Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Food

‘This ain’t no damn fish and chips': OC pop-up brings Southern cuisine to SoCal

A woman with a dark skin tone wears a bright red chef coat and heart-shaped sunglasses. She stands with her elbow on a stand which says “Hot Grease fish and fries."
Asha Starks is the owner of Hot Grease, a fish fry pop-up based in Orange County
(
Gab Chabrán
/
LAist
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Asha Starks, the owner of Hot Grease, likely will adopt a fierce tone if you dare to compare her fish fry to British fish and chips.

At her new O.C.-based pop-up, she specializes in fried fish rooted in historical Black cookery. Taking inspiration from fried chicken, her fried snapper is marinated in buttermilk, then dipped in a cornmeal seasoning with a specific spice blend, which she believes provides a deeper golden fry.

Golden-fried fish with a spiced, craggy crust rest over a bed of thick-cut fries, flanked by a bright wedge of lemon and a tangle of fresh dill. Cups of tangy cocktail sauce and creamy tartar are on the side.
The OG plate from Hot Grease, featuring a snapper fillet with thick fries, house made tartar sauce and hot sauce.
(
Gab Chabrán
/
LAist
)

Each order comes with the choice of thin or thick fries, a slice of lemon, hot sauce, and housemade tartar sauce, made bright by copious amounts of dill.

Support for LAist comes from

It's exceptionally flavorful, with a level of freshness in every bite. Yet, Starks has no formal culinary training, just a love of home cooking and an avid Food Network viewing habit from a young age.

The impetus for the venture came when she was at an O.C. restaurant and craving fish fry.

" I ordered some fish and chips and it pissed me off," she said. "It was some beer batter and some damn malt vinegar, and I was like, 'I guess it's time to make my own.'  My brother pushed me. He was like, 'Asha, you cook. Do it.'"

Offering Black soul food in Orange County, which has one of the smallest populations of Black residents in Southern California, is not an obvious move. But after a divorce, Stark needed to provide for her kids.

" You make do with what you've got," she said. "And if I'm gonna be in the O.C., I better rock it, so that's what I'm doing."

Lack of Black culture

Starks grew up in Anaheim, and when she talks about growing up Black in Orange County, it’s clear it wasn't easy. She says she never felt like she belonged, and even though she had many friends, her own culture felt unfamiliar and distant.

Support for LAist comes from

But she'd spend her summers with family in Georgia, where she became familiar with fish fries. In Black culture, the term refers not only to the dish but also to a community gathering, often held in late summer. Starks recalls times when people needed to raise funds, such as moving to college or supporting the local church, and fish fries were organized to bring the community together to help.

A woman with dark skin smiling in a bold red chef’s jacket and patterned headscarf stands proudly in front of her “Hot Grease” stall,  with her arms outstretched, framed by sizzling menu boards and the hum of the street market behind her.
Hot Grease specializes in fish fry with a side of social justice.
(
Gab Chabrán
/
LAist
)

After graduating from high school, she moved to Miami for her undergraduate studies, then went to Atlanta for graduate school. During that period, when she was exposed to Black culture on a large scale, she recalls having an epiphany that helped her better understand her own identity.

“ After moving to the South, I realize that my culture is American,” Starks said. “It's hard to pinpoint what specifically is Black American because Black American culture built America.”

She spent 11 years living in the South, split between Miami and Atlanta, as a community organizer and raising her children, before moving back to Orange County to be closer to her family.

Looking for something to support her and her children, she combined her two passions — food and helping the community — and started Hot Grease.

Pot liquor line

Three percent of sales at Hot Grease are donated to a reproductive justice mutual aid fund, which Starks calls “The Potlikker Line.”

Support for LAist comes from

The term "pot liquor" holds special significance in Southern Black food traditions. It refers to the liquid leftover after boiling greens, believed to be rich in natural vitamins and minerals.

Starks views the pot liquor line as a way to support the community, not just raising money but also showing up for each other in small ways, like her recent venture creating a community-focused rideshare program.

Her website declares: "Every plate supports reproductive justice and joy-driven community building."

After eating at Starks’s fish fry pop-up, I can say her food also offers some profound joy.

Hot Grease pops up in many different locations across Orange County and also Los Angeles. Check out Starks’s Instagram for details.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist