When it comes to serving dishes from a well known chef, a new Studio City restaurant has turned the heat up with not one, but five all-star chefs offering some of their signature dishes all under one roof.
“It’s a culinary collective is what we call it. We take these very prominent chefs and we co-develop dishes with them that are true to their story, to their heritage, to their backgrounds and true to ours,” said Jay Gentile. CEO of Local Kitchens, a Bay Area-born fast casual chain Local that opened its first Los Angeles restaurant in Studio City in early July.
The restaurant, located at 3960 Laurel Canyon Blvd., joins the company’s 12 other existing locations in Northern California, which all focus on collaborating with several acclaimed chefs at each location. While the chefs are not physically behind the kitchen, each chef creates a one-of-a-kind, regionally inspired menu which is made at the restaurant.
“You can’t even get these dishes in their own restaurants. These are dishes only created for us with them,” he said.
The Studio City chefs are Alvin Cailan, who is known for launching the popular Eggslut food truck and for hosting First We Feast’s Burger Show on Hulu. His menu focuses on the iconic Oklahoma onion burger. He’s joined by Chef Tuệ Nguyễn, a cookbook author and a Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree. Nguyễn highlights Vietnamese street food staples on a menu anchored by her signature broken rice dishes.
Israeli-American chef Einat Admony, a two-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef and two-time winner of Food Network’s “Chopped,” is also among the all-star cast at Local Kitchens. Her menu offers pitas and other Mediterranean plates inspired by Tel Aviv.
Since fried chicken is hot at the moment, Chef Ari Feingold, known for the Bay Area favorite Proposition Chicken, has brought his menu of California-style fried chicken to the new Burbank location. And rounding off the list of chefs is Rick Martínez, who was the winner of a 2023 James Beard Award for Best International Cookbook. His menu consists of Sonoran-style tacos and burritos, rice plates and his signature salsas.
“The beauty of it is that you can come with a party of four and someone can have fantastic Vietnamese rice bowls, someone else can have a classic Oklahoma onion burger, someone else can have a fried chicken sandwich,” Gentile said.
The new spot is adorned with murals by local L.A. artist Eric Junker, banquettes, café-style workspaces and displays of chef’s cookbooks, photographs, and artifacts that tell the story behind the dishes.
Local Kitchens is at 3960 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City. local-kitchens.squarespace.com/studio-city