Los Angeles-based Cultivate Hospitality was founded with the goal of being an all-in-one resource for its clients, handling not only design, but brokerage as well. After graduating from Cornell’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration, president and managing partner Peter Peterson worked in restaurant operations before getting his master’s degree in real estate development at Columbia University and cutting his teeth with the Related Companies. He founded Cultivate in 2017 to merge his two passions. “Hospitality is now a key factor in every real estate asset class,” he explains. By partnering with chefs, operators, and designers, “we are able to help [clients] navigate through the entire process.”
Among the firm’s coast-to-coast projects is travel-inspired Los Angeles eatery Hinoki & the Bird. With an airy, modern design by local Studio MAI, the restaurant, helmed by chef David Myers, is a space that “locals would want to use on a regular basis—an extension of their homes.” Cultivate also oversaw the redesign of Manhattan staple the Porter House Bar and Grill, working with New York firm Jeffrey Beers International to transform it into “a sophisticated version of the New York-style steakhouse.”
According to Peterson, the secret to success is finding the right team. “Labor has become the most challenging aspect of operating a successful F&B operation,” he reveals. “It takes constant vigilance, and when achieved, it is the true bedrock of most successful longterm operations.”
The laidback Hinoki & the Bird, complete with charred cedar wood and brass lamps.
Midnight blue accents dress the dining room in the Porter House refresh.
Massive windows add a softer glow to Porter House, complementing its signature cherry wood.
