Just about two weeks ago came fresh details on the shuttered Cake Divas space in Culver City that David Haskell (Bin 8945), Farid Zadi (Ecole de Cuisine), and wife Susan Park had planned to relaunch as a restaurant, market, and cooking school called Eat. Good. Clean. Food. The venue held a very soft opening about a week and a half ago to test out dishes, but word just in that Haskell is no longer involved. He says, "Farid is an amazing chef, he is one of the best chefs in Los Angeles, but I decided that it is better for me not to be involved in this Culver City project. I hope to pair his food again. He really inspired me with his deft touch and balance of flavors. As for me, I am a completely free agent. At 35 I have learned a lot. I have had failures and success. I'm thankful for my experiences and ready for my next adventure." Does Haskell's departure affect Eat.Good.Clean.Food.?
"No," says Zadi. "He was never supposed to part of the whole business anyway. His partnership component was only for the restaurant that would have been built out in the enclosed patio. That's it. And it would have had a different name."
Right now the venue is open for cooking classes and the launch of Eat.Good.Clean.Food. in its entirety will progress in stages. This right here is the ambitious plan:
"The larger room in front will be for shared food retail, take-away and light cafe style seating. The shared food retail component is similar to how Fred Segal started with a collection of independent boutiques within a larger store. We are looking for small makers who've gone through the mill of farmers markets, artisanal food shows and street food festivals and are ready for something more permanent without the larger investment costs of starting their own store or cafe. The cafe/take-away menu will be inspired by French brasserie and American bistro/diner dishes with an emphasis on precise French cooking techniques and lots of seasonal produce. This room is projected to open in 1-2 weeks for lunch. A breakfast menu will be added a few weeks after that and dinner will be added a few weeks after.
The smaller room in the front will be used as a cook's library, office, and writer's salon. It will also be for teaching writing and wine classes.
Weekends menus at Eat. Good. Clean. Food will be international in flavor, anything and everything from North African, Peruvian, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and so on. The idea is to give a platform for other chefs and former students of chef Zadi to showcase their expertise with a range of international cuisines. It will have a test kitchen/chefs collaborative type of feel.
The large hallway, situated between the front rooms and enclosed patio will house Chef Zadi's butcher shop and charcuterie. His pâtés and sausages have only been available seasonally at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills until now.
The enclosed patio requires the most repairs and renovations before opening. It can be an extension of the food emporium (shared food retail concept) with additional seating or it can be a more formal dining space.
The second kitchen will be used for Ecole de Cuisine's professional culinary arts and pastry arts program beginning in February 2012. Having a culinary school attached to a restaurant will give students more opportunities for immersion learning."
·More On David Haskell, Farid Zadi, and Susan Park's Eat. Good. Clean. Food., Soft Opening This Weekend [~ELA~]