2 Uganda Palisades student non-profit.
Monica Services 5 Santa The Westside Food Bank.
gifts 3 Holiday For the movie lovers.
Calendar 11 Events Plan out your week.
Volume 24 Issue 12
smdp.com
MONDAY 12/2/24
Top restauranteurs respect Venice local lifestyle with Nalu Vida endeavor THOMAS LEFFLER SMDP Staff Writer
A duo of experienced restaurateurs have blended their unique backgrounds to foster a forlocals vibe on prime Venice real estate. At the legendary 1 Washington Blvd. right off the beach lies Nalu Vida, which has gained a foothold in the beachside eatery scene since opening in May. The endeavor is helmed by owner Justin Urich and chef Christian Warren, who wanted to “bring a sense of belonging to the Venice locals” based on their fond memories of prior occupant The Venice Terrace. “Our goal was to build something very tropical on the beach and embrace the local community,” Warren said. “Our focus is the locals, it’s just to build them like a family. We built here to be a part of that community again … touching every table, talking to every single person that comes in.” Translated from the Hawaiian and Latin words for “wave” and “life,” the culinary destination takes from the vibrant flavors of Central and South America along with the tropical tastes of Hawaii. Despite the worldly inspiration, the location is wholly Venice, with artwork throughout the space painted by Venice-based artist Rudy Drat. Warren was a former bartender at the Terrace while Urich, a selfdescribed “punk actor” at the time, would enjoy himself at the spot. Both have elongated histories by the beach, including Warren, who opened Ma’Kai Lounge in 2004, a place that is now known as the Santa Monica Whaler. Now adding Nalu Vida to his portfolio along with Melody Bar & Grill down the street from LAX, the chef says his happy place has “always been in the kitchen” and that he’s always enthralled by the social aspects of owning a bar. He “reeled in” Urich on the Nalu
Photos by Thomas Leffler
RESTAURANT: Justin Urich and Christian Warren blended their unique expertise to craft Nalu Vida right off the
beach in Venice.
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339
Vida idea, showing him the space while it was up for sale. The owner wasn’t quite sure how the two would mix, with Urich being a meat-based chef mixing with Warren’s plantbased ideals, but the early menu construction piqued his interest. “All my hairs are already stranding up just talking about it, because everything was alive,” Urich said. “We were finishing each other’s sentences when it came to the (dishes) and that’s when I knew … I’m hooked in, there’s no going back.” While Warren is a California and restaurant lifer, Urich moved to Los Angeles from New York City when he was 14, pursuing an acting career that became successful in a hurry. Booking roles for shows like “ER” and “3rd Rock from the Sun,” he believed his future was in Hollywood rather than the kitchen. “After I booked three gigs backto-back, (I thought), I don’t need to go to culinary institute, I can just do this thing,” he said. “I had a pretty decent career as a young, arrogant actor in the 90s in LA.” When the roles began to dissipate, he moved into the food industry full-time by opening On The Thirty in Sherman Oaks, serving gourmet pizzas and other “elevated bar food.” Selling the spot last year gave Urich an opening to partner with Warren, eventually negotiating a lease for 1 Washington. “We got to pinch ourselves a little bit because now it’s just work, it’s game on, but even when (we were) building, we got to take a moment to realize what we just did here,” Urich added. “We’re not a corporation, we’re not billionaires, but we were able to manage a lease and build out this beautiful space.” Building out the space meant having a rich and creative menu, with dishes workshopped again and again until they were ready for the Venice public. Since May, the two SEE NALU VIDA PAGE 6
In today’s real estate climate ...
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