This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ari Rosenson, the vice president of food and beverage for the Los Angeles and Maui operations at Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining. It has been edited for length and clarity.
When I was in the fifth grade, we had to write a biography on someone for school. I liked cooking and having fun in the kitchen, and I’d seen an article about Wolfgang Puck. The USDA had said his frozen pizzas weren’t pizzas because they didn’t have tomato sauce, and he was pushing back. I had no clue who he was, but I cut out the article and said to my mom, “I want to interview this guy for my school project.”
My mom said, “Well, just call Spago,” Puck’s restaurant. I got Spago’s number from 411, called, and started stuttering. My mom grabbed the phone out of my hands and said, “My son would like to interview Wolfgang Puck. Is that possible? If he can’t, don’t mess with my son’s heart. He’s really interested.” They said, “No, no, Wolfgang will do it.”
It was a pretty pivotal moment in my life.
The first meeting
The day before my school report was due, I was able to go to Spago before dinner service. I sat down with Wolfgang for an hour, interviewed him with my little recorder, and my mom was the photographer.
At the end of the interview, I said, “You know, chef, I love cooking too.” He said, “OK, come with me.” He was so gracious with his time, spending two hours with me. He suited me up in a chef’s outfit and gave me a full tour of Spago. Then he asked, “What do you cook?” I said, “I’m famous for my omelets.” He gave me some eggs, and I made him one.
He dropped me off at the pizza station next, and the chef showed me how to make pizzas. I sat down and had dinner with my mom, and then Wolfgang came back and brought some cookbooks and signed my chef’s jacket. I was a little bit late with my report, but my teacher forgave me.
It was quite a formative experience.
I kept cooking. After school, I’d make pizzas for my friends. I’d take liquor from the cabinet just to flambé it. When I turned 14, I went to Granita in Malibu, and Wolfgang happened to be there. I walked up to him and said, “Do you remember me? I still like cooking.” He said, “OK, you come work for me and become a chef at one of my restaurants.”
Two years later, when I had a car, I FedExed him a letter that said, “You promised me a job. Can I have one, please?” and included a picture of us together to jog his memory. The next day, his assistant called me and said, “You start next Sunday.” That’s how I became a prep cook at Spago at the age of 16.
A kitchen I never left
Working in a restaurant was a whole new world. You get dropped into all of these personalities and people, and they were all older than I was. Some of them would pick on me, but a lot of them took me under their wing and showed me the way. Working in a restaurant made me grow up — I had a lot of eye-opening, great life experiences.
I worked at Spago on the weekends during the school year. When I turned 18, I told my parents, “I don’t think I’m going to go to college or cooking school. I’m just going to do this.” They weren’t too into that idea, but I saw kids doing their internships at Spago, and I was ahead of them. I figured I’d educate myself and find ways to fill in the gaps.
I worked my way through the line until I became a sous chef, then executive sous chef. I took a three-month sabbatical, traveling in Italy and cooking in Alba during truffle season. I came back, and Wolfgang tapped me to be the chef at Cut in Beverly Hills. Then I became the executive chef at Spago Beverly Hills.
What Wolfgang Puck taught me
Wolfgang used to drive himself down to Chino Farms in San Diego and bring back all the food because he wanted the best of the best. Highlighting the ingredient, not the chef’s ego, really pervades his cuisine and what he’s done for the culinary community. People have become more educated, their tastes have evolved — that’s partly because of Wolfgang. The dining experience is more important than it’s ever been.
Wolfgang’s work ethic is second to none, but he’s passionate about enjoying life. You have to really love what you do, find joy even in the hard parts, and never settle. Wolfgang is a tinkerer. He always wants to keep striving, to continue evolving and refining. Spago is always changing, and we’re encouraged to challenge ourselves and explore our gaps. It’s taught me how to be a better husband, a better father, and a better person. Every day I’m at the bottom of the mountain, trying to work my way up.
Some people think chefs are just yelling on the line, but it’s a caricature. Being a chef is about engaging people and building meaningful relationships. Wolfgang likes to say it’s a family-run business, but I don’t think he’s only talking about working with his son, Byron. There are countless individuals I’ve had the opportunity to work with here for years.
We actually joked in a meeting the other day that we should change our last names and hyphenate them to Puck.
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