VERY Excited That Eataly Is Finally Coming To Los Angeles!

Eataly, the Global culinary phenomenon that is part multi-dimensional market and part upscale food court is finally coming to L.A. after years of planning. Powerhouse chef and entrepreneur Mario Batali and his restaurateur partner Joe Bastianich, co-owners of the massive New York and Chicago Eataly destinations, had planned to open an L.A. location in 2011 in either the Beverly Center or Downtown but those plans fell through. With the Westfield Century City recently announcing plans for a $700 million facelift and rebirth, it was decided that the Westfield would make a great location for an Eataly and plans are for Eataly L.A. to open in the Spring of 2017.

If you are not familiar with Eataly, it was started in 2007 by Italian businessman Oscar Farinetti who converted a closed vermouth factory in Turin into the first location of what the New York Times described as a "megastore that combines elements of a bustling European open market, a Whole-Foods-style supermarket, a high-end food court and a New Age learning center". The European bazaar-like concept of Eatery--huge variety and selection of the freshest, highest quality foods from meats to cheeses, sauces and olive oils, chocolates, coffees and sweets--has been such a sensation in the cities it has opened in, that two weeks after the New York opening there were still lines extending down Fifth Avenue to get into the store. Adding to the attraction is that each Eataly has multiple restaurants specializing in select foods such as fresh fish or cheese and charcuterie or veggies or just-baked bread or pasta or pizza or anything that can be prepared in any regional Italian style.

So...the reason I am so excited about an L.A. location is that during a trip to Rome last year, my youngest son (who had previously been to the Bologna location) introduced me to the Roma Eataly and it was beyond incredible. At 170,000 square feet, it is almost overwhelming with all of the choices that are offered. Spread over four VERY big levels with 23 different eateries, cooking classes, cheese-making classes, onsite beer making and 14,000 products (the majority of them Italian), there was so much to explore that we could never have sampled a tenth of the offerings in a week. You can bet that when I was in Manhattan earlier this month I visited and ate a couple of times at the Eataly there and, since the wait for the L.A Eataly seems interminably long if you know just what an amazing experience it is, I may just have to schedule a few more trips to New York!