Skip to main content

Roy Choi: The Early Days of Kogi BBQ

Support Provided By

Taco trucks are well known in Los Angeles, and can typically be found parked adjacent to construction sites by day and social hangouts at night. The recent surge in mobile catering has sparked many unique food experiences like "Kogi". It started when the owner of The Brig on Abbot Kinney Boulevard invited Kogi to serve tacos in the adjacent parking lot. After great reception, Kogi instantly branched out to include four trucks that circulate throughout Los Angeles. But no matter where they are parked, Chef Roy Choi, co-founder of Kogi, feels Venice is home. He refers specifically to the way people stay to eat. Rather than taking food and driving off, people hang around, order, eat, and then order some more.

Chef Roy Choi - Kogi - The Gateway

The Gateway
"The street has always been fantastic, but I think what has happened with Kogi being at the Brig Bar at the corner - the gateway of Abbot Kinney from the east side - it brought attention to that street on a national level and a local level."

Kogi BBQ - Chef Roy Choi - Warriors

Warriors
"What I love about Venice is the flow. Other parts of the city are really incredible, but Venice has something different... everything is intertwined, like everyone knows each other."

Support Provided By
Read More
Ed Fuentes, artwork Colette Miller (preview)

In Remembrance of Arts Journalist and Advocate Ed Fuentes

Collaborator and friend James Daichendt remembers Ed Fuentes, a longtime advocate of the arts, who passed away this week.
mount_baldy_photo_by_daniel_medina

The San Gabriels: The Remarkable History of L.A.'s Threatened National Monument

An exploration of the rich history and culture of the San Gabriel Mountains and its eponymous river.
Boyle Heights Street Vending. Credits: Feng Yuan

Is Los Angeles Finally Legalizing Street Vending?

Trend-setting entrepreneurs versus “illegal” street vendors is a confusing dichotomy that has become the center of many conversations.