Commercial kitchens have come a long way in the past hundred years, as the photos below show all too well. From chic hotels to popular restaurants to TV sets, L.A. has never had any shortage of venues for the art of cooking--and, if the number of pictures taken of kitchen interiors over the years are any indication, fascination with the culinary arts is nothing new to us. Below, ten photos of vintage L.A. kitchens and the people who worked in them.
The kitchen in downtown's Alexandria Hotel--still standing after all these years--is shown here in 1910. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
On its opening day in 1927, cooks at the El Cholo Restaurant, once located at 11th and Western, pose for a photo. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
The kitchen depicted here is believed to be that of the Huntington Hotel in Pasadena circa 1930. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Student volunteers squeeze orange juice for seniors in 1940 at the Rancho Los Amigos "home for the indigent aged." Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Cooking shows were just as popular in 1952 as they are today. This photo goes behind the scenes of Mercedes' Gaffney's Kitchen, which once ran every weekday on ABC. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Chefs at the Statler Hotel at Wilshire and Figueroa--once an establishment to rival the Waldorf Astoria--prepare a luxurious Thanksgiving spread in 1955. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
In 1959, the L.A. County Courthouse was proud to unveil its new state-of-the-art cafeteria, which could seat and serve 500 people at once. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
1964's Assistance League Tearoom on St. Andrew's Place in Hollywood served up such luncheon delicacies as fresh pineapple salad with lime sherbet. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
In 1968 as today, the farmers' market on Fairfax played host to an array of restaurants like the one whose kitchen is shown here. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
Cooks in L.A.'s bygone Mexican Kitchen work fast to meet the dinner rush. Image courtesy LAPL Photo Collection.
The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.
