Celebrity Chef Makes Downtown Hollywood Home

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Celebrity Chef Ivan Dorvil Makes Downtown Hollywood Home with Opening of RedWood Bar and Kitchen

Chef Ivan Dorvil, proprietor of the new RedWood Bar and Kitchen at 2009 Harrison Street, says that his first love is cooking, and he’s really just a cook that happened to become a chef.  But the Food Network changed all that when he won a season of the reality-based, cooking competition Chopped, turning the Haitian-born Hollywood resident into a star.  Now, he’s brought his culinary talents to Downtown Hollywood, where redevelopment, new investment, streetscape improvements and especially increased foot-traffic continue to attract new businesses.

“I have been watching Hollywood for quite some time,” he explained.  “There have been some very fine restaurants here, and I knew that someday I would come here.  When I saw that this space was becoming available, I said ‘Hey, I’m in’.  Now, living and working here, I can see the whole different energy level; Downtown Hollywood has become my home.”

Dorvil has lived all over the world to learn and perfect his craft.  The Cordon Bleu graduate has been in the restaurant business for a long time, the past 30 years in South Florida.  He worked at several spots in South Beach “before it was South Beach” he joked, until the Food Network made him famous.

With RedWood Bar and Kitchen, Dorvil’s goal was to create something different for Hollywood.  The result is a unique Mediterranean-Caribbean fusion menu that offers something for everyone.

“I have a library of recipes in my mind, it’s jammed,” he laughed.  “I speak no other language but food!”

On the menu at RedWood Bar and Kitchen has a wide variety of seafood ($24 and up) – Chef Ivan singled out the branzino, snapper, and ginger-glazed salmon as favorites;  meats ($18 – $38) — he highlighted spare ribs with guava barbecue sauce ($13); “Perfect for sitting at the bar and enjoying with a glass of wine,” he added;  pastas ($19 – $23); flatbread pizzas ($12); and salads ($12 – $15).  The lunch menu also features sandwiches ($12 – $13) and burgers ($10-$12).

For dessert, he recommends the crème brûlée ($10), tiramisu ($10), or bread pudding with chocolate caramel sauce ($10).  Ingredients are sourced fresh daily.  “I treat the food as it needs to be treated,” he asserted. “I want this to be different.  This is what I want people to know.”

Most of all, Chef Ivan wants the people of Hollywood to know that he is here to serve them.

“At this point in my career,” he explained, “I am here to provide a place for the community to enjoy good ambience, good food, and good cocktails.  This is what I am about.”

RedWood Bar and Kitchen is open Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday from 11 am to 11 pm; and Friday and Saturday until midnight.  It is closed on Mondays.   For more information or to make a reservation, please contact 954-362-7152, rsvp@redwoodbarkitchen.com, or visit www.redwoodbarkitchen.com.