The Fine Art of Family Magazine

Known as the father of contemporary California cuisine, Michael McCarty opened his first restaurant, the critically-acclaimed Michael’s, in Santa Monica in 1979 at age 25. A decade later, he opened a second Michael’s—also serving fresh, seasonal American food—in New York City.

The restaurateur, two-time cookbook author, and now Huffington Post columnist splits his time between the two restaurants, which both feature fine art decorating the walls and some 800 labels of award-winning wine from around the globe. When McCarty is in town, it’s not unlikely to see the incredibly hospitable French-trained chef walking around and shaking hands with guests, many of which you may recognize, including Paul Newman, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Katie Couric and Lance Armstrong.

Here, McCarty lets us into his wonderful world of food, wine, art, and people.

Tell us how you came to own this precious object.

“My 1971 Dobro National steel-bodied fingerpicking guitar is the only heirloom that survived the big 1993 Malibu fire when our house burned down. My wife and I lost everything we owned. Thank god this guitar was at my brother’s house or else it would have been a puddle of zinc.

I’ve had the guitar since the early 1970s when I lived in Paris. I would fly to New York often to buy four or five Martin guitars, take them to Paris and sell them to help finance my education at the Ecole Hotelière, the Cordon Bleu, and the Academy du Vin. When I saw this one in my last batch of guitars that I was taking over, I knew I had to keep it. It’s a stunning guitar.”

How do you live with your heirloom?

“All of my guitars—about a dozen total—are in my son, Chas’, room in our house in Malibu. He is a very good guitar player and loves to jam with me and my older brothers—one plays the base and the other the piano. Right now, the Dobro is here in NY. I think I’m going to keep it here.

Every time I see it sitting on its stand, I remember the good old days in Paris and Amsterdam, where I traveled and played music with my brother. We performed in the metro, on the streets, and in the clubs for three years. We play very infrequently now, mainly family gatherings. I have a couple of friends who are musicians. When we get together, we cook, eat, drink and play.”

Who in your life has most influenced your personal style and taste?

“My mother and my father were consummate entertainers. My most vivid memories were of them and their friends having these great parties. That’s why I got into the restaurant business.

There was always an emphasis on the quality of the food. My mother had this one Portuguese fisherman who brought the best swordfish and striped bass—the kinds of stuff that didn’t exist in supermarkets in the 1950s. It was an early education in quality ingredients, which is now all the rage.”

[Fill in the blank] Whenever I look at ___“my wife”___I can’t help but smile.

“We met in Boulder, CO, where I stopped to see my brother after returning to the U.S. from France. I ended up staying and teaching French cooking and French at a local university.

For the final exam, nine students had to cook 2 courses each. All of my students were allowed to bring one guest. One brought her roommate, Kim. I made the dessert: a raspberry souffle with passionfruit crème anglaise. She loved it and I loved her. She’s still eating with me 35 years later.”

What’s the best part of your day?

“I think the best times for me is when I’m sitting down at the table with great people and enjoying a meal—same thing that my parents did when I was little. In fact, I just started writing about these meals for the Huffington Post.” (Check out McCarty’s column, “Meal Periods,” here).

What was the most memorable gift you’ve ever given or received?

“I would say my collection of contemporary art, featuring established artists like Jasper Johns, David Hockney, and Frank Stella as well as young, up and coming talents. A lot of them were gifts from artists or gifts Kim, a professional painter, and I had given each other. Every piece has a story, person or place attached to it. They were all in my restaurants—I had five at the time—when our house burned down.”

What was your last purchase that you believe (or hope) will mean something to you 10 years from now?

“Since the fire, we have so very few permanent things anymore. Most everything I buy now is edible. As my wife would say, ‘I could have bought two pairs of shoes for that meal.’ The shoes wear out, but the memories last forever.”

Published on July 9, 2010

Tags: Celebrating, Featured, Food, Heirloom, Heirlooms, My Heirloom

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