Michael Ourieff had a dream. At 16, his first job was as a pizza cook at Mike’s Pizza. He went to college and earned a business degree with a goal to open his own restaurant. After saving the money he earned by working in restaurants, he finally saw his dream become a reality. In 1983, Michael Ourieff opened Michael J’s Boston Pizzeria. It was a simple, casual Italian restaurant located on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks. Although the restaurant served Italian food, it featured pizza. As time went by, recipes were improved and menu items were added. To reflect these changes, the restaurant’s name soon became Michael J's Italian Kitchen. Business grew. We began doing catering deliveries for the medical industry. Because our customers loved our Italian food, pizza, sandwiches, and salads, they began asking us to cater their parties. This opened a whole different world of opportunities for Michaels J’s. We created a catering menu that featured our regular menu selections served family-style. Our customers wanted more choices. This, of course, led us to expand our menu to include Mexican, Greek, Asian, and BBQ selections. We added sandwich platters and party subs. Before we knew it, we also had a full bakery that served delightful sweets and fresh-baked breads. By 2000, the significant portion of Michael J's business was catering delivery to the greater Los Angeles Area. We relocated to our current location on the bottom floor of the Health Research Building across from the Los Angeles County USC Medical Center. This location is about a mile from Downtown Los Angeles and gives us great freeway access to make our catering deliveries. By listening to his customers, Michael Ourieff’s dream has grown, but his commitment to excellence remains the same. Michael J’s is a place where fresh, innovative food is served up with unsurpassed quality and consistency by passionate employees.