Grub Street Grub Street Los Angeles

Exciting hiring news from First & Hope has hit our ears even before the restaurant's job fair kicks off tomorrow. The forthcoming restaurant lets us know that Aidan Demarest, the innovative former beverage director at The Edison who put that club's celebrated cocktail program and mixology team together (as well as the Radio Room event), will be the new beverage director at First & Hope. Demarest and Cooper are currently putting together menus based on cocktail and food pairing, similar to the collaboration between Mark Peel and Audrey Saunders at The Tar Pit.

Singapore-born chef Ismail Mohan has eaten his way through Southeast Asia extensively, tours that motivated the former Tabla, Blue Hill, and Spice Market chef to partner in opening Century City's RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen, which explores, melds, and highlights the region's different culinary themes, ingredients, and standout recipes. To spread his knowledge beyond the dining room, Mohan is starting regular classes to teach guests how to cook Southeast Asian eats, teaming the sessions with personal stories of his travels and encounters with each dish.

First & Hope, the forthcoming supper-club with comfort cuisine from chef Shelley Cooper, is almost ready to open Downtown next to the Disney Concert Hall. But first they need to get their staff straight. This Wednesday and Friday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the restaurant is holding a job fair at the L.A. Greater City Chamber of Commerce to find everything from "poissoniers to pastry cooks…bartenders to hosts." Leave the headshots at home, then just show up and sign up before the list closes at 4 p.m. each day. February 10th and 12th at 350 South Bixel Street.

Think you can design an eye-popping L.A. dining space? The 6th Annual AIA/L.A. Restaurant Design Awards are currently seeking entries from all interested individuals and companies across the world. Those with an eye for interiors and architecture have three categories to riff on: cafes and bars, restaurants, and lounges and nightclubs, with all proposed projects needing some sort of tie-in to Los Angeles. A ceremony in June will reveal whether you've got the Starck stuff or have to go back to the proverbial and literal drawing boards. Registrations ($75 for AIA members, $125 for non-members) must be made to AIA|LA via fax at 213-639-0767 or email no later than 4:00 PM, Friday, April 2, 2010.