Team

Roy Choi

What is it to be a cook with a classically-trained pedigree and an apologetically rebellious heart? Though Roy Choi is currently known as the godfather of the food truck movement, he is first and foremost a cook that has befriended and parted ways with the upper and lower echelons of the food industry. From classic hotel chef to street cook to ringleader in challenging all those barriers between good food and accessible food, Roy Choi reminds us that when it comes to eating something great, the rules are born only to be broken. Here at A-Frame, in his first creative project in partnership with Dave Reiss, he continues to mess with the traditions of standard dining culture and encourages patrons to reach across the table to share their food with a couple of strangers.

Jude Parra-Sickels

Ironically enough, our chef de cuisine started out as quite the picky eater before he entered the kitchen. But what had started as Chinese take-out and pizza delivery gigs eventually bloomed into degree from Roy's rival school the French Culinary Institute, a stint at Applewood and a career under David Chang at Momofuku Ssam Bar and Noodle Bar. Though born and raised in L.A., Jude's bounced around NYC, Madison, Prague, Chicago and Philly, which has opened his perspective and palate as A-Frame's chef de cuisine. But he still won't eat bell peppers.

Brian Butler

Like any other college kid who realized that retail is for suckers, Brian put himself through school in Arizona as a bartender before moving to L.A. in 2006. And it was in the city of angels and beach bunnies that he fell into the creative side of bartending. Remember how Dave knows all the cool people in town? That's how Brian was scouted to develop and manage the cocktail program at Alibi Room before crafting the bar program at A-Frame. So if you're looking for a real drink on the west side, look no further than Brian Butler.

Sean Knibb

This stylish, Montego Bay native got his start in designing beautiful spaces as a 5-year-old kid cultivating Anthuriums in the garden behind his grandparent's flower shop. Upon studying and traveling the world and its seven seas, Sean developed an eye for design that's interesting, forward-thinking and always beautiful. He's the man behind the look and feel of A-Frame, the dude who gutted a former IHOP and transformed a loveably hokey, American icon into something visually stunning. A-Frame is his first restaurant project.

Dave Reiss

If you don't know who Dave Reiss is, and you're a fiend for the underground icons of the L.A. scene, then you've most likely crashed 1 or 2 of his parties in the past two decades. But don't get down on yourself if you can't recognize who he is when he surreptitiously sits next to you at the bar and asks how you like the space. He's that fly on the wall who knows all the cool people in town and spends 85% of his career building that one, most excellent toy while spending the remaining 15% getting a kick outta watching you play with it. Through his friendships, ingenuity and instincts as a DJ, he went from opening Swingers on Beverly to Red, Sugar, The Brig and half a dozen other properties -- which isn't too bad for a kid who got his start churning ice cream at Swenson's in Westlake.

Natasha Phan

Live-or-die-L.A.Natasha Phan knows the map of the city like the back of her hand, which currently houses two moles, a freckle and a fading scar from roasting chickens in the oven. Chinatown raised her and she grew up in the most happening Asian grocery store in all of Echo Parque. After a short but winning career at DRAFTFCB and Martha Stewart Living, she left the corporate world for a world of restaurants. Currently, she serves as the pragmatic voice of the creative brand management team to whip those boys into shape, all while providing the feminine touch.