meat

Over 5 million California residents — including 2 million children — rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that cover essential food such as fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, bread and snacks. Those funds are on hold as the federal shutdown continues, putting economic strain on the 1 in 8 Americans who rely on SNAP benefits, during a time of year when budgets are already tight as many prepare for holiday gatherings and gift giving.

But Angelenos are stepping up for those in need, from neighborhood nonprofits and community centers to local restaurants and chefs, offering grocery delivery, mobile farmers markets, grab-and-go meals and Thanksgiving spreads.

Here are 40 food initiatives happening across Los Angeles County this November, from free chicken rice porridge on Sundays to a communal Thanksgiving feast. Be sure to read details carefully; some events are open to all with no registration required, while others require advance sign up with proof of income and residency.

Times staff writer Kailyn Brown contributed to this report.

A MAJOR supermarket has slashed the cost of hundreds of grocery staples in a bid to help shoppers save money.

Morrisons has reduced the prices of 650 everyday items, with savings averaging 18%.

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Essentials such as chicken breast fillets, fresh vegetables, olive oil, laundry pods, and enchilada kits are all included in the price cuts.

These reductions take effect today, both in-store and online, and will remain in place for at least four to eight weeks.

The supermarket says the move is aimed at helping households manage rising costs, especially with Christmas just around the corner.

Family meal staples such as rice, pasta, and chicken have been discounted, alongside basics like toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, and mayonnaise.

Seasonal items such as soups and cold and flu tablets are also included in the reductions.

Alex Paver, pricing and customer director at Morrisons, said: “At Morrisons we believe great quality should be affordable for everyone, and we know that the cost of everyday products really matter to our customers right now.

“That’s why we’re cutting the prices of over 650 items, from fresh favourites to cupboard staples, so our customers can trust they’re getting real value every time they shop with us.

“These price cuts mean customers can spend less on the essentials and still enjoy the great quality Morrisons is known for.”

In addition to the price reductions, Morrisons has also launched a number of weekly deals.

These include discounts on popular items like wine, coffee, and tea.

What else is happening at Morrisons?

Morrisons slashed over 3,600 jobs and closed 17 stores as part of a major shake-up to its operations.

The supermarket’s workforce dropped from 104,819 to 101,144 in the year leading up to October 27, 2024.

Thousands of jobs were axed across Morrisons’ stores, head office, as well as its manufacturing and distribution operations.

The latest job losses come after the Morrisons shut 17 of its stores around the UK earlier this year, with the final store in Haxby, North Yorkshire, closing on May 14.

The 16 other stores were all axed in April.

As part of a cost-cutting overhaul, the grocer also shut more than 50 of its in-store cafés, 35 meat and fish counters, and 18 Market Kitchen food courts earlier this year.

It cited the need to cut costs amid rising financial pressure.

It is instead investing in tech, rolling out new “Tally” robots to help customers find items on the shelves and improve stock management.

However, the business has returned to profit for the first time since 2021, when the chain was bought by US private equity investor Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R).

Morrisons posted a pre-tax profit of £2.1billion for the year ending October 27 2024, reversing losses of £919million in 2023 and £1.3billion in 2022, according to new filings on Companies House.

2024 Hall of Fame

A general rule of Persian cuisine in Los Angeles: The khoresht, or complex stew, is the fundament of Iranian home cooking, with infinite individual, regional and seasonal variations. (Local author Naz Deravian’s book “Bottom of the Pot” is one portal into the glories of khoresht.) Out in the world, families and groups tend to go out for kebabs, and restaurant dishes are designed for widespread appeal. Chef and owner Saghar Fanisalek’s six-table dining room may be hidden among the thicket of other Persian cafes and markets in Westwood, but Taste of Tehran stands out as the best of the kebab houses. Fanisalek cooks a reassuring mix of dishes — marinated meats singed over flames and served with snow banks of rice, yogurt and eggplant dips as tart as they are rich — all with uncommon finesse. Just the right amount of grated onion stings the beef koobideh, shaped in undulating patterns on the skewer, and the chicken kabob has fully absorbed its lemony marinade. Tahdig, that bottom-of-the-pot rice, cracks like crystal; order it with chicken fesenjoon spooned over and let its pomegranate-tinged gravy soften the grains for a few moments. On a warm day, try to claim one of the restaurant’s few tables along the well-trafficked sidewalk. You’ll be people-watching while passersby observe back, appraising your meal with ravenous glances.

Robert Barajas Jr. wakes up every morning at 2 a.m. to start making birria horneada — “ovened,” he says. “We used to make it in the ground, now we use conventional ovens in order to have that crispy taste.” It is never simmered, adds Barajas. His father started the business several years ago, serving birria de chivo much the way the family has been making it for three generations in Tecalitlán, Jalisco. Birrieria Barajas opened first as a puesto on Compton Boulevard and then launched a truck across the street, parked in front of Eddie’s Liquor every day but Monday, beginning at 6:30 a.m.

“When we started we wouldn’t even sell half a goat,” Barajas says. “By word of mouth and faith we started to get going week by week. There are a lot of people that make birria. But it has to be goat, and it’s supposed to have your special mole, a kind of rub, your own recipe. Maybe that’s why we have good clientele, because we make the rub, everything, every day.”

The most popular order is the plato birria de chivo con pistola, a bowl of the spicy, fall-off-the-bone goat meat bathed in consomé that comes with a shank and tortillas, onions, cilantro, radishes, chiles and lime wedges for composing your own tacos. Of course there are regular tacos, and there are tacos dorados, folded and fried, with cheese if you want quesabirria. Every order comes with a complimentary small fried bean taco, and the beans are a recipe from Barajas’ grandmother, who died earlier this year. “My grandmother told my dad to ‘give customers a nice gesture,’” Barajas says. And once a month Barajas Sr. still prepares montalayo, a fried ball of goat stomach with sausage-like tripe stuffing; order it chopped into a taco.