DK Kolender’s path to the kitchen was anything but linear. Raised in Charleston, South Carolina, alongside his brother Ari, now the chef and owner of Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, Kolender initially pursued a career in fashion. “I went to art school at the Savannah College of Art and Design and studied fashion,” Kolender says. “I was a designer in New York City for about 10 years, where I worked for companies like Rag and Bone and Kenneth Cole, before having my own brand for a little while.” He later transitioned into catering, marking the beginning of his shift into the culinary world.
“Toward the end of 2016, my brother was visiting me in New York. We were having this heart-to-heart, and he basically asked where I saw myself in 10 years,” Kolender says. He realized he wanted to live in Los Angeles and open a restaurant with Ari, who responded, “Alright, let’s make that happen.” A month later, Ari called to say he had secured a lease in Culver City. “I was like, ‘I’m there,’ and I went to work the next day, put in my two weeks, and moved to Los Angeles a few weeks later,” Kolender says. The two opened Hayden at The Platform in 2017, marking Kolender’s first restaurant venture. “After a couple of years, Hayden unfortunately closed, and I went over to work in the kitchen at Dudley Market. It was so much fun getting to change the menu daily, and I think that’s where I developed a lot of my creativity and passion as a chef,” he says.
In January 2025, Kolender was preparing for his biggest move yet as the chef of Last Word Hospitality’s new French restaurant in Malibu, Chez Renée. Plans shifted when the Palisades Fire destroyed the building on Pacific Coast Highway. “Chez Renée was a very exciting thing for me,” Kolender says. “I had gone on a little solo adventure in France to do some recipe building, and we were all just so eager to open. It was really sad to lose.” Last Word Hospitality owners Adam Weisblatt and Holly Fox later brought Kolender on as executive chef of their new concept, Hermon’s.
Since opening at the end of 2025, Hermon’s has quickly become one of the most sought-after reservations in Los Angeles. The restaurant pairs a relaxed, neighborhood feel with an American menu shaped by French and Italian influences. Dishes such as a fondue-topped burger and the signature two-sheet vongole pasta reflect Kolender’s focus on quality ingredients and thoughtful execution.
