Brewing Resistance and Resilience

NHM Online Presents L.A. Culture in a Cup, a year-long initiative celebrating the stories of the diversity of Los Angeles and its people through the lens of the beverages and their significant vessels that bring us together.

Step into South LA Cafe (SLAC), and you aren't just entering a coffee shop—you’re entering a sanctuary. Located in the heart of South Central, this family-owned institution was built on a singular standard: ensuring every person who walks through the doors feels seen, heard, and valued. Through intentionality and ownership, co-founders Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace have created a blueprint for social enterprise that feeds both the body and the soul.

But to understand the sanctuary they’ve built, you first have to understand the roots that grew it. Read on to discover how a legacy of labor organizing and a leap of faith transformed a corner in South Central into a movement.

We aren’t bystanders in this neighborhood; we are upstanders. If we save one life by replacing a brake light and preventing a police interaction, it’s worth it.

Celia Ward-Wallace

Your roots in this city run deep. How did your personal journeys to Los Angeles begin? 

Joe: My story in L.A. starts in my mom’s belly—she came here on a train from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when she was seven months pregnant. She was a single mom running away from a life that couldn't help her grow anymore, looking for the land of opportunity in the 60s. She was a powerful woman; she bought our first house on 84th and Broadway in the 70s, just a few years after women were finally allowed to carry their own mortgages. 

Celia: I was born in San Francisco, but my parents moved us to Los Angeles when I was three to become union organizers with the United Auto Workers. They were on the front lines in the early 80s, organizing workers at the General Motors plant in Van Nuys to try and keep it open during the era when manufacturing jobs were being shipped overseas. My childhood was defined by rallies and demonstrations. Those roots in organizing and fighting for the working class are exactly what I brought with me when we decided to open this cafe.

And what was the journey to meeting each other? 

Celia: Joe and I have been together for 28 years now, but we had a few "sliding doors" moments where, if they hadn’t happened, we wouldn't be here today. We actually met as basketball referees. Joe was an established veteran referee, and I was a rookie referee still in school at UCLA. We felt a spark at a championship game, but we were both in professional mode, so nothing came of it. 

Joe: Four months later, we were both at a referee development camp where the legendary John Wooden was coming to speak. The organizers were strict—they were about to close the doors, and there was only one seat left next to me. My buddy was sitting there, but I told him, "Give me some elbow room, man, sit away!" Celia walked in just as the door was closing, and because I’d cleared that spot, she sat right next to me. If I hadn't made that move, our whole history might be different.

What were your earliest memories of coffee? 

Joe Ward-Wallace remembers his first taste of coffee came from the green MJB coffee containers in the 1970s.

Roadside Pictures, Flickr

Joe: My first experience with coffee was back in the 70s, when I was maybe 10 or 12 years old. I saw my mom making it, and I tried it without any cream or sugar—I thought it was horrible! I remember the green MJB coffee containers from those days. Later, in high school, I gave instant Folgers and Maxwell House a shot, but I just wasn't a coffee guy yet.

Celia: I have such a sweet memory of making coffee for my dad every single day. I knew exactly how to use the pour-over to get it just right for him. But my own personal "coffee journey" actually started much later with gas station coffee. My sister and I would go to AMPM and get those vanilla, super sugary lattes from the machine. My best friend was a total coffee snob and would tell me it wasn’t "real" coffee, but we loved it! Now, I’m the same way—I look at that machine stuff and think, "What are you drinking?"

How did South LA Cafe come to be? 

Vonnie, Joe's mother, beamed with pride when Joe graduated from the LAFD Academy.

Joe Ward-Wallace

Joe: I eventually started drinking coffee because I’d get off work at the fire department at six in the morning and have to drive all the way to the Westside just to find a shop that was open. There was nothing near us in South Central. I got tired of driving so far for a quality cup, so when the space on Browning and Western became available, just five blocks from our house, it felt like a calling. 

Celia: People assume we were coffee aficionados, but we actually knew nothing about coffee when we started. Coffee was simply the product that met the community's needs. It was the "tangible" thing that brought people in, but what we knew they really needed was connection—the "intangible" thing. We wanted to create a regenerative cycle where people would come in every day and feel like they were part of something built for them, by people from here.

Every great community hub has a signature. Is there one drink that epitomizes the soul of South LA Cafe?

Celia: When we looked for a drink to anchor our story, it had to be "The Western." It started as our horchata latte and became a runaway favorite from day one—everybody wanted it. 

Joe: We messed around with the recipe for a long time because in this neighborhood, horchata is made by grandmas; we knew we had to hit the flavor profile exactly right. We named it "The Western" to represent our original "OG" location and the thoroughfare that means so much to this community. 

Celia: Our philosophy is that everything on the menu must be a "10 out of 10." We try not to skew too far toward "super artisan" or "third wave" because we want to reach the masses, but we also refuse to serve low-quality products. The Western is right in the middle: great quality, universal, and velvety. Every time I drink it, I think, "That is a frickin’ good drink!"

How does community come together at South LA Cafe? 

Celia: Our "secret sauce" is delivering the feeling of being seen, heard, and valued. We aren't bystanders in this neighborhood; we are upstanders. We’ve trained our staff on how to handle ICE detentions to protect our fragile and targeted community. We host health fairs and brake light inspections because we know our neighbors are at risk during police interactions. If we prevent one unnecessary pullover and save one life by replacing a light, it’s worth it. 

Joe: When 2020 arrived—bringing both COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd—we didn’t shut down. We reacted. We started the South LA Grocery Giveaway. I didn't think there was any way we could pull it off, but 1,300 volunteers showed up. We’ve fed over 300,000 people since then because this has become a place of trust.

What do you hope the legacy of South LA Cafe will be? 

Joe: My mom, Vonnie Burnett, was a killer businesswoman. She was a single mom who ran a bar, a pool hall, and a fish fry to take care of us. That resilience is in our DNA. I tell young people all the time: ownership is the foundation. You can't predict the future, but if you own the land, you have the choice to be the landlord or run the business. Ownership is where you build a company from. 

Celia: Our daughters have been part of this since day one—they were only 9 and 12 when we started. We’ve been completely transparent with them about finances, checking accounts, and business decisions because we are planting seeds. They have developed and led the grocery giveaway for five years. 

Joe: I don't want them to be forced into this, but I want them to have the seeds of education and knowledge so they can take over in an authentic way. We are building something that lasts. 

Celia: It comes back to our tagline: Coffee, Community, Connection. It is entirely intentional. We always say that while coffee is the tangible product that brings people through the door, connection is what they truly receive once they are inside. We want everyone to feel seen, heard, valued, and loved in our space. It is about being "upstanders" for our community and showing that when you build a business for the people, by the people, the ripple effect of that leadership is felt far and wide.

Explore more from South LA Cafe 

Join the Movement: Visit Joe and Celia at their flagship South LA Cafe at Browning and Western, or find them across the city at their growing number of community hubs, including the Natural History Museum. Whether you’re there for "The Western" latte or to support the South LA Grocery Giveaway, you’re part of the connection.

What's your L.A. Cup story?

Do you know an L.A. beverage crafter who lovingly connects to your community? Do you want to share your favorite experience at South LA Cafe? Join the conversation by tagging @NHMLA and your story could be featured next!