1 00:00:02,078 --> 00:00:02,111  (U                              2 00:00:02,111 --> 00:00:02,145  (Upb                            3 00:00:02,145 --> 00:00:02,178  (Upbea                          4 00:00:02,178 --> 00:00:02,211  (Upbeat                         5 00:00:02,211 --> 00:00:02,245  (Upbeat in                      6 00:00:02,245 --> 00:00:02,278  (Upbeat inst                    7 00:00:02,278 --> 00:00:02,311  (Upbeat instru                  8 00:00:02,311 --> 00:00:02,345  (Upbeat instrume                9 00:00:02,345 --> 00:00:02,378  (Upbeat instrument              10 00:00:02,378 --> 00:00:02,412  (Upbeat instrumental            11 00:00:02,412 --> 00:00:02,445  (Upbeat instrumental f          12 00:00:02,445 --> 00:00:02,478  (Upbeat instrumental flo        13 00:00:02,478 --> 00:00:02,512  (Upbeat instrumental flour      14 00:00:02,512 --> 00:00:02,545  (Upbeat instrumental flouris    15 00:00:02,545 --> 00:00:03,913  (Upbeat instrumental flourish)  16 00:00:04,981 --> 00:00:07,850   (Dynamic instrumental music)   17 00:00:07,950 --> 00:00:12,288                 ♪                18 00:00:12,388 --> 00:00:14,690           MENA MASSOUD:                    Los Angeles!           19 00:00:14,791 --> 00:00:16,726       Like a lot of people                  in showbiz,           20 00:00:16,826 --> 00:00:19,762           this city has            a special place in my heart.   21 00:00:19,862 --> 00:00:22,632             In 2017,                   I took a massive risk      22 00:00:22,732 --> 00:00:25,535    and left everything behind        in Toronto to move here.     23 00:00:25,635 --> 00:00:28,571  With barely any money, I rented      a closet inside a house     24 00:00:28,671 --> 00:00:30,873         in West Hollywood            and continued the hustle     25 00:00:30,973 --> 00:00:33,543   I started in theatre school.   26 00:00:33,643 --> 00:00:37,447        I embraced the city           and fell in love with it.    27 00:00:37,547 --> 00:00:40,616  That same year I landed one of   the biggest roles of my career, 28 00:00:40,716 --> 00:00:42,685  and I've been fortunate enough  29 00:00:42,785 --> 00:00:45,488       to work with some of        the best in the biz ever since. 30 00:00:45,588 --> 00:00:47,056                 ♪                31 00:00:47,156 --> 00:00:51,294       LA is one of the most        fascinating places on earth,   32 00:00:51,394 --> 00:00:53,763       but not everyone gets       what really makes it different. 33 00:00:53,863 --> 00:00:56,732     Sure, there's the movies         and the beautiful people     34 00:00:56,833 --> 00:00:58,101     and the muscle beaches...    35 00:00:58,201 --> 00:01:00,570          ...but really,                 it's a city primed        36 00:01:00,670 --> 00:01:03,306         for dreaming big                 and taking risks.        37 00:01:03,406 --> 00:01:05,641        And there's money--                lots of money--         38 00:01:05,741 --> 00:01:08,611       which opens the door               for restaurateurs        39 00:01:08,711 --> 00:01:11,447          and businesses              to innovate and explode.     40 00:01:11,547 --> 00:01:13,749       Cali sets the trends.      41 00:01:13,850 --> 00:01:16,652  And the plant-based food scene          is no exception.         42 00:01:16,752 --> 00:01:18,588     And it's got roots here.     43 00:01:18,688 --> 00:01:23,092    The first vegan society in    the US was founded here in 1948. 44 00:01:23,192 --> 00:01:25,628           So get ready              to go LA restaurant hopping   45 00:01:25,728 --> 00:01:27,597   in a way you never imagined.   46 00:01:27,697 --> 00:01:33,769                 ♪                47 00:01:33,870 --> 00:01:35,872         I'm Mena Massoud.        48 00:01:35,972 --> 00:01:38,841          I'm travelling                across North America       49 00:01:38,941 --> 00:01:41,344     and eating my way through       some of the coolest cities    50 00:01:41,444 --> 00:01:44,313 to show you how beautiful meals, 51 00:01:44,413 --> 00:01:47,450          talented chefs                  and restaurateurs        52 00:01:47,550 --> 00:01:51,787   are making plant-based living      delicious and attainable.    53 00:01:51,888 --> 00:01:58,694     So join me as I show you     how the world is evolving vegan. 54 00:01:58,794 --> 00:02:05,768                 ♪                55 00:02:05,868 --> 00:02:07,270           Lilly Singh.           56 00:02:07,370 --> 00:02:08,604            Superwoman!           57 00:02:08,704 --> 00:02:12,508 A YouTube and IG megastar turned    talk show host and actor--    58 00:02:12,608 --> 00:02:13,876        also a good friend.       59 00:02:13,976 --> 00:02:15,077             A fellow                        Toronto kid           60 00:02:15,178 --> 00:02:17,580       making her way in LA          and absolutely killing it.    61 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,382    Lilly and I are East Coast/        West Coast transplants,     62 00:02:19,482 --> 00:02:21,717      which is fitting cause          we're starting this tour     63 00:02:21,817 --> 00:02:26,088  by smashing an East Coast fave        in West Coast style.       64 00:02:26,189 --> 00:02:28,357   In LA, that means Maciel's--       a vegan deli, naturally.     65 00:02:28,457 --> 00:02:29,358            Oh, my god.           66 00:02:29,458 --> 00:02:31,060       Chivalry is not dead.                 Thank you.            67 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:32,695 It is not,                       it is not.                       68 00:02:32,795 --> 00:02:33,696              Hello.                          Welcome!             69 00:02:33,796 --> 00:02:34,697          How you doing?                        Joe?               70 00:02:34,797 --> 00:02:35,898 Joe, yes.                        71 00:02:35,998 --> 00:02:37,767     Mena-- nice to meet you.         Maciel, nice to meet you.    72 00:02:37,867 --> 00:02:38,768          Hi, I'm Lilly.             JOE:                          Hey, Lilly.                      73 00:02:38,868 --> 00:02:39,769         Nice to meet you.        74 00:02:39,869 --> 00:02:41,137        Did you match the--       75 00:02:41,237 --> 00:02:42,171 JOE: Oh nice.                    76 00:02:42,271 --> 00:02:44,674          No, I did not.                  Um... I did not.         77 00:02:44,774 --> 00:02:46,676 You're matching the restaurants?            Oh, my god!           78 00:02:46,776 --> 00:02:48,678 It just happened                 to be like this.                 79 00:02:48,778 --> 00:02:50,379 I think it's meant                     to be.                     80 00:02:50,479 --> 00:02:53,182         Maciel, you have            a really interesting story    81 00:02:53,282 --> 00:02:54,784      because you have, like,     82 00:02:54,884 --> 00:02:57,119       a PhD and a doctorate            in medical sciences.       83 00:02:57,220 --> 00:02:58,120 Yes.                             84 00:02:58,221 --> 00:02:59,689     Why a vegan butcher shop?    85 00:02:59,789 --> 00:03:01,224            (Laughing)            86 00:03:01,324 --> 00:03:05,194       Because I didn't want           to do science anymore,      87 00:03:05,294 --> 00:03:07,463          but, you know,             this shop is a combination    88 00:03:07,563 --> 00:03:11,601  of all the things that I love,   which is also healthy cooking.  89 00:03:11,701 --> 00:03:13,135               JOE:                    We wanted to basically      90 00:03:13,236 --> 00:03:14,971     kind of marry two things:    91 00:03:15,071 --> 00:03:17,707 a New York deli-- plant-based... 92 00:03:17,807 --> 00:03:18,808                      MENA: Yeah. 93 00:03:18,908 --> 00:03:21,544    ...with Maciel's delicious            Mexican cooking.         94 00:03:21,644 --> 00:03:22,545               Nice.              95 00:03:22,645 --> 00:03:25,581  So classic New York style deli, 96 00:03:25,681 --> 00:03:28,084            plant-based                 with a Mexican twist.      97 00:03:28,184 --> 00:03:29,385      I mean,                     we should have--                 98 00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:30,987                 They're all                of my favourite words. 99 00:03:31,087 --> 00:03:32,555           Let's go eat!                    Let's go eat!          100 00:03:32,655 --> 00:03:33,990      You really are matching             the look of this.        101 00:03:34,090 --> 00:03:35,157                I know.                It's like the exact colour. 102 00:03:35,258 --> 00:03:36,158 Literally.                       103 00:03:36,259 --> 00:03:37,560            It's crazy.           104 00:03:37,660 --> 00:03:41,063 Maciel and Joe started the first   plant-based butcher and deli   105 00:03:41,163 --> 00:03:43,766          in LA, creating            healthy vegan foods for all   106 00:03:43,866 --> 00:03:47,236            and a dream                of pastrami sandwiches.     107 00:03:47,336 --> 00:03:50,172   JOE: I always loved a Reuben,           a good Reuben.          108 00:03:50,273 --> 00:03:52,308      You can't have a Reuben         without Thousand Island.     109 00:03:52,408 --> 00:03:53,476            Of course.            110 00:03:53,576 --> 00:03:55,978 You can't have a Reuben            without rye bread.             111 00:03:56,078 --> 00:03:57,513      Which I already know is           your favourite thing.      112 00:03:57,613 --> 00:03:58,681          You love bread.         113 00:03:58,781 --> 00:04:00,950         I do, I love bread,         but also, I was going to say, 114 00:04:01,050 --> 00:04:02,285      I could bathe in that.      115 00:04:02,385 --> 00:04:03,686         Like, I also love                Thousand Island,         116 00:04:03,786 --> 00:04:04,854       so I'm here for this.      117 00:04:04,954 --> 00:04:06,922               MENA:                The pastrami is made in-house  118 00:04:07,023 --> 00:04:08,257    with minimal ingredients--    119 00:04:08,357 --> 00:04:09,425          an alternative          120 00:04:09,525 --> 00:04:11,761       to the over-processed           veggie meats out there.     121 00:04:11,861 --> 00:04:14,196  So how many ingredients are in   this right here, would you say? 122 00:04:14,297 --> 00:04:15,898      It's cannellini beans,      123 00:04:15,998 --> 00:04:19,302        it's wheat protein,               and it's spices.         124 00:04:19,402 --> 00:04:21,637               MENA:                    Simple but delicious.      125 00:04:21,737 --> 00:04:23,139        Okay, time to work.       126 00:04:23,239 --> 00:04:24,640 Lilly, butter the bread with me. 127 00:04:24,740 --> 00:04:26,008     You want me to butter it                 with you?            128 00:04:26,108 --> 00:04:27,009 You can butter                      a slice.                      129 00:04:27,109 --> 00:04:28,010    Okay, I'll butter a slice.    130 00:04:28,110 --> 00:04:29,011      MENA: Too much butter?      131 00:04:29,111 --> 00:04:30,479  There's never too much butter.  132 00:04:30,579 --> 00:04:31,714               MENA:                       You love bread.         133 00:04:31,814 --> 00:04:32,715              I do--                   who doesn't love bread?     134 00:04:32,815 --> 00:04:36,385         Alright, so throw                 them back here.         135 00:04:36,485 --> 00:04:37,553        He said throw them.       136 00:04:37,653 --> 00:04:38,554               With the assist---                   here we go!    137 00:04:38,654 --> 00:04:39,555            Okay, yes!            138 00:04:39,655 --> 00:04:43,025                            Boom!             Alright!                       There we go!           139 00:04:43,125 --> 00:04:45,027    So, then the next thing is       to make some hot pastrami.    140 00:04:45,127 --> 00:04:46,896       Take the whole thing              and throw it down.        141 00:04:46,996 --> 00:04:47,897                       Really?             Yeah.                   142 00:04:47,997 --> 00:04:49,732        MENA: There we go.                JOE: There ya go.        143 00:04:49,832 --> 00:04:51,667         I can't get over         how much it looks like pastrami. 144 00:04:51,767 --> 00:04:53,135        I mean, the colour                   is spot on.           145 00:04:53,235 --> 00:04:55,004     LILLY: It's another thing            you're matching.         146 00:04:55,104 --> 00:04:56,205         It does look like                    my shirt.            147 00:04:56,305 --> 00:04:57,373               Yeah.              148 00:04:57,473 --> 00:05:00,176    It does. And do both sides             with the sauce?         149 00:05:00,276 --> 00:05:02,011          Yeah, oh, yeah.                               MENA: Ohh! 150 00:05:02,111 --> 00:05:03,412                   You know a lot                      of stuff.   151 00:05:03,512 --> 00:05:05,581       I know a lot of stuff              about vegan food.        152 00:05:05,681 --> 00:05:06,716                Very impressed.                I'm very impressed. 153 00:05:06,816 --> 00:05:07,717            Thank you.            154 00:05:07,817 --> 00:05:09,552              Whoosh!             155 00:05:09,652 --> 00:05:11,187          JOE: I'm gonna                 throw yours there.        156 00:05:11,287 --> 00:05:13,422     That's very good. That's        actually a nice technique.    157 00:05:13,522 --> 00:05:14,924               Oh, we're supposed                   to be all--    158 00:05:15,024 --> 00:05:16,392          Nice technique.           Yeah, I should have told you.  159 00:05:16,492 --> 00:05:18,394       You will be over here               and you'll say:         160 00:05:18,494 --> 00:05:19,495        Ready for a Reuben!       161 00:05:19,595 --> 00:05:20,596              Ready for a Reuben! 162 00:05:20,696 --> 00:05:22,098             And then,                   you'll go: Reuben.        163 00:05:22,198 --> 00:05:23,432                    LILLY:                     Ready for a Reuben! 164 00:05:23,532 --> 00:05:24,500        Ah, one Reuben up!        165 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,602          Hot jambalaya!          166 00:05:26,702 --> 00:05:28,070                      LILLY: Yes!         MENA: All right!         167 00:05:28,170 --> 00:05:29,405          Grab the sauer,           grab a handful of sauerkraut   168 00:05:29,505 --> 00:05:30,406          and squeeze it.         169 00:05:30,506 --> 00:05:31,607         But not too much.        170 00:05:31,707 --> 00:05:34,443      You want a little juice          but not a ton of juice.     171 00:05:34,543 --> 00:05:35,444                  I squeeze what? 172 00:05:35,544 --> 00:05:36,579           Get in there.          173 00:05:36,679 --> 00:05:38,047                  LILLY: Oh, wow.       I can do that, okay.       174 00:05:38,147 --> 00:05:39,515          Here, squeeze.          175 00:05:39,615 --> 00:05:40,850          Dramatic height                 to squeeze from.         176 00:05:40,950 --> 00:05:42,885        MENA: That's a lot                 of sauerkraut.          177 00:05:42,985 --> 00:05:43,986      That's not even half of     178 00:05:44,086 --> 00:05:45,388 what you should                   put on there.                               Oh, my--             179 00:05:45,488 --> 00:05:47,289         There's gonna be                   so much gas.           180 00:05:47,390 --> 00:05:48,290             Awkward.             181 00:05:48,391 --> 00:05:49,859         Oh, there ya go.                   There you go.          182 00:05:49,959 --> 00:05:51,761               MENA:                      It's satisfying.         183 00:05:51,861 --> 00:05:53,195              LILLY:                      Very therapeutic.        184 00:05:53,295 --> 00:05:54,196            I must say,                it's very therapeutic.      185 00:05:54,296 --> 00:05:56,031                Is that too much?                 I did too much?  186 00:05:56,132 --> 00:05:57,199         No, it's perfect.                               You sure? 187 00:05:57,299 --> 00:05:58,367 Yeah, perfect.                     All right?                     188 00:05:58,467 --> 00:05:59,368         You're gonna have        189 00:05:59,468 --> 00:06:01,504           lots of gas!           190 00:06:01,604 --> 00:06:02,505             Awkward.             191 00:06:02,605 --> 00:06:04,306              LILLY:                    Bada-bing, bada-boom!      192 00:06:04,407 --> 00:06:06,409              Cheers.                       Look at that.          193 00:06:06,509 --> 00:06:09,478            (Crunching)           194 00:06:09,578 --> 00:06:12,281                 ♪                195 00:06:12,381 --> 00:06:13,516                         Mmm!     196 00:06:13,616 --> 00:06:15,885        I gotta say, it all          came together beautifully.    197 00:06:15,985 --> 00:06:16,886            LILLY: Yes!           198 00:06:16,986 --> 00:06:18,154     MENA: The crunchy bread,                the cheese,           199 00:06:18,254 --> 00:06:19,822    the Thousand Island sauce.           You guys nailed it.       200 00:06:19,922 --> 00:06:20,823       Everything together.       201 00:06:20,923 --> 00:06:21,824                    The texture's                    really good.  202 00:06:21,924 --> 00:06:23,192            You're not                   fully plant-based.        203 00:06:23,292 --> 00:06:26,595        So, if you came in          and tasted this, blind test,   204 00:06:26,695 --> 00:06:28,631    would you be able to tell?    205 00:06:28,731 --> 00:06:29,632                        Stand by. 206 00:06:29,732 --> 00:06:30,733           Well, that's                     a good sign.           207 00:06:30,833 --> 00:06:31,934              LILLY:                    If you gave me this,       208 00:06:32,034 --> 00:06:33,335          I think I would                  think it's meat         209 00:06:33,436 --> 00:06:35,438       because the texture,            because of the colour.      210 00:06:35,538 --> 00:06:36,906         This is seriously                   incredible.           211 00:06:37,006 --> 00:06:38,941    It doesn't sacrifice taste.           It's really good.        212 00:06:39,041 --> 00:06:40,810 JOE: Yeah.                                     MENA:                    This was a home run.       213 00:06:40,910 --> 00:06:42,411        What else is one of            your best-sellers here?     214 00:06:42,511 --> 00:06:43,412            The Flores.           215 00:06:43,512 --> 00:06:45,281            I want it!                    I gotta have it!         216 00:06:45,381 --> 00:06:47,450             I would also want it                  to eat it.      217 00:06:47,550 --> 00:06:49,351 Could I get                      two Flores?                      218 00:06:49,452 --> 00:06:50,519            Two Flores?                                   Ohh!     219 00:06:50,619 --> 00:06:51,654            Two Flores!                                 Yes!       220 00:06:51,754 --> 00:06:52,988               MENA:                         The Flores,           221 00:06:53,088 --> 00:06:56,125            a wonder of             Mexican-style ribs made from   222 00:06:56,225 --> 00:06:59,128     jackfruit, pickled onion,               and arugula           223 00:06:59,228 --> 00:07:00,262           on ciabatta.           224 00:07:00,362 --> 00:07:01,263              Cheers!             225 00:07:01,363 --> 00:07:02,865                    All right,                    one, two, three. 226 00:07:02,965 --> 00:07:04,266                 ♪                227 00:07:04,366 --> 00:07:07,303       MENA:                           Mmm...                      228 00:07:07,403 --> 00:07:10,706                 ♪                229 00:07:10,806 --> 00:07:14,076    (Mouth full, indiscernible)   230 00:07:15,077 --> 00:07:16,612        That's really good!       231 00:07:16,712 --> 00:07:19,515    Yeah, you can't really tell            jackfruit. Mmm.         232 00:07:19,615 --> 00:07:22,685               Yeah.               Ooh, the texture's really nice. 233 00:07:22,785 --> 00:07:23,886        Yeah, and it's got        234 00:07:23,986 --> 00:07:25,888       a nice spiciness with         the adobo flavour in there.   235 00:07:25,988 --> 00:07:27,490         Do you feel like             you're missing anything?     236 00:07:27,590 --> 00:07:29,158                No. Honestly, no. 237 00:07:29,258 --> 00:07:30,292 MENA: Yeah.                      238 00:07:30,392 --> 00:07:31,627          We're both from                     Toronto,             239 00:07:31,727 --> 00:07:32,962    Scarborough, specifically--                      Bada!         240 00:07:33,062 --> 00:07:35,030     And now we're here in LA.                         I know.     241 00:07:35,130 --> 00:07:39,134      One of the main reasons            I love LA is this:        242 00:07:39,235 --> 00:07:42,404        I don't think fear             shuts down ideas here.      243 00:07:42,505 --> 00:07:45,040         I think people's          imaginations here are so free,  244 00:07:45,140 --> 00:07:46,709   which is really, really cool.  245 00:07:46,809 --> 00:07:48,777      And I think it creates               this energy of          246 00:07:48,878 --> 00:07:50,613      just doing and creating        and living and risk-taking    247 00:07:50,713 --> 00:07:51,881        that I really love.       248 00:07:51,981 --> 00:07:53,749   How has your food philosophy        changed over the years?     249 00:07:53,849 --> 00:07:57,786       I think, previously,       I only used to view food as joy. 250 00:07:57,887 --> 00:07:59,288      I'm gonna eat whatever!     251 00:07:59,388 --> 00:08:00,456        It doesn't matter,        252 00:08:00,556 --> 00:08:03,692     because food is happiness         and my escape and joy.      253 00:08:03,792 --> 00:08:05,494              I think               that's a little too extreme.   254 00:08:05,594 --> 00:08:07,029     I think now, I view food     255 00:08:07,129 --> 00:08:08,464       as joy but also fuel.      256 00:08:08,564 --> 00:08:09,732     You know, also something     257 00:08:09,832 --> 00:08:12,501  that keeps me healthy and going        and my mind sharp.        258 00:08:12,601 --> 00:08:14,003      Where does plant-based               fall into that?         259 00:08:14,103 --> 00:08:16,038          Is it something                that you try to do        260 00:08:16,138 --> 00:08:18,274      I'm actually super-open              to plant-based.         261 00:08:18,374 --> 00:08:20,075     I think it tastes great.     262 00:08:20,175 --> 00:08:21,076          For me, I wish          263 00:08:21,176 --> 00:08:23,178          I had these two                living in my house.       264 00:08:23,279 --> 00:08:24,480    That's where the thing is.    265 00:08:24,580 --> 00:08:25,581         Where I'm, like,         266 00:08:25,681 --> 00:08:27,883         oh, I wish I had            this level of preparation.    267 00:08:27,983 --> 00:08:29,251         Yeah, and that's               the number-one thing       268 00:08:29,351 --> 00:08:30,252       that people tell me.       269 00:08:30,352 --> 00:08:31,554         They tell me that                  all the time           270 00:08:31,654 --> 00:08:33,322      when I take out friends        to plant-based restaurants,   271 00:08:33,422 --> 00:08:35,891   they're, like, if I could eat       like this all the time,     272 00:08:35,991 --> 00:08:36,892         I would be vegan.        273 00:08:36,992 --> 00:08:38,427               MENA:                 Okay, let's try the mousse.   274 00:08:38,527 --> 00:08:39,428         This is something        275 00:08:39,528 --> 00:08:40,963      I actually make at home                sometimes.            276 00:08:41,063 --> 00:08:41,964          LILLY: Really?          277 00:08:42,064 --> 00:08:43,098               MENA:                      And you throw in         278 00:08:43,198 --> 00:08:44,199         some silken tofu.        279 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:47,303          I have not ate            as much plant-based dessert.   280 00:08:47,403 --> 00:08:50,172              Cheers.                                  Bada!       281 00:08:51,307 --> 00:08:52,641        I definitely taste                  the cinnamon.          282 00:08:52,741 --> 00:08:54,376   I definitely taste--                      I taste the cinnamon. 283 00:08:54,476 --> 00:08:55,711             Which I really like. 284 00:08:55,811 --> 00:08:57,379       And the base                       is tofu.                 285 00:08:57,479 --> 00:08:58,480       I forgot about that!       286 00:08:58,581 --> 00:09:01,250         It does not, no,           it does not taste like tofu.   287 00:09:01,350 --> 00:09:02,451              Right?                           Right?                          I cannot taste tofu. 288 00:09:02,551 --> 00:09:04,320    You think the base is what,            some sort of--?         289 00:09:04,420 --> 00:09:06,155               This base is tofu?                      What!             --cream or something.                    Yeah!              290 00:09:06,255 --> 00:09:08,357      It's kind of like you,                  you know?            291 00:09:08,457 --> 00:09:10,893     Substance with the tofu,            and sweet and spicy       292 00:09:10,993 --> 00:09:12,394 all at the same time.            293 00:09:12,494 --> 00:09:13,562             Twinning.                       Look at us.           294 00:09:13,662 --> 00:09:14,763         We are the same.         295 00:09:14,863 --> 00:09:17,132               MENA:                     No twinning, Lilly.       296 00:09:17,232 --> 00:09:18,567       You're one of a kind.      297 00:09:18,667 --> 00:09:23,906                 ♪                298 00:09:24,006 --> 00:09:26,742          Beverly Hills.                    The height of          299 00:09:26,842 --> 00:09:28,777       luxury and decadence.      300 00:09:28,877 --> 00:09:31,947            And for me,                luxury means one thing:     301 00:09:32,047 --> 00:09:34,016          French pastry.          302 00:09:34,116 --> 00:09:36,986         Laila Abddaim is               the mastermind behind      303 00:09:37,086 --> 00:09:38,320       the ultra-successful                Chaumont Vegan,         304 00:09:38,420 --> 00:09:40,422       a fully vegan classic      305 00:09:40,522 --> 00:09:41,590        French pastry shop.       306 00:09:41,690 --> 00:09:43,926         She's pulled off             the seemingly impossible,    307 00:09:44,026 --> 00:09:46,528         cracking the code        308 00:09:46,629 --> 00:09:48,831   to delicate, flakey pastries   309 00:09:48,931 --> 00:09:50,199              without                     any dairy butter.        310 00:09:50,299 --> 00:09:53,135        Wow, look at this!        311 00:09:53,235 --> 00:09:54,770        This is incredible.              This is all vegan?        312 00:09:54,870 --> 00:09:56,105          All vegan, yes.         313 00:09:56,205 --> 00:09:58,841       MENA: These pastries                 are surreal.           314 00:09:58,941 --> 00:10:01,143        Charcoal croissants             with maccha dusting.       315 00:10:01,243 --> 00:10:02,978    Hazelnut rose confections.    316 00:10:03,078 --> 00:10:04,179          Apricot twists!         317 00:10:04,279 --> 00:10:07,683     Egg and cheese croissants            with a dukkah-nod        318 00:10:07,783 --> 00:10:09,284            to Laila's                 French-Moroccan roots.      319 00:10:09,385 --> 00:10:10,419              Insane!             320 00:10:10,519 --> 00:10:13,622         You being French,             you're obviously doing      321 00:10:13,722 --> 00:10:15,190       French pastry style,       322 00:10:15,290 --> 00:10:17,292  and you had Chaumont next door             since 2013.           323 00:10:17,393 --> 00:10:21,697   What inspired you to open up           a Chaumont Vegan         324 00:10:21,797 --> 00:10:23,666     that was all plant-based?    325 00:10:23,766 --> 00:10:25,734         I felt connected                to that philosophy.       326 00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:30,172       And every time I hear            people talking about       327 00:10:30,272 --> 00:10:31,840         plant-based food,        328 00:10:31,940 --> 00:10:33,709          it doesn't have                 the best, like...        329 00:10:33,809 --> 00:10:35,911                   Reputation?    Reputation, thank you.           330 00:10:36,011 --> 00:10:37,813           So, I wanted                to change that mindset      331 00:10:37,913 --> 00:10:41,717     and I felt if I can make              vegan pastries          332 00:10:41,817 --> 00:10:43,152        taste, look better,       333 00:10:43,252 --> 00:10:45,087        I think I'll count        334 00:10:45,187 --> 00:10:46,088         a mission there.         335 00:10:46,188 --> 00:10:48,424       What you've been able                 to do here            336 00:10:48,524 --> 00:10:49,758        is very, very rare.       337 00:10:49,858 --> 00:10:52,728       It wasn't easy for me                to replicate           338 00:10:52,828 --> 00:10:56,832          the same taste                as regular pastries.       339 00:10:56,932 --> 00:10:57,833           But I tried.           340 00:10:57,933 --> 00:10:59,068     I used different butters.    341 00:10:59,168 --> 00:11:00,936          And it was not                    quite right.           342 00:11:01,036 --> 00:11:03,572       So, I started making                my own butter.          343 00:11:03,672 --> 00:11:05,607          Because butter          344 00:11:05,708 --> 00:11:08,077           is the key of                    all of this.           345 00:11:08,177 --> 00:11:09,511              Of French pastries,                     yeah.        346 00:11:09,611 --> 00:11:11,780       So, I wanna try some,         some of this goodness here.   347 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:13,849         Laila: Of course.            What do you want to try?     348 00:11:13,949 --> 00:11:15,384            (Laughter)            349 00:11:15,484 --> 00:11:16,752            Earl Grey.            350 00:11:16,852 --> 00:11:17,853         MENA: All right!                    What is it?           351 00:11:17,953 --> 00:11:19,021           Tell me what                    I'm gonna try.          352 00:11:19,121 --> 00:11:20,289     LAILA: It's an Earl Grey          pastry-cream croissant.     353 00:11:20,389 --> 00:11:22,891     MENA: I can already tell       it's flakey; it's beautiful.   354 00:11:22,991 --> 00:11:25,360       And you put a little           gold leaf on top as well?    355 00:11:25,461 --> 00:11:26,361              LAILA:                     Yeah, edible gold.        356 00:11:26,462 --> 00:11:27,963               MENA:                     Wow, look at that.        357 00:11:28,063 --> 00:11:29,865            I can tell                   that it's buttery.        358 00:11:29,965 --> 00:11:31,734     There's a filling inside,                as well.             359 00:11:31,834 --> 00:11:32,735              Mm-hmm,                  the pastry cream, yes.      360 00:11:32,835 --> 00:11:34,737            (Crunching)           361 00:11:34,837 --> 00:11:37,740                 ♪                362 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,309                 ♪                363 00:11:40,409 --> 00:11:41,543             Come on!             364 00:11:41,643 --> 00:11:43,946               Mmm.                    You can hear the crunch     365 00:11:44,046 --> 00:11:45,280       when I bite into it.                 LAILA: Yeah.           366 00:11:45,380 --> 00:11:47,216       Which is how you know         it's cooked to perfection.    367 00:11:47,316 --> 00:11:48,217         This is amazing.         368 00:11:48,317 --> 00:11:49,351          LAILA: Most of                     the people,           369 00:11:49,451 --> 00:11:50,786   actually, that have come here           are not vegan.          370 00:11:50,886 --> 00:11:53,155             One bite                and they usually come back.   371 00:11:53,255 --> 00:11:54,923               MENA:                     No surprise there.        372 00:11:55,023 --> 00:11:57,326        Now, I have to know        how she's making these pastries 373 00:11:57,426 --> 00:11:59,228       and I'm lucky enough               to get an invite         374 00:11:59,328 --> 00:12:02,564          to try my hand          at a French classic: the éclair. 375 00:12:02,664 --> 00:12:05,834          The first step             is making the choux pastry    376 00:12:05,934 --> 00:12:07,436      from Laila's top-secret            plant-based butter.       377 00:12:07,536 --> 00:12:08,971        And let me tell ya,       378 00:12:09,071 --> 00:12:10,472         mixing is harder                  than it looks.          379 00:12:10,572 --> 00:12:12,775 And then...                                    You don't trust me                 to stir, I see.  380 00:12:12,875 --> 00:12:14,309    I just don't want you like,   381 00:12:14,409 --> 00:12:15,844            Oh, you're                   looking out for me.       382 00:12:15,944 --> 00:12:19,481     You don't want me to get        it on my beautiful jacket.    383 00:12:19,581 --> 00:12:20,482               Okay.              384 00:12:20,582 --> 00:12:21,950    Put a little more strength.   385 00:12:22,050 --> 00:12:22,951               Hoo.               386 00:12:23,051 --> 00:12:23,952 It's hard.                       387 00:12:24,052 --> 00:12:24,953            It is hard.           388 00:12:25,053 --> 00:12:25,954          What the heck?          389 00:12:26,054 --> 00:12:27,055         Let me show you.         390 00:12:27,156 --> 00:12:28,190       Yeah, please show me.      391 00:12:28,290 --> 00:12:29,191         So, you do it...         392 00:12:29,291 --> 00:12:30,192            It's good.            393 00:12:30,292 --> 00:12:31,927         You did you good                for the first time.       394 00:12:32,027 --> 00:12:33,462            Thank you.                    I mean I hope so.        395 00:12:33,562 --> 00:12:34,963         You're showing me                up a little bit.         396 00:12:35,063 --> 00:12:35,964           My arm hurts.          397 00:12:36,064 --> 00:12:38,033           Oh, my gosh!           398 00:12:38,133 --> 00:12:39,034             Perfect.             399 00:12:39,134 --> 00:12:41,203      This is hard work here.     400 00:12:41,303 --> 00:12:42,638               Man!               401 00:12:42,738 --> 00:12:46,508    So, of course, a lot of egg     but in this care, vegan egg.   402 00:12:46,608 --> 00:12:49,745     Laila's plant based eggs        have a base of yellow mung    403 00:12:49,845 --> 00:12:51,980      beans, oat milk, olive              oil and turmeric.        404 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,616       So, today we're going         to use a template for you.    405 00:12:54,716 --> 00:12:55,918    I'm usually not using this.   406 00:12:56,018 --> 00:12:56,919          But I think...          407 00:12:57,019 --> 00:12:58,086        But I'm an amateur.       408 00:12:58,187 --> 00:12:59,087 What?                            409 00:12:59,188 --> 00:13:00,255     Yeah... yeah, it's okay.     410 00:13:00,355 --> 00:13:01,690         Okay, beautiful!         411 00:13:01,790 --> 00:13:02,691               So...              412 00:13:02,791 --> 00:13:03,692            Beautiful.            413 00:13:03,792 --> 00:13:05,294            Here we go.           414 00:13:05,394 --> 00:13:06,628          (Clears throat)         415 00:13:06,728 --> 00:13:08,263         (Exhales sharply)        416 00:13:08,363 --> 00:13:10,999                 ♪                417 00:13:11,099 --> 00:13:12,000            LAILA: Eh!            418 00:13:12,100 --> 00:13:13,669     Pretty good, pretty good.    419 00:13:13,769 --> 00:13:14,670             Alright.             420 00:13:14,770 --> 00:13:15,671 I'm surprised!                   421 00:13:15,771 --> 00:13:16,672               What?              422 00:13:16,772 --> 00:13:18,040               What?              423 00:13:18,140 --> 00:13:20,876    You know, no, seriously, it           takes a long time        424 00:13:20,976 --> 00:13:23,078         for people to...         425 00:13:23,178 --> 00:13:25,113      To know how to do this.     426 00:13:25,214 --> 00:13:26,815    Well, thank you very much.    427 00:13:26,915 --> 00:13:28,483   I am the host of a food show.  428 00:13:28,584 --> 00:13:29,618            All right.            429 00:13:29,718 --> 00:13:31,453        But you should told            me you never did this.      430 00:13:31,553 --> 00:13:32,454         Never an éclair.         431 00:13:32,554 --> 00:13:34,356       That was my best one.      432 00:13:34,456 --> 00:13:35,557     That's better than mine!     433 00:13:35,657 --> 00:13:37,659   That was my best one I think.  434 00:13:37,759 --> 00:13:40,095      MENA: After some EXPERT             piping, we let it        435 00:13:40,195 --> 00:13:41,396         bake for an hour.        436 00:13:41,496 --> 00:13:42,731        Okay, there we go.        437 00:13:42,831 --> 00:13:45,667    LAILA: I truly think vegan      food, like, plant-based food   438 00:13:45,767 --> 00:13:47,035          is the future.          439 00:13:47,135 --> 00:13:49,805   If I can like make something      that tastes better than the   440 00:13:49,905 --> 00:13:53,508  regular pastries, sorry, like,       uh, it's a easy choice.     441 00:13:53,609 --> 00:13:55,244          MENA: Oh, wow.          442 00:13:55,344 --> 00:13:57,946          Almost lost it.         443 00:13:58,046 --> 00:13:59,314          Almost lost it.         444 00:13:59,414 --> 00:14:02,084    Once the shells are ready,         we poke three holes and     445 00:14:02,184 --> 00:14:05,354 start filling with pastry cream,     a blend of oat milk, cane    446 00:14:05,454 --> 00:14:08,156    sugar, vanilla beans, more       turmeric, and the piece de    447 00:14:08,257 --> 00:14:09,191            resistance,                 Moroccan argan oils.       448 00:14:09,291 --> 00:14:10,192              Okay...             449 00:14:10,292 --> 00:14:11,927            I'll do the                 chocolate one and...       450 00:14:12,027 --> 00:14:13,328      And I'll do the Matcha?     451 00:14:13,428 --> 00:14:14,463 Sure.                            452 00:14:14,563 --> 00:14:16,465       Matcha, that's a very             Los Angeles flavour       453 00:14:16,565 --> 00:14:17,466           I feel like.           454 00:14:17,566 --> 00:14:18,467               Okay.              455 00:14:18,567 --> 00:14:19,468          Just a little--         456 00:14:19,568 --> 00:14:20,569              (Gasps)             457 00:14:20,669 --> 00:14:21,770              Oh, no!             458 00:14:21,870 --> 00:14:23,038      It's okay, we're good.      459 00:14:23,138 --> 00:14:24,573            We're good.           460 00:14:24,673 --> 00:14:26,642                 ♪                461 00:14:26,742 --> 00:14:28,844          It's delicious.         462 00:14:28,944 --> 00:14:31,880    The eclairs are glazed with         Matcha and chocolate       463 00:14:31,980 --> 00:14:34,683     and decorated with edible         flowers and gold leaf.      464 00:14:34,783 --> 00:14:35,684          Very delicate.          465 00:14:35,784 --> 00:14:38,453     Oh, I already messed up.     466 00:14:38,553 --> 00:14:43,091          No, you want to             grab just a little piece.    467 00:14:43,191 --> 00:14:44,426                No.               468 00:14:44,526 --> 00:14:45,494                 ♪                469 00:14:45,594 --> 00:14:46,495              Voila!              470 00:14:46,595 --> 00:14:47,729    It's looking really great.    471 00:14:47,829 --> 00:14:48,730           This is art.           472 00:14:48,830 --> 00:14:50,032         I am an artiste.         473 00:14:50,132 --> 00:14:51,300       Thank you very much.       474 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,369      You definitely did most           of it but it's okay.       475 00:14:54,469 --> 00:14:56,805       I think I'm going out            the chocolate first.       476 00:14:56,905 --> 00:15:00,108                 ♪                477 00:15:00,208 --> 00:15:02,177                Mm.               478 00:15:02,277 --> 00:15:04,079  That is stupendously delicious. 479 00:15:04,179 --> 00:15:07,883        No way anyone would                be able to tell         480 00:15:07,983 --> 00:15:09,084        that's plant based.       481 00:15:09,184 --> 00:15:10,085              No way.             482 00:15:10,185 --> 00:15:12,788        Alright, I'm going               to try the Matcha.        483 00:15:12,888 --> 00:15:15,123                 ♪                484 00:15:15,223 --> 00:15:16,825                Mm.               485 00:15:16,925 --> 00:15:20,329             Come on.             486 00:15:20,429 --> 00:15:21,964               Wow!               487 00:15:22,064 --> 00:15:23,165     Are they filled properly?    488 00:15:23,265 --> 00:15:24,166              Mm-hmm.             489 00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:25,167               Yeah.              490 00:15:25,267 --> 00:15:26,168              Mm-hmm.             491 00:15:26,268 --> 00:15:27,169          (Laila laughs)          492 00:15:27,269 --> 00:15:28,170           Super light.           493 00:15:28,270 --> 00:15:29,538      Obviously a nice shell.     494 00:15:29,638 --> 00:15:30,539           The glaze...           495 00:15:30,639 --> 00:15:31,540     Not overly sweet, right?     496 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:32,541               Yeah.              497 00:15:32,641 --> 00:15:33,542               Yeah.              498 00:15:33,642 --> 00:15:34,576         You've nailed it.        499 00:15:34,676 --> 00:15:36,111         You've absolutely             nailed everything here.     500 00:15:36,211 --> 00:15:37,112          It's fantastic.         501 00:15:37,212 --> 00:15:38,714      Who also wants a bite?      502 00:15:38,814 --> 00:15:42,017     Come on, Johnny, I don't          think I've fed you yet.     503 00:15:42,117 --> 00:15:43,018             Mm. Wow.             504 00:15:43,118 --> 00:15:44,019               Yeah?              505 00:15:44,119 --> 00:15:45,954           10 out of 10.          506 00:15:46,054 --> 00:15:46,955          That's amazing.         507 00:15:47,055 --> 00:15:47,956            Thank you.            508 00:15:48,056 --> 00:15:50,392   All right, Danny, come here.   509 00:15:50,492 --> 00:15:52,894    Always looking out for me.    510 00:15:52,995 --> 00:15:56,665                 ♪                511 00:15:56,765 --> 00:15:58,367          That's amazing.         512 00:15:58,467 --> 00:16:00,035            Thank you.            513 00:16:00,135 --> 00:16:01,203    (Parisian flavoured music)    514 00:16:01,303 --> 00:16:02,237              Voila!              515 00:16:02,337 --> 00:16:03,739           Merci, Laila.          516 00:16:03,839 --> 00:16:06,775   The crazy length you've gone    to make extraordinary pastries  517 00:16:06,875 --> 00:16:09,077     taking century old French       recipes and elevating them    518 00:16:09,177 --> 00:16:10,512          for the future.         519 00:16:10,612 --> 00:16:13,548  Is just so smart to pivot when     you see the world evolving.   520 00:16:13,648 --> 00:16:15,951 And that's what I love about LA. 521 00:16:16,051 --> 00:16:19,021    In a land of make-believe,         people like Laila prove     522 00:16:19,121 --> 00:16:20,722     that dreams do come true.    523 00:16:20,822 --> 00:16:28,063                 ♪                524 00:16:28,163 --> 00:16:35,370                 ♪                525 00:16:35,470 --> 00:16:39,174    After a couple stops on our      LA food crawl, I gotta get    526 00:16:39,274 --> 00:16:40,175            a sweat-on.           527 00:16:40,275 --> 00:16:41,710       This is LA after all.      528 00:16:41,810 --> 00:16:44,546      And fortunately, I know         one of the best trainers     529 00:16:44,646 --> 00:16:45,881           in the city,           530 00:16:45,981 --> 00:16:48,417      Coach Kollins, a fellow        vegan, was born in Russia,    531 00:16:48,517 --> 00:16:51,586    raised in Thailand, trained      Muay Thai since he was 12.    532 00:16:51,686 --> 00:16:52,754          He moved to LA          533 00:16:52,854 --> 00:16:54,556          around the same                    time I did,           534 00:16:54,656 --> 00:16:56,024    and we become fast friends.   535 00:16:56,124 --> 00:16:58,660     Today, Kollins is putting        me and restaurateur, Mod,    536 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,796   through one of his hellacious        sparring and workout       537 00:17:00,896 --> 00:17:02,330             sessions.            538 00:17:02,431 --> 00:17:05,367    Since moving to LA, fitness       has become a huge part of    539 00:17:05,467 --> 00:17:06,768             my life.             540 00:17:06,868 --> 00:17:08,804     When I went plant-based,          I became way more aware     541 00:17:08,904 --> 00:17:10,739           of my health,                physical and mental.       542 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:13,975     But when it comes to the         gym, with plants fueling     543 00:17:14,076 --> 00:17:17,512   your body. what people really       want to know is, is it      544 00:17:17,612 --> 00:17:18,814     possible to get shredded?    545 00:17:18,914 --> 00:17:25,654          (Shots landing)         546 00:17:25,754 --> 00:17:27,322                 ♪                547 00:17:27,422 --> 00:17:28,323                Ha!               548 00:17:28,423 --> 00:17:29,758          Ding-ding-ding.         549 00:17:29,858 --> 00:17:32,060      Obviously you are doing        well in a vegan diet I see.   550 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:33,061               Yeah?              551 00:17:33,161 --> 00:17:34,062              Trying.             552 00:17:34,162 --> 00:17:35,063           Not too bad.           553 00:17:35,163 --> 00:17:36,531         Part of my plans.        554 00:17:36,631 --> 00:17:38,800     Before I moved to LA the     biggest thing people always told 555 00:17:38,900 --> 00:17:41,803     me what I told them I was     plant-based was "Well, where do 556 00:17:41,903 --> 00:17:43,338      you get your protein?"      557 00:17:43,438 --> 00:17:46,074  Like, "You're never going to be   able to gain at the gym." And  558 00:17:46,174 --> 00:17:49,611 then I met you, I was like, "Oh,   damn, if Kollins can be that   559 00:17:49,711 --> 00:17:50,979      ripped on a plant-based               diet then..."          560 00:17:51,079 --> 00:17:53,682    My whole goal was to prove      people wrong that you're able  561 00:17:53,782 --> 00:17:55,183     to like still compete and    562 00:17:55,283 --> 00:17:57,285    be a competitive athlete on   plant-based diet, you're able to 563 00:17:57,385 --> 00:17:59,221      build muscle just like          other animals do, right?     564 00:17:59,321 --> 00:18:01,690  Like, the strongest animals in              the world            565 00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:03,792          like let's say             gorillas, elephants, right?   566 00:18:03,892 --> 00:18:05,494       They eat only plants,            you know what I mean?      567 00:18:05,594 --> 00:18:07,028         And they're huge/        568 00:18:07,129 --> 00:18:10,699   So you're able to grow if you     get enough and amino acids.   569 00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:14,069        I've been vegan for          like say 7 to 8 years now.    570 00:18:14,169 --> 00:18:16,738  Again I've done blood work and   I'm not deficient in anything.  571 00:18:16,838 --> 00:18:18,006           I feel great.          572 00:18:18,106 --> 00:18:20,142    I feel like that works for          me but obviously not       573 00:18:20,242 --> 00:18:21,576    everybody's different, too.   574 00:18:21,676 --> 00:18:23,578      So everybody's going to        see how it works for them.    575 00:18:23,678 --> 00:18:25,881         When you weren't            vegan, what was that like?    576 00:18:25,981 --> 00:18:30,552   Uh, back 2015, I used to be a    competitive physique athlete   577 00:18:30,652 --> 00:18:33,955    which means I would do like         natural competitions       578 00:18:34,055 --> 00:18:37,359       where you're not very               big of a person         579 00:18:37,459 --> 00:18:38,927    but kind of like in my size               right now            580 00:18:39,027 --> 00:18:40,762    and I would wake up in the    581 00:18:40,862 --> 00:18:43,431    morning have a bunch of egg      whites and have a bunch of    582 00:18:43,532 --> 00:18:46,101  chicken breasts for lunch and a  bunch of like beef for dinner.  583 00:18:46,201 --> 00:18:48,403        And I felt so tired            and heavy all the time.     584 00:18:48,503 --> 00:18:50,639   I felt like I look good but I     was like functioning well,    585 00:18:50,739 --> 00:18:52,340             you know?            586 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,576 After I switched to being vegan,       I continued to go the      587 00:18:54,676 --> 00:18:55,911     same lifestyle but I was     588 00:18:56,011 --> 00:18:57,879       trying to get all my            nutrients from plants.      589 00:18:57,979 --> 00:19:01,483  And definitely felt much better     and also I realized that     590 00:19:01,583 --> 00:19:03,285       I don't need to like       591 00:19:03,385 --> 00:19:06,154       eat like other living            creatures in order to      592 00:19:06,254 --> 00:19:07,589        look a certain way.       593 00:19:07,689 --> 00:19:10,425   MENA: Kollins is a passionate        dude who was way more      594 00:19:10,525 --> 00:19:12,394      in-your-face about his            beliefs in the past.       595 00:19:12,494 --> 00:19:14,362   When you first like discover      plant-based diet and being    596 00:19:14,462 --> 00:19:16,631    vegan, you're so passionate        about it and you try to     597 00:19:16,731 --> 00:19:17,632         change the world.        598 00:19:17,732 --> 00:19:19,100               Yeah.              599 00:19:19,201 --> 00:19:21,836 And then you realize you have to  be the change that you want to  600 00:19:21,937 --> 00:19:23,438     see in the world, right?     601 00:19:23,538 --> 00:19:25,874 So all you can do is be the best      version of yourself and     602 00:19:25,974 --> 00:19:27,876     hopefully that's going to     motivate other people join you. 603 00:19:27,976 --> 00:19:30,245  But I feel like a lot of times    when you push somebody to do   604 00:19:30,345 --> 00:19:33,648  something they start resisting    it and it's even like harder   605 00:19:33,748 --> 00:19:35,016        to make the change.       606 00:19:35,116 --> 00:19:38,286   Well, I don't know about you     guys but I'm starving and you  607 00:19:38,386 --> 00:19:40,889       have two of the best            Thai restaurants in LA.     608 00:19:40,989 --> 00:19:42,891               Okay,                        let's go eat.          609 00:19:42,991 --> 00:19:45,060               MENA:                      I'm not kidding.         610 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,062         Maud is the owner                  and head chef          611 00:19:47,162 --> 00:19:49,397     at two hugely successful             Thai restaurants,        612 00:19:49,497 --> 00:19:51,233         L.O.V.E. Organic                and H.O.P.E. Vegan.       613 00:19:51,333 --> 00:19:53,401        If you come to LA,               and you want Thai,        614 00:19:53,501 --> 00:19:56,071       this is where you go,              because, come on,        615 00:19:56,171 --> 00:19:58,073           look at these                   popcorn shrimp.         616 00:19:58,173 --> 00:20:00,075           This is new.                 I've never had this.       617 00:20:00,175 --> 00:20:01,576            MAUD: Yes,                      this is new.           618 00:20:01,676 --> 00:20:02,911           What is this?          619 00:20:03,011 --> 00:20:04,246             It's the                       panko shrimp.          620 00:20:04,346 --> 00:20:05,580          It's made from                  potatoes and soy.        621 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:07,249    MENA: And a beautiful sauce          to go here with it.       622 00:20:07,349 --> 00:20:09,251      MAUD: It's, uh-- yeah.         It's a plum dipping sauce.    623 00:20:09,351 --> 00:20:10,585          I make it here.         624 00:20:10,685 --> 00:20:12,087            You make it                  from plums, fresh?        625 00:20:12,187 --> 00:20:13,421               MAUD:                          Yes. Yes.            626 00:20:13,521 --> 00:20:14,923      MENA: Of course you do.             Why wouldn't you?        627 00:20:15,023 --> 00:20:16,925   Alright, well, let's did in.   I want to try these shrimp here. 628 00:20:17,025 --> 00:20:18,760           This sauce is                 my favourite thing.       629 00:20:18,860 --> 00:20:21,263                 ♪                630 00:20:21,363 --> 00:20:22,764               MAUD:                        You like it?           631 00:20:22,864 --> 00:20:25,267        Mmm. It's so good.            That tastes like shrimp.     632 00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:27,602            The texture                     is the same,           633 00:20:27,702 --> 00:20:30,605  and I even see a little bit of     pink on the inside, right?    634 00:20:30,705 --> 00:20:32,274           And the sauce                     is amazing.           635 00:20:32,374 --> 00:20:34,109       Yeah, okay. I'm glad               you guys like it.        636 00:20:34,209 --> 00:20:36,444       Yeah. So, you grew up             eating plant-based?       637 00:20:36,544 --> 00:20:37,946                            MAUD:                            Yes.  638 00:20:38,046 --> 00:20:41,549  Do you think Thai food innately    lends itself to vegan food?   639 00:20:41,650 --> 00:20:44,719         I think, for me,            it's easy to make it vegan.   640 00:20:44,819 --> 00:20:46,888           Should we dig                   into the wings?         641 00:20:46,988 --> 00:20:49,057                         MAUD:                        Yes, please. One of my favourite               things on Earth.                642 00:20:49,157 --> 00:20:52,560   Maud's famous, hard-punching       Muay Thai chicken wings,     643 00:20:52,661 --> 00:20:55,563    made with crispy tofu skin,       mushrooms and soy fibre,     644 00:20:55,664 --> 00:20:59,067   cooked in a lemongrass sauce          with crispy basil.        645 00:20:59,167 --> 00:21:02,570    One of the things I craved,     and could never really find,   646 00:21:02,671 --> 00:21:04,072               were                        chicken wings.          647 00:21:04,172 --> 00:21:05,907       It was kind of about              the texture for me,       648 00:21:06,007 --> 00:21:08,243  and just having it off a bone.      And you can see on this--    649 00:21:08,343 --> 00:21:09,744                      Fake bone.  650 00:21:09,844 --> 00:21:12,047   --there's a little fake bone,          which is amazing.        651 00:21:12,147 --> 00:21:14,382         And then you bite                   into these.           652 00:21:14,482 --> 00:21:17,485       I love these things.            I can eat them all day.     653 00:21:18,486 --> 00:21:19,888           Are you going                     to eat it?            654 00:21:19,988 --> 00:21:21,723           It's so good.                   I should wait.          655 00:21:21,823 --> 00:21:23,325          (Both laughing)         656 00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:26,728             Mmm. Mmm.            657 00:21:26,828 --> 00:21:28,229           I miss them.           658 00:21:28,330 --> 00:21:29,731          Yeah, I believe                  a lot of times          659 00:21:29,831 --> 00:21:31,566   when I bring my friends here    they cannot tell the difference 660 00:21:31,666 --> 00:21:33,234           between this                 being fake and real.       661 00:21:33,335 --> 00:21:34,736           Yeah, I don't                think you can really       662 00:21:34,836 --> 00:21:36,237          tell that it's                    not chicken.           663 00:21:36,338 --> 00:21:38,406    I mean, it's-- it's pretty         spot on with the skin.      664 00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:40,575       I love these things.              They're incredible.       665 00:21:40,675 --> 00:21:42,877    Maud's shrimp and wings are           a classic example        666 00:21:42,977 --> 00:21:45,246        of why LA is ahead                  of the curve.          667 00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:47,716        It's not abnormal;              it's the new normal.       668 00:21:47,816 --> 00:21:49,718        And Maud's thrilled          with the change she's seen    669 00:21:49,818 --> 00:21:53,388      in LA since opening her      restaurants over a decade ago.  670 00:21:53,488 --> 00:21:57,892     People seem to be vegan,          like, last five years.      671 00:21:57,992 --> 00:22:01,229      Like-- like, crazy busy             last five years.         672 00:22:01,329 --> 00:22:04,399  Not just us; every single vegan    restaurant in Studio City.    673 00:22:04,499 --> 00:22:06,401      So, there was a boom in           the last five years,       674 00:22:06,501 --> 00:22:07,902         essentially, that                  you noticed--          675 00:22:08,002 --> 00:22:09,237               MAUD:                          Yes, yes.            676 00:22:09,337 --> 00:22:11,072          --consistently.             Why do you think that is?    677 00:22:11,172 --> 00:22:13,074      Obviously, we're in LA,          which is a vegan mecca,     678 00:22:13,174 --> 00:22:14,576       but why do you think                   that is?             679 00:22:14,676 --> 00:22:16,578   I think people are concerned          about their health.       680 00:22:16,678 --> 00:22:19,414   They try it, they say, "Oh",        and they just love it.      681 00:22:19,514 --> 00:22:22,917     MENA: Well, good thing we           got our workout in,       682 00:22:23,017 --> 00:22:25,920            'cause I'm                gonna keep on indulging.     683 00:22:26,020 --> 00:22:32,627                 ♪                684 00:22:32,727 --> 00:22:36,531   California; it's been setting    culinary trends for decades.   685 00:22:36,631 --> 00:22:38,533     I mean, the Golden Arches              started here.          686 00:22:38,633 --> 00:22:41,102  And now, the seeds are planted       for the next generation     687 00:22:41,202 --> 00:22:44,439   of eating at Plant Power, the       first fully plant-based     688 00:22:44,539 --> 00:22:48,443    fast food chain, owned and       operated by my good friend.   689 00:22:48,543 --> 00:22:49,778               ZACH:                       Look who it is.         690 00:22:49,878 --> 00:22:50,945            Zach Vouga.           691 00:22:51,045 --> 00:22:52,280      How are you, my friend?               Welcome back.          692 00:22:52,380 --> 00:22:53,615                     What's                          going on?        ZACH:                         Come on in.                      693 00:22:53,715 --> 00:22:55,283     So, it's been-- it's been          a little bit of time       694 00:22:55,383 --> 00:22:56,785           since I last                       saw you.             695 00:22:56,885 --> 00:22:58,119                         ZACH:                        It has been. 696 00:22:58,219 --> 00:22:59,788        You're up to, what,               11 locations now?        697 00:22:59,888 --> 00:23:01,623    Hollywood marks number 11,             which is crazy,         698 00:23:01,723 --> 00:23:03,792   because when I think back to       when you and I first met,    699 00:23:03,892 --> 00:23:05,460          that was, what,                   two or three?          700 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:07,962   So, the dream has officially     got legs and it's mobilized.   701 00:23:08,062 --> 00:23:09,297        I'm glad to see it.       702 00:23:09,397 --> 00:23:10,799          This is one of                 my favourite spots.       703 00:23:10,899 --> 00:23:13,635    Tell me a little bit about         plant-based fast food.      704 00:23:13,735 --> 00:23:16,304       ZACH: We believe that       Plant Power is where fast food  705 00:23:16,404 --> 00:23:18,139         is either going,              or where it should be.      706 00:23:18,239 --> 00:23:20,475     And what we mean by that            is 100% plant-based       707 00:23:20,575 --> 00:23:22,143          burgers, fries,                    and shakes.           708 00:23:22,243 --> 00:23:23,645          Better for you,               better for the planet      709 00:23:23,745 --> 00:23:25,146      and, most importantly,           better for the animals.     710 00:23:25,246 --> 00:23:26,481          Are you hungry?         711 00:23:26,581 --> 00:23:27,982            I am. I am.               What are we making, man?     712 00:23:28,082 --> 00:23:29,484      I don't know if you've             tried our Big Zac.        713 00:23:29,584 --> 00:23:31,152       Dude, of course I've              tried the Big Zac.        714 00:23:31,252 --> 00:23:33,822     You are Zach. Zach Vouga,            AKA, the Big Zac.        715 00:23:33,922 --> 00:23:35,657            The Big Zac                    is my namesake.         716 00:23:35,757 --> 00:23:37,325        I think we would be             remiss not to try it.      717 00:23:37,425 --> 00:23:39,160               BOTH:                        Let's do it.           718 00:23:39,260 --> 00:23:41,396               MENA:                    The US alone consumes      719 00:23:41,496 --> 00:23:43,865       more than 50 billion                burgers a year.         720 00:23:43,965 --> 00:23:46,501       That's a lot of cows;             way too many cows.        721 00:23:46,601 --> 00:23:48,837        Plant-based burgers             use much less water,       722 00:23:48,937 --> 00:23:52,340      and up to 90% less land          and greenhouse gasses.      723 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,009   So, if you got a hankering to         smash cheeseburgers       724 00:23:55,109 --> 00:23:58,179   and want to spare the planet,    the Big Zac's the way to go.   725 00:23:58,279 --> 00:24:00,515     This is where it happens.      We got our fry station here.   726 00:24:00,615 --> 00:24:01,850        Some warming bins.        727 00:24:01,950 --> 00:24:03,184             Alright.             728 00:24:03,284 --> 00:24:04,686  You ready to                    make a burger?                                       MENA:                         I'm ready.      729 00:24:04,786 --> 00:24:06,521    Alright, so for the Big Zac         we're going to start       730 00:24:06,621 --> 00:24:08,690      with a sesame seed bun.       Go ahead and grab your buns.   731 00:24:08,790 --> 00:24:12,026   Alright, I will grab my buns.          No worries there.        732 00:24:12,126 --> 00:24:14,195             Alright,                      nice and warm.          733 00:24:14,295 --> 00:24:15,864          ZACH: Grab the                   Big Zac sauce.          734 00:24:15,964 --> 00:24:17,866 And you're just going to give it    one squeeze on each patty.    735 00:24:17,966 --> 00:24:19,367               MENA:                        On each bun?           736 00:24:19,467 --> 00:24:20,869            ZACH: Yep.                      One squeeze.           737 00:24:20,969 --> 00:24:23,538         Oh, my goodness!           It's an explosion of flavour.  738 00:24:23,638 --> 00:24:25,373       The classic shredded                lettuce, right?         739 00:24:25,473 --> 00:24:26,875               ZACH:                   And then three pickles.     740 00:24:26,975 --> 00:24:28,877       Oh, we got an order!           We got an order, people!     741 00:24:28,977 --> 00:24:30,211               ZACH:                          Order up!            742 00:24:30,311 --> 00:24:32,614   Order up here! Two breakfast          burritos, all day.        743 00:24:32,714 --> 00:24:34,782           Two breakfast                 burritos, all day.        744 00:24:34,883 --> 00:24:36,784      Oh, my gosh. They just          appeared out of nowhere.     745 00:24:36,885 --> 00:24:38,620     Okay, now we're going to             get our patties.         746 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,623     The main event. We've got        the Big Zac patties here.    747 00:24:41,723 --> 00:24:43,625            (Sizzling)            748 00:24:43,725 --> 00:24:45,827        Oh, no, I broke it.              I broke it already.       749 00:24:45,927 --> 00:24:47,996         I'm sorry, Zach.                    I'm sorry.            750 00:24:48,096 --> 00:24:50,498  Right at a minute, we're going      to just flip those over.     751 00:24:50,598 --> 00:24:52,667          I can do that.                   Flip! Alright.          752 00:24:52,767 --> 00:24:56,838            (Sizzling)            753 00:24:56,938 --> 00:24:58,339           Nailed that,                      I must say.           754 00:24:58,439 --> 00:24:59,507               MAN:                             True.              755 00:24:59,607 --> 00:25:02,010      See how quick that was?            It was ninja-like.        756 00:25:02,110 --> 00:25:03,845     We're gonna get this guy           some paperwork here.       757 00:25:03,945 --> 00:25:05,914       Okay, yeah, alright.            Okay, we're done here.      758 00:25:06,014 --> 00:25:07,916      ZACH: Get the one with              the cheese on it.        759 00:25:08,016 --> 00:25:11,753     And then lift that whole       bad boy up and pop it there.   760 00:25:11,853 --> 00:25:13,254               MENA:                      Oh, my goodness.         761 00:25:13,354 --> 00:25:15,256   Alright, now carefully we're    going to airlift it to the box. 762 00:25:15,356 --> 00:25:16,925             Airlift.                           Okay.              763 00:25:17,025 --> 00:25:19,060     (Makes light wind noises)    764 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:20,895      You got to-- you got to           do dramatic effects.       765 00:25:20,995 --> 00:25:22,730               ZACH:                      Indeed. I agree.         766 00:25:22,830 --> 00:25:24,899      You pop that on there.      767 00:25:24,999 --> 00:25:26,234               MENA:                          Alright.             768 00:25:26,334 --> 00:25:28,236    You've done it. You've made          your first Big Zac.       769 00:25:28,336 --> 00:25:29,737         Get this lettuce                   out of here.           770 00:25:29,837 --> 00:25:31,906    And, in a moment, we'll go      taste it and see how you did.  771 00:25:32,006 --> 00:25:34,175         MENA: That's the                    best part.            772 00:25:36,010 --> 00:25:37,912        The classic booths.       773 00:25:38,012 --> 00:25:39,581          They look like                   classic booths,         774 00:25:39,681 --> 00:25:41,749  but they have their own little         Plant Power twist.        775 00:25:41,849 --> 00:25:43,251              Really?                    Tell me about 'em.        776 00:25:43,351 --> 00:25:45,086  You'd think they were made from     wood by looking at them,     777 00:25:45,186 --> 00:25:46,588       but they're actually               made from bamboo.        778 00:25:46,688 --> 00:25:47,922               MENA:                       Wow. Very nice.         779 00:25:48,022 --> 00:25:49,757    ZACH: We try to help these        other components tie into    780 00:25:49,857 --> 00:25:51,593         what we're doing,            aside from just the food.    781 00:25:51,693 --> 00:25:53,261    You guys have thought about         everything, clearly.       782 00:25:53,361 --> 00:25:54,762         I mean, I've got                the classic shakes.       783 00:25:54,862 --> 00:25:57,265      These take me back to,         you know, when I was a kid;   784 00:25:57,365 --> 00:25:58,766          that nostalgia.         785 00:25:58,866 --> 00:26:00,602      I think that nostalgia            is a part of the fuel      786 00:26:00,702 --> 00:26:02,103                    of what we're                     doing here.   MENA:                           Right.                           787 00:26:02,203 --> 00:26:03,938        Because, you know,           I've been vegan, vegetarian   788 00:26:04,038 --> 00:26:05,773     since I was a young kid,                 14 or 15.            789 00:26:05,873 --> 00:26:08,276    And, almost selfishly, I--         throughout those years      790 00:26:08,376 --> 00:26:10,111       I missed having that             fast food experience.      791 00:26:10,211 --> 00:26:11,446            MENA: 100%.           792 00:26:11,546 --> 00:26:14,282    So, this is that manifested           yearning of mine.        793 00:26:14,382 --> 00:26:16,117       Alright, I'm going to            dig into my Big Zac,       794 00:26:16,217 --> 00:26:18,119            'cause it's                    speaking to me.         795 00:26:18,219 --> 00:26:20,121        What do you think?        796 00:26:20,221 --> 00:26:23,958                 ♪                797 00:26:24,058 --> 00:26:25,960          You've got the                  secret sauce here        798 00:26:26,060 --> 00:26:28,796      that brings you back to           when you were a kid.       799 00:26:28,896 --> 00:26:30,298            It's just a                    classic burger,         800 00:26:30,398 --> 00:26:31,966       but now you can have                it plant-based,         801 00:26:32,066 --> 00:26:33,635        which is-- which is              pretty incredible.        802 00:26:33,735 --> 00:26:36,804       Everything is just--                 it's perfect.          803 00:26:36,904 --> 00:26:41,476       What makes California              the perfect place        804 00:26:41,576 --> 00:26:43,478           for a concept                     like this?            805 00:26:43,578 --> 00:26:45,146       California just seems            to be a couple years       806 00:26:45,246 --> 00:26:46,648                       ahead of                       most trends.  MENA:                           Right.                           807 00:26:46,748 --> 00:26:49,384    I sensed that it was just a   market that was primed and ready 808 00:26:49,484 --> 00:26:51,486        for something like              this seven years ago.      809 00:26:51,586 --> 00:26:54,489  Now I think a concept like this  could flourish in many states.  810 00:26:54,589 --> 00:26:57,325 People are ready to start making        the right choices.        811 00:26:57,425 --> 00:27:00,662    I've also got these amazing      plant-based chicken tenders   812 00:27:00,762 --> 00:27:02,163          that I want you                 to try, as well.         813 00:27:02,263 --> 00:27:03,498               MENA:                         Of course.            814 00:27:03,598 --> 00:27:04,999      You've already got the          dipping sauces opened up,    815 00:27:05,099 --> 00:27:06,501            so you know                      the drill.            816 00:27:06,601 --> 00:27:08,002         Actually, let me                try it on its own.        817 00:27:08,102 --> 00:27:09,504          I think that's                     important.            818 00:27:09,604 --> 00:27:11,339      Mmm. Mmm.                   819 00:27:11,439 --> 00:27:12,907          Crispy, juicy.          820 00:27:13,007 --> 00:27:14,208                Mm!               821 00:27:14,308 --> 00:27:16,411     It's got that seasoning,                 you know.            822 00:27:16,511 --> 00:27:17,645           It's tender.           823 00:27:17,745 --> 00:27:20,415 It looks exactly like, you know,         a chicken finger.        824 00:27:20,515 --> 00:27:22,216                 ♪                825 00:27:22,316 --> 00:27:23,651       Mm.                        826 00:27:23,751 --> 00:27:25,153    Those are my son's favourite. 827 00:27:25,253 --> 00:27:27,555       Me and your son would            get along, my friend.      828 00:27:27,655 --> 00:27:29,757        This, when I first                   went vegan,           829 00:27:29,857 --> 00:27:31,359              I would                    have never imagined       830 00:27:31,459 --> 00:27:33,394         a fast food chain               that was all vegan.       831 00:27:33,494 --> 00:27:35,763    I would never have imagined       that, and now it's here.     832 00:27:35,863 --> 00:27:38,166      It's changing in every way,            shape and form,       833 00:27:38,266 --> 00:27:39,567 and it's such a wonderful thing. 834 00:27:39,667 --> 00:27:41,335     When we started this thing,     people thought we were crazy. 835 00:27:41,436 --> 00:27:44,338    But nowadays, right, with the    advent of Impossible Burger,  836 00:27:44,439 --> 00:27:47,075               Beyond Burger,               it's more commonplace. 837 00:27:47,175 --> 00:27:49,277             and I think there's             just been this stigma 838 00:27:49,377 --> 00:27:50,745       that's been shed recently. 839 00:27:50,845 --> 00:27:54,449  You can be vegan without having  to sacrifice any type of food.  840 00:27:54,549 --> 00:27:57,118            You can have burgers,            fries, shakes, pizza. 841 00:27:57,218 --> 00:27:58,720        I think what you're            doing here is spot on.      842 00:27:58,820 --> 00:28:00,121         I think the world               is ready for this.        843 00:28:00,221 --> 00:28:02,523   I think the world wants this.  844 00:28:02,623 --> 00:28:03,825    It's just a matter of time    845 00:28:03,925 --> 00:28:05,126      before the whole world                starts eating          846 00:28:05,226 --> 00:28:06,527         more plant-based         847 00:28:06,627 --> 00:28:08,396        and evolves towards            a more vegan lifestyle.     848 00:28:08,496 --> 00:28:10,665            So, I think                 fast food restaurants      849 00:28:10,765 --> 00:28:11,999        are a part of that.       850 00:28:12,100 --> 00:28:13,434  I thank you for opening this up 851 00:28:13,534 --> 00:28:15,470      because it's something            that I never dreamed       852 00:28:15,570 --> 00:28:17,472      would be possible when          I first went plant based.    853 00:28:17,572 --> 00:28:19,006        And now we're here.       854 00:28:19,107 --> 00:28:21,142         And this is just                the starting point,       855 00:28:21,242 --> 00:28:24,746      where burgers and fries        are gonna change the world.   856 00:28:24,846 --> 00:28:28,616                 ♪                857 00:28:28,716 --> 00:28:30,318            La La Land.           858 00:28:30,418 --> 00:28:32,887         What is it about             this city and California     859 00:28:32,987 --> 00:28:35,890    that consistently innovates     and leads the charge forward?  860 00:28:35,990 --> 00:28:40,695     Well, why not tap someone     who is 100% OG LA to find out:  861 00:28:40,795 --> 00:28:43,564   Laura Marano, actor, singer,   862 00:28:43,664 --> 00:28:47,101       and my lovely co-star        in our romantic comedy film,   863 00:28:47,201 --> 00:28:49,437       The Royal Treatment.       864 00:28:49,537 --> 00:28:52,507      As my non-vegan friend,             we can get real.         865 00:28:52,607 --> 00:28:54,942       I wanted to see what           a homegrown LA movie star    866 00:28:55,042 --> 00:28:57,678      would think of elevated         plant-based fine dining.     867 00:28:57,779 --> 00:29:00,148       So, I'm bringing her             to Plant Food + Wine       868 00:29:00,248 --> 00:29:02,750            in Venice,                  an all-organic eatery      869 00:29:02,850 --> 00:29:05,419     created by renowned vegan      restaurateur Matthew Kenney,   870 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:10,158   where guests dine under these       beautiful fruit trees.      871 00:29:10,258 --> 00:29:11,726        How often do you go here? 872 00:29:11,826 --> 00:29:12,727 Pretty often.                    873 00:29:12,827 --> 00:29:13,961              Really?             874 00:29:14,061 --> 00:29:14,962 Yeah, pretty often.              875 00:29:15,062 --> 00:29:15,963        I didn't know that.       876 00:29:16,063 --> 00:29:17,231    Okay, so fun fact actually.   877 00:29:17,331 --> 00:29:18,299           When I moved                    to Los Angeles,         878 00:29:18,399 --> 00:29:19,667         um, I didn't have                 a lot of money.         879 00:29:19,767 --> 00:29:20,902               Hmm.               880 00:29:21,002 --> 00:29:22,570 And I was starting to stress out          about the money         881 00:29:22,670 --> 00:29:24,238     I had saved from Toronto,    882 00:29:24,338 --> 00:29:26,174      and, Plant Food + Wine,                I came in,            883 00:29:26,274 --> 00:29:27,608      and handed in my resume     884 00:29:27,708 --> 00:29:28,976           to try to get                 a bussing job here.       885 00:29:29,076 --> 00:29:29,977               Stop!              886 00:29:30,077 --> 00:29:31,112 MENA: Yeah.                      887 00:29:31,212 --> 00:29:32,213       And it didn't happen?      888 00:29:32,313 --> 00:29:34,382         No, so I applied            and then, two weeks later,    889 00:29:34,482 --> 00:29:36,250       I'm booked Jack Ryan,               and then the--          890 00:29:36,350 --> 00:29:37,752   And then the rest is history.  891 00:29:37,852 --> 00:29:39,253    MENA: And then                the rest is history.             892 00:29:39,353 --> 00:29:41,622                 ♪                893 00:29:41,722 --> 00:29:46,828    Up first, tikka curry leaf      yogurt with potato flatbread.  894 00:29:46,928 --> 00:29:48,896   LAURA: Oh, I am very excited              right now.            895 00:29:48,996 --> 00:29:50,431          Boom. This is a yogurt? 896 00:29:50,531 --> 00:29:51,432 Yeah, yeah.                      897 00:29:51,532 --> 00:29:52,433                        Ooh!      898 00:29:52,533 --> 00:29:53,434 There you go.                    899 00:29:53,534 --> 00:29:54,569                      LAURA: Yes. 900 00:29:54,669 --> 00:29:55,970 Yes, a nice appetizer             to get us started.              901 00:29:56,070 --> 00:29:57,171            I-- It was so pretty, 902 00:29:57,271 --> 00:29:59,540          and I just made it look          so ugly in two seconds. 903 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:01,142 No, no, no.                      904 00:30:01,242 --> 00:30:02,810       No, that's it.             That's the nature of food.       905 00:30:02,910 --> 00:30:04,378     I feel-- I am so excited.    906 00:30:04,478 --> 00:30:05,780 (Chuckling)                      907 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:06,948                  Mm.             908 00:30:07,048 --> 00:30:08,649 Yeah, and you haven't              been here before.              909 00:30:08,749 --> 00:30:09,984      I haven't been here before. 910 00:30:10,084 --> 00:30:11,619                  Oh, my god.     911 00:30:11,719 --> 00:30:13,020 It's good, huh?                  912 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:14,522                  Oh, my god!     913 00:30:14,622 --> 00:30:17,425                 ♪                914 00:30:17,525 --> 00:30:18,693            (Laughing)            915 00:30:18,793 --> 00:30:19,760 So you grew up in LA?            916 00:30:19,861 --> 00:30:20,828                 I grew up in LA. 917 00:30:20,928 --> 00:30:21,896 And you were born in LA?         918 00:30:21,996 --> 00:30:22,964                I was born in LA. 919 00:30:23,064 --> 00:30:24,899         So you're                what we call an Angelina.        920 00:30:24,999 --> 00:30:26,534         I am an Angelina!        921 00:30:26,634 --> 00:30:27,869 An Angelina.                     922 00:30:27,969 --> 00:30:29,904  So what do you think            of the food scene here?          923 00:30:30,004 --> 00:30:31,505             Controversial maybe: 924 00:30:31,606 --> 00:30:38,179   I think LA is one of the best,           if not the best        925 00:30:38,279 --> 00:30:39,547          food city in the world. 926 00:30:39,647 --> 00:30:41,349          But I want I want--         I wanna explain my position. 927 00:30:41,449 --> 00:30:43,117              I certainly think             there are other cities 928 00:30:43,217 --> 00:30:45,753             that have incredible                types of food.    929 00:30:45,853 --> 00:30:48,856   I think, LA, you have the best            type of food          930 00:30:48,956 --> 00:30:51,058   with the most variety of food. 931 00:30:51,158 --> 00:30:52,894              You have such great                 Mexican food.    932 00:30:52,994 --> 00:30:55,363        You have-- Thai food         I think is really great here. 933 00:30:55,463 --> 00:30:57,298 This is the most delicious thing       I've ever had, ever.       934 00:30:57,398 --> 00:30:58,566                   This is also-- 935 00:30:58,666 --> 00:31:01,269 Getting out of hand,                  literally.                  936 00:31:01,369 --> 00:31:02,536            (Laughing)            937 00:31:02,637 --> 00:31:04,272     That was very, very good.    938 00:31:04,372 --> 00:31:06,774       (Indistinct chatter)       939 00:31:06,874 --> 00:31:08,209 Yeah, I moved to LA in 2017.     940 00:31:08,309 --> 00:31:09,877                            Yeah. 941 00:31:09,977 --> 00:31:11,445 I had gone plant based                before that,                942 00:31:11,545 --> 00:31:13,581 but, like, coming to LA and        being plant based here,        943 00:31:13,681 --> 00:31:16,083  I was, like, blown away         by the amount of options         944 00:31:16,183 --> 00:31:17,551 there were.                      945 00:31:17,652 --> 00:31:19,453   I'm gonna take another extra    piece of bread to really just-- 946 00:31:19,553 --> 00:31:21,489 Yeah, please, go for it. Just    make it into a sandwich now.     947 00:31:21,589 --> 00:31:22,590         Yes, I really am.        948 00:31:22,690 --> 00:31:23,958 It's what you've gotta do.       949 00:31:24,058 --> 00:31:27,128 I can see it's, like, really--      You're battling with it.      950 00:31:27,228 --> 00:31:28,329               I am.              951 00:31:28,429 --> 00:31:29,864 You're trying to figure           out how to eat this.            952 00:31:29,964 --> 00:31:31,132           But, but it's a really              beautiful battle.   953 00:31:31,232 --> 00:31:33,401 What I was saying was,            was it always like--            954 00:31:33,501 --> 00:31:35,102 Has it always been like this?    955 00:31:35,202 --> 00:31:38,406 Because I feel like people in LA  have been vegan for 100 years.  956 00:31:38,506 --> 00:31:40,541                 I don't think                that's wrong to say. 957 00:31:40,641 --> 00:31:42,510               I think there's               a lot of truth to it. 958 00:31:42,610 --> 00:31:44,178              I do think there               was a shift in, like, 959 00:31:44,278 --> 00:31:46,447                 the early 2000s,                    mid 2000s,    960 00:31:46,547 --> 00:31:47,982             of that it became            a bit more popular here. 961 00:31:48,082 --> 00:31:49,083 MENA: Yeah.                      962 00:31:49,183 --> 00:31:50,751               LAURA: I do feel               like a lot of people 963 00:31:50,851 --> 00:31:51,919    become vegan and plant based, 964 00:31:52,019 --> 00:31:54,055               not just for                social justice reasons, 965 00:31:54,155 --> 00:31:55,589     but also for health reasons. 966 00:31:55,690 --> 00:31:56,624 MENA: 100%.                      967 00:31:56,724 --> 00:31:57,758                 LAURA: And that,                 I think, culture 968 00:31:57,858 --> 00:31:59,160            is, like, huge in LA. 969 00:31:59,260 --> 00:32:01,562       And that culture, I think,          has always been here    970 00:32:01,662 --> 00:32:05,333           but, like, very much            increased in the 2000s. 971 00:32:05,433 --> 00:32:08,903  MENA: Next: an heirloom tomato        and zucchini lasagna       972 00:32:09,003 --> 00:32:10,972            with pesto                and plant based ricotta.     973 00:32:11,072 --> 00:32:13,441 This is our take                 on Italian food.                 974 00:32:13,541 --> 00:32:16,043         You had me at "This is         our take on Italian food." 975 00:32:16,143 --> 00:32:17,278                    I'm like--                    I'm ready to go. 976 00:32:17,378 --> 00:32:19,013      Yeah, Laura's Italian.              Laura's Italian.         977 00:32:19,113 --> 00:32:20,081       Yeah, I'm so excited.      978 00:32:20,181 --> 00:32:22,383           It's so good,              and it looks really good.    979 00:32:22,483 --> 00:32:23,751               Do you feel like               there's other places 980 00:32:23,851 --> 00:32:27,154               that are as health                conscious as LA,  981 00:32:27,254 --> 00:32:30,124         in a less obnoxious way        or more obnoxious way or-- 982 00:32:30,224 --> 00:32:31,926       No, no.                    983 00:32:32,026 --> 00:32:33,060                    Really?       984 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:34,428       No, health, no.            Health conscious wise, no.       985 00:32:34,528 --> 00:32:38,065 I feel like people just are           really conscious            986 00:32:38,165 --> 00:32:39,633 about their health here,         987 00:32:39,734 --> 00:32:40,768 the way they look,               988 00:32:40,868 --> 00:32:42,937 but that doesn't say                 that it has--                989 00:32:43,037 --> 00:32:44,872 it has or doesn't have            the best vegan scene.           990 00:32:44,972 --> 00:32:46,307                             Hmm. 991 00:32:46,407 --> 00:32:48,042 It's just, when you're talking         about health-wise,         992 00:32:48,142 --> 00:32:50,044 yeah, I feel like people here          really take care           993 00:32:50,144 --> 00:32:51,278 of what they eat,                994 00:32:51,379 --> 00:32:53,948 what they put into their bodies,        the fitness, yoga.        995 00:32:54,048 --> 00:32:56,250 Like, don't they do the yoga     here with the with the goats?    996 00:32:56,350 --> 00:32:57,952             I know exactly             what you're talking about. 997 00:32:58,052 --> 00:32:59,153              I've never done it. 998 00:32:59,253 --> 00:33:00,588 You do them with goats.          999 00:33:00,688 --> 00:33:02,390 So you're doing downward dog,    1000 00:33:02,490 --> 00:33:04,525 and there's goats that jump on        your back and stuff,        1001 00:33:04,625 --> 00:33:06,627    and apparently                it's better for you.             1002 00:33:06,727 --> 00:33:07,995    I want to do yoga with goats. 1003 00:33:08,095 --> 00:33:09,864 And you know why you can?         Because you live in LA.         1004 00:33:09,964 --> 00:33:12,166           I live in LA!          1005 00:33:12,266 --> 00:33:13,801                 ♪                1006 00:33:13,901 --> 00:33:15,202           I don't know               if we talked about this,     1007 00:33:15,302 --> 00:33:16,771  but I started doing a campaign  1008 00:33:16,871 --> 00:33:18,172   when I was a teenager called           Meatless Monday.         1009 00:33:18,272 --> 00:33:19,607      Okay.                       1010 00:33:19,707 --> 00:33:21,609   And essentially it's just not   eating meat for one day a week. 1011 00:33:21,709 --> 00:33:22,810 Yeah, on Mondays.                1012 00:33:22,910 --> 00:33:24,512             Yes, but it could             be any day of the week. 1013 00:33:24,612 --> 00:33:25,713           It doesn't necessarily             have to be Monday.   1014 00:33:25,813 --> 00:33:27,448 So that's still something           that you try to do?           1015 00:33:27,548 --> 00:33:28,816                  Yeah, oh, yeah. 1016 00:33:28,916 --> 00:33:30,818   I've done it every year since,      god, what, I've been 16.    1017 00:33:30,918 --> 00:33:34,455             I started more for             social justice reasons 1018 00:33:34,555 --> 00:33:36,624            and more particularly            with climate change.  1019 00:33:36,724 --> 00:33:39,126             There are just              so many positive aspects, 1020 00:33:39,226 --> 00:33:41,495  and it was just not eating meat        for one day a week.       1021 00:33:41,595 --> 00:33:43,397   MENA: It's good to hear this.  1022 00:33:43,497 --> 00:33:46,133  One of the things LA is proving 1023 00:33:46,233 --> 00:33:47,935       is that there's a way             to evolve our diets       1024 00:33:48,035 --> 00:33:52,473     without sacrificing taste       or quality or... anything.    1025 00:33:52,573 --> 00:33:53,908             Oh, wow.             1026 00:33:54,008 --> 00:33:54,909                    Mm, mm!       1027 00:33:55,009 --> 00:33:55,976           Look at that!          1028 00:33:56,077 --> 00:33:57,211                       Oh my god. 1029 00:33:57,311 --> 00:33:58,946          Now, that looks               like a piece of art.       1030 00:33:59,046 --> 00:33:59,947            What is it?           1031 00:34:00,047 --> 00:34:01,048                It actually does,                    actually.     1032 00:34:01,148 --> 00:34:02,483 Deconstructed coconut pie,       1033 00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:03,717    banana ice cream              and coconut ice cream.           1034 00:34:03,818 --> 00:34:04,852 Please enjoy.                    1035 00:34:04,952 --> 00:34:05,953               Thank you so much. 1036 00:34:06,053 --> 00:34:06,954            Thank you.            1037 00:34:07,054 --> 00:34:08,889                 ♪                1038 00:34:08,989 --> 00:34:10,891              Mm! It was so good. 1039 00:34:10,991 --> 00:34:12,159 So how did you find this food?   1040 00:34:12,259 --> 00:34:13,828 Because you typically                 are picky.                  1041 00:34:13,928 --> 00:34:15,329 So how was this food                   for you?                   1042 00:34:15,429 --> 00:34:16,964         I mean, I enjoyed                this thoroughly,         1043 00:34:17,064 --> 00:34:17,965   and I feel like it's because   1044 00:34:18,065 --> 00:34:20,968          it all is quite                simple ingredients.       1045 00:34:21,068 --> 00:34:22,837     Would you come back here?    1046 00:34:22,937 --> 00:34:24,105          I would 100% come back. 1047 00:34:24,205 --> 00:34:25,339                 I really would.                 It's really good. 1048 00:34:25,439 --> 00:34:26,507 Okay, good.                      1049 00:34:26,607 --> 00:34:28,375     I mean, it's so far away          from where I live, so.      1050 00:34:28,476 --> 00:34:30,177           Oh, my gosh!              Everybody says that in LA!    1051 00:34:30,277 --> 00:34:31,178                     (Laughs)     1052 00:34:31,278 --> 00:34:32,746                 ♪                1053 00:34:32,847 --> 00:34:34,281           Cheers.                1054 00:34:34,381 --> 00:34:35,282                          Cheers! 1055 00:34:35,382 --> 00:34:36,851             Thank you for taking                   me here.       1056 00:34:36,951 --> 00:34:38,085   Of course.                     You're welcome.                  1057 00:34:38,185 --> 00:34:39,086               This is so lovely. 1058 00:34:39,186 --> 00:34:40,321 You're welcome.                  I'll remember--                  1059 00:34:40,421 --> 00:34:43,357                      Did I, uh--                      Was I cool? 1060 00:34:43,457 --> 00:34:44,925        No, you were cool.                 You were cool.          1061 00:34:45,025 --> 00:34:45,960       Royally cool, Laura.       1062 00:34:46,060 --> 00:34:47,661        You're the perfect               example of a person       1063 00:34:47,761 --> 00:34:49,597         with an open mind              to an evolving diet.       1064 00:34:49,697 --> 00:34:51,265     I hope you make it back.     1065 00:34:51,365 --> 00:34:53,601         Meatless Monday's                 always calling.         1066 00:34:53,701 --> 00:34:56,070                 ♪                1067 00:34:56,170 --> 00:34:58,239 The last spot on our food crawl. 1068 00:34:58,339 --> 00:35:00,441       You simply can't talk         about the food scene in LA    1069 00:35:00,541 --> 00:35:02,710       without talking about             the deep influence        1070 00:35:02,810 --> 00:35:05,446     that traditional Mexican        cooking bears on the city.    1071 00:35:05,546 --> 00:35:08,549        Sandwiched between           a nail salon and a pharmacy   1072 00:35:08,649 --> 00:35:11,385       are LA's best tacos,                 El Cocinero.           1073 00:35:11,485 --> 00:35:19,894                 ♪                1074 00:35:19,994 --> 00:35:22,596     On a regular day, there's        a line up down the block     1075 00:35:22,696 --> 00:35:26,066    of Valley locals and celebs    like Zendaya and Tobey Maguire. 1076 00:35:26,167 --> 00:35:29,303   It's run by Chef Alex Vargas       who's building an empire     1077 00:35:29,403 --> 00:35:31,238         out of authentic                vegan Mexican food.       1078 00:35:31,338 --> 00:35:33,007                 ♪                1079 00:35:33,107 --> 00:35:34,341               Alex!                  What's going on, my man?     1080 00:35:34,441 --> 00:35:35,409         ALEX: Hey, Mena.                  What's up, man?         1081 00:35:35,509 --> 00:35:36,944      Welcome to El Cocinero.     1082 00:35:37,044 --> 00:35:38,245          Thank you, man.                  How you doing?          1083 00:35:38,345 --> 00:35:39,847          I'm doing good.                  I'm doing good.         1084 00:35:39,947 --> 00:35:41,482 I see you got the usuals, right. 1085 00:35:41,582 --> 00:35:44,218        We got the pastor,                the carne asada,         1086 00:35:44,318 --> 00:35:46,387          the Chicharrón,             and another carne asada.     1087 00:35:46,487 --> 00:35:47,488        This is fairly new.       1088 00:35:47,588 --> 00:35:48,656        ALEX: Carne asada.            Yeah, this is brand-new.     1089 00:35:48,756 --> 00:35:50,157      Yeah, I got everything.           See, I come in often.      1090 00:35:50,257 --> 00:35:51,992     You know everything, bro.                  Mena:                   I know how to do this.      1091 00:35:52,092 --> 00:35:53,627         Do you know what            my favourite taco is here?    1092 00:35:53,727 --> 00:35:54,828     Uh, pastor or Chicharrón.    1093 00:35:54,929 --> 00:35:56,030              Pastor!                        Yeah, man.            1094 00:35:56,130 --> 00:35:57,198               ALEX:                     Pastor, all right.        1095 00:35:57,298 --> 00:35:59,266       So when I first went            plant-based, I loved--      1096 00:35:59,366 --> 00:36:00,534     you know, I loved pastor.    1097 00:36:00,634 --> 00:36:02,469            Typically,               for people who don't know,    1098 00:36:02,570 --> 00:36:05,372        pastor is a double                 marinated pork,         1099 00:36:05,472 --> 00:36:08,709     you usually cut it up on     a skewer, kind of like shawarma, 1100 00:36:08,809 --> 00:36:10,711     but it's like the Mexican            shawarma, I say.         1101 00:36:10,811 --> 00:36:12,947           That's right.            Yeah, with the raw pineapple.  1102 00:36:13,047 --> 00:36:14,715               Yeah.                 Raw pineapple, red onions.    1103 00:36:14,815 --> 00:36:15,883            Delicious.            1104 00:36:15,983 --> 00:36:17,384    So I had a really hard time             finding that.          1105 00:36:17,484 --> 00:36:18,819               ALEX:                            Okay.              1106 00:36:18,919 --> 00:36:21,155  MENA: And this was kind of the   first place I found it, and I-- 1107 00:36:21,255 --> 00:36:22,423    it was love at first sight.   1108 00:36:22,523 --> 00:36:27,094   Yeah, that's my family recipe      from my mom, my grandma.     1109 00:36:27,194 --> 00:36:29,897  So, it's a special recipe that           we used to use          1110 00:36:29,997 --> 00:36:31,298       with a regular meat.       1111 00:36:31,398 --> 00:36:33,834      So when I became vegan,      I started using the same adobo, 1112 00:36:33,934 --> 00:36:37,938    but I did some modification          and people love it.       1113 00:36:38,038 --> 00:36:40,174        And the Chicharrón,            you deep fry that soy?      1114 00:36:40,274 --> 00:36:42,409   Because typically Chicharrón       is deep fried pork skin.     1115 00:36:42,509 --> 00:36:43,611               ALEX:                            Yes.               1116 00:36:43,711 --> 00:36:47,047  I did that one because my dad,           he's not vegan,         1117 00:36:47,147 --> 00:36:50,684    so I started experimenting           with different soys       1118 00:36:50,784 --> 00:36:52,386    until I find the right way.   1119 00:36:52,486 --> 00:36:53,721      And I give him to try,      1120 00:36:53,821 --> 00:36:55,889  he was one of the first persons      to try it, he love it.      1121 00:36:55,990 --> 00:36:57,057          And he's like,          1122 00:36:57,157 --> 00:36:58,392     "No, this is better than           the real Chicharrón."      1123 00:36:58,492 --> 00:36:59,627               Wow!               1124 00:36:59,727 --> 00:37:02,329   So coming that, from my dad,        it really means a lot.      1125 00:37:02,429 --> 00:37:03,697  You're getting me hungry, man.  1126 00:37:03,797 --> 00:37:04,698             (Laughs)             1127 00:37:04,798 --> 00:37:05,866             MENA:                Let's dig into some of this.     1128 00:37:05,966 --> 00:37:06,867               ALEX:                       Let's do this.          1129 00:37:06,967 --> 00:37:07,868            (Laughter)            1130 00:37:07,968 --> 00:37:11,672                 ♪                1131 00:37:11,772 --> 00:37:13,507  Right now, I'm gonna teach you        how to be a taquiero.      1132 00:37:13,607 --> 00:37:14,508            MENA: Okay.                      All right.            1133 00:37:14,608 --> 00:37:16,644         Taquiero, it's--              people who make tacos.      1134 00:37:16,744 --> 00:37:17,645   That's the word that we use.   1135 00:37:17,745 --> 00:37:18,712        MENA: The taquiero.                     Okay.              1136 00:37:18,812 --> 00:37:20,047      So, you're going to be             Mena the Taquiero.        1137 00:37:20,147 --> 00:37:21,315         MENA: All right.                     I'm down.            1138 00:37:21,415 --> 00:37:23,317     ALEX: Let's do the pastor            on the tortillas.        1139 00:37:23,417 --> 00:37:24,351               MENA:                         All right.            1140 00:37:24,451 --> 00:37:26,420         So the second one            is going to be the asada,    1141 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:28,489     and it's like the steak.     1142 00:37:28,589 --> 00:37:29,990     MENA: Look at that, too.           Like, it's hard to...      1143 00:37:30,090 --> 00:37:31,258               ALEX:                        The texture.           1144 00:37:31,358 --> 00:37:32,926 MENA: Yeah, it's hard to believe      that this isn't steak.      1145 00:37:33,027 --> 00:37:34,561       I don't think anyone              that walks in here        1146 00:37:34,662 --> 00:37:36,263       would be able to tell         that this was plant-based.    1147 00:37:36,363 --> 00:37:38,832                 ♪                1148 00:37:38,932 --> 00:37:40,067     Got the Chicharrón here.     1149 00:37:40,167 --> 00:37:42,069        On the Chicharrón,             we use a pico de gallo.     1150 00:37:42,169 --> 00:37:45,439  That's the pico de gallo, which  is tomato, onions and cilantro. 1151 00:37:45,539 --> 00:37:49,910     For the asada and pastor,       we use cilantro and onions.   1152 00:37:50,010 --> 00:37:50,911               MENA:                    So what goes on next?      1153 00:37:51,011 --> 00:37:52,146                 Chipotle mayo.              All right.            1154 00:37:52,246 --> 00:37:53,714    To give a special flavour.    1155 00:37:53,814 --> 00:37:56,650      On the other two tacos,           two different sauces.      1156 00:37:56,750 --> 00:37:59,119    I think for my carne asada,     I'm going to do some crazy...  1157 00:37:59,219 --> 00:38:02,056   salsa verde and a little bit            of salsa roja.          1158 00:38:02,156 --> 00:38:03,791          So, what I love                 about this place         1159 00:38:03,891 --> 00:38:06,560        is that you can use             all the proteins here      1160 00:38:06,660 --> 00:38:09,096  to make all the different kinds  of things you guys offer here:  1161 00:38:09,196 --> 00:38:12,333    quesadillas, burrito bowls,        tortas, tacos, nachos,      1162 00:38:12,433 --> 00:38:13,334            all of it.            1163 00:38:13,434 --> 00:38:14,368               ALEX:                           Right.              1164 00:38:14,468 --> 00:38:15,803           We have seven                 different proteins.       1165 00:38:15,903 --> 00:38:18,205         So, would you say             I was an okay taquiero?     1166 00:38:18,305 --> 00:38:19,840     Man, you did a great job.    1167 00:38:19,940 --> 00:38:21,508        And since you live                10 minutes away,         1168 00:38:21,608 --> 00:38:23,811     maybe when somebody take              the day off...          1169 00:38:23,911 --> 00:38:25,245          you're ready to                come help us, bro.        1170 00:38:25,346 --> 00:38:26,313               Yeah.                     Just call me, man.        1171 00:38:26,413 --> 00:38:27,314           Just call me.          1172 00:38:27,414 --> 00:38:29,817                 ♪                1173 00:38:29,917 --> 00:38:30,851     I'm gonna take a bite...     1174 00:38:30,951 --> 00:38:31,919               ALEX:                       Yeah, go ahead.         1175 00:38:32,019 --> 00:38:33,053   ...because I've been missing             these tacos.           1176 00:38:33,153 --> 00:38:34,788 I dream about these tacos, Alex. 1177 00:38:34,888 --> 00:38:36,557          (Alex chuckles)         1178 00:38:36,657 --> 00:38:39,927            The pastor,                it's literally the soy      1179 00:38:40,027 --> 00:38:43,030  with the special marinade salsa            that we do            1180 00:38:43,130 --> 00:38:44,965      with the little chunks                of pineapple.          1181 00:38:45,065 --> 00:38:47,668          It's fire, man.                       Mmm .              1182 00:38:47,768 --> 00:38:50,337      You get that sweetness,          a little bit of crunch      1183 00:38:50,437 --> 00:38:52,306     and kick from the onion.     1184 00:38:52,406 --> 00:38:54,241          It's delicious.         1185 00:38:54,341 --> 00:38:55,843            ALEX: Nice.                      (Chuckles)            1186 00:38:55,943 --> 00:38:58,011    Obviously Mexican cuisine,          a lot like Egyptian,       1187 00:38:58,112 --> 00:38:59,279        meat heavy, right?        1188 00:38:59,380 --> 00:39:02,383     So you grew up, I'm sure,       in a meat heavy household.    1189 00:39:02,483 --> 00:39:06,019         I love animals,          and it was not worth it for me   1190 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,189       to enjoy just, like,          two minutes of eating meat    1191 00:39:09,289 --> 00:39:12,760  for what they, they-- all these     animals they go through.     1192 00:39:12,860 --> 00:39:14,395     That's a interesting way                to put it.            1193 00:39:14,495 --> 00:39:15,396     I haven't heard that yet.    1194 00:39:15,496 --> 00:39:16,864       But you're so right.       1195 00:39:16,964 --> 00:39:19,833   Eating is such a passive act            for some people         1196 00:39:19,933 --> 00:39:21,335  that they don't think about it         at all, naturally,        1197 00:39:21,435 --> 00:39:22,336      because we eat, like...     1198 00:39:22,436 --> 00:39:23,504              Right.              1199 00:39:23,604 --> 00:39:24,838   MENA: ...throughout the day,          three times a day.        1200 00:39:24,938 --> 00:39:26,273               ALEX:                            Yes.                       But you're right.        1201 00:39:26,373 --> 00:39:27,875  It's like two minutes of eating         for satisfaction         1202 00:39:27,975 --> 00:39:31,011        for this whole life          that the animal has lived.    1203 00:39:31,111 --> 00:39:32,246               ALEX:                            Yes.               1204 00:39:32,346 --> 00:39:34,782  And you basically just consume        that in two minutes.       1205 00:39:34,882 --> 00:39:39,319  In a way, El Cocinero grew out      of Alex's early struggles    1206 00:39:39,420 --> 00:39:41,021      to eat and cook vegan.      1207 00:39:41,121 --> 00:39:43,724  But I didn't have any knowledge         on what to cook.         1208 00:39:43,824 --> 00:39:46,827   So, I started playing with--             with the soy,          1209 00:39:46,927 --> 00:39:48,495         and it was like,                  wait a minute,          1210 00:39:48,595 --> 00:39:52,833        I can still enjoy,              like, pastor, asada.       1211 00:39:52,933 --> 00:39:56,570    And I start calling my mom,     "Hey, Mom, how you make this?  1212 00:39:56,670 --> 00:39:58,138    I put everything together.    1213 00:39:58,238 --> 00:40:01,809  That's when I discovered that,          like, the passion        1214 00:40:01,909 --> 00:40:04,311         for the kitchen,                  for-- to cook.          1215 00:40:04,411 --> 00:40:06,180        MENA: I'm sure that           when you started cooking,    1216 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,148        it was also because                it was your way         1217 00:40:08,248 --> 00:40:09,349   to connect back to your mom.   1218 00:40:09,450 --> 00:40:10,350               ALEX:                            Yes.               1219 00:40:10,451 --> 00:40:11,518               MENA:                           Right?              1220 00:40:11,618 --> 00:40:13,687        I see my community,          especially in my community,   1221 00:40:13,787 --> 00:40:16,056       the way that they eat               is not healthy.         1222 00:40:16,156 --> 00:40:19,860   So I-- that's why I wanted to     bring this to my community.   1223 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,730    Having a plant-based option           is very important        1224 00:40:23,831 --> 00:40:25,332           to have here                    in the Valley.          1225 00:40:25,432 --> 00:40:26,900         Yeah, I call them                vegan deadzones,         1226 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:28,735    where there's not a lot of          plant-based options,       1227 00:40:28,836 --> 00:40:30,204   and the valley is definitely             one of those.          1228 00:40:30,304 --> 00:40:32,840     But people literally now         come from West Hollywood,    1229 00:40:32,940 --> 00:40:33,841         Beverly Hills...         1230 00:40:33,941 --> 00:40:34,875               ALEX:                   From everywhere, yeah.      1231 00:40:34,975 --> 00:40:36,710      From everywhere to come              try your tacos.         1232 00:40:36,810 --> 00:40:40,414 I'm super proud of you, as like,    a person of colour as well.   1233 00:40:40,514 --> 00:40:43,116    So to see you and see what      you've built over the years,   1234 00:40:43,217 --> 00:40:44,384    come here when you were 16,   1235 00:40:44,485 --> 00:40:45,819    started working right away,   1236 00:40:45,919 --> 00:40:47,988         and see you build              this kind of concept.      1237 00:40:48,088 --> 00:40:50,924  You know, I'm proud of LA that     it embraces people like us    1238 00:40:51,024 --> 00:40:53,460  and allows us to kind of build        businesses like this       1239 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:55,762  and have a real shot at making       something of ourselves.     1240 00:40:55,863 --> 00:40:58,265        Taco cheers to you,                to El Cocinero,         1241 00:40:58,365 --> 00:40:59,900      and to the next chapter     1242 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,735    because I know you're only      gonna get bigger and bigger.   1243 00:41:01,835 --> 00:41:02,870            Thank you.                       Thank you.            1244 00:41:02,970 --> 00:41:03,871               MENA:                           Cheers.             1245 00:41:03,971 --> 00:41:07,007                 ♪                1246 00:41:07,107 --> 00:41:08,008                Mmm.              1247 00:41:08,108 --> 00:41:10,210                 ♪                1248 00:41:10,310 --> 00:41:13,413      Alex, I know your first      restaurant won't be your last.  1249 00:41:13,514 --> 00:41:16,149      You and the rest of the          local trendsetters here     1250 00:41:16,250 --> 00:41:20,087  are going to change the way we   eat and it's already happening. 1251 00:41:20,187 --> 00:41:21,288    You're leading the charge,    1252 00:41:21,388 --> 00:41:23,690    and LA's infamous out there         thinking is creating       1253 00:41:23,790 --> 00:41:26,159       a revolution in food.      1254 00:41:26,260 --> 00:41:29,463  Bringing a new focus to health,     wellness, and the planet.    1255 00:41:29,563 --> 00:41:33,333         So thank you, LA,         for helping me chase my dreams  1256 00:41:33,433 --> 00:41:35,035  and showing us the way forward. 1257 00:41:35,135 --> 00:41:37,638    The future looks delicious.   1258 00:41:37,738 --> 00:41:47,648                 ♪                1259 00:41:47,748 --> 00:41:57,658                 ♪                1260 00:41:57,758 --> 00:42:05,532                 ♪                1261 00:42:05,632 --> 00:42:08,235          (Tape winding)          1262 00:42:08,335 --> 00:42:11,138        (Musical flourish)        1263 00:42:11,238 --> 00:42:12,973             (Silence)