The People Behind DISH

 

Chef Lisi Marrero grew up in southern California and attended USC for two years before deciding to pursue a culinary career. She transferred to the Miami campus of Johnson and Wales and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Culinary Arts. She continued her education at the Santa Monica Art Institute and earned a further degree in culinary management. While in school she worked as a line cook at the Water’s Edge in Long Island, Panera Bread, and the Renaissance Baking Company in Miami, making artisan hearth breads. After moving to LA she worked as a pastry cook at Grace before taking over at DISH.

"I think the excitement of DISH is creating really soulful, old fashioned American family food. The foods our grandmothers cooked were exciting and very inspiring, and totally delicious. Ironically, they used fresh seasonal ingredients back in the good old days before frozen foods! And in southern California there are so many great options for fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood. We’re very lucky to have a great little farmer’s marker right up the street. It’s the best."

Lisi lives with her dog in Eagle Rock, and in her spare time pursues her passion for collecting interesting tattoos.

 

---

Kevin Finch is the creative force behind DISH.

"I just really felt like there was a huge need for an old fashioned family style restaurant that focused on quality and creativity. The three-meal-a-day restaurant category has become dominated by the chains, but over the years they have just gotten worse and worse. They have completely lost sight of quality and creativity."

"Casual restaurants shouldn’t have to be that way. At Dish, we believe very strongly that it is possible to offer delicious, creative American food and still offer great value."

Mr. Finch graduated from Occidental college in 1977. After working in the advertising industry for five years, he became restless to return to his roots in the restaurant business, where he had worked throughout high school and college.

He spent his early years working for hotels and restaurants in California’s wine country. "Working in Sonoma in the late 80’s was an exciting time. There was a great synergy between local farmers, winemakers and chefs. The result was simple, delicious food, based on quality and good fundamentals. Freshness, simplicity, quality, and creativity – these are qualities that everyone understands, regardless of price or concept."

In the twenty years since then he has worked for a variety of restaurants and hotels, including Border Grill, City, Twin Palms, University Restaurant Group, and Ojai Valley Inn. Most recently he was a partner in the Border Grill group of restaurants in southern California and Las Vegas.

"To be honest, when I opened Dish I was just looking for a place where I could get a good grilled cheese sandwich for my kids, and a decent cup of coffee for me. Then we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could go someplace and get a really great BLT, and maybe a decent glass of wine?’ It grew from there."