In a field next to a church in Compton, a farm has taken root.
It provides fresh food for the neighborhood, and jobs for the formerly incarcerated.
And a couple times a month, it’s transformed into a kitchen serving chilaquiles made from scratch.
How Brunch Came to a Backyard Farm in Compton
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How Brunch Came to a Backyard Farm in Compton
On the first and third Sunday of every month, Alma Backyard Farms hosts brunch. Long, elegant folding tables are set up between raised beds packed with dinosaur kale, collards and beans. Butterflies weave around sage.
Diners order chilaquiles, then shop at a farm stand stocked with persimmons, mustard greens, bread from a local bakery and the farm’s own salsas.
This idyllic morning unfolds in a city in Los Angeles County best known for its struggles: Compton.
“The things we produce are beautiful things,” said James Morgan, who came to Alma after a 24-year stint in prison.
“In my prior life, I was doing a lot of destructive things, and this is good for me being part of something so beautiful.”
“I love the butterflies, I love the bees,” said Patrice Offord, a local who comes regularly with friends. “I’m in Compton, but I’m not in Compton. I’m on an island full of greenery and vegetables and high vibes.”
Alma is an ambitious organization, especially for its scrappy origins and small size. The farm offers job opportunities to formerly incarcerated people and works to create food security for neighborhoods where there is little. But adding a brunch service helped Alma achieve a third, less tangible goal: to cultivate beauty.