Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published November 15, 2024 5:00 AM
A basturma brisket sandwich at Ill Mas Bakery & Deli
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Carlin Stiehl
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LAist
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Topline:
Arthur Grigoryan and Takouhi Petrosyan, the owners of Ill Mas Bakery & Deli, currently serve food from a ghost kitchen in a remote part of Glendale. The pair creates seriously delicious sandwiches and baked goods despite the nondescript surroundings.
Why is it important? The food expands the idea of Armenian cuisine through the lens of Los Angeles, creating something wholly new and unique.
Why now? Grigoryan and Petrosyan spent their formative years in Los Angeles, where Grigoryan worked at Nancy Silverton’s Osteria Mozza before starting III Mas as a pop-up in 2018. Since then, they’ve steadily built a following, serving their traditional Armenian dishes, including their basturma brisket sandwich, which is currently in the running for one of my best sandwiches in Los Angeles.
I’ve seen the future of Los Angeles dining, and it can be found inside a ghost kitchen in a nondescript area of Glendale, just off San Fernando Road.
III Mas Bakery & Deli, run by husband and wife duo Arthur Grigoryan and Takouhi Petrosyan, offers only five items: various baked goods and a couple of sandwiches with an Armenian-meets-American twist.
But that’s like describing "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane as a simple little ditty you can hum. This food is so good that it’s downright mind-blowing, and the sandwiches — particularly the Basturma brisket — are some of the best I've had in L.A.
I was enraptured by all the details, from ingredients to historical influences to its ability to tie everything together coherently. It's a specific brand of soulful cooking, telling an essential story of Los Angeles through the lens of one of its most significant immigrant communities.
Grigoryan previously worked at Nancy Silverton's Osteria Mozza restaurant before leaving in 2018. Grigoryan started III Mas (pronounced Yerord Mas) to create recipes that combined Texas barbeque with Middle Eastern flavors. However, in 2020, when the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan occurred, they realized they wanted to preserve the traditional cooking methods of their ancestral homeland while breathing a new sense of life into it as two Armenian Americans who grew up in SoCal.
Aaish baladi, an Egyptian flatbread similar to pita at III Mas Bakery & Deli on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 in Glendale, CA.
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Grigoryan and Petrosyan created a new concept based on traditional Jewish and Italian American deli recipes but with an Armenian twist. The concept focuses on bread baking and sandwiches.
“If you look at the Middle East, every street corner of every neighborhood has a bakery, and that's essentially the heart of the community,” Grigoryan said.
III Mas refers to the 3rd district in the capital of Yerevan in Armenia, where Grigoryan's father is originally from and worked in the meat business. After a successful run with their pop-up, including at Smorgasburg LA, they decided to venture out and move to a ghost kitchen space earlier this year.
Sandwiches from the heart
Their sandwiches are the biggest sellers. There’s the basturma brisket sandwich ($21), my favorite, modeled after classic pastrami, but given a cultural spin by the addition of basturma, a salt-cured meat popular in Armenian cuisine.
Arthur Grigoryan and Takouhi Petrosyan stand inside their kitchen at Ill Mas Bakery & Deli
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Carlin Stiehl
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Thick cuts of seasoned brisket and a slice of melted Swiss cheese are topped with a pile of their house-made pickles and slathered with their chaman spread, their take on a Russian dressing. It features the same spice rub mix used to season the basturma, a mixture of fenugreek, paprika, cumin, and cayenne, with Japanese kewpie mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce.
Both brisket and basturma are related, believed to come from the Turkish pastruma (or pastirma), which dates back to the 5th century A.D. Its name means “to press” in Turkish, referring to how the meat is prepared.
In-house Persian cucumber pickles
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Carlin Stiehl
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Arthur Grigoryan slices into a basturma brisket
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Carlin Stiehl
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The other sandwich option is the Morta-De-Lav-Eli ($16), described as “Middle Eastern Italian fusion,” made with mortadella with pistachio, labneh, crushed pistachios, shaved lettuce and oregano vinaigrette. It's undoubtedly a partial homage to Grigoryan's time working with Silverton but also a love letter to Italian deli culture. Growing up in Glendale, Grigoryan frequented Mario’s Deli, which has been there for 60 years. Part of the name, “de lav Eli,” translates in Armenian to “Come on, bro.”
Each sandwich is made with aish baladi, an Egyptian flatbread similar to pita, based on a recipe from Grigoryan’s Armenian grandmother, who grew up in Egypt.
In Arabic, the name Aish baladi translates to the bread of life. “Because bread is essential, it's seen as an element of life. Even when times get hard, whether war or famine, it's that mixture of flour and water that keeps people alive and nourished,” Grigoryan said.
Also on their menu is their msalosh, also known as lahmajoun, sometimes described as Armenian pizza. The 12-inch circular flatbread is topped with fresh ground and seasoned beef made in-house, which features mixed vegetables and spices, and then blanketed over a well-baked crust. The msalosh is commonly found in Armenian cuisine, offered by plenty of bakeries in Glendale and surrounding areas. But Grigoryan has taken it to the next level, with a sturdy crust similar to an actual pizza crust and fresh-tasting ingredients that elevate the dish.
Ground meat and tomato to make Lahmajouns rests on a table at Ill Mas Bakery & Deli
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Like many recipes prepared at III Mas, he has a deep personal connection with the msalosh. His father’s side of the family is from the city where they originated, formally known as Aintab, which was initially part of Armenia and is now known as Gaziantep in Turkey.
“We wanted to bring that historical element into it, especially considering that lahmajoun has been in our family for generations,” Grigoryan said.
Finding soul in a ghost kitchen
While the dream has always been to open a restaurant, the harsh economic reality of high rents, not to mention the record number of businesses that have shuttered in recent years, made the ghost kitchen model seem the most viable at this point.
A ghost kitchen is usually found in large industrial buildings containing many small kitchen spaces where food is prepared and ordered online for delivery or pick-up.
Grigoryan and Petrosyan spend most days in the small 200-square-foot kitchen, churning out baked goods and sandwiches for pick up and delivery.
While the ghost kitchen allows a certain sense of freedom when preparing the dishes, Grigoryan admits that he misses the customer interaction.
Takouhi Petrosyan hands over a pickup order
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Carlin Stiehl
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Arthur Grigoryan squeezes past Takouhi Petrosyan in the tight kitchen at Ill Mas Bakery & Deli on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 in Glendale, CA.
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“People come, park, they give us a call, we run the food to them, and that's pretty much it. There's something to be said for the whole customer experience of dropping the food off at the table and giving a chance to explain it,” he said.
Despite those drawbacks, they realize it’s the right step for them right now.
“The ghost kitchen was the smartest decision financially so that people could get to know us,” Grigoryan said.
Aaron Schrank
has been on the ground, reporting on homelessness and other issues in L.A. for more than a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 4:23 PM
Supervisor Holly Mitchell, L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer, actor Danny Trejo and others gathered at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Wilmington.
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Topline:
A new private foundation called The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA launched Thursday, aiming to raise $2 million to shore up county health services this year. It comes after the Department of Public Health closed seven clinics following $50 million in funding cuts since early 2025.
Who's behind it: The foundation's board includes Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, the CEOs of Blue Shield of California Foundation and LA Care Health Plan, actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo and more. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 at the launch. Ferrer acknowledged it's "a hard day" when a public agency has to turn to private donors to fund basic services.
Deeper cuts ahead: The federal "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes Medi-Cal funding, and the department anticipates losing up to $300 million over the next three years. Federal dollars account for nearly half the public health budget.
Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.
A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.
“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.
She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.
Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.
The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.
More cuts expected
L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.
“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”
Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.
The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.
Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.
If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published April 2, 2026 4:20 PM
Water infrastructure such as pipes that feed water to drinking fountains and toilets at the Rose Bowl Stadium are getting an infusion of $1 million for fixes.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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Topline:
Rep. Laura Friedman today announced that she secured $1 million for improvements to the water infrastructure at the aging Rose Bowl Stadium as it prepares for a global starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
Why it matters: The pipes may be working fine — for now — but the fear of backed-up toilets as the world watches is an ongoing worry at the venue.
Why now: Public officials have been pushing for spending to improve Olympic venues and surrounding areas as L.A. and other municipalities roll out the red carpet for the world to attend the Olympics. But they’ve hit road bumps and detours.
The backstory: The Rose Bowl is 103 years old and public officials have committed to spending $200 million to upgrade the Pasadena venue over the next two decades.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.
But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.
“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.
The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.
The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.
The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.
Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist
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“Over the next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.
Getting venues ready will be expensive
The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.
The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.
Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.
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Kevin Tidmarsh
is a producer for LAist, covering news and culture. He’s been an audio/web journalist for about a decade.
Published April 2, 2026 3:39 PM
This Cape vulture chick hatched March 14 at the L.A. Zoo.
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Courtesy Misha Body/LA Zoo
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Topline:
The zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched on March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of eight and a half feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the California condors that just hatched last year at the L.A. Zoo.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Zoo said it’s the first major breeding success in its Cape vulture habitat, which opened up last year. The chick now joins the zoo’s committee — that’s the name for a group of vultures.
About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.
About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.
How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.
Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.
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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo
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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”
About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
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Screenshot courtesy of BHAC
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Topline:
Last week, seven students and two staff members from the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) were detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. Now, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
What happened: According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
Allegations of racial profiling: In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. According to Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
What is BAM? The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses.
Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling.
According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said.
The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.
The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members.
Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred.
According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained.
Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs.
Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.
“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.
Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.
“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”
Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students.
“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.
Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation.
Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated.
Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students.
“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?”
In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.
The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction.
The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April.
“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”
Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said.
“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said.
Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.
“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.
