Lucy Haro has been operating Qusqo Bistro for 15 years and is a recipient of a grant from RE:Her, a nonprofit organization driven by female restaurateurs.
The culinary influence of the Transatlantic Slave crossing is evident throughout the American South. In the Costa Chica area of Oaxaca, Mexico, the heritage is equally rich but not often recognized or discussed, says food writer Bill Esparza.
Jesse Roberts
Neighborhood favorite Qusqo Bistro opened a plant-based, delivery-only ghost kitchen on Thursday, May 13, called Llama Love Vegan. It’s an expansion of the 13-year-old West LA restaurant, where owner Lucy Haro developed a menu with traditional Peruvian dishes that could be customized with meat or made all-vegan with vegetables.
For years, Haro served plant-based dishes from her Qusqo kitchen and found a demand with not only vegan customers, but omnivores wanting to eat less meat. All of Qusqo’s sauces are vegan, so Haro simply added meat or vegetables to sauces like aji verde or aji amarillo. It was a natural fit, says Haro. “We do have a lot of vegan sauces and indigenous ingredients that come from our native roots. In Latin America, natives use a majority of plant and fruit-based diets because meat can be a luxury.” she says.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
California has once again implemented a sweeping stay-at-home order for much of the state to help curb the soaring COVID-19 infection rate. The lockdown means no on-site outdoor dining in over a dozen area counties, at least through December 28.
On-site dining has been a major factor in keeping restaurants, bars, cafes, and wineries afloat throughout this devastating pandemic, and in keeping thousands of workers employed during one of the greatest economic crises the country has ever faced. For now, that option is gone. And with no formal federal financial package confirmed yet for the more than 31,000 restaurants and small food businesses in LA County alone, the future is as bleak as it has been at any point during the pandemic. Some eateries (and even local government officials) have even taken to openly defying the order, which usually results in a visit from the health department to revoke health permits or enact fines.