Nyesha Arrington returns to Los Angeles in the latest episode of Plateworthy, turning the camera on new bakeries and restaurants that are reshaping neighborhoods across the city. The segment spotlights a February 2025 bakery launch, a mentor-led beach-town lunch, and a South Central supper club that mixes live jazz with ambitious plates—offering viewers a quick tour of what’s fresh and worth seeking out now.
Her morning begins at Santa Canela, a Highland Park panadería and café opened in February 2025 by pastry chef Ellen Ramos. Arrington watches Ramos pipe and fry playful treats — including a locally distinctive take on churros — then seats down for a sweets-first breakfast captured on camera.
- Santa Canela (5601 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles) — Standouts shown: LA-shaped churros, champurrado-glazed doughnuts and cream-stuffed conchas. The menu rotates seasonally and pairs Mexican-inspired pastries with signature lattes.
- Augie’s on Main (2428 Main St., Santa Monica) — A quick seaside stop introduced a fried “dirty” chicken sandwich from the restaurant of Arrington’s mentor, chef Josiah Citrin.
- Somerville (4437 W. Slauson Ave., View Park) — In South Central, culinary director Geter Atienza prepares an unexpected collard greens lasagna with house spinach pasta, alongside fried chicken sandwiches garnished with caviar and a short-rib entrée.
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A brief, unscripted moment follows Arrington’s breakfast: she clips Bleu Ginger, her dog, into a basket and pedals along Santa Monica’s Main Street toward Augie’s. That ride frames a low-key stop for a casual sandwich before the episode shifts south.
At Somerville, the story broadens beyond the plates. The restaurant and adjacent jazz lounge — a project from restaurateurs Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan in collaboration with Issa Rae — intentionally references the neighborhood’s music-era past and the Dunbar Hotel’s historic role. The dining room’s Art Deco touches and a small stage for live music are part of a deliberate attempt to draw Angelenos back into the area.
Culinary director Geter Atienza, whose résumé includes Bouchon Bakery and Broken Spanish, brings a polished, slightly modernized take on Southern-leaning dishes. The episode highlights Atienza assembling a layered lasagna that folds collard greens into fresh spinach pasta sheets; other menu notes include Parker house rolls, oysters, braised lamb and steak plates, plus shareable fried-chicken sliders with luxe touches like caviar.
Why this matters: the episode isn’t just a food crawl. It documents how recent openings and restaurateur collaborations are driving foot traffic into neighborhoods—introducing new flavors while nodding to local history. For viewers and local diners, those shifts point to where to eat next and how food projects are influencing community renewal.
Watch the new Plateworthy episode to see these dishes and places in action: from the pastry bench at Santa Canela to a mentor’s kitchen in Santa Monica and a South Central supper club pairing live jazz with inventive comfort food.
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