December 9th 2009
“The whole restaurant started with a passion of knowing where our food comes from and supporting our local economy and neighborhood,” says Natalie Gutenkauf, owner of recently-opened restaurant the Factory. For Gutenkauf, this endeavor is a dream come true: “I can remember telling my husband [I wanted to open] a restaurant. He thought that it was a great idea, but also crazy.”
Gutenkauf caught the cooking bug when she married her husband, Eric. “I think my husband inspired me greatly. He is in the food industry and brought a different level of foodiness into my life,” she says. Previously a stay-at-home mom, Gutenkauf became a traveling chef, teaching cooking classes around Long Beach. But she grew tired of loading all her cooking equipment in the truck every day.
Inspired by Andy Warhol’s own New York City studio the Factory, Gutenkauf launched her Factory with the intent of “creating a food scene” in our city. “We have wine tastings, food pairings, beer-making classes and our own market. And our chef is a rock star who trained under Wolfgang Puck,” she says. And someday, Gutenkauf hopes, the Factory will be the go-to destination of Long Beach’s foodies. Written by, SCOTT JONES
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