Gwen Kvavli Gulliksen

Executive Chef
The Getty Center
Los Angeles, California

As the tram glides up the hill, bringing you to the main entrance of the famed Getty Center Museum, be prepared to experience much more than some of the world's finest art. Located in a setting in the Santa Monica Mountains that on a clear day affords views from Catalina to the Channel Islands, the Getty Center is an extraordinary place - to enjoy art of famous masters, as well as the excellent cuisine of Executive Chef Gwen Kvavli Gulliksen.

This awesome culinary effort is under the auspices of Menlo Park, California based Bon Appetit Management, a restaurant company offering full foodservice management, catering and restaurant service to some of the finest schools and top corporations in the country. Since 1995, the Getty Center Events and Food Service staff and Bon Appetit have come together to accomplish a level of food service worthy of the Center's cultural offerings. When it was determined that visitors, both local and international, in addition to Getty Center employees, would be at the Center for a minimum of several hours, the necessity of providing the appropriate food service to this diverse group became an important priority. Through research, focus groups, and employee input, the result is a wonderful balance of quality, variety, and value.

Current Projects

Chef Gulliksen oversees a staff of 100+ in the preparation and serving of the food enjoyed by in excess of 5,000 visitors daily. This includes everything from the coffee carts interspersed throughout the Getty Center's billion dollar compound; the casual main Cafe, which has set new standards in cafeteria-style dining with prices surprisingly low for the high quality and selection; catering and special banquets for up to 1,600 people; and the acclaimed Restaurant, an elegant yet comfortable room for fine dining that especially showcases Chef Gulliksen's culinary expertise.

Gwen's cuisine is "Southern California seasonal, utilizing all of the culinary influences Los Angeles has to offer....Mediterranean, Asian and Mexican." Her menus are built around the best available and freshest produce and ingredients, including organic varieties whenever possible. The food being prepared at the famed Getty Center under her most capable guidance is becoming famous in its own right.

In reaching and exceeding the Getty Center's goal to bring art and education to the people of Los Angeles, under Executive Chef Gwen Kvavli Gulliksen's direction with Bon Appetit's management, they've also managed to create one of L.A.'s most unique dining venues. The simple act of reserving a space for your car will ensure you the opportunity to enjoy the results from a Coffee Cart, at the grab-and-go Museum Cafe, or in the Main Cafe. With a second required reservation for The Restaurant, your visit to the Getty Center will truly be a complete sensory experience.

The Getty Center is located at 1200 Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles. The telephone number for information and parking reservations is 310/440-7300.

Dining at the Getty Center:

• The Restaurant, specializing in California cuisine and boasting a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean, is open for lunch daily, and for dinner Thursdays and Fridays only. For reservations call 310/440-7300.
• The Cafe features gourmet pizzas, a full grill, a salad bar, and more, in a casual setting both indoors and on the arbor terrace with Pacific Ocean and canyon views.
• The Museum Cafe offers grab & go sandwiches, tossed to order salads, snacks, soups and dessert for quick alfresco dining.
• Cafe Espresso offers espresso and other beverages on coffee carts located throughout the Getty Center.
  

To learn more about Bon Appetit Management Company, visit their web site at www.bamco.com

Recognition

It seems only fitting that before embarking on the culinary journey that brought Gwen Kvavli Gulliksen to the Getty Center, she had earned a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Art History, and a Master's Degree in Art History. Her writing skills have been utilized for such publications as Fine Cooking and Wine & Spirits Magazines, and in addition she is an accomplished teacher and lecturer.

A graduate of Madeleine Kamman's School for American Chefs, and former Executive Sous Chef to Jean Louis Palladin at the famed Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., Gwen was the Executive Chef at the Robert Mondavi Food and Wine Center in Costa Mesa when she learned of Bon Appetit's search for the Getty Center's Executive Chef.

In addition to supervising the staff, menu planning, buying, and food preparation, she also writes The Restaurant's distinctive wine list. She has been asked to sit on the Borad of Director's of the Women's Association this coming fall and is also actively involved in the International Association of Culinary Professionals.