Encinitas is a coastal North County community that combines five main neighborhoods: Leucadia (north), Old Leucadia (central), and Cardiff-by-the-Sea (south), with New Encinitas and Olivenhain east of the 5 freeway. The name Encinitas means “little oak trees” in Spanish, but...

Delivery trucks, vans, and cars are mobile billboards for businesses in different parts of the culinary ecosystem. Restaurants, bakeries, breweries, coffee roasters, and purveyors juggle pickups and deliveries. Driving around (mostly) California, I’m fascinated to see...

People are the driving force behind restaurants. Whenever I visit restaurants and bakeries, I like to photograph chefs, bakers, and other contributors, and not just plates or pastries. Below, you’ll find some of my favorite Los Angeles restaurant community portraits since 2022. I’ll continue to update this page based on my continuing explorations.

March 31, 202...

“Years ago, Break of Dawn chef-owner Dee Nguyen posted on Facebook: “Our ultimate dying meal if we have to pick one: chicken and rice.” That post stuck with me. I’m not ready for the great beyond, but on good days, when the combo really hits, chicken and rice can be bliss. As I’ve learned with

Chefs can braise, charbroil, grill, poach, roast, smoke or steam chickens. Any way they choose to cook the birds, I’ll devour them down to the bone. Sure, heritage breed, ethically raised chickens from a farm-to-table restaurant can be great, with deeper flavor, but I enjoy more Los Angeles chicken plates from grocery store parking lot grills, basic rotisseries or smoky, mom-...