HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Roy Choi and the Next Street Food Revolution

Views:1047
@ReasonVids

Popular chef wants to bring healthier choices to the inner city with new restaurant LocoL.

Subscribe: https://goo.gl/yiuhEE

Roy Choi is known to many as the man who started the food truck movement with Kogi BBQ, a Los Angeles taco truck that brought the Korean Mexican taco to the masses.

What made Kogi popular was Choi's ability to blend different flavors—a talent he credits to his upbringing on the streets of LA.

"I'm an immigrant here in this country," says Choi. "My parents came over here without much and we had to hustle and we moved a lot and we did a lot of different things to survive."

Choi has not only survived, but has thrived since finding his calling with street food. He now is involved with over half-a-dozen restaurants, has written a New York Times bestselling memoir titled L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, and is considered one of the top chefs in the world.

His next project is focused on taking the ideals of street food and using them bring healthier food choices to low income neighborhoods. He's partnered with Michelin star chef Daniel Patterson to create LocoL—a new restaurant in the heart of South Central Los Angeles.

"We're in Watts. We're right in the heart of the Jordan Downs projects," states Choi. "The best picture I could paint is a place filled with history, love, smiling faces, and beautiful people."

Watts has never fully recovered from the 1965 riots that left the neighborhood in ruins—and over 50 years later economic hardship continues to define the area. Today 40 percent of residents live below the poverty line and Los Angeles' Health Atlas shows Watts residents have the lowest life expectancy rates in California.

Choi hopes that LocoL can begin to reverse this trend by serving up healthier fast food with a menu that includes classics like burgers and tacos, but also lighter options like tofu bowls and fresh green juice.

"What you see is fast food," states Choi. "That way anybody who walks through these screen doors when they look at the menu I want them to have almost an instinctual reaction to it."

Choi's motivation for opening LocoL is to combat food deserts—which are areas that lack access to fresh produce and grocery stores. But several studies have questioned the existence of these food deserts and their link to poor nutrition. Researchers say that its not that people don't have access to fresh fruits and veggies, it's just that they don't want to eat it.

But Choi's argument is that it is more of a mental hurdle than a question of access. When speaking to fellow chefs at the MAD Symposium—an event held by a Danish non-profit in Copenhagen—he said that he wasn't looking to change the way people make decisions, he just wanted to provide them more choice.

"Food is only the beginning. Food was the fastest thing that we could affect and it was the one area that we could slide into because everyone has to eat. But really it's the tip of an iceberg of a larger discussion," Choi states.

He's optimistic that change can happen based on his experience with the food truck revolution—which democratized the dining experience by giving chefs a low cost model to bring their culinary creations to a larger customer base.

"I'm really proud of what we did," states Choi. "We got to tell our own stories and then those became things that everyone was attracted to for their own reasons. It's almost like they were being held back and now those voices are heard and those flavors and those trucks are roaming throughout the country and anyone and everyone can express themselves."

Choi says that he doesn't expect LocoL to change the neighborhood overnight, but hopes that by creating a chef-driven restaurant he can draw attention to the area and begin a dialogue.

"I already lived through the food truck revolution. In my lifetime in the last seven years I've seen peoples' whole lives changed—whole neighborhoods, whole industries," says Choi. "If this is successful then what happens is it's not just us. Then you have real estate developers. Then you have investors. Then you have politicians all looking at these communities that they've completely abandoned and coming back."

Choi continues, "That can give jobs out to the community. And then all of a sudden we create a whole other economy within the economy."

Approximately 10 minutes.

Produced by Alexis Garcia. Camera by Alex Manning, Paul Detrick, and Zach Weissmueller. Music by 6th Sense, BOPD, and The Silent Partner. Photos and additional footage courtesy of Roy Choi and LocoL.

Thumbnail photo credit: Roy Choi / Facebook.

Click https://reason.com/reasontv/2016/03/3... for downloadable versions, and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel for daily content like this.

roy choi
,
kogi
,
locol
,
food truck
,
food trucks
,
street food
,
chef
,
reason
,
reason.com
,
reasontv
,
reason tv
,
watts
,
los angeles
    Thumbnail for DARPA Unveils Game-Changing High-Tech Weapon1:55
    DARPA Unveils Game-Changing High-Tech Weapon
    ReasonVids
    733 views
    Thumbnail for Did we accidentally make a reverse Batmobile!? | NHRL0:43
    Did we accidentally make a reverse Batmobile!? | NHRL
    invidious
    385 views
    Thumbnail for When A MUAY THAI Monster Moves To MMA 🔥 😵 Yodkaikaew vs. Alex Schild | ONE Championship12:18
    When A MUAY THAI Monster Moves To MMA 🔥 😵 Yodkaikaew vs. Alex Schild | ONE Championship
    invidious
    471 views
    Thumbnail for Halo 3 - Team Slayer - Guardian (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming10:52
    Halo 3 - Team Slayer - Guardian (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming
    invidious
    504 views
    Thumbnail for Don't Play With Ants Song + More Funny Kids Songs 😻🐨🐰🦁 And Nursery Rhymes by Baby Zoo | Baby Zoo | Kids Songs1:00
    Don't Play With Ants Song + More Funny Kids Songs 😻🐨🐰🦁 And Nursery Rhymes by Baby Zoo | Baby Zoo | Kids Songs
    invidious
    429 views
    Thumbnail for Greg Phillinganes on playing with Stevie Wonder #steviewonder #keyboards #piano #shorts | Rick Beato0:39
    Greg Phillinganes on playing with Stevie Wonder #steviewonder #keyboards #piano #shorts | Rick Beato
    invidious
    138 views
    Thumbnail for Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - Walkthrough - Part 38 - Breach (Gameplay) | theRadBrad14:48
    Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - Walkthrough - Part 38 - Breach (Gameplay) | theRadBrad
    invidious
    322 views
    Thumbnail for How Big Was a Dinosaur's Brain? | Cleo Abram0:30
    How Big Was a Dinosaur's Brain? | Cleo Abram
    invidious
    179 views
    Thumbnail for 5 Phone Cases With SECRET Abilities! | Mrwhosetheboss0:59
    5 Phone Cases With SECRET Abilities! | Mrwhosetheboss
    invidious
    125 views
    Thumbnail for 🔴HUGE QoL Changes with the Wedding Update! (Review Livestream) | HyRoolLegend4:11:46
    🔴HUGE QoL Changes with the Wedding Update! (Review Livestream) | HyRoolLegend
    invidious
    107 views
    Thumbnail for Fastest Stripper in the UK1:19
    Fastest Stripper in the UK
    AOU
    1863 views
    Thumbnail for if only they could wipe each other out1:02
    if only they could wipe each other out
    bestofupgoat
    441 views
    Thumbnail for Judge Andrew Napolitano on Election 2016 and Being a Pro-Life Libertarian33:36
    Judge Andrew Napolitano on Election 2016 and Being a Pro-Life Libertarian
    ReasonVids
    1086 views
    Thumbnail for If Your Price Is Not Your Life, Then You Are For Sale0:47
    If Your Price Is Not Your Life, Then You Are For Sale
    bestofupgoat
    125 views
    Thumbnail for "jewess wants mixing for Whites but in-group solidarity for her own tribe. Starting to see a pattern here?  These sweaty jew rats are trying to eliminate ethnic competition to clear the path for tribal victory."3:14
    "jewess wants mixing for Whites but in-group solidarity for her own tribe. Starting to see a pattern here? These sweaty jew rats are trying to eliminate ethnic competition to clear the path for tribal victory."
    AOUisgay
    563 views
    Thumbnail for Advertise Your Legal Product.  Get Thrown in Jail2:35
    Advertise Your Legal Product. Get Thrown in Jail
    IJvids
    1137 views
    Thumbnail for Bout to go DOWN!0:59
    Bout to go DOWN!
    bestofupgoat
    154 views
    Thumbnail for Nintendo takes over the YT Lobby in Zeepkist | justMaki17:14
    Nintendo takes over the YT Lobby in Zeepkist | justMaki
    Zeepkist.topic
    651 views
    Thumbnail for MIND BLOWING Tricks I LEARNED From YOUNG Billy Gibbons | Tim Pierce Guitar20:20
    MIND BLOWING Tricks I LEARNED From YOUNG Billy Gibbons | Tim Pierce Guitar
    invidious
    458 views
    Thumbnail for Ferret Time! 💜 The Wigglers of Pirate Software 💛 !Wiki !Music !Diet !Rescue | Pirate Software1:38:46
    Ferret Time! 💜 The Wigglers of Pirate Software 💛 !Wiki !Music !Diet !Rescue | Pirate Software
    invidious
    209 views
    Thumbnail for Venganza | ACCIÓN | Película Completa en Español | Boxoffice | Nuevas Películas Completas en Español1:36:40
    Venganza | ACCIÓN | Película Completa en Español | Boxoffice | Nuevas Películas Completas en Español
    invidious
    78 views
    Thumbnail for OnlyFans Owner Revealed as AIPAC’s Top Donor! | The Jimmy Dore Show2:47
    OnlyFans Owner Revealed as AIPAC’s Top Donor! | The Jimmy Dore Show
    invidious
    81 views
    Thumbnail for Say It!0:48
    Say It!
    bestofvoatxyz
    621 views
    Thumbnail for Dashcam Tornado0:15
    Dashcam Tornado
    AOU
    2170 views
    Thumbnail for You Will Seal Our Fate1:26
    You Will Seal Our Fate
    bestofvoatxyz
    844 views

points

Permalink
Reply
roy choi
,
kogi
,
locol
,
food truck
,
food trucks
,
street food
,
chef
,
reason
,
reason.com
,
reasontv
,
reason tv
,
watts
,
los angeles
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle