Chef Natalia Pereira speaks about her respect for food because at certain points of her life it was scarce. For this week’s installment of “In The Weeds,” Pereira describes the sense of home she provides at her restaurant, Wood Spoon. “I didn’t have to talk to the tomato or to the carrot or to the fresh garlic. It was more of a relationship,” she says of not knowing English and cooking for people she was staying with. Dishes she recommends include the beef grill, yucca fries, plantains, and collard greens.
The 30-seat dining room was packed on a typical pre-pandemic Friday night dinner at Wood Spoon in downtown LA. Photo courtesy of Wood Spoon.