Hugh Augustine Serves Up Food and Music for the Soul
From the time he was in seventh grade, rapper Hugh Augustine has created music. It was a craft that took him from his home in the Crenshaw District to college in New Orleans, where he performed local gigs with G-Eazy and then eventually on tour around the world with Isaiah Rashad. Hugh Augustine LA
“Touring was a life-changing experience for me because it’s almost like watching all of your dreams come to fruition, you know?” Augustine shares. “You see yourself in front of this big crowd and they know your music and everybody’s giving you good energy… It’s really a magical moment.” Hugh Augustine LA
After returning from his tour, Augustine continued to push his music career with his first solo album, “Dubious,” and more performances and tours, but in 2020, COVID-19 had other plans. Not only did the pandemic affect his music, but it was threatening his vegan lifestyle as well. The few grocery stores close to him had a shortage of fresh produce and other foods that people need in order to eat wholesome, healthful meals.
Fortunately, his mom, who worked as a caterer, had a Restaurant Depot card, which meant that he could access wholesale inventory to support his vegan lifestyle. But Augustine, a natural-born problem-solver, wasn’t about to turn his back on his community. So in 2021, he created Hugh’s Hot Bowls, a plant-based food service created to provide healthy, delicious $10-meal options in a time and place where access was extremely limited. Hugh Augustine LA
Today, Augustine’s music career is going strong, and so is Hugh’s Hot Bowls, which now partners with Summaeverythang Community Center to provide free hot meals to the South Central LA community. “It’s honestly surreal to be in a position to impact my community,” Augustine says. “So to be someone that takes a hobby and a lifestyle choice to create a platform as a way to get this information out—that has been a dream come true.”
Hugh Augustine
@hughaugustinemc
Hugh’s Hot Bowls
@hughshotbowls
Born and raised near the Pacific Coast, Jordan Nishkian is a California girl through and through. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Creative Writing and a BA in Anthropology, and her favorite place to be is curled up in a comfy chair with a book in her hand and a pen in her hair.
