Credit: Peridot

Ten Years of Redbird: Neal Fraser on Change, Culture, and Longevity

10 Minute read

04 Mar 2026

Heather Platt

Journalist

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A decade after opening Redbird in downtown Los Angeles, chef Neal Fraser reflects on changing kitchen culture, evolving service models, and the philosophy that still guides the restaurant.

“I grew up with a bunch of bears trying to eat me all the time,” says chef Neal Fraser of the kitchen culture he endured in his early days of cooking in Los Angeles in the 1990s. “The restaurant business has changed. I was scared for my life when I started cooking. That’s not the energy I want to perpetuate.”

Fraser, who recently celebrated 10 years of his downtown Los Angeles restaurant Redbird, has witnessed significant change over the course of his career. In addition to the industry’s shift toward a more sustainable kitchen culture, he has overseen evolving service models and watched the surrounding downtown skyline transform.

It’s an hour before dinner service, and the energy Fraser is cultivating now feels relaxed. He is seated for an interview in the newly reimagined lounge, a room that reflects his willingness to adapt over time to his guests’ preferences. The space is in its third iteration: once a waiting area for the dining room, then an extension of it, and now a destination of its own with moody dark green walls, a separate menu, and an entirely different vibe.

“It’s a different way to experience Redbird,” he says.

There are many ways to experience Redbird, eight to be exact. The building houses six private dining rooms, the main restaurant with an adjacent lounge, and the magnificent, historic Cathedral of St. Vibiana, which is nearly 150 years old. The cathedral hosts events throughout the year, from fundraisers and weddings to The Chef’s Conference and the annual Beefsteak dinner, where guests eat rare prime rib with their bare hands while dressed in formal attire.

Beyond its economic benefits, Redbird’s multifaceted structure, particularly its connection to Vibiana, keeps the restaurant relevant as a central meeting place for downtown Los Angeles and a hub for the culinary community.

“Vibiana is the first permitted building in the city. Having a place that's bigger than yourself, I always thought was really important,” says Fraser.

The conception of this mammoth undertaking began 17 years ago, when Fraser, who still owned Grace on Beverly Boulevard at the time, became enthralled with the space while catering his first event at Vibiana. He recognized its multifaceted business potential, but even more than that, he was drawn to its history and grandeur.

“I kind of grew up working for chefs that had huge catering arms. Wolfgang Puck and Joachim Splichal both had equal catering events and restaurants,” says Fraser, who believes that you have to do more than one thing to stand the test of time.

“I kind of fell in love with the idea that we could have more than one revenue stream.”

This approach has worked for him. The property hosts around 415 events each year. “We have five today. We have zero tomorrow.”

Fraser likens staffing a restaurant with so many private dining rooms to an accordion.

“Some days we have very little staff, and some days we have a lot of staff and we have a lot of people on call. Before COVID, we had 40 servers,” he says.

Despite a large exodus during the pandemic and the inconsistent nature of Redbird’s nightly numbers, many of Fraser’s staff have remained since the beginning, including bussers, servers, bartenders, acclaimed bar director and James Beard Award finalist Tobin Shea, who has been there since day one, as well as chef de cuisine Jason Bowlin.

“Having that core staff of people who kind of understand what we want to do makes it much easier,” says Fraser. “[But] we've become a little more casual than what we started out to be. Our original idea was to be much more fine dining. I think you have to be considerate of where you are and what people are coming in for,” he says, noting that the original plan for Redbird to include tableside cart service was thwarted by uneven floors.

“We didn't have enough room between tables. Some things worked out. Some things didn’t.”

Dining at Redbird is as reliable now as it was 10 years ago when it opened. The avocado salad with Little Gem lettuce, smoked bacon, and buttermilk blue cheese vinaigrette remains as satisfying as ever, as does the garganelli pasta tossed in wild boar sugo with fennel pollen, marjoram, and Fiore Sardo sheep’s milk cheese.

Fraser may be willing to adapt and change according to his guests’ needs, but one thing remains consistent: an old-fashioned commitment to service and hospitality. He is a chef who enjoys giving people what they want.

“People want to be taken care of. Hospitality, it's not just about the food.”