A Factory Kitchen Vet Adds Handmade Pasta to the El Segundo Conversation

What a time to be living in El Segundo. The sleepy coastal town near LAX has long kept a low profile while nearby cities like Manhattan Beach thrive, but with the move to bring the LA Times to the area and a burst of new restaurant activity, the future is certainly bright.

Among the new names with an El Segundo address is Workshop, a soon-to-open Italian spot with a serious culinary pedigree. The chef behind the project is one Jackson Kalb, a former chef de cuisine over at Factory Kitchen. Kalb has prior experience working short stints everywhere from Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas to Alinea and Union Square Cafe, but is now branching out to open Workshop with business partner Melissa Saka.

At Workshop, the plan is to cram as much Italian prowess into a scant 900 square feet as possible — like a Fishing With Dynamite space, but for noodles and sauce. The menu will mostly focus on handmade pastas, backed by greens, some stuffed Ligurian-style focaccia, and more. Expect daily lunch and dinner hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later.

As for local Workshop competition, the El Segundo Brewing team is working on a pizza place of their own soon, and Roman-style square slice spot Il Romanista is still going strong. Expect an opening for Workshop sometime in the first week of June.

Workshop
241 Main St.
El Segundo, CA

• El Segundo Brewing Adds a Pizza-Focused Brewpub to Its South Bay Arsenal [ELA]