Sophia Velador grabs a stack of plates in the dish pit at Alder & Sage in Long Beach on Jan. 2, 2025. She takes three buses from Anaheim to Long Beach and travels about one and a half hours to get to ...

The idea that homemade meals are always the budget-friendly option is starting to crumble. While restaurant prices generally climb faster than grocery prices, yet certain dishes actually cost less to ...

For most it’s a grind having to wash an assembly line of pots and pans first thing in the morning. For Sophia Velador, who helms the dish pit at the breakfast and lunch spot Alder & Sage in Long Beach ...