Saturday, June 21, 2025
6:30pm
Paramount Pictures
Thank you for the generosity of the chefs and restaurants in our community for their support of St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.
2025 Culinary Angels
Mihir Lad, Arth Bar + Kitchen
A journey on its own pioneering a new movement of modern Indian cuisine, Arth Bar + Kitchen introduces Indian fare in a completely new way. With its contemporary atmosphere, eclectic dishes and innovative cocktails, Arth Bar + Kitchen is located right in the heart of Culver City!
An engineer by trade, but with an entrepreneurial spirit is how Mihir Lad came to be the Founder & Owner of Arth Bar + Kitchen. Lad had greater ambitions outside of the aerospace industry and found his passion in the hospitality industry. He dedicated time observing and studying how a restaurant’s life begins in the kitchen and flows all throughout the front of house while fully immersing himself into every area of the restaurant from: assembling a full restaurant team, analyzing concepts and their potential impacts on the business, and bringing creative ideas to life to perfectly compliment Arth Bar + Kitchen’s contemporary cuisine and bona fide hospitality. Lad shows exemplary leadership, creative vision, and a personal passion to deliver the best possible experience to every guest that visits Arth Bar + Kitchen.
Chef Noah Clark, BOX Chicken
Owner & Executive Chef Noah Clark and his family are bringing their highly anticipated, award-winning BOX Chicken home to Los Angeles! This family legacy, rooted in culinary innovation, is introducing their revolutionary new fast-casual experience featuring BOX Chicken’s signature Japanese American Chicken Tendie, a mouth-wateringly delicious fusion of Japanese and American flavors that completely redefines the original Chicken Tender.
Founded by Los Angeles native Maggie Antoine over four decades ago, BOX Chicken began as a modest Bento Box operation serving Japanese tour groups and the film industry. Her signature Japanese American chicken tender, crafted from her Japanese heritage, became a city favorite, winning hearts across Los Angeles and beyond. In the late 1990s, Maggie and her sister, Reiko Clark, took their success to Atlanta, GA launching a successful franchise and receiving multiple awards. Now, led by Maggie’s nephew and Reiko’s son, Executive Chef Noah Clark, BOX Chicken has returned to its hometown to launch an entirely reinvented concept, bringing Angelenos their legendary Chicken Tendie that started it all.
Nika Shoemaker-Machado, Georgia’s Restaurant
Georgia’s Restaurant does not stem from the deep south, but instead a suburb of Philadelphia where high school sweethearts Gretchen and George Shoemaker decided to leave the Keystone State and head west, settling in Lake Forest, CA. It was in their home, where George and Gretchen raised their three daughters, that Gretchen began her successful catering business built on family recipes that delivered a true home-cooked experience. Early every morning, Gretchen would rise to get a start in the kitchen with George by her side playing sous chef, as tunes of Teddy Pendergrass wafted through the air, harmonizing with the sweet and savory aromatics of Gretchen’s Southern soul cuisine. Then, after the untimely passing of George Shoemaker in the early 1990s, everything came to an abrupt halt as the Shoemaker family rallied around one another and Gretchen’s catering business was put on hold.
Twenty years later, with all three daughters grown, second daughter Nika Shoemaker-Machado and her husband Marlon Machado approached Gretchen, now known to most as Nana, to all come together and fulfill her lifelong dream of sharing her food on a much grander scale than ever before and they introduced Georgia’s Restaurant, a Southern Restaurant that celebrates authentic Soul Food, while sharing Nana Gretchen and the Shoemaker family’s story of survival, community and love.
Christy Lucchese & Chris Lucchese, Wife and the Somm
Tucked away in the vibrant neighborhood of Glassell Park, Wife and the Somm is more than just an intimate dining destination: it is a love letter to food, wine, and warm hospitality, brought to life by Owners and Restaurateurs Christy and Chris Lucchese. Their journey from the world of film to the realm of culinary excellence is a testament to their shared passion for bringing people together over exceptional dining experiences. Seamlessly blending seasonal, farm fresh, ingredient-driven cuisine with a thoughtfully curated and ever-evolving wine selection, Wife and the Somm is a hidden gem where guests can savor not just a meal, but a true celebration of flavor, craftsmanship, and connection. With an inviting atmosphere and an unwavering commitment to exceptional service, Christy and Chris have created a space where food and wine lovers alike can gather, explore, and indulge in an unforgettable culinary experience!
Christy Lucchese, the Wife, and Chris Lucchese, the Sommelier, met in 2009 while working in the film industry, quickly bonding over homemade dinners and a shared love for travel. Chris, from a big Italian family in Pennsylvania, and Christy, whose Southern California roots trace back to the late 1800s, connected deeply through their appreciation for hospitality and dreamed of creating a space where guests could relax, feel at home, and indulge in an intimate, unforgettable experience. That dream took shape in 2017 when they founded Home Somm, a boutique catering company dedicated to pairing thoughtfully crafted seasonal dishes with exceptional wines. As their reputation grew across California, so did their desire for a permanent home, and when they discovered a hidden, ivy-covered gem in Glassell Park, complete with a backyard of century-old grapevines, they knew they had found the perfect spot. On April 1, 2021, that vision became reality when they opened Wife and the Somm, offering a warm, inviting space where guests can savor a farm fresh seasonally inspired menu and explore a fun, innovative, carefully curated, ever-evolving wine list, with a strong focus on low-intervention wines and small producers from around the world and great value.
2025 Sweet Angels
Wendy Pomerantz, Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co.
More than 100 years after Bertha Mae’s birth, Wendy Pomerantz decided to share this recipe with the world and Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co. was born. While they have added yummy treats to the foundation of the recipe, the basics have not changed and Bertha Mae’s original recipe can be tasted in the Original brownies.
