Our favorite employee-owned bakery!Na Young Ma opened Proof in 2010. Aliza was working down the street at Canele and fell in love with the croissants, then the sandwiches on their long stecca loaves, then the chocolate espresso cake. Years later, Sam & Aliza connected with Na Young when she took an interest in Farm to Curb and helped us find our current space (a much-needed improvement from Aliza’s driveway.) And it was then that we learned about how she transitioned the bakery to a cooperative business model that is 100% worker-owned, an inspiration to Farm to Curb. 

We reached out to All Day Baby because they have glorious mini pies in their pastry case.  The pies speak for themselves, and the women behind the pie are exceptional. Thessa Diadem ran the pastry program at All Day Baby and was one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs 2021. Lien Ta, co-owner of All Day Baby & Here’s Looking At You, is also the co-founder of RE:HER, a nonprofit organization that supports women-owned food businesses.

We’ve offered some Cuban classics like guava cheese pie and flan from Cafe Tropical and El Cochinito, two of our favorite Silverlake spots. Years ago, after cooking on the line with Aliza at the beloved Canele in Atwater, Danny Navarro took over his grandmother’s restaurant El Cochinito. And a few years later, when the building that houses Cafe Tropical sold and the cafe was closing up, Danny took over Cafe Tropical as well. 

You can read more about Danny and his legacy here.

From Aliza: I appreciate the multi-generational family restaurant at the bottom of my hill where I order Lechon and pollo asado with mojo, rice, and beans when company is coming over, and I can’t manage to make dinner. When I learned that Cafe Tropical might close after 44 years, I felt a pit in my stomach. I appreciate that it’s still there, lighting up the corner with its cafe con leche, Cuban sandwiches, and guava cheese pies. I marvel at how Danny has managed to maintain so many of these neighborhood relics while conscientiously updating them with locally sourced ingredients and a beer and wine list that features brewers of color and small, family-owned wineries. 

We love to offer Ruth’s pupusas made with Kernel of Truth’s organic blue masa! You probably know Delmy’s pupusas from the Silverlake or Atwater farmers market. And perhaps you know Ruth because her smile and cheer has calmed your nerves after standing in line for a pupusa in the microclimate that is the farmer’s market asphalt. This is the food that our kids miss when we’ve been gone from LA for a while. This is the food we get a mess of when I’m hosting brunch, a last minute birthday party, or just can’t bear to cook. This is the food we keep in the freezer for a meal that is never refused. What you might not know is that Ruth has been experimenting with Kernel of Truth’s organic blue masa and is making the pupusas for Farm to Curb using this incredible product. We offer her classic bean and cheese pupusas, Loroco and cheese pupusas (Aliza’s favorite), and other seasonal favorites. The pupusas come in three packs, with salsa and curtido (cabbage slaw).

When our shelter at home life relaxed and we could once again eat our way around the city, Mel led us on bang bangs. We’d travel in our own cars, grabbing food from places she’d missed or had been waiting to try. With school online, the extended bang bang school lunch was at times the most inspired part of the day. The first stop of our food tutorial was Burritos Las Palmas in Boyle Heights (and then Mariscos Jaliscos down the street.)

So we were thrilled to learn that Burritos Las Palmas is now selling frozen burritos. These Zacatecan-style burritos are wrapped in Mejorado’s prized flour tortillas and filled with either refried beans and Chihuahua cheese or shredded beef birria, refried beans, and cheese. They come four to a pack with a side of salsa roja. Jonathan Gold, once referred to these birria burritos as one of the "finest bites in all of LA."  

We absolutely adore locally-made frozen pizza from La Morra. These Neapolitan-inspired pies are made with a naturally leavened dough that’s hand-stretched and wood-fired, with a crispy, blistered crust to prove it. We offer Margherita, pepperoni, and vegan pie with marinated artichokes, pickled guindilla peppers, taggiasca olives, and plum tomatoes.You simply need to bake them in a 475º oven for 8-10 minutes. 

Let’s start with some authentic Italian from Ceci’s Gastronomia, Silverlake’s hot spot for prepared, handmade food. Everything in this little storefront is created and served by a husband and wife team, Francesco and Francesca, with a side of integrity, charm, and thick Italian accents that will melt your heart, fill your belly and sate your wanderlust. We love to offer their Lasagna al pesto (layered handmade pasta with basil pesto, bechamel, and parmesan) and zucchine alla parmigiana (thinly sliced and grilled zucchini baked with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, and parmesan) and tiramisu.