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Since the Los Angeles Times Food section launched in April, we’ve published 36 editions featuring illustrations from artists around the world and photography from our all-star team of staff and freelance photographers. Here’s a look back at every cover we published in 2019.
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The inaugural edition (April 11)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)
Cover story: “Welcome to your new Food section” by Peter Meehan
Illustration: Clay Hickson
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No one cooks for Lent like my Mami (April 18)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)
Cover story: “I get one last Lent with my Mami. I’m using it to learn our family’s capirotada recipe” by Gustavo Arellano
Illustration: Gaby D’Alessandro
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Noodles (April 25)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Five or Fewer: Get dinner on the table fast with these easy pasta dishes” by Genevieve Ko
Photo: Mariah Tauger
Also featured:
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Feasting and fasting (May 2)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)
Cover story: “Feasting and fasting: The meaning of the rituals of Ramadan” by Anissa Helou
Illustration: Saffa Khan
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It came from Nashville! (May 9)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)
Cover story: “Nashville hot chicken is taking over Los Angeles” by Jenn Harris
Illustration: Lale Westvind
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Ohlone Rising (May 16)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “In Berkeley, Cafe Ohlone brings back the Bay Area’s first foods” by John Birdsall
Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha
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Eat more tacos (May 23)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Oaxacan cheese merges the taco and the quesadilla in this simple recipe” by Genevieve Ko
Photo: Silvia Razgova
Also featured: “A beginner’s guide to taco trucks” by Lucas Kwan Peterson
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A gay old time (May 30)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “An ode to L.A.’s gay restaurants, where a community can find a home” by Ben Mims
Photo: Silvia Razgova
Also featured: “In San Quentin, prison inmates are cooking up gnocchi and brighter futures” by John Birdsall
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The service industry’s sober talk (June 6)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “How the restaurant industry is tackling its substance abuse problem” by Amy Scattergood
Illustration: Saskia Keultjes
Also featured: “Everything you didn’t even know you wanted to know about celery” by David Karp
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Onigiri (June 13)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Master Class: Michelin-starred n/naka chefs on how to make the perfect onigiri” by Genevieve Ko
Photo: Mariah Tauger
Also featured: “The official candy bar power rankings” by Lucas Kwan Peterson
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June 20

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Featured:
- “The secret pickle club we want to join” by Betty Hallock
- “Review: Seek out Sri Lankan hoppers and fish curry at Apey Kade in Tarzana” by Bill Addison
- “How many cacao beans does it take to make a year’s worth of LetterPress chocolate bars?” by Amy Scattergood
- “Banh cuon 101: Everything you need to know about Vietnamese rice sheets” by Andrea Nguyen
- “Forget bottles, cans and boxes: Kegged wine is what’s next” Jordan Michelman
- “A gluten-free, vegan bakery is opening in Santa Monica” by Amy Scattergood
- “What’s brewing in Chinatown: a microguide to four unique coffee bars” by Jordan Michelman
- “Review: The Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens suffers from convoluted cooking” by Patricia Escárcega
- “The spring Negroni you should make all summer” by Genevieve Ko
Illustration: Clay Hickson
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Greetings from Hermosillo (June 27)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Exploring Hermosillo, northern Mexico’s great unsung food city” by Patricia Escárcega
Photos: Dania Maxwell
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A Süprmarkt for the people (July 4)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “A Süprmarkt for the people challenges ‘food apartheid’ in South L.A.” by Heather Platt
Photo: Gina Ferrazi
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Carpe diem, Angelenos (July 11)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Fly fishing for ‘sewer salmon’ in the L.A. River” by Jesse Pearson
Photo: Jerry Hsu
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Stay Gold (July 18)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “A city without Gold” by Peter Meehan
Illustration: Clay Hickson
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The Magic Castle’s new trick (July 25)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “And for the Magic Castle’s next trick: Food that’s worth talking about” by Jamie Feldmar
Photo: Silvia Razgova
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Pastry chefs are real chefs (Aug. 1)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Yes, pastry chefs are real chefs and women are leading the baking revolution” by Karen Stabiner
Photos: Mariah Tauger and Mel Melcon
Also featured: “17 places you probably have to try to understand birria in L.A.” by Hadley Tomicki
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3 days, 18 Persian restaurants (Aug. 8)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Two food writers eat at all the Persian restaurants in SoCal (OK, 18 of them)” by Bill Addison
Photo: Christina House
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Restaurants raking it in? Well... (Aug. 15)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Why it’s harder than ever to run a restaurant in Los Angeles” by Jenn Harris
Photo illustration: Danielle Evans
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Aug. 22

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times)
Featured:
- “L.A. Farmers Market Guide: O’Henry peaches are coming” by Amy Scattergood
- “Review: Los Angeles, this should be your sake spot” by Bill Addison
- “From the motherland to the U.S., a Vietnamese fish sauce with umami oomph” by Andrea Nguyen
- “Up your summer grilling game with lemongrass-marinated Vietnamese pork chops” by Genevieve Ko
- “The ultimate mapo tofu recipe has a California twist” by Lucas Kwan Peterson
- “Stay chill once you grill with these 3 summer soups” by Ben Mims
Illustration: Alice Clark
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A sausage story in South L.A. (Aug. 29)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “How chicken sausage links became a centerpiece to South L.A.’s black food culture” by Garrett Snyder
Photo: Mariah Tauger
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In the boat with Mike Watt (Sept. 5)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “We eat econo: Mike Watt on pork sandwiches, punk rock and the future of San Pedro” by Jesse Pearson
Photo: Myung J. Chun
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How a black-owned business stayed in local hands as it grew (Sept. 12)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “How Post & Beam, the successful black-owned South L.A. restaurant, stayed in local hands” by Amy Scattergood
Photo: Christina House
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Mexican food through the Times (Sept. 19)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “For over 137 years, no newspaper has covered Mexican food better than the L.A. Times” by Gustavo Arellano
Illustration: Jennifer Hewitson
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100 years a classic (Sept. 26)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Musso & Frank Grill, 100 years later” by Bharbi Hazarika
Photo: Tina Whatcott Echeverria
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Legendary flavors of Laos (Oct. 3)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “The king ate sticky rice: Cooking, past and present, in Luang Prabang, Laos” by Austin Bush
Photo: Austin Bush
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Mushrooms and revolution (Oct. 10)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “An indigenous community in Mexico finds its voice — and strength — in wild mushrooms” by Michael Snyder
Photo: Felipe Luna
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Seoul food from the heart of East L.A. (Oct. 17)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “South Korea born, East L.A. bred: A Seoul taqueria for a homesick chef” by Victoria Kim
Photo: Marcus Yam
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The imitation game (Oct. 24)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “When is an Original Tommy’s burger not an original? When it’s one of these 67 look-alikes” by Daniel Miller
Photo: Mariah Tauger
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The upstart dumpling spot that wants to kill its rivals (Oct. 31)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story:“A new soup dumpling spot in the OC wants to dethrone Din Tai Fung” by David Pierson
Photo: Marcus Yam
Also featured:
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The story of kung pao chicken (Nov. 7)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Kung pao chicken’s legacy, from the Qing Dynasty to Panda Express” by Fuchsia Dunlop
Photo: Yuki Sugiura
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Pumpkin spice in paradise (Nov. 14)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “Nutmeg, a pumpkin spice staple, takes the spotlight in Malaysia” by Austin Bush
Photo: Austin Bush
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Ready for anything (Nov. 21)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “The best Thanksgiving turkey has no crispy skin” by Ben Mims
Also featured: “The official Thanksgiving food power rankings” by Lucas Kwan Peterson
Photo: Leslie Grow
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Nov. 28

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Featured:
- “Review: 20-plus courses. 10 seats. Insanity. At Somni, it’s all a dream” by Bill Addison
- “Exclusive first look at Socalo, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s new restaurant in Santa Monica” by Jenn Harris
- “Review: In Sawtelle, Mogu Mogu is a ramen shop without the soup” by Patricia Escárcega
Photos: Mariah Tauger and Ricardo DeAratanha
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12 days of holiday cookies (Dec. 5)
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Big-box holiday (Dec. 12)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “The easiest holiday recipes start at Costco. Because of course” by Genevieve Ko
Photo: Evan Sung
Also featured: “Quick prep and no-fuss baking for the best candied nuts” and “Avocado smash gets fancy in this holiday party dip” by Genevieve Ko
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What’s in a name (Dec. 19)

(Martina Ibáñez-Baldor)
Cover story: “What’s in a name? When it comes to fruit, economic and genetic forces have a major say” by David Karp
Illustration: Lisa Kogawa