SANTA MONICA, Calif. — You'll find refined, delicate dishes from the mind of a chef who wanted to be in the kitchen since he was a child in England at Fia in Santa Monica.

“I always gravitated towards the kitchen, so I didn’t fall into being a chef. I wanted to be a chef since the age of 11,” said Chef Brendan Collins.

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Collins was determined to make his dream a reality.

He grew up in the pubs his parents owned where his passion for cooking began. At 16, he went to culinary school and by 17, he was working at a 2-star Michelin restaurant.

“I finished cooking school on a Thursday and on Sunday I was on a train to London,” said Collins.

Collins worked throughout London then brought his skills to the States where he has been for 17 years. He has cooked at many Michelin Star restaurants during his career, but has not yet had the honor of receiving one himself.

Collins hopes his latest venture, Fia, with its quality ingredients, chefs, and menu, could be the answer.

“We are cooking Michelin worthy food, now whether we get one or not, fingers crossed, let’s hope so,” said Collins.

But the main goal at Fia is creating top notch food in a comfortable environment. For example, the pastas and bread are made in house, produce is right from the local farmers markets, and Collins gets to experiment with seasonal ingredients in a restaurant that inspires him.

“The sunshine, the beach, the markets, the farmers. Food is life and where you live is life, so we just use it as an inspiration every day,” said Collins.

Check out the Italian coastal restaurant nestled in Santa Monica where you can enjoy a fine dining, yet somehow casual meal. Fia is located at 2454 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403.