Your food orders donate to black causes at these L.A. pop-ups and restaurants

If you want to donate to a cause but don’t know where to begin, a few of L.A.’s top pop-ups and underground bakers are making it easy for you this week. In solidarity with the nationwide protesters calling for justice for George Floyd—a black man who was suffocated by a Minneapolis police officer last week—some of the city’s chefs are donating their proceeds to a number of organizations that protect, center and support black lives. 

Whether you’ve been meaning to donate to the NAACP, Black Lives Matter or the ACLU, these local outfits make donations quick and delicious. Some are giving a portion of your order’s proceeds, and others donating 100 percent of them—an especially thoughtful act, considering the donations come during a pandemic that has nearly decimated the restaurant industry. Thanks to this generosity, your next food order can do civic good while also filling you up. And don’t forget: You can also support the black community by ordering from L.A.’s black-owned restaurants not just this week but always.

Aliza J. Sokolow: One of L.A.’s top food stylists and photographers isn’t just sought out for her aesthetics—she’s also a phenomenal baker. Each week Sokolow’s been taking online orders for fluffy-as-hell challah and some of the best chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting, with pickup available in Echo Park, West Hollywood, Encino and Santa Monica. This week she’s donating 100 percent of her baking proceeds to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). If you’re feeling extra charitable, there’s even a new box to tick for extra donating.

Almond Milk Maiden: Emily Alben’s dreamy underground baking outfit is taking action all June long. Throughout the month, 10 percent of order proceeds will be split between three organizations: Black Visions Collective, the Bail Project and the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, with a menu that includes pies, cakes, pastries, cookies by the dozen, special-occasion cakes, and a savory galette made with farmers’ market tomatoes. There are salty honey pies, cardamom cakes with rose-water glaze, date-shake–inspired ice cream sandwiches, golden-milk cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake with tahini buttercream and so much more, and for a good cause. View the June menu here. Place your order one week in advance and pay via Venmo or Paypal, then pick up in Pasadena for free or opt for delivery for an additional cost.

Block Party: One of Highland Park’s busiest bars is giving back this week in a big way. If you’re in the mood for fun and funky craft beer, plenty of wine, hard seltzer and even spritz kits, now’s the time to order because Block Party is donating 100 percent of its sales proceeds to Black Lives Matter L.A. all week long. Opt for growler fills, canned drinks, bottles and even an easy-to-assemble michelada to help the cause. Call 323-741-2747 or order via Caviar, then pick up your goods along York Boulevard.

Offshore Tea: Teaheads, this one’s for you. Normally you’d find Offshore Tea and its refreshing cups of cold-pressed teas at Smorgasburg, but while the weekly food event is still on pause, you can purchase a rainbow of dried tea blends online—and in June, you’ve got extra reason to stock your pantry. David Zuluaga’s Venice-based, small-batch–tea company is donating 100 percent of its order proceeds through the month, supporting Black Lives Matter L.A. Matchas, oolongs, hibiscus-and-lemongrass herbal blends and more can all be yours essentially for donation, and you can order online here. 

Pretzelette: Salty, carby and sometimes filled with cheese, pretzels are a top-tier comfort food—which we could all use some of right now. Fortunately when you order a bit of fresh-baked-pretzel comfort this week, you can also donate to Black Lives Matter L.A. Home baker Samantha Klein is donating 50 percent of her Pretzelette proceeds all week long, so you can fill up and feel good when you purchase the likes of original pretzels, furikake-sprinkled pretzels, sweet birthday cake pretzels, and even Klein's terrific "pretzel bombs," which come stuffed with cream cheese and dotted with everything-bagel seasoning. You can even place orders for pretzels to spell out messages, names and initials (like, say, "BLM" for instance) and they get delivered right to your door. Find the menu via the highlights section on the Pretzelette Instagram page, then place an order via DM.

Secret Lasagna & Market: Secret Lasagna's WeHo market and takeout restaurant already helps furloughed workers and feeds families, and now they're taking it up a notch: For the foreseeable future, their cheese-wrapped, veggie-packed breakfast burrito—a cult-classic item from chef Royce Burke's Yarrow—is now aiding the Bail Project. "It’s a small gesture on our way to long lasting change," the restaurant posted in the announcement. "We can do this together."

Señoreata: Chef Evanice Holz’s flavorful—and entirely vegan—Cuban-food pop-up is now taking preorders for her next batch of potato balls, pastelitos and more, and proceeds are helping not one but two incredible organizations. During the pandemic Holz has been working two weeks out, which means orders placed beginning today can be picked up on June 14; 20 percent of every one of these orders placed now through June 7 will get split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This means Señoreata’s delicious Cuban-sandwich packs, picadillo-stuffed potato balls, and crunchy-coated croquettas will be doing good work while going down easy. Place your order now through June 7 by emailing catering@senoreata.com⁣, then pick up near Echo Park on Sunday, June 14. 

Sightglass Coffee: One of L.A.'s newest coffee shops—and neighborhood markets—is joining in on the fundraising this weekend, and for two days is donating the proceeds of 100 percent of its sales to two great organizations. On Saturday and Sunday (June 6 and 7), head to the spacious new Hollywood spot for bags of coffee, produce, merch, home coffee makers and more and the money from your purchase will be split between the ACLU and ActBlue.

Yang's Kitchen: One of the Best New Restaurants of 2019 is lending a hand, offering some fantastic Taiwanese and Chinese cuisine at a help to not one but four organizations. Now through the rest of the week, Alhabra's Yang's Kitchen is donating 15 percent of its proceeds, split evenly between Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero, Know Your Rights Camp and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Go order some of those great scallion pancakes for us.

And while not a restaurant, one of our favorite food magazines—the L.A.-based Compound Butter—just announced that they’ll be donating a portion of the preorder proceeds from their next issue throughout June. Currently they’re slated to donate to Black Lives Matter L.A., but are open to any suggestions for additional organizations that support the advancement and protection of black lives. You can preorder Compound Butter’s “Fantasy Issue” here.