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The Federal’s Returning Chef Stefhanie Meyers Brings Farm to Tables Both Inside and Out.

Knitting Factory Entertainment is excited to welcome on-premises dining back to beloved North Hollywood gastropub The Federal North Hollywood under returning Head Chef Stefhanie Meyers and General Manager Steve Simon. The Federal’s re-opening leads the resurgence of the NoHo Arts District, home to the Valley’s largest concentration of independent theatres, restaurants and bars.

“We’re so happy to be able to resume serving our community,” says Simon. “We appreciate the loyalty of our patrons during the pandemic hiatus who generously supported our staff with donations and the restaurant with robust takeout business. We’re looking forward to bringing our family back together with YOUR family.”

The Federal has ushered in a number of changes to make on-premises dining safe as well satisfying. Most significant among these has been the construction of an attractive, expansive, brick-walled outdoor patio, offering spacious, socially-distant seating for up to 80 guests under two large tents complete with “sanitation stations.” Simon has reconfigured inside seating and bar access to offer more room for guests as they follow sensible, sane guidelines for gathering. Rigorous sanitation procedures in food preparation and guest contact follow the cuisine from kitchen to table. Menus are disposable or scannable from guest tables with QR codes. All these measures and features bring back a sense of community without too close contact.

“In hindsight, we’d always wanted a patio and we’re grateful circumstances have allowed us to have it,” Simon says. “We’re offering somewhat limited menu for the next few weeks with a refresh and update due in July, and we’re adding promotions and new drinks as we go on. We’re starting with Happy Hour daily from 3:00pm-6:00pm and bottomless Mimosas for brunch at the weekends.”

The Federal reopening coincides with the return of Stefhanie Meyers as head chef. Back in 2011, during her first tenure, Meyers developed The Federal’s original menu. Stefhanie’s passion for food helped establish the Federal as a pioneer of the gastropub tradition and a primary watering hole for the North Hollywood crowd. With her return, she plans to rethink what American classic food means from its journey from the ground and the animal to how it is eaten at The Federal.

Meyers previously worked under Chef John Sedlar and helped in the opening of his restaurant Playa Rivera. Under Sedlar’s mentorship, she learned how to efficiently and successfully run a menu and kitchen – skills she then took to The Federal as head chef. She then went on to become the Executive Chef of Bow & Truss—a remarkable, groundbreaking pan-Latin taverna. At Bow & Truss, Meyers was able to experiment and focus on freshness, but not at the cost of full, bold Spanish flavors.

This passion for a farm to table philosophy inspired Meyers to pack her bags to move to Sandpoint, Idaho, where she became the Executive Chef and General Manager at The Bistro Rouge with the Pend d’Oreille Winery. Being in Idaho enabled her to work intimately with farmers to bring only the best and freshest ingredients to the diners, to work seasonably, and to think about sustainability that is as much in harmony with the planet as the palate.

Meyers has brought the sum of her years in cooking, growing, and creating food to The Federal again, and has already instituted changes from the ground up by switching suppliers and pursuing higher rates of Non-GMO food. After The Federal re-establishes its footing with favorites and basics this summer, her proposed changes to the menu will show a focus to sharable items with a stronger inkling towards vegetarian and gluten-free options in order to ensure everyone can enjoy a bite—all of which will feature Meyer’s philosophy of “from scratch” cooking. The brunch menu will be next to get a makeover, ensuring people from all walks of life will be able to get delicious, incredibly fresh American gastropub food from morning to night.

For all of her holistic food chops though, Chef Stefhanie hasn’t strayed from the way people are going to eat in 2020—and her commitment to food safety and cleanliness far precedes COVID-19. She concludes, “I embrace fun trends, so long as they still offer creativity. The has offered an opportunity to re-evaluate the customer experience and rise to the challenge to meet it with excellence”—indoors, outdoors, and at home.

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