The Bull Magazine Spring/Summer 2021

STAFF

Photo by Katya Castillo.

Food styling by Katya Castillo, Manu Multani and Jackelyn Ruby.

Ingredients for Louis Fuentes’ vegan fish tacos are laid on a cutting board in Los Angeles on May 8, 2021. Photo illustration by Katya Castillo.

Vegan made to order

California caterer creates plant-based plates for customers

Story by Jackelyn Ruby

Photos by Katya Castillo and Jackelyn Ruby

It was two years ago when Louis Fuentes had a catering event at an art walk show in San Diego.

He remembers a particular customer ordering 12 vegan fish tacos and six drinks from his booth. The customer asked him to put two tacos on each plate and wrap them in tin foil.

He then saw the man walk across the street and distribute the meals to people on the street who appeared in need.

Fuentes got a warm fuzzy feeling when he realized his food wasn’t simply nutritious and filling. His skill gave people pleasure— and it made those who enjoyed his work happy to share it with others.

Fuentes started Grimmz Vegan Catering three years ago. He has an extensive background in the cooking industry, has been a cook for 16 years and a vegan for nine. He has been able to use that experience and turn Grimmz Vegan catering into a successful business.

His normal gigs are usually at local markets, art walks, nightclubs and music shows. Although the pandemic has stopped him booking catering gigs, he hopes to return to events to provide delicious and affordable vegan meals to his customers soon.

“He just walked them over to people in need and gave him all the drinks and tacos that he got from me and that just really touched me,” Fuentes said about the life-changing moment. “That just inspired me. It was really sweet to see that.”

The caterer’s career, in many ways, began with a desire to change his eating habits. Nine years ago, he decided to embark on a plant-based diet. He started ordering the usual meals at his local Del Taco—fries and a veggie burrito. After recognizing how much restaurants upcharge for their offerings, he decided to use his years in the food industry to create vegan meals.

But nine years ago, there was little information on vegan recipes or plant-based products available at markets.

One of the few voices for the movement was Guadalupe Posada, a vegan for 15 years, who helped increase the visibility of veganism through blogging and social media.

“A decade ago, there really wasn’t much information on the internet like there is nowadays,” Posada said. “Now I can Google ‘chicken vegan’ and it will generate a long list of recipes and images I can look at. Sometimes I find myself up at 2 in the morning looking up recipes on my phone on what I can make the next day.”

Fuentes created an everexpanding notebook filled with recipes. And three years ago, one of his friends was coordinating an artwalk and asked him if he knew any caterers. With 13 years in the cooking industry and his connections to the local music scene, he decided it was time to launch his vegan catering business.

Grimmz Vegan catering was born.

Fuentes said he knew that he was heading in the right direction when he received a lot of word of mouth that helped his business grow.

“Customers were drawn to the price point, my ethics and mission behind my brand, providing vegan meals without up-charging,” Fuentes said.

A loyal non-vegan customer to Grimmz Vegan, Araceli Guerrero, has enjoyed Fuentes’ meals whenever she attended his catering events.

“I had no idea there was such a thing as vegan fish tacos,” Sosa said. “I could not distinguish the taste from a regular fish and his vegan fish. I was like, oh my gosh, this is exactly the same.”

Fuentes’ business grew to the point that one of his few problems has been his popularity.

“The thing I have experienced that I feel may be considered wrong is being too busy,” he said. “There have been events where I actually ran out of food a few hours early. That was just me underestimating how many people were there.”

COVID-19 has meant many businesses have closed, which means Fuentes has been unable to book his usual events. He has taken the time to work on new recipes to add to his menu, as well as working on a new logo and brand.

“I don’t really have any fears, to be honest,” Fuentes said. “I am absolutely ready to take it to the streets again.”

Louis Fuentes prepares his vegan fish tacos before deep frying them in Cypress, Calif., on March 14, 2021. Photo by Jackelyn Ruby.

Araceli Guerrero takes a bite of Louis Fuentes’ vegan fish tacos in Cypress, Calif., on March 14, 2021. Photo by Jackelyn Ruby.

Balwinder Singh sits in his fields in Livingston, Calif., on May 5, 2021.

Photo by Katya Castillo.

Punjab to California

Indian farmers bring sustainable practices to the states

Story by Manu Multani

Photos by Katya Castillo and Manu Multani

Driving up a dirt road on the side of a suburban housing enclave in California’s Central Valley city of Livingston, bright green leaves of daikon and cultivated fenugreek are peaking out of the repeating, distinctly tilled rows among 20 acres of land.

The earthy vegetables appear ready to be picked.

A few Punjabi women and men are squatting, bending, pulling, extracting and cleaning vegetables.

The women are wearing traditional Punjabi salwaar kameez, which includes a set of pants and a long shirt with various prints and colors. The men don their heads with turbans. All the fieldworkers and farmers come from the province of Punjab, the northernmost region of India.

A makeshift market has been set up with multiple boxes and crates filled with produce directly from these vast green fields.

Punjabi families, through the word of mouth, have learned about this marketplace and have been coming because of the direct access to the familiar produce used in their traditional cooking.

Balwinder Singh, the owner of this farmland, grows vegetables that are common to the region of Punjab.

“We are a family of four and both of my sons drive trucks, but our family has been working in farming since our time back in Punjab,” Singh said. “Ever since I arrived seven years ago, I have been farming here. It is what I was doing back home, and it is what I know.”

Singh’s farm has a selection of vegetables that require ways of knowing cultivation and their appropriate seasons.

“I choose vegetables like fenugreek, eggplant, bitter melon and daikon only because they are season dependent. I only can grow what is seasonal,” Singh said.

Fenugreek is a green, leafy herb with a sweet, nutty taste. It often is used in stir-fry potatoes or in traditional style flat breads called roti. Fenugreek has nutritional benefits and is often used in alternative medicine, according to Healthline.

Daikon is a white, long, tubular root vegetable that is part of the radish family. It is typically grated with chilies and spices stuffed into parathas (another style of flat breads) as a breakfast dish. Daikon can be eaten as a crunchy side dish—cold and raw—with cooked meat.

Singh said he will grow only what is seasonal because that is how the land is supposed to be cultivated and that is how he farmed in Punjab.

“We do this work on multiple farms where we plant, water and monitor the fields often. It requires a lot of time and patience,” he said. “The U.S. has rougher soil here than in India, and it requires a bit more care and understanding.”

The Singh family lives on farmland in the Central Valley and they integrate their farming knowledge from Punjab here in California.

“The land here is easier to maintain and sustain because the strategies here are more efficient than back in Punjab,” said Bobby Singh, the son of Balwinder Singh, who is supporting his family’s farming business. “Strategies include how to prevent bug manifestations and relying on efficient water mechanisms.”

Bobby Singh said that the biggest challenge is preparing for harvest and understanding how to market the produce.

“It all has to look pretty for the markets,” he said. “We spend a lot of time on packaging and putting produce together in the way markets across California want them for their shelves,” Bobby Singh said. “This is part of who we are and are comfortable with this lifestyle. We do this because we know it. If I was in India, I would be doing the same thing.”

Indian farming history

“At the time of Independence, 70% of India’s workforce, worked in the agricultural sector and was 54% of the nation’s income, which has now declined to 17%”,” according to Indian Express.

“More than 60 percent of India’s 1.3 billion people still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, though the sector accounts for only about 15 percent of the country’s economic output,” according to The New York Times.

In California, many Punjabis have found themselves re-introducing farming to their newly established communities.

Heather L. Benson, a doctoral candidate in Human-Cultural Geography and instructor at Lake Tahoe Community College, said that Punjabi Sikhs have adapted to the agricultural way of living in the Central Valley of California, particularly because they know how to manage the land.

Sikh migrants began arriving in California in the early 1800s and were attracted to the state because of its farming opportunities and agricultural markets, according to California Law Review.

Benson, in her master’s thesis, focused on foodways, a term coined by John W. Bennett. Foodways is considered a term to understand how beliefs and traditions are connected to food and how they formulate cultural identity among communities.

Benson said that growing what is part of your history provides a connection to your homeland and that, “Food is an anchor to cultural identity, and preserving the traditional diet is important to Sikh cultural identity.”

Langar, a communal meal, is prepared in a vast kitchen with many people handling all aspects of preparing and serving food to community members who attend the site for Sikh prayer known as the gurdwara.

Benson has seen everyone at gurdwaras come together to clean the food, prepare and cook the langar and wash the dishes.

She said that langar is a communal practice because, “Sikhs believe that you cannot focus on God if you’re hungry.”

The practice of nourishment allows one to stay connected to the homeland while also surviving in new places.

“Farming makes me feel good. When I wake up in the fields, there is a freshness in the air I don’t feel anywhere else,” Bobby Singh said. “My dream was to be a farmer even as a child. I grew up playing in the fields in Punjab. It is here, on the farm, that I feel the most satisfaction.”

Gurdeep Singh (left) and Surinder Kaur tend to a farm in Livingston, Calif., on May 5, 2021. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Punjab

A map of India is outlined by red pepper with a star anise representing the province of Punjab.

Photo illustration by Manu Multani.

A bitter melon from Balwinder Singh’s farm from Livingston, Calif., is cut and displayed.

Photo illustration by Katya Castillo.

Punjabi stir-fry

serves 4 | approximately 40 minutes

Ingredients Directions

1 lb. bitter melon, in season

2 tbsp. neutral oil

1 tbsp. cumin seeds

2 large yellow onions, sliced

2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. red chili powder

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

2 tbsp. ginger, finely grated

1 tbsp. salt

1 handful of cilantro

Quick tip

Bitter melon is in season during the early spring into late summer.

Rinse and peel only the rough edges of the bitter melon.

As the name suggests, this vegetable is bitter, and the way you handle it will determine how bitter it remains.

Dice the bitter melon in small pieces, smaller than bite-size chunks.

To remove some bitterness, add some salt to the diced bitter melon in a strainer and let it sit for 15 minutes. Drain all residual water from the vegetable by softly pressing out excess liquid.

Half each onion lengthwise and slice. Grate ginger and garlic into a paste.

In a wok or fry pan, heat neutral oil over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds sizzle, add sliced onions. Sauté onions and cumin seeds for about three minutes, until onions are brown.

Add the bitter melon chunks. Sauté for about five minutes.

Add turmeric, red chili powder, jalapeño pepper, garlic cloves, ginger and salt.

Mix ingredients over a low flame for about 15 minutes. The color will darken, when it is done. It should be brownish with no green from the bitter melon.

Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.

You can serve this as a main dish with roti or naan with cooling yogurt on the side.

Janet Marinaccio, president and CEO of MEND, stands in the organization’s Food Department in Pacoima, Calif., on March 9, 2021. Photo by Katya Castillo.

MENDing the community one grocery bag at a time

Valley food bank answers the call for those in need during the pandemic

Story and photos by Katya Castillo

Cars start lining up by 7:45 a.m. on San Fernando Road in Pacoima, to begin a more than two-hour wait for the MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity) Food Distribution Center to open its large metal gate to the public. By then, the line of cars can stretch a mile long.

Clients include those who’ve lost their jobs because of the pandemic, families living in a garage and people experiencing homelessness who need a meal to get through the day.

At the front of the line, people receive one or more large paper bags—depending on the number of people in their household—filled with breads, canned goods, fresh produce, eggs and other donated foods.

President and CEO of MEND Janet Marinaccio started working for the organization in 2017 after a 19-year career in nonprofits. The pandemic has greatly increased the number of people from all walks of life who are in need.

“Today, there was a Mercedes in line, and I don’t believe anybody would come and line up for a mile down San Fernando Road if they didn’t really need food, regardless of what kind of vehicle they’re driving,” Marinaccio said.

MEND is one of the largest food pantries in the San Fernando Valley and has operated for 50 years. Since the start of the pandemic, the organization has provided more than 2.5 million pounds of food for more than 150,000 people, according to its website.

MEND offers many support services and programs, including one-on-one guidance through Pathways to Wellness and Family Support Program (FSP) that connects staff and volunteers with clients to set goals to improve their health or living situations and conducts weekly check-ins.

Before the pandemic, MEND also offered many free onsite services, including gently-used clothing drives, “Grab & Go” meals for clients who are chronically homeless and a farmers market called Buen Provecho.

Foodbank Manager Adam Brooks started working at MEND out of an interest in cooking and working with food.

“I think the pandemic has taught us a lot about working together,” he said. “And despite the fact that it’s done a lot of damage in the community, I think it’s helped us become much stronger and much more capable.”

In addition to the board of directors and staff, MEND relies on volunteers to assist with food distribution and other services. Many college students volunteer for oneto-five months and often participate in the one-on-one guidance services.

Martha Mendoza has been a client since February when she lost her job and moved into her parents house with her 13-year-old daughter. She goes to the foodbank weekly and picks up a few bags for her family.

“It’s difficult being a Latina and asking for help, but having MEND here helps,” Mendoza said. “It’s hard, but I try. I know there’s other people out there who are worse off than I am, but it is what it is.”

Since the start of the pandemic, MEND has received more than three times its usual amount of clients with half the amount of workers.

“If you’ve got a family of six living in a garage, it’s almost inhumane,” Marinaccio said. “It’s not a way to live, which is why we’re here and why we’re doing what we’re doing. For me, this work is not a job. It’s a calling. I feel like my career path is focused on serving the community.”

For more information, visit the MEND website.

TOP Imelda Canales packages food to be distributed at MEND’s biweekly food bank in Pacoima, Calif., on March 9, 2021.

Photo by Katya Castillo.

LEFT

A line of cars wait to recieve bags of food at MEND’s food distribution center in Pacoima, Calif., on May 1, 2021. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Little Ethiopia

The LA neighborhood expands its flavorful landscape

A plate filled with cabbage, tomato salad, lentils, pumpkins, green beans and other vegetables are served on injera, a pancakelike bread, from Rahel Ehtiopian Vegan

Story by Walter Orellana

Photos by Katya Castillo

Cusine, in Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles on May 1, 2021.

Photo by Katya Castillo.

For those who experience its array of restaurants and shops—one after the other—it may be hard to imagine that there was a time when South Fairfax Avenue between Olympic Avenue and Whitworth Drive in Los Angeles had no elements, color or appearances of Ethiopian life.

But in 1985, an Ethiopian dreamer arrived with a vision to bring to life a diverse community through her spices, traditional stews and breaking bread together.

Rahel Woldmedhin helped found the distinct district known as Little Ethiopia, located in the Carthay Square neighborhood.

“I had read a story from Washington, D.C., that in one block there were over 10 restaurants, and that they were very, very successful,” Woldmedhin said. “So, I decided to come to this area because of the bigger reason to be united—to make a community.”

She owned Messob Ethiopian until 2000, and then decided to pursue her dream of creating a community inspired by her vegan dishes after learning more about the meat industry’s practices and environmental impact. Woldmedhin started a new business next to Messob with new recipes—Vegan Ethiopian Cuisine restaurant.

Love and resilience are at the heart of vegan food creations, and they are the backbone that kept her inspired after receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2014.

Her daily routine during that time was chemotherapy treatments in the morning, working in the kitchen by mid-day, serving customers until closing and staying late prepping lentil stews and other foods for the next day.

She believes work and family kept her motivated to fight cancer and her vegan plant based dishes helped her body heal and build her immune system.

“I have two grandchildren. I want to fight. I want to be there for my grandchildren’s high school graduation.” Woldmedhin said.

Today she is cancer free.

Although many traditional Ethiopian restaurants on the block offer vegetarian and meatless options, Woldmedhin said hers is the only one that is 100% vegan. The dishes are made from natural Ethiopian spices, plant based chicken and meat and gluten-free flatbread (injera) and cheesecake.

“My first year after opening Rahel Vegan restaurant was the hardest because many Ethiopians that passed by my doors didn’t know what vegan cuisine was at that time,” Woldmedhin said. “It was a revolutionary take on the traditional Ethiopian dishes they were used to.”

Today, Little Ethiopia has become a melting pot of many races that live nearby, commute into the mid-city, or are in town visiting looking to try something new.

The business grows

Negest (Nikki) Legesse helped organize the Little Ethiopia Business Association, which brings awareness to Little Ethiopia.

Legesse advocates for more community involvement and continues to bring awareness to Little Ethiopia by partnering with the neighborhood councils, Levitt Pavilion (a local non-profit) and restaurant owners.

Little Ethiopia Cultural & Resource Center (LECRC), operated by Legesse, hopes to be back in business with live street events and the Unity Parade after the state reopens fully in the summer. In the meantime, she and her staff are providing online classes to teach families and younger generations Ethiopian traditions.

Another person raising awareness is Harry Kloman. He is a journalism professor at the University of Pittsburgh and an adviser to the student newspaper, The Pitt News. He is the author of “Mesob Across America,” a book about the Ethiopian history, culture and cuisine.

“My first Ethiopian cuisine experience was wonderful. It just all tasted so good that I wanted to eat and know more about it. I was hooked,” Kloman said. “The presentation was different, the large platter with the soft injera underneath it with all of the stews on top, eating it with the bread. Above all, it was the taste. It was so delicious.”

Kloman said Ethiopian communities and restaurants have laid roots in several cities throughout the nation.

“Little Ethiopian in L.A is part of the bigger Ethiopian community spread throughout the U.S., although the history started in Long Beach, Calif.” he explained.

The majority of restaurants that built the neighborhood’s foundation decades ago are still standing, but Little Ethiopia has evolved to include new tastes.

“Little Ethiopia is a gateway to the many tourist locations in Los Angeles. We are at the center of the heart of L.A.,” Legesse said. “You can visit LACMA, Downtown L.A and the Observatory after dining out in our community of Ethiopian restaurants.”

Prior to COVID-19, one of Legesse’s favorite events to bring awareness to Little Ethiopia was the annual Unity Parade, which included food vendors, dancers in traditional costumes and bands playing while marching down South Fairfax Avenue.

“The cultural parades were amazing to see so many people from the community who would come out and participate,” Legesse said. “One year, we had an elephant in the parade. It was costly but worth the smiles on the kids faces and awe of the people. I want people to know us, like us and learn from us. We have a rich culture, and we are welcoming and friendly to all.”

Soul Delicious, which began as a soul food pop-up, gained traction and a fan following. It’s now one of the new hot spots. Soul Delicious is the creation of Annalisa Mastroianni Johnson, a San Fernando Valley native and Pierce College alum, who started in the catering business more than 20 years ago as a personal chef.

“I started in 1997, as a gourmet catering business to people who were on specialized diets, through my trainer,” Johnson said. “I was able to meet high profile celebrities that were looking for healthy options while working on films, which evolved into providing meals to corporate businesses as well.”

One of the more popular dishes at Soul Delicious is oxtail which comes with multiple meat chucks simmered in a meat broth, topped with garlic, onions and parsley garnish.

“It’s been amazing to see how the younger crowd has been receptive to my food,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it tastes a lot like home for many of them that are new to Los Angeles.”

“

It was a revolutionary take on the traditional Ethiopian dishes.

Rahel Woldmedhin

Owner of Rahel Vegan Ethiopian Cusine

Rahel Woldmedhin holds a plate filled with foods from her restaurant in Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles on May 1, 2021.

Photo by Katya Castillo.

Brewing unity

Ethiopian Coffee ceremony honors family and health

Story by Walter Orellana

Photos by Katya Castillo

Coffee is an essential drink in Ethiopian culture. It’s a community experience and a ritual that goes beyond the roasted grains.

“The coffee ceremony is considered to be the most important social occasion in many villages, and it is a sign of respect and friendship to be invited to a coffee ceremony,” according to Lindsey Goodwin in her story on the website The Spruce Eats.

The traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony traces back to women gathering in the villages inviting one another to unite and socialize after the men leave to work for the day.

“One woman initiates the coffee ceremony in the morning and sends her little boy or girl to invite close neighbors and all women to join in the ceremony,” said Rahel Woldmedhin, the owner of Rahel Vegan Ethiopian Cuisine. “It’s a time for the women to talk about their daily lives, and family.”

A coffee ceremony usually involves a ceramic Jebena—similar to an aluminum coffee pot—a deep dish pan to wash the coffee beans, a burner to roast the beans after being washed, a stone bowl and a wooden hand coffee grinder and small espresso cups.

During the process of the roasting of the coffee beans it’s customary for the maker to do a ritual and walk around with smoked incense, which blends with the aroma of burnt coffee beans.

With each cup served it’s a tradition to have a small container of popcorn or boiled chickpeas as a complementary side. The coffee is to be served black with no added milk or sugar.

The ceremony is more about the ritual rather than the consumption, which creates a sense of unity and belonging that has more value than just the taste of a good cup of coffee.

A clay coffee pot rests on a tray made from aluminum foil as incense burns near it in Rahel Vegan Ethiopian Cuisine in Los Angeles on May 1, 2021. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Juicing

An orange slice hangs in Los Angeles on May 6, 2021.

Photo illustration by Katya Castillo.

Story by Licia Summerhill

Photos by Katya Castillo

the natural fast food

Joe Stepanian opens up The Real Juicery every morning with color on his mind.

Lemons, oranges and apples are washed and hung in baskets. The colors act as decoration and double as a preview of the fresh offerings that are placed in each cup.

Watermelons, celery and cucumbers are washed and soaked before being cut and placed in bins ready for the day. His station looks like an exotic salad bar with kale, spinach, turmeric, ginger and pineapples.

Stepanian worked in his home lab for more than a year to develop the juicing recipes sold at his store, which he opened in March at Sherman Way and Remmet Avenue, about a five-minute drive from Pierce College. The Real Juicery serves smoothies, acai bowls and concoctions blended with 100% juices.

“With just the fruits and vegetables, you’d be surprised. A lot of people think they need the yogurt, the sugars this and that. Just the fruit itself tastes amazing,” Stepanian said.

Stepanian’s use of technology and delivery services is built into his marketing plan.

“GrubHub, Uber Eats, Postmates and DoorDash. After it’s set up, it’s super easy,” he said. “I just turn on the tablet and then it’s all automatic.”

Stepanian’s research taught him about the unique taste of each ingredient, which he uses to make his combinations of fruits and healthy greens. He does all of this without added sugars or fillers.

“We have one recipe that has spinach, watermelon, lemon, banana, strawberry and pineapple. It’s like a little sweet and sour drink,” he said. “Nobody even notices the lemons or the spinach in there. So it’s very, very easy to drink your greens. And when you top it off with the bananas, strawberries and the granola it is way easier even for the kids to eat or drink.”

Grace Kilzi has been coming to The Real Juicery for more than a year. She has juiced for most of her adult life. Her favorite order is Stepanian’s Turmeric Ruby.

“I just make sure everything is the right thing that goes in my body,” she said. “I’m the only one that can control it, so I can go to Joe’s and get that Turmeric Ruby and have the spinach, kale and everything in it. I see people on TV and they’re my age. I’m like, wow, are you 56 or 1,000? It all comes from what you put in your body. You really have to be in control of your health.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, less than 10% of adult Americans eat the recommended nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

Rhonda Kidd has been a clinical nutritionist at O2 Body Clinic for more than 15 years. She sees the difference in her patients who juice.

“When you’re stressed out, you stray away from foods that are good for you,”

Kidd said. “And you usually go to comfort foods, right? Sugary, salty, savory, stuff like that. The taste, a lot of times, is something that is derived from deficiencies.”

This is where Stepanian said his offerings differ from many popular juiceries.

“They have too many toppings, yogurt, condensed milk, Nutella or whatnot,” he said. “It’s weird when customers see the toppings or when they see the ingredients. It’s like they expect something sweeter. But then they taste it and just keep coming back. At that moment, they realize it is something special. It’s something different.”

Kidd said that juicing can benefit people who struggle with proper nutrition.

“There’s a detoxing aspect to juicing as well, because, like with fasting, you’re still getting the nutrients,” she said. “It’s in a liquid form. It’s more readily absorbable by your body because it’s going directly into the system. Juicing is less likely to have anything that needs to be broken down.”

Stepanian said his base is growing, and he plans to spread his healthy options by opening another store in Santa Clarita.

“It’s a good feeling all around,” he said. “The person getting it feels good, you feel good serving it to the person. It’s just a happy place for me to be.”

Joe Stepanian stands inside The Real Juicery in Canoga Park, Calif., on March 24, 2021. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Spinach, kale, apples and cucumbers spill out of a cup from The Real Juicery in Canoga Park, Calif., on May 7, 2021. Photo illustration by Katya Castillo.

Julia Kinports looks in the mirror in Miami on April 12, 2021. Photo by Michael Loizzo.

A former model tackles the challenges of an eating disorder

Stepping into the elevator with a lump in her throat and feeling the urge to throw up, there was nothing she could do that would stop her entire body from shaking.

The feeling of being lightheaded from not eating or drinking water was taking over and the cloud of anxiousness filled her mind.

She continued questioning if she would be good enough for them this time.

Stress and fear filled Julia Kinports’ head going into her agency for the third time after being told she needed to lose inches around her hips if she wanted to be a working model.

She walked down the long narrow hallway that had walls filled with photos of the agency’s top successful models. It was hard for her not to get discouraged, wishing her photo was on that wall.

What if I’m not good enough? What if I’m still not skinny enough? There were so many “what if” questions that she continuously asked herself moments before walking in to get her measurements taken.

As she walked through the door of the office’s open air floor plan, all of the agents looked up from their computer screens at her. She knew immediately it was time to put on the fake smile and pretend that everything was fine.

“I remember leaving in tears that day. From there, I had no idea what to do. I was already emotionally unstable and making myself throw up,” Kinports said.

This is not an atypical life for a 19 year-old model starting in the industry. Kinports is not alone. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, 40% of models starting in the industry struggle with some sort of eating disorder.

Kinports, a 25 year-old former model, started submitting herself to agencies six years ago. But she developed an unhealthy relationship with food in the seventh grade.

“It really started progressing over the years to where I didn’t even think about what I was doing to myself,” she said. “It was just something that I did.”

She submitted digitals (raw, unedited photos) of herself to agencies through email and on Instagram. She submitted to top agencies, including IMG Models and Wilhelmina Models, along with boutique agencies that represent a smaller roster and focus more on development.

That’s when she caught the eyes of modeling scouts.

“Once I got the meeting with my agency and got signed, they slammed me with everything that I needed to change,” Kinports said. “The agents told me that I needed to grow my eyebrows out, take my extensions out, dress differently and lose three inches off my hips. They wanted me to be a 24-inch waist.”

Already struggling with an eating disorder, her new found career made it worse.

“I was already making myself throw up before, but when they slammed me with all the things I needed to fix about myself, that triggered me,” Kinports said.

Story and photos by Michael Loizzo

Once the contract was signed and in place, she knew what they were expecting. She convinced herself that this was a normal thing people do in the industry.

“I literally had to stop eating to get to where I needed to be,” Kinports said. “If I did eat, I would have to expunge it from my body.”

It didn’t take long for Kinports to start testing and working. Testing is where photoshoots are set up by the agency to get industry level images for a portfolio.

“When I had a job, I wouldn’t eat the three days before,” Kinports said. “I wouldn’t even drink water 24 hours prior to the shoot.”

After a couple of months in the industry, Kinports was eating as little as possible to try to reach her agency’s desired measurements.

“I was basically eating only fruits and nuts and it wasn’t working,” Kinports said. “I went back to my agency for updated measurements, and my agent told me that I gained an inch around my hips. I left in tears that day.”

Often, the only way to deal effectively with eating issues is with professional help. Christy Siebert, a health and nutrition specialist, has guided many people through the process, which she said often begins subconsciously.

“People in the modeling industry don’t intentionally say, ‘I’m going to be or become anorexic or bulimic.’ It starts off with them being told something or noticing that people are smaller than they are, or this is what they need to do to get a job,” Siebert explained. “They are constantly putting more and more notes in the back of their head, and it becomes a place of anxiety driven thoughts about food. And all of a sudden, the box starts getting smaller and smaller until they are barely—or not—eating.”

Siebert also believes the industry often hides the issues of eating disorders.

“When in a culture like Los Angeles and an industry like modeling where every person’s body type looks the same, they don’t think that they have the problem,” Siebert said. “Half the time, models in the industry don’t even realize that what they are doing is really hurting them. It’s a never ending cycle of fear and anxiety.”

Struggling with an eating disorder doesn’t just affect the relationship with food. It negatively impacts the overall health of an individual.

“There is a correlation between being undernourished and it impacting your mental health. It exacerbates what’s going on,” Siebert said. “If these models aren’t eating enough, they aren’t thinking clearly. This is making them more anxious and depressed. It almost encourages what is going on because they aren’t in the right headspace to realize what they are doing to themselves.”

From the time Kinports started modeling, she lost a significant amount of weight. Her entire body shape changed.

“I went from having an athletic built body to looking ill,” Kinports said. “My sophmore year of high school I weighed 160 pounds. Flashforward to me being 20, I weighed 106

“I feel that there are times it’s the model that has expectations they set for themselves because they think it’s what the agency wants,” Kocol said. “Sometimes it’s the agents and how they approach the conversation. The industry can definitely start new conversations in the models’ heads and cause mental health and eating issues.”

Kocol explained that agents often don’t realize how talking to models about weight can impact them and that models need to look out for themselves.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the model understanding what is best for them, who is best for them, and getting into that routine throughout their career.” he said.

After three months, Kinports got a call from her agent saying that she needed to come back to the office to get her measurements updated.

“The first thing my agent said when I walked in was, ‘Oh wow, what have you been doing? You look so good,’ and for a minute I felt relieved,” she said. “Then they took my measurements and said to me, ‘Wait, don’t go all New York on us. You’ve lost too much weight now.’ I was devastated.”

Following that meeting with her agency, Kinports asked to part ways, because she knew it was essential for her mental and physical health.

“Even after I left the industry and started going to therapy, I still had this horrible image of myself,” she said. “It took me three years to cope with what I was doing. You don’t see yourself getting that thin, but everyone else is noticing that you are physically unwell. You go through so much to hide and normalize it and make the issue seem like it’s not a problem.

pounds. I was not okay. I couldn’t even tell how skinny I was. My body dysmorphia was so bad.”

No matter how many jobs she was booking or comments she received about how skinny she was, it wasn’t good enough.

“The one person in the industry you want validation and acceptance from is your agent,” Kinports said. “You want them to be happy with you. And when that one person is telling you that you still aren’t good enough and need to improve, it makes your spiral.”

Storm LA Model Agent Ryan Kocol focuses on new faces, development and portfolios. He believes that the problem is complicated.

“But when your friends and family start noticing that you are really underweight and saying things to you, that’s when you take a step back and understand how wrong it all is.”

Kinports sought therapy to guide her through the beginning stages of healing. From there, she changed her habits and stopped putting herself in triggering situations. She started listening to her body and slowly fixed her relationship with food.

“I am much happier and healthier than I ever was and way more comfortable with myself,” Kinports said. “My eating disorder is still something I think about all the time. It’s a mental battle that I am fighting to this day.”

“

I literally had to stop eating to get to where I needed to be.

Julia Kinports Former model

EATING DISORDER RESOURCES

Eating Disorder Therapy LA

Specialized outpatient eating disorder practice offering child, adolescent and adult treatment, family-based treatment and group options

4929 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 245 Los Angeles, CA 90010

(323) 743 - 1122

Hello@EatingDisorderTherapyLA.com

www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com

The Krevoy Institute

Eating disorders treatment program for adults and adolescents offering individual, group, family and couples therapy

9454 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212

(310) 550 - 1776

www.drkrevoy.com

The Center for Mindful Eating

A collection of library resources for educating professionals and individuals on mindful eating practices with programs and webinars

(603) 664 - 3444

info@tcme.org

www.thecenterformindfuleating.org

Carlos Chavez sits in his fathers truck holding boxes of strawberries to sell at their farm stand at the Encino Farmers Market in Van Nuys, Calif., on April 4, 2020. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Strawberry Sundays

The Chavez family shares their wares at Encino Farmers Market

Story by Nathaniel Ward

Photos by Katya Castillo

On a cool breezy Sunday, rays from the sun gently shone upon a table of farm grown fruits and veggies.

Carlos Chavez and his father stood behind their produce, grown from their family-owned farm off the Central Coast.

Lush leafy greens, lettuce, spinach and kale picked fresh from the farm glistened in the morning sun. Cases of big deep red Albion strawberries were sold on a firstcome, first-serve basis to a steady stream of customers.

This peaceful moment was one of many that day at the Encino Farmers Market, where for 27 years, it has set itself apart by giving back to charity. The market is open to the public every Sunday from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Chavez is a second-generation California farmer who has been helping operate his family-owned Chavez Farm since he was a child. Being around farmers markets most of his life, over the years Chavez has developed meaningful relationships with many of his regular customers at Encino Farmers Market.

“I keep in contact with them, and I’ve seen people’s children grow up,” Chavez said. “It’s pretty cool. They’ve also seen me grow up since I was 10 years old. They know everything about me, like relationships, when I’m getting married, everything. It’s crazy.”

The farm is run by Chavez’s father and uncles with the help of their children and a couple of workers in Santa Maria, an area known for growing strawberries.

“My uncles and my dad just got together and bought one big piece of land,” he said. “They each have a section, and whatever they need [for the market] they just grab and sell.”

When Chavez’s father and uncles emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, they realized that they wanted to farm.

“When my dad moved here, he was working, just washing dishes at a restaurant, and one of my uncles was the first one to start in the farming business,” Chavez said. “Before my family owned their land, they used to rent land from someone else and they grew their crops from there.”

Going to market

The Encino Farmers Market has been able to thrive, in part, because of longtime customers such as Charlene Gray. She has been shopping at the market since it first opened.

“I come here for food, real live food,” Gray said. “I get a lot of my fruits, veggies and herbs from here. I have relationships with all these people. When my son was a little baby and my daughter was in a stroller, I was shopping here. Now my son shops here.”

There are more than 700 farmers markets in California, 92 of them are in Los Angeles County alone, according to the California Farmers Market Association.

Chavez Farm is one of more than 50 vendors and farms that sell goods at Encino Farmers Market. The market was founded and is operated by ONEgeneration, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community.

Every dollar spent at Encino Farmers Market provides income to small local businesses, such as Chavez Farm, or it goes to ONEgeneration’s many charitable endeavors, according to Carole Gallegos, the manager of the Encino Farmers Market and a member of ONEgeneration.

“The money we raise here goes to feed 500600 mostly homebound seniors per day, and to all our other programs,” Gallegos said. “I’d like people to know where the money they are spending goes to. When you support this market, you are supporting seniors, supporting your own community.”

During the pandemic, the Encino Farmers Market and ONEgeneration have been donating up to 50 boxes of excess food from the market to Food Forward, a local food bank.

The farmers market philosophy is built on supporting the community, which is important to Chavez. His favorite part about his Sundays are the personal bonds he makes.

“What I like most is just talking to people,” Chavez said. “A lot of people have different journeys, and you get an insight on a bunch of different people’s lives. They become almost like family.”

(Left to right) Francisco Chavez and his son Carlos Chavez sell vegetables to Alice Reader and Monica Saba at the Encino Farmers Market in Van Nuys, Calif., on April 4, 2020. Photo by Katya Castillo.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

When I think about food, I think about community.

Sitting around the table with friends and family, laughing and sharing plates of thoughtfully prepared food is my favorite thing to do.

We often don’t pause to think about what goes into bringing food to our tables. How do farmers cultivate the land? What goes into setting up a farmers market? How does food insecurity impact communities? How can your traditional food and cultural experiences as an immigrant be replicated in new places?

In this issue, we dove into questions about our complex and unifying relationship with food.

Food is fun, but it can be finicky. It can be delicious—and also bitter.

I hope these words inspire you to pick up a spatula and make something for someone you love and share these stories with them.

Manu Multani Editor-in-Chief

Photo illustration by Arpita Sharma.

Front and back cover photos by Katya Castillo.