Los Angeles Downtown News 08-23-21

August 23, 2021 I VOL. 50 I #34

Celebrating Diversity

Cuban music festival ready to make a comeback Historic Vote Council unanimously passes Homeless Housing Goal

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Covered California will help OPINION

Happy Women’s Equality Day!

By Ellen Snortland LA Downtown News Contributing Writer or many years now, my female friends have received an unusual invitation from me regarding Aug. 26, Women’s Equality Day (W.E.D.).

About 16 years ago, at a mutual friend’s home, I met national treasure, women’s historian hero and advocate Molly Murphy MacGregor. After that auspicious meeting, I vowed to create the biggest brouhaha I could over the still barely mined world of women’s history. And the perfect day to do that is on Aug. 26: the day in 1920 when women’s right to vote was formalized in the U.S. Constitution. It’s party time!

For my first W.E.D. party — the first of many — I set up six round tables, each seating four, in our cozy, crowded house. Each table had purple, white and gold tablecloths and accents and a female-themed centerpiece. In our house, walls and shelves are crowded with female figurines and women’s arts and crafts from my travels. The whole joint screams global women’s visibility to visually compensate for our virtual invisibility.

In the party invitations, I issued instructions on attendance — how queenly of me! I “commanded” that each woman brings three things:

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nonvoting women worked tirelessly to get the vote for all women, knowing they may never get to vote themselves. They were every color, every background, every level of education. They knew human rights for women started with the vote. They demonstrated that a generous, wise human being is the kind of person who will plant a tree, even if they know they’ll never enjoy its shade or its fruit.

Meanwhile, also consider having a viewing party of “Iron Jawed Angels on HBO Max, which aptly demonstrates the courage of the foremothers whose shoulders we stand on.

It’s also a tribute to “my, how times change,” as around 30 years ago, I pitched a similar idea about female suffrage to Lorimar Television for a Movie of the Week. I was told the subject matter was too boring; not enough people care about women’s history. Flash forward to 2020 to 2021 and the wealth of mainstream coverage there has been on the centennial of women winning the vote. I am buoyed by this and dismayed by how the same bastards are still trying to disenfranchise us.

Do something to celebrate this year’s W.E.D! Toast Molly Murphy MacGregor for making us all more aware of women’s history. Bake a cake, tweet a remembrance to women and girls, burn a bra. On this date, remember and honor the suffragists any way you can.

Ellen Snortland has written commentary for decades. She also teaches creative writing and can be reached at ellen@authorbitebybite.com.

OPINION

1. Bring a potluck item that represents your mother, enough to share with at least eight people. I served rhubarb pie. My mother was an excellent baker, and rhubarb pie quintessentially represents our Great Plains homeland. Some women brought pizza, while others brought soup. One woman brought a bottle of vodka to represent her heart-breaking home life with her mom. I put the “luck” back in potluck and didn’t dictate who brought what. (Since then, we’ve had some very odd meals!)

2. Bring a picture of your mom and a short anecdote about her. The story can be good, bad, comic and/or tragic, like the woman who brought the vodka.

3. Bring a joke that would never be told by a woman in your grandmother’s day, and be prepared to tell it. Why? I have never heard a man say, “I can’t tell jokes; I screw them up,” even though women often say this. Guess what? Many men can’t tell a joke, but it doesn’t stop them, even though I sometimes wish it would. I aspired to help women get over their years of being told, “Women aren’t funny.” Oh, yeah? Watch this!

I met each of the 23 W.E.D. guests at the door and draped them in a necklace with a famous woman flashcard on it. I then swung it around so the card was on their back, where only the other guests could see it. We introduced ourselves, and as an ice breaker we played 12 questions regarding the woman on our back or, more accurately, whose back had carried us forward. Ice and invisibility broken quickly! After all, history is learned more eagerly when it’s fun, right?

Please join me in the movement to have Aug. 26 declared a national voting holiday. A day devoted to registering people to vote is what is precisely needed and wanted in these times. And there are no holidays in August! For the more materialistic among us, August could use a reason to buy cards and gifts. Are you listening Hallmark, American Greetings and Jacquie Lawson?

While Memorial Day and Veterans Day commemorate those we lost to war, no other holidays celebrate peaceful, nonviolent social change. Let the suffragists become an icon for just that!

Gandhi watched the suffrage activists in England, the United States and New Zealand and got many of his ideas about civil disobedience and nonviolence from watching the gals.

It’s astounding to consider how a committed number of very human, very vulnerable,

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Covered LETTERSCalifornia will help KGB-style vaccinations?

Editor: Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo.) says Democrats want to “knock down your door KGB style to force people to get vaccinated.” (Washington Post, “Patience has worn thin,” 7-23-21.)

Rep. Smith apparently has little understanding of what “KGB style” really means.

It is not the same as advertising a vaccination program for smallpox, polio, measles or COVID-19, undertaken to save young people’s lives and hopes for the future.

Actually, America has taken the opposite of a KGB approach. Party leaders Biden and Trump are both refusing to criticize the unvaccinated. Both power brokers are on board with the post-World War II libertarian current in American life that says people should not be forced or shamed to change behavior.

Just one problem. This airy little bit of philosophy goes against the grain of our 245-year-old criminal justice system, whereby we absolutely do force people to clean up behavior, at pain of actual punishment.

Autocrats are happy to torpedo criminal and public health accountability because they want the American people to decline to hold them accountable when they themselves do wrong while in power. When they fail to follow the Constitution or the statutory law, they hope to be supported by the huge and growing underclass of unprosecuted and unvaccinated Americans they have treated so softly.

Kimball Shinkoskey ‘Carpet bombing’ Editor: How NBC abused viewers by “carpet bombing” coverage of the Olympics with commercials was an utter abomination. All joy and excitement of competition among the world’s greatest athletes instead became a form of punishment when they were constantly interrupted and suffocated by such unwanted distraction. It was two weeks of advertising with the Olympics as a sideshow.

I can’t imagine anyone ever purchasing products or services of the purported sponsors after such crass, ceaseless assault on their attention.

And what did come through pathetically misrepresented the diversity and drama by excluding countless games or races (a few seconds here and there of the high jump, pole vault or the javelin that have been part of the Olympics since ancient Greece), cutting away from an event before it’s over (imagine doing that with Walker Buehler on the mound in a close game and then going back between innings when nothing is happening), omitting gymnast Grace McCallum’s floor routine in the U.S. bid for gold, etc.

May God or another network please take the Olympics away from NBC. Ric Gentry Los Angeles

AUGUST 23, 2021

Covered NEWS California will help

Council unanimously passes Homeless Housing Goal

By Sara Edwards LA Downtown News Contributing Writer n a historic vote, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion Aug. 10 to create at least 25,000 new housing units in the city, known as the Homeless Housing Goal.

Introduced by Councilmember Kevin de Leon of District 14, the motion was passed 13-0.

“Too many people have died on our streets and in our alleys,” he said during the meeting. “The time for studying the crisis and hearing from experts, I believe, is over.

Now is the time for action and delivering tangible results.”

From the last official count, Los Angeles has around 41,000 people experiencing homelessness on a given night. According to a press release and an LA Homeless Services Authority report issued before the pandemic, the city would need 45,941 units, either of temporary housing, rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing, to house these individuals.

Currently, there are only 24,539 available.

Following the city council meeting, de Leon was joined by Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Curren Price to hold a press conference on the Spring Street steps of City Hall to respond to the meeting’s outcome.

“Today, we’ve made a significant decision on how we will respond to set the goal that every city, county, state and federal partners will organize and work to accomplish and which all of us can be held accountable, too,” de Leon said. “We need to create housing opportunities that deliver the most units that are the best cost available.”

De Leon said his district alone has more unhoused individuals than anywhere in the country except New York City. If the issue of homelessness isn’t addressed as soon as possible, history and future generations will only look down on the current administration.

“Enforcement alone is not going to get people housed,” he said. “Now’s the time to house our unhoused neighbors and give them a chance to regain their lives.”

The new housing plan is part of de Leon’s “A Way Home” initiative and will use existing resources to create multiple housing types across the city, such as tiny home communities, mobile homes and apartments set aside for low-income residents.

These new units will be funded with part of the $12 billion in federal funds allocated to fight homelessness in California. However, no consequences have been set should the legislation fail to meet its goal by 2025.

“The city of LA can hold us accountable now because we must produce — come hell or high water, by hook or crook, in some form, way or shape — those 25,000 units by the year 2025,” he said. “This is doable. This is within reach.”

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AUGUST 23, 2021

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Covered NEWS California will help

News Briefs

By LA Downtown News Staff Volunteer Collective donated 5,000 new and used shoes, and just under 1,000 pairs of new socks, to be distributed to local shelters and nonprofits serving the unhoused.

Volunteer Collective aims to compound awareness for its campaigns by developing relationships across the city. Volunteers who learned of the drive from emails, social media and neighborhood groups ensured the drive’s success “It just proves that if you ask Angelenos to do something impactful for their neighbors in need, they step right up,” Volunteer Collective board member Rick Stoff said.

The shoes will be distributed through local nonprofit Shoes for the Homeless Inc. The campaign, which leaned on numerous faith organizations within the Westside Coalition, worked together to set up more than 15 drive collection points across Los Angeles for the eight-day drive.

Info: noah@volunteer-collective.org

New Los Angeles Football Club teammate LA-born Baskin-Robbins is the official ice cream partner of the Los Angeles Football Club.

LAFC fans can have Baskin-Robbins’ offerings and access exclusive deals on its products at Banc of California Stadium. To help celebrate the partnership, Baskin-Robbins is giving fans multiple ways to win • Scoop Up Sweepstakes: Fans who live within 75 miles of the Banc of California Stadium can win prizes, like tickets to upcoming LAFC home games, autographed memorabilia and Baskin-Robbins gift cards when entering the Scoop Up Sweepstakes from now through Sept. 5.

• Team Spirit Scratchers: Guests who stop by a Baskin-Robbins in LA wearing LAFC gear on game days will receive a free scratcher that unveils special discounts on items like scoops, shakes and sundaes.

• Post-game discounts: Fans who attend home games where LAFC scores three or more goals will score with an exclusive buy-one, get-one-for-50%-off offer on Baskin-Robbins scoops the day after the game.

Info: brscoopupsweeps.com

Llewellyn half leased High Street Residential, the residential subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company, along with its partner, Principal Real Estate Investors, have leased half of the 318 apartments at the duo’s latest multifamily development, Llewellyn, just after opening.

Llewellyn, which is located at 1101 N. Main Street in LA’s Mission Junction neighborhood on the eastern edge of Chinatown, features generous studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments with an enviable portfolio of amenities. The building’s majority two-bedroom unit mix caters to professionals and creatives who work remotely and use a private home office, renters who share the cost of living with a roommate, and young families.

Completed in the spring of 2021, Llewellyn spans a full city block that borders the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park. The award-winning community features an amenity collection, including 37,000 square feet of outdoor space that houses two rooftop decks, three landscaped communal courtyards, a heated pool and spa, multiple entertaining spaces with fire pits and barbecue grills, and a children’s play area. Other amenities include a 1,700-square-foot co-lab workspace, complete with breakout meetings rooms; a soundproof “jam” room, where residents can record or rehearse; an indoor/outdoor double-height fitness center; a dog spa and a bike service room.

Llewellyn additionally offers a tailored version of Hello Alfred, an award-winning app that helps residents conveniently coordinate deliveries, dry cleaning, dog walking and other services on demand. The building features a hospital-grade MERV-15 air filtration system, anti-microbial furniture coverings, thoughtfully spaced seating arrangements in common areas, and a dedicated package delivery room.

“The interest in Llewellyn has been steadily building for a number of months as we worked to complete the project, and we are thrilled that so many Angelenos are now calling this incredible community home,” said Alex Valente, senior vice president with High Street Residential.

“Llewellyn was designed to meet the needs of the surrounding community and emphasize it’s connectivity to both Downtown LA and the surrounding green space. We are thankful to our project partners and to the many local Chinatown business owners for helping Llewellyn become a success.”

Apotheke, Arts District Brewery, Bunbury Barbershop, Cargo Snack Shack, Chimney Coffee, EastWest Shop, Highland Park Brewery, Majordomo and Phillipe’s are several locally owned businesses offering Llewellyn residents exclusive discounts.

Compass is the property’s exclusive leasing agent, and monthly rates begin at $2,125.

Info: llewellyn.la

Downtown Works names board of directors

By LA Downtown News Staff owntown Works, Central City Association’s nonprofit sister organization, named its board of directors that will strategically inform the organization’s efforts to uplift Downtown Los Angeles as a model for other urban areas.

This leadership arises at an important time as DTLA and the Los Angeles region work to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board represents many of the industries that are core to DTLA’s historic transformation, including entertainment, urban design and development.

With personal experience as employers, workers and residents of Downtown, each board member will play a role in increasing the vibrancy and livability of DTLA. The 2021 Downtown Works Board of Directors includes John Adams, principal and regional managing director, Gensler; Leticia Rhi Buckley, senior civic strategist, The Music Center; Noel Hyun Minor, president and chief executive officer, The Brooklyn Companies; Jessica Lall, president and chief executive officer, Central City Association; Marie Lloyd, head of external affairs for Amazon in Southern California; and Marie Rumsey, vice president of public policy for Central City Association.

The board of directors will be instrumental in Downtown Works’ implementation of its 2021-23 strategic plan. It has four strategic pillars that provide a comprehensive framework to help Downtown Works achieve its mission and vision: • Address DTLA’s challenges and opportunities through thought leadership.

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• Advance DTLA priorities though convenings and pilot project execution.

• Enhance understanding of DTLA through research and data.

• Ensure Downtown Works’ growth through advancement and communications.

“Downtown Los Angeles is the best place to pilot bold ideas to solve our most pressing challenges and harness our greatest opportunities,” Lall said.

“Our committed board members and responsive strategic plan will help us maximize all that Downtown has to offer as we work together to envision a robust recovery and more resilient future for our region.”

Minor added, “This board has the expertise and passion needed to deliver factbased solutions that will guide Downtown Los Angeles’ growth into a more equitable and prosperous region.”

Lloyd is looking forward to working with fellow board members, civic leaders and engaging with the broader community to elevate solutions that can support Downtown and serve as an example for other urban centers.

The board and strategic plan come during a time when spurring economic development and resiliency is top of mind for stakeholders, businesses and residents.

To explore how Los Angeles can achieve a more resilient economy, CCA is hosting the Virtual Economic Development Summit in October with an announcement of Downtown Works’ initiatives, a special keynote and an expert panel to discuss best practices, policies and structures to cultivate economic development in Downtown and the city that will aid in an equitable recovery.

AUGUST 23, 2021

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AUGUST 23, 2021

Covered DINING California will help

Puerto Rico meets Little Tokyo at Rumba Kitchen

By Frier McCollister LA Downtown News Contributing Writer umba Kitchen is set to open Aug. 28 in Little Tokyo with a full menu of specialties focusing on Puerto Rican cuisine.

The restaurant’s opening represents the latest twist in an extended journey for chef Omayra Dakis and her family. It’s also a direct outgrowth and result of the success of their beloved — and busy — Triple Threat food truck. While the food truck’s menu largely consists of sandwiches and tostones (fried plantains), the restaurant will offer a wider spectrum of choices and dinner entrees.

Dakis and her husband, George, were considering ways to scale up their food truck business for some time.

“For the last two years, we’ve been toying with the idea of opening a restaurant,” she said.

“We saw the opportunity of opening a restaurant coming out of a pandemic, because we needed that next step to (further develop) the menu. The food truck has a street food concept. The restaurant has a more sit-down traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.”

The couple had no prior background in food or hospitality; however, Dakis developed an interest in food trucks as a community organizer in South Florida, where the family resided before moving to Los Angeles in 2015.

“When we lived in Florida, I put community events together with food trucks,” Dakis said.

The local municipal regulations were quite restrictive for food truck operations.

“In Florida, it was required to have an organizer to take out a permit and coordinate the food trucks,” Dakis said. The food truck operators “didn’t have that liberty of parking and selling. In fact, a couple of cities in South Florida were trying to ban food trucks from working.”

That said, the experience did not lead them directly to their own food truck.

“We didn’t have a food truck ourselves until we were here for two years,” Dakis noted.

That turn came in an unlikely series of demands. In 2015, their then-7-year-old daughter, Maria, was cast on Fox’s “MasterChef Junior.” The extended parental commitment required George to take care of the couple’s younger daughter, Melyna.

“My husband had a corporate job, and he had to take a leave of absence,” Dakis said. “(Ultimately) he had to resign from his position. He said, ‘I guess now is a good time to open up that food truck you keep talking about.’ That’s when we opened up the (Triple Threat) food truck.

“We wanted to give an homage to our roots in Miami. In Miami, you can find a Puerto Rican food truck on every corner now. On the East Coast, Puerto Rican food is prevalent. Demographically in Southern California, there is not a well-defined or centralized Puerto Rican community.

“Here, Puerto Ricans are all spread out. There’s a small concentration in Riverside County, in Long Beach or Orange County and Ventura. A lot of them are military, believe it or not,” Dakis noted.

The launch of their Triple Threat Food Truck was by no means seamless or intuitive.

“The first year was really, really hard. It was an education situation,” Dakis said. “We had to educate our customers on what Puerto Rican food is, (and) a lot of Puerto Ricans didn’t know we existed.”

Then, a video about their truck and food posted on Buzzfeed’s “Pero Like” YouTube channel. It garnered more than 1 million views.

“That really put us on the map,” Dakis said. “We went from almost closing, almost being homeless, because we were putting all of our money back into the food truck. The very next day, after the video came out, we showed up to our stop and there were 400 people waiting, which is crazy. We took off. Everyone knew who we were. It got really crazy.”

Dakis continues to marvel at the experience.

“The reaction to our food was genuine. We blew their socks off.”

The notoriety led to an invitation to appear on the Food Network show “Guy’s Grocery Games” in October 2019. “That also gave us another avenue to reach even more people. People got curious that weren’t Puerto Rican. That really helped out as well,” Dakis said.

When the pandemic lockdown happened, the couple sidelined the Triple Threat truck temporarily.

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Omayra and George Dakis own and operate the soon-to-open Rumba.

Photo by Luis Chavez

Chiofrito is whole fried snapper served with bread fruit and plaintain tostones and a rich sofrito beurre blanc sauce.

Photo by Luis Chavez

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DINING

Corned beef hash with over easy egg Photo by Luis Chavez

“We took a two-week break,” she said. “Those two weeks were pivotal for us.”

They quickly implemented an online, no-cash ordering system that allowed for no-contact preordering and pickup for the truck, while enforcing strict sanitization protocols.

“No one caught COVID,” she said. “We’re thankful that we dodged that bullet. We took those proper precautions. It kept us safe, our staff safe and our kids safe, too.”

The ongoing success of the Triple Threat truck led to encouraging queries from fans about a restaurant, and Dakis teamed with an agent to scout viable locations.

“The magic of having a food truck is that you can test different areas and different markets,” Dakis said.

“We would always get requests for Downtown LA, (and) we did fairly well. We always liked Downtown. It was so centrally located for everyone.”

The Little Tokyo storefront appeared during the pandemic as a stroke of divine providence.

“We looked at the space, and we fell in love right away,” Dakis said.

“It worked very well with what we wanted do. It’s exactly where we need to be. We got goosebumps when we walked in. Everything about it was meant to be.”

Dakis and her team are finalizing the menu and pricing for the impending opening of Rumba Kitchen. Some of the items are culled from Dakis’ childhood. Her father is a Puerto Rican native, and she spent summers on San Juan beaches, snacking on treats from the “kiosko” food vendors.

“Spending that time really created the nostalgia for me,” Dakis said. “We were kids. I remember going to the kioskos, going to the beach. I wanted to bring that experience to LA.” To honor those beach vendors, Rumba Kitchen will feature a fritanga board featuring a variety of fried snacks, including bacalaitos (salt cod fritters); morcilla blood sausage; tostones de pana; alcapurrias; and the fried cornmeal sticks, sorullos with mayo/ketchup dipping sauce.

A centerpiece dish will be a chiofrito, or whole fried snapper served with bread fruit and plantain tostones and a rich sofrito beurre blanc sauce. Assorted skewers, or pinchos, will be available, as well as steaks and lambchops.

A chuletta can-can for two will also be available. It’s a grilled and fried tomahawk-cut porkchop with pork belly attached. The menu will also feature eight varieties of mofongo relleno. The dish of mashed green plantain is typically served as a starchy side. At Rumba Kitchen, it’s a featured entrée with rich toppings like pollo guisado, fried pork and lobster. The ensalada de carruchos is a conch salad with the gulf shellfish, freshly sourced from Florida. By the way, the flans featured on the dessert menu are the proud products of daughter Maria, now 13.

For now, Rumba Kitchen will offer beer and wine, including a variety of fresh sangrias and a michelada employing a Puerto Rican lager. Dakis and a local craft brewery are working on a signature lager for the restaurant, and she hopes to serve spirits.

“We’d like to showcase the rums of Puerto, Rico because it’s a big deal. At some point in the future, it’s definitely something we plan on having,” she said.

In the meantime, the reservation line for Rumba Kitchen is active for its opening weekend starting Aug. 28, and seating is booking quickly.

“I’m very happy and thrilled to be a part of the community. We’re actually extremely excited to bring our food to Downtown LA,” Dakis said. “We can’t wait for people to try our food.”

Rumba Kitchen 123 Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Street, Suite 204, Los Angeles 323-507-6404, rumbakitchen.com

Guava pancakes with bacon Photo by Luis Chavez

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Covered DINING California will help

Hak Lanh tells the story of opening Gamboge

By Frier McCollister LA Downtown News Contributing Writer amboge is the name of a yellow dye used to color the robes of Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia. It’s also the name of a charming café, bottle shop and market specializing in Cambodian cuisine and natural organic wines on an unlikely strip in Lincoln Heights, just north of Chinatown.

Owner and chef Hak Lanh and his wife, Jane Oh, opened Gamboge just over a year ago, in the middle of the pandemic.

“Our hard open was the first week of August, in the heart of the pandemic,” Lanh said.

“We bought the building in 2018. It was just sitting there while I was doing some renovations on the upstairs unit. I was developing the concept (of the restaurant). It took about 18 months to get everything approved and ready to build, with all of the permitting. I was self-funding it, so it took a little bit longer. We just took our time.”

He had a concept to fully engage the building to explore his interests and leverage income.

“The upstairs space is my test kitchen and incubator. I use it to host other chefs sometimes, to do small events. Or I’ll rent it out for other things, like photo shoots or corporate events, things like that.”

The pandemic inevitably disrupted aspects of the original concept.

“We wanted a natural wine bar with Cambodian small plates, but the pandemic didn’t allow us to do that. We had to pivot our menu to be more to-go friendly. That’s what we’ve been doing so far, and now we’re trying to pivot again, to reopen the wine bar. It’s still touch and go so far,” Lanh explained.

Lanh’s ongoing adventure on North Broadway is the culmination of a recent career pivot and a much longer journey that started in childhood. A filmmaker by training with a background in commercial television production, Lanh was born in a refugee camp in Thailand before emigrating with his family to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he was 4 years old. A snapshot from that time is displayed on the Gamboge website, with Lanh and his parents flanked by his three older sisters standing in the snow.

“We were at war with Vietnam, and then the Khmer Rouge came and pushed out Vietnam from Cambodia,” Lanh said. “That’s when the Khmer Rouge was reigning. It was toward the end of the Khmer Rouge takeover when my family escaped. We were sponsored to (go to) Pennsylvania by this church group, and they helped us find work.”

Lanh’s father was placed in a local hotel’s kitchen, and his knowledge of French proved useful.

“My dad, he started out in the kitchen of the Hotel Hershey,” Lanh said. “I think he was washing dishes there, but he was able to understand French. The executive chef there was Swiss and French. He took a liking to my dad because of his work ethic, and he could speak French. He put my dad into this apprenticeship program. That’s how my dad got into cooking. He rose up from dishwashing to a cook.”

Lanh’s father then opened several Chinese restaurants locally with limited success.

Then he acquired a failing beer tavern, realizing the liquor license opened a new revenue stream.

“He ended up just making some (menu) modifications and was selling cheese steaks and fried rice and subs. It somehow worked,” Lanh said.

Lanh began working at his father’s restaurants from the age of 5 and left at 22 to pursue a degree in filmmaking at San Francisco’s Academy of the Arts. After an opportunity fizzled working in music video production in New York City, Lanh moved to Los Angeles to pursue work in television. Still, his interest in food never really waned.

“I’ve always had an interest in food because of my mom and my dad,” he said. “But I didn’t get serious about opening my own place until roughly about 10 years ago. I was joking around about it.

“I always thought if my film career wasn’t working out, I could open a business. Plus, I just love food. I was always surrounded by food. I was always cooking. Food was always in my world.

“Toward the end of my film career, in the last five years, I wasn’t fulfilled. I was working mainly in advertising and branded content. I was getting burnt out from that. So, I decided I needed to make a pivot in my career. For me, I wanted something more.”

A friend mentioned the availability of a Lincoln Heights building, and Lanh’s career

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Chef Hak Lonh helms Gamboge.

Photo by Luis Chavez

Lemongrass beef num pang is a trademark dish at Gamboge.

Photo by Luis Chavez

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DINING

pivot took a sharper turn.

“It just happened really fast, where I said, ‘OK, yeah, let me go all in right now.’ I decided it was time to make a move. I wasn’t actively looking to open a restaurant. I still knew I could tell stories through food.”

Lanh’s storytelling should be experienced on-site at the restaurant. Although the menu still reflects the takeout and delivery informed by the pandemic, the selection of dishes is mindful, as is the preparation.

The card at Gamboge is divided simply between numpang, or “Khmer sandwiches,” of which there are five choices; six entrée choices offering heartier plate specials; and 10 side dishes. Khmer sandwiches are similar to Vietnamese banh mi. Certain aspects of the components and composition can be similar. That said, Lanh is interested in creative departure and uses locally produced, fresh bolillo rolls in place of a more traditional baguette for the sandwiches.

The numpang here feature grilled spicy pork shoulder. After a marinade in lemongrass paste, five spice and chilis, the pork is stuffed into its fresh bolillo with housemade pate, Maggi mayo, chili jam and cucumber. It’s then dressed and topped with crispy toasted shallots, papaya slaw and pickled carrots, a drizzle of scallion oil and a scattering of chopped cilantro. If spicy pork isn’t the preference, swap in grilled lemongrass beef, pulled chicken or trumpet mushrooms. The sandwiches range in price from $10 to $12.

Entrée selections include a grilled short rib plate ($15.50) served over rice with sweet pickles and scallion oil; a spicy pork bowl ($14), using the marinated pork shoulder served on rice with pork floss, roasted peanuts, pickled carrots and papaya slaw; and braised sardines and tomato with baguette ($11.50), with fresh sardines braised in tomato and onions, topped with fried shallots, cilantro and lemon with a fresh mini-baguette for sauce sopping.

Notable side dishes are crab chips ($4); grilled coconut corn ($5.50) with chopped scallions and a coconut glaze; and grilled lemongrass chicken wings ($10) tossed in fish sauce.

There is a short but colorful list of organic wines at Gamboge. Reasonably priced between $28 and $35, they’re selected by Lanh to pair with his dishes. Beer selections typically also include brands from Cambodia, Laos and Korea, when in stock. There are also “market items” for sale here, like The Spicy Mamas’ garlic chili oil ($9); coffee beans from Canyon Coffee ($19-$20); Three Crabs fish sauce ($5.75); and even Kewpie mayo from Japan ($6.75) and Pocky chocolate sticks ($3).

Although Cambodian cuisine and organic wine may seem anomalous on this strip of Broadway in Lincoln Heights, Lanh actively supports the community.

“To engage with a community ethically, it’s hard,” Lanh said.

“You really have to do your work, in terms of getting to know the people around you and understanding what their needs are, what they’re looking for, how you’re coming into the neighborhood (and establishing) a level of respect. Our goal is to be something that benefits the neighborhood.”

Lincoln Heights reminds him of his family’s scrappy beginnings in Pennsylvania.

“It reminded me of where my parents had their restaurant. It was the intersection of blue collar and white collar. Everyone congregated at my parents’ restaurant. It was harmony. That’s what’s happening here.

“I can be a voice and shine some light on this situation. But it’s hard. It’s one of the hardest hurdles we had to get past, was acceptance of the neighborhood. Just because we’ve been accepted already doesn’t mean you can stop. You have to do the work. It’s all about story. You have to understand their stories before you make any moves. You can’t assume it.”

Finally, Lanh mused on his current mission.

“Part of the inspiration of this was to help put Cambodian food on the map, just to help progress that voice,” Lanh said. “I feel our food is so underrepresented. You see first-generation Cambodians starting to emerge, trying to progress the culture and preserve the culture. I’m just one voice in the chorus, but I want to be a strong voice in the chorus. Right now is the best time to do it. You’re still telling stories.”

Gamboge 1822 N. Broadway, Los Angeles 323-576-2073, gambogela.com

Braised sardines come with tomatoes and onions and are topped with lemon, cilantro and fried shallots.

The dish is served with a baguette.

Photo by Luis Chavez

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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE

Cuban music festival ready to make a comeback

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer he COVID-19-enforced isolation made people craving community.

Mix in longing and unrest happening in one’s country and the need to be around others increases.

It’s why the organizers of the annual Cuban American Music Festival are happy to end its pandemic-induced hiatus. The festival will open noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, for a celebration of Cuban music, culture and cuisine at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main Street.

This year’s event teams with Friends of Caritas Cuba to provide humanitarian aid to Cuban citizens.

“We had a pause last year, and we were having second thoughts about the current situation in Cuba,” said Guido Herrera-Yance of Yambu Productions, the festival sponsor and organizer. “We felt it wasn’t a good time to do this — then we find out there is an institution who can help Cubans in need.”

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Festival overflows with activities The Cuban American Music Festival traditionally spotlights the diversity of Cuban culture in Southern California. This includes food, music, games, dance and dance instruction, art and other forms of Cuban culture.

Local vendors provide Cuban cuisine including Cuban- and Latin-inspired drinks. Guests must be at least 21 to enter the festival. Dancers, Cuban cigar-rolling sessions and Cuban domino will be featured.

When the festival was last held in 2019, more than 3,000 people attended. Tickets are $40 general admission and $60 and $80 for VIP sections with guaranteed seats.

The annual Cuban American Music Festival offers traditional Cuban music, food, drinks and an introduction to Cuban culture.

Photo by Peter Leal Charity provides direct help Herrera-Yance is impressed by the work of Caritas Cuba, an arm of the Catholic Church, which allows it to operate independent of the government.

“What they do is something very unique,” Herrera-Yance said. “They don’t have to respond to the Cuban government. Everything there is so controlled by the government, the good thing about Caritas is that they are independent. That’s what drew my attention.”

Established in 1991, Caritas Cuba runs nonsectarian programs that are available to anyone in need regardless of religious affiliation, political beliefs or sexual orientation. In 2020, Caritas Cuba provided direct help to more than 43,000 people.

“After COVID, with economies crashing, it is important for us to help,” Herrera-Yance said.

A portion of the festival’s revenue will be given to Caritas, and organization members will be at the festival. Guests can talk about political unrest in Cuba with open microphones, and Caritas will describe its work.

“We applaud Yambu Productions for their commitment to helping the people of Cuba,” said Mauricio Vivero, chief executive officer of Friends of Caritas Cuba. “Cubans are facing a severe food shortage, and their philanthropic support will provide direct help to thousands of vulnerable people.”

Come out and celebrate Yambu Productions chose four local groups that represent the best regional Cuban artists.

Performing will be Charanga Cuban All Stars, Arsenio Rodriguez Project, Generacion Rumbera and Clave Dura. They represent the most important genres that Americans recognize as Cuban music, rumba, Cuban son, timba and cancion.

The space was chosen in part because of its openness, and guests are welcome to wear masks. Herrera-Yance said they are working hard to make the festival safe so people can be together again.

“We humans are people who weren’t created to be alone,” Herrera-Yance said. “These last 15 months were very hard on everyone on differing levels — economic, socially and so many businesses. I think the fact that we want to be together, we want to see our members, our artists, our public get together that day for a few hours and just forget about everything and at the same time help — that is important.”

The festival and its Downtown location are designed to be a safe place where the community can gather and feel a sense of pride in their culture.

“It is a safe place where we offer people traditional Cuban music, food, drinks and a little bit of everything with the Cuban culture,” Herrera-Yance said. “We are just inviting people to come and learn how fun and safe and beautiful this place is. This is a moment to experience something different, to get together. (About) 50% of the people are Cuban, but the other 50% are from all over the world. It is Cuban for everyone to enjoy.”

Cuban American Music Festival WHEN: Noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 WHERE: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main Street, Los Angeles COST: $40 general admission, and $60 and $80 for VIP sections with guaranteed seats INFO: cubanamericanmusicfestival.com

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Covered California will help ARTS & CULTURE

message of social, climate justice

By Bridgette M. Redman LA Downtown News Contributing Writer rtists continually find new ways to connect in these days of disconnection.

TikTok artist Salem Ilese conceptualized a cross between an art exhibition and a mixtape. Ilese wanted it to uplift multiple creative performers and creators and showcase their work at the intersection of climate and human rights.

“I Really Love This Song” features artists responding to prompts about their world.

The work is curated by The Slow Factory and powered by the clean energy drink RUNA. Artist Baby Yors said artists find climate change important and they want to share that with fans. His contribution was an energetic dance called “Show Us What Confidence Looks Like.”

“People often look to artists for guidance or just inspiration,” Yors said. “Looking at a video or listening to a song and putting a message that has to do with helping the planet or maybe giving guidelines on how to do things reaches a lot more people directly if it is from an artist or a band.”

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Project supports creators More than 20 artists of a diverse range of backgrounds participated in the project, uploading their work to the digital exhibition platform.

Daniella Labat is the senior manager for public relations, experiential and partnerships for RUNA. She stresses that RUNA identifies and supports emerging talent. She watched the work of Slow Factory and how it was emerging in spaces of social justice and environmental justice.

“One of our initiatives, as we think of growing and building the brand, is to make sure we are supporting creators and artists and helping them to have a platform to express their ideas and art,” Labat said.

She contacted Slow Factory and shared this goal with it. They then communicated the idea of “I Really Love This Song” as a mass collective piece.

“That’s how the relationship was formed, and then we co-created and supported the initiative of ‘I Really Love This Song,’” Labat said.

Interpreting broad ideas With “I Really Love This Song,” artists are given a series of prompts from which to choose. They can interpret them any way they like.

Some of the prompts are: • Show us your ideal world.

• Sing a song to your future self.

• Write a song from the diaspora.

• Tell a story of survival.

• Dance your anxiety away.

• Teach us a meditation.

• What are your hopes for the world in 2022?

• Play the sound of your childhood.

“The prompts allow for creators to really have an interpretation,” Labat said. “The prompts give creators the ability to interpret how they want to showcase their stories and what their creativity means. We’re all about people feeling fully alive. As a product, we are a clean energy concept. When you drink a RUNA, you feel awake, alert and ready to take on the day.”

Yors appreciated RUNA’s flexibility.

“They gave me no guidance,” Yors said. “They said, ‘Show your creativity and show your confidence.’ Just hearing that, I felt, ‘OK, I’m going to put out something that is different from everything else I’ve done.’ Just that guideline gave me an extra push to add a few little things that I otherwise wouldn’t have. It inspired my work in general.”

Variety of media The exhibition includes spoken word, from lecture to poetry and monologues; dance; singing of original songs with keyboard, guitar or a cappella; artwork sometimes created during the video; and soundtracks.

“It makes sense for us, as RUNA is from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador,” Labat said.

“We work with Indigenous communities to harvest leaves and with tea farmers. Our supply chain is built to protect and support these communities.”

For many of the creators, their work was inspired by being isolated and coming out of it. Yors said the project was a creative outlet.

“I started producing most of my music in quarantine,” Yors said. “I was just playing around with some beats, and I created a lot of dance. I kept thinking about my body and my health and how it is related to my performance and all that I do. If anything happens to my body, I can’t dance and I can’t express myself. As a dancer, I’m ultra-aware of my body.”

Yors’ piece for “I Really Love This Song” shows his art and music’s vitality sharing the importance of health. Yors describes himself as a RUNA junkie, saying it is one of the few things he drinks.

“I just don’t like the feeling of coffee. It makes me jittery,” said Yors, who hails from Argentina. “(RUNA) just feels like I’m doing good to my body and at the same time getting energy and it’s delicious.”

Labat said in the past year, the community has learned a lot about sustainability and climate justice.

“It is no longer just, ‘Please recycle,’” Labat said. “It is understanding how it impacts people’s stories and livelihoods. There are artists we have commissioned from Indigenous communities committed to protecting our rituals in aims of helping and protecting the planet. It doesn’t have to be blatant. It can be abstract. That’s the beauty of how art influences change in business.”

Labat is a firm believer that artists and creators play an important role in improving the world.

“It is really important to recognize that we wouldn’t be able to move forward, excite, inspire or challenge ideas if it wasn’t for artists and creators, whether music, dance or physical art,” Labat said.

“Cultural expression allows us to think differently about what is, what matters, what inspires and excites us, what moves us, and how we can continue to support creators at a time when everyone is prioritizing what matters to them. Supporting and learning about artists is an amazing way to protect people and their ideas and come together as a culture and as a society.”

“I Really Love This Song,” a digital exhibition WHEN: Ongoing WHERE/INFO: ireallylovethissong.com and click on the menu bars on the bottom right COST: Free

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Producer Sebastian Krys tells his story of perseverance

By Claire Spinner LA Downtown News Contributing Writer ebastian Krys takes nothing for granted. In his 50 years, the Los Angeles-based record producer, audio engineer and radio personality has seen more than his share of trials and successes.

Krys has worked with accomplished musicians of the last 30 years, from Shakira to Will Smith. The road to his success was anything but typical, though. Born in Argentina, Krys lived his early years in the United States as an undocumented immigrant, which, the producer said, majorly shaped his childhood.

“I was 9 when we got to the States,” Krys said.

“It was very difficult in the sense that, first of all, I didn’t speak English. On top of that, as a kid in Argentina, although the political situation was bad, I had a lot of independence. I could take the bus or train, even at 6 years old. All the sudden I was in a place where there was very little transportation. It was frowned on to let your 9-year-old so far out of your sight. It was a complete culture shock.”

Being an undocumented immigrant came with consequences that he did not quite understand at the time. But, he said, with political tension in Argentina rising, his family was much safer in the United States.

“It was really hard to understand why we couldn’t go back and visit family and why I couldn’t see my friends,” Krys said.

“As a 9-year-old, you just don’t understand why you’re stuck somewhere, especially in that situation. It was a good place to be stuck, but I missed my friends and family. I didn’t see those people at all between the ages of 9 and 12, and at that age that is really, really long to be without the people you are closest to.”

Krys found solace in music. Growing up, his father played music of all genres around the house — something that intrigued Krys. He became fascinated with the Police, the Beatles, Elvis Costello, and Argentine artists like Mercedes Sosa. Other members of his family were classically trained musicians, further piquing his interest.

“My dad was a big music fan but not necessarily a musician,” he said.

“It was interesting, because my mom actually had a piano that she gave to her brother. So, my cousins were all classically trained pianists, while it was me who actually had an interest in the industry. But I would play piano when we went to my uncle’s before we moved to the U.S., and that was where I started.”

He decided to enter the music industry in his early teenage years after watching a Sting documentary when he was 15.

“There was this scene in the documentary where there’s a guy in board shorts in the background kind of turning knobs,” Krys said. “I thought, ‘Well, I can’t be Sting or any of the great musicians playing on stage with him, but I think I could be that guy in the board shorts.’ So I was immediately consumed by the idea of music production and getting into that side of the industry.”

In school, Krys struggled to keep up with his grades, which was discouraging. Facing health issues and a difficult time learning through instruction and lectures, he was disheartened by the American school system.

“I was not a good student,” Krys said. “When you’re brought up in traditional public school, if you don’t hit the marks — get good grades, good SAT scores — you’re a lost cause to them. My grades weren’t good enough to get into University of Miami’s music program or the Berklee College of Music, and I wasn’t a good enough musician yet either. But I knew I could create. I knew I was creative and that I could find my way into the music scene through the technical side.”

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Finding his way By luck, Krys said, he came across Full Sail University, which has more of a hands-on approach. He was accepted in 1988 and studied audio engineering.

“Full Sail was a school created by people who learn in a different way,” Krys said. “It was very hands-on. It really was catered a lot more toward people like me, who learn

Sebastian Krys won the BMI Champion Award during the BMI Latin Awards in 2019.

Photo courtesy of Sebastian Krys

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by doing. They would put you in real situations you would encounter. We would have labs at 1 a.m. because sometimes real sessions go all night. It was really eye opening and engaging, and I don’t think I would have a career without that school.”

Krys made industry connections through Full Sail that led him to interning at Emilio Estefan’s Crescent Moon Studio in Miami. For a while, Krys produced local artists’ records for free at the studio in his off time.

“Producing locally allowed me to get a lot of great experience without much risk,” Krys said. “I was doing it for free, so people had low expectations. It was a really good way for me to cut my teeth and learn how to manage people. It was the experience I needed.

“It was funny because, in the beginning, I had so little experience that I would offer to produce for a lot of bands that would actually just turn me down.”

From there, Krys’ career boomed as notable artists caught on to his production skills.

He continued to work at Crescent Moon, where he collaborated with Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan. Working mostly with Latin singer-songwriters, the producer said each was special.

“I really like songwriters who are storytellers,” Krys said. “It’s really about finding those right songs and then finding the right aesthetic for them and trying to tell those stories and frame them in a way that’s compelling. Every project is different, which is what I love about the job. It’s never the same. It’s never repetitive.”

Recently, Krys worked with a personal hero, Costello.

“To be able to connect with him and get to know him and his process has been a dream come true,” Krys said. “Not just musically, but in the fact that behind the music there is this wonderful human being who is thoughtful and engaged. Some people say, ‘Never meet your heroes,’ but I couldn’t disagree more.”

In 2010, Krys moved to Los Angeles and started Rebeleon Entertainment. The change of pace was the result of Krys unsatiated desire for growth in the industry.

“I wanted a change of scenery,” Krys said. “I was doing really well in Miami, and one of the things about our business is that it’s not a good business to be complacent, and I was getting very comfortable. I realized I didn’t like that feeling of too much comfort, I feel better in an underdog role. In LA, I had to prove myself again.”

Highs and lows Living in LA has been a roller coaster. Krys had monumental success and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. However, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“Health is something that we completely take for granted,” Krys said.

“I like to describe (Parkinson’s) as one of those annoying people you don’t ever feel like talking to, but instead of running into them once in a while they are living with you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, waking up with you and just wreaking havoc.

“Really, you just have to attack it head-on. You have to adjust a lot of the things you do as far as how you work and how you use your energy. But I’ve managed. You don’t get Sundays off from Parkinson’s, you know? It’ll be there. You just have to keep fighting it.”

Krys added that his goal for the next year is continue making great music and working hard.

“At this stage in my career, I have already done a lot more than I ever thought I was going to do,” Krys said. “With my diagnosis, my goal is just to be able to work. As long as I can keep working and I enjoy it, then I am going to keep at it. The second I can’t do it at a high level, I’ll stop. As long as I can wake up every day and work, it’s a blessing.”

He hopes that people who feel marginalized by the more traditional career path in the United States will pursue their passions, despite perceived societal constraints.

“We live in a world where everything is one size fits all,” he said. “I hope that people will follow what they want to do and be really passionate about it and not let that onesize-fits-all way of bringing people up discourage them from pursuing their dreams.

“I wasn’t the smartest kid. I wasn’t the most talented. I didn’t have the greatest grades. But I worked hard, and I worked through every obstacle by pushing on. And I’ve found myself doing what I love because of it, which is what I’d encourage anyone to do.

Always pursue your dreams, because you might really surprise yourself with what you accomplish.”

Sebastian Krys @sebastiankrys

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Tomer Peretz Brings Depth and Raw Emotion to Downtown Los Angeles

By Danielle Casilio Walking into Ouro Gallery, located at 211 S Broadway, you are immediately welcomed into a world of contrasts. The space is rugged - once serving as a textile factory, with exposed steel beams and exposed brick walls. Elegant canvas paintings are mixed with graffiti-style street art and conceptual installations like re-finished wooden palettes and a hot pink shopping cart.

This is Ouro Gallery, the creation of Los Angeles-based Israeli conceptual artist Tomer Peretz.

Who is Tomer Peretz?

Tomer Peretz moved to Los Angeles 17 years ago. An artist since he was a child growing up in Jerusalem, moving to America allowed Peretz to fully express his talents and find inspiration. His work spans across different mediums, including oil and acrylic paintings and contemporary installations. Currently, he is represented by Giancarlo Pedrazzini in the ‘Fabbrica Eos’ gallery in Milan, Italy, and his artwork has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, Israel, Central America and Europe.

Speaking with Tomer, it is clear that his perspective on the world around us is unique. He is curious about the world and urges us to re-think the issues we face as a society, or just as human beings. He isn’t saying all of this with his words - that’s what the art is for. The art tells a controversial story about our culture and the forces behind it. The exhibit currently being showcased at Ouro Gallery entitled ‘Welcome To America’ in fact says all of this quite loudly.

Welcome To America The first time I visited the gallery was during the live showing of the ‘Welcome To America’ exhibit. The space is very DTLA, filled with expensive art and beautiful people. A harpist plays in the background as we purchase $20 cocktails. No one bats an eye, because this is Los Angeles and we are in an art gallery, of course.

Experiencing the first floor of the gallery gave visitors a sense of status.

I am here with the wealthy, with the trendy, with the important. Along one side of the gallery were canvas paintings - portraits mostly. Detailed and striking, some were incomplete to allow you to focus on the part of the image you were intended to see - the part that held the most emotion, perhaps.

Across the exhibit, along the opposite wall, were 6 re-finished wooden pallets. Each came with a hefty price tag, upsetting most viewers. One woman next to me sneered in disgust as she read the price aloud. Emotional responses to wood pallets? Fascinating.

Next, we were ushered into the next part of the exhibit. Working our way up the four flights of stairs, we came across a man. A homeless man. A crazy homeless man, talking to himself and surrounded by garbage. Nobody from the exhibit seemed to notice him, but everyone in my group began shifting uncomfortably. Why is this person here and why wasn’t security doing anything about it?

Enter into the 8000 square foot space, and your senses seem unable to adjust to what’s happening. The lighting is dim, the air is thick and hot, it smells like garbage, and it is quiet except for a few distinct noises - the crying out of homeless people, and the bleating of live sheep. All around you are tents, suitcases, mattresses and dirty old furniture. By now you start to realize that this is the exhibit, the 20+ homeless people are in fact actors, and your emotions are part of it as well.

The art that Tomer displayed in this section of the gallery was a bit different from the first section. Old framed pieces that had been found in thrift stores were spackled with cement, and tagged with graffiti messages that told you the story behind the exhibit. Art dealers crowded around the ex-

Tomer Peretz is at Ouro Gallery DTLA

Tomer Peretz at Ouro gallery, in front of his “Incomplete” series

Photo by Gabriel Ervin

Photo by Casey Reynolds

pensive pieces, pushing sales and disregarding the disgust that lay behind them. However, the true art form showcased was Peretz’ ability to use installations such as a barbed-wire enclosed student working in solitude, CRT televisions, and old newspapers boasting headlines that tell the story of a nation.

What’s next for Ouro?

Although the live exhibit is currently not showing, Peretz notes that it will be back at a later date. Since the closing of the live exhibit, Ouro Gallery is continuing to bring artists and creative thinkers together in a collaborative way. Regularly hosting tattoo artists, there is an underground vibe within the space. Tomer boasts a warm and welcoming energy, making the gallery feel like home to everyone.

Ouro Gallery brings vibrancy to Downtown Los Angeles. A perspective on American culture that is subtle and well-thought out, instead of raging and sporadic, the emotional depth of the gallery is sure to attract critical thinkers and art lovers alike.

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