Meet the inspiring leaders using food to challenge conventions, empower their communities, and make positive change.
America’s food culture is at a turning point. Pandemic-related shutdowns proved just how fragile the restaurant ecosystem has always been, while last summer’s protests put a spotlight on the work still needed to dismantle white supremacy in all aspects of American life, especially in an industry built on a history of racism and inequity. And addressing hunger, an everyday reality for millions of Americans, became even more urgent as food banks struggled to keep up with the overwhelming need due to the pandemic’s devastation of the economy.
Brittney Valles starts her day at Tiago Coffee Bar & Kitchen in Hollywood. After a few hours of directing operations, setting up meetings, and making fundraiser phone calls, she heads to Silver Lake to oversee the construction on her next restaurant, Gogo’s Tacos. She finishes the day in yet another location, checking in with the team at Guerrilla Tacos, the Arts District restaurant she opened with chef Wes Avila in 2018.
Almost a decade ago, Valles fell in love with hospitality while working behind the counter at Handsome Coffee Roasters. There, she met regular coffee drinker and seasoned restaurant owner Bill Chait. She never missed an opportunity to ask him questions about restaurant operations, and when Chait opened Petty Cash Taqueria in 2013, Valles joined the team as a host and later a floor manager. While still working at Petty Cash, Valles started her own bookkeeping business, where she met Avila, a client who in 2016 would ask her to partner with him at Guerrilla Tacos.
Los Angeles County is reopening businesses to an extent not seen since last spring when a coronavirus surge led to closures of cinemas, gyms, museums and indoor
LOS ANGELES (AP) The last time Brittney Valles welcomed diners into Guerrilla Tacos, her restaurant was open for a mere five hours in July before being
LOS ANGELES
The last time Brittney Valles welcomed diners into Guerrilla Tacos, her restaurant was open for a mere five hours in July before being ordered to close again because of the surging coronavirus pandemic.
So, it’s little surprise Valles is not rushing to open her doors now that Los Angeles County has given the green light to begin reopening more businesses that have been shuttered most of the last year.
“I’m antsy but optimistic,” Valles said. “I’m curious how this is going to roll out. We’re certainly not out of the woods at all. We’re just entering a new area of the woods.”