As the co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group, Nancy Silverton's food has taken L.A. by storm. Not only does she create delicious meals but she is also the most stylish chef we know—take a look at the photos from our CC100 shoot to see why. The award-winning chef and baker inject that same individual style into her work, too.
From the menu to the atmosphere, Silverton doesn’t miss a beat. It’s why her Mozza pizzeria is still booked out 10 years later and she was awarded a Michelin star for her Osteria Mozza restaurant.
Silverton actually rose to fame through her La Brea Bakery (which she sold in 2001) and it was her scientific approach to bread-making that formed the foundation for her pizza making, which is now legendary. Read on to hear why we're big fans of her inside and outside the kitchen.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: You are the co-owner of the Mozza Restaurant Group that has taken L.A. by storm. How hands-on are you in each of your restaurants? How do you ensure quality when you can't be there? Why do you attribute to the restaurant's success?
NANCY SILVERTON: I’m extremely hands-on. There are several key people who are there when I'm not. Delicious food with good service in an attractive setting—Wow, that's breaking news!
You have had a very successful career—what is your secret sauce? What tips do you have for people who want to achieve your success in the food industry? What do you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you were first launching your business? Why?
Love it—love it so much you can't do anything else. I don't wish like that.
“This is gonna sound corny, but you have to trust yourself. Trust your taste. Keep pushing.”
Your latest venture is an L.A. restaurant called Pizzette to add to the long list of restaurants you have (and your gelato line). How do you decide when it is time to expand and open a new restaurant? How long do you plan for a new venture before it's opening?
It might be as simple as going somewhere, somewhere far away, and having something that I so enjoy that I want to have it again in Los Angeles. And that dish wouldn't fit in with what I currently have. It is extremely rare for that to happen.
What advice do you have for other upcoming female chefs? What are the main traits/characteristics you need to be a successful chef today?
I don't have advice only for ‘female chefs.’ One must have to be a chef. If you don't have to be, don't.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
”This is gonna sound corny, but you have to trust yourself. Trust your taste. Keep pushing.”
Recall a mistake you made and what did you learn from it? How did you turn it into an opportunity?
”Made a wrong turn in Tuscany and ended up at Dario Cecchini's butcher shop in Panzano in Chianti.”
With success comes opportunity but that also means you have your hands full—What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
”Knowing there is so much more to learn, so much more to taste and love, although that gets rarer and rarer. I go to Italy every summer for about 40 days and If I get one or two inspiring food ideas, I am happy.”
Success is such a broad term and it means something different to everyone—How do you define success?“Chasing down contentment and getting closer and closer and closer and…”
Your restaurants are located in Los Angeles, one of the most competitive markets in the country -- How are able to stay unique in such a saturated space? What advice do you have for other restaurateurs looking to open their own? How hard is it, really?
”Hard work. If it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be easy to do and there would be outstanding restaurants on every corner. Your last question in this segment, ‘How hard is it, really?’—Really.”
What advice do you have for women who haven’t found their path/passion yet? What steps can they take to get there?
”I don't dish out much advice but I have a good pair of ears and they listen well. It might be the person doing the talking to me that might want to follow that path of what they are mostly talking about.”
“If it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be easy to do and there would be outstanding restaurants on every corner.””
Osteria Mozza was recently awarded a Michelin Star. How much do awards like this mean to you? How has it changed the business, if at all? How do you set goals? Is recognition like this ever a goal you try to reach? Why/Why not?
Cool is an overused word, but it was cool to get the star. We were in Brooklyn and my assistant Kate Green was at the awards presentations and she was giving us reports back via text and we had a blast. It hasn't changed the business. I’ve never set a goal like “I gotta get a star or a James Beard Award.” They come, fine. The only goal is to please yourself and hopefully, you are very hard to please.
You've been very smart and savvy with your business and it's been incredibly profitable—Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy? Why? What money mistakes have you made and learned from along the way?
A financial person who you've known for decades. Money mistakes? Ever heard of Bernard Madoff?
What is the #1 book you always recommend? Why?
A good novel to escape into. For the last few years that has been Goldfinch by Donna Tart, The Overstory by Richard Powers, The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante and Southside by my boyfriend Michael Krikorian.
Photographer: Jenna Peffley
Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska
VIEW THE FULL CREATE & CULTIVATE 100 FOOD LIST HERE.
