Get a Taste of the 'Secret Sauce' Behind Tacos Árabes, Plus Other Boyle Heights Flavors and Diverse Cultural Influences
In the second episode of season 3 of the PBS SoCal Original digital series "SoCal Wanderer," host Rosey Alvero heads to Boyle Heights to try her hand at carving some meat prepared from a secret family recipe for tacos árabes (Lebanese-style tacos) from the Mexican state of Puebla.
Two generations of the Villegas family are bringing Middle Eastern flavors to traditional Mexican cuisine out of their Los Originales Tacos Árabes de Puebla food truck — and upon meeting the siblings of the younger generation, Rosey discovers the art of running a successful family business.
Find out how this little-known hybrid cuisine caught on — and what challenges the Villegas family has faced — by watching the episode below.
You can experience the community surrounding Tacos Árabes de Puebla in Boyle Heights by turning your taco truck visit into an entire taco crawl — starting with street art and rounding out with raspados (Mexican shave ice). You'll find it all just on the other side of the Sixth Street Viaduct from downtown Los Angeles.
Check out our suggested itinerary in the player above.
You can also watch all the episodes of "SoCal Wanderer" Season 3 by streaming them here (check out the playlist below) or for free on the PBS App.
SoCal Wanderer Season 3
"SoCal Wanderer" is made possible by the Wurwand Foundation's key initiative to support local entrepreneurs, FOUND/LA.
