‘Food is the most culturally accepted form of genocide’: how an LA district went from a food desert to a vegan oasis | Los Angeles

The plate is her canvas.

Imani Cohen never wants her dish to look too brown nor too starchy. She gravitates toward foods bright with luminous colors such as greens, purples and orange, during her weekly Saturday visits to the farmer’s market – a ritual she’s kept for herself and family as a way to be intentional in the foods she purchases for quality health and manifesting energy.

“My relationship with food has expanded as my relationship with self,” Cohen said. “It is a reflection of my self love. Food is one of the ways we can spiritually and emotionally empower ourselves and gain control over our lives and autonomy.”

Growing up in south central Los Angeles a lot of exotic vegetable ingredients Cohen’s mother loved to cook with were not always readily available in the neighborhood.

“I never grew up with the concept of farm to table and wasn’t exposed to that,” said Cohen, who was raised near Crenshaw and Slauson.

It’s why in 2020 her longtime homegirl, Olympia Auset, started a pop-up, SÜPRMARKT, in front of artist and educator Ben Caldwell’s storefront, KAOS in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood to combat the existing food desert that dehydrates south central Angelenos. In July 2024, SÜPRMARKT upgraded into a brick and mortar oasis and became the first vegan grocery store in south central Los Angeles.

Auset was disappointed that there were only three grocery stores within Crenshaw’s six-mile radius. She started SÜPRMARKT because she hated that residents had to travel miles into Manhattan beach, Marina Del Rey or Westchester to hunt for high value produce.

“It’s out of our way,” said Auset, 33, who studied public relations and sociology at Howard University.

Places such as Simply Wholesome, a Black-owned whole food store, has been a staple on Slauson Avenue and Overhill Drive but are more of an earth pharmacy and health restaurant v a grocery store.

SÜPRMARKT is accessibly located at 3526 West Slauson Ave, resting inside a 1,908 sq ft free-standing home. Upon arrival, patrons are greeted by a patio with ample seating. Inside resembles “a cozy residential house with a carpenter-style touch”. Tunes of Bob Marley playing in the background fills the air with positive energy. Its aqua interior delivers a tranquil shopping experience.

The market offers a well-stocked selection of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, including perfectly ripe mangoes, onions, yams, chard and dairy. Their open kitchen allows one to eat clean foods from their menu such as the signature “Everyday People” salad, cornbread, cabbage and vegan gumbo. Customers are also able to purchase items using funds through government- and community-assistance programs.

Gaining access to vegan processed foods for SÜPRMARKT was difficult for Auset, who said she faced racism and discrimination. One distributor laughed in Auset’s face questioning, “vegan ice cream on Slauson?” Then denying her service citing the neighborhood “unsafe.”

“I have had people do a lot of really weird things when we were going through our permit process,” Auset said.

She wants to raise awareness of these problems to make access smoother for people who are attempting to make a healthier oasis in the communities needed most.

Nearly one in five Angelenos – or roughly 2 million people – are food insecure, and is defined by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life due to money and other resources, according to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

“Food is the most culturally accepted form of genocide,” Auset said. “It kills more people than gun violence.”

Residents in the four neighborhoods along the Crenshaw district – West Adams, Windsor Hills-View Park and Baldwin Hills – are more than likely to eat fast food and get food from liquor stores or vendors due to the lack of access to fresh ingredients in the area, according to a study done by students at the University of Southern California.

“I focus on food injustice and food access, because I feel like it’s one thing that we have the ability to solve,” said Auset.

However, Cohen suggests that the locals’ inner priorities define what food they have to eat in their hood. As the “Hood Healer” she pushes people in the neighborhood she grew up in to eat with the same self-love she does, and put their health first.

Diets are “impacting our productivity”, she said. “We are functioning under high stress. Let’s start working on changing our diets.”

She points to the Crenshaw Farmers Market, operated by Food Access LA, that serves a large swath of south central Los Angeles.

The market features regional farmers, food and artisan vendors who bring a diverse selection of local produce as well as sprouts, breads, nuts, baked goods and delicious prepared food. Events are hosted monthly and include cooking demonstrations, tastings and children’s activities, according to their website.

The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw farmers market exists at the Crenshaw Mall bringing sustainable food systems that benefit low-to-moderate income residents of Los Angeles and supporting California’s small- and mid-sized farms and local small businesses, their website says.

“These markets are not well supported,” said Cohen, who began a social media movement on Instagram “Farmers Market Saturday” where she promotes and connects people to the farm-to-table experience and connect locals with Black farmers.

Cohen and Auset are just one of the coalition of organizations working to make their community healthy in Leimert Park. Imani Gardens, founded by Darin Diggs, is another mission-driven farmers pop-up who vended in proximity to SÜPRMARKT.

“I lost 65 lbs by adapting my body to foods that are made for us,” Diggs said. “Our people need to know that nature is them and they are nature.”

Originally from Fullerton, California, Diggs remembers never having to wonder where the closest grocery store was in Orange county but noticed the opposite when he crossed county lines.

“If I’m spending 8 hrs a week looking for healthy foods then I know my brothers and sisters aren’t,” he said.

He did the work so the community didn’t have to by hosting pop-ups throughout Los Angeles providing seeded fruit, and sometimes delivery, too.

For Auset, quality food is about one thing – keeping people alive.

“Statistics are not just numbers, they’re actual people. I don’t want to go to my friend’s funeral when we’re 40,” she said.