The Choosy Foodie: Los Angeles - Issue #13
New Food Halls, Gluten-free Donut Shop, Vegan Filipino Bakery & Vertical Farming
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Hi all,
It’s finally October which means Home Depot’s oversized Halloween items are ready to scare the sh*t of you🎃🦇👻🙃. I’d love to talk more about the labryinth that is Home Depot, but I’ll spare you and get straight to the point of this opener…
There are some incredible new food halls / markets open in LA featuring local food business favorites! If you’ve ever been to a city with a lot of food halls you know what I’m talking about (Denver folk get this). If not, just think Grand Central Market — only more space, seating, and decor:
Topanga Social (attached to the Westfield Topanga mall in the San Fernando Valley) opened in May, and according to their website includes “27 of Los Angeles’ most talked about restaurants and niche food brands […]”
Citizen Public Market (located in a historical building in downtown Culver City) is another food hall with a quaint atmosphere and wonderful food vendors.
Okay, I’ve got a lot of awesome updates for you this month.
Let’s get into it…
WHAT'S COOKING LOS ANGELES
1) Hello You’re Welcome — Situated in lovely Pasadena, this is the allergy/diet friendly donut shop we’ve all been waiting for. With paleo, keto, vegan, and gluten free options available, they cater to everyone. They even have options that are soy-free, protein infused, and/or unique in terms of flavor combinations. I visited recently and gobbled up both a blueberry and lemon poppy donut — they did not disappoint! I will say though that the donuts are pretty small, and priced between $5-$7 a pop. So yes, you may feel a little crazy when buying them (like I did), but damn was it tasty.
2) San & Wolves Bake Shop — This popular vegan Filipino bakery has at least 1-2 (if not more) gluten-free options in their variety boxes (lots of rice & cassava bases). They’re also completely soy-free, nut-free, and palm oil free! If you’re looking for some pandan cinnamon rolls or ube buns, you’ve come to the right place. Currently, they have a variety of pop-up and pick-up locations throughout Southern CA. They’re slated to open up a brick & mortar location in Long Beach early next year. Here's a photo from their Instagram:
What Else is Simmering…
(restaurant news)- After it’s downfall, Belcampo’s spot at Grand Central Market is being replaced by Villas Tacos🌮🤤.
(restaurant news)- Bravo Toast is going to take over Silverlake’s old Breadblok location🥖🔓... (RIP Breadblok, I miss you…)
(restaurant news)- The iconic macrobiotic restaurant on Melrose, M Cafe, closed 🥗🔒after many years in business.
(food news)- VegOut put together this great roundup of new products at the Plant-Based World Expo🌱🧀in New York recently. Some of the products (like blue cheese & bork belly) are truly fascinating / innovative.
(product)- Digging this brand called Raised Gluten-Free & their variety of GF/plant-based pies🥧(also vegan, nut-free, and soy-free)
(recipe)- These easy, GF, high-protein chocolate muffins🍫from Dr. Hyman look delish (I believe they’re also Paleo).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
(article & images)- There’s a Mars themed cafe in Seoul, South Korea🚀🌌 featuring vertical farming, and a sleek, somewhat monotone aesthetic. If you’re interested in vertical farming, check out this piece on the importance of vertical farming for our future🧑🌾🌱🔦🏢.
(food news)- A new bill, the California Food Safety Act (AB 418) will soon be on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. The bill is a first-of-its-kind food additive ban🚫🧪, and currently aims to ban additives including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3.
(food event)- If you’re into food-tech and/or an work in any part of the food system (supply chain, retail, restaurants, etc…), you might be interested in the HNGRY summit on Friday, October 20th🍍🚋📦.
(TikTok video)- This really cool speakeasy in Mexico City lets you create your own cocktail using a labeled Rubik’s Cube🍸📃menu.
tweet by: @valerihahn:
Closing Thoughts…
As always, feel free to hit reply to this email. I’d love to hear your feedback on how I can improve this newsletter to better suit our free-from community.
I’ll be in your inbox next month!
Hugs,
Noam
🙆🏻♀️ website: noamleead.carrd.co
📖 book editor: Happier Being by Dr. Tal Leead
🥗 referral link: click to sign up for Thrive Market (love this delivery service)
**If you’re reading this newsletter and haven’t subscribed yet, please do and support my work. It’s free! You’ll get future issues sent to your inbox once a month!**
Well now I want to go to L.A. (specifically for the ube bun and pandan cinnamon roll!)
Those donuts were so yummahhhh!
Hahaha that cheese lip balm 😂