Rustic Canyon is turning 20, and the Santa Monica restaurant is marking the milestone by bringing its old chefs home. Starting October 6, the Wilshire Boulevard institution launches a four-part dinner series called The First 20, reuniting founding and former kitchen leaders for rotating multi-course menus and rare wine pairings through late October.
A Two-Decade Run Rooted in Farmers Market Ingredients
The restaurant's story began with casual family-style dinner parties held by a group of friends at a house in the nearby Rustic Canyon neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those dinners evolved into the restaurant that officially opened its doors in December 2006. As reported by the Santa Monica Mirror, the anniversary series kicks off with How It Started, a dinner led by Loeb alongside co-owner Zoe Nathan, opening chef Samir Mohajer, and current chef Elijah Deleon.
That opening dinner will feature wine pairings from Steve Matthiasson, described in the Mirror's report as a regenerative winemaker. The First 20 is presented by Resy and supported by S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, with reservations available through Resy, the outlet notes.
Funke, Doubrava, and Other Alumni Return to the Kitchen
The series continues on October 13 with a night centered on Evan Funke. Per the Mirror, Funke will cook a collaborative prix-fixe menu highlighting regional Italian cuisine, with former Rustic Canyon sommelier Jenna Issac serving selections from Red Car Wines, poured by the label's co-owners Allison and Richard Crowell.
A third dinner, Tallula's Returns, arrives October 20 and honors a former Rustic Canyon Family venue. Chef Saw Naing will lead a Mexican-inspired menu, while longtime bar manager Justin Dicken and family wine director Kathryn Coker manage beverage pairings that include agave cocktails and selections from Esters, the Mirror reports.
Closing Weekend Reunites the Vegetable-Forward Era
The series wraps October 26 and 27 with The Wiz Kids, featuring former executive chef Andy Doubrava and former pastry chef Erika Chan. Guest sommeliers Kathryn Spencer and Ferdinando Mucerino will oversee pairings for the closing weekend, with Alison Anderson pouring biodynamic vintages, according to the same report.
Doubrava's return carries extra weight this fall. He and his wife, Tiffani Ortiz, received news that The Catbird Seat in Nashville earned its first Michelin star in November 2025, according to Sippican Week. Doubrava previously led Rustic Canyon's kitchen alongside chef Jeremy Fox, who joined as executive chef in February 2013 and transformed the menu into an acclaimed vegetable-forward destination, per Ojai Food and Wine. Fox had previously led the Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant Ubuntu in Napa before eventually becoming a partner in the Rustic Canyon group.
From One Dining Room to a Santa Monica Restaurant Family
Rustic Canyon earned its first Michelin star in June 2019, when the Michelin Guide expanded statewide across California and recognized the restaurant under the leadership of Fox and Doubrava, according to the MICHELIN Guide. Zoe Nathan joined the restaurant as pastry chef in 2007, later marrying Loeb and co-authoring the 2014 cookbook Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from Our Kitchen, per the Ayadee Foundation. Her early morning baking eventually led to the opening of Huckleberry Bakery & Café in 2009. The group now includes Santa Monica concepts such as Milo & Olive, Cassia, and Esters Wine Shop & Bar, according to Food GPS.
The group's growth hasn't been without recent contraction. Sister restaurant Birdie G's, also launched by Fox and the Rustic Canyon team, closed its original Santa Monica dining room in December 2025 and is set to reopen inside the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles this summer, as Hoodline reported earlier this year. That relocation followed more than six years of Birdie G's operating as a standalone Santa Monica dining room before shifting to a hotel-based concept.
A Wine Program and Farming Grant Built on the Same Ethos
The restaurant's wine program, curated by Coker, has grown to more than 300 bottles. The restaurant's menu reflects a farm-to-table sourcing philosophy.
