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Take Two

Take a bite of LA with Kogi Taco's chef Roy Choi

Roy Choi in his home city Los Angeles.
Roy Choi in his home city Los Angeles.
(
Bobby Fisher
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Listen 15:18
Take a bite of LA with Kogi Taco's chef Roy Choi

In recent years, food trucks have become as integral a part of Southern California's DNA as sunshine and palm trees.

But that may not have been the case were it not for chef Roy Choi. A few years back, he merged his love of Korean and Mexican cuisine in dishes like kimchi quesadillas and BBQ short rib tacos and put it on wheels. And thus, the Kogi Taco Truck phenomenon was born.

Choi went on to become the first food truck cook to be named Best New Chef by Food and Wine magazine.

He has a new book out, which is part memoir, part cookbook. It's called "LA Son: My Life, My City, My Food."