Heritage has achieved a feat only it can claim as its own when it comes to the Long Beach food scene: for the third year in a row, they have received a star from the Michelin Guide. Also, for the third year in a row, Heritage has garnered a green star for its sustainability practices; this also remains solely its achievement in terms of Long Beach restaurants.
Chef Philip Pretty and his sister/hospitality maestro Lauren Pretty (formally Michaelis but always known as a Pretty in the food world) celebrated the win in the Visit California-sponsored ceremony held in Sacramento.
“It was an honor to attend the Michelin Ceremony for the third year,” Lauren said. “Even more, maintaining our Michelin Red Star and Michelin Green Star was nothing short of astounding. The ceremony was lovely, and Sacramento has been a blast.”
Heritage: From sandwich shop to Michelin star—a Long Beach story if there ever was one.
Tucked inside a century-old Craftsman in Rose Park, Heritage opened quietly in 2020. And it opened as a sandwich shop.
It was a sharp, business-smart move on the part of the Prettys: sidestepping over-refinement while dialing up comfort, Pretty and his crew built the kind of sandwich shop Long Beach had quietly hungered for. Tucked into what felt like an old house-turned-hangout, folks sat at picnic tables lining the grass and tore into food that looked simple on the surface—but was anything but. (Chef Philip even brought back his rightfully loved brisket sandwich years later post-sandwich shop.)
Heritage then pivoted to something Chef Philip always wanted: Something a bit more elevated. Heritage, as the non-sandwich shop it became, was and remains the labor of love for Chef Philip Pretty and Lauren. They paired a refined multicourse tasting menu with nearly monosyllabic hospitality: no tableside theatrics, no menu clutter—just intentional, elegant cooking that reflects Philip’s 20-plus years of kitchen mastery.
In July 2023, everything changed: Heritage became the first Long Beach restaurant to earn a Michelin star. It was and remains a distinction that elevates Long Beach on the culinary map. And, much like the placement of Ammatoli, Selva, Tacos La Carreta, and Sonoratown on Bill Addison’s 101 list throughout the years, affirmed what many already knew: Long Beach punches well above its weight class. All that while running a true zero-waste operation, powered by Heritage Farm just up the street.
A slightly salty writer and an ambitiously seasoned chef: The imbalanced opinions over food awards.
When I first met Chef Philip, he was creating sincerely great things at a restaurant that shall never be named. Over too many drinks at The Pike, he laid it all out for me: a culinary pedigree that could put entire cities to shame and, more importantly, a promise. And that was that he’d be the first chef in Long Beach to snag a Michelin star. Despite the chaos that followed, he made good on that promise.
Even more? His ambition shows no boundary: “Aiming for two stars. Just gimme time and watch me.” And on that, I believe him—and, even more, cheer him on.
The statement made me both beam with pride and, admittedly, reminded me of a sentiment I have long expressed. That sentiment has been misread as raining on someone’s parade. Now, first things first: The maintenance of that star? That is something that is not always granted. And the fact that Chef Philip, Lauren, and the entire team have maintained it deserves applause. Despite this slightly salty writer’s opinions about the Michelin guide—for which Chef Philip gave me a healthy Listen-Here-Writer-You’re-Not-a-Restaurateur reading that I fully respected—it is one that I very much still hold.
My opinion will always remain this: I want chefs to cook for and restaurateurs to serve their communities and themselves. (Let alone a guide that dismissed the entirety of SoCal as once a vapid and vacuous food space.) That can play out in myriad ways, but it doesn’t have to be an either/or game. If anything, please, just don’t serve me two desserts and count it as two courses; one is just fine.
The Attic, Chiang Rai maintain mentions; no other Long Beach spaces return or make the cut.
Much to the shock of those in the Long Beach food scene, both Sushi Nikkei and HiroNori lost their mentions entirely in the guide in the guide last year. And that has not changed.
The Attic and Chiang Rai, while not being dubbed a Bib Gourmand status as Chef Thomas Ortega’s Amor Y Tacos has yet again, are mentioned in the 2025 California Guide.
