Open Face Food Shop

06/21/2026

Today is a special day for Lene and I.

We were married January 1st, 1996, so as of this morning we have been married … 11,111 days.
Food and the pursuit of great dining has been central to our lives (as you can imagine), and of course french fries. :)

It’s been a tremendous journey so far; we have achieved some amazing things and have overcome obstacles together that we would never have been able to alone. We are friends, business partners, lovers, and have walked together through both time and space- from our first meeting in a NY Restaurant to our own restaurant here on the opposite coast more than 30 years later.

For my part, I have not regretted a MINUTE of it and would do it all over again.
I hope Lene feels the same, but you’ll have to ask her yourself :)

The last nearly 8 years at Open Face Food Shop, the thing you know best about us, has been the most… interesting by far. It’s tested not only our resolve (remember the pandemic?) but our vision for ourselves and our life together as well. Even today, the staffing and affordability crisis effecting the entire hospitality industry colors our days with challenges we rarely see coming.

Lene and I are durable people though, and our commitment to each other has been unshakeable. Whatever has come our way no matter how unpredictable, we have shouldered it together.
There is famous Scandinavian proverb you may have heard that says, “Shared joy is double joy. Shared sorrow is half sorrow”.

So has it been for 11,111 days and if the “Granter of Wishes” can hear me, there are just as many more to come.

I am one lucky man.

“Delt glæde er dobbelt glæde. Delt sorg er halv sorg.”

04/22/2026

Anyone who knows us understands our connection to the Earth, and to the bounty it provides. We are truly fortunate.
Lene grew up on a farm in Jutland, Denmark, spending many years in her dad’s garden. In fact, her very first summer job was picking strawberries!
They grew much of what they ate, so “Farm to Table” was really just “what’s for dinner.”

I grew up in the green havens of upstate New York, lost in my mom’s tomato garden for much of the summer. The smell of fresh-turned earth — and the joy of knowing that if I took care of it, it would take care of me — became foundational to how I see the world and my community.

How could I have dreamed that nearly 4,000 miles away, a beautiful young Danish girl was learning to see the world the same way… she at her father’s elbow, me at my mother’s… and that decades later we would be so far from home, growing something of our own. In our own little corner of the world.
Here in Los Angeles.

Take a minute to appreciate and support the people who spend their lives close to the soil — growing the incredible food we eat and preserving the land as their parents and grandparents did before them. Take an hour to walk through a forest or visit a park. Then go plant something yourself and start your own growth journey. 🌱

We look forward to seeing you all soon, watch this space for updates.

Lene and Mark
…and our amazing growers:

.la_ .g.berries

03/29/2026

Hi, everyone. We will be closed this week for multiple off site events and for the Easter Holiday.
The following week is still TBD with a host of other issues that have popped up unexpectedly; filing deadlines, personal matters, maintenance and upgrades, etc.
Lots to do and not a lot hands to do it all :)

We’ll keep everyone posted and don’t forget, Wild Oregon Bay Shrimp season is right around the corner!

Stay tuned to the website, Instagram, Google, Yelp and Apple Maps for updates and we’ll be back the instant we get every box on our list checked.

Thanks as always for being awesome and we’ll see you soon!

Best,

Mark, Lene and the Open Face Team

PS- We’re hiring for both the the kitchen and the waitstaff; you know what we do and how we do it, so keep your eyes peeled. Thanks!

M&L

03/19/2026

Hi, everyone.

We will be closed Thursday due to the heat. It was pretty warm on the patio yesterday and we will be focusing on our event this evening.

We are hoping to be open tomorrow and Saturday, but watch the space and we will keep you posted.

Thanks for your support!

Lene, Mark, and the Open face team

03/14/2026

Event closure dates:

Hi, everybody! We have a couple catering closures coming up and I wanted to give you a head’s up with our continuing gratitude for our crazy schedule.

Sunday March 15th
Sunday March 22nd

There is a possibility of a closure on Thursday March 19th, but hopefully we will be able to stay open for lunch. We’ll keep you posted.

We are entering into a busy catering cycle (election years are always a little unpredictable) but we’ll do our best to keep everyone in the loop.

Spring is shaping up beautifully and the extra blast of warm weather is pushing crops to ripen a bit faster. Strawberries are staring well and stone fruit should begin in another 6 weeks or so. Peaches and pluots and plums, oh my! :)

Thanks as always for your support and we hope to see everyone at the restaurant soon!

-Mark, Lene and the Open Face Team

03/11/2026

Hi, everyone.

Sorry for the late notice, but we will not be able to open today, Wednesday, March 11 due to a staff personal emergency.

We expect to be open again tomorrow through Saturday, but will be closed for brunch on Sunday for a private event.

We will keep you posted, and thank you as always for your incredible support.

Mark and Lene

02/26/2026

02/20/2026

Weekend Updates:

It looks like we will need to continue our closure due to staff shortages. Lene is amazing, but she can’t run the kitchen by herself and we’re not sure when our cooks will be healthy enough to return to work. So sorry to disappoint you all, we were looking forward to seeing you. In the meantime we’ll make more rugbrod :)

Thanks for your understanding and we’ll keep you all posted with upcoming hours as we know therm.
As one of our beloved regulars told me this morning “This is just a moment in time. This too shall pass”.
I know he’s right ( but it still stinks) and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you all. You’re the best!

Stay healthy!

Mark and Lene

02/18/2026

Hi, everyone.

We will be closed today and likely tomorrow due to short staffing (and expected rain tomorrow). It seems everyone in the kitchen caught “the thing” that’s going around and need a little more time to heal. Sorry for the late notice.

We’ll take this time to clean up from the rain and wind, figure out what’s going on with the beverage refrigerator, repair the shade sails, catch up on meetings and… oh my, start our taxes!

Hey, at least the coffee maker is in fighting shape! Go !!

Thanks for your understanding and we’ll keep you all posted with upcoming hours as we know therm.

Stay healthy!

Mark and Lene

02/12/2026

Hi everyone! Just a reminder that we will be closed today, Thursday for offsite events. We will reopen tomorrow through the weekend.

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of these. AMAZING golden oyster mushrooms from.. Looking forward to serving them this weekend :-)

Thanks as always for your support!

Mark and Lene