Spanish Flavors Come to Redondo Beach From the Former Moruno Chef

In happy news it seems that former Moruno chef Chris Feldmeier has resurfaced with an interesting new project in the South Bay. The name of the restaurant will be Gabi James, and it lands in the shuttered Zazou space in Redondo Beach.

Feldmeier isn’t the only star involved with the project. The Zazou property has long been in the Gabriele family — the father-daughter team behind Cafe Pierre and Love & Salt — and now will heavily feature Sara Gabriele and husband Adam Aro. The former is a level two sommelier and certified wine scholar, while the latter is a cicerone and level one somm with tons of front of house experience around the South Bay at places like Mediterraneo in Hermosa Beach.

Now it’s all coming together with Feldmeier, a Campanile/Mozza/Moruno vet, in the kitchen. The plan is to stick with the flavors of the Mediterranean coastline, from France to north Africa to Feldmeier’s own favorite, Spain. It’s a region Feldmeier knows well from his Moruno days, and more recently at his truncated Mar Vista project Louie’s. Vincenzo Marianella will handle the cocktails.

Expect an opening for Gabi James in early April, with evening hours until 10 p.m. most nights, and 11 p.m. on weekends. A tight friends and family event went down last night, which means a formal opening date is close.

Gabi James
1810 Catalina St.
Redondo Beach, CA

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