Our Story

 3rd Cousin in late 2015 with the support of the loyal community he built through his Kinfolk pop-up series. Lutes presents globally inspired and elegant take on California cuisine from the open kitchen of his  40-seat debut restaurant, creating a cozy atmosphere that will make you feel like a treasured guest at a dinner party.    

Lutes fell in love with cooking at a young age in his  350-person farm community of  Malden, Illinois, where farm to table was a normal daily way of life. He graduated from Kendall College and  was quickly on a fast track that would take him to the kitchens of some of the top restaurants in the country including Daniel in NYC and Everest in Chicago. The Chefs vision is to fuse familiar favorites with unexpected, innovative dishes utilizing but not limited to  French, Asian and Italian influences Lutes is one of the chefs quietly turning Bernal Heights into a culinary hotspot.