Marketing Gimmicks

Rock N’ Roll Chef Bribes Diners With Free Tickets To See Train Play

Holy diver scallops anyone?
Holy diver scallops anyone? Photo: Kerry Simon

At 5:00 P.M. tomorrow evening, chef Kerry Simon will give away free concert tickets to see Train play that night at The Nokia to the first 50 diners eating at his Downtown restaurant, LA Market. Is he just bribing diners to remind them of his “rock n’ roll chef” pedigree? To be fair, that heavily marketed nickname followed an article in Rolling Stone that named him as a top personality of 1991, as his chef’s table at The Plaza in New York proved popular with real rockers like David Bowie and Debbie Harry and lesser-rockers of the time like INXS. What else ties Simon in with the topsy turvy world of rock n’ roll that you might not know?

Simply check out the chef’s bio on his website and it should make it all pretty clear that this chef has roots in rock. First of all, there’s his photo, which wouldn’t look out of place on the back of an Iron Maiden LP. His hands are in mock prayer, over plates of food, rather than bondaged groupies or the flames of Hell. In marked contrast to say, the hippie dippy ponytail of Batali, his long locks are also pretty Slayer-worthy. Meanwhile, his face wears one of those ultra-serious K.K. Downing expressions, somewhere between threatening the camera and demonstrating how intensely inspired his guitar solos/farmers market vegetable plating could be.

Kerry also lives primarily in Las Vegas, which is a pretty rock-star place to reside, despite the hordes of landlocked California lame-o’s that crowd the strip. According to his bio, Simon first started working in the restaurant business (at a Chicago Little Cesar’s) so he could buy himself a new electric guitar for his band. Okay already, he’s a confirmed member of the society of rock.

But while his friends were off snorting pot and shooting LSD, a teenage Simon was studying Julia Child recipes in his room, which probably should have concerned his parents more than if he was in there doing drugs or listening to G.G. Allin records backwards. But sure enough, Child’s good influence lead Simon away from the path of heroin-spiked Jack Daniel’s and Satan worship and onto the path that would blend his past-time of hard-rocking with his new-found love of cooking.

As for Train, we’re not really sure how hard they rock themselves, but if you’re a fan, come to L.A. Market at 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday to vie for your free ticket to the show that night.

At The JW Marriott, 900 W. Olympic Blvd. Downtown.

Rock N’ Roll Chef Bribes Diners With Free Tickets To See Train Play