IB MAG FINAL MINA

RESTAURANTS
" at
first bite"
The Serving Spoon on Centinela
Avenue in Inglewood is part restaurant, part
neighborhood gathering spot, part cultural
phenomenon and part inspirational message.
Or perhaps I should say “messages,” for
upbeat affirmations are all over the restaurant.
One says: “Take Your Place/Make Your
Mark/Live Your Life.” Another reads:
“Faith/Dream/Believe.” Then there’s “Life Is
Art/Paint Your Dreams.” There’s also “Family
and Friends Gather.” And what may be my
favorite: “Thank You for Honoring Our
Business.”
It’s a business that comes with a story —
inspirational, of course. It starts in 1 982, when
Harold E. Sparks leaves General Motors to
fulfill his dream of opening a soul food
restaurant.
And today the dream continues. In 2004, his
daughter Angela and Son-In-Law JC Johnson,
purchased The Serving Spoon outright. They
have since renvoted the location and have
expanded the brand.
“The idea of providing excellent food that is
not only ‘Love At First Bite,’ but a place where
customers feel like family, quickly caught on,”
the story continues. “ ‘The Spoon,’ as often
called by many, has served customers ranging
from entertainers to politicians to the neighbor
next door. All in the spirit of making you feel at
home, with food that’s good for the soul ...”
And let me tell you, the neighborhood is
definitely there. On a Sunday morning, there’s
a crowd waiting outside to get in. Heck,
there’s even a wait for the counter, which is a
good place to sit for the day’s game on the
TVs overhead. But no matter where those
lucky enough to land a seat are sitting, in front
of them are oversized plates of food that
smells good and tastes as good as it smells.
Show up for breakfast, and the choices are so
many. I guess the choice of choice is one of
the breakfast combinations that involve two
eggs (any style, of course), a choice of meats,
and a choice of grits, rice, potatoes or sliced
tomatoes. Oh, and a choice of toast: an
English muffin, cornbread or a biscuit. Sounds
simple enough, right? Except there are 20
meats to choose from. Everything from spicy
beef sausage to catfish and a rib-eye to
salmon croquettes and either beef or chicken
liver. Even the choice between the cornbread
and the biscuit is tough. (Luckily, you can get
them a la carte as well.)
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Inglewood Business Magazine July - September 2015