By Sue Favor
Contributing Writer
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Everytable and popular South Los Angeles restaurant Post & Beam have collaborated on a new menu offering, in time for Black History Month.
The creole chicken grain bowl is now part of the menu of Everytable — a social equity food company that provides fresh food through a variety of storefronts, subscriptions and institutional food services. Its menu includes a variety of meals including bowls, salads, wraps and snacks that are priced according to the surrounding demographic.
Bryce Fluellen, executive director of Everytable’s Social Equity Franchise Program, said it was an opportunity to bring two companies together that share a common vision of providing quality food to communities of color.
“The collaboration made sense because both of our companies believe in food justice,” said Fluellen, who is a longtime Post & Beam customer himself. “In the meantime, they can also get the support they need to keep their business going.”
The COVID-19 pandemic forced both businesses to shut down in-person operations last year. Uniting helps Post & Beam with sales, and gives more diversity to Everytable’s menu by including a traditional community favorite.
“Our mission is to make nutrition and delicious food accessible and affordable to all, at a price range that people can afford,” Fluellen said. “This collaboration allows our existing customer base to try Post & Beam through us. And hopefully when they’re able to open back up, (customers) will go back and support them.”
The grain bowl dish is typical of the fare available at the acclaimed eatery, adjacent to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, and features spicy chicken, dirty rice and a mixture of savory vegetables, including sweet potatoes, red pepper and collard-style kale.
Post & Beam co-owner Roni Cleveland said she and husband John’s decision to work with Everytable was an easy one.
“We believe in food equity and security for everyone. It was a natural and inevitable collaboration because our missions align,” she said. “Everytable has a feature on their website that allows you to donate a meal, and so does our website. That’s just one of the many ways Everytable spoke to us as a brand.”
Fluellen said Everytable morphed the work it would normally put into in-person service into other arenas, as the pandemic created more food insecurity and economic fallout. The organization has partnered with various agencies to help provide affordable meals to those in transitional housing, community college students, seniors and the homeless throughout Los Angeles.
Cleveland saw many impacted in South L.A.
“Post & Beam has always provided fresh, quality ingredients to the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw community,” she said. “This partnership will help us make that quality more accessible to those in our community that need it the most.”
“This area, despite its diverse economic makeup, is considered a food desert. This collaboration couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Items from the menu, on everytable.com, are priced from $5 and up. Meals can be picked up or delivered.
Fluellen said Everytable is open to working with other eateries in South L.A., should the opportunity arise.
“I’m sure we’ll be looking for other partnerships in the community,” he said.
Sue Favor is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers, who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at newsroom@wavepublication.com.
