Eating at Homegirl Café is doubly heart-warming. First, the food is full of unique Latin-inspired flavors difficult to find in a city studded with chain restaurants. Second, the place is a training facility for ex-gang men and women working to build skills for a better future.

Upon entering the café, cool glass tiles and a delectable bakery case beckon. The warm earth-toned interior further draws one in like a cheery old friend. There are plenty of tables, booths and even a bar area in the front for grabbing a quick pastry and beverage.

The colorful artwork by 3^rd grade teacher and artist Jose Ramirez immediately elevates ones spirits. You get a sense that somebody put a lot of love and care designing this place.

The space is inviting, thoughtfully-arranged, and perfectly reflects the vibrant Mexican heritage of Los Angeles. Tim Gunn would have nothing to say. Everything works.

Getting Our Grub On

My friend and I recently enjoyed breakfast at Homegirl Café and were impressed by their menu selection, reasonable prices and upbeat atmosphere. It was difficult choosing between several tempting $6 breakfast entrées but we both settled on the pasados por agua (two poached eggs on a bed of spinach, black beans or homegirl potatoes, chipotle cream sauce, toasted bread and fruit salad). I also ordered Sarah’s drink, a colorful concoction of fresh raspberry and mango juice with lime while my companion sipped cinnamon-scented coffee.

When the food arrived (pictured right, before) I clapped my hands like a little girl. The staff probably laughed at all the attention and enthusiasm we lavished on our meal. If only they knew the ordeal we went through for a nice sit-down breakfast.

Sidebar: After arriving at a dark and obviously closed 6^th Street Bar and Grill 7:30am Saturday morning we drove all around the historic core and financial district looking for breakfast. My houseguest, being from Ohio, wasn’t about to settle for IHOP, Denny’s or even The Pantry. We stopped at Little Tokyo where our options were Yamazaki Bakery, a “two-croissant special” at the Hotel Mikado café and the Subway pointed out by a polite security guard. We were stunned. Subway is actually considered a breakfast option?? It felt like a huge step back into the stone ages and we were prehistoric humans desperately hunting down the elusive Breakfast Beast. But I digress!

(Pictured right, after) We greedily eyed the taco list while stuffing our faces with fantastic toasted bread and chipotle sauce slathered over everything else. The fruit salad was a fresh cut medley of apples, papaya, mango and banana. How often does your fruit salad come with papayas and mangoes?

How It All Came Together

The imaginative food is the creation of Patricia Zarate, chef and manager of Homegirl Café. She learned Mexican cooking in her mother’s kitchen, but is masterful at blending pan-ethnic flavors. Patricia concurrently runs Homegirl Café and a separate catering business, and personally does all the food shopping for the operation. Unfortunately, she was unavailable for questions.

Father Gregory J. Boyle, former pastor of Dolores Mission Catholic Church on the opposite side of the Los Angeles River, has led Homeboy Industries full-time for the past 15 years. He visits juvenile detention centers and jails offering training opportunities to men and women. Last year his humanitarian efforts won the prestigious Bon Appetit Award along with several other culinary notables making a difference in the world (Bon Appetit, October 2007).

The length and scope of training is individualized for each participant, according to Norma Robles Gillette, Executive Assistant and Case Manager of Homeboy Industries. In general, the women learn cooking and serving skills while the men learn baking, silk-screening, tattoo removal and publishing skills. Many of their graduates have moved on to successful careers yet stay in touch and help with outreach.

The menu is also a mini-newsletter, giving updates on some of the girls who have been through their program. Homegirl has also teamed up with Border Grill and Pinot Café for staff-to-staff training to improve service.

A small retail store next to the café sells merchandise with the Homeboy/Homegirl logo and slogan “Jobs Not Jails.” Homeboy Industries is a non-profit organization. Their funding comes through independent donors, grant and foundation monies, profits from the restaurant/retail store and Father Gregory’s talking engagements.

Back for More

A few days after my fateful breakfast experience I returned to sample the tacos. The previous lunch rush was evidenced by several uncleared tables, and even at 2:30pm there was a steady trickle of off-hour eaters. My three tacos: 1) carnitas with apples and tomatillo salsa, 2) rajas (grilled poblano peppers) with mushrooms and cheese; and 3) nopales salad - were ordered with a grilled nopal (cactus leaf) substituted for the tortilla ($1.50 extra). Unfortunately they ran out of nopales salad so I was stuck with an extra rajas taco minus mushrooms. I guess they ran out of those too.

Lacking silverware and having waited some time for my server, I decided to help myself from the service station. Despite the service glitches the food was extremely tasty. I recommend ordering the tacos traditional-style with tortillas. Grilled nopales, while novel and carb-friendly, is a bit watery and rubbery for this dish. Lesson learned.

During my meal a slender, handsome man unhooked one of the larger paintings from the wall and walked out the door. He smiled at me as if he knew what he was doing. First I was alarmed, but later was told it was artist Jose Ramirez himself. All of the artwork is for sale, but I suppose Mr. Ramirez needed to borrow one of his own for the day.

Business has been booming since their grand opening last October and there is talk of extending hours for dinner. If you haven’t eaten at Homegirl Café you are missing out. As one of the only breakfast options in Downtown, and a fabulous one at that, how can you wait any longer?

Homegirl Cafe / Homeboy Bakery
130 W Bruno Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 526-1254 ext.301
homeboyindustries.org
Mon - Sat: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Closed Sundays

Special thanks to Norma Robles Gillette for her insights on Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Industries.

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