Mercado La Paloma

05/19/2026

🕊️ESPERANZA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF MERCADO LA PALOMA and extends a warm invitation to all to join us for an extraordinary anniversary fundraising dinner 🥘

🌆This year, Esperanza Community Housing celebrates 25 years of Mercado la Paloma, our beloved community cultural center, where economic development, social justice, arts and culture, climate resilience, and community revitalization converge under one roof in South Central Los Angeles.

In honor of this special occasion, we are excited to host a new and extraordinary fundraising event - the Mercado la Paloma 25th Anniversary Dinner on Monday, June 8th. This elevated, one-of-a-kind culinary experience will feature a curated 10-course menu led by award-winning Chef Gilberto Cetina of Holbox, in a dinner showcasing the extraordinary talent of the Mercado’s family-owned restaurants: Holbox, Komal, Chichen Itza, Oaxacalifornia, Taqueria Vista Hermosa, and Thai Corner. Together, they will highlight the rich flavors, cultural traditions, and creativity that make Mercado La Paloma so beloved.

DINNER DETAILS:
📆Monday, June 8th @7:00PM
📍Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007

All proceeds will go to sustaining the work of Esperanza, and its improvement projects of the Mercado. Even if you are not able to attend, please consider supporting the Mercado through the link in our bio.

05/06/2026

¡LA CUMBIA NO TIENE FRONTERAS! * CUMBIA KNOWS NO BORDERS!

Presenting stories, sound, & movement with live Sonidero music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega, the widely recognized and beloved Sonidero, set out to bring joy, rhythm, and energy to every dance floor. View the link in our bio for more information on the featured artists! 🔗

Join us for the book presentation of “Yo Soy La Cumbia”, with curated video clips by Betto Arcos and Moisés Baqueiro + Live Sonidero Music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega.

Explore the journey of cumbia across Latin America—how it has been adapted, transformed, and reimagined through local cultures and rhythms. From Colombia to México, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Perú, Argentina, USA and beyond -discover how one rhythm became many expressions.

🎟️Admission is free. “Yo Soy La Cumbia” book will be available for purchase during the event.

📆SATURDAY, MAY 9, 6 TO 9 PM.
📍MERCADO LA PALOMA (Conference Room)
3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

05/06/2026

¡LA CUMBIA NO TIENE FRONTERAS! * CUMBIA KNOWS NO BORDERS!

Presenting stories, sound, & movement with curated video clips by Moisés Baqueiro, founder of LA’s premier cumbia band El Conjunto Nueva Ola, and musical director and bassist of Las Cafeteras. View the link in our bio for more information on the featured artists! 🔗

Join us for the book presentation of “Yo Soy La Cumbia”, with curated video clips by Betto Arcos and Moisés Baqueiro + Live Sonidero Music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega.

Explore the journey of cumbia across Latin America—how it has been adapted, transformed, and reimagined through local cultures and rhythms. From Colombia to México, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Perú, Argentina, USA and beyond -discover how one rhythm became many expressions.

🎟️Admission is free. “Yo Soy La Cumbia” book is available for purchase during this event.

📆SATURDAY, MAY 9, 6 TO 9 PM.
📍MERCADO LA PALOMA (Conference Room)
3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

05/05/2026

¡LA CUMBIA NO TIENE FRONTERAS! * CUMBIA KNOWS NO BORDERS!

Presenting stories, sound, and movement with curated video clips by Betto Arcos, LA-based radio journalist, curator, and music promoter. View the link in our bio for more information on the featured artists! 🔗

Join us for the book presentation of “Yo Soy La Cumbia”, with curated video clips by Betto Arcos and Moisés Baqueiro + Live Sonidero Music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega.

Explore the journey of cumbia across Latin America—how it has been adapted, transformed, and reimagined through local cultures and rhythms. From Colombia to México, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Perú, Argentina, USA and beyond -discover how one rhythm became many expressions.

🎟️Admission is free. “Yo Soy La Cumbia” book is available for purchase during this event.

📆SATURDAY, MAY 9, 6 TO 9 PM.
📍MERCADO LA PALOMA (Conference Room)
3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

05/05/2026

¡LA CUMBIA NO TIENE FRONTERAS! * CUMBIA KNOWS NO BORDERS!

Join us for the book presentation of “Yo Soy La Cumbia”, with curated video clips by Betto Arcos and Moisés Baqueiro + Live Sonidero Music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega 🔗Click the link in our bio for more information about the artists and this event.

Explore the journey of cumbia across Latin America—how it has been adapted, transformed, and reimagined through local cultures and rhythms. From Colombia to México, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Perú, Argentina, USA and beyond -discover how one rhythm became many expressions.

🎟️Admission is free. “Yo Soy La Cumbia” book is available for purchase during this event.

📆SATURDAY, MAY 9, 6 TO 9 PM.
📍MERCADO LA PALOMA (Conference Room)
3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

04/27/2026

¡LA CUMBIA NO TIENE FRONTERAS! * CUMBIA KNOWS NO BORDERS!

Join us for the book presentation of “Yo Soy la Cumbia”, with curated video excerpts by Betto Arcos and Moises Baqueiro + Live Sonidero Music by Luis “La Rumba” Noriega.

Explore the journey of cumbia across Latin America—how it has been adapted, transformed, and reimagined through local cultures and rhythms. From Colombia to México, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Perú, Argentina, USA and beyond -discover how one rhythm became many expressions.

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 6 TO 9 PM.
MERCADO LA PALOMA (Conference Room)
3655 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007

03/16/2026

Celebrate 25 years of community & development 🕊

In February 2001, Esperanza Community Housing opened the doors of Mercado La Paloma, a community marketplace in the heart of South Central Los Angeles.

From the very beginning, the Mercado promised something special: a place where small businesses could grow and flourish, where cultural traditions could be honored and celebrated, and where nonprofit organizations could serve our neighbors with dignity and care.

📍This year marks a significant milestone for the Mercado. The restaurants of Mercado La Paloma were collectively recognized as the #1 Best Restaurant in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times. This honor reflects not only the extraordinary food created by our restaurant operators, but also the people, stories, and traditions that bring the Mercado to life every single day.

🔗As we celebrate 25 years, we invite you to help sustain the next chapter of this community institution. Visit linktr.ee/mercadolapaloma and consider contributing to honor this momentous occasion.

03/07/2026

The South Central Film Festival programming is hosting a FREE Special Effects Makeup Workshop facilitated by industry professional Veniesa Dillon, a master of creature designs for film and television productions. In this hands-on workshop she will teach you how to sculpt a realistic wound and demonstrate her process for applying prosthetics, as well as share how she got her start in the industry.

We only have 15 spots available, so secure your seat by registering at: https://bit.ly/SCFF_FXMakeup. Check the link in our bio. Registration is required! We will see you March 14, 2026 at Mercado La Paloma in South Central Los Angeles!

Thank you for sharing your genius!

The South Central Film Festival is a project of Esperanza Community Housing and L.A. Grit Media, dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and celebrating emerging talent in cinema!

Festival Dates: March 27-28,2026
📍Mercado La Paloma | 3655 S. Grand Ave., LA, CA 90007

03/06/2026

Esperanza Community Housing and Mercado La Paloma proudly presents
in honor of International Women’s Day

Women Without Borders, honors fourteen Latin American immigrant women whose leadership sustains movements, preserves culture, and builds collective power across communities, by Photographer Alma Lucia Vazquez

Threads of Becoming, explores female presence through painting—reflecting resilience, memory, identity, and the spiritual depth that shapes womanhood, by visual artist Violet Danesh

From March 8 to May 11
From 9 am to 9 pm
Mercado La Paloma
3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

02/24/2026

SAVE THE DATE! 🎬 The 4th Annual South Central Film Festival returns March 27–28, 2026 at Mercado La Paloma in Los Angeles. Enjoy two days of indoor and outdoor film screenings, panel discussions, awards, and music. 🎟️ Reserve your tickets using the link below.
https://bit.ly/SCFF_Tickets

02/07/2026

How Community-Led Development in South Los Angeles Helped Launch an Award-Winning Chef and a 25 Year Legacy

A recent episode of Marketplace highlighted a story that many of us in South Los Angeles have witnessed for years. When community development is done with intention, patience and deep local partnership, it creates the conditions for extraordinary outcomes.

The story featured chef Gilberto Cetina Jr. of Holbox, Mercado La Paloma and Esperanza Community Housing Corporation. Together, they illustrate what 25 years of sustained, community-centered economic development can make possible.

From its inception, Esperanza envisioned the Mercado not simply as a food hall, but as an economic engine and cultural gathering space. A place where aspiring entrepreneurs could test ideas, refine their craft and build loyal followings within their own community before the broader world took notice.

That is precisely the pathway that chef Gilberto Cetina Jr. followed.

What began as work connected to his family’s culinary traditions inside the Mercado evolved into Holbox, now internationally recognized and honored by the Michelin Guide. His success did not happen in isolation. It grew out of an ecosystem intentionally designed to lower barriers for small business ownership, provide affordable space, and surround entrepreneurs with community support.

The Marketplace feature makes clear that this is not only a culinary story. It is an
economic development story.

It demonstrates that when nonprofits invest in physical spaces that prioritize local ownership, cultural authenticity and accessibility, they create launchpads for opportunity. They keep economic activity rooted in the neighborhood. They create jobs. They build pride. They help local talent reach global recognition without leaving the community behind.

For 25 years, Mercado La Paloma has quietly done this work. Supporting dozens of small businesses. Hosting artists and community events. Providing space for nonprofits. Acting as a daily gathering place where culture, commerce and community meet.

Seeing this model recognized on a national platform affirms something many of us already know. Community-driven development works. It changes lives. It changes neighborhoods. And sometimes, it helps launch an award-winning chef whose journey began in a public market in South Los Angeles.

Gilberto Cetina has been nominated for three James Beard awards, and his restaurant Holbox has a Michelin star, among other culinary recognitions.

01/31/2026

💜CALL FOR ARTWORKS💜

Esperanza Community Housing invites artists of all backgrounds to submit artwork for an International Women’s Day exhibition depicting immigrant women who are grassroots community leaders in the United States. We seek work that depicts and honors immigrant women engaged in organizing, caregiving, cultural work, and community leadership.

This exhibition uplifts immigrant women across all ethnic backgrounds whose leadership often goes unseen yet remains vital to social change, celebrating them as visionaries shaping their communities and our collective future.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Accepted media: 2D artwork only (paintings, photographs, graphic artworks,etc)
Minimum size: 18”x24” (no smaller works accepted)
Artworks must be stretched, framed, and ready to hang. All hangers must be 10 inches below the frame, and not visible from outside the frame.
Limit: up to 4 artworks per artist.
Submit at tinyurl.com/IWDArt2026

IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission: Feb. 23rd by 11:59PM
Acceptance notif: Feb. 24th
Artwork drop off: Thurs. Feb. 26th from 4 - 7PM
*Artwork selected must be hand delivered to Esperanza Community Housing.
Artwork pick up date: Mon. May 11th from 4-7PM.
No entry fee.

🌟Please submit at tinyurl.com/IWDArt2026 🌟

01/28/2026

🍃Belonging to Nature: Art and Memory in the San Fernando Valley is now on display at Mercado La Paloma until Feb 22nd, 2026 🍃

🌟ARTIST MEET & GREET:
The featured artist for this exhibition, Keiji Ichikawa, will be at the Mercado La Paloma Conference Room on Wednesday, February 4th at 2:30PM. Be there and meet the artist behind these deeply meaningful artworks 🌸

01/23/2026

Dear Filmmakers, Storytellers, and Visionaries—🚀🎬 it’s time to launch!

The Fourth Annual South Central Film Festival is officially accepting submissions!

Right now, community is more important than ever, and stories are what bring us back to what matters: truth, imagination, and connection.

That’s why we are inviting you to submit your film for consideration and a chance to be screened at this year’s festival.

⭐️Visit FilmFreeway to submit your work now. 🎞️
https://filmfreeway.com/SouthCentralFilmFestival

Not on FilmFreeway? Send us a DM! 📩

🗓 Submission Deadline February 8
🎬 Festival Dates March 27 to 28, 2026
📍 Location:

🏆 Awards:
🌟 Youth Award
🎖 Jury Award
👏 Audience Award

Presented by Esperanza Community Housing and L.A. Grit Media, the South Central Film Festival celebrates emerging filmmakers and amplifies underrepresented voices in cinema.

Cultural Producers:

12/19/2025

🕊️Mercado La Paloma will be closed on December 25th and January 1st. Holiday hours per operator will vary, so stay tuned on our page for updates.

➡️Swipe to view all the businesses at the Mercado and their holiday hours.

12/19/2025

🕊️Mercado La Paloma will be closed on December 25th and January 1st. Holiday hours per operator will vary, so stay tuned on our page for updates.

Thank you, and happy holidays!
MERCADO LA PALOMA

12/10/2025

🌟Mercado La Paloma is LA Times’ #1 on Best Restaurants!🌟

Last night, Mercado La Paloma was announced as #1 on the LA Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list, a testament to the hard work and creativity of our local community. We are extremely honored and proud of the restaurants and the families that have contributed their culinary excellence to the South LA community.


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10/23/2025