Cartoons, Corned Beef and Cabbage

On Tuesday March 16, Luke's Kitchen held the reception for artist Joshua Zaitz, whose mixed-media pieces are currently on display at the restaurant. Chef Rod Hernandez hosted the evening, along with his wife and co-owner Patty Lee, and their son Luke, for whom the restaurant was named.  

Zaitz's work is a pop-up book of sorts. Influenced heavily by the art of Charles Fazzino, a renowned 3-D Pop Artist, Zaitz's quirky and playful style takes "doodles" to a whole other level–literally. Many of the figures in Zaitz's pieces physically step off the page, having been printed in triplicate and then assembled as 3-D images.

"Growing up, I always drew little cartoons," said Zaitz, who never thought he could make a career out of his art. "You can't really hang a cartoon on the wall," said Zaitz, reflecting on his thinking before he was introduced to the work of Charles Fazzino.  Zaitz continued, "Ever since then I've been experimenting."

Zaitz's pieces are not only fun to look at, but many have fun right in their titles. One piece in particular, takes an unpleasant part of a commuter's routine and turns it on its head. Colorful little cars lined back to back become Traffic Fun. When asked about the "fun" nature of his work, Zaitz said that he thinks it is nice to come home to a cute and entertaining picture on the wall that makes you smile and "try to relieve some of the stress of every day life."

For the artist's reception and in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Chef Hernandez offered a twist on traditional Irish fare. While he did serve a traditional preparation of corned beef and cabbage, he served it with a side of corned-beef-and-cabbage sausage. He prepared colcannon and Irish Parliament Stew–all the while using his own technique and some culinary poetic license. To fine-tune the lamb-based stew, Hernandez employed a risotto-like technique, adding liquid to the pot in small quantities.  Each serving of stew was also topped with a lamb steak. Vegetarian dishes were served to those who did not eat meat.

The restaurant's furniture was rearranged into one long table for the evening, creating a communal dining experience for food and art lovers alike.