About The Wilkes
Honoring Alfred Wilkes and the Community of Brentwood
Midcentury architect Alfred Topper Wilkes had a penchant for the popular. He loved to reimagine everyday spaces for regular folks, giving dignity to homes across West Los Angeles, adding swagger to our skyline from the 1950’s until 2015. After a sixty-year career, he continues to make his mark on the Southern California landscape.
Wilkes attended both UCLA and USC School of Architecture before finding his signature aesthetic, Streamline Moderne, a style characterized by prominent horizontal lines, curved glass and elegant geometry. Designed by Wilkes in 1954, our building is typical of this approach, which continues to influence many Los Angeles architects to this day. In fact, Frank Gehry was one of Wilkes’ early draftsmen.
We love the optimism and grace of Wilkes’ imprint. It is how we imagine life must have felt in a kinder, gentler era, when restaurants beckoned the neighborhood with good food, civility, and comfort. We are proud to bring this gem back to its glory.
The Wilkes Restaurant & Lounge is a neighborhood supper club serving craft comfort food classics. It is an homage to an unsung visionary and a postcard to Brentwood Village. We hope it triggers your happiness and nostalgia.
Welcome to The Wilkes.
BRIAN RIGSBY
Head Chef
Born in Milwaukee and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Brian started cooking when he was fifteen, quickly falling in love with the metier. At twenty-three, he moved to Los Angeles to work with Jon and Vinny at their catering company, Caramelized Productions. Brian helped open the original Jon & Vinny's on Fairfax and then moved to Animal for a stint in carnivore cooking. He later moved to Craft L.A. in Century City, training under the legendary celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.
At 26, Brian became the youngest and first African-American Chef de Cuisine at Craft, leading the kitchen team until the restaurant's recent closure. His culinary passions include showcasing Los Angeles' farmers market bounties using French techniques, mastering sushi, and Creole cooking. He loves sustainable farming, spending time at the beach, and hunting for the best pizza and burger in L.A. Please help us in giving Brian a warm Bienvenue!
Our Family
JAMIE ALEXANDER
General Manager
Jamie Alexander is a Michigan native who grew up in a family of farmers. His first restaurant job was in the kitchen at Stuff Yer Face in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he had intended to study at Rutgers College. Several turns of events later, he landed at UCLA, working his way through his college years in local restaurants. He soon discovered that farm and restaurant jobs have much in common -- a sense of community, careful planning, seasonality and hard work – qualities that helped his family run a successful farm and also keep him committed to the field of hospitality.
Jamie cut his teeth at Modo Mio in Pacific Palisades and Belcampo in Santa Monica before coming full circle back to Westwood as Assistant General Manager at Violet. After leading the Bistro, Cooking School and Shop through a monumentally challenging first year, Jamie was quickly promoted to General Manager. He is an accomplished writer, poet, runner, graphic designer and crosswordist.
Jesse Brune
Director of Events
Jesse Brune-Horan brings more than twenty years of hospitality experience to The Wilkes, with a career that spans culinary arts, teaching, media, and event planning. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in 2006, he moved quickly into television as a food and wellness expert, co-starring in Bravo's Workout, Food Network's Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, and OWN's Emmy-winning Home Made Simple. He has been featured in numerous magazines, television programs, and books.
As a chef instructor, Jesse has taught at Epicurean Culinary School and The New School of Cooking, and he continues to deepen his industry expertise through specialized hospitality and restaurant management studies at Cornell University.
In addition to his culinary background, Jesse has extensive experience in private dining and catering, bringing a chef’s perspective and a refined approach to guest experience and event design.
DANA SLATKIN
Founder
Violet Los Angeles founder Dana Slatkin always dreamed of opening a delightful neighborhood gathering place, like the ones where she spent so much time while studying and working in Italy and France. Born in Los Angeles, Dana is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and The Culinary Institute of America. She trained with chefs Georges Blanc and Michel Guèrard at their eponymous Michelin three-star restaurants in France, patissier Pierre Hermé at Fauchon in Paris, and David Bouley in New York City.
Dana moved back to Los Angeles to become General Manager at L'Orangerie. In 1994, she helped launch the Beverly Hills Farmers Market, later using the name and inspiration for her own line of snacks and baked goods, which she sold to airlines and supermarkets for a decade. Dana's first cookbook, Summertime Anytime: Recipes From Shutters On The Beach, was published in 2008 by Clarkson Potter. As the Beverly Hills Farmgirl, she ran a cooking school and shop for twelve years. She is a mother of three, a board member of the Berkeley Food Institute, a classical pianist, and an avid crosswordist.