Man on the street Q&A with the people of Malibu
By Benjamin Marcus
The Malibu Kitchen state sale took place on Dec. 10 and 11, and The Malibu Times asked the community, “What are you going to miss most about Malibu Kitchen?”
Matt Farah (41), car enthusiast at thesmokingtire.com, Los Angeles
“I’m gonna miss Bill, and I’m gonna miss the egg salad. And I’m gonna miss sitting on this porch judging people.”
Rocco Urbisci Comedian, writer, producer, Santa Monica
“What am I gonna miss most about Malibu Kitchen? Malibu Kitchen. I’m gonna miss all the friends I made here. I met my wife here. My former wife. I met my girlfriend, now my former girlfriend. It was great for everything except my relationships.”
Benny Marcil (51), CEO of the deli, Los Angeles
“The good people. The girls. My friends. The tuna salad. After this, I don’t know where I am going. Maybe Mar Vista. Maybe Malibu. Gracias.”
Perry Wander, Attorney to Malibu Kitchen and the stars, pcwlawyer.com
“Malibu Kitchen was a restaurant with a character born from the love of NY Jewish delis and inspired by the charm of a specialty food store in the Hamptons. I’m going to miss NY Jewish classics like H&H bagels. Acme smoked salmon and whitefish. I’m going to miss the NY “food with a tude.” This is another locally loved institution that has bitten the dust in Malibu. I hope that MK resurfaces in Malibu at a new location, but for the time being, it still lives online for thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie orders!”
Daniel Berman (19), auto design student, Pasadena by way of New York
“You know this was the best place — I’m from New York — this was the best place in all of LA to look at people and make fun of them. The best food around. Authentic
attitude. And you know you could sit here for hours and look at the cars. Being from New York, the idea that the best roads are right there and that I could get off
of these canyon roads and get off here and get a good sandwich. I miss the city a lot, and this has that energy. So to come here and see that and have all this — I
couldn’t have asked for this. That this place existed.”
Malcolm Jenkins Bedouin philosopher — NAYB — Venice by way of Waycross, Georgia
“The vibe, employees, food. One of the last authentic stores in Bu. Another hole in the heart of Malibu.”
John Ortiz Technician at JCOtechnologies.com, Malibu, by way of Oxnard
“I’m going to miss the food. The meatloaf sandwiches. And I’m going to miss Bill chasing people out of the store for being pretentious.”
Christopher Tompkins (34), owner of Broad Street Oyster, Malibu, by way of New York
“I think I’m going to miss the chocolate chip cookies the most — definitely the camaraderie and the taste of home.”
Zefferino Ruiz (48), chef de cuisine, Culver City
“I will miss the customers — the food. Favorite food? Everything. Where am I going after this? Taverna Tony.”
Cathy Goodman, counter gal, bon vivant, California
“I’ll miss baking for everybody and making their tummies really happy. My favorite food is my fudge brownies. I’ll miss all the local Malibu characters always coming in. It makes the day very interesting.”
Mo Satarzadeh, photographer and car enthusiast mophotodesign.com
The people. Honestly. As much as I love the coffee and all that other stuff. Scones, especially. I’m gonna miss Suzy and Bill and Judith and Zeff. All of them, man. It’s
a loss for the community, for sure. Just because this is one of the last places that has the Malibu vibe, in a sense. Yeah, it’s a bummer; that’s what it is. That’s life.
Rick Loehr, owner of Malibu Cigar, Malibu, by way of New York
“First, Bill. Love Bill. Second, the Chinese Chicken Salad, and the bagels, of course. And the tuna. The best.”
Lani Netter (66), artist, writer, historian, Christian, Malibu my whole life
“Love Malibu Kitchen. Been here since they opened. Love Suzy and Bill, and Judith, and appreciate all the years of serving Malibu. I think I’m going to miss the meatloaf most. And that arugula salad with goat cheese.”
Alex Kluft (31), rock and roll photographer alexkluft.com, Malibu by way of Beverly Hills
“It’s iconic. Everything about it is iconic. I don’t know what else to say. Everything. The furniture. Everything inside. The corned beef. Also, the people hanging out on the bench and chatting. All the great people you saw come in here.”
Sally Dibaei, artist sallydibaei.artcall.org, Malibu
“I’m going to miss their cookies and their food, and their presence here. They were so cozy and comforting and nice. Always inviting.”
John Mazza (77), collector, protector, city official, Malibu
“The fact that we’re losing one of the last things, that’s Malibu. So.. chain stores, tourists. We’re not gonna have anything left. GET MORE? FOOD?”
Jeff Slutske (50), deputy sheriff, Thousand Oaks, California
“I’m going to miss Bill and Judith, and I think Bill especially. The personality and everything about it and how he treats everyone equally and just … everything. It’s become a staple of Malibu, and it sucks that it’s going.”