Brandon Boudet

Eat Heavy Restaurants Co-Owner and Executive Chef Brandon Boudet was born and raised in New Orleans, where his family celebrated life with generous portions of Louisiana and Italian cooking. After graduating from San Francisco's California Culinary Academy, Boudet returned to New Orleans for stints with culinary icons Paul Prudhomme at K-Paul's and celebrated New Orleans chef, Emeril Lagasse, at NOLA. He then went on to collaborate with famed restaurateur Peter Morton, designing the menu for Mortoni's at Morton's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. After meeting restaurateur Sean McPherson, Boudet moved to Los Angeles and signed on at the Sunset Strip's trendy Bar Marmont, followed by consulting jobs for McPherson's other celebrated venues including Swingers, El Carmen and Jones. It was during this period that Boudet met Warner Ebbink, his future business partner.

In 2001, Boudet and Ebbink opened Hollywood's 101 Coffee Shop, followed by the historic Dominick's in West Hollywood--originally established in 1948--where Boudet created a menu of straightforward Italian-American fare with a Southern California influence that led Los Angeles Times critic S. Irene Virbila to award the restaurant two-and-a-half stars, saying, "These guys have it pitch perfect."

In 2008, Ebbink and Boudet opened Little Dom's, an inviting East-side neighborhood spot reminiscent of big brother Dominick's but with a decidedly more New York feel. Boudet's culinary philosophy is reflected in all of his restaurants' approachable yet refined menus. "I believe in keeping things simple," says Boudet. Although Boudet has worked for luminaries such as Prudhomme and Lagasse, he ranks his two grandmothers--one a talented Louisiana home chef, the other a master of Italian cuisine--as his greatest influences.