Meet Our Chef
EXECUTIVE CHEF,
MICHAEL LETSINGER
A story of a soul seeker chef returning to his rock and roll roots.
Chef Michael Letsinger started his kitchen career at the age of 15, hustling in food courts and mom-and-pop bar & grills in Madison, Wisconsin. When not on the kitchen lines, he was singing in many rock n roll bands.
He landed a lead cook role at AAA 5-Diamond Resort Minneapolis. He spent 7 years in the city entertaining celebrities from Lindsay Lohan to Barack Obama and won the prestigious Iron Fork competition.
Michael moved to L.A in 2009 and found his ‘home’ at Hotel Erwin. He held various positions in the food and beverage department over the course of six years. His culinary path took him up and down the coast to San Francisco, and eventually back to Santa Monica working at various corporate kitchens.
In 2022, Michael returned to Hotel Erwin as the Executive Chef. Accountable for re-concepting the three hotel outlets, launching ‘LoBar” and executing events for up to 250 on the rooftop. Along with his culinary team, they will bring a global-beach flare to the hotel that is undefinably Venice Beach.
Michael is a guitarist, vocalist, Yogi – a true renaissance man – and resides with his now wife (whom he met at Hotel Erwin) in Santa Monica. Letsinger will draw from his 30 years of diverse, industry/life experience to rock the Venice community and Hotel guests with the food he loves to make.