Gustavo Arellano is one of Southern California’s most influential voices in food and culture over the course of the last 25 years. Gustavo is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and he’s also currently the namesake of KCRW and Gustavo’s Great Tortilla Tournament, which culminates this October 8 at Smorgasburg in Downtown LA.

He’s a best-selling author, he was the long-time food critic of the storied OC Weekly, and his TV appearances include the likes of David Chang’s Ugly Delicious, Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea Lately and Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.

He joins the pod today to tell us about his storied career, from his days at the OC Weekly to his more recent endeavors with the Times and KCRW. His anecdotes are absolutely hilarious, and his takes are hotter than the chili peppers he apparently grows in his front yard. More than anything, I found Gustavo’s whole approach to food wholly refreshing. The joy, curiosity and excitement with which he approaches pretty much any topic is contagious, whether he’s talking about the current state of food journalism or what distinguishes a good tortilla from a crappy one. And by the way, we get into both on this podcast!

Helpful links:

Gustavo's website https://www.gustavoarellano.org/newsletters/

The tortilla tournament https://www.kcrw.com/events/tortilla-tournament

Alta Baja Market https://www.altabajamarket.com/

Taco USA https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Taco-USA/Gustavo-Arellano/9781439148624

Gustavo's LA Times page https://www.latimes.com/people/gustavo-arellano

Gustavo on X https://twitter.com/GustavoArellano

Gustavo on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gustavo_arellano/?hl=en

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