Nikki Hill and Claire Wadsworth started La Copine in 2015. They had just gotten married and wanted to re-create the night they met, so they started this eclectic, casual, IYKYK restaurant, which has since grown in popularity among celebs and California locals alike, and is a pillar of the California queer scene. Ben Mims is a James Beard Award–nominated cookbook author and food writer. He has worked as a food columnist, editor, and recipe developer for major media outlets like the Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Lucky Peach, and BuzzFeed’s Tasty. He has written three cookbooks, and his work has appeared in the annual anthology Best Food Writing.