Chef Timothy Hollingsworth: Chef Prince of DTLA
We live in an age where there are different levels of fame: world-famous, micro-famous and the infamous Insta-famous. But to foodies and culinary crusaders alike, there’s a category that sits between world-famous and micro-famous—we call it food-famous. That’s where Chef Timothy Hollingsworth falls. To be precise, he’s the recipient of James Beard Foundation’s Rising Chef Of The Year award, placed 6th in Bocuse d’Or, former chef de cuisine at The French Laundry, executive chef and owner of 3 DTLA restaurants, and winner of Netflix’s The Final Table. So yes, he’s a big deal in the food world.
Despite his fame and accolades, Chef Timothy remains humble. His reserved demeanor is revered, his humility is honored, his palate is applauded, and Downtown LA is proud to claim him as one of our own.
“I am really excited about Downtown not only about what we currently have but for the unique opportunity that we have here. We are a downtown that’s still in the process of being developed, and I don’t think that there’s a lot of major cities in the world where that’s even possible,” says Hollingsworth. In 2015, he took the opportunity to partner with The Broad Museum and open Otium. It’s a restaurant that breathes art from the outside in—from the architecture to furniture handcrafted by local artisans to thoughtfully plated dishes. Additionally, the rooftop garden vertically grows their produce allowing for more space, sustainability, and versatility with a single seed as they’re able to pick and use a vegetable at every stage of its growth. Otium makes contemporary art digestible.
Three years later, The Fields LA partnered with Chef Timothy to open two new restaurants: C.J. Boyds and Free Play. One serves fried chicken sandwiches the latter streams sports games; both do an about-face on fine dining yet pay homage to Hollingworth’s Southern roots. He believes success is about finding balance, whether it’s balance within in his portfolio of restaurants or balancing time between his family and work, Chef Timothy is on a constant search of balance and feels that he is on the right path. Much like the 110 Freeway at sunset, this path is congested with commitments, yet he still found time to compete and win against twenty-four of the world’s best chefs on The Final Table.
Like any hardworking human being, we want to be treated to a good meal and a cold drink. Timothy is no different. When he has the chance to roll down his sleeves, you can catch him eating spring rolls at Little Sister on 7th, sopping up naan bread at Badmaash on 2nd, or sipping a cocktail at 71Above. For the nights when one cocktail turns into several, he’ll most likely be calling Blossom on Main Street to deliver an extra large order of egg rolls. Oui, Chef!
With three restaurants and a stake in food-famous territory, Hollingworth is at the top of his career. For now, he’s focusing his efforts on his restaurants and family, but he’ll always keep an open mind for the next opportunity that may come his way.
“I’d like to explore different aspects of the culinary field. Now that I have a few restaurants, I enjoyed the process of not just creating the menu but the design, the dinnerware and developing the beauty of a space. I’d like to see how my lane opens up into more of a lifestyle adventure.”
Otiumla.com | freeplaydtla.com | thefieldsla.com/cj-boyds-fried-chicken/
Written by Janica de Guzman | Photography by Robiee Ziegler
