It’s a balmy Thursday evening in Hollywood, and with the sun having finally set, it’s begun to get dark, save the crackling fire pit that Debbie Michail is crouched in front of. She’s quickly checking a pot of turmeric rice sitting atop the smoldering embers, grilling skewered chicken hearts, and balancing pans on varying makeshift cook surfaces over the flame while her partner, Alex Jermasek, breaks down birds, removing their backbones with quick knife strokes. Behind them, an array of other birds—from Cornish hens to ducks—are tied with rope to what looks like the structural remnants of a chain-link fence, held together by plywood, cinderblock, and bricks. The birds twist and sway in place from the heat of the fire, golden-skinned and glistening.
This is Logmeh, the pop-up that’s bringing Middle Eastern whole-animal roasts cooked over large, open fires to LA.