This Mad Man is Mad About His Craft. And Vegetables.
By Michael Politz
Credits: Food & Beverage Magazine
On
television’s Mad Men, Vincent Kartheiser plays Peter Campbell, a Junior
Account Executive at the fictional ad agency, Sterling Cooper. In real
life, Vincent Kartheiser is a chef’s dream.
Sure he’s a vegetarian, which might make some offal-loving chefs a
little batty; but he doesn’t let it get in his way of digging into a
menu. As a matter of fact, he relishes the opportunity to let a chef’s
talent shine through. Kartheiser explains, “It’s really easy being a
vegetarian. I never have a problem finding something to eat. I’m
actually one of the few people who say ‘chef’s preference – please cook
it how the chef chose it to be made’ rather than asking for everything
on the side.”
Chefs like David Rosenberger, Executive Chef at Kitchen 24, LA’s hot
new 24-hour restaurant on Cahuenga Boulevard where we caught up with
Kartheiser recently, welcome diners like this award- winning actor. And
he welcomes all the finicky eaters who make their way to Kitchen 24 and
aren’t as laid back as Kartheiser. You’ve got to welcome everyone with
open arms when you run a 24-hour restaurant in the heart of a
gentrifying area populated at night by hungry patrons, pouring out of
local lounges and nightclubs smack in the middle of a culinarily
underserved neighborhood.
Open
less than a year, Rosenberger notes that already they’ve got a regular
clientele coming in; from studio execs to partiers, to the guy who runs
the coffee shop down the street. Despite the economy, the restaurant
has been outpacing projected earnings and seeing more covers than
anticipated. The menu is comprehensive; covering all the bases from
breakfast to dinner and presented as a step up from classic diner food.
Rosenberger comments on how they’ve managed to be so successful in this
economy as he says, “We opened to contribute to the positive growth of
this neighborhood. The whole area used to be run down and wasn’t a nice
area. We want to contribute to a positive element with a low price
point and good food and give back to the neighborhood that way. So a
tremendous amount of thought was put into costing out - we made sure we
compared and didn’t break certain barriers. We were careful to not
break a price point that would intimidate people. There was also a
tremendous amount of thought put into keeping the food at a certain
quality level and at an affordable price that would draw them back
again and again.”
Kartheiser returns
again and again for a number of reasons. For one, he loves the
neighborhood. He comments, “I love this neighborhood because it is
diverse. The buildings here are beautiful, classic Hollywood 1930s and
1940s style. Now it is starting to change a lot. Cahuenga is becoming
more of a consumer zone. In LA, I guess as with most cities, places
don’t stay the same – they either get better or slummier. Though it is
gentrification, it is a good thing.” Another good thing for Kartheiser
is the extensive vegetarian options on the menu. A self proclaimed
plain cook who notes, “Not by any means am I a chef. I chop up
vegetables and put them in things. I’ll make pasta, sandwiches with
veggies.” Kartheiser can enjoy classic diner foods like Kitchen 24’s
vanilla milkshake and veggie chili that Rosenberg knows, “everyone goes
nutty over.”
While
diners may go nutty for Rosenberg’s menu, and there have been reports
of late night dancing fueled by cupcakes and champagne, it’s a place
where stars can quietly enjoy a meal with friends. Hollywood
heavyweights like Lionel Richie, Danny Masterson and Paula Abdul have
been spotted making pit stops for some late night food and, besides
Kartheiser and his friends, many other young Hollywood faces like
Lauren Conrad, Scott Speedman, Megan Fox, Gisele Bundchen, Lindsay
Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Brody Jenner, and Audrina Patridge are also
flocking to Kitchen 24. The lively pink and brown hued restaurant,
designed by Kristofer Keith, evokes a retro feel in a contemporary
setting, making everyone comfortable.
Kartheiser was particularly comfortable there on the day of our photo
shoot. And well fed. A generous spread came out of the kitchen for him
to enjoy as we talked. Later Kartheiser even commented, “They didn’t
make anything special for me, all that stuff was on the menu.”
It’s this thoroughness in the pre-opening menu planning that ensures
the success of a restaurant. Much like thorough planning for an
audition can impact the success of an actor. Kartheiser has been at
this acting craft for about 23 years. And he still loves it – even the
audition process. He says,” sometimes auditions can be really amazing.
A real opportunity to work and collaborate. You go into a room with
people you’ve never met before and you get to bring in an idea of your
own about the work they’ve written and love and there are new ideas
sparking off each other.”
Though someone had the wise idea to give much thought solid menu
engineering, Rosenberg and Kitchen 24’s owners, JT Torresgianai, Errol
and Kimberly Roussel, David Dickerson and JT Fox, are all pleasantly
surprised at how the restaurant has exceeded their expectations. And
Kartheiser, in his role as a Kitchen 24 patron, is pleased that he can
always find something there to eat.
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