On September 30, 2021, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles will open a daytime café known as Fanny’s together with its grand opening. In the beginning, it will provide a small number of food items, including small plates. Raphael Francois will act as its executive chef, overseeing the menu. Francois and company will introduce Fanny’s lunch service in October 2021 followed by its dinner service the next month.
Everything in the museum has a cinematic connection, and the same goes for Fanny’s restaurant. The restaurant is named after actor Fanny Brice, whom actress Barbra Streisand portrayed in the 1960’s movie entitled ‘Funny Girl’. Streisand even got an Oscar award in the Best Actress category for her portrayal of Brice. Restaurateurs Carl Schuster and Bill Chait are bringing Fanny’s to life, with the support of the Fran and Ray Stark Foundation. The location with an open bar is the last project of Osvaldo Maiozzi, an architect from Italy.
You can order espresso brinks, salads, fresh pastry products, sandwiches, beer and natural wine at the museum space. As a museum guest, you can get into it through the museum lobby or the patio from Fairfax Avenue. There is a case with prepared products that you can order at the on-site counter and eat at a communal table in the area.
When it starts dinner service, Fanny’s will have a much more formal atmosphere as compared to what it now has as a daytime restaurant. The creation of Commune Design from Los Angeles, Fanny’s has a spacious dining room, a daytime café space as well as a lounge and bar with the art deco architectural style. The aesthetic combines contemporary style and old Hollywood architectural inspiration, as represented by iconic US restaurants such as Perino’s and Brown Derby, the Saban Building’s 1930’s architecture, and studio backlots.
The location also has the creations of local artists that include Atelier de Troupe’s light fixtures and Adam Pogue’s Pojagi-inspired curtain panels. For your information, Pogue is an Angelino textile artist who took inspiration from Pojagi-style curtains. There is also a mural by Los Angeles artist Konstantin Kakanias that represents classic and existing music and film legends in Hollywood.
The Fanny’s café space will open its door to the public from 09:00 to 04:00 pm. You may follow fannysammp on Instagram or go to its website for further information and updates about the hospitality business.
