1979: Le Cordon Bleu graduate Michael McCarty opens Michael’s in Santa Monica. In the kitchen, a crew of young chefs included Ken Frank, Jonathan Waxman, Nancy Silverton and Roy Yamaguchi. It’s still operating. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
1982: On the edge of the Sunset Strip, Wolfgang Puck and his soon-to-be wife, Barbara Lazaroff, open Spago. In 1997, he moved to then-dull Beverly Hills, opening at the old Bistro Garden with grander ambitions. The original site is now vacant. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
