When people tell her they dislike Los Angeles — too much traffic; everybody drives and nobody walks — Nancy Silverton doesn’t try to defend her hometown. “I understand all of those things,” says the James Beard Award-winning chef, whose Pizzeria Mozza is considered one of the best pizzerias in America. “On the other hand, I don’t know of anywhere else with the variety and diversity we have in Los Angeles.”
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
When she’s not feeding people, Silverton has a busy schedule maintaining Pizzeria Mozza, the Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca in Los Angeles, writing cookbooks, including the recently published “The Cookie That Changed My Life: And More Than 100 Other Classic Cakes, Cookies, Muffins, and Pies That Will Change Yours,” hosting European food tours, podcasting and serving as an ambassador for HexClad cookware.
Born and raised in Sherman Oaks and Encino, Silverton splits her time between Italy and Hancock Park. When she is in L.A., her ideal Sunday consists of spending time with friends and family, shopping and exploring the broad-ranging neighborhoods of Los Angeles. “L.A. is vast and different,” she says. “And we get to see it all.” Here’s a rundown.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6:30 a.m. Enjoy a cappuccino while reading the Sunday newspapers
The first thing I do when I pop out of bed is go downstairs and make myself a cappuccino. I recently purchased a restaurant-quality espresso machine — finally, after all these years — from Coffee Machine Depot on Washington Boulevard. It really upped my game and it means I don’t have to run to Go Get Em Tiger on Larchmont Boulevard. I enjoy my ritual of reading the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, which I get from my parents, who were both avid newspaper readers. So I will go out, pick up both papers and, as we say in this family, filet them, meaning I pick the sections I like first. I am obsessed with the obituaries. So I first read the obituaries in the Los Angeles Times and then switch over to “Modern Love” in the New York Times and then I go back to the Los Angeles Times and read all of the sections.
9 a.m. Catch up with friends while walking through Hancock Park-adjacent
I often walk in my neighborhood. I have a three-mile trek that lasts one hour and I never change the route. Somehow, I’ve gotten my friends to meet me on my turf, and because this is my ideal Sunday, Ruth Reichl and Joan Nathan are in town. We are great walking buddies. We walk at the same pace, try not to trip and never lack for things to talk about. After our three-mile walk, which takes us up Van Ness over to Lillian Way, back around Rosewood and back to my house, Ruth always insists we go to the Hollywood Farmers Market.
10 a.m. Celebrity and puntarelle sightings at the Hollywood Farmers Market
The Hollywood Farmers Market is the only market I can visit during the week. While there, Ruth and I play this game: Keep track of who gets noticed the most. Ruth and I are very competitive. People often recognize us and ask us for shopping tips, but we only care about how many shoutouts we get. I always say I win, and she always says she wins. I love the white escarole and puntarelle in season at Garden of… . In season, I might grab 12 heads of puntarelle and drop them off later at the restaurant. Or if I taste a fantastic beet from Weiser Family Farms, I’ll buy it.
11:30 a.m. Catch a youth soccer game in the Valley
I’ll then rush to the Valley to watch my grandson Ike’s soccer game. Obviously, I’m not a soccer mom, but I try to support him as a soccer grandma. It’s really important for him to get our support and I’m really proud of him for being involved in the sports he loves. It’s only an hour long, and that’s perfect.
1 p.m. Retail therapy
Sunday is a good day to visit my friend Caryl Lee, whose store Noodle Stories on Third Street has the most beautifully curated clothing in Los Angeles or probably the world. I say I’m going to visit Caryl but what it really means is that I need some retail therapy. I might come home with a few things that make my life better. Shopping at Noodle Stories brightens my day, and being around such beautifully curated clothes makes me feel good.
2:30 p.m. Master an elusive recipe at home
Sunday is the one day that if I need to master something for the restaurant, I’ll do it in the privacy of my own home. I’m obsessed with so many food-related things. My most recent one is a tortino di carciofi — a spiral omelet with an artichoke in the middle that I eat at Trattoria Sostanza in Florence. Making this has mystified me for so long, but I recently perfected it. What you need for this open-faced spiral omelet is the perfect nonstick, stainless steel pan, which I just received from HexClad. It takes some practice, but don’t be intimidated.
4 p.m. Go for a Sunday drive
I have a small car, a convertible. On a nice day, I love driving around with the top down in the Hollywood Hills — that is so L.A. I love driving on Sundays because it’s not crowded, allowing me to explore different neighborhoods and L.A.’s eclectic architecture and food.
7 p.m. Try a new restaurant and swing by Mozza
I’ve traveled so much in the last few years that I’m rarely home. So, I’m out of touch with the restaurant world and community. But if I were to try a new restaurant, I’d try Etra. It’s behind Cafe Telegrama on Western and Melrose — a great new development with a Filipino restaurant, a chicken restaurant and the beautiful Cafe Telegrama. I poked my head in Etra the other day, and it looked like such a perfect neighborhood Italian restaurant. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure it will be good because their morning cafe is perfectly executed. After dinner, I will swing by my restaurants. I spend a good hour there, no matter what, every single day.
9 p.m. Catch up on TV shows that are trending
I don’t stay up late, but I like catching up on some shows people are discussing. One that I recently enjoyed, given the cooking parts, is “Nada,” a short series with only five episodes. It is about a cranky food critic in Buenos Aires who lost the housekeeper who did everything for him. He relearns how to shop and cook, including falling back in love with the simple flavors of food. I thought it was lovely. I used to go to sleep at midnight, but now, at 10:30 p.m., it’s lights out.