Francisco Mendoza is quickly becoming the master of a fusion food he called Mexican Sushi. The basic ingredients may start the same but East LA native Francisco Mendoza is using food you typically wouldn’t expect to find in Sushi. “we use carne asada for example, we use bacon,” he says as he lets out a laugh. His personality is big, he jokes around with everyone who comes into his restaurant, in an effort to get to know his customers. As he shows me how to make the emperor, one of the best selling sushi rolls on his menu he says, “Awe, look at that!” Still amazed by a roll he’s been making for several years. The friend roll has plenty of spice and instead of wasabi he serves a perfectly prepared Chile Guerito.

Francisco owns 4-Sushi Loco locations, his newest just opened in Pomona but his road to success had plenty of obstacles. From 2000 to 2009, Francisco spent years in federal prison for drug trafficking. He showed me pictures he took while incarcerated, one of them is with his now wife and mother of his two children.

He got out March 4th of 2009, he tells me he had no money and he was “broke and broken.” Francisco saved up $1,200 dollars and bought a food cart from a vendor in Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, he was pushing his un-permitted  cart through the streets of East LA. He says police frequently threatened to take his cart and at one point parked it in front of his home where he sold sushi on the cart he called “Sushi island”.

“People used to ask me, what kind of tacos do you sell? I go, I don’t sell tacos, they said what do you sell? Sushi. On the street? Yes on the street!” he tells me as he smiles, thinking about how far he has come. The cart is now parked outside his Pomona restaurant, he even showed me how he used to serve his customers, back then everything was $6. He says the cart reminds him of how far he’s come. When he gets ready to make one of his signature Marisco entrees called “La cope Medina” he looks at me and says “are you ready to be amazed.” Francisco is hoping his journey serves as an example to others who are struggling, he says  “don’t give up, don’t give up put god first in your life, have hunger, stay passionate and give back.”

Francisco Mendoza is quickly becoming the master of a fusion food he called Mexican Sushi. The basic ingredients may start the same but East LA native Francisco Mendoza is using food you typically wouldn’t expect to find in Sushi. “we use carne asada for example, we use bacon,” he says as he lets out a laugh. His personality is big, he jokes around with everyone who comes into his restaurant, in an effort to get to know his customers. As he shows me how to make the emperor, one of the best selling sushi rolls on his menu he says, “Awe, look at that!” Still amazed by a roll he’s been making for several years. The friend roll has plenty of spice and instead of wasabi he serves a perfectly prepared Chile Guerito.

Francisco owns 4-Sushi Loco locations, his newest just opened in Pomona but his road to success had plenty of obstacles. From 2000 to 2009, Francisco spent years in federal prison for drug trafficking. He showed me pictures he took while incarcerated, one of them is with his now wife and mother of his two children.

He got out March 4th of 2009, he tells me he had no money and he was “broke and broken.” Francisco saved up $1,200 dollars and bought a food cart from a vendor in Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, he was pushing his un-permitted  cart through the streets of East LA. He says police frequently threatened to take his cart and at one point parked it in front of his home where he sold sushi on the cart he called “Sushi island”.

“People used to ask me, what kind of tacos do you sell? I go, I don’t sell tacos, they said what do you sell? Sushi. On the street? Yes on the street!” he tells me as he smiles, thinking about how far he has come. The cart is now parked outside his Pomona restaurant, he even showed me how he used to serve his customers, back then everything was $6. He says the cart reminds him of how far he’s come. When he gets ready to make one of his signature Marisco entrees called “La cope Medina” he looks at me and says “are you ready to be amazed.” Francisco is hoping his journey serves as an example to others who are struggling, he says  “don’t give up, don’t give up put god first in your life, have hunger, stay passionate and give back.”

Francisco Mendoza is quickly becoming the master of a fusion food he called Mexican Sushi. The basic ingredients may start the same but East LA native Francisco Mendoza is using food you typically wouldn’t expect to find in Sushi. “we use carne asada for example, we use bacon,” he says as he lets out a laugh. His personality is big, he jokes around with everyone who comes into his restaurant, in an effort to get to know his customers. As he shows me how to make the emperor, one of the best selling sushi rolls on his menu he says, “Awe, look at that!” Still amazed by a roll he’s been making for several years. The friend roll has plenty of spice and instead of wasabi he serves a perfectly prepared Chile Guerito.

Francisco owns 4-Sushi Loco locations, his newest just opened in Pomona but his road to success had plenty of obstacles. From 2000 to 2009, Francisco spent years in federal prison for drug trafficking. He showed me pictures he took while incarcerated, one of them is with his now wife and mother of his two children.

He got out March 4th of 2009, he tells me he had no money and he was “broke and broken.” Francisco saved up $1,200 dollars and bought a food cart from a vendor in Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, he was pushing his un-permitted  cart through the streets of East LA. He says police frequently threatened to take his cart and at one point parked it in front of his home where he sold sushi on the cart he called “Sushi island”.

“People used to ask me, what kind of tacos do you sell? I go, I don’t sell tacos, they said what do you sell? Sushi. On the street? Yes on the street!” he tells me as he smiles, thinking about how far he has come. The cart is now parked outside his Pomona restaurant, he even showed me how he used to serve his customers, back then everything was $6. He says the cart reminds him of how far he’s come. When he gets ready to make one of his signature Marisco entrees called “La cope Medina” he looks at me and says “are you ready to be amazed.” Francisco is hoping his journey serves as an example to others who are struggling, he says  “don’t give up, don’t give up put god first in your life, have hunger, stay passionate and give back.”

Francisco Mendoza is quickly becoming the master of a fusion food he called Mexican Sushi. The basic ingredients may start the same but East LA native Francisco Mendoza is using food you typically wouldn’t expect to find in Sushi. “we use carne asada for example, we use bacon,” he says as he lets out a laugh. His personality is big, he jokes around with everyone who comes into his restaurant, in an effort to get to know his customers. As he shows me how to make the emperor, one of the best selling sushi rolls on his menu he says, “Awe, look at that!” Still amazed by a roll he’s been making for several years. The friend roll has plenty of spice and instead of wasabi he serves a perfectly prepared Chile Guerito.

Francisco owns 4-Sushi Loco locations, his newest just opened in Pomona but his road to success had plenty of obstacles. From 2000 to 2009, Francisco spent years in federal prison for drug trafficking. He showed me pictures he took while incarcerated, one of them is with his now wife and mother of his two children.

He got out March 4th of 2009, he tells me he had no money and he was “broke and broken.” Francisco saved up $1,200 dollars and bought a food cart from a vendor in Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, he was pushing his un-permitted  cart through the streets of East LA. He says police frequently threatened to take his cart and at one point parked it in front of his home where he sold sushi on the cart he called “Sushi island”.

“People used to ask me, what kind of tacos do you sell? I go, I don’t sell tacos, they said what do you sell? Sushi. On the street? Yes on the street!” he tells me as he smiles, thinking about how far he has come. The cart is now parked outside his Pomona restaurant, he even showed me how he used to serve his customers, back then everything was $6. He says the cart reminds him of how far he’s come. When he gets ready to make one of his signature Marisco entrees called “La cope Medina” he looks at me and says “are you ready to be amazed.” Francisco is hoping his journey serves as an example to others who are struggling, he says  “don’t give up, don’t give up put god first in your life, have hunger, stay passionate and give back.”

Francisco Mendoza is quickly becoming the master of a fusion food he called Mexican Sushi. The basic ingredients may start the same but East LA native Francisco Mendoza is using food you typically wouldn’t expect to find in Sushi. “we use carne asada for example, we use bacon,” he says as he lets out a laugh. His personality is big, he jokes around with everyone who comes into his restaurant, in an effort to get to know his customers. As he shows me how to make the emperor, one of the best selling sushi rolls on his menu he says, “Awe, look at that!” Still amazed by a roll he’s been making for several years. The friend roll has plenty of spice and instead of wasabi he serves a perfectly prepared Chile Guerito.

Francisco owns 4-Sushi Loco locations, his newest just opened in Pomona but his road to success had plenty of obstacles. From 2000 to 2009, Francisco spent years in federal prison for drug trafficking. He showed me pictures he took while incarcerated, one of them is with his now wife and mother of his two children.

He got out March 4th of 2009, he tells me he had no money and he was “broke and broken.” Francisco saved up $1,200 dollars and bought a food cart from a vendor in Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, he was pushing his un-permitted  cart through the streets of East LA. He says police frequently threatened to take his cart and at one point parked it in front of his home where he sold sushi on the cart he called “Sushi island”.

“People used to ask me, what kind of tacos do you sell? I go, I don’t sell tacos, they said what do you sell? Sushi. On the street? Yes on the street!” he tells me as he smiles, thinking about how far he has come. The cart is now parked outside his Pomona restaurant, he even showed me how he used to serve his customers, back then everything was $6. He says the cart reminds him of how far he’s come. When he gets ready to make one of his signature Marisco entrees called “La cope Medina” he looks at me and says “are you ready to be amazed.” Francisco is hoping his journey serves as an example to others who are struggling, he says  “don’t give up, don’t give up put god first in your life, have hunger, stay passionate and give back.”