Evan Funke

Last updated
Evan Funke
Born1978 (age 46–47)
Santa Monica, California
EducationLa Vecchia Scuola Bolognese
SpouseGrace Kim Funke
Culinary career
Current restaurant(s)
    • Felix Trattoria (Venice Beach)
    • Mother Wolf (Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Miami)
    • Funke (Beverly Hills)
    • Tre Dita (Chicago)
Previous restaurant(s)
    • Bucato (2013-2015)
Television show(s)
    • Chef's Table: Noodles (2024)
    • Shape of Pasta (2020)
    • Funke (2018)
Website evanfunke.com

Evan Funke (born 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is an American chef and pasta maker who is the head chef of a series of popular Italian restaurants across North America. He is head chef of three Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. He is a two-time James Beard nominee and has been described as Los Angeles' best pasta maker. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Early Life

Evan Alexander Funke was born in 1978 in Los Angeles, California. [4] A native Angelino, he is a sixth generation Californian and the third eldest child of special effects photographer Alex Funke and his wife Mary Emily Funke. [5] [6] Evan and his four siblings grew up in the Pacific Palisades. After graduating from Crespi Carmelite High School in Los Angeles, Funke attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena.

Education

Funke studied at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena but was recruited after six weeks by Wolfgang Puck, getting promoted until he became sous chef at Spago in Beverly Hills, California three years later. [7] [8] In 2008, Funke moved to Bologna to study pasta making in Italy, studying at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese (VSB). [9] He was trained under master sfoglina Alessandra Spisni, who became his mentor. [9] [10]

While in Italy, Funke ate pasta cacio e pepe three times a day for 23 days straight to "discover its true essense", and is credited as one of the driving factors behind the dish's popularity in the United States. [10] [11] He has rolled sfoglia over 35,000 times, mastering 155 different shapes. [10]

After returning from Bologna, Funke worked at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica where he was executive chef from 2008 to 2012.

Career

From 2013 to 2015, Funke was chef at Bucato in Los Angeles, an acclaimed Italian restaurant which was the only restaurant in the United States to exclusively serve pasta made correctly entirely by hand. [8] [12] Bucato closed in 2015. [13]

In 2017, he opened Felix Trattoria in Venice, Los Angeles on Abbot Kinney in Venice, California, one of the best new restaurants in America. [3] [9] [14]

He also is chef of Mother Wolf in Hollywood, Los Angeles which he debuted in early 2022. The restaurant features food inspired by dishes from Rome and the surrounding Lazio region of Italy. The restaurant quickly becomes a hotspot with a 1,500 person waitlist to be "one of the country’s most coveted culinary experiences". [10] [15] [16]

In January 2023, Funke opened Funke in Beverly Hills which Beverly Hills Courier called as "the hottest ticket in town". [17] The restaurant, described as a tri-level atelier, was named one of the top new restaurants by Los Angeles Magazine and is included in the Michelin Guide. [18] [19]

Mother Wolf expanded later in 2023, opening a location at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas in addition to its original Venice outpost. [20] [21] [22] The restaurant is described as one of the best Italian restaurants in Las Vegas. [23]

In March 2024, Funke opened a new Tuscan concept steakhouse restaurant and bar with 120 seats and sweeping views of Downtown Chicago at the St. Regis Chicago in collaboration with Lettuce Entertain You. [24] [25] [26] [27] In October, Mother Wolf added a location in Miami's Design District. [16] [28]

Personal Life

Funke and his wife Grace have been married since 2016. The couple reside in Los Angeles, California. [29] They first met at Bucato. [4]

Funke is considered one of the 50 most powerful people in American fine dining. [30] In 2024, he was the chef for the reopening party for the Rodeo Drive flagship of Loro Piana. [31] [32]

Since 2022, Funke has been the official chef of the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. [33] [34]

Television & Film Appearances

Chef's Table: Noodles (2024)

Funke is the subject of episode 1 of the Netflix show, Chef's Table: Noodles, released on October 2, 2024. [35]

Shape of Pasta (2020) [36]

He previously was the host of a show on Quibi, Shape of Pasta, in which he scoured the Italian countryside in search of unique pastas with geographical significance which he learned from sfoglini . [37] He has described the show as part of his "life's work" to document and preserve traditions of pasta before they become extinct. [38]

Funke (2018) [39]

He was the subject of a full length documentary, Funke, in 2018 which captured his "obsessive journey to mastering the pasta craft". [5]

Other

In 2022, he was featured on an episode of Eater's Plateworthy show and interviewed by Nyesha Arrington. [40]

Publications

American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. 2019. ISBN 9781452173313. It won the 2020 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Photography. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Batali</span> American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality

Mario Francesco Batali is an American chef, writer, and former restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and New Haven, Connecticut, including Babbo in New York City, which received a Michelin star for several years. Batali has appeared on the Food Network, on shows such as Molto Mario and Iron Chef America, on which he was one of the featured "Iron Chefs". In 2017, the restaurant review site Eater revealed multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Batali and, in March 2019, he sold all his restaurant holdings.

Rao's is an Italian-American restaurant founded in 1896. It is located at 455 East 114th Street, on the corner of Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, New York City. Rao's has a sister restaurant in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Puck</span> Austrian-American chef and restaurateur

Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian chef and restaurateur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spago</span> Restaurant in California, U.S.

Spago is Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant worldwide, known for serving California cuisine. Spago is Puck's first restaurant venture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Colicchio</span> American celebrity chef (born 1962)

Thomas Patrick Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft, Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak and Small Batch restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Boulud</span> French chef and restaurateur

Daniel Boulud is a French chef and restaurateur with restaurants in New York City, Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, Montréal, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Dubai. He is best known for his eponymous restaurant Daniel, opened in New York City in 1993, which currently holds one Michelin star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Silverton</span> American chef, baker, and author (born 1954)

Nancy Silverton is an American chef, baker, restaurateur, and author. The winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, Silverton is recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilan Hall</span> American chef

Ilan D. Hall is an American chef, television personality, and restaurateur. He won the second season of Top Chef, and is owner-chef of Ramen Hood in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeril Lagasse</span> American celebrity chef and restaurateur (born 1959)

Emeril John Lagasse III is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author, and National Best Recipe award winner for his "Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili" recipe in 2003. He is a regional James Beard Award winner, known for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and his self-developed "New New Orleans" style. He is of Portuguese descent on his mother's side, while being of French heritage through his father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bastianich</span> American restaurateur (born 1968)

Joseph Bastianich is an American restaurateur, author and television personality. He, along with his mother and business partner Lidia Bastianich, co-owns thirty restaurants in four countries, including Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, which the owners expanded in 2010. Earlier that same year, they teamed up with businessman Oscar Farinetti to bring Eataly, an upscale food and wine market, to Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, London and Stockholm.

David Myers is an American chef, television personality, and restaurateur. Myers is based in Los Angeles, but works in his restaurants in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Hollingsworth</span> American chef and restaurateur (born 1980)

Timothy Hollingsworth is an American chef. In 2012, he left his post as Chef de Cuisine at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and moved to Los Angeles, where he opened Otium. He has won multiple awards throughout his career, including the 2010 James Beard Foundation's Rising Chef of the Year Award, the 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star Chef, and the 2009 Bocuse d'Or, where he placed sixth. He was the winner of the 2018 cooking competition The Final Table.

Michael Voltaggio is an American chef, restaurateur, and author. He is a Top Chef television series alum and the winner of season 6. His brother Bryan Voltaggio is also a celebrity chef. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Jeffrey Saad is an American chef, author, restaurant owner, television personality, and real estate broker from Chicago, Illinois. He is currently the host of United Tastes of America on the Cooking Channel and Estate Director with Compass in Beverly Hills.

Hugh Acheson is a Canadian-born chef and restaurateur. He has owned four restaurants in Georgia, and serves as a judge on the reality cooking competition show Top Chef, and as an Iron Chef on Iron Chef Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama Mia Trattoria</span> Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Mama Mia Trattoria is an Italian restaurant housed in Portland, Oregon's Waldo Block, in the United States.

Roberto Donna is an Italian chef and restaurateur in Washington D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portobello Vegan Trattoria</span> Defunct Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Portobello Vegan Trattoria was an Italian restaurant specializing in plant-based cuisine in Portland, Oregon's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ McIlvaine, Brookie. "Evan Funke Hosts His Dream Dinner Party". Netflix Queue. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  2. ↑ Figueroa, Ana (2024-09-17). "The Paradox of Evan Funke". Beverly Hills Courier. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  3. 1 2 Burton, Monica (2018-02-28). "Pasta Star Evan Funke Is Thinking About Opening Another Restaurant". Eater. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  4. 1 2 "About". Evan Funke. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  5. 1 2 Saperstein, Pat (2018-09-28). "Pasta Master Evan Funke Stokes Appetites in Tastemade's First Feature Doc". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  6. ↑ "Los Angeles Chef Evan Funke Is an Unabashed Localist … and We're Here for It". Golden State. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  7. ↑ graphics (2013-08-15). "Simplicity Reigns at Chef Funke's Bucato". Palisadian Post. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  8. 1 2 "Bucato's Evan Funke shares artistry of making pasta". Los Angeles Times. 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  9. 1 2 3 "Tagliatelle e tortellini a Los Angeles: ecco la 'Felix trattoria'". BolognaToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Storey, Nate (2022-07-26). "Designing Delicious: Chef Evan Funke, the Pasta Architect". SURFACE. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  11. ↑ "What is cacio e pepe and how did it take over the world?". Los Angeles Times. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  12. ↑ Elliott, Farley (2015-06-09). "Evan Funke Talks Bucato, LA's Dining Dominance, and the Sad State of Culinary School Grads". Eater LA. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  13. ↑ X (2015-05-21). "Chef Evan Funke resigns from Bucato". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  14. ↑ "Felix Trattoria". felixla.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  15. ↑ "Mother Wolf". www.motherwolfla.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  16. 1 2 Fowler, Olee (2024-10-07). "Inside Mother Wolf Miami, Evan Funke's Ode to Roman Cuisine". Eater Miami. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  17. ↑ Figueroa, Ana (2024-09-17). "The Paradox of Evan Funke". Beverly Hills Courier. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  18. ↑ "These 9 LA Restaurants Just Nabbed Michelin Honors: How Many Have You Tried?". LAist. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  19. ↑ "Los Angeles Magazine's Best New Restaurants". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  20. ↑ "Mother Wolf LV". www.motherwolflv.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  21. ↑ "3 Celebrity Chefs Unveil Flavors From Abroad At Their New Restaurants in Las Vegas". vegasmagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  22. ↑ Holmes, Mona (2023-09-18). "Evan Funke's Popular Hollywood Restaurant Expands to Huge New Resort in Las Vegas". Eater LA. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  23. ↑ "The 10 Best Italian Restaurants In Las Vegas". vegasmagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  24. ↑ "Tre Dita". Lettuce Entertain You. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  25. ↑ "Here's a Close Look at the Wine and Food at Tre Dita in Chicago". Wine Spectator. 2024-04-17. Archived from the original on 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  26. ↑ Selvam, Ashok (2024-03-18). "With 40-Foot Windows, This New Restaurant Offers Sweeping Downtown Views". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  27. ↑ Eng, Monica (2024-03-14). "Hot new St. Regis Hotel restaurant brings Tuscany to Chicago". Axios. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  28. ↑ "Mother Wolf Miami". www.motherwolfmiami.com. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  29. ↑ "About". Evan Funke. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  30. ↑ Latham, Jeremy Repanich,Tori (2024-11-13). "The 50 Most Powerful People in American Fine Dining". Robb Report. Retrieved 2024-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ Moore, Booth (2024-10-11). "Veni, Vici, Vicuña: Michelle Williams, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Paulson and More Celebrate Loro Piana in L.A." WWD. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  32. ↑ Browchuk, Eliseé (2024-10-13). "Loro Piana Reopens Their Rodeo Drive Flagship With a Cashmere-Filled Centennial Celebration at the Beverly Estate". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  33. ↑ Malkin, Marc (2022-03-24). "Mother Wolf Chef Evan Funke to Make Debut Designing Menu for Vanity Fair Oscar Party". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  34. ↑ "Chef Evan Funke Designed the Menu for Vanity Fair's Oscar Party—And, Yes, There Was Lasagna!". People.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  35. ↑ Brugal, Sommer (2024-10-10). "Mother Wolf owner Evan Funke featured on Netflix show". Axios. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  36. ↑ "List of Quibi original programming", Wikipedia, 2024-09-01, retrieved 2024-10-10
  37. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (2020-04-07). "Watching a chef chase rare pasta is surprisingly bittersweet". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  38. ↑ Dehnart, Andy (2020-04-06). "Chef behind Quibi's 'Shape of Pasta' hopes it angers some. That means it's working". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  39. ↑ "Funke". Tastemade. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  40. ↑ Dalal, Avery (2022-10-12). "How Chef Evan Funke Became a Master Pasta-Maker". Eater. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  41. ↑ "The 2020 James Beard Media Award Winners | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.