US-based SoLa Foundation, the not-for-profit affiliate of SoLa Impact, has unveiled the launch of its 60th Street Café, a SoLa culinary kitchen.

The new venue is situated at The Beehive, 1000 E 60th Street in south Los Angeles.

Offering breakfast, lunch, coffee and speciality drinks, the café offers affordable meal options to the region in an effort to improve the local "food desert" [an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food].

The site will host workforce development initiative the Kitchen to Capital programme, providing paid, six-week fellowships.

The programme encompasses culinary arts, restaurant and catering operations, entrepreneurship and workplace soft skills.

In collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, Kitchen to Capital plans to offer training to 100 students over the year to October 2026. Its graduates will move on to on-the-job training.

Offerings from the new café, served with participating students, are intended to support the Kitchen to Capital programme and the foundation’s wider objectives.

Sola Impact chief impact officer Sherri Francois stated: "This cafe is an investment in the next generation of chefs, entrepreneurs and leaders from south LA.

"By combining hands-on training with meaningful work experience, we're creating opportunities that have a lasting impact on our students and community."

The foundation has formed collaborations with local culinary companies and organisations.

These include Alta Adams, Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen, Chef’s Catering and Rio Hondo AJCC, to provide mentorship, internships and employment pathways for participants.

The ribbon-cutting event includes tastings of signature dishes prepared by the first cohort of trainees and a guided tour of the new café and kitchen.