Ray Hayashi and Cynthia Hetlinger are a husband and wife chef duo behind the newly opened RYLA in Hermosa Beach. The two have worked their way through several acclaimed Los Angeles restaurants over the years. Hayashi, a Japanese-American SoCal native, has spent nearly a decade with chef David LeFevre working his way up to R&D chef at South Bay’s beloved MB Post, Fishing with Dynamite and The Arthur J – while Hetlinger, who was born and raised in Taipei, spent 5 years at the critically-lauded Providence, most recently as sous chef under chef Michael Cimarusti. Now, the two have embarked on opening their very first restaurant together, marrying the flavors of Hayashi’s Japanese heritage with Hetlinger’s Taiwanese roots.