History

Delicious at The Dunbar, which opened at the end of 2018, is the second restaurant from father/daughter duo Vidal and Adriana Cortes, who also own the South LA soul food favorite, Delicious Southern Cuisine. The newest restaurant is situated on the ground floor of The Dunbar Hotel*, once considered to be the jazz and cultural hub of Los Angeles’ African American community. In an effort to revive the community’s rich history through the redevelopment of the hotel property, the Corteses were offered an opportunity to expand their southern cooking to a new neighborhood.

Vidal Cortes

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Vidal Cortes had humble beginnings, immigrating to Los Angeles from Puebla, Mexico when he was 20 years old. Shortly after arriving to LA, he started working at the dish pit at the historic Boulevard Cafe King, where civil rights icons such as Jesse Jackson and Rodney King would meet to discuss current events. Cortes was a witness to the hustle and bustle of the 90’s movement in South Central LA where a meal was more than just food on the table; the restaurants where he worked were at the very core of the community. 

Deeply connected to his community through food, Cortes continued working at other popular soul food restaurants such as Jerry’s Flying Fox, Jewel Dean (now Chef Marilyn’s), and Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, becoming a cook and building his own foundation and understanding of southern cooking.