- I'm Tiana Attride and welcome to Ride With Me,
the show where we talk to people we love.
- We're Angelinos.
- I'm from the East Coast.
About the places they love.
Today, we're catching up with Nyesha Arrington,
celebrity chef and judge
on the hit cooking competition show Next Level Chef.
- [Tiana] Cheers.
- Girl, it is truly some next level eats.
- That smells so (beep) good.
And I'll be heading there myself to check them out.
Are we getting our bang for our buck here in Inglewood?
(laughter)
So come along and ride with me.
Good morning, chef.
- Good morning.
- Do you wanna tell us about where you are taking us today?
- So we're gonna hit up Inglewood.
It's a very quintessential Los Angeles vibe.
You can't talk about LA if you're not talking
about Inglewood.
That's where my parents grew up.
That's kind of like nostalgic pieces for me.
- You get that flashback to the '70s,
there's some little music playing.
- Yes.
My dad always tells me stories of riding his bike
as a kid and like going to the corner store.
I could picture him on his little bike
and it's just so adorable.
- Well, sweet Do you want to go ahead and get started?
- First, I remember sitting in the back seat
and driving by Randy's Donuts.
- [Tiana] Thar she blows.
She's glorious.
- Huge, iconic donut that's out front.
That was one of my first childhood memories.
- [Tiana] It is a big ass donut.
It is hard to miss.
- Yeah. I was like, "Is that donut real?"
They're well known for their different flavors of bars.
Highly recommend.
I like a good old fashioned bar.
I shove that thing in my mouth as quick as possible.
It's freaking delicious.
- Yeah.
When is the best time to go to avoid tourists?
- For me, especially if you're from LA,
you're like definitely not trying to get caught
up in that commuter traffic.
After 10:00 is the money spot.
- Well, do you want to take us to the next location?
Cheers everybody.
- Our next is gonna be washing it down with delicious coffee
from Hilltop.
- [Tiana] This is cute.
- This has quickly become an iconic Inglewood spot.
They actually shot some episodes of Insecure there
and Issa Rae is actually a partner in it.
- I've always wanted a coffee shop in my neighborhood.
Now to have the Inglewood location,
I'm just immensely proud because it's home.
- [Nyesha] Their food is delicious.
- [Tiana] Mm powdery.
- But it's the vibe.
That's really what is so special about Hilltop Cafe.
There's so many creative people working.
It's good creative space.
They do lots of activism, really celebrating
the voices of Los Angeles.
Inglewood is very aware of not wanting to be appropriated
but really just building itself for itself.
- [Tiana] It's on the for us by us kind of thing.
- [Nyesha] Facts.
- What do we have up next?
- And I think we need some sunshine
in our perfect LA Inglewood day.
- [Tiana] Here we go.
- And I know the perfect place, it's called Kenneth Hahn,
it's legendary.
- [Tiana] Pretty.
- It's gigantic. Gorgeous, green, lush.
Just really great vibes.
- [Tiana] Wee!
- [Nyesha] It's got something for everyone.
- [Tiana] Yes, my man.
- Nice shot.
- Nice.
- [Nyesha] That little like body of water and being able
to feed the ducks.
- Just go down slow like this and just hang out
and let them come to you like that.
- [Tiana] Okay. Oh, God. Am I gonna get attacked?
So this is me conquering a childhood fear right now.
- [Nyesha] You know, you could close your eyes
and be in the most beautiful mountain scape.
- [Tiana] And that's like the beautiful thing about LA.
It is intertwined with nature.
- Without going too far, like out in rural areas.
We've worked up a pretty good appetite so we must eat again.
- As one does.
- Girl, there's an iconic place.
It is some next level eats.
It's called The Serving Spoon.
You know, sometimes you go to diners
and it doesn't taste fresh.
Like everything I just felt like someone made it
for me right then.
- [Tiana] They sound like they're not afraid to use butter
at this establishment.
- The food is so real.
There's a super cool bar that you can sit at
and watch everyone cook and put the plates together.
- [Tiana] Hello.
- When I ate there, I was like,
"Oh my gosh, this is speaking to me."
- [Tiana] How are you?
- Hello, Tiana Attride. I am a fish out of water
and things are not going swimmingly.
I hope you're faring better than I.
- [Tiana] I am doing pretty well.
- [Nyesha] Their pancakes are amazing, grits,
thick, delicious bacon.
I mean, how many days a week can you eat like an Osaki bowl
because of health?
- [Tiana] Cheers.
I'm Southern so I was like, "This sounds more my speed."
- Yeah.
The servers are so hospitable.
- [Tiana] That made me think of my mom.
Bye, thank you.
- [Nyesha] You just feel like you're going
to your aunt's house.
- Bye.
Obviously you've been working on Next Level Chef.
Let me just say at the very beginning
of the season you were introducing yourself
and you said, "I'm not taking (beep) from anybody,
including Gordon."
And I was like, "Damn, I love her. She's so cool."
- You know, I have to say,
it's been quite the treat actually.
I know he kind of has a character
that people personify him as,
but for me, I have to say being able
to work next to a craftsman like Gordon, it truly,
I feel like it's kind of just been an amazing knowledge set
for me to be around.
- What do you now as a mentor feel
like the biggest lesson you have to pass on
to burgeoning chefs is?
- Be patient.
Like you want to get to the goal. Like you're just like,
"I just see it. This is my north star. I gotta get there."
And sometimes it's, in my experience,
I think it's better to be very meticulous on the journey.
I would say that it's important not to skip steps,
because every little part you're just putting notches
in your tool belt, right?
You don't even know you're garnering the skillset.
- Mm-hmm. Value every experience.
- Exactly. I think that's very important.
- You've shown and taught me a lot today.
So thank you. Thank you for coming on.
It's been a real pleasure.
- No, likewise. It's absolutely my pleasure.
Thank you.