California-Latin Flavors (and Flair) in Venice Beach
If there is one thing to know about L.A. native Sophia Moreno-Bunge—aside from her otherworldly talents as a florist—it’s that family is of utmost importance to her. Her beloved and sought-after floral design firm, Isa Isa, was named after her Argentine grandmothers (both named Isabel). And today, she pitches in when needed at a trio of businesses run by her tight-knit family in Venice, California: Fig Tree (a beachside cafe serving Latin-inspired fare), Cueva (a new adjacent event space), and Su Casa (a boutique inn right above them).
They are a family of makers and doers. Sophia’s parents bought the restaurant and inn in 2006; in 2012, when her mother passed away, she and her brother, Matias, joined their father in the ventures. “In 2020 we closed the former iteration of the restaurant and embarked on a journey to reimagine it, along with our friend Dashiell Nathanson who has worked in hospitality in L.A., New York City, and China,” says Sophia. “The early days of scheming for the new Fig Tree were really fun and special. We spent many nights tasting Dash’s new recipes, many hours making mood boards and chatting about design ideas with Matias, my father, and Dash. Matias, who is also a musician, made amazing playlists for Fig Tree, and we hosted many family and friends barbecues while in construction. I think these were the initial inspiration for our wood-fire grill nights at Fig Tree.”
These days Matias and Dash are running the restaurant, while Sophia is playing to her strengths and works on the florals and the landscaping. Recently the group opened a private dining room, Cueva, next door to Fig Tree. Soon, they hope to turn their attention to Su Casa. “Our dream is to fully redesign that space one day. Su Casa is evolving little by little for now, but we have big ideas for it,” she shares.
Photography courtesy of Sophia Moreno-Bunge.
Above: The airy, tropical-inspired interior of Fig Tree. “Almost everything in the building is casual but elegant, and draws a lot from the mix of rustic quality and metropolitan elegance you find in the Argentinian culture (where our family is from),” says Sophia.
Above: “Our wood-fire events are really fun and memorable. We have a giant wood-fire grill we set up outside, and the menu changes every time, inspired by Dash and Matias’s road trip on the Spanish coast. This event has also became a collab with Dash’s romantic partner Juri Bantlin, who he makes wine with in the south of France, pairing our wood-fired seafood with Domaine Les Enfants Sauvages biodynamic wines.”
Above: Cueva, next door, set up with artful arrangements by ISA ISA for a special event. “Florals are definitely a service we offer for all events—and they’re always by ISA ISA!”
Above: “The tables for Cueva were made using a mix of scaffolding planks we had lying around and a bunch of old floor planks we bought some years ago off a teardown in the Brentwood hills. We wanted something sturdy, inspired by the French worktable feel.”
Above: The new event space was once a t-shirt store. “The multi-colored patina was a pleasant surprise. It was a rough patch that appeared when we were clearing the backing that held the t-shirts from the original shop. Dash was obsessed with it so as we started plastering we found a way to frame it.”
Above: “We wanted the spaces to feel like a real mix of the Mediterranean spaces we have always loved visiting, the beach and countryside of Argentina, and the original spirit of bohemian Venice.”
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