Ray Kachatorian
Ray Kachatorian
Q & A
What are the top luxury destinations in the world and how does each get its inspiration from benchmarks that have been set in Beverly Hills?
Beverly Hills is world-renowned for luxury. Luxury exudes from every corner of the city - from the top restaurants and hotels, the old Hollywood-style piano bars, red carpet events and the A-list celebrities who live here or often visit the city. The high fashion and shopping on Rodeo Drive, the Spanish villas and impressive homes, and the cleanliness of the palm tree-lined streets and well-kept gardens all set the bar. Beverly Hills is classic and glamorous, while at the same time it remains relevant with just the right amount of contemporary offerings. I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the globe with my job and I’ve worked in some of the most exciting cities on the planet, including New York City, London, Sydney, Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong. While these cities are known for their hustle and bustle, Beverly Hills sets a much calmer, more personal pace, yet everything you could ever want is still at your fingertips.
Ray Kachatorian
Curtis Stone's Tuna Crudo from the pear menu at Maude.
Quentin Bacon
Curtis Stone's Sea Bream from the apple menu at Maude.
Ray Kachatorian
Maude's intimate interior.
Locally sourced foods are mainstays within restaurants. Which go-to shops in Beverly Hills do you frequent when cooking for your restaurant Maude and for yourself?
My chefs and I are constantly running up to The Beverly Hills Cheese Store, run by Norbert Wabnig, to select beautiful, interesting cheeses for our cheese course. At Maude we change our 9+ course menu every month, so it really pushes us to be creative – and it means Norbert is forever introducing us to cheeses from all over the world that we haven’t tried before. He exudes an old-school charm and hospitality that Beverly Hills is known for; he’s a real character! The pungent aroma when you walk in the door of the store hits you right in the nose; I love it! Of course, while I’m looking for cheese for the restaurant, I end up coming home with a wheel of this and a block of that for home too.
“Having a restaurant in California is a chef’s dream as we have access to some of the best fresh produce in the world.”
Ray Kachatorian
Curtis Stone’s restaurant, Maude, features a different seasonal “hero” ingredient each month.
At your restaurant, Maude, a different seasonal ingredient is featured each month. How does Beverly Hills have an influence over what you select?
Ray Kachatorian
Curtis Stone’s restaurant, Maude, features a different seasonal “hero” ingredient each month.
We choose a single hero ingredient to star in each course of the degustation, sometimes starring in a prominent role and at other times, playing a subtler role. We plan out the hero ingredient calendar at the start of each year, and to be honest, this year we are featuring ingredients as humble as the carrot and potato, all the way through to the exquisite white and black truffle. We like to be playful with our menus and surprise and delight people with how many ways you can make a simple ingredient delicious and unique, and demonstrate just how far you can elevate it with technique. Having a restaurant in California is a chef’s dream as we have access to some of the best fresh produce in the world. When selecting our hero ingredients, we look to what is locally available to us and what reflects the very best of California produce.
What is your definition of luxury?
Look, I’m a pretty laidback kind of guy – I’m an Aussie after all, it’s just the way we are wired. As I’ve gotten a bit older, I’ve learnt to appreciate life’s little luxuries like spending time around the dinner table with my family and enjoying a well-prepared meal. It’s a simple thing, but family and food are everything to me, so I really don’t take them for granted. My schedule is pretty busy, so to me, having some time to just chill out and enjoy myself is a real luxury, too. And when it does come time to splurge a little, I make sure it’s on the things that make me really happy, like taking a nice holiday with my friends and family, or taking my wife out to a restaurant we’ve been dying to try.