Christy Vega

Christina “Christy” Vega was born in Burbank, CA, in 1977 to a long line of restaurateurs. Her grandparents, who immigrated to Southern California from Tijuana, Mexico, in the late 1930s, were the proprietors of Café Caliente, a famous nightclub and restaurant that thrived for 18 years on Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. Her father, Rafael Vega,  followed in the  family footsteps and opened Casa Vega in 1956 in Sherman Oaks, CA, at the age of 22, establishing what became a well-known hangout for celebrities like Carey Grant and Marlon Brando. Following her father, Christy has taken the restaurant reins to ensure that Casa Vega remains a Los Angeles landmark for generations to come.

After obtaining a B.S. in business administration and economics from Saint Mary’s College of California in Northern California in 1999, Christy moved back to Los Angeles to learn the ropes of her family business. Christy has worked every aspect and position of the restaurant, including back office, on the floor, as well as spent a great deal of time in the kitchen. Christy loves to jump in the kitchen to carefully recreate her family’s recipes that have been passed down through the generations. 

Christy was named one of the “Top 40 under 40” business professionals in 2010 by the San Fernando Business Journal. She has appeared in several segments on NBC’s “TODAY” Show, CBS’s “This Morning,” and the “Rachael Ray” show, was prominently featured in the restaurant’s remodeling segment of Bravo’s “Flipping Out,” and is a recurring guest judge on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games.”