Chef of the Moment: Tri Nguyen takes over Tapenade, with big burgers and mini paella

Tapenade restaurant in the Sawtelle area has a new executive chef: Tri Nguyen has succeeded Ressul Rassallat to head the California-Mediterranean kitchen. While attending San Francisco State, Nguyen worked at Hawthorne Lane and PlumpJack Cafe. Later he landed in the kitchens of Cafe Campagne in Seattle and then the Chicago Yacht Club. Most recently he was at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. Now he’s putting his stamp on the menu at Tapenade, with dishes such as chicken thigh rillettes with harissa, cinnamon and red wine cherries on rosemary bread; the Tapenade burger, a New York steak blend with Manchego cheese, sun-dried tomato tapenade, lemon aioli and arugula; flat iron steak with chimichurri and quinoa salad; Thai snapper with mango and papaya salad, basil and coconut green curry; and osso bucco fettuccine with red wine veal sauce, chives and Parmigiano.

What’s coming up next on your menu?

We pull a lot of Mediterranean influences onto the menu, so my next project is mastering a “mini” paella that I’d like to add to our lunch and dinner menu.

Latest ingredient obsession?

Cinnamon. It works well with my current savory dishes, especially with the North African and Lebanese cooking I’ve been embracing since working at Tapenade. A good blend of sweet and spicy is always welcomed.

What restaurant do you find yourself going to again and again?

M.B. Post in Manhattan Beach. I’ve been there five times and almost always get the amazing biscuits and something from the “Meat Me Later…” along with whatever changes they have on their small plates.

The one piece of kitchen equipment you can’t live without, other than your knives?

Fish spatula. It makes all the difference with delicate fish.

What’s the last non-food book you read?

“American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History” by Chris Kyle.

Tapenade, 11301 W. Olympic Blvd., No. 116, Los Angeles, (310) 312-6233, www.tapenade.la.