Pop Star Christina Milian Opens a Cozy Beignet Cafe in Studio City

If you were wandering through Studio City on April 10, you would have likely noticed a small parade with floats and New Orleans-style band marching down Ventura Boulevard. This gathering wasn’t related to Mardi Gras — it was marking the opening of Beignet Box, a new cafe by founders Christina Milian and Elizabeth Morris.

Typically found throughout New Orleans and the South, LA has its share of shops that offer this traditional deep fried treat on its menus, including Little Jewel of New Orleans and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen. At Beignet Box, the menu stays incredibly simple. Staff prepare a mini beignet and a traditional sized one dusted with powdered sugar. The beignet sundae takes beignet bites and tops them with ice cream and caramel sauce. And of course, there’s coffee. Cafe au lait is the classic pairing with beignets, but Beignet Box also serves plenty of espresso-based options like lattes and cappuccinos. Sweet tea rounds out the available options of sugar and caffeine.

Louisiana-native Morris moved to LA in the early 2000s, where she met now pop-star Milian and eventually became roommates. Morris wanted to bring a piece of her native home to Los Angeles and partnered with Milian for this food business. Milian rose to prominence with three pop albums, and countless television and film roles, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and crime drama series The Oath.

The previous business, Comoncy Studio City, has almost no traces of it remaining, as Morris and Milian’s team completely transformed the space with bright windows, New Orleans-themed color scheme, indoor seating for 22 people, and outdoor seating for 15 on the patio.

Beignet Box seems to be moving fast with expansion already, with another location scheduled to open this summer at the Americana at Brand in Glendale. This Studio City original will serve Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday to Saturday until 10 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Nils Erik

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