
3

"An annual Los Angeles food event founded in 2019 by Ben Shenassafar and Bobby Kim of the streetwear company the Hundreds, along with event producer Miles Canares, is being acquired by the digital media company Complex as part of a new venture that will include a food publication and events arm. The festival pairs local streetwear brands with popular chefs and restaurants — past mashups have included Russ & Daughters with the Hundreds, Uncle Paulie’s Deli with Modernica, and Burger She Wrote with Gallery Dept — and in its short tenure has drawn over 10,000 attendees annually who pay for admission as well as tastings, apparel, and merch. Complex and NTWRK CEO Aaron Levant hopes to parlay that success into a food and video publication called Family Style covering streetwear, food, and restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities; Shenassafar (who also hosts Big Appetite on the Tastemade network) plans to launch the publication after this year’s Family Style Festival and ComplexCon. The planned editorial slate will cover street food, taco stands, and chilaquiles and include collaborations with chefs like Jon Yao of Kato and Evan Funke of Felix, Funke, and Mother Wolf, while explicitly avoiding traditional restaurant reviews in favor of features about openings, where to eat, what to eat, and where to drink." - Matthew Kang