‘Love Island’ fame turns a Mar Vista cafe into a neighborhood hot spot

Melody Xu is an intern with the Los Angeles Times’ Food team and journalism student at Northwestern University. A Bay Area native, she previously reported for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Palo Alto Daily Post.

Brenda Elizondo is an audience engagement fellow at the Los Angeles Times. She was previously a video content creator and reporter for L.A. Times Food and De Los, the Latinidad section. She received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Cal State Fullerton.