“I had to dress up in a suit and work in an office, and after that I knew there was no way I was going to do that kind of work for a living.”
—Carolynn Spence
Originally from New Jersey, Carolynn Spence attended Northeastern University for journalism and art history, but after completing her first internship, she dropped out of Northeastern and instead decided to go to culinary school at Newbury College in Brookline, Massachusetts. After graduating, Carolynn stayed in Boston and worked under chef Chris Schlesinger at East Coast Grill and the Blue Room. When the restaurants she was working for went through ownership changes, she decided it was a good time for her to make a change too, and she headed for New York City. Carolynn says, “I’m from New Jersey so the move brought me closer to family and friends, and the restaurant scene in NYC has always been booming and full of interesting chefs and restaurants.” Carolynn took a job as a line cook, eventually learning and transitioning to the sous-chef role, at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. Carolynn says, “It’s a big challenge learning how to go from line cook to manager of line cooks.” After Mesa Grill, she opened Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke as a sous-chef under Ken Callaghan before landing the sous-chef position at the Spotted Pig, which is now known for its pub-like atmosphere and use of natural and organic ingredients. Though she’d opened a few restaurants before, opening the much buzzed-about New York hot spot was an entirely new experience. Carolynn says, “It started out as executive chef April Bloomfield, me, and one other kid, sanding the floor, setting up the kitchen—literally putting the place together—and our first night was supposed to be dinner for twelve people, but it ended up being about thirty people. We had a lot of celebrity clientele right away. We didn’t know what we were getting into. We took a chance on this tiny little joint in the West Village, and it just kicked in the first day and never stopped. It’s still going crazy.”
A chef headhunter who had friends in common with Carolynn contacted her about a chef position at Chateau Marmont. She says, “A random phone call, turned into a random interview, which a month later turned into a move to Los Angeles.” Carolynn took over as executive chef of both the hotel and bar restaurants at Chateau Marmont in August 2006 and turned the restaurants into something special. Bar Marmont, along with most of Los Angeles, wasn’t particularly known for its culinary prowess. But Carolynn, along with a handful of other chefs, have been on the leading edge of slowly changing Los Angeles’s calorie-conscious menus into something with more flavor, shifting the menu from shrimp cocktail to heartier gastro pub fare. While the change seemed risky at the time, both Carolynn and Chateau Marmont gained and continue to enjoy great success.
Carolynn is inspired by many types of cuisines, and she brings her culinary interests to Chateau Marmont, which she says “is always changing, evolving, and interesting.” She explains her culinary point of view by saying, “I go into food moods where I’m really into something for a while, then find something new to obsess on.” She enjoys creating food that takes time and layering, such as braising and terrines. She says, “I find the process of all parts equaling a glorious sum to be very rewarding, not just to cook but also to eat.”
Carolyn has incorporated the same edge that she brought to Chateau Marmont into her large and eclectic collection of tattoos, the majority of which are culinary in nature. She has the classic mirepoix mix of a carrot, onion, and celery, but with hers they are drawn to express “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.” Her “working class hand” includes a ruler on the side of her hand, along with tattoos of a teaspoon and a tablespoon. Down her left arm is a trio of fall leaves, the tattoo that started the whole collection off. Down her left arm, Carolyn has one of her favorite vegetables, an artichoke.
Carolyn says, “I use a brioche roll that’s been baked with turmeric, which gives the roll a bright, yellow finish. [Bar Marmont] is a beautiful courtyard full of vegetation. It’s important for the food to be bright, clean, and eye-catching. Richness in color, texture, and flavor adds to the full experience. A bit of theater, if you will.”
NOTES FROM THE CHEF
Carolyn says, “I usually add a small arugula salad and French breakfast radish salad to my plate. Toss salad in a bit of olive oil and lemon juice and season with sea salt.”
Garnish this sandwich with some French Breakfast Radishes and maybe serve with some extra Basil Pesto for dipping.