Wolfgang Puck opens Spago (1982)
After years as chef at Ma Maison in Los Angeles, Wolfgang Puck opened his own restaurant, Spago, on the Sunset Strip in 1982. He paired California ingredients with wood-fired cooking, helping define California cuisine.
Spago became one of America's most famous restaurants and made Puck a celebrity chef.
It expanded into an empire of restaurants, catering, and products, cementing the solo-chef-owner model.
Spago is the archetype of a chef turning acclaim at a shared kitchen into a personal brand — the move Galicia is making from Mixtli to Filleman House.
