New Vegan Eatery Aims to Decolonize Diets in East Los Angeles

New plant-based eatery Todo Verde is slated to open in East Los Angeles. Founder Jocelyn Ramirez was inspired to open the eatery after helping her family overcome health-related issues such as diabetes and cancer with plant-based foods. Ramirez first launched Todo Verde in 2015 as a catering company with the mission of making vegan food, inspired by her Mexican and South American heritage, accessible to East Angelenos. “Veganism is a radical form of activism that disrupts capitalist systems and puts people back in control of keeping our communities healthy,” Ramirez told VegNews. “Many food corporations focus their marketing efforts on low-income communities of color and feed us food that is making us sick. Veganism is a way to fight against that system and continue the ancestral food traditions that have been passed down for generations.” The menu will feature dishes such as ceviche made with hearts of palm in lieu of fish, an oyster mushroom-based coctel, and shredded jackfruit-based vegan tuna. Ramirez launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in June to help with operating costs and plans to use Todo Verde as an educational space to teach the local community about the benefits of plant-based nutrition. “Our communities are dealing with intersectional issues of class and race that affect our access to the same good food available in other wealthier communities across Los Angeles,” Ramirez said. “We have to reclaim our health and have conversations around decolonizing our diets in an effort to dismantle this oppressive system.”