When the Animal becomes a Master

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Chef Jon Shook and chef Vinny Dotolo

Chefs Vinny Dotolo, Michelle Berstein and Jon Shook with Adrian Si, Events & Paternship Manager at Lexus, with Sophie Gayot

by Sophie Gayot Working in the world of chefs and restaurants, I see the name “Lexus” very often. The car company, which started with two luxury sedans in 1989, loves food. Over the years, it has become a sponsor of major culinary events throughout the country. To reinforce that passion, the Lexus Culinary Masters team was created in 2011. Two new chefs have just been added to the circle: Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Animal restaurant on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. They joined Daniel Boulud, chef/owner of Daniel (one of GAYOT’s Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. since 2004); Michael Chiarello, chef/owner of Bottega and Coqueta; Dean Fearing, chef/partner of Fearing’s restaurant; Christopher Kostow, executive chef of The Restaurant at Meadowood (one of GAYOT’s 2013 Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S.); Masaharu Morimoto, chef/owner of Morimoto restaurants; Michael Symon, chef/owner of Lola Bistro; and Michelle Bernstein, chef/owner of Michy’s. A culinary celebration took place at Animal last night. For the occasion, Michelle Bernstein made the trip from Miami and worked on the menu with Shook and Dotolo, as she was the one who got them their first job! To discover the eclectic eight-course menu, and sneak a peek behind the scenes, take a tour of the photo gallery below. You can click on the photo to enlarge. Photos by Sophie Gayot