Q + A with Chefs Jim Sullivan + Alex Bolar of San Diego & Los Angeles

So thrilled to find our way back to collaborating with people who are passionate their craft. 

Weā€™ve known the talented San Diego Chef & Photographer Jim Sullivan for since our early lark days and through the culinary connection haven known as The Hood Kitchen Space in Costa Mesa.

Chef Jim Sullivan

Chef Sullivans love for food + film have led him to various kitchens around the world from sandy surf shacks to Michelin Star restaurants. His energy and enthusiasm are contagiousā€“ā€“and itā€™s just what we need at this moment. 

Chef Sullivan introduces to Chef Alejandro Bolar who comes from a background of his own supper club Eclair in Atlanta, Georgia and who currently finds his way creating delicious meals in various kitchens throughout Los Angeles and surroundings via kala

Chef Alex Bolar

We are looking forward to creating a super fun (& delicious) lark with these two chefs, who will be taking full creative control of the menu. 

We invite you along for the ride through this introductory Q & A:

Q. How do you two know each other?

Jim: Iā€™ve known Alex for some time now. We originally met one another while cooking at a friend’s restaurant in Atlanta a few years ago.

Alex: We met in Atlanta at a restaurant called Better Half and then on a subsequent trip to California we met up again. Weā€™ve been wanting collaborate for a while, definitely looking forward to creating some magic.

Q. What led you to lark? 

Jim: Iā€™ve always admired the Lark events and have worked with Lisa a few times in the past, both as a chef and photographer.

Alex: Jim said had a friendā€¦he showed me your instagram and I was in.

Q. How did you arrive in the culinary scene?

Jim: I basically grew up in the restaurant industry, starting at the age of 14. After having a long career in the medical field I decided to go back to school. I graduated from culinary school in 2007. Since then I’ve been doing pop ups, staging and being part of the restaurant industry as a professional food photographer.

Alex: My brothers and I are super competitive from who can catch the most or biggest fish to seeing who make the best burger.  During these times I noticed that cooking was fun and I had a natural gravitation towards it. During a semester off from college worked Silver Star deli and that introduced me to the commercial kitchen.

Q. Yay or nay to culinary school?

Jim: I did graduate from culinary school and while it was a great experience, I donā€™t think it’s necessary to become a great cook/chef. If a young person is motivated and can gain knowledge/experience under a great chef then I would suggest that route.

Alex: I went to culinary school and I met cool people along the way, but restaurants teach much more. For someone with a late start, they should consider a schoolā€¦ but if you have the time, working in a restaurant is the school of hard knocks ā€” youā€™ll have no choice but to learn. 

Q. What is your most treasured memory when it comes to food?

Jim: For me that would be working as a young adult/teen at an Italian restaurant in my hometown. This is where I spent my formative years learning the ins and outs of the industry.

Alex: Fierce competitive cooking with my brother Kyle Bolar. 

Q. Can you share an impressive elevated dining experience?

Jim: I really like what Outstanding in the Field does. Jim Denevan travels around the country working with local farmers and local chefs. Together they create a fantastic dining experience. I’ve had the pleasure of both eating and working with his team a few times and I absolutely love what they do.

Alex: Atomix in New York City offered a 16 course meal. Korean fine dining. Also, Wolvesmouth in Hollywood was pretty amazing. 

Q. What advice do you have for people who want to become chefs?

Jim: Do it because you love it. Don’t do it expecting accolades, money or fame. Do it for the passion, love of food. I realize that sounds cliche but honestly it’s the truth. 

Alex: Always be willing to learn something new. With food, there is so much to learn. 

Q. What is your most treasured ingredient?

Jim: It used to be fresh seafood like uni or abalone. But as time goes by I’m learning to appreciate and use vegetables more.

Alex: A squeeze lemon on everything! 

Q. What is your go-to dish when cooking for yourself? 

Jim: Fried rice or Congee, using anything that’s left in the fridge.

Alex: Rice with soft egg and chili crunch.

Q. What is your go-to dish when cooking for others?

Jim: That would depend on the season and what is currently inspiring me. Recently it was using stone fruit.

Alex: Always something chicken based because itā€™s more familiar to people and there is no variation when it comes to cooking, i.e. raw, seared, etcā€¦.

Q. Who are your heroes?

Jim: Alex Bolar (wink wink)

Alex: My parents who are both self-employed, I am witness to them creating a life and lifestyle. 

Q. What phrase or word to you use too often?

Jim: F*ck

Alex: ā€œMy Manā€ā€¦ an ode to Denzel Washington! 

Q. As we are now navigating new seas, do you have any thoughts on the future of dining?

Jim: Man, thatā€™s a tough one. I think the way restaurants are going to run for the foreseeable future has changed. Considering the rising costs of ingredients and the pandemic restaurants are dying off or barely hanging on. I see restaurants pivoting to more of a fast casual model, or dining halls. No longer are you going to fine dining or upper echelon restaurants unless you’re willing to cough up $300 or more per seat.

Alex: Restaurant owners will adapt to meet the needs of their employees. The gap is closing between fine dining and comfort food. Fine dining chefs are creating burgers and comfort food has become more acceptable. 

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Modern. Organic. Inspirational. Come on a lark with us!

3/26/22 at our favorite designer playground known as Urban Americana in Long Beach.

Menu + More TBA!

Guerrilla Lark | The Jetty Corona del Mar, CA

💛Because we like to think outsideā€¦(the box).

Looking at the horizon on a super fun guerrilla lark with Lisa Martinez + Christina Peterson at The Jetty CdM.
Lisa Martinez, Christina Peterson, Jim Sullian & Alex Bolar on a super fun guerrilla lark at CdM. Winter 2022.

Thrilled to connect with Chef Jim Sullivan (who is also a culinary photographer), fellow creative-meets-practical Christina Peterson, and (new to the L.A. scene) Chef Alex Bolar.

Chef Jim Sullivan on a super fun guerrilla lark in Corona del Mar. Winter 2022.


This super fun guerrilla lark (creative sesh) on The Jetty at Corona Del Mar finds us having fun, enjoying food & conversation while creating the good vibes for an upcoming lark communal dinner party!

Many thanks to Chef Huskey at The Jetty restaurant for serving up these delicious classic burgers + perfectly spicy cauliflower “wings”… a reminder that, in Chef Alex Bolar’s words, the pandemic has closed the gap between fine dining and comfort food.

Thoroughly enjoyed on a super fun guerrilla lark, thanks to @thejettycdm
Good and good for you. Splurging on some spicy caulflower wings thanks to @thejettycdm

📸 by the talented @jameshudddy who we met way back when on a lark at Maiaā€™s cottage in Laguna Beach-so fun! We were thrilled to hear the occasion inspired him to create backyard dinner parties of his own, the best!

Create. Collaborate. Elevate.

The date for our lark to be announced soon!

#create #collaborate #elevate #dreamersanddoers #creativesession #makingplans #letslark #lark #popup #communal #dinnerparties #californiastyle #food #wine #fashion #design #inspiration #conversation #chefsmenu #goodtimes #goodvibes #socialdining #socal #coastaloc #winter2022

Meet Chef & Food Photographer Jim Sullivan of San Diego, California

Chef Jim Sullivan on a lark at The Hood Kitchen Space
Chef Jim Sullivan on a lark at The Hood Kitchen Space

We are thrilled to introduce Chef Jim Sullivan of Medium Raw Arts who we met on a lark at The Hood Kitchen Space last summer. Chef Jim is also a talented culinary photographer who captures food and pretty much anything associated with food. The best thing about Jim is his boundless enthusiasm for his craft. He will be cooking up the good vibes at our 1/30/16Ā DTLA lark at the Lawrence Fodor Loft.

What is your idea of the perfect meal?

I always think about this and ask my friends. What would my last meal be if I could pick anything? For me thatā€™s easy, a hot spicy bowl of ramen w pork belly, poached egg and fresh herbs.

What living chef do you most admire?

I wouldnā€™t necessarily say a chef, more like person, my grandmother! This is a woman who was in WWII as a prisoner in a camp, left everything with just the clothes on her back and came to the US. Worked her ass off to raise 5 childrenĀ (all are veryĀ successful) and hasĀ 16 grandchildren. Thatā€™s what inspires me!

What is you best, most simple, culinary advice?

Have FUN!

What is your motto?

Work hard, be humbleā€¦repeat!

What came first, food or photography?

Food/chef. I was doing pop up events after culinary school and people were taking images of my food with their iPhones, which were terrible. So I finally decided to get a DLSR and delve into food photography. This was about 3 years ago and since then my focus has been food/cocktail photography but still cook as much as I can.

How does your food and food photography influence each other?

For me they go hand in hand. My love for food drives my photography.

What foods/ingredients do you consider over or under rated?

I think a lot of ā€œfoodiesā€ get caught up with the fancy ingredients i.e., foie gras or truffles. I like to keep it simple and just focus on fresh ingredients. Iā€™m more of the adage less is more, which I feel you can see in my food and photography.

What was your most favorite dining experience?

Well Per Se in NYC definitely was the best restaurant dining experience. The way the FOH/BOH work in symmetry was amazing. BUT I will have to say the absolute best ā€œfoodā€ experience was when I spent time in Paris. I stayed in a flat just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower and was able to walk across street to all the available purveyors on a daily basis. I would walk to the fishmonger, pick out some fresh seafood and then walk over to vegetable stand and then go back and cook! The ability to have such amazing fresh and various purveyors right there was awesome! I wish I could have that every day! Being able talk to the purveyors and get what was fresh was so inspiring. Definitely want to have that experience again, soon! (on a side note: I do have this secret love for street food. The best thing Iā€™ve eaten in awhile has to be in Tijuana. The food at Carwash del Torta is badass!)

Who is your favorite person to cook for?

My wife! Hands down. She is a foodie at heart, a great baker and my toughest critic.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being able to provide for my family. My family is everything to me.

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We love how this Chef/Photographer captures the heart of the culinary community. See Chef Jim’s delicious Baja inspiredĀ menuĀ and come on a lark with us!