Local Business Spotlight: Four Cafe + Penny Oven

TERA is spotlighting Eagle Rock small businesses to support our neighborhood’s recovery from the pandemic. For July 2022, we are spotlighting the dual Colorado Boulevard restaurants of Michelle and Corey Wilton, Four Cafe & Penny Oven. The two restaurants serve as an anchor for Downtown Eagle Rock and a beacon for delicious, healthy food within Northeast Los Angeles.

Below is an interview with chef and co-owner, Michelle Wilton:


What is the story behind Four Cafe and what brought you to Eagle Rock?

Four Cafe was created as a passion from cooking from my garden. We live in the area and always craved a salad and soup after a long hike and had hard a time time finding anything like that in the area at the time we opened. Let alone somewhere that focused on local and seasonal produce


How did you come up with the concept for Penny Oven after Four Cafe? Had you always planned to branch out and do something different?

My background is pastry. I’ve always dreamed of having a place that emphasized baked goods. I then got enamored with making bread with sourdough starter and thus incorporating this into Penny Oven’s opening concept. We didn’t know we would want another restaurant after Four Cafe, but when the option presented itself, we thought the area needed a good bakery and breakfast place. Breakfast is also my favorite meal to cook!


How do you feel Four Cafe and Penny Oven fit into the Eagle Rock community, both in terms of what the neighborhood wants and needs?

I feel as though both places really fit into the community because they are both family friendly and casual but offer high quality food. Everything at both places are made from scratch, we don’t have a microwave and sustainability is important to us. I think the Eagle Rock community appreciates this about both places.


What is your favorite dish at each restaurant?

My favorite dish from Four Cafe is the red curry kabocha squash soup. It’s my late mother’s recipe and it makes me so happy to share it with the community. From Penny Oven that’s a hard one but I would have to say the Shakshuka which is prepared in our wood fire oven and served with our fresh organic sourdough bread.


The pandemic has caused so much strain on local restaurants. How have you managed thus far and what are you optimistic about for the future?

It’s definitely been tricky to weather this storm. I think pivoting early in the pandemic into offering groceries really saved both places. We have such an amazing team working with us, it really made me proud of everyone to jump in and completely pivot into new job titles just to keep the restaurant to survive. I am optimistic that shall another curve ball be thrown at us, we have a solid foundation in our team we will be able to take it on!

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