Program #5130 – Great Food and Friends
EL CHOLO
Hispanic Lifestyle took our cameras around southern California to experience great food. Our first stop was to one the oldest Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, El Cholo.
Originated in 1923 the family owned restaurant has three locations throughout Southern California. We began our visit by meeting one of their longtime employees who spoke about the history of the establishment and working for the Salisbury family.
Featured in the Episode
Did not appear but the owner is Ron Salisbury
El Cholo Santa Monica:
General Manager: Mike Mininsky and server: Ricky Contreras
El Cholo Los Angeles:
General Manager: Faiz Mattar
Managers: Oscar Cruz and Alma Corona
Some pictures were taken at
Café El Cholo, La Habra:
Executive Chef: Roberto Juarez and General Manager: John Astin
http://www.elcholo.com
PICANTE MARTIN
Leaving Santa Monica we headed South to Balboa Island located in Orange County and visited with the owners of Picante Martin a mexican restaurant. We began our visit which took place in front of the restaurant by speaking Martin Jr. and his mother Raquel who shared the history of the establishment.
http://www.picantemartins.com/
From their website
Picante Martin’s has made Balboa Island it’s home for over 12 years. We feel great pride and enjoyment in having the ability to share our style of Mexican cuisine with our neighbors. If you’re from the island or if you’re a sightseer, then drop in to Picante Martin’s for a fresh breakfast or lunch, and experience what some call Balboa’s hidden treasure.
We serve Fresh, Authentic, Healthy Mexican Food and Sandwiches for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. We serve everything from Burritos and Tacos to Enchiladas and Nacho Platters. If you’re hosting a small to medium to large event then let Picante Martin’s serve your guests. With over fifty items to choose from, you can easily satisfy everyone’s tastes.
PEPE SERNA
While we were taping the Picante Martin segment, Balboa Island resident actor, artist Pepe Serna stopped by to get lunch.
So Hispanic Lifestyle invited ourselves over to his house to find out how he was doing, but in turn we were treated to an inspirational conversation regarding his battle against Cancer.
Bio
Veteran actor and Master Teacher Pepe Serna has appeared in more than 100 feature films and 300 television shows. He has also lent his vocal talents to the Fox hit series “The PJ’s.” Serna played the part of Sanchez, who speaks with the aid of a voice box and is the only Hispanic cast member of the zany inner city characters created by Eddie Murphy. Recently, Serna starred in the controversial “Kingpin” on NBC.
Serna is best known for his performances in several motion pictures, most notably “Scarface” with Al Pacino. In fact, the incredible popularity of this film has turned it into a cult classic, and items relating to “Scarface” are now in great demand, as proven recently on E-bay. With this in mind, Serna has created a limited edition art piece-a Scarface Montage incorporating a cast of the infamous “arm,” available only here. Other films for which Serna is best known include “The Rookie” with Clint Eastwood; “American Me” with Edward James Olmos; “Silverado” with Kevin Costner; and the widely recognized Science Fiction classic “Buckaroo Banzi.”
http://www.pepeserna.com/
We took the ferry from Balboa Island and traveled to the Cannery located in Newport Beach. Hispanic Lifestyle began our visit to this special eatery by speaking with their manager Briann about how she came to work at this four star restaurant.
The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific, Newport Beach:
Featured manager: Briann Cruz-Martyn
Chef: Felix Salcedo and General Manager: Debbie Simes
A veteran with over 30 years experience Chef Felix Salcedo is an important contributor to the success of El Cholo and the Cannery restaurants. We began our conversation with Chef Salcido by asking about the people who helped shape his desire for cooking.
