The Brief

Desiree Flores was raised in her grandmother’s lively kitchen in Boyle Heights. Juicy birria tacos were the family’s love language, and food brought them all together. So when she became a vegan at 17, to make a healthy change in her life, it was a significant challenge.

“I didn't really know any other vegans,” says Flores, “and then there's no vegan restaurants. There's no Trader Joe's nearby. There's no, like, any of the health stores or anything different with a very Latino-based community.”

But Flores refused to abandon the foods from her childhood. So, she started experimenting with creating plant-based versions of her favorite dishes.

After lots of trial and error, she became an avid home chef and developed a talent for emulating traditional Mexican meals with a vegan spin for her friends and family.

Desiree’s younger sister Chelsea remembers when she first started making her vegan renditions, “a lot of people were a little skeptical because obviously, being with the culture, it does revolve around like a lot of eating meat," she says.

"But honestly, they still enjoyed the fact that she was still able to celebrate these traditions with us, even though it wasn't meat-based food. And she was still kind of doing her little twist on it.”

How Dear Mama got started

Then, in 2017, she took a catering gig on a whim. She made tamales for a vegan supper club, which turned into a string of opportunities to provide food for more events. She had just graduated with a degree in business and marketing from Cal State Northridge and decided to act fast and turn her hobby into a business.

“I knew I was going to be an entrepreneur,” says Flores, “I just didn't know what exact manner, and I didn't ever think it would be food.”

Desiree Flores, owner of Dear Mama

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Claire Fogarty

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For LAist

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One day, when she was scraping together the details for her business, she heard Tupac Shakur’s song "Dear Mama" play, and she had a name for her business, dedicating it both to her mother and grandmother.

What started as an improvised venture out of her kitchen now turned into a full-time job in 2019 with a pop-up and catering business.

Crowds line up at Dear Mama.

(

Claire Fogarty

/

For LAist

)

The secret

The first dish Flores set out to perfect was birria, given that her grandmother is known to have some of the best homemade birria in town.

“[Birria] meant a lot to me,” says Flores, “And in order for me to recreate that flavor and that nostalgia, I did a lot of research trying to figure out the right consistency flavor.”

The secret to Dear Mama’s meaty texture is marinated jackfruit. The versatile ingredient absorbs flavor and imitates the tender texture of meat. Flores developed all of her recipes from scratch, all with a final seal of approval from her grandmother.

She emphasizes that a lot of what people enjoy about birria is actually the sauces: “It's all plants and herbs, and it's not necessarily meat-based. It takes people a second to realize that.”

Though some birria purists are skeptical about trying a plant-based version, Flores urges everyone to try it at least once. She often even gives out a free taco sample to curious people yet to be convinced of her offerings.

“If we can be that person to be like, ‘Hey, just try it,’ and they're like really surprised,” says Chelsea Flores, who also helps out with the business, “We want to be able to open people's minds and not to throw veganism out.”

She found that popping up in Mariachi Park in Boyle Heights, she encounters more people of older generations who may not be as familiar with vegan food, and she likes to be the one to introduce them to it.

“Older individuals took a liking to it because a lot of them were already suffering from health ailments, so they wanted to find a solution for that,” she says.

In addition to birria tacos, Dear Mama serves a variety of other dishes, including tortas, nachos, pozole, and tamales, depending on the event.

Serving the community

Part of Flores’ mission with Dear Mama is to show up with healthy options for the community. Earlier this year, she collaborated with Los Angeles Food Policy Council to put on vegan cooking workshops in local liquor stores and tienditas in Boyle Heights, MacArthur Park, and Koreatown.

“Dear Mama, they're all about cooking, sustainably and healthy, and providing tasty food to something you wouldn't think would be tasty,” said Michelle Fausto, a business counselor at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council who helped run the events. “We really wanted to work with her because we saw it as a different way of cooking that would benefit the community.”

Flores made sure that the food they prepared in the cooking workshop was made of ingredients available to purchase at the small local stores.

“You don't always have access to a grocery store that's kind of conveniently close, and a lot of individuals don't have cars,” explains Flores. “So being able to utilize what you have at these stores is super essential.”

She is in the early stages of making a product line of vegan versions of cooking staples to sell at these local stores.

“We want to fill that gap for the essentials that are missing in the Latino community, as far as products like vegan Mexican sour cream,” said Flores.

Dear Mama is also a favorite vendor for events for marginalized communities, like the LGBTQ+ organization Cuties L.A. and plus-size flea market Thick Thrift Flea.

“Vegan Mexican food is, like, such a cool niche because it's so L.A. in multiple ways,” said Rachael Frank, the Co-Founder of Thick Thrift Flea. “Like there's such a big vegan food scene here. And also obviously, so many people have Mexican roots, [it’s]so important and cool to have that representation.”

Flores’ mother and grandmother were both single parents, so Dear Mama offers a single-parent discount of 15% off the check and a free meal for the children present.

“I think it was really important because kids are really picky. And, you know, I don't want you to necessarily spend your money on a taco, and they may or may not eat it. So we're more than happy and willing to donate and give part of that because we understand the struggle,” explains Flores.

Right now, Dear Mama is taking holiday tamale and pie orders and gearing up for what 2024 has to bring.

Students within the Los Angeles Unified School District showed improvements on state reading, math and science standardized tests for a third consecutive year, district authorities announced Tuesday.

Superintendent Andrés Chait revealed the preliminary results at the annual opening-of-schools address at East L.A.’s Garfield High School— his first as the district’s leader since the board appointed him to the job in June.

“ These are not just numbers on a page,” Chait said to an audience that included about 1,000 principals, administrators and district supporters. “They are the result of your passion, your persistence, your belief in what students can achieve. These are collective accomplishments.

"They reflect the dedication, skill, and commitment of our entire community,” he said.

Jai Gant-Leau, principal of Eagle Tree Continuation High School, said the “back-to-basics” focus of Chait’s speech was a welcome departure from the tone of recent opening addresses.

“We will continue to rise for the outcomes and expectations for the success of our students. That's the message I got,” Gant-Leau said. “Very different than the others where it was a lot of… bells and whistles.”

Why it matters

Student achievement, as measured by test scores, plummeted during the pandemic. Los Angeles Unified’s growth in 2025 outpaced the state, as test scores exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

This year the percentage of students in all grades who met or exceeded the standard are 39.7% for math, 48.3% for English and 32.1% for science. It’s unclear how this compares to students statewide because those results have yet to be released.

Challenges ahead

Chait also acknowledged the challenges posed by declining enrollment, community fears of immigration enforcement actions and proposed budget cuts.

 “The decisions will be hard, but we cannot lose sight of what defines us,” Chait said. “We are the system that lifts students to opportunity, turns potential into achievement, creates spaces of belonging, healing, growth.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

We hope you’ve gotten used to the hot weather, because it’s going to be here for a while.

The National Weather Service has issued yet another heat advisory for much of Southern California, less than a week after other high-temperature warnings were lifted.

This week’s advisory will be in place from 10 a.m. Wednesday through Monday. Forecasters expect temperatures to climb steadily over the course of Wednesday and Thursday.

The San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and other inland areas in L.A., as well as Riverside and San Bernardino counties, will likely see highs ranging from the mid-90s to about 105 degrees. Areas closer to the coast, including downtown Los Angeles and much of Orange County, will hit the 90s. Beaches will hover mostly in the upper 70s.

Humidity will also add to the discomfort. Even though it’s decreasing slightly, it makes cooling down harder, especially at night.

People who work outdoors or do not have air conditioning are especially at risk from the heat and humidity, along with people over 65, young children and other sensitive populations.

Fire risk

Forecasters are warning that conditions are ripe for fires, driven by a combination of wind and dry vegetation.

Southern California hasn’t seen much rain recently, despite the humidity, leaving plants with little moisture and turning them into the perfect fuel.

“Even though the air feels kind of moist, we're in the time of season where it doesn't matter. The fuels are dry and they're ready to go,” said NWS meteorologist Ryan Kittell.

Kittel said people should take extra care with anything that could create a spark, and residents in fire-prone areas should remain aware of their surroundings in case a fire starts.

The fire risk is likely to be concentrated in a few specific areas that will experience higher winds than others, including parts of the 5 Freeway corridor in northern L.A. County, especially around the Grapevine, and in southern Santa Barbara County.

For most of the region, though, winds should stay fairly mild.

Dangerous beach conditions

Southern Californians also have to contend with some ocean-specific risks this week.

Forecasters expect dangerously large waves and strong rip currents to hit the coastline at a time when the heat may drive more people to the beach. The conditions are expected to persist through the weekend.

If you decide to head to the beach, it’s a good idea to ask a lifeguard for advice on the conditions before entering the water. It’s also recommended to swim only near occupied lifeguard stands, stay off of rock jetties and avoid turning your back to the waves.

South-facing stretches of coastline will bear the brunt of the swell, which is being driven by two tropical storms churning hundreds of miles away in the Pacific Ocean.

“Those two systems generated the winds and the waves locally that are pushing towards us, and so that's creating elevated surf and some stronger currents than normal,” Kittel said.

The swell is not expected to cause significant coastal flooding as high tides remain relatively low.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Free transportation to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area swim beach will be available this week as East LA families continue to seek relief from another heat wave and the aftermath of the Lineage warehouse fire.

Los Angeles County is offering complimentary transportation Wednesday through Saturday at select Eastside parks so residents can enjoy a day at the lake at no cost.

More than a month after the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire, many residents continue to report persistent odors from rotting food and cleanup efforts. Because of the ongoing air quality concerns and community complaints, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation has canceled its local aquatic programming.

To ensure families still have access to summer recreational activities, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis directed resources toward providing the “beach bus” program to Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area Swim Beach in Irwindale.

Read below for more information on the free shuttle services, schedules and more. 

Pickup locations

Belvedere Aquatic Center

5035 1st St. East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Obregon Park Pool

4021 1st St. Los Angeles, CA 90063

Salazar Park Pool 

3864 Whittier Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023

City Terrace Park Pool

1126 N. Hazard Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90063

Shuttle dates and times 

• Wednesday, July 22
• Thursday, July 23
• Friday, July 24
• Saturday, July 25

Morning trip: 

• Check in at 8:30 a.m. 
• The bus departs East LA at 9 a.m. 
• The bus leaves Santa Fe Dam to go back to East LA at 12 p.m.

Afternoon trip: 

• Check in at 12:30 p.m. 
• The bus departs East LA at 1 p.m. 
• The bus leaves Santa Fe Dam to go back to East LA at 4 p.m. 

What to know

No registration or proof of address is required, but children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your own food and drinks. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.