Under Roger Hayot’s guidance, the restaurant has started to serve more seasonal and local ingredients, while maintaining the feel of J Nichols, which was recently remodeled as it passed from father to son.
Hayot, who started in March but recently revamped the menu, was formerly the chef and owner of Authentic Cafe, that was located at 7605 Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles before it closed in 2006.
He has introduced new dishes at J Nichols such as Pan Roasted Pork Chops, served with farro, sweet summer corn, cherry tomatoes and a cranberry maple apple glaze and the Del Rey salad, composed of chicken, kale, mixed greens, pink lady apples, applewood bacon, aged white cheddar, nuts, dried cranberries, egg and a sweet mustard vinaigrette. Hayot also cures meats and creates sausages in-house.
“It’s important to me to preserve the neighborhood and community spirit that my father created at Nichols, while keeping an eye to the future of the dining scene in the Marina,” said Jim Nichols in a statement. “We’ve seen so much new development here in the past few years that it only felt right to innovate with our surroundings, and Roger is the perfect chef to take us to that next level.”
J. Nichols Kitchen is located at 4375 Glencoe Ave. in Marina del Rey, and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
