Before he gained local fame as Rustic Canyon’s executive chef and was nominated as “Rising Star Chef” by the James Beard Foundation, Evan Funke, now presiding over his own new restaurant Bucato in Culver City, tried out a variety of non-food-related careers.
The 35-year-old, born and raised in Pacific Palisades, once studied art, worked as a massage therapist, joined the Marine Corps, and even trained to be a firefighter. Nothing clicked until he met a Sicilian girl in New York whose mother treated him to one of the best meals of his life—only after she’d grabbed him by the collar, held a knife to his neck and described the dire consequences should he wrong her daughter.
These are the kinds of spicy details Funke shares when recalling big moments in his life. During a recent interview, amid the buzz of saws and scurry of staff readying Bucato for its imminent debut, Funke, a relaxed and genial guy, seemed immune to the surrounding chaos.
“I come from a family that’s extremely driven artistically,” says Funke, referring to his father, Alex (who won two Oscars for Best Visual Effects for “The Lord of the Rings trilogy”), two composer brothers and a sister who works in fashion. “Whatever I ended up doing, it needed to be physically, mentally and artistically challenging.”
Two weeks shy of starting Marine boot camp, his epiphany came to become a chef. Six weeks into culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, Funke was recruited by Wolfgang Puck Catering to work in high-profile events including award ceremonies and Hollywood premieres. Later, at Spago Beverly Hills, he quickly ascended through the ranks to become sous chef in just three years.
The restaurant business, and Spago in particular, proved to be challenging in all the ways Funke had hoped, and then some.
“They have almost unattainable standards placed on young cooks, yet they give you the tools and motivation to get there,” he says. “It’s the toughest kitchen in California.”
The physical demands caused Funke to develop chronic varicose veins. One night, one of his veins exploded while he worked on the line. He duck-taped it closed, finished the night, then reluctantly quit to have surgery.
“The fundamentals learned in that kitchen define the way I do things today,” he says.
Another defining moment came in Italy, where during a three-month apprenticeship he mastered the techniques of handmade pasta at a small school in Bologna.
“I fell in love with the Italian approach to food: cooking exactly what is available with as little manipulation as possible.”
Funke applied this new approach at Rustic Canyon, the Santa Monica restaurant where he first won an eager following. During his four years as executive chef, he forged invaluable relationships with farmers in California.
“They’ve been doing this in Europe for centuries,” he says. “They eat what’s around them and in season, not to be cool or politically correct. They do it out of necessity and because it’s delicious. That’s my stance, and Rustic Canyon was my first soap box.”
In addition to reaching new heights at Rustic Canyon with farm-to-table cuisine, Funke also turned the ordinary hamburger into something extraordinary, earning the “Best Burger in LA” award several years in a row.
Hamburgers are not on the menu at Bucato, which had its grand opening on July 31. Instead, glorious handmade pasta is a cornerstone, along with seasonal California ingredients prepared in Funke’s bold, yet simple, Italian-inspired way.
Bucato occupies the former 3,400-sq.-ft. Beacon space in the old Helms Bakery complex (Bucato, the Italian word for “laundry,” comes from an old sign that’s affixed to the side of the building). The entirely reimagined space has a clean, modern vibe with warmth added by red eucalyptus wood tables and a handcrafted bar made of reused cork casks. The dining room features an open kitchen and is flanked by two outdoor patios that face Washington Boulevard. Atop the kitchen and bar area is a glassed-in pasta lab, a spare, temperature-controlled area where magic happens using only a wooden table and a stick.
A dramatic display of pasta rolling pins hangs as a chandelier in the main dining room. Another eye-catching installation uses vintage knives stuck into an expansive white wall to form the outline of California, perhaps symbolizing the commitment to locally sourced food.
Funke and his managing partner, Ed Keebler, hope diners will heed their request to take a break from their cell phones while eating at Bucato. “We want to create a place in L.A. where you find genuine hospitality, like it was 50 or 60 years ago,” Funke says. “Not old and stuffy, but a place where people actually go to relax and enjoy themselves without the need to Instagram or Facebook every second.”
Bucato Restaurant, at 3280 Helms Ave., is open Tuesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight. Contact: bucato.la.
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