Inside SoCal: 6/27 Wrap-Up
It's officially summer and the perfect time to explore the Pacific waters — from kayak to kitchen counter!
FOUND OYSTER
If you've ever been curious about shucking an oyster, Chef Ari Kolender can certainly help you out. In fact, during the pandemic his newly opened restaurant, Found Oyster (opened Fall 2019) did just that. They offered oysters to go, but with a caveat — you had to shuck them yourself. Thankfully, with purchase came the demo.
Now that restaurants are back open and Found Oyster is in full swing in East Hollywood, you can put your oyster shucking knives down and leave it to the pros. Found Oyster's raw bar is impressive, not to mention Chef Ari Kolender was named by StarChefs (industry magazine) as the 2021 Los Angeles Rising Stars Game Changer. His seafood is brought in fresh daily, and his lobster roll is worth every bite.
Found Oyster
4880 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
foundoyster.com
About Chef Ari Kolender
Chef Kolender spent his childhood by the water: fishing, lounging, and surfing on the shore of Charleston, South Carolina. At 14, a family friend hired him as a host at the nearby Hyman's Seafood. Next, he landed at Pasadena's Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in 2004. He then nabbed an externship at Michael Cimarusti's two-Michelin-starred seafood restaurant, Providence, where Kolender reconnected with cooking and butchering seafood. In 2009, he became chef de cuisine of the cutting-edge Red Medicine and found a mentor in 2012 Rising Star Chef Jordan Kahn. In 2019, he partnered with Last Word Hospitality on a sunny seafood shack and raw bar, Found Oyster. In addition to preparing sharp, bright dishes that highlight sustainable seafood purveyors, Kolender designs the Mexican menu at the new Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, California
NEWPORT BAY CONSERVANCY
The Newport Bay Conservancy is a non-profit organization tasked with protecting the Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, California. This magnificent natural estuary consisting of nearly 1,000 acres of wetlands is truly a one-of-a-kind treasure, where freshwater and seawater meet to create a special habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife.
Also known as the Back Bay, the Upper Newport Bay plays a critical role in Southern California's ecosystem and economy. It's the largest of only a few remaining natural estuaries in southern California. In an estuary, fertile soil washed down from the watershed is deposited, creating mudflat that is soon teeming with worms, clams and other animals. The water is rich in algae and plankton that is easily consumed by the clams and other marine invertebrates hiding in the mud. This abundance of food makes the Bay an important habitat for many fish.The Bay is also one of the top birding sites in the country, attracting birders from the US and beyond as over 200 documented species of birds have been sighted, including several rare or endangered species (Ridgway's rail, California least tern, Belding's savannah sparrow and Least Bell's vireo).
Visitors can run, walk or bike around the 11-mile area, as well as kayak and standup paddle board. For details go to: newportbay.org.