"Representatives from Pasta Bar expressed both enjoyment of the ceremony and clear ambitions for further recognition. Margarita Kallas-Lee said, "This is the first year that I’m just enjoying it. I’m not nervous. I’m very excited. I think with Pasta Bar [in Encino], the team is amazing." Phillip Frankland Lee added a longer note about goals and investments: "We’re trying to get two stars with Pasta Bar. We’re trying to get a green star, trying to get all those things. A year ago, we planted a legit quarter-acre garden. If my brother [Lennon Silvers Lee of Silvers Omakase] gets a star, we’ll be the first brothers in America to both own separate starred restaurants, only the second time that’s happened in the world, and the only ones current. If the stars align…" - Matthew Kang