For dineLA.com
(Continued from Part 1)
After several years of recession era stagnation, Los Angeles experienced its biggest culinary growth spurt in more than a decade. A number of chefs who are helping to drive this varied, often internationally inspired development reflect on 2011 and look ahead to 2012.
Photo by Joshua Lurie
What would you say your proudest moment has been so far in 2011?
Definitely getting the doors open of Cooks County. It’s fantastic. We couldn’t be happier about it. We have great partners and the reception we’ve gotten from the neighborhood has been great. We’re all really happy.
What about the biggest challenge of 2011?
Keeping our standards high and moving forward, in addition to opening lunch and brunch here, is going to be challenging. We’re going to try and do it as gracefully as we can.
What would you say the biggest success of 2011 has been?
Just being able to learn and put all these pieces together for this restaurant, working with Claudio [Blotta], a guy who’s opened a lot of restaurants, has been a really eye opening experience for me. To sort of be a part of that and help it along has been very good for me and my career.
What’s your biggest goal, or what are you most looking forward to in 2012?
To just put Cooks County on the map and really just provide a great dining experience for people and expand what we can offer here, hopefully expand the menu and get people excited about what we’re doing.
Any predictions for 2012 related to Los Angeles or your own cooking?
Los Angeles is going to get more recognition. There’s a lot happening in LA on all different levels of food, from the pop-up to the food cart, to the restaurant, the fine dining, and it’s happening in a lot of different pockets and a lot of different neighborhoods. I think that’s going to start getting noticed. There’s almost like – when we were in Portland, Portland has this fiercely independent restaurant scene – and I think that sort of is coming to LA a little bit, where people are full-on, “This is what I want to do,” and going for it. I think that is going to be great for the food scene in LA.
Photo by Joshua Lurie
What is your proudest moment for 2011?
Samson: Mine was my fantasy football team winning. No, obviously it was the opening of our restaurant. Long time, a lot of hard work, and finally it came to fruition.
Pollack: I would agree with that.
What has the biggest challenge been in 2011?
Samson: The same, opening the restaurant, of course, but as I said earlier, because somebody asked me, just having Zach and Dina and Bill, it almost feels like a family. We were all very close before, and it’s been really, really neat.
And the biggest success so far in 2011?
Pollack: I would have to say, getting the Esquire award was a pretty special one. It put us in a crowd of people we respect a lot, and that’s very fulfilling.
Samson: I would definitely agree. We got to go to New York for the dinner with Daniel Boulud. Tom Colicchio was there. All these great younger chefs, all these older chefs, probably 3 of the best 5 Italian chefs in the country: Michael Tusk from Quince, Michael White and Jonathan Benno from New York. Being in their company was pretty humbling, pretty exciting.
What’s your biggest goal for 2012?
Samson: I would to say to continue the success we’ve had so far at Sotto and grow from there and hopefully introduce new people to our neighborhood, kind of an up-and-coming neighborhood. We’re really excited. Who knows, maybe not in 2012, but maybe start trying to save for the next restaurant.
Pollack: I guess my biggest goal would be to get a staff so well-trained that Steve and I can really delve into creating new dishes consistently. For us, the most fulfilling is not just getting a static menu down and churning it out 365 days a year, but being able to change it. Obviously with the seasons, but there’s so much to be able to represent in the area that we’re covering. Even though it’s a specific area in Italy, there’s so much variety. To explore southern Italy on our menu would be very exciting.
Photo by Joshua Lurie
What was your biggest challenge of 2011?
I've never operated two restaurants at one time before, so 2011 was eye opening as to how to juggle the menus and how to keep the standards high. My kitchens performed well but I would have liked being more involved with front-of-house decisions. Our two GMs at Playa and Rivera are inventive and disciplined so I trust in them completely.
What was your biggest success of 2011?
My biggest success of 2011 was hiring two chefs-de-cuisine (at Playa and at Rivera) that watch over my kitchens and give me the freedom to invest time into researching the culinary history of Los Angeles and California.
What was your proudest moment of 2011?
My proudest moment of 2011 was the introduction at Rivera of the Saint Estephe menus I created around 30 years ago in Manhattan Beach, California. It was originally planned as a one-night dinner and turned into a six-week tribute to the cooking of that era. Chefs, old Saint Estephe customers and staff all came to revisit the dishes, and some guests even flew in from around the country to enjoy some of the specialties. I was proud that my dishes from 30 years ago held up and were still fresh and contemporary.
What are you most looking forward to in 2012?
In 2012 I'm looking forward to the opening of several Museum Tamal26 exhibitions that will begin the hard work necessary to launch this Southern California culinary institution.
Any predictions for 2012?
2012 is shaping up to be the turning point for Latin food in Los Angeles. I know we'll see many upscale restaurant openings highlighting Spanish, Peruvian, Ecuadorian and other Latin cuisines.
Photo by Joshua Lurie
What has your proudest moment been so far in 2011?
My proudest moment has definitely been, not launching one restaurant, but launching two restaurants in the same year. And then obviously the book [VOLT ink.]. I think it’s a combination of everything we’ve done in 2011, Bryan [Voltaggio] and I both, me opening two restaurants and us completing a book together is definitely enough to cram into one year.
As far as your biggest challenge of 2011, what would you say that’s been?
My biggest challenge of 2011 was opening two restaurants and writing a book. It’s all the same. Just figuring out exactly what the identity of the restaurant is. We’re trying to give people a feeling of fine dining food and fine dining technique at a more affordable price. We’re getting a big mix of people in here. We’re getting people who go out to the restaurants and spend $15, $20, $30 on a regular basis on food, and we’re getting people that spend four or five times that. We’re trying to appeal to both markets…We’re trying to make everything I’ve learned in my career more accessible, and that’s been the biggest challenge, figuring out how to do that.
What would you say was your biggest success of 2011?
I definitely feel like it was the book, as far as 2011 is concerned, because my brother and I worked on it together. The process was fun. We had help from Alex and Aki at Ideas in Food. The collaborative effort that went into that book, and the short amount of time that we put it together, was – I think – one of the biggest accomplishments of the year for us. Obviously the restaurant, it was a given that it had to happen. It needed to happen sooner than it did, and everybody waited for it, and then all of a sudden it was just here. I definitely feel like we’ll be celebrating the restaurant more in 2012 as we grow into it, as opposed to celebrating it before we’ve had a chance to take our training wheels off.
What are some of your biggest goals for 2012?
My biggest goal is to wrap my hands around this restaurant, get the omakase open, get this functioning as a consistently running machine where we’ve developed a regular clientele, as well as getting new people in the restaurant, making it a part of the food scene in LA and West Hollywood.
Do you have any predictions related to either what you’re doing or to the L.A. food scene for 2012?
My prediction is that there’s going to be a lot more restaurants, because there’s a huge demand for restaurants in LA. I definitely feel like 2012, even more so than 2011, is probably going to be the year of restaurants opening. I think that’s great. That shows that there’s some growth in the economy, there’s something to look forward to. I definitely feel like the casual fine dining concept is one that defines finally what the LA food scene is, and I’m starting to see when I travel to other cities, that type of restaurant is being set up outside of LA too. It’s kind of interesting to see that guys that pioneered it like Jon and Vinny [Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal], and certainly Jordan [Kahn] over at Red Medicine and having restaurants where you can still have great food, but make it more affordable, more accessible.
Photo by Joshua Lurie
What has your proudest moment been so far in 2011?
Being nominated as Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine, because it’s having recognition after almost 18 years of working as a chef. I feel like also being Peruvian, representing America’s best new chefs made me very proud.
What was the biggest challenge so far this year?
The biggest challenge is every day, because we’re running a company, we need to please all the customers and keep the standards. That’s the challenge every day at Picca and Mo-Chica, and the new Mo-Chica.
What would you say the biggest success of 2011 has been?
Opening Picca, for sure…Picca is kind of my dream come true. After Mo-Chica, which was very low-key, it was a big challenge for us to come with Picca and being successful makes me feel very happy.
What’s your biggest goal for 2012?
Have good business with Mo-Chica and hopefully open one more concept. We’re working on it.
Any predictions related to you or Los Angeles food in 2012?
It looks like there are a lot of restaurants opening, so it looks like the economy is getting better. At least people seem more comfortable. It’s not going to be like in the past, but you see a lot of businesses opening. It’s generating new jobs…It’s not just me, but everybody knows that Los Angeles food is going to finally go in the right direction you need. It’s more concentrated on the food. Before it was the scene.
Cooks County
8009 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.653.8009
www.cookscountyrestaurant.com
ink.
8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.655.7225
www.mvink.com
ink.sack
8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.651.5866
www.mvink.com
Mo-Chica
3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, 213.747.2141
www.mo-chica.com
Picca
9575 W. Pico Blvd., Beverlywood, 310.277.0133
www.piccaperu.com
Playa
7360 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.933.5300
www.playarivera.com
Rivera
1050 S. Flower St., Downtown, 213.749.1460
www.riverarestaurant.com
Sotto
9575 W. Pico Blvd., Beverlywood, 310.277.0210
www.sottorestaurant.com
