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2. Fiyahnesian- 915 Fernrest Dr, The zigzag drizzles of sauce didn’t just happen.
Harbor City, CA 90710 Besides stints as a football player, bouncer,
bodyguard, MMA fighter and singer, Yandall
Around noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the somehow found time to go to Le Cordon Bleu
smell of teriyaki, tacos and burritos fills the air in Pasadena.
around a random residential street in Harbor
City. After that, he landed a fine dining job at
Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Hollywood but
The culprit is Fiyahnesian, Bronston Yandall’s left after around one year.
brainchild.
“At first, I wanted to work in a restaurant, but
“The ‘nesian’ part is because of Polynesian after working that job I was like woah, no,” he
and the ‘fiya’ is because when I first started said. “I was there for 12 or 14 hours every day.
with the tacos, a lot of the times I would get And that’s when I only had two kids.”
[people telling me] ‘man, that food is fire bro,’
and ‘man, that’s some fire sauce,’” he said. He said he realized he could make better
“So, in Hawaii we don’t use the ‘er’ in words, money catering and the hours would be
we use the ‘h’ so, fiyah-nesian.” shorter, albeit more intense.
He said he first learned to cook when he was Now, Yandall and his business partner Hiram
only four years old, thanks in no small part to Travis divide their time by participating in
his mother. Bronston Yandall shows off one of his burritos. pop-ups and are waiting for their custom food
truck to be ready, so they can take to the streets
“I learned the basics from my mom and I Insta-famous signature spicy sauce. and sell their fusion goods.
just put my own twist on it,” he said. “I loved
watching my mom and my dad cook. And then The few hungry customers who get to eat Yandall said his favorite part about cooking is
when both of my parents went to work, they Fiyahnesian food before it sells out at around seeing people’s expressions of joy when they
made it better for me because now I learned 1:30 p.m. come from all over California. taste his food.
everything. So, at a young age I was cooking Yandall said many people have found him “My wife says I’m a jack of many trades, but
dinner for my brothers and my sister.” through Instagram. I haven’t mastered anything. Well, now I’ve
mastered something,” he said. “I’m happy
A tall, heavy Samoan with tattooed sleeves and “Oh, people come from everywhere. Fullerton,
a deep voice with a throaty laugh to match, Riverside, Moreno Valley, Pasadena, Apple when I cook. It doesn’t matter if I’m mad or
Yandall serves up burritos chock full of rice, Valley, Oceanside,” he said. “There’s this angry, when I cook, I get happy. I’m always
eggs and meat that weigh more than young guy who comes from Eagle Rock every week happy when I cook.”
children, as well as tacos with char siu chicken, and I’m like ‘you come all the way over here For more information on hours and locations,
a kind of Cantonese roasted meat, teriyaki for one burrito?’ and he says ‘I can’t get it diners can follow Fiyahnesian @fiyahnesian
chicken and homemade mango pineapple anywhere else!’” on Instagram.
salsa, all topped with zigzag drizzles of his

3. Trois Familia- 3510 Sunset Blvd, taco, the $7 double decker potato taco, is a
Los Angeles, CA 90026 grandiose concoction made out of a quesadilla
stuffed with a potato taco topped with carrot
French bistros are usually stuffy affairs with pico de gallo and some crème fraiche providing
white tablecloths and fancy silverware, but a refreshing French touch.
diners will not find those things at Trois
Familia. Limited and simple, the menu is still excellent.
In true French spirit, a dish as simple as bread
Instead, they can find a small, bright space and butter is also elevated.
that serves cheese plates and Parisian gnocchi
alongside tacos and tostadas, all with funky “The butter might be the best thing there,”
music supplied by the record player in the Geoffrey Eisler, a patron at the restaurant, said.
corner. Eisler said he got the chicken milanesa with

Although relaxed, it still offers refined choices, cucumbers, pickles and Maggi ranch two A double decker potato taco from Trois Familia.
with price tags to match. There is also an 18 times in a row by accident, but he didn’t mind different],” he said. “Usually in Mexico they
percent surcharge applied to all orders as part because it was that good. pound it to get it thin. Latin style, it’s pounded,
of an effort to promote higher wages. “Milanesa is Mexican but the presentation, but here it’s puffy. It’s almost like Chick-Fil-A
None of the food is basic, either. The signature the way the chicken is prepared here [is meets French meets Mexican. It’s very good.”
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