Nyesha Arrington returned to Los Angeles for the final leg of her California food tour on Plateworthy, reconnecting with her hometown through pastries and Southern comfort food. At Santa Canela in Highland Park, pastry chef Ellen Ramos demonstrated her technique for champurrado doughnuts made with fresh masa and burnt-vanilla cream-filled conchas, showcasing the intersection of Mexican and contemporary pastry traditions.
The episode's centerpiece featured Arrington sharing collard green lasagna with actor and producer Issa Rae. The dish represents a bold reinterpretation of Italian-American cuisine through a Black Southern lens, swapping traditional pasta sheets for collard greens while maintaining the layered, baked structure that defines the form. This approach has gained traction in progressive American kitchens, where chefs honor ancestral cooking while pushing against established hierarchies of cuisine.
Arrington's tour demonstrates how regional food identity operates in California. Rather than treating the state as monolithic, the series locates distinct food cultures in specific neighborhoods. Highland Park's Santa Canela reflects the area's evolving demographics and its emergence as a destination for ambitious pastry work. Pairing this stop with Rae, a prominent Los Angeles figure, anchors the episode in the city's entertainment and cultural landscape.
The collard green lasagna speaks to broader conversations about Southern food's place in American dining. Once confined to home cooking and regional restaurants, dishes rooted in African American culinary tradition now appear on notable restaurant menus and in celebrity collaborations. This visibility carries economic weight. When influential figures like Rae publicly engage with these dishes, they validate them within broader food media and dining culture.
Arrington's platform as a host with established food credentials gives her access to chefs and personalities while lending credibility to their work. The series format, spanning multiple California