Chefs generally don't take the easy way out with much in their life. That's certainly true of Douglas Silberberg, who decided to open not one but two restaurants at the same time in January 2008. He found a space he liked in Pacific Palisades, near his hometown of Los Angeles, but it was too large for one restaurant. He broke it down into the Village Pantry, a breakfast and lunch restaurant that also does take out and is very family oriented, and the Oak Room, a grown-up place that opens at night. The two restaurants have separate front doors, menus, rooms, inventories, staff, uniforms, and china, but share address, liquor license, permit, and certificate of occupancy. Silberberg admits that the undertaking was "a little ambitious" and that things have been "a little hectic," but he is mainly thrilled to be a chef with a minor interest in what is former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan's latest venture. Silberberg and Riordan met when Silberberg was working at another Los Angeles-restaurant. Since they both live about five minutes away from Pacific Palisades, choosing that quaint town for their joint entreprise made sense.

Before launching his culinary career, Silberberg obtained a degree in business and communication from Indiana University. He then launched several internet businesses, in the early years of that industry. When his wife enrolled at New York University, the couple moved to New York. He decided to go back to school, and enrolled at ICE. Silberberg took a job at Tabla, Union Square Hospitality Group's acclaimed Indian-influenced restaurant, his first day of school, and ended up staying there for two years after graduation. He then worked at Ouest and at Oceana, before moving back to the West Coast in 2003, after six years in New York.

His Californian upbringing is reflected in his food: Silberberg defines his cooking philosophy as "very California cuisine." Most of the food products he uses in his restaurants come from California, including all-natural beef, chicken, and duck, and produce from local farmers' market.

Silberberg advises prospective culinary students to do their homework before starting school, including talking to as many food industry insiders as they can and obtaining practical experience.

Spring, 2008