PEACE, LOVE + BAKLAVA
OUR STORY
Larry Nicola has been feeding people his whole life. It started with his Sitto — his grandmother Nabeha — a renaissance woman who was a beloved chef and baker in the Los Angeles Lebanese community. Young Larry’s favorite spot was the stairs leading down to her basement kitchen, where he and his cousins would sit and eat warm Arabic bread straight from the oven while she worked. She instilled in him a love of food and the joy of feeding others, passing on her legacy through recipes and the simple act of gathering people around a table.
His mother, Leerese, followed in Nabeha’s footsteps — cooking, charming guests, and feeding with love. His father, Les, and uncle Mike, known around Silver Lake as the Nicola Twins, owned and operated a legendary grocery store specializing in meats, where Larry honed his skills as a butcher and learned the art of sourcing the best ingredients. The passion for food runs deep in this family.
A Life in Restaurants
For more than 35 years, Larry cooked and created across Los Angeles. L.A. Nicola in Silver Lake — opened in 1980, directly across from the family market — became the neighborhood’s first serious dining destination. Nicola Downtown occupied the dramatic atrium of a 52-story skyscraper designed by acclaimed architect Michael Rotondi. Mexico Restaurante y Barra operated out of a building on Santa Monica Boulevard that once housed The Doors’ recording studio. And Nic’s Beverly Hills on North Cañon Drive ran for nearly two decades, famous for its VODBOX — a walk-in freezer stocked with rare vodkas where guests donned faux fur coats and sipped the most expensive martini in Los Angeles.
All the while, he was plotting something entirely different. Something simpler. Something that went back to the beginning.
The Lebanese-French Picnic
Ojai Rôtie is a family biography that spans generations. The vision Larry carried for years was specific and personal: a Lebanese guy in Paris with a small shop, rotisserie chicken, and fresh sourdough and lemony things you could pick up on your Vespa and take to the countryside for a picnic. Casual yet elegant. Earthy and vibrant. Food that dances the way his grandmother cooked — with intention, with memory, with love. Food as if the ingredients fell from a tree and landed on your plate.
He brought that vision to Ojai in 2018, opening under a landmark tipuana tree in historic downtown, with picnic tables, string lights, and a small wine bar fashioned from the old cashier’s booth — the Winebox. The name nods to Côte-Rôtie, the celebrated wine appellation in France’s Rhône Valley, and that love of Rhône varietals runs through everything we pour.
Everything at Ojai Rôtie is made by hand. The chicken is pasture-raised and seasoned with our own spice blend. The sourdough is made from a mother culture that has been fed every day for over 20 years. The baklava, the toum, the za’atar, the pickled turnips — all made in-house, all made with care.
Our Locations
Ojai 469 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023 Our flagship, where it all began. A sun-dappled patio, a landmark tipuana tree, picnic tables, and the Winebox. This is the original Lebanese-French picnic.
Carpinteria 5003 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, CA Steps from the beach and the train, in a classic Spanish brick hacienda at the gateway to downtown Carpinteria. Opening Spring 2026. Same soul, new neighborhood.
Our People
Ojai Rôtie is made possible by an extraordinary group of people — in the kitchen, on the floor, behind the Winebox, and out in the field. Our catering team brings the Lebanese-French picnic experience to events across the region. Our farmers, producers, and winemakers of the Ojai Valley and the California coast are partners in everything we make. And our guests, the regulars and the first-timers alike, are the reason we keep getting better.
