This is Lara Adekoya, daughter of a Japanese
mother and Nigerian father.

She is the founder of Fleurs et Sel, a bakery specializing in cookies located in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Lara started her business during the 2020 pandemic,
baking cookies in her apartment and delivering them via
car. Today, her cookies are as famous as her clients: from
Oprah, to Russell Westbrook, to Netflix.

But what inspires me most about Lara is her passion and
commitment to cultivating community while building a
durable business that she retains full ownership over.

So I took a flight from Palo Alto to Los Angeles to sit down
with her and talk about how her cultural identity, resilience,
and creativity is shaping the future, one cookie at a time.

– Justin Barber