Alta’s Chef Keith Corbin has set their eyes on the Citizen Public Market in Culver City, which opens on Nov. 18, at 9355 Culver Boulevard for their new concept, Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen. Due to setbacks, Corbin’s new restaurant has been pushed back to sometime in January, or at least that’s when the chef feels the most comfortable to do so. As it stands, they don’t want to hire staff and then have to fire them because of COVID.
Similar to Alta, but “showcasing some new flavors,” Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen is a more fast-casual approach to Corbin’s formula. After the success of Alta, they ultimately decided they wanted to invent a new brand, one that they could take in an entirely new direction. Corbin told What Now Los Angeles (WNLA) to expect California soul food: smoked meats and fried chicken with traditional sides — with some other additions they plan on revealing when the time comes. In terms of branching out the Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen brand, he said he’s “setting it up for scaling.”
If you look at the ‘L’ on Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen’s logo, it bears a striking resemblance to the breast cancer awareness ribbon. Corbin hopes to introduce dishes where some of the proceeds will go to breast cancer research. Alta’s chef put a great emphasis on helping out the community, stating he also wants to onboard first-time workers when the time comes to start hiring.
When it comes to the name, Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen, there’s a double meaning: Cali is also the name of their daughter. Not to mention, Louella is their grandmother. The breast-cancer ribbon, which will be either pink or rose gold when the finished product arrives, is dedicated to them.
(Edited to mention Citizen Public Market’s opening date and to add logo provided by Keith)
