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Andrew Kirschner, Executive Chef
Andrew Kirschner is a native of Southern California,
raised in Los Angeles. After graduating from the University of Colorado
in 1994 with a degree in psychology, the avid snowboarder moved to Aspen,
securing cooking positions at two popular establishments, Ajax Tavern and
Krabloonik, located in nearby Snowmass Village. He found the excitement
and intensity of working in the fine dining world stimulating – he thrived
on the demands of the kitchen and resolved to get serious about his craft
and train for his profession as a highly skilled chef.
Kirschner left Colorado
to attend the prestigious California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco,
gaining on the job experience during his studies working at Arnold Wong’s
acclaimed restaurant, Eos. Wong, a highly meticulous and creative chef,
was Kirschner’s mentor, and influenced the young chef in his use of Asian
ingredients and design of inventive, multi-cultural dishes.
After graduating
from CCA in 1996, Kirschner moved back to Southern California. Between 1997
and 2006, he worked with top chefs in many of Los Angeles’ leading restaurants
including Chef Joe Miller of Joe’s Restaurant in Venice, another influential
talent; Chefs Ben Ford and Govind Armstrong of Chadwick in Beverly Hills;
and the gifted Suzanne Goin, of Lucques in West Hollywood. In 2003 Kirschner
partnered with Govind Armstrong in opening hot spot Table 8, where he served
as Chef de Cuisine. Kirschner joined Wilshire Restaurant as Chef de Cuisine
in 2007 and was promoted to Executive Chef within a year.
His contemporary
style and facile technique was immediately embraced by diners and food writers,
and he earned a coveted three-star rating from Los Angeles Times critic
S. Irene Virbila. “Kirschner’s assured, effortless-seeming cooking is a
breath of fresh air. He’s blessed with not only a good palate, but also
a good eye,” wrote Virbila. “And he can execute, which makes him a triple
threat.” Kirschner bases his culinary philosophy on the “Farm to Table”
concept. “It’s about showcasing the quality of the ingredients, letting
them speak for themselves without over-manipulating them,” he says. Kirschner
also uses this foundation to create slightly more complex dishes that are
inspired by his passion for Asian foods and spices. A good example has now
become a Wilshire Restaurant signature dish – Whole Fried Thai Snapper with
citrus soy dipping sauce and sesame soba. A simple dish at heart, it uses
more ingredients than many of his western influenced dishes, yet is crafted
with the same guiding principal. “It’s a real crowd pleaser,” Kirschner
adds. Pulling off this type of cooking in a high volume restaurant that
attracts an energetic bar scene, full house dinners, and private parties
presents a challenge. Kirschner is up to the task, and states, “Running
a venue of this size is a daily learning situation. If I can make the size
and scope of it balance by the end of the night, I’ve really accomplished
something.”
Wilshire has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall
Street Journal, Angeleno, Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and was voted the
14th best restaurant in the city by Los Angeles magazine in their top 75
restaurant issue. In addition to Virbila’s 3 star review, Chef Kirschner
was awarded Best New Chef by Angeleno in 2008. He is the 2009 winner of
Soyjoy’s Earth Day Culinary Competition, Battle of the Chefs: Eco-Cuisine,
a live cooking competition with notable chefs, and is a member of the Advisory
Board of dineLA.com. Kirschner was recently honored to appear as guest chef
at James Beard House chef to a sold out dinner.
Andrew Kirschner generously
donates his time and services in support of the Los Angeles community and
is a regular participant in Taste of the Nation, the Environmental Media
Awards Gala, Five Star Sensation in Cleveland, and Wolfgang Puck’s American
Wine & Food Festival. He travels to distant locales to experience food trends
and find inspiration for his seasonal menus. To balance out the pressures
of running a fast paced and high volume restaurant, Andrew heads to the
outdoors to enjoy surfing, snowboarding, hiking, biking or swimming as often
as possible.
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