Grand Re-fresh

While New York has Chelsea Market and San Francisco has the Ferry Building, Los Angeles is gearing up for a culinary rebirth of its own at Grand Central Market. The city’s oldest and largest public market located on Broadway Street has been a landmark since 1917 when the area was the principal commercial and entertainment corridor of downtown LA. The 30,000 square foot food emporium and retail marketplace is currently going through a grand metamorphosis with new upscale tenants setting up shop monthly. The Yellin company is behind the market’s much needed revival, where the updated food stalls reflect a changing downtown that has been evolving at rapid speed. Grand Central Market’s mission has always been about celebrating the cuisine’s and cultures of LA, and is now looking to showcase California’s best ingredients, chefs and entrepreneurs.

A mix of exciting new vendors now reside at Grand Central such as the high-end G&B Coffee- from Intelligentsia alums Charles Babinski and Kyle Glanville- Press Brothers Juicery, Sticky Rice, and Valerie confections, a coffee shop and bakery that focuses on historic LA desserts a native California girl like myself covets, like Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake. Coming soon is the much anticipated Egg Slut which boasts the best LA breakfast, street style- think pancake tacos- and in case you find yourself hankering for a slut, you will receive a coddled egg served atop potato puree garnished with chives and grey salt in a glass jar. Belcampo Meat Company, the full-service butcher shop from the Bay Area will soon be presenting organic, grass-fed meats that have been raised on a 10,000 acre ranch near Mount Shasta, while Oyster Gourmet, DTLA Cheese- downtown’s first full-service cheesemonger- and Wexler’s Deli will soon follow. The entire landscape of downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of a major facelift and I’m glad it isn’t just centered around those doctor’s offices in Beverly Hills. www.grandcentralmarket.com