Melody Xu is an intern with the Los Angeles Times’ Food team. A rising senior at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she recently served as managing editor of her campus newspaper. Xu is a Bay Area native and previously interned at the San Francisco Chronicle as a Dow Jones News Fund fellow. She got her start in storytelling while working for her hometown paper, the Palo Alto Daily Post, at age 16.
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Beat L.A.’s summer heat with Thai tea slushies and frozen ginger lemonade, or opt for a blended take on a classic cocktail.
New York-founded coffee shop Blank Street has opened its first L.A. location in Studio City with automatic machines that can produce eight simultaneous espresso shots, up to 700 per hour. But residents are split on whether the chain benefits the neighborhood.
Customers at the first L.A. outpost of coffee chain Blank Street appreciate the shop’s signature drinks.
Quench your summertime thirst with the best spots for shaved ice in L.A., from raspados to kakigori.
Conservatives debate online whether college students should be more frugal on food, or if the younger generation is contending with a larger affordability issue.
In Chinatown, a librarian has assembled a brigade of teen volunteers to deliver fresh produce and other essential groceries to neighbors in need.
Chinatown has lacked a full-service grocery store since Ai Hoa closed in 2019. The local family behind Gu Grocery is on a mission to improve food access.
Celebrate your birthday with the cake of your dreams, including a Swedish torte fit for a princess and a festive take on tres leches.