Image by Sterling Davis

As the art world’s elite flock to Los Angeles for Frieze art fair, Olivia Muniak, founder of catering company La Cura and LA resident, shares her guide on the best places to drink and dine around the city

Olivia Muniak

Growing up in the restaurant business, I learned to appreciate the subtleties of what makes a restaurant succeed. I saw my parents transform a casual European cafe into New York’s coolest lunch spot after which they launched two chic Italian fine dining restaurants in the heart of Greenwich Village and having worked myself in pretty much every front of house position, I know how much hard work it takes to deliver an exceptional dining experience. It goes without saying that the food has to be good, but the best restaurants know that it’s also the lighting, the decor, the people that define their identity and keep clients coming back for more.

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Since moving to Los Angeles in 2017 to set up my business La Cura, I’ve made it my priority to scope out the city’s best places to eat and below are just a few of my favourites. Some newly opened, other’s mainstays in my book.

Bicyclette

The sister restaurant to the famed French cafe République.

Stepping down into the bistro feels like midnight in Paris, it’s a lively, warm space and almost every seat in the house gets a peak into the kitchen. Reservations are a must and make sure you arrive a little early for an aperitif at the bar. The food is classic bistro style, but so thoughtfully prepared. The soft egg, onion tart and bouillabaisse are amongst my favourites. Whether you go for a bottle of wine, or by the glass (my tip: ask for half-pours so you can explore the by-the-glass list), talk to the sommelier for their recommendations.

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The interiors of Gigi’s Hollwood. Image: @gigis_la

Gigi’s Hollywood

A trendy favourite for a late night dinner that begins and ends with cocktails.

The emerald green and gold interior, and white tablecloths feel fresh and luxe in contrast to the sporty-clad staff – it’s a vibe and we’re all into it. The quintessential California-french menu has many hits including the baguette with butter and caviar, but the most unexpected dish, at least for LA, is the Schnitzel and it’s delicious. Be sure to make a reservation.

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Read more: Michael Xufu Huang on Supporting Emerging Chinese Artists

Cafe Stella

A tiny garden restaurant tucked away behind an even better bar.

Go for dinner, plan to stay late for drinks, and possibly, a spot of dancing. The interior is a bit worn and rustic, but that’s what makes it cool. The menu is also French bistro style and has all the favourites: Moules frites, Steak frites, Poulet Roti and Sole meunière.

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Image: @crudo_e_nudo

Crudo e Nudo

A very casual “fish market” with sidewalk seating, natural wines and the best crudo you will ever taste – trust me!

Crudo e Nudo takes sustainable seafood sourcing  to a new level. The chef knows every fisherman that brings in the day’s catch, and how that fish was caught. You can see the Japanese influence on a very Californian menu in the seasoning of the dishes but also in the discipline in the way the food is prepared. It’s worth striking up a conversation with the chef who’s friendly face you’ll see at the counter. The menu rotates but you can always find these dishes: Vegan caesar with Furikake and  Tuna Toast.

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Read more: Koons, Kitsch & the Evolving Art Market

Grá Pizzeria

A funky local spot in the Echo Park area.

The interior is pared down with exposed brick and an open garden patio. A few things worth mentioning about the pizza: the dough is made with a long-fermentation sourdough recipe that the owner brought over from the UK, and cooks in a wood-burning stove so it’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. More importantly, it holds it shape when folded (a true sign of a quality pizza). The Margherita is my favourite but the seasonal pies are always worth a taste. The plate of prosciutto and green lovage salad should also be on your order.

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The patio at Gjelina. Image: @gjelinarestaurant

Gjelina

A well-known spot but deserving of the hype.

The menu is a journey through California produce, with some of the most creative, seasonal vegetables, pizzas and pastas. As soon as a vegetable is not at it’s peak, it’s off the menu. Gjelina is equally great for brunch, lunch or a relaxed, yet elegant dinner. If you can’t get a reservation, try  their sister restaurant Gjusta, which doubles up as a deli.

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Photograph by Jennifer Sosa

As Christmas fast approaches, Los Angeles-based chef and entrepreneur Olivia Muniak shares her tips on curating a successful festive party for family and friends

For me, the holiday season revolves around dreaming up new and exciting menus that reinvent classic favourites with seasonal ingredients and unexpected flavours. Admittedly, hosting is in my job description, but I take the same pleasure in putting on a magical evening for my friends as I do in designing an event for clients. Below, are a few tricks I’ve learnt over the years to reduce stress and ensure success.

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1. Atmosphere & Music

Curating a successful event in your home is about all achieving the perfect balance of food, drink, atmosphere and music. Personally, I like to use lots of unscented candles dotted around the house and assembled on the dining table. It’s a quick and easy way to create a warm, magical atmosphere.

In terms of music, I usually prepare playlist of my favourite artists such as Cesaria Evora, Amanz, Buena Vista Social Club and Rhye. Random pop or rock songs playing from your Spotify “like” list can make for a bumpy night.

Right now, I can’t stop listening to… Orchestra Baobab.

Olivia mixing cocktails in her home. Photograph by Jennifer Sosa

2. Aperitivo Hour

Building in time to greet your guests with cocktails is the warmest way to welcome someone into your home. I find that if you can allow time to enjoy conversation and a drink with friends, it sets the tone for a more fun and relaxed evening. Having a large batch of cocktails pre-mixed so that you can pour the liquid over ice makes your job as bartender even easier.

Try this cocktail… Bianco (White) Negroni 

Read more: Alain Ducasse & Dom Pérignon’s Ephemeral Dining Experience

3. Wine & Food Pairings

Even the simplest wine pairing can really elevate an event. While some guests or family members might prefer stick to their preference of white or red, try offering different varieties of grapes that enhance the flavours of your dish. It might sound obvious, but I find the best place to start is often the local wine shop. It can be really helpful to get some expert advice based both on what you’re cooking and the kind of atmosphere you’d like to create.

This Christmas I’ll be drinking… a Barolo in Tuscany.

Photograph by Jennifer Sosa

4. Approaching Cooking Like a Pro

People always ask how I make cooking and entertaining look and feel so easy, my answer is always prep! I begin the shopping and the cooking days before the party so that when it comes to the evening, I get to actually enjoy the event.

I start by reading the recipe through a few times to make sure I’m not missing any specific produce or complicated processes – you don’t want your guests arriving just after you’ve discovered the main dish needs 3hrs in the oven. Then, I prepare my mis-en-place (a French culinary term that refers to a chef’s “set” station) so that I have each ingredient pre-measured and ready at my fingertips.

Read more: Prince Robert de Luxembourg on Art & Fine Wine

There are often things that can be done the morning of the event, or even the day before, which will, again, save you time and stress when your guests arrive. Vegetables, for example, can often be precooked and a salad (undressed) can be ready in the fridge. Personally, I like to make the dessert a day or two prior to the party.

I also highly recommend trying to stay on top of your washing up during the cooking process – having an empty dishwasher is a lifesaver for that late-night clean up. Or else, opt for a glamorous approach (it’s Christmas, after all) and hire someone to help out with serving food, pouring wine and clearing away dishes.

The most thumbed cookbook in my kitchen… Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California by Travis Lett

Photograph by Jennifer Sosa

5. Decor

I’m a collector by nature. Over the years, I have amassed all sorts of dishes, serving platters,  vintage glassware and eclectic trinkets. Personally, I think life’s too short to be precious about Grandma’s china, but if you have a slim collection at home, there are numerous rental companies from which you can source beautiful dishes, glassware and flatware (and most let you return it dirty).

Outside of the necessary items on the table, I like to add small vases with delicate florals, or larger clusters of sparse branches arranged in clear vases so guests can still see each other across the table. A simple, dark velvet ribbon tied around a napkin is a quick way to add texture, colour and sensuality to a table.

My favourite homeware shop… Il Buco Vita in New York City.

Olivia Muniak is the founder of La Cura, a Los Angeles-based catering and events company. For more information, visit: thisislacura.com

One of La Cura’s intimate supper clubs hosted by Olivia Muniak in Los Angeles

In her first column for LUX, Los Angeles-based chef and entrepreneur Olivia Muniak traces the historical and modern significance of coming together to drink and dine

Olivia Muniak

Gathering together to drink and dine has a long, primal tradition as a social glue of humanity. In Roman times, banqueting was an important social ritual involving extravagant menus with multiple courses, luxurious tableware, and diverse forms of entertainment. There were even civic feasts offered for all of the inhabitants of a city, often accommodating large numbers of diners.

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Of course, food or rather the lack of it has also given rise to revolutions. Marie Antoinette infamously uttered the phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (“Let them eat cake”) on hearing that the peasants had no bread during one of the famines in France under the reign of her husband King Louis XVI. While it’s uncertain whether or not Marie Antoinette actually spoke these words, the phrase has acquired symbolic importance as an illustration of the upper classes’ ignorance, and the beginnings of the French Revolution.

If we look at religious holidays and the types of food that have been and continue to be served, we can also find connections with history. Lamb, for example, is served on Easter as a good omen, and is said to represent Christ while on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, apples and honey signify hope for future.

All of that is that is to say: food does not influence culture, it mirrors it and provides an important insight into the evolution of humanity. A pivotal point in American culture, for example, was the advent of the TV dinner which represented a huge shift in the archetype of family and our modern world. In the early 1950s, millions of white women entered the work force meaning that mothers were no longer at home to cook elaborate meals and pre-made frozen dinners provided the perfect solution: all you had to do was pop them in the oven, and thirty minutes later the family could be eating a hot supper while enjoying the new national pastime: television.

In Italy, food, drink and socialising go hand in hand. An aperitivo (pre-meal drink) is a cultural ritual, signifying the end of the working day. The Milanese take their aperitivo so seriously that the slang term apericena came about as a description of when drinks spill over into dinner. In Spain and some Latin American countries, sobremesa is the tradition of relaxing at the table after a heavy meal to relax, digest and converse, and in Sweden, it’s considered essential to make time for fika, a short coffee break, every day. We Americans go for all of it: cocktails, fine dining, street food, food trucks, coffee shops. We love a reason to get together with friends and indulge. The point is: humans have an appetite for good food and good company.

In 2019, I founded La Cura, a sustainable catering and event production company, based on that principle, but also because I was yearning for experiences that supported meaningful connection. I had recently moved to Los Angeles from New York and was eager to build a sense of community, and so it began, as a supper club in my backyard. I sold tickets to multi-course, family style meals. The first event was 32 guests, all different ages and from diverse backgrounds, crammed around one table. Guests had to pass platters of food to one another, share bottles of wine and the warmth of these very ordinary gestures created fast bonds between perfect strangers. The best story I heard from one of those events is that two guests (who both randomly ended up getting a ticket because a friend couldn’t go) began a podcast together.

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Over the last year or so, we have been starved of this simple, sensory act of gathering over food and drink. Instead, we met across screens – on Zoom, Facebook and Whatsapp – or hosted the same small circle of friends or family. When it became safe and socially acceptable to gather again, my company was booking a month plus in advance for brand events and dinners centred mainly around intimate dinners, which provided an escape from the ordinary. And this trend is only set to continue with many people hosting their own dinner parties having honed their cooking skills and invested in tableware over the various periods of lockdown. Alongside my company, which curates the menu and the evening, there are many consumer facing tabletop rental companies such as Social Studies which make it easier to throw larger events or themed parties within the comfort of your own home.

These kinds of social acts are good for us: they break up our days, increase productivity, provide a space for us to unwind, relax and have fun. They add colour and depth to our lives, and now, in the wake of the pandemic, meeting for a drink or meal has become more meaningful than ever. What this time has taught us is that food and drink is what binds us. It connects us to our personal memories, a sense of self, as well as to our cultural histories and traditions. I have a childhood friend, whose mother makes a marble cake for every birthday celebration and every time I see a marble cake, I think of both her birthday and my family’s restaurant, where is also served it by the slice. Wherever I am in the world, it brings me a sense of comfort and nostalgia.

No matter our background or culture, the act of eating and drinking together is something we all share. It’s a basic human need and a communal pleasure. More importantly, in this hard-to-predict time, the ritual of dining and drinking brings a sense of grounding and normality to our lives.

Olivia Muniak is the founder of La Cura, a Los Angeles-based catering and events company. For more information, visit: thisislacura.com