Co-owner and Executive Chef of Somni reveals the resilience that saw him through the restaurant’s shutdown and its West Hollywood return
“Reimagining the possible doesn’t start with inspiration. It starts with endurance.”— Zabala told the TEDxBeverlyGrove audience. WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA, UNITED STATES, August 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Aitor Zabala, who owns and runs the three-Michelin-star restaurant Somni, took the stage at TEDxBeverlyGrove 2026 to discuss the determination that guided him through the most challenging phase of his career.
Zabala addressed the crowd under the TEDxBeverlyGrove 2026 banner “Reimagining the Possible,” recounting a morning in October 2021 when his sous-chef quit and the restaurant space he had lined up for Somni’s reopening fell apart on the very same day. Sitting with his coffee that morning, Zabala thought about giving up entirely. Instead, a single phrase surfaced and became the principle that pushed him ahead: not today, hold on for one more day.
His talk covered the years that led to that moment, including Somni’s first opening in Beverly Hills back in 2018, its pandemic-era closure, and nearly four years spent mostly alone in a small test kitchen without a dining room or customers.
“Reimagining the possible doesn’t start with inspiration,” Zabala told the TEDxBeverlyGrove audience. “It starts with endurance.”
Zabala described Somni’s rebirth not as a pursuit of perfection, but as a pursuit of authenticity—a more intimate, more personal restaurant built to reflect his true self. Seven months after Somni reopened in West Hollywood, the Michelin Guide gave it Three Michelin Stars. That honor put Somni among California’s top-rated restaurants and marked one of the most anticipated restaurant revivals in the state.
Aitor Zabala is Owner and Executive Chef of Somni, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in West Hollywood. Born in Barcelona, he refined his craft at three-Michelin-star Akelarre before joining El Bulli, where he spent four years in the kitchen and elite test kitchen. After a decade as Creative Director at José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, Zabala launched Somni in Beverly Hills in 2018, earning two Michelin stars before the pandemic forced its closure. He reopened Somni in West Hollywood in 2024 and, seven months later, earned Three Michelin Stars.
Zabala’s talk was part of the TEDxBeverlyGrove 2026 speaker series and will be made available online in the coming months.
About TEDxBeverlyGrove
TEDxBeverlyGrove is an independently organized TED event focused on ideas that reshape culture, leadership, and human potential. The 2026 theme, “Reimagining the Possible,” asked leaders from various fields to reconsider how we move through uncertainty, rebuild after loss, and uncover what becomes possible when endurance replaces inspiration.
About Chef Aitor Zabala
Aitor Zabala is Owner and Executive Chef of Somni, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in West Hollywood. Born in Barcelona, he refined his craft at three-Michelin-star Akelarre before joining El Bulli, where he spent four years in the kitchen and elite test kitchen. After a decade as Creative Director at José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup, Zabala launched Somni in Beverly Hills in 2018, earning two Michelin stars before the pandemic forced its closure. He reopened Somni in West Hollywood in 2024 and, seven months later, earned three Michelin stars, becoming the first Spanish chef to achieve this distinction outside Spain and the first to receive all three stars simultaneously.
About Marvin V. Acuna
Marvin V. Acuna is a TEDx Organizer and Producer. In that role, he curates speakers, ideas, and the architecture of a high-trust live stage. Separate from his work as a TEDx producer, Acuna advises leaders, founders, attorneys, and public figures as a speaking coach and talk architect. He helps clients uncover the idea inside their story, sharpen their message, and deliver it with clarity, authority, and impact. He also serves as Head of Business Strategy for The Lawyers Roundtable and is the founder of MoBal Systems.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge, without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
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About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
Magin Rhodes
TEDxBeverlyGrove
press@tedxbeverlygrove.com
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