El Sabor Del Valle

For this project, I designed El Sabor del Valle, a printed guide celebrating the food culture of Spring Valley and Lemon Grove, two communities I’ve grown up around and know well. My goal was to highlight the authentic taquerías, family-owned restaurants, and hidden local favorites that give these neighborhoods their character. Using a cobalt-blue and cream color palette inspired by traditional Talavera tilework, I built a visual system that feels handcrafted, warm, and culturally rooted. Each spread combines photography, narrative descriptions, and a structured layout to showcase twenty restaurants, with special features for my top three: El Pollo Grill, Carnitas Uruapan, and La Baja. I designed custom headings, tile borders, and an illustrated map to create a cohesive experience across the entire guide.

To expand on the project, I created a companion piece that focuses on the signature dishes from the top three restaurants. This piece takes the form of an illustrated, vertical recipe card layout featuring Citrus Pollo Asado, Michoacán-style carnitas, and Baja fish tacos. Each recipe is paired with original photography, decorative tile motifs, and short descriptions that highlight the cultural significance behind each dish. The companion piece is intentionally tactile and intimate, meant to feel like something a visitor could take home from a local restaurant or farmer’s market. Together, the guide and companion piece create a unified storytelling experience that blends design, food, and community—celebrating the flavors and people that make these neighborhoods meaningful to me.