Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamil Majer
Hi Kamil , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started back in the former czehosloavakia in my moms kitchen when I was about 10 years old.
I was impressed with my moms cooking and presentation of her dishes.
So that is where I got by “love for cooking bug”
At 15 years old I started a culinary school at the famious Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia. We were occupied by Soviet Union and we’re under Comunist regime so my father had decided to escape so we did! We escaped in 1980 so I never finished the school and escaped right before I was supposed to go to a mandatory army training for 2 years.
We ended up in a refuge camp in the former Yugoslavia where we waited for a year for USA to take us as political refuges.
I ended up in Boston and first job was washing dishes in the Famous Colonade Hotel for $2.60 per hour! I was so happy to have a job and was able to lead English!
I work led my way up to busboy, waiter and line cooks.
After 2 years in Boston, we saved for a car and took trip across USA to sunny California.
My first job I landed was in then the famous Century plaza hotel. That was around 1982-83. They called the Hotel, White House on the west coast. President Reagan would stay there at least 4 times a year before they went up to his Santa Barbara ranch.
During the 80s i worked in top notch hotels and restaurants in Los Angeles in all kinds of capacities, back of the house or front of the house.
I learned and watched and was fortunate enough to work with some top chefs and restaurateurs.
I worked in high ends restaurants and hotels like Fours seasons in Beverly Hills and the biltmore DTLA.
When fine dining restaurant Rustica closed in Beverly Hills I decided I have had enough of fine dining and the pressure so I started to work in lower “end” more casual cafes and restaurants!
Finally in 2006 me and my business partner David Fris opened our first Blu Jam Café and now we have 7 locations through our Los Angeles and planning to open more.
I brought my fine dining experience to casual concept and we have been partí of Los Ángeles restaurant scene for over 18 years now!
My food menu is not your regular diner / cafe food but elevated gourmet breakfast, brunch and lunch!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Struggles are part of any business and part of life! There had been many including during the COVID crisis.
Getting beer and wine licenses for my restaurants have been expensive and struggle! Everything takes for ever! Too much red tape.
Cost of goods, high minimum wage and sky high rents makes it difficult to stay in business, hence, so many restaurants are closing!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We serve gourmet breakfast / brunch and lunch 7 days a week!
Elevated day time food. Great, fresh and local ingredients.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
It took me a long time before I open my first restaurant so I would say, learn as much as posible, don’t be afraid and work hard. Don’t give up to early. 3 years is the magic number to survive. Also, you need little but if luck and be surrounded by good friends.
I had a lot of good ones who helped me a lot! I worked 16 hours a day for 3 years and worked on menus and concept.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.blujamcafe.com
- Instagram: Blujamcafe
