On his 59th birthday, the local icon discusses the purpose behind his career and the reality of running a small business today.
By Dolores Quintana
We interviewed Chef Raphael Lunetta for the tenth anniversary of his Pico neighborhood and namesake restaurant, Lunetta. The interview also happened to be on the chef’s 59th birthday, and he was energetic and full of enthusiasm for the restaurant, the business, and his staff and customers.
He gave a very realistic assessment of the restaurant business and the difficulties that all small business owners are facing at the moment, tempered with a passion for everything he does. He loves the restaurant, his employees, making food, and making people happy.
The Santa Monica native made his reputation at Jiraffe, which was open in Downtown Santa Monica for fifteen years, prioritizing his employees as much as he cares about the quality of the food and the raw ingredients that go into them.
You can always tell what kind of restaurant you are in, if you are sensitive to it, by how it makes you feel. Lunetta has a welcoming and friendly vibe with great food, so it makes sense that it has grown from a neighborhood restaurant into a quietly luxurious destination. It’s easy to spend a couple of hours there just enjoying the experience with the excellent service and the customers who are having a marvelous time.
Chef Lunetta also has a second restaurant, Marelle, at the Sandborne Hotel, which deserves attention as well. The fall menu had memorable dishes, one of which was a soup, which normally isn’t the star of most menus, but this one was. It also has a great view of the beach.
Here is Chef Raphael Lunetta, Santa Monica born and raised, in his own words, and Lunetta, a gem of the Pico district.
Raphael Lunetta: When you’re running a restaurant, and you’re in your tenth year, you definitely want to be out there and letting people know what you’re doing, but oftentimes, as I said, if you’re not trying to push yourself to get better, after ten years in the restaurant, where do you go? Do you say, ” Oh, you know, after doing this for 37 years in the kitchen, where do you go after 37 years?” Do you keep doing it? Do you stay excited for yourself and for everybody you work with? Do you continue to create enthusiasm, momentum, excitement, fun, and care about what we do?
Dolores Quintana: I think that’s important. If you don’t keep it fresh, not just for the customers, but for you and your staff, you can box yourself in.
Raphael Lunetta: We know that the restaurant industry has gotten, I think, every small business has gotten hammered. It’s not just the restaurant business; it’s a small business in general. It’s always been tough. I was part of Santa Monica Travel and Tourism as a board member through being treasurer, vice chair, and chair. I think part of what was important for me to convey, being on the board of Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, was having everybody really understand what it was like to have a small business.
Sure, I talk about the restaurant business being difficult as a small business. I think like the man who’s hanging the drapes right now, he’s a small business, and we hired him. He’s a Santa Monica native, and in doing that, it’s a small business supporting another small business. The result of that is the synergy that comes from seeing how beautiful that work is, people talking about that, “This is Adam, Adam does beautiful work, he did this.” All of a sudden, it just starts picking up momentum.
So whether it’s the restaurant business, whether it’s Santa Monica Mirror, whether it’s a drapery guy, a coffee place, it’s just really important to recognize small businesses. I think we all know that small businesses have a tough time with big corporations out there that are dominating everything.
We read how many restaurants close, or are in survival mode, if they do stay open. They’re always in a survival mode, it feels like. There are a few that aren’t. There are a few restaurants that just thrive, and that’s because of word of mouth.
It’s very important for us to connect with our patrons, with our customers, and make sure the connection is solid
We did this power lunch today, and this woman said, “This is such a special lunch.” It’s like lunch is almost a thing of the past. Like in the ‘80s, people would go out, and they’d have a martini, and they’d have a really nice lunch. I think we’ve done that here; we’ve brought that feeling and experience back.
If you go to the patio, you see what people are enjoying; they’re having a three-course meal for lunch, and they’re loving it. The homemade ravioli, the tender greens from the farmers’ market with olives and feta, and a vinaigrette that Hugo made, the Niçoise salad that you saw, the grilled steaks that we’re doing, these are all things that, for lunch, are really nice.
The restaurant business is tough. At this place right now, after going through COVID, the actor’s strike, the writer’s strike, so many different parts of that industry, not just the actors, not just the writers, but everybody else who works in that industry, aren’t working, and that takes a huge part of all business away.
Then there were the fires, and those are devastating for so many. Our first three months of ’25 were just absolutely devastating for a business. Then we go into this last phase of ICE raids, and people are scared to come to work at other businesses nearby. People are fixated on the news, and now we’re in another situation in which the costs of goods have risen.
So there’s always going to be a challenge, and I think it’s probably the most important thing to say is when these challenges come up, how can you adapt and adjust and find ways to, you know, to keep going?
What we’ve done here is the commitment to the crew, the engagement with everybody, the enthusiasm that we all share, because without the enthusiasm, what do you have? Not too much pressure, not to create a stressful environment, but to create an environment where there’s responsibility, and there’s commitment, and there’s an articulate method of what we do. There are still so many variables in this industry: Mother Nature, product changes every day, and personalities.
But consistency, we know, is the hardest thing in the restaurant industry. The excellence, people who can continue to create excellence every day, I applaud them more than anything because that is just such a commitment. I always want us to be at the highest level of consistency.
That’s what I always did at Jiraffe. But that’s not enough. I’ve got to make sure service is good. We’ve got to make sure the room is good. We’ve got to make sure the vibe is good. We’ve got to make sure the restrooms are always clean. We’ve got to make sure the floors are always clean. We have to make sure that everything is organized.
Dolores Quintana: That’s a lot of responsibility.
Raphael Lunetta: We have to make sure that the wine list is interesting and there are options for by the glass because. We have to be sensitive to what the consumer’s feeling as well right now, and we want to be approachable. So all of that is what goes into a day-to-day life in the restaurant business for all of the staff, for myself as the owner. This is a day in the life of the restaurant, and it’s just a little bit of what we’ve just touched on, plus probably another 40% that I haven’t touched on. But that’s the day in the life of a restaurant business.
Dolores Quintana: It’s like having a bunch of plates you’re spinning around all the time, so you can’t really allow any of them to drop. It’s a lot of responsibility all at the same time.
Raphael Lunetta: It’s a lot of responsibility, it’s a lot of commitment. That would be my best way of explaining what we do here. I just changed the menu, and the menu’s reading really, really nice, and I think it’s comforting, it’s sensible, it feels good. I think when people come in and enjoy a dinner, they feel good after they eat. That’s a big piece of it as well.
So for brunch, for lunch, for happy hour, for dinner, there’s just a lot of options, and we use the freshest products. We have to maintain integrity in everything that we use. All of our steaks are prime. All of our greens are from the market. All the tomatoes. Our oils are extra virgin olive oils. Our cooking oil is good. All that stuff that makes a difference in how you feel, the care and the integrity in the product, along with the staff.
Moving forward, what are we doing? We’re hitting ten years, and we are not slowing down. We’re going into this with a lot of momentum. Jiraffe was on the corner of 5th and Santa Monica, and it was a vibrant 15 years on 5th and Santa Monica.
But now, I’m really happy to be at 2424 Pico Boulevard. This is a great neighborhood, but we’re not just a neighborhood restaurant. Jiraffe started as a neighborhood restaurant. This started as a neighborhood restaurant. Now we’re a destination restaurant for travel, for luxury travel, for people who come to Santa Monica—they can come here, and if they come on the first night of their four nights here, they’ll come here twice.
Dolores Quintana: That’s great. It’s been really tough, as you’ve said. But what I would say is, what is it that keeps you working so hard to stay in the restaurant business?
Raphael Lunetta: Having purpose and the fulfillment that we get from having that purpose and seeing the results of that purpose. That is personal drive. We know that with everything, surfing has kept me in the game of where my life is, and, you know, you met my partner, you met the kitchen, it’s about purpose. I think that’s what really drives us to continue. I have people like Hugo, whom I’ve worked with for 37 years. Emilio, 32 years.
We do it for each other, we keep each other going, we give each other rewards, and hopefully, they’re financial, and we can have a moderate lifestyle right now in the restaurant industry,m to be honest. But it’s also about the brotherhood and the family. Hannah, who’s not here today, is amazing. Hannah Ruby is our director of operations.
There’s nobody better than Hannah. There’s nobody better than Hugo, there’s nobody better than Emilio, nobody better than Alonso, nobody better than Israel. We’ve got a team here. I want to keep it going because I want to keep that family along with the family that comes into the restaurant. I want to keep that going.
That’s the purpose, and that’s what keeps me excited about doing it. I’m 59 today.
Dolores Quintana: Wow, happy birthday!
Raphael Lunetta: Yes. I’m 59 today, and I could say, you know what? I’m kind of done, but I’m not done. I want to go, hopefully, for another five years and just love what we do, enjoy it, and keep going. At that point, I hope to give this to Emilio and Hannah. They can have this operation, and they can keep going because they’re a bit younger than I am and just keep the friendships and the relationships going.
Hugo is baking enchiladas for my birthday. We’re going to have enchiladas all together today. We’ve spent more time together than we have with our partners and our friends because we see each other five days a week, every day for the last, you know, 36, 37, 38 years.
Dolores Quintana: That’s the thing, that feeling, because when I walked through the kitchen, I am sensitive to people’s feelings, and it felt calm.
Raphael Lunetta: Feels calm.
Dolores Quintana: It feels calm, and no one’s stressing out.
Raphael Lunetta: But there is pressure. Every day.
Dolores Quintana: Oh, yeah. But there’s a balance between pressure and stress.
Raphael Lunetta: Yeah, and so that’s always a good sign, I think, particularly with the kitchen. Because if you’re stressing out, there’s usually a reason.
Dolores Quintana: Do you have any other restaurants in the area?
Raphael Lunetta: I do Marelle at the Sandbourne Hotel. I oversee that and work with the team over there, and we’ve got a great team over there as well.
