The fundamental team!
Jeffrey Faust and Woogene Lee, Founders/Owners, fundamental events
Both born and raised in Orange County, Jeff and Woogene have been best friends since they were kids. And when we say best friends, we mean, went to college together in another city best friends! The kind of friends you hear about in books and on tv - real, lifelong, one in a million connection best friends. Which is why it made so much sense for them to go into business together. What could be better than working alongside your bestie for life? According to Jeff, nothing! “The #1 best thing about my job is that I get to work with Woogene. We've known each other since we were 7 years old and it's unbelievably rare and special to be able to work with your best friend and build your lives together. We've experienced lows in life, but always have been there for each other. Thankfully, we were able to grind so hard and now we've built this amazing company with amazing people and have something really special to show for it.”
After graduating college, and with no experience in the food industry, Jeff and Woogene decided to take a huge leap of faith, and put their shared love of food to work. In 2011, fundamental was founded, with a small, high end restaurant in Westwood Village. This hole in the wall on a busy corner soon became the talk of the town, and fundamental expanded to a downtown location, before the demand for catering started to outweigh the restaurant’s needs. Once again, they took a leap of faith, and fundamental catering was born in 2017, and since then, the company has continued to grow and become one of the leading catering companies in the city - and beyond!
With a small but mighty team lead by two people who love food and service almost as much as they love their bond, fundamental continues to bring bespoke, custom event catering to clients of all kinds. Each menu, each event, is curated with the love and care instilled in the company by Jeff and Woogene, and it shines through everything we do.
Lauren Morales, Director of Sales
Lauren Morales was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, and formed a love of and appreciation for all types of cuisines from a very young age. Her grandparents, from Ecuador and Austria respectively, each helped shape this love by teaching Lauren how to cook before she could even read or write. Inspired by her upbringing, Lauren first entered the world of food in an official capacity when she decided to attend culinary school.
However, sometimes even the best laid plans often go awry, and Lauren quickly realized her place in the culinary world was not in the back of house, but rather on the customer service side, where she enjoys exploring her creative visions by helping clients realize their own.
Lauren came to fundamental nearly ten years ago, and has been the driving force behind the growth and success of fundamental. Her creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail ensures all of her clients receive the highest quality of service from start to finish.
When asked about her favorite restaurant, Lauren had to take while to answer, as there were so many that came to mind. Finally, she chose Sunday Gravy in Inglewood, and also, of course, anything her grandparents make!
Lauren Morales, Director of Sales
Cindy Larimore, Senior Catering Sales Manager
Cindy grew up in a home filled with love - and food! Her grandfather once owned an Italian restaurant in Michigan, and one of Cindy’s earliest memories is of cleaning squid for a calamari soup, and hand making spicy sausage in her grandpa’s kitchen.
Food wasn’t always on Cindy’s radar, though, as she went to school for something completely different, but worked as a server to make money while studying, and quickly fell in love with the world of food. This love turned into a career, and Cindy has been in catering sales and event production for over ten years.
Cindy’s favorite restaurants in Los Angeles are Avenue 26 Tacos, Jitlada Thai, and Hard Times Pizza.
Cindy Larimore, Senior Catering Sales Manager
Kirsten Walker, Executive Chef and Culinary Director
For Chef Kirsten, or Chef K as everyone calls her, love for hospitality began with her very first job at a small coffee shop in high school. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion for creating memorable moments. After college, she pursued her calling as a chef and has been dedicated to hospitality ever since.
What she loves most about being a chef is collaborating with clients to design the perfect menu tailored to their vision and tastes. She often pulls inspiration from her life's travels and her multiethnic background of Danish, Spanish, and Filipino heritage. Chef K's guiding thought is simple: food is at its best when it invokes feelings of comfort, tradition, and love.
As much as she enjoys curating menus and crafting new dishes, her favorite meals will always be the ones made by her mother- her mother's cooking is the perfect reminder of why food is so special - it brings people together and creates memories that last.
Kirsten Walker, Executive Chef & Culinary Director
Jessica Lightfoot, Assistant Catering Sales Manager
Jessica Lightfoot was born and raised in Colorado (go Broncos!) Where she attended college, receiving a degree in theater arts. This love of performing went hand in hand with a love of production and of creating events and parties, which naturally lead into a life of event catering. Jessica has a long and storied history with event production, doing everything from floral design to hands on service, and finally, to the fundamental sales team, where she acts as a sounding board for clients who may have hosting jitters, or not know quite what they need for their party.
One of Jessica’s favorite parts of her job is helping put people at ease, either through custom menu creation, help with decor, or anything else they need. Jessica can truly do it all, and we love her for it!
Jessica loves fine dining, and will never turn down an opportunity to visit Bavel in Los Angeles, where she indulges in their duck hummus any chance she gets.
Jessica Lightfoot, Assistant Catering Sales Manager
Ryan Watanabe, Director of Events
Born and raised in the South Bay, Ryan Watanabe has never had a job that wasn’t in customer service, and specifically in the restaurant sector. In fact, Ryan joined the fundamental team when fundamental was first starting out as a restaurant, and didn’t even offer catering! When the time came, he seamlessly transitioned into the role of Events Director, helping to execute perfect, custom events for clients of all kinds.
Ryan loves the variety on site catering brings, with each new space bringing exciting new challenges to conquer, and new ways to bring fantastic service to our clients.
Beyond his love for logistical challenges, Ryan truly has a deep love of food - feeding his coworkers and friends is his love language. When asked his favorite restaurants, the list he sent was extensive, so we’ll just say, he loves to eat all good food, and no matter where he goes, he always finds something delicious!
Ryan Watanabe, Director of Events
Julio Castillo, Director of Operations
Meticulous and creative, Julio Castillo has always had a deep appreciation for art of all kinds, including the art of cuisine. With a background in graphic design and and programming, Julio has always found a way to merge his love of art with his love of organization, which makes him a perfect fit for his role at fundamental.
What started as a weekend job to make extra money turned into a full blown love of all things food and service, which brought him from a restaurant job in Mexico City at the age of sixteen, to running a casino before he was old enough to even gamble, all the way to Los Angeles, where he joined the fundamental team first in a part time role, before working his way up to becoming one of our most valued members.
Julio loves how fast paced the world of events can be, and enjoys executing all events at the highest standards for service.
His favorite restaurant is Sunset Sushi, found not in Los Angeles, but in Phoenix Arizona.
Julio Castillo, Director of Operations