Renowned French chef Ludo Lefebvre is becoming a regular at Crypto.com Arena. And it's not just because you can expect to see him sitting courtside watching the Lakers; instead, you're likely to find him wearing a chef coat at some of the venue's most popular concession stands. Because it's expensive.
“We want to feed more people and cook for the masses, so we decided to go to the arena,” Lefebvre said while standing on Crypto.com’s rooftop deck during a tasting event that included food from two new concession stands. I want to stand up,” he said.
The fine dining chef's new spots, Rudobabu and Trois Familia, are located adjacent to the arena's main concourse and opened in time for the arena's 25th anniversary. They join the chef's other kiosk at the venue, fried chicken spot LudoBird, which opened in 2013.
Mr. Lefebvre is known for his innovative dishes rooted in French cooking techniques, and is known as the chef of such popular restaurants as Hollywood's Petit Trois le Valley and Original Petit Trois, as well as the Iron Chef. He is also known for appearing on programs such as “America”. He said the goal of the stand is to provide people with food that is as good as the food served in fine dining restaurants.
“I want to have fresh food in the arena. That's important to me and I want people to have good food,” he said. “Everything we make is prepared fresh here. We don't freeze anything, so it's very fresh vegetables and fresh meat,” he added.
Ludobab focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, offering dishes like hearty pita sandwiches packed with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, herbs and hummus, along with a choice of chicken or beef. They also offer kebabs, falafel and lemon bowls.
“I grew up in Paris and always loved kebabs. Paris has a lot of kebab concepts and a lot of Mediterranean cuisine, but I think it's a perfect fit for Arena because it's very healthy,” he said.
Trois Familia is his homage to Mexican culture and cuisine, which he said has been a big influence since moving here.
The stand's menu includes hearty barbacoa nachos with homemade queso, corn and cheese quesadillas with a slightly spicy homemade sauce, and tres leches cake that's perfectly moist and melts in your mouth. Topped with frosting and rainbow sprinkles.
But the star of the menu is probably the Double Decker Potato Taco. A large taco made with two crispy tortillas, carrot slices, mashed potatoes, pico de gallo, lime juice, and cheese.
“These are really good tacos. You have to try them. Trust me,” Lefebvre said.
