Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
5 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Going LocoL I ask what he feels is his social responsibility is as a chef, and without hesitation comes his startlingly simple response, "Feeding people." Patterson elaborates, "Universally, I think, among cooks there exists a genuine desire to feed people. This happens on a multitude of levels– not just calories, but ideas. We want to give our guests something they can take away, an experience." And Patterson is taking this concept out of the realm of crumbers and white tablecloths and out into the world. With environmental and social health ever a consideration in his thought process, Patterson made his first waves with The Cooking Project, a non-profit, community- based foundation that teaches kids and young adults cooking skills and confidence in a kitchen. A chance encounter with Los Angeles–based Chef Roy Choi (of Kogi BBQ fame as well as Chego, 3 Worlds Café, Alibi Room, Sunny Spot, A-Frame, and Pot and Commissary at L.A.'s Line Hotel) resulted in a partnership that led to the inception of LocoL. Developed by Patterson and Choi, along with a brain trust of talent that includes Chad Robertson, founder and owner of San Francisco's Tartine Bakery and Bar Tartine, and Danish-born Chef René Redzepi, co-owner of NOMA in Cogenha- gen and founder of MAD Symposium, LocoL was presented as an idea at the MAD4 Symposium in Refshaleøen, Copenhagen in August, 2013, with the goal of creating "revolutionary fast food made with real ingredients to nourish the body, soul, and community." "Everyone likes good food, but not everyone has access to it," explains Patterson, who along with, Choi and company, seek to remind society that people will choose to eat delicious food—over tasteless fast food—if given the opportunity. LocoL seeks to fill that void: real food, that tastes like food, at a price point that will com- pete with the "99 cent menu" threat. Even the verbiage "The first two locations . . ." indicates the level of commitment Choi and Patterson have to this endeavor. It is not a matter of if this revolution takes on, but of how fast. The first location is slated to open this December in Watts, Los Angeles, just blocks away from the Watts Towers, with the second opening some- time next year in the ripe-for-renewal Tenderloin district of San Francisco. "At the end of the day food is about people. People are fascinating and wonder- ful and complex, but there is always something they do that is great, something to take away, a reminder to appreciate how vast and diverse our world is." Daniel is back in his chef's coat, sitting facing us in a backward chair. He sums it up: "It is important that we recognize that what we do can affect the culture around us." As we say our goodbyes—and thank Chef Patterson and his kitchen staff for letting us traipse through their bustling, pre-shift workspace with camera gear—I stepped back into the harried and complicated world, feeling inspired and fuller, somehow. What is really exceptional about Chef Patterson—and what we didn't address directly in my conversation with him—is the balance he has achieved; not simply the ever elusive life/work balance we all claim to seek, but the balance of passion, generosity, creativity and the desire to make the world a better place, feeding one soul at a time. ■cr Dream Team: (left to right) Chad Robertson (Tartine), Daniel Patterson (Coi), Roy Choi (Kogi BBQ), and Rene Redzepi (Noma, MAD Symposium). PHOTO: TIFFANY YAM PHOTO: BRYAN KIM For more information on the organizations mentioned in this article and Chef Patterson's projects, visit the following links: www.welocol.com · www.madfeed.co · www.thecookingproject.org "Daniel is my brother. A revolutionary with an acute mind and the ability to manifest that creativity to existence. He can literally will the intangible to the tangible world through his focus." —Chef Roy Choi