OUR COMMITTEE

Family Meal provides meaningful resources in the key fields most supporting the hospitality industry and often left out of the conversation.

So much of what impacts restaurant & bar hardships are things which could be greatly aided, if not avoided altogether, with sound information from trusted experts like our committee below…

  • GAY HARWIN LAW - President

    Gay L. Harwin is a practicing corporate and business attorney and a recognized expert in the food service and hospitality industry, representing local, national and international celebrity (and hopefully soon to be celebrity) chefs and award winning (and hopefully soon to be award winning) restaurants, as well as investors, operators, restaurant groups and hospitality venues in all aspects of their operations, including organization, start-up, capitalization, asset acquisition, lease negotiations and review, domestic and international operations and implementation of growth and exit strategies.

    A well respected member of both the local and national business communities, Ms. Harwin served two terms as the co-Chair of the Council of Institutional Investors, based in Washington, D.C., and sat on the Board of New York University’s Real Estate Institute. In addition, Ms. Harwin is a sponsor of the annual L.A. Chef Conference and serves as counsel to Regarding HER, the national nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the growth of women entrepreneurs and leaders in the food and beverage industry.

    Ms. Harwin has also served on a variety of state and local governmental commissions.  Appointed as a trustee of the Board of Pensions for the City of Los Angeles by Mayor Richard J. Riordan, and reappointed to the Board by Mayor James Hahn, Ms. Harwin served as a trustee of the Board for ten years and served four terms as its President. In addition, Ms. Harwin served on the International Advisory Board to the International Trade Office of the City of Los Angeles as an appointee of Mayor Hahn and as a Commissioner of the California State Contractors Board as an appointee of Governor Jerry Brown, and also served as a member of the City of Los Angeles Food and Beverage Industry Task Force.

    In furtherance of her personal and professional commitment to charitable service, Ms. Harwin has served as counsel to numerous national and international non-profit organizations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Rx Laughter and Planet Hope. Furthermore, Ms. Harwin has served as a director of the United States Holocaust Museum-Western Region, as well as worked with the Vietnam Veterans Foundation of America, co-founder of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winning campaign to ban landmines, Village for Vets, a Los Angeles based program supporting homeless and at-risk veterans, and CORE Response.

    In addition, Ms. Harwin has served as a patient and palliative care volunteer, and was one of the original volunteers in the No One Dies Alone program at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, which service she has provided with deep gratitude for the opportunity to so serve.

Business Law Resource

  • NEW SCHOOL - Founder & Principal

    Born in Miami and raised outside of New Orleans (where his love affair with restaurants, and music, began), Paul initially pursued political science at university before a growing passion for creating lasting experiences eventually overtook and led him to operate, consult, and own restaurants worldwide.

    His diverse experience spans standalone eateries to hotel collaborations with prestigious brands like Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, MGM, Sands Corporation, Starwood, Trump Hotels, and the Sydell Group. After more than two decades in corporate restaurant roles, with the likes of Chef Jose Andres’ THINKFOODGROUP, Stephen Starr’s STARR RESTAURANTS, and Chef Laurent Tourondel's BLT Restaurant empire, Paul launched New School Consulting (New School™) in 2012 to apply his experience working alongside multiple best-in-class operators and impart his passion for “Holistic Hospitality” - where right-brained ideas thrive in tandem with left-brained execution.

    Shortly after launching New School, Paul met Chef Roy Choi where they first worked together at A-Frame and later, Sunny Spot, along with their first hotel project in Los Angeles at The LINE Hotel (Commissary, POT, caFe). Currently Paul and Roy are partners in Best Friend at the Park MGM in Las Vegas which launched in 2018 to much acclaim and has remained one of the busiest restaurants on the strip.

    Paul is also the Founder of Family Meal.

CONCEPTING Resource

  • LIGHTGABLER LAW - Managing Partner

    With over 40 years of experience, Jon offers employment counsel and training programs to companies of all sizes to reduce liability and protect against lawsuits.  His team represents over 5000 companies throughout California on day-to-day employment law issues, including over 250 hospitality clients covering hotels, country clubs and restaurants; including dinner houses, casual dining and fast-food franchisees.  Jon enjoys a stellar and long-standing reputation as a skilled trial attorney and his team has handled hundreds of class action and single-plaintiff cases in all aspects of wage and hour law and wrongful termination. Jon is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude in history from UCLA.

Labor Law Resource

  • FE DESIGN & CONSULTING - Founder

    Eddie Navarrette is the Chief Consultant of FE Design & Consulting, which he founded in 2003. Better known as "Fast Eddie," together with his team of planners, drafters, designers and expeditors, his hospitality-focused company has helped to develop, build and open doors to hundreds of LA's best independent restaurants, bars and more. But it was at age 16 that Eddie would earn his suggestive moniker while performing at Raji’s in Hollywood as a touring punk-rock drummer and later, as an undefeated-champion bike jouster on the streets of 7th and Santa Fe in the now very populated Arts District. To support himself, he was a teenage server at Miceli's and an average barback at the infamous Three of Clubs. Unusually, Eddie would get a part-time gig as a kitchen designer. His early years of experience would include helping iconic Los Angeles music venues -- like The Smell, Spaceland and others -- avoid getting shut down by the city. Preserving the LA arts community continues to be an important mission for Eddie. Eddie would later become inspired by a different breed of artistry: Chefs. Bartenders. Coffee geeks. It became his personal mission to equip the small-business entrepreneur with the tools, tips and answers to navigate all the red tape of City Hall. 

    Eddie uses his extensive knowledge of the Planning, Building and Health codes to develop overall project design and strategy for his clients to build their dream spaces. Years of battling the holistic government bureaucracy on behalf of his clients, an emerging identity as a hospitality advocacy leader paved the way for Eddie to co-found the Independent Hospitality Coalition at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Now, as Executive Director, Eddie has led the march on behalf of our city's vibrant hospitality community and organized countless meetings with City, County, State, and Federal legislators in creating equity for small business owners in Los Angeles County and beyond. Eddie lives in Little Tokyo, where he is actively engaged within the Downtown LA community as board President of ArtShareLA. His addiction to travel allows him to ogle kitchen & bar design all around the world. His leisure time is best filled with drinking bottles of Champagne and fine Burgundian wines and forging ahead as a competitive salsa dancer.

    Eddie is also Executive Director of the Independent Hospitality Coalition (IHC).

CITY RED TAPE RESOURCE

  • CARVINGBLOCK - President

    Born into a family long established in the restaurant community and with an innate attraction to all things food, Max has been drawn to the hospitality and culinary industries his entire life. A Los Angeles native, he attended Pitzer College, graduating with a double degree in sociology and media studies.

    He launched CARVINGBLOCK in 2018, an ‘Epicurean Maison’ rooted in the world of hospitality that melds traditional public relations campaigns with experiential branded alignment, with ideation housed in a physical space in Hancock Park dubbed Maison Citrus. CARVINGBLOCK consistently produces food-first events for clients including Amazon Studios, Campari Group, Diageo, CINESPIA, FX, Vanity Fair, Soho House, Hulu and more while representing large-and-small brand concepts including Goldenvoice, James Beard Foundation, Caruso, Broad Street Oyster Co., The LINE Hotel, CENTO Group, Grand Central Market, Family Style Food Festival, MAMA Night Market, Flamingo Estate and De Soi.

    The breadth of approach has led CARVINGBLOCK designation from both PR Net and The Observer as one of the country’s leading hospitality firms. In addition he co-hosted Tastemade’s first podcast-cum-talkshow, ‘Table Setting’ - which launched in 2019 and looked at how kitchen and culture collide - and acts as the Culinary Liaison for Los Angeles Times’ collection of food festivals as well as a board member for Big Queer Food Festival. 

PR/MARKETING Resource

  • URBANLIME - CEO & Founder

    Lorena Tomb, who is CEO and founder of URBALIME Real estate, is an accomplished real estate broker serving clients in retail, hospitality, creative office and investment sales. In 2017, Lorena formed URBANLIME Real Estate, a boutique consulting and brokerage firm based out of Downtown Los Angeles specializing in investment sales and leasing of urban properties in the Los Angeles area. Over the years, she has developed a strong network of national and independent retailers, fashion, creative and tech companies and has established solid relationships with regional and institutional landlords. 

REAL ESTATE RESOURCE

  • BMRS HOSPITALITY RECRUITMENT - President

    Brad Metzger is an authority in Hospitality Recruiting and Human Resources, having been quoted by the LA Times, Nation’s Restaurant News, Los Angeles Magazine and many other publications.  

    Brad began his restaurant career in 1983 as a bread baker and prep cook at Spago and went on to work at many other top restaurants and hotels on the West Coast. In 2003 he founded BMRS Hospitality Recruitment and in 2010 pioneered the concept of the Test Kitchen which was a first for the recruiting industry. In 2018 Brad founded the LA Chef Conference which is an acclaimed industry conference on the West Coast supporting the restaurant industry as well as Culinary Students.

    BMRS is a premier Hospitality Recruitment and Placement Firm with 8 Associates, including Managing Partner Jacqui Leanza and Director of Culinary / Partner Ally Barton. BMRS represents many of the most successful restaurants, celebrity chefs and hotels in Southern California and around the US.  The friendships and professional relationships developed over 40+ years in the Southern California restaurant community have provided Brad with his vast network of contacts which has contributed to many successful placements for BMRS Clients and Candidates. BMRS is a big supporter of C-CAP, the CRA Foundation, No Us Without You and supports culinary students by mentoring them and speaking at a variety of culinary schools.

RECRUITING RESOURCE

  • BMRS HOSPITALITY RECRUITMENT - Managing Partner

    Jacqui Leanza is a seasoned professional in Hospitality Recruitment. Her passion for food and hospitality blossomed during her formative years in Chicago, where she eagerly assisted in her family's Argentine restaurant in Mexico City during summer breaks. This early experience ignited her career in restaurant management, a journey that took her across the bustling culinary scenes of Dallas, New York, and Las Vegas. Jacqui's expertise flourished through pivotal roles with esteemed establishments like The Cheesecake Factory and Patina Restaurants. Her transition into recruitment allowed her to leverage her extensive industry knowledge to build meaningful connections with both candidates and clients, guiding them towards successful career and operational decisions.

    In her role as Managing Partner at BMRS, Jacqui connects top talent with exceptional opportunities. Founded by industry veteran Brad Metzger in 2003, BMRS is a premier Hospitality Recruitment and Placement Firm representing many of the most successful restaurants, celebrity chefs, and hotels in Southern California and across the US. The firm is renowned for its tailored recruitment solutions and its commitment to the industry, demonstrated by initiatives such as the Test Kitchen and the LA Chef Conference. BMRS is a strong supporter of organizations like C-CAP, the CRA Foundation, and No Us Without You. They also actively support the mentorship of culinary students and speak at various culinary schools, fostering the next generation of hospitality professionals.

    Outside of work, Jacqui, her husband, and children are avid supporters of Tour de Pier, a unique cancer fundraising event that brings participants together for a five-hour outdoor stationary bike ride in front of the iconic Manhattan Beach Pier. They also enjoy attending concerts in their free time.

RECRUITING RESOURCE