Zach Pollack

Zach Pollack is the Los Angeles–born chef behind Santa Monica’s Cosetta, known for blending Italian technique with California ingredients after formative years cooking throughout Italy.

Chef

We talk about Zach Pollack

The Chef

Chef and restaurateur Zach Pollack is the culinary mind behind Santa Monica’s Cosetta, where he explores Italian cooking through a distinctly Californian lens. Born and raised in West LA, Pollack fell in love with Italian cuisine while studying architecture abroad in Florence, where a pear and Pecorino ravioli changed the course of his life.

After graduating, he trained under Neal Fraser at Grace before returning to Italy, where chefs such as Romano Tamani encouraged him to forgo culinary school and learn on the line. Pollack went on to cook throughout the country, with formative experiences in Sicily, Umbria, Parma, and Sardegna.

Back in Los Angeles, he worked with David Myers at Sona and Ortica and later co-opened Sotto, followed by his own restaurants Alimento and Cosa Buona. Both earned national recognition, including praise from Jonathan Gold and GQ, and helped Pollack become a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Rising Star Chef of the Year” in 2015.

Today, Pollack leads Cosetta, a neighborhood restaurant known for puffy-crust pizzas, vibrant crudos, and relaxed, ingredient-first cooking. When he’s not in the kitchen, he’s cooking with his family or traveling in search of new ideas and inspiration.