Going For The Gold
Mojave Gold wants to be your new favorite venue.
Buzz is growing for the opening of a unique new venue in Yucca Valley. Taking over the late, lamented Awe Bar space, Mojave Gold is shooting for a new, elevated vibe: great food, interior design that’s a creative twist on desert cool, and an upgraded performance space ready for top tier talent.
THE TEAM BEHIND THE GOLD
Mojave Gold is an ambitious project brought together with lightening speed, thanks to the sleep-deprived dynamic duo Greg Gordon and Cooper Gillespie, also known as local band Landroid. They both have a history of helping create great venues.
Gordon was recently the Assistant General Manager at Pappy and Harriet’s and Gillespie helped open LA’s Thirsty Crow back when craft cocktails were still a novelty.
They’re not the only connection to east Hollywood neighborhoods, Liz Garo, Mojave Gold’s talent buyer, built some of the most iconic music venues in Los Angeles. Garo started The Echo/Echoplex and was part of creating the Silver Lake music scene around the turn of the century, along with the much loved Echo Park Rising music festival.
The stage is outfitted with top-notch sound and lighting but that doesn’t mean local musicians won’t get their chance to play the stage.
“We’re not just booking big names,” Gillespie insists. “We want local musicians. We want the artists who live here to feel like they belong here.”
Free Mondays are part of the plan to showcase local talent and foster community connection.
“This wasn’t even a thought back in November,” Greg laughs,“Then December hit, we got a phone call — and it just snowballed from there.”
The call was from now partners in the venture, Dale and Brookelyn Fox. Brookelyn Fox is also stepping in as designer, bringing a new vibe to the space, with large comfortable booths in velvety smooth gold and rust, and playful touches like a vintage gum ball machine full of disco balls.
An outdoor fire pit is ringed by long patio sofas and desert-friendly plants for hanging outs on warm summer nights.
Fox is also planning a full wrap around mural of colorful desert flowers and plants to soften what was an all black exterior, to bring “a more feminine feel” to the venue.
Gordon said their dream team was complete when he cold called chef Beren Ekin-Huett. Huett lives a few minutes from Mojave Gold, but she has globe spanning experience. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she was most recently the Chef de Cuisine at the acclaimed Workshop Kitchen + Bar in Palm Springs. Huett is also a drummer, a writer, and a graduate of MAD Academy in Copenhagen, where she studied cutting edge sustainability in hospitality.
(For those not in the know - like me - it’s worth a click to see what MAD Academy’s programs are all about. Sustainability is taught as an all encompassing philosophy, from how the food is sourced and grown to the work culture in the kitchen and connection to the community.)
“She gets it,” Greg says. “And she wants to cook here. Which is wild. The food will be upscale but not up-tight. Think $20–$30 entrées, with maybe a market-price steak if you're feeling fancy. I don’t want to charge $18 for a grilled cheese.”
Dining is now limited to dinner, but will soon expand to include lunch and brunch.
And Gordon has good news for those not willing to pay close to $20 for a cocktail - the plan is to have well drinks at around $8, and happy hour options in the $6 to $8 range.
Gillespie has used her mixology skills to create a full menu of options, backed up by local favorite bartender Kim Velez. Velez will be Assistant General Manager before she heads off to helm Val’s when it opens in about a year, at the site of the former Lander’s Brew.
(Yes, Landroids, it’s true. Val’s will be the new venue rising out the dust of Lander’s Brew.)
If you’re into wine, Mojave Gold has got you. Gordon plans to have an extensive but affordable wine options, with plans to have wine dinners, wine education nights with representatives from vineyards, and a curated wine selection.
“Honestly, Gillespie said, we just want people to come, eat well, hear something incredible, and feel like this is their place.”
OPENING NIGHT May 31st - Drink, Dine, Dance
Get ready to test out the new dance floor because opening night will feature DJ Kate McCabe and Mr Milagro tag teaming on a set of 80s street beat and RnB classics, all on vinyl.
“I’m very excited to see this iconic historical space in the hands of music-loving creative locals,” McCabe said.
Opening night reservations are full, but head to Open Table to check out the vibe for yourself.