Photo: Brulee
Francisco Lozano, formerly a chef at Citrus, Jimmy’s, and Loews Santa Monica, closed his market-driven Long Beach cafe and bakery Brulee last week. Opening the restaurant in August 2009, the native Salvadoran had the best intentions of helping put Long Beach “on the world map and earn its place as a food mecca.” Despite great reviews on Yelp, Lozano points Gazettes to a sales decline of “30% to 40%” since February, high rents, and “a lack of working capital.” Sadly, the chef also says, “I think we’re burnt out from the experience and it was painful emotionally, economically and physically. We were going against all odds as the little guy.”
