More than just a cafe

By Betty Hallock, Mary MacVean and Elina Shatkin

Oct. 14, 2009 12 AM PT

Seven years in the making, the Farmer’s Kitchen in Hollywood is officially open. At last week’s ribbon-cutting, farmers and politicians were there to salute the new cafe, which launched quietly in the spring.

The Farmer’s Kitchen uses surplus food from the Hollywood Farmers Market and is a venue for classes and job training. It’s a project of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles, which runs the Hollywood market and others.

The community-focused kitchen is another effort to make a link between farmers and city dwellers, says Pompea Smith, head of SEE-LA.

1555 N. Vine St., Suite 119, Hollywood, (323) 467-7600; www.hollywoodfarmerskitchen.org.

A second Fraiche

As of today, Riva in Santa Monica will become the second Fraiche, with a menu similar to the Culver City original’s (signature items include branzino en papillote and steak frites).

But the chef/pastry chef duo who opened the first Fraiche in 2007, Jason and Miho Travi, aren’t around for the changeover. “As it is right now, I’m working on a consulting basis,” Jason Travi says.

Elderoy Arendse and Sydney Hunter III are at the stoves. John Park, formerly of the Water Grill, is pastry chef.

312 Wilshire Blvd.; (310) 451-7482; www.fraicherestaurantla.com.

Casual Thyme

Maire Byrne opened Thyme Cafe & Market this week in Santa Monica. Byrne, who has worked at Aqua in San Francisco and Chez Panisse, says she wanted to create a casual, seasonally focused eatery. The menu lists potatoes au gratin, Provencal tomato tart, meatloaf sandwich and desserts such as cupcakes, cookies, scones and more. Most menu items are less than $9.

1630 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 399-8800; www.thymecafeandmarket.com.

-- Betty Hallock, Mary MacVean and Elina Shatkin

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Betty Hallock

Betty Hallock is deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four cookbooks, including “Bäco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles,” “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” and “Baking at République.” She started her journalism career at the Wall Street Journal and Scientific American in New York, worked on the L.A. Times’ Business desk, and was interim food editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Hallock also helped launch a food and nutrition vertical for wellness app RoundGlass. She’s a graduate of UCLA and New York University.

Mary MacVean

Mary MacVean is the former Mind & Body editor at the Los Angeles Times. She’s a runner and a cook, and has worked at The Times as morning assignment editor, web liaison, food writer and copy editor. She was a national editor and writer focusing on food at the Associated Press and a features editor and a columnist in Moscow, where she also ran a children’s cooking school. She left The Times in 2015.

More than just a cafe

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