Hello San Pedro

In today's episode we get to hear first hand from Humberto Raygoza, AKA The Chori-Man, and his business partner, Mandy Barton, how he became LA's number one chorizo maker. 

 Together they run The Chori-Man, a local chorizo deli located on 24th and Alma St. 

Humberto was originally in the medical field when he became known amongst his peers for always eating beans for lunch. There was nothing extraordinary about his routine until one day his co-worker wanted to try some. This was the beginning. The beans were cooked with homemade chorizo from his family's traditional southern Mexican recipe.  It was a matter of time before he quit his job as a medical professional to become what he called a "chorizo man". 

Humberto on leaving his job to become the "chorizo man" :  

After a few a few wholesale deals between local restaurants and the deli he was working at at the time, he was starting to get known in the area. One day he was a approached by a man who later described his chorizo purchase much like a drug deal on the corner. It was this purchase and the fine chorizo that inspired this man, a writer for LA Weekly, to write about LA's "Best Secret Chorizo". 

Mandy on meeting The Chori-Man:  

The Chori-Man plans to expand to it's second location in the near future and it's third location at the San Pedro Public Market after it's completion. Humberto is also a candidate for San Pedro's Honorary Mayor. His business is raising money for San Pedro Meals On Wheels and Green Girl Farms. 

LINKS: 

Best Secret Chrizo

https://www.laweekly.com/best-of/2014/food-and-drink/best-secret-chorizo-5106293

LA's Best Underground Chorizo Maker...

https://la.eater.com/2017/7/17/15983990/chori-man-san-pedro-humberto-raygoza-new-open-chorizo

Get to know the Chori-Man

https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/blog/get-know-chori-man

San Pedro's Butcher

https://www.lamag.com/digestblog/best-chorizo-chori-man/

The Chori-Man website 

https://thechoriman.com/menu

The Chori-Man on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thechoriman/

SPONSORS

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cryptospace.us/

Badfish

https://badfishclothing.com/ 

Today's episode guest is a local business owner who is passionate about health and wellness and left her career in fashion to open a vegan organic juice shop in San Pedro with the mission of reversing Cancer.

Stacy Jackson, originally from Moreno Valley tells us about how her passion for health and wellness began after she experienced her own transformations with a healthy vegan diet. Her new found passion led her to leave her career as a fashion designer in Downtown Los Angeles and  took her to Costa Rica where she worked closely with doctors as an intern chef.  When she returned from her eyeopening travels she immediately got to work as a health coach and found herself in a celebrity market. She name-drops a few celebrities she's worked with and helped get into amazing shape. 

We discuss the societal norms around health and wellness and the lack of education many of us  have on the subject. She took her product to the streets by going to all the local farmers markets in the major beach cities of Los Angeles. It was after a few rounds of farmers markets that she decided that it was time for a brick and mortar shop.

Stacy on setting up shop in San Pedro :  

She shares some of the challenges of opening a business in downtown San Pedro and she listed the number one challenge is getting pedestrian traffic in the area. The best part for her is that she loves the tight knit community that San Pedro has. 

Stacy on what she loves about San Pedro:  

In the second half of the episode she shares with us everything her shop has to offer from cold press juices, to blended smoothies, to avocado toast and pre-prepped raw food dishes and much, much, more. She is looking to offer her prepped meals to the surrounding communities and beyond very soon by making her products available for order. 

NUDA Juice shop is hosting a garden swap every month, the next one being on Feb. 16th. She is also looking to offer her prepped meals to the surrounding communities and beyond very soon by making her products available for order.

LINKS: 

NUDA website

https://www.nudajuiceshop.com/

NUDA on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nudajuiceshop/

SPONSORS

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cryptospace.us/

Badfish

https://badfishclothing.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/badfishclothing/

Today's episode guest is a fellow local podcaster with the goal of giving local people of interest a platform to share their passions. Angel tells his story wrapped in humor so this is definitely one of the funniest episodes I've recorded so far. 

 I heard about Angel's podcast, the LEMeKNOW Podcast, through a mutual guest of our podcasts (Mike Real from episode 6). Angel Lem has been highlighting local people from the Harbor Area and their passions for almost two years now. Our podcasts are similar in that we are both using our platforms to elevate our community. They differ in a few other ways, one worth mentioning is that his podcast is explicit, so while I recommend his podcast, if you are offended by strong language you might not like it. If that's the case, all you really need to know is that he is using his podcast to expose local talent and passion from our community making it a better place. 

Angel tells us a little about why he started his podcast and his upbringing, being born in Long Beach, raised in Tijuana and brought back to Wilmington at the age of nine years old. He shares that during his early twenties he wanted to pursue stand-up comedy but no one was giving him a platform  so he decided to make one and share the talents of people like him.

Angel on relocating from Tijuana to Wilmington:  

He makes fun of his elementary school years calling himself "the stinky kid" and describing himself in high school as "not having game".  Angel told his story sharing hilarious details that had me laughing. 

In sharing about how he stumbled on podcasts, he does tell a very personal and serious story about his battle with depression after his first break up ever. Podcasts were a relief for him and made him laugh after a long period of not laughing. It was this that inspired him to start podcasting. 

Angel on getting out of depression:  

I proceed to ask him about his experience as a podcaster and he had a lot of lessons to share with me, some was technical podcasting knowledge and some golden advice about staying positive. 

I thoroughly enjoyed recording with Angel Lem and I encourage you all to listen to my episode on his podcast coming soon. I'll be sure to post the link on my instagram as soon as it's available. 

LINKS: 

Angel Lem's Email: [email protected]

LEMeKNOW Podcast on Soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/lemeknowpod

LEMeKNOW Podcast on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/lemeknowpod/

SPONSORS

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cryptospace.us/

Badfish

https://badfishclothing.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/badfishclothing/

In this week's episode Stephanie and I explore the tiny house lifestyle, the possibilities of real estate investing and explore the idea of more people of the community investing in the community.  

 I give a lengthy intro and do my best to prepare the listeners for the conversation that Stephanie and I are about to have. I discuss the changes we are seeing in our town and the likelihood of lower income families being priced out of the community as home values and rents begin to rise. This displacement goes hand in hand with redevelopments such as the ones we're seeing in our port and in the downtown area. I have an interesting, and somewhat overreaching idea. 

Stephanie Tevizo-Lopez is the sister of last week's guest, Stacy Trevizo, owner of Cryptospace. The sisters, both transplants, originally from Rancho Cucamonga  have made themselves home in our cozy San Pedro and are loving it. In this episode Stephanie shares not only what it's like to own four tiny houses in town but what its like living in one herself. She and her husband have adjusted to tiny-house living and enjoy the amenities San Pedro's downtown has to offer. 

Stephanie on what she loves about San Pedro:  

Stephanie studied design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (also my alma mater), and started her career in the real estate and development industry as a real estate agent. Since then she has also become a real estate investor herself. She shares what it's like to be a landlord in San Pedro. 

In the second half of the episode, Stephanie shares with us her passion for helping others become real estate investors themselves, especially those who aren't trying to be real estate tycoons but rather are seeking financial stability for their families and futures. 

Stacy on real estate investing for newbies:  

We discuss the idea of investing in San Pedro and what that could mean for the  community and ultimately how it will affect our future here. 

LINKS: 

Stephanie Trevizo's Real Estate Agent profile

https://www.plgestates.com/people/stephanie-trevizo

Stephanie's Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/stephtrevlopez/

SPONSORS

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cryptospace.us/

Badfish

https://badfishclothing.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/badfishclothing/

Our guest in this week's episode is also our sponsor! Meet the owner of our local crypto currency lounge Cryptospace located in downtown San Pedro. 

 In the beginning of this episode I update our listeners on the LAUSD Teacher Strike that was originally supposed to take place today starting January 10th. I reached out to Jennifer McAfee from Episode 13 for an update and she informed us that the strike was pushed to the 14th. She also wanted to thank the San Pedro community for being so incredibly supportive.

Stacy goes on to explain what the block chain is and though is a little complicated she doesn't shy away from it. She shares some of the reasons that people are really into bitcoin which includes some freedom aspects as well as other reasons that could possibly be a solution to many global issues. Stacy sheds light on how big the cryptocurrency industry is and why we should all learn more.

She shares what it's like to own a cryptocurrency lounge in downtown San Pedro. Stacy says many people mistake the lounge as a coffee shop or check out the place thinking its a retail shop of some sort. Often she will wave at people who peek through the glass  and encourage them to come in and they shake their head no before they finally walk away. There is a lot of intimidation that surrounds the topic of cryptocurrency and she's hoping to engage the community and help everyone learn more about it.

Our guest from episode one has returned to start us off in the new year!  She tells us her personal story and shares her journey to becoming San Pedro's local historian. 

You might remember Angela Romero from our very first episode. In that episode she tells us why San Pedro is so special and what makes it different from other cities in LA. In this episode she tells us what led her to become San Pedro's local historian and why its history is in need of preservation. 

Angela when I asked if she always loved San Pedro:  

Angela tells us that her love for San Pedro didn't start until after she went to college in Colorado and after she returned to live at the old News Pilot building back way before Sirens occupied it, when it was a bohemian community living space then and she loved it. She was able to experience downtown San Pedro for herself and it wasn't the "scary" place that people warned her it would be. She learned that it had a lot to offer. 

She tells us about going to Harbor College after she returned from Colorado and how it led to different jobs at local hardware stores, until she finally ended up at a corporate job in finance. She worked there for several years before she finally got laid off.  During her time off and being a self-proclaimed "theater nerd", Angela also volunteered for the Grand Vision Foundation and it was here that she discovered the archives.

Angela after discovering the archives for the first time:  

Angela's big announcement:

Recently, in October 2018 Angela made a big announcement in her column of the San Pedro Today magazine. She announced that she was going to start the San Pedro Heritage Museum. There is not yet a set  location for the museum, and as the the project is in its early stages of becoming a non-profit, the museum will only exist as a series of pop up exhibits and history talks in the near future. 

I will make sure to do my best to keep listeners up to date on the latest news regarding the San Pedro Heritage Museum. Full Disclosure:  I, Amanda Silva, am personally involved with this project and have taken on the role of Development Coordinator with the San Pedro Heritage Museum. 

LINKS: 

That's So Pedro on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thatssopedro/

San Pedro Heritage Museum

https://mailchi.mp/e46a91684788/sanpedroheritagemuseum

https://www.facebook.com/pg/sanpedroheritagemuseum/posts/

Daily Breeze article regarding the museum

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2018/11/01/how-one-san-pedro-natives-love-of-her-hometown-has-fueled-plans-for-a-heritage-museum/

SPONSORS:

Cryptospace

https://www.cryptospaceus.com/

Meet the owner of Sirens Java & Tea, listen to her personal story and how her dream of opening a coffee shop came to fruition.

Yolanda on growing up in San Pedro":  

Sirens has really become a community gathering place and impressed many of its customers, so much so that 7th street is becoming a point of interest for other local entrepreneurs and residents. She tells us about the challenges she faced in opening Sirens for the first time, from the renovations of the old building interior, to the red tape of the city. She credits her husband and local city officials for believing in her dream and getting her to the finish line. 

She explains the meaning behind the name "Sirens". Her dad being a fisherman would share stories of the sirens, in Spanish they're called "sirenas" (mermaids), and that story had always left an impression with her. She also liked the idea that having been a deputy sheriff and her brothers being Fire Firefighters. they also answered the call of the sirens. She called her coffee shop "Sirens" both in memory of her dad and her brother who have both passed away. 

 Yolanda on her hope for Sirens:  

She tells us heartwarming stories of the customers she meets at Sirens and she feels incredibly blessed that her business was received so well by the community. 

Sirens Announcement:

Their old location on 7th street in the old News Pilot building will be officially closed by the time this episode airs and they will reopen at their new location just up the block in early 2019. I will do my best to keep you posted on all updates, including their grand re-opening and any pop-up shops they may have in the mean time. 

LINKS: 

Siren's Java & Tea 

https://www.instagram.com/sirensjavateahouse/?hl=en