Eat, drink and give — to support L.A.’s social safety net

Taste of Hope

The St. Joseph Center’s Taste of Hope returns for a fundraising evening of small plates, drinks and live entertainment. On June 3, the nonprofit’s annual tasting night will take place in front of the Miracle Theater with food from L.A. restaurants — including Earle’s on Crenshaw, Nueva Venice and Kogi BBQ — plus raffles, cooking demos, cocktails, an auction and live music. Tickets range from $100 to $250 and will aid unhoused families as well as struggling restaurants that were affected by the pandemic.

The St. Joseph Center is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide working, low-income families and homeless men, women and children with resources to become stable and self-supporting. Its programs include housing, mental health, educational and vocational services, and a food pantry, cafe and street outreach.

226 S. Market St., Inglewood, (310) 396-6468, eventbrite.com/e/taste-of-hope-tickets-150835873157

Gemini Bakehouse and La Sorted’s

Two pop-ups will take up permanent residence in Silver Lake in June when husband-and-wife bakery operation Gemini Bakehouse and mobile pizza purveyor La Sorted’s open a shared storefront. Conor and Hannah Smith have baked for the likes of Röckenwagner Bakery, Lodge Bread, Petit Trois and Bottega Louie, and their new space will sell breakfast sandwiches, ricotta toasts, cookies, loaves of bread, seasonal pies, cinnamon rolls and other pastries. La Sorted’s, helmed by Tommy Brockert (brother of Hannah Smith), will have wood-fired pizzas in the evenings, with both concepts offering collaborative sandwiches at lunch. Gemini Bakehouse will run Tuesday to Sunday and is open for preorder pickups. La Sorted’s will run four or five days a week to start, then expand; the mobile pizza truck will remain in operation. A grand opening is slated for later in June.

2847 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, geminibakehouse.com, lasorteds.com

El Granjero Cantina

The Original Farmers Market is getting a new vendor: El Granjero Cantina is a contemporary Mexican restaurant from John Moshay and Neal Fraser (who also own the nearby Fritzi Coop), with a menu from head chef Jenni Sklar (formerly of Sqirl, Son of a Gun and Lucques). Set to open in June in the former Ulysses Voyage space, El Granjero will serve daily lunch and dinner with dishes such as papas fritas with aji verde; traditional Caesar salad; creative tlayudas; and a range of protein options — such as chile-braised beef — available in either taco or bowl format. The bar program, from Redbird’s Tobin Shea, will focus on agave-based spirits and will include frozen drinks, red sangria and an eight-tap draft system that will feature carbonated aguas frescas and a clarified Paloma. Indoor and patio dine-in seating will be available, as will takeout. Brunch service to follow.

6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 525-0010, instagram.com/elgranjerocantina

Bakers Bench has cookies, croissants and other treats from former Konbi pastry chef Jen Yee.

(Stephanie Breijo)

Bakers Bench

Jen Yee, former pastry chef of Konbi in Echo Park, just opened her first stand-alone concept. Bakers Bench operates in a kiosk within Chinatown’s Far East Plaza and sells weekend-only baked goods such as chocolate croissants, chocolate chip cookies, a lemon-and-ginger honey cookie and fruit caramels. Yee, who also worked at the French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery, Craftsman and Wolves and New York’s Jean-Georges, says all items on the opening menu are dairy- and egg-free; more items, some of which will use butter and eggs, will follow. Bakers Bench is open Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. (or until sold out). The stall will be closed May 30 but will be open on Memorial Day. Yee plans to expand to a bricks-and-mortar shop in the future.

727 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, instagram.com/bakers.bench