.
A cold slice of pizza placed into of warmed up cast iron pan to begin crisping the bottom.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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The result is perfectly cooked pizza, melty on top, crispy on the bottom, reborn as the day it was served to you. This genius technique is now permanently etched into the walls of my cerebral cortex and I regularly feed my entire family using it.
The heated debate about reheating
I figured that was it: reheating nirvana. But when I talked to an esteemed pizza maker in L.A. for another story I'm working on — and mentioned my (Roberta's) technique — I got some unexpected pushback. Skillet? No, you should use an oven.
Talking to other pizza makers, I realized there's a whole lotta disagreement about reheating methods.
Stove, oven, air fryer — each of these pizzaiolos was wedded to their own method. (Some talked smack about the other techniques, but we won't reveal who in the name of keeping peace in pizza world).
There was one moment of unity: Do Not Use A Microwave. Although one chef allowed: "It's still gonna be tasty. It's just not gonna be crispy.”
So whose is the best? Well, I thought I'd collect their answers, share them with you, my pizza-loving audience, and let you decide. Here you go:
Ryan Ososky (D-Town Pizzeria in West Hollywood)
Oven “ First and foremost, it depends on the style you're trying to reheat. We have it printed on our boxes. Thinner pies like Detroit style will take less time than thicker pies like NYC or Neapolitan pies.
D-Town in West Hollywood prints instructions on their boxes on how to reheat their pizza for the proper time and temperature.
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Courtesy of D-Town Pizzeria
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"If something comes from the fridge, I prefer a wire rack on a tray [in the oven]. It'll circulate the air underneath and potentially catch any cheese that may drip. So having foil underneath the wire rack is good. Try 375 for six to eight minutes.
"If you're using a toaster oven, go even lower (with the heat). It will be maybe closer to 15 minutes if you're in a smaller oven.”
Brandon Conway (Wallflour Pizza in Eagle Rock, formerly Quarantine Pizza)
Skillet ”I would say the method that I've found to be the best, quality-wise, is to start by placing your slice of pizza in a cold pan (any kind of frying or sauté pan).
A couple drops of water added to a cast iron pan creates steam that will help melt the cheese.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Pizza, like the day it was born
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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" Just turn the heat on medium-low, then put a lid on it, and let it steam. You'll get the bottom crispy. Then, if you need to, splash a little water in there and get some steam to melt the top.
" Then, if you want to go crazy, a buddy of mine, Alex Fink, has a wild method called French Toast Pizza. He'll just scramble some eggs and dip the pizza in there. Then you cook it, popping it side down first until it cooks, and flip it, and then it's like French toast or breakfast pizza, in a sense. That one's pretty wild.”
Daniel Holzman (Danny Boy's Famous Original Pizza, DTLA and Westwood)
Oven “You want to put it on a hot surface, mimicking a pizza stone, so use a baking sheet or an upside-down frying pan. Preheat the pan in the oven — it takes 15 minutes at 450°F to preheat. By the time your oven is up to temperature, so is your metal surface, and you put the slice right on top of that.”
Chris Wallace (Ozzy's Apizza, North Hollywood)
Air fryer or skillet “The best way would be to use an air fryer. If you have one, set it to 350°F and throw it in for three minutes. It crisps up the bottom, makes it nice and chewy and doesn't dry it as much as the regular oven. So I like that method.
"And then if you don't have an air fryer, 'cause not everyone does, there’s the old school method of using a frying pan with a little ice cube. It always works well. The key is to preheat the frying pan for as long as possible. Then, throw it on the crust side for about five minutes. When you see the cheese melt, get an ice cube and throw a little cover over it to steam it. And then there you go. Perfect.”
Michael McSharry (Grá in Echo Park)
Oven “ Crank the oven to the highest temperature for 10 minutes. If you have a pizza stone, use it. After 10 minutes, drop your cold pizza into the blazing oven. I would recommend a minute and a half because you want to heat it through and not burn the cheese. You want to give it a quick blast of heat from top to bottom, and then it pops out perfect.”
Alex Koons (Hot Tongue Pizza, Silver Lake)
Skillet “I have to go with a cast-iron pan or a skillet. This was a mind-blowing revelation, brought to my attention by the man, the myth, the legend, Scott Wiener of Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York. But the skillet is the only way to go.
"It's like that or a non-stick pan, and you put the slice right on the pan, turn it to low to medium heat, and let that thing start warming up. It takes two minutes. You don't wanna go too high on the heat 'cause you can burn the bottom of the pizza, [but] warm enough to where the side edges of the cheese should start moving and bubbling. At that point, you want to get your hands wet with some water and add a few drops to the pan, just enough to get the side of the pan moist.
"You then cover your pan for the next two minutes to steam it, allowing the top of the pizza to become nice and loose and start bubbling. You can take it off after four or five minutes and remove the lid, and you should end up with a pizza that is the same, if not better, as it was before."
Stefanie Ritoper
was formerly LAist's early childhood engagement producer.
Published May 6, 2026 8:00 AM
LAist reporter Julia Barajas interviews Maria Monares, a longtime resident of East Los Angeles, about odor issues in the area.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Topline:
Whether you’re looking to connect with a reporter or have an interview coming up, here’s a cheat sheet to help you talk with journalists, including our staff from LAist.
Why it matters: Reporters come to you for a reason. They may be intimidating because they have a mic or a camera, but you have a perspective they need. Media outlets also want to expand their audiences, and that includes you.
Read on... for our cheat sheet on how to talk with journalists.
LAist reports on local issues for — and with — communities across Southern California, but chances are most readers have never spoken with a journalist before. Your stories and experiences power our reporting, so it’s important that people know what to expect when they speak with a reporter.
That’s what this guide is for.
Below are some tips from our newsroom on what to keep in mind when talking to a journalist.
Remember: You are the expert on your own life
Tell the story you want to tell about yourself.
Be honest. Truthfulness and facts are central to journalistic ethics.
Also know your worth. Reporters come to you for a reason. They may be intimidating because they have a mic or a camera, but you have a perspective they need. Media outlets also want to expand their audiences, and that includes you.
Common questions
How can I get a journalist’s attention?
Contact reporters by social media or send them a personal email — at LAist, contact information is available on our staff page. If you meet a reporter, get their business card. It will usually have a direct phone number to talk with them.
Will all my words be published?
Probably not. Journalists are often working with a limited word count or air time. They will likely use one short sound bite or quote from you. It’s also possible they will not use your interview at all. Reporters and their editors decide what will get published.
Can I see a copy of the story before it's published?
Probably not. It is against journalistic ethics to have sources review a story before it’s published. Imagine if a journalist were to do a piece about government corruption. You wouldn’t want the government agency to review the story and edit it. Editors review stories for accuracy.
When will the story be published?
It depends on the type of story. Some stories are short and may air on the radio or be published online the same day you talk to the reporter. Other times a reporter might work on a story for several weeks or months. It’s OK to follow up with the reporter who talked to you and ask when the story might be done and ask them to let you know where you can read or hear it.
Can I speak with a fact-checker?
You are welcome to ask reporters about their fact-checking process or how they make sure a story is accurate. Not all outlets have fact-checkers. If the story is an investigative story or a long-form or magazine format, designated fact-checkers are more common. At LAist, reporters and editors are responsible for verifying information.
What if I am asked about something that makes me feel uncomfortable?
Your story is your own and during an interview you have full control over what you say to a reporter. Answer questions in any way that makes you feel most comfortable, and you can always decline to answer a question.
What do I do if a reporter asks me about my immigration status?
You don't have to disclose your immigration status to a reporter. If it's directly relevant to the story, a trustworthy reporter will explain that and also tell you how they'd handle the information. You can decline to answer.
How do I determine if the newsroom I'm speaking with has a specific point of view?
It's a great question and relates directly to media literacy — meaning how well you can spot misinformation, disinformation and bias. The reality is that we all have points of view. Here are some tools to check on where a publication falls across the political spectrum:
FAIR's (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), which describes itself as a "progressive media watchdog group" has this media literacy guide.
You should be able to find information on who funds the work on the site (corporations, individual owners, subscribers, members and so on).
You can also check out this interactive chart tracking media outlets across the political spectrum (note that you may need a paid version to search smaller outlets). Ad Fontes Media, which describes itself as a "public benefit corporation" which they said means they are "a for-profit business with a stated public mission," has been publishing its analysis since 2018.
Is everything I say usable in a story?
You can come to an agreement with reporters ahead of the conversation about how your words can be used:
“On the record”: This means that everything you say in your conversation with the journalist can be quoted, published and attributed back to you. By default, you should assume any exchange you have with a journalist is on the record unless you mutually agree otherwise.
“On background”: This means that you are sharing information with a journalist that can be referenced in a story, but is not directly attributed to you.
“Off the record”: This means that you are sharing information that is not for publication. People may share experiences or tips off the record if they want the journalist to be aware of the information but don’t want it mentioned in a story. Remember that “off the record” only counts if both you and the journalist agree to it.
It's worth noting that different newsrooms may use these terms slightly differently. You should confirm with the reporter that you have as shared understanding of the meaning.
Do I need to pay to be in a news story? Can I get paid?
No and no. You will not pay or get paid to be in a news story because this is against journalistic ethics. Anyone who receives payment for a story could be swayed to bend the truth.
What if the reporter gets my story wrong?
If you feel that the reporter misrepresented your story, you can ask for a correction or an update to clarify a point. Reporters want to get the story right and they don't want to incorrect or misleading information to go unchecked. That said, corrections deal with information that is factually incorrect, so you should be ready to explain what was wrong and why. Under California law, you have 20 days to demand a correction and the publisher has to respond within a set period of time.
Think about the main points you want to get across in your interview. What are the most critical things for the reporter to know? Some people like to organize their thoughts into three major points. If you are not used to telling your story, you may want to have a friend ask you some questions to practice. Depending on the story, a reporter may also ask if you have any pictures to share that they can use to help tell the story.
Get involved with LAist
Ask LAist reporters questions
You can reach out to LAist reporters through the contact information listed on their bios. All our editorial staff, including the teams reporting, editing and producing news, are listed here.
How else you can be a part of LAist's reporting
Aside from contacting journalists directly, you can share your story with LAist through short surveys and meeting us in person. Learn more here.
This guide was originally written by former LAist early childhood producer Stefanie Ritoper, with contributions from Mariana Dale. Cato Hernández and David Rodriguez also contributed to this guide.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published May 6, 2026 5:00 AM
The Birria XLB, a limited-edition collab between Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma, available starting May 11.
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Katrina Frederick
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Courtesy Paradise Dynasty
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Topline:
Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma have teamed up on a limited-edition Birria XLB — birria de res folded into a soup dumpling skin.
Why it matters: Two of the defining food obsessions of the past decade in Southern California — birria and XLB — are meeting in one bite, and the collab feels less like a gimmick and more like a natural expression of how L.A.'s Asian and Latino food cultures have always cross-pollinated.
Why now: The Birria XLB drops publicly May 11 at Paradise Dynasty's South Coast Plaza and Americana at Brand locations.
File this under things that could only happen in L.A.
Paradise Dynasty, the Singapore-based chain known for its signature eight-flavor xiao long bao, has teamed up with Burritos La Palma — the SoCal burrito institution whose birria de res recipe traces back over 45 years — to create a limited-edition birria soup dumpling. The Birria XLB will be available starting Monday (May 11) for a limited time at Paradise Dynasty locations.
I've eaten my weight in both soup dumplings and burritos, so naturally, I'm a fan of both.
Paradise Dynasty has been on a steady ascent as a major player in L.A.'s dumpling scene, with locations at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
Meanwhile, Burritos La Palma — known for its simple, savory burritos and finely crafted flour tortillas — has been capturing hearts and stomachs since Alberto Bañuelos opened the first eatery in L.A. in 2012. It’s since grown to several spots across L.A. and Orange County, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024 for its high-quality, Zacatecan-style handmade flour tortilla burritos at an affordable price.
How the collab came together
So what exactly is a birria soup dumpling? A delicate wrapper, lightly packed with tender birria de res — slow-braised beef stewed in chilies and spices — juicy, savory and gone in one bite.
It all began with a call from Paradise Dynasty, when Jason Kuo, district manager for Paradise Dynasty USA, reached out to Bañuelos, calling it, simply, a perfect match between the two dishes.
Kuo said the idea came straight from the community.
"When we started asking guests and people around us what flavor they would want to see in a soup dumpling, birria kept coming up again and again — it was very clear. If we're going to do birria, it has to be done right. Burritos La Palma was the first name that came to mind."
Bañuelos was "beyond thrilled" to have been approached.
"We come from a small town in Mexico, and to be able to elevate to the level of Paradise Dynasty and that culinary perfection, I can't even really put it into words," he said.
It took months of R&D to get the right consistency. Bañuelos said the process required dialing down the moisture and upping the spice potency and landed on serving a fresh red salsa with thin slivers of serrano peppers alongside — a riff on the black vinegar and pickled ginger traditionally served with soup dumplings.
The Birria XLB's juicy interior is part of what makes it work — the dish is served with a fresh, tomato-based salsa and slivers of serrano pepper in place of the traditional black vinegar and pickled ginger.
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Katrina Frederick
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Courtesy Paradise Dynasty
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How it tastes
I got a chance to try the dumplings ahead of the public launch and was struck by how well the combination worked. The juicy nature of birria is almost turbocharged in dumpling form, its savory, herbaceous flavors fully encapsulated in the thin skin, creating an exceptional texture in every bite. The dish hits even harder when dipped in the light tomato-based salsa — a rush of freshness that cuts through the richness, with a spike of heat from fresh serrano. (Feel free to skip the peppers if spice isn't your thing.)
But what's most impressive is how organic it all feels. This isn't fusion for fusion's sake — it's a natural meeting of two dishes that are deeply embedded in the Southern California diet, each playing to the other's strengths.
It feels like a logical meeting of the minds — birria and soup dumplings have both been part of L.A.'s culinary zeitgeist for the better part of a decade, and it makes sense that these worlds should collide.
When asked whether a collaboration like this could happen anywhere else, Bañuelos was quick: "It has to start in L.A. You just can't compete."
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
A gated building at Urban Strategies, a facility that holds unaccompanied minor immigrants under contract with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, in San Benito, Texas.
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Patricia Lim
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KUT News
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Topline:
Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody.
Why now: They signed a letter last week, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
How we got here: The letter comes in the wake of an investigation by the California and Texas Newsrooms, public media collaboratives in those states. LAist is part of The California Newsroom. The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health researchers interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody. They’ve signed a letter, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health experts interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
The letter says the detention violates federal regulations because the children are “entitled to the full range of medical care, including reproductive health care.”
Rep. Gil Cisneros, who represents the central San Gabriel Valley, says he worries that pregnant migrants who are apprehended in California will be put at risk if they’re sent to a part of Texas that is short on obstetric care. Of particularly concern: High-risk pregnancies are common among minors.
“If they were in California," he said, "they would be able to have more choices of the type of health care that they would get when it comes to reproductive health care.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who represents the West San Gabriel Valley, wrote in a statement that “this administration is so intent on restricting abortion that it is using immigration detention as a tool to control these girls’ bodies.”
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published May 5, 2026 3:40 PM
The Trump administration has announced a Title IX investigation into LAUSD.
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Genaro Molina
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
Why now: The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teacher’s union.
The district’s policy: A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites. “‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff. The 110-page document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teachers union.
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites.
“‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
United Teachers Los Angeles called the DOE's accusations a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the district’s reassignment policy.
“[Employees] are not reassigned to another classroom or to any other setting where they would interact with students,” read a statement provided by the union. “This policy protects both students and staff and creates conditions for a thorough and appropriate investigation of allegations.”
Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement that Title IX requires schools to address claims of sexual misconduct in a “timely manner.”
“It is unconscionable that the district would simply ignore Title IX’s procedural requirements to protect teachers who cause life-changing harm to their kids,” Richey wrote. “The Trump administration will always fight to uphold the law, protect the safety of all students and restore common sense to our schools.”
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff.
The 110-page protocol document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
“Los Angeles Unified takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of every student and staff member in our care.” The statement also said the district follows Title IX procedures and continuously reviews its policies, training and reporting systems.
The UTLA settlement outlines several circumstances where an employee can be reassigned, including a law enforcement investigation of misconduct, sexual harassment of a student, behavior toward a student perceived to be motivated by a sexual interest and communicating with a student for non-school-related purposes.
A new California law requires schools to train students and staff to recognize and report misconduct and write new policies on “appropriate behavior.” It also will create a new database of educators credibly accused of abuse.
