From hashtags to hospitality: Are L.A.’s influencer-backed restaurants worth the hype?

A YouTube cooking series paved the way for social media star Anwar Jibawi and his mom, Amal, to open Anwar’s Kitchen, a brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown. Conceived by Jing Gao, founder of modern Chinese food brand Fly by Jing, and Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth, an established fashion and beauty content creator, Suá Superette is a Sichuan grab-and-go marketplace that’s bringing Chinese flavors to central L.A. with an all-day menu of pre-packaged offerings prepared with organic produce, sustainable meats and high-quality ingredients, all rooted in traditional recipes and powered by Fly by Jing’s flavor-charged condiments. Sua Superette is a Sichuan grab-and-go marketplace envisioned by Jing Gao, founder of modern Chinese food brand Fly by Jing, and Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth, an established fashion and beauty content creator. “We wanted to share Sichuan food, but in a way that’s expressive of our modern Chinese California experience, like intentionally making sure our produce is fresh from the farm,” says Hjelmeseth. Opening early November, Sua Superette is a Sichuan grab-and-go marketplace envisioned by Jing Gao, founder of modern Chinese food brand Fly by Jing, and Stephanie Liu Hjelmeseth, an established fashion and beauty content creator.