Meet Zoë Spezzano | Chef

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

Hi Zoë, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Being a successful chef is all about taking risks and setting yourself apart from other chefs. After 6 years of working in some of the best restaurants in LA, I decided it was time for a change. As frightened as I was to leave the comforts of a kitchen line, I felt I needed to push myself to the next level. I needed to develop my own style and form of expression through food. I had paid my dues and earned the respect of my colleagues. This led me to ask myself some important questions. What type of cooking felt the most authentic to me? What food did I feel the most passionate about? What food would define me as a chef? The only way I could find out was to leave restaurants behind and pursue cooking in my own way and on my own terms. I decided to create my own business and start Zoë’s Kitchen Table.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always loved food. Cooking, eating, sharing my creations with my family and friends has been the most consistent thing in my life and I always knew that I wanted to turn this passion into a career. Zoë’s Kitchen Table started because at the time, I was completely burnt out from working at the restaurant. This is not to say that I didn’t love my job, but it was time to push myself to begin a new endeavor. My first kitchen job was with Chef Neal Fraser. He took me under his wing and put me right in the middle of his kitchen working for his event space, Vibiana in Downtown LA. I spent my first day picking mint for three hours until my fingertips turned green, and I loved every second of it. I worked for him as a prep cook for two years on and off. A year or so later, he opened up his other restaurant, Redbird. There, he put me on the line working Garde Manger station. This was my first time working as a line cook and the thought of going through the levels of a professional kitchen really sparked my interest. After 4 years attending Colorado State University studying hospitality and business, I moved back to LA full time and started working for Chef Walter Manzke of Republique. I was there for two years working the dinner service with some of the most amazing people. I think Republique really rounded out my skills and truly made me the cook that I am today. Since then I’ve transitioned into working as a Los Angeles based personal chef, providing home meal prep, private dinner parties, special occasion meals, ZKT pop-up events, and catering services. I work with clients to customize the perfect menus but also have pre-set menus to choose from. Zoë’s Kitchen Table is all about fresh, seasonal, colorful food that isn’t intimidating and always makes you want to dive right in for a second bite. I pull a lot of inspiration from my travels around the world so I find that my dishes use a variety of global flavors and ingredients. ZKT is very produce forward, unbelievably fresh, jam packed with spices, fresh herbs and beautiful ingredients. I wouldn’t say I specialize in any one particular dish or type of food, but that could be what draws people to my cooking. It encompasses comfort food, refined dishes, yummy snacks, delicious baked goods and everything in between. Quite literally…what you see on my kitchen table!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a chef, whenever a friend comes into town the entire itinerary is planned around where I’m going to take them to eat. First stop breakfast at The Sycamore Kitchen in Miracle Mile where you can get some delicious pastries, a coffee and breakfast toast! For lunch, it’s Uncle Paulie’s Deli to order the best Italian sandwiches. We would take these up to Griffith Park for a nice hike up in the hills of Los Angeles and settle down for a picnic. At dinner time it’s Ruen Pair in East Hollywood for the most authentic Thai food in LA. And to round off the evening, cocktails at The Normandie Club in Koreatown. On Sunday we’ll start off with bagels from The Bagel Broker in the Fairfax District which has the freshest bagels and lox. After this we’re walking up Fairfax, past all the Jewish bakeries and designer skate shops to the Fairfax Flea Market where we will shop around and snag some good deals. Then a late afternoon drive down PCH for lovely ocean views and sea salt air. Our final destination would be Broad Street Oyster Co. to get lobster rolls and oysters on the half shell. On the way back, we’ll pull over to the side of the road and walk on the beach to watch the an amazing California sunset. We’d continue our adventure on the west side for drinks at The Little Friend and late night drunchies back in mid city at the Tacos Leos truck for some of the best al pastor tacos in Los Angeles.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Thank you to Chef Neal Fraser and Chef Walter Manzke for being incredible mentors to me in my journey as a young cook.

Website: https://www.zoeskitchentable.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeskitchentable/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoespezzano/

Image Credits
Photography by Sadie Jean Spezzano