The historic Harold & Belle’s Restaurant is open and ready for customers to come and experience a newly renovated building.
“The remodeling of [our] restaurant is a representation of the community. We want people to see and find quality that’s close to them,” said restaurant owner Jessica Legaux.
The restaurant officially re-opened on February 9 after an eight month long renovation that kept the restaurant couple evaluating their business structure.
“We had contractor issues for two to three months, so we had to be resourceful during our closing. The remodeling just didn’t happen to the interior of the building, but for us as well,” said head chef and owner Ryan Legaux.
For every month closed, the couple went from making $150,000 a month in revenue to zero.
“It was a tough time, but we had family that helped us get through the phase we were going through,” said Jessica.
Ryan and Jessica are the third generation to operate the business and are very excited about the direction the eatery is going in. Ryan, the grandson of restaurant founder Harold Legaux, Sr., along with his wife Jessica, formed Legaux Holding LLC and purchased Harold and Belle’s Restaurant. The restaurant has a rich history in keeping alive the heritage and culture of Louisiana in Los Angeles. The new company will include not only the restaurant, but will also revive their catering and concession divisions.
Ryan grew up in the family business and started at the bottom and worked his way up the food ladder. He graduated from UC Davis where he received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Food Science and Management. Under his leadership the restaurant also received the “Maitre D’ of the Year Award” as well as the “Golden Bacchus Award” from the Southern California Restaurant Writers. To broaden his scope he studied abroad in Marseilles, France, gaining an international perspective on the modern business world.
Jessica and Ryan met while in high school. Eventually they began dating and the rest is history. Jessica is not just a pretty face, she graduated from California State University, Northridge with a degree in Sociology. When working in the community it’s very important to understand the study of people and society. But she didn’t stop there, she also brought to the family business experience from working with food and customer service at California Pizza Kitchen. When she started working at Harold & Belle’s, she rolled up her sleeves and learned just about every position available. She stands united with her husband in taking the family business into the next decade.
“This is the next step for us. We have the responsibility to be resourceful to provide jobs for people in the community,” said Ryan.
Since 1969, the family-owned eatery has provided the heart of the South Los Angeles community with the southern New Orleans style cuisine. The restaurant’s old interior consisted of popcorn ceilings, dark wood and tables that evoked an old school feeling.
But, with new light fixtures, seating, a new bar area and fresh new ceilings the restaurant has a brand new refresh feeling. As the restaurant reopened some people in the community may not know that the restaurant has opened again for business.
“We sent out phone calls that everyone should really listen to. We are definitely open, just closed on Mondays for the time being,” said Jessica.
Their menu consists of classics like gumbo, fried catfish, jambalaya, a newly added mac & cheese and even vegetarian gumbo and mushroom creole for the health conscious.
“We decided to downscale the size of our decorative platting because it’s better for our business. Customers still get a good amount of food, but we had to be more cautious of the wasting we did before,” said Jessica.
The restaurant even has live music Fridays where local foodies can enjoy Cajun cuisine and cocktails with a side of music.
“We still are competing with all the restaurants in Los Angeles to be really great and we are doing that,” said Jessica.
Harold and Belle’s is located at 2920 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018. For more information, please call (323) 735-9023 or visit www.haroldandbellesrestaurant.com.
Wendy Gladney Dean contributed to the report.
(Photos by Valerie Goodloe)
Over a thousand guests attended Inglewood’s sixth State of the City address hosted by Mayor James Butts at the Forum on April 21.
The Los Angeles Rams, neighborhood improvements, city finances and an airport sound insulation program, were among the topics addressed.
Butts told residents that when he took office in 2011, he had been the “heir to an accumulated $18.6 million structural deficit, decayed roads, deteriorating sidewalks and a 60-year-old water system that was failing.” Since then, he said, “swift decisive actions and sacrifices” have been required… and taken. “One hundred forty positions were eliminated and all city employees including the mayor and council members voluntarily had their pay reduced.”
Over the past five consecutive years, the Inglewood City Council has balanced every budget (with a surplus in 2015), more than tripled the city’s reserves to almost $40 million and have cut crime to the lowest recorded level in the history of the city.
Mayor Butts shared that by revamping city services such as street sweeping and tree trimming, the city of Inglewood has paved more streets in the last two years than the prior fifteen years combined and the new tree trimming program saves the city over five hundred thousand dollars a year.
The mayor touted the success of the Inglewood Senior Center, the award winning Centinela Hospital and improvements to parking and traffic control. The city also started the reconstruction of Century Blvd., a main thoroughfare leading into the Los Angeles Airport that had long been in need of repairs.
But perhaps Inglewood’s leaders pulled off two of their biggest feats when they reconstructed the “Fabulous” Forum and when they established Champions Plaza, “paving the way for the relocation of the Rams football team.” In a statement released before the address, the City Council said, “The Forum has become the number one concert venue in Southern California.’”
Meanwhile, during the address, Butts welcomed special guests Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Mark Williams HKS Principal Architect, Inc., Chris Meany Sr. Vice President of Hollywood Land Co., Mia Lehrer of Lehrer & Associates and Kevin Demoff Executive VP of the Los Angeles Rams.
Los Angeles sports commentators Jim Hill and Fred Roggin hosted the event. Hill was the master of ceremonies while Roggin hosted a special question and answer session with Jones, Kroenke and Mayor Butts.
Butts had worked directly with Kroenke and the Hollywood Park Land Development Company to bring the Rams to Inglewood. When he met with Kroenke, he said, and learned of his interests in bringing the NFL team to Inglewood he told a friend after the meeting ended, “‘There goes our destiny out the door’ and it turned out to be manifest destiny. I want to thank you Stan.”
“I can tell you from the day I landed (in Los Angeles) after that vote in January we came here the next morning,” replied Kroenke. “It’s been a wonderful experience ever since to the person who parks your car to a waiter in the restaurant or just someone you might just meet on the street. Everybody has been so warm it will be exciting to get further involved in the community.”
Mark Williams and HKS Architecture firm, the same firm that helped construct Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys stadium, will build the Inglewood “City of Champions” stadium. It is scheduled to open in 2019.
Butts also discussed housing prices stating that between 2012 and 2015 Inglewood housing prices have risen 85%. “If you want to be part of an economic boom, get in now and buy your property and come armed with your concept and we are ready to embrace you,” said Butts in an earlier interview.
“Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together,” Butts and the City Council said.
The city of Inglewood is a Charter City, they explained, with a council manager form of government.
“Together with the mayor’s clear focus and strong leadership, the five member City Council has created a positive atmosphere, which fosters economic growth and has brought government closer to the citizens all in an effort to meet the unique and diverse needs of their community…”
The legal community is mourning the passing of legal legend Attorney Robert H. McNeill, Jr., co-founder of Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt, California’s largest African-American owned law firm. Robert H. McNeill, Jr., affectionately known as “Bob,” had been a fixture in the Los Angeles community for over 50 years. He was born on January 7, 1941 and passed away April 17, 2016.
Bob tried numerous jury trials during his outstanding and versatile legal career. He successfully litigated many cases in both federal and state courts and in a wide range of practice areas, including medical malpractice, contract, business commercial disputes, real estate, criminal, construction defect, civil litigation, and family law. He served as co-counsel in a highly successful litigation involving a multimillion dollar health care class action lawsuit which changed the terms of insurance coverage on behalf of insured men and women in California. He successfully defended several death penalty cases in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, including one in which he obtained not guilty verdicts on all charges, consisting of four counts of first degree murder with special circumstances.
Bob was admitted to the State Bar of California in May of 1979. He served as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles and as Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles. He went on to be appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in 1993 on the nomination of County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, and served more than three four-year terms until his resignation in 2008. Bob served as a Deputy County Assessor from 1963 to 1977, and served as a member of the Los Angeles County Capital Case Fee Committee from 1993 to 1998 by appointment of the Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court. Bob was appointed to the Board of Directors of the California Science Center in Exposition Park by California Governor Gray Davis in 2001 for a four-year term. In 2015, Bob was inducted into the John M. Langston Bar Association’s Hall of Fame.
During his career, Bob McNeill and the Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt law firm received numerous awards and recognition. In 2006, Bob was selected as one of The Top 100 Attorneys in the State of California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt received the Minority-Owned Law Firm Client Services Award in October, 2005. In 2013, Bob was selected as one of L.A.’s Most Influential African-Americans by Los Angeles Wave Magazine. He received Southwestern University Law School’s 2014 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Black Law Students Association and the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement and Dedication to Society Award from Virginia State University.
Bob was a highly sought after legal commentator during the O.J. Simpson trial and served as a legal consultant for National Cable Television News.
The Los Angeles Sentinel/ L.A. Watts Times recently announced they are endorsing Congresswoman Janice Hahn, who is now running for Los Angeles County Supervisor over the 4th district. Hahn who is running to replace outgoing Supervisor Don Knabe has been a “friend and supporter of this community her entire life,” said her supporters. As a Los Angeles City Councilwoman Hahn represented a diverse community which covered Watts all the way to the San Pedro Harbor. The Sentinel and Watts Times endorsements have been added to more than 700 that she has received so far. Those include Labor Union, AFL-CIO, Long Beach Firefighters Local 372 and United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. 
“It is such an honor to have the confidence and the support of the working people of Los Angeles County,” she said during a past interview in response to those endorsements.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always strived to advance common sense policies that lift up workers, from supporting an increase in the minimum wage to advocating for equal pay for equal work, and from ensuring protections for workers’ rights to increasing access to high quality healthcare, and more…”
Of the Sentinel/ LAWT endorsements, “I’m deeply grateful to have the support of the widely respected Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper,” Hahn said.
“Considered a cherished institution for both news and opinion coverage, their support speaks volumes about my record of delivering for the African American and all diverse communities. It means so much to me to have this enormous endorsement from a newspaper that I have read throughout my life.”
Currently, Hahn is the U.S. Representative of the 44th district of California. She was elected to Congress during a special election held in July of 2011, and re-elected in November 2012.
She sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the House Small Business Committee. She serves as Ranking Member on the Small Business Subcommittee on Health and Technology and was on the 2013 Select Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation. She is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Marine Transportation, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Development, and the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Her desire to serve was instilled by her father, former Los Angeles County Supervisor, Kenny Hahn, she said. She grew up as an advocate for African American Community under his tutelage. He remains an icon among the city’s Black community, the only politician who met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his visit to Los Angeles. It was because of the supervisor that the Watts Hospital was renamed Martin Luther King Hospital which is now operated by the County of Los Angeles.
Before public office Janice Hahn served as a teacher and a businesswoman, in addition to being a single mother.
A graduate of Abilene Christian University, Janice also holds an Honorary Doctorate from Pepperdine University, according to her campaign website. In recognition of her distinguished leadership, Janice has received several awards, including the Rosa Parks Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Lillian Mobley Grassroots Catalyst Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus—South Bay, the Public Service Award from the African American Chamber of Commerce, the Bold Vision Award from the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the Recognition Award from the Harbor Area Gang Alternative Program, and enshrinement on the Promenade of Prominence in Watts.
“Janice Hahn has been a friend to our community and an advocate for our people her entire life,” said LA Watts Times Executive Publisher and Community Leader Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
“It has been a pleasure to work with her over the years and I am confident in her ability to build coalitions and work with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the other members of the Board of Supervisors just as she has done both in the City of Los Angeles and her time in Congress. I know with Janice on the Board of Supervisors we will have an ally who will always do what’s right and work for the betterment of all.”
Janice is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles and lives in San Pedro. She is the daughter of the late Ramona Hahn and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and the sister of James Hahn, the former Mayor of Los Angeles. Janice has two sons, Danny and Mark, a daughter, Katy, and five beautiful grandchildren: McKenna, Brooklyn, Isabela, Josiah, and Luke.