Josh Goldman - Partner

Josh Goldman started his career in food & beverage by bartending while in college. He developed a passion for the industry, which led to formal coursework with the Court of Master Sommeliers where he earned the distinction of Advanced Level Sommelier in 2007. He became General Manager at critically acclaimed Bastide under the helm of Chef Walter Manzke, who he would eventually follow downtown to Church & State.  At both establishments, they earned back-to-back 3-star ratings from the Los Angeles Times.  In 2009, he joined Chef Michael Voltaggio at The Dining Room at the Langham, overhauling the wine program to complement Voltaggio’s innovative menu.  In 2011 Chef Voltaggio and Goldman opened Voltaggio’s first restaurant ink., where Josh was General Manager and Beverage Director. The restaurant was awarded the title of “Best New Restaurant in the County” from GQ Magazine. Josh has won several bartending awards including a national championship through Cochon 555’s “Punch Kings”. Josh is partners with acclaimed bartender Julian Cox in Soigné Group a consulting and management company that focuses on bars and restaurants. Together the two have been named “Best Bartender in Los Angeles” from Eater.com, nominated for a Spirited Award for “Best Restaurant Bar in the US” and have had multiple nominations for Outstanding Restaurant Bar from the James Beard Foundation.

JULIAN COX - PARTNER

Julian Cox began his career in Los Angeles crafting cocktails at Comme Ça and David Myers’ Michelin star restaurant Sona before collaborating with Chef John Sedlar to open Rivera in January of 2009. On the heels of his trendsetting work at Rivera, Cox opened Cedd Moses’ mixology temple Las Perlas in downtown Los Angeles and went on to head up the beverage program at Los Angeles’ acclaimed pop-up, Test Kitchen, drawing talent from all over the country to collaborate with him behind the bar alongside the country’s top chefs. Julian went on to become the creative lead for an impressive list of Los Angeles’ most celebrated restaurants including Rivera, Redbird, Bestia, Otium, Sotto, Picca, The Rose Café, Barrel and Ashes, and Petty Cash Taqueria. Julian was honored with a rising star chef award in 2010 and has been nominated for 4 James Beard Awards and 2 Spirited Awards for outstanding bar program for his work at Rivera and Bestia. In 2012, Julian and Josh Goldman started their company Soigne Group LLC. Soigne Group has been incredibly influential in building bars, design, management, and education. In 2014, Julian was named one of the 10 most influential bartenders of the past 10 years by Food and Wine Magazine. As executive beverage director for Sprout restaurant group, Julian helped lead one of the biggest restaurant expansions in Los Angeles history opening 8 new concepts for the group in 2015. In 2016, Julian was hired as Director of Beverage for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises the legendary Chicago based restaurant group. Working directly with Rich Melman, Julian now oversees beverage programs for the company across the United States.

Richie lopez - directory of culinary

Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Chef Richie Lopez moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20. In 2008, he met Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate and started on his culinary path at Mo-chica in Mercado on Grand Avenue. In 2010, Richie continued to refine and develop his craft as a cook at Test Kitchen; a concept that introduced a new menu, chef and staff everyday. Richie then joined the opening team of Playa, a contemporary Mexican restaurant developed by Chef John Sedlard. Six months later, he moved on to help open Sotto a regionally-inspired Southern Italian outpost by Chef Steve Samson and Zack Pollack. In June of 2011, Richie became Sous Chef at Picca, a Peruvian restaurant serving familiar tapas with a Japanese flair. In 2012, he joined the opening team at Paiche (Nikei) where he continued to produce refined and innovative dishes for several years as Chef de Cuisine under Chef Ricardo Zarate. Along his illustrious journey, Richie has had the privilege of working alongside renowned chefs such as Alain Giraud and Michael Voltagio. In August of 2014, Richie, alongside iconic mixiologist duo Julian Cox and Josh Goldman opened Brilliantshine, a coastal themed venue with a comfort-driven menu. Now, as the Director of Culinary for Soigné Group, Chef Richie Lopez will continue to break the mold on innovative dining with roots deep in tradition.

Doni goodman - design director

Doni Goodman graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles with a degree in Design Advertising. Before that he spent time studying by the beach in Santa Barbara as well as a year studying abroad in Tel Aviv soaking up as much sun and hummus as possible.

His career in advertising and design began in the world of Youtube brand marketing where he partnered movie studios with influencers across the internet creating viral content for major films and video game titles. Wanting to dive deeper into the digital advertising world Doni moved to New York where he began creating campaigns and content for fortune 100 companies like Oreo, Visa, Chase, Verizon, AT&T, Spotify, Nestle, Disney, United Airlines and Ford, along with many others. 

At the same time, having a love for hospitality design since childhood, Doni began working alongside his brother Sholi (and the Melrose Umbrella Hospitality Group) to develop the visual identity, web presence, and collateral branding for their various bars and restaurants. In recent Doni has joined the Soigné Group as Design Director where he continues to develop and produce the identity's and collateral for all their new ventures.