Michela Larson Owner

I am the third of ten children born to an American father and an Italian mother who was raised in Italy. I vividly remember the day my mother came into the dining room wielding a spatula and announced, “I am not a short order cook. If you children can’t get to the table on time, you are going to have to cook your own dinner.” This was actually music to my ears, because despite the fact that my mother was Italian and could certainly appreciate good food, she didn’t seem able or willing to make it. I mean really, who could blame her, having to cook three meals a day for 10 ungrateful, critical little mouths. I, however, did love to cook, and so occasionally I would take over dinner duty working out of the only cookbook my mother owned, The Food of Italy & How to Prepare It by the husband and wife team Edwin and Mildred Knopf who had the good fortune to have spent some time in Italy and were appalled by what Americans thought of as “Italian” food. Although my mother sanctioned the book, she couldn’t be bothered to work from it. But she did prove to be a brilliant taster, commenting throughout on whether I had added enough of this or too much of that. Burnt lima beans and overcooked chicken breast didn’t exactly become a thing of the past, but we had them less frequently.

After college, I did what many young women of my generation did—I became a teacher. Not because I had a driving urge to do so, but because I was unaware of any other real possibilities. However, a three month trip to Europe which became a three-year adventure living in Barcelona, proved to be the basis for the next part of my life. For the first time, I began to understand what my mother had been talking about when she described the food she grew up with, the freshness of it, the attention to individual flavors, the beauty of a simple plate of arugula with lemon and olive oil. I learned to eat in those three years, to really savor the food in front of me. And I began to cook in my little kitchen on Calle de las Rosas. And cook. And cook. My Spanish teacher taught me how to make a beautiful Romesco, my friend Carles showed me the process of making a perfect soffritto (he said the most important ingredients were patience and a comfortable pair of slippers), the lady butchers whom I nicknamed Snow White and Ruby Red, one because of her white blond hair, the other for her deep red lipstick, working from a side of beef practically as big as they were, taught me all about the cuts and how to cook them.

I returned to the United States and within six months I was working in Odette Bery’s Another Season. (Thank you Chris Douglass for hiring me.) From there, I went on to open a catering company and Salon Rouge with Betsy West. In 1985, I opened Michela’s in the Carter Ink Building, with Todd English as chef. Rialto at The Charles Hotel followed in 1994 with Jody Adams and Karen Haskell. Gary Sullivan joined us and in 2001 we opened blu at the SportsClub/LA and in 2002, we created the bar Noir at The Charles Hotel.

Rocca Kitchen & Bar is the culmination of years of experience and the ensuing creativity of many. It has a heart and soul. It is made up of a team of people who care about what they are doing and work to deliver the best every day. Like most things in life, it’s not perfect, but it sure feels good.