Jessica Koslow

Photo by Courtnay Robbins Bragagnolo

Ask Monique Yamaguchi — little sister to celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi — why she picked Playa Vista as the home for her first restaurant and her eyes light up, her mouth twists and turns, as she tells you that this is the last place she lived with her parents.

“My parents had me later in life,” she shares. “When I was in high school, I told them, ‘You guys will never have to live alone. I’ll take care of you guys.’ I didn’t know how much time I had with them.”

In 2008, the family moved to the area after her father was diagnosed with cancer, and for eight years she lived just a few blocks away from the boxy lawn and play area bordering Pacific Promenade, which her new Asian fusion restaurant Wellfed looks directly out on.

When her father died six years ago, Yamaguchi felt she had to do something to honor his memory.

Taking a cue from her much older middle brother Roy, who owns more than 30 restaurants in the U.S., hosted a TV series, published cookbooks and actually gave Monique her name (“I was one of the first examples of his love for fusing cultures: Japanese and French”), she decided to pour her blood, sweat and tears — into opening a restaurant. …

Read the full article at Playa Vista Direct.

Photo Credit: Maria Martin

Move over, Mitsuwa. Interesting restaurants have been popping up all along Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista, but the best may be yet to come.

Once a place where bartenders in tight-fitting nurse getups slung stiff cocktails for live rock band audiences, former nightclub The Good Hurt at 12249 Venice Blvd. is undergoing a transformation to reopen this fall as The Mar Vista — the first “for the public” restaurant for local chefs D. Brandon Walker (who goes by Chef D.) and Jill Davie.

“The neighborhood is changing so rapidly, and we want to be a part of it,” says Davie, who has had ties to Rockenwagner, Josie and Venice Beach Wines and made TV appearances on the Food Network, “The Next Iron Chef” and “Shopping with Chefs.”

For now, a square chunk of storefront on the north side of the block between Centinela Avenue and Grandview Boulevard is boarded up. But in short order, designer Greg Swanson explains, The Mar Vista’s finished space will feature natural wood and natural light — all the better to showcase progressive Los Angeles cuisine, says Chef D.

And, perhaps most importantly, The Mar Vista is a concept driven by a commitment to give back to the community. …

Read the full article at The Argonaut.

Courtesy of A Real Treat

Vanessa Hughes loves candy. Hers is the sort of passion that can make someone search out a sweet shop while honeymooning in Barcelona, which she did. Her obsession was sparked by her father, and she has since passed it on to her 7-year-old daughter, Bailey.

“I have a lot of childhood memories with candy,” Hughes says. “But when my daughter began eating my candy, I started thinking more about what it was made with.”

Hughes and her husband began to look around for “better” candy options, mainly those made with no corn syrup or artificial colors. To their surprise, they found limited options — although they were really good — and they mostly were available online only. So Hughes, who had a bowl of candy on every desk when she worked in daytime television and healthcare marketing communications, suggested to her husband that they open a pop-up candy store that stocked goodies free of artificial flavors and colors, dyes, refined sugars and many common allergens. …

Read the full article at LA Weekly.

Courtesy of Cake and Cork

At the second annual L.A. Cookie Con and Sweets Show this weekend — the West Coast’s largest event of its kind — all sorts of cookie bakers, both amateur and professional, will be showing off their goods in hopes of snagging a production deal with a big-name company. Think American Idol but with baked goods. You’ll find no shortage of follow-your-dreams stories here: One sweets enthusiast left her six-figure job to create beautiful cookies; another tossed away one obsession, sports, to start selling raw edible cookie dough; another floated her idea for a brownie and cookie combination past the entrepreneurs on Shark Tank; and another banked on a rebellious culinary school business plan. At Cookie Con, they’ll all be showcasing their sugary creations — and their culinary dreams.

Here are four dessert makers who charmed us with their stories and their sweets. …

Read the full article at LA Weekly.

Photo courtesy of: Al Mare

It was bound to happen – rising from the wooden planks of the Santa Monica Pier, surrounded by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and carnival food staples (hot dogs! fast-food pizza!), the first-ever Italian restaurant has popped up on the horizon, with an executive chef with serious gastronomical cred, Giacomo Pettinari. Even though Al Mare  a 279-seat ristorante, has been feeding the masses of tourists and locals alike through the holidays, their official ribbon cutting was actually only recently, on March 12.

Co-owners Paolo Simeone and Franco Sorgi, who have already seen success with Trastevere on the Third Street Promenade and La Piazza at the Grove, spent over two years completing the build-out of Al Mare, which is designed by local architect David Hibbert. The 9,000-square-foot Italian eatery now stands three stories tall, with second-floor balcony terraces and a rooftop deck boasting one of the best views on the Westside.

The space where Al Mare stands has an interesting history that doesn’t involve fine dining or Italian anything….

Read full article at LAWeekly.com.

Coffee toffee with chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich at Milk

I have a few entries in LA Weekly’s Best Of LA issue:

Best Ice Cream Shop

Best Portable Breakfast

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Octopus Dish