Gjelina Group

ABOUT GJELINA GROUP

Built on the foundation of a family, Gjelina Group creates hospitality experiences delivered from a place of purpose, with simplicity. Named for founder Fran Camaj’s mother, Gjelina opened on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in 2008, serving locally-sourced, produce-forward food and becoming a staple in the Venice community.

Since then, our businesses have evolved with our neighborhood — with our menus guided by conversations and long-standing relationships with Southern California farmers, local ranchers, fishermen, and co-ops.

In Venice, we now own and operate our restaurant Gjelina, Gjusta Bakery, GTA (our take away spot), Gjusta Goods (our retail store), Gjusta Grocer (our market and grocery), Gjusta Flower Shop, and Gjusta Apartment. Alongside we operate our nonprofit Gjelina Foundation and Gjusta Studios, our evolving spaces for interdisciplinary creative residencies.

In 2022 we opened our first East Coast location — an outpost of Gjelina NY at 45 Bond Street in Noho.

GTA - LA

Gjelina Take Away is the counter service outpost of neighboring Gjelina on Abbot Kinney in Venice — serving locally-sourced, produce-forward food to stay or to go.

GJUSTA BAKERY

A California deli, bakery, café, and market created to serve fresh, seasonal food to our community, and sourced by local farms, ranchers, fishermen, and co-ops.

GJUSTA GROCER

Prepared foods, groceries, bread, coffee, beer, wines, and more.

GJUSTA GOODS

Goods for cooking, gathering, and living — daily essentials created and curated for our restaurants, brought together in a space two doors down from Gjusta Bakery.

GJUSTA FLOWER SHOP

Seasonal arrangements and bouquets, flower subscriptions, event & corporate florals, custom installations, and more.

Our Approach 

Sourcing: Gjelina Group is the largest direct produce purchaser in Los Angeles, with a dedicated, in-house direct-to-farm purchasing team of four farm liaisons. Our philosophy on food, restaurants, and sourcing is grounded in deep knowledge about agricultural conditions and practices; conscious seasonality; dedication to quality; direct and long-standing relationships with vendors; and the establishment of thoughtfully concerted purchasing programs.

Production: In addition to sourcing for our restaurants, we work with our producers and farms to supply ingredients for our
in-house range of pantry goods and gift boxes, sold in-store and online — with production managed entirely in-house.

Gjelina Foundation: We are committed to the continued growth of the Gjelina Foundation, our 501c3 registered nonprofit dedicated to uplifting communities through the support of programs committed to food, farming, arts, and environmental sustainability. Our current Foundation focuses are on ongoing relationships with NYC’s Lower East Side Girls Club; support within the Venice public schools systems; and amplifying the work of family-run Oaxacan businesses, artisans, and makers.

Gjournals: Substack sharing stories, poems, photos, illustrations, songs, and videos that represent the melting pot that is the 400 strong Gjelina Group crew, our vendors, and the customers who frequent our spaces locally and from afar.

Our Vision

We are presently embarking on our most exciting growth period yet, with immediate plans to expand our catering arm and event rentals (including our own line of handmade ceramics and linens); grow our in-house production; host ongoing artist residencies, integrating an on-site ceramics studio and dark room; and opening our first hotel.

Our vision is to continue to evolve Gjelina Group with a growing NYC presence, built on the same philosophies that are core to our Venice operations — working to form symbiotic relationships with local producers and farms while furthering our Foundation’s connection with NY nonprofits and community organizations. We are presently seeking the right location for our next Gjusta Bakery opening in 2023, with a location in close proximity to the Gjelina in NoHo. Here, we will create an all-day bakery, deli, and cafe, modeled after the original Gjusta in Venice — open from morning until night, supplying the neighborhood with bread baked on site, to-go & prepared foods, coffee, pantry & grocery essentials, flowers, and more. Our catering program will include offerings from across the Gjelina Group’s menus, with a dedicated space for regularly hosting full-service events and gatherings. With all production on site, Gjusta will expand its in-house line of pantry and grocery items, all while establishing sustainable partnerships with NY area farmers, producers, and suppliers — the same way we have worked for over a decade to build mutually beneficial, long-term relationships in Southern California.

If you are interested in Gjelina, please express interest at right.