SOUTH GATE, Calif. – Los Angeles is putting itself on the culinary map, but not all neighborhoods are packed with the finest cuisine. This is why Chef Anthony La Pietra made it his mission to bring his experience back to his home town of South Gate.

“You have a lot of fast food here. We want to do something that’s homemade food without feeling bad about the price,” says La Pietra.

La Pietra says growing up he had to travel to Downtown L.A., Pasadena, or Long Beach to go to a quality restaurant. He often wondered why can’t we bring that here to my community?

So, he decided to open Velma’s Cafe to serve high quality, delicious food. He also made it affordable for the neighborhood that gave so much to him. 

“I wanted to do something that was still approachable. We wanted to do something that people were familiar with and wouldn’t get intimidated by,” says La Pietra.

After going to culinary school and catering for Hollywood’s biggest movies and TV shows, he knew it was time to take his career into his own hands. La Pietra and his family bought Velma’s Cafe from the owner, who ran the small watering hole since the 1950s. La Pietra wanted to rebrand the space and make it the new hot spot.

“We wanted to do something for the community, just like Velma’s used to do. We wanted to do something similar to that that would give us something that the neighborhood would be proud of,” says La Pietra.

La Pietra puts his love and care into everything on his menu. He uses fresh ingredients, offering options for all. The item creating the most buzz is the vegan taco. It is not just any vegan taco. It is made with hibiscus flowers, which is a totally new take on vegan cuisine.

“The way that I cook, I like to keep things simple. I like simple ingredients, simple plates,” says La Pietra.

The flavors are anything but simple. La Pietra goes above and beyond to make sure his dishes stand out and most of all make South Gate proud.

Velma’s Café is located at 13215 Paramount Blvd., South Gate, CA 90280.