At age 27, Jared Simons has a lot he could be smug about.
However, the young entrepreneur — who started as a busboy 11 years ago — has learned to take success, but fortunately not his commitment to it, in stride.
Simons burst onto the LA dining scene in September of 2004 when he opened Violet, a restaurant located at 3221 Pico Boulevard.
“I’m excited to be in Santa Monica, and I think my customers here are excited to see someone young running the show,” Simons says. “It has its moments, but I wouldn’t trade it.”
Simons, like many young busi-nesspeople out to make a name for themselves, puts in long hours to be his own boss. He recently scaled back to working 70 hours per week, and he says he has no time for a girlfriend.
“My lifestyle isn’t really conducive to it right now,” he said.
Some of Simons’ customers, familiar with the city’s cuisine scene, say the chef and restaurateur has been successful in embodying the sophisticated aspects of urban life in an unpretentious style.
Violet-colored banquettes throughout the dining room are complemented by chocolate-colored wood tables. An amber glow of candles helps provide an intimate setting for friends.
A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Simons takes an honest and simple approach to his cooking, creating refined versions of casual favorites. The dozens of menu items include a grilled chicken sandwich with brie, apples and greens; seared scallops with vanilla risot-to and caramelized squash; or baked macaroni with gruyere cheese.
The fare is also the least expensive items you will find on the menu, most of which cost less than $10 a plate. The same, however, isn’t true of the drink. New and old world wines, averaging $30 a bottle, are offered, as well as domestic and imported beers. There’s no hard liquor here.
Born in San Diego, Simons said he has always had a passion for food.
“I was a heavy kid,” he says. “I was always in the kitchen, cooking myself something to eat. My passion for food used to really show, believe me.”
Simons began working as a busboy at age 16. His father, a pharmacist, had reservations about his son going into the dining business.
“I was expected to go to college, like he did, so I threw my parents for a loop when I told them I wanted to be a chef.”
After completing high school and the Culinary Academy’s two-year program, Simons returned to San Diego. He worked as a cook for two years at a restaurant called Millefleurs, where he learned more about the business before he embarked on his first dining endeavor with a partner.
Their first endeavor was a French restaurant called Le Passage. Wanting to move from San Diego, Simons said he started putting his feelers out for Los Angeles.
He said what drew him to Santa Monica was not only its familiar beach-side feel, but also the urban taste the city offers, which he says San Diego doesn’t.
What brought you to Santa Monica? “I was looking for something new. I was looking for a place where people are a little more interested in dining out, because San Diego’s a little too laid back, maybe a little too suburban. My old restaurant was a local place; you passed through the main kitchen to get to the patio. I wanted something with a little more of a city feel. The guy I worked for as a busboy when I was a teenager became my business partner. He’s sort of been my mentor, showing me the day-to-day operations. Still is. My family doesn’t know much about the restaurant business.
“I started looking for space in LA and found it in the classifieds. When I came to this spot to check it out, I got a good feeling, so I actually took over the space for months before I moved here.
“This used to be a restaurant called Sabor. I did a lot of remodeling, clean up. The decor is quite different now. A lot of my customers who used to also come to Sabor said they didn’t recognize it when they walked in here.
“This is a good, growing area, and I wanted to create something that was nicely lit and inviting.”
Where did the name of Violet come from?
“I had a hard time coming up with the name of my last restaurant, so I was looking through an encyclopedia late at night, and I saw a violet, the flower, and I thought, that’s a nice name, something people will remember, and a nice color, too.”
Supposedly the restaurant business doesn’t have a high profit margin. Can you say anything about that?
“In the past, I believe there was a little more money in the restaurant business. Unfortunately, there are rising costs, especially in California. It’s definitely tough to make money. People don’t go out and spend money like they used to.
“But I’ve always been into building and creating, and cooking has always been a great outlet for me because of it. So it’s good business, even when business isn’t always good, you know what I mean? For me, if I wasn’t here dealing with a little stress, I don’t know what I’d do. I definitely need a little bit of it in my life.
“Every day, there are so many problems that arise in the restaurant business. It’s a big juggling act. Between the customers’ and the staff’s feelings, the food, the creating and the re-making.
“I go to sleep and wake up at night, and the problems start all over again. Every day’s a little like going into battle. It can be stressful, sure, but it’s also wild and fun.”
Are you enjoying Santa Monica? “Yeah. It’s nice. The Westside is nice. A little bit like home. Makes it a more comfortable business.
“Unfortunately, restaurant business doesn’t give me much time outside of it. I’m kind of a one-man show. The same goes with dating, not enough time.
“It’s even the same with friends. People who work in a restaurant are often only friends with people who work in a restaurant. Others don’t understand why you don’t have time for them. You’re always working when they’re off, and vice versa. Days off, holidays, you’re constantly working. All of those kinds of things aren’t conducive to relationships outside of the business.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 19, 2005. Read the original PDF.