Jamie Lauren Departs Beechwood, Remodel Planned, Roy Choi Takes Command of New American Menu

After working at Beechwood for about six or so months and earning the restaurant a 1.5 star review, chef Jamie Lauren has decamped. But what is quite interesting/exciting about this changing of the guards is that owner Dave Reiss will renovate the space and he has asked Roy Choi (Kogi, Chego, A-Frame) to step in and introduce a new American menu. Roy Choi cooking American eats? Interesting! Here's the word straight from the restaurant:

"Beechwood and Jamie Lauren have celebrated a short, but solid, partnership and have amicably parted ways. Beechwood's flattered and gratified that Jamie made it her first LA home and thusly wishes her nothing but the best on her new ventures. Since Jamie's departure, Dave Reiss has asked Roy Choi to step in to provide some new direction for the kitchen while making plans to renovate and update the dining space. As their partnership dates back to 2009, Roy was a natural fit for the position. After some thought, Roy has made the choice to work in step with the fundamental values of Beechwood while shaking it up just enough to keep the relationship fresh. So prepare for a menu that will deeply respect the core cultures of Venice: laid-back, beachy and contemporary, while expressing some of the classic idiosyncrasies of Roy's imagination. This will be Roy Choi's most American menu to date. And we're excited to see how Venice will receive it."