CAROLINE STYNE
Raised in Los Angeles and educated in Santa Barbara, Caroline Styne planned a career as a professional in the art world but the restaurant business called to her. In 1994, she teamed with celebrated restaurateur Sean MacPherson at Jones, in Hollywood. While there, she was introduced to Suzanne Goin. The meeting was life-changing for both and led to the opening of their flagship restaurant, Lucques, in 1998. With Suzanne’s culinary talent and Caroline’s business acumen they made a formidable creative team.
The restaurant met with instant success and their efforts helped her partner to be recognized as one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” 1999. Lucques received praise from Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and Saveur, including a prestigious 3 star review by the Los Angeles Times. Caroline has served as the restaurant’s sommelier and wine director from the beginning, and has received multiple Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.
The partners’ second endeavor was a.o.c., located on West Third Street in Los Angeles in 2002, featuring the groundbreaking concept of Caroline’s selections of inspired wines by the glass and Suzanne’s small plates menu. In its opening year, the restaurant received numerous favorable reviews and was named one of Conde Nast Traveler’s“50 hot tables and “best new wine list” by Food & Wine magazine. As at Lucques, the wine list at a.o.c. has received awards from Wine Spectator magazine.
Tavern, the third venture by Caroline and Suzanne, opened in 2009. The Brentwood location serves as a casual neighborhood meeting place, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers a full retail market from the Larder at Tavern.
Two years later, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of a.o.c., Caroline and Suzanne moved their beloved restaurant a mile west on 3rd Street to the iconic restaurant space that formerly housed Joe Allen and Orso. With one of the most beautiful outdoor garden settings in Los Angeles, a cozy wine room upstairs, a new cocktail program and an acclaimed wine list of sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines curated by Caroline, the new space is an absolute hit and has been embraced by the public.
Suzanne’s second book, The A.O.C. Cookbook, also published by Alfred A. Knopf, debuted in October 2013 to glowing reviews in both the United States and Canada. The cookbook is a collection of seasonal recipes from the restaurant with wine notes by Caroline and a complete section devoted to cheese, a major component to the a.o.c. menu.
In December 2013, Caroline and Suzanne launched The Larder Baking Company, a new wholesale operation for the breads and bakery goods. The expanded production services all of their restaurants and retail operations in addition to supplying other restaurants and retail markets throughout greater Los Angeles and California.
Caroline has her hand in producing her own wines: Jules Harrison, a Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley, J&H, a un-oaked chardonnay from Napa Valley. She has been written about in in GQ, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, The Wall Street Journal and appears regularly on wine panels for her expertise, including Food & Wine Aspen, Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, Los Angeles “The Food Event, ”Zagat, and ABC television.
As Wine Director, Caroline is nationally recognized for her expertise in the restaurants’ much-admired wine programs. Food & Wine named a.o.c. Best New Wine List of 2003. The restaurant also received the esteemed Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator three times and was named among the 100 Best Wine Restaurants 2015 by Wine Enthusiast. When she introduced an entirely new list at a.o.c. in 2013 that included only wines produced from biodynamic, sustainable or organic farming practices, the restaurant was praised by The Los Angeles Times. In 20016, a.o.c. was named among best Wine Bars in Los Angeles by Thrillist and Eater LA. In 2019, Caroline’s wine list was honored by Wine & Spirits WSLA19 as number three among 50 best restaurants best places to eat and drink in Los Angeles. a.o.c. is consistently applauded for their imaginative craft cocktails that mirror the farmers’ market influence of Suzanne Goin’s seasonal menus.
Caroline’s hospitality philosophy and keen business acumen has been a major contribution to the growth of The Lucques Group since the opening of their first restaurant. Today, she oversees business affairs at the company’s ten operations in Los Angeles, all of which are considered among the best in the city. In 2014, Caroline was one of a distinguished panel of jurors for the James Beard Foundation that served as the judging authority for the year’s Restaurant Design Awards. She also shared other nominations with partner Suzanne Goin when Lucques was honored for Best Service and a.o.c. was acknowledged for Outstanding Wine Program by the James Beard Foundation. After five years of nominations for the James Beard Awards, Caroline received the coveted award for Restaurateur of Year in 2018 in recognition for her achievements with The Lucques Group.
Caroline and Suzanne, along with David Lentz – Suzanne’s husband and owner of The Hungry Cat – are co-founders of L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, their fundraiser benefiting research for childhood cancer which has raised over $11.3 million since its inception in 2010.
Caroline, Suzanne and Lucques Catering served as official caterers for the annual SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards for four consecutive years. In 2011 and 2012, Caroline and Suzanne were honored to have been selected to prepare fundraising dinners for both President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
As part of a partnership with the LA Phil and Sodexo Leisure, Suzanne Goin and Caroline’s parent company, The Lucques Group, oversee the new Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine operations at the famed Hollywood Bowl which began in summer of 2016. Recent ventures for Suzanne and Caroline are A.O.C. in Brentwood (formerly Tavern) and the innovative restaurants, Caldo Verde and Cara Cara, at the Downtown LA Proper Hotel, opened in 2021. Caroline and Suzanne debuted Dahlia, the hotel’s exclusive cocktail bar in 2023.
Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne are founding members in the Independent Restaurant Coalition whose work was instrumental in achieving over $28.6 billion in government grant programs for restaurants and bars throughout the United States.
Caroline Styne is married to Michael Kohn, a contemporary art dealer and owner of the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. They have a daughter, Olivia and a son, Jules.
SUZANNE GOIN
Suzanne Goin was born in Los Angeles to food-obsessed Francophile parents. A graduate of Brown University, Suzanne’s background includes positions at some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the United States, including Ma Maison, L’Orangerie in Los Angeles, Al Forno in Providence, Olives in Boston, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and Alain Passard’s Arpège in Paris. Her work as Executive Chef at Campanile put her on the culinary map in Los Angeles and laid the groundwork for her first restaurant.
In 1998, Suzanne opened Lucques in West Hollywood with her business partner Caroline Styne. The restaurant met with instant success and Suzanne was named one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” in 1999. Lucques received praise from Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Bon Appétit and Saveur, including a prestigious 3 star review by the Los Angeles Times. A second restaurant, a.o.c., the groundbreaking concept of inspired wines by the glass with a small plates menu, opened in 2002 and was met with enthusiasm from the public and the press.
Suzanne first received two coveted awards from the esteemed James Beard Foundation in May 2006. Her cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2005 won Best Cookbook from a Professional Viewpoint. Moments later that evening, Suzanne’s culinary achievements were recognized when she was awarded Best Chef California. Ten years later, she was recognized by her peers as the best chef in the nation, winning Outstanding Chef of Year 2016 at the James Beard Foundation Awards. In 2017, Suzanne was inducted into the Foundation’s esteemed Who’s Who of American Food & Beverage in America. She became the 11th chef, and first woman in the United States to win the GAYOT.com Restaurateur of the Year 2019.
Suzanne and Caroline ventured to the Westside of Los Angeles in 2009 when they opened their largest and most glamorous restaurant, Tavern, in Brentwood. Designed by Jeffrey Alan Marks, Tavern brings together a trio of concepts under one roof – a full service dining room, a marketplace and a bar with craft cocktails and artisanal wines. Tavern is a beautiful yet casual neighborhood meeting place, open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as providing pastries, coffees and prepared food to go for the hungry locals.
Inspired by the success of their more casual Larder section of Tavern, Suzanne and Caroline opened The Larder at Maple Drive in the fall of 2011. Only two years later, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a.o.c., Suzanne and Caroline moved their beloved restaurant a mile west on 3rd Street to the iconic restaurant space that formerly housed Joe Allen and Orso. With one of the most beautiful outdoor garden settings in Los Angeles, a cozy wine room upstairs, a new cocktail program and a wine list of sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines, the new space is an absolute hit and has been embraced by the public.
Suzanne’s second book, The A.O.C. Cookbook, also published by Alfred A. Knopf, debuted in October 2013 to glowing reviews in both the United States and Canada. The cookbook is a collection of seasonal recipes from the restaurant with wine notes by Caroline Styne and a complete section devoted to cheese, a major component to the a.o.c. menu. The book received top honors in the Chefs and Restaurants category by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in 2014.
In December 2013, Suzanne and Caroline launched The Larder Baking Company, a new wholesale operation for the breads and bakery goods. The expanded production services all of their restaurants and retail operations in addition to supplying other restaurants and retail markets throughout greater Los Angeles and California.
Suzanne and Caroline are among the most respected restaurateurs in California, and continue to receive recognition for their food, beverage programs and service from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, L.A. Weekly, Daily News, Condé Nast Traveler, Gourmet, Food and Wine, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Los Angeles Magazine , Angeleno, Zagat and Gayot.com. They are co-founders, with David Lentz, Suzanne’s husband and owner of The Hungry Cat, of L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, a fundraiser benefiting research for childhood cancer which has raised over $11.3 million since its inception in 2010.
In 2011, she became a member of the International Culinary Panel of distinguished chefs for Singapore Airlines, developing her recipes for in-flight dining. Over the past few years, Suzanne and her business partner Caroline Styne have been honored to prepare several fundraising dinners for both President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Passionate about healthy sustainable food for children, Suzanne is also a founding member of Lunch Matters, the organization working to create a partner school lunch program to Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard project. Since October 2013, Lunch Matters has been proudly serving its healthy, local and delicious school lunch menus at the Larchmont Charter School in Los Angeles.
As part of a partnership with the LA Phil and Sodexo Leisure, Suzanne Goin and Caroline’s parent company, The Lucques Group, oversee the new Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine operations at the famed Hollywood Bowl which began in summer of 2016. Recent ventures for Suzanne and Caroline are A.O.C. in Brentwood (formerly Tavern) and the innovative restaurants, Caldo Verde and Cara Cara, at the Downtown LA Proper Hotel, opened in 2021. Caroline and Suzanne debuted Dahlia, the hotel’s exclusive cocktail bar in 2023.
Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne are founding members in the Independent Restaurant Coalition whose work was instrumental in achieving over $28.6 billion in government grant programs for restaurants and bars throughout the United States.
Suzanne Goin and her husband David live in Los Angeles with their three children.