Meet Ravin Buzzell of Under CdM in Corona del Mar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ravin Buzzell.

Ravin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Singapore, where my parents met during my father’s time in the Navy. When I was about three we moved to the States and I was raised in Orlando, FL. My parents did not come from money by any means, but they did come from strong supportive families and they worked very hard to provide for us. That’s how I was raised. Following their lead, I couldn’t wait to start working so I got my first job at 16, in retail, working at Marshall’s, then through completion of high school, worked at the Gap and Victoria’s Secret.

Having never worked in Hospitality, I decided that I wanted to bartend my way through college. I figured it would be a great way to pay for school, meet people, have a lot of fun and of course network so I’d have an interior design job once I finished my degree. While attending community college at 19, I got my first bar job working the door at a Howl at the Moon, dueling piano bar in downtown Orlando. I quickly moved to barback, then just after I turned 21, my GM Jimmy Johnson asked me if I still wanted to bartend. I said “yes,” he threw me a shirt, and said “GO!” Altogether, between that location closing down, new one opening a few years later and me leaving a couple of times to pursue other opportunities, I worked for Howl at the Moon for over 14 years.

About five years into bartending, after getting in a few years of TGI Fridays bar experience and great fundamental training (at the time), I fell into the consulting side of the beverage industry. A partner in a bar I acquired a bartending position at, was a Beverage Consultant. Not even knowing that existed till then, I was intrigued to say the least. Eventually, I was brought on board with his company as a private contractor assisting BarStarz with bar trainings/openings/remodels all over the country, getting to travel part-time while still holding full time bartending positions at home in Orlando. During this time, I had started school with Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s Online Division to try and finish my degree in Interior Design. With my newly acquired skill set and knowledge, my goal was to design bars, clubs, hospitality venues, that were aesthetically pleasing while actually being conducive of the operations. While I unfortunately still have yet to finish my degree, I continued teaching myself some of the 3D design programs I was introduced to.

One of the coolest experiences I ever had with consulting, was being about 27 years old and being a part of the small training team that retrained every bartender at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas…IN the MGM Grand Arena! It was terrifying to think that I was going from Orlando, to train Vegas bartenders who (half of which) have been bartending longer than I was alive. It was such an eye-opening experience to actually assist them with mechanical and efficiency training they had never received or really thought to execute to make their lives easier. Not to mention it’s pretty cool seeing Wet Republic on tv all of the time, knowing that our team actually opened that and myself and one of my colleagues/best friends were the ones that trained their opening staff and physically set up that bar. It was definitely one of those experiences that made me love this industry.

Fast forward to about three and a half years ago, while still living in Orlando and working as Assistant General Manager of Howl at the Moon Orlando and running a food truck with my close friend and business partner (who I met when we bartended at TGI Friday’s in my early 20’s). I’ve still been part-time consulting, but for the past few years it was with EllisAdams Group. The owner Chris Adams who’s been a longtime colleague and friend called me up and discussed a concept idea with me for a hotel property in Southern California. I loved the idea and he commissioned me to create a 3D rendering of the idea to present the hotel. Upon getting the necessary measurements and pictures of the space, I drew the space and created it in the image we discussed. About a month later in November of 2015, Chris calls me up saying “the hotel greenlit the concept, so how would you feel about moving out to SoCal to run it?”

In February of 2016 I moved to out to L.A. and with the EllisAdams Group, we began work on YNK (You Never Know), in the Irvine Marriott. Not being quite sure how it was all going to work out, made it difficult to find and hire the right person/people to work in the new concept, so once we opened, I ended up taking a position as a Marriott Lounge Server. With recipes created by EllisAdams Group, I hand-drew the menus into leatherbound journals and we added cocktails to the menu every 4-6 months and changed the theme of the space, based on different places in the world.

Having taught the techniques, but not actually practicing on a daily basis, in Florida, craft came pretty easily. Since I came from a more efficiency background, I was able to adapt that knowledge to the craft style and it helped as YNK got busier and I was working alone. YNK got a lot of attention and that’s what’s helped me to create a bit of a name for myself in the F&B world out here in the OC. After building YNK for two years, I took a brief bar manager position at Hotel Fullerton with Chef Zachary Geerson of Journeyman’s Food & Drink. I became obsessed with learning different methods to incorporate flavors and textures to ingredients for cocktails. Just before the opening of Journeyman’s, Marriott came knocking and I decided to take a position as F&B Operations Manager overseeing Hive & Honey Rooftop Bar at their new Irvine Spectrum property.

While the experience was amazing, being a manager for such a large company pulled me in directions that weren’t as close and hands-on with the bar as I wanted. So now here I am working with some guys I met one night while working in YNK a couple of years ago. Jon Blackford and Jordan Otterbein, as the Bar Director of CdM Restaurant in Corona del Mar, CA, working with another great chef. Chef Jon Blackford has so much knowledge to share so it only assists with my creativity and ability to create with my amazing bar team who all play such integral roles in our operation. The whole RiverJetty Restaurant Group(owned of course by Jordan Otterbein and McG of A Restaurant), team is remarkable and we really enjoy coming into work each day spending time with eachother and doing what we love by sharing it new people everyday! Plus, we eat REALLY WELL.

Has it been a smooth road?
I remember being very young, living in a tiny apartment, while my parents worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet and provide for us. My mom worked at Wendy’s and some pillow crochet place, while my dad worked at Arby’s, managed at K-Mart and took computer night courses. They scraped change together to be able to take me to the movies, once in a while. Somehow my brother and I were never “in need.” We were always taken care of no matter what and my parents came to make pretty great lives for us. To this day they are still together, still working hard. Learning from their shining example, I’ve always been a hard worker. I always want to progress and get better. I love this industry so much because it’s allowed me to grow creatively and see it from so many different angles.

I’ve worked for places that weren’t able to pay the staff and places that shut down with and without notice. I’ve worked at busy places and very slow places. Restaurants, hotels, casinos, nightclubs, cafes, pool bars, events, private parties are all on my resume and there’s ALWAYS something new to learn or a way to improve upon what we’re already doing. Now, with my team, I’m getting to create a little craft cocktail culture buzz in Corona del Mar, the land of the “vodka soda and tequila, no sugar” drinkers. So it has its challenges but the reward of having so many people embracing what we’re doing just keeps getting better.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m creating this bar program at CdM. I still do work with EllisAdams Group and I’m running my three IG accounts: @ravin1, @undercdm, and @beddiaries (because I figured out that I could draw on my fuzzy blanket). The obvious goal is have my own little bar someday, so who knows, maybe it’ll be sooner than later.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think L.A. and Orange County are great places to start. There’s some of everything! There are always new places opening and everyone’s always trying to elevate what they are doing. I’ve made so many connections and friends in the industry all over SoCal in the few years I’ve been here. So many talented people doing amazing things that always drive me to be better. It’s friendly competition and collaboration, and I love that!

Contact Info:

• Address: 2325 East Coast Highway
• Website: cdmrestaurant.com
• Phone: 949-287-6600
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @ravin1 / @undercdm / @beddiaries
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ravinbuzzell

Image Credit:
Wes Kriesel @weskrieselphoto / Alfred Martinez / Lily Fassnacht @Lovelily.photo / Ravin Buzzell

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.