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GOVIND ARMSTRONG
CHEF - LOS ANGELES
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With his distinctive good looks, charming smile, and long dreadlocks tied behind his back, Chef Govind Armstrong is one of America’s most talented and charismatic chefs. At just 13, while his peers were hanging out at the beach, Armstrong spent the summer of 1982 working in the kitchen of the then-newly-opened Spago in West Hollywood. Armstrong began his culinary adventures in an auspicious manner and proved that he already had the soul of a chef.
Armstrong spent three summers working in that fabled kitchen under the tutelage of Wolfgang Puck, alongside two other L.A. luminaries, Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton. His career continued its momentum when he assisted celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Ciudad) in opening City Restaurant in 1985, the cutting-edge La Brea Avenue eatery that would have a long-lasting influence on the local dining scene. Three years later, he left to become Tournant at the Hotel Bel-Air before moving to San Francisco to attend college. While in the Bay Area, he supported himself by working as Sous Chef at Postrio, the fashionable Wolfgang Puck restaurant near Union Square.
Armstrong has made several journeys to Europe over the years to hone his skills in world-class kitchens, including Excelsior at Hotel de l’Europe, d’Theeboom and The American Hotel in Amsterdam. In addition to turning out haute cuisine, Armstrong’s travels to Italy, Spain and France enhanced his appreciation for a diversity of food and wine. In San Sebastian, Spain’s gastronomic capital, he was mentored and inspired by Pedro Subijana, the renowned chef of Restaurant Akelare. He also learned innovative techniques from chef/owner Juan Mari Arzak at his rarefied three-star Michelin establishment, Restaurant Arzak.
During a brief stint at Campanile, the quintessentially-L.A. Mediterranean restaurant of Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel, Armstrong worked alongside new friend and future business partner Ben Ford. He then left Campanile for his first Chef position at Jackson’s, where he received rave reviews for his innovative California fare. Subsequently, super chef Joachim Splichal nabbed him to run the kitchen at Pinot Hollywood, where he coordinated celebrity-filled parties for movie premieres, the Oscars and Grammys.
In 2000, he and Ben Ford opened Chadwick, an ambitious project where the two chefs collaborated on a refined, contemporary cuisine that emphasized organic local ingredients, served in a cozy bungalow in the heart of Beverly Hills. Since his first job at Spago when he was a young teen, Armstrong has been unwavering in his philosophy that the use of the highest quality seasonal ingredients is the foundation for great cooking. As such, he has emerged as a leading figure in the continued evolution of California cuisine. “All ingredients have their own unique characteristics, and my goal is to showcase the simple, yet sublime flavor of each ingredient at its peak,” explains the chef.
In 2003, Armstrong found himself doing what every young chef dreams of—putting his talents and personal style to work for customers at his very own restaurant. With Meridian Entertainment Group founders Chris Heyman and Josh Woodward giving the promising young chef full creative license in the kitchen, Table 8 became Armstrong’s new stage for his inventive, market-driven California cuisine. Armstrong has now comfortably settled into a new role—as one of America’s most influential chefs.
In addition to his achievements at Table 8, Armstrong travels the world as a consulting chef for Air New Zealand and was among an elite group of American chefs to serve as Culinary Ambassadors to the South Pacific nation. He has been an honored chef at the James Beard House, is a member of Macy’s culinary advisory board, and has been a guest chef aboard the Queen Mary II and Crystal Cruises. A charismatic proponent of the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared without excessive saucing, embellishment or fusion, Armstrong’s philosophies are emulated at cooking schools across the nation.
He is also becoming a familiar face on American television, appearing on “Iron Chef America,” “Celebrity Cooking Showdown,” “The Today Show” and “The Great Domestic Showdown.” Armstrong is regularly featured in national food and lifestyle publications such as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, O, and even People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” issue. A sought after motivational speaker and consultant, the 37-year-old chef’s first book is scheduled for an April 2007 release by Potter/Crown. |
