We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse & Javier Zuniga and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse & Javier, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After founding the acclaimed ice cream company Bad Habit Ice Creams and working 15+ years at top New York City restaurants, we moved to LA from Manhattan to found Arlo Los Angeles, a creative culinary studio which curates tablescapes and dinners for boutique private events. With Arlo LA, we combine the best of both coasts, local Southern California produce and the dynamic quality of New York City’s ambitious and international influence.

What should our readers know about your business?
We met working at a New York City restaurant group in 2019. I (Javier) was a pastry chef at a Michelin star restaurant and I (Jesse) had just started cooking at the wine bar next door. We immediately came together over our shared passions of food, travel, music and art. In March of 2020 after we had gotten engaged, we started what we thought at the time would be a passion project: Bad Habit Ice Creams. Swiftly, we started retailing our product directly to consumers as well as wholesaling our ice creams. Through this, we were lucky enough to be featured in top publications like the New Yorker, New York Times, Vogue, Eater, Bon Appetit, and more. In January of 2023, we opened a bar in the Lower East Side and later that year our scoop shop. We were able to collaborate with dream brands like Glossier, Madewell, Semaine Magazine & more; to cater events for Netflix, Hearst Publications, Valrhona & more; while growing to have our product available in over 100 accounts nationwide. After welcoming our newborn son this fall, we’re returning to our first love: cooking. With Arlo LA, we take inspiration from regular trips to the farmers market, Javier’s South American background & Jesse’s international travels to curate unique menus and tablescapes for boutique events.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To eat: Horses, Sushi Gen, Destroyer, Quarter Sheets, Apple Pan, Pizzeria Sei, Anajak

To snack: Layla’s Bagels, Petitgrain Boulangerie, Jyan Isaac, Canyon Coffee

To do: Getty Malibu, Huntington Botanical Gardens, Aero Theater, Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Runyon Canyon Hiking, Zuma Beach

To shop, food: Santa Monica & Hollywood Farmers Markets, Santa Monica Seafood, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills

To shop, other: Despair, Now Serving (Cookbooks), Skylight Books, Melrose Flea Market

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arlo.losangeles

Image Credits
Image Credit for Founder Pic: Eater NY
All Other Images: Arlo Los Angeles

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