(From left) SAM JOSI, 30, chef/owner of Blue Barn Gourmet; chef/co-owner of Mamacita, Umami and an unnamed "gastropub" slated to open next spring; LAURENCE JOSSEL, 39, Chef/co-owner of Nopa and upcoming Nopalito, slated to open this fall. Shot on location in Union Square by Anön.
Sam Josi and Laurence Jossel each live a few blocks from their work. It says a lot about the two chefs, whose restaurants continue to define their respective neighborhoods. "This is where I live, and I want to eat well," says Josi about opening three places on Chestnut Street in the past four years. Meanwhile, when Jossel opened Nopa in 2006, it christened an entire area of Western Addition with a new name and, as The New York Times put it, "put the neighborhood ... on the map"—by serving about 10,000 people a month, we might add.
But location isn't everything. Both Josi and Jossel understand that success doesn't require reinventing the wheel. Nopa goes for hearty plates of simple food: rotisserie chicken, pork chops with butter beans and swiss chard. At Blue Barn Gourmet, the cooks pump out salads and sandwiches, and, while his soon-to-open American gastropub isn't going to be a sports bar exactly—"it's suicide to mention those words"—it's an extension of the concept.
Despite Jossel's commitment to sustainability, you won't see farms name-dropped on his menus. "If someone wants to know where our food comes from, they can ask."
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Laurence, tell us about your forthcoming Mexican restaurant, Nopalito, opening next to Falletti Foods. What does the name mean, for one?
We were sitting around one day and talking about nopales and nopalito is a small cactus.
What's the basic concept?
Food of the grandmothers, you know? Simple, inexpensive ingredients. Meant to feed families. Not burritos, you know? Our food is going to be slow-cooked, love-filled Mexican food. God, that sounds good.
Are you going to be doing the cooking?
No, I hired two great co-chefs. José Ramos, who's from Guanajuato, and Gonzalo Guzman, from Veracruz. I've worked with [Gonzalo] since he was 14. He's my other son. We traveled through Mexico together doing research, to Toluca in Central Mexico for chorizo, to Michoacán for carnitas and to Mexico City for a taste of everything!
Sam, tell us about the upcoming gastropub you're working on in the old Bistro Yoffi space on Chestnut Street.
It's going to be the counterpart to Union Street's Balboa Cafe—a classic bar and grill, like a public meeting place. We're not going to have TV's everywhere, but it's going to be a watering hole that you frequent. Really comfy, too. We all agreed we went a little too trendy with Umami. We don't cook up ideas and find a spot. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This is another project you're opening along with front-of-the-house men Nate Valentine [who is also part of Vintage 415] and Stryker Scales.
Nate, Stryker and I do the nitty-gritty. Stryker and I grew up together in Kentfield. We've been best friends since we were nine. We're total brothers. He's the best guy on earth, the most trustworthy guy I know. We cook together every Sunday.
What did you make last Sunday?
Fried chicken.
(On Josi): John Varvatos flannel shirt ($295) at John Varvatos, 415-986-0138. T-shirt, model's own. (On Jossel): John Varvatos for converse suspenders ($125) at John Varvatos. Marc by Marc Jacobs button-down shirt ($350) at Marc by Marc Jacobs, 415-447-9322.
More 2008 Hot 20 Under 40 Picks
(From left) SAM JOSI, 30, chef/owner of Blue Barn Gourmet; chef/co-owner of Mamacita, Umami and an unnamed "gastropub" slated to open next spring; LAURENCE JOSSEL, 39, Chef/co-owner of Nopa and upcoming Nopalito, slated to open this fall. Shot on location in Union Square by Anön.
Sam Josi and Laurence Jossel each live a few blocks from their work. It says a lot about the two chefs, whose restaurants continue to define their respective neighborhoods. "This is where I live, and I want to eat well," says Josi about opening three places on Chestnut Street in the past four years. Meanwhile, when Jossel opened Nopa in 2006, it christened an entire area of Western Addition with a new name and, as The New York Times put it, "put the neighborhood ... on the map"—by serving about 10,000 people a month, we might add.
But location isn't everything. Both Josi and Jossel understand that success doesn't require reinventing the wheel. Nopa goes for hearty plates of simple food: rotisserie chicken, pork chops with butter beans and swiss chard. At Blue Barn Gourmet, the cooks pump out salads and sandwiches, and, while his soon-to-open American gastropub isn't going to be a sports bar exactly—"it's suicide to mention those words"—it's an extension of the concept.
Despite Jossel's commitment to sustainability, you won't see farms name-dropped on his menus. "If someone wants to know where our food comes from, they can ask."
Web Exclusive:
Laurence, tell us about your forthcoming Mexican restaurant, Nopalito, opening next to Falletti Foods. What does the name mean, for one?
We were sitting around one day and talking about nopales and nopalito is a small cactus.
What's the basic concept?
Food of the grandmothers, you know? Simple, inexpensive ingredients. Meant to feed families. Not burritos, you know? Our food is going to be slow-cooked, love-filled Mexican food. God, that sounds good.
Are you going to be doing the cooking?
No, I hired two great co-chefs. José Ramos, who's from Guanajuato, and Gonzalo Guzman, from Veracruz. I've worked with [Gonzalo] since he was 14. He's my other son. We traveled through Mexico together doing research, to Toluca in Central Mexico for chorizo, to Michoacán for carnitas and to Mexico City for a taste of everything!
Sam, tell us about the upcoming gastropub you're working on in the old Bistro Yoffi space on Chestnut Street.
It's going to be the counterpart to Union Street's Balboa Cafe—a classic bar and grill, like a public meeting place. We're not going to have TV's everywhere, but it's going to be a watering hole that you frequent. Really comfy, too. We all agreed we went a little too trendy with Umami. We don't cook up ideas and find a spot. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
This is another project you're opening along with front-of-the-house men Nate Valentine [who is also part of Vintage 415] and Stryker Scales.
Nate, Stryker and I do the nitty-gritty. Stryker and I grew up together in Kentfield. We've been best friends since we were nine. We're total brothers. He's the best guy on earth, the most trustworthy guy I know. We cook together every Sunday.
What did you make last Sunday?
Fried chicken.
(On Josi): John Varvatos flannel shirt ($295) at John Varvatos, 415-986-0138. T-shirt, model's own. (On Jossel): John Varvatos for converse suspenders ($125) at John Varvatos. Marc by Marc Jacobs button-down shirt ($350) at Marc by Marc Jacobs, 415-447-9322.
More 2008 Hot 20 Under 40 Picks
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