Roux Scholar Ian Scaramuzza is the new chef de cuisine at Mélisse in Los Angeles
Chef Ian Scaramuzza is the new chef de cuisine at Mélisse Restaurant in Los Angeles, a former two Michelin star restaurant owned by chef Josiah Citrin and chef partner Ken Takayama.
The Roux Scholarship 2015 champion last week announced that he had left his role as head chef of In Situ, the One Michelin Star restaurant located inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA) owned by chef Corey Lee, where he worked for the past four years,
Ian has now revealed that he will be taking the reigns at Mélisse, a modern French restaurant located in Los Angeles.
Set to reopen on June 3rd, the chef said he was "looking forward to showing you what I’ve been working on these past few weeks," adding that he is searching for new members to join his team,
"If you are interested email your resume to ian@citrinandmelisse.com or send me a DM."
The restaurant, originally launched in 1999, received two Michelin stars, the first in 2009 and the second in 2010. In 2019, chef owner Josiah Citrin - who also owns acclaimed restaurants Mélisse Santa Monica, Charcoal Venice, and Dave’s Doghouse - decided to take it in a new direction. citing changing times, demographics, and dining needs as well as a desire to bring something new to the restaurant's most loyal patrons.
The restaurant was thus split into two concepts, Mélisse and Citrin, with Citrin being the more casual side, with an a la carte offering, shared plates and a bar area, and Mélisse a more intimate space where up to 28 guests can try out the chef's tasting menu.
To give you an idea, Ian shared a picture of one of the dishes he's been working on in the run-up to reopening:
About Ian Scaramuzza
Prior to moving to the United States, Ian worked for Geoffrey Smeddle at l'Etain, following him to The Peat Inn when he left; then moved to work for Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, staging at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social, at The Ledbury, The Greenhouse, at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Restaurant Sat Bains and The Vineyard while he did; and for Claude Bosi at Hibiscus, who, along with Andrew Fairlie, encouraged him to take part in the Roux Scholarship in 2015.
In Situ, where Ian worked for the past three and a half year, is Corey Lee's third restaurant after his three Michelin-star flagship Benu and Monsieur Benjamin, is like an extension of San Francisco's most celebrated art gallery: it exclusively serves dishes thought up by other chefs, proposing a curation of what Corey considers to be the best plates of food from around the world.
The menu features dishes from Michael O'Hare, Michel Gerard, Tim Raue, Ferran Adrià, Paul Cunningham, Esben Holmboe Bang, Clare Smyth and Simon Rogan.
Ian admits to having always wanted his own restaurant, but now, it would seem, isn't his time. In an interview with podcaster Paul Newbegin two years ago, the chef said that he didn't want to make the mistake of rushing into something.
He said: "A lot of people jump in a little bit early and I don't know if they'll all be around in years to come, so I think I'm going about it in another way, making sure when I do something, it's the right thing and it's the right time."
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