Welcome to THE POINT : Culver City

ph: 310.836.8400 fx: 310.836.8472

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Born in Kumamoto, Japan in 1951, Kazuto picked up and left at the age of twenty-two to pursue his dreams of living in the United States. With his limited knowledge of English, he found employment as a teppan chef in a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. His desire to broaden his experiences in different cuisines, however, was strong and he soon found himself being encouraged by his friend and mentor, Hideo Yamashiro, of Shiro in Pasadena, to explore other avenues.

Taking a position with the well-known French restaurant Ma Maison, Kazuto found himself under the tutelage of cutting-edge chef Wolfgang Puck. This was to be the beginning of a long and, by now, well-known relationship. Almost from the outset, it was obvious to Kazuto that the cuisine Puck was creating was something very different and the start of something big.

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With Wolfgang Puck’s departure into the unknown, Kazuto felt the need to fine-tune his cooking skills and thus left Ma Maison to work alongside highly regarded French chef Michel Blanchet at L’Ermitage. This was where Kazuto gained his classical training for which he is so highly respected.

In 1982, wishing again to experience the creativity of Wolfgang Puck, Kazuto returned to the master’s kitchen when he accepted a position at Spago. Recognizing Kazuto’s formidable ability and the added sophistication and flair his Asian culinary background provided, Puck soon placed him at the helm of the newly opened Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. This marriage of chef and restaurant would last an unprecedented nine years during which time Kazuto would establish himself as one of Los Angeles’ brightest stars on the culinary scene. Ruth Reichl, then Food Critic for the Los Angeles Times and now Editor of Gourmet Magazine, commented “Kazuto looks incredibly elegant in the restaurant’s open kitchen. Customers love to sit at the counter, watching as he wields his knife with the ease of a sushi chef.” Eventually, as it is with so many of Puck’s protégés, it was time for Kazuto to “leave the nest” and break out on his own. Zenzero was born.

With Zenzero, Kazuto created a lighter style of his now famous California-Asian cuisine. The raves for his culinary skills continued to roll in. Ruth Reichl declared with the title of her review that “Kazuto Knows Food” and Caroline Bates of Gourmet Magazine exclaimed that “Matsusaka understands the East-West kitchens as well as anyone around.” And not to be left out, Food and Wine’s Colman Andrews wrote, “Matsusaka’s food, as you would expect, balances deftly on the cutting edge of the Pacific Rim.”

His reputation growing both locally as well as internationally, Kazuto eventually found himself working alongside his wife, chef Vicki Fan Matsusaka, in France as the consulting executive chef for George V Restauration, opening Parisian hot spot Buddhabar and Barfly in Los Angeles.

What followed for Kazuto was a new project in collaboration with Larry Forgione in New York City. Creating an Asian influenced menu focusing on American ingredients, Kazuto was honored to work with Larry, the legendary “Godfather of American Cuisine” and enjoyed getting to know one of the world’s most exciting cities. Located in the heart of the Theater District, Restaurant Above soon became a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Upon completion of the project, Kazuto soon discovered that he missed the cool ocean breeze and sunshine of his long-time home of Santa Monica and returned with Vicki to pursue his desire of opening his own restaurant, Beacon, an asian cafe.

Opening in the Spring of 2004, BEACON was welcomed by foodies and locals as an exciting addition to Culver City. With a cool, hip and Zen-minimalist interior serving fantastic food, it quickly brought Culver City into the spotlight. Now, three years later, with much credit to BEACON, the area has become a hub of art galleries, restaurants as well as a diverse blend of businesses focusing on design, arts and entertainment.

COLLAPSE

As a first generation Chinese-American, Vicki Fan was often lured to the kitchen of her parent’s New York apartment by the exotic smells of the cuisine of their homeland. United Nations’ employees, Mr. and Mrs. Fan frequently found themselves playing hosts and chefs to dignitaries, diplomats and friends from around the world with the help of their two children. For Vicki, a love for cooking and entertaining was born.

Graduating from Bucknell University, Vicki continued to harbor a strong desire to pursue her passion for food and hospitality. Unsure of which path to follow, she soon found herself employed at the New York Hilton and Towers in the Front Office. Vicki was happy with her promotion into the management level at the hotel and yet she felt as if she had taken a turn leading away from her true goal, cooking. Finally, after much consultation and contemplation, she was accepted to train at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

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Regarded by her instructors and peers as an excellent academic and team leader, Vicki was presented with the Katherine Angell Award for Scholastic Achievement. Graduating with honors, she had her choice of training with some of the top chefs in the culinary hotbeds of New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Intrigued by the new style of cuisines being developed out west, she packed her knives and headed to California where she worked with such highly regarded chefs as Bradley Ogden, Joe Miller and her eventual husband, Kazuto Matsusaka.

Since their wedding in 1996, Kazuto and Vicki have been fortunate enough to spend time together both at home and at work. They have lived in Paris where they worked together opening hot-spot Buddhabar and then in New York working together as Co-Executive Chefs at Larry Forgione’s Restaurant Above. Returning back to Los Angeles, Vicki eagerly anticipated their next project, Beacon, an asian cafe, a casual yet upscale restaurant of their own.

It was some time within the last two years that Vicki and Kazuto realized that they were sitting in the exact kind of neighborhood that they had been looking for years before when they lived in New York. It had been an idea that had been filed away with little hopes of finding an area filled with businesses and employees that could sustain such an idea. That idea was to create a place people could come to grab something fresh and healthy whether they were on the way back to work or on the way home. To put it simply, they wanted to create Gourmet Fast Food. With salad bars on every block in Manhattan and the popularity of salads at most restaurants in Los Angeles, Kazuto and Vicki wanted to focus on a place people could design their own salads to meet each individual’s tastes. Add to that, soups, wraps and paninis and The Point was born.

COLLAPSE

Originating from very humble beginnings in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Emilio Cuyuch has had a very successful career working at many of the top restaurants in Los Angeles for the past 15 years. By necessity, Emilio found himself working hard from the age of eight to support himself and his sisters since his parents were often away. He worked at a construction company for many years, before taking a position at a local cable company while attending school. He was just about to finish college in Guatemala when he decided to emigrate to the United States.

In 1993, Emilio found himself in Santa Monica, California, where he got his first taste of the restaurant business washing dishes at a restaurant by the name of Zenzero. Knowing very little English, he found himself inspired by the skill and talent of Chef/Owner Kazuto Matsusaka. Kazuto took him under his wing and eventually promoted him to the position of prep cook. At this time he worked during the day and went to school at night to study English. The next year he took an additional part-time pantry station position at Café del Rey in Marina del Rey, where he learned to make dressings and plate desserts.

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Growing up in Spokane, Washington, Rochelle had her heart set on moving to Paris to study cooking. Her plans changed at the age of 17 when her parents suggested she attend a university in the United States first and then go to a culinary school afterwards. Working part-time during her senior year at UCLA, Rochelle tended the herb garden at the Hotel Bel Air. Working with the kitchen staff re-ignited her passions to pursue a culinary career. After graduating from UCLA, Rochelle went on to attend the renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

As a CIA student in the mid-1980’s, Rochelle experienced the stodgy, uncomfortable, black and white polyester uniforms provided by the culinary industry. She had all-cotton chef clothes made for herself. Several years after graduating from the CIA, Rochelle went on to develop Chefwear, Inc., a company which has a full-line of contemporary and traditional chef clothing.

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Use the map on the left to get directions to and from The Point.

MONDAY - FRIDAY: 8am - 7pm

Breakfast: 8am - 11am Lunch: 11am - close

• Available Monday through Friday between the hours of 11am-3pm.
• There is a $50 minimum ~~and a 12% service charge per order~~ (SUMMER SPECIAL--FREE DELIVERY!).
• Pre-orders either by phone or fax are highly recommended.
ph: 310.836.8400 fx: 310.836.8472

Imagine your next business meeting, office party, birthday celebration, family function or wedding event catered by the chefs of Beacon and The Point! Whether it’s a breakfast, brunch, lunch, cocktail or dinner event, Kazuto Matsusaka and Vicki Fan will work with you to customize the perfect menu to help you realize your vision for your next party or event.

Catering Services (PDF, 688k)

OPTION 1: Street parking along National Blvd, including a 20-minute loading zone in front of the restaurant on National Blvd. for quick pick-ups.
OPTION 2: There is limited parking available in the Conjunctive Points parking lot off of Hayden Ave. At the gate please tell the attendant that you are going to The Point Café, and they will tell you where to park and give you a permit sign for your car that will allow you to park for 30 minutes in one of our spots. Normal parking rates are $5/hour or $10/day.

Please return the permit upon departure since that will act as your validation.

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