Joachim Splichal
Encyclopedia
Joachim Splichal is a celebrity chef
based in Los Angeles
, California
. In 1991 he was declared “Best California Chef” by the James Beard Foundation
. Four years later in 1995 he was inducted into their “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America". Splichal is best known for his fine dining restaurant Patina located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall
(formerly on Melrose Avenue), his chain of Pinot restaurants and the Patina Catering company.
, Germany
. At age 18 he began in the hotel industry, working at leading hotels in Canada
, Morocco
, Israel
, Sweden
, Norway
and Switzerland
. In his early twenties he moved to France
to start his culinary training, working as a saucier at La Bonne Auberge, a Michelin
-starred restaurant in Antibes
in southeastern France
. At age 23 Splichal was hired as a sous chef by Jacques Maximin to work at the Chantecler restaurant in the Hotel Negresco in Nice
. Maximin became Splichal’s mentor and during this period he began to win many culinary awards, including the "Youngest and Most Creative Chef" title from the Cercle Epicurean Society.
. In the years that followed he worked at the Seventh Street Bistro and began Max Au Triangle. Splichal opened Patina in 1989 in Hollywood with his wife Christine, an international business expert. Patina relocated to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Patina has made Gayot's list of the Top 40 U.S. Restaurants every year since 2004.
and California Cuisine
. Menu items at Patina include grilled hamachi belly, “minute poached” live spot prawn, and New York strip steak. The dining room features not only a cheese and dessert cart, but also a tea cart and caviar cart. Splichal’s Pinot brand of restaurants offer signature dishes such as rosemary marinated quail, Arctic char with braised celery root and Piemontese tortelloni. They are traditionally more casual in atmosphere and many of the restaurants are housed in or near major art or music venues.
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1991 he was declared “Best California Chef” by the James Beard Foundation
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
. Four years later in 1995 he was inducted into their “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America". Splichal is best known for his fine dining restaurant Patina located in the Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
(formerly on Melrose Avenue), his chain of Pinot restaurants and the Patina Catering company.
Early life
Joachim Splichal was born and raised in SpaichingenSpaichingen
Spaichingen is a town in the district of Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 11 kilometers northwest of Tuttlingen, and 13 km southeast of Rottweil. It is 660 meters above sea level.Population: 12,400 -History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. At age 18 he began in the hotel industry, working at leading hotels in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In his early twenties he moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to start his culinary training, working as a saucier at La Bonne Auberge, a Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
-starred restaurant in Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At age 23 Splichal was hired as a sous chef by Jacques Maximin to work at the Chantecler restaurant in the Hotel Negresco in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. Maximin became Splichal’s mentor and during this period he began to win many culinary awards, including the "Youngest and Most Creative Chef" title from the Cercle Epicurean Society.
Culinary Experience in the U.S.
Splichal moved to the United States with only a few belongings in 1981 to serve as Executive Chef at the Regency Club in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In the years that followed he worked at the Seventh Street Bistro and began Max Au Triangle. Splichal opened Patina in 1989 in Hollywood with his wife Christine, an international business expert. Patina relocated to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Patina has made Gayot's list of the Top 40 U.S. Restaurants every year since 2004.
Food
Splichal’s specialties are French cuisineFrench cuisine
French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...
and California Cuisine
California Cuisine
California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients.The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation...
. Menu items at Patina include grilled hamachi belly, “minute poached” live spot prawn, and New York strip steak. The dining room features not only a cheese and dessert cart, but also a tea cart and caviar cart. Splichal’s Pinot brand of restaurants offer signature dishes such as rosemary marinated quail, Arctic char with braised celery root and Piemontese tortelloni. They are traditionally more casual in atmosphere and many of the restaurants are housed in or near major art or music venues.
Awards & Accolades
- Gayot Top 40 Restaurants in the US, Patina: 2008, 2007, 2006,2005
- Bon Appetit/Food Network Restaurateur of the year 2002
- Treasure of Los Angeles” by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and the Central City Association
- “Restaurateur of the Year”, California Restaurant Writers Association in 1997, Southern California Restaurant Writers in 1999