LocoL

Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA

Address

1950 E 103rd St, Los Angeles, CA, 90002

Website

welocol.com

About LocoL

LocoL is a fast-casual BBQ and soul food restaurant in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, operated by the nonprofit Alta Community. The organization was established by chef Keith Corbin and chef Daniel Patterson, the team behind the acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant Alta Adams. Corbin, a two-time James Beard Award nominee, grew up in the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts and discovered his passion for cooking while incarcerated; he went on to become executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams, where he blends California produce with the soul food traditions of his grandmother's cooking. LocoL's stated mission is to uplift the Watts community through food, and the restaurant doubles as a vocational training program and a neighborhood gathering space, giving local residents hands-on kitchen experience and a path into the restaurant industry. The menu draws on Southern and soul food traditions, featuring slow-smoked beef ribs and brisket, buttermilk-marinated fried chicken, grilled sausages, and plant-based options like BBQ tofu. Guests can order plates served with cornbread and classic sides such as red beans and rice, collards, and candied yams, along with quick counter-service items like foldies stuffed with beans and cheese, beef, or smoked chicken. The restaurant also offers sandwiches, salads, homemade agua fresca, coffee, baked goods, and soft-serve ice cream. Located at 1950 E. 103rd Street, LocoL reopened under the Alta Community nonprofit model to combine affordable, made-from-scratch food with community investment, reflecting Corbin and Patterson's shared commitment to using the restaurant as a tool for economic opportunity in a historically underserved part of Los Angeles.

LocoL's story is inseparable from that of chef Keith Corbin, who grew up in the Jordan Downs housing projects in Watts and became involved in gang activity before serving time in prison. It was in prison kitchens that Corbin discovered a talent and love for cooking, a skill he carried with him after his release. He eventually partnered with chef Daniel Patterson, first through the original LocoL restaurant group and later through Alta Adams, the celebrated Los Angeles restaurant where Corbin serves as executive chef and co-owner. Drawing on the cooking traditions of his grandmother, Corbin built a reputation for elevating soul food and California cuisine, earning two James Beard Award nominations along the way. In 2024, Corbin and Patterson reopened the Watts location as LocoL, this time restructured as a project of the nonprofit Alta Community. The goal was to return to the neighborhood that shaped Corbin's life, not just to serve food but to invest directly in the people who live there. LocoL now functions as both a restaurant and a vocational training ground, giving Watts residents kitchen experience and a foothold in the restaurant industry, while also serving as a place for the community to gather. For Corbin, the restaurant represents a continuation of his personal journey from incarceration to culinary acclaim, transformed into an ongoing commitment to give back to the neighborhood where that journey began.

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