Kendrick Lamar and TDE’s holiday concert and toy give away (Recap) + At 77, South L.A. doctor is still making the rounds

December 30, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Kendrick Lamar smiles on a 2012 soundset| Oz Futura, Flickr Creative Commons

Kendrick Lamar smiles on a 2012 soundset| Oz Futura, Flickr Creative Commons

Kendrick Lamar and TDE’s Holiday Concert and Toy Giveaway (Recap)

Angelenos gathered at the Nickerson Gardens Projects for the second annual free concert and toy, food and shoes giveaway on Dec. 22. (Examiner.com)

At 77, South L.A. doctor is still making the rounds

One doctor is not only still working but spreading his passion for healthcare to a younger generation of doctors entering the field in South L.A. (LA Times)

5 art shows you should see in L.A. this week

Leimert Park’s Papillon gallery features Andy Robert’s “Blind Contour” show, taking cues from a common drawing exercise in which the artist does not look at work they are creating while drawing a subject. (LA Weekly)

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, Food, In the news

Grant allocates $25,000 to promote child nutrition

October 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Council member Curren Price speaks with a student at West Vernon Elementary School at the launch of their grant bid.

Council member Curren Price speaks with a student at West Vernon Elementary School, which is launching a grant bid. | Photo by Matt Lemas

West Vernon Elementary School in South Los Angeles is vying to be a recipient of a $500,000 national grant program to fund improvements in children’s health and nutrition. The initiative was launched at the school this week.

The initiative, a collaboration between the United Health Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation, has earmarked $25,000 for the Central and South Central region of Los Angeles.

Elementary schools throughout the country will be able to apply for funding, ranging from $15,000 to $25,000, and the application consists of pitching innovative projects in line with the grant’s goals. West Vernon is an applicant and if chosen, it will be one of 10 to 12 schools participating in the program nationwide.

“We’re breaking through the cycle of unhealthy living,” said Councilman Curren Price at Thursday’s launch, referencing that the grant could join a long list of initiatives his office has taken to improve access to nutrition and green space in his district. “When our kids are happy and healthy, our future is bright.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Featured, Featured Story, Food, Vernon-Central Tagged With: , , ,

3 Worlds Cafe serves up food, social justice

September 16, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Aqeela Sherills says his mission is “to provide a set of quality services, especially food.” The 3 Worlds Café, named for three of South Los Angeles’ historic ethnic groups, is a place for residents to gather, invest in and transform their neighborhood.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Food, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , ,

A garden sprouts at South LA Library

April 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment


RonFinley1

Lush greenery shades the street on Ron Finley’s parkway in South LA. | Marisa Zocco

From a tiny seed, a mighty garden may grow. This is precisely what Ron Finley is aiming for as he kicks off the development of his Vermont Square Library garden project in South Los Angeles.

Finley, a South L.A. native, plans to turn the library’s yard into an open-air library beginning May 28, complete with string lights and swings hanging from the trees. The transformation will coincide with L.A. Design Festival, running through June 14. During the time, tutorials will provide instruction on how to make Adirondack chairs out of palettes, graffiti artists will paint murals on giant panels, and movies may be shown al fresco. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Culture, Environment, Food, Health, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Chef brings Caribbean flavors to South LA

March 30, 2015 By Leave a Comment


By Diana Lee

Stuart Eubanks takes his post at the farmers market. | Who's Hungry Instagram

Stuart Eubanks takes his post at the farmers market. | Who’s Hungry Instagram

Every farmers’ market has its share of fresh produce and a selection of gourmet cheese, but chances are, you haven’t encountered Caribbean cuisine. A local chef is now making waves in South L.A. with his interpretation of many flavors in the islands.

Chef Stuart Eubanks has never been to the Caribbean, but is on a mission to bring the diverse flavors to Los Angeles after stumbling on a Jamaican restaurant years ago. Eubanks says his company, Who’s Hungry Food Solutions, is unique because it incorporates flavors from Jamaica, Cuba and Trinidad among other islands. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, Featured Story, Food Tagged With: , , ,

Mexicano restaurant opens in South LA

March 9, 2015 By Leave a Comment


Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo (from left to right) | Photo courtesy of Mexicano restaurant.

Chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo (from left to right) | Photo courtesy of Mexicano restaurant.

With the opening of their new restaurant, Mexicano, located in Baldwin Hills, chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu hope to immerse customers in Mexican culture, one burst of flavor at a time. The eatery has been in its soft opening since Feb. 27.

Colorful Mexican floor tiles lead patrons to the restaurant’s focal point: the kitchen. There is no partition between the kitchen and the dining room, so diners can observe the preparation of authentic dishes while surrounded by décor from the Mexican state of Jalisco.

“With the kitchen open, you are in contact with customers and they become a part of the preparation experience,” Arvizu said. “We try to get their five senses going. The smell, the sight of the ingredients, the touch and hearing. All of these are incorporated and bring you closer to the meal.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Featured, Food, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

LA moves closer to legalizing street vending

December 2, 2014 By Leave a Comment


By Emily Goldberg

Vendors at the Los Angeles Street Vendors Campaign rally chant "Si se puede." | Emily Goldberg

Vendors at the Los Angeles Street Vendors Campaign rally chant “Si se puede” as councilmen Jose Huizar and Curren Price take to the lectern.| Emily Goldberg

Street-side bacon-wrapped hotdog carts arguably contribute to L.A.’s identity just as much as its traffic and celebrity sightings. Although the delicious service that street vendors provide has remained illegal throughout the city, that may soon change.

In its meeting Tuesday, the Economic Development Committee approved a framework for citywide street vending regulations, moving the long awaited policy goal one step closer to completion. The framework outlines the tasks and responsibilities of several city departments including the Bureau of Street Services and the Los Angeles Police Department.

“I agree with my colleagues that this plan, as we would say in Sacramento, is not cooked yet,” said councilman Gilbert Cedillo. “But …this is an idea whose time as come. This process of legalization is a process that cannot be stopped.”

See also: South LA street cooks could soon go legit [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food, More on Intersections, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Thousands eat, dance, support Crenshaw at Taste of Soul

October 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment


TasteofSoul

 

Monte Hayes,71, had only to walk down the street from his home to check out the Taste of Soul festival for the very first time.

“To me it means, all people of all races are here and it’s like, ‘taste me, I’m good,’” he said.

The 9th annual celebration was held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and took over a mile of Crenshaw Boulevard from Stocker Avenue to Rodeo Road, where families and friends from all walks of life danced in the street. Attracting 350,000 people this year, the street festival presented by The Sentinel newspaper bills itself as L.A.’s largest.

Signature South L.A. restaurants provided the “tastes,” including What the Funnel, Dulan’s on Crenshaw, Southern Girl Desserts, Post and Beam and Yo Halal’s popcorn.

The festival also brings out a unique blend of soulful sounds and artists each year. This time, the lineup featured Tyrese, Angie Fisher, AKNU, Michelle Williams and many other performers across four main stages, along with young artists featured on the “StarQuest” stage. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Business, Community, Culture, Food, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , ,

Belizean conch fritters at South LA’s Joan and Sisters Restaurant

June 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Samuel Bevans, owner of Joan and Sisters | Logan Heley

Samuel Bevans, owner of Joan and Sisters | Logan Heley

At Joan and Sisters Restaurant in South L.A.’s unofficial “Little Belize” neighborhood, cooks serve up conch fritters, rice and beans — all typical foods of Belize that represent the Central American country’s wide-ranging ethnic influences.

Belizeans can be Black Creoles of slave descent, Hispanic Mestizos of Mayan and native descent, or Garifuna, a group whose ancestors are a mix of Carib Indians and West Africans arrived from wrecked Spanish slave ships in 1635. East Indians, Middle Easterners and East Asians have also made their way to country on the coast of the Caribbean.

Jerome Straughan, a Black Creole from Belize, moved to the U.S. in 1980. In his Ph.D. dissertation about Belizeans in Los Angeles, he wrote that Belizeans can more easily interact with other ethnic groups in L.A. than in other places, because the city is so diverse. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Food, More on Intersections Tagged With: , ,

South LA creates healthy food options

April 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment


South L.A. residents are growing vegetables in their backyards. They are converting their corner stores into healthy groceries. They are not waiting anymore for healthy options to come to them.

Click play for the stories of a South L.A. vegan and a corner store transformer:

Arriving at a recent community development meeting in a recreation center in South L.A., Agyei Graham peeked at the breakfast spread of bagels, yogurt and coffee, quietly found a standing room spot in a corner, pulled a red apple from the back pocket of his jeans and bit into it.

The 21-year-old has been a vegan for five months, which means he couldn’t have the yogurt. He could eat the bagels, but he’d have to forgo cream cheese. And he could only have coffee if he wanted it black.

He came prepared with an apple because he didn’t expect a small community meeting to offer vegan options. But he isn’t always prepared with contingency plans. There are days when Graham, who works as a locker room attendant at a swimming stadium, doesn’t have time to pack a meal. There are days when he comes home to an empty fridge because he didn’t find time to go to his favorite grocery store, Sprouts, which is six miles away in Culver City. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Environment, Food, Health, More on Intersections, Neighborhood, Vermont Square Tagged With: , , , , ,
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