In a skid row apartment building, L.A. restaurant chefs help residents get cooking

On a cool December evening, a group of residents at the Charles Cobb Apartments in downtown made their way through the building’s open-air courtyard to the communal kitchen for a cooking class.

There, a pot of sauce was simmering on the stove, and Saint Nick himself — or someone dressed up as him, anyway — was seated at the large dining table, noshing on crudité and salsa and drinking a cup of hibiscus agua fresca spiked with cinnamon. Once the room filled, chefs Sara Kenas and Eric Seoane of Anarchy Seafood began the evening’s class, which featured a menu of salad, Spanish rice and an enchilada casserole.