We believe that food is culture. And once we consider how it is produced, food becomes politics as well. Food is central to the educational mission of the Lake Balboa Park Project.

Food also helps define the identity of a place.

So, the idea of growing and harvesting native plants on site and using native American knowledge to produce food as cultural artifact, at the level of haute cuisine AND everyday nourishment, becomes the core of the educational experience for local students and the community at large.

Our Native American restaurant is conceived as a Michelin Star-caliber destination, located at the high point of the Basin overlooking Lake Balboa, with the Santa Monica Mountains as backdrop. This restaurant will attract local residents and visitors to experience the beauty of the park. Creative cuisine, informed by native American culture, will enrich contemporary life. As part of the Environmental Studies Center, the restaurant introduces students from local under-served communities to aspirational career possibilities attainable through education.

The Lake Balboa neighborhood is classified as a food desert by the USDA. To help address this, the restaurant will have a satellite market café, located on the civic plaza and near the Orange Line station, offering quality affordable fare and fresh produce to the local community. Additionally, a farmers’ market will take place on weekends on the civic plaza, featuring produce from the on-site foraging and kitchen gardens, and from local growers.