South LA Cafe
Coffee shop, Cafe, Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA
- Address
- 3782 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90008
- Phone
- (323) 207-6027
- Website
- southlacafe.com
About South LA Cafe
A Black-owned, family-owned cafe with several South Central locations (Vermont, Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Exposition, and Browning), plus South LA Market, which sells fresh, affordable groceries in an area the cafe describes as a food desert. Beyond coffee service, they offer catering, event booking, bagged coffee, gift cards, and merchandise such as the Black & Brown Unity T-shirt and South Central hoodie. A membership program, grocery sponsorships, and volunteer opportunities support community programs. Their 501(c)(3) affiliate, the SLAC Foundation, runs grocery giveaways, the Cafe Academy workforce training program, an entrepreneur incubator, and an impact accelerator; Joe and Celia also host the "In The Mix" podcast.
Founders Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace grew up in the area and moved 10 blocks from the cafe nearly 20 years ago, just before they married. After decades of living in a food desert, they started South LA Cafe rather than wait for fresh, affordable, healthy food to arrive in the neighborhood. They built it as an intersection of activism, social good, and entrepreneurship, and as a safe space where the culture of South Central is celebrated and preserved amid gentrification and displacement.
Services
- cafe service
- catering
- grocery sales
- workforce training program
Photos
