This Award-Winning Chef’s Soul Food Restaurant Is the Hottest Spot in Los Angeles
Lifestyle May 30, 2024
This Los Angeles chef knows how food can change lives.
On Thursday’s episode of “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Jennifer Hudson welcomed Keith Corbin, an award-winning chef who is bringing opportunities and community to his neighborhood.
Keith is the head chef at soul food restaurant Alta Adams in the historic West Adams neighborhood of L.A. Since its opening in 2018, Alta Adams has made the “Best Restaurant” list in various publications and boasts celebrity clientele such as Jay-Z, Issa Rae, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Alta Adams means “to stand tall,” explained Keith to Jennifer. “I mean to take it to stand above everything else.”
Prior to owning a successful restaurant, Keith faced many challenges in his life. He was raised in Watts and was in and out of prison for over a decade, working in prison cafeterias while serving his sentences. In 2014, he was released and decided to change the trajectory of his life.
“The kitchen was associated with the streets and prison,” Keith said. “I didn’t know the kitchen would be my saving grace.”
Keith said that he always saw soul food served in Styrofoam plates to go. “I wanted to bring our food to the forefront,” he told Jennifer about why he launched Alta Adams. His aim was to make soul food an elevated experience for customers.
“I believe that soul food is food created out of love with the intention to nourish, sustain, feed the soul of people,” he shared.
Keith learned to cook by preparing meals for his siblings and watching his grandmother make meals for the family and the whole community, never expecting anything in return.
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View Story“I think that connection to the love for feeding people is what I took from it,” he said. “You create community around food. That’s what I do in the restaurant.”
Alta Adams doesn’t just provide a delicious dining experience. Keith only hires staff who wouldn’t be given a chance anywhere else, such as formerly incarcerated people with a background like his.
Chef Keith also launched Alta Community, a nonprofit arm of Alta Adams dedicated to empowering communities through food through three areas of focus: vocational training, addressing food insecurity, and promoting Alta Adams as a gathering space for community members.
At the conclusion of their interview, Jennifer surprised the chef with a custom plaque that reads:
“The Jennifer Hudson Show congratulates you on the success of Alta Adams, and commends you for standing in your purpose by giving others the opportunity to succeed. Thank you for being the heart and soul of your community.”
For more information on Alta Adams and Alta Community, visit altaadams.com.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays. Here’s when to watch in your area.
