LA Examiner

Tag: community

  • The Los Angeles Clippers Are Getting Some Exciting New Food Options

    The Los Angeles Clippers Are Getting Some Exciting New Food Options

    Image credit: Unsplash

    While the Los Angeles Clippers have had to share space with the LA Lakers since the 1999-2000 NBA season, the crosstown rivals are heading to a home of their own this coming August, just in time for the 2024-2025 basketball season. The Los Angeles Clippers are moving from the Crypto.com Arena to the Intuit Dome, and with the move comes a whole new, tasty menu for fans to enjoy. 

    Located just outside of South LA, Intuit Dome will have space for 18,000 people, with its grand opening featuring a performance by Bruno Mars on August 15th. With the opening comes a new menu, which was unveiled last week and created through a partnership with Chicago-based restaurant group, Levy. Void of fast food chains and big-brand labels, the concessions menu has been specially whipped up for fans.

    Known as “The Dome Dozen,” the arena’s menu is a collection of snacks and dishes that will be served throughout all 20 concession stands. Also known as “food markets,” concession stands will be located “just steps away from every seat in the house,” and feature self-checkout scanners to support customers on their mission to grab food and go, according to a statement from Intuit Dome. Further explaining the concession process, the venue’s statement also said that “the entire journey was designed to take 123 seconds or less to get back to your seat.”

    Included in “The Dome Dozen” are traditional concession snacks like nachos, hot dogs, churros, popcorn, soft pretzels, and ice cream. But Intuit Dome and Levy are bringing innovation to the menu with a handful of specialty items not typically found at a snack stand. Fans can head to concessions for items like a buffalo cauliflower wrap and a “sushi dog,” which has been described on the venue’s website as “like a sushi burrito in the size and portability of a hot dog.” The sushi dog will be available in spicy tuna and California roll flavors. 

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    According to the venue, other Dome Dozen dishes include hand-rolled maki, nigiri, and bento boxes made by an in-house sushi chef each game, artisanal sandwiches, market salads with favorites like Caesar and cobb, and a curated snack collection featuring “crispy, salty and sweet” offerings.

    Over half of Intuit Dome’s concession stands will also feature signature dishes, with some honoring Angeleno favorites. The signature dishes will include:

    • Four-Edge Pan Pizza: Fans can delight in this square-cut pizza that comes in pepperoni, cheese, and a rotating selection of toppings that is baked inside custom pans.
    • Double-Cheeseburger: A twist on a classic. This burger is a blend of brisket, short rib, and chuck, promising tender, juicy perfection topped with pickles, American cheese, and Clippers’s secret sauce. 
    • LA Street Dog: Grab a Niman Ranch all-beef hot dog with garlic mayo on your way back to your seat. They come on a split-top Bolillo bun – bacon-wrapped with ketchup, mustard, and seasoned peppers and onions. 
    • K-Town BBQ Chicken and Waffle Fries: You may have trouble focusing with these chicken thighs tossed in a sweet, smoky Korean BBQ sauce from Echo Park-based Korean restaurant Seoul Sausage.
    • Empanadas: Warm, flaky pastries in rotating flavors made by LA Chain Continental Gourmet Market. Does more need to be said?

    Season tickets are on sale, available here for fans ready for basketball season and good food. 

  • EMBODY Serves Residents of LA to Improve Community and Mental Wellness

    EMBODY Serves Residents of LA to Improve Community and Mental Wellness

    Image credit: Unsplash

    Los Angeles was recently invigorated with the joy, connection, and empowerment that “EMBODY: Empowering Mental Health through Community Wellness and Creativity” brought to the community. Over 700 community members attended this extraordinary day of holistic wellness and artistic expression, which took place on Saturday, May 18, at Hope on Union. The event was designed to be a beacon of healing, and to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month through the support of CalMHSA and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

    The event, which was MC’d by TEDx global public speaker and poet Sean Hill, delivered a plethora of activities that were aimed at promoting the wellness of both the body and soul. Those in attendance took part in spiritual yoga and tai chi sessions, a public photo booth, dance and collaboration in playshops, created an art mural, and engaged in thought-provoking discussions on mental well-being and financial wellness. Music from local DJ Tyrone Ward and songs from the all-female sextet group Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas added to the atmosphere.

    During the event, the community received professional plant-based offerings that were provided by Chef Tony of Sunny Express Gourmet Fast Food, Chef Megan Tucker of Mort and Betty’s, Vegan Liberian cuisine by Mamie Peppa, and Chef Supreme of Harvest Academy, who represented Big Mountain Foods.

    Beverages were also offered by Hannah Said of Saffron Cowboy, as well as by Rich Bertrand of Nija Wellness. Both the food and drink added to a celebration of cultures.

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    With help from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s Take Action LA Initiative,  EMBODY will not just be a one-time event, but a part of a movement dedicated to mental health awareness and support for LA County residents. The initiative was made in collaboration with Vegans of Los Angeles, and continues to make an impact on the community.

    Gwenna Hunter, the founder of Vegans of Los Angeles and even collaborated, stated that she was “so pleased that we were able to provide this community with a day of absolute ease, celebration of wellness, live music, education, free quality merchandise, a free abundant produce market, and delicious plant-based hot foods. To see all the smiling faces, the children laughing and playing, moms sitting down to a nourishing meal and families spending time together brought so much joy to our hearts.”

    L’lia ‘Tizzle’ Thomas, who co-created EMBODY and is the founder of Soul SistarMystique Aromachaura, also stated, “This was a beautifully diverse event that called for us to nurture our mind, body, and spirit. It was a profoundly memorable and life-changing day that was a true embodiment of love, art, and bliss.”

    DeAnna Carpenter, the founder of She Who Builds LLC and an EMBODY Co-Creator, added: “I’m grateful we were entrusted with this opportunity to infuse the community with more beauty, joy, laughter, lightness, accessibility, and a variety of resources that we hope will sustain and inspire them in their daily lives and in their wellness and wellbeing journeys.”

    EMBODY was created to untangle the stigma surrounding mental health, as well as to provide a welcoming space where prevention, education, and encouragement could flourish.

    For media inquiries, please contact by email: [email protected] or by phone: (954) 224-0244

  • Beloved Los Angeles Butcher Dies at age 44, Sending the Food Community Reeling

    Beloved Los Angeles Butcher Dies at age 44, Sending the Food Community Reeling

    Image credit: Unsplash

    The Los Angeles food community has been stunned by the loss of beloved local butcher Jared Standing, who died by suicide on February 22nd, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Standing has left a legacy of social connections, touched lives, and impacted how LA thinks of its food.

    Jared Standing opened his butcher shop, Standing’s Butchery, in Hancock Park in 2017. Many of his connections met him behind the counter, where he was known for his friendly demeanor and how he freely shared his wisdom and food knowledge.

    Standing was a former vegetarian who advocated for sustainable sourcing and animal welfare, and his shop was founded on these principles. He sourced his meat from California farmers who prioritized policies like all-grass diets, free-range habitats, and heritage breeds. Standing’s zero-waste policy led to inventive products incorporating scraps and bone into stocks, chili, and premium dog food.

    Standing’s Butchery became a hub for providing meat to area shoppers and chefs and for education about sustainable practices and closed-loop farming. The shop hosted butchery classes, and Standing also spread his knowledge online through his social media channels.

    “He was able to impact such a large scene from one small shop,” Kelsy Lee, the wholesale manager of Four Star Seafood, told the Los Angeles Times. “He was largely responsible for [getting many] Los Angeles chefs [t] consider the way that they source their ingredients, and also the way that people get food into their homes.” Kelsy had been consulting with Standing for a future location for another Standing’s Butchery.

    Standing had been planning to expand his business. He had been running successful burger pop-ups, Burgers by Standing, and had spoken about aspirations to open a permanent establishment for some time. He had announced a Westside location for Standing’s Butchery.

    In a social media post made back in 2022, Standing discussed his life story and ambitions. He discussed how “impossible it seemed” for him to open his own butchery shop but explained that he believed that honest hard work would pay off. He spoke about his ambition and how he has spent much time thinking about the future and “all that I want and don’t yet have.”

    Standing had come a long way since his beginnings. He had once been homeless, sleeping in a $500 Toyota Corolla. It had taken a job in the meat department of a Whole Foods to teach him the basics of butchery while he found his way financially. He had educated himself in better butchery practices online while he worked his way up to better jobs until he was finally able to open Standing’s Butchery. Standing built a reputation and legacy that will endure through his work ethic and diligent self-improvement.

    Suicide rates in the U.S. have set new records in both 2022 and 2023. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline continues to work against this trend and can be reached by phone at 800-273-8255. Other resources include online chat at 988lifeline.org and the text Crisis Line at 741741.