Ma Maison
Ma Maison was a restaurant opened by Patrick Terrail in the fall of 1973 at 8368 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Backers included Gene Kelly.[1]
It is credited with getting Wolfgang Puck's career off the ground, for starting the trend called California cuisine but they called "California nouvelle"[1] and being a hot spot for celebrities.[2][3] Terrail arranged for many famous artists to paint the menu covers[4] designed by David Hockney.[1] (One menu was featured in an art exhibition at the Los Angeles Central Library).[5] It closed on November 1, 1985.[6]
Their phone number was unlisted, supposedly because "If you don't have the number, we don't want you."[7]
One source stated the “fall from greatness” began when sous chef John Sweeney strangled his actress girlfriend (Dominique Dunne)[8] to death. Many believed Terrail supported Sweeney leading “the glamorous clientele” to stop frequenting the restaurant.[1]
Besides being a hotspot for celebrities, they attracted “businessmen and lawyers ... for what became known as Ma Maison's "drunk lunches." Debauchery ensued, and conspicuous consumption to the highest degree was commonplace.”[1]
Notable former employees
References
- ^ a b c d e Coser, Crystal (January 29, 2015). "The Epic Rise and Fall of Ma Maison, The Restaurant That Made Wolfgang Puck Famous". Eater. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Ma Maison: The Clubhouse to the Stars". kcet.org. 23 September 2013.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean. "HOLLYWOOD: THIS WAY IN". nytimes.com.
- ^ "The Brilliant, Bitter History of L.A.'s Fabled Ma Maison, Where Welles and Nicholson Were Regulars". hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ Miranda, Carolina. "L.A. stories hidden in menus, from tiki kitsch to Ma Maison". No. June 11, 2015. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ Ryon, Ruth (10 November 1985). "Ma Maison's West Hollywood Site Sold" – via LA Times.
- ^ "In Hollywood, Ma Maison Is 'my House' for the Biggest Stars". people.com.
- ^ Dunne, Dominick (April 8, 2008). "Justice A father's account of the trial of his daughter's killer". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Gordon Hamersley on Staying Motivated 27 Years Later". bostonmagazine.com. 24 February 2014.
- ^ Karen Stabiner (August 24, 2013). "For a Chef, 41 Years in the Kitchen Takes Its Toll". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2018.