The Draycott, Pacific Palisades
CO-OWNER MARISSA HERMER’S STORY
Born in southern California, Marissa Hermer moved to London after graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont to start a public relations career. After jump-starting her profession, Marissa moved to New York to open Ian Schrager’s Gramercy Park Hotel – as well as work across NYC’s restaurant and nightlife space. While in New York, Marissa reconnected with London nightclub owner and restaurateur Matt Hermer and moved back to London in 2008, where she and Matt married shortly after.
Leveraging her New York City F&B PR, events, and marketing background, Marissa created locally-loved spots through the duo’s Ignite Group, a UK-based international food, beverage, and entertainment corporation, that owned and operated Boujis nightclub, Bumpkin restaurants, and Eclipse bars in London, Europe, and Asia. Marissa eventually went on to start her first solo restaurant, Top Dog, in 2015. Marissa also starred in Bravo TV’s Ladies of London.
Marissa and Matt moved to Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles in December 2016 with their three children, and have since opened The Draycott in September 2018, bringing the luxury of London to a convivial all-day dining environment with California sensibility. In January 2020, they opened Olivetta, a pan-Mediterranean Melrose Avenue dinner, and cocktails hotspot.
In addition to being a restauranteur, Marissa is also a published author and passionate home cook. Inspired by her love of family-friendly cooking (and her nostalgia for Southern California fare) Marissa wrote her first cookbook An American Girl in London: 120 Nourishing Recipes For Your Family From a California Expat, in Spring 2017.
VISIT US
15255 Palisades Village Ln
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
thedraycott.com/
