When Executive Chef Joe Magnanelli joined Laurel in March 2008, he was no stranger to the Banker's Hill restaurant. For two years prior, he had been heading up the kitchen at Chive, one of Laurel's two sister restaurants. Working at the downtown eatery, which centers on a modern international cuisine and small plates, he learned an appreciation for Asian flavors and the creativity that comes with creating small plates. But it is at Laurel that he really has a chance to shine.
Since taking over the kitchen at Laurel, Magnanelli has completely revitalized the menu, creating inspired dishes that work with the best ingredients San Diego has to offer. While the restaurant has a history of classic French cuisine, Magnanelli's vision is to create a cuisine that incorporates French and Mediterranean flavors, but is more sustainable, founded on fresh, local ingredients. He works with a produce company to source from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, and incorporates shellfish from Carlsbad Aqua Farms and beef from Brandt Beef in Brawley, CA. What he doesn't source locally he tries to source from sustainable sources, such as the Loch Duart Salmon, a farm-raised salmon from Scotland.
Magnanelli credits his friend, and Laurel's former executive chef, Brian O'Connor, as opening the doors at Laurel and Chive for him. When the position at Chive opened, it was O’Connor that suggested Magnanelli apply. When O’Connor left Laurel, to pursue opportunities in San Francisco, Magnanelli was a natural choice for filling his shoes.
Magnanelli hails from the East coast originally, from Washington D.C., where he began his culinary career working in the kitchens of the Ritz Carlton and the St. Regis hotels, and at Bistrot Lepic, a small French bistro in Georgetown. It was a vacation that brought him to San Diego. "I went on vacation [here], and six months later I moved out," Magnanelli explains, citing the weather as the initial draw. He rationalized the move by figuring, "I can cook anywhere." He soon got a job in the kitchen at El Bizcocho, the contemporary French restaurant in Rancho Bernardo, where he spent several years cementing his career in San Diego.
As for the restaurant scene in San Diego, he thinks "it's definitely different." In D.C., he observes, "there is a high-end restaurant on every corner." In San Diego, there are a few scattered around the city. "It is more competitive there," he explains, "the work ethic is higher.” He actually cites his East-coast work ethic as the reason he has succeeded in San Diego. While he was first hired as a cook at El Bizcocho, once Chef Gavin Kaysen noticed his drive and hard work, he was quickly promoted to sous chef.
Magnanelli’s work ethic again came to his aid when he took over at Laurel. When he first stepped up to take over Laurel, he was still running the kitchen at Chive. He often found himself with long hours, running back and forth between restaurants. "It was tough, not being full time at either place," he explains. The hardest part, for him, was not the running back and forth, but the inability to be at two places at once. "I would put dishes on the menu [at Laurel], and then not be around to maintain quality." But he didn't want to leave Chive until he found the right person to replace him.
Now that he has moved to Laurel full time, he sees an immediate difference in the two restaurants. "There is a different clientele. Laurel has a more pre-theater crowd, it is more sophisticated," he observes. "Chive is more pedestrian." Moving to Laurel allows him to work with more fine-dining ingredients, to offer guests dishes that wouldn't go over well at Chive. "You can serve foie gras here," he suggests as an example. He welcomes the change. "I trained in fine dining," he explains. "I am really enjoying the flavors of Asian cuisine, but my heart is with fine dining."
Aside from Asian flavors, which occasionally creep into Laurel's menu items, Magnanelli also enjoys working with fish. "I find you can marry sweet with savory more easily with fish than with meat," he explains. There is also something to be said for quality. He says of the halibut dish on the menu, "you could just put halibut on a plate and it would be good."
While Magnanelli has reinvented the menu with nearly all new dishes, there are a few dishes that remain a nod to the restaurant's past. The paella, for example, is a Laurel classic. "That's something you can't touch," Magnanelli says with a smile. He also has included a dish from Chive on the menu, the Beet Terrine. And the flatbread appetizer has been a longstanding tradition, although Magnanelli has updated its flavors. As for his favorite new additions, he suggests, "the scallops for sure."
Magnanelli seems both comfortable and excited to be at Laurel’s helm. With the restaurant’s seasonal menu, constantly changing chef’s tasting menu, and a weekly selection of Tuesday tapas, it will be exciting to see where he steers the ship.