Actor and cooking personality Jake Smollett, brother of actor siblings Jurnee and Jussie, is making his debut in the restaurant industry. He’s opening up an eatery, Jake’s Food Company, that will be located in the Corporation Food Hall in Los Angeles, Calif. If you like homestyle family meals, you may want to try out the spot as that’s the focus of his cuisine. The menu that will be served at the restaurant is inspired by the New Orleans roots of his mother Janet while also having a California coastal flair to it.
Specific menu items you can expect to indulge in include seafood gumbo served with a signature blue crab fried rice, smoked gouda mac n’ cheese, fried fish, collard greens, savory cornbread doughnuts topped with a cheese butter, and don’t forget to end it with a bag of hot fried hand pies, beignet sticks and soft serve ice cream.
The restaurant opens in mid-October and visitors can come to the spot seven days a week.
Although this is Smollet’s first restaurant, he’s no novice in the kitchen. He had a show on Food Network called Smollett Eats and his preparing to debut his latest cooking series with sister Jazz Smollett on August 24 on Cleo TV. He also has shared his recipes on popular shows like The Chew, the Today show, Good Morning America and Rachael Ray. Another highlight of his resume is the best-selling cookbook he co-authored with Jazz, Jurnee and Jussie called Family Table: Recipes & Moments from a Nomadic Life.
His love for cooking began in his teenage years when he contributed to his family company Mommy’s Baked Goods, comprised of vegan treats inspired by his mother’s recipes. If you’re in downtown LA in mid-October and beyond, don’t forget to stop by and show some love. When he’s not cooking, Smollett’s busy being the boss at his production company, IronPack Productions, which he launched in 2020. His company’s niche, unsurprisingly, is food and lifestyle programming.