Jonathan Strader

Owner

Jonathan Strader, aka Strader, has been working in restaurants since he was a kid in Vero Beach, Florida. He moved to LA at 21 and started working with the Hillstone Restaurant Group in Santa Monica. He went on to work with many notable restaurants and chefs in the LA area.

In 2009, he began working at Joe’s in Venice where he met chefs Kris Tominaga and Brian Dunsmoor. Together, they went on to open the pop-up Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, on Abbot Kinney, and The Hart and The Hunter, in West Hollywood. They developed somewhat of a cult following and were known as industry favorites. Rave reviews rolled in from all the top publications, including LA Times Food Critic Jonathan Gold.

In 2015, Brian and Strader landed back in Venice, opening up Hatchet Hall, an American wood-fire restaurant, and the adjoining Old Man Bar, known for its exclusive rare bourbon collection. “The roster of old fashioneds at the Old Man Bar is bigger than the entire menu at some bars,” wrote Jonathan Gold in his 2016 review.

In 2018, after moving to Long Beach with his family and buying his first home, Strader realized the importance of laying down roots and investing in his new community. He decided to partner with longtime friend and veteran chef, Jack Leahy, to open Little Coyote, creating a neighborhood spot that would bring together family, friends and community with great, simple and authentic food. 

Jack Leahy

Owner

Jack grew up in a family of 5 kids. His dad, Papa Joe, was the premier cook in the house: entertaining, throwing huge parties and bbq’s, smoking meat, and cooking up irresistible Italian. Jack always loved cooking, thanks in part to his dad’s influence. His first gig was in a donut shop, grilling burgers by day, and waiting tables at night.

Jack went to culinary school in NYC, but he dropped out to take an offer as a pantry cook at Suzanne Goin’s AOC, in West Hollywood. Working in a kitchen full of women truly transformed his cooking. The way women approached food was different than anything he’d seen before. The misogynistic ways of an historically male dominated industry didn’t exist, there. They took the ego out and approached cooking in an organic and nurturing way. It was at AOC where Jack first learned how to embrace ingredients and tradition and explore his own creativity.

Jack IS a jack of all trades. He has dabbled in everything from becoming an EMT at UCLA to founding a theater company. However, his true passion has always been cooking.

Jack returned to the kitchen to work at Hungry Cat, where he met Brian Dunsmoor. He then became the Chef De Cuisine at Hatchet Hall, where he met Jonathan Strader. In 2018, Jack took the lead at L&E Oyster Bar, in Silverlake, as the Executive Chef.

At Little Coyote, Jack and Strader create old school pizzas, focusing on ingredients, tradition and creativity, the tenants of good cooking that have guided Jack’s career as a chef.