Meet David Slay | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Slay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I was born into a long line of entrepreneurial-spirited restaurateurs. Beyond my love for cooking, the allure of autonomy and shaping my own culinary vision is what drove me to create my own restaurants.

From growing up with chefs to years spent in renowned kitchens working and training with the creme de la creme of culinary masterminds around the world, I craved the canvas of entrepreneurship where I could bring together the flavors, techniques and concepts from my experiences over the years.

Entrepreneurship has been in my blood ever since I opened my first French restaurant when I was 20 years old. From locations in St. Louis, the O.C. and West Hollywood, the four restaurant concepts I now head up are located in L.A.’s South Bay, each embodying a different culinary experience, but with the same humble, service-first ambiance and culture people have come to love and expect.

Something exciting that’s been stealing some of my focus in recent years is wine. I started a vineyard in 2017 in the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara wine country. Despite challenges and obstacles along the way, what we have today are four wines that are truly delicious – it’s an accomplishment we are very proud of. The wines harvested from the Slay Estate & Vineyard – including a rosé, chardonnay, pinot noir and a fume blanc – have been going down very well across all four restaurants in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach and we’re excited to continue pursuing innovation and excellence in this space.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

As mentioned, I come from a long line of restaurateurs, but I believe even if I hadn’t, I would have found my way to food.

Beginning in St. Louis when I was 11, I started working in my father’s kitchen, and by the time I was 17, I was apprenticing with classically trained European chefs in Las Vegas.

My first solo venture came at age 20, with my own 26-seat French cafe. Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t get a liquor license because I was only 20!

I then ventured across the pond to Versaille, where I learned from two Michelin-starred Chef Gerard Vie and famed chef Marc Angel at A. Beauvillier Restaurant in Paris before returning to the US to establish two restaurants in my hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. I then broke into California’s competitive restaurant scene with La Veranda in Beverly Hills and then onto Park Ave Dining and il garage ristorante in Orange County.

Today, I have four restaurant concepts in L.A.’s South Bay – Slay Steak & Fish House, Slay Italian, Slay Hermosa and Fête Bistro by Slay – the latest nostalgic French concept that pays homage to my first restaurant and years spent in France.

A consistent thread I have aspired to weave through all my ventures and restaurants through the years is to preserve and honor genuine and unpretentious hospitality, deeply rooted in the St. Louis dining tradition. This is something I believe keeps new and old faces returning to the Slay restaurants time and time again.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Two of my favorite places in Manhattan Beach capture the dichotomy of the South Bay’s luxurious yet relaxed beach lifestyle perfectly – Fishing With Dynamite and the unassuming dive bar, Ercoles. Fishing With Dynamite is a gem for seafood lovers while Ercoles captures the quintessential charm of our little beach town.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been a few luminaries who have guided my course through life. First and foremost is my father, Anthony Slay – undoubtedly the hardest working person I know. His tireless dedication and authenticity have had a profound impact on molding mine and my family’s work ethic. Secondly, Wolfgang Puck has pioneered Californian cuisine with an emphasis on crafting globally inspired dishes with local ingredients, as has Alice Walters with her farm-to-table philosophy – both of which are foregrounding principles across all four of my restaurants today.

Last but not least is Danny Meyer, a fellow St. Louisan, who reinforces the importance of genuine connections and giving back.

Website: https://www.slay.la/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaysteakandfishhouse/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-slay-sr-115a388/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slaysteakandfishhouse

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/slay-steak-fish-house-manhattan-beach?osq=slay+steak+and+fish

Image Credits
Slay Restaurant Group