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(Gerry Furth-Sides) In every picture taken of him, Chef Sammy Monsour, seems to look different.  I’m talking about photos years and also weeks apart.  Just look at the three below.  His own current bio stays the same and focuses on his southern background, Lebanese heritage, CIA training and sustainability advocacy.   But the story here is really about how well a second generation immigrant chef moving to LA will do when LA has not only always been riveted on celebrity.

We did not even recognize him from the Cochon 555 era picture – but we loved the sausage!

Chef Sammy has great “bad boy” stories from his Lebanese father’s kitchen  “joint” his father (with a parent being one of 15 children, like my mom), and his raucous southern upbringing that contrasted to the French technique in culinary school that laid his professional groundwork (his dad in a resigned manner offered to send Sammy to culinary school instead of steering him into the family business because he recognized his son’s calling).  The stories hint at how this cmulti-talented, storytelling, third generation eccentric creates a dazzling array of dishes that often baffle the critics and please us diners enormously. I know I’m in good hands when a chef leads me to the dishes he is most proud of on the menu. “I’m a talker,” he shrugs.  Each dish has a story, and we are ready to listen.  For a sample, please see //behindthepass.com/2013/05/17/201337samuel-monsour-of-jmcurley-in-boston/

Chef Sammy Monsour, winner of Guy’s Grocery Games and $20,000! (photo courtesy of Food Network)

It is so telling of the  whole of the Preux & Proper story here is more than the sum of its parts.  In this day when certain restaurants have no phone number (!) and others have only email or messaging alternatives, at the southern Preux & Proper, there is a friendly voice at the other end, and it may just be one of the two partners.  The partnership and the customer appreciation is key.

It really was like being in a movie to be hosted by what turned out to be the famous partner owner and chef at a “down-home”party at Preux & Proper

Preux & Proper, in fact, found its way after owner-founder Joshua Kopel  partnered up with Executive Chef Sammy Monsour.  As wickedly handsome as any riverboat gambler on the silver screen, just as charming but much better-intentioned, owner-founder Joshua Kopel “hails from humble beginnings” in Baton Rouge, LA. and at a successful point in his hospitality career, decided to bring a little bit of The South to Southern California.  And he has always been a determined sort.

In 2010 he opened Five0Four, a New Orleans style bar, in Hollywood. Four years later, Kopel broadened his focus to The South as a whole, and opened up Preux & Proper in The Fashion District’s newly vacant flat-iron building.  After a dismal beginning, Kopel was ready call it quits.

Then, according to the story, in walks Sammy Monsour, a third generation chef who grew up with roots in his father’s kitchen, considered a “neighborhood joint” in Chapel Hill, NC and by then was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Chef Sammy by then was also a “big deal.”  He had recently left the hit restaurant  JM Curley Boston, weather being a big factor he told the press.  It was not an LA kind of place.   Included in  the USA TODAY top ten Boston places the review read:  “When a restaurant lists their rules and those rules include, ‘the customer is NOT always right, and don’t be a douchbag’, you know you’re in a true Boston spot.

Kopel and Monsour hit it off instantly. Monsour’s new refined menu reflected his classical training at the CIA, his Lebanese ancestry, and his Southern roots. Monsour became Chef/ Partner of Preux & Proper and South City Fried Chicken down the block.  And soon the acknowledgment and acclaim from James Beard Foundation and the American Culinary Federation, as well as national guidebooks – and a exhalted spot in the Cochon 555 competition.

So, while the image changes,  Chef Sammy’s current bio remains the same in his own words.  “Sammy resides in Los Angeles where he is the Executive Chef / Co-Owner of Preux & Proper and South City Fried Chicken.   Sammy’s advocacy toward sustainability has positioned him as the LA Locals Leader for Chefs Collaborative and member of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Ribbon Task Force. The two advocate for the Southern ideals of working with love, care and integrity, this includes sourcing from farmers and ranchers who do the same.  His passion for sustainability, application of modern technique and devotion to cooking with soul are staples throughout his interpretation of regional Southern cuisine.   //www.southcityfriedchicken.com

Sammy has also appeared on Viceland’s The Untitled Action Bronson Show, Travel Channel’s Food Paradise and been the victor on several of Food Network’s popular reality cooking shows, including Alton Brown’s Cutthroat Kitchen.  And he won $20,000 on guy Fieri’s Grocery Games.

As a native Angeleno, Ray Garcia draws his culinary inspiration from the city’s rich culture, Southern California’s produce, and his classic training. As chef/owner of Broken Spanish and BS Taqueria (both opened in 2015), he incorporates all of these things cooking bright, bold, and ingredient-driven food that expresses a Mexican-American narrative.

As industrious as entrepreneur as he is chef, Garcia has a built a business empire on consulting and Garcia Hospitality, which promises to  “bring operational experience ranging from luxury hotels and fine-dining restaurants to fast-casual eateries and stadium concessions.”  //chefraygarcia.com His eponymous line of spices, for example, is at Williams-Sonoma store.

Chef Garcia’s latest venture is teaming up with Tecate Beer for their large, which features a BBQ in the back.

The chef and his team and both restaurants have received national recognition and overwhelming hometown support as a part of the international level focus and praise that Los Angeles has recently earned.   Most notably, he was recognized by Esquire magazine as Chef of the Year.

Garcia originally set out to become a lawyer. However, after graduating from UCLA with degrees in political science and business economics, then took a different turn in his career path by enrolling at the California School of Culinary Arts.

His first job was at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, a five-star and five-diamond hotel with a revered fine dining program. He would further his training with and seek mentorship from chefs like Douglas Keane of Cyrus. During this time, he became known for his restraint in technique and a deep respect for the integrity of his ingredients.

Young Chef Garcia’s skills earned him a six-year tenure at FIG Restaurant at the landmark Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.  Chef Garcia was allowed to completely revamp the classic menu into one of small plates with an ethnic influence.

Garcia has been consistently recognized for philosophies on environmental stewardship, and commitment to responsible farming and food production. He was honored with StarChefs “Rising Star” Award for Sustainability in 2010.

In 2014, Ray took home the title of “King of Porc” at Cochon 555, an event celebrating the heritage breed pig.

2014 Champion Chef Ray Garcia at Couchon 555 in 2015

Influential Los Angeles Times writer, Jon Gold, described him as, “If you could design a perfect chef for Los Angeles, he might seem a lot like Ray Garcia, an Eastside guy who seems to spend almost as much time proselytizing for healthful eating in local schools as he does in the kitchen. Garcia’s menu manages to be satisfying to both the transgressive big-meat guys and the Gaia-conscious vegans; the carb-lovers and the gluten-free.”

Broken Spanish is Garcia’s flagship where he translates a robust menu, showcasing preparations rooted in long-established traditions refined with a modern sensibility. Since it opened in June of 2015, Broken Spanish has earned countless accolades and recognition as one of the best new restaurants of the year by Esquire, USA Today, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Magazine.

The critical success of BS Taqueria, considered the little sister to Broken Spanish, underscores Garcia’s contribution to a burgeoning dining scene in Los Angeles.

The taqueria has given him the opportunity to elevate Mexican cuisine, reinforcing the idea that ethnic food should not be relegate to a particular price bracket. Garcia hopes to usher in a new understanding and appreciation for Mexican food with quality sourcing and precise cooking.

Susur Lee was born in Hong Kong, the youngest of six children. He served his culinary apprenticeship at Hong Kong’s renowned Peninsula Hotel and after immigrating to Canada in 1978, he returned to work his way to executive chef status at a number of restaurants.  Along the way he developed the flair for being an entrepreneur. His eclectic culinary style is described as, “fusion cuisine.” His signature dish is “Singapore Slaw”, his take on a Lo Hei salad, which is traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year.

Susur was a finalist in the second season of the Bravo TV show Top Chef: Masters, finishing in a tie for second. He was the second Canadian chef  to appear on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America.

Susur’s illustrious career includes being a chef at numerous Toronto dining establishments, judging culinary events, appearing on many food and wine television shows and owning/managing popular restaurants in Canada, United States and Singapore through his Susur Lee Restaurant Group.  Lotus, his first restaurant, opened in Toronto in 1987. He currently owns and manages

She is, as my mother would say, as “big as a minute” but her energy fills a room. So Chef Kimmy Tang, owner-chef of Bistro Mon Ami always “had me” just with her radiant smile and bear hug.  But that would downplay her exquisite Asian Fusion Vietnamese-centric menu with a French and California influence, and most recently a Romanian twist.

In fact Bistro Mon Ami is names after her favorite restaurant there.  And now, Pasadena diners can  judge for themselves how they feel about Kimmy’s  refined comfort food dishes.

Photo courtesy of Chef Kimmy Tang

Where Tang’s more formal, former Michelia restaurant in Beverly Hills epitomized French-colonial formal dining with savory Chinese and Vietnamese dishes, her more casual 9021Pho Restaurant concept in the heart of Beverly Hills (the former Papa Jakes location) appealed to customers more in the mood for take out and delivery.

.Kimmy’s glorious energy feels as though it is infused into the food and homey service.  Selections ($8.95) are hearty and generous enough to serve two, and she offers her customers a Chef’s Tasting Table menu for $55 that changes weekly.  Dining groups, one a table of eight young ladies, are offered original dinner menus for their regular get togethers.  To ensure that the dishes are never repeated for this or other guests, Chef Kimmy keeps a notebook to insure this, a la N/NAKA.

Chef Kimmy’s family is Chinese but she was born and raised in Saigon. After a harrowing family story of escape and relocation to California after Saigon fell, Chef Tang first followed her artistic bent in the fashion world, then became widely considered a pioneering visionary in the Asian food market with her formal but pleasing Michelia restaurant just outside of Beverly Hills.

In 2008 Kimmy packed up Michelia and set out to explore the world.  She revisited her birthplace, Vietnam, and Europe. It was in Romania that Chef Tang became a culinary consultant for the largest film studio, and a very popular local TV cooking show host.

It was as a volunteer in the Romanian orphanages that ignited in Chef Kimmy a heartfelt desire to help children. Kimmy currently aids Romanian orphan immigrants and sells the artwork of Children’s Hospital patients on  her restaurant walls  to benefit the Healing Arts Reaching Kids (H.A.R.K.) program of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

These days, Chef Kimmy opens her doors to all student interns and works with them on both how a dish tastes but how the flavors are layered to make it taste a certain way.  This and being involved in many community food events continues Chef Kimmy’s personal goal to “make a deposit in the universal bank of good.”