a cut above

by Emily Platt

Having recently been named "Best Up and Coming Restaurant Developer 2010" by the Los Angeles Business Journal, Charles Lew's exemplary reputation and work ethic are what serve to distinguish him from his peers in a city rampant with suspect business practices. The Scotland native is currently invested in five successful establishments, acting as a managing partner in three of them. Among his better-known ventures are Gasser Lounge in Redondo Beach, celebrity hotspot Crown Bar, and the most recently opened location attracting Angelinos: Stout. Yet despite his current enviable prosperity, particularly during such an economic dry spell, acquiring investors was an initial struggle. "You spend so much time in a valley before you see any peaks", Lew admits. Upon graduating Loyola Law School in ‘98, he began leveraging his legal knowledge in order to gain financial capital for each of his now thriving businesses. By ‘08 the team responsible for the immense popularity of Crown Bar - including Matthew Lavin, Chris Huvane, and Andrew Fiscella - gave him the credibility he needed to develop into an award-winning entrepreneur.

With a host of fresh projects underway, Lew can hardly be found sitting pretty in his law firm's spacious office located in the CNN building, overlooking the iconic "Hollywood" sign. Several more Stout bars are set to launch in the near future, the first of which is already underway. "The concept behind Stout was to build a business that could be easily replicated, and would have foreseeable longevity," he explains. However his is certainly no one-man show. Lew promptly credits much of his triumphs to his partner and wingman, Alex Kagianaris, who he describes as "a very solid individual and the brains behind the law firm".

Another significant project the industrialist is eager to advance is his not-for-profit organization, One Roof at a Time. Its purpose is to help displaced families on the verge of losing their homes due to foreclosures, by renegotiating with banks to secure a more favorable deal. Charles Lew's own financial stability is what enables him to contribute to local communities in this way and lend a hand to those in need. Despite his shiny new title of "Best Up and Coming Restaurant Developer 2010", the genuine awareness and gratitude he holds for all the success in his life provide him with all the acclaim he needs.