Meet the Eastside Food Bites Staff:

Valentina Silva is the Editor of Eastside Food Bites. She started the site in 2009. An LA native, Valentina grew up in Norwalk, spending her teenage years sneaking to Punk shows at the Jabberjaw and fronting a two-girl band. Academically, she’s done all right for herself, earning a BA and MA in English from Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Dominguez Hills, respectively. Geographically, she’s lived in Long Beach, Venice and Alhambra, and now resides in Northeast LA. She’s been a professional copywriter for over 7 years and is now working as a freelance writer, taking on commercial and editorial projects. Valentina is also an LA Contributor to Conde Nast’s The Daily Traveler and a contributore to The Eastsider.

Iris Jong is a longtime Southern California resident but only recently embarked on her quest to eat her way through Los Angeles. She’s found that LA’s eastside is far superior to the westside, and now resides in Boyle Heights. A management consultant by day, Iris spends her piddling off-hours writing, reading, drawing, and lobbing sarcastic rejoinders at passers-by. Writing for Eastside Food Bites is her first foray into the world of legitimate online blogging. She studied Economics and English at Pomona College. Follow Iris on Instagram.

Jennifer S.Li is the LA Desk Editor for ArtAsiaPacific magazine and a contributor to various publications including Art in America. She was raised in Glendale but has since cultivated deep roots in Culver City and the San Gabriel Valley, giving her a cross-sectional perspective of the landscape and cuisine of Los Angeles. Her favorite foods are innovative salads, corn dogs, Zankou Chicken and Chinese desserts that bewilder the uninitiated (mung bean pork sung pastries and anything with taro in it).

Jessica Raymond is a native Southern Californian who has called Highland Park home for the past several years. She funds her frequent restaurant excursions by working in communications at the University of Southern California. When not writing for USC and Eastside Food Bites, she tutors students in language arts and math. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Notre Dame.

Martha Santiago was raised in Southeast Los Angeles, relocating to the South Bay at the age of 14, which was a bit of culture shock. She discovered her palate while backpacking through Europe in her early 20s and believes that food can equal true happiness. Martha spends her free time driving through LA neighborhoods, blasting 90s Grunge and hunting for the perfect bite. A yoga and organic food enthusiast, she searches for balance in food and life, but she’s not above eating a pile of chili cheese fries from Tommy’s—she’ll just eat some veggies later to even things out. Martha studied Literature and Nutrition at El Camino College and has been in the mortgage and banking industry for 10 years.