Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, the long-awaited, new View Park-Windsor Hills cafe from Ajay Relan, and Yonnie Hagos (The Parlor) and Chef Jason Fullilove (Barbara Jean), opened this past week.
I love the concept of this new cafe, Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen. It begs for you to sit down and hang for a while- whether you are reading, noodling on your smartphone or with friends, this is a great place to visit. It’s clear that the owners want you to visit often so that you can make this your fave place to be for a coffee or a meal. The bonus is that this new place gives back to the community is something I can’t ignore!
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen is a South L.A. cafe for the neighborhood. It’s an inclusive space meant to foster community, creativity, and connection over quality food and drink.
Ajay Relan commented “Our ethos throughout all the things we have created has always been ‘good vibes only’. Everything carries the thoughtfulness and the creativity in the experiene, so that people feel inspired and motivated to better themselves. We’ll consider Hilltop a success when locals think of it more as a community center and a gathering place than a cafe. We want it to be a place that sets the tone for your entire day and is there for you when you need it – in good times and less good times. We take the responsibility of bringing that to this community to heart.”
The menu will feature locally roasted gourmet coffee and fresh cold-pressed juices as well as all-day breakfast and lunch offerings, designed by Chef Jason Fullilove, like:
signature Hilltop Droptops (toasts and open-faced sandwiches),
Avocado Droptop
fresh beignets made daily,
Nutella Beignets
Beignets
bowls:
Superfood Bowl
Soul Bowl
salads,
Hilltop Chopped Salad
Free Range Chicken Salad
handhelds
Short Rib Sandwich
PLUS coffee, tea, and other beverages
“We’re excited to bring healthier breakfast and lunch offerings to an area that is so near and dear to our hearts – an area that we spent significant portions of our formative years,” says Hagos. “We hope that the space we create inspires local creatives and community organizers to come together and build on their ideas.”
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen Believes in Giving Back:
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen will also host quarterly #(hashtag)lunchbag events.
The social media-based #hashtaglunchbag movement was started by Relan at The Parlor and feeds over 1,500 hungry people monthly on the streets of Los Angeles. The movement has expanded to more than 150 communities globally.
Founders and Investors:: The Men Behind HillTop Coffee + Kitchen!
In order as seen in the photo: Ajay, Yonni and Spencer!
Bios for each below in same order as the photo!
Ajay Relan
Ajay Relan is an entrepreneur, marketing/branding specialist, and humanitarian.
He was raised in Los Angeles by his mother, who ran her own production services business. Ajay began his career on the production side of the entertainment industry before making his way into talent partnerships in the technology sector. He developed an affinity for finding synergies between clients and utilizing these synergies to build a sense of community through the creation of compelling and authentic stories.
His passion for building a sense of community, combined with his love for sports, Ajay became Co-Owner of The Parlor Hollywood (est. 2012), an upscale sports-themed dining destination. Located in the Melrose District of West Hollywood, The Parlor is widely considered the best place to watch a game in Los Angeles. The success of the brand sparked an expansion into LAX. As of 2017, The Parlor LAX offers its exciting sports-themed dining experience for passengers at Los Angeles International Airport Delta Terminal 3.
The Parlor also serves as a hub for local community events and gatherings. It frequently hosts university alumni events from across the country, along with corporate functions and events. For the past 5 years, The Parlor has become the flagship venue for the internationally recognized #HashtagLunchbag movement. The movement provides individuals and groups an opportunity, forum, and platform to feed hungry citizens in their local communities. #HashtagLunchbag was founded Christmas Day 2012 by Ajay and friends, operating out of his home. As of 2018, the organization has spread into over 150 communities across the globe, where is engages people of all ages and backgrounds to form a cohesive community and party with a purpose.
Ajay serves on the Board of Director for Los Angeles Southwest College, and is Founder and Chairman of the Living Through Giving Foundation, a 501c3 non profit that inspires people across the globe to make an immediate positive impact through their daily actions. The #HashtagLunchbag program is affiliated with the Living Through Giving Foundation.
Ajay’s passion for creating community based dining experiences, and his drive to make a positive impact in underserved communities led to the creation of Hilltop Coffee & Kitchen, a casual dining establishment which offers healthy dining options in a friendly environment within communities he considers underserved yet capable of becoming hubs of creativity, millennial energy, and sophistication.
Yonnie Hagos
Yonnie Hagos began his career in the hospitality industry at the early age of 19, working security for a popular sports venue in Santa Monica. It didn’t take long at all for him to fall in love with the restaurant business. Quickly recognizing his hard work and natural entrepreneurial spirit, he was promoted to general manager after only a year and a half with the company.
As he amassed more experience running a busy location, he set his sights on owning his own establishment – a dream he realized at just 23 when he opened up Boulevard Tavern on Hollywood Boulevard. This next chapter allowed Yonnie to gain an even deeper understanding of the intricacies behind owning and operating a restaurant. He learned tools of the trade and made valuable networking connections during this time, which allowed him to realize another long-standing dream: to own the restaurant where he first got his start. And in 2013, Yonnie took the opportunity to bring his career full-circle, purchasing The Parlor, now located in Hollywood.
Over the next five years, Yonnie took a still-fledgling restaurant and transformed it into a major sports, entertainment, and events destination. He instilled a culture and brand identity that registers with locals, out-of-towners, and celebrities alike, and along the way created a Hollywood hotspot that is uniformly considered one of the best sports bars and event venues in Los Angeles.
For more than a decade, Yonnie has focused his efforts and passion solely on improving operations and increasing the profitability of restaurant and nightlife enterprises – both his own as well as in a consulting capacity for others. Some of the locations he has either owned, operated, or directly influenced include The Parlor Hollywood, The Parlor Santa Monica, Boulevard Tavern, Hilltop Slauson, Malibu Inn, Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant, 815 L, and Trust Three Hospitality Group.
A native of Inglewood, California, he possesses a firsthand knowledge of the Southern California market, and his customer-focused strategies have continuously allowed him to cater to a wide and diverse audience.
Spencer Paysinger
Spencer Colin Christopher Paysinger was born on June 28, 1988. A Los Angeles native, Spencer enrolled at Beverly Hills High School in 2002 where he played a variety of sports but excelled at football. Finishing his senior year regular season undefeated, Spencer was named the unanimous league MVP while also garnering All-CIF accolades. After graduating from BHHS, Spencer accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of, Oregon.
In his time at Oregon, Spencer helped lead the Ducks to their second undefeated regular season in school history while making the All PAC-10 honorable mention list twice. An Economics major, Spencer would often exercise his studies with a series of internships around Eugene, Oregon. After a heartbreaking loss in the 2011 BCS National Championship game, Spencer signed an undrafted, rookie free agent contract with the New York Football Giants.
During Spencer’s rookie year, the New York Football Giants would go onto win Super Bowl XLVI. After four successful years in New York, Spencer decided to sign with the Miami Dolphins in 2015 where over the course of two seasons he would help the Dolphins to their first playoff appearance in 8 years. After leaving the Dolphins in 2017, Spencer had a brief stint with the New York Jets and finished the ‘17-‘18 season with the Carolina Panthers. The day Spencer was released by the Panthers, he realized his goal of playing seven seasons in the NFL and decided to retire on New Years Eve in 2017 to pursue a career in writing and producing. Over the course of his seven year career Spencer tallied well over 250 tackles, 5 passes defended, 1 sack, 4 fumble recoveries and 15 career starts.
Off the field, Spencer interned with Quest Diagnostics, in New Jersey, under their Blueprint For Athletes brand working in marketing. In Miami, Spencer helped build a business combine called Athlete’s Transition U. designed to help professional athletes strengthen their business acumen. In 2017 Spencer created Afterball LLC, an investment fund fully backed by NFL athletes with a focus on early stage startups. In his neighborhood of View Park, Spencer hopes to revitalize the community with a variety of new concepts, starting with Hilltop Cafe, a fast casual eatery with allegiance to underserved communities, opening in early August. Spencer has been married for two years to his high school friend Blair Paysinger and they have a one year old daughter named Cairo.
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen
4427 W Slauson Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90043
Hours
M-F: 7am – 3pm
Sa-Su: 8am – 4pm
Follow Hilltop Cafe and Kitchen on these social channels:
Online : www.findyourhilltop.com
Instagram : @FindYourHilltop
Facebook : FindYourHilltop
Twitter : @FindYourHilltop
The food that I have chosen to feature are just a few things that I saw from the Hilltop’s menu! This is good food, served in a casual and relaxing environment. Definitely this should be on your “must visit” list!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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