Eddie Navarrette

Born and raised in LA, Eddie’s passion for social justice has been a constant. A product of the LA public school system and independent arts community, Eddie views his world through the lens of improving equitable street culture. As a young rock musician (when christened the nickname “Fast Eddie”), Eddie discovered support through employment at local bars like Three Clubs and restaurants like Miceli’s. Jabberjaw, a 1990s performance venue in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, was his sanctuary. He would learn that Jabberjaw was suffering from the same small-business inequities that informs the work that he does today.

In 2002, Eddie founded FE Design & Consulting to help hospitality businesses get their doors open, providing a variety of services for hospitality from architecture, land use and kitchen design. Today, Eddie is the Board President of Art Share LA supporting emerging artists in the community he grew up in. He continues to advocate for independent food & beverage businesses as a co-founder of the Independent Hospitality Coalition (IHC). Eddie lives in Downtown LA, serving as Executive Director of the IHC and living his values in preserving arts and culture in LA.