Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Board Chair Diane B. Paul and Executive Director Gail Samuel today announced a ten-year contract with Sodexo Leisure in culinary partnership with The Lucques Group to provide exclusive food and restaurant services throughout the Hollywood Bowl, starting in the 2016 summer season.
The creativity in dining that food lovers experience in James Beard award-winning chef Suzanne Goin's and Restaurateur/Wine Director Caroline Styne's local restaurants - a.o.c., Lucques, Tavern and The Larder - will be mirrored throughout all of the Hollywood Bowl's diverse food locations, from the wine bar and the restaurants to the marketplace and concessions.
"Dining has long been an integral part of an evening at the Hollywood Bowl," stated Los Angeles Philharmonic Association Board Chair Diane B. Paul. "Whether it's a picnic, dinner at your seat, or dining in one of the on-site restaurants, visitors have always enjoyed a wide range of options. With the combined creativity and excellence of The Lucques Group and the LA Phil we have an opportunity to develop culinary offerings to make every visit an unforgettable experience."
"This partnership will carry on the time-honored tradition of dining at the Bowl while providing concert-goers with enhanced choices that are completely unique to this venue," continued Gail Samuel, Executive Director of the LA Phil. "The vision, energy and enthusiasm of Suzanne and Caroline, both long-time Bowl patrons and natives of Los Angeles, are a perfect match for the Hollywood Bowl and for our discerning Los Angeles audience."
"The Lucques Group is honored to be in this new partnership with the Hollywood Bowl and Sodexo Leisure. This is an enormous opportunity that will allow us to showcase Suzanne's seasonal menus to hundreds of thousands of people and present them with the hospitality standards that are so important to us both," notes Caroline Styne.
This will be a first-time collaboration for The Lucques Group and Sodexo Leisure, who each bring comprehensive operational, branding, marketing and strategic planning expertise to the partnership. Sodexo Leisure is recognized across the globe for its art of hospitality and has an international reputation for working with Michelin Star Chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Michael Caines, among many others. They provide an innovative approach to presenting high quality cuisine at eminent locations across the world for clients such as Royal Ascot, La Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower, The Paris Lido, Detroit Institute of Art and The Huntington Library.
"Sodexo Leisure's collaboration with The Lucques Group at the Hollywood Bowl marries our expertise at unique high-end, high-volume venues around the world with the renowned style, service and skill of Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne," added Steve DiPrima, president, Sodexo Leisure. "This approach will create an experience that is memorable, distinct and exclusive to the Hollywood Bowl."
About the Hollywood Bowl
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz offerings. The venue offers something for everyone, from its sizzling summer evening concerts to the daytime arts festival for children, "SummerSounds: World Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," now in its 48th season. In February 2015, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the eleventh year in a row at the 26th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. http://www.HollywoodBowl.com.
About the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under the vibrant leadership of Music Director & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, presents an inspiring array of music from all genres - orchestral, chamber and Baroque music, organ and celebrity recitals, new music, jazz, world music and pop - at two of L.A.'s iconic venues, Walt Disney Concert Hall (www.laphil.com) and the Hollywood Bowl (http://www.HollywoodBowl.com). The LA Phil's season at Walt Disney Concert Hall extends from September through May, and throughout the summer at the Hollywood Bowl. With the preeminent Los Angeles Philharmonic at the foundation of its offerings, the LA Phil aims to enrich and transform lives through music, with a robust mix of artistic, education and community programs.
About The Lucques Group
With the opening of Lucques, their flagship restaurant, in 1998, James Beard award-winning Chef/Author Suzanne Goin and award-winning Restaurateur Caroline Styne planted the seeds for The Lucques Group, a Los Angeles hospitality company that comprises two other fine dining restaurants - a.o.c. and Tavern - and four marketplace restaurants - The Larder at Maple Drive, The Larder at Burton Way, The Larder at Tavern and The Larder at Tavern at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. Along with these culinary enterprises, the company also operates Lucques Catering, the Larder Baking Company and beginning 2016 - comprehensive food services for the Hollywood Bowl. The Lucques Group is dedicated to seasonally influenced cooking and focuses on sourcing local, organic produce from which Goin creates soulful dishes that are bold in flavor, vibrant, layered and complex.
About Sodexo Leisure
Sodexo Leisure, a division of Sodexo, Inc. is a premier provider to cultural destinations and event venues around the world and in the U.S. including the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, Zoo Atlanta, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Museum of Science and Industry and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Detroit Institute of Art. Sodexo, Inc. is headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD and funds all administrative costs for the independent and charitable Sodexo Foundation - granting more than $25 million since 1999 to end childhood hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at SodexoInsights.com
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Sophie Jefferies, sjefferies@laphil.org, 213.972.3422