We Bought the Block: Building Legacy, Love and Community in South LA With Joe Ward-Wallace

Welcome to this special Father’s Day episode of the Mother’s Quest Podcast. Each year, I feature a father who is not only present for his own family but also answering a larger call to lead and serve in the world. This year, all signs pointed to me interviewing Joe Ward-Wallace!

Joe is a retired firefighter, impact entrepreneur, and community organizer, known and appreciated for co-founding South LA Cafe - a Black-owned, family-run coffee shop, market, and cultural center rooted in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. Alongside his wife Celia, and their two daughters, Joe has created more than a business, they’ve built a movement: one grounded in racial and economic justice, food access, and belonging.

Today, South LA Cafe spans multiple locations, and includes partnerships inside the Natural History Museum and the Hollywood Bowl, expanding their reach while staying rooted in purpose. At South LA Market, through their weekly grocery giveaway, they've distributed over 33,000 bags of food to thousands of community members, given with dignity and care.

Joe is also the Co-CEO and President of the South LA Community Foundation, which breaks the shackles of systemic oppression and inequality by creating, building, and empowering an equitable, healthy, and sustainable South Central community for all. He leads these initiatives with power and purpose and as I discovered in this conversation, a preparedness  for what might emerge, honed from his decades-long career as a firefighter.

We recorded this episode just after an epic snapshot moment, the very day that Joe and Celia received the keys to the first South LA Cafe building that they own. By purchasing the historic space from a fellow Black community member, they ensured the building would continue serving the community’s legacy, protected from the forces of gentrification.

In our conversation, Joe and I reflected on the deeper roots of that moment and what it meant to grow up with little material wealth, yet rich in love, culture, and resilience. He shared stories of his mother Vonnie, whose strength and spirit laid the foundation for his values, and how her legacy lives on through his commitment to service and entrepreneurship.

As I reflect on our conversation, what stays with me most is Joe’s unwavering commitment to both joy and justice and how he’s investing in community not to extract, but to build lineage. His story is one of saying yes to seeds of dreams before knowing exactly how they’d unfold and watching them grow into something even more beautiful than imagined. Through South LA Cafe, through his family, and through every act of service, Joe reminds us that legacy isn’t built on perfection, but on preparation, culture and connection.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Joe’s childhood, his mother’s impact, and the story of how she  took a leap of faith to purchase their home in South Central 

• The transition Joe made from firefighter to community business leader 

• Lessons in work ethic, preparation, and grit passed down to and from his daughters

• The story behind founding South LA Cafe and how it has evolved since then

• The South LA Grocery Giveaway, a joyful cornerstone of their mission

• The importance of balancing hard work with intentional rest and self-investment

• The emotional power and legacy of owning their own building, a stand against gentrification, and the words from a celebratory post I asked Joe to read out loud (this brought me to tears!) 

•  The reflection that brought Joe to tears about how far he has come, which he jokingly referred to as his “Oprah” interview moment. 

About Joe Ward-Wallace

Joe Ward-Wallace is the Co-Founder of South LA Cafe is a Black-owned, family-owned, community coffee shop, market, and cultural center located in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. The South LA Cafe team exists to serve the community, fight racial and economic inequality, and provide equal access to food. Their mission is to provide a safe space for local residents as well as equal access to fresh, healthy and affordable food.

Additionally, he is the Co-CEO & President of the South LA Community Foundation, a 501c3 non profit organization which aims to break the sha