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Ali Elreda's shawarma mix wrap with beef, chicken, rice, hummus and garlic.

Blending

Mexican

Words and photos by Victoria Gonzalez

With the countless kinds of mouthwatering tacos, burritos and like that, until I was incarcerated … when I got released I just started
tamales available in Los Angeles County, it's clear that Angelenos playing around in the kitchen and it brought my imagination to life, and
here we are.”
love Mexican food. But in a city that boasts nearly 3.5 million His experiences in the prison’s kitchen inspired him to open Fatima’s
immigrants, according to USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts Grill, which serves traditional Mediterranean fare like shawarma and
and Sciences, Angelenos are bound to love a good Mexican food falafel alongside Mexican classics like tacos and burritos but made halal.
mashup. With that in mind, here are three fusion styles with a Although his clientele is primarily Muslim, he said Mexicans make up a
sizeable portion of his business.
Mexican flair in Los Angeles you have to try. “It’s crazy because we started with Arab and Mediterranean food and if

1. Fatima’s Grill- 7840 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241 you look at the different races in here, it’s crazy. It’s insane.”
Fatima’s Grill also specializes in an odd food trend: putting Flamin’ Hot
Ali Elreda was running a clothing store he owned in Paramount when he
was busted for distributing drugs and incarcerated. Being in prison would Cheetos on everything. At Fatima’s Grill, diners can find the popular
turn out to be what inspired him to open up Fatima’s Grill. Of Lebanese snack in everything from tacos to burritos to tamales, which Elreda said
heritage, Elreda moved from Detroit to Bell when he was five-years-old, are particularly successful, especially around the holidays.
and he grew up surrounded by Mexicans and Mexican food, which he “We were just playing around with tamales and said ‘hey, you know what,
was forbidden from enjoying. let’s try this out’ and it’s been a bang.”
“Growing up we always wanted to be able to go out and eat tacos and To make the tamales, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are ground into a powder and
eat burritos and enjoy the wonderful food that Mexicans have to offer but added to the masa (dough) until it turns a fiery shade of red. Elreda serves
because we are Muslims, we only eat halal food.” his tamales topped with nacho cheese and more Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Halal food is meat that is prepared in an Islamically acceptable fashion. “It’s a Christmas tree with ornaments on top of ornaments and
Muslims also refrain from eating pork, which runs rampant in Mexican ornaments. It’s bananas. It’s crazy.”
cuisine, so Elreda thought about how he could adapt the Mexican food
he loved into food that was permissible for his religious beliefs. A few Besides the trendy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dishes, Elreda said what’s most
years later, he was incarcerated and became a prison cook. important is bringing people together through food.
“If food can bring cultures together, then why not. That’s what we’re
“I had never in my life flipped tacos or wrapped a burrito or anything
doing right here.”