Bruce Kalman
Current Residency: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Chef/Owner, UNION and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market
Chef Bruce Kalman's Northern Italian cooking style embraces the diverse and abundant produce of California to create exquisitely balanced flavor profiles meant to warm the soul. His commitment to indigenous ingredients goes beyond the farmers' market to build strong connections with local providers, keeping the operations' carbon footprint low, supporting the local economy, and connecting diners to high quality vegetables, meats, and cheeses straight from the source. The mindful chef's culinary career began in his hometown of Paramus, NJ where he solidified his skills through a hands-on culinary program at Jersey City's Hudson Community College.Read More
Current Residency: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Chef/Owner, UNION and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market
Chef Bruce Kalman's Northern Italian cooking style embraces the diverse and abundant produce of California to create exquisitely balanced flavor profiles meant to warm the soul. His commitment to indigenous ingredients goes beyond the farmers' market to build strong connections with local providers, keeping the operations' carbon footprint low, supporting the local economy, and connecting diners to high quality vegetables, meats, and cheeses straight from the source. The mindful chef's culinary career began in his hometown of Paramus, NJ where he solidified his skills through a hands-on culinary program at Jersey City's Hudson Community College. Chef Bruce rose through the ranks of kitchens, working with David Burke at Park Ave Café and as a sous chef with Paul Bartalotta at Spiaggia private dining rooms. He moved to Chicago to serve as Executive Chef for restaurants including Okno, Green Dolphin, and Coco Pazzo. His next roles came in the Southwest, with Il Piatto in Santa Fe, NM and Chelsea's Kitchen in Phoenix. Chef Bruce later landed in Los Angeles in 2011 to help launch Santa Monica's Misfit, and later joined West Hollywood's The Churchill, at which he excelled in producing housemade charcuteries, pastas and desserts. In 2014, Bruce met Marie Petulla and UNION in Pasadena, CA took shape, and the two leveraged their respective restaurant skillsets to launch KP Hospitality, now including the Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market concept in L.A.'s Grand Central Market. Throughout his career, Bruce has gained recognition from James Beard with a nomination for Rising Star Chef and received numerous positive reviews from food critics including Jonathan Gold. No stranger to television, he appeared on Bravo's Best New Restaurant, earned a championship title on Chopped and won his episode of "Knife Fight." Bruce lives in Los Angeles with his wife Gina, two dogs and new son Jude Paul, who was born while he was competing on Top Chef.
