Jonathan Waxman Makes Triumphant LA Return at Westfield Century City

Famed chef Jonathan Waxman is set to return to Los Angeles with a new opening inside the sprawling Westfield Century City complex early next year.

The unnamed eatery will reportedly focus on Waxman’s specialities: modern California cuisine with plenty of rustic Italian influences. Waxman’s NYCA Restaurant Group says in a release that they’re excited to make their mark in Century City because of its proximity to Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood, all parts of town that offer money and a greater understanding of Waxman’s profile in the food world.

Waxman is known primarily as a New York City chef/restaurateur these days, but he first earned loads of recognition on the West Coast as the chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, a restaurant widely considered to be the thought leader in produce-driven California cuisine. He took over there from departing chef Jeremiah Tower, before ultimately moving on himself to open the now-iconic Michael’s in Santa Monica.

Today, Waxman owns and operates the beloved Barbuto in New York City, as well as Jams (a return to a restaurant he ran to great acclaim decades ago). He also has restaurant outlets in Atlanta, Nashville, and San Francisco.

As for the Westfield Century City, things are coming along quickly for the long-under-construction mall. A grand opening is slated for this fall, though more and more restaurants will continue to come online before (and after) that. There’s Din Tai Fung, La Colombe Coffee, Wexler’s Deli, and Randy’s Donuts, to name a few, while Shake Shack and Meizhou Dongpo are all up and running already.

And, of course, there’s Eataly, which is still slating for a late-year debut. The massive multi-story Italian mecca should immediately become one of the hottest dining tickets in town, and with Waxman nearby the Westfield Century City is in line for some big-time traffic over the next year.

• Din Tai Fung and La Colombe Among New Eateries Headed to Westfield Century City [ELA]