FINERY APRON CHEF SERIES
Seven years ago, Finery was founded on an idea. An idea that uniforms didn’t have to look like “uniforms”. An idea that uniforms could be beautiful pieces of clothing that still functioned well on the job. An idea that uniforms didn’t have to be a dirty word.
And this idea came about one week when four of our chef friends asked us if we could help style the staff at their restaurants. Four chefs who lived in our city of Los Angeles and had been feeding us for years.
Seven years later, we wanted to thank these four amazing chefs for inspiring us to build a company that helps everybody in uniform feel good about how they look, how they feel, and how they perform on the job.
We’ve asked these four chefs to design the apron they’ve always wanted but couldn’t buy. An apron that represents their personality, their food, and their city of Los Angeles.
THE CHEFS
ROY CHOI |
SUSAN FENIGER |
LUDO LEFEBVRE |
DAVID MYERS |
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In 2008, Roy Choi and a crew of friends & family started what would be the beginning of the intersection between food, technology, culture, entrepreneurship, and long lines. That comet was called Kogi BBQ and it made a splash on the streets of LA, being the first to use Twitter and usher in a whole new generation of eaters and followers to what would be called America’s first viral restaurant by Newsweek.
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Iconic culinarian, author, and entrepreneur Susan Feniger may be best known for her Modern Mexican concept, Border Grill restaurants, trucks, and catering, which she runs with her business partner of more than 35 years, Mary Sue Milliken.
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Chef Ludo Lefebvre is one of the most influential chefs in Los Angeles dining, pioneering and revolutionizing the culinary industry. After training in France for 12 years with the great masters, Ludo came to Los Angeles and was soon awarded the prestigious Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award at two different restaurants, L’Orangerie in 1999 and 2000 and Bastide in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, with his restaurant tour “LudoBites” he became known as the “pop-up king” and has been credited with igniting the phenomenon of the pop-up restaurant and establishing its viability as a business model.
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Gypsy Chef, global citizen and wandering soul, David Myers is based in Los Angeles, but is most often found in his restaurants across Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai.
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ROY CHOI
In 2008, Roy Choi and a crew of friends & family started what would be the beginning of the intersection between food, technology, culture, entrepreneurship, and long lines. That comet was called Kogi BBQ and it made a splash on the streets of LA, being the first to use Twitter and usher in a whole new generation of eaters and followers to what would be called America’s first viral restaurant by Newsweek.
Roy was named Food & Wine Best New Chef 2010, TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World 2016, LA Times Restaurant of the Year 2017, and has an award winning New York Times Bestseller memoir called, L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.
He resides in Los Angeles, California where he oversees Kogi BBQ, Chego!, A-Frame, Alibi Room, LocoL, and his first restaurant outside California called Best Friend at Park MGM, Las Vegas. Roy is co-producer on the movie Chef and executive producer/co-host on the subsequent, The Chef Show on Netflix. He is also executive producer and host of the socially conscious television show Broken Bread on KCET and Tastemade, and is a highly recognized speaker at events and panels worldwide.
Roy’s apron is a classic bib style with silver D ring. 2 chest pockets for longer items, 2 waist hand pockets for wider items and 1 small welt pocket for valuables. The body is a gray rigid denim and the welt pocket and neck tie is accented with a custom digital camo print.
SUSAN FENIGER
Iconic culinarian, author, and entrepreneur Susan Feniger may be best known for her Modern Mexican concept, Border Grill restaurants, trucks, and catering, which she runs with her business partner of more than 35 years, Mary Sue Milliken.
Feniger brought her innovative approaches to The Food Network with nearly 400 episodes of the “Too Hot Tamales” and “Tamales World Tour” series. She also was one of the original co-hosts of the popular food-centric radio show, KCRW’s “Good Food,” in L.A. Susan has co-authored six cookbooks, including Susan Feniger’s Street Food and competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” in 2010.
Feniger is an active member of the community, and currently sits on the boards of the Scleroderma Research Foundation, L.A. LGBT Center, and L.A. Tourism & Convention Board; works closely with Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Share Our Strength, and Human Rights Campaign; and co-founded Chefs Collaborative.
Susan’s apron is an updated bib style with rope ties. 2 chest pockets for longer items, 2 waist hand pockets for wider items and 1 small patch pocket for valuables. The body is a midnight navy cotton twill (similar in texture to a rigid denim) and the patch pocket is accented in a railroad denim with pink zipper tape and antique brass hardware. The ropes and threading are all custom Pantone matched to a Susan-specific pink.
LUDO LEFEBVRE
Chef Ludo Lefebvre is one of the most influential chefs in Los Angeles dining, pioneering and revolutionizing the culinary industry. After training in France for 12 years with the great masters, Ludo came to Los Angeles and was soon awarded the prestigious Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award at two different restaurants, L’Orangerie in 1999 and 2000 and Bastide in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, with his restaurant tour “LudoBites” he became known as the “pop-up king” and has been credited with igniting the phenomenon of the pop-up restaurant and establishing its viability as a business model.
Ludo has been named one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Chefs” by Relais & Chateaux and was a James Beard Award finalist for a “Rising Star Chef, ” “Best Chef West” and “Best Culinary Program” for his hosting of Mind of Chef. . In December 2015, Ludo received the prestigious Chevalier de Arts des Lettres award from his home country of France. Ludo starred in three seasons of the ABC hit cooking competition, The Taste.
Ludo’s apron is a modern take on the classic bib apron. 2 chest pockets for longer items, 2 waist hand pockets for wider items and 1 small patch pocket for valuables. The body is made in a beautiful warm white linen and accented with navy rope ties around the neck and waist. All hardware is brass. A luxurious take on a classic French aesthetic.
DAVID MYERS
Gypsy Chef, global citizen and wandering soul, David Myers is based in Los Angeles, but is most often found in his restaurants across Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai.
David has trained under several of the world's most renowned chefs, including Charlie Trotter, Gerard Boyer and Daniel Boulud. In each of David’s restaurants, he draws upon the unique flavours and ingredients discovered in his travels around the world to create a unique and captivating collection of dining and drinking experiences. Each of his concepts offers a varied taste of his well-traveled culinary and personal style.
His commitment to creativity, harmony and perfection in the kitchen has garnered remarkable success. David was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine in 2003, and in 2017 Esquire Middle East named him ‘Chef of the Year’. His former LA flagship restaurant, Sona, was awarded one Michelin star for three consecutive years. Other successful projects include Pizzeria Ortica, Sola, Comme ça, AnOther Place and hinoki & the bird.
David’s apron is a classic bib style with silver D ring. 2 chest pockets for longer items, 2 waist hand pockets for wider items and 1 small welt pocket for valuables. The body is a midnight navy linen and the welt pocket is accented with a traditional Japanese indigo print. An homage to the subtle beauty ofJapanese prints and colors.
GIVING BACK
All net proceeds of the sales of these aprons will be donated to the following charities that were hand-picked by each chef.
A Place Called Home (Roy Choi)
LA LGBT Center (Susan Feniger)
World Central Kitchen (Ludo Lefebvre)
KIPP School (David Myers)