Latino Alternative Storytellers in the Culinary Arts

The first-ever edition of LATV’s Latino Alternative Storytellers campaign honors twenty individuals who carry on the Latino tradition of storytelling and make an impact on our community. From the kitchen to the theatre, and fashion workshops to music studios, artists across mediums share how their stories fit into a larger Hispanic narrative.

Our second list: Culinary Arts.

For Guisados owners Armando de la Torre, Sr., and Armando de la Torre, Jr., being Hispanic means knowing good food. For chef Victor Ramos, his food pays homage to the stories of his ancestors. The Arepa Stand founder Mercedes Rojas gives Venezuela a voice in Los Angeles. Food blogger Adriana Guevara Adarme shares recipes inspired by her blended experience. Finally, celebrity chef Francis Malmann suggests that cooking is a craft meant to invite conversation at the table.

Armando de la Torre Sr. & Armando de le Torre Jr.
Owners, Guisados

The father-and-son duo Armando de la Torre, Sr., and Armando de la Torre, Jr., opened the first Guisados restaurant in Boyle Heights in 2010. Their unique stewed taco recipes caught the attention of Angelinos all over, and their restaurant expanded across the city.

“Everything is cooked in the exact same kitchen by the exact same exact team by the exact same person who’s been doing it since Day 1,” says Armando de la Torre, Jr., on Storytellers, LATV’s new TV-special. “The consistency of the food needs to deliver the story we’re trying to tell.”

The early years weren’t easy, but they never gave up. For both of them, running Guisados is more than a job. It’s their passion. And for that reason, it has made their entrepreneurial journey all the more fruitful. Plus, they enjoy seeing people from all walks of life gather over shared plates of Guisados tacos.

“Being Hispanic, to me, give me that little edge because I know good food,” says Armando de la Torre, Sr. “Mexican food is so delicious [and has] so many layers of flavor.”

Now, with nearly 100 employees, the de la Torre family business both cultivates community and preserves their Mexican heritage within the Los Angeles culinary scene.

Victor Ramos
Chef and Co-Curator, Capicúa

For Chef Victor Ramos, storytelling gives a voice to the people who came before him. Rooted by childhood memories in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother, his Dominican and Puerto Rican recipes honor the home-cooked meals he grew up on. Now, as a chef, entrepreneur, and community builder, his food serves as a reason to celebrate.

“I story-tell through my food,” Ramos says on LATV’S Blacktinidad. “It’s important to shed light on our culture and our community, to show our practices … and our traditions.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ramos started cooking when he was seven or eight-years-old. As he developed his culinary identity, his career took off. He’s cooked for Cardi-B and Karen Bass. Mostly self-taught, he believes you can accomplish anything if your love for the goal is deep enough.

“I love representing where I’m from,” Ramos goes on to say. “I love showcasing our food in LA because I feel like there isn’t a lot of chances to try our food out here.”

For this reason, Ramos co-curates Capicúa, a monthly party in Los Angeles that carves space for Caribbean Latinos to come together for good food and good music. Sharing the food of his people, for him, is a continued blessing.

Mercedes Rojas
Chef and Owner, The Arepa Stand

Welcome to The Arepa Stand. What started as a popular lunchtime staple has evolved into a brand with trendy merchandise and an impressive digital identity. Mercedes Rojas, the culinary mastermind behind the operation, wants her recipes to properly give Venezuela a voice in Los Angeles.

“I wanted to make sure that [our arepa] was not something [you could] make at home,” Rojas tells LATV.

Today, The Arepa Stand is a permanent fixture at six farmers’ markets across Los Angeles (and offers catering, too). At all locations, the curated menu blends Venezuelan tradition and Rojas’ contemporary culinary perspective.

Her employees are not only well-versed in Rojas’ recipes, but interact with customers firsthand. So, unlike sit-down restaurants, those cooking the food get to know those who enjoy the food, and vice versa. Over the years, these exchanges have built community.

“I’ve poured my entire life into this business [and] I just want Venezuela to be really well-represented,” Rojas continues. “Everybody eats [arepas], but, when a Venezuelan eats one, I want them to feel like I’m making our country proud.”

Rojas’ story is found in the layers between her signature arepa dough.

Adrianna Guevara Adarme
Food Blogger & Writer, A Cozy Kitchen

Food blogger and author Adrianna Guevara Adarme adds a personal anecdote to each of her recipes. With a Peruvian mom, a Colombian dad, and a passion for food, Adarme has cultivated a digital eco-system that brings together culinary traditions across Latin America.

“The recipes I love to make are always comforting and cozy and often times are inspired by my Latin-American background,” she says on her blog and website, A Cozy Kitchen.

In her Lomo Saltado recipe, she talks about Chifa and the Cantonese-Chinese influence on Peruvian cuisine. For Horchata, she reflects on developing a taste and understanding for the varied nature of Mexican culinary styles. As for Colombian-style arepas:

“My tia never really gave me a recipe, she just taught me basic measurements and more about how things should feel and take shape.”

From breakfast to dinner, beverages to deserts, Adarme’s unique collection of food stories have granted her a sizeable following on social media. In 2015, she published A Year of Cozy, a book that serves as a physical collection of her recipes, stories, and photographs. Her goal has been straightforward from the start: to inspire others to have fun in the kitchen.

Francis Malmann
Celebrity Chef & Restauranteur

For celebrity chef and restauranteur Francis Malmann, the food is only one piece of a much grander story.

“Cooking is about sitting at a table, eating with friends, lovers, and children, and sharing things,” Malmann tells Forbes. “If the food is excellent, it’s better, but the important thing is the conversation. The beauty of eating is sharing.”

Born in Argentina and raised in the Patagonia mountains, Malmann is seasoned in open-fire cooking techniques and barbeque. In 1983, he opened his first restaurant in Buenos Aires and has been on and off camera ever since. Today, he runs thirteen restaurants across Argentina, in Chile, Uruguay, France, and Miami.

“Creativity, to me, is more related to life than cooking. The way you wake up every day is so important,” he goes on to say. “It doesn’t matter where you wake up; what matters is your feeling toward life.”

Whether it’s a dinner party at home or a 5-course meal downtown, Malmann’s culinary practice is shaped by interior design, table-scape, and setting. The way he sees it, cooking is a craft that invites the art of storytelling. It’s the entire experience that matters.

Through the years, Malmann has pinned his achievements to esperanza — “the idea that you haven’t gotten what you want, but you believe that you will.”

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For more storyteller content, check out LATV’s page dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month. Stay tuned for the next phase of the list next week!