El Sushi Loco, named “Best Mexican Sushi” by LA Weekly, was recently featured on Tastemade’s Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation’s (DKBF) Second Chances stories. Second Chances is a video series produced by Tastemade that highlights chefs who have found success despite going thru challenging times. The stories are sponsored by the Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation, which was established by Dave’s Killer Bread to help provide more second chance employment opportunities. (El Sushi Loco, 2020)

El Sushi Loco CEO and Head Chef Frank Mendoza strongly empathizes with the struggles that persons with past  histories experience when seeking employment. The Tastemade video features Frank Mendoza speaking about how he overcame the odds to begin a successful Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant business. The brainchild of Frank Mendoza, El Sushi Loco is a place to bond with family and a lively place to hang out with friends. El Sushi Loco may be the truest expression of east meeting west, with tastes and textures both exotic and familiar. The flavors and ambiance provide the perfect place for a festive and tasty lunch or dinner.

For the Second Chances campaign video, Frank Mendoza has created a tasty new dish for El Sushi Loco’s menu – the Crispy Chicken Burger. The dish begins with diced chicken breaded with crumbs made fresh from Dave’s Killer Bread Burger Buns, fried to a golden brown, then served on butter baked Dave’s Killer Bread Burger Buns covered with avocado, tortilla strips and El Sushi Loco’s Mexican/Asian fusion sauces.  Frank Mendoza’s second chance story, and many more inspirational cooking videos sponsored by DKBF, is available on the Tastemade Instagram and YouTube channels.

“We’re a place of second chances because, how could we not? I was down and out at one point, and somebody gave me a chance.” – Frank Mendoza

The Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation was created to power second chance employment. A lack of information or understanding about employing people with criminal backgrounds can make businesses hesitant to explore this option and the DKBF is here to change that. DKBF believes that in the long term, second chance employment has the power to reduce the negative impact of reoffending in America. The foundation works to educate organizations on the importance of employing this part of our population.

In 2010, Frank Mendoza purchased a street vendor food cart off a Craigslist ad in Tijuana, Mexico for $1200 and began selling his unique cuisine in the streets of Los Angeles, California. In its food-cart days, the Mexican-Asian fusion food concept was called Sushi Island. Frank Mendoza, his wife and his nephew developed the brand tirelessly by serving high quality Mexican sushi and mariscos. The success of Sushi Island further fueled Mendoza’s desire and he renamed the business El Sushi Loco. In 2011 they opened the first brick and mortar restaurant in La Puente, California and  soon after, they opened another branch in Downey. Most recently, Mendoza opened his third restaurant in Pomona, California.

El Sushi Loco Locations: 11837 Downey Ave, Downey, CA 90241, 15711 Amar Rd, La Puente, CA 91744 and 1542 W. Holt Ave, Pomona, CA 91768