Show 34, July 6, 2013: Chef Evan Funke, executive chef & proprietor, Bucato Restaurant

Evan Funke of Bucato RestaurantChef Evan Funke generated a lot of interest at Rustic Canyon as the opening chef when it opened a few years back in Santa Monica. Now Evan is about to debut the 3,400 square foot Bucato Restaurant on Washington Blvd. in Culver City in the former iconic Beacon Laundry Building which is part of the larger Helms Bakery complex. It will have two dining patios. With Bucato he is Executive Chef and Proprietor.

During construction Chef Evan has been operating a food truck. The rave item is his porchetta sandwich. Bucato (“laundry” in Italian) will be modern Italian.

Having spent a lot of time in Italy Evan is a proud traditionalist. He will be making highly labor-intensive fresh pasta from scratch using a wood table. The Old World process will be visible (behind a glass wall) to guests.

He’s also excited about his wood-fired grill.

On Facebook he’s “Bucato.”