Meet Brendan Collins from Mansfield who moved to LA twelve years ago to pursue a cooking career.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m chef Brendan Collins, 38 years old. Husband, father, chef, restaurateur, part-time celebrity chef and cook book author. I am currently involved in four local restaurants, Birch in Hollywood, Larry’s Venice, the Corner Door in Culver city, and The Butchers Dog in West Los Angeles. So I am basically a busy man.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
The truth is I followed a women here who I was dating in London, but I was also convinced at the time that I could succeed here certainly better than in the UK, and the weather isn’t too bad either.
What do you hope to achieve by living in Los Angeles?
I have achieved so much already, – more than I ever dreamed possible, so I guess now it’s about keeping the success going. I think it’s really easy to get cocky, take your eye off the ball and watch it all fall to pieces in front of your eyes, so keeping focused is imperative! I do have a few more restaurant projects to put together and I am waiting for my first cookbook to come out this autumn and the TV chef thing keeps happening so while the opportunities are there I’ll keep that going.
What one thing do you miss from home?
It’s very small but specific things these days. I’ve been here a long time and America is my home now to be honest. But I do miss Sunday dinner with my grandparents, never thought I’d say this but the rain! And I’ve got some great mates back in the UK and now we are all older and married with children its harder to get together and hang out.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus the UK?
I think the first couple of years in LA are the hardest because apart from the language there are very few similarities between LA and the UK and it takes time to find your neighborhood and solid friends. The most obvious difference is the weather because its crap in England and great here!
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
Its’ hard to keep hidden gems hidden these days! But one of my favorite things to do is the Baldwin Hills stairs on a Sunday…smog dependent but the views are phenomenal and it’s a great workout too.
Birch currently offers all Brits in LA key members 10% off the entire bill on presentation of your key fob. And stay tuned for our private chef’s tasting menu coming in June.
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