Inside Restaurant Recruiter Brad Metzger's Kitchen

The LA Times profiles restaurant recruiter Brad Metzger and his state-of-the-art test kitchen within his Santa Monica home. The kitchen has become a playground for LA chefs, and apparently is one of the "hottest tables in town." The idea behind this kitchen, though, is to give chefs a place to cook for prospective employers, and some of those chefs who have taken to the stoves include New York's Marcus Samuelsson (Aquavit, Red Rooster), Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Street), Evan Funke (Rustic Canyon), Joshua Smith (Church & State), the Red O culinary team, and also Top Chef alum Jamie Lauren. Remember SF's Jamie Lauren was heading to LA? Interestingly, the article lists Wilshire restaurant owner Steve Levine and Grace partner Richard Drapkin as attendees at the dinner she cooked, so perhaps she may appear at one of those restaurants. And lastly, the article reveals one more new restaurant open this summer in West Hollywood, plywood vet Fresh East, described as "...a casual pan-Asian restaurant."
·The Ultimate Test Kitchen, Where Top Chefs and Restaurants Connect [LAT]