Owner Patti Peck & Chef Minh Phan Commemorate a Year of Culinary
Experimentation & Award-Winning Restaurant Redesign

LOS ANGELES, CA – January 7, 2013 – After a year of culinary experimentation and an award-winning design makeover, Beachwood Cafe Owner Patti Peck (Millie’s Cafe & Edendale Grill) and Chef Minh Phan (Echo Park Artisanal) will celebrate the milestone with a Grand Opening/One-Year Anniversary party on Friday, March 1, 2013.  The event will feature an open house from 6:00pm to 8:00pm with free passed appetizers, mocktails and cocktails, followed from 8:00pm to 10:00pm with a $30 tasting menu debuting the cafe’s new spring menu.  Beachwood Cafe serves fresh farm-to-table fare in the historic Beachwood Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles (internationally recognizable for the iconic Hollywood sign).  The whimsical redesign of the restaurant (formerly the Village Coffee Shop), by Architect Barbara Bestor, earned the cafe a 2012 AIA Restaurant Design Award.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.  Beachwood Cafe is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8:00am to 10:00pm, Sunday from 8:00am to 3:00pm, and is closed on Monday. The cafe is located at 2695 N. Beachwood Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90068.  For more information please call 323-871-1717 or visit http://beachwoodcafe.com.  The Grand Opening party is open to the public.  RSVP requested at https://www.facebook.com/events/427640673975410.

Beachwood Cafe, which first opened its doors on March 1, 2012, serves modern American cuisine laced with Asian, Scandinavian, and Mediterranean influences, all made with the highest quality, in-season ingredients.  “We put a lot of care in striking a balance between nuance and nourishment,” says Chef Minh, “Our food is comforting and rooted in tradition, executed for the modern palate with a delicate touch, honoring the best of the season.”

The cafe is located in the heart of Beachwood Canyon, a mile north of Franklin Avenue, straight up Beachwood Drive in the Hollywood Hills.  While only a short 5-minute drive from one of the busiest parts of town, the Hollywoodland setting offers a quaint and quiet getaway with a small town feel – a little bit of Mayberry in the middle of LA.  The Hollywood sign is situated just a bit further up Beachwood Drive.

photo by Ray Kachatorian

Menu–
The moderately priced menu features thoughtful, market-inspired, seasonal food. Chef Minh’s artistic creations strive to honor and frame the fresh ingredients she utilizes for clean, layered, and often surprising flavors.  The breakfast menu includes egg and tofu scrambles named after local canyons, black rice congee with fried egg and crispy ham, and baked goods including buttery scones, baked brioche French toast with bacon butterscotch, baked oatmeal, and handmade granola.  Topping lunch is a Creekstone Angus cheeseburger with homemade condiments such as fennel ketchup and slow-cooked onion jam.  On the vegetarian/vegan spectrum are signature bowls: The Fez and Sophia. The bistro dinner menu starts with fennel rillettes with pickles and seasonal preserves, cream-braised orzo with bacon and corn, and composed salads.

Entrees include shiso-enoke stuffed sole in a ginger-tamarind broth, ume sake braised pork with satsuma sweet potatoes, and lamb kofta with einkorn bulgur.  Mirin-braised eggplant with sesame-crusted tofu is vegan-friendly.  Mainstays include the restaurant’s seasonal take on steak and potatoes and the Flexitarian: seasonal greens and grilled vegetables with choice of protein reflecting the omnivore, pescetarian, vegan, or vegan-adjacent.  Dessert includes cardamom cake with roasted pears and chai cream, and “salted Twix” pot de chocolat.

Espresso drinks, specialty teas and fresh juices are also served, as well as wine and craft beers, including local libations, such as Stephen Ross Pinot Noir from the Central Coast and beers from Golden Road Brewing and Eagle Rock Brewery.  Everything is made from scratch on the premises including handmade bread ‘n’ butter pickles, fennel ketchup, jams, hot sauces and, of course, baked goods.  Vegan and vegetarian options are available.  The dinner menu includes starters ranging from $5 to $12 with mains from $16 to $23.  For additional menu details, see the Menu section on http://beachwoodcafe.com.

Interior Design–
When Patti Peck first took over the Village Coffee Shop, she commissioned Architect Barbara Bestor’s firm, Bestor Architecture, to give the newly renamed Beachwood Cafe a more contemporary, updated look.  Bestor’s whimsical makeover transformed the coffee shop’s rustic, Holly Hobbyesque interior into a bright space featuring a floor of bold yellow and blue pyramid-shaped tiles, art wallpaper by Geoff McFetridge, Noguchi ball pendant lights, and eccentric diorama art by Clare Crespo.  To retain the coffee shop’s cozy warmth, Bestor kept a number of the original features including exposed knotty pine structural elements, notched and scallop-edged wood, the long counter, and several vintage tables.  The resulting interior is a fun, stylish and flexible community-friendly space – perfect for a casual snack and coffee, brunch with friends, as well as romantic candlelight dining.  Bestor’s work with Beachwood Cafe earned a 2012 AIA Restaurant Design Award.

Beachwood Canyon–
Historic Beachwood Canyon, in the Hollywood Hills, was first developed as a 500-acre subdivision in the 1920s by a syndicate that included M. H. Sherman, the founder of West Hollywood; Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler; and real estate developers Tracy E. Shoults and Sidney Woodruff.  The upper portion of the canyon, aka Hollywoodland, was originally advertised in the 1920s by the iconic Hollywoodland sign (erected in 1923).  The neighborhood’s architecture and landscaping drew inspiration from the southern regions of France, Italy and Spain.  In the original cult film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), terrorized masses can be seen running through the neighborhood down Belden Drive.  Famous residents of Beachwood Canyon (past and present) include Anthony Kiedis, Axl Rose, Bela Lugosi, Charlie Chaplin, Doris Day, Forest Whitaker, Gustavo Dudamel, Heath Ledger, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Black, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Bacon, Madonna, Moby, Ned Beatty, Peg Entwistle (the actress who committed suicide from atop the Hollywoodland sign), Robert Townsend, and Vincent Price.  2013 marks the 90th anniversary of Hollywoodland, when Beachwood Canyon was first crowned with the world’s most iconic sign.

Bestor Architecture–
Bestor Architecture is a Los Angeles-based modern architecture firm, founded in 1995 by architect Barbara Bestor. The office is collaborative and produces design that navigates between popular culture, art, and architecture.  Recent projects include custom houses, art environments, collaborative installations and graphics, and commercial spaces, as well as the book, Bohemian Modern; Living in Silver Lake (Harper Collins, 2006).  The office engages Southern California as both the site and subject of architectural and cultural production to create contemporary environments.  http://www.bestorarchitecture.com

photo by Tony Byrd

Patti Peck, Beachwood Cafe Owner–
Patti Peck, a native of Indianola, Iowa, began cooking almost as soon as she could walk.  Raised on her grandparents’ working farm (cattle, hogs, corn, soybeans), as early as age 5, Peck helped make breakfast, lunch and dinner for 30 farmhands.  Years later, she honed her culinary skills in the San Francisco Bay Area, training under world-famous Alice Waters at Chez Panisse.  As co-owner and executive chef, she was responsible for the stylish Edendale Grill in Los Feliz, revamped from a run-down firehouse into a charming local hangout.  Peck was also owner and chef of the much-beloved Millie’s Cafe in Silver Lake, which served healthy, hearty food with a punk-rock sensibility.  In 2002, she was recognized as Small Business Woman of the Year by California State Senator Jack Scott.  For the Edendale Grill, the Los Feliz Architectural Society honored her for “Best Adaptive Re-Use Building.”  She was also recognized by the Los Angeles Times and LA Weeklyas a talented chef and restaurateur.  Above photo:  Patti Peck (owner; left) & Minh Phan (chef; right) by Tony Byrd.

Minh Phan, Beachwood Cafe Chef–
Chef Minh Phan was raised in Southern California and received a formal culinary arts education from Le Cordon Bleu.  However, she credits her life experiences, Vietnamese mother’s cooking, and childlike-curiosity as her greatest influences.  A passionate food activist, she promotes sustainable agricultural and culinary practices through her work at Beachwood Cafe and personal projects such as the uber-local Hollywood Orchard and national Culinary Corps.  Through Echo Park Artisanal (currently on hiatus), Chef Minh engages in a variety of culinary initiatives including education, co-op gathering and foraging, private cooking, and underground dinners.  Additional professional food-related experience included a position as Pastry Chef at Axe in Venice, one of the original farm-to-table restaurants.  She has also honed her craft at Gotham Tavern (Portland, OR) and at Inn of the Seventh Ray (Topanga Canyon, CA).  Further back on her rich resume, Chef Minh was a commercial director and documentary ethnographer, and held professional positions in advertising, including stints with Warner Independent Pictures, Focus Features, and ad firm TBWA/Chiat/Day.  This early career in film and advertising also very much informs Chef Minh’s aesthetic and artistic approach to food.  Chef Minh holds a BA degree from New York University in Theatre and Political Science.

#              #              #

For more information, photos, or interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

#              #              #

Beachwood Cafe Special Events & Reoccuring Menu Specials:

Daily Dinner Specials:
• Tapas Tuesday
• Pot Pie Wednesday
• Patti’s Midwestern Dinner Special (+ patron’s winning mom’s recipes) – every Thursday
• Fancy Food w/ Chef Minh – Fridays & Saturdays

Repeating Monthly Events:
• Community Night with Kid’s Menu, Activities – First Wednesdays
• Wine Wednesdays – Second Wednesdays
• Bingo Night Fundraiser for Local Organizations – Last Wednesdays
• Regional vs. Cali Favorites – Once a Month

Special Events:
• Thu. 2/14/13 – Valentine’s Day/Night Prix Fixe – $65 3-course meal + champagne cocktail

 • Fri. 3/1/13 – Grand Opening/One-Year Anniversary Party
– 6:00-8:00pm – Open House with free passed appetizers, mocktails and cocktails including one-bite versions of menu items. Paired with specialty lemonades and sodas (orange tarragon soda, basil mint lemonade, etc.). Chef Minh’s pickled pear and salty plum champagne cocktails.
– 8:00-10:00pm – $30 Tasting Menu – New spring menu debut, free glass of wine or mocktail with dinner.

See ongoing events & specials posted at http://beachwoodcafe.com/cafe-neighborhood-events.

Food photos by Minh Phan.  All dishes are subject to availability, based on season.