The Last Word Hospitality venture debuted in December
Chef David “DK” Kolender often begins creating a dish by envisioning how it will look.
“I see everything in my head all the time,” he says. “I see the colors and then I want to fill in those gaps.”
Kolender uses his visual approach as chef-partner at Hermon’s, Last Word Hospitality’s new American chophouse in Northeast Los Angeles’ Hermon neighborhood. The restaurant opened in early December and expanded the L.A.-based restaurant group’s portfolio, which also includes Rasarumah, Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill and Found Oyster, the latter two of which are helmed by Kolender’s brother, chef Ari Kolender.
Raised in Charleston, S.C., Kolender spent about a decade in New York City as a menswear designer, working with the likes of Rag & Bone and Kenneth Cole. A college dinner party tradition grew into catering fashion events, making it easy to make the leap to Los Angeles after his brother called asking him to help open Culver City’s now-closed Hayden in 2017. Kolender felt like he’d run his course in fashion; it was time to step into a craft with endless possibilities.
Citrus panzanellaCredit: Jim Sullivan
Ode to Chez BurgerCredit: Jim Sullivan
“That process of creating, for me, is where I get the most fulfillment, and with food, you’re creating every day,” explains Kolender, who also cut his teeth in the kitchens at Venice’s Dudley Market and Santa Monica’s Tartine. “I also fell in love with being able to make something and give it to someone, and you get to see them enjoy it immediately.”
Set inside a former church banquet hall, Hermon’s has 89 seats across its all-booth dining room and U-shaped bar. Decidedly homey with art deco bones, the David Wick-designed space balances warmth and style through hickory floors, antique lights, handmade California tilework and contemporary and vintage artwork that dates back to the early 19th century. Hermon’s marks Wick’s third restaurant for Last Word Hospitality.
“This was a labor of love,” Wick shares. “This may seem simple, but I love the tile in the kitchen. Its pattern is meant to evoke craftsmen siding. I love the space planning and how the bar divides the restaurant into three different areas with a variety of table sizes. And the overhead lights. They dim to 800K or sunset color, so the space is super warm.”
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Credit: Jim Sullivan
As for building the menu, Kolender developed a lineup that offered “enough variety and options that you could eat here every day.”
He points out must-trys such as the two-sheet lasagna vongole, lemon baked Alaska and tuna carpaccio with king trumpet duxelles, dates, black vinegar and Korean chili oil. There is also the Ode to Chez Cheeseburger, a nod to Last Word Hospitality’s planned Malibu restaurant Chez Renée, which didn’t survive the Palisades fire.
The lasagna and bologneseCredit: Jim Sullivan
The crowd-pleasing array of beverages includes familiar and intriguing wines, classic cocktails with a twist like the yuzu margarita and nonalcoholic creations including the refreshing celery and fennel juice soda. “I definitely hope we’re a pillar in this community,” Kolender says.