If you want to eat at Tev’s Kitchen (1905 West 48th Street, LA 90062), make sure you arrive early because the line will definitely be down the block. While founder Tevin “Tev” Love has been at his current location for two years, he’s been nurturing his loyal customer base for nearly a decade.
Originally from Jamaica, Love began cooking at the age of eight. He moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and graduated from Inglewood High School. After college, the serial entrepreneur balanced several jobs, including screen printing, graphic design, and club promotion, before delving full-time into his restaurant.
Learning the origins of Love’s business reiterates the importance of empowering friendships. He told the LA Sentinel, “My friends and I would always cook on the weekends. One day we made curry chicken, curry shrimp, and white rice. They looked at me and said, ‘Bro, you should sell this.’
“I was like, ‘I know’ but at the time, I had to wait for my mom and Aunt Caca to help. Now they’re able to call on me to put the finishing touches on everything.
“That next weekend I started selling curry chicken, rice, and cabbage for $10 a plate. We made 15 plates and then had to cook again. We sold out of 30 plates, so I kept going, but only on Saturdays. For years I was making clothes and selling food.”
Throughout his journey of becoming a restaurateur, Love’s business has been through several iterations.
“I started in my mom’s apartment in Inglewood, then moved to someone’s backyard for two years. Then I tried a food truck but that didn’t work because there wasn’t enough space equipment-wise, it wasn’t up to par for what I was doing,” he recalled.
“Then we found this place [his current location] but it wasn’t in the best condition, so we had to spend some time renovating it. For nine months we set up a little kitchen outside and I started vending in front of the building every day until construction was done.” The work was worth the wait as customers can dine comfortably inside and outdoors.
When asked about his favorite item on the menu, Love shared, “I love making the sauces because sometimes the sauces can be the highlight of your day. I love experimenting. I like taking something that everyone loves and turning it into something different, like jerk marinades.
“Adding them to foods that you wouldn’t normally put them on like the jerk burger collaboration with Stormburger. No one expects a jerk on a burger but it’s good. I like thinking outside the box.”
Nearly three months ago, Tev’s Kitchen began a collaboration with popular Inglewood restaurant StormBurger. Myron Moore, co-owner of the Stormburger franchise shares a glowing review of the partnership.
“One of my business partners, Omkar Ganesan, is the mastermind behind the collaboration and he first introduced me to Tev. We saw an immediate upswing in business from the first day we rolled out our collaboration. There were people lined up at 7 am on the morning of February 21st, I had to tell them it didn’t start until 11 am,” Moore said.
“Then at 10:30 am, there were cars waiting to get in line. The line was down the block and didn’t stop for a week and our patio stayed full. It made me even more fond of Tev because I get to see him every day. Being a great chef is just a small part of who he is, Tev is an amazing human being.”
Outside of their collaboration, Moore, a former chef with over three decades of culinary experience, shared his favorite items from the Tev’s Kitchen menu.
“The oxtails and the short ribs are amazing. A lot of people think they can cook oxtails. They can get the flavor, but they don’t understand how to get that fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Tev understands all the elements of getting the right color, the right texture, and the right seasoning,” added Moore.
Love refuses to take all of the credit for his most popular dishes. He graciously refers to his Aunt CaCa as the “Oxtail Queen.” She and his mother spend hours removing the fat and excess off of the short ribs.
With the immense success of his current location, some business owners would be quick to expand. However, Love’s priority is continuing to cater (literally and metaphorically) to his current clientele while strengthening his familial and customer relationships.
While reviewing orders ahead of the lunch rush hour, Love shared his proudest moment as a business owner.
“I’m proud that I can keep my family together because my grandma, who used to keep my family together, passed away. If we’re not working here, we won’t see each other for weeks so I feel like my purpose is keeping everyone together,” said Love, who employs nine family members including his mother, aunt, cousins as well as several family friends.
As for the secret ingredient to keeping his restaurant overflowing with customers, the charismatic chef revealed, “The love that’s all over it and God.
“God put me here for a reason. I come here every morning, and I feel like I’ve reset, no matter what happened yesterday. It gives me purpose.”
Tev’s Kitchen is open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:15-7pm or until sold out. Visit @Tev.Kitchen on Instagram for the menu ofthe day.
