The Times' 2025 Gold Award: How the son of the king of soul food found his own way at Dulan's on Crenshaw

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Greg Dulan, owner of soul food institution Dulan’s on Crenshaw, is the 2025 LA Times Gold Award honoree, a prize created by the paper’s late restaurant critic Jonathan Gold.

Through his own Dulan’s on Crenshaw and two Dulan’s Soul Food Kitchen restaurants started by his late father, Adolf, and now overseen by Greg and his brother Terry, the Dulan family has kept soul food in Los Angeles thriving.

The Dulans’ father, Adolf, was known as “the king of soul food” in Los Angeles. During the 1980s, he opened Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch.

After recent financial struggles, the community rallied around Dulan’s on Crenshaw, boosting revenue 40% and helping secure crucial investor support.

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