Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Welcomes Mark Pollard as New Executive Chef of Culina Ristorante

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills welcomes Mark Pollard as the new Executive Chef of Culina Ristorante. Pollard has worked as executive chef at top restaurants across San Francisco, Los Angeles, The Hamptons, and Chicago.  With Culina, he is enhancing the menu to include flavours specifically from southern Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean, marrying Italy´s Amalfi Coast flavours with local California ingredients.  This will include the freshest produce, vibrant herbs, local citrus, bright flavours and the highest quality seafood.  There will be a new handcrafted cocktail program with a range of Aperol Spritz, along with house made limoncello using Culina´s lemon trees.

Mark Pollard is settling into his new role as Executive Chef at Culina Ristorante, already touching tables to connect with guests and planning his new menu. Pollard places a strong emphasis on training and culinary education, always considering how his recipes translate into reality, with his chefs, cooks, and front of house staff in mind. Striking balance with the restaurant’s lively, sun-drenched atmosphere, Pollard’s menu emphasizes seafood and local vegetables, avoids heavy sauces, and aims for wine friendliness. Highlighting the best local ingredients, Pollard describes his southern Italian coastal inspired cuisine as “clean, simple, and lighter in style,” with new menu items including a refreshing yellowfin crudo with Californian citrus and capers; charred grilled octopus with Calabrian chili aioli; shrimp pasta with seasonal meyer lemon, chilies and garlic; bistecca alla Fiorentina, a generous T-bone steak cooked briefly at a high temperature, served family-style accompanied with salsa verde; and whole branzino enhanced with Mediterranean herbs and shallot vinaigrette.

Pollard is excited to join the Four Seasons brand and make his mark on Culina Ristorante. “This is a job I’ve wanted for period of time, to finally get a chance at Culina at such an amazing Hotel is super-exciting for me. I have a stable base with a lot support to execute menus at a high level for people that really appreciate it. Culina stands out as an elevated LA experience that’s Italian at its core but Californian at heart,” says Mark Pollard.

“I am excited to welcome Executive Chef Mark Pollard, who aims to balance traditional Mediterranean flavours with fresh local produce.  We look forward to seeing how Pollard’s unique take on Culina Ristorante transforms the iconic space,” says David Wilkie, General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

To make reservations at Culina Ristorante + Caffé, book online or call 310 860 4000.