Kitchen Mouse
An Interview with Los Angeles Vegan Chef, Erica Daking
One of my most favorite things about having this site, is discovering incredible vanguards who are creating food revolutions in our fair city of Angels. A few years ago I posted about Jessica Koslow at Sqirl, when her restaurant was just a couple of wooden crates in front of a store front cafe on Virgil. She recently was named Best Chef of LA for 21014.
Fore more local and healthful restaurants see The Local Rose.
Kitchen Mouse started by the talented, vegan friendly Erica Daking, is one of the most delicious and healthy places around. Erica a former punk rock musician and new mama, opened up her mouse nook in the heart of the Highland Park on Figuera Street. For those of you not familiar with LA, Highland Park has had lot or press lately for becoming one of the coolest neighborhoods. HP is sort of what Echo Park was ten years ago, and represents the boom in LA real estate. I live way west and yet I love to jump in the car (when traffic is light) and go explore different areas in my city. HP is filled with gorgeous historic Victorians, and still retains a neighborhood feeling. Erica took over a former cash checking storefront when her catering business and private chef jobs were growing. Her vegan fare is so creative and delicious with favorites like dill-pesto quinoa, gluten free pancakes, and avocado toast with maple tempeh. I first met Erica a few years ago when she was catering a dinner at my friend Kimberly Muller’s house. I instantly fell in love with the heart and soul she put into all the savory details. The new restaurant is a cheerful, charming eatery with pastel colored details, and woven textiles on the walls. My most favorite dish (besides the gluten free cookies) is the Moro Cakes made with black beans and rice served with cilantro serrano slaw and ginger chutney! Interview with Erica Below!
1) What inspires you?
I would cook and eat almost all day long even if it wasn’t what I did for a living- I know that for a fact. Food satisfies my love for color, color combinations, design, patterns, flavor, and taking care of people. I’m easily excited by the little things. I do what I love to do naturally and I feel very fortunate for that. I could do without all the administrative stuff that comes along with being a business owner but such is life.
2) There has been lots of talk about Highland Park being a ‘hot spot’. What brought you to the neighborhood
before it became what it is.
I lived here for a few years before it became the talking point that it is now. I really needed a kitchen to work in and couldn’t find any existing ones that I could take over or easily build. This space that is now kitchen mouse reminded me of an NYC storefront in a comforting way and I never doubted my choice. I was always confident it was a good decision, even when I shouldn’t have been, but there was definitely an element of coincidence and good luck that this became the “hot spot”.
3) How vital is it for you that the ingredients you cook with to be organic?
If they are coming from small farms with good practices it’s not vital, but when in doubt I always go organic. I feel like even with the organic label these days I feel a tinge of skepticism. My goal this year is to spend more time forming relationships with and understanding the source of all the ingredients that come into this kitchen. There are just so many of them.
4) What was the last thing that made your heart sing?
My son. It doesn’t take much, so pretty much anything he does.
5) Are you a forest fairy or a mermaid?
Forest fairy. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been in the ocean in the past twenty years. For real. I love trees.
6) Do you have a beauty secret or favorite product?
I wish I could say I was that nice to myself. I rarely even wash my face at night before I pass out on the couch. I do love make up forever’s kohl eyeliner in black, I’ve been wearing it since I was a teenager. If I leave the house with any makeup on at all these days it’s a miracle.
7) Book by your nightstand?
Normally a stack of Cookbooks but these days it’s Pocket Piggies and before that it was what to expect.
8) Where or what is your favorite meal?
Coming from a chef this is going to sound bad, but a piping hot bowl of spaghetti (normally brown rice spaghetti) with Rao’s sauce and lots of black pepper. My husband and I eat that a couple nights a week and I’ve been know to eat it for breakfast on occasion.
