It would also give Russell-Burt a bigger kitchen space where she could expand her baked offerings while maintaining the quality of the items she was doing in the smaller kitchen at Fidel & Co. Samour said the original idea was to take over the lease and use the building as a ghost kitchen for chefs wanting to try a new concept or get into delivery. It was around that time when Samour heard that Sterling’s previous occupant, Cathead Diner, was closing down. “I knew from interacting with them at Fidel & Co that something like Sterling would be possible.” “I saw the value in hiring them,” Samour said. Brian Chilson BAKERY: Russell-Burt’s expanded offerings at Sterling Market include donuts, Kouign-amann, muffins, pumpkin bread, banana bread, scones and a variety of bagels.īurt and Russell-Burt both started at Fidel & Co in the summer of 2020, Samour said, and were instrumental in the development of Sterling Market’s concept. I also had a perfect chocolate chip cookie at Fidel & Co’s newer River Market spot with chocolate chips the size of quarters, as well as an unforgettable bite of cardamom coffee cake. The first thing I tried at Fidel & Co was a Saturday morning cinnamon roll (I ordered the last one and heard audible groans of disappointment in line behind me) and it was one of those bites you want to share with everyone you love, or at the very least show off to your TikTok followers. Shining as a pastry chef in Los Angeles isn’t easy, but the accolade made so much sense as I recalled the list of pastries I’ve had at Fidel & Co and Sterling Market. Other downtown coffee shops were closing, yet here was one east of Interstate 30 that was growing - and in a time when office buildings were mostly deserted. Samour opened Fidel & Co - located directly across the street from Sterling Market - eight weeks before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and when I became a regular a short time later, the coffee shop already felt like an established brand, with excellent coffee and food offerings. Brian Chilson THROW BACK: A nod to the market’s history with the word Sterling spelled out in paint cans. The green alley space is slated for late summer and will add an additional 126 seats to the current setup: 56 inside, 18 on each of two front patios. In development is an additional rain-or-shine green alley space directly behind the kitchen on the building’s northern end that will feature a retractable roof and a massive TV wall. It’s hard to miss the nod to the building’s history: The wide swath of orange and white paint cans (designed to look like Sterling originals) along the eastern wall spell out the word Sterling. Neighboring Cromwell Architects renovated the space with legacy in mind.
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