Celebrity Private Chef Hopes to 'Kickstart' Upscale Wood-Fired Pizza Restaurant

For the past 13 years, Richard Florczak has been a private chef to such A-list celebrities as Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Garner. But building a wood-fire pizza oven in his backyard decidedly changed his professional goals.

"I became so passionate about it that I lost my love for other kinds of cooking," said the Old Agoura resident.

Thus the dream for Flame Pizzeria was born.

About a year ago, Florczak was approached by his nephew, a general manager for Houston's Restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

"He said, 'Let's start a restaurant together,'" Florczak recalls. "But when I suggested a high-end restaurant that sold only Neolatin Pizzas along with high end beer and wine, he said I was crazy." 

Then they visited a gourmet pizza restaurant in Scottsdale, saw the long table wait, and decided to move forward with the business plan. 

The idea for Flame Pizzeria is now on Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website where users can browse various projects and pledge money. User money is not taken unless the project reaches its funding goal.

The restaurant will feature six signature pizzas, "cooked in the center of the dining room in full view of all the customers," according to the Kickstarter page.

Florczak wants to open the business in Agoura Hills but has been looking at locations as far as Woodland Hills.

"So far, I've raised $175,000 but our goal is $350,000," he said.

Florczak began his career as a room service waiter at the Bel Air Hotel, then worked for a number of catering companies. His connections soon parlayed him into private chef work.

Having recently completed his 13-year gig with Gibson, Florczak currently cooks for Billy Gardell (Mike and Molly) and Tyson Chandler (star center for the New York Knicks). 

In 2005, he released a cookbook, The Private Chef, which features easy to make classic recipes.

"I found that most of the cookbooks out there are written by restaurant chefs, so when people take them home, they're unable to cook them," he said.

Florczak, who cooks for kids and adults, wanted to create recipes that also looked good on the plate so they are appealing to everyone.

"People think celebrities only eat 5-star quality food, but the reality is they eat what you and I eat," he said. "So I developed a cookbook that takes middle of the road dishes and turn them into upscale presentations."

Each recipe in the book is accompanied by a full color photograph.

Florczak shares his recipe for Lemon Garlic Chicken with Patch readers:

 This dish is great for casual entertaining. Serve in a large dish with plenty of French bread and gather your friends around. Be sure to have a big spoon on hand because you’ll want to get every last drop of this incredible sauce. Accompany with a simple salad. 

•6 chicken breast halves, bone in and skin on 
•1/2 cup olive oil 
•2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced 
•1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 
•1 tsp. dried oregano 
•1 tbsp. chicken base granules 
•1 loaf of crusty French bread, torn into single serving pieces 
•lemon wedges and fresh oregano sprigs for garnish 

Preheat oven broiler. Wash and pat dry chicken breasts and place them in an oven-proof dish, skin side up, approximately 8 inches from the heat for 15 minutes or until golden. 
Mix olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and oregano in a bowl and set aside. 
Turn chicken breasts over and cook for an additional 15 minutes. 
Turn chicken skin side up once more, pour olive oil mixture over chicken and return to oven for 5 more minutes. 
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. 
Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Slice breasts in half, cross-wise, creating 12 pieces. 
Place on a serving dish. Mix chicken base granules into the olive oil mixture until dissolved and carefully pour over the chicken. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh oregano sprigs and serve with the French bread. 

serves: 6