S1:E20 Govind Armstrong & John Cleveland I A Culinary Brotherhood

In 2012, restaurateur Brad Johnson and Executive Chef Govind Armstrong opened a neighborhood restaurant, Post & Beam, in South LA. Formerly a Golden Bird Fried Chicken location, the building was taken down to the studs and rebuilt as a handsome free-standing building with mid-century modern inspired design, serving California soul food. It quickly gained notoriety locally and nationally for bringing quality food and ambiance, Chef Govind's sophisticated but approachable cuisine, and Brad's brand of hospitality to a neighborhood that, at the time, was often referred to as a food desert.

In 2020, Post & Beam was awarded the prestigious LA Times Gold Award, honoring
"culinary excellence and expanding the notion of what Southern California cooking might be. The award celebrates intelligence and innovation, brilliance and sensitivity to aesthetics, culture and the environment."

Chef Govind is a fixture in the LA dining scene. At 13 years-old, he began as an apprentice at the original Wolfgang Puck's Spago in West Hollywood. His training was furthered at the three-star Michelin restaurant, Arzak, in San Sebastian, Spain, before returning to Los Angeles to specialize in California cuisine at many notable restaurants including City Restaurant, Postrio, Campanille, and Pinot Hollywood, before starting his own chain, 8oz. Burger, and partnering with Brad on Post & Beam and Willie Jane restaurants. He is currently Executive Chef and Director of Operations at The Lobster, one of the highest-grossing restaurants in LA, located at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier.

Born in Oakland, raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Chef John Cleveland knew good food prepared with care and quality. In 2017, he joined the Post & Beam team to further his culinary career, after falling in love with the restaurant on date nights with his wife, Roni Cleveland, a native of South LA. As a math and actuarial sciences major in college, along with his previous entrepreneurial ventures, passion and talent as a chef, John was a quick student. In 2019, Chef John and Roni, ambitious and capable, took over the restaurant to carry on the legacy of Post & Beam, battling and thriving through the pandemic and all.

In this episode, this band of brothers discuss the meaning of their collaborative experience at Post & Beam, their motivations for wanting to work with each other, personal stories of taking risks to further careers, the experience of operating a restaurant through the pandemic, the challenges of re-opening, the energy and attitudes of the customers now dining out, and the LA food scene.
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