Melissa Rosen and Greg Horos opened their “Japanese quik-mart meets European corner store” on January 22 in Franklin Village. On February 27, they celebrated with a grand opening that featured tastes of beer and wine, plus bites from La Guera Tamalera, Carmela Ice Cream and Dee’s Bakery & Donuts, to name just three satisfying options available on a daily basis at Locali.

Horos and Rosen hired Ana Henton and Greg Williams from MASS Architecture & Design to redesign the storefront, which now features a glass facade, floor-to-ceiling shelves crafted from reclaimed Douglas Fir, plus matching counter seats and outdoor benches. The floors: concrete: Lighting: solar tube and LED. Locali may not be LEED certified, but it is eco-friendly to the core.

The event began with a ribbon cutting using oversized novelty scissors courtesy of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Melissa Rosen and Greg Horos set up a tent in the strip mall parking lot and invited purveyors to dispense free samples of the goods they sell at Locali.

La Guera Tamalera’s Deborah Stern – the White Girl Tamale Maker - sliced steaming tamales, including Blue Corn Jalapeno with Monterey Jack cheese. Stern also produces organic free range chicken in green sauce, family farmed pork in red sauce, blue corn jalapeno & cheese (vegetarian), spinach & mushroom, “fignana” and “sasquash” - sweet yam and butternut squash with red bean filling.

Deanna Moody just started Dee’s Bakery & Donuts in December, but is already gaining traction, selling baked goods at Locali and Intelligentsia. She’s even mentioned the possibility of savory donuts and rolling out a conveyer belt in the spring to make donuts to order at farmers’ markets. She’s garnered attention for her donuts, and the ambitious baker/entrepreneur has already expanded to feature chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns. Though Dee’s cookies and buns are probably a little denser than their non-vegan counterparts, they were still plenty satisfying.

Pop Shop inventor Emily Zaiden dispensed cuts of her popsicles, which are ice and rice milk based. We tried Meyer lemon ginger with some kick and creamy avocado vanilla. Zaiden said she was inspired by Mexican paletas to develop a line of market-driven, organic popsicles with no preservatives or corn syrup. Her motto: “ice pops reinvented.” In Los Angeles, that’s certainly the case. Last year, we discovered a similar concept at the Portland Farmers Market called Sol Pops, but Pop Shop came first.

Across the tent, we found highly lauded Carmela Ice Cream. Founder/flavor developer Jessica Mortarotti wasn’t there, but we still managed to taste three excellent samples. We definitely liked the lemon basil sorbet and signature salted caramel ice cream. Brown sugar vanilla bean was also impressive. The ice cream was rich, but why hold back when ice cream is concerned?

The Bruery brewer/owner Patrick Rue drove up from Placentia to dispense beer from four different 750 ml bottles. Orchard White, a seasonal offering, was incredible, flavored with coriander, citrus peel and lavender. Regular offering Saison du Rue was an aggressive brew. Rue also poured relatively mild Saison du Lenti and Black Orchard beer with rich chocolate notes. Considering the quality level, it’s hard to believe the Placentia brewery has only been around for 10 months.

We also tried two different samples of terrific sugar cane juice from Rey & Robby Raw Sugar Cane Juice, including a cayenne-spiked Detox Elixir that packed some punch.

You can create your own tent event by shopping at Locali. They also sell white peach and ginger grape slushies sweetened with agave, plus seasonal soups, organic salads and deli sandwiches made on Oliver’s pretzel bread. Locali is a great addition to Los Angeles, and if all goes well, you can expect “conscious convenience” in other locations as well.

Open daily from 7 AM - 11 PM

Related Posts

1. Locali Pushed to January 2009
2. Locali Rolling Out The Icycle, Frozen Treat Tricycle
3. Locali Coming to Franklin Village on December 12
4. Locali Opens in Franklin Village
5. Cafe de Leche Grand Opening December 12

1. mattatouille, March 3, 2009:

   As long as it’s not TOO expensive…sounds like something I would love to have here in Downtown to replce the Famimas.

This entry is filed under LA Culinary Compass, Special Events.