Chef
Matt Molina
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Los Angeles, California, United States
i. Biography
Pub-style food carries a different burden in a working bar: it has to read fast, survive the pace of drinking, and still show discipline in the eating. At Everson Royce Bar in Los Angeles, Matt Molina has worked since 2015 as co-owner in a format where burgers, taquitos, fries, and salads are built as primary reasons to sit down, not as filler beside the glass. The craft is in keeping the food pared back, sharply assembled, and direct without letting it go slack.
The Path
Formal fundamentals came first through Los Angeles Culinary Institute, followed by the service pressure of landmark kitchens. Matt Molina worked as a cook at Campanile in Los Angeles, then as a trainee at Del Posto in New York City. Those facts matter less as résumé markers than as evidence of two durable kitchen requirements: repetition under speed, and refinement without drift. Multi-format opening work defined the next stage. From 2006–2015, Molina served as opening executive chef across Pizzeria Mozza (2006–2015), Osteria Mozza (2006–2015), their Singapore operations, the Newport Beach pizzeria, the takeaway arm, and Chi Spacca (2006–2015). That kind of executive-chef span tests a different craft muscle: maintaining legibility and consistency across rooms, formats, and cities without flattening the food. Restaurant identity is built in the repeatable details: how an idea turns into mise en place, how a plate holds its shape through service, how a menu keeps a point of view after the rush starts. Those years gave Molina a reputation for cooking that stayed controlled without feeling constrained, with the work judged as much by throughput and clarity as by individual dishes. The current set of roles keeps that discipline in less formal registers. Matt is co-owner of Everson Royce Bar (since 2015), co-owner of Triple Beam Pizza (since 2018), co-owner of Hippo Restaurant (since 2018), and chef of Cannonball (since 2025). The through-line is not a break from earlier work; it is the application of restaurant rigor to food that may arrive on a bun, wrapped in paper, or with salsa on the side.
The Work Today
Bar food works when it is familiar enough to order without explanation and specific enough to be worth returning for. Since 2015, Molina has helped lead the Los Angeles bar, where the menu centers on pub-style food including burgers and taquitos. Its range draws from classic drinking food from around the world: Chinese-style pork buns, Mexican taquitos, and an all-American burger. The point is recognizability without generic cooking. The construction is practical and exact. The menu includes smoky potato taquitos with tomatillo-avocado salsa, a single burger with prime beef chuck and dill pickles, extra-crisp fries, and a crunchy Frenchie salad.
Awards and Standing
Matt Molina has received James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Pacific (2012). Matt's honors include Best Chef: Pacific (2012) and Star Chef. The recognition tracks a career built through formal training, landmark Los Angeles kitchens, a 2006–2015 opening executive-chef chapter at Osteria Mozza and the wider Mozza group, and the continued development of Everson Royce Bar since 2015. The strongest craft signal is precision in the service of pleasure: hot, crisp, juicy, smoky food delivered in the register the table expects.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Matt
Who is Matt Molina?
Matt Molina is chef at Everson Royce Bar — Pub Food.
Where did Matt Molina train or study?
Matt Molina trained at Los Angeles Culinary Institute.
What recognition has Matt Molina received?
Best Chef: Pacific (2012).
